Whats everyone reading?

[Bubba Zebill]

I was in London for a few days for the launch of our app 'The Day a Comet Came to Tea' a children's story that I designed and illustrated. It was held at the Royal Institution. Our guest speaker was the writer Brian Clegg.

He gave a fascinating talk about teaching maths and science to children (in which I learned a thing or two!) and afterward I spoke to him about my interest in time travel paradoxes, a subject he had written about.

Later Brian slipped me a copy of his book 'How to Build a Time Machine: The Real Science of Time Travel'. I started reading it on the plane home and although I'm really only at the start I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the history of modern physics. I'm reasonably well read on the subject...yet I'm learning things I hadn't known before, I think Brian may have a unique view point. If it continues as it has started it'll prove a great read for those with an interest but no actual science background.

'How to Build a Time Machine: The Real Science of Time Travel'
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Build-Time-Machine-Science/dp/1250024226/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1380617574&sr=8-3&keywords=%27How+to+Build+a+Time+Machine%27

[Ancient Otter]

Tordelback hearts Grandville

The second one is even better.....not to torment you, like.

[Sideshow Bob]

You know a book has really got into your soul when you get to the end and there's one of those cheesy last-page happy endings where a character who seemed to be killed at a dramatically appropriate moment turns out to have survived, and instead of going 'oh for flip's sake', you give a little cheer?

That's how much I loved Grandville. 

I now can't decide whether I should buy this one myself, or plunge straight on to get the next volume.  Outstanding work from one of the greatest comics geniuses of them all.

Totally agree Tordelback,  It's simply wonderful stuff !!

And also totally agree with Ancient Otter, the second one   Grandville : Mon Amour is even better !! ... You just need to look at the artwork on the very first page.... 'A prison guarded by Crows with guns',   to see the artwork is even more fabulous in this next volume than it was in the original Grandville...

Go out and buy the second one ( or beg, borrow or steal it ... )......You will not regret it...
Simply astonishing stuff and wholeheartedly recommended....
In the same type of vein...You may also like to try and catch Blacksaad........A kind of Crime Noir GN...Also excellent stuff......
Cheers.

[TordelBack]

In the same type of vein...You may also like to try and catch Blacksaad........A kind of Crime Noir GN...Also excellent stuff......

Oddly enough I did try Blacksaad earlier this year, but I just didn't warm to it much.  Possibly a translation issue, 'cos the art is loverly.

[Dark Jimbo]

Tordelback hearts Grandville

Every year that sits on my Christmas wish list... Every year I'm dissapointed. See also: From Hell (much less festive, I know).

[Mabs]

I finished the first instalment of a French steampunk strip called 'The Regulators', which was also a lot of fun with some great artwork in it.

I haven't read this but I have read The Bombyce Network by the same writer, Corbeyran, if you want to check it out.  The comic shop I got it from thanked me for getting it becuase they thought it so was good, which was weird.

Lol. That is weird! Thanks for the recommendation by the way,  I'll add it to my list of must reads!

@Skullmo, I haven't read Dayak, but I do have its sequel which I'm reading right now in HM magazine (March 1996). I'm really enjoying this issue as there's a great piece on the making of the Heavy Metal Movie by Brad Balfour. I also read a really funny b&w story called 'Harry the Head' by the great Brian Bolland!

On top of that I'm also reading Judge Dredd Case Files 6, most of the stories take place right after the Apocalypse War, and they're a right old treat! I really enjoyed 'Destiny's Angels', the sequel to The Judge Child Quest which happens to be one of my favourite JD stories. It was also fun to see Otto Sump back again, making up more horrible sales ideas to sell to the gullible public! GUNGE...Ugh! Great fun! 

[Mabs]

I've started going through the Megs which I purchased from Skurvy, starting off with #295. (I bought #295-315, and others that he was kind enough to throw in, what a guy! Check out my blog below for pics!).

Anyhow, #295 was really great. I can't sleep because of my sodding leg pain, so I finished the interrogation of Dom Reardon. He sounds like a great guy, it was a really truthful and insightful piece. I never knew Dom was mates with Jock, or they used to spend time together as budding artists, drawing together in Dom's basement! I really need to check out Cabalistic Inc. as I want to familiarise myself with his art. There was another piece I enjoyed involving Pat Mills, and his work on a French comic with Olivier Ledroit, 'Sha' was also mentioned and I had the pleasure of reading that superb comic in Heavy Metal Magazine not too long ago. The strips were also lovely, Judge Dredd (Sex, Vi & Vidslugs) was a lot of fun as was Tank Girl. The floppy 'Monsters' was a real treat; I got to see Feral Jackson when he was more young, fighting those blasted norms and questioning his own 'humanity', whether he was a monster. Garth Ennis' script was great and I loved Steve Pugh's artwork. Feral's dream sequence was out of this world! Not to mention scary as hell. Feral seems like an interesting character, I wonder why Wagner felt the need to kill him off? 

[Fragminion]

Pretty much all things Dredd. Been getting the DL's of the current Megazine. Buying up all old copies of Judge Dredd from Eagle/Quality Comics and the 1994 DC runs. And all things I-Dredd-W...or IDW.
Can't get enough of Old Stone Face.
Really liked the Aliens, and Predator Crossovers. The opening by Simon Pegg in the Aliens was the best.

[Mabs]

Well Adamov's Dayak was an absolute treat! You can tell he is inspired by the late Moebius even down to the way he draws the speech bubbles, or rather boxes. This is the first time I've encountered a sci-fi comic set in Africa, the visuals were amazing and the cosmoplitan nature of the strip was what made it so interesting. I really need to track down the first and last series, It's really an amazing comic.

[Mardroid]

I recently finished Legends of Shannara 2: The Measure of the Magic.

I find Terry Brooks writing a bit frustrating. I generally rather like the stories, although he seems to pull out the same old clichéd tropes again and again. I.e. young people get taken from their idyllic setting and end up on some sort of quest and get magical superpowers, etc. But, the stories aren't bad overall* and there's often a twist at the end which makes it okay. And I confess to liking magical superpowers, but a bit of originality would be nice.

As I think I've said before, I'm not keen on his overly repetitive style of writing. And I find the elf culture a bit, well, rubbish when compared to the powerful wise folk of Tolkien's books. And there was one of those awful clichéd (sorry to keep repeating that word, I'm getting clichéd myself in using the term. Is that ironic?) romantic threads where [spoiler]an attractive young lady gives herself to a young man then says afterwards "don't try to make it more than it was".[/spoiler]  Seriously, that didn't give that character any favours.

Kudos for the [spoiler]rather downbeat[/spoiler] ending though. It elevated the story somewhat for me. Good on Brooks that he isn't afraid to go in that direction.

I'm not all that fussed to actually buy these books, but as a Library loan, they're a fun enough read, and I'm curious to see where they go in the third instalment.

Stephen King's Doctor Sleep will probably be my next read. There are a couple of other books sitting on the box near my bed** I should tackle soon, but I think they'll have to wait a bit longer now I've got my sweaty paws on King's new offering.

*The Sword of Shannara being an exception as the plot seemed to be lifted almost wholesale from Lord of the Rings, but even that had some interesting original ideas in it.

**I've run out of shelf space so new paper books (bearing in mind not all books are paper any more) end up sitting on an available surface around my bedroom.

[Albion]

. I also read a really funny b&w story called 'Harry the Head' by the great Brian Bolland

That's from the Residents album, Freak Show. I remember getting the CD and being surprised at seeing Brain Bollands art in there. I'm guessing he might be a fan.

[Bubba Zebill]

. I also read a really funny b&w story called 'Harry the Head' by the great Brian Bolland

That's from the Residents album, Freak Show. I remember getting the CD and being surprised at seeing Brain Bollands art in there. I'm guessing he might be a fan.

Harry The Head is great.

I'm also reading BABBLE by Lee Robson...and the first issue of Charlie's War by Pat Mills, free for iPad on the Sequentials app.

[sheldipez]

Yes, I really enjoyed it Sheldipez,

And as you say his description of the 'one night stand' is 'out and out' typical Stephen King stuff...
There are several pieces like that throughout the book,  where his descriptive prowess actually makes you strongly identify with the characters, and the situations they are in ...
All in all, an excellent read and for only £8 ( I think I paid ), from Amazon....a bargain !!....

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did and looking forward to your comments after finishing it...
Cheers

I thought it was great - it's a very, very different book to The Shining, with both it's themes and genre (it aint scary) but I'd go as far as I'd say I prefer Doctor Sleep (though have to admit I always prefered Kubrick's Shining over King's novel). There's some really haunting stuff (not as in "scary" haunting, if that makes sense) in it and some really touching moments throughout. I have to wonder how they would film this thing as a lot of the book happens in characters heads! I imagine it'd be like Dreamcatcher and they'd just ignore all that stuff, must to the detriment of the source material.

Highly recommended!

[Finally] started reading Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe, it's well written but all a bit depressing hearing how various talent (more often than not the artists) have been screwed over time and again. I've heard these stories for years, as will anyone that has had a even a passing interest in the comics industry, but nonetheless nothing can prepare you for detailed breakdowns of well... breakdowns.

Think I'll need to read something more uplifting once I finish this. Wouldn't take much at this rate.

[Theblazeuk]

Read a whole bunch of comics from the library over the weekend. Grandville Mon Amour (inspired by discussion here - just Bete Noire to find now), Sweet Tooth #3 and #4 (highly recommend), Wolfskin: Hundredth Dream (bloody, messy action from Ellis. Bit gratuitous but nice, he doesn't think it too many to nick a phrase) and finally, Transmetropolitan vol.10. Which also finally finishes off my collection of Transmet though it will be christmas before I get my own copy. Something a bit pyrrhic about finishing off Spider Jerusalem's story, wasn't really along for the plot after all. Still, all in all a great haul. Going back for #5 of Sweet Tooth today.

My non-graphic novel of the moment is Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night Time, after years of people banging on about it I've started the copy I snagged from an Oxfam a few years ago. Enjoying it very much so but bloody hell, tis sad stuff.

[Sideshow Bob]

Just started re-reading one of my all time favourite Stephen King books............Pet Semetary....
Just started it after finishing Doctor Sleep....which I felt was a return to form for Mr King...
Forget the movie ( although that wasn't too bad )....This is the 'real deal'......downright 'creepy' and with Kings' usual superb storytelling and characterisation......
The build up to the tragedy, and the subsequent mental anguish and determination to 'make it right' is absolutely compelling.......Highly Recommended for fans of Stephen Kings' horror novels....

Has anyone here read Chew ???.......I'm wondering about 'splashing out' on the first GN as the premise really intrigues me.....A detective who 'detects' by eating 'pieces' from the scene of the crime....
Any thoughts on it would be much appreciated...

Cheers