I would like to thank NetGalley and Annick Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Now, I have heard ma[image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Annick Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Now, I have heard many stories that involve a human character being adopted by an animal family or being born with an animal family. So, when I found this interesting children’s book called “Rosie the Raven” which is written and illustrated by Helga Bansch on NetGalley, I just had to check this book out and it was a pretty sweet and short little read!
The story starts off with a pair of raven parents seeing their five eggs hatching and while the four other eggs had baby ravens hatching out, the fifth egg had a little human girl hatching out! The little girl was named Rosie and at first, Rosie did not notice that she was different from the other ravens. But when the other birds started making insulting comments about Rosie’s strange appearance, Rosie then wanted to be like her brothers and sisters by trying to fly and make caw noises. But Rosie soon finds out that she could not do the things that her brothers and sisters could do and it was then that she discovered that her unique appearance might actually have some benefits…
As I mentioned before, I have seen many stories that has a human character being adopted by an animal family, but I had never read an animal/human family story where the main human character was actually born to a family of animals. Helga Bansch has done an excellent job at conveying the message of the importance of family through a supernatural yet heartwarming way as Rosie is presented as being a human who was somehow born the natural way a baby raven would be born…by hatching through an egg. There was no clear explanation about how this phenomena even happened and Rosie’s raven family did not seem to mind how bizarre this event is, which really made the story truly heartwarming to read as it shows that Rosie’s raven family does not care about how different Rosie looks from the other Raven children, they just care that Rosie is part of the family. Helga Bansch’s artwork is quite unique as the characters are drawn in a scratchy manner and the colorings are a bit of an earthly hue as we mainly see black, white and pink colors in the artwork. I also thought it was quite unique that Rosie’s skin tone is completely white, which makes her look extremely pale and it gives her a sort of unnatural appearance that really makes her stand out in the story.
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Parents should know that some of the images in this book might be a tad bit scary for some children, especially since most characters look quite unnatural in this book. Probably the images that might scare some children the most would be the close up images of Rosie’s face as her eyes tend to look blank and her eyes seem a bit too misshapen. There were also the images of the other birds as they have newspaper collages as their feathers and that makes them look quite uncanny. Parents might want to read this book first to see if their child would enjoy seeing strange imagery in a book.
Overall, “Rosie the Raven” is a truly beautiful story about the importance of being in a loving family that cares about you no matter how different you are from them. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the some of the strange imagery might scare some children.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Valiant Entertainment for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduc[image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Valiant Entertainment for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduction:
Now, as everyone knows, I am a huge “X-Men” fan and because of that, I always enjoyed reading stories that involve the main characters having a different array of powers and use those powers to save the world. So, when I picked up “Generation Zero: We Are the Future Volume One” from NetGalley, I was really excited to check this comic out and I was ultimately impressed with this comic!
What is this story about?
The story starts off with a young teenage girl named Keisha Sherman, who lives in the mysteriously futuristic town of Rook, Michigan. Her father is the sheriff of the town and she is considered an outsider at her school for being a gothic girl. One day however, Keisha ends up getting in a relationship with a boy named Stephen and just as their relationship hits an all-time high, Stephen is suddenly killed in a car accident. This event causes Keisha to try and find out what really happened to Stephen and she ends up trying to get help from a mysterious group of kids called “Generation Zero.” The Generation Zero kids ends up becoming students at Keisha’s school and it was then that Keisha starts to notice that the Generation Zero kids are not your average students as they seem to possess supernatural powers and they are also engaged in a war to fight for the rights of the kids that are just like them!
Can the Generation Zero kids help Keisha find Stephen’s murderer and what is really going on with the town of Rook?
Read this comic to find out!
What I loved about this story:
Fred Van Lente’s writing: Wow! I was seriously impressed with this comic book as even though I had read many comic books where the main characters have supernatural abilities that would help them defeat various villains, I had never read a comic book that features such characters, but also weaves in a story full of mystery and high school drama all into one graphic novel! I loved the way that Fred Van Lente was able to balance mystery and science fiction elements into the story as I was intrigued by the futuristic world that Rook is set in, while also enjoying the mystery aspect of the story as we try to find out what kind of secrets the town of Rook is hiding from its citizens. I also loved the way that Fred Van Lente wrote each character in this story, although to be honest, most of the characters are not fully developed yet, with the exception of Keisha due to her being the protagonist of the story. The fact that Generation Zero consists of kids who have super powers was really interesting to me as I wanted to know how these kids have powers in the first place and what kind of war they are fighting against.
Francis Portela’s artwork: Francis Portela’s artwork is simply gorgeous to look at as all the characters have a distinctive look that make them really stand out from each other, especially Keisha’s appearance as she is portrayed as having purple hair with one side of her head being shaved off and wears punk rock clothing that really brings out her gothic nature. I also loved how stylized the characters as they reminded me of characters that popped out of comic books from the 1990s and I really enjoyed the scenes where there is energy beams involved as the pages literally glow through the imagery of the energy beams.
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What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For readers who do not like suggestive content in graphic novels, there are some suggestive moments in this graphic novel such as teenagers drinking at a night party. This could be an issue for anyone who does not like seeing scenes of teenagers drinking at a party, although this is a pretty common theme in many high school and college stories.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Generation Zero: We Are the Future Volume One” is a fantastic read, especially if you are a huge fan of “X-Men” and you love reading stories about characters that possess supernatural powers! I am definitely looking forward to reading the next volume in the near future!
Now, I have been a huge fan of Marc Brown’s “Arthur” series ever since I was a little girl and I guess I will make it my goal to read up on all[image]
Now, I have been a huge fan of Marc Brown’s “Arthur” series ever since I was a little girl and I guess I will make it my goal to read up on all of Marc Brown’s “Arthur” series! So, when I found out that Marc Brown had a made a spin off series to his “Arthur” books that stars Arthur’s little sister D.W., of course I was interested to see how D.W. will fare with her own series and for my first read from the “D.W.” series, “D.W. the Picky Eater” was a pretty entertaining read!
D.W. is the world’s pickiest eater as she refuses to eat anything that is new or looks disgusting; but the food that D.W. loathes more than anything in the world is…SPINACH! Because of D.W.’s eating habits, her family has a difficult time trying to get her to eat anything without complaining. But when D.W. throws a tantrum on a family outing, D.W.’s family decides that D.W. should stay home whenever they go out to eat and D.W. starts wondering about what she is really missing out on the family outings. One day, D.W.’s family decided to go out and celebrate Grandma Thora’s birthday at a fancy restaurant and D.W. wanted to go with them.
Will D.W. get over her “picky eater” habits in time for Grandma Thora’s birthday party?
Read this book to find out!
As always whenever I am reading Marc Brown’s “Arthur” books, Marc Brown knows how to bring on the humor with these characters while at the same time, giving these characters experiences that are relatable to any reader. I loved the fact that we get to explore what it is like being a picky eater through D.W.’s perspective as it was entertaining seeing what kind of food D.W. will turn down because it was new and it looked disgusting to her. It was also interesting seeing the consequences that D.W. goes through in being a picky eater as she was not allowed to participate in the family’s restaurant outings due to her misbehavior. To be honest, I can relate to D.W. being a picky eater since I am a picky eater myself as I will eat food that clashes with what my family wants. For example, if my family wants to go to Wendy’s, then I usually want to go to Chick-fil-A or whenever my family wants to go to KFC, I usually want to go to Ruby Tuesday. I also like the fact that Marc Brown was able to produce a book that focuses mostly on D.W. since I wanted to see more adventures from Arthur’s family and this book did an excellent job at giving D.W. the spotlight in the “Arthur” series! Marc Brown’s artwork is as usual adorable and fun to look at as all the characters are drawn as half animal, half human hybrids and yet, it just makes the characters look even more creative than usual! I also loved the images of D.W. always having a disgusted look on her face every time she tries a food product that is new to her as it was hilarious to look at!
Overall, “D.W. the Picky Eater” is a truly entertaining children’s book for fellow picky eaters and anyone who is a huge fan of Marc Brown’s “Arthur” series! I would recommend this book to children’s ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book, unless D.W.’s bratty behavior might cause concern for some parents.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduction:
Now, [image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduction:
Now, even though I had read many graphic novels that featured a strong female protagonist, I had never read a graphic novel about a kick butt princess quite like this one! “Another Castle: Grimoire” is a cute and exciting graphic novel that is written by Andrew Wheeler along with artwork by Paulina Ganucheau that will certainly be a memorable and exciting read for many readers!
What is this story about?
Princess Misty of Beldora is not your average princess as she is able to defend herself easily with her trusty sword and refuses to bow down to the conformities of being a princess. One tragic day however, Princess Misty is kidnapped by Lord Badlug, the ruler of the kingdom Grimoire and Lord Badlug tries to force Misty to marry him or else he will destroy her kingdom and even the citizens of Grimoire to get the power he desires. As Misty remains in Grimoire, she ends up befriending Lord Badlug’s two servants Gorga, a beautiful female medusa monster and Fogmoth, a homosexual gargoyle and together, they try to take down Lord Badlug himself by trying to save the Prince who is not only coming to rescue Misty, but also possesses Misty’s precious sword, the one weapon that could destroy Lord Badlug!
What I loved about this story:
Andrew Wheeler’s writing: Wow! I was quite impressed with Andrew Wheeler’s writing of this story as it was truly unique and fresh for the audience! I loved the fact that Andrew Wheeler made Princess Misty into such a strong female protagonist as it was rare of me to read a princess story that dealt with the princess actually trying to defend her kingdom through wit and courage while swinging around a sword like it is nobody’s business! I also liked the fact that Andrew Wheeler was able to explore Misty’s insecurities about not being who she wants to be because since she is a princess, she is expected to do activities that princesses should do, which she does not agree with and I loved the fact that she rebelled against the stereotypical activities of a princess and be her own person. I really enjoyed the diversity among the characters as it brings a sense of creativity to the story as we see monsters and humans get into relationships with each other, which I thought was really cute and I enjoyed seeing the character interactions between all these characters as you can see that the main characters try to defy the rules they are forced into by their societies and they become closer to each other as a result!
Paulina Ganucheau’s artwork: Paulina Ganucheau’s artwork is extremely cute and gorgeous to look at as all the characters look similar to the characters from “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” I really loved the design of Gorga herself as she is a blue skinned cute monster woman who has a pair of adorable snakes that stand in as her hair, which makes her the cutest character in the entire story! I also enjoyed seeing the images of monsters and humans coexisting with each other as it creates an exciting fantasy world that I would love to live in!
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What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For anyone who does not like violence in a story, this graphic novel does have some violence that involves many characters getting beaten up and bruised by the antagonists and that might be a bit unsettling for some readers to handle; although the violence in this story is not as graphic as some of the more mature graphic novels like “Saga” and “American Vampire.”
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Another Castle: Grimoire” is a fantastic volume about the importance of standing up for what you believe in and a great story to read if you are looking for a strong female protagonist!
Now, I have been reading newspaper comics for many years now with “Garfield” and “Peanuts” being my most read out of all the [image]
Introduction:
Now, I have been reading newspaper comics for many years now with “Garfield” and “Peanuts” being my most read out of all the newspaper comics. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that there was a newspaper comic series called “Lio” that was created by Mark Tatulli and after reading my first “Lio” comic book which is called “Lio” There’s A Monster in my Socks,” I am definitely going to keep reading this series for a long time!
What is this story about?
In this graphic novel, we see the various hijinks that Lio and his father get into as Lio’s creepy nature causes a lot of humorous and creepy situations to arise such as giving out guns to hunters, only for the hunters to realize too late that the guns are fake and the animals start viciously mauling them and Lio owning several scary creatures as pets such as spiders, snakes, squids and dragons!
What I loved about this story:
Mark Tatulli’s writing: Even though there are barely any dialogue in this comic book, Mark Tatulli’s storytelling is highly creative and hilarious as the story cleverly integrates black comedy into the strips without going too dark with the punchlines and I enjoyed seeing various strips where Lio’s creepy nature is the highlight of the story, especially in the creative ways he deals with bullies who either picks on him or on someone who is smaller than the bullies. I also like the fact that Lio seems like a character straight out of Tim Burton’s works as he is a young boy who loves creepy things like spiders and world domination, but he is put into a world that treats his creepy obsessions as being humorous.
Mark Tatulli’s artwork: Mark Tatulli’s artwork really tells the story in this comic book and is hilarious and surprisingly cute at times, considering the black comedy that is prevalent throughout this comic. I like the fact that Lio is drawn as having a unique hairstyle where he has a small tuft of hair that sticks up in the front and has white blank eyes as it makes him look like a unique character. I also loved seeing the various monsters that Lio meets throughout the strips as we get to see Lio meet up with ghosts, dragons, the grim reaper and aliens and I loved the fact that they are drawn more realistically than the main characters of this comic strip as it helps set them apart from the humorous universe they are thrown in.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For anyone who does not like black comedy, this comic book has plenty of dark humor that might make some readers uncomfortable. There are moments in this comic book where the jokes can get pretty dark at times such as scenes of Lio trying to achieve world domination by implanting weapons inside toys and him feeding cute little animals like puppies to his pet snake.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Lio: There’s A Monster in my Socks” is an excellent read for anyone who loves comic books that has black comedy and quirky situations!
I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduction:
I [image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduction:
I have been reading Brian K. Vaughan’s “Saga” series for a while now and when I heard that he was making a new series called “Paper Girls,” I just had to check this series out for myself since I have loved everything that Brian K. Vaughan has written so far!
What is this story about?
The year is 1988 and a twelve year old girl named Erin had just recently gotten a job as a paper girl, delivering newspapers to everyone’s houses. Along the way, she meets up with three other paper girls named Mackenzie, Tiffany and KJ and they quickly formed a bond with each other. Unfortunately, strange things started happening in the neighborhood as alien birds being ridden by soldiers in futuristic armor started showing up in the sky. Not only that, but it appears that these strange creatures are chasing a group of people cloaked in dark robes and these people in dark robes are hiding a huge secret that could destroy the lives of the four paper girls!
What I loved about this story:
Brian K. Vaughan’s writing:< Ever since I had started reading Brian K. Vaughan’s “Saga” series, I have been so immersed with his creative writing and his ability in creating likable characters in bizarre settings and this comic was no exception! Probably one of the most interesting things about this comic was that it was set in the 1980s and I barely read books that dealt with the culture and society of the 1980s since most of the books I have been reading would normally take place in the 1960s or the 1970s in terms of older period pieces. I also loved the nostalgia factor that this book sort of gave me as even though I did not grow up during the 1980s (I am actually a 90s baby), I did like the fact that the book alluded to some popular parts of the culture in the 1980s such as seeing some kids dress up as Freddy Krueger from “The Nightmare on Elm Street” series and mentions of the Space Shuttle Challenger. I personally enjoyed Brian K. Vaughan making this story a bit mind numbing for the average reader as we not only see aliens in this story, but the plot also involves a lot time traveling and even though that can be confusing to read through (and believe me, I had lots of experiences where I got confused with time travelling plots), I actually found this aspect to be one of the most interesting parts of the story as it left me wanting to find out more about what is really going on with the aliens coming to the 1980s. Even though the characters are not fully developed yet, I did like the relationships between the paper girls Erin, Mackenzie, Tiffany and KJ as they try to figure out what is exactly going on and trying to keep each other safe during this strange situation.
Cliff Chiang’s artwork: This is actually my first introduction to Cliff Chiang’s artwork and I am really loving it as the characters have a scratchy look to them, but I love the way that the coloring conveys the situations that the characters end up in such as having darker shadings whenever the characters are in a scary or mysterious area such as the basement or the forest. I also love the fact that the colors blue and pink represent the Paper Girls themselves as any scene that features pink and blue colors make the Paper Girls really stand out in the story.
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What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For anyone who does not like strong language and bloody violence, there are some scenes where characters are killed in gruesome ways and that might be uncomfortable for some readers to handle. Also, there is some strong language in this volume such as the use of the “f” word and readers who do not like strong language might want to skip over these words. Another issue that some readers might have with this volume is the totally insane “mind screw” aspect of the story. Because of this, the story can get a bit confusing, especially if you are not used to time travelling stories (or having aliens suddenly come into the plot). But for me personally, since I have been reading Brian K. Vaughan’s works for a while and many of his works do tend to have a bizarre quality to the narrative, I was actually used to the mind screw aspect of the story and that just made the story more interesting for me, although I would like it better if there was more exposition on why the aliens are even time travelling to begin with.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Paper Girls” is an awesome read and even though I want to see more happen with these characters and the situation, I am excited to see where this series goes next!
I have to say that this was the year that Jon Klassen’s “Hat” series has really amazed me and I was lucky enough to read all of Jon Klassen’s “[image]
I have to say that this was the year that Jon Klassen’s “Hat” series has really amazed me and I was lucky enough to read all of Jon Klassen’s “Hat” books all at once! Jon Klassen’s newest “Hat” book “We Found a Hat” is actually an interesting departure from the usual antics of the “Hat” series that made me chuckle along the way!
The story starts off with two turtles finding a hat and when they both tried the hat on, the both looked good in it. Unfortunately, there is only one hat and only one of the turtles can have the hat.
How will the two turtles solve this problem?
Read this book to find out!
Ever since I had read “I Want My Hat Back,” I continued reading Jon Klassen’s books and even though “We Found a Hat” was not as dark as Jon Klassen’s previous works regarding the “Hat” series, I still found myself enjoying this unique spin on the importance of sharing! I loved the fact that Jon Klassen made this story much lighter in tone than his previous works as it made the book quite unique in the “Hat” series and I loved how this book does not focus on stealing (although a couple of scenes depicted one of the turtles nearly doing it), but focuses on the dilemma that the two turtles face in having to figure out who will get the hat. I was also chuckling to myself when I saw the scenes where one of the turtles was planning on taking the hat and you can see the turtle sneaking up on the hat while the other turtle’s attention was away, as it was hilarious to look at and it shows that despite being lighter in tone than the previous books, it still has the same deadpan humor that was relevant in the previous books. Jon Klassen’s artwork is as usual deadpan yet comedic as most of the colorings of the artwork are in brown, white and black, which gives off a somewhat mundane feel to the story. I also love the images of the turtles themselves as they are extremely cute to look at with their small bodies and large and narrow eyes!
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Overall, “We Found a Hat” is a brilliant subversion to Jon Klassen’s previous “Hat” books that fans will take delight in and anyone who enjoyed reading “I Want My Hat Back” will surely enjoy this book!
Now, I will be honest here. Even though I have been reading romance novels for a long time from various romance novelists, I had never read any[image]
Now, I will be honest here. Even though I have been reading romance novels for a long time from various romance novelists, I had never read any of Nora Roberts’ works before and her work is everywhere in the reading sphere! So, when I stumbled upon this book by Nora Roberts called “Vision in White,” I just knew that this was the book that was going to introduce me to Nora Roberts’ works in a good way!
Mackensie “Mac” Elliot had dreamed for all her life about taking pictures at a wedding and she finally has her dreams come true when she and her best friends, Parker, Emma and Laurel all came together to create Connecticut’s wedding planning business called “Vow.” With Mac being a well-renowned photographer, she is able to capture the most beautiful moments at the weddings with a click of her camera. But, unfortunately Mac has no desire to get married despite working at a wedding planning business due to her trust issues that started with her father leaving her and her mother when she was a child and her mother Linda constantly asking Mac for more money, despite the fact that this act is emotionally hurting Mac. Then one fateful day, Mac runs into a shy yet sexy teacher named Carter Maguire, who she has known since high school and it turns out that Carter has been infatuated with Mac ever since they were in high school. Now, Mac must conquer her fears of falling in love with Carter if she has to make her own happy ending.
Wow! I have to say that as the first book I had read from Nora Roberts, it was simply amazing and heartwarming! I loved the fact that Nora Roberts made friendship and the importance of true love a central theme in this book as I enjoyed seeing how Mac starts developing as a character as she slowly learns to start trusting people despite her tragic past with her parents and the fact that her mother Linda keeps trying to take money from her. I also enjoyed the scenes where Mac confides in her friends Parker, Emma and Laurel about her romantic woes and her issues with her mother as it shows that Mac’s circle of friends are extremely supportive of Mac through her life and it shows that they are truly good friends towards Mac and it makes me want to have such friends in real life! Nora Roberts also did a great job at developing the relationships between Mac, her friends and Carter as not only does Mac have great friends who support her through her issues, but she also has a love interest in Carter who showed her what it is like to trust and love someone again. I loved almost all of the characters in this novel (well, except for the antagonists, of course) as they all felt so genuine and are supportive of each other through tough times. I especially loved the characters of Mac and Carter themselves as they were the stars of the show with their unique romance and support of each other. I loved the fact that Mac is a successful photographer as it shows that she is a strong and determined young woman who is trying to get her personal life together and it was great seeing her character develop throughout the story as she is trying to learn how to trust and love someone again. Carter was absolutely fantastic as he is truly supportive of Mac and knows how to comfort Mac when she really needs it and who says that high school teachers cannot be HOT and SEXY!?
For readers who do not like strong language and sex scenes, this book does contain some strong language such as the usage of the “s” word and some sex scenes, so some readers might want to skim over these scenes if they find them to be a bit too much.
Overall, “Vision in White” is a truly fantastic book about the importance of true friendship and love and I am sure that anyone who loves a good winter romance will enjoy this book!
I seriously cannot get enough of this series! Every time I pick up a graphic[image]
Introduction:
THIS SERIES JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!
I seriously cannot get enough of this series! Every time I pick up a graphic novel from Brian K. Vaughan’s groundbreaking comic book series “Saga,” I am just filled to the brim with anticipation in seeing what kind of adventures will Alana, Marko and Hazel get into and “Saga Volume Six” does not disappoint me in bringing in the excitement and romance!
What is this story about?
After Hazel gets kidnapped in the last volume, Alana and Marko had reignited their love for each other and decided to travel across the galaxy to find their beloved daughter. Meanwhile after a time skip, Hazel attends Kindergarten on the planet Landfall and it was soon discovered that Hazel’s identity (being the child of two clashing races) was too dangerous to reveal to anyone, although Hazel eventually revealed her secret identity to her teacher. Once Hazel’s teacher finds out the truth about Hazel, she decides to try and get Hazel and her grandmother out of Landfall!
What I loved about this story:
Brian K. Vaughan’s writing: Wow…just wow…This volume was just as BEAUTIFUL, NAUGHTY, and EXCITING as the previous volumes and I just loved seeing the developments that are happening to Alana, Marko and Hazel! I loved the way that Brian K. Vaughan developed each character as it was great seeing the characters mature throughout the story due to the time skip and I really loved the fact that this volume focuses more on Hazel and how she contributes to the main story overall as she tries to understand about her mixed heritage and why it is dangerous to reveal her true nature to the world. I was also surprised with how Brian K. Vaughan portrayed the Will’s descent into madness after he lost both his girlfriend and his sister, the Brand, and it served as an interesting side story about having to deal with the loss of a loved one over time. It was also interesting seeing some new characters pop up in this volume such as the two homosexual male reporters who are in a relationship with each other and are also trying to discover the truths about Alana and Marko and about their forbidden love to each other. It gives the story a much wider scope of the “Saga” universe as we get to see the events of the main plot from the perspective of other characters that are not the main characters.
Fiona Staples’ artwork: Fiona Staples’ artwork is as usual gorgeous and creative to look at as the characters are beautifully drawn and I loved seeing the exotic worlds that the cast of “Saga” live in, such as an underwater airport on one page. I also enjoyed seeing the images of the Will getting overweight since it surprised me a bit, but it also showed how he was still suffering over the loss of his loved ones over the years.
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What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
As per tradition with the “Saga” series, there is strong language, bloody violence and graphic imagery that might not go over too well with some readers. If you do not like reading any graphic novels that have lots of nudity, gore and strong language, then you might want to skip this series.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Saga: Volume Six” is another awesome installment in Brian K. Vaughan’s “Saga” series that is full of EXCITEMENT, ROMANCE, SASS and CREATIVITY that any graphic novel fan will enjoy for years to come!
I would like to thank NetGalley and Magnetic Press and Buno Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review[image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Magnetic Press and Buno Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduction:
Now for years, I had read many graphic novels that would have written dialogues from the characters to help us understand the story being told in the comics. However, even though I had read many children’s books that had no text and the story was being told through the artwork, I had never read a graphic novel that did not have any dialogue spoken by the characters and lets the artwork tell the story. Luckily, I was able to come across such a graphic novel called “Light” by Rob Cham that was graciously provided to me by NetGalley and I have to say that I was quite impressed with this wondrous story!
What is this story about?
The story starts off with two explorers (a white big nosed creature and a grey leaf looking creature with large eyes) going on a journey through deep inside the earth to find five magic gems that would bring back color to the surface world. Along the way, the two explorers meet up with various dangerous and strange creatures that get in their way of completing their mission to find the magic gems!
What I loved about this story:
Rob Cham’s story and artwork: Wow! Everything that Rob Cham did in this graphic novel was just fantastic to read through! Not only was this a nice quick read due to the story not containing any text, but I found the story to be extremely creative and exciting! I loved the way that Rob Cham told the story through the artwork as we get to see the two explorers go through various obstacles in order to obtain the five magic gems. I like how the storytelling is similar to a video game mission where you have to find all the items to complete the game (sort of like how with “Sonic the Hedgehog” you have to find all the chaos emeralds to get a complete ending for the game). However, in this case, the video game mission is given a more coherent plot and you get to experience the journey with the two explorers through the artwork! Rob Cham’s artwork is what really sold this graphic novel to me as the characters look so strange yet wondrous at the same time and I really loved the appearance of the two explorers as they look so adorable compared to the other strange and dangerous creatures in this story. I also loved the colorings for the artwork as the surface world is drawn in black and white colors as it represents the lack of color in their world, while the world below the earth has neon colors, but the coloring is against a black background that gives that world a dark and frightening feel.
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What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For those of you who do not like violence and scary imagery, this graphic novel does have several moments where the explorers have to stab and cut their enemies in order to survive the journey. Also, there are images of some frightening creatures such as the large bat that chases the explorers and night creatures that try to eat the explorers that might creep out some readers.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Light” is a truly fantastic and creative story that anyone who loves fantasy adventure stories will definitely get a kick out of!
Uh oh! I had picked up another “Garfield” graphic novel called “Garfield Cleans His Plate.” I mean, I CANNOT HELP IT! I just [image]
Introduction:
Uh oh! I had picked up another “Garfield” graphic novel called “Garfield Cleans His Plate.” I mean, I CANNOT HELP IT! I just keep picking up a “Garfield” comic because I love Jim Davis’ “Garfield” series so much and this volume is just as good as the previous “Garfield” comics that I had read!
What is this story about?
This volume continues the adventures of Garfield, Jon, Odie and Liz and how they spend the Christmas holidays together and how Liz is still trying to get used to Jon’s bizarre way of living like constantly wearing big polka dotted bow ties and dancing in the middle of his lawn while dressed as a daisy in the middle of spring! Meanwhile, Garfield continues being his snarky self by commenting on various situations that happen to Jon, Odie and Liz in an extremely humorous way!
What I loved about this story:
Jim Davis’ writing: Jim Davis’ writing continues to be witty and hilarious as we see more adventures of Garfield, Jon, Odie and Liz and Garfield continues making sarcastic snide remarks towards the silliness going on with Jon and Odie. I really loved the way that Jim Davis wrote Jon and Liz’s relationship as we see their relationship progressing at this point as Liz starts to get used to Jon’s eccentric nature and still stands by him no matter how embarrassing his antics can get. I also love the fact that Garfield still remains sarcastic throughout the series as the characters still have the same personalities despite all the changes happening in the series, with the biggest change being Jon finally getting a girlfriend in Liz. It helps keeps the series consistent with its humor and I can get on board with the changes happening in this series without worrying about my favorite characters becoming different characters towards the end. I also like the fact that Garfield is supportive of Jon and Liz’s relationship as it shows that he is experiencing a bit of a character development as he went from making Jon’s life miserable (although he still does that from time to time) to actually accepting Jon’s happiness in his relationship with Liz.
Jim Davis’ artwork: Jim Davis’ artwork is as usual goofy and hilarious to look at as all the characters have exaggerated features such as large rounded eyes and in the case of Garfield, a round pudgy stomach that shows off his massive appetite! I also loved the way that Jim Davis drew Liz’s eyes as they are large and round like most of the other characters, but the fact that they are almost always half way closed shows how sane she is compared to the other characters.
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Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Garfield Cleans His Plate” is another fantastic installment in Jim Davis’ legendary “Garfield” series and I am sure that I will be checking out other “Garfield” works in the near future!
I would like to thank Abraham for recommending me this book!
You know, the moment that I saw Mo Willems’ name on this book, I just knew that I had to pick this book up since I have been loving everything [image]
You know, the moment that I saw Mo Willems’ name on this book, I just knew that I had to pick this book up since I have been loving everything that Mo Willems had thrown at me! This particular book that I had just recently picked up is called “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed” and I was quite surprised by the title of this book and I wanted to see how Mo Willems would make this book just as interesting as his other works!
There are three things you should know about naked mole rats:
1. They are a little bit rat. 2. They are a little bit mole. 3. They are all naked.
Well, except for one naked mole rat…WILBUR!
Wilbur was the only naked mole rat who was not…well…naked, as he constantly wears clothes to every occasion he goes to. The other naked mole rats were not pleased by Wilbur’s strange notions about wearing clothes and they tried to persuade Wilbur to not wear clothes. But Wilbur refuses to take off his clothes and the other naked mole rats ended up telling the Grand-pah, the oldest, greatest and most naked mole rat, about Wilbur constantly wearing clothing.
What will the Grand-pah say about Wilbur’s strange notions in wearing clothing?
Read this book to find out!
Well, what did I tell you? Mo Willems has never failed to amaze me with his creative and hilarious writing and this book is no different! I loved the way that Mo Willems addressed the issue of peer-pressure to the readers by having Wilbur dealing with peer-pressure as the other naked mole rats keep on telling him that it is appalling wearing clothes and that he should be like everyone else and remain naked. I also loved the way that Wilbur is portrayed as being strong willed and wanting to keep wearing his clothes, despite what the other naked mole rats say about him as it shows the readers that you should be yourself no matter what other people say about your hobbies or appearance. I thought it was creative and interesting that Mo Willems used naked mole rats as characters and used their titles to describe about the pressure of not wearing clothes since naked mole rats are supposed to be “naked” and it sends an interesting message about being yourself despite how different your notions may be compared to everyone else’s. Mo Willems’ artwork is as usual creative and fun to look at as the naked mole rats are shown as pink creatures with whale shaped heads and chubby little stomachs that make them look extremely cute! I also loved seeing the images of Wilbur putting on clothes as it makes him stand out from the other naked mole rats and I also loved the styles that he has chosen for himself!
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Overall, “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed” is a truly inspiring and cute book about not giving in to peer-pressure and being yourself no matter what anyone else thinks about you! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduction:
Af[image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduction:
After reading the first issue of Marjorie Liu’s breakthrough comic book, “Monstress,” I was clambering for more of this series and I finally got the chance to read the second issue of this series and man was I really blown away by this second issue!
What is this story about?
In this issue, Maika had just escaped from the witches’ stronghold and even though she wanted to go there to find out more about herself and her mother, she leaves the stronghold with even more questions on her mind about her mother and about the nature of her powers. Meanwhile, the Warlord starts making her move and she has her eyes set on capturing Maika for murdering one of the head witches at the stronghold!
What I loved about this story:
Marjorie Liu’s writing: Marjorie Liu’s writing is as beautiful as ever as we actually get to see the repercussions that Maika faces after her stint at the witches’ stronghold. It was interesting seeing Maika feel so much remorse for her actions in transforming into a monster when she attacked Sophia and the other witches and you also get to see how Maika is still struggling with trying to figure out what kind of person she really is due to the nature of her powers. Even though this issue was not as action packed as the first issue, I still really enjoyed the character interactions between the characters, especially between Maika and the cat and the building tension of the Warlord trying to capture Maika. I also enjoyed seeing the two tailed cat and Kippa the fox human child make an appearance in this issue as I wanted to see more development from them and it was great seeing their reactions to Maika becoming a monster in the last issue, especially with Kippa now being afraid of Maika because of the events of the last issue. Maika’s interactions with the two tailed cat was pretty entertaining as well as she is often snarky towards the cat and it reminded me of the relationship between Coraline and the cat in Neil Gaiman’s book “Coraline.”
Sana Takeda’s artwork: Sana Takeda’s artwork is as usual gorgeous to look at, especially of all the exotic clothing worn by each character, especially the Warlord’s clothing being a black dress with jewelry hanging over it that makes her look truly menacing and yet unique in appearance. I also loved the images of the two tailed cat that looks so adorable and creative, especially with its two small tails.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For anyone who does not like gory violence, there are some scenes of people getting their heads chopped off with blood spraying everywhere and some readers might be a bit unnerved by these images if they do not like seeing gory violence in graphic novels.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Monstress Volume One: Awakening Part Two” is another great issue from Marjorie Liu’s intriguing series “Monstress” and I cannot wait to see what happens to Maika and her crew next!
I have been reading Bernard Wiseman’s (or B. Wiseman in most of his releases) “Morris the Moose” series ever since I was little and I never wou[image]
I have been reading Bernard Wiseman’s (or B. Wiseman in most of his releases) “Morris the Moose” series ever since I was little and I never would have thought that there were more “Morris the Moose” books out there, especially the ones that also stars Morris’ friend Boris the Bear! So, when I picked up “Morris and Boris at the Circus,” I was pleasantly surprised with the wacky style of this story!
The story starts off with Boris the Bear telling Morris the Moose that there is a circus in town and Morris did not know anything about the circus since he had never gone to one before. So, Boris decided to take Morris to the circus and show him what the circus is all about. At the circus, Boris showed Morris the various tigers, lions and clowns performing for the audience, but then Morris notices that there are no moose in the circus and he asks the ringmaster if he could join the circus.
Can Morris perform any of the acts in the circus and will he drive Boris crazy with his mistakes?
Read this book to find out!
B. Wiseman has done an awesome job at writing this story as it is extremely hilarious and witty to read as I enjoyed the crazy adventures that Morris and Boris have in the circus! I loved the way that B. Wiseman wrote the relationship between Morris and Boris as they have that “odd couple” feel as they are polar opposites to each other and yet they are still friends despite the various misunderstandings between them. I loved the fact that Morris continuously drives Boris crazy with his constant mistakes in trying to perform circus tricks as it brings so much humor and wit to the story and I found myself laughing out loud with Morris making mistakes during the circus performances while Boris is desperately trying to get Morris to understand the core concept of the circus! I also loved the fact that both Morris and Boris have different personalities as Morris is shown to be the well-intentioned goofy character to Boris’ more stern and irritating sidekick who tries to straighten Morris out and it was great seeing the hilarious relationship between these two characters! B. Wiseman’s artwork is truly hilarious to look at as Morris is shown to be a goofy looking character with buck teeth that is shown to always be smiling on each page, while Boris is shown as a much bigger character than Morris and he is usually portrayed with a frown on his face on each page as he constantly has to deal with Morris’ crazy antics. I also loved the circus scenes as it was great seeing various circus performers performing for the audience and my favorite image in this book was of the dogs doing tricks such as walking on their hands and then bowing to the audience as it looks truly adorable to me.
Overall, “Morris and Boris at the Circus” is a fantastic and hilarious read about the adventures of Morris and Boris and the mayhem they cause at the circus! I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
I have read many children’s books that have like one or two words on each page to narrate the story. But, I had never read a children’s book qu[image]
I have read many children’s books that have like one or two words on each page to narrate the story. But, I had never read a children’s book quite like “Good News Bad News” by Jeff Mack that not only has four words on each page, but also conveys so much emotion and humor in this simple children’s story!
The story starts off with Rabbit pronouncing “Good News!” to Mouse as he shows him the picnic basket that they are going to eat out of for their picnic. Mouse then pronounces “Bad News” when it starts to rain, but then Rabbit says “Good News!” when he produces an umbrella for Mouse to use. Mouse then says “Bad News” when the umbrella is blown away, along with him on it, but Rabbit then says “Good News!” when the umbrella and Mouse ended up in a tree. But then Mouse says “Bad News” when the apples started falling from the tree, hitting him…
You see where this story is going?
How much can Mouse and Rabbit handle with all of this misfortune happening to them on their picnic?
Read this book to find out!
Jeff Mack has done an excellent job at writing this book as the story is mainly told through the four words “good news, bad news” and these words convey the humor and the emotion in the story extremely well! I loved the way that Jeff Mack wrote both Rabbit and Mouse as Rabbit is portrayed as being the more optimistic of the two as he is the one who constantly says “Good News!” throughout the story as he tries to look on the brighter side of things. Then we have Mouse who is portrayed as being more negative than Rabbit and he is the one who is always saying “Bad News!” when bad things start happening (especially to him). It helps give the story two different perspectives on the situations at hand and it gives the story a balance between being optimistic and being negative. Jeff Mack’s artwork is both cute and hilarious to look at as Rabbit is shown as having a constant wide grin on his face no matter how bad things get as the story progresses. Mouse meanwhile is shown to be snarling on every page and seems to have a torn up ear and a bandaged tail that indicates all the bad things happening to him throughout the story.
Overall, “Good News Bad News” is a cute and hilarious children’s book about the importance of friendship and how it can survive even through the worst situations. I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book and the narrative is easy enough for smaller children to read through.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduction:
Now[image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Introduction:
Now I will admit that I had never read any of Marjorie Liu’s comic books before, even though most of them were highly praised. So, when I heard that Marjorie Liu was creating a new comic book series called “Monstress” and I had heard a lot of good things about this series, I just had to check this series out!
What is this story about?
The story starts off with Maika being sold to a witch named Sophia and it turns out that this was a part of plan that Maika conjured up when she was at her homeland to get inside the witches’ strong hold in order to find out what happened to her mother. It also turns out that Maika possesses a dangerous power where she is psychically linked to a monster of tremendous power and she is prone to have beastly urges whenever she is in danger. Now, not only does Maika have to control her dangerous powers, but she must survive the horrors of the war between the humans and the supernatural forces!
What I loved about this story:
Marjorie Liu’s writing: Wow! For a first time reader of Marjorie Liu’s works, I must say that I was quite impressed with Marjorie Liu’s beautiful writing of this issue! I loved the way that Marjorie Liu wrote the world that the characters live in as it seems like Ancient China with some supernatural touches to the universe that really made this world so mesmerizing to read about. I also loved the way that Marjorie Liu wrote Maika’s character as Maika is shown as being a strong female protagonist who suffers a horrific injury as she loses her arm in the war and yet is still determined enough to sneak into the witches’ strong hold to find out the truth about her mother. I also think that the beastly aspect of Maika’s character really made her interesting and I would love to see where they take her character in the next issue!
Sana Takeda’s artwork: Sana Takeda’s artwork is just simply beautiful to look at! I just loved the way that Sana Takeda made the characters’ hairs glow throughout the pages, especially with Maika’s long and raven hair glowing at various places of her head. I also loved the way that Sana Takeda drew the steampunk aesthetics to the story as we see many machines and rusted pipes throughout the artwork and it really gives the story a dark and gritty futuristic feel.
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What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For anyone who does not like strong language, there were a couple of utterings of the “f” word throughout the story that might offend some people. Some readers might want to skim through the curse words if they get offended by them.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Monstress Volume One: Awakening Part One” is a truly fantastic introduction to Marjorie Liu’s “Monstress” series and I definitely cannot wait to check out the next few issues of this series!
Now I must admit. I have heard about Ms. Marvel or Captain Marvel a couple of times from fellow comic book readers, but I had[image]
Introduction:
Now I must admit. I have heard about Ms. Marvel or Captain Marvel a couple of times from fellow comic book readers, but I had never really read a comic book about Captain Marvel before and therefore, I do not know much about her character (other than the fact that she had a rivalry with Rogue from the X-Men, due to Rogue stealing her powers and putting her in a coma). So, when I heard that Marvel was making a “Ms. Marvel” series that would have a protagonist who was of Muslim background, I was seriously excited at the prospect of having a diverse superhero in the Marvel Universe!
What is this story about?
Kamala Khan was your average teenage girl who happens to live in Jersey City and comes from a Muslim family. One day however, a mysterious mist overcomes Jersey City and Kamala soon finds herself obtaining powers such as stretching her limbs out to unbelievable lengths and shapeshifting into different forms. Unfortunately, not only does Kamala have a hard time controlling her newfound powers, but she suffers from an identity crisis as she tries to figure out what kind of superhero she wants to be: a superhero that is exactly like Captain Marvel or a superhero where she can express her true personality and beliefs through her newfound powers?
What I loved about this story:
G. Willow Wilson’s writing: I will admit that this is the first time that I had ever read a comic book by G. Willow Wilson (or this could possibly be her first comic book), so I was interested to see what kind of new storylines G. Willow Wilson could bring to the Marvel Universe. Lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised by G. Willow Wilson’s witty and emotional writing of Kamala Khan, the new Ms. Marvel! I loved the way that G. Willow Wilson wrote Kamala Khan’s character as Kamala is shown as being a spunky girl who wants to be a superhero, but she is not sure of what kind of superhero she should be and I loved the fact that this issue is explored and how it affects Kamala throughout the story. I also loved the fact that this story is extremely lighthearted with some intense moments here and there as it gives the story so much depth regarding the characters and it is nice to have a superhero series that has a light tone that could resonate with the readers. I also think that G. Willow Wilson did an excellent job at not making Kamala’s Muslim background into something stereotypical, but into something that makes Kamala unique in her own way and it was great seeing what Muslim culture is like within a superhero community as it gives more diversity to the story since it is rare that we see Middle Eastern superheroes being portrayed in superhero comic books.
Adrian Alphona’s artwork: Adrian Alphona’s artwork is both gorgeous and hilarious to look at as the characters are drawn realistically and there are some panels where the characters’ skins glow against sunlight and moonlight and gives their appearances a mesmerizing feel. I also loved the way that Adrian Alphona drew the humorous expressions on the characters whenever they are shocked or scared as it made the artwork into something unique as you have both comedic and dramatic artwork within the same story.
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What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For anyone who does not like language in comic books, this graphic novel does have some language such as the constant use of the “p” word, but other than that, this graphic novel is pretty tame compared to some of the darker and grittier superhero comic books.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Ms. Marvel Volume One: No Normal” is truly one of the most creative and inspiring stories I had ever read from Marvel NOW and I am definitely looking forward to reading more adventures from the new and different “Ms. Marvel!”
Even though there has been like a million retellings of “Cinderella” done already, I do recall one version of the tale that was quite unique as[image]
Even though there has been like a million retellings of “Cinderella” done already, I do recall one version of the tale that was quite unique as it had the “Cinderella” character running away from home and dancing with the prince of the story in disguise and that version came from a fairy tale called “Cap O’ Rushes.” So, imagine my surprise when I found out that there was a Jewish version of this tale called “The Way Meat Loves Salt” by Nina Jaffe along with illustrations by Louise August and I was pleasantly surprised by this brilliant version of the classic fairy tale!
Many years ago in the country of Poland, there lived a rabbi who had a wife and three daughters. The names of the three daughters were Reyzeleh, the oldest, Khaveleh, the middle daughter and Mireleh, the youngest. One day, the rabbi wanted to know how much each of his daughters loved him and he decided to ask each of them how they felt about him.
Reyzeleh answered, “I love you as much as diamonds.”
Khaveleh answered, “I love you as much as gold and silver.”
And Mireleh answered, “I love you the way meat loves salt.”
When the rabbi heard Mireleh’s answer, he was so enraged that he kicked Mireleh out of his house. Mireleh then wonders through the forest crying when suddenly, an old man dressed in a white robe showed up carrying a tall silver staff in one hand and a wooden stick in the other hand. The old man then tells Mireleh that she should go to the house of Rabbi Yitskhok ben Levi, the renowned scholar of Lublin and that he has a wife and son that could take care of her. When Mireleh goes to the house, the family took her in and let her stay in their attic. One day however, a wedding feast was being held in Cracow and Rabbi Yitskhok’s family decided to go to the wedding feast, but they let Mireleh stay at home. Mireleh wanted to go to the wedding, but she realized that she did not have the proper attire to attend the wedding. So, she used the magic stick that the old man gave her and she was able to make a beautiful dress appear out of thin air! When Mireleh arrived at the wedding, the guests were astonished by her appearance and Rabbi Yitskhok’s son immediately took interest in her and wanted to know everything about her. But, Mireleh kept quiet and did not tell the rabbi’s son anything about herself. As soon as the wedding feast was over, the rabbi’s son wanted to know more about the mysterious girl who came to the wedding and he decided to put some tar and pitch out in the front of his house to wait for the mysterious girl to arrive. When Mireleh came back to the house, she ended up getting one of her shoes stuck in the tar pitch and she had to leave without the other shoe. The rabbi’s son then picked up the shoe and declared that whoever fits the shoe will be his bride.
Will the Rabbi’s son find the woman who fits the shoe?
Read this book to find out!
Nina Jaffe’s writing is beautifully written as she does a brilliant job at retelling this ancient old version of “Cinderella” and incorporating Jewish customs into the story that makes it stand out from other folktales. I loved the way that Nina Jaffe incorporated the Jewish traditions in this story such as the groom stepping on the wine glass during the marriage ceremony as we get to learn more about Jewish culture through this story and how they define the characters. I also loved the fact that this story takes place in Poland since it is rare that I read children’s books that take place in Poland and it gives the story an extremely unique feel. Nina Jaffe did an excellent job at bringing out the theme of true love in this story as Mireleh, the main protagonist, is unfairly thrown out of her own home just because she stated that she loved her father as much as “meat loves salt.” While it takes most of the story for the father to figure out what Mireleh’s statement really meant, it was intriguing to me that Mireleh would make such an odd statement about her love for her father and yet, it still meant that she truly loves her father, even if the statement “meat loves salt” sounded a bit odd to both her father and the reader (unless you think about that statement really hard). Louise August’s artwork is beautiful and cute to look at as all the characters are drawn in a cute way and I really loved the Polish outfits that the characters wear such as the large dresses with the aprons that the female characters wear and the polo jackets and baggy trousers that the male characters wear.
Parents should know that the core part of this story is that the father ends up kicking his own daughter out of his home due to his daughter’s odd comment about how much she loves him. This could upset some readers as it hits closely home to children who were forcibly put out of their own homes by their parents or have dealt with parents who were abusive towards them. Parents might want to reassure their children that while such abuse can happen in real life, they should let their children know that they will always love them no matter what happens.
Overall, “The Way Meat Loves Salt” is a beautiful story about what true love really is and the importance of family no matter what kind of differences you may have with each other. I would recommend this book to children ages six and up since the Jewish terms might be a bit confusing for some smaller readers and the scene of the daughter being kicked out of her home might upset some children.
Now, I have been reading the “Anansi” series ever since I was little and I was always so amazed at the gorgeous artwork and the hilarious writi[image]
Now, I have been reading the “Anansi” series ever since I was little and I was always so amazed at the gorgeous artwork and the hilarious writing in each book! So, when I stumbled upon another “Anansi” story that was written by Eric A. Kimmel along with illustrations by Janet Stevens, I was pleasantly surprised by how this story turned out to be as entertaining as the previous “Anansi” stories!
The story starts off with Anansi looking down on Elephant’s melon patch from the trees and he wanted to have a melon. But since Anansi was always too lazy to do any work, he decided to wait until Elephant went off on break to eat a melon. So after Elephant left the melon patch, Anansi took a thorn from a tree and started digging a hole inside the melon to jump inside and eat the melon from the inside out. Once Anansi was done eating inside the melon, he tried to get out from inside the melon, but he become too fat to get out and he had to wait until he got thin again. Elephant then comes back to the melon patch and picks up the melon that Anansi was inside of and Anansi decided to play a little trick on Elephant by pretending to be the melon and successfully convinces Elephant that the melon is really talking. Elephant is so excited about this development that he decided to tell his friends and the king about the talking melon.
Will the King be impressed by the talking melon or will he realize that it is Anansi playing this trick?
Read this book to find out!
Wow! I must admit that I was quite surprised that I have not read this book yet since I have been reading the “Anansi” series ever since I was a child! Eric A. Kimmel has once again done an excellent job at writing this story as the story is highly creative and hilarious at the same time and I really loved the scenes where Anansi tricks the other animals into thinking that the melon is actually talking to them. I like the fact that in this story, Anansi does not actually steal anything like he did in the previous book “Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock” since it makes him into a less amoral character (although he still did dig inside one of the Elephant’s melons without Elephant’s permission) and the fact that he is just playing tricks on Elephant and the other animals just for the fun of it, makes him less malicious in nature. Janet Stevens’ artwork is as usual gorgeous to look at and I loved the way that Janet Stevens is able to convey the emotions on the characters’ faces, especially whenever the melon seems to insult each animal character and you get to see the animals’ angry expressions really close up.
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Overall, “Anansi and the Talking Melon” is a truly hilarious book that is another great addition to Eric A. Kimmel and Janet Stevens’ “Anansi” series! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
Another fantastic volume of “Saga” from the great mind of Brian K. Vaughan? You bet I will check t[image]
6 stars!!!
Introduction:
OH YEAH BABY!
Another fantastic volume of “Saga” from the great mind of Brian K. Vaughan? You bet I will check this new volume out as soon as it was released and I was seriously blown away by this action packed volume! “Saga: Volume Five” is another awesome installment of Brian K. Vaughan’s legendary comic book series that is definitely worth its weight in gold!
What is this story about?
After the disastrous falling out between Marko and Alana in the previous volume, Alana, Marko’s mother and Hazel find themselves being kidnapped by Dengo, the janitor robot who kidnapped Prince Robot IV’s newborn baby in the last volume. This then leads to Marko being forced to work with Prince Robot IV in order to find their missing families. Meanwhile, Gwendolyn, Sophie and The Will’s sister The Brand, set out on a journey together to retrieve a cure that will help save The Will’s life, but the journey is going to be pretty dangerous for the three (four if we are including the Lying Cat) travelers!
What I loved about this story:
Brian K. Vaughan’s writing: As usual, Brian K. Vaughan’s writing is spot on and I really loved the fact that this volume was much more action driven then the previous volumes, which were mostly character driven and we actually get to see several characters really kicking some serious butt in this volume! I just loved the way that Brian K. Vaughan really made Alana into such an awesome fighter in this volume as it was hinted at early on that Alana used to be in the military and we finally get the chance to see Alana’s combat skills displayed in this volume, especially when she tries to protect her daughter Hazel from various people who want to harm her. I also loved the fact that Marko is still trying to find Alana and Hazel again as it showed how much he really cared about his family, despite his fight with Alana in the last volume. It was also heartbreaking learning about Marko’s backstory and why him accidentally hurting Alana had such a tragic impact on him and how he tries to make amends for what he had done to Alana. I really enjoyed the side story involving Gwendolyn, Sophie, the Lying Cat and the Brand trying to find a cure for the Will, who was injured a few volumes ago. I really loved the relationship between these four travelers as it shows that they all cared about the Will in their own way and are willing to work together to obtain the cure needed to help the Will. The only thing that got me about this volume was that I did not see one single appearance from my favorite ghost girl Izabel…OH IZABEL! WHERE ARE YOU!?
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Fiona Staples’ artwork: Fiona Staples’ artwork is as usual gorgeous to look at and I really loved the action sequences as you can see the explosions really glow through the pages (which is something I often see with this series all the time) and I really loved the alien appearances of many of the characters, especially of Prince Robot IV with his TV set head!
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What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For anyone who does not like strong language, gory violence and graphic images, there are many scenes in this volume where characters are blown up and blood and guts are sprayed all over and some strong language such as the constant use of the “f” word and the “a” word. Also, there is some nudity in this volume, as well as some sex scenes that might make some people cringe.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, is “Saga: Volume Five” worth picking up? YES! YES IT IS! Go ahead and pick up this sucker already and be amazed by the wonderful world of “Saga!”
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