WORST: WWE Raw episodes 1138 & 1139: Wrestlemania is two weeks away, and still the WWE can't be arsed to tell any actual stories in the lead-up. The closest we're getting is with Cena vs. Rusev, and that one involves the supposed hero trying to choke his opponent to death to get what he wants. Still, the pre-taped Brock Lesnar interview was a delight, as they always are. And Sting's surprise appearance at the end had me marking out. Like most episodes of Raw, it's like sitting through two hours of shit for fifteen minutes of gold.
Black Widow (2014) #1-9 written by Nathan Edmondson, art by Phil Noto: This comic is a series of taut, single-issue spy stories starring Black Widow from the Avengers, and on that level it's pretty good. It executes the formula well, but it does feel like a formula, and the Widow is a little too dry as a protagonist to carry it with any particular verve. One for the spy fans, I feel.
The Punisher (2014) #1-6 written by Nathan Edmondson, art by Mitch Gerads: Right off the bat this book got me on its bad side by ignoring the conclusion to the Punisher's last series. It also features an uncharacteristically sociable version of the Punisher, one who frequents the same diner regularly and has real conversations with people. These odd irritants aside, it's a decent action book that maintains a down-to-earth tone while also revelling in how absurdly badass the Punisher is. He's played here as the guy who deals with problems too big for the police and too small for the Avengers, which in this story means he's shooting up a drug cartel that's hired Spider-Man villain Electro. The book is well-crafted, and the action scenes rattles along nicely, but just as with Edmondson's Black Widow it feels a little flat.
Magneto (2014) #1-10 by Cullen Bunn and Gabriel Walta: This series is doing some interesting things, as it follows X-Men villain Magneto on a mission to take down the enemies of mutantkind, and explores whether his brutal methods are justified. It's not afraid to go to some dark places, and never takes sides, which can make for some uncomfortable reading. There was definite potential here, but I feel like it got derailed by its tie-in to the Axis crossover. There are bound to be some strange tonal clashes when you do a story that evokes the Holocaust where the main villain is a telepathic ranting Nazi with a red skull for a head.
The Walking Dead season 5, episode 14: Holy shit, this show has done it again. Another black male cast member has been killed off. Seriously, do the creators of this show have any idea? Are they just taking the piss? They've killed off three this season already, and the last black guy left is a traitorous priest, so the odds aren't looking good for him. If I'm being honest this was actually a really good episode, the kind of supply-run-goes-horribly-wrong episode that this show can now do in its sleep. But I'm too dumbfounded by the decision to kill of yet another black guy to get over it.
Amazing Spider-Man (2014) #1-8 written by Dan Slott, art by Humberto Ramos: Peter Parker is back in control of his own body after a year or so of Dr Octopus masquerading as him (seriously, don't ask) and now he has to deal with all of the things that Doc Ock changed in his life while he was gone: mostly his new girlfriend, his position as CEO of a major tech developer, and the fact that his old ally/girlfriend the Black Cat wants to kill him. It gets a little too goofy for its own good at times, but Dan Slott hits the right tone for Spidey more often than not, and knows how to craft a fun superhero yarn better than most.
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett: I remembered this book having a lot of different settings and stories, but I had never realised just how disjointed it was. It's more a collection of short stories than a novel, linked by its main characters and a few plot strands, but little else. It is, of course, set on Pratchett's Discworld, and follows the adventures of the wizard Rincewind and the tourist Twoflower. I'd always enjoyed this book as a kid, but I got a lot more out of it now. It parodies a lot of the fantasy stories from the pulps of the mid-20th century, stuff I hadn't read back then. I get it now, and as a result the book holds up much better than I had expected it to. It's an enjoyable ride, just as long as you don't go in expecting a coherent story.
Uncanny Avengers (2012) #18-25 written by Rick Remender, art by Daniel Acuna: If I was just basing this on the wrap-up to the Kang/Apocalypse Twins arc, this would be higher on the list. Yes, it erases most of the events of the previous issues, but it is a crazy time-travel epic; what do you expect? The payoff more than delivers on the build-up, providing one of the most satisying Avengers stories I've read in years. Once that wraps up the story moves on to the Red Skull, and the lead-in to the Axis crossover. You might recall that I didn't care for that one much. The lead-in here strikes a bleak tone; Remender is very good at embracing the weirdness of superhero comics without sacrificing the drama and tension. But it feels a little choppy, as it drags Magneto in from his own series, and the conclusion is very abrupt. Ultimately, it pulls in too many elements from other comics, then has to serve as the launching point for another comic, and the story feels disjointed as a result.
Low by David Bowie: After Bowie hit rock bottom in the late 1970s, he disappeared to Berlin with Brian Eno. This is the album he came up with, one half made up of strange, fractured disco tracks and the other a wash of ambient synthesizers. It's odd, it's idiosyncratic, and it's often difficult to come to grips with. I love it.
Guardians of the Galaxy: So yes, it's taken me a long time to get to this movie, and I've heard nothing but amazing things about it. I spent about the first third of the movie thinking that I must be broken as a human being, because I wasn't loving it. I was liking it quite a bit, but on the whole I felt that all the scenes not featuring Peter Quill were a bit crap. I was all prepared to write this review saying that it's an okay movie elevated by a killer soundtrack. Perhaps I was just annoyed at how wrong they got Thanos. But you know what? It won me over with an onslaught of charm, and a whole lot of heart, and I ended up loving the hell out of it. And it really does have a killer soundtrack.
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