2007 Books continued

[ezekielsdaughter]

DC Comics Cover Girls by Louise Simonson

The title is provocative, for a feminist.  But I dip into everything.  It was interesting to revisit the comics of my youth.  I was a DC girl; I didn't care for Marvel.  So I am familiar with most of these characters.  I was amazed at why Wonder Woman changed back to a costumed character.  She was briefly a "normal woman" and didn't wear a costume.  I read her then and abandoned her after she returned to the costume.   To think that it was Gloria Steinman that protested the change!  Many sighs.

The Prophets by Normal Podhoretz

I enjoyed this until the last chapter when he suddenly derided feminism, Reform Judaism, gays and various other aspects of modern life. Oh well.   Good until the last chapter.

Mythology : the DC Comics art of Alex Ross

This artist is mentioned in the first book.  I liked his take on Wonder Woman (despite the costume).  I skimmed this book.  Noted that he works using a live model--which explained the hyper-reality of this art. Like the person who wrote the forward, I like the image of Superman with a paunch.   But I eventually tired of the chiseled Anglo-Saxon look of Superman.  I need to find a book on Black super heroes.  This was dispiriting after awhile.   Perhaps this explains the popularity of “Heroes” on TV now—although I have watched only a few of the shows.  Superheroes for the “rest of us”.

A History of Violence, by John Wagner and Vince Locke

No, I don't know why I am on a graphic novel/comics kick.  I saw only the end of the movie and wanted to see what all the fuss was about.  The violence is very graphic.  I still don't want to see the movie.  It annoys me that I am able to tolerate more violence in movies now; I don't want to up my tolerance level.  It was interesting reading a "comic" that was not about super heros.