#torch review

[sealrock]

so this guy hit me over the head with a baseball bat looney tunes style and his place in the story is kinda funny—meet paris' former fiance, agamemnon 'aggie' tiryns. some lore in no particular order:

second son to a mining empire, good-natured but spoiled

has dalmascan and mhachi ancestry, has a natural talent for spellcraft

the tiryns are rivals of the tatlongharis thanks to a 150 year long political feud a la romeo and juliet

elder brother is a soldier for the immortal flames. his name is menelaus and they don't see each other often

was promised to paris when they were kids by the elders of their families as a marriage of convenience to end the bad blood between them

completely ignorant (or at least in denial) to paris' visible disdain of him

showered paris with gifts, praise, and public displays of loyalty and devotion

was meant to marry paris when they became adults, only for paris to run away from home to become an adventurer, and later the warrior of light

despite being rejected, aggie doesn't hold that against paris. he is probably paris' biggest supporter

can you feel the love in the air?

[dragonanne]

If we can get to 20 ratings on goodreads by the end of this week, I'll draw a MASSIVE spoiler for book 3 and post it on here with absolutely no context 😏

[topoet]

Torch Singers

In noir, usually crime, films of the 50’s there was often a scene set later at night in a smoky bar with someone, usually female, signing a sultry jazzy song with just a piano player, in the background. Sometimes you’d get to see her, occasionally our hero would say hi to her. She was background that created a whole sense of time & place. The song might comment on the plot, if you actually listen…

View On WordPres

[accidental-spice]

@dragonanne I have finished The Killing Thought, and I have Many Thoughts

Guys, I HIGHLY recommend this book, it's so good

(Spoilers under the cut)

Lune is SO delightful to me. I love her pouch of throwing knives, and I love her snark, and I love her political skill. I also love how you showed her being upset about killing Zezri, that was a good addition! But stars, was that bit INTENSE!!

Kenneth seems like a darling, and so did Dake. I love them

Gardzrin is an EXCELLENT villain. I loved the epilogue, and how it showed his dynamic woth his siblings some more, y'know? He's very interesting and also I hate his guts

Gabryl, I still love SO much. I adored the part when he escorted Aril into the ball to keep her away from Gardzrin, it was so sweet

Speaking of loving, I ADORE Captain Torin and Lady Vaulus, they're so fun. I loved Lady Vaulus shipping Cam and Korthi, it delighted me. (Speaking of, I also highkey ship those two as well. Korthi and Cam, to clarify. Obviously I do not ship Torin and Lady Vaulus) Through the whole book, I kept having to be like, self, stop getting attached to these two, they could be TRAITORS. This did not go well, because I love them. Luckily, they didn't betray anyone, so we're good!!

Ugh, speaking of traitors, Lord Vazet??? How COULD he??? I KNEW he was suspicious, though, when he was all, I must, uhhhhh, go attend to something.... not traitor stuff I MEAN WHAT (Okay, he was actually a lot more subtle than that, I just noticed cause I was PARANOID, but I think I'm funny. So)

Matsen. I love him. So much. He's snarky, and loyal, and FASCINATING. I cannot WAIT to learn more about him!!

Your illustrations are GORGEOUS. The one of Cam holding Korthi when she was breaking down over Ferthe (FERTHE MY BELOVED HOW COULD YOU KILL HIMMMMMM) hit me RIGHT in the feels. So did the one of Gabryl hugging Lune. You evoke emotions QUITE well through your art! And I loves seeing those illustrations, because while they're not the exact same as my art by any means, they're similar enough that it gave me hope that I could illustrate a book someday!! So, y'know, thanks!!

To wrap it up, I ADORED this book. The characters were SO great, the plot was fascinating, and the world building was EXCELLENT!!!! I was utterly DELIGHTED by it!! 10/10, would and will recommend!!

[jaysterg5]

Fantastic Four #14

Writer - Stan Lee

Art - Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers

Cover - Steve Ditko

Arriving back on Earth after their trip to the moon, the team is greeted by enthusiastic fans and supporters. But after having barely any time to relax, Sue is whisked away by Namor and he dares Reed and the others to challenge him in his own domain! But something is odd about the Sub-Mariner's behavior, something that has him under the influence of someone in the shadows!

I was looking forward to this one and really wanted it to be, well, fantastic. It just wasn't that great. It was fine, but Lee's plot used way too many conveniences or contrived devices to make this a solid issue. Way too many "magic" fish and a few of Reed's miracle ready-for-anything devices pushed this one too far. The mento-fish (which allows psychic communication over great distance) and the hypno-fish (pretty self-explanatory) were just the beginning of the contrivances that had me cringing a bit. I know - Silver Age Comic, and these things do have an element of fun too them, but too many is too many.

Ben also drags his girlfriend, Alicia, along on the journey to the ocean depths to challenge the Sub-Mariner. May not be the smartest move to put your significant other in deep jeopardy, and Ben even remarks that he expected to have to put up an argument with Reed to bring her along, but Reed just accepts it and they go on their merry way! Now I thought this would actually have a bearing on the story since the power behind the scenes is Alicia's step-father, the Puppet Master. But even so, Alicia's presence was completely useless. Stepdad didn't ever realize she was there!

There were some fun one-liners and exciting one-on-one battles with Namor, but this story never really rose above average. Even so, it's still an early Marvel comic that sets up so much down the line. A decent read for people who are interested in exploring these formative years of the Marvel Universe.

[scottwbeattie]

Review: Fantastic Four Epic Collection 22: This Flame, This Fury

Oh man, this was good.

Don't be fooled by the extremely 90's cover, this volume is full of some excellent issues. Tom DeFalco writes classic FF stories in the best possible sense from the types of adventures that they go on to perfectly capturing each of the characters' voices. There's a lot going on in each issue, but the way that DeFalco skillfully juggles plots and subplots, comedy, and the various team members' soap opera-esque personal lives is, dare I say, Claremont-ian.

Yes, there are some of the classic 90's excesses on display (and Paul Ryan seems to be channeling his inner Jim Lee), but most of them have solid narrative reasons for being there and are unfairly taken out of context whenever they show up in the latest "Worst Parts of 90's Comics" article. For example, yes, Sue Storm's infamous "boob window"-costume is ridiculous, but it's not cheesecake for its own sake; it's a visual signifier of the her internal psychic struggle with the Malice personality. She undergoes a number of changes in personality due to this, and the provocative costume is merely one of these (the various characters around her also notice and comment on it).

My only gripes with This Flame, This Fury are that the Infinity War-crossover can be slightly hard to follow since only the FF issues are collected. Also, this Epic includes two Annuals, which, to put it nicely, aren't very good (though there is a Franklin Richards-Ben Grimm short story that was very charming).

I can't recommend this Epic enough. Not only is it better than its reputation might suggest, but, in my opinion from what I've read, the DeFalco run ought to be placed in the top tier of Fantastic Four comics.

[books-in-a-storm]

Snowflake Book Review’s

Title: Dublin Falls' Archangel's Warriors MC #16 Torch's Tornado

Author: Ciara St. James

Pages: 323

Snowflake Rating:❄❄❄❄(4/5)

Synopsis: Torch never imagined that by doing a favor for one of his club’s friends and employees, he would meet a woman who takes his breath away. She’s sassy, strong, and able to take care of herself, but he still wants to protect her and love her. Only she comes with a haunted history and a father who’s more likely to kill you than like you. She’s trying to make a life independent of her dad and isn’t looking for a man, especially a biker. Brooklyn never thought her trip to Tennessee to help out family would land her in the sights of a sexy biker who is intent on making her his. He’s not scared of her dad. He’s not going to let her tell him no. He says they’ll be together. He’s convinced she’s the one. She’s not sure she can do that. Can she trust him? She knows what bikers are like. When her dad comes seeking her, more things are revealed, and they find danger is lurking in the background. Alliances are made. They think they know who’s behind it, only to find out that person is out of the picture. Who’s after Brooklyn? What will Torch, his club, and her dad have to do to save the woman he considers Torch’s Tornado? 

[todayisafridaynight]

Sorry to keep throwing Miscellaneous Asks your way, but I finally had a moment to get my thoughts in order on one of the points on your Venn diagram I wanted to talk about! I always kind of debate whether or not to send other, semi-unrelated long asks like this when we've already got a chain going, but oh well. I'll try and address anything brought up in response here in the main one and hopefully it doesn't get confusing lol.

So I was thinking about the extent of Jo and Arakawa's relationship. It is completely true there's not much you can say that's concrete, especially since most of what we see is from Jo's perspective. Although his perspective is crucial to forming an understanding of their relationship, it's not sufficient. This is particularly the case because, coming back to giri-ninjo for a moment, Jo is largely bound by giri; it's clear his loyalty runs deep, but it's not a choice for him.

Arakawa, on the other hand, can choose who he places his trust in, especially early on. And I think it's incredibly important that, despite having men who've already been with him from day 1, men who've already been helping him with his son, Arakawa chooses to "place every confidence" in Jo (per an old Famitsu profile, one of the first official ones) and chooses to make Jo his captain.

Similarly, he kind of chooses Jo "over" Ichi in sending Ichi to prison "instead of" Jo. Perhaps the family really would collapse without Jo's talents, but… does it have to collapse entirely? Didn't Arakawa make it pretty far on his own? I guess it's neither here nor there, but I've always wondered if things would've really played out as feared if Jo went to prison instead. Not to understate Jo's role in the family, of course.

Anyway, I think that trust shows not only in overt gestures such as entrusting Masato and the family's finances to Jo, but also in more subtle behind-the-scenes ways, such as what we were talking about before with regard to New Year's 2001. There's also the fact that leaking information to Aoki was Jo's idea; for that to be the case, Arakawa would have to discuss Aoki's threats at length with Jo. (Unrelated, but come to think of it, "complying with him [to] make him see value in keeping us around" is very often the strategy of victims of abuse and neglect…)

And this one's an underrated detail many people miss, but after Arakawa shot Ichi, while he was able to come up to Ichi to tell him he's counting on him and sneak in the fake bill, if the goal was to not arouse suspicion, I don't think he would exactly have been able to excuse himself from the dinner to drive Ichi to Yokohama. Time was of the essence in terms of Ichi's survival, so that leaves Jo, who was conveniently already at the scene and who was certainly in on the "secret rule" that constitutes part of the Arakawa Family's agreement with the homeless camp. Overall, there is a pattern of Arakawa approaching Jo before anyone else, isn't there?

Sort of branching off of that, I would personally feel comfortable saying that Jo knows Arakawa better than anyone else. He seems to know details about Akane and New Year's 1976 no one else does, details Arakawa would have had to volunteer himself, and that plus his own experiences are what allow him alone to have the most complete picture of that night.

I also get the impression Jo understands Arakawa better as a person than anyone else--certainly better than Aoki, but perhaps even better than Ichi in some cases. There are multiple instances where he defends Arakawa and challenges their perceptions of him--that he's "betrayed" the Tojo Clan, that he's betrayed Aoki, that he's the type to scheme and make power-plays behind Aoki's back. He hasn't. And, despite how little Jo's "allowed" to say, he turns out to be right every time. Also worth noting Arakawa does something similar in asking Ichi to try and understand Jo's frustrations, though he's more or less enabling Jo's abuse in doing so.

Lastly, The Smallest Detail that drives me kind of insane. Them arriving at the office in the back seat of the same car in one of Ichi's flashbacks. I wouldn't think too much of it if it were any other time of day, but the first-thing-in-the-morning quality and the fact Jo isn't driving (thus it's not as an act of service but as an equal) is like… Okay. You're carpooling to work. And if you're not carpooling, you're honest-to-god living together. What the hell.

So a lot of it is this web of inferences--it has to be, at least currently--but I really do think there's a lot to chew on. More than meets the eye, anyway. I've also been stewing in all of this for years, especially since drafting Jo's relationships section, so I might just have inhaled the fumes for too long lol

Thank you for coming to me about the nature of their relationship! Although I did put it down as being more-or-less 'uncertain' on my chart, I do agree that their relationship isn't as cut-and-dry as other relationships might be (it's going back to appreciating the complexities of RGG relationships, especially in the case of the Arakawa's where for every party involved it really IS complicated)

I wanted to exclude making any definitive statements on things that couldn't be verified without making a detour on the original post (I know I already mentioned frequently that Arakawa is able to joke about Jo being 'softer' on Masato, but I do think about their relationship often and the implied depth of Jo's loyalty if- as you said- he was able to climb through the ranks of the Arakawa family much quicker than preexisting members), but there are clear points in the game that due allude to a great trust between the two (and I also note that carpooling detail during Ichi's flashback- or at the very least I know I'd find myself noticing Jo sitting in the back opposed to the front/driving). It's definitely not hard to assert that Jo knows Arakawa well either, it's hard not to come to that conclusion when we have evidence from the game to infer that.

[domono08]

Guys, this is real! I know that it’s kinda cheesy,but the beat just hits hard! I mean that mixed with the Kennedy cartoons animated sequence makes this video a trip!

[itachi86]

teach the torches to burn was really great. really glad it didn't end like the actual romeo juliet and that juliet was kind of a badass

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. Queer star-crossed love amid a centuries-old feud takes center stage in this Romeo & Juliet remix that knows sometimes, the best way is to make it gay.

Verona, Italy. Seventeen-year-old aspiring artist Romeo dreams of a quiet life with someone who loves him just as he is. But as the heir to the Montague family, he is expected to give up his "womanly" artistic pursuits and uphold the family honor—particularly in their centuries-old blood feud with a rival family, the Capulets. Worse still, he is also expected to marry a well-bred girl approved by his parents and produce heirs. But the more Romeo is forced to mingle with eligible maidens, the harder it is to keep his deepest secret: He only feels attracted to other boys.

In an attempt to forget his troubles for just one night, Romeo joins his cousin in sneaking into a Capulet party. During a fateful encounter in the garden, he meets the kindest, most beautiful boy he's ever met, and is shocked to learn he's Valentine, the younger brother of one of his closest friends. He is even more shocked to discover that Valentine is just as enamored with Romeo as Romeo is with him.

So begins a tender romance that the boys must hide from their families and friends, each of them longing for a world where they could be together without fear. And as the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets escalates out of control, Romeo and Valentine find themselves in danger of losing each other forever—if not by society's scorn, then by the edge of a blade.

Review:

A queer reimagining of Romeo and Juliet where Romeo is gay and in love with his best friend's brother and Juliet is aro-ace??? YES PLEASE. Romeo is an aspiring artist, just looking to pursue his passion and be freed of the demands of his family to marry because he has a deep dark secret, he is not interested in women at all. Romeo has tried putting off all the marriage proposals and prolonging it for as long as possible yet when his best friend's brother Valentine finally comes back into town, Romeo knows he's found the one. Romeo knows that his love for Valentine is forbidden and with the tensions in the city rising and the Capulet and Montague families rising, blood will be spilled. Then there is Juliet, the counterpart to Romeo, a girl who wants nothing more than to be freed from the arranged marriage to someone she doesn't want that her family is forcing her into. Juliet is willing to do anything to be freed even come up with a very insane plan for both her and Romeo to make it out of Verona with their lives. This was such a fun take on the classic story and I loved the queer take on the classic. The ending was perfect and I would definitely recommend this for anyone who is a fan of the classic or for anyone who ever thought that maybe Romeo and Juliet should have ended differently!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[omegaplus]

# 4,381

Omega Radio for April 8, 2023; #348.

Sandrider: “Alia”

Civic: “Blood Rushes”

Torche: “It Never Began”

Still Form: “Gums”

Blacklisters: “Why Deny It?”

Tunic: “Whispering”

Godcaster: “Vivian Heck” + “Diamond’s Shining Face”

Heavy Mother: “Louie Louie”

Brain Cave: “Solo Gazebo”

Gloop: “I Never Really Knew”

Hickey: “Backseat Driver”

Fucking Lovely: “Lamp”

Slifft: “Unseen” + “The Real Unseen”

Knub: “Dark Room”

Colonial Wound: “YSL”

Space Camp: “Space Camp Intellectual Property Lawsuit”

Oozing Wound: “The Good Times (I Don’t Miss ‘Em)”

Nag: “Repulsion”

Weeping Icon: “Two Ways”

Shove: “Swing”

Desperate Living: “Gone”

Haunted Horses: “The Garden”

Pigs: “Donnybrook”

Mulva: “Futuremind”

Deluxe noise rock and garage.

[oldbaton]

ok one more thing about danny webb's performance as NY gov al smith. al smith was gov in the 20s and was this very blustery nyc working class guy. but also very jovial "look at dis guy ovah here!" type of thing. and moses and al had this working relationship that allowed him to build the roads.

he has one big scene in the first act where he drops by the office (which is a thing politicians used to be able to do. drop by places) to reprimand moses for starting work before he signed the legislation. and it was so good. because you saw how he connected with people and won so many elections in his life time. but you saw the holes in his ethics. he was also fantastically funny. the character also has a lot of mood swings and webb navigated them SO well. he mostly very jovial but when he looks moses and goes "youre going to do what i tell you to do" its so chilling. but then he goes back to being peppy and he makes it organic- not easy. just one of those delicious big supporting performances where he enters and the play shifts from when his foot hits the stage.

like the theatermania review got it really well:

"No actor is having more fun than Danny Webb as Governor Al Smith. Chomping on a cigar, swilling bourbon, and spilling political wisdom, he's like the love child of George Burns and Yoda. Moses is the sun around which this entire play orbits, but when Smith enters the room, the center of gravity suddenly shifts. Without telling us, Webb shows us how important executive support was to Moses."

definitely a personal fav stage performance of 2022.

[iguessthisismygoodreadslol]

On this segment of "Jenn's Book Reviews," here's Teach The Torches To Burn by Caleb Roehrig!

Here are my thoughts & opinions! (Potential spoilers ahead!)

Overall Ranking: 4.5/10 (I was really let down by this one, in all honesty.)

Would I recommend it? No. (There are probably so many better Romeo & Juliet remakes at this point that this particular rendition isn't worth reading, in my opinion.)

The first seven chapters of this book were pretty insufferable (I considered DNFing the book because of it.) Romeo was the whiniest, woe-is-me, annoying narrator I've had to deal with in a long time. (Not to mention damn near nothing happened in that time frame.)

I liked how the romantic scenes between Romeo & Valentine (gender-bent Juliet) were written. They felt very first love, experimental, and sweet. (Despite the fact that there weren't that many throughout the book, much to my disappointment.)

The plot kept going in random directions that made no sense to me, and not even in the particularly fun, "keep you on your toes" kind of way. It was more so in the, "what in the absolute FUCK is going on," kind of way. Simultaneously, the plot felt pretty cyclic, like the same things kept happening over and over again. (To the point that I felt like the author couldn't come up with anything else?)

However, despite taking a massive shit on how the plot was written, I liked how the original storyline was incorporated into the book. (Ex. Juliet becomes an important ally to Romeo, and both of them have several moments in which they confide in each other about their current circumstances. Or how Valentine threw pebbles at Romeo's window to get his attention, referencing the original story.)

I liked Father Lawrence a lot. He was probably one of the most well-rounded characters in the whole book. (A main criticism is how flat the vast majority of characters felt in this book.)

Valentine had a decent amount of snarky humor, and I wish there had been more of that throughout the book.

I enjoyed Juliet as a character! (The fact that her & Romeo end up in a lavender marriage of sorts makes sense to me. Also, I loved the heavy insinuation that Juliet murders Count Paris (her arranged would-be husband) in the graveyard scene. Iconic.)

Using the title as a line in the book? (especially as it was damn near the last line in the book!!!) No originality. Lazy. Jail.

Although I was happy about the outcome of the ending (yay nobody dies except Tybalt explicitly!) I wish the author had gone into more detail about Valentine & Romeo's happily ever after. (Especially for Juliet's sake, damn.)

Justice for Juliet tbh.

Let me know what you guys thought of this book if you've read it! (I'm curious to see what people's opinions are.) Note: If you loved this book with every fiber of your being, that's great! You're more than welcome to have your opinion, and I'm more than welcome to have mine. (Having different opinions about a book is not the end of the world, people.) Have a great day!❤️

[carlocarrasco]

A Look Back at Amazing Spider-Man #258 (1984)

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised…

[scottwbeattie]

Review: Fantastic Four Epic Collection 23: Nobody Gets Out Alive

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

In my review of the previous volume, I said that Tom DeFalco’s ability to juggle different plots, subplots, tones, and character development reminded me of Chris Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men run, and Nobody Gets Out Alive only cements that feeling. This is such a great run that belongs in the top tier of Marvel comics.

One of my favorite parts of the DeFalco run is that even though the A-plot will typically run for 3-6 issues at a time, each one of the Fantastic Four also has their own B-plots, many of which began in the previous volume and carry on for the entirety of this Epic (Johnny’s constantly evolving relationship with Lyja, for example). The B-plots then will affect the character’s actions during the main plots, which, then, in turn, might inform the subplots. It’s very complex plotting, but it makes for a satisfying read, because it feels like the separate parts are working together in a cohesive and organic way.

These issues are also very good, especially compared to other Marvel titles in the 90’s, in the way that they feel connected to the larger Marvel universe without getting bogged down in constant crossovers or a parade of guest-stars. Both Namor and Ant-Man (Scott Lang) join the team, and there’s a 4-issue crossover with Namor, but otherwise Fantastic Four stands on its own.

It’s worth mentioning that the art once again looks fantastic, and Paul Ryan draws every issue in this volume, aside from the 2 issues of Namor and the Annual. One thing that Ryan does especially well is maintain a nice balance between the Image look that was in trend in the early 90’s and the more traditional Marvel house style of the 80’s.

The only real downside that I can say about Nobody Gets Out Alive is that I don’t think that it would stand very well on its own; DeFalco and Ryan try to offer recaps when they can, but there’s so much going on that you need to have read the This Flame, This Fury (FF 22). To be fair, it’s not convoluted in the way that so many comics were in the 90’s, but I can’t imagine coming into this volume as a new reader.

My only other complaint is that the next volume has yet to be announced. Although I’m a big Fantastic Four fan, I hadn’t ever read any of the DeFalco run prior to this year, and, heretical as this may sound to some, it’s shaping into my favorite FF run ever. I can’t wait to see if DeFalco and Ryan can keep the title at this level, because, if so, I can read this all day.