At the moment, my current reading rotation is a blend of new releases and backlist titles, starting with the former via Not All Supermen by Tim Hanley.
Hanley is a comic book historian who has written about such well known and yet under appreciated female icons in this genre such as Wonder Women, Lois Lane and Catwoman. The subtitle of his latest book, “Sexism,Toxic Masculinity and the Complex History of Superheroes “ explores even further into those topics with a broader range than his earlier works did.
From the beginning of the superhero genre where strong female characters were sidelined or meant to be arm candy for the male hero to the rise of the feminist movement that brought about reluctant change, Hanley shows us how even though superhero characters were intend to showcase the best in humanity, they also hold up a powerful mirror to our worst natures as well.
I’m at the halfway mark with this book and since I’ve read his other titles before, Hanley’s entertaining educational style is always engaging to me. It’s like hanging out with a cool teacher in a comic book shop for extra credit.
One on my favorite chapters so far draws comparisons between the classic Dark Phoenix Saga in X-Men to Teen Titans’ The Judas Contract, the latter being a story line that doesn’t get as much coverage in my opinion (plus, I do own a Terra/Tara Markov action figure!).
Not All Supermen is due out on July 15(I was lucky enough to receive a review copy) and I highly recommend it to not only comic book/superhero fans but to those interested in seeing how influential our ongoing debates about gender roles in society are showcased in such a public forum. Even Superman is as vulnerable to these cultural forces as he is to Kyptonite:
Meanwhile, my latest Book of the Month Club selections are from a couple of years ago but still very much on the forefront of the literary scene.
Along with Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore, I chose Angie Thomas’ On The Come Up, which is about to have the film adaptation be available for streaming very soon.
This YA novel stars Brianna “Bri” Jackson, who is determined to follow in her late father’s footsteps as a rap singer yet be seen as her own person to make her own mark upon the world.
That’s hard to do in so many ways as Bri discovers upon releasing a song online that grows popular and gives her a fan base yet gains negative attention from unwelcome corners. Wanting to also help her family out financially is another strong incentive but her mother prefers that Bri focus on school first, plus Supreme, her father’s former manager, offers plenty of career opportunities but at what artistic price?
I haven’t read Thomas’ The Hate U Give but did like the movie a lot and upon hearing that OTCU was about to on screen soon, I thought it would be good to read the book first.
The story is as engagingly energetic as a good song that you add to your permanent playlist is, with heartfelt characters that deal with real world problems as well as personal challenges along the way. I’m nearly finished with the book and hope to see the movie sometime soon :
For my summer library haul, I went with a pair of books by authors I haven’t read before such as Stacey Abrams’ While Justice Sleeps and Normal People by Sally Rooney.
The Rooney novel starts in a small Irish town where popular teen sports star Connell has a secret relationship with quiet upper class Marianne, a connection that he is more invested in concealing than she is.
When they part ways to attend college in Dublin and yet are thrown back into each other’s community, their social roles as reversed. Marianne is the one shining in the spotlight while Connell is standing on the sidelines ,uncertain of what his place in the world is truly meant to be. Can they find love again or is their time together a thing of the past?
I have heard nothing but wonderful things about Sally Rooney’s writing but was unsure of where to start with her books. Normal People seems to be a good setting off point here(did hear good word about the Hulu miniseries adaptation) and this story has a bit of a Jane Austen vibe, perhaps a modern day Persuasion if you will. Definitely worth a try:
Speaking of Persuasion, I am looking forward to seeing the newest entry on Netflix this upcoming weekend, despite the mixed reviews that have come out already.
While it does appear that my concerns about Anne Eliot being given a Bridget Jones makeover have been unfortunately well warranted, I still want to give it a fair chance.
There are very good actors in the cast and if this leads to other Austen adaptations that are more complimentary to the source material, it’ll be worth the fuss. Goodness knows, there are worse things to worry about outside of our silver screens so let us engage in lively yet friendly discussion on this front!:
No comments:
Post a Comment