Graphic Novels Challenge

February Reads

2012-02-01T00:01:00.004-05:00

What books did you read in February?

Current Stats as of end of Jan. & Organized List of Reviews

2012-01-31T22:15:00.004-05:00

Well our first month in has been a grand success! Out of our 42 participants 14 have started the challenge posting 54 reviews between them and 2 have even finished the official number of 12 books. Plus we have participants reading books in the original Japanese and French! At this point we don't have a popular book yet. Everybody is pretty much making individual choices, there are only a couple of books that more than one person has read, but no more that two people. Someone has gone full steam ahead on the Tin Tin series and has published in depth reviews. We've got a mix of fiction, non-fiction, superheroes, kiddie comics, graphics and manga. Good showing for the first month! Don't forget to visit each other's reviews and drop a brief comment.

For those who have finished please continue to add your books each month as it will help others find great new titles to read, send more traffic your way and enter you for any contest(s) I manage to get together.

At the end of the stats is a list of all the books and links to reviews so far.

Here's who has started the challenge and how far along they are but first the speedy readers who have read all 12. Maybe we should make those overachievers read 12 *every* month {just kidding}!

Twelve and Over:
Nicola: 12
Aaron: 12

Rankings:
Karissa's Reading Review: 7
Jim Black: 4
TFrances: 4
Larissa: 4
Chris@ Nerf Reader: 3
Mervi: 2
John: 1
GuadiRC: 1
Bex: 1
Kat: 1
Healiel: 1
Reading Challenged: 1
28 participants: 0

Individual Books Read So Far:

Hiroyuki Asada: Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 1 (Larissa); Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 7 (Nicola)

Atsuko Asano: NO.6, Vol. 1 (Healiel)

Penelope Bagieu:
Cadavre Exquis (Larissa); La Page Blanche (Larissa)

Frank Beddor:
Hatter M, Vol. 1 (Karissa); (TFrances); Hatter M, Vol. 2 (TFrances); Hatter M, Vol. 3 (TFrances)

Alison Bechdel: Fun Home (Bex)

Hannah Berry: Britten and Brulightly (Chris@Nerfreader)

Joe Brusha: Neverland (Karissa)

Kurt Busiek: Superstar: As Seen On TV (Jim Black)

Scott Chantler: Two Generals (John)

Scott Ciencin: Power at the Plate (Nicola)

Keith R.A. DeCandido: Star Trek :TNG: Perchance to Dream (Mervi)

Garth Ennis: The Boys, Vol. 9 (TFrances)

Graphic Classics: Vol. 22, African-American Classics (Nicola)

Justin Gray: Trailblazer (Jim Black)

Herge:
Cigars of the Pharoah (Aaron); The Blue Lotus (Aaron); The Broken Ear (Aaron); The Black Island (Aaron); King Ottokar's Sceptre (Aaron); The Crab with the Golden Claws (Aaron); The Shooting Star (Aaron); The Secret of the Unicorn (Aaron); Red Rackham's Treasure (Aaron); The Seven Crystal Balls (Aaron); Prisoners of the Sun (Aaron); Land of Black Gold (Aaron)

Jeff Jensen: Green River Killer: A True Detective Story (Nicola)

Chigusa Kawai: Alice the 101st, Vol. 2 (Reading Challenged)

Robert Kirkman:
Super Dinosaur, Vol. 1 (Nicola); The Walking Dead, Vol. 1 (GuadiRC)

Alan Moore: Tom Strong, Book 3 (Mervi)

Ted Naifeh:
Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom (Karissa); Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Karissa)

Megumi Osuga:
MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 7 (Nicola); MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 8 (Nicola)

Greg Pak: Alpha Flight, Vol. 1 (Jim Black)

David Peterson: Mouse Guard: Fall of 1152 (Karissa)

Mike Raicht: The Jungle (Karissa)

Marjanne Satrapi: Chicken with Plums (Larissa)

Hiroshi Shiibashi:
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 5 (Nicola); Nura:Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 6 (Nicola)

Kean Soo: Jellaby (Nicola); (Chris@Nerfreader)

Brandon Terrell: Riptide Pride (Nicola)

Sara Varon: Bake Sale (Karissa)

Marv Wolfman: Teen Titans: Games (Jim Black)

Craig Yoe: Bob Powell's Terror, Vol. 2 (Kat)

Jane Yolen: The Last Dragon (Nicola); (Chris@Nerfreader)

January Reads

2012-01-01T00:01:00.004-05:00

What books did you read in January?

2012 Challenge Button

2011-12-19T23:55:00.000-05:00

Sandy has made us a gorgeous button to use for the challenge so feel free to upload it to your blog to help promote the challenge either in your posts or in the side bar. Isn't it gorgeous?

made by Sandy at Scribing Shadows.

2012 Sign Ups

2011-12-03T10:21:00.005-05:00

Hello Folks! This is Nicola @ Back to Books here. I will be your new host for the Graphic Novels Challenge. I've been a member of this challenge since the beginning when Dewey started it. I read a huge amount of graphic novels & manga each year and was a Panelist for the Cybil Award Graphic Novels Category for two years, 2009/10. I love it when new people discover that GNs are not just for kids and are not just collections of comic books. Of course, some of them are those things, not that there's anything wrong with that!, but there is a world of viable literature that can be found in the graphic form also.

Whatever kind you like to read, as long as it has a comic balloon or two we'll classify it as a Graphic Novel, even if it's non-fiction!

One change I'm making this year is simplifying the goal. This year we will make the target to read 12 books between Jan.1 and Dec. 31, 2012. This will give us a goal to reach.

Of course, if you reach 12 books feel free to continue posting links to your reviews throughout the year for others to discover new titles.

Everything else will stay the same. I'll be updating the side bars and adding your names to the participants list as you join.

Sign-Up for the new year!

June-July Reviews

2011-07-02T11:51:00.002-04:00

Hey guys! I was just sitting here hanging out when I realized that it's July! It's time for a new Inlinkz to go up! After you link your reviews for June and July, let me know how your graphic novel reading is going so far this year in the comments. Are you getting a lot of graphic novels read? Haven't found any that you really loved or maybe you found one that you would recommend to every comics lover?

Giveaway Winners!!!

2011-06-01T20:27:00.002-04:00

The winner of the first package from our May giveaway is:

John Mutford from The Book Mine Set!!!!

The winner of our second package from our May giveaway is:

The Englishist!!!

Congratulations!! Email me your mailing address at 1330v blog AT gmail.

Don't worry guys! There's more giveaways coming up!

A Quick Reminder: Free Comic Book Day

2011-05-06T15:34:00.003-04:00

This is just a reminder for participants living in North America that tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day! For more information, go here.

May Giveaway

2011-05-01T14:31:00.007-04:00

We're five months into the challenge and I thought now is the perfect time to host a giveaway. I'm giving away two very different packages.

In package one is Empire State: A Love Story (Or Not) by Jason Shiga and The Lagoon by Lilli Carre. If you have a taste for eclectic stories, this is the package for you. Empire State is an ARC since today is its publication date.

Package two features Lucy Knisey's French Milk - the non-fiction account of the month she spent in Paris with her mom; Astronaut Academy by Dave Roman (pub date June); and Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge (pub date today!). Both Page by Paige and Astronaut Academy are ARCs.

All you have to do is leave a comment letting me know which package you want to win. If you don't have a blog, leave your email address too so I can contact you if you win. This is an international contest. I'll pick a winner at the end of the month. Good luck!

May reviews link-up!

2011-05-01T14:10:00.003-04:00

It amazes me how fast this year is going! Leave your link of any reviews of graphic novels that you write this month!

Read-a-thon is Here!

2011-04-02T21:15:00.004-04:00

Just in case you guys don't know, Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-thon is coming up! The event is hosted every April and October as a way for bloggers to celebrate their love of reading. If you haven't found a chance to read any graphic novels yet, the read-a-thon is a great excuse to participate. You don't have to read the whole 24-hours. The event isn't a contest just a way to enjoy ourselves and have fun. There's also mini-challenges (games) and plenty of prizes. I hope you can join us!

March and April reviews

2011-04-02T21:12:00.002-04:00

Sorry about being so late guys. If you reviewed a graphic novel in March and would like to link it, please do. Link your April reviews too!

February Reviews Link-up

2011-02-06T20:11:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it? It's already February! Time is going by so fast. Last month we had 59 different review links. Challenge participants reviewed books like the popular Bone series by Jeff Smith to graphic novel adaptations like Neil Gaiman's Coraline. Keep those reviews coming!

January Reviews Link-up

2011-01-01T17:48:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the 2011 edition of the Graphic Novels Challenge! In a few days I plan on spotlighting a graphic novel that I highly recommend along with a giveaway for that same book. So stay on the look out for that upcoming post. If you read and review any graphic novels this month, please add a link to it so that everyone else can go and comment on your post. Happy New Year!

2011 Graphic Novels Challenge

2010-12-05T10:27:00.008-05:00

Creative Commons

Hey guys! It's Vasilly and I'm the newest host for the the Graphic Novels Challenge. I want to thank Nymeth and Chris for keeping this challenge going strong for the rest of us in 2010. This was one of the challenges that Dewey started and I'm happy to see that it's still going on years later.

So the rules are basically still the same:

The challenge starts January 1, 2011 and ends December 31, 2011. You can start anytime you want to especially if you want to start early.
The level of participation: Beginner (3 comics or graphic novels), Intermediate (3-10 books), or Expert (10+)
Overlaps with other challenges is definitely okay
Re-reads count
Feel free to post your list at any time

One of the things that will change is mini-challenges. I don't think I'm going to have them this year but I will host a monthly spotlight on one book or author every month. I'm also hoping to feature a guest post every month along with monthly prizes. So sign up!

Surely it's not the 10th of June?!

2010-06-10T13:15:00.004-04:00

In other news, I am a horrible challenge host. Here's a new Mr Linky for your reviews.

I also wanted to point you towards In Spring it is the Dawn's June Hello Japan! mini-challenge, as it's devoted to manga and therefore might interest some graphic novels challenge participants. We might also have a cross-over with the manga challenge later this year, but you can't have too much of a good thing, right?

April Mini-Challenge

2010-03-28T13:59:00.004-04:00

The next graphic novels mini-challenge is hosted by the wonderful Heather at Tales of a Capricious Reader, and the theme is non-fiction. Make sure you drop by Heather's blogger for the details, and also for information about the great prizes she'd giving away. And look - isn't the button gorgeous?

March (ETA: and April) Mr Linky

2010-03-07T13:49:00.004-05:00

First of all, apologies for the fact that this is one week late. And also for the fact that I'm unsurprisingly behind on updating the review index. For now I'll leave the February Mr Linky up, and I'll add those reviews as time allows. Meanwhile, here's a place for your new reviews. I hope everyone's been enjoying their reads.

February Mr Linky, Mini-Challenge and Review Index

2010-02-28T15:16:00.001-05:00

At the bottom of this post, you'll find the Mr Linky for your February graphic novels reviews. Because we're using the free version of Mr Linky, this means that the one for January will disappear. We considered upgrading to a paid account, but Mr Linky is a service we've had enough problems with in the past that we'd rather wait for something better to come along.

Anyway - the solution we came up with was to edit the Mr Linky post at the end of the month and add permanent links to everyone's reviews. But then, inspired by Teresa's Diversify Your Reading project, we had a more ambitious idea. Why not create a permanent alphabetic index of graphic novels reviews, one that anyone, challenge participant or not, could contribute to? We thought this could be a useful resource to anyone considering giving the medium a try but not knowing where to turn. Sadly our previous idea of coming up with a list of recommendations for newcomers wasn't as well-received as we hoped, but we have confidence that this one will be.

If you click here, you'll see that the January Mr Linky was edited into a review index. If you have any reviews to add to the index, no matter how old, just leave us a comment and we'll happily add your links. We would very much appreciate your contribution, so feel free to leave as many links as you want, and also to spread the word.

Last but not least, I wanted to announce the February Mini-Challenge, which is being hosted by my co-host Chris. The goal is to read graphic novels about or featuring animals - please visit Chris' blog for all the details!

Happy graphic novel reading in February!

Graphic Novels Review Index

2010-01-31T03:10:00.002-05:00

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A Family Secret by Eric Heuvel - Reviewed at Helen's Book Blog

Adventures in Burrwood Forest by John Lechner - Reviewed at The Purple Crayon

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - a graphic adaptation - Reviewed at Tales of a Capricious Reader

Akira Vol 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo - Reviewed at The Book Mine Set

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang - Reviewed at Helen's Book Blog, Good Books & Good Wine, Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic, Melody's Reading Corner

Aya by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie - Reviewed at Helen's Book Blog

The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier - Reviewed at Outside of a Dog

Benny and Penny in The Big No-No by Geoffrey Hayes - Reviewed at Books & Other Thoughts

Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires - Reviewed at Maw Books

Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry - Reviewed at Eclectic/Eccentric

Blankets by Craig Thompson - Reviewed at Stuff as Dreams Are Made On, things mean a lot, Booklust

Bone by Jeff Smith - Reviewed at The Book Mine Set (Vols. 2 and 3)

Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale and Nathan Hale - Reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews, Maw Books

Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation by Michael Keller and Nicolle Rager Fuller - Reviewed at My life plain and simple, Dick-o's Deep Thoughts, things mean a lot

Crime & Punishment: a graphic adaptation - Reviewed at The Zen Leaf

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie - A Graphic Adaptation by Francois Riviere and Solidor - Reviewed at Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic

De avonden by Dick Matena - Reviewed at Graasland

Dracula: A graphic adaptation - Reviewed at Tipping Towards Lucidity

Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamako - Reviewed at A Striped Armchair

Essential X-Men Volume 7 by Chris Claremont - Reviewed at Reading in Bed

Essex Country Vol 2 Ghost Stories by Jeff Lemire - Reviewed at A Season to Read

The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim - Reviewed at
Gig Harbor High School Library Blog, things mean a lot

Excalibur Classic 1: The Sword is Drawn by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis - Reviewed at Reading in Bed

Fables: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham - Reviewed at Beth Fish Reads

Fables: Sons of Empire by Bill Willingham - Reviewed at Back to Books

Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, The by Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli - Reviewed at Jenny's Books

The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde and P. Craig Russell - Reviewed at Jenny's Books

Four Letter Worlds edited by Eric Stephenson - Reviewed at My life, plain and simple

First Escape by G.P. Taylor - Reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

French Milk by Lucy Knisley - Reviewed at Tripping Towards Lucidity

Graphic Classics: Louisa May Alcott edited by Tom Pomplun - Reviewed at Back to Books

Graphic Classics: Special Edition edited by Tom Pomplun - Reviewed at Back to Books

Heaven’s Ladder by Waid, Hitch and Neary - Reviewed at Mervi's Book Reviews

I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura - Reviewed at things mean a lot

Irredeemable by Mark Waid - Reviewed at Back to Books

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: a Graphic Adaptation - Reviewed at Book-a-rama

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevension: A Graphic adaptation - Reviewed at The Book Mine Set

Laika by Nick Abdazis - Reviewed at Helen's Book Blog, things mean a lot

Manga Shakespeare: As You Like It - Reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

Manga Shakespeare: Julius Caeser - Reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

Manga Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing - Reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

Maus by Art Spiegelman - Reviewed at Eclectic/Eccentric, The Zen Leaf, things mean a lot

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - a graphic adaptation - Reviewed at Helen's Book Blog

Murder Mysteries by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell - Reviewed at The Bookling

Nevermore: A Graphic Adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories - Reviewed at things mean a lot

Oishinbo: Ramen & Gyōza by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki - Reviewed at Bookie Mee

Ordinary Victories II by Manu Larcenet - Reviewed at Jenny's Books

Pedro and Me by Judd Winick - Reviewed at Helen's Book Blog

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - Reviewed at Serendipity, Helen's Book Blog

Pictures that Tick by Dave McKean - Reviewed at Stuff as Dreams are Made On

Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan and by Niko Henrichon - Reviewed at Helen's Book Blog

Prince of Persia: The Graphic Novel by Jordan Mechner and A.B. Sina - Reviewed at Red House Books

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Tim Hamilton - Reviewed at This Purple Crayon

The Sandman: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman et al - Reviewed at Books & Other Thoughts

Science Fiction Classics edited by Tom Pomplun - Reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

The Ultimates by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch - Reviewed at Susan Hated Literature

V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd - Reviewed at Reading in Bed

The Vietnam War: A Graphic History by Dwight Jon Zimmerman and Wayne Vansant - Reviewed at Dick-o's Deep Thoughts

Vögelein: Clockwork Faerie by Jane Irwin and Jeff Bernd - Reviewed at Books & Other Thoughts

The Wall by Peter Sís - Reviewed at Helen's Book Blog

Wonderland by Tommy Kovac and illustrated by Sonny Liew - Reviewed at The Purple Crayon, things mean a lot

Welcome To Graphic Novels Challenge 2010!!!

2010-01-03T20:55:00.003-05:00

Hello again Fanboys and Fangirls!! The Graphic Novels Challenge, the 2010 edition has officially started!! As promised, we have lots of fun things lined up for this year, and the first thing is a mini challenge hosted by the oh so sweet Teresa at Read All Over Reviews!! It's all about reading the classics reinterpreted by the Graphic Novel medium. Head on over to this post to learn more about how to sign up. She also has a super awesome button for the mini-challenge!

Work behind the scenes is still going on and we're at work still compiling a list of recommended Graphic Novels for the newbie to the medium! So you can expect that still, we're just a little behind schedule with the holidays :/ And you should see a Mr. Linky appear in the next day or so that will allow you to link up all of your reviews for the month of January so that we'll have a central place to collect some awesome reviews.

As always, if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact us at the challenge email address: graphicnovelschallenge(at)gmail(dot)com or just leave a comment in the comments section!! Above all, have fun!! And if you haven't signed up for the challenge yet, please do!! Sign-ups are open all throughout the year, so hop on in whenever you feel like it! The Mr. Linky is found just a post or two down to sign up :) There are still spots open if you're interested in hosting a mini-challenge, by the way. Just let us know at the above email address. I'm off to bury myself in a book now!

Mini Challenges & Book Suggestions - A Call for HELP!

2009-12-18T00:16:00.003-05:00

Dear Fanboys, Fangirls, and Fanpersons,

Are you all freaking THRILLED about kicking off the Graphic Novels Challenge 2010? I know I am! Nymeth and I (Chris) have lots of fun stuff planned for you this year with the challenge, and one of those things is monthly mini-challenges! We already have a few people who have signed up to host mini-challenges, but there are still plenty of spots available for others to host. So what is a mini-challenge, you ask. Well...it can be anything really. It's basically a short, quick, easy to do challenge within the larger challenge. It can center around a specific theme, it can require a certain action, you can basically do whatever you want as long as it centers around graphic novels. We just ask that it doesn't last any longer than one month. You may want to ask people to do a group read of a certain graphic novel, or pair up with a partner and read a graphic novel, stand on their head and read a graphic novel. Anything! Be creative. If you want to offer a prize, you're more than welcome to. If you don't, that's fine too! This is all just about having fun.

So, does this sound like something you're interested in? If so, please send us an email at the dedicated challenge email address: graphicnovelschallenge (at) googlemail (dot) com. Please notice that it's NOT GMAIL, it's GOOGLEMAIL. (edit: we've discovered it's fine if you use the gmail extension!) What we would need to know is your name of course and blog address, which month you'd be interested in hosting your mini-challenge in, and just a brief, general idea of what your mini challenge will be about. We don't need specifics yet, so no need to fret about that! And of course, if more than 12 people volunteer, we'll just have more than one mini-challenge per month which will mean more fun :)

The second thing that we thought would be fun was to put together a recommended reading list! This will be especially good for people who are new to the graphic novel medium! What we're looking for here is an "if you like this....then you'll love this" type of list. So an example would be:

If you like John Green novels, you'll love the Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O'Malley
or more specific:
If you like Watership Down by Richard Adams you'll love Mouseguard by David Petersen.

That way, people who know which novels they love will have an idea of what kind of Graphic Novels to try out. We'd appreciate any suggestions you could send us!!! Please don't leave your suggestions in the comment, email them to us pretty please!! Once again, you can email them to: graphicnovelschallenge (at) googlemail (dot) com. That way when the list goes up, it's a surprise :) We'll try to have it up by the start of the challenge! The more suggestions the better, so send us a list!!

One last thing, if you're looking for a fantastic list of Graphic Novels to get you started, check out Flashlight Worthy Books list of the Best Graphic Novels of 2009! And I swear I'm not just pointing you over there because Nymeth and I are contributors >> Though it is awesome to be in such great company! It really is a fantastic list and I know I'll be reading some of those myself!

And once again, if you have any questions at all, feel free to contact us!! And happy reading!! And if you haven't signed up yet, don't wait! Sign up today.....at the post below this one ;)

Graphic Novels Challenge 2010

2009-12-13T15:41:00.008-05:00

Hello everyone - Nymeth from things mean a lot here. Chris at Stuff as Dreams are Made On and I spoke to Laza recently - she did an excellent job with the challenge as you all know, but she's been busy and hasn't been able to blog much lately, so Chris and I will be hosting the challenge in 2010. This means a lot to the both of us - not only because we love Graphic Novels, but also because the challenge was started by a friend we dearly miss, Dewey.

So - rules and guidelines:

The challenge starts on January 1st 2010 and ends on December 31st (but we don't mind you starting early.)
You don't have to make a list beforehand (but you can, of course! Lists are great because they give ideas to people who aren't sure what to read. And if you do make one, don't feel forced to stick to it!)
We simplified the levels of participation: you can be a Beginner (3 Comics or Graphic Novels), Intermediate (3-10) or an Expert (10+). You're more than free to adjust your level of participation after the challenge has begun.
There will be mini-challenges! Look for a post with more info on that soon.
Overlaps with other challenges are totally fine.

We also wanted to ask participants whether they'd rather post their reviews to the blog like we did for the past two years, or if we should post a monthly/bi-monthly Mr Linky where you'd enter your reviews like some other challenges do. We'd be fine with either option - just let us know in the comments which one you'd find more convenient, and we'll let the majority decide.

If you have any further questions or suggestions, please feel free to e-mails us at untuneric (Ana) or Chrisa511 (Chris) at gmail. And to sign up, just enter your name in the Mr Linky below - you can link to your sign-up posts should you chose to write one, or just to your blog's main page if you don't. Happy reading!

Captain Britain Omnibus

2009-12-12T16:21:00.001-05:00

by Alan Moore & Alan Davis

This is my 24th review! Virtual champaign all around!

This is again the Finnish edition. The US edition has Marvel Super-Heroes (UK) #377-388, The Daredevils (UK) #1-11, Captain America #305-306, Mighty World of Marvel (UK) #7-16, Captain Britain (UK) #1-14, New Mutants Annual #2, and Uncanny X-Men Annual #11.
The Finnish one has Marvel Super-Heroes (UK) #387-388, The Daredevils (UK) #1-11, Mighty World of Marvel (UK) #7-13. However, the New Mutants and the X-Men Annual have been published here years ago in the X-Men comic.

I’ve been a fan of Alan Davis for longer than I care to remember. Here, his style is yet a bit less streamlined than in say, the Authority or the Fantastic Four, but it’s definitely recognizable and enjoyable.

I like most of what I’ve read from Moore. For example V for Vendetta and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen which are all excellent.

Captain Britain, Brian Braddock, is a man of science who, nevertheless, accepts magical powers from a man he believes to be Merlin from the Arthurian tales. He’s loyal and brave but not to foolishness. Here he finds himself in alternate realities, seeing other versions of himself (some of them female), and trying to stay sane. He doesn’t quite succeed. In another reality, he has to fight a mutant who can alter reality with his mind and the superhero killing machine that the mutant has created. The machine kills Brian.

Merlyn and his daughter Roma are playing a deadly game, and their playing field is the whole of omniverse. Merlyn needs a champion and when Brian dies, Merlyn builds him up again and places him back to his own reality.

There Brian has to face the chance that what happened in that alternate reality might happen in his home as well: one well-placed and selfish mutant might manage to rally the whole Britain against super beings and put them into concentration camps.

This story has many classic cosmic superhero elements: alternate universes and histories, and nearly invincible villains. The stories are quite cosmic although there is time for a one more mundane villain beating.

Some of the classic Captain Britain and X-men characters are met for the first time: Betsy Braddock who later becomes Psylocke, Opal Luna Saturnyne and her Avant Guard, and of course Merlyn and Roma the Omniversal Majestrix.

I like the first run of Excalibur where Brian was a member along with Meggan, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler and Phoenix, and which featured almost as much dimension-hopping as this one. Even though the stories are quite old (the first one came out in 1982), they hold up admirably and are quite enjoyable.

My blog: http://mervih.wordpress.com/

Hellboy: Wake the Devil

2009-12-10T13:49:00.000-05:00

By Michael Mignola

I've only got one more review to go before the doctorate!

The second Hellboy trade is dedicated to Dracula which is appropriate considering that one of the main baddies in this trade is a vampire. Here Mignola continues his mythic tale of Hellboy and adds Norse and Russian myths to the mix. Most of the story is set in Romania in a quite Draculan setting.

Roderico Zinco, a very rich entrepreneur, offers sanctuary to the three Nazis whom we saw emerging from their life preservation bods at the end of the previous story. Their mysterious master had appeared to Zinco and recruited him.

One year later, the trio is in New York and Ilsa kills the curator of a wax museum. Later, the BPRD investigates and finds out that the seemingly simple murder gives a clue to a far larger conspiracy; the owner used to hold the body of Vladimir Giurescu. According to the Romanian folk tales, Giurescu could never die; that the moonlight would revive him when he was in a specific room in his castle. The Nazis made an effort to recruit him but after meeting Giurescu, Hilter ordered him and his family (six women) to be killed and burned. However, it’s possible that one of the Nazis preserved Giurescu’s body and brought it to the US. In fact, the murdered curator turns out to be German.

The BPRD sends three teams to Romania to investigate. Hellboy has the honor to check out Giurescu’s castle all by himself. Meanwhile, Ilsa has brought the crate where Giurescu’s corpse is supposed to be, back to the castle. When Hellboy shows up she makes a cyborg Nazi fight him.

Later, the Nazi trio’s Master from the previous trade appears as a ghost-like being and Ilsa follows him without question. The Master (I’m trying very hard not to spoiler here) is again the main villain of the story. We learn his history and connections to a famous Russian fairy tale character. Also, Hellboy finds out why he’s on Earth and to fight against his inner demonic being.

The art is again very distinctive. It borrows from the ancient mythologies and the more modern vampire mythology. I also liked the close-ups where we could see just how many of the equipment that the BPRD uses are made by the Zinco Corporation. The enemy was nearer than the BPRD agents ever knew.

The story continues from Seed of Destruction and I recommend starting with that trade. The main villain is the same and story of Hellboy’s origin continues here.

Some of the characters get more flesh in their bones. Ironically, they are mostly the villains, the Master and Ilsa, whom we’ll hopefully see in the future. I also enjoyed the return of the old Greek goddess and the way that the people in the village near Giurescu’s castle reacted to his return. Dracula came strongly to mind with the latter.

I found it quite remarkable how well Mignola was able to mix the different myths. Hecate, Baba Yaga, Lovecraftian monsters, the seven-in-one, and vampires can co-exist in the same world without it feeling forced. Not to mention all of the other characters from their respective myths. Impressive.

However, the ending was somewhat disappointing especially if the three people stay dead. Giurescu didn’t really get a chance to do anything; the Master and the Nazis got to do pretty much everything.

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall

2009-12-10T05:16:00.002-05:00

1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham
Prequel of sorts to the Fables series

Pages: 140 pgs.
First Published: 2006
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Once upon a time, as all stories of this type must begin, a lovely woman traveled to a far-off demon-haunted land of magnificent jeweled cities, cast adrift in a sea of wind-tossed desert.

Reason for Reading: next published book in the Fables series.

Summary: Snow White is sent to the land of the Arabian fables to ask for their help in fighting the Adversary. The time period is shortly after the fables have settled in our world and from information gathered in this book that is probably somewhere in the 1600s. When she arrives the court of the Sultan does not know what to do with such an insult, a woman emissary! They lock her in her rooms for quite some time but after she becomes troublesome they decide to send her to the Sultan as his nightly bride who will be killed the following morning but Snow White decides to tell him a story and so she continues on for 1001 nights. This book contains only a select few of those tales.

Comments: This book is not a part of the Fables series proper. It was not published in comic book format but is an original graphic novel. The book is still written by Bill Willingham but each story has been illustrated by various different artists, creating a visually pleasing book. The book is often listed as a prequel to the series since the events take place some hundreds of years prior to the Fables series, yet it can be read at any time. I chose to read it now, after book 7, because this is when it was chronologically published. In book 7, Arabian Nights (and Days), there is a brief scene where someone asks Snow White hadn't she been to the Arabian fables world before and she replies shortly with oh that was a long time ago, I'm paraphrasing here. Thus Willingham has set up the scene for introducing this book at this time.

A great book! Beautiful art work. It was really enjoyable to see the Fables world come alive through different artists' perspectives, some of the art is especially fantastic. The stories are all great fun. Some short, some long. We meet many familiar faces from the Fables world and learn their past stories. Such as how King Cole came to Fabletown and why he was elected mayor. How many of the animal fables made it to Fabletown. The sad story behind Ambrose, the prince who was turned into a frog and the story of Bigby's birth, along with others. It's a lot of fun getting to know some background on favourite characters.

Personally, I don't think this book should be read as a prequel as you will know information which is supposed to be a secret until it is revealed in the series itself. You can't go wrong if you read it when it was published, after book 7; then you'll know just as much as the author knew. Great book and certainly don't skip it as it's a worthy addition to the Fables series.

Nicola

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom

2009-12-05T05:12:00.002-05:00

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
First in the Frankie Pickle series

Pages: 85 pgs.
Ages: 7+
First Published: 2009
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentences:

"I've been called a lot of names: treasure seeker, relic hunter, grave robber. I prefer the one my mom gave me: FRANKIE PICKLE!"

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.

Comments: Frankie has a vivid imagination and he spends a great deal of his time play-acting that he is a treasure seeker, super hero, prisoner, surgeon, etc. His escapades turn his room into a gigantic mess and when his mother tells him to clean it, he questions the need since it will just get messy again, and mum agrees he doesn't ever have to clean his room again but he must deal with any consequences. A really fun story that the 7 to 10 crowd are going to love! Frankie is a fun-loving, intelligent character who never lets anything get him down. His imagination is enormous and truly splendid. I loved the part when his room had become so messy he accidentally stepped on his favourite action figure breaking his special karate chop leg, and since he had to deal with all consequences himself his dad couldn't fix it as would be the norm. So Frankie grabs the epoxy glue and fades into the role of a surgeon as he performs surgery on the wounded superhero. Another thing I'm impressed with is that Frankie is fully respectful towards his parents, no backtalk or whining.

This book is what is called a hybrid, meaning that it is a mixture of both graphic novel format and a regular textual chapter book. There are entire chapters of print, entire chapters in graphic format and chapters that are a mix of both. The graphic content is quite high, though I don't think I'd say 50%, more like 60/40. The author has also done the artwork and it is a fun, cartoon-style illustration. I think this is a series that will prove popular with the kids. Parents will also like it as Frankie is a good role model showing kids they can have a ton of fun with just their imagination (no remotes, re-charging or wifi required).

Nicola

Crogan's Vengeance

2009-12-03T05:48:00.002-05:00

Crogan's Vengeance by Chris Schweizer

Pages: 185 pgs.
Ages: 13+
First Published: Oct. 2008
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

...and he'll be over every week until school starts to mow your lawn.

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.

Summary: The first in a proposed series to chronicle the adventures of the fathers and sons of a family throughout history. This book tells the story of how "Catfoot" Crogan became a pirate, starting off as an honest sailor.

Comments: This is a book for boys; there is not a single female character in sight and that's all right because the world aboard a 1701 English sailing ship is no place a woman would be found. All the horrible aspects of sailing life are experienced as the ship is captained by a madman reverend who will punish, whip or shoot anyone who he even thinks has been insubordinate to him. Then the swashbuckling action starts as they are met and boarded by pirates, from this point on the book is a series of rip-roaring action.

While we follow the adventures of Crogan there is another side here and the reason for the tale in the first place. The story is being told by a father to his son who has just been through a situation where he got in trouble because rather than fleeing the scene he made a moral decision to do the right thing. The story of "Catfish" is the story of a sailor dragged into the violent world of pirates, a man who participates in that violence, and yet retains a moral code he won't step over. That may sound a little preachy written out in words like that but the book is not by any means. Crogan is the good guy and it just shows in the way he acts and reacts.

Boys are certain to eat this one up and any girl who loves a good dose of swashbuckling action will too. The teen rating is due to the plethora of violence (what can you expect with pirates) though none of it is gory or overly disturbing. A really fun, engrossing, well-written yarn.

Nicola

Hellboy: Seed of destruction

2009-12-02T09:04:00.000-05:00

By Michael Mignola and John Byrne

This is the collection of the first Hellboy miniseries. It’s also part of the first Finnish Hellboy trade.

The first chapter is set in the final years of WWII when the Nazis are trying to get magical help. A mysterious magician performs a mighty spell which seems to go somewhat wrong.

He was supposed to summon a miracle for the Nazis but nothing happens. Meanwhile, a group of British and USAians are in East Bromwich where something magical is supposed to happen. The group consists of soldiers and three paranormal people. In the end, a scary looking little boy appears. The boy is taken in by the paranormals who are members of BPRD, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.

The next chapter opens 50 years later. The little boy has grown up to be Hellboy, one of BPRD’s best agents. He still doesn’t know where he came from or why.

Hellboy’s old adoptive father, professor Trevor Bruttenholm, has taken part in an expedition which was seeking something mystical from the Northern Polar Regions. It was believed that the expedition perished just like all the previous ones. However, Bruttenholm survived. He tells Hellboy about a weird statue and how he has lost some of his memories. Soon, a group of frogs appears and Bruttenholm is killed. Hellboy battles a human-sized frog creature whose tongue can make his arm go numb. Even though Hellboy kills the creature, he’s only clues are the other members of the expedition. They were three young men from a famous explorer family of Cavendish. Hellboy’s small team goes to the Cavendish Hall which is rumored to have been built on cursed land.

The story is told mostly from the point-of-view of Hellboy who has to face not only the death of the only parent he has ever known but also the possibility of knowing more about his purpose on Earth – which is likely not a benevolent one. However, he has had a long time to live with the uncertainty. He’s not a brooding teenager but a professional who has a job to do.

His team mates are interesting and I hope we get to know more about them in the later stories. This time we barely got a glimpse of them. Abe Sapien, the amphibian paranormal, was found in an underground tube where he could have been a long time. He seems to be a consummate professional as well. Liz Sherman is a pyrokinetic whose power was first so uncontrolled that she burned her family to death when she was ten. That must have left a lot of traumas and yet she has a job where she probably has to use her powers. She spends most of the comic off-screen so we don’t learn much about her.

Perhaps the most striking thing about the comic is the atmosphere. There are quite a few Lovecraftian monsters around and magic is real. I could even compare Hellboy to sword and sorcery –type fantasy stories where the magicians are almost always evil. There are some references to real myths, especially in the artwork, and Hellboy himself seems to have come out of one, as well.

The artwork is different than the current manga-style or the sleek superhero -style which I’m mostly used to, but that’s good. It emphasizes the setting, the feeling of mythology, and creates a unique feel to the comic.

The first Finnish trade contains Seed of Destruction, Wake the Devil, and one of the later short stories. It’s in black and white which gives the stories perhaps a more intense atmosphere than the standard four color comics.

My blog: http://mervih.wordpress.com/

Short Stories in Graphic Novels

2009-11-29T06:48:00.003-05:00

#235. The Eternal Smile: Three Stories by Gene Luen Yang. illustrated by Derek Kirk Kim. 2009. 170 pgs. 15+ - This book of short stories is an adult title with crossover appeal to teens. Yang shows us here that he has a taste for the strange. In these three stories Yang has taken a person's reality and turned it into a fantasy or turned their fantasy into reality, making for stories that end with the infamous twist. I enjoyed all three very much; they were each enjoyable and unusual, as well as making one think about the good or bad consequences of living in a fantasy world and avoiding your own reality. The illustrations are all wonderful. Kim has used different styles for each story to match the theme and mood. The second story has actually been done in the style of an old comic book (one of those "Gold Key" comics from the seventies) complete with fake ads. Very well done book. Recommended. 4.5/5

#236. Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia illustrated by Gris Grimly. adapted. 2009. 136 pgs. 14+ - It's hard to decide a suitable age for this book, as children differ, but at whatever age your child can handle the gruesome artwork, they can handle the book. Presented here are four of Poe's most horrifying works that deal with death and madness: The Tell-Tale Heart, The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, The Oblong Box, and The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. Being a fan of Poe's since I was 11, I have recently become quite fond of reading illustrated versions of his stories and poems and this quite tops the ranks. Omitting "The Oblong Box" for a minute we have three very horrifying, and two downright gruesome tales that Grimly has illustrated with a superb craft for the Gothic gore that brings these tales to shocking life. Back to all four stories now, Grimly's illustrations of people gone mad is simply chilling. While Poe *has* been abridged, it is well worth it to see this presentation of work in such a visual manner. The book is not your typical graphic novel; there are no frames nor word bubbles. What we have instead is fully illustrated pages with blocks of text artistically placed on the page. Though there are also some pages where the text is not blocked, even then it is placed to suit the pictures. Rather than calling this a book, I call it a piece of art and highly recommend it to Poe's fans. It would also make a fantastic introduction to the author's work. This book is a follow up to a previous book of Poe that Grimly illustrated; you can be sure I'll be reading that one soon too. 5/5

Nicola

Graphic Novel Trios Continue

2009-11-28T16:45:00.004-05:00

#232. Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood by Tony Lee. illustrated by Sam Hart & Artur Fujita. 2009. Age 13+. - An absolutely beautiful book! Slick, glossy pages with gorgeous artwork done in various monotones for different settings such as the forest scenes are done in greens, the Nottingham castle scenes in purples and the action/fighting scenes in reddish yellows. This palette certainly brings the mood and tone of the story alive. Tony Lee has set down a wonderful retelling of the Robin Hood legend taking various parts of the lore and weaving them into his own wonderful, serious, cohesive story of Robin Loxley robbing from the rich to both give to the poor and save to pay the King's ransom. He's made sure to keep the famous scenes present such as the joust with Little John on the bridge and the archery contest Robin wins while in disguise, though Lee has added his own twists on each to keep his retelling fresh and new. A wonderful piece of work to be enjoyed by Robin Hood enthusiasts and those new to the legend as well. 4/5

#233. The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan. 2009. Age 10+. - A combination of historical fiction and fantasy/folklore make up this strange tale that takes place during the American Dust Bowl of the 1930s. A family has been suffering for four years now without rain. The eldest daughter has dust pneumonia, the youngest has never seen rain, the father cannot work the farm on his own, the mother realizes they must pull up stakes and move and now 11yo Jack, our hero, has been too young to help around the farm as he grew over the years. He thinks he is a klutz and he has started seeing things; those around him think he has come down with dust dementia. As anyone who regularly reads my reviews knows, I love fantasy but I really did not like the fantasy element in this story. I would have enjoyed it much more as a straight historical fiction. The strange King of Storms Jack meets in the neighbour's barn was just plain weird and made know sense whatsoever. There were also way too many wordless pages for my enjoyment. Finally, while the artwork did suit the time period it didn't impress me, I found it wishy-washy. This book has received rave reviews but I'm going to have to beg to differ as the whole thing left me feeling 'meh'. 2.5/5

#234. Children of the Sea Vol. 1 by Daisuke Igarashi. 2009 English translation. 2007 orig. Japanese. Age 13+. A very intriguing fantastical story of the sea. Two children were raised in the sea by dugongs and now are living partially on land with a guardian who works with Ruko's father at an Aquarium. Ruko has just been kicked off the summer kickball team as she is too rough and she spends her time near the ocean. She meets Umi, one of the sea boys, and begins to find out about his mysterious life. At the same time, scientists are reporting the disappearance of certain common fish life from aquariums around the world. Ruko's father is studying this but one day Ruko sees it happen before her eyes in the aquarium. An extremely unique story that had me captivated from the beginning! The story is very well told, the characters are interesting and real and I am totally intrigued with the plot, which I haven't decided yet whether it is fantasy or science fiction. This is a Japanese book read back to front and the artwork is done realistically. At 316 pgs there is plenty of room to give a good background on the characters and proceeds well into the story up to a cliffhanger ending that makes one eager to read Vol. 2. The book is rated T (ages 16+ for disturbing images). I waited the whole book for this to show itself and near the end there was one image that was 'disturbing', though I'd just say weird. It is of a deformity. Other than that the book is totally clean and I, of a very conservative nature, have no problem recommending the book for 13+. 5/5

Nicola

A Trio of Cybils Nominees

2009-11-28T07:06:00.005-05:00

Joey Fly Private Eye in Creepy Crawly Crime by Aaron Reynolds. illustrated by Neil Numberman. 2009. Age 8+. - This is a wonderful crime noire in graphic novel format. Taking place in the Bug City all the characters are various insects and arachnids. Joey Fly is a Private Eye (da da daaaa) and Sammy Stingtail (a scorpion) is his sidekick. Written in classic thirties private eye style, "It was a muggy summer day when he walked through my door. Right away, I thought he looked like trouble. I was right.", the book is a pure joy to read. The crime is a fun one to keep kids guessing and following the clues and there is plenty of humour. Most of the art is done in dark blue & white to give that old noire feeling but other colour palettes show up as well to add variety. A lot of fun and definitely a winner! Loved it! 5/5

The Incredible Rockhead by Scott Nickel. illustrated by C.S. Jennings. 2009. Age 8+ - I'm a big fan of Stone Arch Press books but have to say I finally found one that I didn't like. Chip, as geeky as a geek can get, is turned into Rockhead, a supposed superhero. Basically his head turns into a rock and he has a hard time standing up, give him a push and he can smash into things. Anyway, he saves the kids at the zoo from escaped dangerous animals by smashing into them?! I'm as far away from a tree hugger as you can get but even to me piles of dazed animals who have been smashed into isn't my idea of fun or a superhero. Don't bother. 1/5

The Emperor's New Clothes by Stephanie True Peters. illustrated by Jeffrey Stewart Timmins. 2009. Age 7+ - I'm a big fan of this fairy tale series by Stone Arch Press. I've already reviewed both Rapunzel and Three Little Pigs and hope to read the rest of them with my son. The story remains quite true to the original excepting that the emperor is in his underwear instead of being naked and there's a fun twist with the ending. The artwork is bright and bold with wonderful eccentric figures. The artist appears to have done the foreground figures on watercolour paper with the backgrounds done in some other method. Not my favourite in this series but still a great fun book. 3.5/5

Nicola

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa

2009-11-28T05:27:00.003-05:00

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa, translated by Lauren Na
The Story of Life on the Golden Fields Vol. 1

Pages: 319 pgs.
Ages: 16+
First Published: (Apr. 2009 Eng. trans) (2003 orig. Korean)
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

"Golly! Them beetles are matin'."

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.

Summary: This is the story of two women, one a little and the other her young widowed mother. The story focuses on the little girl and her awakening identity as a woman, and also as a side story is her mother who finds love again for the first time since her husband's death. As the back of my book says "first love and second chances."

Comments: This first book in a trilogy follows the little girl from the age of about six to fourteen. It takes place in a small Korean village in a time period unknown, with the only clue to placing it somewhere in the 20th century being a steam or coal engine train. Now, I'll start off by saying this is not the type of book I would normally read *at all*. I am much too conservative to even want to read a book that has the words "s*xual awakening" on the front flap but doing my job as a Cybils panelist I reluctantly set down to give the book a chance.

I can't quite know how to say just how beautiful a story this was. A little girl's curiosity about her body, the difference between boys and girls, grown-up things she over hears and how she goes straight to her mother with her questions and confusion is a tender love story in itself. The mother/daughter relationship presented here is truly touching and really the backbone of this volume. For those wanting a plot there really isn't any. We are touched by the maternal relationship and watch as each of them separately experiences womanhood. The little girl's experiences of finding our about her body, how it's different than a boys, her first period and her first crush on a boy, who is studying to be a monk, are all respectfully portrayed. The mother, who is young and beautiful, suddenly finds that love for a man can touch her heart again when she falls in love with a traveling artist who keeps returning to visit her. There are a couple of incidents in the book that I could have done without but for the most part the material is presented in a decent way, making for a truly touching story.

I also really enjoyed the artwork. The is the first time I've read Korean manga which is called manhwa. I'm not a huge fan of manga artwork as I hate the horrible fake over expressive faces and how all the men look like girls. But this book was not drawn that way at all, aside from the occasional great big mouth to show extreme emotions all the artwork is very realistic and the detailed background scenery in many frames is lovely. The men aslo look like men. I wonder if this is typical of Korean manhwa or just this particular artist's style.

I've fallen for Ewha, the little girl, and I'll be reading the next book for sure. Though I won't commit any further as I'll have to see if the story remains within my boundaries as she gets older. This book, The Color of Earth, is not going to be for everyone but if the topic interests you and you are comfortable with the subject matter then I hope you find the story as touching as I did. I'll end with a lovely little quote the girl says to herself near the end of the book:

Because I asked something I shouldn't have asked. I heard what I shouldn't have heard. And because I went where I shouldn't have gone, I saw what I shouldn't have seen. How will my young heart cope with all that I've heard and seen?

Nicola

Courtney Crumrin Series

2009-11-27T15:31:00.005-05:00

Courtney Cumrin series by Ten Naifeh

Book 1: Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things (2002) - I was sucked into the story right away! Courtney's parents, living well beyond their means, jump at the chance to live rent free at Great Uncle Aloysius's creepy old mansion that happens to be in the rich area of town. Having use of the lower floors but strictly forbidden to enter his upper domain the parents settle in. Courtney can't make friends at school due to her association with the Crumrin house and she hears things in the night. This leads to her snooping around and finding an old book with very strange recipes in it that she starts to experiment with and she meets some very strange creatures both in and out of the house which mostly want to do harm to her or someone. I loved this. Done in black and white it suits the gothic, creepy atmosphere. Courtney is a girl with an attitude but likable all the same. Can't wait to read book two and find out where the story is going to go. 4/5

Book 2: Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (2003) - Lots and lots of action in this volume with many story arcs and mini plots within the overall main plot of the series. It's been a year now and Courtney is quite the witch under her warlock Uncle Aloysius's tutelage. Courtney meets another grown witch, is invited to a cat meeting, confronts the most horrible hobgoblin then learns of a political plot within the warlock and witches' Coven. Courtney befriends a night thing whose life is in danger, Uncle Aloysius thinks he can handle things but it's left to Courtney in the end to uncover who is behind the horrible plot. So much going on in this book that it is a whirlwind ride, new characters both good and evil. Courtney's character is becoming much clearer. She has a huge attitude but a heart to match for the underdog. This volume gets pretty creepy and scary at times and all things do not end happily. Courtney's parents also no longer play a part of the story at this point as Courtney spends her time between school, with Uncle A., and in the forbidden woods. The book ends with Courtney ready to take on the world and I'm ready to take on the next book! 5/5

Book 3: Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom (2004) - We're given one brief page to refresh our memory of the big picture from the last volume then Courtney's ambivalent parents are back in play as they go back to the city to finally sell their old condo. Courtney tries to reconnect with an old friend and finds they've both changed. When she returns she has to spend summer vacation at a summer school for other children of witches/warlocks and she doesn't get along with those kids any better than the ones at school, but when one of them, a show off, turns his little brother into a night thing they come to Courtney for help and off they go to Goblin Town in search of the Orchards of the Twilight King for a reverse spell. But all along Courtney has a stalker on her trail. The excitement level is high in this volume. A whole new cast of characters are put into play with the summer school group and a few people/creatures from previous books make an appearance as well, while Uncle Aloysius stays in the background this volume. The story lines are intricate and detailed, plenty of mini story arcs with a plethora of eccentric characters. I love Courtney's attitude and loyalty and am anxious to read Vol. four. 5/5

Book 4: Courtney Crumrin's Monstrous Holiday (2009) - This book is different that the others in that instead of being four small chapters this time, while remaining the same size, the book has been split into two long chapters which could almost be considered short stories. I think this book could be read as a stand alone as none of the content is dependent on the previous material except for the relationship the previous readers will have developed with Courtney by this time. Courtney has gone on a trip with Uncle Aloysius, mentioned at the end of Vol. 3, to Europe. The night things play no part in this volume but instead Courtney and her uncle meet up with traditional creatures of the night. In chapter one they meet up with werewolves and in chapter two it's vampires. All the things I've come to love about Courtney are still present in this volume though Courtney's attitude suffers a bit of a blow as she finally comes to realize that she has always been lonely. Courtney and Uncle A's relationship also finally starts to show signs of warming. The five year lag between books 3 and 4 have me worried about the likelihood of seeing a volume 5 anytime soon. The ending certainly leaves room for one and I'd love to see Courtney come back to learning the full potential of her powers. 4/5

Nicola

Artemis Fowl

2009-11-25T15:11:00.003-05:00

Artemis Fowl series: The Graphic Novel adapted by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Conkin. Art by Giovanni and Paolo Lamanna

Book 1: Artemis Fowl - It has been so long since I read the novel that I barely remembered the story before I started to read this. I wasn't impressed with the first Artemis Fowl novel but reading it in graphic novel format seems to have done it a bit of good as I did quite enjoy this version, though I still find the story rather on the mundane side. The end of each chapter finishes with a dossier on a character, event or place which adds a lot of background information in a unique way; I found these entertaining and hope they continue throughout the series. I love the illustrations and seeing the characters coming to life, so to speak. Holly and Butler were done very well but Artemis was not how I envisioned so he had to grow on me through the book. I felt that Artemis was also presented not as mean as he was in the novel. Sure he is shown as self-centred, mean, with no remorse but he's even worse in the novel. My favourite character is Mulch Diggums and I love how he has been brought to the page. A good adaptation of a not so great book that starts off a much better series. 3/5

Book 2: The Arctic Incident - This is when the Artemis storyline really picks up and as I enjoyed the novel I also enjoyed the graphic adaptation. Artemis is learning about caring and friendship, but of course that doesn't stop him being a criminal mastermind. The fairy People need Artemis' help with a goblin uprising and in return he wants their help in rescuing his father, what follows is an action-packed adventure full of close calls, magic and double crossing. The dossiers with extra information used in the first book are present again but much less frequently which was a shame as I really enjoyed those. The illustrations are great and colour schemes used throughout are wonderful at capturing moods and atmospheres. A fun book that really captures the spirit of the novel. Fans are sure to enjoy revisiting the original book with all the visual glamour of a graphic novel. This is as far as I ever got with this series and it has made me want to get back to reading the books and I intend to continue reading the graphics as they come out. 4/5

Nicola

The Photographer: Into War Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders

2009-11-24T10:54:00.002-05:00

The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Didier Lefevre & Emmanuel Guilbert. illustrated by Frederic Lemercier, introduction and translated by Alexis Siegel

Pages: 267 pgs.
First Published: May, 2009 (English translation) (2003-2006 orig. French)
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

"I say good-bye to everyone."

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee

Summary: Photographer Didier Lefevre was offered to accompany the MSF (the original French version of Doctors Without Borders) on a 3 month mission to Afghanistan in 1986 when the Soviet-Afghan War was raging. The book tells of his journey from Pakistan to the mission site in Afghanistan, his stay and his decision to make the journey back to Pakistan alone which almost cost him his life.

Comments: An incredibly brilliant, powerful work of art! At first I thought this was going to be about current affairs in Afghanistan, so was quite surprised to find the memoir taking place during the Soviet era invasion of Afghanistan. The graphical presentation, the artwork is phenomenal. A very unique combination of cartooning and photographs have been combined together which at first, I admit, put me a bit off kilter but once I got used to the presentation I found myself seeing real life images even when I was looking at an illustration. An odd sensation but extremely well done. The authors/illustrator portray so much on the journey: the beauty of the land, the terror of illegally crossing the border, traveling under cover of night, watching for Soviet planes to drop bombs on them if sighted.

Then at the medical camp there is the large amount of local people coming for help for such things as a humongous cancerous tumour on a toe, a foot that is so rotted the man has pulled it off that morning and asks if they can put it back on for him; then the war wounded come in: a child with half his face blown off, a man with shrapnel in his back, a paralyzed girl with one tiny piece of shrapnel that has severed her spinal cord. The photographs, the text, the illustrations capture the spirit, the agony, the willpower, the drive of the doctors who come to work here in non sterile makeshift tents to treat these people, sometimes just so they can die with dignity.

Didier's journey back is even worse than coming as he has had enough at the end of the three months when he finds that the team is going to be staying an extra week so with some guidance to a nearby town where he will be certain to get a guide he sets off on his to journey back to Pakistan. Didier finds that without the resources and experiences of the "pros" he accompanied on the way out there he is a walking target and with exposure to criminals, crooked cops and the elements he almost loses his life. A magnificent, compelling story that concentrates on human relations and interactions without getting political. The political situation is discussed in the beginnings of the book to set the reader in the situation as it is happening but the focus of the book is people, how they treat each other both good and bad in situations both large and small. Highly recommended!

Nicola

The Stonekeeper's Curse

2009-11-24T06:16:00.002-05:00

The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi
Amulet, Book Two

Pages: 219 pgs.
Ages: 10+
First Published: Sept, 2009
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

"Let go of me."

Reason for Reading: Next in series. Cybils nominee

Acquired: I received a review copy from the publisher.

Comments: It's been awful long wait since the first book in this series that I had to sit down and think a bit before I dove into this eagerly anticipated sequel. While Book 1 was all dark and foreboding, this second in the, I assume, trilogy gets right into the action. We find out all the answers and reasons for Emily's attachment with the Amulet and what her quest must be whether she wants it or not. Her brother also has an important part to play in saving this world. New friends are met and the enemy is shown in it's full evil wickedness. A compelling, fast-paced, action packed story with plenty of odd creatures, magic and hand-to-hand combat. Also an intriguing story, beautifully illustrated and the author has created a fascinating world. I just hope we don't have to wait another 20 months for Book Three!

Nicola

T-Minus: The Race to the Moon

2009-11-22T06:32:00.002-05:00

T-Minus: The Race to the Moon by Jim Ottaviani. illustrated by Zander Cannon & Kevin Cannon (no relation)

Pages: 124 pgs.
Ages: 10+
First Published: May, 2009
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

"...New UN headquarters in the Big Apple..."

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.

Summary: Starting in 1957, this non-fiction book tells the story of the space race between the United States and Russia as they each strove to be the first to make a more impressive advancement in space technology, which started with the Russians being the first to launch a satellite into space and ended with the US being the first to set foot on the moon. The book focuses on the men and women working behind the scenes rather than the astronauts themselves.

Comments: This is a perfect example of how a graphic book can be so much more rewarding than the traditional textual book. Personally, this is not a subject I would ever pick up a regular book about as it is just not something that would normally interest me enough to read about it. But one glance through this book and my attention was immediately caught. The illustration was realistic, facial expressions showed real emotion, the black and white treatment gave both a feel of the past and a "space-y" feel. I wanted to start reading! And what an enjoyable book it is. The book is told in story format switching between the US and Russia. When the move to Russia has been made the reader is aware as the script has changed to include a backwards N denoting the Soviet language. There are plenty of footnotes, each found immediately under the frame in question which is a very user friendly design, much easier than having to look at the bottom of the page or as often happens in non-fiction, hunting around at the back of the book! Throughout the book there are also side panels which show a rocket and report chronologically of every attempt, both Russian and American, and whether it was successful or whether it failed. Included is data such as flight duration and, later on, astronauts aboard.

Finally, down to the story itself. Very well-written, interesting and compelling. I very much enjoyed the reading and now know a lot of information about the space race that I had no idea of before reading the book and probably would never have known had not such a book been presented to me. Kids and teens who are interested in space will be drawn to this book and those who aren't will be drawn to the graphic presentation and all will experience a fascinating read and learn an interesting part of our recent history. Highly recommended!

Nicola

Constance & Edgewhere Chronicles

2009-11-19T13:16:00.002-05:00

Two more Cybils nominees I've been reading:

Constance and the Great Escape by Pierre Le Gall. illustrated by Eric Heliot. 2009 (orig. French edition 2007). 32 pgs. Ages 6+. - Constance is a horrid little girl with a huge kitty. Her parents decide to take her to a boarding school for troublesome children and Constance hits upon a plan to get sent back home. The artwork in this book is gorgeous in what I guess is called a Goth style. Other than that though the book has rather a pointless plot: how to be a nasty kid; how to trick grown-ups into thinking you are good. I'm reading it as a Cybils nominee in the graphic novels category and it's simple one panel per page style is more reminiscent of a picture book, but it's appearance is more like an easy reader only the vocabulary is a bit high to classify it as such. Kid's are sure to enjoy the book, but there are so many more better books out there why bother with this one. My rating is based on the artwork 2/5.

The Elsewhere Chronicles Book One: The Shadow Door by Bannister & Nykko, 2009 (orig. Beligian edition 2007). 46 pgs. Ages 8+ - The first in a trilogy, this gorgeously illustrated fantasy introduces how three boys meet Rebecca and end up finding a door to another world through an old movie projector in an empty old house. Being the first book, we meet all the characters, are given enough backstory, some foreshadowing and a cliffhanger ending. Following the format of the traditional graphic novel/comic serial, this is a great book for younger ages to get started on a graphic fantasy series. Four very enjoyable main characters and an intriguing plot has me dying to know what happens next. Fortunately the other two books have also been released in English all at the same time. 3.5/5

Mini Reviews for Cybils Nominees

2009-11-18T14:58:00.005-05:00

Cybils Award nominees I've been reading.

The 3-2-3 Detective Agency: The Disappearance of Dave Warthog by Fiona Robinson. 2009, 73 pgs, Age 7+ - A delightful mystery story about a group of animals who meet on the 3:23 train to Whiska City where they decide to open up a detective agency together. Upon placing an advertisement in the paper they receive several clients reporting missing persons and finally the mayor shows up to report the entire police force missing. The new detectives are on the case and find all disappearances lead to one place! The characters are delightful from Slingshot the overactive Sloth to Roger the dung beetle with a taste for gourmet cooking. The mystery is a fun one that kids will love and the book is full of humour. The illustration style is bright and detailed. The only issue I may have with the book is that the frames could be a little over busy and crowded and the text is on the small size. This could have been solved by producing a larger format book. Otherwise a very fun, enjoyable book that kids will love and hopefully we will see the 3-2-3 Detective Agency in further adventures to come. 4/5

Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones: Girl Genius Book 8 by Phil & Kaja Foglio. May 2009, 144 pgs, Ages 15+ - This is a tough book to give a fair review since as a Cybils nominee I've had to jump in with book 8. There is a lot going on, a back story I have no idea about, but what I can tell is that this steampunk comic is one I want to start from the beginning and read. The art is bright, humourous, with over dramatic facial expressions and very buxom women. While I had no idea of the whole general plot, even with the quick "The Story So Far" write up at the front of the book, I did grasp the mini plot of this volume in particular and thought it was a splendidly unique world of an heiress trying to reclaim her castle, which is alive, in a world full of living machines and flying airships. I plan on starting with book 1 and will re-read this and probably re-review it when I get to it in it's chronological order. Beautiful artwork and a tempting glimpse into an intriguing series that I most certainly will be reading. 3.5/5

Adventures in Cartooning by James Strum, Andrew Arnold & Alexis Frederick-Frost. Apr. 2009, 109 pgs, 8+ - A delightful book that tells a story of a knight who wants to fight a dragon, so off he goes on his adventure but along the way a Magic Elf accompanies him and teaches him the art of cartooning. Illustrations are drawn in Ed Emberley style and Ed is given a nod for his inspiration at the back where instructions on how to draw the knight, elf and horse are given. Throughout the book cartooning lingo is introduced and the aspects that make up a comic: panels, bubbles, sound effects, etc. All within the confines of a delightful, humourous story. A very unique book which will bring out the cartoonist in any aspiring artist who may feel overwhelmed at getting started. An actual child's example is shown at the back of the book. Highly recommended. 5/5

Cat Burglar Black by Richard Sala. Sep. 2009, 126 pgs, 12+ - What a devilishly divine caper! K. has been raised in an orphanage by a wicked woman who has trained the children to be master thieves and pickpockets when one day she receives a call from a long lost aunt to come live with her at a rundown boarding school. K arrives and meets 3 other girls who seem to come from similar circumstances as her and the teens are encouraged to continue their thievery working for a secret organization. I loved this book! The story is fast-paced, a little over-the-top at times but so much fun it's forgivable. A spooky atmosphere, people who go missing, strange voices in the night and a spunky heroine who isn't about to believe any old line make this a can't put down read. The ending leaves many questions unanswered and while it is a satisfying ending one can't help but think that a sequel is planned. Mystery fans will love this, especially girls. 4.5/5

Nicola

Yokaiden Volume 1

2009-11-15T05:50:00.001-05:00

Yokaiden by Nina Matsumoto
Volume 1

Pages: 192 pgs.
Ages: 13+
First Published: Nov. 18, 2008
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

Yokai...A class of creature in Japanese lore, often translated as "monster," "demon," or "spirit."

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.

Summary: Hamachi loves Yokai (Japanese spirits) and feels that many of them are friendly and that people just misunderstand them. He wants to find out all he can about them and befriend them. A masterless warrior comes to Hamachi's town to pledge himself to the village that in return for lodging and food he will protect the town from Yokai as this town is supposed to be close to the portal of the Yokai Realm. Hamachi is angry beyond belief, when he returns home he finds his grandmother dead, presumably killed and he decides to find and enter the Yokai Realm. There he meets more Yokai on their own turf both friendly and evil.

Comments: I really loved this story! I know nothing about manga so can't base my review on that aspect but I'm assuming this is an American manga. The story is fast-paced, full of monsters both good and evil, some even hilarious. The humour factor throughout the book is high making an even more enjoyable read. I quickly became attached to Hamachi who will occasionally lose his temper and tell anyone off if he feels they are doing the wrong thing no matter how much older, wiser, bigger they are than him. What could be perceived as a cute little kid's story is in fact not, as it has an edge, a violent edge. When violence is called for it is used and some situations are startling, yet amusing. In between the story we are shown glimpses of Hamachi's journal where he draws pictures of the Yokai he meets and he narrates a little information about it. This in itself is interesting and funny. Not to mention an entertaining source of ancient Japanese mythology. The book ends on an exciting note leaving one wanting more. A great beginning to what could prove to be a fantastic series. I've already added volume 2 (due out at the end of Nov.) to my amazon cart!

Nicola

Swallow Me Whole

2009-11-14T15:53:00.001-05:00

Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell

Pages: 216 pgs.
First Published: Sept. 2008
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

Mom?

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.

Comments: This book is deep and difficult for me to write about as I'm not sure I "got" the whole thing. I'll make an attempt at my impressions. Two siblings both have psychological problems. The girl, Ruth, is the main character and suffers from delusions, paranoia, schizophrenia and OCD while her brother seems to suffer on a lesser degree from delusions. They also have their grandmother living at home with them as she is dying and also delusional. The book follows the girl's descent into madness while those around her stand by and do nothing. She recognizes her mind is different and so does her brother, together they can talk to each other about it. We watch as Ruth starts out trying to make her way through each day until in the end her illnesses smother and bury who she once was.

The book is done is black and white, with a lot of the pages having a black background. Many scenes have word bubbles with writing so tiny or scribbled it is unreadable, these are the background voices that Ruth doesn't hear in her world. The story is intense and yet, there is no real plot. The book tries to capture a feeling in words and pictures. I sort of enjoyed the book. Probably up to the mid-point I was enjoying it but honestly, I didn't see the point of the story. I have mental health issues myself (some of which were mirrored in the book) and the book seemed to just be saying to me, "Look, this is what it feels like to go crazy". Perhaps others will get more out of it. I recommend the book for higher aged teens because of the swearing (which includes the f-word) and a small amount of teenage sex.

Nicola

A Trio of Kid's Graphic Novels

2009-11-12T08:57:00.001-05:00

Today's post contains mini reviews of recent kid's graphic novels I've read. The first two are Cybils nominees and the third is one that my son read to me.

Binky The Space Cat by Ashley Spires, 2009, 64 pgs, Ages 7-10, Cybils Nominee. Received a review copy from the publisher. - Binky came to live with his humans as a kitten. He is all grown up and he loves his humans. He has discovered many things about the world with the most important being aliens. Humans call them bugs but cats know better. He decides to leave his space station (house) so he can spend his life saving the universe from aliens but first he must build a rocket. While building his rocket he also spends his time saving his own humans from the aliens but when the rocket is finished he finds he has left something very important behind. This is a truly adorable book! I enjoyed every single frame of it. The story has an amazingly full plot for such a short number of pages. Binky will capture the heart of the intended audience right away. I also hazard a guess that Binky would be enjoyed by cat lovers of any age. The book is very funny, I caught myself giggling out loud more than once. The humour comes out in the illustrations which one wants to linger over as they are full of detail. The author's graphic style of drawing the characters: Binky and the humans (a single mom and her son) are unique and very eye catching. The whole book is done in shades of grey, with faint browns and blues and eye catching pops of red here and there. Gorgeous to look at. A great, fun read that kids are going to love. Recommended! 5/5

Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel, 2009, 159 pgs, Cybils Nominee. Borrowed a copy from the library. - This is a strange book to have ended up in the graphic novels category for the Cybils nominations as I wouldn't really, at first, have considered it a graphic novel. There are no frames or bubbles and the whole story is told by a narrator. However, the book is heavily graphically dependant and without the graphics there are many parts of the story that wouldn't make sense. Hence, I realistically (though grudgingly) can see its place as a graphic novel. I didn't like this book. It's Bad Kitty's birthday. He's so lazy he can't be bothered until he hears there are presents and cake. He has one thing he wants, a $600 super cat scratcher. Each unique guest arrives (the stinky kitty, the pretty kitty, etc.) bringing an appropriate gift but of course no $600 super cat scratcher. It's a lot of pages for a very simplistic plot, but then it's very full of illustrations. Spread through out the book are real life factual spreads about cats which seem to just pop up and while related to the story going on feel like a teacher stepped onto the scene and is giving a little lesson. I won't continue as it's not my practice to only make negative comments. Not recommended. 2/5

Rapunzel retold by Stephanie Peters, illustrated by Jeffrey Stewart Timmins, 2009, 33 pgs, RL 2.5, my son read aloud to me, received a review copy from Stone Arch Books - Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Just look at the cover illustration! All I can tell you is it just gets better once you open the book. The pages all have a very dark background, the witch is dark, her parents who give her away are drab browns and Rapunzel and the Prince are the only bright features in the artwork until the end. I'd recommend this book alone for the artwork! The story is true to the Bros. Grimm original, written at a low reading level it still manages to tell the story in a detailed manner. I love that this series of books keeps true to the original tales. This is the first time I've read a children's version of Rapunzel where she turns up pregnant at the end, as in the original. Probably not for too young of children as the illustrations are dark and when we see the Prince's eyes which have been pierced by thorns, it is a little gross. Highly recommended! 5/5

Katman by Kevin C. Pyle

2009-11-11T06:36:00.002-05:00

Katman by Kevin C. Pyle

Pages: 144 pgs.
First Published: Sept. 1, 2009
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Yeah...This is where I live.

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.

Summary: Kit is an inner-city kid. Everybody around him is someone, they all have labels. Hi brother is 'talented and gifted', his mom is the 'single mom' even his dad is the 'deadbeat dad'. He figures he's not anything. His brother argues with him all the time. He can't help but argue with his mom feeling like she just doesn't get him. Then there's a group of 4 outsider kids who taunt him daily and they can't even figure out what to label him, emo? loser? Kit does have one thing in life that gives him great joy though and that is the stray cats in his neighbourhood. He's befriended them all, given them names, and steals cat food from the local corner store as he pays for one can. The girl from the group of kids who taunt him, Jess, befriends him, she's the artistic one, and after a while she really gets Kit and the whole cat thing and she draws a picture for him, his manga avatar - Katman. When trouble hits the fan, Jess, is there with him to deal with what seems an impossible situation.

Comments: This was a great story. I don't usually go in for teen reality fiction but this story grabbed me right away. Kit is a character that one feels for right away and teens will identify with. The book has a great plot (which I won't give away) that makes the book hard to put down until you've finished. The book is peopled with eccentric characters such as Vinod who belongs to the religion of Jainism, an autistic teen nicknamed Bleep, and the local crazy cat lady. Ultimately, the underlying theme of the book is caring. It sounds kind of corny written down like that but trust me, it's not. The book asks how many people really care these days? Care about something, about someone, about doing something or believing in something? A very powerful story.

I recommend the book for older teens, say 15 and over because of some harsh language. It is not used frequently at all but does appear now and then and the profanity is more of what I would call the hard variety.

My only problem with the book is that every so often after the manga character Katman is introduced we are occasionally shown a 3 or 4 page wordless manga comic about this character. It is a continuing pattern throughout the book and the manga storyline continues. I guess I'm not cool enough because I just didn't understand the meaning of this, at all. I have no idea what the manga story was about. I understand the significance of the creation of Katman to Kit; it is a defining moment for him and Jess. But the wordless manga comic story arc that runs in between the real plot has me baffled. Hence a 4 instead of a 5 rating.

Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne: vol. 6

2009-11-10T12:35:00.000-05:00

By John Byrne and Jerry Ordway

Collects Fantastic Four #276-284, Secret Wars II #2, Thing #23.

In these issues Ordway is inking Byrne’s pencils and to me, at least, the change is noticeable. Ordway has a very distinctive style.

In the first two issues a couple of earlier subplots are tied up: Reed, Sue, and Franklin’s stint as a normal family in Connecticut, and Ben’s return. Next, Dr. Doom steals the Baxter Building and the FF head to Microverse.

The whole “normal family” thing was a nice change of pace in between the superheroics and I was almost sorry to see it end. However, it was quite a long running subplot so it just makes sense for Byrne to end it. Also, I was expecting someone to recognize Susan and Franklin because they should be quite famous. The nosy neighbor brought to mind a similar character from the TV-show “Bewitched” and she was quite entertaining.

The second story was Ben coming back from the Beyonder’s planet. He has already decided to dump Alicia and the FF. Yet, when he comes to Alicia’s place and meets the half naked Johnny there, he starts a fight. I guess he thinks that Alicia is his property. I was happy to see She-Hulk stay.

The next issue is pretty much a recap of Doom’s backstory. Of course, when I first read these comics I didn’t know Doom was, so the recap was appreciated. Doom’s young ward Kristoff is made to think that he is Doom and he “starts his career again” by stealing the Baxter Building. Meanwhile Johnny and Alicia are dealing with racial hatred which seems stronger than usual.

Kristoff as Doom floats the BB up to space and blows it up.

Afterwards, the FF have to deal with the fact that their home is gone. Hatred and intolerance is also building up. Meanwhile, Psycho-Man sends a very powerful woman called Malice after the FF. After a pitched battle, Reed manages to trace their enemy to Microverse. So, the FF shrinks themselves and goes after the bad guy.

Kristoff wasn’t really a match for Victor but I guess he wasn’t supposed to be. He was just a way to show us how far reaching and evil Doom’s plans are.

I rather enjoyed Psycho-Man as the villain because his ability to manipulate emotions was used to a very good effect. It seems, though, that he hasn’t been used much outside this adventure.

Malice was an interesting “character”. I liked the aggressive way she used her powers (and lets face it if she had been a male from the start, he would have used the very aggressively from the start) which clearly showed how dangerous she is. I suspect, though, that her fight with the FF was cut some pages short in the Finnish edition.

The Microverse part of this trade is again one of my favorite stories and the first Microverse story I’ve ever read. I loved it how She-Hulk was trying to overcome her fear. I also liked a lot the surreal FF story that Susan experienced under torture.

Still, the stories here aren’t as classic as the Galactus-story in vol. 2 or the aftermath with Tyros in vol. 4.

This marks the milestone where Susan finally becomes the Invisible Woman.

Overall: a decent trade.

Lunch Lady Graphic Novels #1 & #2

2009-11-10T06:21:00.002-05:00

202. Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute (#1) by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. 96 pgs. May 2009. This elementary graphic novel is the first in a new series that features superhero Lunch Lady who works in the school cafeteria until crime or devious plots against students bring her secret identity out of hiding to fight crime. In this book both The Breakfast Club and Lunch Lady discover a diabolical plot to replace all the nice teachers with nasty cyborg substitute teachers. Honestly, the plot was way out there for me and the villain's reasoning just didn't cut it. What I did like was Lunch Lady's sidekick, Betty, who was the equivalent of Bond's "Q" and worked in the boiler room making high tech devices for her out of kitchen utensils and food. The yellow and black illustrations are average and on the whole I find the book will probably be a pleasant brief diversion for kids but not anything special. 3/5

203. Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians (#2) by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. 96 pgs. Jul. 2009. I didn't particularly enjoy book 1 of this series so wasn't expecting much from book 2 but I found Lunch Lady more palatable this time around. Librarians around town have gathered forces and are planning world domination with the first order of business to rid the world of video games. The Breakfast Club and Lunch Lady are quickly onto their scheme and with the help of Betty's nifty gadgets it's time for a showdown. I found this volume to have more humour and the plot made sense, though I couldn't help thinking weren't the librarians the good guys, promoting reading over video games? Anyway, better than the first, got a few chuckles out of me and I think kids will appreciate the plot. Strange, but I find myself wondering why the book is dedicated to my old teenage heart throb Ralph Macchio ... 3.5/5

Nicola

Stitches by David Small

2009-11-09T21:24:00.003-05:00

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

W.W.Norton and Company, New York, 2009

Stitches is an extraordinary memoir presented in graphic format. David Small, an award winning children's book author and illustrator, has written and drawn a story that covers his life from babyhood to adolescence.

The graphics are pen and ink and ink wash, beautiful, dark and sad. As with most parents, David's Mother and Father thought they were doing their best. Small illustrates the trauma and pain of childhood is a way that moves from reality to dream to nightmare, without being overly dramatic. David Small's story is intense but well told and his notes at the end reflect back on his parent's lives in a very kind and loving way.

This book is turning up on many "Best Books of the Year" lists and the recognition is well deserved.

Babymouse: Dragonslayer

2009-11-07T05:12:00.001-05:00

Dragonslayer by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
Babymouse #11

Pages: 93
First Published: Aug. 25, 2009
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

In a distant kingdom ...

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.

Comments: Babymouse is daydreaming about being an epic dragonslayer as in fantasy books when she receives an F- on her math test. Her teacher helpfully signs her up for the Mathletes team in exchange for ignoring her abysmal grade. Babymouse and math just do not get along and while her team prepares for the challenge against the current champions, the Owlgorithms, Babymouse just can't stop daydreaming; transplanting herself into Narnia and Middle Earth. Another cute story for Babymouse! This time her klutziness isn't showcased as much as her just plain average student ability-ness is and how easily she is overwhelmed. Babymouse spends her time with a whole new cast of characters on the Mathletes team and the math theme is explored and made fun of from many angles. Whether you love math or hate it, you'll be inspired. One thing that I'm really enjoying in these books is how the narrator talks back to Babymouse. It's funny! I have to say I enjoyed #10 The Musical more than this one though. But now I have an urge to go to the library and scoop up #1 through #9 and furiously catch up with Babymouse!

Nicola

Two GN's for Kids - Greek Mythology & Babymouse

2009-11-06T06:05:00.004-05:00

Jason and the Golden Fleece retold by Nel Yomtov, illustrated by Gerardo Sandoval, 63 pgs, 8+, 2009, graphic novel. - I read this aloud to my son; it being a little too hard for him to read himself comfortably and he wanted me to read it to him. Ds is already familiar with the tale of Jason as I had read a lengthy retelling in Classic Myths to Read Aloud by William F. Russell but that book has no illustrations. This graphic adaption was all we hoped it would be! A well-told, detailed retelling written in chapters. Most of the exciting bits of the journey are there and the story keeps well to the original myth with the limited 63 pgs. The illustrations are gorgeous and it is wonderful to see the story brought to life before your eyes in this way. The illustrator's style is a very modern comic book look though Jason is drawn in an almost anime style though his features stay recognizably masculine. I highly recommend this book and others in the myth series, especially to boys who are reluctant readers; with the book being at a 2.4 RL it will appeal right up to early teens. 5/5

Other books in the myths series:
Perseus and Medusa (my review)
The Adventures of Hercules
Theseus and the Minotaur

Babymouse #10: The Musical by Jennifer L. Holm and Mathew Holm, 95 pgs, 6+, 2009, graphic novel. - This is a Cybils nominee and, dare I say it, my first Babymouse book. Sure I've seen them lined up at the library, even peeked inside them, but I don't have any daughters and my son freaks if the colour pink gets too close to him so I haven't had an excuse. Now, finally I have a real reason to read Babymouse! This was absolutely wonderful! Babymouse (as I'm sure almost everyone already knows) is an adorable character; she's a bit of a klutz and rather a goof at times but she's got lots of friends and has lots of fun. Well Felicia Furrypaws doesn't like her but then she's a cat. Babymouse gets the part of the understudy to Felicia in the school play and daydreams her way through the book going off into musical interludes that are hilarious. I'm not sure how much kids will get the musical scenes but I couldn't help singing the words as she dreamt up All That Jazz, The Phantom of the Opera, Grease, Pirates of Penzance and Annie though they will recognize The Lion King and American Idol. I'm thoroughly enamoured with Babymouse and kid's have proven they are too. If you haven't read Babymouse yet this is a great one to start with! 4.5/5

Nicola

Fables: Arabian Nights (and Days)

2009-11-05T06:46:00.003-05:00

Fables: Book 7

Pages: 143
First Published: 2006
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Well, we're here.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Comments: The main story takes a pivotal turn as the focus shifts to the Fables of the East. Here we meet folklore from the eastern part of the world who are living in Baghdad. Sinbad, is namely the main character introduced and the first 4 issues of this volume contain this story arc. Many of our favourite characters so far make appearances (some very brief) to show what's happening with their respective arcs or to show they haven't been forgotten. Then the final two issues switch to a strange story which has a completely different artist appearance to it and takes place in the Homelands. The story is interesting but appears to have to no real relevance to any story arcs, but hang in there for a surprise ending that will leave you waiting for the characters to turn up again. As a turning point in the series this book takes a bit to get into with all the new happenings, characters and leaving the old plots to fill in the background. But we can see here that while the many story arcs will continue there is now a new direction in the main overall plot. Interesting things are ahead for our friends. And onward I go with the series!!

Nicola

Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne: vol. 5

2009-11-02T15:08:00.000-05:00

By John Byrne

Collects Fantastic Four #268-275 and Avengers 18, and Thing #19.

This is another batch of classic FF action: Terminus, Reed’s dad in a parallel universe, Jen meets Wyatt, and Johnny’s and Alicia’s relationship starts.

This trade starts right after the previous one. Susan is still in the hospital. Meanwhile Johnny and Jennifer fight a mysterious opponent in the Baxter Building. It turns out to be Doom’s mask which leads to rather disturbing conclusion: either Doom is still alive or someone else is using his equipment.

Soon after, a huge and powerful beam from space cuts into the US soil. People are panicking and the president calls to the FF. It turns out that the beam is writing and in it Terminus declares the Earth as his. Jen and Reed outsmart Terminus while Susan is left to rest. Susan isn’t happy about that at all and is determined that she isn’t going to be shoved aside again. Wyatt wants to see more of the universe and becomes an unofficial member of the FF.

During Reed’s birthday, he confesses to Susan that he has lost some memories. In order to get some of them back, the FF goes to California to the Richards’ family estate. There the servant couple tells Reed that they have seen ghosts and the FF decides to investigate. Soon, they find Reed’s dad’s laboratory which has a working time machine. However, the FF know that you can’t actually travel in time but only into parallel universes. They decide to follow Reed’s dad and perhaps to return him. The FF and Wyatt step through to a very different world which has been ravaged by wars and is now ruled by the Warlord. The dimension has cowboys riding flying, horse shaped metallic steeds and valkyries who ride similar metal dragons.

Then She-Hulk must deal with the photographer from the Naked Truth.

Apparently, there are also a couple of issues of the Thing battling monsters but these weren’t published in Finland.

Terminus is yet another hugely powerful alien who wants to enslave Earth. This time it (while Terminus is clearly sentient, its gender or sex is impossible to know) clearly wasn’t beaten completely so its return (in Avengers, IIRC) wasn’t a surprise.

I really loved the parallel universe. The metallic steeds and the whole post-apocalypse atmosphere. It was one of the first parallel universe –stories I’ve read and it still has that nostalgia -feeling.

IMHO, Jen was far too lenient to the gossip magazine’s editor. That story was a bit too real-life for my taste. In other words, writers should just ignore it or otherwise all super heroines (and heroes, for that matter) should have paparazzies after them.

All in all, a classic collection of adventures although not as good as the previous trades.

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

2009-10-31T06:05:00.002-04:00

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Tim Hamilton. Introduction by Ray Bradbury.

Pages: 149
Ages: 13+
First Published: Jul.21, 2009
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

It was a pleasure to burn.

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee

Comments: At this point I think it's fair that no summary of Fahrenheit 451 is needed. I'm a fan of the novel having read it a handful of time plus I've seen the 1966 movie a couple of times. Obviously, I was no stranger to the plot when I sat down to read the graphic adaptation. I was very pleased to find a very faithful adaptation to the novel had been rendered. It's amazing to see a novel transformed with a minimal amount of text and the addition of graphics to tell the same story. Though one hopes an adaptation will never replace the original, this is a beautiful compliment to it.

The illustrations are very interesting and match the mood of the story done in a limited palette of colours using a trio of colours plus black for the most part though occasionally going down to 2 colours plus black at times. He uses warm reds, yellows and oranges for the fireman scenes while reverting to cool blues, greens and purples for the rest of the book. It sets a dark, oppressive feeling without the need for a narrative to do so.

I can't quite give this a rating of 5 as I know Mr. Bradbury's work can't be equaled but Tim Hamilton has done an excellent job in bringing the novel to the graphic format in a stunningly faithful rendition.

Asterios Polyp

2009-10-30T07:13:00.001-04:00

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli

Pages: 344
First Published: Jul.7, 2009
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

mmm...oohh.. that's good...

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee

Summary: The book opens with a man watching, presumably, a pornographic movie, when his building is hit by lightning and catches fire. Such is how we meet Asterios Polyp, 50 year old architect. He grabs a few trinkets and as he rushes out the door we see he has a room full of videos, each one marked with a consecutive day of the week which appear to go on for years back. Through a series of flashbacks we follow Asterios' past and present as with the cash he takes a bus to however far it will get him, ending up in a hick town where he gets a job as a mechanic and rents a room in the house of his boss.

Comments: The book is a study in self. It is hard for me to review this book critically as I have never studied philosophy and that is the main theme running through this book. The first thing to enter my mind was existentialism and after googling it, I found it fit the situation perfectly in my mind but I also so the opposite happening as well, so another google brought up the term nihilism. The amazing thing about this graphic novel is that the illustrations follow suit in a gripping display a graphic brilliance to fit the atmosphere of the pages.

For characters, the book is sparse. Asterios himself is self-centered and egotistical. His Asian wife is his opposite: warm, tender and loving. Otherwise the book contains a handful of eccentric characters, who while also being wrapped in their own self manage to do so without the know-it-all, "I'm always right", attitude of Asterios. My favourite character was the garage owner's wife, Ursula Major a buxom, large, pipe smoking, luxurious blonde woman who follows all the Pagan religions and thinks she is part Indian because she was a Shaman in a past life.

I haven't read anything by the author before so I didn't know what to expect and I must admit I thought it was quite weird to begin with but then things started making sense, I started understanding Asterios' character and I really enjoyed the book in the end. Speaking of the end, it's quite a shocker too.

I would especially recommend this book to anyone who knows a thing or two about philosophy. You'll get a whole lot more out of it than I did but nevertheless, I took what I could from it and was pleased with the read.

As to this being nominated for a Cybil. This is an adult book published for adults and I don't feel it should be considered for the award. The theme is adult, the grown-up characters are not appealing to teens and there are many nude scenes showing full frontal nudity down to the pubic hair on both sexes, along with sex scenes, which I do not consider appropriate for a non-adult audience.

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Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne: vol. 4

2009-10-29T17:47:00.000-04:00

By John Byrne

Collects Fantastic Four #258-267 and Alpha Flight 4, and Thing #10.

These stories deal with the aftermaths of the fight with Galactus in vol. 2. It’s full of many classic moments: Dr. Doom giving the former Terrax cosmic powers and the fight that it leads to, Reed Richards’ trial for saving Galactus, and She-Hulk replacing Ben.

The trade starts with an issue focusing on Doom. During the months that the FF has spent in the Negative Zone, Doom has been busy. He has a young ward Kristoff whom he’s teaching about the rigors of absolute monarchy. Also, he’s trying to find a way to make the Power Cosmic artificially so that he could use it again. In the end, he has to kidnap Tyros, the former Terrax Herald of Galactus, from hospital and use his machine to give Tyros the powers. Then he sends Tyros to destroy the FF. Ben, Susan, and Johnny fight Tyros but can only barely hold their own. Fortunately, the Silver Surfer interferes. Both Tyros and Doom seem to die in the fight.

Afterwards, the FF finds out that a transport beam has taken Reed out of the solar system. Susan decides to contact the Watcher who agrees to take them to Reed. A group of aliens has sentenced Reed to death because he didn’t let Galactus die. However, the FF and the Watcher persuades them to give Reed a trial. The prosecutor is Majestrix Lilandra herself. Many different people and beings speak at the trial.

Then Reed, Ben, and Johnny are whisked away to the Secret Wars while the Baxter Building guards itself against the Trapster. A visibly pregnant Susan is trying to keep busy while waiting for the rest of her family to return. However, the returning members of FF are Reed, Johnny, and the She-Hulk. Susan suffers a radiation attack and is taken to a hospital while Reed wants to consult the foremost expert in radiation: Dr. Otto Octavius also known as Dr. Octopus.

I remember being very impressed with these stories when I first read them in 1988. In the first part, Dr Doom says that he considers Susan to be the most dangerous member of the FF. Of course, practically the only thing that restricts the use of the force fields seems to be the writer’s imagination so I tend to agree with Doom in this.

The trial-part is still entertaining enough but I’m more dubious about it today. I definitely enjoyed how the pregnant Susan didn’t take any crap from the boys who tried to quickly leave her out but instead declared herself the current leader of FF and went right back into action. However, I find the whole idea that the Marvel universe has a “destiny” to be pretty cheesy. It’s also, of course, just a way of saying that the ends (the destiny) justify the means (the suffering of countless beings) which I don’t really care for. I was also baffled by the comments about Lilandra. She wants to relieve the suffering of others and this is now considered… arrogant and evil?

Byrne also put himself into the trial issues as the Chronicler of FF. I found this to be rather cheesy as well. On the other hand, it brought a little comic relief to otherwise rather tense story.

Baxter Building vs. the Trapster is great fun!

I loved She-Hulk in FF! She’s fun and easygoing and broke up the status quo nicely. I also liked her romance with Wyatt a lot.

The last storyline’s end was tragic and poignant in the middle of all the superhero action.

Overall: a great trade!

A couple of Cybils Award Nominees

2009-10-24T06:16:00.004-04:00

I have a couple of reviews of elementary/middle grade graphic novels which are Cybils nominees that I have read recently read. I am a Round 1 panelist this year for the Graphic Novels category.

#188. Perseus and Medusa by Blake A. Hoena, illustrated by Daniel Perez, 2009, 63 pgs - This retelling of the famous Greek myth is quite complete in its details including parts of the story not always included in children's versions such as the Gorgons which frequently get dropped. But I was most impressed with the inclusion of the sidestory of Perseus's return journey home including his saving of Andromeda before he returns to court with the head of Medusa. A very true retelling, keeping it suitable for children. There is a bit of violence, Medusa does get her head chopped off after all, and with that a few drops of blood are shown here and there over a few pages. Nothing I wouldn't deem suitable for an 8yo of my own. The illustrations are gorgeous! I always say this when I review a Stone Arch book but they always use top-notch artists for their books. Perez has worked for Marvel and Dark Horse comics and his illustrations beautifully bring the story alive. A must read for mythology fans! 5/5

#189. Fashion Kitty and the Unlikely Hero by Charise Mericle Harper, 2008, 106 pgs. - Kiki the cat is a super hero. Whenever there is a fashion disaster she turns into Fashion Kitty, has the ability to fly and can fix any fashion blunder. Her school changes policy and everyone must start wearing uniforms, what a tragedy! But is it? Fashion Kitty doesn't receive any calls. There is something bigger afoot here and maybe you don't have to be a super hero to be a hero. This was a cute little girly-girl story that I'm sure the intended audience will love. It pretty much reads like a cartoon show episode with a few good lessons thrown in. The artwork is simplistic, drawn with the basic shapes. It is the type that children will be able to sit down and copy their favourite characters and in fact there is a Fashion Kitty drawing lesson at the back of the book. The book is mostly what I call fluff, cute fluff though, and little girls with a flare for fashion will certainly enjoy Fashion Kitty. 3/5

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Wonderland

2009-10-20T05:54:00.003-04:00

Wonderland by Tommy Kovac. illustrated by Sonny Liew

Pages: 160
Ages: 13+
First Published: Mar. 17, 2009
Genre: ya, children, fantasy
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Mary Ann ...

Reason for Reading: Cybils Award nominee. I've also been meaning to read this since I first heard about it.

Summary: The book is set in Wonderland sometime not too long after Alice has left. Here we meet Mary Ann, the girl whom the White Rabbit mistakes Alice for when she first arrives. We find out Mary Ann is the White Rabbit's maid and follow her through an adventurous day where she uncovers the fiendish doings of the Queen of Hearts.

Comments: While the book does have its plot running through, I found the main focus to be on the characters. Kovac explores Wonderland and its famous inhabitants such as the Queen of Hearts and the Cheshire Cat in such great detail and in a more up close and personal way than the original book provides. It is great fun watching these characters come to life in this way. (Though I do question why Jabberwocky and Tweedledee & dum from Through the Looking-glass have been placed in Wonderland.) Kovac has done a magnificent job of keeping the essence of Carroll's witty, off-the-wall sense of humour. Sonny Liew's illustrations are wonderful and wacky; based on the Disney images (since this book is published by Disney Press) they are instantly recognizable yet he changes them enough to take away the cuteness and there is actually an aura of creepiness to this Wonderland.

To thoroughly enjoy the book, one must know the original Alice in Wonderland story as many references are made to it and it's assumed you know who all these characters are. I don't think reading the original book is necessary, any version or the Disney movie would suffice. I'm not really sure why the book is recommended for ages 13+; my only guess would be the maturity to fully comprehend the humour and the underlying tones.

I really enjoyed the story. It was a quick afternoon read. The eventual ending for Mary Ann is quite unnerving. I've never been a fan of the Cheshire Cat and to see his true colours (in my mind) brought to life so well was a delight ... and slightly eerie. This is a book that just pulling it off the shelf and looking through it is going to make you want to take it home with you. I say it's worth it. I suggest the book would make a great gift for a young teen or tween girl who already knows the Alice in Wonderland story.

Nicola

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight: Wolves at the Gate

2009-10-19T16:17:00.001-04:00

By Goddard, Jeanty, Owens, Whedon

Collects Buffy Season Eight #11-15

This is my 18th review and so I've now achieved my Masters!

Finally, I have the third Buffy-collection in my hot little hands!

Xander: “It’s always complicated with girls. That’s why I need a man.”
Buffy: “That would be nice...”
Xander: “I mean a guy. Not a man, but a guy, for the guy bonding.”
Buffy: “Well, Andrew...”
Xander: “Do you really intend to finish that sentence?”

In the first story, “A Beautiful Sunset” the gang is still in the Scottish castle and the story deals with on-going storylines and relationships. The second story is the rest of the trade and deals with newcomer vampires who are Japanese and have a new bag of tricks.

In the first story, we find out who was the girl woke Buffy from the sleeping spell with a kiss, in the previous trade. She and Buffy seem to come an amicable understanding but things aren’t, of course, that easy. Also, a mystery man, who at least seems to be the man behind the whole Twilight –thing, attacks Buffy, flaunts his powers, and sows seeds of uncertainty to her mind.

There’s also a brief mention of a Slayer gone rogue and I presume she will be dealt with in upcoming issues. Buffy and Xander wax philosophic over how all the other Slayers have bonded together but as the leader Buffy must remain outside that connection. A very good issue.

Wolves at the Gate –story deals with a gang of Japanese vampires who have many more powers than usual vampires: the ability to turn to mist, wolves, bats, panthers… They attack the castle and steal Buffy’s scythe. There only one other vampire in the Buffyverse who also has these traditional vampire powers and so they turn to him for help: Dracula.

It turns out that Dracula and Xander have a kind of friendship and they have been keeping in touch over the years. So, Xander is the one who is sent to ask Dracula what he knows about the new vampires. Naturally, the Buffy gang has to go after the scythe into Japan and all kinds of wackiness ensue.

There are some on-going relationship stuff in this arc but otherwise it focuses on the new vampires so to me, it feels a bit unconnected from the rest of the story. (Which is ironic considering the first story’s point.)

I was quite surprised to find out that Xander had been keeping in touch with Dracula. After all, in that the end of the episode Xander was pretty frustrated about being everyone’s butt monkey. But their weird relationship is funny. Xander calling Dracula “master” and Dracula calling Xander “manservant”. Dracula was written very comically here and he almost reminds me of House because he throws around racial slurs a lot. He calls Renee Xander’s moor, for example. In the end, Dracula and the Slayers end up working together in Japan.

It did seem more than a bit weird to me that the Slayers did let Dracula off very easily. He is, after all, a many times multiple murderer, which he freely admits.

Willow is back but she’s shown very little and I miss Giles. I’d also like to know more about the Slayers. Now they are pretty much just a faceless mass following Buffy’s orders in fight scenes.

I didn’t really care for the ending of the trade. Too many things were just tied up neatly instead of continuing with them.

Overall: not quite as good as the previous trades but still very funny and entertaining.

A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge

2009-10-13T06:39:00.003-04:00

A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld

Pages: 193
First Published: Aug 2009
Genre: nonfiction, graphic novel, biographical, current events, history
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

Monday, August 22, 2005.

Reason for Reading: Cybil Awards nominee.

Summary: Follows the lives of seven individuals before, during and after Hurricane Katrina. Each of these people come from different walks of life giving very different experiences as they share the same devastation of a natural disaster.

Comments: The book is quite powerful, especially the beginning and middle. The coming of the storm is handled very dramatically with wordless panels and was my favourite part of the book. The story is told chronologically and flips between the seven people (5, technically as 2 are in pairs) this is a little confusing at first but once you get into the book the reader gets into the rhythm. Not all of the characters stay behind and while all characters are followed, inevitably those who stay are the ones with the most character development. I easily read the book in an afternoon and enjoyed the powerful firsthand view of survivors. Being Canadian this is actually the first book I've read on the topic.

There were a few things I didn't like. Though the book is a firsthand account and not political, per se, it obviously has a slant that is noticeable very early on with an anti-Bush graffiti on a bathroom stall on page 26 and a very stilted, unnatural (not necessarily logical, imho) conversation near the end of the book (pg. 147/148) between two of the characters listening to a talk radio viewer questioning why so many people stayed behind. The inclusion of these two bits unobtrusively add a political slant. Secondly, there is one character who uses very foul language every time she opens her mouth, including the f-word. Her story is probably one of the most compelling but it was hard to get past the obscenities. These, though, are minor irritants to this reader and may not bother others at all. The book is certainly worth a read.

As to the book's nomination for a Cybil, I'm going to have to say it does not, imho, qualify as having "kid appeal". The book is written for an adult audience. There is one character who is a high school student, but he is the least significant character in the book and has little page time compared to the others. The story of his parents is more interesting than his own actually. I don't think the stories of this group of adults are going to appeal to young teens and there is the problem with the foul language. The book would appeal to 17/18yos, but in my mind once you reach 17yo you are usually reading adult books anyway, making that a moot point.

Nicola

Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne: vol. 2

2009-10-12T15:31:00.000-04:00

By John Byrne

Collects Fantastic Four #241-250.

This is another classic collection: the FF and Avengers against Galactus, the FF teaming up with Dr. Doom against Zorba, the monarch of Latveria, and the FF versus Gladiator.

The first issue, “Render unto Caesar”, was a pretty weird one. There’s a powerful energy source in Africa near Wakanda and so the SHIELD sends the FF to investigate. After a meeting with the Black Panther, the FF continues their journey on foot until a group of Africans takes them captive. The Africans are mute and dressed like Roman soldiers.

Once again the FF win by using their brains more than brawn, which is always nice.

The next three issues are the classic Galactus story: in the first one, Terrax, the former Herald, battles the FF and then raises the whole of Manhattan up to space. He uses the city as hostage and tries to blackmail the FF into destroying Galactus. However, when they break into Galactus’ ship, they talk with him instead. Galactus is very low on energy and that’s why Terrax thinks that the FF can destroy him now. Of course, Galactus is still immensely powerful and takes way Terrax’s powers. Then, he needs to feed and the only suitable planet near enough is Earth. The FF and some of the Avengers have to fight him.

This is a truly classic arch and I’m amazed that it took Byrne only three issues to get all the way to Frankie Ray’s destiny. I’m also amused by the fact that Byrne is apparently an ElfQuest fan. The short theater scene is straight out of the early issues.

The next story is “Childhood’s End” where Susan is being interviewed in TV when a mysterious man attacks the other FF. This issue deals with Franklin’s powers, as well.

I’m always of a two minds when journalists are shown in comics. It’s realistic, of course, but because the FF would be (if they were real) A-list celebrities so they should be practically hounded by paparazzis all the time. So, it feels like they aren’t spotlighted enough. So, either the journalists should be ignored or the FF should be constantly showered with media attention the same way that real life celebrities are. Of course, it could become tedious quickly, so maybe these infrequent journalists are better. After all, they have other superfolk to chase after and maybe all of them aren’t as suicidal as the worst cases in comics are shown.

The next two issues are Doom-centered and some of my personal favorites: “Too Many Dooms” and “This land is mine!” Doom is always entertaining and here we see another side of him: the monarch who loves his country.

The FF take Doom’s body to the Latverian embassy. However, another Doom is already at the embassy instructing the ambassador to lure the FF into a trap. Then each of the FF members has to fight a Doombot on their own. While they are fighting, the other bots restore Doom’s mind to his real body. When the bots are defeated, the real Doom shows himself and shows the FF what their earlier meddling has caused. Under the rightful king Zorba, Latveria has succumbed to poverty and crime and only Doom can save his beloved country!

There are a lot of things going on here. First of course, there’s Doom and his love of his country and how Byrne subverts the whole “rightful king” trope; the rightful king is actually bad for the country and the usurper (Doom) has to save Latveria. Then the FF has to doubt their previous actions: could Doom be a good king after all? Finally, I love it when sworn enemies are forced to work together like the FF and Doom in this story.

The next issue is another weird science fiction one-off: “Nightmare”. The FF have been invited to Attilan for Crystal’s and Quicksilver’s daughter’s naming day (and a huge thanks for not calling it ‘christening’ by the way and for not giving the girl godparents when the real parents aren’t, you know, Christian…). Suddenly, there’s a disruption when a huge space ship tractors the whole Moon into the ship. Things get rapidly weirder.

The rest of the trade is a big fight: the FF vs. Gladiator from the Shi’Ar Imperial Guard vs. X-Men vs. Spider-Man and Captain America. Generally, I’m not a huge fan of mindless fisticuffs (but I’m not against them, as such, either or I wouldn’t be reading superhero comics in the first place) but this one I liked. Of course, I’m a fan of Gladiator.

I’ve always found Gladiator to be a fascinating character. He’s very powerful and honorable but honorable in his own way; he’s almost like a Shi’Ar Superman but one who is loyal to the throne and whoever is currently sitting on it rather than to a person. This is, technically, how it should be in democratic nations; the people should obey the office (president, prime minister, mayor…) instead of the person. Yet, at least in fiction this is still rarely the case and so, Gladiator is the exception rather than the rule. The irony is, of course, that Shi’Ar isn’t a democracy but a monarchy.

Overall: many enjoyable stories here.

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook

2009-10-11T05:21:00.003-04:00

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis

Pages: 154
Ages: 9+
First Published: Sep. 1, 2009
Genre: graphic novel, children, adventure
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

I made a working model of the Wright Brothers' Flyer for my history project!

Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee. I also read and enjoyed Davis' first children's graphic novel, Stinky.

Summary: Every day Julian Calendar is teased at school for being nerdy and smart. Then one day his family tells him they are moving and Julian is delighted; he can start all over again. His first day at the new junior high he pretends to be everything he is not but it's not that easy and he slips up in class and let's his brains show. He is secretly contacted by two fellow brainiac inventors and they become fast friends working on inventions every spare minute they have. But it's time for them to form an alliance when a dastardly scientist steals their schematics plan book and hatches a devious plot. Can they stop him in time using only their wits and inventions?

Comments: I wasn't overly crazy about this book, which ends on a note that feels as if it may be the first in a series featuring the Secret Science Alliance (SSA, for short). The plot and the story were actually quite good, a little slow to get going, but once it did I really enjoyed it. The pacing was very well-timed with the tension slowly mounting throughout the story until the ending became very quick and fast paced. The three kids are also very real characters each with their own flaws and as a group they compliment each other and show positive teamwork in action.

My problem is with the graphic aspect of the book. It is too fussy. There is too much going on, too much text, too many graphics. There are diagrams with arrows pointing here and there and zooming in for close ups with text labels naming all the technical parts of the inventions and surroundings. There are pages of the science notebook shown randomly in scenes written on notebook paper which reminded me of the old Magic School Bus books. Same with the graphics; there are frames within frames and each layout is very crowded. To me the graphic design gets in the way of rather than enhancing or becoming one with the story. I prefer Eleanor Davis's first book, Stinky, which won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award.

Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne: vol. 3

2009-10-06T14:12:00.000-04:00

By John Byrne

Collects Fantastic Four #251-257 and Annual #17, Avengers #233, and Thing #2.

Fantastic Four in the Negative Zone!

I’m sure many readers where wondering what Byrne could do to top the Galactus-story. The answer, of course, is something completely different. In these stories the FF travel in the Negative Zone exploring the (strangely familiar) cultures while at the same time Annihilus is ravaging Baxter Building and is preparing to annihilate two universes.

In the first story the FF leave to the Zone while Alicia stays to baby sit Franklin. However, soon after they have left, Annihilus takes advantage of the portal and arrives to the Baxter Building.

In the second story, the FF arrives and immediately meets a tribe which sacrifices women to a metal building which they believe to be a god. Unsurprisingly, the FF interferes. The whole story has been drawn sideways highlighting the strangeness of the Zone.

Next, the FF encounters a huge generation ship. After a brief fight, they find out that the crew of the ship has been searching for a new home for 500 generations. The rest of their people are in hibernation. The FF decides to help.

The next story takes up three issues and the Avengers tie-in. The FF arrives to another planet and this time Reed wants to do undercover investigating. However, it doesn’t take long for the local overlord to notice the FF. The ruler invites the FF for dinner but it turns out that he’s after Reed’s brain. The result is perhaps one of FFs most strangest adventures.

At the same time, the Avengers and Daredevil have noticed that a large and invisible force field is around the Baxter Building and it is growing. They try to take it down.

Finally, there’s a story about Galactus devouring the Skrull homeworld. His new Herald Nova doesn’t seem to have many human feelings left.

This is a very good continuation of Byrne’s FF run. My only complaint is that the Negative Zone cultures aren’t any different from the modern day USAians.

Otherwise, FF show once again a great mix of scientists and superheroes. They each have their own distinctive personalities and the villains are properly villainous. Also, not everyone they meet are villains

Nemi 1, 2, & 3 - Lise Myhre

2009-10-02T04:54:00.001-04:00

The is a combined rating for all three collections so far published in the UK. LIse the creator of Nemi is Norwegian and her comics are in various newspapers and magazines in Norway, Sweden, the UK etc. Nemi is the little goth girl in all of us. She loves choclate above all things and Tori Amos and alcohol. She spends her days pondering the endless questions of the universe (she is mostly unemployed apart from some baby sittings jobs) and hanging out with her friend Cyan. The best way to get a feel for Nemi is to read her (click to enlarge the images).

She is published in The Metro which is one of the free London papers you see people reading on the tube all the time. My husband is a sweetheart and often brings home ones he has torn out which particuarly remind him of me (like Nemi looking at cars and falling in love with the purple one or having a happiness overdose eating chocoalte and listening to the new Tori Amos album). Metro keep a copy of Nemi in their online archive so if you enjoyed the strips above go here for lots more.

Tori Amos has written the forward to the second collection and I think it's true that a little Nemi lives in all of us. Anyone who doesn't see a part of themselves in her is not someone I want to know!

Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne vol. 1

2009-09-27T14:59:00.001-04:00

By John Byrne

To me, Byrne’s FF is *the* FF. As far as I can tell, almost the whole Byrne run have been published in Finland and it was in full swing when I got into comics. Byrne’s tales with the family-feel of the group combined with the cosmic adventures in space and alternate dimensions are still pretty much the yard stick that I use to measure superhero comics. I guess that’s why I don’t much care for the darker stories. (My other superhero reading in my teens was Claremont’s long run in the X-Men.) I think the first time I read about the FF was when they beat Galactus.

I have read some of the Lee and Kirby stories and they were published here in small black and white paperbacks a few years ago. However, I felt that they had aged badly especially with the blatant sexism aimed at Susan who was pretty much always in need of rescue. Byrne changed that.

This collection gathers the first Byrne issues from FF 232 to FF 240.

In the first story the villain Diablo sends four elementals to battle the FF. At the start of the story, we get a glimpse of the heroes’ ordinary lives: Sue getting a new hair style, Johnny on a date with Frankie Ray, Ben coming from the theater with Alicia, and Reed absorbed in his work. The elementals aren’t terribly hard to beat.

The next story stars Johnny. He gets a letter from an acquaintance who had been recently executed for murder. Even though the man had been a criminal most of his life, he swears that he didn’t do this crime and asks Johnny to investigate. How could he resist?

The next is a more cosmic two-part story. It starts with J. P. “Skip” Collins who lives an ordinary life. However, because he was subjected to an experiment during his days in the military, he has the ability to make everything he really wants to happen. He travels to New York and is there when a disaster hits Earth. The Fantastic Four do their best to help people and find out that the threat comes from space. They will, of course, confront those responsible.

The next story is also a two-parter. It starts with the surreal notion of the all the FF living as ordinary people in Liddleville. They have no idea that they have super powers. However, Johnny, Ben, and Sue are having nightmares about their flight to space and about the cosmic radiation. The town has another not-quite-ordinary resident, too: Philip Masters who is also known as the Puppetmaster.

In the next story Frankie Ray reveals her secret to Johnny. Also, a gang of thieves gives trouble to Reed and Sue because they have a strange member: a blue skinned woman who is three meters tall and able to tear apart a human’s mind just by looking at them. At the end, Reed tries to change Ben back to human. Unfortunately, it does change the Thing but not into a human.

The next issue starts with Reed desperately trying to find out what went wrong while Aunt Petunia visits Ben. However, she’s come to the Baxter Building to get help: people in her small, Arizonan town are apparently dying of fear. But can even the FF beat such strange adversaries?

In the last issue Quicksilver races to the Baxter Building looking for help; the Inhumans are plagued by a mysterious disease. Reed comes to the conclusion that even the Himalayans where their city Attila stands, is now too polluted for the Inhumans to live in. So, the city must be moved.

The last issue especially is a classic one with the Inhumans’ move and the birth of Quicksilver’s and Crystal’s daughter. It's a great start for Byrne's long run.

I really enjoy the family aspect of the FF. Ben as the irritable uncle, Johnny as the carefree youngster, Reed as the know-it-all scientist who has a tendency to put work before family, and Sue as the compassionate glue who keeps the rest together. They work together amazingly well.

The FF usually has some guest stars, as well. Frankie Ray is the guest in most of the trade and I definitely enjoy the Inhumans and the rest of the (supernatural) cast. The villains are also, of course, half of the fun. However, this trade didn’t really have the most impressive villains; Diablo and the Puppetmaster aren’t that great. Dr. Doom made a surprisingly short visit.

Overall: a good trade and the last story alone is worth getting it.

JLA: Divided we fall

2009-09-22T16:33:00.003-04:00

By Mark Waid and a whole host of artists. I love Hitch and Neary’s art and they’re in a fine form here.

The trade has three basic storylines: in the first one an evil Queen from fairy tales emerges to try to take her “rightful” place as the ruler of the world (and the most beautiful woman in the world, as well). Then there’s a brief story about Dr. Destiny and his apparently ability to change reality. Lastly, there’s a longer story where most of the JLA have been divided into their superhuman and civilian identities.

The first story was clearly influenced by fairy tales, especially Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty but some of the others are dealt with as well. An unsuspecting woman reads an old book and so releases the evil Queen to modern Manhattan. She promptly uses her powers to turn the city into a magical forest and also sends her minions to terrorize the citizens. She sees Wonder Woman on the TV and believes that Diana is her ancient enemy – the only woman who is prettier than she.

The JLA arrives quickly and the Queen kidnaps Diana. The rest of the team then tries to rescue her from the glass coffin where she sleeps. At the same time, they are trying to find a way to defeat the Queen. Many of them miss Batman’s skills and the team is starting to divide into two.

The next story is quite short and is more of a staging ground for the start of the next story. The story starts with Superman telling about the case to Batman. He’s trying to convince Batman to return to the team by telling him how fractured the team had become. Dr. Destiny is causing trouble all over the world at the same time. However, the JLA knows that he is trapped in the Dreamstream. The team uses this knowledge to attack Dr Destiny in their dream forms.

The next story starts when Batman finds a group of people from his Batcave: Clark Kent, John Johnson, Bruce Wayne… He calls in the rest of the team. It seems that the "civilian" people are convinced that they are the real JLA and are baffled about why they don't have their powers. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are the only ones without secret identities and they are also the only ones who aren't affected.

Meanwhile, different people’s wishes come true all over the world. But the wishes have all been twisted somehow: a girl wishes a little bit of chocolate and the whole town is turned into chocolate; a homeless man wishes to be noticed and he’s given the power to change reality. The team has their hands full. Diana and Arthur are keeping a close eye on their team mates and they notice that the others are become more impatient and less human.

I really liked this trade. Throughout, the team is struggling to come to grips with Batman's actions and there's even some character growth.

I love the old fairy tales, especially the non-Disney versions of them, and the first story was mostly a real treat. Mostly, because I was a bit frustrated that the Queen's sole motivation was to be the most beautiful in the land. I know it's a classical motivation but still... Diana is so much more than just her looks. But I enjoyed the flying monkeys and the Hansel and Gretel dilemma poor J'onn had. It was also a great touch that J'onn, Arthur, and Diana weren't familiar with the stories (of course, since they hadn't grown up in modern society) while the Kryptonian who grew up in Kansas was.

However, I was somewhat confused by the ending. I don't think that you can just swap an ordinary book for a magical one.

I also loved the third story where we're shown how much the heroes need their more human halves.

Overall: one of the best JLA trades I've read.

WATCHMEN

2009-09-21T13:24:00.002-04:00

WATCHMEN is the graphic novel that completely changed the comic book industry forever. The book is a deconstruction of comics that forces a person to challenge the way they view life and the events that happen in the news. It’s also a great story. However, as good as it is, WATCHMEN isn’t a great piece of literature (though it comes close); there’s just too many comic conventions involved in both the art and story. Therefore, though WATCHMEN isn’t a great piece of literature, it is a great comic. Whatever the case, if you’re a fan of comics at all or have any interest in the history of pop culture, this is one graphic novel that you should definitely read.

SUPERMAN & WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY

2009-09-21T12:40:00.014-04:00

Set in alternative timeline where the Third Reich didn’t lose WWII and Germany and much of Eastern Europe is still under control of the Nazi regime against a backdrop that the gods, goddesses, and monsters of mythology are actually real and have returned to meddle in human affairs, the four-part SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY is one of the worst Elseworld stories I have ever read. Most Elseworld stories are kind of hooky, but charming with about as much substance as a dime-store novel. There have been a few Elseworld stories that are quite spectacular, e.g. RED SON. However, sometimes there’s an Elseworld story that attempts to be monumental but is in really just trash, such as SUPERMAN: AT EARTH’S END. SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY is another.

The basic plotline begins with an elderly Lois Lane is having nightmares about Superman going around the world and joyfully killing people. She confides in her BFF, Lana Lang. Meanwhile, Superman is living in semi-exile in his Fortress of Solitude on the moon. Old Supes discovered the hidden remains of the Holocaust a few years ago and went postal. He’s been banned from even the airspace of the Third Reich with a promise that his very appearance will be seen as a declaration of war from the U.S. Anyway, Lana Lang gets kidnapped and starts having some dreams that are even more bizarre than Lois’. Lois and Clark fly to Germany to discover what happened to their mutual friend, but along the way their plane is attacked by harpies. Yes, harpies. Superman rescues the plane, but when it lands Lois and Clark are taken into custody. They meet with one of the leaders of the Reich, Adonis. Readers eventually find out that the Greek gods of mythology have tired of staying out of human affairs and want to be important again and similar to the tragedy that was the Trojan War, they’ve decided to start a conflict. The stakes are high. Superman is bewitched by Circe and turned into a centaur; Lana Lang is given the power of the Oracle of Delphi and turns young; and when one of the Greek goddesses dies after a battle with the German army, she bestows all of her powers to Lois who becomes a new Wonder Woman. The original Wonder Woman has betrayed her brethren of Paradise Island and has joined the Nazis. That’s only the first half of the story.

I read SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY because the basic premise of Superman and Wonder Woman fighting incarnations of the Greek gods was one I found interesting. However, I was appalled by the storyline in which the premise is delivered. The characterization of Superman is completely off with the Man of Steel behaving more like a troubled teenager than the hero he is. Then there’s the whole concept of the Third Reich still existing. Anytime a comic book has to fall back on a Third Reich that somehow won WWII and wasn’t defeated, you know the story is going to be bad. In fact, the only real reason I can see that this entire plot was brought about was so that Lois Lane, Lana Lang, and Superman could end up in a menage a trios.

This series was written by legendary Marvel writer Chris Claremont. Claremont wrote some amazing stories for Marvel and the X-MEN, but he apparently didn’t know much about the DC universe. SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY is the second worst Superman story I have ever read, beaten out only by SUPERMAN: AT EARTH’S END.

The only reason I can offer for reading this book is for the eerie prediction of Sept. 11^th from Superman’s typewriter and Lois Lane’s nightmare in the first book of the series. Other than that curious trivia, there’s no reason to waste your time reading, let alone buying this comic book story.

Recon Academy Graphic Novels for Kids

2009-09-19T07:10:00.003-04:00

Recon Academy: Shadow Cell Scam by Chris Everheart, illustrated by Arcana Studio, 2009, 59 pgs, RL: 1.7 - Each member of the Recon Academy has been sold a fantastic new laptop but soon they discover they are ticking bombs. At the same time the Navy is launching a secret spy satellite nearby and the team has been too busy to provide any security but now they rush to save themselves and the satellite from the Shadow Cell. This book features on the lone female in the four member group, Emmi, whose special skill is martial arts. Very intricate, exciting story with an involved plot which is suitable for the publisher's recommended ages 8-13. The artwork is well done and reminiscent of what one finds in cartoon shows of this nature. The book is much harder to read than the 1.7 RL would have you believe with such phrases as "they're only prototypes", "time to decrypt their code" and "heat detection monitor". With my son's reading level we had to do shared reading, with me reading the harder words but the story was definitely a hit with him. He wants to read all four books. Fortunately we have one more at home, then we'll be off to the library!

Recon Academy: Nuclear Distraction by Chris Everheart, illustrated by Arcana Studio, 2009, 55 pgs, RL: 1.9 - This book features Hazmat whose special skill is forensics but as we start off he participating in a karate tournament which Emmi has been training him for. They soon receive a call that there has been a security breach at a nearby nuclear power plant. The four member group is on their way and who do they find on the scene but the Shadow Cell. Here they are all put to the test, but Hazmat is put front and centre as he rushes straight into the danger alone where he uses his forensic skills, new found karate moves, faces close death and ends up with a date. A very exciting installment in the series. My son is anxious to read the other two books in the series. Once again though the book is much harder to read than the 1.9 RL would have you believe and with my son's reading level we had to do shared reading, with me also reading the harder words. I enjoyed the way the 'date' was handled. My son is 9 so this idea creeped him out. While the one boy with the date smooth talks about his upcoming evening there is an opposing character who "oh brother's" him all the time adding a comic relief for kids who are younger. This series is very suitable for a wide range of ages and would be perfect for older struggling readers. I'd recommend this right up to Grade 6.

Nicola

A.D. New Orleans After th Deluge by Josh Neufeld

2009-09-15T20:23:00.002-04:00

A.D. New Orleans After The Deluge by Josh Neufeld
Pantheon Books, New York, 2009

A harrowing depiction of what it was like to live through the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath of that devastating event. Neufeld focuses on six very different people and their experiences before, during and after the storm.

Shortly after the hurricane Neufeld spent time as a volunteer with the Red Cross in Biloxi, Mississippi. The blog entries he kept about that experience turned into a self-published book, which then morphed into A.D. I would suggest that anyone who enjoys this book find and watch When the Levees Broke, a HBO documentary film made by Spike Lee. It will blow you away.

JLA: Tower of Babel

2009-09-15T14:51:00.000-04:00

The majority of the stories in the trade center on Ra’s Al Ghul’s attack against the JLA. This is one of my favorite JLA trades.

The trade starts with an almost Silver Age-type weird one-short. The Atom is helping doctors to perform eye surgery on a young man and finds that the infection is actually a colony of intelligent bacteria inside the boy’s brain. He enlists the help of the JLA so that they can try to persuade the aliens to move. The JLA shrinks down and travels to the boy’s brain. Wackiness ensues. Written by Dan Curtis Johnson and drawn by Pajarillo.

I was a bit disappointed who very conservative the bacteria were. So, they look like bugs but their civilization is almost a straight copy of our own. Otherwise, it’s entertaining and the three last panels are especially weird.

Then, the Tower of Babel starts with a bang when the Batman arrives to his parents’ grave only to find out that their bodies have been stolen. Then J’onn experiences a weird attack. Later, Flash and Wonder Woman are trying to extinguish a wild fire and find out, to their horror, that the flaming man in the middle of the forest is J’onn. They take him to the Watchtower and try to help him. Apparently, J’onn skin is covered with nanites that turn trace elements of his skin to magnesium and so, ignite his skin whenever his in contact with air. The JLA has no choice but to put him into a water tank.

Then the Aquaman and the Plastic Man are attacked in the middle of a peace conference. The Plastic Man is frozen and then shattered. The Aquaman is subjected to gas that makes him mortally afraid of water. The Green Lantern woke up blind. The JLA is in disarray and the attacks against them only continue.

Alas, the rest of the world isn’t in much better shape: it appears that people can no longer read. People are in panicking.

Meanwhile, Batman is following the trail of Ra’s who took his parents’ bodies. When Batman finds Ra’s hideout, Ra’s offers to bring the Wayne’s back to life through the Lazarus Pit. As always, Ra’s goal is to pare down humanity to a manageable size so that the planet and nature can continue to exist.

The story is fast-paced and full of surprises. Perhaps the JLA manages to overcome their problems a little too easily but otherwise the story is very entertaining. There’s even character development!

There was a nice moment between Flash and Wonder Woman when they had a friendly race and the voting at the end was true to each character. I found the issue with Talia as the narrator to be well done and interesting. The short scenes between Batman and the other character were nice but perhaps a bit too late. There should have been more in the previous issues so that the final revelation would have had more sting.

The epilogue consists of three shorter stories. One is about how Batman’s actions hurt the people around him. In the second story Batman is investigating a murder and all of his clues point towards… Superman. The third features Diana and Aquaman, and I felt it was very much out of character.

Overall: Excitement, betrayal, angst, loss… very nice!

JLA: World War III

2009-09-08T17:21:00.001-04:00

By Morrison, DeMatteis, Porter, Pajarillo
Collects JLA 34-41

This is my 12th review so I've now reached the Major level!

The trade contains one issue about a superhuman prison riot, one issue about Hal Jordan angsting about being the Spectre, and the rest is devoted to the World War III storyline.

I tend to like long storylines better and this is no exception. It’s not quite as good as Rock of Ages but it certainly has more characters and no time-hopping so I can fully understand why some people like WWIII more.

In the first story, the super powered inmates at Belle Reve are rioting. Aquaman, the Green Lantern, Plastic Man and Zauriel have been sent to contain the situation but things are going worse quickly. Lantern loses his ring during a fist fight, and the inmates are killing wardens. Meanwhile, Orion and Mister Miracle tell the rest of the team that the big threat, Mageddon, has arrived.

After the Hal Jordan-issue, the WWIII continues. Luthor has again gathered up his Injustice gang but the lineup is very different this time: Prometheus, the Queen Bee (who, despite how she’s drawn isn’t, you know, a mammal at all…), and the General in the body of the indestructible Shaggy Man. JLA, Orion, and Mister Miracle are in a war council about Mageddon, which is a weapon of the Old Gods and its nearness can first cause evil people to become violent, and later practically everyone to turn against each other. This is already seen on Earth where military budgets are rising and numerous countries are threatening to go to war against each other. In the middle of all this, the Injustice Gang invades the Watchtower.

Meanwhile Metron, Wonder Woman, and Big Barda are travelling to Wonderworld which was last seen in the Rock of Ages. They are trying to find allies again Mageddon. Unfortunately, Mageddon managed to turn the powerful heroes of that world against each other and almost everyone has died. The trio returns to Earth only to see how badly people have been affected there, too.

There are lots of things happening in the story and again the JLA has to break up to teams in order to deal with all of the crisis: stop the world leaders from bombing each other (and the Earth) to oblivion, to stop Mageddon, and to deal with the super villains. JLA also asks the help of every available super hero. In fact, there’s almost too much going on and no storyline gets the most time.

There are a lot of fights in the trade but surprisingly, there’s even a little character development and very nice way to show the trust and friendship that is between Superman and Batman (which is ironic, of course, considering that the next trade is Tower of Babel. But with a different writer).

There are also nice little scenes like the one between Batman, Huntress, and Prometheus in Prometheus’ tower, and in Heaven when Zauriel is asking for help from his fellow angels and, of course, the way that that help is given. I also quite enjoyed Prometheus vs. Batman round 2.

Overall it’s a nice, long fight against deadly, cosmic level enemies. Not, perhaps, JLA at it’s very best but quite close.

LAST SON OF EARTH PARTS 1 & 2

2009-09-05T21:15:00.003-04:00

In Part I of this Elseworld’s story, the origins of Superman are reversed. Instead of being sent from Krypton to Earth before the planet’s destruction, baby Clark Kent is sent by his scientist and engineer father, Jonathan Kent, into space as the last remnant of humanity before the Earth is destroyed by a meteor. The young baby is discovered and adopted by Jor-El. The human baby is similar to Kryptonians, but his structure is quite frail and he has to live in a bubble and as he grows a special suit is developed for him so that his body can withstand the immense gravity of the planet. Towards the end of the story, the tale takes on an evening more interesting turn as Kal-El (Jonathan Kent’s son) discovers a green power ring and becomes a Green Lantern. Using his newfound power he is able to stop the destruction of Krypton. Part I ends on a kind of cliffhanger with Kal-El having dreams that are actually his memories and he confronts his father, Jor-El about his past.

The story concludes in Part II. Kal-El comes to Oa for training and to learn how to use his ring to unlock his unconscious memories. Upon learning the fate of his birth planet, Kal-El travels to Earth. Most of the planet has been destroyed by the giant meteor. However, though billions perished, there are millions that have survived and the largest city on the planet is now Metropolis. Lex Luthor has brought law and order to Metropolis, but any who oppose him are eliminated. There is a resistance against Luthor and Kal-El joins their forces. In coming to Earth, Kal-El has disobeyed the command of the Guardians. Earth already has a Green Lantern. Kal-El is torn because he doesn’t believe the Earth’s Green Lantern is doing enough, so he is faced with the choice of remaining on Earth and helping to rebuild that world, but giving up his position as a Green Lantern or return to Krypton as their Green Lantern and leave the people of Earth, the place where he is from.

I enjoyed SUPERMAN: LAST SON OF EARTH PART I. It’s interesting how this story imagined the origins of Superman and combined it with Green Lantern’s origins. The art work is also visually appealing. The graphics are just as stimulating, but PART II isn’t as enjoyable as PART I. There was too much about the plotline that’s too convenient. For instance, Metropolis is the only major city left on Earth. Things could have been far more interesting if there was another city that had survived or if the city to have survived was another rather than Metropolis. For example, what if Gotham City was the only major city in America to have survived, but Bruce Wayne was dead and Gotham was controlled by Batman?

JLA/Avengers

2009-09-04T16:40:00.000-04:00

By Kurt Busiek and George Pérez

This is eye candy to Avengers and JLA fans. Busiek manages to include every member of both teams at least once. The story is as silly as they usually are in these cross-overs.

The being Krona (a blue-skinned man) is seeking truth about the birth of the omniverse itself and he doesn’t care how many universes he destroys during his quest. His probes are already sending beings from DC universe to Marvel and vice versa. The JLA are fighting Terminus while the Avengers battle Starro.

The Grandmaster intercepts Krona and proposes a game: the Grandmaster will tell Krona who is the one being in the Marvel universe who has lived through the birth of the universe if Krona’s champions win. If Krona’s champions win, he will not destroy the Marvel universe. The champions are, of course, the Avengers and the JLA. Metron tells the Avengers that there are six objects from their world which are scattered throughout the DC universe and the Avengers must retrieve them. The Grandmaster tells the JLA the same thing.

During the scavenger hunt, the teams get glimpses of each other’s world. Superman believes that the other world is in such grim place because its heroes haven’t done enough. Captain America is convinced that the JLA forces people to worship them. Of course, this leads up to big confrontation between the teams.

The story isn’t as cheesy as it could have been, though, and I rather enjoyed the sequences that show what it could have been like if the teams had had frequent contact during the years. Most of the time, it’s pretty pure eye candy.

Four Pictures by Emily Carr by Nicolas Debon

2009-08-28T15:22:00.003-04:00

Four Pictures By Emily Carr

By Nicolas Debon

A Groundwood Book,

Toronto and Berkeley, 2007

A beautiful graphic biography, aimed at readers 8 and up, about one of my favorite artists, Emily Carr. Nicolas Debon traces Carr's life through her paintings. The drawings and text lovingly depict the artist, the places and times she lived in.

Emily Carr was an extraordinarily gifted artist and she is all the more remarkable for being one of the very few women painters of her time. In the face of many challenges she pursued her own vision, basing her work on her great sense of curiosity and respect for the world surrounding her rather than on what was fashionable among artists of the period. From Nicolas Debon's introduction.

Choosing four paintings done at different times in Carr's life Debon draws four brief chapters that illustrate Emily's determination and character. He even uses bits of her paintings as background and places her within them. Four Pictures is a beautiful use of the graphic medium and an affectionate tribute to a strong and gifted artist.

JLA: Justice for all

2009-08-26T07:17:00.003-04:00

By Morrison, Porter, Pajarillo, Millar

This trade collects JLA 24-33, about a year's worth of stories. To me, this is a fairly average collection; nothing spectacular but not bad, either.

First there is the story about the Ultramarine Corps where some of the military bigwigs have become distrustful of JLA and they want their own super humans. Of course, that story never ends well unless it's the origin story of the main team of the book. Then JLA gets a hot tip from T. O. Morrow that Professor Ivo is going to use Amazo to break himself out of prison. Then JLA and JSA team up against the threat of genies from the fifth dimension fighting each other on Earth. At the same time a forgotten founding member of JLA is getting his revenge. Finally, there’s a two-part tie-in to Batman's No-Man's Land story.

The first story is perhaps the most average of them. Someone steals the Shaggy Man from the undersea containment where JLA has placed him. At the same time General Eiling is introducing a new, military-controlled super force of four super powered soldiers who will be USA’s own line of defense. Eiling also implies that he doesn’t trust JLA. A bit later, JLA is lured into a trap where the super soldiers and the army attack JLA. Meanwhile, Batman and Huntress are investigating the disappearance of the Shaggy Man. There’s also foreshadowning when the Source warns the New Gods that Maggedon is coming.

The first story felt more like a Marvel story than DC. To me, one of the biggest differences between the two universes is how the general public sees super heroes. In Marvel, it’s ridiculously easy to turn the public opinion against any super group. X-Men are already reviled but Avengers have also suffered their share of mistrust. Perhaps the Fantastic Four are the least mistrusted super heroes in Marvel universe and even they have had their times. However, JLA and JSA have pretty much always enjoyed the trust of the people, Superman especially. In this story, there’s a scene where the normal army is attacking JLA! To me this feel likes the army attacking the police. Not bloody likely. However, some of the soldiers resist the attack order and after Superman talks to them, they pretty much cave in. So, not a complete Marvel-moment.

I was intrigued by the city-state Superbia and the implications it had, but apparently it was destroyed quickly in a later story. Bummer.

The two-issue story about Amazo was pretty much a long fight with lots of brief guests, including the Atom.

The JLA and JSA team-up was the longest story and I liked it the most. The 5th dimensional beings are always entertaining although they tend to be so powerful that the endings are usually cheesy but this ending was a bit better than most. Here we have a man who used to be one of the JLA’s founding members: Triumph. However, he was lost in time and nobody remembers him. He’s bitter about that. He managed to get his hands on the 5th dimensional imp Lkz who gives him his powers back. Then he sends Lkz on a rampage at Central City so that he can save the city when things are most desperate. When JLA is on Earth fighting the genie, he walks into the Moon base with two mind-controlled JLA members Gypsy and Ray.

However, a kid named Jakeem Thunder also possesses one of the genies. He doesn’t understand the being and is reluctant to use him, though. Jakeem lives in Central City and soon the very powerful genies are tearing the city apart in their fighting. Meanwhile Captain Marvel is searching for a way to stop the genies. Zauriel knows that the Spectre has been imprisoned and he and Sentinel are trying to free the Spectre.

The story has a lot of different plotlines which I enjoyed. The Spectre plot gave a nice moral dilemma to the characters.

Again, the JLA had only one female member and this time it was Huntress. I like Huntress and think that she worked very well in Birds of Prey. However, I fear that here she’s badly outclassed. Since Batman wasn’t in this story, Huntress was the only member without powers at all. JSA had Hippolyta who was also the token female character in that team.

The last two-parted was also a pretty weak effort. I haven't read No Man's Land but I've heard of it. This story felt like an excuse to readers who were wondering why JLA wasn’t doing anything. Batman should have been resentful about that.

BATMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER?

2009-08-23T20:04:00.004-04:00

Over two decades ago, when DC was preparing the end the original run of Superman comics and re-launch the series beginning with a new #1 issue, legendary comic writer Alan Moore was approached to write the “wrap-up” of the series. That two-part comic, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW? has become one of the most well-loved and well-known Superman comics ever published. Though considered by many as non-canonical, that story did bring an end to the Silver Age of Superman, much to the chagrin of comic fans around the world. Now fast forward two decades. Instead of Superman, DC decided to “kill” it’s other tent pole superhero, Batman. Seeming to have died towards the end of the “Final Crisis” series, DC approached Neil Gaiman to write a story to sum up the life and legend of Batman. Using Moore’s famous story as inspiration, Gaiman wrote BATMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER?

Now, I have to admit, I never liked Batman as much as I liked Superman and the Green Lantern. For many, Batman is a character they love because Gotham City is more like the real world than Metropolis and Batman is just an ordinary human with no super abilities. It’s for those very reasons, that I like Batman a little less that the Man of Steel or Hal Jordan. Superheroes should be super. That’s what makes them different. Still, even though he’s not my favorite, I still like Batman and do find him the most relatable of the major DC heroes. In WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER? Bruce Wayne cannot be seen by people, but it becomes clear to him he is at his own funeral. Friends, comrades, and enemies all appear for the service. One by one they get up to tell their own stories about Batman & Bruce Wayne. None of the stories are the same. It’s not possible for most of these stories to be true. In fact, problem none of them actually happen. Yet, each of them provides a glimpse into the Caped Crusader and how he was viewed by allies, foes, and readers alike through a long and storied history.

For Batman fans, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER? is a love letter. It’s filled with allusions to famous Batman battles, minor villains, and other Batman minutia that Batman fans or other comic book geeks will enjoy discovering. The artwork by Andy Kubert is gorgeous. It captures the essence of Batman; the shadowing of a dark and dreary world ripped from crime stories and film noir, yet touched and lighted by the elegance of the glow like that from the screen of an old cinema showing a classic Hollywood movie. It is danger seeped in nostalgia, longing, and lost innocence.

Despite the original idea and the beautiful artwork, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER? is not a story that will appeal to many people. It’s very much tied into what is currently happening in the DC universe, e.g. the events of FINAL CRISIS and the current BLACKEST NIGHT storyline. Therefore, those who just have a general knowledge of Batman and the DC universe might be confused. Also, the story has a rather ambiguous ending. No one is for sure what is going to happen with Batman, but unlike the Silver Age Superman stories that came to an end with WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW?, WHATEVE HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER? is not the final Batman story.

Included with this Deluxe edition, are three other Batman comic Gaiman wrote: a Black and White story (where DC characters interact in the green room before appearing in their panels); a Poison Ivy story; and a Joker story.

Review: Fables #12: The Dark Ages

2009-08-21T14:21:00.001-04:00

Title: Fables #12: The Dark Ages
Author: Bill Willingham
Illustrators: Mark Buckingham, Peter Gross, Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allred, David Hahn
Genre: Graphic Novel, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Published: August 2009
Collects Issues: 76 - 82
Pages: 192
Rating: 9 / 10
Challenges: Graphic Novels Challenge, A to Z Reading Challenge
Awards: Fables has won 12 Eisner Awards so far

Synopsis (from the back cover):

The great war between Fabletown and the mighty empire of the Adversary is over, and the victorious free Fables have brought their defeated enemy back from the Homelands to join them in exile. Their celebrations, however, are destined to be short-lived. As it turns out, not even beloved storybook heroes can escape the law of unintended consequences. In the post-war chaos of the Adversary's former realm, a terrible force is about to be unleashed - an evil that threatens not just Fabletown but the entire mundane world.

My review: I was a bit worried about how Willingham et al would keep the Fables story going after ending the big bad war in War and Pieces. My fears turned out to be completely unjustified, as this was an amazing (albeit sad) book and perfectly set up the next great arc in the Fables saga.

Fair warning: SPOILERS to follow. I'll try not to give away the big ones, though.

The book opens with Geppetto being escorted around Fabletown by Pinocchio, who's trying to get him adjusted to life after ruling the Empire. Not everyone is happy with the newest Fabletown resident, but I thought it was interesting to hear Geppetto's side of the story. He believed he was acting for the greater good, so sacrificing a few thousand lives was worth it, because in the long run he saved billions, or so he claims... Now that the Fables have taken him out of power, he believes the other worlds will suffer even more.

Geppetto's warnings seem to have merit, though, as back in a recently-freed-from-the-Emperor-land a pair of marauders unknowingly release a very powerful new enemy. This new adversary wants revenge on the Fables for taking away his magic and using it themselves, and he means business. The Fables are forced to evacuate The Woodland and move upstate to the Farm after the magic spells holding their community together begin to crumble. Baba Yaga comes back, and although she didn't get to do much in this book I'm curious to see what havoc she'll wreck in the next one. Even Frau Totenkinder is scared!

The main purpose of this book seemed to be setting up the new big bad and the next event in the Fables series: The Great Fables Crossover (with Jack of Fables, an offshoot of this series that I also really enjoy). The other big part of the story was the death of a character (one of my personal favorites) that brought up questions of what happens to the Fables when they die. We've seen some come back (there are always three little pigs, for example, and Snow White managed to survive a gunshot to the head), so I'm hoping this character will reappear at some point, too. But it was still an emotional arc and really made me question just how great a surgeon Dr. Swineheart is. He seemed like a bit of a pompous jerk, actually, but that could've just been me projecting because of the way he was treating said beloved character.

There was also a smaller mini-story that dealt with Mowgli returning to a jungle world with Bigby's brothers that was a bit more light-hearted and I nice diversion from the darkness in the rest of the book. Oh, and Flycatcher's back! That was one of my grumbles with volume 11, so it was nice to have him back...even if he is still clueless about his relationship with Red Riding Hood.

Also posted at casual dread.

Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry

2009-08-19T19:33:00.003-04:00

Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry

Metropolitan Books, New York, 2008

A graphic novel that is rich and dark like the finest chocolate.

A story starring the sad-faced detective Fernandez Britten as the "The Heartbreaker", a dectective famed for finding out what you didn't really want to know about those you love.

Britten and his diminutive partner, Brulightly, take on the mysterious death of Bernie Kudos. Is his death a suicide or a murder? Lovely Charlotte Maughton wants to find out the truth about the death of her fiancee. As Britten digs deeper he uncovers blackmail and revenge and the startling possibility that to do the right thing one may need to be remain silent.

Beautifully drawn, with subtle washes of color, this book is a stunning first effort. I want to see more from Hannah Berry.

JLA: Strength in Numbers

2009-08-17T15:06:00.002-04:00

Or rather the Finnish edition which consists of JLA 16-21 and New Year’s Evil: Prometheus. The US trade seems to also contain JLA 22 and 23. The preview at DC's site seems to have a few pages out of them.

The Finnish edition has three stories: one about Prometheus’s quest to destroy JLA, then Julian September and his successful attempt to alter the probabilities of the universe, and lastly Adam Strange kidnaps the JLA and forces them to work for him.

The trade starts with Prometheus who is telling his origin story to Retro, an ordinary man who has won a day as member of the JLA. The issue is really an info-dumb about Prometheus but to me, at least, it was rather entertaining. At the end of the issue, Prometheus kills the poor Retro and disguises himself to look like Retro. That’s a fine way to get himself into the Watchtower and to take on the whole JLA.

The JLA team itself has grown: in addition to the core team (where Diana’s mother Hippolyta is Wonder Woman) they now have Huntress, Zauriel, Steel, and Plastic Man. Later, Oracle is also revealed to be part of the team. I’m not at all familiar with Steel but since JLA isn’t about characterization, that doesn’t really matter.

A group of almost hundred reporters have been invited to the Moon Watchtower to see the next incarnation of JLA. Lois and Clark are among them and J’onn uses his powers to disguise himself as Clark while Superman welcomes the reporters to the Moon. Prometheus as Retro is also teleported to the Moon and he starts this campaign against the JLA with downloading the schematics of the base and cutting off the JLA’s air supply. Impressive!

I enjoyed the first story quite a lot. Prometheus is very much an over-the-top comic book villain and he was used very well this time. The combination of reporters and superheroes has always tickled my funny bone for some reason and sure enough, the reporters ask laughable questions ("Any advice for menopausal women, Hippolyta?" add an eye rolling smiley here.) They are also a nice, innocent crowd to threaten.

The second story wasn’t quite as enjoyable but still quite good. JLA gets (whether they want them or not) new additions Big Barda and Orion. Since I like established couples, Mr. Miracle and Big Barda are some of my favorites. However, Barda by herself is very impressive, too. Here, she's used a bit too much as a peacemaker between Orion and, well, other people.

The story itself is about vanishing people and odd coincidences that start to crop up with alarming frequency. Aquaman, Huntress, and Steel are the first ones to disappear and others follow. Similarly, seven air planes are in trouble at the same time and in close proximity to each other. Seven independent super villains decide to kidnap the president of USA at the same time. The JLA must try to quickly find out what is going on.

It also contains possibly one of the most chilling pages ever: Batman is just about to explain what is going on and how it can be fixed, when he vanishes. It also shows clearly, how dependent JLA is on Batman's brains and detective skills.

I thought the remaining JLA was a rather arbitrary group and I was a bit disappointed that the first members to vanish were pretty much the newest ones. What's the point of adding them if you aren't going to use them?

But otherwise the story was pretty entertaining.

The third story felt almost like filler. But I'm not familiar with Adam Strange; in fact this the first time I've seen him. He does seem like an interesting character and I think that he has interesting parallels to John Carter of Barsoom. (From another planet, rises to a hero, and marries a princess.) However, the story wasn't enough to become familiar with him.

Here, he has used his Zeta-beam to bring the JLA to Rann. He and the En'Taran slavemasters use collars to keep the JLAers in line and force them to work rebuilding the Rann world in honor of Adam's wife's retun to it. The problem is that she's been dead for a few years and Adam is insane.

Orion was in a fine form here; frothing at the mouth and raging all the while. :)

Overall, the trade has classic JLA action even though it's not exactly the best.

My blog: http://mervih.wordpress.com/

Fables v6. 7. & 8 - Bill Willingham

2009-08-17T13:01:00.000-04:00

After beating back the Adversary, Boy Blue disappears on his own mission back to the Homelands in search of the real Red Riding Hood, his true love. He has taken along some of Fabletown's most magical objects to help him which is just as well in the long run. He fights his way through the back passages and tunnels right to the Adversary and we finally learn their identity.

Jack also has his own adventure. He has also left Fabletown but has journeyed into the Muncy world to make his living. He has also stolen from the Fables, but he is putting it to a very different use. His aim is to make himself the most well known Fable stopping him from being killed. Turns out though that he isn't as hard to find as he thought he was...

This was so much fun. I won't spoil who the Adversary is but I was a little dissapointed when I got to the big reveal. I need to get back to the Jack of Fables series now I am up to date with Jack's story.

The Fable universe is extended with the addition of the Fables from the Arabian worlds. They are living in Bagdad and Sinbad with an array of slaves and advisors comes to meet with the major of Fabletown to see about the two cultures combining their strengths after the Adversary has turned his attention to them. They have brought a genie with them, a piece of ancient and powerful Fable magic which could be deemed an act of war. Luckily Fabletown has their own witch in residence, Frau Totenkinder.

After the main series of comics there is also The Ballad of Rodney and Jane. They are both wooden people, Rodey is in the Adversary's army and Jane is a nurse. They meet and quickly fall in love, but have some problems with kissing and certain anatomical issues so they petition to be made human ("meat"). Making their dreams come true comes at a price.

I loved the Ballad at the end and am looking forward to reading more about Rodney and Jane who I am sure will pop up in future installments. It was also good to get some new Fable characters and it's good to have a scary Fable on the side of good!

Mowgli is off looking for the missing Bigby Wolf in a bid to free Baghera from a cage on the Farm. The problem is Bigby is excellent at hiding himself when he doesn't want to be found and now is definitely one of those times. A wild goose chase ensues leading Mogwli through Russian when he realises the reason the lead goes cold. Bigby is not being recognised by humans because he is using his other allies, the wolves. Luckily for Mowgli he was raised by wolves and knows their language and their ways.

There is a mission for Bigby that involves Jacl's beanstalk beans. Wolves are not natural climbers, but he has a mission that needs him to go into the Cloud Kingdoms to pull a massive hit and run on the Adversary. He is just the man/wolf for the job and if he suceeds in his mission he will be able to be reuinted with Snow and his children.

My favourite in the series so far as it has some great closure. Bigby and Snow are two of my favourite characters and it was great to advance their story so much. I can't wait to see what trouble their brood get into and I hope Rose Red has a greater part to play in later stories.

JLA: Rock of Ages

2009-08-10T14:15:00.000-04:00

Darkseid is!

JLA issues 10-15.

This one of my favorite JLA albums: cosmic stuff, alternate futures, Darkseid, Lex Luthor leading the Injustice Gang. What more can you want from a simple super hero comic?

The all-male JLA is investigating attacks which are done by hard light constructs about themselves. The man behind the constructs is, of course, Luthor who has brought together a big team of super villains to beat the JLA; Joker, Mirror Master, Circe, and a few others I’m not familiar with. Luthor also controls the mind of an alien and makes the alien work for him.

While the team’s heavy hitters are dealing with that problem, New Gods’ Metron appears to Aquaman, Green Lantern, and the Flash. Metron tells them that they have to find the Philosopher’s Stone which is also called the Rock of Ages. If they don’t, Darkseid will destroy all life from the universe. Somewhat reluctantly, the trio agrees and Metron sends them to other realities. Unfortunately, they don’t quite succeed. After an arduous search, they are thrown 15 years into the future and into their future bodies on Earth which Darkseid has conquered. A few heroes and heroines are still alive and the trio tries to convince them that they need to get to Darkseid’s time machine and reverse everything that has happened.

In the future, only Aquaman is somewhat his old self; Flash doesn’t have any powers anymore, and the Green Lantern was captured and brainwashed in to one of Darkseid’s zombie soldiers. So, it’s a good thing that they get help from the heroes still left: the Atom, Wonder Woman, reprogrammed Amazo, elderly Green Arrow, a female Aztec, and Silver.

I really enjoyed all the alternate universes; the Wonder World at the end of existence where the greatest heroes of all time are waiting for the final battle and of course oppressed Earth. The future Wonder Woman was very impressive.

I also enjoyed the sequence where J’onn and Superman are trapped into hard light construct and the only way for them to get out of it is for J’onn to start thinking like Joker who designed the trap.

The plot does have some holes in it, though. For example, if the trio left Earth 15 years ago, why are their older selfs there? I also felt that Luthor wasn’t using the Stone much. The rest of the Injustice Gang was also pretty useless. The hard light constructs of JLA were there just for some gratuitous super brawling. But I like the rest of it so much that I’m willing to overlook those.

All in all, a very enjoyable cosmic romp!

Billy Blaster Easy Reader Graphic Novels

2009-08-08T06:48:00.002-04:00

Billy Blaster: Ice Caves of Pluto by David Orme, illustrated by Peter Richardson, 33pgs, RL: 1.1 ~ My reluctant reader just finished this easy reader graphic novel and to date he hasn't met a Stone Arch book he didn't like. This one is very easy to read and he flew through it. A wonderful, fun science-fiction story Billy and his complaining cohort, Wu Hoo, land on Pluto and find friends buried in the ice below the surface. Billy comes to their rescue only to need Wu Hoo to come to his rescue at the end. Great big, bold, almost (but not quite) anime-like illustrations. Ds loved it and I agree. Good quality plot for the limited number of pages and Wu Hoo's dry sense of humour is a laugh. This series will appeal to boys especially.

Billy Blaster: Mind Thief by David Orme, illustrated by Peter Richardson, 33pgs, RL: 2.1 ~ Billy Blaster, superhero, and his trusty but sarcastic sidekick, Wu Hoo are back in full form with this science fiction caper. The evil Wizard of Edo is capturing the minds of intelligent men right out of their bodies and as Billy and Wu Hoo fight this evil they each become next on the list. Wonderful comic book superhero story, especially aimed at boys. The story contains a detailed quality plot that my 9 yo ds was eager to continue reading. This set of graphic novels doesn't intimidate him at all, even though as a struggling reader he needs some help at this reading level. Drawings are a fun not-quite-anime style and Billy's friend Wu Hoo is a laugh with his sarcastic (I'd rather be anywhere but here) humour.

There are already many books out in this series, too many to list but plenty to keep a boy reading for quite some time.

Robot Dreams By Sara Varon

2009-08-05T19:44:00.003-04:00

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon

First Second, New York & London, 2007

Another wonderful book published by First Second, this wordless graphic novel is all about friendship, loss and redemption. Robot Dreams is beautifully colored in soft muted tones.

We follow this story through a year, watching the seasons change month to month. It starts with Dog putting together a "build it yourself" robot. They watch movies, eat popcorn and spend time together. Due to a foolish mistake they become separated. We follow both their thoughts and dreams through the round of the year and finally to a bittersweet resolution. This is a lovely tale.

JLA: American Dreams

2009-08-02T13:46:00.000-04:00

By Morrison, Porter, Dell
JLA issues 5-9

For some reason, the Finnish super hero comics have always focused on Marvel and specifically on Spider-Man and X-Men. From the DC side, we got a Superman comic which ran a while a couple of different times. The latest was during Byrne’s relaunch. Batman has appeared as a second hero in the Superman comics and a while with his own run. But usually we get at most a couple of DC special a year. Now even these seem to have stopped.

JLA ran four issues in 2001. However, each issue was as thick as an American trade paperback. I’ve got all four Finnish issues but I can’t just find the first one right now. This second Finnish edition includes the American Dreams trade and a couple of stories highlighting the Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter who aren't known pretty much at all here.

Anyway, this trade feels to me like three separate stories rather than one coherent story arch. Granted, there are a few hints in the Zauriel story about the Key story.

The first story is about the Woman of Tomorrow, an android who was built by two evil geniuses to destroy JLA. During her brief time in the team she learns to value friendship and freedom. In the story, the JLA are hunting down a sphere called If which is wrecking havoc around the US.

I rather enjoyed the different characters which were introduced in the recruitment drive at the start. Although, I’m a bit puzzled by the whole “discrimination” accusations. Sure, they’re discriminating; they must only accept members that can be expected to *survive*. Perhaps law firms are also discriminating for only wanting to hire lawyers?

I’d classify this as a “nice” story; rather predictable one-shot with a character which is never seen again. Even though as an android she might even be logically resurrected.

The second story is the one I enjoyed the most: Heaven’s war against Zauriel the angel. Zauriel falls (or is thrown? We never know) from Heaven into the San Francisco Bay. In his wake follows couple of angels who have been sent to erase Zauriel from the Book (the Earth). JLA can’t allow that to happen, of course. And later, the angels’ boss shows up.

Meanwhile, Neron in Hell gives a couple of creatures (demons?) a chance to take the Moon out of its orbit. They gleefully do just so.

I really enjoyed the international feel of the JLA and the multiple threats. I also enjoy the camaraderie between Flash and Green Lantern. Although, after all the hype Asmodel was a bit of a let-down. I was a bit amused how Green Lantern couldn’t believe that Zauriel is a “real” angel. On the other hand, this revelation didn’t make any of the JLA to do any soul searching. None also had any qualms about fighting angels. But as far as I understand, none of the JLAers are particularly religious. Except for Diana.

I was a bit surprised how ordinary Zauriel appeared. He used idioms and was quite mouthy. Not at all how I would have thought an angel to behave.

The third story deals with Key and his ambition to rule the world with his brains. I’m not familiar with Key but apparently he’s an old opponent. Perhaps that’s why he takes over the Moon Base so quickly that we aren’t even shown how he did it. He has captured the JLA and keeps them unconscious. He injects into them a virus that makes them all dream about being in an alternate world. The twist is that Key *knows* that the JLA is going to figure out what’s going on and wake up. He going to use the brain energy produced by waking up and use it to his own nefarious purposes.

However, JLA’s possible newest member, the new Green Arrow, has teleported to the base and found out Key’s plans, much to the surprise of both of them. Key manages to shoot Arrow’s, er, arrows and after that Key pretty much ignores him. GA is, however, quite resourceful although I was surprised that he didn’t find any other weapons on the moon than his dad’s old trick arrows.

I rather enjoyed the alternate universes here, especially Superman’s and Batman’s.

American Dreams is a pretty standard JLA romp without much cosmic action or surprises.

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa

2009-07-30T08:51:00.003-04:00

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa

Translated from the Korean by Lauren Na

First Second, New York & London 2009

What a wonderful graphic novel! Again, First Second has published art in book form. The first of three in a series, I may just have to break my no-new-books vow and get the whole set.

The Color of Earth tells of the daily lives and about the world of two generations of Korean women. Sometime in the past, in a quiet rural village of Namwon, Ehwa lives with her mother, a widowed tavern keeper. They are best friends and tell each other many secrets. The story is filled with flowers and rain. In beautiful black and white drawings and poetic language we watch Ehwa growing up. As each spring passes she learns about herchanging body and begins to learn about life. As Ehwa grows, her mother, left alone at young age, rediscovers love.

The artist, Kim Dong Hwa is famous in Korean for creating sunjung, comics for young girls, known as shojo in Japan. The Color of Earth is something completely new, a sunjung style manhwa (manga in Japan), enjoying great success with an adult audience, both men and women. It is a beautiful book that tells a wonderful story. I can not wait to read the next part, The Color of Water.

Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness

2009-07-29T23:01:00.000-04:00

This third volume in the Scott Pilgrim series starts up where volume 2 left off: the night that his ex-girlfriend, Envy, and her band, Clash at Demonhead, are performing. There are lots of informative flashbacks, particularly those detailing Scott's relationship with Envy (a.k.a. Natalie) back when they were freshmen in college.

In the present, the next evil ex-boyfriend of Ramona's that Scott must fight turns out to be Todd, the bassist for Clash at Demonhead. He is a formidable opponent because, Envy informs Scott (after he's been thrown through a brick wall), Todd is a vegan - "graduated top of his class from Vegan Academy and everything." Scott and his friends are understandably skeptical about the fact that being vegan could give one superpowers, but Todd explains that most people only use 10% of their brains because the other 90% is "full of curds and whey." Vegans, on the other hand, can access 100% of the power of their brains.

All the wonderful characters from the first two books are here, including Scott's gay roommate Wallace, Scott's teenage ex-girlfriend, Knives Chau (who is now dating "Young" Neil), Stephen Stills, and Kim (Scott's high school girlfriend). Bizarre and highly entertaining events follow, including an encounter between Knives and Envy's drummer (who has a bionic arm and knocks the highlights out of Knives' hair), combat at a frightening discount store called Honest Ed's, a costumed band member extravaganza, gigantic mallets and cat fights, an incriminating gelato, and craters being created on the moon (to impress girls, of course).

This series is surprising and intelligent, with quirky, interesting characters that spring to life through their inimitable dialog and O'Malleys' arresting illustrations. I lose myself in these stories, happily suspending my disbelief because the plot and characters are immensely creative and never, ever predictable. Hanging out with Scott Pilgrim and his friends is the reading equivalent of a trip to an amusement park.

Books in the Scott Pilgrim series:
1. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
2. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
3. Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
4. Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe

Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness (#3 in the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series) by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni Press, 2006)

Also reviewed at:
Racing Entropy: "Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness not only raises the bar on the previous two books, it pretty much blows them out of the water - which is saying something."

Death: The High Cost of Living

2009-07-29T22:59:00.001-04:00

This graphic novel features characters from Neil Gaiman's popular Sandman series, but because it is a standalone story, it can be read on its own and is a great introduction to the series. The protagonist is teenage Sexton (he's heard all the bad jokes about his name, so don't bother), who sits at his computer composing a suicide note. He wants to check out, not because his life is unbearable or horrific, but because it is empty and meaningless. He is jaded, bitter, and bored.

His mother decides to spring clean the apartment, despite the fact that it's actually summertime, and Sexton gets kicked out of the house for the day while she gets to work. He may seem a bit spoiled and melodramatic, but he gains the reader's sympathy with his matter-of-fact kindness and respect for the severely handicapped boy he passes in the hallway on his way out. He heads to the city dump, a place that reflects his dark mood.

When the pile of garbage he's standing on collapses without warning, Sexton plunges into the pile of trash and is trapped beneath a refrigerator. A lovely dark-haired girl answers his cries for help, introducing herself as Didi. She takes him back to her apartment so he can disinfect and bandage his wounds.

She tells him that she is Death, brought into the world to live as a human once every hundred years so she can fully experience humanity, the better to understand the value of the lives she takes. He thinks she has some serious psychological issues, but when strange things start to happen, Sexton finds himself along for the ride. Suddenly life doesn't look quite so meaningless - and when he finds himself locked into a dark underground room by a crazy, scary man, and is stuck there with a dead body and Didi, life starts looking pretty precious indeed.

The characters drive this compelling tale, and Death is the star. She is charming, upbeat and funny, exactly the sort of person you'd like to have waiting for you on the other side (or to help you cross over). Although as I write this, it occurs to me that I also have a great fondness for Discworld's Death. I would love to be a fly on the wall if the two of them are ever in the same room together.
This is an excellent introduction to the world of the Sandman and his family of immortals. Oh, and a word of caution - these books are dark and violent, definitely for mature readers. The illustrations are lush and colorful, and as an added bonus there is an informative and amusing public service story about STDs, narrated by Death, with practical advice on safe sex. For those who choose not to follow her advice, Death smiles and says, "I'll be seeing you!" I've been meaning to reread the first few books in the series and continue on through to the end, and my visit with Death in this book has made me impatient to get started.

Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Chris Bachalo, Mark Buckingham an David McKean; with an introduction by Tori Amos (DC Comics, 1994)

Also reviewed at:

Fyrefly's Book Blog: "At base, there’s not a whole lot to this story other than watching Death bubble her way around New York City trailing Sexton in her wake… but she’s so charming that it’s just about enough."

Things Mean a Lot: "this one does hold a special place in my heart. It’s a Sandman spinoff, but you don’t need to have read the series to understand and enjoy the story."

Valentina's Room: "Reading Death felt like reading a Charles de Lint short story, for some reason. Just this is enough to qualify as a great read. The fact that it was in graphic novel form gave it an extra appeal."

Courtney Crumrin's Monstrous Holiday

2009-07-29T22:53:00.000-04:00

Courtney and her Great-Uncle Aloysius take a European vacation together in this fourth volume of the Courtney Crumrin series. This one is a departure from earlier books in the series, which focus on Courtney coming to terms with her developing magical powers against the backdrop of her small town, school, and less-than-stellar parents.

In this volume Uncle Aloysius is constantly at a loss as to how to best take care of his independent and often angry little niece. At every turn it seems that Courtney encounters adults in situations, usually of their own making, that are spiraling out of control for what appears to Courtney to be ridiculous reasons. While Aloysius tries to keep her safe and discourages her involvement, Courtney just can't help herself. She has a fierce sense of justice and does all in her power to make things right, even when the consequences are ultimately disappointing - and occasionally devastating.

This book is divided into two separate parts, one set in Romania (that involves werewolves) and another in Germany (that involves her ancestral home and some nasty vampires). I love the artwork, first of all - it is evocative and perfectly conveys the dark atmosphere of Courtney's world. Who would have thought that a noseless face could be so wonderfully expressive? And I adore Courtney. She is a tough and insecure, angry and loving, impatient and impulsive, intelligent and often lonesome. She is wise but inexperienced, and she makes mistakes because of her inexperience, but she always makes them for the right reasons. The books are dark but also have moments of humor, which is one of the reasons I love them so much - and this one no exception.

It was interesting to see Courtney far from her usual setting, and to see her spending some "quality time" with her uncle. I am eagerly awaiting her further adventures.

Neifeh, Ted - Courtney Crumrin series:

1. Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things

2. Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics

3. Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom

4. Courtney Crumin's Monstrous Holiday

And also:
Courtney Crumrin Tales: Portrait of the Warlock as a Young Man

Courtney Crumrin and the Fire Thief's Tale

Courtney Crumrin and the Prince of Nowhere
Courtney Crumrin's Monstrous Holiday (#4 in the Courtney Crumin series) by Ted Naifeh (Oni Press, 2009)

Also reviewed at:

Beyond Books: "It was different from the other volumes, and although I still enjoyed Courtney and the writing, I found the flow of the story to be… odd. I like reading about Courtney’s life in her Uncle’s house and with the kids at school."

JLA: Earth 2

2009-07-27T13:51:00.000-04:00

By Morrison and Quitely

This is my sixth posted review so I've now made my Minor!

This is one of my favorite alternate realities where the JLA equivalent metahumans are actually the biggest baddies in their world.

The book starts very, very nicely: three shapes who are not quite Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman are talking about the prisoner who got away. Then a weird ship of some kind crashes to the US countryside and Luthor steps out in his armor. There’s something about that opening the visually appeals to me very much.

The JLA is trying to rescue a plane coming down. They succeed but in the end the passengers are all dead. After a closer look, the JLA finds out that the passengers’ hearts are all on the right side in their bodies.

Next, Luthor starts his day in the office by donating the day’s armament budget to Greenpeace and giving his employees a 300% raise. However, he can’t do much else because the JLA pays him a visit. Luthor proceeds to convince them that he is, in fact, Alexander Luthor from the antimatter universe. He has come to this universe to beg for help from the heroes because in his world the metahumans are all bad guys. Of course, everyone is rather skeptical at first but in the end the JLA agrees to help him. Luthor has a plan which should guarantee that the JLA can take out their counterparts and save the other world in just 48 hours. Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, and the Green Lantern leave with Luthor while Aquaman and J’onn stay.

Meanwhile, the antimatter-JLA, called the Crime Syndicate, isn’t idle, either. They continue to make people’s lives miserable in their own big and small ways. The Owlman tortures Commissioner Wayne in Gotham City while Ultraman deals out counterfeit money to destabilize the economy. They have also tried to track down Luthor and are aware of the existence of the matter-Earth. They would like to conquer it and Owlman has even a plan for it.

I really liked the twisted JLA versions. We get to know most about Owlman who isn’t Bruce Wayne. Superwoman, Power Ring, and Johnny Quick stay quite two-dimensional characters which might be understandable given the small amount of space that Morrison has to work with. Superwoman seems to be rather stereotypical seductive femme fatale which I personally don’t really care for. After all, why should she limit herself to just sexual appeal when she has powers to do a lot of different things? Anyway, I rather enjoyed Owlman and the twisted little scenario he had going in Gotham. Ultraman is an astronaut and not Clark Kent.

Antimatter-Luthor is his world’s only heroic figure and he loses every time to the Syndicate. He has no choice but to seek help. He seems just as altruistic as the super heroes in the matter-world. He’s also just as much a genius as “our” Luthor. I guess he has to be in order to survive.

The antimatter-Earth is a world where evil triumphs every time. Everyone in authority is corrupt. Everyone is looking for his or her own gain. (Frankly, I’m amazed that they’ve managed to get to our level of technology but that’s beside the point.)

Excellent story. I’d like to know more about the Syndicate members, though.

My blog.

Fables v5: The Mean Seasons - Bill WIllingham

2009-07-27T05:05:00.001-04:00

Back in Fabletown life is moving on after the war of March of the Wooden Soldiers. The town is being rebuilt and the race to become Major is one between current Major King Cole and Prince Charming. Whilst this is going on Snow has gone into labour and gives birth to babies plural. Not only does she have more than one baby, it seems that they have other abilities as well that involve them being tied down...

We spend some time finding out a little more about Cinderella as well as Bibgy's past helping out the American army against the Nazis. The interrogation of Baba Yaga and the wodden heads continues as the Fables try to find out more about the Adversary and who they actually are. Boy Blue disappears having found a way back to the Homelands to seek out the readl Red Riding Hood and there are some mysterious deaths where people seem to suffocate for no apparent reason.

This was an excellent addition to the series and I loved meeting Bigby's father (all I want to know now is who his mother is!). I am really looking forward to the next in the series and finding out what has happened to the Homelands. The side stories are weaving together very nicely.

Kampung Boy, by Lat

2009-07-26T23:52:00.001-04:00

This will be short, because I don't have much to say about this graphic novel, except that it's adorable and I loved it. Kampung Boy is the simple story of a Muslim boy's early years in a small village, or kampung, in Malaysia in the 1950s. Lat has been a popular comic artist in southeast Asia for years (there's even a TV show of Kampung Boy), and his work is just recently making its way to the U.S. His unique illustrations captured an unfamiliar-to-me time and place while making me laugh. I'll be handing it over to both of my kids. Town Boy is the next in the series and I can't wait to read it.

Crossposted on Worducopia

White Rapid by Pascal Blanchet

2009-07-24T16:45:00.002-04:00

White Rapids by Pascal Blanchet

translated by Helge Dascher

Drawn & Quarterly,

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

2007

White Rapids is graphic novel that tells the story of the tiny, company-built town of Rapide Blanc located deep in the forests of northern Quebec. Conceived and designed in 1928 by the Shawinigan Water & Power Company, who were building a hydro-power dam across the St. Maurice River, the town attracted engineers and workers needed to run the power station. Accessible only by railroad, it was a self-contained community, with churches, a school, a co-op and all kinds of modern amenities. Blanchet's retro-inspired art work, inked in browns and oranges, captures the feeling of the time, the belief that anything was possible with science and technology.

Blanchet tells the story clearly, with few words. It is a testament to the time and the the people who built and lived in Rapide Blanc. It is lovingly dedicated to his father. I really enjoyed this book and think would be a perfect introduction to the graphic novel genre.

The Lindbergh Child by Rick Geary

2009-07-24T06:30:00.002-04:00

The Lindbergh Child by Rick Geary
A Treasury of XXth Century Murder, Book 1

Pages: un-numbered
Ages: 14+
First Published: Aug, 2008
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Saturday, May 21, 1927 Charles A. Lindbergh becomes the hero of the age with his courageous solo flight across the Atlantic.

Comments: Rick Geary moves on to the 20th century with this book taking a look at one of the most famous crimes of the century. Whether that still holds true because of the celebrity of the victim's father or now the obvious failure of the justice system and obvious lack of evidence I don't know. What can I say? This book gives exactly what one expects from Geary in his true crime books. Astounding art work. To be honest I'd read the phone book if he illustrated it! But fortunately the text is just as superior. A lot of research has gone into this volume. I'm quite familiar with the case and Geary covers a lot of information from all points of view even to the point of examining the plausibilities of various "whodunit" scenarios. While Geary's last few books were good as usual, The Saga of the Bloody Benders in particular was lacking in details simply as they don't exist; it's good to see the wealth of detail come back as in earlier books such as The Borden Tragedy and The Beast of Chicago. One fervent hope I have now that Geary has moved onto the 20th century, he even has a new book coming out already, is that he won't forget his Victorian series as I for one would like to see more continue from that era as well. Mr. Geary, your readers can certainly handle keeping up with both series. {hint, hint}. Not much to say in this review, Geary at his best. Fans will be pleased to see Geary in top form and if you haven't read Geary yet, why not?

Nicola

Emo Boy v1 - Steve Emond

2009-07-19T06:26:00.001-04:00

Emo Boy is a superhero with Emo superpowers. These mostly include emo lyrics, super-human sensitivity and making girls heads explode. As the back says, he is the world's saddest saviour. He loses his first love in a horrible and icky accident, he dances akwardly at an emo concert and has a lyric off with the lead singer causing him to get thrown out of their fan club. He also fails to committ suicide which has drastic consequences for the other students. He also losses at dodge ball when the other students use him as target practise.

Very silly, it pokes fun at emo culture (a type of music that came of the USA from punk and hardcore music with emotional lyrics) and style without being too mean. It's more a lighthearted homage to the genre.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future for you

2009-07-18T19:56:00.003-04:00

By Vaughan, Jeanty, Owens. Issue 10 by Whedon and Richards.

The second part of the eight season in comic book form. This trade gathers issues 6 to 10.

This arch brings back Faith and Giles. Giles has found out that one of the girls who got Slayer powers isn’t a good guy but intends to bring about the Apocalypse. Unfortunately, the girl is a rich English heiress so killing her isn’t going to be easy. So, Giles drafts Faith. He promises that after Faith kills Lady Genevieve, she can go to an early retirement away from Slaying and her criminal record. Faith agrees reluctantly and Giles starts to train her to be an English lady so that she can infiltrate into Genevieve’s social circle and strike unexpectedly.

Lady Genevieve Savidge, or Gigi, is a spoiled young aristocrat who wants to rule the world. Her trainer and bodyguard is Roden who is quite a powerful warlock. He can summon gargoyles out the air to defend Gigi. In order to prepare herself for the coming battle Gigi fights and kills other Slayers. She also seems to have an interesting ability to sense when another Slayer is near. Gigi and Roden are quite a formidable pair.

We also get some glimpses of the Scottish castle where Buffy and the gang have their base. Willow is trying to cure Dawn’s gigantism and Buffy is seeing terrifying dreams.

Both Faith and Giles are the same as in the show. In fact, I heard their dialogue in my head with the actors' voices. I love the dialogue and the art is okay. I didn't expect Giles to resort to assassination which seem a bit too dark for the Buffy gang to do.

In issue 10, "Anywhere but here", Buffy and Willow are trying to find out more about the mysterious Twilight-group. Willow flies them to the lair of Sephrillian who minds an unstable reality field. There Willow and Buffy hope to be able to find some answers. But first, they see glimpses of past and future and eventually have to face some ugly truths in the finest Buffy fashion.

I liked both stories and I'm really interested to see how the story continues.

My blog.

The Tale of One Bad Rat - Bryan Talbot

2009-07-14T06:53:00.000-04:00

Helen Potter and her pet rat who she rescued from the school lab are runaways. She has an interest in Beatrix Potter who was also named Helen and takes comfort in copying her drawings. She falls in with a friendly lad from Newcastle who lets her live in his squat with his friends. After her rat is killed by a cat she leaves and moves to the Lake District where Beatrix Potter is from.

She can't bear physical touch and during the course of the novel the reason is explained. She is a victim of abuse from a close family member. The book deals with how she deals with what has happened to her as well as the many Beatrix Potter parallels. The drawings are perfect to accompany the story and bring it to life in a way words alone could not.

It is at times a difficult novel to read, but it is definitely an important one that I highly recommend. The issue of abuse is not something to brush under the carpet no matter how painful it is and it needs discussing. I really loved this graphic novel and I really appreciated that the ending was not happy ever after and sugar coated, it was far more realistic and true to life.

Science Fiction Classics

2009-06-24T06:05:00.002-04:00

Science Fiction Classics edited by Tom Pomplun
Graphic Classics, Volume 17

Pages: 144
First Published: May 15, 2009
Genre: graphic novel, short stories, science fiction
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Yes, in a thousand years people will fly on the wings of steam through the air, over the ocean!

Reason for Reading: I'm working my way through the series and it's not necessary to read them in any given order.

Comments: This graphic novel contains an anthology of graphic adaptations of one novel and five short stories. H.G. Well's War of the Worlds is included as are tales by authors such as Hans Christian Anderson, Conan Doyle, Stanley Weinbaum and E.M. Forster's one and only sci-fi short story.

As a big fan of this series the first big news about this volume is that it is the very first one to be printed in full colour. And they couldn't have picked a better theme to introduce colour. The book has a joyful feel of a 1950's sci-fi comic and even artwork to match in Stanley Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey" illustrated by George Sellas. The artwork in each story is suitable to the tale being told and goes from dark Victorian scenes to bright modern comic characters. A delightful set of stories which I enjoyed heartily and had never read before, except of course H.G. Wells' novel. I just love coming across Conan Doyle's stories that do not concern his famous detective and this one is no disappointment but my favourite in the volume is E.M. Forster's "The Machine Stops" which is a chilling dystopia of a world run by machines, amazingly written in 1909. The illustrations are wonderful and pay homage to his other work by showing a delightful Indian flavour both in the characters and colourful palette.

Another great book in the series! These books just don't disappoint. I only have one concern now and that is with the new addition of colour that they will continue to use colour for each new volume. I would hate to see the b/w volumes disappear altogether and hope they will give great thought on the theme of each volume as to whether colour or b/w is more appropriate. For ex. the Edgar Allan Poe volume just would not have been the same done in colour; you would lose the Gothic feel.

Great news, they already have another volume planned for this year. Out in November 2009 will be Louisa May Alcott, Volume 18

Graphic Novels for Reluctant Readers

2009-06-23T07:31:00.005-04:00

These two books come from Stone Arch Books and are a part of a larger series called Graphic Sparks which the publishers describe as "good-humored", graphic novels especially designed for younger readers with "wacky comic-book-style artwork". And I concur with that.

As with all Stone Arch graphic novels they are also well suited for educational use. With the back pages containing: About the Author, About the Illustrator, Glossary, More about the topic of interest (in this case the myth of werewolves and a brief history of Frankenstein), Discussion Questions and Writing Prompts. Plenty of material for a teacher to buy a set and include these graphic novels in a book study. Of course, we just read the books here at home! No further study required.

Eek & Ack vs the Wolfman by Blake A Hoena. Illustrated by Steve Harpster. 33 pgs. 2009. RL: 1.8.

Eek & Ack are two aliens who fly around in a spaceship which looks suspiciously like a washing machine. They decide to visit Earth to find out why it is so hard to conquer. They arrive on Halloween night dressed in costume with funny results but eventually meet up with a Wolfman who has also used the night to fit in with humans and decides that Eek & Ack look tasty . Lots of fun! My son had a great time reading this one, even though there were quite a few hard words for him. I had to help him out quite a bit but he loved the characters and really enjoyed the story. He would be very happy if we placed another Eek and Ack book in his hands and fortunately there are several already out about the alien duo. The illustrations are wonderful! Done in cool colours, most pages showcase greens, blues and purples and they are a perfect fit for the story. 4/5

Zinc Alloy vs Frankenstein by Donald Lemke. Illustrated by Douglas Holgate. RL: 1.9. 2009. 33 pgs.

Zack Allen has a robotic suit that turns him into a superhero, Zinc Alloy. A twister is headed his way and when Zinc tries to push it out of the path of his town he short circuits and ends up in the forest where he comes face to face with another robot, Frankenstein! Zinc's superhero efforts all seem to lead to unexpected results. Another fun book that my 9yo son really enjoyed. My son is a reluctant reader and the superhero aspect of this book grabbed him right away. Some words are a bit difficult but with me sitting beside him and helping as needed the story kept him going and frustration-free as he enjoyed the fast-paced action and the subtle humour found in some of the illustrations. It's wonderful to find books that are easy to read but hold the interest of an older child. When he finished reading this my son's first words were "Are there any more Zinc books?" So we flipped the book over and there on the back cover were the pictures of the first two in the series! 4/5

Burma Chronicles by Guy DeLisle

2009-06-19T19:46:00.003-04:00

Burma Chronicles by Guy DeLisle

Drawn and Quarterly, Montreal, Quebec,2008

This wonderful graphic travelogue tells the story of Delisle's trip to Burma, also know as Myanmar. Delisle's wife works for Medecins Sans Frontieres, (Doctors Without Borders) and she, Delisle and their son, Louis, are stationed in Burma for a year.

DeLisle uses simple black, white and gray scale drawings to tell a whimsical tale that includes some cultural and political insight into this beautiful, troubled country. He shares his time with Louis's playgroup and his experiences teaching an animation class. There are also stories of his travels into the countryside with the MSF team. I loved the simple storytelling style and the clear, clean images.

This is DeLisle's third book after Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China and Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea. I intend to read both of them as soon as I can get them from my library!

Slow Storm by Danica Novgorodoff

2009-06-12T10:03:00.003-04:00

Slow Storm by Danica Novgorodoff

First Second, New York & London 2008

A beautifully illustrated story of two young people, a illegal immigrant from Mexico and a women bullied and harassed by her brother and co-workers. Through a series of incidents they meet and spend time together.

The storm, a mix of thunder, lightening and tornadoes, brews around them and in them. The landscape, the people and animals are rendered in stunning ink and water color .

There is not much dialogue, it is not needed. Novgorodoff uses her art to tell this story, and I loved it. It is sad, kind and compassionate. Another fine title from First Second.

Umbrella Academy - Gerard Way

2009-06-09T20:25:00.001-04:00

Family dynamics, time travel, a talking monkey and a violin are the important parts of the Umbrella Academy, is the story of 7 young children with super powers and no one to fight, at least not until their adoptive father dies and they reunite for the funeral. The 7 have all grown up, living different lives and now they have to figure out how to work together to solve all the strange activities. They are in a battle to save the world from the final destruction, but who is it they have to fight? I liked the art work in this story, angular and colorful. The story itself was a bit quirky, and the method of destruction was surprising.

This is my 24th graphic novel, I've finished the challenge! It's been a lot of fun.