Last night I watched the third episode of the BBC's Sherlock with my parents, and I started thinking about the arch-nemesis or "evil genius."

In contemporary DC Comics, Batman's evil genius is the Joker. Many writers portray their relationship as much more complex than the "good vs. evil." Instead, Batman and the Joker depend on each other for purpose. They have become so entwined that neither seems to be able to exist without the other. Batman has become almost incapable of killing the Joker, or letting him die by inaction, because somehow Batman has come to need the Joker. It's more than two side of the same coin, it's a yin-yang. Batman has just enough of the Joker's madness, and the Joker has just enough sanity, for them to understand each other in a way no one else can.

In The Three Musketeers, D'Artagnan has an evil genius. No, it isn't Richelieu, although the Cardinal is definitely a genius and arguable evil. The man that D'Artagnan designates as his evil genius is Richelieu's right hand, Rochefort, whom he encounters on the road to Paris and challenges to a duel. Rochefort leaves him, stealing the letter from D'Artagnan's father to Treville, the leader of the Musketeers. Throughout the story, D'Artagnan has glimpses or brief encounters with Rochefort, but is time and again prevented from enacting the duel he craves. At last, in an uneasy truce with the Cardinal, Rochefort and D'Artagnan become fierce rivals and, eventually, friends. At first, they are too alike to be friends, too equally matched, and too loyal to their respective guards. Over time, after each has won several duels, their rivalry grows to encompass friendship.

I mention D'Artagnan and Rochefort, because their relationship seems to me to be a step in the evolution of this Evil Genius/Arch-Nemesis/Other Half type. We could go back further, push the idea a bit, and wind up looking at Gilgamesh and Enkidu. My mentor called their part of the epic "the original buddy movie." Enkidu is created to provide Gilgamesh with an equal, so that Gilgamesh will stop raising hell at home. Before they become friends, they fight. Now you know where "Lethal Weapon" got it from. It is Enkidu's death that sends Gilgamesh, grief-stricken and afraid, on his quest for immortality.

I am getting distracted from the Evil Genius, though. Does King Arthur have an Evil Genius? If he does, is it Mordred or Lancelot? Someone else altogether? Robin Hood doesn't, really. The Sheriff of Nottingham is not really clever enough to count as Robin's equal. Though Robin Hood follows the Gilgamesh-Enkidu paradigm with many of his companions, notably Little John, Friar Tuck, and Will Scarlet.

In the BBC Sherlock, the relationship between Moriarty and Holmes seems on track for a Batman-Joker dynamic, but in the original Doyle stories, Holmes only had a few glimpses of Moriarty and they never confronted each other directly.

I just flashed on another similar pair, or even trio, if you prefer: Gollum/Smeagol and Frodo. Frodo is determined to help Gollum because he needs to believe there is hope for himself. It becomes nearly an obsession, blinding him to Gollum's treachery and alienating Sam. But it is the push and pull between Gollum and Frodo that finally brings the ring's destruction.

It is not easy to create relationships as complex as some of these are. I find it immensely gratifying, though. The simple dichotomy of good & evil, white hats vs. black hats, to my mind is not only unrealistic but boring. Life, the universe, people are so complex, and our relationships and our choices are all part of it. Who our enemies are and why can reveal as much or more about a character as who our friends are.

This was kind of a pointless rambling, but oh well. No one reads this blog anyway.

Title: Squish: Super Amoeba
Author: Jennifer Holm, Matt Holm
Series: Yes.
Categories: graphic novels, comic books, illustrated, science, male pov, friends, school life
Other works by Matt & Jennifer Holm: Babymouse series
Notes: Squish makes his debut appearance in Babymouse: Mad Scientist (vol. 14)

Squish is an amoeba, just trying to get through each day of school. With the trademark humor and art of the Babymouse series, children can follow Squish as he wrestles with moral dilemmas and the intricacies of frienship. In the process, they’ll learn some science. Squish loves comic books and has two best friends, one of whom is a genius and the other of whom is happy-go-lucky. Between their two antics, and Squish's own social awkwardness he finds himself in amusing but challenging situations.

Two volumes of Squish are currently available (vol. two is Squish: Brave New Pond) and the third is coming out in May 2012.

Title: Animalia
Author: Graeme Base
Series: no
Other works by Graeme Base: The Eleventh Hour, Enigma, The Jewel Fish of Karnak, Legend of the Golden Snail, Uno's Garden, Jungle Drums, The Waterhole, Truck Dogs, The Worst Band in the Universe, Discovery of Dragons, Sign of the Seahorse
Categories: picture books, alphabet, art, illustrated, animals, alliterative, seek-and-find

Graeme Base has become one of the best-known creators of children's books, and Animalia is his first (and possibly most beloved) book. If you aren't familiar with it, or haven't read it, you may be rolling your eyes at the idea of an ABC book being phenomenal. If that's the case, it is only because you are not familiar with it.

Animalia is a book close to my heart, one I remember looking at again and again as a child. It was how I learned my alphabet, and looking back I think it was one of the books that made me fall in love with reading. This is because each of Base's illustrations (which take anywhere from two to six weeks to complete) is a world unto itself. A person can stare into a single illustration for hours and come back the next day and get lost in it all over again. Base took the picture book and the alphabet book to new heights.

There are twenty-six illustrations, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some of them are spread over two pages, others occupy only one. Each illustration is populated with animals, objects, and colors beginning with the relevant letter, and includes an alliterative phrase or poem. For example, one of my favorites is "L": "Lazy lions lounging in the local library." The lions on the page sprawl in the library, surrounded by open books. Base's rich style captures not just the image of the lions, but the feeling of sprawling lions. Although their poses suggest such elemental lion-ness, they somehow look perfectly comfortable in the library, surrounded by books. These lions appreciate literature.

Not only are readers drawn into the pages by the illustrations and by searching out all the different objects, they can also search each page for Graeme himself. He is extremely difficult to spot sometimes, only a tuft of hair or a hand, but the search is fun and pulls readers even more deeply into the incredible art. And when you've reached the end, having found all the little hidden Graemes and having thoroughly explored each page, well...I, at least, feel full of all the good feelings that I identify with reading. The exhilaration of discovery, the energy produced as my imagination is inspired by everything I have read and seen, the satisfaction that this time has been well-spent and that I am richer for having read it. Animalia came out the year after I was born, and I have been reading it for as long as I can remember. I never get tired of it. Each time I open it, or even look at the cover, it is like seeing it for the first time. I am awed by it, thrilled by it.

If there is a young child in your life--or even an old one--you should make sure this book is part of their library.

L:

copyright Graeme Base 1986

Title: City of Bones
Author:Cassandra Clare
Series: First in the Mortal Instruments quartet
Categories: YA, romance, paranormal, fantasy (urban), action
Other works by Cassandra Clare: Infernal Devices series (Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince out so far).
Notes:

For those who are not utterly sick of the paranormal/urban fantasy/teen romance books, this might be worth a read. Assuming you haven't already. Clare's take on the genre is interesting, and there is certainly enough material in the world she has created to last through a four-book series. Unfortunately, her writing does not quite live up to her imagination. She uses a number of formulaic phrases, with a tendency to repeat certain adjectives and other words throughout the novel. Overall, it gives the reader the feeling that she couldn't think of anything better, and it becomes more frustrating as you go. That said, although it was mildly annoying, it will probably not deter me from finishing the series. The story and characters are interesting--at least, I am interested in how she will develop them.

The initial premise of the story is basic: teenage girl sees something supernatural and then mother gets kidnapped. It's where it goes from there that is engaging and interesting. Worth at least checking out.

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Book 1 of trilogy. Second book (Crossed) is out in hardcover.
Categories: YA, dystopia, romance, self-discovery, poetry, series
Other works by Ally Condie: Freshman For President, Being Sixteen, The Yearbook Trilogy (Yearbook, First Day, Reunion)

If you are looking for an action-packed dystopian adventure a la The Hunger Games series, this is definitely not the book for you. Matched is a completely different kind of dystopian story--one in which the masses sacrifice choice for security and comfort. Unlike Katniss' world, in which violence and poverty keep the populous in check, Cassia's world is one of carefully parceled-out privileges and comfortable, predictable futures. The Officials and the government choose everything--your job, your meals, your spouse. Cassia has been waiting to be Matched all her life, and the book opens on the evening of her Match banquet, which she is attending with her family and her best friend Xander.

But Cassia, under the influence of her grandfather and the words of Dylan Thomas, begins to question the way the Society does things as she falls in love with Ky Markham. Ky is an Abberation: he cannot be matched, and he is denied many of the privileges that Cassia enjoys. Yet Ky has many things that Cassia had not expected, and as they share poetry and the limited exploration of their hiking activity, Cassia starts to finally think for herself and discovers both the boons and perils of making your own choices.

Condie's writing is well-suited to the world she has created and to Cassia. Still, I think that for many readers, Matched would drag if they jumped into it unprepared, especially expecting a more active novel. That said, I think Matched explores some very interesting themes about choice, growing up, love, and ethics. I enjoyed it more than I had expected, and I think people who give it a chance will come away glad they have read it. It gives you a new appreciation for the luxury of choice and how we can fall or fly, but only by our own power.

Title: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152
Author: David Petersen
Series: 1st book, Mouse Guard series
Categories: YA, intermediate, graphic novel, comic book, anthropomorphic animals, medieval, illustrated, adventure, intrigue, fantasy
Notes: All-ages, good as a read-along, etc.
Other works by David Petersen: Mouse Guard series, Snowy Valentine (picture book)

“A graphic novel about anthropomorphic mice?” you ask skeptically. My answer: "Absolutely." Mouse Guard is reminiscent of Brian Jacques’ beloved Redwall series, sans Abbey. The art is beautiful and full of detail, truly making Mouse Guard a graphic novel instead of a comic book. Three of the Guard's finest mice are sent to find a missing mouse, a merchant who never reached his destination. But the missing mouse was more than he appeared, and the trio discovers that there is a traitor in the ranks of the Guard. You'll soon find yourself hooked by the story and have a favorite mouse (mine is Lieam). Petersen uses both art and words to their greatest effect, and the results are sure to engage readers of any age.

Title: Fever Crumb
Author: Philip Reeve
Series: 1st book, Fever Crumb quartet
Categories: YA, dystopia, future, technology, coming of age
Notes: appropriate for younger readers of advanced reading skills
Other works by Philip Reeve: The Mortal Engines Quartet (Hungry City Chronicles)

Philip Reeve packs so much into what seems like too few pages to hold all of the characters and events that unfold in the first volume of his new series. Set in the same world as his Mortal Engines quartet, in a distant future London.

Fever Crumb is a foundling girl raised by the super-rational Order of Engineers. She ventures into the wider world in the employment of archaeologist Kit Solent. As she is confronted with the irrational world outside of the Order, her confusion is compounded by strange memories that could not possibly be her own. Where did these memories come from? Who is she really, and why did her parents abandon her?

Fever is a different sort of female hero, but she doesn’t disappoint, and neither does Philip Reeve. Reeve's writing is perfectly suited to the world he has created, but (like a good storyteller) the skill and artistry of his writing does not distract from the story he is telling. I love the way he envisions how culture will evolve in a post-Apocalyptic world where so much technology and history has been lost. Staples of our own culture have been twisted and confused as they filtered through time to Fever's world. I also felt for Fever as she navigates her own turbulent emotions and problems with her rational mindset and engineer training. She finds herself assaulted with irrational emotions and situations--both her own and those of the people around her--and her upbringing among the Order of the Engineers has hardly prepared her to deal with them. At first I was worried that I wouldn't like Fever or be invested in her, but she is actually quite endearing.

As soon as I finished Fever Crumb, I immediately snatched up the second book (A Web of Air). I cannot wait for the last two books to be available. A Web of Air was not in any way a letdown or disappointment, it pulled me even further into Fever's world.

I cannot say enough good things about this series. Why are you still here reading this? GO GET IT!

Note: The audio for this book (though not A Web of Air) is read by the author himself.