David, Peter, et al. - Fallen Angel

I picked this up because while people turn to the Fallen Angel for help, she is also just as likely to turn on someone than not. Yeah. Hooded, cloaked, cold-blooded woman. I so have a type.

I keep picking up random comic books because I shelve that section at the store, which is fun because I don't read them that often -- too expensive and too serial.

This one was rather average. The main storyline of the second half of the book was a pretty hum-drum look at the monster within all of us and unfortunately didn't show any insight into Lee/Fallen Angel at all, despite her rather Batman-esque neuroses. I don't know. The premise so far is interesting, Bete Noir (the city) is reminiscent of Gotham City, but there's nothing particularly deep about this collection that I can figure out. I do enjoy Lee's complete cold-heartedness and the way she just uses sex and her body, and I especially like how the author never apologizes for it or softens her in any way.

But I still can't figure out the central conceit or the central conflict. Will maybe keep an eye out, because, well, I like cold-blooded women in fiction.

Joan of Arcadia 1x01-1x02

My first two episodes of Joan of Arcadia...

Well, actually, I watched some random one that Tivo recorded before I left for Italy, on Joan going to some school dance with this scary guy or something, which made me sniffle. These two made me sniffle as well. And they made me laugh out loud multiple times, so the outlook is currently good on what may be my new show.

I really like Joan and just how teenagery and snarky she is. She reminds me a little of Buffy actually, minus the kick-ass Slayer powers. I like her whole family actually, and Grace and especially Kevin. I sniffled a lot when Joan asked God why he couldn't just make Kevin walk again. There's something about the religion in the show that I do like, because Joan asks a lot of the questions that I do about Christianity. I do sort of wonder how long they're going to avoid the question of One True Religion though. But I also enjoy it as a sort of exploration of a faith that I don't have, and how it's about putting faith in something outside of yourself and trusting. I've always thought that that was a really powerful concept.

And I like how everyone in her family talks to each other, because it feels real. And I adore Joan in all her eye-rolling and her "whatever"'s and her hair-flippiness.

I'm a little baffled by the percentage of her dad that's in the show -- I sort of had the impression from LJ that it was mostly about Joan. It's very strange seeing all this police procedure stuff in the midst of Joan's adolescent angst, and I can't quite connect it with the Joan-God conversations that really seem to be the heart of the show.

But looking forward to more episodes ^_^.