The City of Angels, in black and white

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Pulp fiction and hard-boiled crime noir are back in fashion, and while it doesn’t have the same metropolitan air as a New York or Chicago, Los Angeles is a great setting for these types of stories. (What can I say, I have a thing for palm trees, starlets and sidearms.) In his new book “L.A. Noir,” author John Buntin chronicles stories from the true life of cop William Parker and his struggles against gangsters and other criminals from the Prohibition era through the Watts Riots in 1965. Ask Buntin all about L.A. law vs. crime when he appears at the Politics and Prose downtown at 7 p.m. Wednesday to sign copies of his book. Also at the store are two other events of note: At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Washington Post and NPR dude T.R. Reid talks healthcare systems when he stops by to promote “The Healing of America,” and literary wunderkind Nick McDonell will be there at 7 p.m. Thursday to showcase “An Expensive Education,” about Harvard students involved in a debate about African conflict on campus.

The great Kevin Smith, filmmaker and fanboy extraordinaire, found success (and met deadlines!) with his recent Batman miniseries, “Cacophony,” and he throws the Caped Crusader in more trouble in the interestingly titled “Widening Gyre.” Somebody should have had him write one of the new “Blackest Night” miniseries! Another one rises this week, this one starring the Titans,  as its members are forced to go one on one with Black Lantern versions of their deceased friends and loved ones. One of the oldest superhero teams, the Fantastic Four, gets a new creative team in writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Dale Eaglesham in its 570th issue, and if you’re a fan of Dan Brown, you may dig “Spin Angels,” the new series that crosses Mafia hitmen and a black-ops unit that works for the Vatican.

What superhero (or villain) do you most want to see come back as a Black Lantern during “Blackest Night”? Let me know in the comments.

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