The Stand: Captain Trips

Ripped from the headlines or faithful graphic adaptation of a 31 year old novel?

As the rather scary news of the possibility of a swine flu outbreak swept the world this weekend, I decided to sit down and read a comic book... of course, the comic book I read ended up being a bit more frightening due to that news. The Stand: Captain Trips is the first volume of a comic book retelling of Stephen King’s 1978 novel (expanded in a “Complete and Uncut Edition” in 1990) about the world after a terrible plague. Adapted by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa with art by Mike Perkins and coloring by Laura Martin, The Stand: Captain Trips is a remarkable and scary book.

The Stand has always been my favorite Stephen King novel (The Gunslinger being a close runner-up) and seeing the story adapted into a different format (i.e. the 1994 miniseries) is something I approach with both excitement and trepidation. I ended up enjoying the movie enough to own a copy on DVD, but there are some, and not always small, things that bug the crap out of me about it as well. I am happy to say that this graphic adaptation is better than movie in every way. The story is faithful, the art is gorgeous, and the sense of fear and amazement I have when reading the novel is present here.

Captain Trips, being the first volume of five, tells the story of the outbreak of a disease which kills 99.4% of those it comes in contact with. Where the disease, called “Captain Trips”, comes from and how it spreads makes the start of the novel compelling reading - here in the comic book, the adaptation of the spread of the superflu is well executed... there are a couple sections where the disease moves from person to person, and area to area, in a panel to panel storytelling format, excellently representing portions of the beginning of the tale Stephen King wrote so well. As this is only the first of five volumes (the monthly comics which will make up the second volume, American Nightmares, have only just begun coming out - the whole adaptation is expected to be made up of 30 issues and collected into five books), I cannot comment on how well the whole story will be represented, but feel the beginning of this graphic adaptation is a truly exciting way to revisit a story I know rather well from multiple readings of the book.

I think that for anyone who has not read the novel, Captain Trips provides an adequate beginning, giving you the main points of the story without requiring the time investment needed to read Stephen King’s 1000+ page novel - which is something of a shame, as many who read this will then not read the book (which, I suppose, is a whole other issue concerning how an adaptation of any kind plays a role in the readership of the source material - certainly movies and comics adapted from books increases the original’s sales, but then knowing the story before reading a book takes a whole lot of the experience away from the reader - yes, I HATE spoilers). Personally, knowing the story already does a lot to fill in the between-panel happenings of the story - while we get the main points from the comic, a lot occurs which cannot be shown for various reasons (the space and pace of a comic being the biggest two), and knowing a more in-depth back-story of the characters introduced in this volume provides a much more fulfilling experience. So I'd suggest, if you enjoy this first volume, read the book before you read the following volumes.

And as an almost unrelated aside - here’s hoping we never see an outbreak of a disease anywhere near as horrifying as Captain Trips... the recent news of the world can probably get anyone a bit paranoid - I believe the idea of a deadly pandemic is much better when read about in novels and comic books than it would be in the daily news.

Mentioned in a previous post, the hardcover of Captain Trips is available only through comic book stores, so get out to your local comic shop and buy a copy, it is worth every penny.

Flipping Out Giveaway - and we have a Winner!

Big time congratulations go out to Maureen H. who was just chosen as the lucky winner of a signed copy of Marshall Karp’s outstanding third novel, Flipping Out. Elizabeth, I hope you enjoy it!

First time visitor? Flipping What? Check out my review of Flipping Out and learn why I am so happy for Elizabeth.

For all those who missed the contest... no worries, there’s bound to be more contests and giveaways in our future, so check on back when you get a chance.

A Glimpse Behind the Madness

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words…

...or in this case, a thousand books. Yep, the wife limits the amount of bookshelves in our house (trust me, she is perfect in every other way, so it’s all good), therefore my books get stored neatly (if a little low rent) in the basement - and yes, all the boxes are books and cataloged. Someday this apartment is bound to turn into a four bedroom house with a book filled library - just trying to be proactive, planning for the future is good thinking, I think.

And to show it is not all neat and tidy - the sorting table...

Oh boy, now that’s a mess (awe, the glamour of a book bloggin’ bibliophile)! I've got it all here - books to be boxed, books to read, books to sell, books to donate (and this is actually after cataloging two boxes of books).

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

Being the Eighth Post of my Project Reread...
After my feelings on the previous part of my Project Reread I headed into reading The Dragon Reborn with mixed feelings. On one hand I was excited to continue reading The Wheel of Time (although a little less so due to the recent announcement that the final book will be split into 3 parts, so it doesn't look like we will be getting the conclusion of the story as soon as I was hoping). On the other hand, thanks in no small part to my recent experience rereading The Return of the King, I wasn't really looking forward to discovering another favorite series somehow having difficulty living up to my expectations. Thankfully, after this reread, The Wheel of Time is still holding strong with George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire on my favorite fantasy series list.

Many fans will tell you that The Dragon Reborn is the best book of the whole series... I am not willing to go there for many reasons, but after reading the first three books, I can honestly say The Dragon Reborn is the best of the series thus far. It continues the story and expands the world Robert Jordan setup in the first two books... it also represents the beginning of an evolution of sorts which occurs within the series as it moves beyond what might be considered simple, albeit well written and developed, fantasy.

For a quick moment let's go back in time and image my experience with the book the first go-around... here was the just published third book of a series - certainly this was to be the conclusion of the story, right? I do remember thinking just that - this was back in the age before the proliferation of fan sites and I, in my pre-madness years, was paying little attention to such things besides what books were available on the store shelves. But then you get into the book and quickly realize that this is not your average fantasy trilogy - there is much more to come.

Upon rereading The Dragon Reborn I was impressed by the fact that, while much of the book follows the tried and true quest format of the previous two books, all the little side diversions serve a purpose in the story - I can think of many books I have read where the quests seem to be adventure for adventure’s sake...not so with The Dragon Reborn (as well as The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt). Where another book is just giving the characters a challenge to overcome, Robert Jordan moves the story forward and sets up things to come, not only for later revelations and plot points within the current book, but for further on into the series as well. This is something that is present in all three of the first books, but goes almost unnoticed as you are immersed in the world and story - and something that this reread has made a bit more evident to me.

Was it worth a reread? Yes, The Dragon Reborn, even after several reads now, still has the ability to provoke a sense of wonder and desire to spend more time within Robert Jordan’s world learning its details and nuances. In some aspects, this is the book where the series gets more interesting.
. . .
Collector’s note - while the first edition of The Dragon Reborn is, I believe, a very collectible book, it is also where the series begins its downward price decrease... a first of the next book, The Shadow Rising, still goes for a good chunk of change, but after that (bestsellerdom sets in for Robert Jordan), The Fires of Heaven and beyond, the price drops to the point where anyone can afford one. As a side note, it will be interesting to watch the prices of the first books of The Wheel of Time as the last book(s) is released - I am guessing there will be a spike come late fall/early winter, so if you are thinking about investing in some Robert Jordan First Editions, I’d say buy now or in a couple of years once the possible hype of the series finishing dies down (this, of course, is all pure speculation on my part).
. . .
Up next on my Project Reread - I think I will be taking a short break and reading some other books before jumping back into my Project Reread with The Shadow Rising. With the announcement that The Memory of Light will be split into 3 books, my desire to get through my reread by the release of the final book has been as stretched as the release schedule for it.

Lazy Blogger

No no, not me... OK, yes, I am talking about me. This past holiday went by with barely a glance at a book (and only a passing thought or two about the blog). I didn’t even get to put up a cleverly themed Easter post! Now as I get back in front of the computer, I feel the time spent with family and friends is worth the gap in posts you will be seeing - although I tend to complain about many of the undesirable changes which have occurred to the town since I was a kid, visiting my childhood home is mostly a nice and relaxing, if infrequent, getaway. The only regrets I have was not getting any good book shopping in - my old home town is home to one of the absolute best bookstores in existence (sometime in the future I will certainly cover it, so for now I am keeping it secret)...

Anyway, I figured I would put up a quick post covering a couple odds and ends:

• The Flipping Out Giveaway is going well - make sure to get your entry in.
• I am almost finished with The Dragon Reborn, so expect a new post in my Project Reread sometime soon.
• Next weekend there looks to be a pretty nice Book Sale in Allentown, PA - I may get up early and drive the hour and some to go to it - here’s hoping there are some good finds worth writing to you all about.
• Just got an ARC of Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner in the mail - looks really interesting - now I just need to find the best place to squeeze it into my to be read stack.
• Last, but not least - The Mad Ones - the NYT’s review of The Beats: A Graphic History - I am so totally buying this!

Flipping Out Giveaway

So you didn’t follow my suggestion to buy Flipping Out? What were you thinking? Ok, you probably did listen to me, and now you are wishing you had a nice signed copy to proudly display on your shelf? No worries in either case... I am happy to announce one lucky reader will win a signed copy of Flipping Out by Marshall Karp!

Here is how we will be play it - Please send an email to dennis at madnessabides dot com (link provided on the top right of the page in the “About this Blog” section) with the subject line of “Flipping Out Giveaway” by Thursday 04/23/09. One entry will be chosen at random on 04/24/09. Please include your mailing address to speed things along...

Woo-hoo... a Free Signed Book for you!!! (if you win)

Flipping Out by Marshall Karp

Woo-hoo... my buddies Lomax and Biggs are back and solving some murders!

I have previously written about my enjoyment of Marshall Karp’s first two books, The Rabbit Factory and Bloodthirsty. Both were outstanding and I am still recommending them to people. Now Marshall Karp’s third novel, Flipping Out, has been published and I have a new book to recommend.

Karp’s previous books took an interesting and amusing look at the world of crime while mixing in some fun knowledge about family theme parks and Hollywood. In Flipping Out he turns his humor towards house flipping. We follow Lomax and Biggs as they try to solve the murders of some fellow cops’ family members who are part of a group that, you guessed it, flip houses. Who’s killing who, and why? Don’t worry, Marshall Karp doesn't disappoint - he plays it straight on the who-done-it aspect of the story, even if there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right up until the satisfying conclusion.

Set in LA, Flipping Out is populated with some truly memorable characters, including an egocentric mystery writer (whose contribution to the "LA Flippers" is quite unique). To begin this post, I called Lomax and Biggs “my buddies”... and chances are after reading Marshall Karp's books you will too - these are two characters that you would enjoy hanging out with. They are real and, to extend this buddy talk, I feel are quintessential buddy cops who play so well off each other that they will soon become your go-to example if ever referencing buddy cops (come on, you know you are forced to reference buddy cops on at least a weekly basis). Marshall Karp is at his best, and funniest, when his characters are interacting. Karp’s dialogue is sharp and as real as his characters. Besides an eye for character and an ear for dialogue, Karp’s writing is continuously witty and intelligent.

Worried you won’t know what is going on because you haven’t read Karp’s two previous novels? While I recommend them highly, reading them will not be necessary to your enjoyment of Flipping Out - Karp provides just enough back-story to catch you up without slowing down the pace for those of us who have read The Rabbit Factory and Bloodthirsty... a worthy accomplishment that not all writers are capable of. I do, however, recommend you check out his website (a quality author site is something all readers can appreciate) and learn a little more about Karp, Lomax, and Biggs.

Often in today’s world of sleep deprived readers we hear a lot about a book's ability to cause sleep loss... so you might ask yourself if Flipping Out is a “keep you up until the wee hours of the morning” type read? Well, Marshall Karp kept me turning pages long after 3 Advil PM’s should have had me snoring soundly! It’s true. The writing and story are compelling and compulsive, leaving no room for an “I’ll finish tomorrow” thought to creep into your head. Flipping Out is a fast paced, funny, and enjoyable book - it is out in bookstores now... turn off your computer, get in your car, drive to the bookstore, and buy a copy (or at least order it online). You’ll thank me.

Kings of Infinite Space by James Hynes

James Hynes writes some absolutely hilarious horror... yes, I know, not necessarily a good thing, but in this case it is. Kings of Infinite Space is the tale of a washed up academic, Paul Trilby, now a temp writer for the Department of Texas General Services, who is isn’t having a good time at his job or with his life (as an example of this - Paul is haunted by an ex-girlfriend’s murdered cat - the fact that he was behind the feline’s demise only adds to the fun somehow). Paul’s life isn’t really getting better when some strange and frightening things start happening. A story that is equal parts satire, commentary on modern office life, and tale of macabre - Office Space meets H.P. Lovecraft is about the best I can come up with to describe this book.

James Hynes puts together a memorable tale. For anyone who has ever worked in the maze of a cubicle filled space, you will find much that feels very familiar. Paul’s eclectic assortment of coworkers are a group that would probably be at home in any office. From petty grievances and clueless bosses to boredom and work avoidance, the whole smorgasbord of office dysfunction is here, described in a biting and hilarious fashion that I was able to identify with immediately. Kings of Infinite Space moves from satire to frightening in the blink of an eye without missing a beat and kept me hooked right on through utterly bizarre and creepy climax. Thanks to Kings of Infinite Space I will never look at some of the commonplace objects at my office in the same way again... what is going on at the bottom of that recycling can? Was that ceiling panel slightly ajar yesterday?

This may be the first James Hynes book I have read, but it won’t be the last. His writing is clever, funny, and imaginative. For every cube dweller out there who enjoys horror literature or a good laugh, you will enjoy Kings of Infinite Space.

April Fool’s Day

In honor of April 1st I tried to come up with some witty practical joke to play, but sadly, nothing clever enough came to mind. So instead I have decided to recommend two “fool” books that everyone should read...

Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo
While not the book that won Richard Russo his Pulitzer, it probably should have. A poignant portrayal of blue collar small town life in NY, Nobody’s Fool is one of those books that stay with you for a while. Nobody’s Fool is a book that I recommend taking your time while reading, mainly because I enjoyed it so much - I remember savoring the writing and story in such a deliberate fashion that I often am unable to spend on books anymore (sadly). At times both funny and moving, the range that Russo shows in his writing is impressive. The main character, Sully, is someone who you cheer for, and his story is one that Russo writes extraordinarily well. Besides being a great book, Nobody’s Fool was also a quality movie with Paul Newman playing Sully (awesome casting and performance).

The Fool’s Progress: An Honest Novel by Edward Abbey
When put to the wall and asked what is the best book I have ever read, I often answer “The Fool’s Progress by Ed Abbey” without hesitation (I only say “often” because I do not like this question, and can flip and flop among at least a dozen books). The Fool’s Progress is a great American novel, and in my mind, Abbey’s finest. While Ed Abbey is often known for The Monkey Wrench Gang and Desert Solitaire (both great books), his final novel is the one which I champion above all his others. The story is a journey of discovery of a man who has lived his life at odds with modern times and should be as compelling today as when it was written in the 80’s. A book that is thought provoking, funny, and inspirational - it is bound to bring out that pseudo-luddite/anarchist that may be hiding within you, allow you to embrace it, and then come to terms in a manner of speaking with what modern America has become. Autobiographical in nature, it truly is an honest look at a man’s life.

Both of these books deserve much better write ups than this, but it has been quite some time since I visited with them, and my reading schedule is rather full, so it will sadly be a while before I am able to return to either of them... although, I can say unequivocally, that if you are looking for some quality American Literature, you could do a lot worse than reading these two books. They both belong on your bookshelf (they will certainly be staying on mine for as long as it stands).