This is a clip bookmark: the dinosaur’s tail bends back behind it. Fun stuff for the kids! No idea where I picked it up.
Book: Dinosaurs: A Very Short Introduction by David Norman
Montalbano: Voice of the Violin
There’s a curious feature of the Inspector Montalbano stories that I should talk about. Other detective series rarely follow a chronology, if there’s even one to be followed. That’s how things started out with the Sherlock Holmes stories, which were all drawn from Dr. Watson’s case files in whatever order he chose. There are a few instances in the canon where reference is made to earlier cases that can be identified, but dating the individual stories is itself a parlour game for Holmesians. Similarly, it’s hard to come up with a strict chronology of the cases solved by Hercule Poirot or Ms. Marple or Lew Archer or Nero Wolfe. Which is another way of saying that they are all standalone stories you can read in whatever order you want.
That’s not how the Montalbano canon works. Each novel has two stories. There’s the individual case Montalbano is trying to solve and then there’s the larger story of everything else that’s going on in his life, with events very much following in order from the previous book. So, for example, at the end of The Snack Thief it looked like Montalbano and his mistress (for lack of a better word) Livia were going to adopt François and maybe start a family. In this book, however, that plan is going sideways as François doesn’t want to leave his foster home. Complicating matters is that the woman who is fostering François is Augello’s sister, with Augello being one of Montalbano’s lieutenants and not the one he gets along with the best. There’s some rivalry going on there, and my ears pricked up a bit when Livia says Augello treats her “like a brother” and “more than a brother.” What does that mean? Anyway, when Livia finds out where things stand there are some fireworks. And waterworks. Which made me wonder a bit about this business of having a mistress. I thought the whole point of a mistress is that they bring peace and comfort and understanding into your life. Livia is a pure chaos agent and seems to make Montalbano miserable. And he isn’t even a married man! This shouldn’t be so complicated. But maybe that’s the problem. She should be his girl on the side and instead she’s his only outlet.
Anyway, that’s all part of the big story that’s going on in the background. The specific mystery being investigated has to do with a beautiful woman whose naked body is found, by accident, in an unoccupied house. Montalbano has a way of just having cases like this just drop into his lap. Luckily, the solutions come about almost as conveniently. There’s a clue that’s teased in the early going that you have to be pretty slow not to pick up on because it’s flagged in the title. Things are made more difficult though because of the endless infighting that apparently always goes on within and between different police departments and different levels of the justice system in Sicily.
I thought the mystery part of the story was interesting, with some eccentric characters and a quick pace. Along the way I also learned for the first time about a car named a Twingo (made by Renault, I don’t know if we ever had them here) and a Guarneri violin (very rare and expensive, a rival to the Stradivarius). To be honest, this was probably my favourite book in the series so far, the one I enjoyed the most, so at least things are heading in the right direction.
A race to the bottom
There are some subjects that I always click on a news story about. Like anything to do with the decline of reading. A couple of years ago I posted on some of the findings at the time, including the fact that the number of young American teens who read for fun daily had, in 2024, been cut in half in only a decade. That’s not so much a historical trend line as it is a total collapse. Then, just last year, there was a story out of the UK about how over a quarter of 4-5-year-old kids didn’t even know what a book was or how to properly “use” it. That’s bad.
Well, last week another story dropped with still more concerning findings. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development dropped its Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, report, assessing reading, math, and science skills. This study measures logic and reasoning skills and it is huge, testing more than 760,000 students across 91 countries.
You can probably guess the results.
Now apparently Canada still rate above the OECD average, but the rate of decline (at least as I’ve read the report) has been steeper. Apparently students are on average two years behind where they were a decade ago.
Are we even surprised at results like this anymore? Or the fact that China and Singapore were the highest performers? Should we be learning something from them?
Most of the blame for what’s happening is directed at phone usage among young people and the pernicious effects of social media. But it made me think of a post I did of my “final thoughts” on the pandemic and its aftereffects. One of the groups I thought would be most affected by the lockdown was going to be kids. Here’s what I said five years ago:
The second affected group [by the COVID shutdown, after people with medical conditions whose treatment had been delayed] are schoolkids and what UNESCO has dubbed the “shadow pandemic” of “education disruption” (you can read more about this in an excellent article in the July 2021 issue of Maclean’s by Sarmishta Subramanian). I didn’t think the educational system was ready to switch to online learning, and it wasn’t. From what I’ve seen just over the course of the last couple of months, it never really got up to speed. Top students, those most, privileged, disciplined and motivated, have managed. They usually do, and there’s no need to worry about them. But for everyone else (which is to say, the overwhelming majority of students) it’s been nearly two years down the drain. I don’t blame the teachers. I met some new teachers who had just graduated before COVID struck and I can’t imagine how at sea they felt being thrust into such a situation. But based on the online classes I saw, and the students I spoke to, “school” this past year was a total waste.
That these kids lost a couple of years out of their education would go some way to explaining why they are two years behind today.
You do have to look at the charts and wonder where the bottom is in all this. And if we’re looking at assigning blame we have to be clear about one thing: the “kids these days” didn’t do this to themselves. It’s the adults in the room that let them down.
The Death of Superman
The Death of Superman
At the time (1992-93) this comic was an event and caused a sensation. But then with its success (it sold over 6 million copies) it became a kind of trend. Now superheroes, and indeed whole universes, are dispatched with ease. Because you can always bring them back in another timeline. Or, as happened in the case of Superman, have him regenerated somehow. It wouldn’t take long before The Simpsons were even mocking the whole thing as a “fake-out.”
I wouldn’t be quite that cynical, and I am a cynical guy. Sure you could call this a publicity stunt, but DC is in the business of drawing attention and selling comics. I don’t knock them for it. I was, however, a little disappointed at what they came up with for the Man of Steel’s final act.
This comic only contains the first of three story arcs that make up the Death of Superman cycle. It’s called “Doomsday!” which is the name of the behemoth who takes Superman down. Nowhere is it explained who or what Doomsday is. According to Maxima, who gets inside his head at one point, “He’s hate, death, and blood lust personified! Nothing more.” Huh. Later comics would go into his background, and it is kind of interesting, but here he’s just a juggernaut who destroys everything in his path. Why it takes so long for him to get out of his straitjacket wasn’t clear to me. Once we get a look at him he didn’t seem that striking in appearance, with his most distinguishing characteristic being the horny protuberances that stick out of his joints.
What really let me down though is that he’s dumb as a bag of sand. I would have thought Superman might have used his had and come up with a winning strategy given how predictable Doomsday is, but instead they just go toe-to-toe in a series of slobberknockers that turns the story into a repetitive slugfest, punctuated with sound effects like “KRAKATOOM!” and bellows of “GRAAUHRARR!”
It’s not a bad comic, and given the stakes you can excuse how seriously it takes itself. I also liked how the final issue is presented entirely in full-page drawings, with a final double-page spread of Superman expiring in Lois Lane’s arms. They really wanted this to be a comic for the ages. I don’t think they did though just because Doomsday is so limited a villain and there’s no plot to speak of at all. It does have a kind of primitive force to it though and is easy to remember, even if the rumours of Superman’s demise were, as everyone guessed, greatly exaggerated.
A word for the working man
Reading Anton Jäger’s Hyperpolitics recently I came across the following sentence:
That humanity faces world-historical challenges at the beginning of the twenty-first century — from global warming and economic inequality to mounting geopolitical tensions — is a banausic truism.
That word “banausic” didn’t really stump me because I could guess its meaning in context. I also felt like it was a word I had known and even used previously, even though I couldn’t quite place it. So a bit of spadework was in order.
Banausic derives from the Greek banausos, a pejorative term for manual laborers such as blacksmiths or carpenters. It’s been speculated that the etymology is from baunos (furnace) and originally referred to jobs involving fire, like a smith or potter. This has, however, been questioned. The main point is that Greek intellectual life took a dim view of working-class jobs so calling something banausic was a putdown.
In modern times the meaning has stayed along these same lines. Apparently it is still used in German to describe an uncultured person or Philistine. In English it has been defined as meaning vulgar or mundane, or (in slightly less negative terms) merely utilitarian and practical. It’s even been expanded to refer to any profession (law, business) that prioritizes making money over the life of the mind.
Having gathered all this, I was left wondering: was Jäger using the word correctly? I think what he meant was that the fact that the world faces a lot of serious challenges is a banal observation. Banal having the meaning of being unoriginal, dull, or inane, and deriving from a French word for a feudal lord’s rights (I’m not sure I understand the connection). I think this is what Jäger meant, as banausic doesn’t really fit. If you’re going to flash around fancy words you have to use them right!
Aliens vs. Avengers
Aliens vs. Avengers
I’ve said several times before how much I like the Alien comics, first the ones published by Dark Horse and then by Marvel. Within the framework of the franchise they’ve always succeeded in being highly original, entertaining, single-story arcs that deliver exactly what you pay for. Facehuggers, chestbursters, Xenomorph queens, space marines, evil or virtuous synths . . . we all know what’s coming and I’ve never been disappointed.
Aliens vs. Avengers comes close to breaking that streak. For starters, and I think for the first time in the comics, the Alien mythology is expanded to take on the role of the Engineers. I wish they’d never introduced the Engineers. They just confuse everything. Anyway, they’re the ones who created the Xenomorphs as a “universal extinction machine.” This plot is discovered by the Wakandan Galactic Empire though, who are sent into crisis mode when the Xenos use the same black hole transportation system the Wakandans have used to spread throughout every corner of the universe. Which means that yes, the Xenomorphs are coming to Earth.
Are you following all this? Because it gets even more confusing. This four-part series is a real mess. I think they could have run it out to 20 issues and it still would have been hard to follow. Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most is that because this story is set in the future the Avengers are a pretty old bunch. Lots of bald heads and grey beards. Bruce Banner is an old man and Tony Stark stuck is in a wheelchair, but they can still fight because the Hulk doesn’t age and Tony can turn his wheelchair into an Iron Man suit. Spider-Man is Miles Morales all grown up. Wolverine is a grizzled vet (living on Mars now with the other mutants), but then we’ve seen Old Man Logan before and we know he can still fight. T’Challa (Black Panther) has white hair, but his son Azari is taking over anyway.
So it’s the Old Avengers who are tasked with defending Earth. A job they certainly aren’t up to, since the whole planet is overrun in a couple of pages and the survivors have to escape in a spaceship, which reminded me a bit of the DCeased storyline. I don’t know if these comics are making a broader cultural point about it being game over on Earth now, but it’s possible.
Anyway, as you may have guessed this is a talky comic and not all of the talk is good. I’m still scratching my head over “Sentimentality without permanence is purpose without cause.” And it’s also not really an Alien or an Avengers comic, though they’re both involved. What it finally comes down to is Mister Sinister teaming up with the Xenomorphs while the superheroes have to rely on Venom to save the day. Which may not have been what you came in for. It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting. But that’s not always a bad thing and I didn’t think it was all bad here. It’s just that these epic story arcs put me off and there’s so much new world-building going on here that the proceedings aren’t easy to follow or, for that matter, to stay interested in. The presentation of the Avengers as retirees was also a bit of a downer. So credit to Jonathan Hickman for going his own way, and good art from Esad Ribić, but not my thing. And please, can we just get rid of the Engineers?
Bookmarked! #163: Celebrating Indonesia
Another mystery bookmark. I don’t know when I got this, or where, or from whom. I’m pretty sure there was some kind of event marking 50 years of relations between Canada and Indonesia and they were handing them out. And it is very nice. I’m not sure what they’re made of or what they represent though. More mysteries.
Book: Demokrasi: Indonesia in the 21st Century by Hamish McDonald
Criminal 3: The Dead and the Dying
Criminal 3: The Dead and the Dying
The third entry in the Criminal series is itself made up of three separate stories that are linked by way of certain recurring characters. In other words, you could think of The Dead and the Dying as a sort of microcosm of Criminal as a whole.
All the stories are set in 1972, so they deal with a previous generation to the characters we met in Coward and Lawless. Though to be honest, nothing here feels a bit different from the later stories. I don’t think Center City changes very much. The middle story, “A Wolf Among Wolves,” is about Teeg Lawless, the father of Tracy and Ricky (and yes, it’s yet another story of a heist gone wrong). Then we get the back story of how Sebastian Hyde came to be the crime boss of Center City. But the main connecting thread has to do with a woman named Danica (whose pussy is “a deadly weapon”) and how she is abused and let down by various men.
It’s another effective comic. I especially liked the black beats that interrupt Teeg’s section. That’s a technique that might not have worked, but Brubaker and Phillips don’t set a foot wrong with this material and I thought the interrupted visuals added to the sense of Teeg’s mental and moral disintegration. Otherwise, it’s a comic that fills in blanks and adds to the sense of a tightening web of fate being drawn around these people. It’s funny how each comic ends with the words “The End,” as it’s clear that nothing is ever over in this town.
Walking Guelph
Last week was busy, and it ended with a long walk. The highlight was a stroll downtown on a beautiful sunny day. Here are some highlights. Some of these pics can be enlarged if you click on them.
There used to be a big Best Western hotel just a block down the street from where I live. It was torn down and the plan was to build student housing in its place, as the location is just across the road from the University. But that was ten years ago. They did tear the hotel down but there’s just been a hole in the ground ever since. At least it fills with rainwater and gives a nice fenced enclosure for geese to rest.
Proceeding down Gordon Street we find the Guelph Lawn Bowling Club. You may not have known Guelph had a Lawn Bowling Club. Now you do. In the background you can see our famous covered bridge. To the right (not in the picture) is the Boathouse, which is an eatery where you can get an ice cream cone and then sit and watch the geese and ducks on the river (which we’ll return to).
This is the splash pad in front of City Hall. Kids can cool off in it in the summer. I never have business with City Hall (if I can help it) but I pass by it often.
I had a bunch of errands to do downtown, and these were made more difficult by the fact that the main square, which is called St. George’s Square, is currently under construction. A lot of construction. To get to Scotiabank, where I was heading, I had to wander through a maze of walkways surrounded by barricades. What a mess!
I was tired out by this time so I went to sit for a while in the main branch of the library. This gentleman seems to have had the same idea, but was even more tired than I. Note the poor condition of the carpet. Given that this branch is going to be closed down when the new main library opens I guess they’re not worried about keeping up appearances.
I posted a picture a while back of the construction on the new library, which is just a block away from the old one and only a stone’s throw from St. George’s Square. This is what it looked like then.
And this is what it looks like now. They’re coming along. Lots of construction in this town.
I had to head to a lawyer’s office next and passed by the display window of a toy store where a Guelph Monopoly game was being sold. I had to go in and check it out. Nice conversation piece, but Monopoly is one of the worst board games in the world. I don’t know how it ever became so popular.
A few weeks ago the fabulous Fraggle posted an AI mock-up of Guelph that surprised me. Some of the landmarks were there but they were in the wrong place, or incorrectly rendered. One such location was the Albion Hotel. Well, here is the real place. First opening in the 1860s (under another name) there are a lot of urban legends associated with its history, including a visit from Al Capone during Prohibition (there was a Guelph connection, supposedly). Recently renovated, just last month it was listed for sale for $1. You can’t tear it down because it’s a heritage site so I’m not sure what’s going to happen to it.
The kids were back in school this week, and they were greeted by this cheerful, and maybe overly optimistic sign, at Central P.S.
Directly across from my lawyer’s office is the Guelph Civic Museum. I’ve only ever been in the gift shop. Some day I’ll go through it. I’m not a fan of the glass and stone effect.
My lawyer has been with the family for decades. He’s semi-retired now. The flowers in his front window looked like they could use some attention, but the office has a real old-school charm.
On my way back home I had to take a picture from the bridge overlooking the Eramosa River. In the summer you often see people in kayaks and canoes paddling about on it. But on this day it just looked peaceful.
And that’s a wrap. Hope you enjoyed this quick tour of some of the sites about my hometown. According to my phone I put in 30,000 steps so I was bushed when I got back. I’m not the man I used to be, as the song says.
Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Volume 1
Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Volume 1
When I was a kid I had a paperback collection of the first six or so issues of The Incredible Hulk, so basically the same comics as are collected here. I read that book until it fell apart, but didn’t have any other books like it. I don’t think that experiment really took for Marvel, but this Mighty Marvel Masterworks series seems to be doing well. They’re cheaper reproductions in a smaller format than the Epic Collections, but as long as you’re not a comic purist who gets upset at any tampering with the format or colour of the original then they do the job.
So what we have here is the Hulk’s original origin story, with Dr. Bruce Banner being irradiated from the blast of the gamma bomb he designed. He should have been observing the blast from a safe distance but he had to go out to rescue 16-year-old Rick Jones, who had driven out onto the test site. Rick Jones will, unfortunately, continue to be the Hulk’s sidekick for all of these early comics and he’s a pointless burden. Literally as he holds on to the Hulk’s back as they go hopping around.
Stan Lee was just trying out ideas here, looking to see what would work. In the first issue the Hulk is actually gray but this turned out to be too hard a colour to manage so in subsequent issues he experienced a chromatic shift (without any explanation) into the more familiar green. As initially introduced he also turns into the Hulk only at night and is Dr. Banner by day, which was too limiting for the character and so was discarded nearly as quickly as the gray skin. Then for a while Banner built a gamma ray machine that allowed him to change himself into the Hulk and then back again, but you could tell that device was wearing thin already by the later issues here. And finally there’s the question of how the Hulk gets around. In issue #3 Rick easily runs away from him: “Lucky for me the Hulk can’t move too fast!” But later in the same issue the big green guy is literally flying around with his island-hopping jumps.
In short, things were very much in a state of flux and it wasn’t clear what sort of a character the Hulk would be. Though that’s something that has stayed with the Hulk over the years, as evidenced by the different forms and colours he’s taken. Essentially this is another take on the Jekyll-Hyde dichotomy, the “milksop” scientist and the unleashed beast, and it’s always been a live question how much the one bleeds into the other.
The writing is slapdash in the extreme. Apparently Dr. Banner and Rick have excavated that underground hideout where the Hulk can be locked up all by themselves. And when the Hulk breaks the door down and smashes the elaborate mechanism used to shut it, it can be quickly repaired. “Lucky I was able to replace this shattered steel ramrod!” Rick tells us. Lucky indeed. When the Toad Men arrive from outer space their “grapplers” are quickly able to identify “the most brilliant scientific brain on Earth” (which would be Dr. Banner). When the Hulk and Rick and Betty Ross escape from the underground kingdom of Tyrannus the Mighty, Betty is in a state of shock that is like “some kind of amnesia!” Which means she conveniently won’t remember any of their adventures. You can see how comics had a lot of growing up to do. At this point superhero comics were juvenile entertainment and made no bones about it.
Originally published from 1962 to 1963, there’s the usual Cold War overlay, something I mentioned before in my review of the contemporary Ant-Man comics. The Hulk faces off against such Red menaces as the Gargoyle (whose defeat might signal “the beginning of the end of the Red tyranny too!”), Mongo (not a “gladiator from space” but a robot built by the “wily Reds”), and General Fang (a Chinese Communist warlord who leads his hordes against peaceful neighbours). “Do those commies think they’re playing with kids?” the Hulk asks, as he crushes one of their grenades in his hand. If so, they are soon disabused of the notion.
I liked this well enough when I was a kid, which isn’t surprising given that was very much who these comics were aimed at. That’s obvious just from the presence of Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade. These kids are actually the most dated part of all these books, saying things like “Daddy-O.” But that’s the price you pay for being hip.
