Movie trailer: Great Expectations

While I knew a new adaptation was imminent, I had no idea there was a trailer out already (Thanks Bookish Belle)!! It's always hard to tell from a trailer, but it looks like they kept most of the story intact and really emphasised the dark and moody vibe the book had. Also, how great is it to see Helena Bonham Carter in a non-Burton film? As great and as suited as she is  to those roles, it's refreshing to see her spread her wings a little.

Top 10 Tuesday: Bookish secrets!

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

1. I'll often read the last line (or last paragraph, or last page) of a book when something tense is happening earlier on. And more than once I've flipped through the book looking for a favourite character's name to know that they aren't going to die. It's a terrible habit, and more than once I've spoiled the entire story...but I can't quit it!

2. I'd rather buy a book than loan it from a library. If I borrow a book (from a library or a friend) I feel obligated to read it, and that usually ruins it for me. If I buy it, then I feel free to take my time and get to it when I get to it. Unfortunately this has resulted in bookshelves that are 40% full of books I haven't read and probably won't, if I'm being honest, ever read.

3. If it has a person's face on the cover, I probably won't buy it. Unless it's a book I need for a class I will avoid these covers like the plague. I'll search for weeks for a typography, abstract or plain coloured cover and even pay more if it means it's faceless! Oh and don't ask me why, I have absolutely no idea where this weird aversion came from!

4. I'm irrationally precious about some books, but others I'll happily annotate, dog-ear and crack the spine. There's no reason for this, they could be expensive, cheap, signed by the author, for a class, new, second hand...some books just seem more...special...than others.

5. I guess my next secret should probably be that I annotate books. Perhaps it's because I'm a researcher and my life would be infinitely more difficult if I couldn't make notes in my books as I go, but sometimes I just HAVE to underline a quote, or note a particular style of writing I like.

6. I'll probably judge you by the book you're reading on the bus/train/bench. I know I shouldn't, but if I see you reading a trashy romance novel, 50 Shades or a book I hated I will instantly judge you (sorry!).

7. I'm a notorious skimmer if I find myself bored. I skimmed all the songs in Lord of the Rings, the first 2 or 3 chapters of Harry Potter (before I fell in love and re-read it over and over!), and dialogue scenes in books that aren't quite doing it for me.

8. I really like the idea of poetry, but I just can't read it. I find it infuriating and boring and the second I see a poem my eyes slip off the page and focus on something (anything) else.

9. I really want to support local sellers, but Amazon and The Book Depository draw me in all the time. Considering they're usually 50-75% the cost of non-second hand booksellers here in Australia, it's really hard to resist their charms. Interestingly though, I will always buy my comics local and never online.

10. A bit similar to the face covers, my series have to match. They can't be a mix of hard and paper back, and they can't be a collection of different editions. I spent 2 hours rummaging through the Lifeline Book Fest tables searching for a complete set of The Lord of the Rings that matched, and I've got two collections of Harry Potter - the child and adult editions!

Mini-graphic novel review #8 Batman edition!

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Written by: Frank Miller, Illustrated by: Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley

Published: 1986

My Thoughts: Imagine if Batman wasn't the young, fit vigilante we're used to, but an old, cynical and retired man who has decided to return to his previous life when crime in Gotham reaches dangerous new heights. Batman was never infallible, but old age and lack of practice increasingly causes Batman problems as he attempts to round up Gotham's criminals. I really enjoyed the approach this comic took, and the art is quite good, but it wasn't as amazing as people had told me it was. Maybe that's just to do with expectations, or because I'm not a big Frank Miller fan in general, but I've enjoyed other Batman comics more than this one. Still one to read if you're wanting to read the iconic Batman comics though.

Batman: Knightfall (Volume one)
Written by: Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Illustrated by: Jim Aparo, Norm Breyfogle, Graham Nolan and Jim Balent

Published: 1993

My Thoughts: Holy shit you guys! THIS COMIC IS AMAZING! I know I throw that around sometimes, but seriously, this comic is all awesomeness and then some. The (loose) source material for Dark Knight Rises this comic takes place after Batman's experienced great emotional, physical and psychological pain and is not at the top of his game. As he struggles to round up the gang of Batman villains that have escaped the asylum, Batman comes up against the monstrous Bane, a criminal with only one desire: to kill the Batman. The pathos of this comic is astounding. I'm a huge Batman fan from way back, but this comic hit me right in the feels. It humanises Batman and adds about a million levels of complexity to his story. Batman is one of the greatest superheroes for a number of reasons, and this is the best vehicle for demonstrating that.

Batman: The Long Halloween
Written by: Jeph Loeb, illustrated by: Tim Sale

Published: 1999

My Thoughts: Spanning 13 issues, The Long Halloween covers the mystery of Holiday - a serial killer who kills a different member of Gotham's criminal underworld each holiday. Each issues focuses on one of these murders, and the attempts made to solve the case by Batman, Harvey Dent and Commissioner Gordon. It's a fun collection which reintroduces some of the more well-known Batman villains (think Joker, Riddler, Poison Ivy etc) and themes each issue around the holiday in question - Valentine's Day, April Fool's Day, Christmas and so forth.Perhaps most interestingly though is the focus on relationships, whether business i.e. between Batman, Dent and Gordon, mob bosses Falcone and Maroni  or The Scarecrow and the Mad Hatter, or personal i.e. between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, Dent and his wife, Gilda, Falcone and his sister. Also, the art in this one is sensational. Very moody and dark - a little noir-ish, perfectly depicting everything that makes Batman, Batman.

Batman/Planetary: Night on Earth
Written by: Warren Ellis, Illustrated by: John Cassaday

Published: 2003

My Thoughts: Seriously one of the greatest crossover comics ever! Planetary is a Warren Ellis series about a trio of "archaeologists of the unknown" who solve weird crimes/are generally pretty badass. This volume has the team head to a Batman-less Gotham City to investigate a killer named John Black who they believe was once experimented on at 'Science City Zero'. When they track him down (after a neat little cameo from Dick Grayson and the Joker -who's a good guy!) it turns out he has the ability to distort reality, and the Planetary team find themselves face to face with various iterations of Batman. The camp 1960s Batman, the Frank Miller bad-ass Batman, the "classic" Batman and a couple of others. It's amazing to see how much Batman has changed as different writers/artists have taken him on, especially considering how much Batman I've been reading lately. Worth it just for this neat little premise, but the writing and illustrations are solid too!

Monday Links

*An incredble (and weird) series of portraits Bryan Lewis Saunders created while under the influence of a variety of drugs. (Via Bryan Lewis Saunders)

*Concept art for the (unlikely to ever happen but damn I wish it would already) Sandman film. Art work by Jill Thompson. (Via Uproxx)

*In the wake of all the crazy rape "discussion" coming out of the US, here's an Australian article that looks at "the many types of rape as defined by the world's politicians and celebrities. It'll make you laugh, but mostly it'll make you cry. (Via The Vine)

*A collection of photos of buildings that are so bizarre that they seem to defy the law of physics. (Via Atlas Obscura)

*A tumblr that renames books with a more honest title. My favourite? David Foster Wallace's Consider the Lobster is renamed Beating the Dead Horse to Death with a Large, Unweildy,Enormous, Heavy Thesaurus Until the Equine Corpse No Longer Breathes Life.  (Via Better Book Titles)

Cat "sings" Game of Thrones theme!

To insane not to post here! A remix of a cat "singing" the Game of Thrones theme!