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Chapter By Chapter (usually) features me reading one chapter of the selected book at a time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as a read-along book club.
I’ve been of two minds with this book thus far. On the one hand I thought this would take on more of a crime drama mystery story, even a procedural one more than a mystery for the audience to solve before the characters. Instead the focus has been more on interpersonal drama with characters we aren’t attached to and I wouldn’t have been if I hadn’t read the sequel book, The IDIC Epidemic, first. In our last chapter it was just two character with a private bonding ceremony. I skimmed this one and it still doesn’t appear to be more of the mystery and we’re running out of chapters.
On the other hand, the promise isn’t so much broken as taking its own sweet time. There have been moments of the murder story but it’s been separated by a lot of not murder mystery, as if Lorrah had a short story and used it to make a better reason for the characters to be part of this more longer story about Vulcan society and mating rituals beyond the pon farr. And it is a good story. I’m enjoying reading it. Compare it to a story that did break its promise and wasn’t as interesting in the long run. Prime Directive, another Star Trek book that got the Chapter By Chapter treatment, had nothing to do with the Prime Directive or examining it and seemed more interested in worldbuilding and flashbacks while starting in the middle and making me want them to get on with the details of how the fan took on that maneuver fragrance. In contrast this has been a well told and interesting story that at least remembers what the title is, even if it forgets quite often.
Will the title plot move along or is it more character drama? Let’s check out chapter 23 and find out. Continue reading
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Not getting along. I can see why Marvel was after them.
Freex #3
Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (September, 1993)
“Targets”
WRITER: Gerald Jones
PENCILER: Ben Herrera
INKER: Mike Christian
INK ASSISTS: Jasen Rodriguez
COLORIST: Keith Conroy
LETTERER: Tim Eldred
EDITOR: Hank Kanalz
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I wish my reason for missing FCBD 2024 was so productive.
Yeah, I missed out on this year’s Free Comic Book Day, but in my case the monthly shopping trip wiped me out. I think I did something to my knee. So I was too tired to go, hence no live-tweet readthroughs. I’m hoping the ones I wanted are at least available digitally at some point. In fact, one has and I’ll review that on Tuesday. And it will be a short return of Ninja Turtles Tuesday!
Meanwhile, in this week’s Clutter Report I discussed the Fraggle Rock Classics volume 1 trade I used to review Star’s Fraggle Rock the past few weeks. It’s a retool of the original review I did here, with some extra comments so if you read the original version there’s more to see here.
In addition to Teenage Mutants returning, we have another chapter of Star Trek: The Vulcan Academy Murders for Chapter By Chapter, and the last of the rookie police version of Dan “Blue Beetle” Garret. Really hoping it ends on a high note before we transition to archeologist Dan Garrett. Otherwise we’ll just see what happens. Have a great week, everyone!
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WARNING: Tonight’s Showcase contains swearing and a couple scenes of brief upper female nudity, though not by our characters. You’ll understand when you see it. This one is NOT for the kiddies, folks!
In an article earlier this week I mentioned an anime series called Gokusen, the rare case of a story involving gangsters–specifically the Japanese Yakuza–I actually enjoy. Remembering that sent me searching for a place this was streaming. It doesn’t appear to be streaming anyplace legally, not even behind a paywall. I can find the movie and a recent live-action series, but since I was talking about how animated productions can be good and not just for kids, that was the version I wanted to check out. It’s also the one I was introduced to the franchise with when it aired on Starz many years ago. Deciding more eyes should be on this show, I decided to make this tonight’s Showcase.
Based on the manga by Kozueko Morimoto, Gokusen follows the story of Kumiko Yamaguchi, a rookie teacher and one of two assigned to an all boys school of delinquents from the looks of things. She comes off as a bit of a bubblehead, but it’s an act. Yamaguchi is the “ojou” (translates to “young lady”) of her family business…which just happens to be a Yakuza clan. Her dream is to be a teacher, but she tones down the fact that she can kick your butt into next Tuesday if you mess with her students. Her clan is supportive, her classroom and the vice-principal not so much. Also she has a dog that doesn’t necessarily talk but we do hear his thoughts.
Tonight I bring you episode 1 in two forms, as I like to do because some people prefer the dubbed to the subtitled. The dubbed is up first, but you can watch the subtitled version (that’s the second video down) to get a handle on the text that isn’t translated later. Either way, it’s Yamaguchi and her fellow teaching lady’s first week at the school. With a vice-principal who clearly spent too much time in the defense force, a teacher with a sexy side, her issues at home as the ojo as her brothers want her to take over when grandfather dies (the parents passed away), and a bunch of upper classmen run by an expelled student wanting to beat up one of her students, can she keep her identity a secret from the school, when one of them is already suspicious? Enjoy.
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Today is Free Comic Book Day, an event run usually by Diamond Comic Distributors to make up for all the crap they pull the rest of the year on smaller comic stores and to small publishers and even the big ones. I still haven’t forgotten how they talked a number of big publishers into an exclusive contract and killed Advanced Comics, which was actually a good distributor. However, there’s another killing going on this year, the last year the origin place of Free Comic Book Day is being forced to move.
Joe Field, columnist for Comics And Games Retailer first proposed the event in 2001, with the first event happening the following year and now takes place on the first Saturday in May. He’s also the owner of Flying Colors Comics in Concord, California. Well, the owners of the property his story is currently located wants to replace his store with a bagel shop and is keeping the landlord from renewing his lease. I guess they just really like bagels or really hate comics. Possibly both. It’s a sad bit of news, but this may be his last Free Comic Book Day unless he finds a new locale for his store. Kind of a jerk move.
BW Media Spotlight 