Sing Me A New Song
So, here we are again. Trying to recapture that first newsletter magic.
Me too, Dan Rad.
This week was Sibling Day, which is one of those holidays that nobody knew about until the Internet. Did it exist pre-Internet? Nobody knows, because we have all forgotten what pre-Internet was like unless somebody waxes nostalgic about it in a buzzfeed list. Anyway: sibilings.
I have one, a brother, who is large and prodigiously bearded and 3 years younger than me. We had one of those typical contentious sibling relationships until we hit adulthood and learned to treat each other like human beings and now I love him more than just about any other person. I mean, I always loved him, of course I did, but now I'm no longer baffled about it. He's a great dude and he lives in California and I miss him more than I can stand sometimes, so Sibling Day has become a random Internet holiday that I go all-in on because I like any excuse to talk about how great he is. And also I get to share this gif of him, which is, to date, the only gif I've ever made.
That's my brother! Huzzah for brothers.
Notable Breakfast
Oatmeal with brown sugar, maple syrup, and blueberries. I really do love oatmeal.
Dog Thing
Gotta have that cool tile.
Mixed Media
I've been watching Daredevil on Netflix, because I have Netflix and don't live under a rock, basically. (Don't ask me about why I haven't watched Orange is the New Black, I have no excuse and I'm sorry.) Also, I work in comics and it's generally expected that I'm going to keep up with the comics tv and movies and such. So: Daredevil.
I was excited about this show initially, because I love the Daredevil comics. I also love Rosario Dawson, and have enjoyed some of Drew Goddard's past work (Cabin in the Woods), so I had some hopes for the show. I should say, I love the current Daredevil comics, which are written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Chris Samnee, and have sort of a wry cheer to them, even when sad or dark things are happening.
You won't find much of that on display here. I'm on episode 7 (which I stopped literally halfway through because I was so bored with the gritty backstory that was happening), and I know I'll finish the season, but it feels like pulling teeth a little. There are things about it I love (Rosario Dawson, fight choreography, Vincent D'Onofrio's leaning menace, Rosario Dawson), but it's still dark and gritty superheroes, which are my least favourite superheroes. I also think it's worth pointing out that women were almost completely absent from the writing and direction of this show.
Other things: my brother pointed me in the direction of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and I've listened to their first album a dozen times since. Also, NPR has the new Alabama Shakes album, Sound & Color, streaming, and I probably listened to that a dozen times, too. They are good music if you like good music!
I Read Comics for a Living
Ms. Marvel #14 is out, and I love the way that G. Willow Wilson is juggling teen romance and Kamala's identity as both a Pakistani-American and an Inhuman without sacrificing any of the heart and humor that makes this series so great. Ms. Marvel is one of those series that I wish I'd read as a teen. I'm jealous of teens who get to read it now. Oh, and Takeshi Miyazawa is doing a fantastic job filling in on the art.
Also good:
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad #2 I am not kidding. I'm not. I rolled my eyes hard when this comic was announced, both because the Disney ride-themed comics they've put out thus far have been "eh" at best and also because the ride this one is based on? Is a train. That's the hook. And maybe this is a sign of how far down the Western rabbit hole I am, but I love this comic. Girl finishes boarding school back East and heads West to live with her mine-owning father, fulling expecting to live an adventurous wild west life, only to be told she'll be doing none of that. Naturally she immediately sneaks into the mines, gets caught in a cave-in, and interrupts a train robbery. I love it, and I am not ashamed. And as of this issue, it passes the Bechdel Test, which can be a challenge in Western-themed comics.
Giant Days #2 This is a comic that's difficult to explain, because on the surface, not a whole lot happens. It's about a group of girls who have nothing in common except for living in proximity to one another at university, and it is utterly charming. Its strength lies in John Allison's sparkling banter (honed from the literal decade he's spent writing the banteriest of webcomics) and Lissa Treiman's elastic art (she's also an animator for Disney, and it shows). In this issue, everyone becomes very ill, and they each deal with it in terribly unwise fashions.
Shaft #5 is another comic that I would never guess would capture me, but it has--I am captured. Shaft is about the John Shaft you know, but at the very beginning of his career. He starts out the comic as a boxer who, when he refuses to throw a bout, becomes persona non grata to some powerful people. Then he makes the mistake of falling in love. It's a great detective comic, pure and simple, and Bilquis Evely's art is perfect.
Lumberjanes #13 Y'all, it feels good to have Lumberjanes back again. I mean, issues have been coming out, but they've been filler (sweet & fun filler, but filler nonetheless). Now Brooke Allen is back on the art, a new storyline is starting, and it just feels right. The only downside is that the original writer, Grace Ellis, has left the book (but she's working on some new exciting stuff I can't talk about, so hopefully that's not too much of a downside). Anyway, this issue was all about the girls' very first day at camp, and I loved it. So many different kinds of families were in evidence, but not in a way that felt forced at all.
Anxiety Pyjamas
Fics I Shouted About
(I shouted about a lot of fics this week, sorry!)
No Superman by WhoNatural Teen Wolf, Sterek, Scrubs AU. Niamh started this fic literal years ago, abandoned it, and then came back to finish it in glorious fashion, and I am so impressed. It is so good.
let us sport us while we may by curtaincall Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake/Amy, high school AU. There's something so refreshing about a cute, quality high school AU, where the characters are so well-written that you have no trouble accepting that these people who you know as grown-up detectives are absolutely teens in the same AP English class together.
Shelter in Your Shadow by mikkimouse Teen Wolf, very slight Scott/Lydia, future fic. Scott & Lydia are a pairing I love, but almost never see fic about, so it's always immensely exciting to come across one. This is lovely, and manages to make a canonical character death a little less heartbreaking.
Two Thumbs Way Way Up by RubyCaspar Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake/Amy. B99 has been off the air for almost a month and it's fully intolerable. I miss it a lot, so I read a ton of fic. This is a pretty classic confessing-of-feelings fic, but is so well done. Jake hides behind a door and holds Amy's hand, I love it.
All the Parts of You by asocialfauxpas Teen Wolf, Sterek, future AU. This has two things I love a lot: Deputy Derek, and believable portrayal of mental illness.
Lastly
Yes, fine, Dan Rad. Jeez.
Feel free to send me feedback, (I know where to find it now!) and have a great week, y'all!
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