Comics
Ms. Marvel Vol 1: No Normal - I enjoyed this. It is nice to see comics becoming more diverse. There does seem to be some stereotypes in Kamala's family and friends. But Kamala herself is a wonderful character, not only in the her personal and family background but who she is as a person.
Living with the Dead #1 - This is a strange one. It is part send up of zombie survival shows/movies and part bromance. It is has some funny moments, but when the woman character comes in, the sexism really comes though and runs the book. It is possible to write a bromance without making woman characters into sexist stereotypes.
Barb Wire Omnibus Vol 1 - Barb Wire as character seems fine in the early issues of this collection. The art is so-so, but I am tired of the so competent woman.
Fiction
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - n Whitehead’s book, the Underground Railroad is, in fact, an Underground Railroad. As Sallie May of Ask a Slave would say, a road under the ground. The story is mainly about Cora and her journey to freedom. Cora is pursued by a slave hunter who failed to recapture her mother. It’s a matter of pride at this time, for him. Cora is divided about her mother, for her mother left her behind when her mother ran.
Whitehead’s novel succeeds in part because it is so stark. The horror isn’t the actions; it is the fact that the actions are accepted as everyday actions as nothing out of the ordinary. Usually in many narratives there is a precipitating event. For instance, in the series Underground Rosalie runs because of a violent attempted rape. Cora’s desire to flee doesn’t seem to come from that “straw”, it is harder to put into words, and perhaps is more powerful because of that. There are two incidents that immediately precede her flight but neither one seems to be a full tipping off point. She was given the chance, she seized it.
Along with Cora, the reader than goes on a journey over the pre-Civil War south. While Whitehead has played a little with historical placement, all that which Cora encounters has historical source. Valentine Farmer’s has real forerunners, and the various laws about African-American as well, there is even a reference to the sterilization of minorities.
At times, Whitehead leaves Cora and gives the reader glimpses into other people, answering in part some questions. He shows that a slave hunter can include a black man, that an underground railroad supporter can have less pure reasons for doing what she does. He shows humanity.
The book is stark, but a powerful read.
Non-Fiction
Shakespeare's Restless World by Neil MacGregor - If you don't know much about Shakespeare outside of his basic biography, you should enjoy this. If you have more than passing knowledge about Shakespeare or about Tudor times, then while this book is lovely and nicely put together, there is little new in it.
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