TITLE: The Interestings
AUTHOR: Meg Wolitzer
PUBLISHER: Riverhead Hardcover
RELEASED: April 9, 2013

By Becky Luksa
Contributor

It seems as if you are jinxing yourself by titling your book, The Interestings. No matter who writes that book, it is doomed to be boring, no matter how hard they try.

Even if the title throws you off, it seems as though it could be a good story. The summary makes the book sound like a fascinating story filled with great characters and conflict. But this is not so. This is the conundrum one encounters when reading The Interestings. Its lack of an overarching conflict makes the novel feel slow and, well, uninteresting.

The novel examines the lives of four friends who met at a summer camp for artistic teens and follows them from age 16 until their mid-fifties. Two of the friends, Ash and Ethan, marry and become incredibly successful, actually making money off their art. Ethan becomes a famous animator, which allows Ash to follow her dream of becoming a theater director. The other two, Jules and Jonah, give up their art and chose different careers. Jules and her husband, Dennis, are drastically less successful than Ash and Ethan. Jonah is successful in his career, but not in his love life.

The main focus of the novel is the relationship between the two couples, showing the disparity between their lives. Jules is extremely envious of the life that her two friends have accomplished, feeling as if their friendship is somehow lessened by their class gap. Ash and Ethan love Jules and don’t seem to care about money, or lack thereof. They are happy to use their wealth to treat their friends to expensive dinners and vacations, while Jules and Dennis begrudgingly accept. Jonah’s story is more of a sub-plot to the novel, which chronicles his life as the son of a famous folk singer and gay man. He is not so much bothered by Ash and Ethan’s extreme wealth as he is by the feeling that something is lacking once he decides to not pursue music as a career.

The problem is that Jules’ envy of her friends does not drive the plot. This extreme jealousy never causes any conflict between the friends. Jules silently suffers, or complains to her husband. But does not take any action. She never tries to ruin Ash’s life, or even have an argument with Ash and Ethan about their wealth or lifestyle. It’s the whole showing versus telling rule that every writer is told in Writing 101. There are some nicely shown characterizations, but they are few. There is conflict, but it is almost all internal or quickly resolved. No one does anything. If they do take action, it is in an area that is not exactly relevant to the relationships in their lives. There is the possibility for great conflict in the emotions the characters have, but it is simply not utilized in the way it should be. The whole novel seems to show these people simply living their lives, going through the major milestones of life; going to college, getting married, having children and raising them.

One other issue with the story is that many of the social elements that the author brings up, feminism, the gay rights movement, and several other political and social movements, seem forced and at times irrelevant. The political references made throughout the story, mostly ripping on former presidents Nixon and Reagan, are out of place and so jarring that it brings the reader out of the story. There is a time and a place for political commentary. If some of these elements were weaved into the story, perhaps used for characterizations instead of just trying to make a point, they could actually be very useful to the writer. Fiction is a great place to make social commentary, but often times it is best when the reader does not even realize that commentary is being made. If it sticks out too much from the rest of the story, it actually becomes annoying. Some of the points Wolitzer makes are great and important, but they stick out like red wine on white carpet.

Despite the title, the characters in the book are not all that interesting. Both Ash and Jules fall flat in their characterizations. Ash is beautiful and caring, and that’s about it. The two other aspects of her personality that the reader is given are that she’s a feminist and has the ability to lie, as if that makes her so special and distinguishable from so many other people. Jules is ugly, less talented than Ash, and envious. There are moments where the author provides great characterizations, Ash’s reactions to her brother being accused of rape, or the way that Jules interacts with her sister. More of these moments would have created strong characters who come to life as you are reading them.

Their husbands are slightly more dynamic. Dennis can battle through the fog of his depression to care for his only daughter. Despite his generosity with money towards his friends, Ethan is terribly selfish when it comes to his personal life. Jonah is probably the most three dimensional character. He is a talented guitarist who gives up his music because of a traumatic experience he had as a child, goes to MIT and ends up designing innovations to help disabled people. He is terribly closed off, but can muster the emotion and strength to confront the man who did him wrong. He is the one who realizes creativity can be part of your life, but doesn’t have to be the whole thing. Sadly, his story is limited to only a few chapters and various other mentions throughout the book.

Within the pages of The Interestings is there is the potential for a really good story. There could be really great conflict between these two sets of friends. Parts of the story are thought provoking and exciting to read, and the way the characters react to the present situation does a great job of showing who they are as people. Unfortunately, there is not enough of this to make the story good.

RATING: 5/10

Front page image from salon.com. Image 1 from npr.org. Image 2 from timeout.com.
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TITLE: The Secret of the Fortune Wookie
AUTHOR: Tom Angleberger
PUBLISHER: Amulet Books
PRICE: $12.95
RELEASE DATE: August 7, 2012

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Well how about this? Tom Angleberger’s Origami Yoda books, which obviously make use of characters and imagery from both Star Wars trilogies, now comprise a trilogy themselves. I think we all know what this means! Look for the three books to be released on Blu-ray next year, with freshly enhanced picture and sound, a CGI elephant that’s inserted into the cantina scene for no apparent reason, and an audio commentary with way too much Ben Burtt…

In The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee, Dwight, the eccentric originator of the mysterious Origami Yoda finger puppet at Ralph McQuarrie Middle School, has been transferred to a different school. This is much to the chagrin of Tommy, Kellen, and most of the other students. But Tommy’s crush Sara swoops in to fill the void with her very own “Fortune Wookiee,” a paper fortune teller made to look like Chewbacca, complete with its own “Han Foldo” to translate the grunts and growls. As Origami Yoda used to do, the Fortune Wookiee gives out little gems of advice to the kids, helping them through various predicaments. Meanwhile, Dwight isn’t acting so eccentric anymore. In fact, he’s downright normal! What’s happened to McQuarrie’s resident Jedi Master? And will Origami Yoda ever be seen again?

On the surface, I imagine it’s easy to write these books off as an author’s clever attempt to hook kids into his origami story by dressing it up with Star Wars characters. Heck, for all I know that was his mindset. Thankfully, the books are such delightfully quirky messages about creativity, individuality and friendship, that all the Star Wars jokes and references are simply a delicious icing on the cake. If you’re a third grader who spots this book, Chewbacca’s picture gets you to pick it up, but you put it down thinking about all those things. That’s the formula, at least. And it seems to be working given the great success of the series.

In Wookiee, Angleberger builds on a foundation he planted in Darth Paper about how closed-minded school administrators can unintentionally stifle, if not altogether stomp out, the creative spirits of young people by forcing them think inside a box that’s too small for them. He throws in a time-tested plot point about the arts as a whole that will no doubt spark Tommy, Dwight and the other characters to form a little Rebel Alliance of their own in the next book.

The only thing in this book I wasn’t sure about was the way the kids acted. Tommy and the others are supposed to be in 7th grade by now. It’s been awhile since I was a junior high kid, and ultimately what matters is that these books are written for elementary school kids. But when I was a 7th grader, I doubt I would have been so impressed with an origami finger puppet, much less be convinced that one actually had magic powers. If the characters are going to act like naive elementary school kids, then why not just make them naive elementary school kids? What would change in the story? Tommy and Sara’s pseudo romance maybe. But at this point it’s innocent enough that it really wouldn’t effect much. I will admit however, that I could be off base on this one. And I’m definitely not up for going back to middle school to research the topic further…

All in all, another solid outing by Angleberger. Fortune Wookie isn’t as strong as Darth Paper was, but it opens the door for some really interesting content for next time. Let the paper folding continue!

RATING: 8.5/10

Need to catch up? Check out The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back. 

Front page image from starwars.com. Interior image from torwars.blogspot.com. 

TITLE: Superman Versus The Ku Klux Klan
AUTHOR: Rick Bowers
PUBLISHER: National Geographic
PRICE: $16.95
RELEASED: January 10, 2012

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Realistically, Superman Versus The Ku Klux Klan probably could have been done as an extended magazine or newspaper article. The amount of time the book actually spends on the Superman franchise’s conflict with the Klan is fairly minimal. But when you consider the book’s good intentions, and the fact that the people picking it up will either be kids (it’s written for ages 10 and up), or those who might not have a great familiarity with comic books or US history, you realize the book deserves a bit of leeway. After all, it shines a light on a portion of Superman’s history that many fans might not be familiar with.

In the 1940s, Superman was a hit not only on the printed page, but on the radio as well. The Adventures of Superman starred Bud Collyer as the title character, and ran for over a decade (in various formats and time slots) from 1940 to 1951. Broadcast live before a listening audience, kids were thrilled with adventures like ”The Curse of Dead Man’s Island,” ”The Yellow Mask and the 5 Million Dollar Jewel Robbery” and ”The 5 Million Dollar Gold Heist.” Then in 1946, the show began to develop more of a social conscience. Suddenly, the Man of Tomorrow was facing threats that actually existed in the real world, and none were more real than the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan was and is a white supremacist organization, which at the time was notorious for its violent crimes against African Americans, Jews, Catholics, among others. As the show underwent its turn toward shows displaying the importance of tolerance, addressing the Klan was both a natural and important path to take. But this battle wasn’t limited to the radio waves. In the 16-episode storyline broadcast in 1946, the show’s creators used actual inside information and details on the KKK provided by moles in the organization, including journalist and human rights activist Stetson Kennedy (shown below). In the end, the Man of Steel and his radio cohorts helped to prevent a nation-wide revival of the Klan.

Before it looks at the storyline dubbed “The Clan of the Fiery Cross” (the KKK name was never actually used, but the group was clearly alluded to) the book chronicles Superman’s rise in popularity in the ’30s and ’40s, the Klan’s rise to prominence up to that point, and fills us in on the lives of key players like Stetson Kennedy and show producer Bob Maxwell. This build up actually makes up the majority of the book. Thus, if you’re looking for a 154-page book solely about the groundbreaking yet controversial radio broadcasts, you may be disappointed. But again, consider your intended audience: Kids. This book builds up both parties so that you can come in with no knowledge of either, and still come away knowing the whole story. From that standpoint, you really can’t fault Rick Bowers for the way the book is formatted.

From a journalistic standpoint, the book provides an insightful look at the creation of the “Fiery Cross” story, from it’s conception, to it’s development as a program designed to educate kids about hate, to it’s execution and aftermath. But it doesn’t get so bogged down in details that it gets boring. It has just the right amount of depth to it. It also contains a number of page-sized photographs, ranging from classic comic book covers to historical photos.

Once it gets down to business, Superman Versus The Klu Klux Klan illustrates the power that pop culture figures can have in educating children, and perhaps even reminding a few adults, about the dangers of mass hate. It’s an especially bright spot in the history of Superman which should never be forgotten.

RATING: 8.5/10

Front page image from avclub.com. Image 1 from metal misfit.wordpress.com. Image 2 from zonafandom.com. 

TITLE: The Batman Files
AUTHOR: Matthew K. Manning
PUBLISHER: Andrews McMeel Publishing
PRICE: $100
RELEASED: October 25, 2011

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

In his printed page adventures it’s been established, particularly in recent years, that Batman keeps a journal at the insistence of Alfred. The Batman Files uses that concept to present us with a guide to The Dark Knight’s world, as seen from his point of view. The book also presents mock newspaper clippings, photographs (the latter of which are mostly panels from comic books), and dossiers of the inhabitants of Gotham City.

As far as Batman guide books/encyclopedias go, The Batman Files is pretty good. It’s 13.5 x 10.5 size and leather cover with a magnetized clasp make for an impressive looking book. In terms of the information provided, there was enough in here to educate even the most devout Batman fan. I’m speaking from experience on that one. Nothing amazingly eye-opening, but there were some little character tidbits that I hadn’t known.

The Batman Files is a lovely tribute to the Caped Crusader and his history. But whether or not you want to buy it really depends on what kind of book you’re looking for. As it’s formatted like an actual journal/scrapbook, it doesn’t break the fourth wall by offering first appearance dates for characters, a publishing history, or anything like that. It cheats a bit by presenting characters’ most notable stories (or at least the once in continuity) as “Related Case Files.” For instance, such files for Two-Face would include “The Long Halloween, The Eye of the Beholder, Dark Victory, etc. So if you’re looking for a more complete view of Batman’s history, you don’t want The Batman Files.

It’s also worth noting that by the time this book was released, much of its content was rendered obsolete by the DC Universe reboot. We’re not quite sure how much of it is gone, but we’re definitely looking at outdated version of Batman’s continuity.

I’m obviously being nitpicky here. One of the things that really impressed me about The Batman Files was the way Manning was able to effectively duplicate Bruce Wayne’s “voice” in this book. If you’ve read enough of his comics over the years, I wouldn’t say it’s incredibly difficult to determine things that Batman would or wouldn’t say, or to figure out how he’d say them. But doing a book like this requires the writer to not only get inside Batman’s head, but to do it at various points in the character’s life. Top that off with the task of writing in the voices of Jeremiah Arkham and the various newspaper writers and Gothamites that we hear from this book, and you’ve got a task that would be challenging for even the best of writers, and Manning deserves a lot of credit for it.

The Batman Files is a gorgeous book jam-packed with information and beautiful color artwork from (give or take) the last two decades. It’s a solid gift for Batman buffs, particularly those interested in the ins and outs of the recent mythology. From that standpoint, it’s got just about everything you’d want to know. It’s not for everyone, and the price is a bit steep, but it’s a lovely tribute to Batman and his world.

RATING: 8/10

Front page image from playeraffinity.com. Image 1 from matthewkmanning.blogspot.com. Image 2 from blog.indigo.ca. 

TITLE: The Boy Who Loved Batman
AUTHOR: Michael Uslan
PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books
PRICE: $29.95
RELEASED: August 10, 2011

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

You’d think a book called The Boy Who Loved Batman wouldn’t be short on interesting Batman content. Unfortunately, that is indeed what Michael Uslan’s memoir suffers from. It’s still a lovely book, but it’s missing an element that would have made it a truly great read.

Michael Uslan is sometimes an unsung hero in the world of comic books. In the early ’70s, he was the first person to teach an accredited college course on comic books at Indiana University, which earned him national publicity. More famously, he tirelessly campaigned for the creation of a dark, serious live action Batman film, which in the years following the campy Adam West show, was given very little consideration by studios. Since then, he has served as a producer on all six of the live action Batman feature films (as well as Swamp Thing, Constantine, the National Treasure movies, and numerous other projects). The Boy Who Loved Batman chronicles Uslan’s journey from a comics-obsessed young boy to a man who built one of the most lucrative and beloved film franchises in the world.

I don’t think anyone can argue that Uslan has lived an amazing life. His is a story of perseverance and a stubborn refusal to give up on a dream. He tells his story with a downright infectious enthusiasm that makes The Boy Who Loved Batman an all the more uplifting read.

However, as I’ve said before, I judge autobiographies not just by the story the author has to tell, but by how well the tell it, and if they can eliminate excess fluff and keep things interesting for readers. The Boy Who Loved Batman fails to do that at certain points. When Uslan talks about his relationship with his brother, certain portions of his school days, and even parts of his law career (which proved integral in his efforts to get the Batman film franchise off the ground), he sometimes goes on too long. This in turn may lead to readers skipping certain chapters altogether.

Also, while he’s been involved with all the Batman feature films, Uslan neglects to talk at length about Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. He simply skips from Batman to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. As a reader, this was frustrating. Given all the build up we get in this book as to how much Uslan wanted to portray Batman as a dark avenger of the night, I’d love to have known what he thought of Joel Schumacher’s colorful, overdramatic take on Gotham City and its inhabitants (though at one point he mentions he was a harsh critic of the now-infamous Batsuit nipples). Considering how positive and upbeat Uslan’s voice is in this book, hearing him talk about some of his films negatively (assuming he harbors some negative opinions) might have been a sharp turn for readers. But if you’re going to write a book about producing the Batman movies, you should probably make a point to talk about all the Batman movies.

Still, The Boy Who Loved Batman is a fun look not only at Uslan’s journey, but the history of the comic book medium. He talks about attending the first ever comic book convention as a boy, getting to meet and correspond with creators like Otto Binder, and how much the industry supported him when he began his course at Indiana University. Longtime fanboys will be able to relate to Uslan almost instantly, as his sheer glee in talking about Batman, comic books and superheroes is something we can easily relate to. It’s something everyone can relate to on some level.

The Boy Who Loved Batman isn’t as good as it could have been, but it conveys the message it wants to: That if you’re willing to work for them, amazing things can happen.

RATING: 7.5/10

Front page image from nj.com. Image 1 from maggiethompson.com. 

TITLE: Double Dexter
AUTHOR: Jeff Lindsay
PUBLISHER: Doubleday
PRICE: $25.95
RELEASED: October 18, 2011

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Double Dexter, Jeff Lindsay’s sixth Dexter book, is the worst in the series. While the TV show, which is loosely based on the books, has maintained a consistently high quality, the books seem to be getting progressively worse.

In this book, the unthinkable happens to Dexter, a serial killer who only kills those who fit his moral code. Someone catches him in the act, and then flees the scene. Dexter soon begins to receive cryptic and threatening emails from his witness, and very bad things start to happen for America’s favorite murderer. At the same time, a new serial killer shows up in Miami who brutally beats his victims to death, but doesn’t break their skin. As Dexter and his sister, Sergeant Deborah Morgan of Miami Metro Homicide, follow this new killer’s trail, Dexter must keep his private life from unravelling. Along for the ride is his wife Rita, Rita’s children Astor and Cody, his infant daughter Lily Anne, and his brother Brian (a less moralistic serial killer).

The premise of Dexter being seen by an innocent bystander has been explored on the TV show, but this is the first Dexter story in which someone has seen our main character’s dirty deeds and almost immediately become a threat to him. It’s an intriguing idea, which unfortunately isn’t used effectively until the last fourth of this book. Up until that point, much of the narrative is rather dull. One could easily skip pages at a time and not miss anything essential. For instance, a significant portion of this book is devoted to a boy scout camping trip Dexter goes on with Cody. The story between Dexter and his witness had just taken an extremely interesting twist, but Lindsay pulls us away from that to go camping. Granted, the sequence winds up furthering the witness storyline significantly at the very end, but does the end justify the means if we’ve put the book down before we get there? Probably not.

Rita’s character is also rather annoying in this book. She’s persistently nagging Dexter about buying a new house, and bumbling through sentences like a moron. In the book, she has no redeeming qualities other than simply being Dexter’s wife and the mother of his kids. She’s almost an antagonist.

Dexter’s humorous banter is rendered mostly ineffective this time around. I’m finding that the better the story is, the more effective Dexter’s wit is. In contrast, if you’re bored to death for most of the book, it becomes contrived and annoying.

Lindsay had a good premise for this book, but he failed to execute it in an entertaining way. Is it unfair to expect the books to be as successful as the show? Maybe, maybe not. But regardless, this book feels like a phone-in that’s packed with needless, uninteresting, unentertaining fluff. Lindsay can do much better than this.

RATING: 3.5/10

Front page image from litereactor.com. Lindsay image from telegraph.co.uk.
For more from Dexter and Jeff Lindsay, check out Dexter Is Delicious.

TITLE: Shockaholic
AUTHOR: Carrie Fisher
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
PRICE: $22.00
RELEASED: November 1, 2011

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

My girlfriend and I recently saw Carrie Fisher’s one-woman show in Chicago. She’s not what I would call laugh-out-loud funny. I chuckled a few times, but it wasn’t a fit of uproarious laughter. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the show thoroughly because of Fisher’s wit, candid nature, and her willingness to look at her life from a humorous standpoint. When you look at everything she’s been through, from her battles with bipolar disorder, drug addiction and weight gain, or having the role of Princess Leia follow her around all her life, there’s something about her remarkable perseverance and her lightheartedness that from a spiritual standpoint is borderline soothing to read about.

In her second memoir (the first was Wishful Drinking, upon which she based the one-woman show), Fisher talks about being treated with electroconvulsive therapy (otherwise known as electroshock therapy, thus the book’s title), her struggles with her weight, a wild yet awkward night with a senator, her insight into the life of Michael Jackson, and her relationship with her father Eddie Fisher.

Considering Fisher has a life so few of us can relate to, the fact that she writes about her life in a manner that’s so relatable is no small feat. She’s able to find the humanity in situations involving often larger-than-life personalities. This is especially true when she talks about her relationship with her father, whom she started taking care of during the last few years of his life. In their heyday, Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (Carrie’s parents) were somewhat akin to Brad and Angelina, and when Fisher famously left Reynolds for Elizabeth Taylor, it created a Hollywood scandal the likes of which we know all too well today, what with celebrity marriages seemingly ending every five minutes. Fisher dives into the early days of their relationship, her own interactions with Elizabeth Taylor, and the aftermath of her father’s death. There’s a really touching line in the book, where Fisher says: “I miss him in a very different way than how I missed him throughout my childhood. Then I missed the idea of him. Now I miss the man – my dad.” That’s something everyone can relate to on some level.

Fisher’s insight into Michael Jackson’s life is also very interesting. She wasn’t a close friend of his, but she spent some time with him through a mutual friend. The fact that fame was a constant presence in Jackson’s life, as it has been throughout Fisher’s, places her in the unique position of being able to relate to him on some level, and then convey those feelings to her audience. She talks about how Jackson’s fame seemed to contaminate everything he did, and how he struggled for the privacy we all take for granted. Fisher talks about Jackson like he was a person, as opposed to a pop star or alleged child molester.

Shockaholic will likely disappoint Star Wars fans looking for set stories, but it won’t disappoint fans of good writing. Fisher’s prose strikes a delightful balance between genuine emotion and humor. It might be called “heart-felt sarcasm. “It’s not hilarious, but it’s a lot of fun to read. I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to reading more from Fisher.

RATING: 7/10

Front page image from jamesboylan.com. Fisher image from freewomensblogs.com.

TITLE: Dust and Decay
AUTHOR: Jonathan Maberry
PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuster
PRICE: $17.99
RELEASED: August 30, 2011

By Lora Van Marel
Staff Writer, One-Woman Show

Last year Jonathan Maberry wrote Rot and Ruin, which I thoroughly enjoyed. He’s back this year with its sequel, Dust and Decay.

This story picks up just a few months after the first book ends and has Benny, Nix, Lilah, and Tom prepared to leave behind their town of Mountainside and go in search of the jet they saw. They see the jet as a sign that there is more out in the Rot and Ruin, and wonder if someone else has gotten technology to work again and civilization is really rebuilding itself. A tragic event in Mountainside pushes their departure date up, and they end up in the Ruin earlier then expected. This earlier journey comes with unforeseen challenges. When the group gets separated out in the Rot and Ruin each panics and copes in their own way, and not everyone survives this story…

What I was expecting to be a book about a long journey in search of answers turned into a slight repeat of Rot and Ruin. Instead of moving forward, the reader gets more zombies and killing, the return of Gameland, and maybe Charlie Mathias. While the first book was heavy on the ethical discussion of killing zombies (one of the things I loved the most about it), this book doesn’t address that much at all.

What stands out the most in this story is the strong character development.  Everyone that was introduced in the first book thoroughly grows and becomes someone the reader cares about. Benny is becoming “warrior smart” just like Tom taught him. Romance is one of the tools that Maberry uses to build his character development, making the romantic storylines a much heavier focus then before.

I did enjoy this book, even though it wasn’t what I was expecting. It was more of a typical zombie book. There was a lot of fighting and escaping zombies, which was certainly the focus. However, there were still some surprises along the way, like a battle with a freakin’ rhinoceros! We also saw the introduction of many new characters including some awesome bounty hunters that I want to know more about. Some of these new characters have zombie cards (a concept introduced in the first book) shown on the end pages too.

Though a majority of the book consisted of battles, there was still huge emotion behind each page. This was something that Maberry did so well in his first Benny Imura book, so I was very glad to see that again. The reader can feel fear, sadness, and guilt the whole way through. The combination of violence and emotion make this a very fun read.

Dust and Decay reads like a lot of second novels in trilogies. There are a lot of unanswered questions, so I would be very surprised if Maberry doesn’t write another Benny Imura book.  I liked reading this book and I read it fast, though I was a bit disappointed that this was almost a repeat of Rot and Ruin with a few tweaks. I’m holding out hope that a third book is on the way that will make this second book worthwhile.

RATING: 7/10

Front page image from more2read.net. Maberry image from chicagoreader.blogspot.com.

TITLE: Darth Paper Strikes Back – An Origami Yoda Book
AUTHOR: Tom Angleberger
PUBLISHER: Amulet Books
PRICE: $12.95
RELEASE DATE: August 23, 2011

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

I took a look at The Strange Case of Origami Yoda shortly after Primary Ignition began, and really enjoyed the book’s quirkiness. Thus the sequel, Darth Paper Strikes Back, was a natural pick up for me. Thankfully, it offers more of the same.

In Darth Paper, Dwight, the peculiar boy who gives advice to his classmates via an Origami Yoda puppet (and quite good advice at that). has been suspended for allegedly using the puppet to threaten another student. As the school board contemplates whether to send Dwight to a reform school, it’s up to his classmates to assemble yet another case file, this one in defense of Dwight and the Yoda puppet. Meanwhile, another origami Star Wars puppet has emerged at Ralph McQuarrie Middle School (if you get that reference, you’re cool). Darth Paper has arrived, and the power of the Dark Side is with him…or something like that.

What’s really cool about this book from an adult’s perspective is the overall theme: That someone shouldn’t be chastised or labeled an outcast simply because they’re different. This is illustrated particularly well in the conflict between the school board and Dwight’s friends. Like a band of rebels fighting against an evil Empire, they’re trying to shake the school board’s strict definition of unacceptable behavior, so they can see that Dwight is simply trying to express himself. There’s a beautiful message in there about how school administrators, who are supposed to be nursing children’s minds and allowing them to grow, sometimes lose sight of that when they get bogged down by rules. Kids might not directly pick up on it, but it’s there.

The rest of the book consists of little stories about kids and their encounters with Origami Yoda. Pretty standard morals lessons, but some of them are touching nonetheless. For instance, there’s one about a girl who doesn’t smell very good, and Origami Yoda ends up revealing that she comes from a poor family with no washing machine. Ergo, the kids find a way to work around the issue without hurting her feelings. The Earth won’t necessarily move, but they’re sweet little stories.

Young Star Wars fans will also appreciate that Angleberger’s inner fanboy is brightly on display in this book. It’s filled with Star Wars quote, doodles of Star Wars characters, and instructions on how to make Star Wars origami. I chuckled more than once.

There’s a teaser at the end of Darth Paper which suggests Angleberger will be back for more origami space antics, and after reading Darth Paper, I can say with absolute certainty that I’ll be back. These books aren’t Catcher in the Rye, but they’re heartfelt, and immensely enjoyable. Or as Origami Yoda would say…”Immensely enjoyable they are.”

RATING: 9/10

Front page image from starwars.com. Darth Paper image from origamiyoda.com. 

TITLE: Mega Man Tribute
FOREWARD BY: Hitoshi Ariga
ARTISTS: Various
FORMAT: Softcover
PUBLISHER: Udon Entertainment
LIST PRICE: $39.99
RELEASE DATE: August 10, 2011

By Justin Polak
Co-founder, Ambassador to the Mushroom Kingdom

My dad kicks ass. For most of my life, my dad has been ordering comics and memorabilia from the same comic book store. When I was younger, he ordered me the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics, for example. Inevitably, time flew on by and I got less and less free shit from my parents.

That’s why it came as a complete surprise to me that my dad handed me Mega Man Tribute, a whopping 300 page art book drawn by many people around the world. These people include everybody from recognizable talents to average Sniper Joe’s with a deviantART account. As someone who is completely in love with most Mega Man games, I dropped everything I was doing at the moment after my father handed me the book and looked through every page. I sure picked a good day to visit the folks!

The book opens with a foreword from manga artist Hitoshi Ariga. To sum things up, he points out that, in his opinion, each player who plays any Mega Man title has a unique experience through the games’ notorious difficulty. This leads to all players creating a vision of some sort which Ariga dubs “My Mega Man.” He then ties the “My Mega Man” ideal with the book by saying that the featured artists are sharing their own unique vision of how they carry Mega Man with them, and that perhaps you will find a similar “My Mega Man” within the pages ahead. Or maybe you’ll be interested with a vision that doesn’t match your own.

Despite how much I liked the spirit of the foreword, it didn’t matter to me, and I mean that in the best way possible. I honestly enjoyed every page in this art book. Sure, there were some interpretations that were downright weird, but I can’t deny that I enjoyed having my perception challenged. Plus, that’s to be expected with a wide variety of art styles. You name it, Mega Man Tribute has got it. There are pages that could pass for official artwork, anime flavored action, 3D art, parody pieces (both in universe and pop culture) and freaking handmade dolls! As the saying goes, that’s just the tip of the iceberg (you have no idea how hard it was to resist making a half-assed Ice Man pun there instead).

What surprised me about this book is how many Mega Man-related memories it brought up as I was flipping through its pages. Most of these memories weren’t necessarily about playing the games, either. I thought of the time a neighborhood buddy and I used to make up our own Mega Man adventures when we used to play outdoors as kids. I remembered that I used to dress in a blue sweat pants and shirt combo to express my love for the original series.

I also was reminded of something I completely forgotten. For years now, Mega Man 3 has inexplicably cued Led Zeppelin songs in my head. I’m not even a big fan of them! Turns out that I recalled that my father happened to be going through a Zeppelin kick around the time I was playing MM3 nearly every weekend when it first dropped (wow, remember when there was only three Mega Man games?). “The Battle of Evermore” often accompanied my ass getting handed to me in Wily’s castle.

I guess my ultimate point is that if a simple art book can conjure up lost memories, especially from a person that has an above average long term memory, it must be doing something right. I do have to warn potential buyers that most of the art is based off the original series, including the newer Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10. Although the book advertises having artwork also based on Mega Man X, Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX and Mega Man Legends, there is only a decent chunk of MMX and MML art to be found, with very little MMZ and MMZX. The original series has always been my favorite branch of Mega Man, so that didn’t bother me a bit, but others may not be as pleased.

If you are like me, you’ll find complete enjoyment out of this wonderful art book. Mega Man Tribute shows just how much the blue bomber has impacted the world and stirred the imagination of many different kinds of people. Get out there, get your wallet ready and purchase this collection!

RATING: 10/10

Front page image and preview images from udonentertainment.com.