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Coventry, Ohio —
No matter how good or bad a book, movie, CD or event may be, an interesting, eye-catching title is vital. And while there are some, like “Cronkite” (which, incidentally, is on the review list later this month) that speak for themselves, this week’s Page, Stage and Screen picks – each available at your local Stark and Summit county branch library – is dedicated to the authors and artists who decided to put a little thought into presentation as well as content.
Page
Okay, it may not be the most original title in the world, but author and cartoonist Jeffrey Brown had to know that every 40-something former (and perhaps, current) geek was going to stop dead in his or her tracks to take second look at a book called “Darth Vader and Son” (Chronicle Books, 2012).
Now of course we all know that Vader is actually Anakin Skywalker, father of Luke and Leia, and that he only went bad in Episode 3 in the wake of Queen Amidala’s death and … okay, forget what I said about only geeks liking this book.
Brown said he was inspired to write the book by a commissioned Father’s Day card and his relationship with his own son.
The end result is a book that is hilarious from synopsis (“What if ‘Luke, I’m your father,’ was just a stern admonishment from an annoyed dad?”) to finish. And in the midst of comic panels depicting Vader using the force to talk young Luke out of buying a certain expensive toy – and failing (Vader: “This isn’t the toy you’re looking for” Luke: “Yes it is.”), to Luke being embarrassed by his father at home in spite of Vader’s stature as the evil ruler of the galactic Empire, Brown manages to put a human face (or helmet) on one of the most iconic pop culture characters in history. In short, Brown pits Vader against a nemesis even a Sith Lord might not be able to lick – namely, parenthood. Plus “Darth Vader and Son” is a comic book, and what geek of any age can resist that?
Screen
Speaking of kids, which seems to be a growing sub-theme of this week’s picks, we have a two-fer for you in the recently released movies department; “Jeff Who Lives at Home” (Right of Way Films, 2011) and “We Need to Talk About Kevin” (BBC Films, 2011) The former is a comedy mash-up of the classic sort about Jeff (Jason Segal), a 30-year-old man who lives in his parents basement and is obsessed with the Mel Gibson sci-fi film “Signs” (and how the name “Kevin” keeps showing up in his life … ooh, spooky), and his brother, Pat (Ed Helms) who is equally obsessed with the idea that his wife is cheating on him. Throw in Susan Sarandon as the boys’ mother – who is obsessed with a new “secret admirer” - along with a traffic jam and ... okay, I guess it’s just one of those you-gotta-see-it-to-get-it movies. Kevin, on the other hand, is a disturbingly matter-of-fact story of a mother (Tilda Swinton) struggling to come to terms with – and partly blaming herself for - what led her son (Ezra Miller) to committing a massacre at his high school.
No matter how good or bad a book, movie, CD or event may be, an interesting, eye-catching title is vital. And while there are some, like “Cronkite” (which, incidentally, is on the review list later this month) that speak for themselves, this week’s Page, Stage and Screen picks – each available at your local Stark and Summit county branch library – is dedicated to the authors and artists who decided to put a little thought into presentation as well as content.
Page
Okay, it may not be the most original title in the world, but author and cartoonist Jeffrey Brown had to know that every 40-something former (and perhaps, current) geek was going to stop dead in his or her tracks to take second look at a book called “Darth Vader and Son” (Chronicle Books, 2012).
Now of course we all know that Vader is actually Anakin Skywalker, father of Luke and Leia, and that he only went bad in Episode 3 in the wake of Queen Amidala’s death and … okay, forget what I said about only geeks liking this book.
Brown said he was inspired to write the book by a commissioned Father’s Day card and his relationship with his own son.
The end result is a book that is hilarious from synopsis (“What if ‘Luke, I’m your father,’ was just a stern admonishment from an annoyed dad?”) to finish. And in the midst of comic panels depicting Vader using the force to talk young Luke out of buying a certain expensive toy – and failing (Vader: “This isn’t the toy you’re looking for” Luke: “Yes it is.”), to Luke being embarrassed by his father at home in spite of Vader’s stature as the evil ruler of the galactic Empire, Brown manages to put a human face (or helmet) on one of the most iconic pop culture characters in history. In short, Brown pits Vader against a nemesis even a Sith Lord might not be able to lick – namely, parenthood. Plus “Darth Vader and Son” is a comic book, and what geek of any age can resist that?
Screen
Speaking of kids, which seems to be a growing sub-theme of this week’s picks, we have a two-fer for you in the recently released movies department; “Jeff Who Lives at Home” (Right of Way Films, 2011) and “We Need to Talk About Kevin” (BBC Films, 2011) The former is a comedy mash-up of the classic sort about Jeff (Jason Segal), a 30-year-old man who lives in his parents basement and is obsessed with the Mel Gibson sci-fi film “Signs” (and how the name “Kevin” keeps showing up in his life … ooh, spooky), and his brother, Pat (Ed Helms) who is equally obsessed with the idea that his wife is cheating on him. Throw in Susan Sarandon as the boys’ mother – who is obsessed with a new “secret admirer” - along with a traffic jam and ... okay, I guess it’s just one of those you-gotta-see-it-to-get-it movies. Kevin, on the other hand, is a disturbingly matter-of-fact story of a mother (Tilda Swinton) struggling to come to terms with – and partly blaming herself for - what led her son (Ezra Miller) to committing a massacre at his high school.
E-Book: Riding high on the e-book charts is a title that takes the tried and true technique of murder mystery titles to heart by using alliteration to grab reader’s attention. The good news about Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” (Crown Publishing Group, 2012) is that the author manages to keep said reader’s attention in fine fashion. Gone revolves around the disappearance of Amy Dunne on the morning of her fifth wedding anniversary and how the spotlight of presumed guilt in shined on her increasingly evasive husband Nick. Still, should simple suspiciousness suggest some sinister shenanigans on the part of Mr. Dunne?
Yeah, we couldn’t resist.
