Mmm, Pop Culture
Wednesday, 25 February 2009 21:18![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lea_hazelSo, yesterday was Tuesday, AKA family visit day, AKA pop culture immersion day. I got an early start because I had to leave work early for a doctor's appointment. I watched the last three episodes of season 3 of BSG, as well as episode 8 of True Blood. I also read about half of this month's comics, and some of the rest today.
Rewatching the first few eps of BSG I ever saw (in their entirety) made a lot more sense in context, naturally. I still feel as though Tory was deliberately left poorly fleshed-out before being revealed as a Cylon so that she could turn to the Cylon side and be easily seen as the least sympathetic of the four. Even though she was by Roslin's side for a long time, including during the New Caprica occupation, she was a cipher and her inner world was hardly even hinted at. I'm waiting to see if 4.5 reveals more to her, or if she's just the flatly characterized anti-Athena.
Comics! I haven't read BtVS (the Harmony issue) or Madame Xanadu yet. New Avengers was okay, but not terribly thrilling. Astonishing X-Men has an intriguing premise, but it's plodding quite slowly; it might read better in retrospect, but pacing is an issue. I actually feel much the same about most of what I'm reading now: it's okay, but I don't open each comics package dying to read any particular book. I was so thrilled with Buffy Season Eight when it started, I couldn't wait to get my hands on each issue. Now, not so much. Runaways used to be my favorite comic; now I can't wait for the next creative team, which supposedly comes on board in three issues or so.
Of this month's batch, She-Hulk and Fallen Angel were the most satisfying. She-Hulk was one of those books that leaves me feeling as though it were written for the tastes of someone just like me, it was funny and moving and scared. I'm upset that She-Hulk is ending, because I love Jen and Jazinda so much and, while Jen is likely to show up in one of the other Marvel books, Jazinda is probably going to disappear into comic book limbo. As for Fallen Angel, the end of the arc and the change in status quo leave me well satisfied, and I am looking forward to the next volume, though it's not due for several months, which is frustrating.
Supergirl left me with a feeling of wanting more, but not in a good way. The crossover arc leaves me with every third issue of the story. Since I don't have a local comics store, I can't easily pick up single issues of ongoing series on a monthly basis, like I would need to to follow this story. I'm left just wanting it over with. Kara's non-relationship with her parents bores me, since the positioning of Alura as a villain makes it pretty obvious that Supergirl will have to side with Superman against her. I can't get invested in their relationship or their conflict if I feel like Alura is being set up for a fall, and will disappear just as quickly as she appeared. I'm intrigued by Superwoman, but there is little interaction between her and Supergirl to attach to. And what happened to Lana Lang? She was supposed to be Kara's new best friend, and now there's no sight of her.
I want to give this title a chance, because it looks like an unplanned crossover has delayed and derailed the writer's plans, but for how long? How many chances have I already given Supergirl? I only came on because I thought Tony Bedard was going to be writing it, and now I have no idea why I'm reading it anymore.
Rewatching the first few eps of BSG I ever saw (in their entirety) made a lot more sense in context, naturally. I still feel as though Tory was deliberately left poorly fleshed-out before being revealed as a Cylon so that she could turn to the Cylon side and be easily seen as the least sympathetic of the four. Even though she was by Roslin's side for a long time, including during the New Caprica occupation, she was a cipher and her inner world was hardly even hinted at. I'm waiting to see if 4.5 reveals more to her, or if she's just the flatly characterized anti-Athena.
Comics! I haven't read BtVS (the Harmony issue) or Madame Xanadu yet. New Avengers was okay, but not terribly thrilling. Astonishing X-Men has an intriguing premise, but it's plodding quite slowly; it might read better in retrospect, but pacing is an issue. I actually feel much the same about most of what I'm reading now: it's okay, but I don't open each comics package dying to read any particular book. I was so thrilled with Buffy Season Eight when it started, I couldn't wait to get my hands on each issue. Now, not so much. Runaways used to be my favorite comic; now I can't wait for the next creative team, which supposedly comes on board in three issues or so.
Of this month's batch, She-Hulk and Fallen Angel were the most satisfying. She-Hulk was one of those books that leaves me feeling as though it were written for the tastes of someone just like me, it was funny and moving and scared. I'm upset that She-Hulk is ending, because I love Jen and Jazinda so much and, while Jen is likely to show up in one of the other Marvel books, Jazinda is probably going to disappear into comic book limbo. As for Fallen Angel, the end of the arc and the change in status quo leave me well satisfied, and I am looking forward to the next volume, though it's not due for several months, which is frustrating.
Supergirl left me with a feeling of wanting more, but not in a good way. The crossover arc leaves me with every third issue of the story. Since I don't have a local comics store, I can't easily pick up single issues of ongoing series on a monthly basis, like I would need to to follow this story. I'm left just wanting it over with. Kara's non-relationship with her parents bores me, since the positioning of Alura as a villain makes it pretty obvious that Supergirl will have to side with Superman against her. I can't get invested in their relationship or their conflict if I feel like Alura is being set up for a fall, and will disappear just as quickly as she appeared. I'm intrigued by Superwoman, but there is little interaction between her and Supergirl to attach to. And what happened to Lana Lang? She was supposed to be Kara's new best friend, and now there's no sight of her.
I want to give this title a chance, because it looks like an unplanned crossover has delayed and derailed the writer's plans, but for how long? How many chances have I already given Supergirl? I only came on because I thought Tony Bedard was going to be writing it, and now I have no idea why I'm reading it anymore.
