Reading!

[JimJamBonds]

Yeah later after posting I couldn't remember if I made that mistake or not of calling them both autobiography's. One is called Biggest Brothers: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led The Band Of Brothers which is by Larry Alexander. The other is Beyond Band Of Brothers: The War Memoirs Of Major Dick Winters by Major Dick Wintes with Colonel Cole C. Kingseed.

[OC47150]

If you liked BoB, try reading Ambrose's Pegasus Bridge. It's about the Brits who captured the first piece of French territory on D-Day. Interesting read.

[Ji'dai]

I've discovered the local libraries stash of trade paperbacks and graphic novels, so that's what I've been reading lately:

BONE Vol. 1-9 – I read this based on the recommendation from another forum member. I’ve never been big fan of fantasy, pooh-pooing Lord of the Rings practically forever until I finally gave in and watched FOTR on DVD shortly before TTT was released. I didn’t care for Chronicles of Narnia though, so I’m still not a fantasy convert yet. Jeff Smiths’ BONE draws inspiration from both epic adventures, has an interesting story with likeable characters, and is quite the page-turner. I didn’t care for the ‘prequel’ Stupid, Stupid Rat-Tails: The Adventures of Big Johnson Bone, however.

John Constantine: Hellblazer Vol. 1-14 (or whatever). John Constantine is a working-class conjurer, magician, dark arts enthusiast, liar, manipulator, hard-drinking chain-smoking sonuva*****. Constantine tangles with demons on both sides of the Atlantic while battling his own personal ones, sacrifices friends along the way, and constantly learns that the greatest evil is often committed by other human beings. Sometimes interesting, other times boring, this series is definitely light-years away from the Keanu Reeves movie. No wonder creator Alan Moore had his name removed from the credits.

Superman Returns - Sucky adaptation of the movie plus a few other tales. “Walking Midnight” is probably the best of the bunch, featuring Superman celebrating New Year’s Eve in each time zone by fulfilling requests to his letter-writing fans.

Superman: For all Seasons - Clark Kent as the “Big Lug,” a small-town farm boy that grows up to be Superman. Lots of classic imagery here that includes many a homage to illustrator Norman Rockwell.

Superman: Wrath of Gog - Superman faces off with Gog, who injects the Man of Steel with liquid Kryptonite, killing him. He comes back to life of course, but his powers are unreliable. Clark learns that Lana watched over him during his convalescence; while Lois is off on assignment, too busy to trouble with her husband. Hard to follow this one since I’m not all that familiar with the back story.

Superman For Tomorrow Vol. 1 - The Man of Steel develops a rapport with a dying Catholic priest to get things off his chest. Interfering in a nation's civil war, Superman incurs the wrath of the JLA, tangles with Equus, gigantic Earth Elementals, and discovers the device that caused the "Vanishing" - mass human disappearances around the world, including wife Lois Lane. Disappointing since it leaves you hanging for Vol. 2.

Batman: The Dark Night Returns - Bruce Wayne comes out of retirement to battle the Mutants, a gang wreaking havoc on Gotham. Batman returns just in time to see the release of Harvey Dent (Two-Face) and The Joker from Arkham. Finally Batman takes on Superman, who is sent in by the government to bring the vigilante to justice. First time read for me though I was collecting comics when this one was published. Frank Miller’s story about the aging Batman returning to vigilantism is fascinating and very fulfilling.

War Stories Vol. 1 - Anthology of some great WWII tales: German tank commander deserts the Eastern Front and heads west to surrender to advancing Americans in order to save his crew; British soldiers face criticism from home for being “D-Day Dodgers” and mount a suicidal daylight attack in Italy in 1944; an Easy Company squad commandeer a large estate in Austria where they find lots of booze and friendly female company and decide to take some much-need R&R; and British naval officers deal with German subs while trying to protect convoy ships in the Arctic and Mediterranean.

Loveless: A Kin of Homecoming - Former Confederate Wes Cutter returns home after the Civil War to find the US Army occupying his home and land, a bunch of unfriendly townsfolk, and a roving armed band of Southern sympathizers still fighting a lost cause. Also returning home is a freeman who took part in the officially sanctioned rape of Cutter’s wife while serving with a Union detachment. In this powder keg waiting to blow Cutter accepts a Union Army appointment as town sheriff.

Marvel 1602 – I liked this story about the Marvel Universe set in the Elizabethan period. Due to a temporal anomaly, the FF, X-Men, Von Doom, Magneto, Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Nick Fury, and Dr. Strange all appear hundreds of years before their original modern origins. I’ve never been a fan of Dr. Strange, but I think he works well here as Queen Elizabeth I’s court “physician.”

[Ji'dai]

More comics for me:

Superman: Infinite City - After Superman captures a small-time crook packing some out-of-this-world weaponry, Clark Kent and Lois Lane track down the manufacturer's location - which turns out to be a deserted country store in the middle of nowhere. Once inside, Lois & Clark pass through a portal to another dimension containing a teeming metropolis with gateways to an infinite number of worlds. In this "Infinite City," Superman is surprised to find the inhabitants not only speak Kryptonian; but he also reunites with a long-lost relative and meets a new one. Interesting story here, although I wasn't too crazy about Carlos Meglia's art style at first.

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 1-2; 13 - All-new all-different X-Men as teenagers and twenty-somethings. The stories were okay, but nothing to write home about.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol. 1-4 - I admit I've never been a big FF fan and I didn't really care for this series. One of the volumes had the FF visit another dimension where they battled a giant grasshopper and his army - which looked like a cross between Jawas & Sandpeople. They even carried gaffi sticks!

Astonishing X-Men: Gifted - Great tale by Joss Whedon about the X-Men dealing with news of the mutant "cure." Loved the part where scantily-clad Head Mistress Emma Frost scolds Kitty Pryde for being late during student orientation and Miss Pryde’s excuse: "I was just remembering to put all my clothes on." I don't think I've ever seen bad girls drawn so nicely. Mm-mm.

G.I. JOE Frontline: The Mission That Never Was - With the Pit closed down and the Joes disbanded, the Pentagon sends the remaining force on one last mission against Cobra. Featuring most of the fan-favorite characters, cameos by the "original" Joe and his assistant Jane, and a script by none other than the man himself, Larry Hama, this book wasn't all that great. Maybe it was Scarlet picking out curtains for Snake-Eyes' mountain cabin. Maybe it was just me.

Captain America: Cap Lives - America’s hero is thawed once again and discovers that Germany won the Second World War and has taken over the world in this retelling of Captain America’s post-Golden Age origin. His Nazi Nemesis, Red Skull, is now in command, but Cap’s return has re-inspired the American Resistance.

Batman: Hush Vol. 1 & 2 - The Dark Knight finds himself embroiled in a complex conspiracy whose sole purpose is his death. This great detective story involves nearly every major villain, ally, and erstwhile sidekick in the Batman pantheon. Once again we see that the Master Detective is more than capable of taking on Superman (with the right gadgetry). I didn’t realize Wayne now owns the Daily Planet; it was fun to see him pop in and surprise Lois Lane with flowers while Clark scowls over the cubicle wall.

[Ji'dai]

Spider-Man: The Other | Evolve or Die - Peter Parker, now a member of the Avengers, is finally succumbing to the radiation poisoning he received from that infamous spider bite. Nearly comatose after a savage beating from Morlun, Parker draws upon his last reserves to fight back - discovering a host of arachnid abilities in the process. This crossover story arc involves multiple Spider-Man titles, so the artwork styles vary from book to book. I’m not sure who the artist is on Marvel Knights Spider-Man, but I can’t stand his style.

Superman | Batman: Vengeance - Boom tubes. Multiple Universes. A power greater than Darkseid. ‘Nuff said. The Man of Steel and the Dark Knight team up to fight their alternate universe alter egos in this convoluted tale. Features both Bizarro #1 and Batzarro, so take some aspirin prior to reading to prevent headaches.

Kingdom Come – Set in the near future, humanity has allowed itself to atrophy as the next generation of apathetic superheroes wage never-ending battles in the streets. After a cataclysmic fight leaves Kansas and most of the Midwest in apocalyptic ruin, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern come out of their self-imposed retirement (exile) to restore order and bring the new heroes into line. Interesting story here with just about every hero and villain in the DC universe, and then some.

[Slicker]

Right now I'm reading Panzerkrieg: The Rise and Fall of Hitler's Panzer Divisions.

I've read the book many times but still a good book.

[OC47150]

The library had SW: Allegiance, so I picked it up and am currently reading it. Needed a break from the Forsyth novel.

I'm enjoying it so far.

[DarthQuack]

Still reading Slave Ship from the Bounty Hunter Wars....decent so far.

[CaptainSolo1138]

If you liked BoB, try reading Ambrose's Pegasus Bridge. It's about the Brits who captured the first piece of French territory on D-Day. Interesting read.

I got that for Christmas and haven't gotten to it yet. Its always good to hear a positive review of a book before you start reading it. Thanks! I'm still reading "Citizen Soldiers" by Ambrose. Its freaking brilliant

[JimJamBonds]

I'm not a big Ambrose fan but BoB and Undaunted Courage are both good reads.