Customer Comments

Go Set a Watchman suffers from some of the minor flaws of a first novel. At times, it “tells” what has happened instead of “shows” you. The dialog is a little clunky, But besides that, it’s not a bad read. I can full-out disagree with Atticus’s racism, and still enjoy the book. As for the argument that Atticus can’t be racist based on his portrayal in To Kill a Mockingbird: 1) This book was written BEFORE To Kill a Mockingbird. Nothing was written in stone, yet. I believe she says Atticus wins the case, which is not what happens in Mockingbird. (So, you could think of it as a alternate reality story.) 2) Believing Atticus is not a racist isn’t proven by him taking the case in Mockingbird. He was ASSIGNED the case, he didn’t pick it. He was assigned it because he would do the best job defending him. And Atticus believes he is fighting for an innocent man. And lastly, attorneys don’t have to agree with or like their clients to try a case in their behalf. It was his job to defend him. So, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Atticus would end up the way he is portrayed in Watchman. Watchman is an interesting return to characters you already know and love, fifteen or twenty years down the line. It’s worth checking in on them again.

The Green Ripper is one of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGhee series. It also won the National Book Award. I liked it less than A Bullet for Cinderella, but it was still a good read. MacDonald sets a scene with such perfect detail! He is truly a master.

Three and a half stars. Excellent research, no doubt. Paints a picture of Jesus of Nazareth as a man (and a somewhat political one at that), as opposed to being Christ, the son of God. You learn about the political world of the times, and Jesus's role within that world, trying to upset the apple cart of a government out to oppress and suppress his people, the Jews. Excellent insight into the man's motivations, political and otherwise. But by not detailing any of the man's preachings, you paint only half the picture. I don't think you get a full view of the man that was Jesus of Nazareth. I think it still would have shown a man who thought deeply and held deep convictions about his people and people in general, without having to ask the question "Was he divine, the son of God?" So the leaving out of the teachings seems to me to be a major flaw in any attempt to define or redefine the man who was Jesus of Nazareth. A good book for what it is, but perhaps a little lacking.

If you're in the mood for a noir-ish thriller, John D. MacDonald is the man to go to! This is not part of his Travis McGee series, but is a stand-alone little gem. Semi-shady guys, girls from the wrong side of the tracks, and a small fortune buried somewhere is all the set-up you need for a fun read. Highly enjoyable. MacDonald wrote an enormous number of books like this, but his style and use of description set him apart from his peers. He is a master in the dirty little world of pulp fiction. And we are all better for him being there. I plan on reading many more novels by John D. MacDonald! Four and a half stars.

An excellent mystery, not just of whodunit, but on what's actually going on. Told from the perspective of three women, this is a great debut novel. I'm looking forward to more from this author. Four and a half stars.

An excellent book about the latest greatest era of Indians baseball, 1994-1997. Terry Pluto is THE Cleveland sports writer, and this book, co-written by Tribe radio personality Tom Hamilton, shows us why. Great individual chapters on all the key players (Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel, Kenny Lofton, Sandy Alomar), and added insights from fans make for a great book. My only beef, I wish it were a little longer. Maybe a chapter specifically on the 1995 and 1997 games. But it's a small beef in a great read.

Three and half stars. An interesting read into a situation and a society most of us will never experience. Sometimes sad, sometimes infuriating, sometimes funny, this is an interesting read. This list of characters gets a little long, and the stories get a little tedious by the end, but overall, a fun little book!

Three and half stars. An interesting read into a situation and a society most of us will never experience. Sometimes sad, sometimes infuriating, sometimes funny, this is an interesting read. This list of characters gets a little long, and the stories get a little tedious by the end, but overall, a fun little book!

Harper Lee is a one-book wonder. Engaging plot, incredible characters, and great insight into American life and race relations. Truly, and American Literary Classic!

Worth a few chuckles, but not much more beyond that. Not hilarious, not even "very funny." A poor man's version of Ambrose Bierce's Devils' Dictionary, without the biting social commentary. A chuckle here and there, but it becomes tedious pretty quickly.

Not a book so much as a collection of interviews done over the last 30 years or so. Many big names in comedy are here: Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Key & Peele, Mel Brooks. But the discussions about comedy are discussions for people who make comedy their business. It doesn't translate all that well, or interestingly, to the average person. Most of the interviews are fairly dry and fairly dull. I'm not going to go into stand-up comedy, and the mechanics of it don't interest me. And the author interjects his own stories CONSTANTLY in the middle of asking people questions. We learn more about Judd Apatow than any of the interviewees. This was a bit of a disappointment.

A fascinating little book, a novella of less than 30,000 words. Split between religious argument with his girlfriend in the present and his journeys in 29 A.D., this little book take you a long, long way. Some may be offended. Others pleased. Discover it for yourself.

A funny, little book. The author's father is unintentionally rude, embarrassing, and funny. Chapters are bookended with quotes ranging from "On the Right Time To Have Children" to "On Being Afraid to Use the Elementary School Bathrooms to Defecate." Plenty of laughs. Worth a read.

Written in 1948, I believe, this is a fascinating book I'm going to classify (at least for the time it was written) as science fiction. Earth is ravaged by a plague that wipes out all but a select few survivors. This book details how the survivors live and build a society. It is very well thought out, and a fascinating read. I don't agree with all of the author's postulations, but overall it's a great work. Very impressive for today, prescient even, especially considering it was written nearly 70 years ago.

I know this book won awards and is considered one of Gaiman's best books, but I disagree. I think it's just okay. I could never get invested in any of the characters, so when things got dire, I just didn't care what happened to them. It's fun, just not Real Fun.

A light, quick read. From the author of Sh*t My Dad Says, this may be the funnier of the two. This one focuses mostly on the author's attempts at meeting the opposite sex. It is funniest when he quotes his father. His own narrative is not nearly as funny. Three and a half stars.

Marvel Comics: 75 Years of Cover Art is a large, oversized coffee table book. It nicely presents cover art in chronological order, from the golden age, silver age, bronze age, and modern age of comics. I was disappointed that there weren't more full-page pictures. You'd think that would be the point in making a book this size in the first place. Nice overall. Three and a half stars.

Just okay. The premise had a lot of promise -- Dick Grayson (Robin/Nightwing) becomes a super spy. But the story is pedestrian at best. A tired plot and flat characters do not add up to a good read. A real opportunity was missed here.

If you're a Clapton fan, this is pretty good. It details Clapton's life from childhood to the present - warts and all. He discusses his many romantic failings, his drug abuse, and his alcoholism in great detail. An interesting read.

While probably not as good as "Love is a Dog From Hell" this is a great book of poetry. Bukowski is at the top of his form looking at both himself and the world around him. A stunning collection of poems!

The further adventures of teenage Ms. Marvel, coming to grips with her new powers. Not as good as Volume 1, and a little preachy in its expository conversations, but still a fun graphic novel. I’m not sure why the bird-headed clone of Thomas Edison is evil, but the ride is still worth taking.

The Damned is a great piece of Demon-Noir if ever there was one. Dare I say it is better than Ed Brubaker’s somewhat similar Fatale series. This succeeds where the other ��" maybe not failed but meandered ��" in its conciseness. It sets up a universe, sets up a story, and sticks to it, singularly, till the end. The story, by Cullen Bunn, is well told, though maybe a touch heavy on the noir slang. But with prohibition-era demon mobsters jockeying for control, you can’t really go wrong. The artwork by Brian Hurtt is phenomenal, both illustrating and pacing out the story nicely. I would love to see a second volume from this team.

A great gift for the writer or English major in your life. A wonderful little book of quotes on everything about writing, from Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, Henry Miller, T.S. Eliot, and more. Some are very funny. Others are thought-provoking. A fun read!

Steal Like An Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative is a wonderful little book. Filled with fun little tidbits, insight and joy, this is a great little book for the artist or creative person in your household. The fact that it can be read in a single sitting makes all the more fun, and more likely that it’ll be read over and over again.

Death is comics is redundant. Except for Captain Marvel (Mar-vell), I can’t think of one character that’s been knocked off that hasn’t eventually been brought back. Captain America and Spider-Man were both killed and brought back recently. Why? We KNOW characters that big aren’t going to stay dead when they can be selling comics! So It was with not a small amount of trepidation that I read Death of Wolverine. I’m not totally convinced how they killed him was the best way (I’m still mad at Captain Kirk falling down and dying on some rocks), but the book overall was very good. Good characterization, good plotting, good artwork. A good story you’ll be glad you’ve read. At least until they bring him back to life in a year or so.

Japan’s “national story” comes alive on these pages! Excellent artwork complements a nicely told and paced story of honor and betrayal in ancient Japan. A great introduction to a great story.

Frank Miller rewrote the book on Batman with the Dark Knight Returns. He did it again with Batman: Year One. And, amazingly, he does it yet again here. A bit lighter in tone than the others, it’s no less fun, or important. Great writing by Miller, fantastic artwork by Jim Lee!

How irritating would it be to be named Clark Kent, and be oppressively average? How weird would it be if one day you began gaining the powers of Superman? Each of the five issues here jumps about 10 years, giving you a long life story of this Clark Kent. Excellently written, and beautifully drawn, this should be the next Superman movie.

Yorick is a broke, out-of-work escape artist, talking on the phone to his girlfriend halfway around the world when the plague strikes. It wipes out every male of every species on the planet, except for Yorick and his pet monkey. Can he find his girlfriend, the cause of the plague, and a way to save the human race? The first volume of one of the great series in comics. Includes the great original covers by J.G. Jones.

A fully engrossing, sometimes bizarre, sometimes touching story of one man’s journey through life. From blowhard intellectual to blue collar mechanic, we follow the life and love of one Mr. Asterios Polyp. Fascinating from beginning to end. The story is top-notch, and the artwork is brilliant! I rate this as the number one non-superhero graphic novel of all time.

What would the classic Marvel superheroes (Spider-Man, Captain America, Daredevil) be like if they had come about in Elizabethan England? Neil Gaiman, author of the Sandman series, Coraline, and American Gods, shows us. A fun re-telling of some classic heroes.

What would the classic Marvel superheroes (Spider-Man, Captain America, Daredevil) be like if they had come about in Elizabethan England? Neil Gaiman, author of the Sandman series, Coraline, and American Gods, shows us. A fun re-telling of some classic heroes.

What would the classic Marvel superheroes (Spider-Man, Captain America, Daredevil) be like if they had come about in Elizabethan England? Neil Gaiman, author of the Sandman series, Coraline, and American Gods, shows us. A fun re-telling of some classic heroes.

One day every century, Death walks the earth like a normal person, to better know and understand those she takes away. On this day, she meets a confused teenager and a centuries-old homeless woman. Death is portrayed as an oddly sweet goth-girl rocker, somewhat troubled by her duties and her desire to help these sad, sad humans. A story of immortality and yet humanity at the same time. One of the best by author Neil Gaiman.

The beginning of the hugely successful Sandman series. The story of the immortal Lord of Dreams is constructed with a pastiche of English literature, Roman and Greek mythology, and historical events, both true and fiction. The result is a fairly amazing amalgam that definitely creates its own comic universe.

A very good follow-up to Umbrella Academy: the Apocalypse Suite, but not a great one. Take the superheroes, drama, and English whimsy of the first book, and add time travel and the Kennedy Assassination. A fun trip, but could have been better.

One of the top ten graphic novels of all time. Probably in the top three. Written by Gerard Way, of the band My Chemical Romance, this is a wonderful mix of superheroes, sci-fi, melodrama, and old English whimsy. About a band of child superheroes, and the lives they’re led to later as adults. The artwork of Gabriel Bá is exacting and exciting, and a perfect complement to the story.

One tough kitty, in armor, and his never-ending battle with dragons!

An engrossing story of an Asian man’s failing relationship. Ben Tenaka is not a very likable character, and yet you’re drawn to his life, his friend, and his girlfriend. Sad and beautiful.

Rapunzel doesn’t need a prince to help her, she’s does it herself! Soon she’s out of the castle tower, and off to save her mother and the entire kingdom! A great book for the self-reliant little girl in your life. (And nice visual allusions to the first Iron Man movie.)

Using the true story of four lions that escaped the Baghdad Zoo in 2003, Vaughan incorporates other animals they meet along the way, and creates an allegory about Iraq, its people, the nature of freedom, and its ultimate cost. For teens, young adults, AND adults.

A great story about Simon and his cat, Jack, and the magical adventure they embark on. Fun for children and adults.

A lonely girl staying with her aunt in 1940’s New York City. While spending the summer drawing her own superhero comic book, she befriends a neighbor boy, and the two stumble across a spy! * Teens, YA (Note: The artwork and writing would make you believe this is made for children or “Tweens” but there are four things to note: 1. The back of a woman in an art class, who appears to be nude; 2. The kid protagonists read a somewhat salacious book; 3. The kid protagonists witness a gun-shot murder; 4. An adult slaps a child. Because of this, I would rate it for Young Adults or Teens; you should read it and label it/give it as you see fit.)

Working the graveyard shift at a convenience store, pining for a girl who doesn’t know you’re alive ��" being a vampire isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Full of pre-teen and teenage angst, but fun nonetheless. This was a fun twist on both vampire and coming-of-age stories. Nice character development, and healthy doses of humor make this one a winner. Would make a good PG, PG-13 movie.

A “webcomics” online story, compiled here in book form. Bayou takes place in 1930’s Mississippi, amidst the backdrop of sharecropping and segregation. But there’s more than the heartbreaking story of strained black and white relations in the south, as some of monsters might just be real.

Completely divorced from the superhero world of the X-Men, this is the story of their greatest villain, Magneto. This is a harrowing account of the holocaust ��" specifically, Magneto’s childhood and early adult life, and his time in a Nazi death camp. An incredibly powerful book, both in story and in its artwork. It was named one of the 2010 ‘Great Graphic Novels for Teens’ by the Young Adult Library Services Association. Quite possibly one of the best graphic novels of all time; certainly in the top five.

Paul Dini is an excellent writer. From his work on Madame Mirage and Detective comics, to the new Batman cartoon shows, to writing for the LOST television show, he is a writer for writers. Here, he's written a five-issue story, collected here, to go with a new Batman video game. Usually this would produce a story of limited depth, but Dini creates a story of great power and depth. Two problems: 1) The story seems to end prematurely. I'm guessing there will be an Arkham City 2. 2) The "digital chapters" at the end, though also written by Dini, are not nearly as good. The pacing is a bit rushed, and they don't really add anything to the main story. That aside, the main story is a fun one for any fans of Batman. A worthy addition to the Dark Knight canon.

Alex Robinson is a good writer/artist to introduce people to comics that DON'T include capes. This story revolves around a man who wants to quit smoking. Along the way, we're introduced to his angsty trip through high school, his father, and how all these things are tied together. His teenage years inform his adult years in ways that are both obvious and not so obvious. A little heavy-handed at times, it's still a good story and a powerful one at that.

Much better than Volume 2, this installment brings the story back to Kick-Ass and Hit Girl. It wraps up the trilogy in a very satisfying way. Not as good as the first one, but right up there.

Darwyn Cooke is one of the best things happening in comics today. His take on the new Before Watchmen series ��" The Minutemen, as well as Catwoman, and the first two ‘Parker’ novels are nothing short of brilliant! That’s why it pains me to say that the Score is good, but not great. To be fair, I don’t think this is Cooke's fault. His two-color, noir artwork is glorious again. But the story itself is a bit ponderous. With a 12-man team, and five or six locals, and five or six others, there are simply too many characters. The Hunter moved at a brisk pace, in part because of the smallish world it inhabited. In ‘The Score’ the voluminous characters bogs things down, and this is true of the original novel as well. Not enough time is afforded to the Edgars character, for example, to make much of an impact before the conclusion. That being said, this is still on a higher level than quite a bit of what’s coming out today. If you don’t already have the first two, I suggest you get ‘Parker: The Martini Edition’ instead. It has the first two graphic novels ��" The Hunter and The Outfit, and also the in-between, stand-alone story The Man With the Getaway Face.

The storytelling and pacing are good, and the artwork is very good. Unfortunately, after the five issues that make up this Man Out of Time story, Marvel chose to reprint Avengers #4 from March 1964. While the 1964 narration is more than a bit heavy-handed, the dialogue is almost laughable by today’s standards, and the art somewhat simplistic, it manages to tell the same story in one issue (and tell it better) than in the five-issue Man Out of Time. Mark Waid’s writing is good, but at times it seems like he’s doing little more than updating the world from 1964 to 2011, and long-windedly at that. The world is modernized, but there isn’t much more depth added to either the characters or their circumstances. Jorge Molina is a very good artist, more realistic (and modern) than Jack Kirby, but somehow, Kirby’s art brings more punch, more excitement to the tale. A reprint of Avengers #4 is a better bet than this volume. If you want a more modern take, I’d look into the Captain America graphic novels written by Ed Brubaker, either Volume 1 or the Winter Soldier arc.

If I had paid for the Zen of Steve Jobs, I might feel differently. $20 retail for a 65-page story (80 pages with extras) might be a bit much. But borrowed from the public library ��" I liked it a lot! Like the practice of zen itself, this graphic novel excels in its simplicity. By focusing on a single relationship, with Job's friend and zen master Kobun Chino Otogawa, the book details a very small part of a larger whole. As such, you get an intricate, intimate, insightful view of two similar and yet very different men. Melby's non-linear script is quirky and fascinating. The artwork is exceptional, and really shapes and propels the story forward. I could read this story again and again. I may have to buy it after all!

This collection is a great primer on the work of Darwyn Cooke. Cooke's work as both writer and artist of the Richard Stark/Donald Westlake "Parker" series is some of the best work being done in comics today. His Batman stories are right up there. This volume allows you a look at Cooke wearing the various hats in comic books. In one of the black-n-white stories, Here Be Monsters, Cooke is the artist. A well written story by Paul Grist, Cooke's artwork makes it that much better. In the second the black-n-white story, The Monument, Cooke is the writer. His story is excellent, but is made less powerful by illustrator Bill Wray's exaggerated, cartoony style. Tim Sale's artwork is a better fit when Cooke writes another short, Date Knight. But the best is when Cooke is both writer and artist. Ego, which gives this collection its name, is very good, but a bit over-the-top in its man-talking-to-his-inner-self vein. It’s pacing is very good; at 63 pages, it rushes by in a breeze. Deja Vu, while only 13 pages long, packs an incredible punch, both visually and emotionally. The best is the often reprinted Catwoman: Selina's Big Score. At 86 pages, this story could easily stand on its own as a hardcover book. It's crime-noir feel is very much in the Parker vein, even featuring a character named Stark. Dark, but fun, it is both stylized in its artwork, and no nonsense in its writing. Multi-layered, but simple and direct in its delivery. A great, great story! If anyone attempts to make another Catwoman movie, this would be a great story to base it on. All in all, Ego and Other Tails, is an excellent showcase of the multiple talents of Darwyn Cooke.

Brubaker and Philips are a great team, but this is not their finest hour. I believe it was originally intended as a 12-issue monthly series. As such, it could have been a nice, tight story in two graphic novel volumes. Unfortunately, it went on for five. This volume is still a good read, and you do (mostly) get resolution to the story.

A graphic novel from the author of the Time Travelers Wife. An odd and engaging little gem. The ending is odd, and bulk of the story is engaging. Worth a read.

Ms. Marvel has moved on and become Captain Marvel now. This leaves room for a 16-year old Pakistani girl to stumble upon powers and become the new Ms. Marvel. Good characters in this largely coming-of-age/family drama. Kudos for not making a male character the new Captain Marvel and for giving the next generation over to a girl, and a minority one at that. The conflicts of growing up Pakistani-American are a wonderful storytelling device, bringing real depth to the character. An auspicious beginning to a new series!

A children’s book that slyly talks about anxiety and depression in children. A wonderful little book from Star Trek’s Levar Burton! I hope he writes more children’s books!

Very relatable characters in this memoir that features text, traditional graphic novel cartooning, and photographs. A wonderful little hodge-podge of elements thats sum is more than its parts. (A graphic novel about the deaths of the authors’ parents.) Grim subject matter, but still manages to be funny here and there.

Len Wein’s writing is on par with J. Michael Straczynski’s Nite Owl / Dr. Manhattan volume ��" excellent! His pirate story, Crimson Corsair, is very good, as is the extra Dollar Bill story, about one of the lesser Minutemen. The Ozymandias story is fantastic, “A+” material, equal to that of Straczynski’s Dr. Manhattan story. He really gets inside the head of the character, understands the nuances of his speech, and tells a great, big story. Excellent work!

Straczynski does here what Brain Azzarello failed to do with Comedian / Rorschach ��" get inside the characters heads. Nite Owl is fully the character from Watchmen, but here he gives you more, showing him grow up and being mentored by the older Nite Owl. The artwork of Joe Kubert and Bill Sienkiewicz is very good. A very good story. Similarly, Dr. Manhattan is fully the character from Watchmen, and then a bit more. I don’t know how you capture the humanity in a character that is just short of a god, but Straczynski does it! Adam Hughes’ artwork is simply excellent, the best in the book, and rivals Darwyn Cooke for the best in the entire series. There is also a 2-issue series on Moloch in this volume. Here, the author breathes life into an under-written character, a villain at that. Under Straczynski’s hand, he becomes a wholly real person we have empathy for, and (again) he’s a villain. Nice work. The Nite Owl / Dr. Manhattan volume is easily the best of the “Before Watchmen” series.

Darwyn Cooke is the writer artist and artist on Minutemen. His work bringing the “Parker” novels to graphic grandeur, and on Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score, makes him possibly the only person in comics with the retro-touch enough to handle the 1940’s Minutemen. While not perfect, it is very, very good. “A-” work overall. On Silk Spectre, Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner are co-writers, Amanda Conner is the artist. This tale is about Laurie Jupiter, Silk Spectre 2, the daughter of the Silk Spectre in the Minutemen. The 60’s hippie motif runs thin pretty quickly, and the story doesn’t really go anywhere. There’s just more of it. And then she gets to make her mom angry with her new boyfriend! A “C-“ effort at best, maybe a “D.”

Brian Azzarello is a great writer. 100 Bullets and Lex Luthor: Man of Steel demonstrate this. But not here. Here, he doesn’t have a handle on who either the Comedian or Rorschach are. The Rorschach story is passable, but a bit bland, and that character is anything but bland. In the other story, I think he works too hard trying to make Comedian a good guy and a hero. Arguably, he is neither, and he knows it. But not here. This is the “Before Watchmen” I looked forward to the most, as it has the two most interesting characters, but I ended up being disappointed the most instead.

Mark Millar is probably the best writer in comics today. From Wanted to the Ultimates, to Kick Ass, to Nemesis, to Superman: Red Son, his characters and stories are cutting edge and a step and a half above what others are doing. That being said, there is always one thing that bothers me ��" within every story, there is one point, one thing, where Millar pushes the envelope just a little too far. I’m a fan of shock value, but there’s always one thing that strikes me with an ICK-factor that I have to ignore. Until now. Superior is Millar’s most accessible, and one of his best works ever. In it, we are introduced to Simon Pooni, a boy with multiple sclerosis. Through him, Superman and the movie BIG come together in a new and incredible way. A new twist on a couple of old tales (plus one space monkey), and Superior is just that ��" superior in oh so many ways. A great book that would make for a great movie someday!

Usually I'm a big fan of Ed Brubaker. His revival of Captain America was great, and his Criminal series is the best New Noir out there today. But the first story in this graphic novel collection is not only drawn by Darwyn Cooke, it is written by him as well. And I have to say it's the best part of it. Cooke has written and drawn adaptations of some of the Donald Westlake/Richard Stark "Parker" books. His take on the first one, the Hunter, is better than both Mel Gibson's Payback and Lee Marvin in Point Blank. He brings that style, both visually and plotting, to his very noir Catwoman story. There is a gravitas to the storytelling that is rarely seen in comics today. If he were to write a monthly series, I would sign up for a subscription today!

Good writing throughout, but fizzles at the end. The Joker can’t really beat Batman, can he? Of course not. But oddly, it feels almost forced, plot-wise, that Batman figures his way out at the end. Good story, poor ending.

Good, but not great. The set-up is good, but not great. Not a lot of depth to the characters like there often is in Millar's work. This is the troubled youth. This is the bad mother. This the abusive step-father. This is the super spy. If you can read it free (i.e. from the library), it's worth an hour of reading time. If not, wait for the movie.

Not as good as Volume 1: My Life As A Weapon. The stories meander quite a bit. Apparently there isn't a whole lot going on in Hawkeye's life when he's not with the Avengers. A funny premise, but it drags the whole thing down.

Very good start to a new monthly series. This graphic novel contains the first 5 monthly issues, plus another. There are 4 self-contained stories in it, and they are all very good. Warning: Hawkeye is not quite like he is in the Marvel movies. Here he is more than a little unsure of himself, but this adds tension and to the overall dynamic of the stories. A very fun read!

This graphic novel is more about the X-Men, Marvel Girl/Phoenix in particular, than the Guardians of the Galaxy. That being said, it is still a fun read. Besides two superhero teams, you also get the space pirates - the Starjammers - as well as the entire Shi'ar race. It might be too many characters, but it still runs fairly smoothly. The basic thrust of it is that the original X-Men, still teenagers at the Xavier School for the Gifted, are pulled from the past into our present. The Shi'ar want to put Jean Grey/Marvel Girl on trial for crimes she committed as Dark Phoenix. Except because of time travel, she hasn't committed those crimes yet.

Neil Gaiman's character, Angela, is introduced, but they don't really do anything with her. I'm not even sure why that character was brought into this. Some of the stories are hit or miss, but good overall. Pretty funny throughout. Worth a read.

A great place to start with the Guardians of the galaxy. This volume has Tony Stark/Iron Man in it, and is a nice addition. He grounds the story in the Marvel universe, and also serves to show us just how different this title's universe is from the "normal" superhero universe we're used to. The Angela storyline doesn't resolve itself, nor does any of the other storylines, really, but a funny introduction to these characters and this team.

In 2003, Archie Comics issued a ‘Cease & Desist’ order to Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa for his play, Archie's Weird Fantasy. In it, Archie comes out as gay. He simply changed the characters names, called it Weird Comic Book Fantasy, and it was on with the show. A decade later, Archie Comics is paying Aguirre-Sacasa to write Afterlife with Archie, and is, in fact, their new Chief Creative Officer. This is a really fun graphic novel. Archie and the gang find themselves in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. It could have been corny or dumb or fit for a TV laugh track, but it isn’t. It manages to hold true to these over 70-year old characters and somehow be fresh and with the times, too. And a little scary on top of that. Francesco Francavilla’s artwork, like his work in the Black Beetle and Captain America & Bucky, is top notch. Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale is a really fun read. It collects the first five or six issues of the monthly comic. I can’t wait for the next installment.

1940’s superhero noir. Two scoops film noir, a tablespoon of the Dark Knight, and two teaspoons of Peter Gunn, and you have one Dr. Stephano Howard, though you don’t find out his name until the very last page of the first volume. Nice set dressing, but a little rushed. This four-issue arc is good, but the mood and tone would have benefitted from being a six or eight issue one. As it stands, I think we find out who-done-it too quickly. But a good first effort nonetheless. The artwork makes up for the rushed writing. Three and a half stars. Looking forward to Volume 2: Necrologue.

A fairly eclectic collection of short stories about the monster under the bed (and elsewheres) picked by Neil Gaiman. There is one story by Gaiman himself, Sunbird, plus 15 others, dating from 1885 to the present. Like any short story collection, some are good, some are great, some slightly less so. But if you like Neil Gaiman and the fantastical worlds he creates, these won’t be too far off the mark for you. Plus, the money for this book goes to a charity -- 826DC.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and inspiring young writers, ages 6-18, in their creative writing. So it’s a win ��" win, really. And if you don’t buy it, I’m fairly certain that a pack of griffins, werewolves, flying horses, and other unnamable, phantasmagorical beasties will stalk you around the dark corners of your mind. I’m just sayin’ . . .

A children's book that's not for children? It's difficult to describe. An adult fairy tale? It's beautifully written, and captures the feel of childhood instantly. A short book, but BIG on story. It's fun & furious, uplifting & downtrodden, scary & scarier, and impossible to put down! It's a great starting point if you haven't read Neil Gaiman before.

Another winner by David Sedaris! His short stories can be funny or poignant, and sometimes both at the same time. Sometimes the change in narrator from story to story can be a bit jarring, particularly when they change from him to a woman, for example, or opposite ends of the political spectrum, but almost all are really good! This is not his best, but better than his last book, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. It's a good read; very funny, and very satisfying.

I picked this book up because I’d read four or five glowing reviews, one of which saying it was the ‘best book you’ll read this year.’ It was, in fact, the WORST book I’ve read in a long, long while. The reviews always seemed to use the word “hilarious,” which just stumped me. What part was hilarious? The poor woman who murders animals because she thinks her husband probably wants her to? The retarded child they keep chained in their backyard? The Iraq vet who’s angry and confused? Yeah, it was a hilarious read (please note, SARCASM). It came off like that English teacher everyone had that always talked about writing, but cannot do it himself (or self-published and ended up with 400 copies of his poetry chapbook in his trunk). Filled with unlikable characters, boring plots, and muddled storytelling, I hated it. This was the first book in a long time that I read in one day; not because I couldn’t put it down, but because I wanted to just get through it and put it behind me.

The Underpants is a 1910 play written by Carl Sternheim. Mr. Martin has re-written it in an attempt to turn it from a farce into a broad comedy. I saw it performed in 2011 at the Beck Center for the Arts, and I then I read it, also. While the play is amusing at first, it grows tiresome. The (somewhat) sexual escapades of bored housewife, Louise, quickly take on the likeness of a wacky episode of “Three’s Company.” But without John Ritter’s pratfalls, the jokes begin to fall flat, and the play drags on and on. The inherent male-dominance of the day becomes misogyny at times, and after awhile, I was left wondering if some of those lines were supposed to be ironically funny, or just mean. This is not a play I would see or read again.

Steve Martin (yes, THAT Steve Martin) turned out to be a very good playwright! This play revolves around a chance meeting between Picasso and Albert Einstein (and a guy named Schmendiman) prior to their great achievements. It manages to utilize both cheap, easy, low-brow humor, and deep, insightful commentary on both the men and society. A wonderful mix, and a lot of fun! The remaining three “plays” are more sketches than plays. While “WASP” has some amusing dialogue, none of these three rate higher that 2 or 3 stars. Worth getting the book for the main feature, though: Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

Steve Martin (yes, THAT Steve Martin) turned out to be a very good playwright! This play revolves around a chance meeting between Picasso and Albert Einstein (and a guy named Schmendiman) prior to their great achievements. It manages to utilize both cheap, easy, low-brow humor, and deep, insightful commentary on both the men and society. A wonderful mix, and a lot of fun! The remaining three “plays” are more sketches than plays. While “WASP” has some amusing dialogue, none of these three rate higher that 2 or 3 stars. Worth getting the book for the main feature, though: Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

This is the white-suited, stand-up comedian Steve Martin - in print. If you like Steve Martin, you’ve probably seen a short film or two that are from this book. You can hear his voice in the delivery of each written word, and it is funny funny funny!

Pure Drivel is the white-suited, stand-up comedian -- grown up. He’s a bit better with wordplay. He’s a bit smarter. He’s a bit funnier. If you liked the white-suited Steve Martin, pick this up. It’s in that vein, but (possibly) funnier.

Pure Drivel is the white-suited, stand-up comedian -- grown up. He’s a bit better with wordplay. He’s a bit smarter. He’s a bit funnier. If you liked the white-suited Steve Martin, pick this up. It’s in that vein, but (possibly) funnier.

A children’s book, told in rhyme, with illustrations by C.F. Payne. The text of this book is/are actually the lyrics of a song by the same name by Martin, appearing on his 2009 bluegrass album The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo. It’s a fun, jokey little song, and it makes for a fun, jokey little book!

Steve Martin discovered Twitter and found the 140-character limit an excellent exercise in creating comedy. Too bad he’s rarely, if ever, funny here. Like the movie Halloween III: Season of the Witch, I’m going to pretend This Never Happened. And I’ll re-read Cruel Shoes, instead.

Sad and sometimes funny, this semi-autobiographical novella by Steve Martin (yes, THAT Steve Martin) is actually very good. The book focuses more on the female protagonist, and not the older man (Martin). The older man comes off a bit pushy, a bit needy, a bit mean, which is surprising, but he comes off very, very real because of it. A very interesting book of (somewhat) fiction from a comedian ��" a good first step into the literary world.

Sad and sometimes funny, this semi-autobiographical novella by Steve Martin (yes, THAT Steve Martin) is actually very good. The book focuses more on the female protagonist, and not the older man (Martin). The older man comes off a bit pushy, a bit needy, a bit mean, which is surprising, but he comes off very, very real because of it. A very interesting book of (somewhat) fiction from a comedian ��" a good first step into the literary world.

I really wanted to like this. Ira Levin had written Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives, and the Boys from Brazil. And I'd read again and again, something to the effect of... If you want to write a thriller or crime noir, first read A Kiss Before Dying. Maybe you had to be there in 1953. But for someone born after that and living in the 21st century, I was bored. The main character is reprehensible from the get-go. I didn't feel for him, I didn't care what happened to him, I didn't care about his life or his story. I slogged through it to discover a couple of twists, but I didn't care. I saw the Twilight Zone growing up, and later the Sixth Sense and Fight Club. We've all seen twists before, all of them better than the ones in this book. I'll find my noir elsewhere.

Short blurbs, anecdotes, lessons, and stories about writing from the literary likes of Frank Conroy, Arthur Miller, Donald Westlake, David Mamet, Ann Beattie, Elmore Leonard, Margaret Atwood, Stephen Fry, Ann Patchett, Amy Tan, P.J. O’Rourke, and about 35 others. If you like reading, this book is filled with many a gem. My favorite was Donald Westlake discussing his somewhat complicated relationship Richard Stark, the pseudonym under which he wrote his “Parker” series of novels. Interesting, intriguing, funny, and thought-provoking. A great source of information & entertainment! Having read this, I’ll be going to my local public library and looking for Volume 1, as well as the Paris Review Interviews.

Good, but less so than the original Kick-Ass. John Romita Jr.’s artwork is again top-notch, but Millar doesn’t break any new ground here in his writing. It’s simply a this-happens-next story. There is always one scene in any Millar story that bothers me ��" one event where Millar pushes the envelope just a little too far. It’s as if with each book, he’s saying, “See how far I’ll go? No one else would go this far!” But at a certain point it comes off as a little juvenile, and the event in question takes you out of the story ��" it breaks the flow of the narrative. Violence towards small children is a touchy subject with me, as is rape, and I cringed more than once while reading this. Hit Girl steals the show, again. She is much more interesting than the character of Kick-Ass, the namesake of this book, and again, that pulls you out of the story, questioning why. Kick-Ass 2 also has the feel of the middle part of a trilogy ��" the feeling that this is all mostly set-up for a bigger finale. I look forward to the Hit Girl graphic novel and Kick-Ass 3 (I assume is coming), but I probably won’t read Part 2 again.

Good, but less so than the original Kick-Ass. John Romita Jr.’s artwork is again top-notch, but Millar doesn’t break any new ground here in his writing. It’s simply a this-happens-next story. There is always one scene in any Millar story that bothers me ��" one event where Millar pushes the envelope just a little too far. It’s as if with each book, he’s saying, “See how far I’ll go? No one else would go this far!” But at a certain point it comes off as a little juvenile, and the event in question takes you out of the story ��" it breaks the flow of the narrative. Violence towards small children is a touchy subject with me, as is rape, and I cringed more than once while reading this. Hit Girl steals the show, again. She is much more interesting than the character of Kick-Ass, the namesake of this book, and again, that pulls you out of the story, questioning why. Kick-Ass 2 also has the feel of the middle part of a trilogy ��" the feeling that this is all mostly set-up for a bigger finale. I look forward to the Hit Girl graphic novel and Kick-Ass 3 (I assume is coming), but I probably won’t read Part 2 again.

Good, but less so than the original Kick-Ass. John Romita Jr.’s artwork is again top-notch, but Millar doesn’t break any new ground here in his writing. It’s simply a this-happens-next story. There is always one scene in any Millar story that bothers me ��" one event where Millar pushes the envelope just a little too far. It’s as if with each book, he’s saying, “See how far I’ll go? No one else would go this far!” But at a certain point it comes off as a little juvenile, and the event in question takes you out of the story ��" it breaks the flow of the narrative. Violence towards small children is a touchy subject with me, as is rape, and I cringed more than once while reading this. Hit Girl steals the show, again. She is much more interesting than the character of Kick-Ass, the namesake of this book, and again, that pulls you out of the story, questioning why. Kick-Ass 2 also has the feel of the middle part of a trilogy ��" the feeling that this is all mostly set-up for a bigger finale. I look forward to the Hit Girl graphic novel and Kick-Ass 3 (I assume is coming), but I probably won’t read Part 2 again.

This collection is a great primer on the work of Darwyn Cooke. Cooke's work as both writer and artist of the Richard Stark/Donald Westlake "Parker" series is some of the best work being done in comics today. His Batman stories are right up there. This volume allows you a look at Cooke wearing the various hats in comic books. In one of the black-n-white stories, Here Be Monsters, Cooke is the artist. A well written story by Paul Grist, Cooke's artwork makes it that much better. In the second the black-n-white story, The Monument, Cooke is the writer. His story is excellent, but is made less powerful by illustrator Bill Wray's exaggerated, cartoony style. Tim Sale's artwork is a better fit when Cooke writes another short, Date Knight. But the best is when Cooke is both writer and artist. Ego, which gives this collection its name, is very good, but a bit over-the-top in its man-talking-to-his-inner-self vein. It’s pacing is very good; at 63 pages, it rushes by in a breeze. Deja Vu, while only 13 pages long, packs an incredible punch, both visually and emotionally. The best is the often reprinted Catwoman: Selina's Big Score. At 86 pages, this story could easily stand on its own as a hardcover book. It's crime-noir feel is very much in the Parker vein, even featuring a character named Stark. Dark, but fun, it is both stylized in its artwork, and no nonsense in its writing. Multi-layered, but simple and direct in its delivery. A great, great story! If anyone attempts to make another Catwoman movie, this would be a great story to base it on. All in all, Batman Ego and Other Tails, is an excellent showcase of the multiple talents of Darwyn Cooke.

This collection is a great primer on the work of Darwyn Cooke. Cooke's work as both writer and artist of the Richard Stark/Donald Westlake "Parker" series is some of the best work being done in comics today. His Batman stories are right up there. This volume allows you a look at Cooke wearing the various hats in comic books. In one of the black-n-white stories, Here Be Monsters, Cooke is the artist. A well written story by Paul Grist, Cooke's artwork makes it that much better. In the second the black-n-white story, The Monument, Cooke is the writer. His story is excellent, but is made less powerful by illustrator Bill Wray's exaggerated, cartoony style. Tim Sale's artwork is a better fit when Cooke writes another short, Date Knight. But the best is when Cooke is both writer and artist. Ego, which gives this collection its name, is very good, but a bit over-the-top in its man-talking-to-his-inner-self vein. It’s pacing is very good; at 63 pages, it rushes by in a breeze. Deja Vu, while only 13 pages long, packs an incredible punch, both visually and emotionally. The best is the often reprinted Catwoman: Selina's Big Score. At 86 pages, this story could easily stand on its own as a hardcover book. It's crime-noir feel is very much in the Parker vein, even featuring a character named Stark. Dark, but fun, it is both stylized in its artwork, and no nonsense in its writing. Multi-layered, but simple and direct in its delivery. A great, great story! If anyone attempts to make another Catwoman movie, this would be a great story to base it on. All in all, Ego and Other Tails, is an excellent showcase of the multiple talents of Darwyn Cooke.

If I had paid for the Zen of Steve Jobs, I might feel differently. $20 retail for a 65-page story (80 pages with extras) might be a bit much. But borrowed from the public library - I liked it a lot! Like the practice of zen itself, this graphic novel excels in its simplicity. By focusing on a single relationship, with Job's friend and zen master Kobun Chino Otogawa, the book details a very small part of a larger whole. As such, you get an intricate, insightful view of two similar and yet very different men. Melby's non-linear script is quirky and fascinating. The artwork by Jess3 is exceptional, and really shapes and propels the story forward. I could read this story again and again. I may have to buy it after all!

I really wanted to like this. Ira Levin had written Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives, and the Boys from Brazil. And I’d read again and again, something to the effect of… If you want to write a thriller or crime noir, first read A Kiss Before Dying. Maybe you had to be there in 1953. But for someone born after that and living in the 21st century, I was bored. The main character is reprehensible from the get-go. I didn’t feel for him, I didn’t care what happened to him, I didn’t care about his life or his story. I slogged through it to discover a couple of twists, but I didn’t care. I saw the Twilight Zone growing up, and later the Sixth Sense and Fight Club. We’ve seen twists before. I’ll find my noir elsewhere.

Mark Millar is probably the best writer in comics today. From Wanted to the Ultimates, to Kick Ass, to Nemesis, to Superman: Red Son, his characters and stories are cutting edge and a step and a half above what others are doing. That being said, there is always one thing that bothers me within every story, there is one point, one thing, where Millar pushes the envelope just a little too far. I’m a fan of shock value, but there’s always one thing that strikes me with an ICK-factor that I have to ignore. Until now. Superior is Millar’s most accessible, and one of his best works ever. In it, we are introduced to Simon Pooni, a boy with multiple sclerosis. Through him, Superman and the movie BIG come together in a new and incredible way. A new twist on a couple of old tales (plus one space monkey), and Superior is just that - superior in oh so many ways. A great book that would make for a great movie someday!

Disappointing. Greg Pak wrote the X-Men character graphic novel ��" Magneto Testament. That was brilliant! Pak wrote a new origin story for the greatest villain in the X-Men universe, and it set a new standard in comics. Filled with pathos and sorrow, we see the people and events that begin to shape the complex character of Magneto. Red Skull Incarnate shares… none of this. While actual historical events are followed closely, the character of the Red Skull himself fails. He is essentially evil from the get-go. His character is cold and calculating from the beginning, unlikable in nearly every way. He protects a young girl, but only because he was told to. This ability to follow orders doesn’t necessarily endear the audience to him. 120 pages drug on for what seemed like 420, with the final conclusion being that the Red Skull is evil and is not to be trusted. But we already knew that, didn’t we? The Red Skull is an excellent villain in the Marvel universe, but this is not a good example of it. You’re better off looking at Captain America vs. the Red Skull, or Death of the Red Skull, or (if you can find it) X-Men/Red Skull: the Chaos Engine.

The storytelling and pacing are good, and the artwork is very good. Unfortunately, after the five issues that make up this Man Out of Time story, Marvel chose to reprint Avengers #4 from March 1964. While the 1964 narration is more than a bit heavy-handed, the dialogue is laughable by today’s standards, and the art somewhat simplistic, it manages to tell the same story in one issue (and tell it better) than in the five-issue Man Out of Time. Mark Waid’s writing is good, but at times it seems like he’s doing little more than updating the world from 1964 to 2011, and long-windedly at that. The world is modernized, but there isn’t much more depth added to either the characters or their circumstances. Jorge Molina is a very good artist, more realistic (and modern) than Jack Kirby, but somehow, Kirby’s art brings more punch, more excitement to the tale. A reprint of Avengers #4 is a better bet than this volume. If you want a more modern take, I’d look into the Captain America graphic novels written by Ed Brubaker, either Volume 1 or the Winter Soldier arc.

Darwyn Cooke is one of the best things happening in comics today. His take on the new Before Watchmen series ��" The Minutemen, as well as Catwoman, and the first two ‘Parker’ novels are nothing short of brilliant! That’s why it pains me to say that the Score is good, but not great. To be fair, I don’t think this is Cooke's fault. His two-color, noir artwork is glorious again. But the story itself is a bit ponderous. With a 12-man team, and five or six locals, and five or six others, there are simply too many characters. The Hunter moved at a brisk pace, in part because of the smallish world it inhabited. In ‘The Score’ the voluminous characters bogs things down, and this is true of the original novel as well. Not enough time is afforded to the Edgars character, for example, to make much of an impact before the conclusion. That being said, this is still on a higher level than quite a bit of what’s coming out today. If you don’t already have the first two, I suggest you get ‘Parker: The Martini Edition’ instead. It has the first two graphic novels ��" The Hunter and The Outfit, and also the in-between, stand-alone story The Man With the Getaway Face.

Quite possibly, Mamet’s greatest work to date. It is at least the equal of Glengarry Glen Ross, Edmond, and American Buffalo, if not better. Mamet walks the tightrope of race in America, questioning and arguing nearly every assumption and stereotype of the past 50 years on race relations. The plot involves an older white man, accused of raping an African American woman. The two lawyers considering taking the case ��" one black and one white, with a black woman as their new assistant. This four-person cast, with only three together at any one time, provides a fairly amazing multitude of conversations on the case in particular, and race in general. Nearly every aspect of the topic is brought up in some way, truly plumbing the angst, rage, and confusion of the subject matter in a very short period of time (only 64 pages). While I would have liked to see the last scene go on a little longer, maybe another 15 or 20 pages, this work is shocking, thought-provoking, and utterly brilliant.

In teaching two classes on graphic novels at the annual Ohio Library Support Staff Institute, Koko Be Good came up in both classes. In the first class, it made the “Top 10 Non-Superhero Graphic Novels (FICTION)” list at Number 3. In the second class, it made it onto the “Top 10 Graphic Novels of All Time” list. At first, Jen Wang’s Koko reminded me of Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine, as both seemed to deal with, basically, three characters, their relationships, and being Asian in America today. But while Shortcomings is an excellent graphic novel, the main character in fairly unlikable, and as such, there’s a loss of connection with the reader. Koko, on the other hand, does not suffer this fate. We are taken on a bit of roller coaster ride with the characters. Koko, for example, seems wild and fun at first. Then we see that’s perhaps she’s not a very good person; to her roommates or anyone else. Next, we see her decide to be a good person, and attempt -if somewhat superficially- to do just that. And then we see the real attempts, the self-exploration of who she is, and what exactly makes someone a good person. We see Koko’s relationships with a young piano player and a restaurant worker, and see their struggles as well – is being a good person doing what your family expects of you, or doing what someone else thinks a good person should do? Or is being a good person about being true to yourself, and being the best YOU that you can be? Koko Be Good is subtle in delivering its message, and deep in character development. It is beautifully drawn and realized. It is a full, complete, and wondrous work one would expect after 15 or 20 years of published work, not from someone so early in her career. In short, Koko Be Good is great work of art. And, it was easily one of the best novels I read this year, graphic or otherwise. I look forward to future works by Jen Wang!

An eight-year old puts on his ‘Captain Long Ears’ costume and heads off on an adventure with his imaginary friend Captain Jam, a purple gorilla. Underneath the child-like, space and pirate exploits lies many layers, including the story of animal abuse and the true meaning behind the boys’ search for ‘Captain Big Nose.’ The art work for the boy is reminiscent of the boy in Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, but the story is all its own. This may very well be the most compelling children’s book I have ever read. It is sometimes funny, often poignant, and occasionally a little sad. All and all, it is absolutely beautiful. While the cover may make it look like it’s for children, I would rate it for slightly older children or Teens; Young Adults & all ages will love it, though! * C, Teens, YA

A book ten years in the making, Sorcerers’ Apprentices is an intriguing and sometimes unsettling look at the world of law clerks. Most people know precious little about this field. Ward and Weiden provide an eye-opener. Being a law clerk is to basically be a research assistant for a judge. Being that the United States Supreme Court is the highest court in the land, being a clerk for an U.S. Supreme Court judge (a ‘Justice’) is the pinnacle in this field. As former clerks to a Supreme Court Justice, these young men and women will be the most sought after candidates at law firms across the country. Many will later be offered judgeships themselves. After a decade of research, pouring through the personal papers of justices and court employees, and interviews with former clerks, the authors discovered that the law clerk went from being little more than a secretary in the 1930’s to a position of enormous power today. Perhaps the greatest power is in the “certiorari process” of choosing what cases the Supreme Court will hear. Of the over 8,000 cases submitted annually to the Supreme Court, only a few hundred perhaps will be heard. It would appear that the law clerks suggestions to their respective Justices on which cases to hear has had a great impact on the types of cases heard. And changes on the constitutionality of specific laws in specific areas literally changes people’s lives. Another issue of concern is that for some Justices, the bulk of their decisions may come not from legal research, but from the opinions written by their law clerks. Some have gone so far as to say that in some cases it is the law clerk who actually writes the final opinion; the Justice simply signing it. Others point out that the opinions expressed verbally by law clerks to their Justice may actually hold more sway over a decision than the attorneys presenting the case. Filled with quotes, text, research, analyses, and charts galore, Sorcerers’ Apprentices: 100 Years of Law Clerks at the United States Supreme Court is a revealing look at the workings of the U.S. Supreme Court. It sheds light on an institution that few in America have any knowledge about, but that affects us all. Ward and Weiden present nearly as many questions in this book as they do insights. Do law clerks have more power than they used to? Do they have more power than they should? Should this be rectified, and if so, how? In the end, Sorcerers’ Apprentices is a fascinating look at a world few ever see. *************************** Artemus Ward is an assistant professor of political science at Northern Illinois University. He is also author of Deciding To Leave: the Politics of Retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court (2003). David L. Weiden is an assistant professor in the Politics and Government section, and director of the legal studies program, at Illinois State University. *************************** P.M. Bradshaw is a writer of poetry and fiction, and a two-time judge of the Young Adult Poetry Coffeehouse Contest at the Mount Vernon Public Library, where he also teaches a poetry workshop for adults. When not working at the Supreme Court of Ohio Law Library, he coordinates blood drives with the American Red Cross, and is a volunteer reader at VoiceCorps, a radio station that provides readings of daily newspapers, books, and the like for those with visually impairments. He is the current Chair of the Ohio Library Support Staff Institute. Despite what Johnny Cash may have said, Mr. Bradshaw DID NOT shoot a man in Reno once, just to watch him die. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

This book poses somewhat of a conundrum. Is it an over-thought monologue on the author’s own hair color, or an exceedingly dull scholarly treatise? The answer: it is both! It’s a hodge-podge of historical references, anecdotes, and Patty Scialfa. Never delving deep enough into the history, it manages to still lay on what it does say with an all-too heavy brush, dripping with overindulgent prose. In the end, it is sound and fury signifying… the onset of sleep. If you are in need of a never-ending supply of sleep medication, save yourself some money and buy this book. If not, don’t bother.

There are two problems with this book. First, it begins with a speech given by coach Jim Tressel on January 3, 2003, just before the 2002 National Championship game. Except it never happened. The speech was a fake, written by Ken Pryor, a fan, and e-mailed and posted across the Internet. It wasn’t even meant to be a hoax, but simply something like a speech the coach might give, most sites listing Pryor as its author. Until this book, I never knew anyone had actually believed it to be anything else. It seems more than a little odd that the author didn’t contact Tressel or anyone on his staff to confirm the validity of the speech. It’s even more odd that the book’s editor didn’t either, considering that this book wasn’t published until August of 2005, more than two and half years after it was already widely known to be false. This leads into my second problem: It seems like any “fan” of Ohio State football would have known this. But to be fair, I don’t doubt that Mr. Menzer is a fan. (He mentions in his “Acknowledgements” that at an early age he had an uncle and aunt that dressed him in OSU wear when he visited them Columbus.) It’s just that by his reasoning, all my friends would have to be considered “fanatics.” They have the football schedule months, if not a year, in advance, they have a plan for each and every game, and -to a certain degree- plan their lives around football Saturdays. In my experience, being a Buckeye fan is something that seeps into you, like osmosis. No one dressed us up. We spoke up first, with “Where’s MY Buckeye shirt?” and “Can I have an Ohio State hat for my birthday?” or “I’m saving up for a –insert OSU item here–.” It’s a certain level of commitment that isn’t really a choice; at some point it’s just ingrained in you. But is this a bad book? I want to say, ‘No, not at all, except for the opening, it’s a very good book.’ Unfortunately, that’s not true, because the opening puts you in a pall for the rest of the reading. Credibility is compromised. Is it written well? Absolutely, it is. Menzer is great with the turn of a word, but the validity of what follows is always in doubt. When a young Earle Bruce sustains an injury and can’t play football for Ohio State, Woody Hayes literally jumped into his car to stop him, and ask him to get an Ohio State education regardless? He uses the word literally. I’ve seen speeches by both men, and I have never heard either say Woody, not figuratively, but literally jumped into a car. Later, defensive tackle Nick Buonamici says to coach Hayes, “Goddammit, I did it for you, Coach,” and then jumped onto a table to reveal a tattoo. Really? He swore at Woody Hayes, in front of the whole team, then leaped onto a table? I didn’t realize there was this much jumping in Columbus, Ohio. And at a game, it was so cold that some people were physically unable to stand afterwards? Come on. That’s way beyond even frost-bite. Hypothermia? There are a lot of books about Ohio State football. Like this one, they all talk about the only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, Archie Griffin, about the undefeated team of 1968, about the legend of Woody Hayes, and the storied history of the Ohio State-Michigan game. When picking up a book about the Buckeyes, let’s just say this would not be my first choice. *************************** Joe Menzer is a sportswriter and contributor to NASCAR.com. Born in Hamilton, Ohio, and a graduate of Bowling Green State University, he covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and the NBA for the Willoughby/Lake County News-Herald. He has contributed articles to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Washington Post, the Sporting News, and Inside Sports, amongst others. He covered the Carolina Panthers football organization for over a decade, and is the author of several books, including Cavs from Fitch to Fratello: The Sometimes Miraculous, Often Hilarious Wild Ride of the Cleveland Cavaliers (1994), The Wildest Ride: A History of NASCAR (2002), and Four Corners: How UNC, N.C. State, Duke, and Wake Forest Made North Carolina the Center of the Basketball Universe (2004). ***************************

This is best book of poetry written. Ever. Period. Thom Ward is the author of three collections of poetry: Small Boat with Oars of Different Size, Tumblekid (winner of the Devil's Millhopper Poetry Contest), and now Various Orbits. This latest collection may be a mere ninety-six pages, but its forty-five poems are anything but light. Ranging from free verse to didactic, from anti-narrative to Pantoum, Various Orbits swings a wide arc through the poetic universe, but always returns home to the heart. Ward’s mastery of the craft can be seen instantly in "Night Game," in which he describes the simple beauty of the moon, told as a baseball analogy. Likewise, "Though Monarchs Exploit the Disparity Among Us," an ode to ale, amongst other things, may be the most poetic drinking song ever written. Humor is in abundance here, in "Viagra Falls" and "After Decades of Silence, Toilet Speaks," the latter told from the point of view of, well, a toilet. This humor is balanced with the graceful art of "Poem Without a Freight Train or a Pocket Watch," "What'll It be Tonight, the Heart or the Fist?" and "Poetry Is a Game of Managing Your Mistakes." Each is an exciting turn at the Malayan/French Pantoum form. The poet's variations on this style are both intriguing and edgy. And what can you say about "Joseph and the Boss," a poem that pulls together theology, psychology, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Sominex sleep aids, and Newark, New Jersey? It is a poem that turns the would-be comic line "...you're the propane for God's barbecue," into something like reverence. Even "Cheesehead," though it may slip in a dry pun here and there at the expense of Green Bay Packer fans, ends as something more; something like a gentle sermon. "Wreckage" is a similar conundrum, containing humor (she'd relinquished drinking / but everyone / could smell the poetry / on her breath), while ending in the following, very unexpected way: the sharp light / of each hour's doubt / and frustration / this clickety-clack / blue-veined volt world / we love but cannot trust, / all of us, scattering / wreckage in our wake, / in search of something / like justice, something / like mercy. What’s most likely to catch the eye is Ward’s incredible description, in poems like "Third Night in San Francisco," "Cycling Through Taylor’s Basin," "Saranac," "Ontario," and "Seneca." Their landscapes, real or imagined, are now pictured in my mind as truly as those of my own hometown. A nd if this weren’t enough, there is more beauty to be found beneath the surface of each of these poems. In "Saranac," the simple description of docks and boathouses, empty of summer tourists once again, evokes a certain magic. Plumb its depths, and you find lines such as: this moment balanced amid / almost and was - and -the thought of men / doing nothing useful in a world / so weary of usefulness. Beneath the gorgeous description of "Seneca," we find: When we dive into this water, / cobalt, windblown, fierce, / we're certain to come out / on the other side of yes. And within the lush description of small town America in "Cycling Through Taylor’s Basin," there is: I need to travel / among the old versions of who / we thought we were. These poems may revolve around fictional people or places, but they reveal greater truths about humanity than anything else I've read or seen in years; truly a hallmark of great art, in any form. Various Orbits is unabashedly, and undeniably, brilliant. It is beautiful, thoughtful, and funny. I would say that Ward’s poetry has a sense of magic to it, but that wouldn't be true. Ward’s poetry IS magic, and it is nothing less than magic I experience each time I read, and re-read, this book. *************************** Mr. Ward has degrees in English from both the College of Wooster and SUNY Brockport, has been editor of more than sixty collections of poetry, and is a teacher of creative writing workshops in elementary and high schools, as well as through the Writers & Books Literary Center. He is a former chair of the Literature Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts, a recipient of numerous grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts, and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He is currently editor and development director for BOA Editions Ltd., an independent, not-for-profit poetry publishing house. He was also editor of the winner of the 2001 National Book Award for Poetry (Lucille Clifton’s Blessing the Boats). *************************** P.M. Bradshaw is a writer of poetry and fiction, and a two-time judge of the Young Adult Poetry Coffeehouse Contest at the Mount Vernon Public Library, where he also teaches a poetry workshop for adults. When not working at the Supreme Court of Ohio Law Library, he is a volunteer reader at VoiceCorps: the Central Ohio Radio Reading Service, a radio station that provides readings of daily newspapers, books, and the like for the visually impaired and elderly. Despite what Johnny Cash may have said, Mr. Bradshaw DID NOT shoot a man in Reno once, just to watch him die. ***************************

A book ten years in the making, Sorcerers? Apprentices is an intriguing and sometimes unsettling look at the world of law clerks. Most people know precious little about this field. Ward and Weiden provide an eye-opener. Being a law clerk is to basically be a research assistant for a judge. Being that the United States Supreme Court is the highest court in the land, being a clerk for an U.S. Supreme Court judge (a ?Justice?) is the pinnacle in this field. As former clerks to a Supreme Court Justice, these young men and women will be the most sought after candidates at law firms across the country. Many will later be offered judgeships themselves. After a decade of research, pouring through the personal papers of justices and court employees, and interviews with former clerks, the authors discovered that the law clerk went from being little more than a secretary in the 1930?s to a position of enormous power today. Perhaps the greatest power is in the ?certiorari process? of choosing what cases the Supreme Court will hear. Of the over 8,000 cases submitted annually to the Supreme Court, only a few hundred perhaps will be heard. It would appear that the law clerks suggestions to their respective Justices on which cases to hear has had a great impact on the types of cases heard. And changes on the constitutionality of specific laws in specific areas literally changes people?s lives. Another issue of concern is that for some Justices, the bulk of their decisions may come not from legal research, but from the opinions written by their law clerks. Some have gone so far as to say that in some cases it is the law clerk who actually writes the final opinion; the Justice simply signing it. Others point out that the opinions expressed verbally by law clerks to their Justice may actually hold more sway over a decision than the attorneys presenting the case. Filled with quotes, text, research, analyses, and charts galore, Sorcerers? Apprentices: 100 Years of Law Clerks at the United States Supreme Court is a revealing look at the workings of the U.S. Supreme Court. It sheds light on an institution that few in America have any knowledge about, but that affects us all. Ward and Weiden present nearly as many questions in this book as they do insights. Do law clerks have more power than they used to? Do they have more power than they should? Should this be rectified, and if so, how? In the end, Sorcerers? Apprentices is a fascinating look at a world few ever see.

Improv Wisdom is a remarkable book. Part self-help, part Zen guide book, Madson has come up with a theory and system to living life that is contrary to everything you might think is true, and dead on to everything you know is true. Instead of utilizing the accepted techniques of planning and preparation, Madson tells readers to jump head first into situations. Using skills of improvisational theater that she?s honed over the years teaching drama, she takes us down a path of living: living each moment, seeing every bit of it as it happens. Instead of fixating on flaws, we learn to delight in every tiny piece of every situation, both good and bad. Instead of obsessing over what might happen, she tells us to jump in and deal with things as they do happen. Like a Zen master, she tells us to be completely present in life, each and every moment. She tells us that it?s okay to feel insecure and overwhelmed. And that maybe trying to think out every possible scenario that can happen is the root and cause of our anxiety. Spontaneity does away with our feelings of beleaguerment and lets the goodness of each moment show itself. It allows us to live the meaningful lives we always thought we would live, before we allowed ourselves to be burdened by reality. She believes we should not plan every step to the future, but should live in and enjoy the ?now.? Ms. Madson doesn?t purport to have all the answers, just offers one alternative. She doesn?t say it will solve all your problems or instantly make you happy, but at the very least, it may make the journey a little more interesting.