Book Review: Love & Capes Volume 3 by Thom Zahler

Title: Love and Capes: Wake up Where You Are (Volume 3)

Author: Thom Zahler

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Release Date: 08/04/2011

ISBN: 1613770499

Note: I only got to read the first issue of this volume. (Sad face)

I've been a fan of Love and Capes ever since I came across it in webcomic format and it's swiftly become one of my favorite superhero comic books. I was already planning on purchasing volume 3 when it came out, so getting a little sneak preview was a bonus. Before I was merely looking forward to this volume. Now I can't wait.

Mark and Abby are home from their honeymoon and ready to settle in for some domestic bliss. But settling in doesn't mean things will settle down. Mark's best friend, Darkblade, is now dating his ex-girlfriend, Amazonia. Abby's landlord is trying to drive her and her bookstore out. And Charlotte is about to graduate from college. Plus, it's time to tell Abby's parents about Mark's super-secret, but will that mean telling Abby's brother, too? "Ever after" is where things get really interesting!

I was pretty interested in seeing what Zahler could do now that Mark and Abby are married. They were a close couple but there was a lot that they hadn't really been through just yet. Would they quickly settle down into a routine? Would the new pressures that come with (super) married life emerge? So far I was pretty impressed by how Zahler approached the idea of a superhero marrying. Abby does see a few things that only the spouse of the Crusader would experience, but overall her newlywed life is pretty mundane. This was pretty nice to read since part of why this comic appeals to me is because it doesn't go for the melodramatics that the more mainstream comics do. (Not that melodrama can't be fun, but that's not really the point of this strip.)

I also enjoyed seeing Amazonia pair up with Darkblade, the new couple in the book. It wasn't really all that surprising and the two seem to match up well so far. It'll be interesting to see how that relationship will fare, given what ultimately caused the Amazonia/Crusader breakup.

The artwork in this volume was fun and playful. Zahler has a great style that fits this universe and its characters well and he continues to deliver quality artwork here. I would love to have posted a few of my favorite bits here, but I couldn't quite get any of it to save without sacrificing picture quality. You'll have to trust me that there's some great parts in here, notably the "My Precious..." strip.

I'll try to elaborate more on volume 3 when I get my copy (preordered through Amazon, yay!), but all you really need to know is that Zahler still has it and doesn't appear to be in any danger of losing it. Love and Capes is an incredibly entertaining series that belongs on any comic book lover's bookshelf!

5 out of 5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Book Review: Confessions of a D-List Supervillain

Title: Confessions of a D-List Supervillain
Author: Jim Bernheimer
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: 04/28/2011
ISBN: 1461084741







If you’ve ever watched a superhero movie or read the comics, you’ll know that the villains usually make the piece. You can’t have a good hero without a good villain & some of my favorite heroes are the ones who had a bit of a dark past. (Gambit FTW!) This book takes a look into the life of a lower ranking villain, giving us a book that’s several flavors of awesome.

Where do I start on what I liked about this book? I loved how the book started off with action, yet still gave us a good look into the minds of the characters. It made me think of the book Soon I Shall Be Invincible, which I liked but wished it had a little more action to it. This book delivers the adventure in spades, which (let’s be honest) is what draws so many of us to the superhero genre. If I wanted to see a bunch of heroes doing nothing but spouting exposition I’d re-watch Ang Lee’s Hulk.

The pacing of the book moves pretty quickly, which works well for it for the most part. The only flaw I really saw in the book was that at times I wanted a little more of everything & I felt that the ending was a little too rushed. I just felt like it could have been fleshed out a little & more could have been done with it.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book & I can’t wait to read more of Bernheimer’s work. This is a great read for both the casual & the more die-hard fans of the superhero genre. I honestly can’t understand why Bernheimer hasn’t had his big break yet. This was an awesome read.

4.5/5 stars!

(Reader Copy provided by the author)