I Just Read About That…

 SOUNDTRACK: JIDENNA-Tiny Desk Concert #646 (September 5, 2017).

I had never heard of Jidenna despite all of his apparent hits.  I was rather turned off by the initial song, “Trampoline.”  The chorus of “Bounce Bounce Bounce like a trampoline” was dumb enough and the music was cheesy enough that I didn’t like this at all. Although the lyric “the lady ain’t a tramp just coz she bounce up and down like a trampoline” is at least female positive.

So who is this guy?

MC Jidenna is Nigerian-American: he rocks thrift-wear tailored to a T.  Jidenna and his band recently visited NPR to perform three reworked selections from The Chief–A tribute to his father, a Nigerian chief, the record is peppered with African rhythms and themes.  They excitedly explored every nook and cranny of the Tiny Desk in search of props, eventually settling on a toy, the magic microphone, a tambourine and a bottle of whiskey.

But then he said some eloquent words about NPR–“a beacon of light of information in this information age,” and I was impressed that it wasn’t just all bouncing asses.

For then he began”Long Live the Chief.”  This rap song has some great sounding rough guitars.  His delivery is sharp and fast and the lyrics are fantastic. But its the music that really won me over–the sound of the guitars, the unexpected rhythm and some great drumming.  It was like a 180 degree turn.

But I love these lines:

Ridin’ for my niggas gettin’ locked up in the slammer
Elders saying everything’s a nail to a hammer
And niggas can’t spell but we know our Instagrammar
Well done’s better than well said
I read niggas well, a nigga well read
Really I ain’t met nobody smarter
That’s why I got admitted but I still rejected Harvard
I’m the fresh prince, in a school where they couldn’t read
Mama put me in a school with the Kennedys
When I met Bill Clinton I was seventeen
But dead presidents is all my niggas need
Dining with the governor’s daughter
And her father say I remind him of Obama
I’m the chief diplomat, every day
And I’m black and white, Janelle Monae

And then in another 180 degree turn (but not full circle, more like 180 degrees in the opposite direction) came “Bambi.”  This is a gentle lullaby–a sweet song to a lost a love.

The women among the tribe
They will be jealous of this lullaby
I’ll drink alone in my hotel and cry
‘Cause now they know you are love of my life

It sounds like a sweet reggae song or a proper doo-wop 50s song.  he seems to have a Jamaican accent (or is that a Nigerian accent?) as he sings the chorus “Bahm-bee.”

I really can’t get over the diversity of these three songs.  And by the end, his charm really impressed me (although i still don’t like “Trampoline.”

[READ: October 1, 2016] Ms Marvel: Crushed

This book collects books 12-15 of the Ms. Marvel series and includes a bonus of S.H.I.E.L.D. #2.

There’s yet another crossover moment in this book because we start book 12 in the Kingdom of Asgard where Loki, who is apparently a good guy now? is punished for his bad idea and is sent to earth to help out Ms Marvel.

I love how Loki flairs to blend in on earth and is called a hipster viking dude.  This first story is light-hearted because Kamala’s friend Bruno admits out loud (but Kamala does not hear) that he is crazy about her.  He even asks her to the dance but in such a lame way that she thinks he is joking.

Loki overhears this and decides to write her a love letter instead.  It is over the top and outrageous and Kamala thinks it is from a crazy stalker.  But she is still curious to see who it is so she goes to the Valentine’s Day dance.

When the dance comes, Loki tries to put a truth serum in the punch.  It works, and everyone starts spouting truths everywhere–causing the kind of trouble that Loki loves.

As the next book opens, we see Kamala in New Attilan.  Now that she has been there she is welcomed anytime and she is in a kind of holodeck doing battle against crazy monsters. But stranger things await her at home.

Her family is visited by her father’s old friend.  And their son, Kamran.

Kamala remembers the son from when he was a nose-picking five-year old.  But now he has grown up and matured and has become pretty hot. He also loves World Of Battlecraft just like Kamala and after a long look, they both fall for each other hard.  And everyone can tell. So much that they are not allowed to go out and browse for video games without a chaperone–Kamala’s devout brother Aamir.

But their chaperoned trip is disrupted by the arrival of Kaboom, a totally low-rent villain whom Ms Marvel (after a quick transformation) knocks cold easily (and then feels bad about it).  And just as the chapter ends Kamran reveals that he too is inhuman.  He is kind of glowy and invisible and can shoot explosives.  They have so much in common, and Kamala is totally crushing on him.

It’s a shame that superheroes never get what they want, and this case is no exception because Kamran has a very ulterior motive. And things get bad very quickly.

Bruno comes to her rescue, although he is kind of ineffectual, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

I like that Kaboom became the butt of a number of jokes.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. comic is interesting because it is a S.H.I.E.L.D. story but it features Ms Marvel.  However, devoid of context it’s a bit confusing.

We meet Agent Couslon and Jemma Simmons.  I like that Jenna is trying to talk to her dad who is so mad at her for giving up all of her career opportunities to become a party planner (and then we see what she is really doing and that party planning is her cover).  And then we get back to Kamala’s school.  Jemma is a substitute teacher and she has been sent there undercover looking for a smuggler.

I found this strip to be fairly confusing because Jemma doesn’t look the same in most of the scenes and there’s even a scene where I believe it is Jemma but she is wearing a different outfit than in the next panel–her jacket has come off and is then back on.  At least I assume it is her.

Kamala, no dummy, is aware of something mysterious going on as well.  And she tries to help out.  But S.H.I.E.L.D. needs her to back off.  Until, that is, they realize they can use her powers to discover the disgusting creature who has infiltrated her school.

The scene ends with Coulson telling her that they’ve got their eye on her because she’s pretty special.  And Jemma gives her advice to be kind to her parents while she can still hide the truth from them.

If I hadn’t watched some of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I wouldn’t have enjoyed this as much, but it was a cool tie in.