Polish Outlander

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. Thanks Kristi!

For my birthday yesterday, one of the things that Josh got me was this omnibus book of awesomeness:

Now in one titanic tome: the entire chart-topping run of super-team Joss Whedon and John Cassaday! Winner of multiple prestigious Eisner Awards, Whedon and Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men was a smash hit with critics and fans alike from the very first issue – winning praise from dozens of top media outlets including Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, TV Guide, and New York Magazine, as well as racking up nearly every major comic-book industry award. Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Whedon and Cassaday (Captain America, Planetary) assembled a tight cast – Cyclops, the Beast, Wolverine, and Emma Frost, joined by returning fan-favorite Kitty Pryde – and set forth a groundbreaking pace, from the opening pages of a Sentinel attack to the unexpected return of a beloved X-Man. Then, building on early momentum, they ratcheted up the danger and drama with a shocking second year, creating a must-read book that can truly be called “astonishing!” Collects Astonishing X-Men #1-24, and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1. (I had known about Joss writing this series but thought I would have to read a chunk the other X-Men comics beforehand. I have a lot of the Marvel Essentials books but have been slowly making my way through Volume 1. But Josh read that this is one where you can just pick it up and read as a good stand-alone series. Can’t wait to read this! What a fantastic present! One that is hard to get apparently!)

I also went to Midtown Comics on Wednesday to get the newest Buffy comic:

Buffy Season 8 #32: Faster than a speeding — you know. More powerful than a — yeah, one of those. Able to leap tall . . . castles in a single bound. Still working on that x-ray-vision thing. In the aftermath of battle with Twilight’s army, Buffy has developed a host of new powers, but when will the other shoe drop, and will it be a cute shoe, or an ugly one? Still reeling from the losses of war, Willow goes looking for missing allies and discovers a horrifying truth about several of the Slayer army’s recent ordeals. (What an excellent issue! And oh the references! The first part was great and humorous and then all the fun came to a shocking halt at the end. Can’t wait for the next one!)

While at the Strand with my friend, who was getting Secret Life of Bees for one of our book clubs at work, I got this:

When Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first published in 1865, it set critics awry: here was a book for children written for the pure pleasure of reading. It has since become one of the most famous children’s books ever, translated into many different languages, performed as a play, and made into a popular Disney animated film. Bored on a hot afternoon, Alice follows a White Rabbit down a rabbit-hole without giving a thought about how she might get out. And so she tumbles into Wonderland: where animals answer back, a baby turns into a pig, time stands still at a disorderly tea party, croquet is played with hedgehogs and flamingos, and the Mock Turtle and Gryphon dance the Lobster Quadrille. In a land in which nothing is as it seems and cakes, potions and mushrooms can make her shrink to ten inches or grow to the size of a house, will Alice be able to find her way home again? (I had read this when I was younger: actually when I was in Poland one year with my mom and we were visiting her friends in our hometown and I perused the friend’s shelves and found this and read both Alice and Looking-Glass. Now, Josh wants to read it before the movie comes out next month. I might have to reread it myself.)