Aliens: Defiance - Much better, a central character and no fcuking about. More of a horror story than the usual 'Shots! Explosions!' BS.

Like most of these Dark Horse books though, the artwork is often squeezed into tiny panels. It suits, but it's also done in a slightly scratchy style, which can be a bit of a bollocks with an Alien story. That said, the pacing is probably better than average as a result. There's even a bit of space-saving where a red box is used within a page, showing what the lead is talking about!

I can't even guess what comes down to economics, bad decisions, or both with comics these days. Digital certainly hasn't made a difference one way or the other with quantity or quality.

Read a great (really funny) sample of the author's Batman book, so I've acquired this one in the meantime

Superman: A Biography: The Unauthorized Biography: Amazon.co.uk: Glen Weldon: 9781118341841: Books
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Superman-Biogr ... len+weldon

I'll also be looking into Movie Doctors by Kermode and Mayo.

Picked up a Reacher book for the kindle to take on holiday. I can't remember which one (does it matter? He shows up, kicks ass and moves on) but it's a welcome break from the Christopher Hitchens memoir.

That Movie Doctors book is seriously lightweight. They basically take anything medical or health related (needles, medication) and mention some films that have those as scenes. It's like an old skool Total Film filler page with faux banter at the start of each chapter. I might not even bother finishing it.

Really surprised at it because all the individual Kermode books have been quite thoughtful, and I doubt the podcast listeners would expect something this throwaway from them.

I'm really gonna have to look into more of Bendis' work.

Also reading Private Eye, The Week, and struggling on with that Movie Doctors book.

Oh... Prometheus: Life and Death - Yet more filler for this series. It's nowhere near as iconic as it wants to be, and never will be until they stop overloading it with characters.

Found the first six Starwars films in the version of manga books. That'll be fun.

Still reading Scarlet - it just keeps getting better.

Also dipping into a Spider-Man 'guide' and about 6 different magazines. One of my fears in life is becoming one of those people who can't even focus on a newspaper article long enough.

Gave up on Michael Palin's Diaries....life's too short to waste time on huge dull books.
Finished Ten Physicists who Transformed our Understanding of Reality and that was very good.
Currently reading The Uncommoners but it's not that great so far.

24/7 for Pilsum

An East Friesenland thriller. An ex-lawyer gets called to a murder scene in an SM club and starts to investigate. Quite well written (in German).

Yeah, I gave up on one of the diaries too. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've given up on most diary collections...

Pcernie, have you read Grant Morrison's Wonder Woman: Earth One TPB? I might be going mad, but I am considering buying it.

Can't say I have, but I doubt I'll ever pay money for Morrison material again lol.

The first few reviews weren't stellar on Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01D20534M/ ... TF8&btkr=1

Look, I've decided to try and put you off. I mean, do you really want to encourage this guy?






















(I've no idea if that's real, but it's damn believable )

Just started John Connolly's 14th Charlie Parker book 'A Song of Shadows'. I'm a huge fan so really enjoying it.

Also just finished The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler Olsen. It's his 6th 'Department Q' book. They are all consistently good and I have now got my boyfriend in to them too. Can't wait for the next one.


@ the pic above

Just started "The Romanovs: 1613 - 1918", very interesting.

Also reading another Berlin mystery. There are some very good detective stories based in Berlin. I like the Lisa Becker series from Falko Rademaker and the Jan Tommen series from Alexander Harting.

The East Friesland mysteries from Dirk Trost with the hero Jan de Fries are also very good.

Just finished Twilight's Last Gleaming by Walter Wager. Very good very 70's thriller about a gang of murderers led by a disgraced Major taking over a nuclear silo and holding the USA to ransom. Wager wrote several thrillers including Telefon and 58 Minutes, the original story for Die Hard 2.

I'm now reading Last Man At Arlington by Joseph DiMona and then The Executioner: War Against The Mafia by Don Pendleton. This last one is starting off like Reacher crossed with Death Wish but written in 1969.