What do you like about emo? The emotional lyrics? The catchy riffs? The eyeliner? (Definitely the eyeliner!) Well, what about the comic books?

That's right, comic books. In September, Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance, will be publishing his own comic books called The Umbrella Academy. The basic storyline, from what I can gather, is about a superhero troupe called the Umbrella Academy, who had a sort of falling out. But now their adoptive father has died, and they must band together to save the world.

Even the characters have cool rock star-ish qualities. There's The Horror, who can possess monsters. There's The Rumor, who can make lies come true (so could my younger brother, now that I think about it). And don't forget Spaceboy, the leader, who, for some reason, has the body of a Martian gorilla. (Also like my younger brother! Joking.) Hey, I just report the news. I don't make this stuff up!

I don't know about the concept, but still, I'm intrigued. Comic books are huge now, and they are a great way to get reluctant readers to take the plunge and start enjoying reading. And anything that gets people to read is good in my book. (Get it? Read? Book? OK, even I'm groaning at that one.) Plus My Chemical Romance is huge now as well. So add the hugeness of comic books with the hugeness of the band and you get ... something very, very big.

So, are you excited about the adventures of Spaceboy and friends? Do you think rock stars can write comic books (after all, they do write lyrics)? I guess we're going to have to wait until September to find out!

Last week, I saw The Simpsons movie. I've been meaning to tell you about it... actually, I've been meaning to do a lot of things... but that's neither here nor there... nor there... nor even there.

CAN WE GET ON WITH IT, PLEASE?

The Back Story
I've been watching The Simpsons since Day One. Actually, it was since even before Day One because I was actually one of the many who was lucky enough to catch them when they were nothing but rudimentary sketches on The Tracy Ullman Show.That was way back in the day. Back when Homer at least tried to give some kind of fatherly advice:

"Relax. What is mind? No matter. What is matter? Never mind!"

So to say that I'm a fan of this animated family is, at the very least, an understatement.

The Creators
(Read an exclusive interview with Director David Silverman)
The people behind The Simpsons took a big risk making this movie. Many of their diehard fans are about as serious as Comic Book Guy. Impressing them after 18 seasons is not an easy task. However, the 90 or so minutes of yellow-skinned shenanigans (though they are not the funniest 90 or so minutes ever recorded on film it was still hilarious) are impressive.

The Laughter & The Heart
I laughed. A lot. The audience was filled with a crowd of all ages. People were enjoying it, sure. But at times, I think I laughed a little too loudly at jokes that, apparently, only I found amusing. It was a good, solid movie. And it wasn't only funny, it was touching. Believe it or not, the Simpsons can actually pull on a heartstring or two when they really want to. Being that that is not their ultimate goal, however, it makes the gooseflesh even more sensitive when it breaks.

The Plot
After Homer adopts a pig (yes, Spiderpig), he dumps all of said pig's... um... waste in the Springfield River. This causes the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to come down hard on the town. Springfield's level of pollutants is so great that the EPA decides to encase the entire town in a giant, unbreakable, glass dome. Makes perfect sense right? Well, that's the government for you. Zing! Where was I? Oh yes. Spoiling the movie for you... ok well that's the premise and I'll stop right there because I don't want to give anything else away. Except this: Homer ruins everything. And Homer inevitably has to try to fix what he has ruined. Basically, it's everything you love about classic Homer mixed with a more complex, introspective (yet still careless and carefree) Homer. It's good stuff.

Bart & Homer
They've never really had what you would call "a healthy father/son relationship." But in this movie... well, they still don't. But they do have their moments. There is a well-hidden love there that does exist between them. Neither of them would ever admit it of course, but it's there. You can find it in Bart's full-faced laughter when his father hits himself in the head with a hammer for the umpteenth time. Or when Homer calls his son "the boy", he sometimes gets a distant look in his eye. Could it be pride? After all, Bart is nothing if not the spitting image of his dad.

The Town
Yes, every single character in Springfield is in this movie. But if you're looking for side-stories, look to FOX Sunday nights at 8:00pm. This feature film is all about Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Spiderpig... and sometimes Grandpa. I'm glad the creators didn't stray from the family's storyline too often. It made for a much fuller movie-going experience.

The Vulgarity
The movie is rated PG-13 and there are a few instances where I was thrown for a loop. I won't go into them here, but if you saw the film, you know what I'm talking about. I'm not quite sure how I felt about those, shall we say, deviations from what you would expect from the Simpsons. Not that they were ever a wholesome family. Heh. Not at all. But there were certain times in the movie where I think the writers might have gone over the top a little. Still funny though. :)

All in all, it was an entertaining ride. The Simpsons never fail to tickle my smile. Here's to another 18 years... and as the least likely character said during the credits, possibly a "sequel".

The Oopsie Daisy
Oh wait, this is supposed to be a literary blog, huh? Ehhhhhhhh.... um.... ok, go read a book.

Ah, and you thought we were done with our Harry Potter entries. Well, my friend, you were wrong. The final book might have already come out (we have a great review here), but the boy wizard is still making headlines.

A 16-year-old in France posted his own translation of The Deathly Hallows on Monday. Problem is, the French version of the book won't be out until October 26. So the boy was arrested.

I'm all for taking action against those who transgress against laws. And we all know that plagiarism is bad. And immoral. And not cool. But was this boy really doing something so bad? OK, he did take J. K. Rowling's words without her permission. If he was trying to make money off of this, than that's even worse. Was he trying to make money? I don't know. Probably.

But if you take it at face value, he is just a fan of Harry Potter who wanted his French peers to be able to enjoy the book right now. That's not so bad. It's kind of noble actually, if you ignore the breaking the law part. (Please note, Weekly Reader does not endorse breaking the law, even if it is in the name of literature.)

Well the boy's translation was removed. But it's clear that even after so many books, people still have a fever for Harry. And what's the cure for that fever? More cowbell! Just kidding. Keep on reading Harry Potter!

The following book review was written by Miss Erin, Grade 11.

 - by Gary D. Schmidt

Taking place during the 1960's, The Wednesday Wars tells the story of Holling Hoodhood, an average teenage boy dealing with school, family, friends, and Shakespeare. Mrs. Baker, his teacher, has assigned him a play to read. And the surprising thing is, Holling finds himself enjoying the work of the bard!

Mix Shakespeare and wonderful writing and absolutely great characters, and the result is something to fall in love with. I had fun catching certain Shakespeare allusions and reading Holling's interpretations and reactions to different plays. The author brings the schoolboy's day-to-day life alive in a brilliant style. All-in-all, an extremely delightful read. Very highly recommended.

Visit Miss Erin at her literary blog.