Since I'm catching up on my book reviews... forgive me for totally geeking out for a couple minutes to talk about my latest reading obsessions... I'm sure most of you will chuckle, chortle, laugh, or roll your eyes... but I'm guessing a few of you will appreciate this little missive... :)
In addition to regular books (fiction and non-fiction), I've also been exploring the world of graphic novels to help lighten the reading load. Sometimes you just need to break out the cake reading to give your mind a break, ya know? Toward that end, I've found two series that have provided a great break from thinking. :)
Hikaru no Go
The first series I started reading was the Japanese manga series Hikaru no Go. This is a graphic novel about a young boy (middle school age initially) who becomes possessed by the ghost of a great Go player. The boy - a true slacker - struggles with his identity in the face of the desire of the ghost, Fujiwara-no-Sai, to play Go. Over time, Hikaru comes to love the game, and decides to go pro. Overall, it's a lot of fun, and it's an extremely easy read.
Nightwing
I've been a fan of Batman for ages, since he's a superhero without special powers. However, Bruce Wayne did have significant financial resources at his disposal, allowing him to do more than the "average" person. As such, I've grown to appreciate Nightwing as a true warrior, much in the spirit as we have in infosec (also see Origin Stories: Nightwing and Wikipedia: Nightwing). Toward that end, I've started reading and collecting the Nightwing graphic novels, which collect each story arc from the comic book series into a single work. I've started out with Vol 1: A Knight in Bludhaven, and am slowly collecting the other volumes.
Related
In relation to the above, I've also started reading the new comics "Red Robin" and "Batman and Robin" as well as the new arc in the Batman series. I've also gone back to get the graphic novel of the "Batman: Final Crisis" series, and am eagerly awaiting the November release of the "Batman: Battle for the Cowl" (out of which Dick "Nightwing" Grayson assumes the role of Batman).
For more on Red Robin, see here.
For more on the history of Batman's sidekick, Robin, see here.
Overall, the entire Batman enterprise has gotten extremely complex, which is partly why I wandered away. Now that I'm older and in need of breaks from thinking hard all the time, I greatly appreciate having comics to return to. :)
