Spider-Man: The Darkest Hour by Jim Butcher

 This truly is a wonderful book and it's the one time Butcher took a very brief break from his Harry Dresden books and sadly he has not strayed again.  I am a huge Spider-Man fan and I can be critical of how Spider-Man's wisecracking mouth is done.  Butcher is a master in capturing Spidey's sense of humor He also adds two very interesting characters to the mix: Black Cat and Rhino.

Spidey runs into Mortia, Thanis, and Malos who are the sister and brothers of Morlum whom Spidey let someone kill.  These are the Ancients and Morlun was nearly impossible to defeat and he was left with nightmares afterward.   Now his brethren have come for revenge. The Ancients live off of those totems are animals.  Black Cat has been working at the Company and has uncovered something dangerous to Spidey and warned him he was in danger but she had no idea what it was.  The Ancients set up Spidey to fight Rhino who they roped in to help them but then they turned on him and beat him up.  Spidey couldn't leave him there so he took him back to Aunt May's because Peter and Mary Jane's apartment was discovered by the Ancients.

He makes an agreement with a blinded Rhino that they will be partners for the duration of this mess which is until dusk of that day.  They also agree to a ceasefire for twenty-four hours after its all over;  During that time he gets to know the Rhino and struggles with this knowledge and his belief that the Rhino is a bad guy that can never change.  But first, he must come up with a spectacular plan to bring down three very powerful beings with just him,, Black Cat, and a wounded Rhino.  SPOILER: I do so love it when Dr. Strange makes an appearance somewhere.  

While Spidey is dealing with that mess, Peter must deal with his duties as a school teacher where he has been forced to fill in as the basketball coach while the real coach is having surgery done that he doesn't want his team to know about; What the coach wants is for Peter to teach cooperation to his star player who feels like he's the only one who needs to be on the team, But this attitude will keep him from getting a college scholarship, But getting the team to listen to him is going to be tough.

Butcher based this book on a series of comic books and they were well chosen.  The Ancients are a powerful foe. He can't defeat them alone and he is given Black Cat, a favorite of mine, and Rhino. an odd choice as he is an enemy to help.  The language is delightful and Spider-Man's big speech is just out of this world.  Butcher is an amazing writer and here he shows he can write more than his Dresden novels.  It's just a shame that he's never tried again.  

Quotes

All I know is that every tijme I walk into a gymnasium, I get hit with a rush of memories from my own days of high schoo.  Some people call that phenomena “nostalgia” I call it “nausea”.  Unless of course, nostalgia is supposed to make you feel abruptly shunned, unpopular—in which case I suppose gymnasiums are nostaltics as all get out for me.

-Jim Butcher (Spider-<Man:The Darkest Hours p 7)

 

Redheads are naturally evil.

-Jim Butcher (Spider-Man:The Darkest Hour p 21)

 

Peter. You’ve spent your entire adult life fighting crime, protecting people from bad guys of every description and otherwise putting yourself in danger for someone else’s sake—while wearing brightly colored tights with a big black spider on the chest.  I think it’s safe to say you have issues.

=Jim Butcher (Spider-Man: The Darkest Hour p 90)

 

“If you can deal with the immortal unstoppable mosters I can deal with the DMV.” “Easy there Superchick. If you’re working up an archenemy you don’t want to start with the DMV. Go with someone a little easier to deal with. Dr. Doom. Magneto.”

-Jim Butcher (Spider-Man: The Darkest Hour p 141)

 

“What in the world did I do to deserve you?” “I have no idea. But it isn’t the sort of thing to happen twice.”

-Jim Butcher (Spider-Man: The Darkest Hour p 202)

 

I have seen gods and demons at war.  I have seen worlds created and destroyed.  I have fought battles so far from Earth that the light from their stars has never reached us.  I have seen good men die.  I have seen evil men prosper and I have seen scales balanced against all odds. I have seen the strong oppress the weak, the law protect the criminals instead of the citizens.  I have fought with others and alone against every king of enemy you can imagine, against every kind of injustice you can imagine.  In all that time I have never surrendered.  

-Jim Butcher (Spider-Man: The Darkest Hour p 276)

 

Good never came of treachery. It wounds the betrayer and the betrayed alike. 

-Jim Butcher (Spider-Man : The Darkest Hour p 286)

 

Listed on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spider-Man-Darkest-Hours-Jim-Butcher/dp/1416594760/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1601389329&sr=1-1

 

  

Star Wars: Doctor Aprha by Kieron Gillen (Writer), Kev Walker (Penciler, Inker), Marc Deering (Inker), Antonio Fabela (Colorist), Salvador Larroca (Artist), Edgar Delgado (Colorist), VC;s Joe Caramgna (Letterer)

In the previous Vader comics, Doctor Alpha found herself working for Vader. She is excellent at working with droids but her main job is grave robbing and selling to the highest bidder.  The ones who help her with this are a Wookie named   Black Krrsantan,, who she promised that she would help with a homeworld problem, and a series killer droid named Tripple 0 who was utterly devoted to her and then his partner in crime Beep;  

Right now they have a seller on their backs with whom they owe money to.  He has figured out that Alpha wants to avoid Imperial entanglements he just doesn't know that it's of the highest kind: Darth Vader.  Tripple 0 won't stand for her being threatened and he knows the guy has a brother who can take over and perhaps be a better boss so he takes care of business.  

Meanwhile, when Aphra goes to sell her stuff she is told she is not qualified to do so as she is not a doctor;  It's all been stripped away from her and there's her father saying he did it and he wants her to help him on his damn fool quest that he's been chasing his whole life;

It seems the race called the Orcu and the Jedi met at one time in a secret place that her father needs help getting to.  He believes there is much knowledge to be gained from this meeting,  Alpha doubts it ever took place;  At the same time they've pissed off the Imperials who are chasing them across the Galaxy by a woman who cannot afford to fail again;.  

I really like Doctor Alpha. She's pretty amazing which you can tell by the loyalty of the crew she mans.  She's smart, she's witty, she's always flying by the seat of her pants.  Remind you of someone else in this galaxy?  But I really love Tripple 0. I mean a serial killer droid? What's not to love? His banter with Beep is pretty funny too.  I give this comic a five out of five stars.  

Listed on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Doctor-Aphra-2016-ebook/dp/B071RZ2WPV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ETTYONOIPRZV&dchild=1&keywords=star+wars+doctor+aphra+comic&qid=1601045348&s=books&sprefix=star+wars+doctor+aphra%2Caps%2C176&sr=1-1

Hidden Salem by Kay Hooper

 I've read nearly everything Kay Hooper has written especially the Bishop BCU books, which this book is one.  This book is meant to be the start of another series with a very bad man with superpowers that needs to be stopped.  I'm afraid I only got halfway through this book so I never found out who the bad guy's leader is.  However, he may not be revealed until a future book anyhow.  

My problem with this book was that it was boring.  Nothing really happened.  Geneva, one of Bishop's BCU operatives was sent in to try to figure out what was going on in this town;  Geneva is a telepath with an overdeveloped sense of smell, which means she can smell blood and find dead bodies.  The thing is, this town has a heavy static covering it blocking psychics. She can use her powers but it will be traced back to her and she'll be caught so she must be very careful.  So she does nothing.  Until a young girl is kidnapped and she feels the need to rescue her. So she goes to the house where the girl was taken late at night and gets taken herself.  

Grayson is another BSU agent who has been sent in to help Geneva because Bishop is worried about Geneva.  He is an empath who has the ability to see things.  He is acting like a hiker off the Appalachian Trail who is taking a break.  He receives a message from Geneva in the newspaper want-ads from before she went missing that tells him that she is about to do something dangerous and that if she gets caught not to worry about her it's the child that's important.

Also, a puzzle piece in this picture is Nellie Cavendish who has multiple powers and whose father asked her to come back there before her thirtieth birthday, which wasn't a problem as she felt drawn to return.  The Five Families are interested in her and what her returning could mean.  She keeps a rottweiler with her at all times which is wise since I think some of these people might want her dead.  

I tried really hard to get through this book but I just couldn't.  Geneva kept wandering around taking pictures and doing nothing and even when she got caught she was doing nothing.  All Grayson did was read newspapers.  And all Nellie did was wander around town.  Hooper's books are always filled with action and adventure and plenty going on to keep you turning that pages as fast as you can. But this book just didn't have that.  It was hard to click with the characters too.  I have to give this book zero stars out of five stars.

Listed on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Salem-Bishop-Special-Crimes-ebook/dp/B07VD1XN43/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32LK2PSK4S4M0&dchild=1&keywords=hidden+salem+by+kay+hooper&qid=1600627273&sprefix=hidden+salem%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-1

Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey by Matthew Rosenberg (Writer), Leinil Francis Yu (Penciler), Carlos Pacheco (Penciler), Joe Bennett (Penciler), Gerry Alanguilan (Inker), Refael Fonteriz (Inker), Lorenzo Ruggiero (Inker), Ramon Rosanas (Artist), Bellardino Brabo (Inker), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist), VC's Travis Lanham (Letterer)

Years ago Jean Grey became the Dark Phoenix and caused havoc and destruction and the X-Men were forced to kill her. They mourned her loss. Now there is strange phenomena going on around the world that is causing the X-Men to wonder if the Dark Phoenix and therefore Jean Grey have come back from the grave. 

A young woman named Jeannie waits tables at a diner. She suffers from nightmares about space.  The place has familiar faces come in for dinner.   Her boss, Annie seems to be guiding her towards something.

The X-Men go to check out the various hot spots around the globe and instead find monsters.  Kitty goes in search of a psychic in order to find Jean and find Emma Frost who tells her that Scott always talked about this place in New Mexico and that if it was close to Scott's heart it would be close to Jean's as well. 

So they head there and they find Jean's grave dug up and dead X-Men ready to fight them.  They also find a diner.  Some of them fight off the dead X-Men while they decide who should to indie the dinet and talk to Jean.  Wolverine pretty much decides that and goes in knowing he might have to kill the woman he loves.

This book seems like a way to cash in on the Phoenix saga.  While it is nice to see everyone in one comic, it really is a waste of time and a blight on the original comics. I give it one star out of five stars.

Listed On Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Resurrection-Return-Jean-Grey/dp/1302911635/ref=sr_1_1?crid=N0JFOQKC8BZI&dchild=1&keywords=phoenix+ressurection&qid=1600435858&sprefix=phoenix+ress%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1

Wonder Woman The New 52! Vol 6: Bones by Brian Azzarello (Writer), Cliff Chiang (Artist), Goran Sudzuka (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist), Jared K. Fletcher (Letterer)

In the previous comics, Lennox gets killed and Cassandra gets damaged badly and the Firstborn gets captured and Apollo takes him to Olympus.  War was killed by Wonder Woman who is now holding that title. Apollo has no intention of killing the Firstborn. He wants to break him and bring him to heal and have him bow to him.  Wonder Woman gets Zola an apartment and then suddenly the traitor Hermes appears to take her to Olympus since she is War now.  Wonder Woman asks that Hera is restored to her power, but Apollo says no. He tells her that a war is coming and that she will be needed but she tells him to fight it on his own.  Hermes asks for forgiveness as he was just protecting the child and he spends his time shadowing them. Cassandra goes in search of her brother Milan who has the sight and can find the Firstborn and Zeke. He is not willing to help though as he hates his sister.  Strife is not happy about War being murdered by Wonder Woman and she wants revenge. So she goes to visit and brings gifts. To Hera, she brings her cloak and to baby Zeke, she gives a blanket that blocks his presence from the eyes of the gods.  To Wonder Woman a hideous war helmet.  Then when they realize that Milan is gone and they need to save him they leave Zola with Strife who hints to her that she is a burden to them and should leave so Zola does. Zola, of course, runs into lots of trouble while out on her own, and Wonder Woman and Orion have trouble trying to get to Milan.  Apollo is torturing the Firstborn but he will not yield and the Oracles predict a war between the two of them with one of them dying. 

Apollo is dead by the Fristborn's hand who has taken over Olympus and turned it into an intestine.  He kills off Hades and unleashes the dead upon the earth.   He's looking for the Lastborn, or Zeke, so he can destroy him before he destroys him.  Zola and Zeke are on Paradise Island with Wonder Woman and Hera. Hera turns Diana's mother into a clay statue and pisses everyone off.  Then she turns them all into snakes and Wonder Woman makes her turn them back.  They realize she is a god and must be respected but they don't like her much.  This puts Wonder Woman in charge and makes her Queen.  Her first plan is to protect Zeke which doesn't go over very well with the warriors.  She's got an even crazier idea that she's working on with Hesphestus involving the men of Paradise Island.

Meanwhile, Cassandra is going crazier due to all the human flesh she is being forced to eat by Firstborn. The Messenger and Dio get attacked by the dead.  And Wonder Woman, Artemis, and Orion go up against the Firstborn's army in the forest as they try to kill it and they fail.  Wonder Woman is taken, hostage.  She has given up.  Firstborn plans on killing all the gods. Will none of them help her?  As the battle rages on at Paradise Island how long can they hold out?

This was a pretty good comic.  I particularly liked it when Wonder Woman, the superhero who embraces love basically told a bad guy screw you.  It was refreshing.  And it was cool to find out the ending to this story.  Its been a great ride and I've enjoyed every minute of it.  The artwork is amazing as always with its earth tones.  I give this book a five out of five stars.

Listed On Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-Vol-Bones-New/dp/1401257755/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3T3XRBW7QNQKX&dchild=1&keywords=wonder+woman+the+new+52&qid=1600349024&sprefix=Wonder+Woman+the+new+%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-2

Daredvil Back in Black Vol 3: Dark Art by Charles Soule (Writer), Ron Garney (Artist), Matt Milla (Colorist), VC's Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

In the previous comic, Electra has come back and while Daredevil had hoped to introduce Blindspot and her, he senses someone off in her and tries to warn him off of her but Electra is attacking him and Blindspot is quick to defend him and he gets hurt. So Daredevil sends him to the special clinic to get fixed while he tries to figure out what's going on with Electra.  It turns out that she had a child born eleven years ago that could conceivably be his.  This daughter has been taken and she has video proof on a cell phone that he can't see.  Who took Electra's daughter and is it Matt's daughter as well? This one was heartbreaking and cruel and very well done.  In the next comic Matt goes to Macau and believes it or not gambles at Texas Hold "Em.  It's the only game he can play.  He reads the players he can to determine what they have and just goes "all in" when he feels he has a good hand or a good bluff.  But he really needs to win this tournament because he has something planned and he does indeed win it and Spider-Man meets him in his comped room.  Spider-Man is going to help Daredevil get a briefcase on a floor only accessible to certain people like the winners of the tournament.  They miss getting the briefcase and it flies away in a helicopter but Spider-Man has ideas on how to get it back.  I really liked this one because Spider-Man is a favorite of mine and his motor mouth and antics are just hilarious.  Another comic involves Echo who comes to Daredevil for help when an evil villain is taking over the city through sound turning people into zombies.  Another comic is about a psychopath named Gladiator who is after Daredevil.

In this comic, Blindspot goes to his special spot where people leave messages for him when they are in trouble and need help and he finds an unusual one and goes to a warehouse where he finds blood and strange painting.  So he calls Daredevil out of night court which gets him in lots of trouble with his coworkers.  When Daredevil arrives he smells 112 different people's blood on the painting.  He takes the message that was given to Blindspot just in case the police ever ask about it and he touches the painting to prove that he was the one called to the scene, not Blindspot since he's here illegally. 

Then the man who owns the warehouse wants to charge money to see the artwork. The head councilwoman's niece is one of the donors to the piece and she wants to shut him down so the D;A's office is looking to do that and since Matt is in hot water it\s his job to fix this.  Meanwhile Daredevil and Blindspot are searching the city looking for this "artist".

The cops find another artistic display, this time of Inhumans so Matt has the Inhuman liaison called in and their crime scene techs.  Frank, the liaison, is a former cop and he tells Matt he'll have to take it up with Medusa as to whether he can see any of the evidence and so Daredevil go up to Atlantia and is told no multiple times by Medusa who feels that if Matt and the cops get an artist that Daredevil has encountered and says his name is The Muse that she will look weak to her people so she won't share any information even if it means more people die.  Frank tells Daredevil that that is a ridiculous ant that he will help him out. Then Daredevil gets a phone call from Blindspot who is in a courtroom where Muse has taken over and is killing people and wants Daredevil's advice and he gives it to him.  He slips his invisibility outfit on and follows Muse out of the courtroom as he holds the judge hostage and he follows him down to the sewers where a surprise awaits.  Can Daredevil and Frank get to them on time?

This was an incredible comic with such an original idea all the way to the end.  The panels were done quite trickily and the art while done is red, black, and white to represent daredevil was done in such a creative way that it was a joy to behold.  This is truly an amazing series and I can't wait to see what comes next.  I give this book five out of five stars.

Listed On Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Daredevil-Back-Black-Vol-Paperback/dp/1302902970/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2I3GNNV153NAA&dchild=1&keywords=daredevil+back+in+black+vol+3&qid=1600030591&sprefix=Daredevil+back+in%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1

Southern Bastards Vol 1: Here Lies a Man by Jason Aaron (Writer), Jason Latour (Art and Color), Jared K. Fletcher (Letterer)

Jason Aaron and Jason Latour, the creators of this comic are both from the South and decided to write something that tells how it really is in the South. I would like to say that there is a panel in the book that shows a Confederate Memorial at a stoplight in town and I swear it looks like one that I've seen a million times before when I used to live in this particular city. You would stop at the stoplight and stare at the memorial and turn either go straight or turn left. I was always turning left to go to the library. Now that memorial has been taken down. I haven't been up there to see what the area looks like without it yet. But I'm telling you that's the authenticity they put in this comic to really show you the South. 

The book opens with Earl Tubbs leaving a message on the phone for someone and driving a truck to his dad's old place that his Uncle Buhl had been living in until he had to go to a nursing home. Now the place needs to be cleaned out and Earl who hasn't been to Craw County in a very long time is there to do this one job.  Years ago when Earl's daddy was Sherrif he cleaned up the town with just a baseball bat.

Earl runs into someone he used to know at the local ribs joint named Dusty who's in trouble with the Coach and who has sent Esau to deal with the problem. But Earl won't let that happen and he attacks Esau and saves Dusty's life who isn't all that grateful.  Earl goes home and meets a kid in his tree hoping to watch TV who quickly runs away and Earl tried to chop down the tree that hangs over his father's grave with no success. 

Then Earl goes to the football game and Dusty comes out from the woods half-dead looking to talk to the Coach.  Dusty dies overnight and Earl tries to talk to the Sherrif but that gets him nowhere because the Sherrif is in the Coach's pocket.  He goes to his dad's home and there\s a lightning storm and he yells at the sky that he's leaving that he wants to have nothing to do with this.  Then he looks down at the tree that is no longer there and what was left of it was what resembled a bat.  He saw this as a sign and set out to make things right in Craw County.

Throughout the book, he keeps leaving messages for someone. Who are they?  Will he succeed like his father did?  I have to say Jason Latour did an incredible job on the art. The way he drew the panels in different sizes in order for you to get the feeling going on at the time and the use of red throughout to demonstrate anger and hatred is just amazing.  Jason Aaron tells a wonderful story that grips you to the end and makes you anxious to read the next volume.  If you're interested in more of their work Jason Aaron writes my favorite version of the Incredible Hulk as well as Wolverine and some of my favorite Star Wars comics.  Jason Latour has drawn one of my favorite comics, Gwen Stacey, Winter Soldier, Wolverine and the X-Men. These guys are really out of this world and definitely deserve more than five stars so I'll give them six. 

Listed on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Southern-Bastards-Here-Was-Man/dp/1632150166/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2C4ETO0SP497W&dchild=1&keywords=southern+bastards+vol+1&qid=1599833353&sprefix=southern+bas%2Caps%2C358&sr=8-1

Where the Light Enters:Building a Family, Becoming Myself by Jill BIden

This short book is about Dr. Biden's journey through life seeking a family to build on and finding herself in her work and educational opportunities.  Jill grew up in a rambunctious house of five girls and didn't get along with her dad because they were too much alike. It was her mother she turned to for comfort and advice.  Growing up she had to go to visit her grandmother who didn't like her because she cemented the marriage between her parents and this grandmother hated Jill's father for not being good enough for her daughter.  So she disliked Jill for making it impossible for her to get out of the marriage.  Her parent's dealt with it by keeping her at her father's parents' house.  She got married at eighteen to a man who wasn't right for her and went to college.  Her husband was a huge Joe Biden fan which is how she found herself at one of his rallies meeting his wife Neila, a beautiful person.

Just as Joe's wife and eighteen=month=old daughter were dying in a car crash, Jill's marriage was ending.  After time had passed, Joe asked his brother Frankie if he could find the woman on the walls of the plane terminal who was advertising the Parks and Rec. And Frankie who knew her from college as Jill could easily get her phone number which is how he wound up calling her and how they went on three dates in a row.  When they had dated for a long time and his sons Hunter and Beau decided that it was time for them to get engaged, Joe asked her and she said "No". He asked her again and she said "No". He asked her a total of five times before she said "Yes". 

She decided to stay home with the boys rather than work for now and soon she and Joe were pregnant with Ashley.  She would stay home for two years with Ashley before going back to teaching and soon she would go for her Masters. When Joe would become Vice-President she would continue to teach at a community college where hardly anyone there knew that she was the Second Lady. 

What impressed me was how she is an introvert and managed to give those speeches to hundreds of people.  I too am an introvert and I know I couldn't do that.   What was also impressive was her works with the military and their families.  Also, the devastation of almost losing Joe to an aneurysm back in 1988 and losing Beau to cancer in 2015.

If you're looking for an insider book on what goes on inside the White House or who the Obamas really are this book isn't for you. This book is a book that introduces you to Dr. Jill Biden and who she is and what she has come through.  She is a tough woman who doesn't cry in front of other only because she is too busy being strong for other people and can't take the time to fall apart.  She is always thinking of others before herself.  I will end this on a Joe Biden story she recounts in her book.  The house gets struck by lightning and burnt to the ground. She's naturally upset about losing their home but when Joe arrives he's smiling even though this was a precious house to him and he says Now we can fix the problems in the old house.  And she feels better having heard him say that.  I give this book five out of five stars.

Quotes

What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined for life—to strenghten each other in all labour to rest on each other in all sorrow, to minister to each other in all pain, to be one with each other in silent unspeakable memories at the moment of last parting?

-George Elliot (Adam Bede)

One of the advantagesof being disorderly is that oneis contatly making exciting discoveries.

-A.A. Milne

Even our misfortunes are a part of our belongs.

-Antoine De Saint-Exupery

  The Bidens have another belief as well:”If you have to ask, it’s too late.” When someone is in need, when thy’re hurting, when they’re overwhlelmed, you don’t wait until they tell you they need help.  You give it before they have to ask.

-Jill Biden (Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself p 50)

The only place outside Heaven where you can be perectly safe from all the dandgers and perturbations of love is Hell.

-C.S. Lewis (The Four Loves)

Comparison is the thief of joy,

-Theodore Roosevelt

Good marriages push us---not to become someone else but to become the best version of ourselves.

-Jill Biden (Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself p 102)

You can’t have it all, all at once. Who--man or woman—has it all, all at once?  Over my lifespan I think I have had it all. But in different periods of time things were rough. And if you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person needs it.

-Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Maybe the strength we gain is simply the knowledge that survival is possible.  Mabye it’s the realization that pain isn’t fatal, that it allows you to go back out into the world, breakable bones and all.

-Jill Biden (Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself p 127)

She left before I was done needing her.

-Jill Biden (Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself p132)

Maybe life doesn’t get any better than this, or any worse, and what we get is just what we’re willing to find: small wonders, where they grow.

-Barbara Kingsolver

Success in parenthood means preparing your children to go out into the world and leave you behind.

-Jill Biden (Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself p 170)

Food may not be the answer to world peace, but it’s a start.

-Anthony Bourdain

Faith sees best in the dark.

-Soren Kierkegaard

Some people are so much sunlight to the square inch.

-Walt Whiman

Listed On Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Where-Light-Enters-Building-Discovering/dp/1250182328/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3P4W31SPTSDHT&dchild=1&keywords=where+the+light+enters+jill+biden&qid=1599662989&sprefix=where+the+light%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1

The Amazing Spider-Man vol 1: World Wide by Dan Slott (Writer), Christos Gage (Writer), Guiseppe Camuncoli (Penciler), Cam Smieth (Inker), Marte Gracia (Colorist), Bobbie Thompson (Writer),Dennis Hoepless (Writer), Antony Holden (Writer), Satcy Lee (Artist), Ian Herring (Colorist), Javier Rodrigez (Penciler, Colorist), Paco Diaz (Artist), Israel Silva (Colorist), Jordie Belamie (Colorist), VC[s Joe Carmagna (Letterer), Chris EDliopoulos (Letterer), VC's Travis Lanham (Letterer),

Parker Industries has invented a wearable tech called Webware that allows the user to wear anywhere and have unlimited data and clear reception.  The interstellar group called Zodiac has let loose one of its sects, Leo, and it has stolen their secure servers which were linked into every private Webware account across the globe. He captures the Lion and his accomplices just in time to make it to his press conference where he tells the world that he won't be charging cheap labor and he will be capping his salary at a junior executive level.  Also that Spider-Man is his bodyguard.   Meanwhile, back in San Francisco, Prowler is dressed up as Spider-Man and hunting the streets.

At a wedding, Peter tells his employee, Sajani who is his date that anything they do would be for the good of mankind, though she has plans of her own. But before Peter goes he has a word with Sanjai about what she's working on and who she's been working with, i.e., Black Cat and the Ghost, and sabotaging projects to make the company fit her vision for it.  Her robot has an image of Doc Ock in it which means that nothing she does is any good.  Then Zodiac attacks and Prowler jumps out in his Spidey suit but he doesn't have Spidey's skills or warning system and gets the shit kicked out of him so Pete gives them what they want hoping that they can get it back before the encryption has been hacked.  So Prowler and Spider-Man go underwater which is where it is.
They fight the Zodiacs and manage to get Peter's Webware but the Zodiacs take the technology and send it all over their bases. This makes Spider and Fury happy as they own know where the bases are located.

Meanwhile, Silk fights a Zodiac and takes the Parker tech he has on him and brings it to her Mistress the Black Cat. Spider-Woman who is pregnant and talking to Captain Marvel while unloading groceries is attacked by five bad guys, weird ones, and outs them down and calls the police. Miles Morales the very young Spider-Man took down a tough guy and left him for the police. These criminals were sent underground where they were encased in a special slime that keeps them from moving. Who is in control?

 Osbourne is busy selling arms to African dealers from a market he is creating. The Human Torch gets upset when Peter buys the family's building and burns through it until Peter explains why he did it. Now Spider is supposed to be a part. of a.multi team mission to take. down Zodiac but instead, he goes to help his Aunt May with a reluctant Mockingbird who works for S.H.I.E.L.D.  these green goblins are attacking the village where she is putting up solar panels. Spider and Mockingbird get them and save the village.

The Zodiac make their endgame and attack the London Museum. Will Spidey get them all and find out what it is they're really after?  This was a great comic filled with lots of great characters including extra Spider-People.  This has a fast-paced storyline that is exciting to read about.  I can't wait to read the next volume in this series.  I give it five stars out of five stars.

Listed On Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Spider-Man-Worldwide-Vol/dp/078519942X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8RQWCNV36LHB&dchild=1&keywords=amazing+spider-man+worldwide+vol+1&qid=1599581762&sprefix=The+Amazing+Spider-Man+Vol+1+World%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1

By the Sea by Seven Paul Leiva

This book takes place in a seaside resort town where the weather is always cold and foggy.  The Briars is a hotel where most of its residents live there.  Frank is the head waiter at breakfast and he is an easy-going guy who dreams of being an artist.  He was once an illustrator of children's books but he hated it and quit in order to concentrate on his art but that meant that he had to take a job as a waiter.  He has had no luck with his art.  Then two things happen,  The first is that the waitress at the hotel wants him to teach her how to seduce the theater director so she doesn't have to try out for a part but will just get it based on her sexual prowess.  Then someone will see her in the production and she'll become a star which is what she wants.  Frank agrees to teach Trudy the ways of love until one day while he is waiting for Trudy to get off of work he is at the beach sketching when Allison, one of the hotel residents who usually spends her time reading, comes up to him and describes a sea serpent that she imagines in the water.  Frank, who never takes requests draws the sea serpent for her and gives it to her later.  Allison decides that she wants to know what his story is because she is interested in his "book" and wants to help him further his artistic career.

Austin is the director of the theater that has just opened and is working on its first play "What Price Glory".  It's a military play so he asks Major Philip to help him with the military aspects of it.  Austin is sleeping with Pattie who runs the school and whose husband runs the rest of the town.  Austin is only sleeping with her because she is the Treasurer and controls the funds.  Everyone knows they are sleeping together but Pattie's husband. 

Dmitri who works for Duncan who is part owner of The Briars with his wife takes care of him since he is paralyzed from a car accident he had while drinking and driving.  He no longer drinks.  Dmitri has a habit of driving past the farms playing his music really loud at an early time of the morning.   Mr. Hendrickson got sick of him disturbing his livestock and he tried to get him to stop to no avail so he placed a board with nails on the road for Dmitri to run over which he did.  Mr. Hendrickson explained to him his position and drove Dmitri to work and replaced his tires by the time he got off work.  But Dmitri was livid and wanted revenge and he killed one of his chickens so Duncan made him work off the cost of the "prize-winning" chicken on Saturdays and Sundays.  Mr. Hendrickson made him homemade cocoa and was as nice as he could be to Dmitri, but Dmitri still sought revenge.


This was a weird book. It was decent but I hated the ending.  It reminded me of the movie The Pirate Movie's ending. Kristy McNichol says something and it changes the whole course of the movie. It's like the author saw that and decided to do it way.  It irritated me, to be honest.  Most of the characters you found yourself hating.  What on earth was the author thinking? I give this book three out of five stars. 

Quotes

It was love at first sight, as the past has become her obsession, the present never having offered her any rewards.

-Steven Paul Levia (By the Sea, Chapter 2, 2)

But at least, he could play his music. And play it loud—very loud—for wasn’t loud the aural equivalent of speed? Sure it was.  And Rock and Rap and Hip-Hop could be played no other way. Have you ever tried to listen to them at a low volume? Stupid. The music makes no sense that way.  It certainly doesn’t move you; get into your gut; pull out of you your beat or rhythm (oddly, in total sync with the music’s), not to mention your great ability on the air guitar. So he had music at least.

-Steven Paul Levia (By the Sea, Chapter 3, 6)

Sometimes my ambulatory ambitoins outstretch my native abilities.

=Steven Paul Levia (By the Sea Chapter 4, 1)

I wouldn’t say I was cynical—factual, but not cynical. A cynic is nothing but a disappointed romantic, and I have never been a romantic.

=Steven Paul Levia (By the Sea Chapter 4, 11)

Look, Emily, I love feeling emotions but I guess I’m not very good at expressing them.  I’m offering you a deal because it’s the deal that I think will attract you. But don’t think I am not, at the same time, offering you my love.

-Steven Paul Levia (By the Sea Chapter 6 17)

“O was just wondering who seduced whom?” “I rather think the moment seduced us both.” “Are there many moments like this in life?” “If there were then religions would fall like leaves, for what would be the attraction of an afterlife.”

-Steven Paul Levia (By the Sea Chapter 8 5)

She was well aware that some might call this ultimate escapism, a divorce not just from Jim but also from the world, from reality.l But she die not care.  Reality was what the breain made of all the input it received . Each individual breain is only going to last som seventy=six point something years on average in the United States of America in a universe that is maybe midway in its story of some thirty billion years, does it really matter what reality an individual brain of such short duration experiences?As long as it’s a page-turner, that’s the key, as long as one page demands that you progress to the next one. What could make a brain happier?

-Steven Paul Levier (By the Sea Chapter 8 17-18)

Why did an old Army man in retirement gravitate toward the ocean? Because he was an old Army man in retirement—he had fought no battles on the ocean.

-Steven Paul Levier (By the Sea Chapter 9 2)

Guys are so damn visual, look at Frank and his pornos.  She really thought that guys would rather watch it than do it.

=Steven Paul Levio (By the Sea Chapter 10)

Despite centuries of misinfortation on the subject, money will not make you happy. Granted, the lack of moneycan make you seriously unhappy, and therein lies the confusion, but money, in and of itself, cannot make you happy.

=Steven Paul Levio (By the Sea Chapter 10 16)

There are many things desirous about Los Angeles. Leaving it has always been at the the top of my list.

-Steven Paul Levia (By the Sea Chapter 12)

The only thing fair about life is death.

-Steven Paul Levia (By the Sea Chapter 12)

Listed On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Steven-Paul-Leiva-ebook/dp/B00SEOFNY2/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1599238481&sr=8-2

Scarlet Witch Vol 1: Witch's Road by James Robinson (Writer), Vanesa Del Rey (Artist), Marco Rudy (Artist, Colorist), Steve Dillion (Artist), Chirs Visions (Artists, Colorist), Javier Pulido (Artist), Jordie Bellaire ( Colorist), Frank Martin (Colorist). Vero Gandini (Colorist), Munisa Vicemte (Colorist), VC's Cory Petit (Letterer)

This interesting volume of five comics is done in a different art style for each issue which is really cool.  It deals with different stories too;  In the first issieWanda and Agatha, the ghost that hangs out with her take a case from the police about people who are killing the rich. She knows she must get to the next target and perform an exorcism on them in order to stop this but who is the next target? In the next comic she goes to Greece and meets up with the goddess Hekate, the goddess of witches who tells her that the Minotaur is loose and no one can stop him.  Wanda believes that there is someone behind this and that she really needs to find out who.

The next two comics are about the Emerald Warlock and how he is going around killing those from an ancient Celtic line.  Now he has entered Ireland and decimated the crops and animals so he can have his revenge.  Wanda and Agatha have heard what is going on there and have arrived to help.  Wanda goes down the Witches Road and meets some interesting people there.  How will she defeat a centuries-old warlock who is much stronger than she is?  The last comic involves a nun of all things asking for help to put to rest the souls of some nuns from the Spanish Inquisition [Nothing can stop the Spanish Inquisition!]

The art in this comic is just flat out stellar and amazing. During the part of the Minotaur, the panels were drawn in a labyrinth. The exorcism part was stunning colors and incredible drawings.  But the whole book was that way.  It's worth owning just to look at the pictures nevermind that there are interesting stories to tell.  This book blew me away.  I give it five out of five stars.

Listed On Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/James-Robinson/dp/078519682X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39WEVR5RYX0TV&dchild=1&keywords=scarlet+witch+vol+1&qid=1599151614&sprefix=scarlet+witch+vol%2Caps%2C175&sr=8-1