SUNDAY NIGHT WRAP UP

It's been a long week. Despite not heading West for Comicon, I've been pretty busy.

I finally gave up on the Hornby book. I just really couldn't get into it. None of the characters were appealing or interesting and as much as I wanted to continue, I had a hard time sticking with it once Harry Potter came out.

I didn't get into the series until the third book, and even though the new Pope is warning the masses about them, I've found them to be fairly harmless and certainly entertaining. Personally, the thing that excites me about the series more than everything else is how it has turned millions of kids into voracious readers.

I'm about a hundred pages in and the cast still hasn't made itself to Hogwarts yet. Unlike the new trilogy of Lucas' Star Wars films, it does seem that author J.K. Rowling really has intricately plotted this series out in advance.

I still haven't seen Million Dollar Baby, but I will this week for sure. I caught Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this afternoon and was pretty indifferent. Tim Burton used to be my favorite director, but as I've gotten older I find that his work as an auteur or visual stylist has become a bit monotonous. The Burton-Johnny Depp collaboration felt forced and even though I haven't read the Dahl book since I was a kid, I really don't remember Wonka being such an asshole.

As for the comic book of the year? All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder?

I'm not quite sure it's the comic of the year. Writer Frank Miller delivered an "ultimate" revamp curiously skipping over Batman and going straight into the revamped take on future Robin, Dick Grayson. I'm curious as to the reasons for the changes (The Flying Graysons taken out by a sniper? Where's Tony Zucco? The sniper at the circus is reminiscent of Deadman's origin, though I doubt such a character will be tied into this revamp).

As for the art, I'm not much of a Jim Lee fan. I find his work technically fine, but in my opinion, it lacks any real energy and is very derivative of Neal Adams. I liked the layout of the Vicki-Vale trying on outfits two-page spread, but I found the work itself dull and uninspired. Does DC think that Lee is a "good-girl artist"? Personally, I know Lee has sold a gajillion comics and my taste is often in the minority, but think about how incredible this would have been with art by someone like Paul Pope.



Miller uses multiple narrators with Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Vicki Vale to moderate success. This issue ends with Batman grabbing Dick Grayson (who not only just witnessed his folks getting shot, but was immediately abducted by crooked Gotham Police who intended to eliminate him as a witness) by the front of his shirt and lifting him into the air.

"ON YOUR FEET, SOLDIER, YOU'VE JUST BEEN DRAFTED. INTO A WAR."

The Miller-Jim Lee collaboration felt forced and even though Batman is my favorite character of all time, I really don't remember him being such an asshole.