20230504 HAIKUPRAJNA - Star Wars: Darth Vader (2015) [Comic Book Review]

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Underestimate \\ an independent vessel, \\ forcing its order.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Star Wars: Darth Vader (2015) [Comic Book Review]

Read online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/05/20230504-haikuprajna-star-wars-darth.html ]

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Hello readers,

Happy Star Wars Day! I had read Kieron Gillen’s 2015 Darth Vader run while it first released and I often reread its 25 issues, spaced between its four books and one crossover event; Vader, Shadows and Secrets, Vader Down, The Shu-Torun War, End of Games.

These stories were part of the new Disney canon and featured a Starkiller like story with behind-the-Empire’s back adventures, introducing Doctor Aphra as a twist on the hidden apprentice trope, along with the titular Sith earning his title as Lord Vader while dealing with the Empire’s disrespect until then, when they all get their comeuppance. 

Vader’s one of my favourite characters, and Gillen wrote him well with Mustafar flashbacks when disabled, fighting his PTSD rather than “the light” fighting against “the dark”. Vader is broken and he was trying to live with his actions instead of wiping them away. On my most recent read throughs, I kept visualizing Hayden Christensen behind the mask, like in the Obi Wan Kenobi series.

Vader is a straight up murderer, though; any who sides with the Empire is tyrannical and in the company of backstabbers who will both reward and punish insubordination.

Highlights of the series include cyborg clones, Vader being independent of Palpatine’s Empire, other Imperials like the monocle guy believing in the Empire more than the Emperor, thinking Vader was better for the Galaxy than Palpatine, and Vader using the Force and sheer plot armour to make statistical impossibilities possible.

Both as Anakin and Vader, he wanted to establish order and he believed in his faith to overcome any hindrance. This pitted science versus the Force as the ruling power behind the Empire, which was interesting because it showed how the Galaxy at large thought the Force was a fairytale, while acting as an example for Vader's manifestation-like Force usage, his stronger willpower and his being more attuned to one's structure--to what one believes in.

Thank you for reading,

Until next time!

Allen W. McLean 

PS. April 23rd was the fourth annual HaikuPrajna Day, celebrating my haiku journey; submit to the #HaikuPrajnaChallenge, a monthly poetry prompt, to participate in the occasion! [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/04/20230423-haikuprajna-challenge-001.html ]

PPS.  Happy #freecomicbookday2023! Here's our haul, thanks to Mom and Dad coming along #fcbd #FreeComicBookDay #comics #marvel #disney #nintendo #spiderman #venom #AnimalCrossing #kirby #avengers #xmen 

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Electric Armchair - After Party (Full Album) [ https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/after-party ]

  

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These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

20230226 The Electric Tale of Pikachu [Book Review] [Pokemon Day 2023]

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An electric mouse, \\ with positive energy, \\ found chewing live wires.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - The Electric Tale of Pikachu [Book Review] [Pokemon Day 2023] 

Read online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/02/20230226-electric-tale-of-pikachu-book.html ]

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Hello readers,

It’s the 27th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise, so this Pokemon Day we are celebrating with a copy of "The Electric Tale of Pikachu" along with some anime. [This review also includes volumes two through four; "Pikachu Shocks Back", "Electric Pikachu Boogaloo" and "Surf's Up, Pikachu"]  

This Pokemon World is slightly more realistic, grounded and mature in tone and art at times than the games or anime. What was most interesting to me about this Pokemon World was how most citizens seem to have given up on training after a few months, where it is said that very few continue into adulthood, and that the majority see Pokemon as animals, pests or supernatural spirits and beings; the way people in this Pokemon World grow reminds me of how I have grown with the series, as one can argue that I have retired from training Pokemon in new regions, but I still live in a world with Pokemon and I still experience stories and adventures from the rest of the franchise outside of the mainline games.

This was the manga I read from my school library when I was six or seven years old before reading Pokemon Adventures, and along with the N64 plus the NGC games and the anime, this manga series was among my earliest exposures to the franchise; I have read online that Electric Tale was the first Pokemon manga to be translated into English.

Like the anime, Electric Tale of Pikachu follows Ash Ketchum’s journey to fight the various Gym Leaders for their badges in order to compete for the title of Pokemon Champion through the Indigo League and the Orange Islands, but these comics came with a number of refreshing differences that set it apart from its contemporaries including how Ash and Pikachu met and how often Misty and Brock traveled with them, while still managing to hit plot points like Team Rocket and the Eevee Brothers. Personal highlights of the series include Bill's story about the Venusaur, Sabrina and Brock talking to Ash about a godlike Haunter, and the Bulbasaur family story in Volume 3.

There are translation differences between localizations, to cut page count and due to some of the art by the book's graphic artist Toshihiro Ono, and the second half felt more comical than the first, but the series as a whole has that kind of charm to it too. Ash grows as a Trainer, his rivalry with Gary is revisited often, and he got to challenge another Pokemon League to iron out the mistakes he learned over the course of the story, becoming--spoiler alert!--the Champion of the Orange Islands with the help of Pikachu.

Thank you for reading.

Allen W. McLean 

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These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

20221027 - Black Cat (2019) Comic Book Review Analysis and Summary

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Felines stalk the night, \\ stealing immortal treasures, \\ thieving hearts of gold.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Black Cat (2019)

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Hello readers,

Black Cat's 2019 (and 2020) run by Jed MacKay was a surprise gem that I read this year. Felicia Hardy's not-so-heroic hijinks snuck in fantastic stories featuring other Marvel icons ranging from the Fantastic Four's Johnny and Sue Storm to Bats the lovable canine companion of Doctor Strange. 

The best part of this series for me was the light being cast upon those closest to Felicia, including lovers, her mother, her henchmen Borris and Bruno, and her mentor Black Fox (another classic Spidey character). Her interactions with others in the Marvel universe help to solidify her place in the world as its finest well-meaning cat burglar.

Though, the Spider-Man stuff was contained to the Annual and kept out of the spotlight, as the focus stayed on what drives Felicia to do what she is best at.

The series pits Felicia’s gang against the New York Thieves Guild. The main conflict revolved around Felicia's war with Odessa Drake, the heir of the Guild. See, the Thieves were immortal, and the Black Fox enlisted Felicia's help because he wanted to steal the Guild's greatest treasure.

The Black Cat thus pulled off a variety of odd jobs to aid her mentor's heist. Each arc of issues was about collecting these pieces from their current owners. The Black Cat was forced to cross paths with a number of cameos and crossovers (like Danny Rand and Batroc) while feeling natural and unforced.

This Black Cat series touched on how her wilful manipulation of chance affected magic and technology. Through Felicia's inducing ‘bad luck’ on anyone around her, the Black Cat circumvented every circumstance that stood between her and her prizes. Her demonstration in the casino of her ability to control this manipulation was great fun and acted as a perfect example of how she can tilt the odds in the direction she desired. The overarching story between both the 2019 and the 2020 runs leans further into this magic-meets-manifestation theme in a really satisfying way.

Wade Wilson as a merc looking to score a hit on Logan and Felicia was also great. A moment of characterization for Felicia that I liked was when Wolverine was talking about Krakoa after collecting his diaries, where Felicia had only cared about the physical value versus the sentimental. 

I also enjoyed the segments between the main narrative of each issue, like the scenes with Black Fox teaching deception through street trick-magic, and Felicia's mother warning her about his deceptive nature.

But, it is in improvisation when plans fail where Felicia does her best. Her ability to plan for both heists and for improv were great ways to highlight her ability to circumvent any situation.

Jed MacKay’s characterization of Felicia was fantastic, lighthearted and fun to read. His Black Cat run focused on Felicia as a character more than anything else. It was refreshing to read how loud and sure of herself she was in ways other characters falter because she knew she can get anything she worked for.

If anything, this Black Cat series is about fighting against all odds through sheer determinism and improvisation.

Issues 11 and 12 are outside of the trade paperbacks I had read, so watch out for them because they set up MacKay's later Iron Cat series; I also wholeheartedly recommend his second Black Cat volume and his Moon Knight run.

PS. Two posts in one day? What is this madness?! 

Happy National Black Cat Day! Here are some Halloween themed links for you;

. Black Cat (2020) : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/04/20220408-review-black-cat-2020.html

. Frankenstein : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/10/20221020-frankenstein-book-review.html

. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/10/20221007-alices-adventures-in.html

. The Legend of Sleepy Hallow : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/02/20220202-review-legend-of-sleepy-hollow.html

. Howl's Moving Castle : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2021/12/20211229-review-howls-moving-castle.html

. Spider-Man tag : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/search/label/Spider-Man

Thank you for reading.

Allen W. McLean

...

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Readers can follow HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair via our emailing lists (on Medium, Patreon, LinkedIn and more) for mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry based on book reviews and on previews of metaphysical stories such as "Escape Perennial City" (available on Kindle Unlimited); as a free gift, all readers get an Amazon Kindle ebook short story every week on Free Fridays--selection rotates every few weeks, so follow via email to collect them all! https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html 

Thanks to you, over 500 followers have joined us on Medium! If anyone reading this needs followers to stay in the Medium Partner Program, I am asking you to please follow me (and sign up for emails!) and I'll follow you back! My short story "Hector Blake" is available to read for FREE on Medium!

Leave a comment with books you would like to see reviewed and I will add them to my Goodreads!!

Always open to reading book recommendations. Looking forward to adding new friends on Goodreads and sharing what we read with each other : www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

April's latest psychedelic music videos, art and poetry available on all streaming platforms.

Electric Armchair - Living Ghosts (FULL ALBUM) : distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/living-ghosts

"Tomothy and the Overseer of the Forest" is available as an eBook through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read right now with Kindle Unlimited! www.haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/tomothy-and-overseer-of-forest.html

Kindle ebooks can be read on any device through one's web browser at www.read.amazon.com

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

20221005 - The Superior Spider-Man (2013) Comic Book Review

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The die is cast, trapped, \\ caught in superior webs \\ woven by eight limbs. 

HAIKUPRAJNA - The Superior Spider-Man (2013) Comic Book Review

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Hello readers,

I could talk about Superior Spider-Man all day; Dan Slott understood Peter Parker and was able to define him well.

Otto Octavius, having taken control of his nemesis, set out to do everything that Peter avoided so to prove that Otto's way was Superior, from going overboard against bullies to chumming it up with Mayor J. Jonah Jameson over their mutual distaste for Spidey. The bullying cycle casting Otto being rude to his henchmen and rogues in the same sympathetic light as Peter, with Spider-Man being Otto’s insurmountable antagonist, was an interesting development. Otto was desperate to hide behind the mask. Despite seeing his classic Doc Ock persona as his true self, unlike someone other than Peter like Miles or Miguel who saw Spider-Man as their identity, Otto proved that he, too, could be Spider-Man. 

Peter’s few appearances were gold, Ghost Peter was a vestige of his love for MJ and his family which all came together to force Otto to do good.

Further conflicts Otto faced pitted him against the likes of antihero Cardiac, and the original Hobgoblin who was selling villain identities as franchises (Crime Master's among others, even his own to Phil Urich, the nephew of Daily Bugle's Ben Urich) which tied in nicely with the Goblin storyline.

Enjoyed seeing Miguel O'Hara remembering Peter among the other 2099 crossovers, which include the transition to Alchemax from Horizon Labs through Liz Allan, Normie Osborn and the Spider-Man 2099 Stone family. Peter's identity and Otto's victory over him was also played around with during plots featuring Agent Venom Flash Thompson, Wraith Yuri Wantanabe, Green Goblin Norman Osborn and Carlie Cooper, some of whom realizing they are unable to account for Spider-Man’s identity following Spider-Island.

It was funny when Otto tried to explain to MJ and the Avengers that Peter was taken over by Venom, where they asked each other if anyone bought the ruse.

The best part was Otto realizing he was unable to bleed Peter and Spider-Man together like Otto and Doc Ock, understanding, while dating Anna Maria, why Peter kept his lives separate, as Otto had never before been on the other side of the equation of love-interest-in-danger. Otto was superior, but that allowed Norman Osborn to take advantage of a Spider-Man who was too reliant on this superiority (as in the gadgets instead of relying on his philosophy). The contrast between Otto’s materialism, his needing the invaluable equipment, versus Peter’s being able to go with nothing at all, including building himself up from only a few memories, was refreshing and a good reminder of what makes his comics special. What took Otto months to prepare was undone by Osborn, and took Peter less than a day to suffer and prove how he was the superior Spider-Man.

Residual effects of this run include Otto’s achievements being known as Peter's, symbolized by the rise and fall of Parker Industries.

I had read Superior Spider-Man as it was being released, and I remember the online backlash from leaked photos of the Dying Wish prelude, which featured a fantastic twist that made me reread the issue. The Ben Urich annual by Christos Gage was phenomenal. The Age of Ultron tie-in was cool, too.

The part with Peter's Horizon co-workers dealing with the chronotons, fabric of time, which acted like film strips burning away into the page’s bleed had taken some getting used to, but I appreciate the artstyle. The ending also did feel rushed, and Peter versus Norman was short, but there are future Superior stories to fill the void while the Osborn plot continued through the Amazing Spider-Man’s relaunch.

In the end, this series was about how Peter was the Superior Spider-Man compared to Otto. Everything that defined Spider-Man was met with the antithesis and described as Superior. Ghost Peter was the idea of Spider-Man, which Otto embodied, but which took back control because Otto was failing to live up to it. Otto having to recall Peter’s memories to succeed where he was failing was what brought Peter back. I thought Otto failing to remember anything outside of the skimmed portions of Peter’s highlights was an awesome flex for longtime readers from the writer, where even these seeds were shown to be enough for the idea to grow into the full and authentic hero.

Thank you for reading.

Allen W. McLean

PS. Check out more Spider-Man reviews:

https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/search/label/Spider-Man

...

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Banner: The Cannon by Allen W. McLean

Readers can follow HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair via our emailing lists (on Medium, Patreon, LinkedIn and more) for mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry based on book reviews and on previews of metaphysical stories such as "Escape Perennial City" (available on Kindle Unlimited); as a free gift, all readers get an Amazon Kindle ebook short story every week on Free Fridays--selection rotates every few weeks, so follow via email to collect them all! https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html 

Thanks to you, over 500 followers have joined us on Medium! If anyone reading this needs followers to stay in the Medium Partner Program, I am asking you to please follow me (and sign up for emails!) and I'll follow you back!

Leave a comment with books you would like to see reviewed and I will add them to my Goodreads!!

Always open to reading book recommendations. Looking forward to adding new friends on Goodreads, to share what we read with each other: www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

Have been looking for other free kindle books to read, ones that are only free for a day or so, so if you have an ebook on Kindle feel free to share them and I'll download!

April's latest psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms.

Electric Armchair - Living Ghosts (FULL ALBUM): distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/living-ghosts

"Tomothy and the Overseer of the Forest" is available as an eBook through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read right now with Kindle Unlimited! www.haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/tomothy-and-overseer-of-forest.html

Kindle ebooks can be read on any device through one's web browser at www.read.amazon.com

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

20220915 - Amazing Fantasy Issue 1000 Comic Book Review

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Swing by just in time, \\ relieve the worlds of burden, \\ on strands of the web.

HAIKUPRAJNA - Amazing Fantasy Issue 1000 Comic Book Review

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Hello readers,

Amazing Fantasy issue 1000 spins nine individual stories from a variety of creative teams. I wanted to pick favorites and find something to gripe about, but the writing is solid throughout this celebratory milestone issue. Dan Slott's story choked me up, and the rest were sweet and showcased why Spider-Man's the best of the best.

Before digging deeper into the stories, will shout out the impressive job from the art and Virtual Calligraphy teams; Terry and Rachel Dodson are as awesome as always; Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer and Sonia Oback bringing Venom and Superior vibes; Olivier Coipel and Matthew Wilson brought charm to the Bugle and its employees; with everyone else that I am forgetting to mention, I believe anyone will find the work here enjoyable.

Ask anyone and they will say the best part about Spider-Man is how he never gives in and always does the right thing, despite the consequences, in the name of responsibility. Each of the nine one-shots displays a different type of conflict that Peter Parker is known for overcoming. Instead of pummeling Spidey with nine back to back enemies, readers get to see him cope with the loss of Gwen while saving others, to see him direct the wayward, and even get to see Spidey struggle to enjoy an ice cream. Fans are also treated with some cool original villain-vs-hero action scenes and the ole question "What does it mean to be Spider-man?"

Over the past sixty (60!) years, Marvel has been telling us that everyone can "be Spider-Man". All it takes is the solemn vow to use one's abilities, natural or otherwise, for the greater good. As much as some readers may complain of his relationships stagnating, Peter Parker has grown with his audience over the past six decades into a deep and relatable hero known the world-over. 

(Picture: "Sinister 60th" from Amazing Fantasy 1000.)

Here are the stories in order of most enjoyed;

... Sinister 60th - Dan Slott

... Just Some Guy - Anthony Falcone and Michael Cho

... You Get It - Jonathan Hickman 

... Slaves of the Witch-Queen - Kurt Busiek

... With Great Power... - Neil Gaiman

... Along Came a Rhino... - Mike Pasciullo

... Spider-Man VS. Conspiriton - Armando Iannucci

... The Kid's Got a Good Eye - Rainbow Rowell

... In The Flesh - Ho Che Anderson

Each story is top tier. Seeing Peter and MJ at sixty years old was fantastic; Spidey telling a grunt that they matter was superb; the Council of Spider-Man was amazing. The rest were just as spectacular, from the Amazing Fantasy 15 throwback to tributes to Steve Ditko and Mike Pasciullo.

Been a lifelong fan of the web-headed Avenger. April and I sleep next to a poster board of Goblin and Spidey from the first Raimi film and we collect figures (like Marvel Legends) and the trade paperbacks that we find. I always get excited when comics reach a milestone like this, it is especially exciting when one gets to live alongside the releases. Amazing Fantasy 1000 was a delightful treat for this Spider-Man fanboy; now to wait in anticipation for Amazing Spider-Man 950 and 1000!

Thank you for reading.

Allen W. McLean 

...(Updated below 221003)

...

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Readers can follow HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair via our emailing lists (on Medium, Patreon, LinkedIn and more) for mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry based on book reviews and on previews of metaphysical stories such as "Escape Perennial City" (available on Kindle Unlimited); as a free gift, all readers get an Amazon Kindle ebook short story every week on Free Fridays--selection rotates every few weeks, so follow via email to collect them all! https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html 

Thanks to you, over 500 followers have joined us on Medium! If anyone reading this needs followers to stay in the Medium Partner Program, I am asking you to please follow me (and sign up for emails!) and I'll follow you back!

Leave a comment with books you would like to see reviewed and I will add them to my Goodreads!!

Always open to reading book recommendations. Looking forward to adding new friends on Goodreads, to share what we read with each other: www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

Have been looking for other free kindle books to read, ones that are only free for a day or so, so if you have an ebook on Kindle feel free to share them and I'll download!

April's latest psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms.

Electric Armchair - Living Ghosts (FULL ALBUM): distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/living-ghosts

"Tomothy and the Overseer of the Forest" is available as an eBook through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read right now with Kindle Unlimited! www.haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/tomothy-and-overseer-of-forest.html

Kindle ebooks can be read on any device through one's web browser at www.read.amazon.com

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

20220728 - The Amazing Spider-man Issue 900 Comic Book Review

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From street-level crime \ to Sinister Adaptoids. \ Responsible choice.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - The Amazing Spider-man Issue 900 Comic Book Review

…

July is the 60th anniversary of the Amazing Spider-man’s comic book, and its 900th issue falls on the 6th issue of the current run by Zeb Wells. The past arc put Peter back to fighting crime on the streets following a timeskip that passed over some event which we readers are unaware of that forced Peter to ruin, for the greater good, his relationships as both Spider-man and Peter Parker. 

About these past five issues, I really enjoyed the street level Spider-man stuff with Tombstone, White Rabbit, the Robertsons, but it is hard to say much else until we see where the plot is going, as things like MJ’s current life and Peter’s disaster are setup as obvious interest-baits to keep readers angry yet curious, though I do enjoy seeing Felicia and Peter’s relationship (seemingly) being explored again in the vacancy of him and MJ. The back-and-forth action leading to Peter getting even with Lonnie was also fun and well written with solid high and low points for Spidey and his current cast. One will either love or hate Romita Jr.’s art, but it is cool to see him doing Spider-man again, at least when Spidey’s nose is uncovered by his own blood.

That all being said, Issue 900 is a rather self-contained story that will no doubt influence the web-head’s future stories. It is fun being able to pick out who knows Peter’s secret identity, but it might be confusing if one was unaware of the past few Spider-man events and arcs.

Many characters make an appearance for Peter’s surprise birthday party; Felicia being jealous of Mockingbird, Anna Maria numb to Spidey’s villain’s hijinks, Betty Brant, Norah Winters, Aunt May, Flash, Robbie, Jonah, even the Sinister Six and the Living Brain get involved. Was glad to read Sandman's change of heart, the Adaptoid taking itself out over villain-infighting was great, and Otto's arms’ love for Spider-man was cute, too. 

The extra Public Library story hit close to home with the fees, while Jimmy Kimmel ft. Mysterio’s “DREAMLUSIONS!” and Dan Slott’s “Save the Date” rounded out the issue.

I have a physical copy of issue 700, which featured one of the biggest twists in the book’s run, although 500 and 300 were great landmarks as well. 900 was a fun issue and was well worth the read.

Read more Spider-man related content here: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/search?q=Spider-Man

Thank you for reading.

Allen W. McLean

...

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These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection. Stay tuned to HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair, via our emailing list and social media, for mindful meditation haiku / scifaiku poetry based on book reviews and on previews of metaphysical stories, such as the superhero inspired sci-fi "Escape Perennial City" (available on Kindle Unlimited): https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html 

Add me as a friend on Goodreads to share what we read with each other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

You can collect an ebook every week on Free Fridays! All one needs is an Amazon account! Kindle ebooks can be read on any device through one's web browser at https://read.amazon.com - Selection rotates every few weeks; collect them all! https://www.amazon.com/Allen-W-McLean/e/B0867C5D24

If anyone reading this needs followers to stay in the Medium Partner Program, I am asking you to please follow me (and sign up for emails!) and I'll follow you back! Thanks to you guys, I have passed 100 followers! “Hector Blake” is free to read online alongside book reviews and articles: https://haikuprajna.medium.com/subscribe

April's latest psychedelic music, videos, art and poetry available on all streaming platforms.

Electric Armchair - Where Giants Grow : https://open.spotify.com/track/3EsjL7Fsu8YYBnzxFgYPwB

"Fishing for Caribou" eBook, paperback and hardcover are available through Amazon Kindle apps and devices, and with Kindle Unlimited; previews and more: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/spear-thrower.html

Together in Forever Part III is available to read as a digital ebook on Amazon Kindle! https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/07/20220726-loves-eclipse-together-in.html

Read on any device at https://read.amazon.com or on your Kindle device/app!

Leave a comment with books you would like to see reviewed and I will add it to my Goodreads!!

20220712 - Scott Pilgrim Comic Book Review and Summary

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Local indie bands, \ a backdrop of the city. \ Subspace lesbian.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Scott Pilgrim Comic Book Review and Summary

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“Uh... No. The other L-word.”

Scott Pilgrim met the literal girl of his dreams at the public library... with his current girlfriend.

Stories by Bryan Lee O'Malley ooze style which, throughout this series, aids one in learning to love unlikable characters who keep making mistakes. What is cool is how O’Malley’s pop-culture inspiration bleeds through the setting and his characters, such as the many fictional bands. The side-cast is well used and developed while experiencing and dealing with change in contrasting ways to Scott’s going from sleeping all day to holding a job.

Plus, everybody likes (to hate) each other, so they act awkward and cute in ways that make these six books fun to read in silly yet dramatic ways. 

“Happy birthday, baby.”

It felt great to review this series, not only because its setting is Toronto Ontario and characters ride the TTC, not just because of the recent resurgence of the fandom thanks to the movie's anniversary, the game's rerelease and the upcoming Netflix series, and not only because of the stories my best friends and I have relating to Scott and Ramona; it felt great because of how this comic book saga had brought me and April together in an Indigo Chapters’ Starbucks of a Walmart strip mall in the neighbouring suburbs where we grew up, and how it still continues to bring us closer to this day. 

“But if you keep forgetting your mistakes, you’ll just keep making them again!”

Scott Pilgrim’s awesome; he ignores his problems because he has no problems, all he needs to do is beat Ramona Flowers’ seven evil exes and everything will be okay... Right? This mindset led to Scott splitting his psyche and forming a Nega-version of himself, which forced him to learn about accepting his mistakes instead of ignoring them, about moving on and about deciding to try again instead of giving up. The story explores this via Gideon Graves’ emotional manipulation through the League, him abusing the lonely with technology reminiscent of social media, and the social-taboo legalities of Scott dating a seventeen-year-old Canadian while struggling to cope with past relationships. 

“Is this something they don’t teach in Canadian schools?”

The twist on Ramona leaving Scott for Gideon was great because of the expectations set by the movie. Character interactions are more fleshed out in the comic, feeling a lot more natural and less awkward; while that may seem like a given, it is because of the development of the subspace concept in later volumes rather than a difference in medium. Gideon had made the glow to wage emotional warfare, while Ramona was using the glow to travel through subspace, through Scott’s head, and had found a way to just vanish into subspace using the glow; subspace was the “way of getting inside my head... literally.” 

The extras at the end of each coloured edition complete the entire package while unifying ideas with the rest of the franchise.

“Is that seriously the end of the story?”

What I think the best part about this graphic novel series is Ramona's genuine effort in loving Scott and her ability to take care of herself. Scott's own difficulty with change will continue to resonate with people who are unwilling to care for themselves, who are being cared for by others, and who are loved but who may unnecessarily dislike themselves.

Thank you for reading.

Allen W. McLean

PS. April and I had a great weekend in Niagara Falls for her birthday. Check out the music video for "Where Giants Grow" (on YouTube and at the end of this post) to see some of the footage we both took during our trip.

PPS. July is the first anniversary of "Escape Perennial City" so come snag the ebook version for $0.99 if you have yet to do so, until July 22nd 2022! https://amazon.com/Escape-Perennial-City-Allen-McLean-ebook/dp/B09944K8CS/

...

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering? 

Also available to read on;

Medium (affiliate): https://medium.com/haikuprajna/20220712-scott-pilgrim-comic-book-review-and-summary-7b5feb42c5fd

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/20220712-scott-71036434

Substack: https://haikuprajna.substack.com/p/20220712-scott-pilgrim-comic-book

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20220712-scott-pilgrim-comic-book-review-summary-allen-w-mclean/

These poems will be collected in a future edition of the HaikuPrajna Collection. 

Stay tuned to HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair for book previews, mindful meditation haiku \ scifaiku poetry from my metaphysical and magical realism stories (like the sci-fi superhero novel "Escape Perennial City", available on Kindle Unlimited) and more Alchemic Wisdom via our emailing list and social media over here: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

Each week, you can collect an ebook on Free Fridays! All one needs is an Amazon account! Kindle ebooks can be read on any device through one's web browser at https://read.amazon.com - Selection rotates every few weeks; collect them all! https://www.amazon.com/Allen-W-McLean/e/B0867C5D24

If anyone reading this needs followers to stay in the Medium Partner Program, I am asking you to please follow me (and sign up for emails!) and I'll follow you back! Thanks to you guys, I've reached 100 followers! “Hector Blake” is free to read online alongside book reviews and articles: https://haikuprajna.medium.com 

April's latest psychedelic music, videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms.

Electric Armchair - Where Giants Grow: https://open.spotify.com/track/3EsjL7Fsu8YYBnzxFgYPwB

"Fishing for Caribou" eBook, paperback and hardcover are available through Amazon Kindle apps and devices, and with Kindle Unlimited; previews and more: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/spear-thrower.html

Read on any device at https://read.amazon.com or on your Kindle device/app!

20220614 - Bloodborne Comic Book Review Analysis and Summary

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Ending of the hunt, \ madness obtained from paleblood, \ insights from gods' dreams.

#HAIKUPRAJNA -  Bloodborne Comic Book Summary and Review 

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At the time of writing, there are four “Bloodborne” volumes written by Ales Kot, with more written by Cullen Bunn coming in 2022. These limited series are for fans of Bloodborne’s lore and premise. What I found the most interesting was how insight into From Software’s worldbuilding provides a better experience for the reader while those ignorant of this lore might be irritated by the writing style, which I enjoyed because the opposite (madness-causing insight versus the ignorance of an unending dream) is a thematic component of the story in the video game. “Paleblood” serves as Bloodborne’s macguffin, or the idea of a goal.

“There must be more than the hunt.”

Each story follows a different character living in the world of Yarhman, brought to life by the art team’s amazing work across the whole series; “The Death of Sleep” was about a Paleblood child with a hunter who knew Durja and the Powder Kegs; “The Healing Thirst” displayed a member of the Healing Church being science bros with a love-mad scientist; “A Song of Crows” told the story of Eileen the crow; and “The Veil, Torn Asunder” dealt with a soldier suffering from war PTSD, showing that the madness of insight was a universal affliction in the world of Yarhman.

“When they say healing… they mean burning… us alive.”

An important aspect of the disease inflicting the city is how the beasts were all once human, where characters grow to realize they may be “undeserving of the hunt”. The unafflicted believed that people were transforming into beasts, but the protagonists’ individual descents into madness reveal to them (and us readers) that the insight was turning them into godlike beings, which enforces one of my favorite literary themes of death being a good--an idea that drove mad the living Yarhmanites who clung to the desirables of life. Perhaps the best part of these Bloodborne side stories is how this information is revealed to almost everyone in Yarhman, but they are all unable to convey this to each other until after they transform into monsters. For these characters, going mad was equivalent to obtaining insight about the hunt and the Paleblood, as one began to see monstrous gods fighting one another throughout Yarhman. In true fashion, the more insight one acquired, the more monsters one saw.

“... but nobody taught me how to grieve without killing myself...”

The four comic book stories set within Bloodborne’s world are all about the personal struggles of individuals living in Yarhman, their own issues and trauma, and how they manage to cope until the end of the hunters’ dream.

Thank you for reading,

Allen W. McLean

... Updated 221018 ...

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Banner: The Cannon by Allen W. McLean

Readers can follow HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair via our emailing lists (on Medium, Patreon, LinkedIn and more) for mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry based on book reviews and on previews of metaphysical stories such as "Escape Perennial City" (available on Kindle Unlimited); as a free gift, all readers get an Amazon Kindle ebook short story every week on Free Fridays--selection rotates every few weeks, so follow via email to collect them all! https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html 

Thanks to you, over 500 followers have joined us on Medium! If anyone reading this needs followers to stay in the Medium Partner Program, I am asking you to please follow me (and sign up for emails!) and I'll follow you back! My short story "Hector Blake" is available to read for FREE on Medium!

Leave a comment with books you would like to see reviewed and I will add them to my Goodreads!!

Always open to reading book recommendations. Looking forward to adding new friends on Goodreads, to share what we read with each other: www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

Have been looking for other free kindle books to read, ones that are only free for a day or so, so if you have an ebook on Kindle feel free to share them and I'll download!

April's latest psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms.

Electric Armchair - Living Ghosts (FULL ALBUM): distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/living-ghosts

"Tomothy and the Overseer of the Forest" is available as an eBook through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read right now with Kindle Unlimited! www.haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/tomothy-and-overseer-of-forest.html

Kindle ebooks can be read on any device through one's web browser at www.read.amazon.com

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

... Original below ...

Check out our latest announcement here: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/06/20220607-orbital-rotation-together-in.html

20220607 - Orbital Rotation: "Together in Forever, Part I" and Brampton Library's Local Authors Showcase

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Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering? 

These poems will be collected in a future edition of the HaikuPrajna Collection. Stay tuned to HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair for book previews, mindful meditation haiku \ scifaiku poetry from my metaphysical and magical realism stories (like the sci-fi superhero novel "Escape Perennial City", available on Kindle Unlimited) and more Alchemic Wisdom via our emailing list and social media over here: 

https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

If anyone reading this needs followers to stay in the Medium Partner Program, I am asking you to please follow me (and sign up for emails!) and I'll follow you back! Thanks to you guys, I've reached 100 followers! “Hector Blake” is free to read online alongside book reviews and articles: 

https://haikuprajna.medium.com 

Every week, you can collect an ebook on Free Fridays! All one needs is an Amazon account! Kindle ebooks can be read on any device through one's web browser at https://read.amazon.com - Selection rotates every few weeks; collect them all! 

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-W-McLean/e/B0867C5D24

April's latest psychedelic music, videos, art and poetry available on all streaming platforms: Electric Armchair - Feast of Fools 

https://album.link/y/OLAK5uy_mwn2Kg_wXCjcg4TWf12bBrG0m_unVlZUM

"Fishing for Caribou" eBook, paperback and hardcover are available through Amazon Kindle apps and devices, and with Kindle Unlimited; previews and more: 

https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/spear-thrower.html