READING LOG #1
reading log for ~07/11/08 - 16/11/08
.01 Watchmen
by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
I found it a little difficult to adjust to the graphic novel format at first. I've read plenty of manga in my time but the graphic novel format is almost surprisingly unlike any manga I've ever read. The colours are verging on gaudy and there's nothing pretty about it. The characters are not supposed to be beautiful nor are they supposed to be likeable. As I adjusted to this, I found myself really enjoying it.
More than anything, I feel that Watchmen is a look at the absurdity of the 'super hero' and possible (often very questionable) motivations for becoming one. There is nothing 'super' about most of Watchmen's heroes; they are merely weirdos in lame costumes who feel, for whatever reason, an urge to fight crime and save the world.
good bits
- interesting, complex characters
- very different from most things I read
- enjoyable and pretty engrossing
bad bits
- it took me forever to read because I suck at taking in pictures
- the ending wasn't entirely satisfying (though I think it fitted with the overall ideas of the graphic novel)
- not sure it's the best Oxford interview discussion material despite being a classic of a sort
A live body and a dead body contain the same number of particles. Structurally, there's no discernible difference. Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts. Why should I be concerned?
- Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan
02. Angels in America
by Tony Kushner
OK, so I've read this before so it's probably silly to write it in but I've not got much else to talk about so I might as well log it. The subtitle of this play is 'a gay fantasia on national themes' which is fairly accurate. It's about AIDs and homosexuality in the '80s. (Oh my, it really is '80s week for me, Watchmen was set in an alternative 1985.) I guess this play is like comfort reading for me. Some people eat chocolate when they're depressed. Me? I read Angels in America. It's definitely one of those things where I am achingly aware of its faults but I still love it. Am I really sold on the more cliché, tacky bits? No, but nothing's perfect and it is what it is.
good bits
- it makes me happy
- parts of it are really clever (all minor parts played by members of the cast, interesting split scenes)
- it's funny and light-hearted but deals with serious shit, too
bad bits
- it's not like I haven't read it before (more than once)
- it does have some lame moments
I hate America, Louis. I hate this country. It's just big ideas, and stories, and people dying, and people like you. The white cracker who wrote the national anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word "free" to a note so high nobody can reach it. That was deliberate.
- Belize
next time... who knows what will happen. Hopefully, I'll read 'classics' and be impressive. But there's no way in hell I'm doing quotes again unless I notice good ones as I go through because finding them retrospectively took longer than anything else in this post. I'd love comments and suggestions on format and etc.
currently reading... The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
.01 Watchmen
by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
I found it a little difficult to adjust to the graphic novel format at first. I've read plenty of manga in my time but the graphic novel format is almost surprisingly unlike any manga I've ever read. The colours are verging on gaudy and there's nothing pretty about it. The characters are not supposed to be beautiful nor are they supposed to be likeable. As I adjusted to this, I found myself really enjoying it.
More than anything, I feel that Watchmen is a look at the absurdity of the 'super hero' and possible (often very questionable) motivations for becoming one. There is nothing 'super' about most of Watchmen's heroes; they are merely weirdos in lame costumes who feel, for whatever reason, an urge to fight crime and save the world.
good bits
- interesting, complex characters
- very different from most things I read
- enjoyable and pretty engrossing
bad bits
- it took me forever to read because I suck at taking in pictures
- the ending wasn't entirely satisfying (though I think it fitted with the overall ideas of the graphic novel)
- not sure it's the best Oxford interview discussion material despite being a classic of a sort
A live body and a dead body contain the same number of particles. Structurally, there's no discernible difference. Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts. Why should I be concerned?
- Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan
02. Angels in America
by Tony Kushner
OK, so I've read this before so it's probably silly to write it in but I've not got much else to talk about so I might as well log it. The subtitle of this play is 'a gay fantasia on national themes' which is fairly accurate. It's about AIDs and homosexuality in the '80s. (Oh my, it really is '80s week for me, Watchmen was set in an alternative 1985.) I guess this play is like comfort reading for me. Some people eat chocolate when they're depressed. Me? I read Angels in America. It's definitely one of those things where I am achingly aware of its faults but I still love it. Am I really sold on the more cliché, tacky bits? No, but nothing's perfect and it is what it is.
good bits
- it makes me happy
- parts of it are really clever (all minor parts played by members of the cast, interesting split scenes)
- it's funny and light-hearted but deals with serious shit, too
bad bits
- it's not like I haven't read it before (more than once)
- it does have some lame moments
I hate America, Louis. I hate this country. It's just big ideas, and stories, and people dying, and people like you. The white cracker who wrote the national anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word "free" to a note so high nobody can reach it. That was deliberate.
- Belize
next time... who knows what will happen. Hopefully, I'll read 'classics' and be impressive. But there's no way in hell I'm doing quotes again unless I notice good ones as I go through because finding them retrospectively took longer than anything else in this post. I'd love comments and suggestions on format and etc.
currently reading... The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams