Boozy Book Club No. 4

Can we all agree that histories are not in my reading wheelhouse? My goal of reading 12 books this year will probably be another failure this year.

Civil War Reading List
We're at a standstill after making great progress. My book has sat unopened on my nightstand for most of the last couple weeks. Just to say that I did, I read a little bit of Battle Cry last night.

Battle Cry of Freedom
Author: James McPherson
Genre: History
Status: 506 pages in
Notes: Yeah, not much change since last time.

Battle-Pieces
Author: Herman Melville
Genre: Poetry
Status: 84 pages in
Notes: Still reading on Google Books. Still at Gettysburg.

Comic Book Pull List
Pickups since last update: Amazing Spider-Man (695), Batman (13) and Stumptown (2). Today's pulls include: Cape: 1969 (4), Daredevil (19), Godzilla: Half Century War (3), It Girl (3), and maybe B.P.R.D.: 1948 (1) and Justice League (13).

My permanent pull list is now in place, which makes life a little easier. With Amazing Spider-Man set to end with the 700th issue, I decided to pick up the last story arc, and I'm happy I did. Spider-Man was the first superhero I latched onto many years ago, but none of the current titles caught my interest when I returned to reading comics this year. Dan Slott's writing is fun, and it was easy to catch on without having read the character for more than a decade. That said, however, today's highlight goes to the return of the greatest villain in all of comics.

Batman
Issue: 13
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo

Image: DC Comics

Notes: ZOMG!!1! The Joker is back! After disappearing for a year, he's come looking for his face, which was cut off in Detective Comics No. 1 last year.

Batman's arch nemesis has gone even further off the bend. His first appearance is a chilling reminder of his brutality, and his next act is a pleasing homage to the character's past, especially considering I recently read Batman Chronicles Vol. 1, which collects the earliest Batman stories and includes the first appearance of the Joker.

Snyder and Capullo pay tribute to these early stories, as well as to Alan Moore's seminal The Killing Joke and Heath Ledger's portrayal in The Dark Knight, but they also present a Joker all their own. This issue is easily the best thing I've read since returning to comics.

Book-Beverage Pairings
My father-in-law bought me a bottle of Metaxa Grand Olympian Reserve 12 Star, a Greek variation of brandy that will light your face on fire. I must summon my inner Heracles to stomach this strong spirit.

What have you been reading? What beverages have aided to an intoxicating story? As always, a live book club discussion will follow in the comments section. Cheers!