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Books You Should Read (Because I Said So)

Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky by Patrick Hamilton
Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Pornographer's Poem by Michael Turner
Junk by Melvin Burgess
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
London Fields by Martin Amis
The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis
Success by Martin Amis
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
Jill by Philip Larkin
A Girl in Winter by Philip Larkin
Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
Generation X by Douglas Coupland
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
64 Clarke by Andrew Holmes
The Stand by Stephen King
The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Hawkeye #3

I'm not very good at remembering to blog about things. I meant to blog about Hawkeye #2, because I loved it as much as the first issue, but just didn't get around to it.

But Hawkeye #3? I just HAD to write about this issue. It's perfection. There's not a bad thing I can say about it (well, I can say a bad thing or two about Clint, but I'll get to that in a moment). Firstly (and perhaps most importantly), David Aja's artwork is just jaw-droppingly good. Gorgeous, in fact. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I totally fancy Clint when Aja draws him. Let's move on...

Aja captures movement and action quite unlike any other artist out there. Every page is packed with panels that involve you in the story as if it's a series of moving images. That is not an easy thing to do. In fact, the entire issue is just like a mini movie. The car chase scene on the bridge will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.

I praised Matt Holingsworth's colours in my last post and he doesn't disappoint again here. Muted browns against cool purples and greens denote the scene changes and work magnificently to help the story move along seamlessly.

Matt Fraction really does seem to have a good grip on Clint's character. Bit of an arse? Yep. But he's also funny, self-deprecating and brave. And hot, did I mention that already? Moving on...

There's one thing about this issue that's puzzling me (don't read any further if you don't want spoilers): Clint hooks up with a cute redhead, but isn't he supposed to be seeing Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman)? So either this issue is not set in the same continuity as the current issues of Avengers (although I'm sure I remember Fraction saying that future issues might explore his relationship with Jessica), or Clint is a complete dirtbag. And I'm not so sure he's that much of a dirtbag...is he?

EDIT: I asked Matt Fraction on Twitter if Clint cheated on Jessica...he said: "If you ask him? No. If you ask her? Yes. Read HAWKGUY 7." Intriguing!

That aside, this issue is outstanding. Once again, I can't wait for next month. The best title out there right now. If you're not reading it, you should be.

Hawkeye #1

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for Hawkeye, the Avengers' master archer. Clint Barton has been an Avenger for nearly 50 years and, to me, the team always feels like it's missing something when he's not around. There have been a few Hawkeye solo titles in the past, but he's viewed by many as very much a supporting character who works best in team books so they haven't always done that well. I disagree with this and have always thought that given the right type of book, Clint could shine. I think this is that book.

Hawkeye #1 shows us what Clint gets up to when he's not being an Avenger. I just love this idea. We often get to see what Peter Parker gets up to when he's not being Spider-Man and that makes him all the more accessible and relatable, so why couldn't this work for the most human of all the Avengers? The idea intrigues the hell out of me and I loved getting to see where Clint lives and discovering that he gets bashed up in the line of duty sometimes and has to take time out to recover. I loved getting to see that his good heart extends into his life outside the Avengers, but that when he's out and about on his own he can muster up a thinly-veiled threat or two.

Clint can be a bit of a dick sometimes, he's cocky and arrogant and it's landed him in big trouble in the past. I hope that we get to see how this side of him impacts on his 'civvie' life in future issues. We do get to see a bit of his cockiness and arrogance in this issue, but you're with him all the way because you know he's morally in the right.

David Aja's art in this book is astounding. Helped by Matt Hollingsworth's colouring, the whole issue is just a beautiful thing to behold from start to finish. I understand that Aja's art might not be for everyone, but the whole look and feel really adds something to the story. I love how Aja draws Clint. We never see him in costume (and he's never referred to as Hawkeye), we see him dressed in jeans and a t-shirt or a in suit and tie. There are some really beautiful panels and I was going to pick some out, but this Bleeding Cool article talks about some of them and is well worth a read (no.9 shows my favourite panel - go, Clint!). The use of colour to help distinguish the time jumps is executed really well. Events that take place during the day are coloured in yellows and the night time scenes are muted greys and blues. Some people have commented that they found this confusing, but I fail to see how.

I really haven't been this excited about a new series for a long time. I can't wait for #2 and I really, really hope that people spend their money on this title because I'd like to see it run and run.

Fan Interview with Andrew Garfield & Emma Stone

I was lucky enough to be chosen to ask Andrew Garfield & Emma Stone a question. Big deal for me since I'm a big Andrew Garfield fan and an even bigger Spider-Man fan.

I can be seen around 3:10.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Some Thoughts

As most people know, I am a Spider-Man fan. Nut. Whatever. I've been a bit in love with ol' Web-head for many years and I'd like to think that I know the character of Peter Parker pretty well. Better than most. Well, let me start this by saying that Andrew Garfield IS Peter Parker. Really. He is. I forgot I was watching Andrew Garfield and completely believed I was watching Peter Parker. No mean feat.

I'm a big fan of Tobey Maguire as Parker and, like many others, found it hard to imagine anyone else in the role once the reboot was announced, but Garfield won me over and I'm sure he will win everyone else over as well. He is quite simply fantastic and the best thing about the film by a mile. It's been said by quite a few reviewers that Garfield is better than the film and it's true - he is. But that's not to dismiss the film completely. I've had quite a few people (mostly fellow comic fans) tell me that they didn't like it at all, but I found much to like. That's not to say that it's perfect: it isn't. There is much to criticise, but there's no denying that it's an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. It has a long way to go before it reaches the heady heights of Avengers but, then again, what will this year? (Oh, OK, The Dark Knight Rises is in with a shot.)

I think the film does a fairly good job of re-telling the origin story. It tries hard (too hard?) not to cover the same ground as Raimi's Spider-Man and pretty much succeeds, but some parts feel rushed and glazed over as if the thought 'yeah, they know all this, let's get on with it' is foremost in mind. I couldn't help but wonder throughout if they could have just skipped the origin story and jumped straight in, but now I have a pretty good idea where this trilogy (for it has just been announced that there will be another two films) is headed, then I can see why they felt they had to start at the beginning. Emma Stone and Denis Leary are both also exceptionally good, although I feel Leary isn't given enough screen time. 

Some of the bad: I dislike the costume intently (despite Andrew's bottom looking rather lovely in it). I prefer Maguire's by long way. I also disliked the portrayal of Peter as a skateboarder. Just no. And the less said about that bloody Coldplay scene, the better. But the worst thing about the whole film is the villain. The Lizard is just silly. There's no getting around it. Rhys Ifans does an OK job as Connors, but there's just too much CGI when the Lizard is on screen - and not great CGI either. I found myself wishing for a different villain pretty much all the way through. The bit with the Lizard & the camera: oh dear. That could have been handled a lot better. Very clumsy.

The second half is much better than the first half. We get our wisecracking Spidey (a pleasure to see, but we still need more jokes please), we get some amazing web-swinging and probably Stan Lee's best cameo yet. We also get the scene that may just compete with the train scene from Spider-Man 2 for my favourite Spidey scene. I won't spoil it, but I'll just say that I love it when the people of New York help Spidey out.

There's definitely more emotion to be found than in any of Raimi's films. There was a guy in his 40s sat next to me who shed a tear in a couple of places and I must confess to shedding a tear or two myself at a couple of points. That is down to Garfield's performance. He's got Peter's emotional self-flagellation down to to a tee.

So, no, Spider-Man 2 it is not. But there is more than enough there to warrant you spending your money to go and see it. Andrew Garfield is worth the money all by himself. Trust me.