It’s Saturday, and another week of Shut In Theater has come and gone!
Here’s what we’ll be reading this weekend here at Stately Beat Manor. Let us know what you’re reading in the comments!
PHILIPPE LEBLANC: This weekend’s reading is focused on catching up with N.K. Jemisin’s work. In addition to reading her new novel The City We Became, I’ll also read the newest issue of Far Sector. I also want to sit and really take the time to absorb Lale Westvind‘s Grip volume 2. My son and I will also read Olivia Jaimes‘ Nancy’s genius plan, the board book story for kids. His first Nancy… I’m so proud.
ARPAD OKAY: Last weekend’s books were both excellent. Stages of Rot was a masterpiece of arthouse science fiction that you need to go read now, and Becoming Horses was a look into the creative impulse I was not ready for. This weekend I am going to catch up on one of my favorite ongoing manga series: Delicious in Dungeon Vol.8, written and illustrated by Ryo Kui, translated by Taylor Engel, lettered by Abigail Blackman. A bittersweet cooking/adventure comic more about the practice of physical and mental wellbeing than dragons, monsters, and the other creatures they eat/encounter.
AVERY KAPLAN: It’s time for some comfort reading! I’m pulling all three volumes of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by the inimitable Bill Watterson off the shelves to revisit some of the first comics that really spoke to me. I’m also going to start rereading the novel Early Riser by Jasper Fforde. Set in the not-too-distant future, it’s the story of Charlie, who is one of the few people awake during human hibernation (because they need a job to afford the medication that makes hibernation possible).
TAIMUR DAR: Got the 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Grant Morrison’s Animal Man for my birthday a while back. I’ve shamefully never read the entire run, only select issues. The good/bad news is that Vol. 2 comes out in the fall. I know I could get it digitally, but I much prefer physical copies.
JOSH HILGENBERG: I’ve been absolutely smitten with Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo after reading the character for the first time with IDW’s recent series, so I’m likely to dive into the older stuff. I’m also realizing I’m behind on Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and co.’s PanelxPanel, so I’ll try to catch up on that, too!
GREGORY PAUL SILBER: Shoutout to Alex of The Comic Book Store in Glassboro, NJ: I’m finally reading Howard Cruse’s Stuck Rubber Baby a decade after he recommended it. That shop was my happy place in college, and Alex always said this was his favorite. I’ve gotta catch up on PanelxPanel too, especially since I’m in the latest issue (#33) with a retrospective piece on Brian Michael Bendis!
RICARDO SERRANO: I’m currently going through the Dark Horse Star Wars comics, which were reprinted by Marvel under the Legends line. Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison in particular is a must read. It follows a disfigured Imperial Commander called Laurita Tohm as Darth Vader’s new recruit into his Imperial squadron. Tohm stepped up in a big way during an attack and Vader noticed. It’s like being the Devil’s favorite demon, terrifying though it may be. Dark Horse did great things with Star Wars. This comic is an example of that.
JOE GRUNENWALD: I spent some time yesterday going through the DC Universe app to find some series I’d like to check out from start to finish. I might dive into some shorter ‘90s gems like Dan Curtis Johnson, J.H. Williams III, & Mick Gray’s Chase or John Francis Moore & Paul Guinan’s Chronos this weekend.
KYLE PINION: Having come across a few of the old Marvel Epic Illustrateds before the world collapsed around us, I got a real hankering for some sci-fi and fantasy, so I’m going to read Dan Simmons’ Hyperion, which apparently has a structure similar to The Canterbury Tales and sounds right up my alley. Also, one of my biggest blind-spots is Michael Moorcock, so I picked up a relatively recent edition of The Stealer of Souls to get my first taste of Elric, his most famous creation.
MATT O’KEEFE: When I read that Bad Summer would be the longest arc of Criminal ever, I decided to wait until I could read the story in one sitting. The hardback edition is still months away, but I have all the issues it will collect so I look forward to digging into the latest storyline from one of the first creator-owned series I ever read that’s still among my favorite.
NANCY POWELL: MariNaomi’s Life On Earth series has worked wonders for getting my mind off current events. And on a more serious note, Tara Westover’s Educated has been a real eye-opener on sociocultural norms.
BILLY HENEHAN: I first got into Captain America as a kid thanks to Mark Gruenwald’s excellent run that involved Steve Rogers losing the mantle of Captain America to John Walker and venturing out as The Captain. But I never read the original Secret Empire storyline that led to Cap becoming Nomad. Thanks to the Marvel Unlimited app, I’m diving into Secret Empire this weekend!
I’ve reading all my Marvel Essentials, which fill a few shelves, in chronological order. The MCU from FF No. 1 (1961) until sometime in the ’90s. Good escapism.
I have a backlog of monthlies; I’m working on Champions and Captain America.
For trades, I’ve read Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, X-men : Grand Design. Now I’m working on The Kitchen.
Books I’m reading include “The Power and Independence of the Supreme Court” (which I came across while reading a news article) and “Dawson’s Fall” ( a holdover from the National Book Festival).
I’ve also caught up on Cooks Illustrated and Smithsonian Magazine.
Someone noted that comics collectors have spent a lifetime practicing social isolation. So it’s life as usual for many of us!
Aside from not going to the office (I’m working from home) and watching movies on DVD instead of a theater screen, not a whole lot has changed for me. I don’t hang out in bars or restaurants much anyway, and I haven’t gone to a concert or sporting event in years.
This would be a good time to dive into George Herriman’s masterpiece, “Krazy Kat.” In 1918, Krazy and Ignatz were infected with Spanish flu. Don’t worry; they survived.
ttps://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2020/03/19/krazy-kat-gets-the-spanish-flu/
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