The one hundred and fifty-seventh TV show: #561 Will & Grace

As much as it was revolutionary at the time, watching Will & Grace doesn't feel like that way. Will, the gay character, is living a normal life. He's gay, and that impacts parts of what happens, but isn't the over the top stereotype that's common on TV, nor a tortured soul as other dramas seem to have. It normalizes the gay life style in a comedy, which makes for comfortable viewing and a good way to have an occasional twist on the formula. There are a number of jokes that feel dated, but on the whole it feels loving enough that it works as a sitcom - even now feeling like a rarity to have gay characters just living their life, to the point where it felt like the revival still worked despite its internal problems.

The ninety-sixth comic: #10 Happy Hooligan

Oh man, formulaic doesn't seem to cover it with Happy Hooligan. Reading through a selection, I can summarize any comic's plot with "Happy tries to be helpful to someone, it backfires (usually by the person falling) and Happy gets arrested". The cops seem trigger happy, people are unreasonable, and the whole thing isn't very amusing from the start. Even ignoring 1900s racial stereotypes doesn't improve that one bit, although these days just reading that is a bit uncomfortable.

The crossover with the Katzenjammer Kids shows that this is what newspaper comics were at the time, a lot of visual slapstick and people getting hurt, but the repetition here doesn't feel like it pays off.

The one hundred and fourth classical recording: #182 Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quartets, op. 18

Having a work that covers over two hours of classical music can be a bit exhausting. That's not to say these aren't beautiful to listen to, but when listening for these entries, I do some work to form my opinion as I do. With six separate works, each with several movements, that means it needs a bit more time to fit together. These are some lovely works, suiting a more upbeat mood, and it's lovely to listen to even if I wouldn't listen to all of them in one go again.

The two hundred and sixty-first album: #261 Tim Buckley - Greetings from L.A.

I already know funk isn't quite my thing. Funk done by a white man, as much of a genius he might have been considered to be, works even less, as the abundance of sound and energy is replaced with a lonelier sound that doesn't work as well - a folk feel that doesn't work as well with the sound, a musically competent song that feels like it missed the beats it wants to hit. It's not unlistenable at all, but I just didn't get anything I wanted out of it.

The ninety-fifth comic: #415 Jeremiah

There's an appeal to a post apocalyptic setting - on one hand, you've got the back to the wilderness idea, working with your wits without all the technology we have these days. On the other hand, you can use modern conveniences when it suits, repurposing them when needed and still giving that familiar feel. It allows for a lot of different directions, regardless of the source of the apocalypse. While interesting, it feels like a world like that can need more exposition - who are the people, what are they doing, what are the rules that are present. Other settings come with that built in, but here you need more exposition on the world.

Jeremiah doesn't do that well. While the first story sets up Jeremiah and Kurdy, the two protagonists, well enough, outside those two I quickly got lost with what was going on. This is both in the stories, where it can jump from place to place quickly, resolving some things off screen, and having you fill in a few too many blanks to help, and between them, where side characters show up and disappear without much explanation. Sure, often it doesn't matter much, but it left me just about confused enough where, for example, the train carriage they camp in for a few episodes comes from.

The darker art doesn't help much with that, but the clues don't seem to be there in the writing. This might be a victim of the translation, where the albums seemed to be in order but might not be entirely, but it is so present in the stories as well that I don't think my reading exhaustion came only from that set up. So much happens on each page without as much of a guide that the explanations I would hope would follow never materialized.

There is something here, sure, but I think there's something in the story that just didn't give me enough to go on.

The one hundred and fifty-sixth TV show: #540 Midsomer Murders

There's the idea that we enjoy scary stories at Christmas because it makes us feel more comfortable being cozy and safe at home. It seems like the same applies to murder mysteries - we enjoy them when they're in these idyllic places where a murder is a big deal, finding all the secrets under the veneer of pleasantness. The series trades on this, always having some secrets hidden under the idea of staying proper and having the calm of their life disrupted.

Aside from that, our lead chief inspector Barnaby is savvy enough to realize what's up, wisely deciding not to actually move to the countryside at one point, with his personal life providing a nice and gentle, less dysfunctional contrast (expect for his attachment to the job). They're all well built mysteries, not jumping in with a murder and not going too gritty even if it goes dark. Add to that that, as with so many British shows, this can be a case of spot the actor, using the same stable so many other shows do, and you can see some actors enjoying getting the chance to play the violent murderer when they'd normally play nice old ladies.

The show does have its issues, with homophobia featuring a bit too heavily in the early murders and the series being too white for too long - perhaps representing some of these areas, but feeding into the xenophobia rooted in these areas rather than challenging it as the show does with this village lifestyle. It's not something that really impacts your day-to-day enjoyment of the series, but it's something you start to notice when you pay attention to it.

The two hundred and sixtieth album: #260 The Eagles - Eagles

There's something quite relaxing about the standard, country-inspired rock of the Eagles. There are no tricks, no attempts to sound fancy or go weird. There is just a good, solid rock sound that brings a nice bit of energy. While there are benefits to the glam rock experiments, this proves why you don't necessarily need that and can just rely on some good, basic sounds executed to perfection. Even Earlybird's early 'extravagant' bird sounds are there for the introduction before fading into a solid country rock song. It's all the album needs, and it feels like that really pays off.

The one hundred and third classical recording: #939 Elliott Carter - Concerto for Orchestra

It's easy to dismiss this piece as a mess, a cacophony of sounds that assaults you - and to be fair, we've had some modern pieces that feel like that. That's not the case for this concerto though. While there is a lot going on at once here, with some sounds that can seem to bite each other, there is a structure in here that means that while the work doesn't always harmonize, it all leads to a complete piece that works together, bringing a clear intention to the piece. The moments when they do come together and align are even more brilliant for that reason, as the sound becomes that much more powerful following the build up. It's an intense piece to listen to, consuming your attention more than other pieces, but it's worth finding the beauty in there.

The ninety-fourth comic: #869 We3

There's something fully uncomfortable about reading We3. This story, about three animals turned into cyborgs to function as half-robotic weapons, starts off with orders for their destruction. Only barely understanding what's going on, they escape and roam the countryside as they try to defend themselves against those trying to capture and kill them. There's a lot of action in here, but the comic's focus is its sadness, with pets who were trying to please their owners being chased and not understanding. The fact that you can see them deteriorate as they do so, while they miss the medicine needed to keep them alive with their implants, emphasizes that further and they keep looking worse. It's an upsetting and brutal story, which builds a lot of pathos for creatures who can barely communicate even with what you see - recognisable and moving, with a dark art style to match.

The two hundred and fifty-ninth album: #259 David Ackles - American Gothic

I hadn't heard of David Ackles before, despite him being a celebrated songwriter in the community. The folk rock-inspired Americana album has some of the feeling of a Bob Dylan album, mixed in with some music hall elements where I can imagine him on the stage, a piano playing next to him. In that sense, it's a lot more optimistic and happy than folk can feel. Add to that Ackles' ability to tell a story in a song, with Midnight Carousel as much a story as a song, and it feels like an album that comes together in every sense, its focus on feelings and what it's trying to saying rather than a sound working incredibly well here.

The two hundred and fifty-eighth album: #258 T-Rex - The Slider

I'm not sure where to stand with The Slider. The first track, Metal Guru. fits the bill as a hard rock track that hits that feeling of being slightly inaccessible and taking a bit of work to get. Then there are tracks that just don't make an impression, including title track the Slider, while Spaceball Ricochet, which is more like a ballad, feels like it doesn't quite fit in with everything else. The album has some glam rock elements and plays with hard rock, but it feels like a mixed bag with some tracks hitting - like Metal Guru and Ballrooms of Mars respectively showing the hard rock and glam rock of the album - and others feeling a bit too toothless to fit the feel they were going for.

The ninety-third comic: #630 The K Chronicles

The K Chronicles take the form of a weekly, Sunday-style comic - not unlike Life In Hell. Written by an African-American artist, it covers a number of racial themes, current affairs and political humour included, which gives it quite a different viewpoint from what you'd often get in these, and it's a welcome one. It's obviously not one I've experienced, but there are bits that seem familiar and it manages to hit the right button, while maintaining the humour. Add to that the cases where the cartoon covers slice of life stuff, recognisable but coming out quite unique, and this became an accessible, as well as entertaining read that still has a large chunk of its archives online to read - even covering recent events when it feels it needs to be covered.