Partly

I'm filled with glee over this book:

The cover doesn't do the book justice. It's not about Wolverine exactly, but at the same time it has all the wonderful things that I love about the character. It's actually about a young mutant named Eric. As it is a Young Adult Novel, the protagonist needs to be a young adult and I’m fine with that. In fact, I’m thrilled with that. Wolverine is always best when kids are involved. Eric has “the suckiest mutant power ever” and he’s close to right. It’s your basic coming of age story with lots of being true to yourself and learning to be the best “you” you can be in a world that doesn’t understand you.

All the stuff that makes me read YA novels to begin with. *grin*

It’s short, occasionally illustrated and only in hard cover, but it was worth the price for just the first 20 pages. The book is written in the form of an on-line journal and the author has a wonderful feel for the medium. I’m greatly amused that the voice in the book has the same feel as Myria when she chats or journals. The one line of “Because I’m helpful like that”, sounds so much like Myr that I hear it in her voice when I read it.

A sample of that which is good:

Now, sometimes when people get surprising news, they say something like, “It blew my mind!”

I have to tell you: this news from Wolverine didn’t just blow my mind. Oh, no. Basically, it was like having a professional demolition team – those guys who blow up buildings on TV – crawl into my head through my ears, place dynamite in all the right places, lay down their wires, crawl back out, give the “Go!” signal, and then detonate the explosives, totally destroying my brain.

What I’m saying is, this news blew my mind professionally.

Granted, most of the humor comes from knowing the characters and the comics, but it’s all good. In that geeky, totally-a-fangirl way, mind.

What I really like about the book was this kid wasn’t your proto-typical angsty/angry teenage – even though he had every right to be. Add this character to Alexis, the daughter from Castle, and you have a very short list of the portrayal of good kids in fiction.

But I digress.

As an added bonus to the book, there are thee comics at the end of the novel – starring The Power Pack (young sibling superheroes) in three different adventures with Wolverine. While they're good comics, I mention it only because it reminds me of one of my favorite Wolverine comics: (Uncanny) X-Men 205 The cover alone is worth the comic, but actually happens before the events in the book, which deal with Wolverine and Katie Power from the Power Pack.

Yes. I have favorite Wolverine comics. For example, I absolutely adore the Kitty Pride and Wolverine mini-series. If I had my druthers, they would make a Wolverine movie out of that series.

Again, I digress. (Twice in as many paragraphs, time to stop typing!)

Basically, I just wanted to say: *glee*.

The most recent TV Guide had a short bit (under "Highlights") that focused on Hawkes. ( I'll share the bit, because it's short, but cut it because it may spoil ) However, it was the quote they had next to his (extremely nice) picture that caught my attention:

"I have a scene with Gary Sinise that is one of the most powerful I've shot. It's rare that two male characters on a procedural have a conversation about something that's going on in their own hearts or personal lives." - Hill Harper

I find the relationship between Hawkes and Mac to be one of the most interesting on the show. While Hawkes obviously respects Mac and gives him the deference due to the head of the lab, Hawkes never seems intimidated nor put off by Macs attitude or behavior. In fact, he often treats Mac as an equal, both professionally and personally -- openly discussing topics that I don't see any other member of the team casually discussing with Mac (ie, the topic of assisted suicide, accusing Mac of losing his perspective on the case in "Murder Sings the Blues"). He also seems relatively unaffected by Mac's reprimands or criticisms (again in "Murder Sings the Blues").

What's equally, if not more, surprising is the way Mac responds to Hawkes. He shares personal information (about his father's death) and accepts Hawkes accusations and (non-apologetic) explanation of his behavior (Murder Sings the Blues") without comment. Mac not only respects Hawkes' eclectic knowledge (of things from mosquitoes to J-Los butt), but trusts him implicitly (with the flash drive, and before that with the information about the Mayor).

They are both very much alike and polar opposites at the same time. I'm thrilled to see that they are continuing to build on that complex relationship between Hawkes and Mac. And, as I adore both Gary Sinise and Hill Harper, I am really looking forward to this episode.

He's perpetually perky.

He's obnoxiously optimistic.

He's intentionally oblivious.

And he's subtly sneaky.

Did I mention that he's perky?

How can you not like him?

Perky next to O'Neill is great!