Between Books - X-Force by Geoffrey Thorne Vol. 1: Fractures

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Let’s play Betweenland’s favorite game…IS IT GOOD DEADPOOL?

X-Force by Geoffrey Thorne Vol. 1: Fractures written by Geoffrey Throne and illustrated by Marcus To provides a post-Krakoa start to the paramilitary mutant special forces. The story follows Forge as he sets up a new X-Force team, with hardly any pre-Krakoa X-Force members, as he tries to save the world from armageddons. Forge uses a new toy to predict future fractures that will lead to the destruction of the world, and uses his secret team and custom devices to face off against the end of the world.

The book covers features Deadpool, a classic X-Force member, front and center. And the collection description notes, “Forge will recruit a specialist for each target: first up, that regenerating degenerate, Deadpool!” So we have to ask, is this good Deadpool.

• Community: Wade is a traditional member of X-Force, but you don’t get the sense that he’s joined up with the group for more than getting his bag. We never get to see our friend have a good hang with anyone.

• BetterUp: At no time does Wade attempt to become a better person. He’s along for slashing, shooting, and fighting.

• Laugh Away the Pain: Wade quips, we laugh. But it honestly covers no emotional development.

• Your Pal Wade: Deadpool does make a joke or two for us that reminds us that he knows he’s a multimedia giant. But he has so little page time, that we really don’t get to spend time with our buddy.

X-Force by Geoffrey Thorne Vol. 1: Fractures is bad Deadpool. Despite the cover and the marketing, Wade Wilson’s time in the story is truly a guest spot as he’s just not on the page a lot. It feels like Thorne was given an editorial note to add the Merc with the Mouth for sales, through his appearance and cover art. Maybe they thought his inclusion would connect the title with other runs. But, I have a hard time saying that Wade is featured here or that Wade grows in any meaningful character way in the middle of this cast. It’s bad Deadpool in the sense that he fights and jokes, and his impact, other than establishing that Forge recruits to fix individual problems, is not essential.

It is Forge that gets highlighted here. We learn that his power of creating solutions, usually through machines, is completely passive. He has the mutant gift to create a counter to what is coming. But he may not understand the future or how his solutions even work.

Along with not being the best Deadpool, I don’t think this is the best X-Force either. I am a fan of this team being the special forces of the mutant world as seen in its Cable-based origins or during the Daniel Way run. Honestly, this run feels like a superhero team that is somewhat secret but not gritty and grim. Again, did editorial order a book titled X-Force for the legacy title, but had really gotten a superhero book that could have been published under another X-Men or X-Factor title?

X-Force by Geoffrey Thorne Vol. 1: Fractures is a fine mutant or X-book. But it’s not great Deadpool or even strong X-Force in my opinion. 

 

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Between Books - Star Wars: The High Republic A Valiant Vow

Star Wars…YEAH.

The High Republic…MEH!

But, hey I can be kind towards a book not meant for Sith adults…right.

Due to time and my past engagement, I have been trying when I can to complete High Republic books through audiobooks. Spoiler, I feel like this plan has been solid for me.

Star Wars: The High Republic A Valiant Vow, a book meant for young adult readers, by Justina Ireland, follows two groups on the planet Eriadu. The first group, a pair of Jedi knights including Imri Cantaros, support the planet’s population as the Nihil Stormwall is opening, allowing refugees to flee if they want. They must balance the weather, the creeping Gray, and a crooked government. Meanwhile, three young friends in Jedi young Tep Tep, Churo the Hutt, and Zenny, a Senator’s daughter, try to stop a Hutt plot and free Churo from the clutches of his family. The two groups may meet together for a big climax.

I have to admit, I read an earlier volume with Tep Tep, Churo, and Zenny, and I wasn’t a fan. I found there was too much going on, too many characters, and the story failed to fill my imagination. But in this case, narrator Todd Haberkorn helps the reader by providing engaging voices and clear transitions between his narration and characters. I think that element helped keep me engaged, even if the story is not the big set-piece battle one would expect for a book written for a different audience, angry Star Wars fans. The story, actions, and character growth opportunities are all appropriate for the audience age group, and I think engaging for the intended group.

It’s Imri Cantaros that most interests me. We really get to spend time here with Imri and see his character develop. We saw in Ireland’s most recent Star Wars story that Imri is remembered nearly a hundred years later as a great Jedi thinker. We even have time for Imri and Vernestra to spend time together, putting him on that journey. Readers come to enjoy a Jedi who believes in compassion and empathy. And this makes it clear to us that the fan casting of Imri as Darth Arms just can’t be true! Ireland has been spending a lot of time thinking about Imri, and wow she’s putting out books quickly.

Science should be ethical. I like Churo, not spelled Churro, and his desire to be a scientist. But I do think that his science mentor is a little quesitionable in standards. And I think we would do a little better in showing kids that science and ethics should go hand-in-hand.
 

Star Wars: The High Republic A Valiant Vow by Justina Ireland is a young adult adventure, filled with moments of friendship and empathy. It’s a book that helps us learn our lessons by watching fictional characters on an adventure. And I think that narration by Haberkorn improves the experience, and keeps this grumpy old man from going negative.

Yoda…where are you at pal?

 

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Between Books - Walt’s Utopia: Disneyland and American Mythmaking Second Edition

If you read enough Disney books, there are a few different formats which you find recurring. One common format is the park walk around, where the author strolls from land to land sharing secrets and history. It is a familiar book type to Disney fans, where if you have read five Disney books you’ve read this format at least twice. Honestly, I have read the walkthroughs enough, I’m not sure one could add a new flair to it. But I am willing to give an academic version of this style a chance.

Walt’s Utopia: Disneyland and American Mythmaking Second Edition by Priscilla Hobbs provides a new take to a familiar format. Hobbs takes readers through Walt Disney’s original park, Disneyland, with a look not to fun facts, but discussions of myth making in the park. Hobbs declares that Disneyland is one of America’s most mythic spaces as a location where reality is often surplanted by imagination. Here the American myths of exceptionalism can be built out and explored by guests on a physical canvas, allowing guests to create their own connections and personal myths about the park. Hobbs adopts an interdisciplinary approach to explore Disney myths. Hobbs uses textual analysis to break down the stories that Disney offers guests to reach their foundations. Additionally, Hobbs relies on contextual analysis to better understand the symbols and metaphors that guests are immersed within. Often what Hobbs finds are stories that provide guests reassurance, not lost on me as a goal of Disney Legend John Hench. In a world that may not have always seemed orderly, Disneyland often bolsters the myth of human progress even going so far as allowing one to buy into the myth through the purchase of items tying guests back to the park. With an approach set to review the myths of Disneyland, Hobbs walks readers through the park from Main Street USA to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, discussing not just the history of the attractions and lands, but also the myths the lands communicate to guests as they immerse themselves in the themed environments.

I found Hobbs’ discussions to be interesting and enlightening. I would remind us all that theme parks are often seen as a setting for children and play. Therefore, you may wonder if one really needs to analyze the messages an myths that the park is projecting. But Hobbs helps us to understand the power of the myths and why they are so attractive to audiences like Disney adults, who seek a more ordered world, let’s be honest working isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and why the parks are able to make individual connections that foster return visits and return spending. For example, I love the Adventureland’s of the world. I think of them as places where one can explore and have fun. Hobbs notes that placemaking here is attempting to establish a world that was seen as exotic by mid-century Americans. The plants, sounds, and smells all created a hyperreality of an unspoiled world. Where, myself and my own studies of the British Empire has made it clear that what I am seeing is fiction. But I find myself returning to enter the myth Disney storytellers have crafted for me.

Along with Hobbs’ argument, I also appreciate Hobbs’ viewpoint. I don’t feel like Hobbs is ever anti-Disney. We have all seen or heard about academic Disney books with only one goal, burn it all down! Hobbs is a Disney Parks fan and I believe quite comfortable in the explored lands. Hobbs is just able to separate from the placemaking to step outside and review the story being told. And while Hobbs may show some fandom, the author especially with this edition is still able to hold Disney accountable by noting the connections between their mythmaking and the consumption and consumerism it encourages. As I often say, Disney doesn’t leave a dollar on the table. So I think even the most ardent Disney defenders must admit that while we love the parks they are quite good at separating us from our money. I also appreciate that Hobbs is very transparent on their academic approach, not leading me to believe that I am reading a history book when I am really reading a literary deconstruction of a physical place.

Walt’s Utopia: Disneyland and American Mythmaking Second Edition by Priscilla Hobbs is a unique way to walk through a Disney park. Hobbs reminds us that Disneyland is a myth, one that creates reassurance about the world and human progress. Additionally, this created deep individual attachments to the park, even for adults playing in a land seen as childish by others. These attachments support Disney corporate goals as guests become consumers and consume beyond park tickets to further their personal attachment. Overall, I found Walt’s Utopia to be well-written and thought provoking, a good read for Disney fans who want to think about their park visits intellectually. 

 

Review Copy Provided for Review

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Between Books - Groundmaking Magic: A Black Woman's Journey Through the Happiest Place on Earth

I have blind spots. I enjoy Disney history, but that doesn’t mean that my Disney knowledge is endless. Disney Legend Martha Blanding was one of the important figures in Disney history that I didn’t know a lot about. But now I feel like I have been welcomed into her life.

Groundbreaking Magic: A Black Woman’s Journey Through the Happiest Place on Earth by Martha Blanding with Tim O’Day recounts in Blanding’s own voice her life story, focusing on her 50-year career with the Walt Disney Company, largely at Disneyland. Blanding shares her family history, with her parents moving out west to settle in South Central Los Angeles, or Watts. In 1971,the California State University Fullerton student looked for a nearby job and was encouraged to apply at Disneyland, an employer that at the time didn’t have a history of hiring employees of color. Initially rebuffed, she would later find herself being recruited and hired for an illustrious and very public position as tour guide and VIP Hostess. In this role, she was trained to represent the best of Disneyland as she interacted with the rich and famous. However, she looked for additional professional opportunities and transferred into a management program where she worked at the Emporium and also served as a candy buyer. This role in merchandising would evolve into a role with Special Event Merchandise, where she would again be charged with interacting with the famous and talented. Blanding discusses throughout the book the challenges of being a woman of color in the 70s and beyond in the park, which includes incidents of intentional and unintentional racism and the growth of multicultural representation at Disneyland.

I think the most important reaction that a reader will gather from reading the book is becoming familiar with Martha and her work. Martha, I’ve read your book. Are we friends now? It is a real achievement that Blanding and O’Day capture her voice and tone. She talks in depth about family members, ones that are not connected to Disneyland. But what one feels is love and appreciation for who they are and how they impacted her journey. Also, I know Martha’s work and found it very interesting. I’ve not been inside the merchandise buying team or Disney’s special merchandise program. But Blanding and O’Day make these fields interesting to me and help me better understand those roles. And these are not even the role that is front and center and brings readers to the page with tour guide and VIP hostess roles.

Martha appears to have a generally positive view of life. But that does not mean that she runs away from retelling painful stories from her life and those that she loves. One of those pains that she directly addresses is racism. Blanding had a career at Disney filled with joy and colleagues that she enjoyed working with. She was also treated unfairly at times due to her being a Black woman in a workplace that was largely filled with White employees. Martha retells several of these stories and how she negotiated through them. She doesn’t paint a story of a faultless workplace, but instead shows us one containing imperfect people.

I'm really glad that Martha Blanding and I are friends now. She is a caring and thoughtful Disney legend who has been a pathfinder for employees of color and experienced the bad and good of working at the Walt Disney Company. Groundbreaking Magic: A Black Woman’s Journey Through the Happiest Place on Earth by Martha Blanding with Tim O’Day isn’t just a Disney history, but a memoir that pays tribute to moments that Martha has loved, including Disneyland cast members, celebrities, and family. 

 

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Between Books - Star Wars: The Acolyte Wayseeker

Many people didn’t like Star Wars: The Acolyte.

I thought it was mostly fine with me being the most tripped up over ties to The High Republic, and leaving me wanting to know more about Darth Arms and his connection to Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh.

I guess some people like the bigger High Republic concept. I keep struggling with it and still just have questions.

Star Wars: The Acolyte Wayseeker attempts to connect these two Star Wars “periods” and answer some questions in one book.

Star Wars: The Acolyte Wayseeker by Justina Ireland is a prequel to the Disney+ program with an action story focused on the first meeting between Rwoh and young Jedi Knight, later master, Indara. The two are pushed together in an investigation to find the source of lightsaber nullifiers, which have their origin in The High Republic. The two Jedi meet as Indara is pulled out of the Jedi Archives to retrieve Wayseeker Rwoh, who has failed to communicate with the Jedi Order for several years. The two go on an adventure where each has to see how they can change to become better, fuller members of the Jedi.

I am going to stay away from a big plot overview. The two Jedi are really the focus of the story. Ireland for me helps bridge a gap between the young and optimistic Rwoh to the crafty Jedi politician we see in the show. She seems to have become more cynical after a bad experience with a padawan, Darth Arms perhaps, and has lost much of her optimism due to the rough galaxy she has experienced. Additionally, Indara fails to be the confidant Jedi master we see on Disney Plus, perhaps too confidant. It is Rwoh who puts her on a path to better understand her competence and make her the Jedi we see in the show. Sta

Honestly, this book kept me engaged with its adventure. It is not galaxy-shaking, and doesn’t need to be. What Star Wars: The Acolyte Wayseeker by Justina Ireland gives us, a character-focused adventure tale. With its focus on just two characters, which we have some background on, we can dive in, go seeking, and not get overly lost. It also helps to give nods to The High Republic in a way that makes me feel like those characters other than Rwoh are important, and even in some cases, spoils a future we don’t know yet.

Yoda has words to say! They are words that do not spoil a light, breezy, summer read! 

 

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Between Books - International Journal of Disney Studies Volume 1 Issue 1

I have long been a supporter of academic research focusing on Disney history and culture. And I have wanted to see that movement spread, allowing interested parties to actively participate. That hope has become real with the International Journal of Disney Studies, as Disney has gone academic!

The opening essay of the volume, “Welcome to the International Journal of Disney Studies” by Robyn Muir and Rebecca Rowe outlines the goals of this new journal. The editorial board in 2022, came to the realization that the academic study of Disney related topics was growing, but there was no one home for the content being developed. This led to the creation of a new journal, the International Journal of Disney Studies which intends to provide an interdisciplinary approach to supporting and publishing Disney related research. The disciplines covered in the first issues include gender studies, history, architecture, politics with the journal itself being able to publish studies from any academic specialty with a Disney tone, opinion pieces and commentaries, book reviews, and other essays of interest to scholars. In this first volume, “Revisiting Disney’s The Living Desert: A documentary or a wildlife fable filmed in a mythical desert?” by Susan E. Swanberg and the “Making history at Disney Springs: Florida’s past as themed tourism” by F. Evan Nooe provides the feeling of a historical survey and topics that Disney fans may find in other publications like the Hyperion Historical Alliance Annual. But essays like “We’re not quite there yet…but we will be’: Identifying shifts in the Walt Disney Company’s LGBTQ+ representation” by Matt Weaver and “Conservatives watch cartoons: The Rise of Disney, the right and cultural criticism in the 1990s” by Alex Pinelli discuss societal trends and issues which are generally not found in the history and culture focused Disney fan press. Overall the studies, commentaries, and book reviews in this first volume eclipse a wide variety of topics, including ones that Disney fan projects may not typically consider, or consider with a level of scrutiny such as peer review that elevates the discussion and the impact of Disney content on society.

Currently, this journal is free online. The journal is bringing peer reviewed scholarship to academics and Disney fans at a low entry cost. Which, in a world where everything seems to cost more and more I believe is great. It's scholarship for everyone, which is great as it makes it easy for students and general readers to access the publication. Additionally, as one looks at the list of contributors and editors, this is truly an international effort. One that I hope to continue to support.

And as one goes down the academic Disney rabbit hole, one will discover this is part of DISNET, The Disney, Culture, and Society Research Network. Along with this new journal, the Network also sponsors academic conferences, supports book launches, fosters writing groups and mentoring, and many other professional academic efforts. It seems that Disney as a scholarly pursuit now has the foundation to claim a professional status.

I read my first article on a tablet. And I hated it! Formatting for me, including spacing and indents, was really off on my interface. For my second article, I jumped to a PDF format for reading and it was a much more friendly experience. The PDFs for me are the best read, and they are also really easy to download in that format.

International Journal of Disney Studies issue 1 provides a forum for academic studies, scholarly commentary and book reviews related to Disney content. The effort is academically driven with a large editorial board supported by scholars from around the globe. The essays found in this volume cover a large number of topics from the history of Disney Springs, to friendship in the Toy Story franchise, to gender representation, and so many more. Most of all, the collection provides a step forward to creating professional academic interdisciplinary studies of the Walt Disney Company and its affiliated topics.  

Between Books: Star Wars: The High Republic Into the Light

Once again we dive into The High Republic…and it was fine!

Star Wars: The High Republic Into the Light by Claudia Gray works towards resolving the B plot of The High Republic. Jedi Knight Reath Silas leads a crew of Jedi, allies, and enemies to Kasshyyyk to investigate the spread of the Blight on this forest world. The potential devastation could be devastating to the Wookies. Reath’s team faces a number of adversaries from the Blight, the Nihil, the Drengir, and more! The story is very action-heavy as Reath’s team moves from uncovering secrets about the Blight, alternating with small-scale battles. While some secrets are revealed, there is also a cost!

Claudia Gray is a good writer. And we have characters with Reath, Avon Starros, and even the villainous Nan that we have had time to learn about and in some cases are invested in. Gray places most of the story on a world that anyone claiming they are a Star Wars fan will enjoy. But it has the story negative of we know that it can’t be completely destroyed! Gray alternates well between action and story development, though we do know with this being the B storyline that there will be no resolution with the main plot.

There are still some stakes here, largely due to character investment. As a reader, we will struggle yet again with Nan and whether she can be redeemed by Reath. And I will ask yet again, what does redemption mean? Redemption is not a loss of justice. Also, going back to the early volumes of the High Republic, Gray does take some big swings with characters that at times can rock the reader.

They say the High Republic is coming to an end. I mean, I am looking forward to Darth Arms and his origin, even if that’s via comics. Star Wars: The High Republic Into the Light by Claudia Gray helps bring the main B story closer to an end, but not quite there yet. I’m left as a reader to wonder if The High Republic will be tied up in one volume for all storylines, or are there still 18 volumes to go so the architects can conclude the 6 stories.

Yoda makes his appearance and drops some wisdom. 

 

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