five things meme: books + comics edition

prompts within:
favorite books, anonymous
literary otps, anonymous
favorite superheroes, ladymercury_10
comics I have started since my last comics post, snickfic

TOP FIVE BOOKS
I feeeeel as though I have discussed these at length already, so. Just have them.
















TOP FIVE LITERARY OTPS

Lily Bart & Lawrence Selden, The House of Mirth

I'm sorry, Penn is just how I picture Selden! I cannot help it, it is beyond my control. And Holliday Grainger as Lily, because reasons of being perfect. I have gone on in the past as to why I love them so much, but I think really it's just... They're so obviously perfect for each other and they enjoy each other so much but they just cannot make it happen, for reasons that are only like 40% society and mostly an inability to get out of their own way. I don't know why exactly that appeals to me so much. I think I just really like relationship messiness, and people who love each other but still can't figure it out. Because that shit is hard! And it's a lot more real-feeling to me personally than people just throwing themselves on the cross for love, you know?

Sal Paradise, Dean Moriarty, Camille Moriarity, On the Road (but also RL)

Their relationship is not even limited to or specific to On the Road; it spills over a lot of Kerouac's books because it was a big part of all of their lives. I mean, it wasn't like, a healthy relationship by any means. Neal Cassady is essentially The Worst in every possible way, but one of those people with so much charisma that it ends up cutting him all sorts of slack. So Carolyn and Jack are both kind of helplessly into him, and also in love with each other in a way that is, like...sympathetic? And using each other as proxies? And also genuine? Carolyn once said to Jack that he was her soulmate, probably, but she had to be with Neal this go around, and she and Jack would end up chasing after each other in other lifetimes. I wish I could remember the exact quote, or google for it appropriately, because I always really loved that. Terrible stuff!

Pip Pirrip & Estella Havisham, Great Expectations

Oh hey look it's Holliday Grainger again. I haven't even watched her Great Expectations yet oops. I didn't use that guy though. I used Jamie Bell because I had TOTALLY FORGOTTEN about him until Snowpiercer and then I was like: oh right you exist and you are also so charming. Mostly I am highly devoted to Estella because she's glamorous and cold and mean. And I like that Pip is just this puppy sort of trailing in her wake. Is that unfair to Pip? It has been many years since I read this, oh well.

I've said all the things already, right? I'm still taking my sweet-ass time through the Chronicles and more into them as a pairing than I think I was as a tween? Which is unfortunate because they're so bickery and divorced in the first book and then Louis is MIA later on. But, as I'm sure is becoming clear, terrible people who can't work out their shit is kind of my jam.

Shari Cooper & Peter Nichols, Remember Me

Does anyone know this book? I know stainofmylove's got me here. Casting choices are sorta random 2am decisions. I figured I needed at least one YA type book on here, and as a kid I was SO into Shari and Peter. I actually started re-reading the book today because the graphic got me thinking about it, and it's so funny. I haven't looked at it since I was like...10? 11? Thereabouts? But I read it so many times back then that every sentence is like seared into my memory. All of it is so painfully, wonderfully familiar. For those who don't know, the book is about a girl (Shari) who is killed at a party and then wanders around as a ghost trying to figure out who killed her. Peter is a friend of hers who died a few years before the book begins and ends up helping her in her ghost detective-ing. It's a very dated, fun sort of book. A real favorite.

Supes was always my main man. Since forever. Some parental nudging was responsible for that, as well as Lois & Clark and that animated show. I will say that Lois Lane was always my priority. She is the first fictional character I remember wanting to BE, I wanted to become her and live in her skin and have her haircut. So Clark sort of came along for the ride, but then he also began to define a certain type of character that I am still really drawn to: just genuinely good guys. Funny, hard-working, noble, and innately good. With some killer spectacles. It's really all about the Clark side of things at the end of the day, for me, as opposed to the Superman side. I feel that way about pretty much all superheroes. The flashy stuff is never really the most interesting part to me? I like Supes the best because he's really just some doofy good-hearted kid from a farm.

I got a type, what can I tell you. I don't think I even knew about Cap until the movies and then I dismissed him out of hand because his name is CAPTAIN AMERICA, like. Why wouldn't I dismiss that. But one of my good friends nudged me into watching it and of course I was sold on him immediately. The Cap movies kind of give me everything a Superman movie never has. But they are different guys, even if they are of the same genre of dude, and though my only experience with Steve is the MCU, I just love him loads.

I didn't exactly anticipate liking Nat only because I was never a particular ScarJo fan but she's just so my type of girl. Emotionally distant lone wolf seeking redemption while privately working through personal issues! She is basically Angel but with red hair and a boss catsuit. I don't even really remember exactly how I fell for her. Was it Avengers? It must have been? Idk, all I know is I sought out her comics almost immediately and they solidified a lot of the floaty Natasha feels I had been having. Plus lady spies! Always and forever lady spies.

I did not anticipate ever having any Hawkeye feelings either because, as so many internet memes will tell you, he is the Avenger no one gives a shit about. And that ended up being precisely why he works for me so much! What I really like about comic-y superhero-y stuff is not so much the spectacular aspect as the normal-people-caught-up-in-incredible-things aspect. I live for that. And Clint is really all about that. He has no powers. He's just some dope with a bow and arrow who fucks up as much as he succeeds but keeps trying anyway. That just really gets to me.

Comics Clint because he's done like nothing in the movies and I'm still not sold on Renner.

Does she count? I think she counts. Relatively new as I am to this genre, I did kind of struggle filling up even these five spots. So you will have to forgive me for rounding out the list with a villian! I think Michelle-as-Catwoman ended up pretty definitive for generation of us. She was just so incredible. So vicious and sexy and complicated. (I've heard there are good Catwoman comics too?)

I figured I'd give Sex Criminals a shot because I liked Fraction's Hawkeye so much, though I didn't really care for the art and I found the first issue SUPER dull. But I forged ahead anyway and I'm so glad I did! I think the moment that sold me was when the main dude (errr John? John.) was describing the horrible music during his first time and in the panels, it was an actual physical PRESCENCE there in the room being awful. I was dying laughing. I was pretty much sold from then on, and it continued to just be a really fun read. Legitimately funny with a nice underlying layer of emotion.

I have been continually iffy about She-Hulk. Jennifer is really great, the writing is fun, the covers are GORGEOUS... But the inside art is just so fucking ugly. Oh god it's so ugly. So I've been enjoying it a lot despite that but, man. It is a deterrent. (And apparently this just got cancelled, too?)

I really enjoy this, the idea behind it, the characters, and the fashion especially. It feels very of-the-moment in a way I appreciate. That said, as pretty as I think it is, the faces are all kind of...similar? And I'm not sure if anyone else on my flist reads it, but, like...is it weirdly confusing? I always think I've missed an issue when I haven't. It's not even that the plot is confusing, it's just that the writing sort of... I don't even know how to explain it. It gets like wrapped up in itself, in a way? I constantly feel like I'm not getting something that I should. That aside, I really do enjoy it. I look forward to each issue.

I think Lumberjanes is my FAVORITE thing that I'm reading right now. It is so fucking delightful. I picked up the first issue because I follow Noelle Stevenson on tumblr and always thought she seemed lovely, plus yadda yadda I like supporting nice stuff with my money. But my love for this really surprised me! It's one of the few comics I buy that really feels worth the money? Like the paper feels high-quality and the art is so rich and colorful. I also really like that the art fills up the entire page, with no white borders; that's maybe a weird thing to point out, but somehow it makes everything seem so FULL and vibrant. And it's such a clever, fun little series! All of the characters are absolutely wonderful, and I love that there are so many different types of girls. Plus it's all about friendship! Friendship and girl adventures!!! Whenever I read it, I always find myself hoping young girls are reading it too – I can imagine how great it would be for them. I love it.

Whoops I haven't even actually started reading this yet. I just bought the first two issues because I'm an aforementioned Hawkeye girl. I've never read any Deadpool anything, but it seems to promise to be lolzy fun?

next post: actually movie stuff this time!