Notes on two series

I finished Death Note the other day, and wow. I had no idea a comic book could be that thrilling and suspenseful! Nothing was off limits, no one was safe, and because of that the suspense sequences were viscerally, physically exciting, as much so as any movie. The car chase, the hideout siege, the moment-to-moment final showdowns between Kira and his antagonists–I was tearing through the pages and cheering and gasping like I don’t think I’ve ever done with a comic before. Well done, Ohba and Obata.

I’m five episodes into the final season of Deadwood, and…I almost don’t know what to say. So I probably am not going to say much of anything until I can sit and think of an entry point to talking about the series. It’s moving and magnificent on an episode to episode basis, that’s for sure. Today I watched a scene and at the end of it I had an enormous headache, and I suddenly realized I’d literally been holding my breath. Blown away.

It’s making me a lot less impressed with The goddamn Wire, too.