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I’ve been meaning to read this book for years. It seems I’m always the last person to get on the bandwagon. I mean, it’s a book about comic books, for crying out loud. You’d think I would have read it the minute it hit the shelves.

Actually, to say this a book about comic books is to cut it far short of the praise it’s due. This is not merely a book about comic books. It’s the story of two men, both Jewish, one from Prague, the other from Brooklyn, who create a comic book character that is in fact, very subtly, a version of themselves.

The Escapist, the Houdini like hero they give birth to during the golden age of comics, frees the oppressed citizens of the world, those who are the victims of tyrannical regimes or shackled societies with the power of his Golden Key. He is, as his name suggests, an escape artist.

And escape is exactly what Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay do, respectively, when it comes time for them to accept the identity fate and their choices have given them. Kavalier escapes by enlisting into the Army and then disappearing from his responsibilities as lover and father. And Sam escapes from his sexual preference, disappearing into a loveless, but convivial marriage.

Michael Chabon, the author, has a natural flare for poetic prose. He’s not trying to be literate. He doesn’t use big words to use big words. He’s genuine. And even though I didn’t understand some of those big words, I found myself touched deeply by the many sweet moments in the book. A wonderful story of imagination (The comic books Chabon creates are true to their time and completely believable), love, and historical fiction.

It’s no wonder it won the Pulitzer.

I had heard negative things about this movie, so maybe it was the incredible low expectations I had when I watched that caused me to enjoy it so thoroughly. I thought it was fantastic. Lauren and I both loved it. Yes, there was several bits of dialogue that had us rolling our eyes — the most annoying of which was Wolverine’s little pep talk to the younger members of the X-Men just before they go into the final battle.

WOLVERINE: I’m not gonna lie to you kid. It’s a war out there. (Or some crap like that.)

The whole scene should have landed on the cutting room floor with the twenty other scenes that got axed, but for some reason it survived. The president of the united states (played as lively as an oatmeal brand spokesman by Josef Sommer) had the majority of the trite one liners. Poor casting choice plus cliched one liners equals stupid president.

What I liked about this version, however, in addition to all the incredible special effects, was that the filmmakers weren’t afraid to kill off some chief players. I won’t mention who kicks the bucket — some of you might not have seen it yet. But it was a ballsy move, even if the filmmakers did plan on this being the last of the X-Men movies. Considering the ton of money this thing brought in at the box office, however, I’ll be surprised if we don’t see more X-Men uniforms in the future.

We do know that we’ll see Wolverine again. Hugh Jackman is reprising that role in a film about that character alone. It should be great, particularly if the filmmakers stay true to the Weapon X story line and show us who it was that made Wolverine the killing machine he is.

Incidentally, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is an example of casting done right. I forgive him for the few weak lines of dialogue he had in the film. He pulled them off as best as anyone could. It’s the writers who should be ashamed of themselves. But more than give good line readings, Jackman brings a human side to Wolverine that most other actors could not have pulled off. I mean, Jackman can act. Too many tough-guys actors can ONLY do the tough-guy thing. But Jackman can play the full range, which is perfect for Wolverine, a terribly tormented, complex individual.

Halle Berry, on the other hand, was as interesting as cold toast. I think I was annoyed by her performance because Berry made a big stink with the studio before production began and would only agree to a third film if her role was increased significantly. The studio acquiesced to her whining, and Berry had more scenes and lines then her character or acting deserved. What’s worse, her pouting, may have been the reason why OTHER characters, who will go unnamed, were killed off and given less screen time. Ah, Halle, when it comes to the X-Men, believe me, sweetheart, when I say it isn’t about you.

Worth the rental. If you’re a comic fan like me, buy it. B.

Season 3 has got off to a roaring start. It began exactly like Season 2 did by opening with a character we’ve never seen before in an environment we’ve never seen before. The two scenes were almost identical. The most sinister of the new characters is Juliet, who freaks me out even more than Ben Linus (pictured here), known last season as Henry Gale and who claims to have lived on the island on his life.

I was bummed to learn that (spoiler alert) Sun had indeed had an affair with the hotel heir. An adulterous relationship was only hinted at last season, but the truth came out in the second episode. Seems likely that Sun’s baby came from that affair and not from Jin, who we learned last season was impotent. The only other possible solution is that the island cured Jin in much the same way it cured Locke and Rose.

Can’t wait for next week when Mr. Ecko, Desmond, and Locke are back on the screen.

Eoin Colfer is my new favorite person. The Artemis Fowl series is quite possibly the funniest, most action-packed young-adult series available right now. Lauren and I are behind in our reading; the fifth volume in the series came out this week, and we’ve only just finished the third. But we’re not wasting any time. We’ve already purchased the remaining two.

The stories surround the now thirteen-year-old criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl and his interactions with the People, or the magical fairies and beings who live below us and who operate technology far beyond our own. Colfer is a master of character creation. I love Captain Holly Short, the LEP (short for leprechaun) police officer who enjoys a love hate relationship with the little trouble maker. And then there’s Butler, the immense bodyguard with a heart of gold who takes a bullet for Artemis in this book. Oops. I’ve said too much. You must read it for yourself. Post haste. A.

I’ve been reading a lot of young-adult fiction recently, and this delightfully charming novel might be the best of the bunch. Originally written in German and released in 2002, The Thief Lord follows a group of runaways in Venice who are watched over by the mysterious and self-assured Scipio (the Thief Lord), a boy no older than themselves. Two of the gang members are brothers on the lam from their aunt, a mean women who wants to adopt Bo, the younger of the two boys, but send Prosper, the older, off packing to an orphanage.

When the Thief Lord is offered a high-paying theft by an aged and wealthy Conte, the kids see it as their one-way ticket out of poverty. But the Conte isn’t what he seems. And the children soon find themselves in more danger than they bargained for.

It’s a beautiful story. Adventure and mystery and family and loyalty with just a sprinkle of magic to boot.

I was THRILLED after I read it to learn that a film based on the book was coming out on DVD in March. You can bet your picked pocket I’ll be the first in line to rent it. A.