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

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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)

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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

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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!!

20220429 - Review: House of M

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Chaos magicians \ decimate reality \ piecing their psyche.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Review: House of M

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“YOU’VE DESTROYED EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE!! AND YOU USED MY NAME TO DO IT!!”

Been reading Brian Michael Bendis’s “New Avengers”, and the “House of M” event completed an arc that took readers through “Avengers: Disassembled” and “Secret War” to set up future storylines like “Secret Invasion” and “AvX”. (Perfect timing with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness!)

This limited series had the X-Men crossover with the Avengers to deal with the Maximoff family, and includes all the cinematic style that one expects from Bendis’s Avengers. The heroes wake up to find themselves living different lives. One moment, they were looking for the Scarlet Witch, and the next they had forgotten their old pasts. History had been rewritten. Wolverine was the only one who remembered, so he managed to meet his old allies along with Layla Miller, a mutant child who restored Emma Frost’s memories before restoring everyone else’s. 

I enjoyed the interactions between characters like Spider-man, Doc Strange, Wolverine and Luke Cage. Everyone was given an altered version of their lives to cope with. Though, core members of the New Avengers and the Marvel Universe were sidelined in the main story, including a reimagined Fantastic Four and a retired veteran Captain America. This, however, gave other plots more room to breathe. Some of these stories are visited in tie-ins with good twists, a highlight includes Peter Parker waking up and remembering a shadow life with Gwen and Uncle Ben that he was now forced to live with.

“... No more mutants.”

Wanda Maximoff's tragic story comes to a climax, forcing her to deal with the reality of her children being taken away from her, along with the guilt of abusing her powers. After losing the children she made using Mephisto’s magic, which led to her causing the deaths of the Vision among other Avengers, Charles Xaiver was failing to repair her shattered psyche. Wanda’s reality altering abilities made her mental breakdown all the more dangerous for those she cared about. Professor X and Magneto had found themselves at their wit’s ends. The portrayal of loss and the inability to move on past traumatic heartbreak were the best parts of this event; though, as these deaths are later reversed, the only guilt Wanda would carry would be over the shame of acting out, but these losses nonetheless carry the heroes of the Marvel Universe toward goals of overcoming trauma and abuse. The idea and world of HoM had potential to play around in, but it was over almost as fast as it began.

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

...

These Goodreads poems will be collected in a future edition of the HaikuPrajna Collection. More can be found on Medium and Goodreads.

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering? Get book previews and mindful meditation haiku \ scifaiku poetry from my metaphysical and magical realism stories (like the sci-fi superhero novel "Escape Perennial City", available on #KindleUnlimited!) sent to your inbox for free Alchemic Wisdom from @electricarmchair and @haikuprajna via the emailing list over here: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html 

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

Every week, you can collect an ebook on Free Fridays! Selection rotates every few weeks; collect them all! "Hector Blake" is also free to read online alongside book reviews and articles: 

https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/03/20220323-hector-blake-second-edition.html

If anyone reading this has a Medium account and needs followers to stay in the Medium Partner Program, I am asking you to please follow me and I'll follow you back! Thanks to you guys, I've reached 100 followers! #MediumWriter #Medium

20220408 - Review: Black Cat (2020)

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Borrowing relics. \ Stealing the hearts of the lost. \ Finding destiny.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Review: Black Cat (2020)

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"I've always wanted to fly one of these things!"

Jed MacKay’s Black Cat run has been great so far, and the 2020 series was little exception. (Side note on MacKay, he has credits for TV Ontario programs such as Polka Dot Door and Elliot Moose! What a nostalgic childhood connection.)

The volumes contain tie ins and set-ups for Infinity Stone and Venom events, but that was the reason I stumbled into this run, though, and these stories had made me check out the rest of the writer's work. (Check out my King in Black review! https://medium.com/haikuprajna/haikuprajna-review-king-in-black-ff55857758ec) 

The series managed to retain Felicia's overall character arc and even revisited past traumas related to the events. Highlights included Felicia rehabilitating the wayward while staying true to her character, good use of the Spider-mobile, Doctor Strange and the ghost dog that Spider-Man met, and forms of Agent Anti-venom and Asgardian goddesses. The main issues of this volume continue the mystic mayhem with a deal involving the property of Manhattan before closing into another event, but these stories were enough to interest me in plots I otherwise was uninterested in.

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

...updated 20221013 ...

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.

...(Old)...

These Goodreads poems will be collected in a future edition of the HaikuPrajna Collection. More can be found on Medium and Goodreads.

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering? Get book previews and mindful meditation haiku \ scifaiku poetry from my metaphysical and magical realism stories (like the sci-fi superhero novel "Escape Perennial City", available on #KindleUnlimited!) sent to your inbox for free Alchemic Wisdom from @electricarmchair and @haikuprajna via the emailing list over here: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html 

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

Every week, you can collect an ebook on Free Fridays! Selection rotates every few weeks; collect them all! "Hector Blake" is also free to read online alongside book reviews and articles: 

https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/03/20220323-hector-blake-second-edition.html

The current Project Roadmap has been updated with new sales. The 5W's About Me page has also been updated with the latest book release's bio.

If anyone reading this has a Medium account and needs followers to stay in the Medium Partner Program, I am asking you to please follow me and I'll follow you back! Thanks to you guys, I've reached 100 followers! #MediumWriter #Medium

20210907 - Comic Book Review - King in Black

Inherit darkness,\ despair is symbiotic,\ light the force of life.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Review: King in Black

"Dylan, isn't your cat a symbiote?"

King in Black caps off the Venom saga by Donny Cates. I am a fan of all the things in this event; I like Cates's writing and have enjoyed seeing his stuff appear in other Marvel books; I enjoy Ryan Stegman's Spider-Man art; even got behind the nihilistic God of all Darkness and EVIL that was Knull and the concept of creator versus Venom-symbiotes (which I am think are all dragons now?); It was cool, in an issue Tony Stark technomancies a dragon and pilots a symbiote Celestial.

"Luckily... That's exactly why I invented Extremis."

But the tie-ins and prequels were much more fun to read, Black Cat's tie-in and even Absolute Carnage were both better examples of the whole symbiote craze of the past few years. Heroes job to Knull while Venom gives a depressive monologue to nobody about how it's all hopeless and that the heroes stand no chance while Knull sweeps them until they Captain Universe the problem away (wait, is this Spider… Geddon? It's a trope at this point.)

"The Enigma Force... Solved."

This story has a lot of heart, the elements are sound, and even the peripheral stories are good but these pieces fail to come together in the main books for King in Black.

These Goodreads poems will be collected in a future edition of the HaikuPrajna Collection. More can be found on my Book Reviews page: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/goodreads-book-reviews.html

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More bite-sized insights into this metaphysical superhero novel can be found in the link at the top of the page, including excerpts straight from the book: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/escape-perennial-city.html

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

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20210822 - Review: "Edge of Spider-Verse"

The idea of webs,/ woven through the multiverse./ Inheritors feast.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Review: "Edge of Spider-Verse"

"Edge of Spider-verse" is a tie-in to one of Dan Slott's big Spider-Man events. These are five cool stories which unfortunately end too soon because of the event. Some acted as launches for more appearances, but most were just one-shots. My power-ranking of the five stories are as follows:

. "SP//dr" by Gerard Way

. "Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman" by Jason Latour

. "Spider-Man Noir" by David Hine

. "I Walked With a Spider!" by Clay McLeod Chapman

. "Aaron Aikman The Spider-Man" by Dustin Weaver

This book was a gift, and all five were fine stories, but Way's SP//dr stood out to me the most, with Gwen and Noir following close behind; "Walked" was fun, too, and saved itself from last place with its lack of exposition, unlike Aikman.

Source: Edge of Spider-Verse #5

Add me as a friend on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

These Goodreads poems will be collected in a future edition of the HaikuPrajna Collection. More can be found on my Book Reviews page: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/goodreads-book-reviews.html

"Escape Perennial City" eBook, paperback and hardcover are now available through Amazon and on Kindle apps and devices, read with Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B099C5LJ6W

More bite-sized insights into this metaphysical superhero novel can be found in the link at the top of the page, including excerpts straight from the book: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/escape-perennial-city.html

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

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20210627 Review - Spider-Man: Identity Crisis [Updated 20220817]

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Underneath the masks\ Mistaken identities\ The true hero shines

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Spider-Man: Identity Crisis

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The last trade paperback comic book that I read this month was "Spider-Man: Identity Crisis". The introduction explains that Spider-Man has been framed by Norman Osborn for murder, so Peter takes on four separate hero identities in order to find out which C-list villain is guilty and to clear the Spider-Man name. 

Difficult to rate this tpb because it collects issues from four Spider-Man series (Spider-Man, Sensational, Amazing and Spectacular) with individual stories that are supposed to be happening at the same time, but because of a number different writers (J.M. DeMatteis, Mike Wieringo, Glenn Greenberg, Jeph York, Tom Defalco, Howard Mackie and Todd Dezago) they feel nearly unrelated. I thought that the art was great from pencilers Joe Bennett, John Romita Jr., Mike Wieringo and Luke Ross. Can be a fun read for true fans of the character, as these stories cast a light on what makes Peter Parker able to carry out the individual heroics of his identities--including the webbed red-and-blue. I am currently reading the classic Lee/Ditko ASM now from #1, after having read other events like Maximum Carnage and Venom.

The poems that are based on my Goodreads reviews will be featured in a future edition of The HaikuPrajna Collection. More poems and reviews about what I'm reading can be found through the tags in the sidebar, and on my Goodreads profile (add me as a friend!): https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

"SM-SARA, Poems and Other Stories", the latest HaikuPrajna Collection, is available on Amazon in Paperback and on Kindle Unlimited [UPDATED 20220817: https://www.amazon.ca/SM-SARA-Poems-Stories-HaikuPrajna-Collection-ebook/dp/B08XYK5DCD/ OLD]: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08Y3XFSH5

Information can be found in the link at the top of the page, along with more poetry and stories to read like "Hector Blake"!

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

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...

Updated 2022 08 17 

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20210527 Review - "The Amazing Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt"

 

Fearful symmetry\ in the forests of the night.\ Immortal hand-eye.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - The Amazing Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt

Will be adding more comic trade paperbacks to my reviews, starting with "Kraven's Last Hunt" by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck, which collects six issues across three Spider-Man series ("Amazing", "Web of" and "Spectacular"). 

Literary symbolism plays a key role within the plot; to understand and become his prey, Kraven uses mysticism to consume a representation of whoever he's hunting, which he also uses to consume his prey in fear. Kraven consumes and becomes the idea of the Spider in order to overcome the Spider's fear of being consumed by or being seen as Vermin. In the end, when he has "bested' Peter by proving himself to be the superior Spider, Kraven himself knows he had failed in being a better "Spider-Man", as even Mary-Jane knew right away that he was not Peter. Peter won against Kraven in the same symmetrical way, consuming a superior "Spider", in order to overcome his own mortal terrors.

The poems that are based on my Goodreads reviews will be featured in a future edition of The HaikuPrajna Collection. More poems and reviews about what I'm reading can be found through the tags in the sidebar, and on my Goodreads profile (add me as a friend!): https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

"SM-SARA, Poems and Other Stories", the latest HaikuPrajna Collection, is available on Amazon in Paperback and on Kindle Unlimited:  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08Y3XFSH5

Information can be found in the link at the top of the page, along with more poetry and stories to read like "Hector Blake"!

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

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