Insane City by Dave Barry
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I read this one cover to cover on a plane from Detroit to San Francisco. I’ve got mixed feelings about it.

Dave Barry’s humor was stellar, as always. I chuckled and laughed out loud quite a bit as I wondered how thin a person has to be to be comfortable in economy seating.

The discovery that the main character really did give a damn, and the contrast between causes and real people were both well woven into the story. They weren’t subtle, but they didn’t club me over the head, either.

Unfortunately, there’s always a but.

The amount of terrible coincidences that kept happening to the main character strained credulity, and then tore through it like a crazed orangutan. It went beyond the character reacting with “oh, you have GOT to be kidding me.” I found myself uttering that very phrase every time I got thrown out of the story.

Even for Miami, the insanity was just too focused on one person.

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Antro PCs are not to be trusted. Hipsters have feelings, too. These are the first two things that I learned while reading through QC’s archives. While the AI angle was something that snagged my interest, I have an active bafflement of hipster culture that is only increasing over time.

And yet I didn’t close the tab. This wasn’t my usual kind of webcomic, but I kept reading through the archives. I still can’t tell you why.

I think that the facepalm was invented for Marten, and the headdesk for Faye.

I’m still reading. PintSize makes fewer and fewer appearances, and I’m fine with that. Every character that gets introduced is interesting, flawed, and filled to overflowing with hilarious quirks. Every. Single. One. Even characters that seem to be designed to be one-shot and/or throw-away are missed when they go away. I don’t think any of them have stayed away for long, though.

Also, mad props for introducing and sticking with a transgendered character

How does he update so often with so much awesome? Be ready to care about the AIs you meet. Be ready to give a shit about a bunch of hipsters.

But not about that shouting bird. Screw that guy.

I’ve never been much interested in the Justice League. Superman and Batman didn’t seem like believable teammates (despite their many sightings at an unnamed diner). Hunter raved about the cartoon, though, and even more about Unlimited.

And then there was the crossover with Batman Beyond. What is a nerd to do? I had to at least give it a try. Lo and behold, I am glad that I did.

It didn’t focus on the founding members any more than it needed to, nor did it focus on Metropolis or Gotham City or Central City more than any other place. I think they made more trips to Apokolips than anywhere else, and despite being a relative DC newbie, I wasn’t overly confused by boom tubes or the abundance of deity involvement in the modern world.

The writing was both slick and cohesive, and the animation was pleasing to the eye. The characters went as much beyond two-dimensional as comic book characters can (or, arguably, should), and the development wasn’t limited to the original founders.

And thanks to Wren, I always squee when I hear the voice of Jeffrey Combs.

My only complaint is the show’s cancellation. I should be used to that by now, you’d think.

In any case, it’s available on Netflix. Go watch it!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve never had to set down a book because it was too unsettling.

Until now.

I had only put it down for a day, and plowed through it after that. The story was disturbing, amazing, and thought-provoking. I don’t know that I’d call it fun, though.

The ending is sad, and left me a little despondent. I’d hoped that this time would be the time that something different happened.

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