Book Review: J Michael Straczynski's Superman Earth One (volumes one and two)

After being so good and posting twice in one week, I have fallen off the wagon again (yes, I warned you).  But I just received some motivation to get myself back to this humble blog...

I came to graphic novels pretty late in life, so I have missed out on a lot of backstory for the established characters of the Marvel and DC universes, and have been too intimidated to try jumping in.  I have stuck to new and one-off works, like FreakAngels (that I've fangirled over here before), Girl Genius (ditto), and Watchmen; or graphic novel versions of books (like the awesome Lovecraft graphic) or the continuing of tv shows (Farscape.  Farscape, Farscape, Farscape).  But I've always wanted to get into the classics.

While processing returns at work (how I find all of the best books) I noticed the first volume of a new Superman series, written by Babylon 5's creator and writer, J Michael Straczynski, and knew I had to try it based solely on the awesomeness of B5.

I really liked it; it was easy to read and the illustrations were awesome.  Can you hear the 'but' here?  But...  It felt really really short.  In fact, a few weeks later while writing this, I can't even remember what happened except a lot of great backstory...  or was that in the second volume?

There is a plot to both volumes, but they're not very memorable.  In the first there are robots and an alien determined to kill the very last surviving Kryptonian; in the second a man horribly mutated into a power-sucking thing that looks a lot like Venom from Spiderman.  The draw for me, though, is the exploration of this new Superman/Clark Kent.

Clark isn't the Clark I know from the movies, tv show, or through popular culture.  He's mega smart for one thing, and has hidden that away from the world along with his traditional abilities.  He is withdrawn without any friends, having never had a girlfriend...  basically a loner, who has withdrawn so much from society that he doesn't even seem to think that someone will notice him applying for jobs with various sports teams (using his super speed and strength) and research facilities (using that super brain).  This Superman isn't so super, in fact, it takes him an embarrassingly long time in the first volume to decide to help save the earth.

I like this Superman.  I have always thought Superman was too perfect, without any selfishness, a country boy that everyone loved, whose only flaw was being just a little too innocent when he moved to the big city.  This Superman is more real, a little emo, and not as goody-good as I'm used to (for example, he has no qualms leaving a bad guy in the north pole in a t shirt and bare feet, and telling him to walk home).  Although I wont be rushing out to buy them, I will read the third volume when it is eventually released - hoping that now that Clark's character has been fully fleshed out, there'll be a faster-paced story.

In other news, I have been asked to make an amigurumi for a colleague!  I was so flattered when he asked, but then became concerned - the only amigurumi I've ever successfully finished was a Dalek for Miss S.  I have started an amineko for myself and a puppy for Miss M, and not finished either.  So I am nervous.  I'll keep you posted!

Red-Does-Not-Go-Faster Scarf

Photo courtesy of Kris

I made another crochet scarf!  I promise, one day soon I'll be brave and move past scarves (though I still have one in progress), but this was a gift.  It was only two..  or three weeks late.  But it finally got to its new home.

The body of the scarf is a simple ribbed treble crochet (ie, a row of back loop treble [rs], then a row of front loop treble [ws]), and the ends are a funky stitch, the name of which I don't remember, but I think it looks and feels like a really really lush carpet, so for now I'll call it carpet stitch.  It sounds complicated (though it's not, I mean, seriously, I can even do it!), and I have no idea how to draw it, so I'll just explain it:

First Row:  tr in each stitch to end, do not turn

Second Row: ch 7, sl st into front loop of last tr, *ch 7, sl st into front loop of next tr, repeat from * to end, including top of turning chain of first row, do not turn

Third Row:  ch 3, *tr into back loop of next tr, repeat from * to end

You can vary the length of the chain for a different look, but because a treble stitch is three chain high, it will extend below the row you're stitching into.

I used an 8 ply wool because it came in a big enough ball that I knew I'd easily finish the scarf without having to buy more, but it was really really fine.  To make a thicker fabric I used two strands of wool at once.  For the first few rows, that was tricky, but I soon got the hang of it.

To finish, I did a border in crab stitch, one of the coolest simple edging stitch I know of.  Starting from the right hand side (yup, another r-l stitch) simply dc into each st.  Because you're working right to left, the wool from the ball is caught in the stitch and makes it look woven.  Really cool, especially if you have limited wool left, and once I worked out how to do it right (instructions are no substitute for experimentation), it worked pretty quickly.

So that's another project done!  Soon, I may start feeling accomplished!

Another Absence

Hi!  The weather has been so depressing here lately that I haven't been motivated to do much other than cook and sew and crochet.  This is why last week's Links of the Week have come out today (and have last week's date on them).

I have finished my friend's birthday present scarf, and have to finish edging it, then block it, then send it.  The copies of my thesis that I had bound weeks ago are still sitting on the floor behind the couch waiting to be sent.  My gnome picture that was the stitch along at Feeling Stitchy LAST month, is still going (I even finished a whole flower yesterday), but I have realised that the beads we got at Spotlight last week are too big to use for everywhere I wanted to put a bead, so when Mum goes to the hospital for x rays (her doctor thinks she might have arthritis!) on Monday, I will tag along and pop into Spotlight again for some smaller beads.

I made a recipe from World of Cake that, if I had followed the instructions properly would never have worked (please people, check your quantities before recipe books go to the printer!) because it listed 1c of flour for about 3 or more cups of liquid, and assumed a bread-like dough would result.  Three extra cups of flour were, luckily, in the cupboard.  I made another recipe from that book and it turned out fabulously, so I stand by my claim that the book rocks.  I made this (delicious!), and also these (best chocolate chip/chunk biscuits ever!).

And today I am listening to hours of podcasts, broken up by listening to Bjork.  I will try to be better about posting more regularly again.  I was doing so well, too!  What are you up to?  Is anyone reading this enjoying the freezing weather here in NZ?  I'm sure we could amuse ourselves by asking everyone we talk to how many layers they're wearing (thermal singlet, t shirt, two jumpers, two pairs of pants, socks, thermal socks,...  does a wheat bag count as a layer?)!

Disney Family Dvd Marathon

This week I've been sitting crocheting (this is why I haven't posted much in the last few weeks - nothing to post about, I'm just sitting, crafting, not finishing things), and to keep myself from going completely insane, I've been watching dvd after dvd.  It's a great opportunity to feel less guilty about watching some of my favourite movies for the first time in ages.

Yesterday I watched Swiss Family Robinson:

Stranded on a deserted island after an encounter with pirates, a storm, and then a rocky reef, the Robinson family settle in for what they think might be a long stay.  They build a fantastic tree house (it's worth watching the movie just for this!) with indoor plumbing and a cool box; tame animals as varied as zebras, elephants, ostriches, and even catch a tiger; and wonder what to do next.

So the two eldest boys set off in one of the boats salvaged from the shipwreck to circumnavigate the island.  On this journey they meet the pirates again, who have captured an admiral and a cabin boy to hold for ransom.  Saving the cabin boy enrages the pirates so much that they seek out the family to get the boy back and restore their honour.  However, they don't count on the initiative and resourcefulness of the family!

On Monday I watched Blackbeard's Ghost:

Blackbeard, the well-known and, in his time, universally-feared pirate is revered in the seaside university town of Godolphin and an Inn furnished with artefacts from his life, is run by his elderly descendents.  Steve, the new coach of the floundering Godolphin Track Team, arrives at the Inn to find they are holding a fund raising event to aid in the payment of their mortgage.  If this mortgage is not paid in time, the land will be sold to the local crooks who intend to open a casino there (based on an ambiguity as to which jurisdiction the land falls under).

Hoping to impress the head of the conservation committee, Steve buys an expensive bedwarmer, and taking it to his room promtly sits on it and breaks it.  Within the handle he finds the spell book of one of Blackbeard's wives, and brings Blackbeard back to life.  What follows is a very funny story about Steve's efforts to get Blackbeard off his back, save the Inn, and get the girl.  If you need more convincing, there's a great scene where Steve shoots the gangsters with his finger *pew pew*...  and it works!

Today I'm going to watch The Absent-Minded Professor:

Professor Brainard is brilliant, but completely unconnected to the real world.  The film opens with him missing his own wedding because he is so caught up in his scientific experiments, for what is obviously not the first time.  However, he has found something amazing - a substance that breaks the law of conservation of energy, which can be demonstrated by showing that a ball of the substance will bounce higher on its second bounce than its first.  The Professor uses what he calls Flubber to make his university's basketball team fly through the air, his car fly (into government controlled airspace, no less), and finally to win back the heart of his fiance.  It's a really sweet funny movie.

They don't make movies like this any more - ones that can appeal to children and parents because they are funny, full of action, and have great stories and characters.  The only place you do sometimes see this these days is in animated movies like Shrek, and some anime.  They don't talk down to children, but are still appropriate for them.  They're not afraid to have some slapstick and groan-worthy moments; they're silly.  "I like corny, I'm looking for corny in my life".  Do you have any favourite movies from when you were a kid that you still love watching?  Let me know!

Things

I've just realised I've not posted anything since last week!  What have I been up to?  I made brioches, I started yet another canvas (this time it's actually for me!), found out a friend got engaged :-), found out I didn't get the library job I was interviewed for :-(, picked up the copies of my thesis from the bindery (see the photo below), went bowling for the first time in two years (and my score really showed it!), continued working on another crocheted scarf (a bright red one for a birthday present), emptied everything other than furniture out of my room in an attempt to eliminate all traces of dust, then cleaned the walls, and have started to put everything back in.  So not all that much really.

 

Oh, I also started writing a book review, which I haven't finished, and decided not to finish China Mieville's The City and The City (mostly because I don't like his writing style - the story on the other hand, was pretty ingenious).  Instead I'm reading Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth.  The last Verne I read was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, otherwise known as The Fish Directory due to its almost complete lack of plot and frequent ichthyological infodumps.  But hey, who can dislike a book where a giant cuttlefish tries to kill you?

This week, I am going to finish the new canvas, birthday crochet scarf, and mission bedroom-tidy-up.  And I think I will request Supernatural season two from the library.  And seeing as it's fine, I might just go for a walk.

Shell Lace Crochet Scarf (With Free Pattern)

Ages ago I posted that I had finished two projects.  One of them still hasn't been given to the person it's intended for, so I still can't post about it, but the other is my crocheted scarf.  Yesterday morning I made myself sit down with Stitch'N Bitch Crochet - The Happy Hooker, which explains how to sew in the ends (hey, I'm new at this!  None of the other beginner's crochet books tell you how to do this, by the way, so yay Debbie Stoller!), and actually do it.  I'm convinced I'm going to get a hairball from threading the needle, but it's done.

Isn't it pretty?  I'm really proud of this because it's my first project and it went so well and I can actually use it.  I taught myself to crochet about a week before I started this, and it only took me a week of evenings to finish it (and about three weeks to get around to sewing in the ends).  It has a base chain of 31 st, and is ~ 18cm by 184cm.

The pattern is really simple:
V:  1tr, 2ch, 1tr
Shell:  5tr

Multiple of 5st + 4
(add 2 for base chain)
Row 1:  V into 8th ch from hook.  *3ch, skip 4ch, V, repeat from *, ending in 2ch, skip 2ch, 1tr into last ch, turn.
Row 2:  3ch, *Shell into 2ch sp of next V, repeat from * ending in 1tr into 5th of 7 ch at beginning of previous row, turn.
Row 3:  5ch, V into middle tr of first Shell.  *3ch, V into middle tr of next Shell, repeat from *, ending in 2ch, 1tr into 3rd of 3ch at beginning of precious row, turn.
Row 4:  3ch, *Shell into 2ch sp of next V, repeat from * ending in 1tr into 3rd of 5ch at beginning of previous row, turn.
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until desired length is achieved.
 

Sorry about the quality of the chart, I did it myself on a piece of refill and scanned it in because I couldn't find a program on the internet that makes crochet charts (for free).  If you know of any, let me know and I'll redo it!

I found a variation of this pattern in Basic Crochet Stitches by Erika Knight*, where you alternate Shells and Vs on a row, then carry on Shell-ing into Vs and V-ing into Shells.  It's denser because it needs fewer ch (the Shell becomes the ch between two Vs):

(Click on the image for a bigger version)

*The entry on Mighty Ape for this book has a different cover picture to the one I'm looking at, so I'm not 100% sure it's the right book.

Links of the Week VIII

I have tried posting this several times in the last few minutes, and each time there has been a formatting error that I didn't make.  Hopefully it will be better this time.  *Fingers crossed*

Steampunk Craft:   Cephalopodia at Corvus Tristis

I thought to myself "I wonder if there are any free embroidery patterns for cuttlefish, to pay tribute to Jules Verne" (as you do on a sunny Saturday morning).  And looky see, the first google search result lead me here.  SO cool.  Reminds me, I must get to and do those trilobites...  I could make them all a set of cool under the sea pretties.

Cause:  Send letters to cheer up sick kids at Postpals

This is such a great idea!  So simple, but I bet it makes a difference.  Must find time to do this myself.

Cute Animals:  Cheeky Monkey at The Telegraph

Animals can be really really awesome.  I wish they had more pictures up, but the story is cool enough.  See what happens when a monkey steals your camera and starts to make a family album!

Geek:  Jewel Staite to Guest on Supernatural at Zap2It

Just days after mentioning both Jewel and Supernatural on the blog, this makes me so happy!  I will likely watch anything with Jewel Staite in it (it's just a pity that most of that stuff doesn't show on free tv in NZ).  Now I know why I had that strong urge to re/watch Supernatural from the beginning - it's called a premonition, I think :-P

Craft Inspiration:  Butterflies at Cirrus Image

My Mum loves butterflies, as I may have mentioned when I posted about her birthday present.  I am keen to make some more butterfly art for her room, and so I did a search for butterflies of the world to see if the picture of butterflies as an endlessly variable colour palette I have in my head is anything like reality.  Seems it is!  :-)

Craft:  Crochet Wall Art at Pinterest

Next Project

You may recall my mentioning (well, I believe I mentioned it...) that I was working on a gift for a friend who was leaving (and has now left) for Africa for four months and would be celebrating her 30th birthday over there.  Well, Thursday night was her going-away/birthday dinner (which was fabulous by the way, but I'll come back to that) and I had aimed to finish the project by then, however, as is usual for me, I was overly ambitious, and had to text her on Wednesday to ask for an extra day.  So I finished yesterday.  This is why I haven't been around much (now I know I have mentioned this project, in the same breath as 'sorry for not posting!'), and I will post about that tomorrow.

But for now, I thought I would post about my next project.  I know I shouldn't be taking on yet another project when I still have my scarf to finish (ie sew in the ends), Mum's scarf to finish (that I haven't mentioned yet, but will post about shortly), a canvas for myself (finally), and one that Mum's going to attempt to sew (that I will doubtless have to help her with - read 'help' more as 'force to work on and not put off' [do as I say not as I do]).  However, I have cold hands.  So I am looking around on the internet for a free crochet pattern for fingerless gloves.  Gloves with fingers don't allow for ease of typing/sewing/etc, and mittens freak me out (don't ask), so fingerless gloves are the way to go.  And, as we all know, I can't finish a knitting project to save my life.

To make a short story long, I just can't seem to find any patterns for what I want.  There are so many lovely fingerless mittens/mittens/glove patterns in crochet out there, but until I found these it looked like I was out of luck.  I don't like the button or the gap on top of the hand (that is, the dorsal aspect), but I'm hoping to combine it with this pattern (or something like it) to get the hand and lower arm right.

I blame the fact that I'm still tired, or re-tired, from the sewing, and the fact that I've been listening to story podcasts end-to-end all week while I've been sewing, for my being overly verbose about a very simple semi-complaint that has no pictures...  Perhaps this should mark bed time?

To make up for it, here's a cute, be it very grainy, picture of Kashka, demon Russian (but not really) kitten (cat):

Links of the Week: III

Sorry this is late, I'm trying to post these every Saturday, but Mum's been home on leave and so we've been having fun doing... housework :-( but also :-)

Recipe:  Kaiserschmarrn at SBS

My good friend Jonathan cooked kaiserschmarrn a few times while I was living at Toad Hall in Canberra (yes that is its real name, no there are no badgers or rats...  okay, there might be rats, but only if someone were to leave their uneaten lunch in their room...) and if he had cooked it every night I would have eaten it every night without any self control.  Luckily, he didn't, and I didn't explode.  Now I have this recipe...  I can't look at it *the light, it burns us*.

Fashion:  Vintage Sewing Books at Colette Patterns

This is such a great site.  At first I thought I was simply signing up to a feed that would let me know when they post a new free pattern (like this one and this one), but I have been learning all about the different techniques used in dressmaking, properties of different fabrics, and famous and/or fabulous designers, both modern and retro.  Do sign up if you think you might be even a little interested (money back refund upon request if you don't like it, promise!).  PS:  Damn I just found a whole bunch of craft blog links at the bottom of the page.  There goes my afternoon/week.

Environment/Craft:  Plarn at My Recycled Bags

What a great idea I had on the way home from the supermarket the other day - take plastic supermarket bags and crochet them to make strong reusable shopping bags and minimise the guilt of forgetting to bring my own bags now and then.  Then I found out it had already been done and this technique is so much better than I had thought up.  Still a great idea, just not original, and done better by someone else!

Science Fiction and Science:  Science Future at Escape Pod

If you're not convinced about signing up for this podcast, this very short article should do it.  If not the article, then the two very apropriate quotations bookending it.  If you're still not convinced... then...  I don't know, just do as I tell you, minions.

Food and Culture:  Matariki at Foodlovers

As I write this there is still time to rock on up to this event if they're still taking registrations (and if you're not like me living across the other side of Auckland like a chump).  Maori and Pacific Island food has always interested me, but I've never tried cooking any...  Now, where do I buy puha?

Another Scarf

I bought some gorgeous wool at the Warehouse on the weekend, intending to use them to make some really really warm socks.  But when I crocheted a swatch to check the gauge, I found it was way out.  This made me sad, so I looked online at the Sean Sheep website that has patterns that are made specifically for their wool.  No luck - they didn't have my wool listed.  I did a google search for it too, and it didn't come up.  So now I'm making another scarf (see this post) and breaking my word to myself that I'd not start yet another project before any of the others are finished.  My excuse is that it looks like this:

And that's after an evening of crocheting (and a morning of undoing to get back to the tiny mistake that meant that it wouldn't sit straight.  I am using the scallop lace pattern from The Art of Crochet magazine that Mum bought me the first two issues of to get me started.  It's amazing how different it looks just because this wool is so much thicker and the hook I'm using is a 6mm instead of a 4mm.  I don't think it will take long to make a nice long scarf that I can actually wear!  Count me as a crochet fan now, move over knitting.