I received a copy of Satania from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This story is a bit of a blend between Darwin’s theory of evolu I received a copy of Satania from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This story is a bit of a blend between Darwin’s theory of evolution (on crack) and the Divine Comedy. I think the author was hoping to aim more for the former, but I didn’t feel it quite so much. Charlotte (aka Charlie) has gone off on a crazy adventure in an attempt to find and rescue her missing brother. Unfortunately for her and the team that accompany her, this is anything other than an ordinary rescue mission. Things rapidly take a turn for the worse, followed by the unbelievable, and finally the unthinkable. Charlotte’s brother believed in hell, and how it was connected to Earth through tunnels like the one he was researching in. Somehow his theory also connected back to Darwin’s theories, but I’ll admit I had trouble seeing that bit. Regardless, this belief ended up engulfing nearly a dozen people in its mystery. This was an interesting tale, to say the least. It raises questions of perception and sanity – did the rescue team see any of what we were shown, or was it all a dream; something that their freezing brains came up with in their last minutes of life? The concept of hell is not a new one, but I really do appreciate seeing new interpretations and twists on it. I’ve certainly never heard of a story that had both hell and evolution in its description before this one.
Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles is a fantastic sounding concept for this series. I love the idea of the Joker and the Riddler starting a war bet Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles is a fantastic sounding concept for this series. I love the idea of the Joker and the Riddler starting a war between each other. Frankly, I’ve always felt that we needed to see more interactions between all of the Batman villains. After all, while Gotham isn’t small, is certainly has more than its fair share of supervillians. Which should theoretically mean that they’d be bumping heads pretty often. This volume was graciously provided to us by the creative team of Tom King (Grayson, The Vision, The Sheriff of Babylon), and Mikel Janin (Justice League Dark). Together they make a pretty fantastic team, and this was certainly one of my favorite Batman plots in a while.
This volume has a lot of great things going for it. Along with the aforementioned war between the Joker and the Riddler, there’s the core reason for said war. Batman is still retired (I say still because I’m pretty sure everyone other than himself knew it wasn’t going to last) and things have been off for our villains ever since. The Riddler has found less joy in his riddles. More alarmingly, the Joker can’t laugh. Not won’t, can’t. I’ve seen this sort of concept before with the Joker, and every time I’ve ended up loving where they went with it. This time was no exception. In a sense, this war was inevitable. Not just because there were too many villains in a small space, but because there were too many bored villains in a small space. With Batman retired they had lost something that made them who they are. It’s been a running theme for the Batman series, and I love that it was more or less acknowledged here. Once the lines were drawn in the sand each villain was pretty much forced to pick a side or face the consequences (the most notable exception to this rule being Catwoman, whom we could say took Batman’s side in this fight). On the Riddler’s side we have Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, and Harvey Dent (there are others of course, but the rest of them don’t really warrant naming). On the Joker’s side we have Mr. Freeze, Scarface, and Cobblepot. Now I’ll admit that the majority of these choices make sense, but there are a few exceptions for me, and perhaps these are showing my biases. I don’t see Mr. Freeze picking either side, unless he had a good reason (such as one of them having their hands on Nora, or having tried to hurt her in the past. That would sway him pretty fast). Likewise I don’t see Ivy as being terribly willing to work with them. She doesn’t really like people in the best of days. Riddler could have found a reason to talk her into it, but I would have loved to know the reason (did he know the location of an exotic plant? Did he talk her into this for Harley’s sake?). I wish these sorts of conversations had not happened off screen, but hey, what can you do? A new villain picks up the mantle for this volume as well (well, new for this continuity at least); Kite Man. Yep, you’ve got that right. Kite Man threw his name into the ring. He does so for some pretty personal reasons, most of which involving his hatred for the Riddler. Believe it or not this small time villain actually plays a pretty pivotal role in the series, at least for now. So don’t overlook him. I was worried that I wouldn’t like the conclusion to this plot, since I loved the concept of it so much, but I found myself pleasantly surprised. Everything is wrapped up, with no annoying “but why?!” moments to be found. The interactions between the Joke and the Riddler were superb all the way to the end, as was the conclusion to their individual turmoil. I’ll admit I’m curious to see where they could possibly head to next after this. Sure there’s the Catwoman plot still, but if I’m being honest I’m still not sure how I feel about that. I’m hoping that more exposure to the concept will help me decide that one. (hide spoiler)]
I received a copy of Cloudia and Rex from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The concept behind Cloudia and Rex is a pretty interest I received a copy of Cloudia and Rex from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The concept behind Cloudia and Rex is a pretty interesting one, at its core. A mother and her two daughters (Cloudia and Rex, the namesakes of the graphic novel) are heading out on a journey to find a new life for themselves. However, what they find along the way isn’t something any of them could have predicted; gods and a war or celestials (and thus for life itself). In actuality Cloudia and Rex was a bit of a letdown, and I feel bad saying that. The dialogue was pretty childish (even when considering that two of the characters are children themselves) and felt like it was ninety percent shouting (not exactly a relaxing read). Because of this I never really got attached to any of the characters, so I didn’t really worry about their safety, or feel for their sacrifices. The plot was pretty rushed as well. I think I would have liked this much more had it been double in length, allowing us time to first get to know the girls, the celestials, and then finally the plot. Instead it all kind of ended up all mashed together. Not only was this off-putting, but it was confusing as well. I loved the twist about the cell phone, and how the gods thought it was important. I’m not sure if this was thrown in as a joke or not, but it was really a stroke of brilliance. If that had been more of a focal point, I think I would have liked this series a whole lot more. My complaints about the dialogue and plot aside, the artwork was lovely. I really enjoyed seeing the way the artist decided to represent each god, and the color palettes that went with them. I would love to see more work from this artist, so I sincerely hope they continue doing what they’re doing.
I’m been anxiously awaiting this volume for the last few months, and I am so happy that it’s finally out! The description for it does say it’s the pl I’m been anxiously awaiting this volume for the last few months, and I am so happy that it’s finally out! The description for it does say it’s the plot conclusion, and the ending does certainly read that way. I’m not certain that this means the end for Gotham Academy, but it certainly feels that way. Which is pretty upsetting, come to think of it.
I’ll admit I was a bit confused on why the first issue didn’t continue the plot started back in Gotham Academy: Second Semester Vol. 1, but then I realized it was actually the fourth issue for the series; so it doesn’t fit in order here. I just wanted to point that out before it causes too much confusion. It is a nice short story though, and is a nice little respite before the conclusion of the story/series picks up again. I’m pretty heartbroken about the idea of this being the end of Gotham Academy and I sincerely hope it gets revisited at sometime in the future (I like to believe that no comic storyline is truly dead; which isn’t a crazy belief, considering how often older series get rebooted). I am grateful that the authors had time to actually wrap up the plot and give us a conclusion, there’s nothing I hate more than an eternal cliffhanger. Finally we’re given some answers about Calamity, her past, and how it all ties into Gotham City. I’ve been puzzling over this mystery for years, so it’s nice to have a canon answer finally. Though the fact that this was all revealed further convinces me that the series is over (yeah, I know I could look up the answer to this debate, but I’d really rather not lose any of the hope I have right now). There are so many appearances and cameos in this volume, it’s almost overwhelming. Along with the obvious crew (Olive, Maps, Pom, Colton, and Kyle), some of our favorites from Gotham Academy also make appearances (Tristan, some of the professors, etc.), as do some of Gotham City’s heavy better known characters (the Penguin, Two-Face, and Damian Wayne). Bruce Wayne/Batman doesn’t make an appearance, but like many of the other volumes previous, his presence is still felt. I’ve always been a fan of the artwork for the series, and will be making a point of researching all the artists involved in this project; so I can stalk, erm, follow them to their next project and support them further. This was probably one of my favorite DC series (actively running, that is), so I’m pretty sad to see it go. I don’t know how the numbers ended up looking in the end, but I hope they were good enough to catch the attention of the DC higher ups, as I know Gotham Academy has a set of loyal and active fans (myself included). (hide spoiler)]
They say hindsight is 20/20, and apparently that applies to comic reading as well. After having read Ultimates 2 Vol. 2 I find myself wis3 1/2 stars.
They say hindsight is 20/20, and apparently that applies to comic reading as well. After having read Ultimates 2 Vol. 2 I find myself wishing I had read Secret Empire first, as I feel like that would have cleared up some of the confusion I suffered from. If you haven’t read either yet, I strongly advise you learn from my mistakes and give Secret Empire a go first (though obviously not having read it yet myself, I cannot vouch for its quality). I’ve always loved that the Ultimates can be counted on to show us the stranger parts of the outer-verse for Marvel. Ultimates 2 seems to prefer focusing on Galactus and other Celestial beings, but unlike many other series (where the weak humans can’t actually do anything to affect these giant beings) the Ultimates actually stand a change of creating change.
So I have some good news/bad news for you. The good news is we have another volume of the Ultimates! The bad news it’s the end of the series. Again. I’m sad to see it end (again) but at least the authors had a heads up and were able to write a satisfying conclusion (I can’t stand indefinite cliffhangers). Still, I’m pretty bummed about having to let go of yet another series I love. I just have to keep reminding myself that in the comic book world, dead series don’t always stay dead. So there’s still hope! I can only theorize for the reason this series is ending. It could be that it came to a natural conclusion (though I very much would have liked them to stretch it another issue or two, for details sake). Or it could be a numbers thing, or because two of the characters will certainly be involved in Infinity War (which means they’re getting pulled into the Infinity Countdown, presumably). I’m hoping it’s the latter, because that has the best odds of Ultimates coming back (perhaps as Ultimates 3?). Obviously, being the Ultimates, this volume can get a bit abstract and out there at times. To be honest it’s one of the reasons I enjoy it so much. It helps that Ewing is a rockstar when it comes to more conceptual stories like this. I do wish we had more time exploring the constructs/entities introduced in this particular volume, but c’est la vie. I think my one disappointment for this volume was the slight shift in focus; while the series is called Ultimates (duh), it didn’t feel like they were the main focus or driving force in this volume. Which, I get it, we’re talking about massive scales in the universe, and human beings rate pretty low on that. But still, I love all the individual characters that build the Ultimates team, and I feel like they didn’t all get a chance to shine in this volume. All in all this volume was a pretty good send off to the series. We got a fantastic and interesting conclusion, some beautiful artwork (I don’t know how Hitch manages to illustrate all the odd concepts and creatures thrown at him, but he finds a way!) and so much more. So while I’ll be sad to see it go, I’m so very grateful it was done with style. (hide spoiler)]
I received a copy of Life Under Occupation from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Life Under Occupation is the true sto3 1/2 stars.
I received a copy of Life Under Occupation from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Life Under Occupation is the true story of Jose Pablo Garcia’s travels to and through the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Not only was it a great read, but it’s an educational one too. If you’re looking to learn a bit more about what is happening here, or why it’s such a conflicting issue, this is a good first step. Now, I’m not going to claim that Garcia offered us every minute detail of the trip, and that by reading this you’ll have an academic understanding on what is occurring in Palestine. But it will give you a comprehensive view and understanding of what he personally witnessed, as well as several stories of others, as told directly by them to him. I do feel that Life Under Occupation spent a little too much time focusing on the travel aspect, instead of putting aside more time to talk to real people with real issues. While I have no problem with the former, the title gave me the impression that we’d be hearing mostly from people actually living under these conditions (as opposed to a person traveling through them). Perhaps a change in title would have prevented this confusion. On the whole I really enjoyed reading Life Under Occupation. It did a fantastic job of being open and accessible, while also talking about very real and serious subjects. I appreciate all of the effort Jose Pable Garcia went through, at the request of the AECID (Action Against Hunger and the Spanish Agency for International Development). I hope this proves to be the stepping stone Garcia was looking for.
From the minds of James Tynion IV (Batman/TMNT), Eddy Barrows (Nightwing), and Alvardo Martinez (Batman Eternal) comes the fourth installment of the From the minds of James Tynion IV (Batman/TMNT), Eddy Barrows (Nightwing), and Alvardo Martinez (Batman Eternal) comes the fourth installment of the Batman: Detective Comics line. I know some people think that there are too many “bat” characters already, and while I don’t necessarily disagree with them, what’s done is done, and thus I’m happy for a series that actually takes time fleshing the lot of them out (or occasionally killing them off).
There are two main plots for this volume. The first is more of a one-shot story, as it’s only one issue long. However it is focusing on Stephanie and how she’s handling (spoiler warning) Tim Drake’s death. Hint: not well. To her credit, she tries to turn what happened into something positive, in a way. Instead of being a vigilante that takes all the crime fighting credit, Stephanie has become a silent crime fighting vigilante, one who makes sure the police take the credit. In this way she hopes to bring something good back to the city. I respect this so much. I hope this becomes a larger plot later, though I doubt it will. The main plot is a bit more chaotic, to say the least. It revolves very heavily around Batman, Zatanna and a few others. I honestly think the Zatanna part of this plot was probably the most stable plot – the other part just left me confused and feeling rushed. Perhaps that’s my bias showing, as I quite like Zatanna (and seeing a teenage Zatanna was pretty cool). The confusing part focused around Azrael and events specific to him. I’m not sure what it was about this, but I had the hardest time keeping track of what was actually going on and why. So needless to say I didn’t get much satisfaction out of the ending. Oh well. I find it interesting how they spent so much time in this issue building up Bruce Wayne and Zatanna’s relationship in this volume; especially considering what is going on with Catwoman in the main Batman series. This leaves me a bit confused about where everything fits continuity wise. Sure, you could argue that the relationship isn’t sexual and is a non-issue, but it still raises a lot of other questions, so again, I’m left confused. On the bright side I really enjoyed the artwork for this series. All the characters had these really nice little details on them (even ones that first appeared unimportant) and I enjoyed the mech designs shown. I particularly liked the magic effects and how they were drawn, but again that might be my bias showing. (hide spoiler)]
I’m a little sad that they felt the need to start up a new Guardians of the Galaxy, but if I’m being honest it’s mostly because I loved the artwork o I’m a little sad that they felt the need to start up a new Guardians of the Galaxy, but if I’m being honest it’s mostly because I loved the artwork of the previous series. It always takes me a little while to adjust to an art change, and this time is no different. This series artwork reminds me a lot of the TV series (which I haven’t watched much of, as of yet, so I don’t have the fondness that comes with that). At first I was concerned that this indicated a change of tone for the series, but thankfully they’re still the Guardians I know and love.
There are some subtle changes from the last series to this one. As mentioned above, the artwork does change; as well as the character designs. Their clothes look a bit more like what we’ve seen in the movies. Meanwhile Gamora’s character looks the most like the TV show (her coloring, especially around the eyes, is much more distinct and stylized than it had been). The Milano (from the movie) also makes its way into the series, though obviously its backstory is different. The characters themselves have changed a bit too – but that’s because of what they have gone through, not something dramatic and unexplained. Groot is a baby, a state that he doesn’t normally stay in long term, but the reason for that is shown later. Drax has become a pacifist, as he believes all actions have consequences, even small ones like knocking down walls. Gamora is hiding something (ok, that isn’t all that new…), Rocket is still Rocket, and Quill is, as per usual, confused, just a bit more than usual in this case. There were so many things I loved about this volume; I’m not even sure where to begin. Actually, that’s not true. The Raptors! Yes, I do mean the Fraternity of Raptors that come from the Shi’ar Empire. The ones we see go up against Darkhawk (here’s hoping that means he’s in for a comeback!). Bringing the Ratpors into the Guardians of the Galaxy’s story is a brilliant move on Gerry Duggan’s part. Talonar is an ideal nemesis for the lot of them, and if my memory serves me correctly, he could make a pretty interesting threat for them. I sincerely hope he makes another appearance (though I find it unlikely they’d introduce him and then drop him). The Baby Groot plot is pretty interesting as well. There’s an actual reason he’s growing so slowly, and I’m not going to lie, I freaked when that reason was revealed. I’m curious to see how much that’ll stunt him in the long run, and what other influences he’ll feel before it’s all said and done. There’s still quite a lot going on, outside of what I’ve mentioned. The Collector and his brother are involved, as are other Elders of the Universe. You know something big is happening when cosmic beings start to move about like that. I can’t wait to see where it all leads. (hide spoiler)]
Eternal Empire Vol. 1 is the start of a new series straight from the minds of Jonathan Luna (Alex+Ada and The Sword) and Sarah Vaughn (Alex+Ada, Dead Eternal Empire Vol. 1 is the start of a new series straight from the minds of Jonathan Luna (Alex+Ada and The Sword) and Sarah Vaughn (Alex+Ada, Deadman, and Ruined). This is the series I didn’t know I was looking for; an epic fantasy tale focusing on two different characters trying to find a way to survive during a time of war.
The moment I saw the cover for Eternal Empire, I knew I wanted to give it a try. I know that sounds a bit odd, but there are just certain art styles that when I see them, I just can’t resist the temptation to read. While prepping to write my review, I couldn’t help but notice the pretty low average rating for this series. I’ll admit I was a bit surprised by that. Perhaps it’s because I haven’t read anything by the Luna/Vaughn team yet (and thus didn’t have any expectations)? While I think there’s some work to be done in this series, it’s got a great foundation and a lot of potential, and thus think it deserves credit for that. Stylistically I really loved how the two main characters are polar opposites; Tair is pale, with long white hair, and grew up in a cold environment, while Rion has short red hair, darker skin tones, and grew up in hotter more arid climates. They may a striking team, and believe me when I say they’re a team. When I first saw their differences, I wasn’t sure that would be the case, but within the first issue it was clear that these two are paranormally drawn to one another. Looking at the volume as a whole, I can clearly see where the authors are spending their time building things up. We now know a decent amount about the main characters and the current predicament they’re in, but very little about the world itself. We know a war is going on, and that a queen is leading it all. I would also hazard a guess that the queen has been looking for them (possibly thanks to a prophecy of some sort?) and would even theorize about their connection to her. However, I don’t know why she’s waging these wars, who their gods are (other than their names, that is), their motivation, or how it’ll all wrap together. I’m assuming that will all be revealed in the next issue, which is why I intend to read that one as well. Sometimes it takes a bit to get the ball rolling, especially in worlds that are a bit more on the expansive side of things. (hide spoiler)]
I received a copy of Herding Cats from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
It’s likely that fans of Sarah Anderson will have seen all I received a copy of Herding Cats from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
It’s likely that fans of Sarah Anderson will have seen all the comics collected in this book, but don’t let that stop you from picking up a copy. Not only are the comics funny (as always) but many of them have more impacted than anticipated. And as a bonus, supporting an artist you love is always a wonderful thing to do. I’m a fan of Sarah Anderson; I’m not going to deny it. So much of what she draws just really resonates with me. As a creative who struggles with anxiety myself, I feel like she can put those feelings into words (or images, in her case) better than I could ever hope. Seeing the struggles occurring in somebody I respect…it’s a helpful reminder that we’re all human and we all have our own battles to fight. To see her winning those battles (posting artwork and doing what she loves, despite the anxiety and all the other roadblocks) is inspiring. I love how despite the silly nature of it all, Sarah still takes a moment to be serious and talk to her fans. I’m sure she’s aware (as indicated by her directness in conversation here) that many of her fans look up to her, and would love to do what she does. Instead of seeing them as a threat or potential competition, she encourages them to keep at it; to continue producing artwork and ignore all the critics out there (and let’s be honest here, we’re all our own worst critics). I have so much respect for her for taking this stance. I can’t wait to see what volume four will contain (I know I can check out her website as well, but I do enjoy supporting the books when they release). Maybe I’ll luck out and it’ll be another cat themed title!
I received a copy of Accel Vol. 1 from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Accell Volume one is one of the newest graphic novels out I received a copy of Accel Vol. 1 from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Accell Volume one is one of the newest graphic novels out from the Catalyst Prime series from Lion Forge. There’s a lot of pressure being put on this franchise right now, as many fans are hoping it’ll establish a world capable of competing with industries with larger universes, like Marvel and DC. I loved the cover right away; it’s different from the other covers one typically sees out there, making it stand out (as well as being more memorable, which is a bonus for establishing a new universe). I’ll admit I was surprised that the color palette seen on the cover is carried over into the comics – it’s all very bright with mostly prime colors and the like (intentional pun perhaps?).
So I’ll say this right away; I really wanted to like this series. I love what Lion Forge is doing with Catalyst Prime, and I’m without a doubt one of those fans hoping this new venture of theirs takes off big (I think the comic industry on the whole could use some more competition, as competition is great for the fans!). Unfortunately this particular series failed to hold my interest, and it was a struggle to actually read it through to the end (perhaps I let my hopes get too high, resulting in me liking the series less than I otherwise would have? I’d like to think that is the case). The description on Goodreads will give any curious readers a good idea of what they’re in for; it’s a fairly accurate synopsis of the entire volume. Essentially what we’re dealing with here is (and I hate to say it like this) a Flash/Quicksilver copycat, which frankly is fine with me (I’m convinced there’s more ways to play out the speedster concept) when done in an interesting manner. Sadly this one was a bit of a miss; the character himself is uninteresting and underdeveloped. With time I think he would have some potential – for example I would love to see a character like this go through something that forced heavier character development. So while I didn’t like Daniel in this volume, I’ll acknowledge the possibility that I could grow to like him in later volumes. As for Daniel’s abilities…I was really excited at first. In the first issue we see Daniel take some very serious damage in response to the actions he took. I love seeing consequences for super hero abilities, I can’t say that enough. So naturally I was pretty excited to see some legit real world consequences happening here. Unfortunately those consequences didn’t actually linger…it turns out that Daniel can also accelerate his healing; bringing him back to normal in rapid time (wouldn’t that theoretically age him or have some other consequence?). So that was a bit of a let down. Perhaps the writers will expand on that further later, one can hope! I’m torn on how I feel about the artwork. On the one hand, I love how bright the comic is, as it stands out from all the others I’ve been reading lately. But then again, perhaps there’s a reason more serious comics tend to avoid that color palette? I’m ok with the deviation from the norm I think, I’m just finding myself wishing I had like the series better on the whole. Despite all of this, I still really do have high hopes for Catalyst Prime, and will continue looking forward to what is coming out next. (hide spoiler)]
I received a copy of Faith and the Future Force from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Faith and the Future Force is 3 1/2 Kitties.
I received a copy of Faith and the Future Force from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Faith and the Future Force is a miniseries based in the same world that Valiant has already created, and it certainly came out swinging. Jody Houser (Mother Panic, Star Wars: Rogue One) is the writer, and she’s backed up by Stephen Segovia (Action Comics) and Barry Kitson (Fantastic Four). I’ll say this upfront; I’ve only read the first issue of Faith, but despite that I had no problem keeping up with what was going on (though I’m pretty sure I did get some spoilers for future volumes; no pun intended). So if you’ve been looking at this series and debating about trying it out, this may be a good way to get your toes wet (though I loved volume one, so I say just go back and read that one).
If you’ve ever wanted to see all of Vailiant’s superheroes in one place, then this is the volume for you. Faith teams up with a timewalker, and before you ask, yes Faith does in fact make some time to make plenty of Time Lord references while they’re trying to save the world. It’s wonderful and hilarious all in one. It’s a really fun series; and I’m surprised to hear myself saying that, considering how heavy it gets at times (though knowing about the time travel bit helps to immediately assure us that the events can be changed, and therefore there’s a bit of a lack of permanency to what happens). As I mentioned above, I’ve only read volume one for Faith, so I’m sure I’m missing tons of references and backstories for the other characters brought in. That being said, I really enjoyed it. It was fun trying to figure out who had what power just based off of how they looked and dressed. You don’t get that many opportunities to try and do something like that! Of course I actually enjoyed seeing them all try and work together as well. There are some very dramatic “the gangs all back together” scenes that were really interesting and well designed. I’m obviously a fan of Faith; she takes so many different comic tropes and flips them on their head. For that and the fact that she’s an unashamed nerd I will love her forever. What I was surprised by is how much character development they were able to throw in for Neela (the timewalker) despite the short amount of time they actually had. At her first appearance I was concerned that this would be another stereotypical time travel plot (albeit with some added Doctor Who jokes), but that was quickly proven to not be the case. Neela has been through a lot, though because of the way time traveling works for her, she doesn’t remember all that she’s been through, she can only surmise what has and hasn’t worked based off a few scant pieces of evidence. I don’t envy being put in the situation she’s in, frankly. She handles the whole thing well though, as do the supporting characters alongside her. I’ll admit I was pretty shocked by the ending, even though I shouldn’t have been. Faith has always been adamant about taking a comic trope and twisting it around to completely change it. The ending is no exception to that rule; they mashed the trope of the hero being well, the hero, and the villain’s tendency to monologue and made quite an interesting, and surprising, ending. I loved it. Reading Faith and the Future Force has once again inspired me to try and get caught up in my reading, so here’s hoping I can do that before the next volume comes out. I can’t wait to see what happens next! (hide spoiler)]
I received a copy of World Reader from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
World Reader is a new series from Aftershock Comics, and i I received a copy of World Reader from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
World Reader is a new series from Aftershock Comics, and is the brain child of Jeff Loveness (Groot, Nova, Jimmy Kimmel Show) and Juan Doe (Animosity: The Rise, Iron Man: Legacy). It is a wonderful blend of stunning artwork and a different sort of space exploration story than we’ve typically been told. I originally picked World Reader up because of the artwork on the cover; it immediately caught my eye and made me want to know more about what was going on inside.
If you’re anything like me, you love space exploration stories, but sometimes get tired of hearing the same old story again and again, with only slight variations thrown into the mix. That isn’t World Reader. It’s so different from everything else I’ve read. The main character, Sarah, isn’t a typical astronaut, in fact the only reason she got assigned to go on this mission in the first because is because she can talk to ghosts. Yes, you did in fact read that correctly. Sarah can read the memories of the ghosts around her, and somebody on the space program decided that made Sarah vital to the mission. As it turns out though, that higher up wasn’t far off. Every planet Sarah and her team have gone to has been dead. Or more accurately, the aliens on it are now dead. Sarah takes it upon herself to discover the cause, even when her team lead goes out of his way to try and stop her. The whole set up is vastly intriguing – how did Sarah get this ability set? Why are all the aliens dead? Is Earth next? Why is her commander trying to stop her? These are some of the questions circling in my head while reading (which I did in one sitting, it was so good). I won’t give away the ending, that’s for you to read, but I will say that I think the series was strongest during its buildup phase. I do think it got a little bit ahead of itself; I would have loved to have seen the first volume stretched out into two, maybe even three, full volumes instead of just the one (though I do hope they continue the series). The ending didn’t give me the same level of satisfaction that the mystery being unraveled did, though I liked that part enough where I’m actually okay with it, in an odd way. I seriously can’t get over how stunning the artwork in World Reader is. I’m just going to say it; Juan Doe is a genius, plain and simple. The artwork was just so evocative – you could see the ghosts hurting, and how Sarah’s emotions bled out onto her face will just gut you at times. The whole thing was wonderfully done, and supported the plot amazingly well (I honestly think I wouldn’t have liked the plot as much as I did had another artist been teamed with Loveness). I sincerely hope Loveness and Doe continue working on this project together, and if not I hope they start another one together. The work they put out as a team is outstanding, and it’d be a shame for them to waste that. I hope to see more from them in the future! (hide spoiler)]
From the minds of Kelly Thompson (Hawkeye, Jem and the Holograms, Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps) and Marco Checchetto (Avengers World, Punisher, From the minds of Kelly Thompson (Hawkeye, Jem and the Holograms, Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps) and Marco Checchetto (Avengers World, Punisher, Gamora) comes Captain Phasma. This volume tells us what happened to our shiny captain after she was shoved into the trash compactor during The Force Awakens (confession time: I totally thought they had actually crushed her in there, so happy she’s alive!).
Fans who have read the novel Phasma will appreciate the references dropped throughout this short series (though for the record you do not need to have read the book to understand what is occurring during this volume). It is only four issues long, so it is a very quick read. While I love Captain Phasma’s character, I’m not going to pretend I think she’s a good person either. This volume shows us Phasma planting the blame from the events in The Force Awakens (where Finn and team made her use her codes to shut down the shielding) on the only person that knew what she had done. Pretty brilliant actually, though very harsh; which is basically what I’ve come to expect from her. Those that have read Phasma (and if you haven’t, please do! It’s amazing) will understand just how ruthless Phasma can be when it comes to covering up her pasts, so one can only imagine what she would do to hide a mistake of hers. Despite this I was still a little surprised by the turn of events in this volume. For some reason I kept expecting somebody to step in and do something (well, somebody other than Phasma that is). So emotionally I was a bit torn up about that, though I still can’t deny that it was a good read, as I greatly enjoyed it and read it in one sitting. I honestly think my favorite part about this mini-series was the artwork. It’s absolutely stunning. Marco Checcetto uses these exquisite shades of blues and teals in his aquascapes, of which there’s no shortage of in this volume. The artwork, for lack of a better description is so rich in color and detail, it’s hard not to fall in love with it. In a way I’m almost sad that this was a mini-series, instead of the start of a more long term series focusing on Phasma. But I’ll take what I can get! I can’t wait to see the Last Jedi to see how this all fits together. (hide spoiler)]
I received a copy of Grimms Manga Tales from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Grimms Manga Tales is more or less, exactly what the I received a copy of Grimms Manga Tales from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Grimms Manga Tales is more or less, exactly what the title implies. It is a collection of Grimm fairy tales that have been converted in manga form, though there’s a decent amount of creative license being used throughout (the author made a point of making each story their own). The stories include: Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, the Two Brothers, the Twelve Hunters, Snow White, the Frog King, Puss in Boots, and the Singing, Springing Lark. I’ll admit I had some trouble getting into this novel. I don’t think it was the subject matter – I love Grimm’s stories, even when they’re retold by another author. Perhaps it was the specific changes being made that kept me from enjoying it as much as I would have liked (it did feel like many of the endings were significantly altered from their original ending, almost to the point that Disney has done). While I had been aware of the originals of most of these, there were a few I was not aware of (and I think I enjoyed them a bit more too, so maybe not knowing about them helped), I had never heard of the Two Brothers, Puss in Boots (unless you count the reference in Shrek, which I’m betting you don’t) and the Singing, Springing Lark (though I did love the name of that one right away). I think out of the ones I had been aware of previously, the first one, Little Red Riding Hood was probably my favorite. I think I would have liked it more had it been stretched out more; into a novella or novel instead of simply a short story. My saying that makes me realize I had felt all the stories were too rushed, even though I never felt that way during the originals. Perhaps this is due to the writing style or the medium? While I did enjoy some of the stories, on the whole I felt that these could have used some more work. I did greatly enjoy the artwork however, it’s beautifully rendered and perfectly reminiscent of the manga style, which is exactly what one would hope for.
I received a copy of Monet: Itinerant of Light from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Monet: Itinerant of Light is a graphic novel I received a copy of Monet: Itinerant of Light from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Monet: Itinerant of Light is a graphic novel telling us the life and story of one of my favorite artists, Claude Monet. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering about his life or at least wishing for more background for his painting history, then this is certainly a good start. Obviously by the very nature of it being a graphic novel, it can only go so deep as a biography as an artist. Even so, it does a wonderful job on the whole, with the writers and artists trying to help set the tone for how Monet was feeling during a specific time, based on the events occurring in his life. In this way they tied everything together, giving us one cohesive piece of work and (hopefully) understanding of the painter most of us have at least heard of. EFA did an absolutely stunning job imitating Monet’s works, something I’m having trouble getting over, and thus feel the need to mention. His use of illustrations (again, in Monet’s very own style) to tell us the struggles and stories of Monet…it’s simply breathtaking. I can’t say enough good things about this or even the slight artistic choices he made throughout. The author, Salva Rubio did a pretty decent job of presenting us the facts as unbiased as possible (which I know can be very difficult when writing a biography). While the way I’m describing it makes it sound dry, let me assure you that isn’t the case. Rubio simply isn’t passing judgment or praise on any of Monet’s actions, merely repeating what research has been turned up as facts (and doing so in a fairly concise manner). I hope Rubio and EFA team up to create biographies for other artists out there; I would absolutely love to see that. In the mean time I’ll have to settle for simply being happy that this one exists.
Stargate Atlantis Volume One starts off right where the TV series ends off; with Atlantis back on Earth (and having Earth deal with som3 1/2 Kitties.
Stargate Atlantis Volume One starts off right where the TV series ends off; with Atlantis back on Earth (and having Earth deal with some of the repercussions of that). Greg LaRocque (Flash: the Return of Barry Allen), Scottie Watson (new to the field), Mark L. Haynes (24, the graphic novels) and J.C. Vaughn (Stepping Through the Stargate: Science, Archaeology and the Military in Stargate SG-1) team up to bring us back the series so many have known and loved (and anxiously awaited the return of).
I’ll confess I had a bit of trouble getting into this. I’m not sure if it was the switch of mediums here, or something else, but the first issue or so just felt…off. The characters seemed flat, the artwork slightly odd, pretty much everything. I almost decided to stop reading it at that point, but decided to power through it, and I have to say I’m really glad I did. Volume one brings us back all of our Stargate Atlantis cast (minus those that didn’t make it to the finale, of course), John Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, Rodney McKay and more. Additionally (and I think this might be what threw me off) some of the characters from SG-1 make appearances. Which makes sense, considering they’re all currently stationed on Earth. But still, it was a bit odd for me, and I was happy to see the groups get split up again (and yes, I know McKay was originally in SG-1, but you’ve got to admit his character grew a heck of a lot during his time on Atlantis). I’ll admit ever since the ending of the TV series I’ve been curious about what would happen next for Atlantis. Would it permanently be stationed on Earth? Or would they gather a ZPM to get it off planet again? If it remained on Earth, would they spend the required resources to keep it shielded (and therefore invisible) or would they be willing to out themselves (and thus finally allow McKay and Zalenka to possibly start publishing papers?). These are just a few of the questions I’m been mulling over, and while they’re not all answered directly, the ones that are make the rest easy to guess. So I’m really very happy to have those answers finally, if nothing else. On the whole this plot wasn’t bad, it wasn’t their strongest either, but it was decent. If I had to rate it I’d probably say it was somewhere around early season five level, where it felt like they were occasionally reaching for ideas (and most of those ideas ended up being tolerable, if nothing else). I am happy to have the series back though, so I’ll take acceptable writing. Hopefully once they’re back on their feet things will start improving dramatically. One can hope! (hide spoiler)]
I received a copy of Superman Vol. 4: Black Down from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Written by Peter Tomasi (known 3 1/2 stars.
I received a copy of Superman Vol. 4: Black Down from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Written by Peter Tomasi (known for Batman and Robin, The Outsiders, Green Lantern’s Blackest Night and Brightest Day) Superman volume four, Black Dawn has Superman back, along with his family, Lois and Jon. Tomasi’s writing is supported wonderfully by Patrick Gleason’s (Green Lantern Corps: Rechareg, Aquaman, Batman and Robin, Brightest Day) artwork, which is bright and flashy and pretty much exactly what I would hope for from a Superman comic.
In Black Dawn, Superman and son are joined by DC’s other famous father and son team; Batman and Robin (Damian Wayne). This was a refreshing surprise for me, especially because I’m a huge fan of watching characters cross-over and interact with each other. That being said, I know some fans don’t like this as much as I do, so they may not enjoy this volume as much because of that. For those of you that are behind in what’s going on in Superman’s life, he, Lois, and Jon have settled in a lovely little town (can you even call it that?) called Hamilton. Fans of Hamilton and its townspeople (like Kathy and Farmer Cobb) probably won’t love what happens next with them – I know I didn’t. Though I did appreciate the risk they took, so that’s something. So what exactly happens to sleepy little Hamilton? Well, it turns out there’s more than meets the eye with this town (and yes, I’m including Superman’s vision in that statement). The townspeople (many of whom aren’t actually…people) are being influenced by Black, who’s got them all thinking he’s trying to help Superman and Superboy and generally improve their way of life. It’s hard to say whether any of this would have been revealed (in a timely fashion that is) had Batman not done what he does best; stuck his nose where it doesn’t belong (Jon’s powers) and followed the trail. I’ll admit I really didn’t like what was done with Kathy and Farmer Cobb – sure the little hints in the beginning of the volume were interesting (I liked the idea of them spying on the Kent’s for their own safety), but it got out of hand really fast. They tried to “reset” Kathy and Jon’s relationship back to normal in the end, but I don’t think I’ll ever see it the same way again. On the bright side, everything that was done was done to further Superboy’s abilities, which is actually pretty awesome. If Batman is correct about Jon and how he’ll be stronger than his father, he has a right to be concerned (though I think he’s going about it in the wrong way – you treat people like villains and eventually they’ll become one). Oh! One other shining moment for me came from Lois Lane herself. Seeing her wield a flaming Gauntlet was fantastic and somewhat unexpected. Seeing the surprise on the townspeople’s faces? Absolutely priceless. I can’t wait to see what happens next in volume five. I’m curious to see how far they’ll go in getting the town back to “normal” or if they’ll let the secret just stay out in the open. I think the former will happen, but I could be wrong (though I think Kathy will continue with the plot they’ve started for her). (hide spoiler)]
Liz (Quirky Cat)
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2017-graphic-novels
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