Though I have much to be grateful and even happy about, I have not been in a happy place. I grieve the loss of good people like Steve Gerber and Dave Stevens. I fear for the future of my nation when personal ambition comes before the needs of the nation. I've had enough of winter, enough of aches and pains, enough of paying bills, and enough of online miscreants attacking friends of mine. None of these woes are my exclusive domain and writing about them in this manner makes me a big whiny baby. But, there I was, very unhappy with very little good reason for it. After seeing Weiner on The Colbert Report, I decided to read his book and find out what his travels had taught him.
Weiner consulted with "positive psychologists" and researchers before embarking on trips to nine countries. He found happiness in places where one would wrongly think it in short supply and a lack of happiness is places where it would seem a given. His chronicles are entertaining and informative. There is humor and sorrow, human interaction and affirmation, and much for a reader to ponder during this journey-in-a-book. I won't reveal the details of each stop on the author's travels, but I will give you his itinerary.
Weiner started in The Netherlands, then went to Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova, Thailand, Great Britain, and India before returning to America. His insights - geographic, personal, and social - are funny and perceptive.
The Geography of Bliss earns the full five out of five Tonys. It's too way early to start my Christmas shopping, but it's a book I'd feel good about giving to friends and family.
******
LIGHTNING ROUND REVIEWS
52 Aftermath: The Four Horseman #5-6 [DC; $2.99 each] wrap up the Keith Giffen-written spinoff from DC's previous weekly series. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman lead the battle against reborn creatures connected to Apokolips, creatures with the power to destroy mankind. Though Giffen and penciler Pat Olliffe manage to keep things exciting - they do nice stuff with Batman and with evil scientist Veronica Cale - the series screams "let's cash in some more on 52" and ends with the equivalent of the giant question mark that would appear at the end of 1950s monster movies. We'll see the Horsemen again. But I'm feeling the bliss enough to give this spinoff three out of five Tonys.
Action Comics #860-861 [DC; $2.99 each] continue Geoff Johns' "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" arc. I haven't a clue how many different versions of the Legion currently appear in DC comics and a wee voice keeps whispering "Days of Future Past" in my ear as I read these issues. On the upside, I like the "Superman as inspiration" scenes, the rising danger as the story progresses, and the insanely xenophobic villains. With intolerance of one kind or another certain to play a role in the presidential elections, we need all the anti-bigotry morality plays we can get. I'm feeling enough love for these comics - and for the terrific Gary Frank/Jon Sibal art - that I'm giving them a perfectly respectable three out of five Tonys.
I'm not feeling any love for Angel: After the Fall #3 [IDW; $3.99]. Three issues into the series, the characters remain sad imitations of themselves, the Franco Urru art is still so-so at best, and, instead of giving us any answers to the questions of how the characters and Los Angeles got to where they now are, writers Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch give us yet another "shock" ending that serves only to add yet another question to the ordeal that reading this series has become. There's not a member of this creative team that hasn't done much better work elsewhere, which makes this book all the more disappointing. The issue earns a frankly pathetic one out of five Tonys.
Archie and Friends #116 [$2.25] presents two stories of 11 pages each, but neither really worked for me. The basic concept of George Gladir's "Teen Paparazzi" - Archie and the gang trying to take celebrity photos - struck me as more than a bit creepy given the unsavory actions of so many professional paparazzi, though the story did have a pretty nice twist at the end. The other story - Mike Pellowski's "Back on Track" - has Betty as a professional race car driver, the latest in a series of stories that don't offer much beyond their girl empowerment message. If there are any insurance agents reading this column, I'd love to get an estimate on what Mr. Lodge must be paying to cover a teenager racing his company's race cars. Just how rich is the guy? This issue earns a disappointing two out of five Tonys.
Watch for more "Lightning Round Reviews" in future editions of this column.
******
POLITICS AND THE SUPER-HEROES
The theme of this week's Tony Polls is the political leanings of super-heroes and super-villains. We're asking you to vote on what you think are the affiliations of a dozen different characters, from Aquaman to the X-Men.
The theme was inspired by Mike Seuffert, a columnist for Ohio's weekly Sun newspapers. In Wednesday's TOT, I compared my takes on Batman, Superman, Iron Man, and Captain America with those of the right-wing Seuffert. Let's continue that discussion while you make up your own minds.
Of Wonder Woman, Seuffert wrote: "Democrat. Princess of all-female Amazons, she's voting Hillary all the way." If Wonder Woman were an American citizen, I think she would find common ground on social issues with the better angels of the Democratic Party. But I think she'd be more of an Obama girl.
At his snarky best, Seuffert pegs Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) as a Democrat since he "went insane and destroyed the Green Lantern Corps (basically the government body that oversees the universe)," adding "that fits into Obama's theme of change." Oh, Mike, you're such a cute little ditto-head sometimes.
Jordan misused the great power entrusted to him, much like our current President. He'll vote for John McCain, who, when you think about, does look a little like one of the Guardians.
Seuffert didn't mention John Stewart in his column, but, hey, Republicans do tend to ignore black people. I think the other and cooler Green Lantern is a Democrat.
Spider-Man is a Democrat, says Seuffert, because he's both a scientist and a public school teacher. I can see where the search for knowledge and imparting knowledge to the young would be against Republican Party principles, so I agree that Peter Parker will vote for the Democratic Party nominee. I'm not so sure about Aunt May, though. She might have a crush on McCain.
I also agree with Seuffert that the Punisher is a Republican. He based his pick on this Wikipedia description of the character: "a vigilante who considers murder, kidnapping, extortion, coercion, threats of violence and torture to be acceptable crime-fighting tactics." I'm surprised Bush didn't try to put the Punisher on the Supreme Court.
Surprisingly, Seuffert and I also agree on the Flash. He sees him as an Independent and so do I. I think Wally West would be far too impatient with the two major parties to support either of them. He would want change and he would want it now!
Several voters have complained that it's unfair to ask them to name the political affiliation of the X-Men because the individual mutants wouldn't necessarily all support the same party. I agree. However, since Seuffert lumped them all together in his column, I did the same in this week's questions. If I go with the "voting as a bloc" theory, I agree with Seuffert that Marvel's merry mutants would most likely be Democrats. As he wrote:
"They've been used as a metaphor for civil rights in the '60s and gay rights today, plus their entire existence is based on evolution, so it would probably be hard to argue intelligent design with them."
Finally, we have Aquaman. Seuffert thinks he's a Republican because, "as ruler of the seas, he's gotta be rooting for global warming." That's a funny line, but I think Arthur Curry, if he's eligible to vote, would be an Independent. Maybe Swamp Thing could talk him into joining the Green Party.
Kudos to Seuffert for an amusing and thought-provoking column. This week's questions have inspired some interesting discussion on my message board and I invite you to visit it at:
Are there other comic-book characters you'd like to play this political party game with? If so, let me know and I'll see about posting a second batch of questions. You can e-mail me at:
Tony's Online Tips is a reader-sponsored feature, made possible through your "Tip The Tipster" donations. Today's column was brought to you by Steve...and I thank him for his most generous support. If you'd like to contribute, just click on the "Tip The Tipster" link elsewhere on this page.
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back on Monday with more stuff.
I review The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks #1: Secret Identity Crisis, Secret Identity Crisis: Comic Books and the Unmasking of Cold War America and The Walking Dead Volume 2: Miles Behind Us.
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
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