Teen Titans: Death of the Family by Scott Lobdell - Book Review

From the publisher: The team is finally reunited in the wake of "DEATH OF THE FAMILY," but something is very wrong with Red Robin! What did The Joker do? As Red Robin's condition worsens he and the team must face an even greater threat when the new Dr. Light is coming for Solstice!

Collecting issues #14-20

The focal point of the latest collection of Teen Titans by Scott Lobdell is the crossover with the Bat-family of titles, Death of the Family.  Red Robin, along with Red Hood, has been captured by the Joker as part of his plan to "help" Batman.  As a result, the rest of the Titans team up with the Outlaws and Batgirl to try to help save Gotham and bring down the Joker.

The Death of the Family storyline is Joker at his most vile and evil.  It is well done, drawing in all the major players from Batman's extended "family".  With this focus on Red Robin, there is a little more levity to the story without drawing away from the seriousness of what is happening.  Red Robin and Red Hood are forced to confront their role in Batman's life and the consequences of their decision to be heroes.  The interaction between the Outlaws and Titans is incidental to the larger story, for the most part.  However, the collection does close with the Titans moving into a new headquarters and the beginning of a new story with Dr. Light.

One of the highlights of this book is the chapter where the origin of Tim Drake, aka Red Robin, is revealed.  It adds depth to an already interesting character, one who finds balance with the other heroes who used to be Robin.

I would recommend this book to Batman fans, especially to those who want to read the complete Death of the Family storyline.

I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.

August Burns Red "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"

                                            Another fun track for good measure.

August Burns Red - Carol Of The Bells

                                        Check out this video for a rockin' version of Carol of the Bells.  Griffin loves it.

Fables Vol. 19: Snow White by Bill Willingham - Book Review

From the publisher: With Castle Dark now back in the hands of the Fables, mysteries both young and old begin to challenge the residents of Fabletown. Bigby and Stinky set off from Fabletown in Rose Red's blood-fueled sports car to track down the two abducted cubs. Unfortunately for Snow White, besides suffering the trauma of having two of her cubs go missing, a long forgotten secret uncovered in Castle Dark threatens to sabatoge her and Bigby's marriage.

This volume also collects the backup adventures of Bufkin and Lily from issues #114-121, as well as their full length adventures found in issue #124.

Collected here are Fables issues #114-123 (back-up stories only) and Fables issues #124-129.

I love Fables, mostly because Bill Willingham is an extraordinary writer, and once again he has done a terrific job. Fables Vol. 19: Snow White focuses on Snow White's family: Bigby Wolf is searching for their two missing children, Ambrose is narrating the events, and a long forgotten suitor of Snow's shows up.  Willingham draws upon seeds planted many issues ago (it must be years in real time) to tell this tale.  And as he does with consistency and spectacularity, those seeds grow into a story that brings all the emotional and dramatic depth one could hope for.

Added to the main storyline is the story of Bufkin the Flying Monkey (who can't fly anymore) and his (girl)friend Lily.  This is a fun story, and it wraps up the story of a couple of minor characters from throughout the run of Fables.

As usual, the art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialohais gorgeous as always, and really adds to the fairy tale aspect of the story.

There is really no way to review the contents of the story without revealing many spoilers, some small and at least one major one.  So I won't do that.  But I will recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great writing, no matter the medium.  I will also suggest that there are several storylines that pay-off for long-time readers.  It's not a great jumping on point for new fans, but with 129+ issues, those places are few and far between.  But pick it up anyway and give it a shot.  Also, for some of the events that happen immediately following Fables Vol. 19, pick up Fairest In All The Land (the fallout for some characters is addressed in that story).

I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.

Jars of Clay - Drummer Boy

When I was in college, I picked up a copy of Jars of Clay's Christmas EP Little Drummer Boy.  I listened to it a ton during the holiday season.  During one of those times, it hit me: Little Drummer Boy is about God's pleasure in us when we use our talents as best we can.

Every time I hear the line "Then he smiled at me..." I get a little choked up.  It's a constant reminder that God loves it when we use the talents he gave us.

A couple of years ago, we saw Jars as part of the Rock and Worship Roadshow tour.  Because it was late fall, they played Drummer Boy and I was quick enough to take a video of it.  Enjoy.

Basketball Update

Griffin just played his 3rd game.  I'm not sure if his team "won" or not this week because there were a lot of baskets from both teams.  However, Griffin scored another basket, had an assist, and played some good defense, even deflecting a pass.  He told me he also blocked a shot.  Another successful game for the little man. We now have a few weeks off for Christmas break, and when school starts up, not only will Griffin's games resume, but Lexi's Upward season will begin.  I sense a lot of basketball in our future.

Greed by Dan O'Shea - Book Review

From the publisher: The Second Detective John Lynch Chicago Thriller

A taut US urban thriller by Chicago’s answer to Dennis Lehane. For fans of Lehane, C. J. Box & Jeffery Deaver.

Ex-Marine, Nick Hardin, heads back from a decade in Africa to his hometown, Chicago, with $100 million in blood diamonds stolen from an Al Qaeda’s financing pipeline. His retirement plan? To cash out through a Chicago Mossad contact and head for the beach.

But soon, Hardin’s stuck in Chicago with diamonds he can’t sell and a series of hit men, mobsters, and a Washington off-the-books black ops team on his tail.

The resulting body count leaves Chicago detective John Lynch trying to find connections among the victims, while simultaneously solving the murder of a dead infectious disease expert who’d drafted a biological weapons plan that could turn Chicago into a ghost town.

Greed is Dan O’Shea’s follow up to the fantastic Penance, the first book starring Chicago Police Detective John Lynch (see my review here).  I loved Penance and was really looking forward to Greed.  I was NOT disappointed.  O’Shea did a spectacular job with this sequel, and I highly recommend it.

Where Penance focused on Chicago, and it’s rich history of corrupt politics, Greed works on a bigger scale.  In fact, while Lynch is clearly a part of this book, he is definitely not the focal point, and is only one of many point-of-view characters.  More on that later.  Greed is a boiling cauldron of stuff, including the Mafia, a drug war, a terrorism threat, and a murder investigation.  O’Shea does an amazing job of juggling all these plot lines, never giving any of them less than they deserve, and resolving everyone in an adequate and fair manner.  There is never a dull moment, and even in the quiet times the action speeds along.

The characters are extremely well-drawn.  Lynch is running a close second to Harry Bosch as my favorite fictional detective.  Nick Hardin is an interesting new character, worthy of a story or two of his own.  Corsco, the Mob boss; Hernandez, the Mexican drug lord; and Al-Din, the terrorist hitman; and Munroe, the off-book U.S. agent,  are all engaging and interesting enough to be believable.  The other supporting characters ring with a truth all their own.

While Chicago, and it’s history, was a character in the first book, this time the city proper takes a backseat to the more suburban areas.  This gives the characters and plot a larger area to explore, and changes the dynamic somewhat.  Once again, O’Shea does a great job in painting the scenes and bringing the reader into the cities.

My only complaint, if it can even be called that, is that I would have liked to learn more about Det. Lynch.  He is such a wonderful character and deserves to be the star of many more novels.

With a mixture of espionage, suspense, and good detective work, Greed is an outstanding book.  Dan O’Shea’s novels deserve a wide readership, so put this in the hands of all your friends, particularly the ones who read Michael Connelly.  As for me, I’m anxiously awaiting my next O’Shea fix.

I received a preview copy of this book from Exhibit A Books in exchange for an honest review.