sick!
the vanishing tower by michael moorcock.

okay, i'm starting to get sick of these elric books. he isn't the "doomed prince" anymore so much as the "moody prince." yawn. like a parody of himself by book four (4). this is a short story collection, or three novellas if you want to look at it that way, & they have the added downside of punking elric. listen, don't put dudes like corum (who...has the hand & eye of vecna?) in the book to make fun of poor elric. sort of a bummer. only one more to go, & i think i can say i've had my fill. he's no conan!

like a velvet glove cast in iron by daniel clowes.

kingtycoon loves this book. just kept nagging on me to read it, & since i don't try to stay locked in the cage of my disdain for indie comics, i gave it a try. i will say this: it was loads better than ghost world. i'm still just so tired of the "oh my god, the world is filthy & confusing!" tropes of so many indie comics. this had some pretty good moments? i don't want to act like i hated it. it was just-- as i predicted-- interspersed with cut scenes of men with sweaty brows masturbating & all that bothersome noise. yeah, dudes, we get it, life is gross, heads up, i had this realization a million years ago. the strong suit of this comic is the surrealist mythology & dream logic, the downside of it is everything else, & frankly, it read like something ivan stang could have scribbled. another yawn, but i'm trying not to be too dismissive. it is punctuated with moments of value, but for the rest of it you just have to sort of roll your eyes.

teen titans: titans of tomorrow by sean mckeever, randy green, ale garza, jamal igle, & eddy barrows.

i think i might have had this talked up to me, because it was another letdown. after plenty of bullshit about poor dead bart (sorry-- if you guys want to point a finger at why bart died, it shouldn't be at his impulsiveness or the rogues-- dc editorial, i'm talking to you!) we get into part two of the "evil future titans" arc. tim drake batman uses a gun! kon-el has been cloned! white martian manhunter! old luthor! i'm not really impressed. the plot is slapdash, the starro business makes everyone a less credible threat, i'm sick of "& now we fight!" moments, that sort of thing. just didn't work for me. really i think the kiss of death is the fact that the future titans are too nineties (which is the point-- i get that) & they don't have a mythic feel. i don't buy them as the future of capes, dystopia or no. some good blue beetle moments & one good robin moment, though. (wrong cover shown)