A Sense of Doubt blog post #2371 - ATTACK SURFACE and MOONKNIGHT - WHAT I AM READING PART NINE and COMIC BOOK SUNDAY
I finally finished Cory Doctorow's Attack Surface, which I really enjoyed.
I am still reading via audio Danse Macabre, though I am almost done.I am also reading several other things including Brian Eno's Diary, Koontz's book on best selling fiction, Straying from the Pathways by Stephen Prince of A YEAR IN THE COUNTRY, and Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Graphic Novel: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws That Affect Us Today (World Citizen Comics) by Cynthia Levinson, Sanford Levinson, Ally Shwed (Illustrations).
Cory Doctorow’s ‘Attack Surface’ is a riveting techno-thriller
When he issued “Little Brother” in 2008, the events in that tale of adolescent monkey-wrenching and protest had a sense of plausible inevitability. Starting with an all-too-likely terrorist attack on San Francisco and segueing into an examination of the surveillance state, the book served as a vibrant model of what might soon be.
The 2013 sequel, “Homeland,” hewed to the same imaginary timeline, venturing into the Edward Snowden/Julian Assange/Chelsea Manning whistleblowers scene, again deploying logical sequelae to present events. But already Doctorow’s timeline had begun to deviate more radically from history.
Now comes “Attack Surface,” the third book in the series, and it’s plain that Doctorow’s “future history,” however many clever and insightful resonances it maintains with current headlines, is no longer a plausible near-term guide for the world, but rather the events of a counterfactual “stub” (to employ William Gibson’s handy term for such deviant continuums). The coronavirus pandemic, not to mention the unpredictable and ever-destabilizing actions of President Trump and his opponents, have conspired to make Doctorow’s scenario an alternate history; his tale has escaped the framework of the near-future subgenre. What we enjoy instead is political cyberthriller, vigorous, bold and savvy about the limits of revolution and resistance, even if it’s no longer precisely contoured to our actual dilemmas.
She heads back to her native San Francisco, to crash on the couch of her childhood bestie, Tanisha, one of the main organizers in the Black-Brown Alliance, the street-fighting heir to the BLM movement. When Tanisha is arrested, Masha — now reunited with Marcus and his wife, Ange — must shift into high gear to free her friend and aid her cause. Beyond that goal, they have to work to take down Zyz, yet another of Masha’s ethically compromised ex-employers, with a lock on San Francisco’s law-enforcement outsourcing. (Both Zyz and Xoth are run by ultracompetent women, giving the triangular conflict between the two corporations and Masha a matriarchal telenovela “Game of Thrones”-“Dynasty” vibe.)
Doctorow relentlessly builds Masha’s character into a deep portrait of a damaged personality. Despite — or because of — all her gifts, she’s borderline psychopathic, as her Xoth boss Ilsa openly tells her, yet also on the verge of a nervous breakdown because of many unresolved issues. Her allegiances are shifting and often self-serving. As Doctorow says in his afterword, “This is a book about how people rationalize themselves into doing things they are ashamed of.” Despite these traits, Masha becomes a protagonist worth rooting for, and one whose inner conflicts and cognitive dissonances propel her to surprising, even heroic actions. A first-class geek, Masha also offers copious and frequent jargon-filled info dumps. Your entertainment mileage may vary on these passages.
Doctorow’s allegiances lie with the rebels and underdogs — he sketches the heroics of the protesters and the kinetic tumult of the riots with evident verve and sympathetic exegesis — but he also gives Masha good arguments for her complicity with the establishment.
Doctorow’s world might no longer map our current events, but it still charts the universal currents of the human heart and soul with precision.
Paul Di Filippo’s most recent novel is “The Deadly Kiss-Off.”
Attack Surface
By Cory Doctorow
Tor. 384 pp. $26.99
https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/marvel-comics/moon-knight-(2021)/1
MOON KNIGHT #1
I AM MOON KNIGHT!
The mysterious Mr. Knight has opened his Midnight Mission, his people petitioning for protection from the weird and horrible. The Moon Knight stalks the rooftops and alleys marked with his crescent moon tag, bringing violence to any who would harm his people. Marc Spector, in whichever guise he dons, is back on the streets, a renegade priest of an unworthy god. But while Khonshu languishes in a prison that Moon Knight put him in, Moon Knight must still observe his duty: protecting those who travel at night.
Let it be known - Moon Knight will keep the faith.
Rated T+
http://all-comic.com/2021/moon-knight-1-3/
By Jed Mackay, Alessandro Cappuccio, and Rachelle Rosenberg
With the announcement of the Moon Knight TV show, it was only a matter of time before he got a new series from Marvel comics. Attaching Jed Mackay to write the series is absolutely a step in the right direction. Mackay has done wonders on his Black Cat run and should be able to do the same on this Moon Knight series.
At this point it’s not really debatable that Jed Mackay is an up and coming writer for Marvel. He seems to take smaller titles and make them some of the most interesting books on the shelf. As stated above, Black Cat has been fantastic. Mackay tackles Marc Spector as someone struggling with his mental illness. Mackay goes back and forth in this issue as Mr. Knight is in treatment speaking with a therapist. It makes a lot of sense for Mr. Knight to open a mission as well. Mackay gives us a sensible character who is trying to help other in need just like him. As for the action in the book, Moon Knight tackles vampires, a cameo by Spider-Man villain Vermin, and a potential new threat coming his way in the series. Mackay gives us some acknowledgement of recent events in Avengers too. Mr. Knight mentions that he’s aware that Khonshu tried to take over the world, but Moon Knight is still his fist. Overall, Mackay delivers an issue that has action and substance. We delve into the mental health of Marc Spector, while seeing Moon Knight take out he trash. The first issue of Moon Knight will likely leave you wanting to keep reading because it’s just so much fun.
The pencils this issue are handled by Alessandro Cappuccio with colors by Rachelle Rosenberg. Cappuccio does an amazing job with the art this issue. A full page spread of Moon Knight busting through a windshield to attack Vampires is just awesome. There is also a great page as Moon Knight stands over a vamp on the ground while our hero has a stake in his hand. This is the stuff action books are made for. All of the big action sequences are done to perfection. Even Moon Knight fighting Vermin looks stunning as he has his brass knuckles out and attacks several creatures at one time. The colors by Rachelle Rosenberg are amazing, as usual. Some of her best work comes in simple panels where Mr. Knight is speaking wit his therapist. The reason these pages work so well is that Rosenberg shades them perfectly. The light comes in and shines on half of Mr. Knight’s face, while the other half is shaded. Rosenberg is hands down one of the best in the coloring business, and this issue is a testament to that.
Moon Knight #1 kicks serious ass. Jed Mackay brings everything to the table and delivers a powerful and enjoyable read. The colors and pencils rock and put this issue over the top. Moon Knight should be the best book of the week for everyone who bought it.
https://geekd-out.com/review-moon-knight-1/
Moon Knight is one of many Marvel characters whose notoriety has steadily risen over the past decade. After a streak of acclaimed comicbook runs and lots of demand for him to make his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a Moon Knight series is set to debut on Disney+ in 2022, with Oscar Isaac (and his ethnic hips) cast in the titular role. But until then, fans can look to the new Moon Knight #1 launching this week from writer Jed MacKay and artist Alessandro Cappuccio.
Set sometime after his recent dalliance with the Avengers, Marc Spector has begun what he calls the “Midnight Mission,” essentially a self-imposed edict to protect those who can’t protect themselves when the sun goes down. He’s also seeing an Avengers-appointed therapist who specializes in “superhuman menticide” to help him work through his myriad issues with mental health. Naturally, it doesn’t take long for him to cross paths with a new figure who may soon emerge as his next great threat. Don’t you hate when that happens?
I mentioned Moon Knight’s upcoming Disney+ series because this issue really seems invested in rehashing his origin story. This is normal procedure for a new #1 typically speaking, but here it does feel pointed. With Moon Knight likely premiering a year or so from now, we’ll be 12-odd issues in this run, making it prime fodder for cross-company synergy. While this does help get new readers onboard, those who are already acquainted with his whole deal might find the backtracking tedious, and it arguably serves as padding to justify the $4.99 cover price that might be a bit steep for anybody interested in jumping on.
But, as for the comic itself? It’s fun! It’s almost a cliche to describe Moon Knight as “Marvel’s Batman”—there’s at least a dozen of those at this point—but the comparison is certainly there. Like Batman, Moon Knight mostly works at night, has unlimited money to fund his vigilante habit, and possesses an arsenal of self-branded shurikens to use as weapons. There’s also a badass cape involved. The main point of distinction between them, of course, is Marc’s dissociative identity disorder though I do have some lingering questions about Mr. Wayne’s mental health and how he essentially wavers between three distinct personalities … but I digress).
MacKay definitely nails the desired vibe for a Moon Knight comic in his script, but where this issue really shines is Cappuccio’s art. I’m not familiar with his work, but based on Moon Knight #1 I think there’s some serious superstar potential for him in the years to come. His linework is lively and angular in a way that works for the character, and there’s some impressive shadow rendering that conveys darkness even without colors. But while we’re on the topic of coloring, Rachelle Rosenberg does her usual good work here, draping Cappuccio’s renderings with a moody, dark palette that’s strikingly contrasted with Marc’s stark white appearance (this was an innovation expertly utilized by Jordie Bellaire in the Ellis/Shalvey run, but Rosenberg still makes it look good). I personally believe a Moon Knight run is as good as its art team, so, in this instance, I think Mr. Knight will be in good hands for the foreseeable future.
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2108.15 - 10:10
- Days ago = 2235 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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