Review: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert

Title: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

Author: Neil Gaiman

Illustrator: Andy Kubert

Publisher: DC Comics

Date of Publication: 2009

Number of Pages: 128

Review

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? This is the question that this two-part comic is trying to answer. The very end of Batman. The title, as Neil Gaiman explains in the foreword, is a pun to Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, which is the conclusion to the mythology of Superman. It feels appropriate and suits perfectly the feel of the story.

The plot is quite simple. Batman is dead and all of the characters, Albert, Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, attend his funeral. Each of them offers a different version of Batman's story and death. This way, this comic can work as the final Batman story in any given occasion. But the last few pages left me in awe. Both the art and the conclusion of the story were excellent.

I know that it's a common thing in comics for the heroes to die and then return again with a way or another. This version though felt different. Batman kept trying to fight crime in Gotham and his own demons, but he always ended up getting killed. It was the natural ending we all expected, despite the futility. Batman fell while fighting and it felt right. Besides every mythology needs some closure and we are offered one here.

I won't hide that my admiration for Neil Gaiman's work is growing as I read more of his bibliography. Indeed, Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? is Gaiman at his best. It would be so easy for this comic to end up just another Batman issue, but what we finally get is what Batman means to the author. He shows his respect to all the previous writers, but he never loses his personal take of the superhero.

But, the art style was also magnificent. It's dark and it's distinctive. I loved every villains' car. There were so many details that added to the final result. And those final pages! You have to see them with your own eyes.  

If you love superheroes, but if you don't as well, if you are familiar with comics, but even if you're not, don't hesitate to read this one! Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? is dark and impressive. I can't recommend it enough. This is what happened to the caped crusader.

So, my advice is...

Ride the Batmobile!

The Reading Book Post, August 10th

Hello, everyone! I know, I was the one that told you that my vacations were officially over and then I just ran to a music festival for the weekend. Anyway, now I'm back for good and I have many ideas. First of all, I think I'll finally start writing something of my own, but this is something to wait for the future. Also, I'm thinking about launching another weekly feature on the blog, so wait for it in the next few days. But, as every Monday, let's see what happened in the literary world the previous week.

• The David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy 2015 were announced. Among the winners is Brandon Sanderson with his novel Words of Radiance. Also, the Royal Society has announced the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books 2015 shortlist. The winner will become known on September 24, 2015. 

• A long forgotten F. Scott Fitzgerlad short story has just been published in The Strand Magazine in its summer issue. The story is called Temperature and it was unpublished until now.

• I love colouring books. I found it a very relaxing, yet creative activity to do. But the thing about them is that they're gradually becoming more and more complex. This is a very interesting article on this fact. What do you believe? 

• What Pet Should I get? the new book (or recently discovered work, to be precise) by Dr. Seuss was published on July 28, 2015. It has already sold 200,000 copies in just a week and so it has become the publisher's fastest-selling picture book. 

• Brazenhead Books, the secret bookstore of New York, closed last month. It was illegal that's why it was strictly introduced only by word of mouth. Here's a goodbye to this unique bookshop.

• It's Snoopy's birthday today! The fact is based on a 1968 Peanuts storyline. The producers of the new film The Peanuts Movie have released a video with instructions on how to draw this famous character. Grab your pens!

• Hilary Liftin has been ghostwriting for people like Miley Cyrus and Mackenzie Phillips. Now, she published a novel under her own name. The novel is called Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper. 

• The Shepherd's Crown, the last Discworld novel, will be launched with a midnight reading on August 26, 2015. The tickets for the event were sold out after a few minutes they became available. 

• The audiobook version of White Man's Problems by Kevin Morris is read by a lot of stars, like Matthew McConaughey and Minni Driver. You can listen to two exclusive clips from the stories The Plot to Hold Hands with Elizabeth Tremblay, read by Trey Parker, and Mulligan's Travels, read by Matt Stone. 

• Taylor Swift and Harry Potter in this parody mash-up! Isn't it amazing?

• Which Nostalgic 90's Book Are You? Take the quiz to find out! I got The Picture of Dorian Gray (what? 1890's??). Which book did you get?

Confession Saturday: Dear Rosie

Hello, everyone! Confession Saturday is a new weekly feature, in which we will have the chance to express our feelings towards certain characters. This time of the week we will choose one character and write to him/her about all the things we would like to say. We can explain why we like or dislike each character, which of his/her actions we don't understand and generally whatever comes to mind. 

New: I've just added a Linky Tool to Confession Saturday, be sure to leave your links there! You can submit your links throughout the whole week.

This week I'm writing a letter to Rosie from the novel The Rosie Project (2013). She is an interesting female character and she makes a great couple with Don. I still haven't read the second book The Rosie Effect, but my expectations are set high.

Dear Rosie,

I'm really torn between liking you and disliking you. Although you are interesting and I'd like to be your friend I can't stand the way you behave!

You are the smart type, the one that studies psychology, but you hate to act like it, I really like this fact about you. But I hate it when you act cool. No, you are not a femme fatale. You got close to Don for only a reason, to get his help in order to find your biological father. Yet there is this strange attraction, but you still insist on playing it cool. What were you thinking? That Don would get it? He needed a Wife Project, did you seriously believe that he would know how to react?

At least you got your happy ending. Or did you? I'm a little afraid of reading what happened next. Please don't make me hate you. Please!

Yours,

Aeriko 

Review: Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth by John Moe

Title: Deat Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth: And Other Pop Culture Correspondences

Author: John Moe

Publisher: Three Rivers Press

Date of Publication: 2014

Number of Pages: 304

Summary

We all know how Darth Vader shared his big secret with Luke Skywalker, but what if he had delivered the news in a handwritten note instead? And what if someone found that letter, as well as all of the drafts that landed in the Dark Lord’s trash can? In the riotously funny collection Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth, John Moe finally reveals these lost notes alongside all the imagined letters, e-mails, text messages, and other correspondences your favorite pop culture icons never meant for you to see.

Like a like a bonus track to a favorite CD or a deleted scene from a cult movie, Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth offer a fresh twist on the pop culture classics we thought we knew by heart. You already know part of their story. Now find out the rest.

Review

I couldn't pick up Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth a better time of the year. It proved to be a really easy and quick read, with a lot of pop culture references. In collections like this, everyone can find something to like.

But an essential condition for this book to work is that you have to be familiar with each reference. In my case, I loved Vader's letters, Captain Kirk's log and the engineer's notes from the recording of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. The most hilarious part was The Exchange between Neal Hefti, creator of the Batman TV theme song, and the show's producer. Who hasn't heard Batman, Batman, Batman, Nananananananana Batman? It was really awesome to read how John Moe imagined how it came to be. 

Moreover, I can't understand how the author acquired the Top secret British intelligence notes on the fates of Agents 001 through 006. It was enlightening about why Bond has this certain way of acting and why his face is constantly changing. Another shocking document in this book was the Note to Clark Kent from the maker of his new glasses. I mean, we all know that he looks like a certain superhero, but how can a pair of glasses distort his image so much that nobody recognises him? 

It appears that the writer has acquaintances in the music industry as well. As I have already revealed we learn the whole story behind the making of the album Rumours through the eyes of the engineer. If you are a fan of Fleetwood Mac like me, then you'll love this part. But these are not the only documents concerning really popular musicians and songs. We read the Notes on "Sweet Child o' Mine" as delivered to Axl Rose by his editor. The lyrics were almost altered and the song would never be the same again. Finally, Leonard Cohen text messages Leonard Cohen whilst writing a new song gives us insight on how this songwriter created one of his most well-known songs. You can easily guess which one.

Throughout this book, there was a running gag of Rejected Superbowl Halftime Show Proposals. I have to admit that this was the worst part for me. Not all of them were uninspired, but most of them felt like it. But it was only a small part of the book, so it didn't really bother me. I can't really complain about anything.

All in all, Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth is a very enjoyable book. It brought laughter to me in more than one cases and it was just what I needed. I didn't have any problem with the pop culture references since most of them are well-known, so my enjoyment wasn't spoiled. I would recommend it to everybody, especially if you want a really quick read or something easy to read between heavier books. 

So, my advice is...

Join the Walker's (Notable Zombies') forum!           

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

Thank you so much to Bookfreak 101 @ Confessions of a Bookfreak for nominating me for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award.

The rules for this award are:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.
• Put the award logo on your blog.
• Answer the ten questions sent to you.
• Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.
• Nominate ten blogs.

Bookfreak 101's questions:

1. What is your favorite book to movie/ Which book to movie are you looking forward to the most?

The Princess Bride, I can't seriously pick which is my favourite from the two. Both the novel and the film are amazing! This year I anticipate the movie adaptation of The Martian, I hope that I won't be disappointed.

2. Which book that you have read so far this year have the best cover (pretty, cool, simply beautiful ...)?

The Diary of a Provincial Lady has an amazing cover (I love floral so much!). But I will also say the covers of the manga Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride), I can't really tell which one because they are all gorgeous.

3. Name one book that makes you really nostalgic and why.

Matilda by Roald Dahl, I remember how I loved it when I first read it and I still do.

4. Which book is the first one you remember Reading and how old were you when you first read it?

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. My sister had a copy of this novel and I was always fascinated by the illustrations.

5. Why did you start blogging?

Because I wanted to share my love for books.

6. Name three books that you thought you'd love but ended up hating.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Dracula by Bram Stoker and Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

7. What is the most important thing in a book, do you think (the characters, the plot, the writing style, etc.)?

The ideal book would be a combination of all those things, but I'll just be realistic here. I prefer books with characters I can relate to and an emotional feel. I also like thought-provoking novels.

8. What makes you interested in reading a book (the cover, someone recommended it, the synopsis, etc.)?

Mostly the synopsis. But when I know and like an author sometimes I just pick up the book without looking at anything. 

9. What are your top 3 authors of all time?

David Mitchell, Neil Gaiman, and Jane Austen.

10. What are your top 3 books (or series) of all time?

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.


My questions:

1. Which book do you anticipate the most in 2015?
2. Which is your favourite place to read?
3. What type of characters are you more inclined to like?
4. Which is the worst genre for you?
5. If you wrote a novel what would it be called?
6. How would your ideal book cover be like?
7. Which standalone novel do you believe that deserves a sequel?
8. Which novel/book series would you like to be adapted to graphic novel(s)?
9. What was your most recent book purchase?
10. Which was the book that made you emotional the most?


My nominees:
Aditi @ Book Stop Corner
Julia @ For the Love of Books
Carrie @ The Book Goddess
Mehsi @ Twirling Book Princess
Emily @ Paperback Princess
Melissa @ Around the World in Books
E.A. Walsh @ Don't Judge a Book By its Cover
Sinead @ Less Reality, More Books
Nita @ Book Choose