Review: Oh Joy Sex Toy Volume 3

Title: Oh Joy Sex Toy volume 3
Authors: Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
Publisher: Oni
ISBN: 978-1-62010-361-6


When I selected this, I knew I was getting into a series that I had not previously read, however I assumed that the series would be one that would lend itself easily to new readers coming in with random volumes. Not only was I correct in this, but OJST itself even addresses this point.

On a side note... don't read this at work or in any location that you think might not be overly appropriate for strong sexual matter. This sounds like a no brainer, but I'm somewhat used to having some things along these lines be more cute diagrams and speech bubbles than fairly detailed pictures of people getting it on with other people and themselves. This book has those detailed pictures, which in my opinion is kind of a selling point - you can't educate unless you show what you're writing about, right?

Erika & Matthew think the world of sex is pretty rad.

Using humor and research, their awesome comics are about everything that relates to sex. They review sex toys, share sex education, interview sex workers, and crack horrible, horrible puns, all in the name of promoting sex positivity.

In this third volume they visit a swingers’ house party, a queer porn set and cover all sorts of topics like HPV, foreskins and UTIs, in addition to the newest and oddest sex toys. Each volume is a unique dive into the world of sex, making this book a great standalone addition to your shelf whether you’re already read the rest of the series or this is your introduction.

Can I just say that it's the sex positivity alone that made me want to read this? There are far too many things out there that treat sex like it's something to be objectified or despised. Even worse are the ones that try to pass themselves off as open minded or positive, only for the work to have various "buts" and "ifs" thrown into the work. The romance genre is especially notorious for this, as it's common for the book to treat sex like it's liberating one or more of its characters... but usually only if it's between a committed pair. It's heavily frowned upon for a character to enjoy sex with multiple characters and when it is done, it's typically done to illustrate how the character is a "slut", "cad", or something wrongfully deviant from the ideal, which is a character that is only interested in sex with their One True Love. I don't mean to digress, but I need to stress how common it is to find works that, while being more sexually open than some of the other works out there, still aren't entirely sex positive and put certain negative connotations on things deemed socially incorrect by the mainstream populace. (And by this I mean things like multiple sex partners, open relationships, and the like - not things that are out and out morally and legally wrong, such as pedophilia.)

That being said, on with the review.

The artwork in this book is incredibly playful, which suits the tone and mood that its creators are going for. They want you, the reader, to have fun looking at the book, learning from the successes and failures. With some of the topics in this book it could be all too easy to use a darker and more serious artwork style, which would potentially run the risk of making something seem less open or negative, so the lighthearted style seems to be very deliberately done. The volume features a wide range of topics, some of which I'm actually glad to see in print somewhere. It's refreshing to see someone cover vagimus, for example, something that effects a lot of people and isn't covered all that heavily anywhere.

I was partially afraid that Oh Joy Sex Toy would just be a complete love fest for everything and everyone. By this I don't mean that it'd be awful to have a "yay for everything" book, but it's good to have a critical look at some aspects of sex and we get this to a degree with the sex toy reviews and Erika debating whether or not to star in an adult film. It's interesting to hear her reasons for not going through with everything, which is part of what makes this book so cool to read - that we get these different perspectives.

This series might not be for everyone, but it's something I wouldn't mind getting the complete set of, just because it's so nice to get a wide perspective on things.

Graphic Novel Review: Monstress Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu

Title: Monstress Volume 1: Awakening
Author: Marjorie Liu
Artist: Sana Takeda
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication date: Out now


I think that the best endorsement I can ever give a work or product is when I'm willing to keep reading beyond my initial requirement and/or purchase it with my own money. In this case, I was barely started with the first issue of Monstress when I requested the other six issues. A few pages later I ended up buying the first volume because I liked it so much. That's as good of a recommendation as any, that I spent hard cash to collect the first volume.

Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900's Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.


I can't even begin to tell you why I fell in love with the comic without discussing the artwork. It's lavishly detailed and absolutely gorgeous. The story is fantastic as well, but I've gotten into more than one series just because I loved the art style. It also helps that it suits the story very well, as there's something unique and well, "old" about the style. It's polished in its own way while avoiding the slick feel you get with some of the contemporary graphic novels and comics in the genre - this last part isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's not always the right fit for every story and I'm glad that Liu went in this direction with the series. I hope that she sticks with Takeda for the series' length, as series art tends to do better when you have the same crew working on the piece from beginning to end, at least on the main pieces.

Story-wise, this is fantastic and what you'd expect from Liu's work. She does an excellent job with Maika, as the character is sympathetic without being a woobie. You can feel sorry for her without feeling like she's an absolute victim, which honestly has become fairly important to me over the years. Maybe it's because we've had so many works of fiction where the author crafts the character as someone everyone should feel sorry for because reasons - we get far too much of that and in many cases very little reason to actually feel sorry for the main character because somewhere along the line the author forgot to make the character actually sympathetic or anything beyond what's been done to them. (cough*Anita Blake*cough) In any case it's just great when we have a character that isn't written solely to garner sympathy and reduced to what things have been done to them.

I can't recommend this enough, especially to fans of series like Saga.

5/5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Review: Court of the Dead by Corrina Bechko, Landry Q. Walker

Title: Court of the Dead: The Chronicle of the Underworld
Authors: Corrina Bechko, Landry Q. Walker
Publisher: Insight Editions
ISBN: 1608874842
Release date: May 17, 2016

When I first began reading this book I was sure that this was a companion piece to an RPG game, where they give more description so players can flesh out their gaming experience. A little reconnaissance shows that while there's no game, there is a line of figures by Sideshow Collectibles and apparently this book is a tie-in. This explains quite a bit, since I kept feeling like the book was a part of something else and not something on its own. 

The book has a few things to offer readers, namely its mythology and artwork. The writing here is interesting enough and for what it is (a guidebook to the Underworld and its occupants) it's pretty well detailed. If you did want to use this as the base for a RPG, you wouldn't be disappointed since all of the basics are covered. Readers are given just enough to know what's going on, although I'll say that the best portions come when the creepy court jester Malavestros inserts his own opinions and reflections that frequently contradict the narrator, an official Underworld historian. 

Where the book shines is in its artwork and I'd wager that this will likely be the most popular aspect of Court of the Dead for most readers. It was certainly my favorite aspect, as the pictures are just lavishly done and beautiful enough that I'd say that if you're looking into getting this, I'd recommend the print version. (Assuming that there will even be an e-book edition.) This was gorgeous in my e-book ARC, but I know that it won't hold a candle to the larger print copy. 

4/5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Review: Paper Girls Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

Title: Paper Girls Volume 1
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Image Comics
ISBN: 1632156741

I hadn't heard about Paper Girls until fairly recently and I have to say that it's one of those comics that isn't getting the attention it should, despite it being written by Brian K. Vaughan of Saga fame. It's one of those comics that has a great plot, interesting characters, and a central mystery that kept me reading throughout the entire first volume. 

The series's premise is set in 1980s America and centers around a group of 12-year-old girls, all of whom work as newspaper deliverers. We're introduced to the girls by Erin, who has just started her route and is invited to join the other three girls after they rescue her from being harassed by a group of older boys intent on causing mischief. From there they end up getting involved with some strange looking aliens and end up finding that their entire town has disappeared. 

We're given a little bit of explanation here and there as to what's going on and the nature of the aliens is explained by the end of the first volume, however we're left with far more questions than answers. Just enough information is imparted to keep it from getting too frustrating, which only makes things far more interesting. I have to say that even after zipping through the first volume I'm still not sure what's going on, although I keep wondering if it's a similar situation to Stephen King's Langoliers. 

Art-wise, this is great and throughout it I kept thinking that the character design reminded me very slightly of Frank Miller's art style in The Dark Knight Returns. In particular, the character design for Mac reminds me heavily of the character Carrie Kelly, Miller's Robin. It's not super strong, but it's enough to where I wonder if Miller's Carrie was a bit of an influence on Mac's character or design. 

Character-wise, Vaughan and all did a good job. There are a few moments where the characters are a bit jumpy in how they're established, where their emotions don't really come across as strong as they should. A key example of this would be a scene in Mac's home between herself and a family member, where an emotional moment just doesn't feel as solid as it should, given that they were somewhat antagonistic towards each other only a page or so earlier. It's not so bad that it stands in the way of the story, but we know that Vaughan is capable of so much more. 

Overall this was a fun read and Paper Girls is something I can easily see myself purchasing and re-reading in the future. It's just a little surprising that I hadn't heard of this until I saw it on Netgalley, especially given that it's being written by someone involved with one of the most popular indie series currently running. Hopefully this will be rectified at some point in the future. 

4/5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Review: The Fun Family by Benjamin Frisch

Beloved cartoonist Robert Fun has earned a devoted following for his circular daily comic strip, celebrating the wholesome American family by drawing inspiration from his real home life... but the Fun Family bears some dark secrets. As their idyllic world collapses and the kids are forced to pick up the pieces, will their family circle become a broken mirror, or a portal to a nightmare world? In his debut graphic novel, Benjamin Frisch presents a surreal deconstruction of childhood, adulthood, and good old American obsession.

I'll be straight up honest with you from the get go. I really didn't like this work. There's a lot going on here and at times I really felt that Frisch was just trying a little too hard to bring in various different themes and deconstruct not only the long running and beloved daily comic The Family Circus, but various American ideas, ideals, and thought processes. There may be some minor spoilers in this here and there, so fair warning.

That said, I do have to say that Frisch has certainly done a good job of capturing some of the most prevalent habits of modern day humanity and showcasing how ludicrous those habits can become. Psychology and religion are two common opiates of the masses and while it'd be initially easy to assume that Frisch is ridiculing them because they exist, this isn't what he's doing here. What Frisch is doing, or at least what I thought he was doing, was showing how utterly dependent people are on either practice, following them so obediently that they rarely question or challenge whether or not they're acting in ways that is ultimately healthy for either themselves or the people around them. The only person who really challenges these ideals is the eldest son Robby, as he tries to find a way to maintain the status quo even as those around him dismiss him for his actions.

Now before you go and start to think that Robby represents the rational mind in this work, you need to understand that Robby is also representative of an unhealthy line of thought himself. Part of the reason why everyone in the book launched into their own particular, frequently dysfunctional methods of finding self-enlightenment and happiness is because the status quo wasn't working for them. They were unhappy because they were in this unchanging world and ultimately what Robby is asking for is for them to return to that life. The only problem is that once the dam opens up and the flooding starts it's pretty much impossible to return to the way things once were, especially when the one trying to restore the prior pecking order is not the person who created said order. Still, it's hard not to share in Robby's frustration when he tries so hard to achieve success and for a brief moment gets it, only for that success to falter and leave. It's especially easy to empathize when Robby sees everyone around him seemingly become happy despite their methods having aspects that are just as toxic as the lifestyle they all left behind.

I really think that this book would have greatly benefited from being far shorter than it was, but I can't help but wonder if the book's length was a deliberate nod towards the longevity of comics like The Family Circus where its never aging cast goes through the same actions again and again. If it was then that's sort of clever but it still didn't do much for me as a reader and at times I just really wanted things to wrap up. If I'd picked this up in a bookstore I'd have put this back unfinished, but as a reviewer I figured that I'd keep going.

Now something to take in mind here is that opinions on work like this are highly, highly subjective. Surreal comics of this type rarely achieve mainstream popularity, so I can't entirely dismiss this offhand. I didn't like it, but I do admire how darn ambitious Frisch was with this work. The artwork is well done in that it doesn't fit well with the story's feel, which produces a jarring effect that's actually one of the things I liked about the piece. The whole wrongness of it was just interesting.

So do I recommend this? Eh... I'm not sure. I disliked the work but as you can tell it clearly made me think, so I kind of have to recommend this as one of those "make you think" type of deals. The reviews for this work are likely to be predominantly negative, but if this work doesn't develop a cult following I'm going to be very surprised.

Edit:

I'm not going to push this up another star since I didn't get three stars of enjoyment out of it, but I do have to say that I have kept thinking about Fun Family days afterwards. When I describe it to people I do say that I didn't particularly like it, but I have to say that I didn't actually hate it either. I'd actually go so far as to say that I might actually flip through this again at some point in the future if I saw it at my library. I wouldn't own it, but I'd read at least part of it again.


2/5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Review: I hate Fairyland Volume 1 by Skottie Young

From superstar writer and artist Skottie Young (Rocket Raccoon, Wizard of OZ, Fortunately, The Milk), comes the first volume of an all-new series of adventure and mayhem. An Adventure Time/Alice in Wonderland-style epic that smashes it's cute little face against grown-up, Tank Girl/Deadpool-esque violent madness. Follow Gert, a forty year old woman stuck in a six year olds body who has been stuck in the magical world of Fairyland for nearly thirty years. Join her and her giant battle-axe on a delightfully blood soaked journey to see who will survive the girl who HATES FAIRYLAND. Collecting Issues #1-5 for only $9.99. "Skottie Young is an Eisner Award-Winning, New York Times Bestselling cartoonist who has been making comics and children's books for over fifteen years. Books such as Rocket Raccoon, the Wizard of Oz graphic novels, Little Marvel and Fortunately, The Milk have made him a fan favorite, critically-aclaimed writer and artist. Jean-Francios Beaulieu is the colorist behind the award-winning Wizard of OZ graphic graphic novels and has worked with Skottie Young for over ten years. Nate Piekos is an award-winning letter and designer who has created some of the industry's most popular fons and has used them to letter comic books for Marvel, DC, Oni Press, Dark Horse and many more."

Oh my glob, I can't recommend this title enough. The series's premise is fantastic and the artwork is top notch, as it fits the IHF's satirical tones pretty well. It's a fast and easy read, as I was able to devour this in only one sitting.

What makes this comic work so well is that Gert's descent into sheer bloody madness happens almost immediately in the book. Her initial impressions of Fairyland are far from pleasant, as the child is initially terrified by being swallowed up by a magical portal that plops her into the skies of Fairyland... where she immediately plummets thousands of feet to the ground. With an introduction like that it's no wonder that she's turned into a hardened killing machine intent on only one thing: escape. To make matters worse she's physically a child while her mind has aged to that of a thirty-something year old woman.

Gert's tasked with finding a key that would allow her to leave Fairyland, but her travels have been so long and bloody that the Queen of Fairyland has lost patience with her. The land's rules don't allow her to harm Gert, something that I found a nice touch, so she tries a variety of different indirect ways to accomplish just that, including finding a rival child for the key.

This was a highly enjoyable read and one that I can easily see myself buying on my own. While this is the first volume the story is wrapped up with enough of a conclusion to where Young could have walked away from this instead of making it an ongoing series. I'm kind of glad that he didn't, as there are still plots to be unraveled and fantasy tropes to poke fun at. In lesser hands IHF would have been a one trick pony that wore off its welcome early on in the series, but Young has done an excellent job of creating a series that's incredibly fun to read. The series might not have much of a focus beyond showing Gert slicing and dicing her way past anyone who makes her mad (and almost everyone makes her mad), but Young fully embraces this aspect and pulls it off spectacularly.

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

5/5 stars

Best Snark: iTunes Terms and Conditions: The Graphic Novel

In what's quite possibly the snarkiest thing ever created (lately, anyway), artist and writer Robert Sikoryak has made a graphic novel adaptation of iTunes's Terms & Conditions.

The end result is pretty snarky and probably one of the only ways you'll actually get me to read the entire thing, the South Park human centipede withstanding.

Seriously, I'd read it and write a book report in order to keep this from happening. 

You can read the piece in all of its glorious snark here. The piece has a mixture of art styles and as of this writing, he's still publishing new pages every day. It's supposed to be 94 pages and he's on page 58, so there's still more to be enjoyed.

Further reading:

• Comic artist repurposes iTunes' terms and conditions into graphic novel at The Guardian

PR: King, Hill, and Matheson Experience Road Rage, Out This Week in Hardcover

(Note: I reviewed this back in June.)

First collaboration by father and son presented in graphic novel form, along with the original inspirational source material San Diego, CA (August 7, 2012) – IDW Publishing is proud to release the hardcover comic book collection of ROAD RAGE, available tomorrow in comic book stores throughout North America. Renowned author Stephen King and Eisner-winner Joe Hill collaborated for the first time in Throttle, a story that paid tribute to RichardMatheson’s classic tale of suspense Duel. Now, ROAD RAGE presents the four-issue compilation of the comic-book tellings of both stories. Adapting the story alongside Hill and King is Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer, and editor of Hill’s New York Times best-selling graphic novel series, Locke & Key. The respective artists on the two stories wereNelson Daniel and Rafa Garres. Available on Wednesday, ROAD RAGE will feature all-new introductions by King and Hill, as well as an all-new wraparound cover by Zach Howard and Daniel, and additional sketches and character designs from Daniel. “Talk about ‘riding with kings’,” said Chris Ryall, “getting to work directly with Stephen King, Joe Hill, and Richard Matheson was enough of a thrill, but then to have the finished stories so beautifully illustrated by talents like Nelson and Rafa made this all even more of a special project for me, and hopefully for readers, too.” The first part of the series, Throttle, tells the story of a motorcycle gang pursued by an unseen assailant in a big rig, but as might be expected knowing the talent involved, things aren’t exactly as they seem.Daniel, whose own collaboration with Hill and artist Howard, THE CAPE, was nominated for a 2011 Eisner Award, handles full art and colors for this portion. Afterwards, Duel presents the adaptation of the Matheson story that inspired Throttle, with artist Garra providing visuals for this thrilling conclusion. Road Rage has received much acclaim thus far. Geeks of Doom praised issue #1 saying, “Full of suspense, with the appropriate touch of horror-style gore, a bit of action, and a whole load of drama, it is a damn entertaining read, and an absolute page turner.” Comic Book Resources commended the final issue saying, “At their best, Ryall and Garres wonderfully put to the comic book medium to great use.” ROAD RAGE ($24.99, 120 pages, full color) will be available August 8, 2012 in comic stores throughout North America. Visit IDWPublishing.com to sign up for updates and learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

About IDW Publishing IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coasts Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; and the Eisner-Award winning Locke & Key series, created by best-selling author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, and Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio. IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot, while Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony are bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film.

Comic Review: Aron Warner's Pariah, Volume 1

Title: Aron Warner's Pariah
Authors:  Philip Gelatt, Aron Warner
Illustrator: Brett Weldele
Publisher: Sea Lion Books
Release Date: 07/24/2012
ISBN: 098361315X





I have to say, if the goal of Sea Lion Books sending me review copies is partially to make me want to own the physical books myself, they're achieving it with a rate that's probably scaring my checkbook. (Not that I don't scare it myself every time I walk into my local comic book store or Barnes & Nobles.) I need this book, just like I needed a copy of the first volume of Storm Born.

Brent Marks, a known Vitro, is desperately trying to live a normal high school life while suffering the slings and arrows of being known as an uber-geek. But, things go from bad to worse when the Vitro community, en-masse, is blamed for a fatal explosion in a military weapons lab and the subsequent release of a deadly toxin. Caught up in a global panic, the Vitros become subject to a groundswell of persecution, as they are declared terrorists and hunted down!


The first issue of the comic was rather slow in revealing its data, and despite the fast pace of the first volume, I'm still left with a lot of questions that haven't been answered. This is to be expected, as you don't give it all up in the first go, but I'm dying to know more about these characters. What exactly are the Vitros? They're smart, but why are they so different? How were they made? Were they really accidental? One of the characters in the series makes an off-hand remark about Vitros being an accident, but somehow I'm not so sure of that.

There's a lot of character introductions here, so you really only get enough to get a basic feel for the more important people. One of my two favorites has to be the super-smart yet somewhat out of touch Franklin, a Vitro that was raised in an unloving and completely isolated environment. As such he has the book smarts yet perhaps not the street smarts to deal with the others. The other favorite has to be the uber-creepy Maudsley, who thinks nothing of manipulating people with nothing but his words... to deadly effect. There's some pretty intriguing characters here and the first issue deals with the brainy Brent, but these two are the ones who truly stole the spotlight and odds are that they'd be the two best characters to watch. If they were real, I'd love to see what an interview with either of them would be like. (Although I'll admit that I'm grateful that Maudsley doesn't exist IRL. That I know of.)

Volume one of this series ends with quite a bang, so I'm glad that I had issue five bundled into my review copy. I'm going to write a mini-review for that, but I'll leave that on the final part of my blog. If you don't want spoilers, you'll want to stop here. If you want to know, read on. Just know that this is well worth the price of admission, and with all of the comics being adapted into movies or TV shows, this would be something that would look good on either screen. Absolutely worth checking out.

(Thar be spoilers, arr!)

Now for the evaluation of issue 5. The first volume ended with our intrepid teens waking to find themselves on an ancient space station. A space station that they soon discover is rapidly deteriorating to the point that they're going to die within five hours if they don't find a way to (if I could quote Tim Gunn) "make it work". This issue has them focusing their superhuman intellects on the task at hand, which is pretty interesting to watch. So far we've seen glimpses of what they can do, but never really any of the actual work in depth. This issue shows us how they might work as a team in the future. The issue is pretty well paced and as a result, is nice and exciting. There's also some great foreshadowing in the artwork by way of a well placed image in the helmet of a space suit (no spoilers on what it resembles!) and Weldele is to be congratulated on this. I'm rather happy that SLB has the same artist doing the artwork, as it allows for more collaboration between the teams and a better understanding of the story than if they'd brought someone else in partway through. (Plus I really dig his style.) Definitely a good followup to the cliffhanger of the first volume.


I know this sounds fangirlish, but this is one of those great indie series that will probably never get the attention it so very much deserves. 




Five out of five stars


(Reader copy provided by Sea Lion Books)

Comic Review: Memorial by Rich Ellis

Title: Memorial Volume 1
Author: Rich Ellis
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release Date: 08/28/2012
ISBN: 9781613773543






Rich Ellis has always been one of those artists and authors that I've heard of, but never been that overly familiar with. I'm rather glad to say that this has changed.

Memorial is the story of Em, a young woman who arrives at a hospital in Portland, Oregon, with no memory of her past. A year later, she has rebuilt her life, only to find her existence thrown into turmoil after she inherits a magical shop and is drawn into a supernatural conflict between beings that not only represent, but are, fundamental elements of the universe itself!

The premise of this comic is good. Amnesia is a plot point that always seems to loop me into a series, partially because we're given a main character that knows just as little as we the readers do. That means that our main character of Em is just as likely to feel the same things we will, which helps us empathize and connect with her more. It's a powerful literary tool and Ellis uses it well.

Parts of this reminded me of series such as Fables, which is a good thing since I love those comics. (No worries, it's not a copycat in the slightest.) Just like Fables, we're given glimpses of an expansive and richly developed world that I can't wait to dive into with further issues. I love the idea of the Everlands and while I don't fully understand it, I do like what I see so far.

I also love the character of Em. She's really an "everywoman" type of character and like I said above, easy to connect with. However, I also love that she's prone to curiosity and best of all- isn't some busty and impossibly beautiful female character. (Not that I don't like looking at the impossibly beautiful female characters, but it's nice to see someone who I could see stepping off the page and looking at home in real life.)

For fans of fantasy, this is absolutely a must read.

Four out of five stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Comic review: Road Rage by Stephen King

Title: Road Rage
Authors: Stephen King, Richard Matheson, Joe Hill
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release Date: 07/31/2012
ISBN: 1613772823





Disclaimer: I have only read the first issue of this comic, so my review will be limited in its scope of the series as a whole. 

Stephen King is no stranger to the graphic novel world, with his books Dark Tower, The Stand being adapted into comic format. Add onto this the American Vampire series and you know that you've got an experienced writer coming into this series. For the most part King shows that he knows what he's doing, but I can't help but feel that I'm missing out on something.


Road Rage unites Richard Matheson's classic Duel and the contemporary work it inspired...two power-packed short stories by three of the genre's most acclaimed authors.

Duel, an unforgettable tale about a driver menaced by a semi truck, was the source for Stephen Spielberg's acclaimed first film of the same name. Throttle, by Stephen King and Joe Hill, is a duel of a different kind, pitting a faceless trucker against a tribe of motorcycle outlaws, in the simmering Nevada desert. Their battle is fought out on 20 miles of the most lonely road in the country, a place where the only thing worse than not knowing what you're up against is slowing down.

I've never read/listened to the short stories that comprised the audiobook version of Road Rage, which brought together Matheson's Duel with Stephen King and Joe Hill's Throttle. Both stories deal with a person or persons dealing with a psychotic trucker, and maybe if I'd heard those stories first I'd have a better idea of the various characters. The first issue of Road Rage focuses on King and Hill's story, and while it's fairly clear as to what the basic storyline is, we're given such a brief introduction to everything and everyone that I just didn't feel as connected to the characters as I wanted to be. We have characters getting killed off in the first issue that have to be re-introduced as they die- that's how little we're told about them, that the artists/writers felt that they needed to have their names flashed twice so we don't forget who they were. 


The artwork does fit the feel of the story, though. We have this wonderful "pulp comic" feel to the panels, something that will either completely thrill the readers or drive them batty. I kind of wavered between which side I was on, ultimately deciding that I loved how the book was illustrated. It just plain works and is one of the strong points of the volume. In my first issue I also got to see some beautiful cover artwork as well as some illustrations that were thrown in for good measure, which is what pushed me into the "love it" category. 


I really can't fault this first issue for anything other than the slow pacing, as going into the secondary Tribe members would probably have been unnecessary and only bogged the story down. I do wish that I could shake the feeling that I'd understand more if I'd have listened to the audiobook, but I would imagine that the story will be more fully developed as the book goes on. 


Stephen King fans will no doubt snap this graphic novel up in a heartbeat, but for those who are a little hesitant I recommend picking up the audiobook before this is released or looking for this in your local library. It's something that does look to be worth reading and I'll look for the full version when it hits the shelves of my local stores.

3 out of 5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Comic Review: Empowered Volume 7 by Adam Warren

Title: Empowered Volume 7
Author: Adam Warren
Publisher: Dark Horse 
Release Date: May 30, 2012
ISBN: 1-59582-884-2





I have to say, with all of the various big and little screen adaptations, I'm a little surprised that nobody has thought to option this series. While the idea of a female superhero being easily disrobed might give some pause, there's a lot to this series that merits a deeper look.

This really was an amazing volume. We get a deeper look into Ninjette's psyche and background here, which shows us that she's far from the cute little sidekick-type character that she initially felt like. Emp is more of a background character in this volume, which took me a while to get used to. She's easily one of my favorite characters in the series, although a volume focusing around Ninjette has been a long time coming. We get to see exactly how awful her home life was, which was pretty awful. We also get a brief look into Oyuki's past as well, and let's just say that she had it pretty bad as well.

I have to say that my absolute favorite chapter in this book had to be the bath scene between the Caged DemonWolf and Ninjette. It's probably one of the most tender scenes I've seen in the series so far, not to mention a little romantic. This might be a little spoilerish, but it's revealed in the first few pages that much like the aliens in Slaughterhouse Five, the CDW is capable of viewing all of the various points in time at any given moment. What this will mean for future volumes is unknown, but I had to give Warren props for bringing this in. It's a nice touch and brings more oomph to the CDW's character.

I'm somewhat looking forward to the next volume, as it looks like it's going to bring a lot of various issues to a head. I'm a little worried that this might mean more bodies hitting the floor, but the story is so engaging at this point that I can't help but feel frustrated that it's going to be at least another 1-2 years before the next volume is released. (There are scenes that Warren cut out of this volume that he'll put in the next volume, so here's hoping that this means that volume 8 will be released sooner!)

If you've been following the series, you HAVE to get this volume. It's worth it.


5 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks

Title: Friends With Boys
Author: Faith Erin Hicks
Publisher: First Second
Release date: 02/28/2012
ISBN: 1596435569






I have to admit that I'm a big fan of indie comics in general. Hopeless-Savages, Koko be Good, and Blue Monday... I love them all. Friends With Boys can now be added to this list. I literally sat and devoured this in one night, flipping back to scenes and images that I particularly loved, especially Maggie's interactions with her family.

A coming-of-age tale with a spooky twist! Maggie McKay hardly knows what to do with herself. After an idyllic childhood of homeschooling with her mother and rough-housing with her older brothers, it’s time for Maggie to face the outside world, all on her own. But that means facing high school first. And it also means solving the mystery of the melancholy ghost who has silently followed Maggie throughout her entire life. Maybe it even means making a new friend—one who isn’t one of her brothers. Funny, surprising, and tender, Friends with Boys is a pitch perfect YA graphic novel full of spooky supernatural fun.

One of the best things about this comic was that the main character isn't some picture-perfect character with flawless skin and great hair. (You know the ones I'm talking about- the characters who are supposed to be outcasts but look like models instead.) Maggie does have good skin, but most importantly she isn't perfect. She has hair that sticks straight up and a huge nose, which I found refreshing. It makes her that much easier to instantly relate to as an average person. I also loved Maggie's expressions throughout the book. She's a very expressive character and it shows through her facial features. Another thing that I loved about the artwork is that it reminds me of so many different artists without actually copying their style. Hicks might have potentially been inspired by them, but her artwork style is all her own. (Especially reminds me of Koko be Good and Blue Monday.)

The story line here is pretty interesting, although I'd like to warn people that the ghost part of the story is never fully explored. I'm not sure if that means there will be another volume, but if you're hoping for a big ghost story then you'll be disappointed. She (the ghost) does factor into the story, but not as the main grab. No, the biggest and most basic focus of the story is Maggie growing up and adapting to life outside of her comfort zone. Hicks does a good job of showing this off, from Maggie's awkward first day to her attempts to deal with some of the more major issues of her life.

This is only a brief glimpse into Maggie's world and I hope that this won't be the last I see of her, but this does work as a stand alone book for the most part. People wanting a definitive ending will undoubtedly get frustrated at it and I won't entirely blame them. This doesn't have the clear cut ending that I normally want my stories to have, but it's satisfying enough that I won't begrudge it. I loved this manga and I would love to see more like it, if not more of Maggie herself.

If you're curious, Friends With Boys is also available online as a webcomic at the author's website. (Click here to go to the site.)

5 out of 5 stars

(ARC provided by Amazon Vine)

Comic Preview: House of Night #1

Title: House of Night #1

Author: P.C. Cast

Artist: Joëlle Jones,Karl Kerschl

Publisher: Dark Horse

Release Date: 11/9/2011

(Note: This review only covers a 6 page preview of the comic.)

Until recently, Zoey Redbird was an average high-school student worrying about grades, boys, and breakouts. But priorities have a way of changing when you are marked as a

vampyre, enroll in the vampyre academy House of Night, and have to figure out a whole new social hierarchy, affinities for elementa

l magic, and physiological changes that make you crave blood.

I wish I could recommend this higher, but I have to say that this preview left me lukewarm. The entire comic just seemed to be a jumbled mess and I can't quite say if this is because I only got a brief preview of the book or if it's because the comic itself is just lacking the addictive quality that the series holds.

First off, I'm highly disappointed with the artwork. When I first looked this series up via Netgalley there was this absolutely gorgeous cover artwork that had me drooling over the prospect of reading this preview. It didn't hurt that the other covers I found were equally awesome. With covers like these, the artwork inside has got to be pretty cool, right? Unfortunately that assumption was sort of wrong. The artwork as a whole is nice but occasionally there's things that just looked really off putting, such as the bodily proportions of some of the characters. As an example I've included the picture of Zoey and Aphrodite. Zoey has this weird popsicle stick body and this huge head that looks like it's threatening to fall right off her shoulders. It really draws you out of the story, putting it mildly. This is just really jarring to see when the artwork is otherwise nicely done.

Story-wise it's ok. Not great, but not awful either. I'll admit that it's been a while since I've picked up the books but I remember most of what went on and this just sort of confused me since I thought it was supposed to be the start of the series. I got the impression (since none of this was in the books) that this is supposed to be a side-story, but it's going to be a little hard for newbies to pick up and read without having previous read the books.

If you're curious, Dark Horse has a 10 page preview up on their website (click here) to peruse. I'm not going to completely dismiss this comic since it has the starts of something good, but some fans will probably want to wait for the inevitable volume collection to hit their library or bookstore shelves.

2.5 out of 5 stars

(Preview provided by Netgalley)

Yay for contests: Hush, Hush and Sea Lion Books!

Hi everyone! My posts have been a little erratic due to school and a little someone called Irene playing havoc with my electronics, but I'm happy to give you some info on a comic that I think is going to be a "must own" for me.

Like Hush, Hush? Well, I know that I do and I'm pretty excited to see that it's getting the graphic novel treatment. I'm also pretty excited to hear that Sea Lion Books is doing a contest so awesome that I'm just going to post what they wrote word for word since I don't think I could do it without giving a huge fangirl squee.

Did you miss out on the signed graphic novel and 2011 books that bite
purse? Well don't be sad for we are doing it AGAIN and this time it's
BIGGGGGGEEERRRRRR and BEEETTTTTTTEEERRRR. In celebration of the upcoming
release! We thought a graphic novel this epic deserved something extra
special!!!

On our store tab ( http://store.sealionbookstore.com ) you can purchase the
limited edition Hush Hush graphic novel prologue for $10.00. WE WILL ONLY
BE RELEASING 1,000 COPIES AND IT WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB STORE.
So not only is this an important piece to the contest puzzle but you will
be one of a thousand people to own this piece of Becca Fitzpatrick's
history!!! Keep in mind since there are only 1,000 copies of the prologue
being made we need to limit the number of copies you can purchase. It is
limited to 2 copies per person.

Now here is the fun part! Once you receive the book, take a picture of
yourself with it and email the picture to us along with a paragraph as to
why you should be the next to make a cameo in the next volume of Hush Hush!
In this cameo you will even interact with Patch and Nora. NOW REMEMBER I
SAID THAT I WAS GOING TO BE ENVIOUS OF THE NEXT WINNER!!! WELL HERE IS
WHY! The winner will not only get to interact with Patch and Nora in the
next Hush Hush Graphic Novel, BUT the illustrator for the graphic novel
will also IMMORTALIZE you from head to toe in Patch's arms! Your image
will be held lovingly safe in his arms! How awesome is that!!!

SO LET'S RECAP!!!

1. 1,000 limited edition prologues will be available for sale on
www.SeaLionBooks.com. Limit 2 please!

2. Once you receive the Hush Hush prologues you must take a picture of
yourself with it and post the picture on our FB page with a paragraph in
the comments under the picture as to why they should be the next to make a
cameo in the next volume of Hush Hush!

3. The winner gets an interacting cameo with Patch and Nora in Hush Hush
volume 2, and they get a unique one-of-a-kind poster with Patch holding the
winner in his arms.

4. The limited edition prologues will ship the first week of October.

I'm so excited over this that I could scream. I loved the heck out of Hush, Hush and the possibility of getting a picture drawn of Patch (let alone one of me with him) is pretty freaking cool. (OK, so I'm no longer a teenager, but Patch is far older than I am. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Click on the beautiful graphic novel cover above for a direct link to the sale page!

Book Review: Under His Spell by Marie P. Croall

Title: Under His Spell (My Boyfriend is a Monster #4)
Author: Marie P. Croall
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Release Date: 04/01/2011
ISBN: 0761356029







Bethany Farmer's life is a boring high school routine, and she likes it that way. Soccer, coffee, homework, more coffee, and no goofy romance. That is, until foreign exchange student Allein Atwood shows up in her Midwestern town, and her life turns epically weird. Allein has unearthly good looks, princely politeness, and a bunch of goofy, romantic pick-up lines. But is his country really so foreign that they don't know anything about soccer? Or coffee?

To her horror, Bethany is swept off her feet by Allein's spellbinding ways--and then knocked flat by savage creatures set loose into suburbia to hunt Allein down. Suddenly Bethany's normal town is twisted upside down, and nothing is what it seems. Can Bethany rescue her prince of a boyfriend and keep them both alive long enough to go on a second date?

So far I've found that this series is sort of hit or miss. For every volume that's absolutely great (My Boyfriend Bites), there's a volume that's somewhat mediocre. This volume falls under the mediocre category.

One of the most distracting aspects of this story really had to be the artwork. The quality of it just wasn't very consistent. On one page it would be very well done and on the next you'd see proportions that just weren't very realistic or feasible. There was one panel where our heroine Bethany was giving a solid kick to one of our villains and her leg and foot seemed to be unnaturally twisted. It made it look a little malformed, as if she'd broken it. The only thing about the artwork that seemed to stick to the same level of quality was the backgrounds, which were generally very well illustrated. This was just really disappointing to see since one thing the previous volumes did have in common was some decent artwork. I just couldn't help but think that the artist's work detracted from the story.

I can't blame everything on the artist, however. The basic gist of the storyline is decent. Girl meets fae boy. (I'd consider this a spoiler except the cover pretty much shows that he's a faerie.) Despite this being a pretty common story element, there's a lot you can do with this and I can't help but think that the delivery felt a little flat. I never really felt like the characters came to life for me and to be honest, neither did the chemistry between our lead characters.

There are some nice things about this volume, such as the section of the book that was in full color. It was a smart move and it did pay off well. It was one of the better sections of the book story and art wise. Parts of this book showed me that this really wanted to be a better story than what it was and I wish that it could have been.

If you're looking to read this, I'd recommend getting it from the library. This just wasn't one of the strongest offerings in the MBIAM series. Read it first via the library and then decide if you want to buy it for further re-readings or save up and wait on the next book in the series.

1.5 out of 5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Comics Review: Storm Born by Richelle Mead

Title: Storm Born Vol 1 (Dark Swan book 1)
Author: Richelle Mead, Grant Alter
Artist: Dave Hamann
Publisher: SeaLion Books
Buy it from: Amazon.com
Release Date: 10/4/2011
ISBN: 0982818645




(Note: This review is based on issues 1 & 2 of the series, not the whole volume.)

Eugenie Markham never asked for any of this. Until now, she''s been content with her job as a freelance shaman, battling and banishing Otherworldly creatures. When a prophecy suddenly makes her the Otherworld''s most popular bachelorette, Eugenie finds herself fighting off unwanted supernatural suitors, as well as the evils that begin emerging from her past...

Wow. Just wow. Richelle Mead has been on my list of authors to check out so Sea Lion Book's offer to preview one of her comics was pretty exciting. After all, thousands of screaming fans must mean that she's doing something right, right?

Well, those thousands of screaming fans have to check out the graphic novel adaptation of the first book in her Dark Swan series because then they'll have a little something to scream extra loud about. Storm Born is a perfect example of what you should do as far as book to comic goes.

I haven't read the books (although that's going to change very, very quickly) so I'm not sure if there's any big alterations from the novel, but this was easy to get into and follow along with. I absolutely love-love-LOVE the artwork. It's so beautifully done. It doesn't hurt that I love artwork of redheads. Hamann does a very good job of bringing the characters here to life. Some of the artwork reminds me of the comic series Fables, which is a good thing considering the quality of work you see in it.

Sea Lion Books was gracious enough to allow me to post some of the covers as well as a few pages from the comics. Eugenie (aka Odile) has such wonderful expressions that it's easy to get wrapped up in the story. I do have to warn that there are some adult situations in this volume, although they are very tactfully done. You won't see any full nudity in these comics and any "extracurricular activities" aren't overly graphic. Parents might want to preview this before handing it over to their teens, but this is rather tame in comparison to some of the things seen in other graphic novels out in the market. (Although there is a risk to teens of getting their libraries raided so the parent in question can read the novel format of Storm Born and find out what happens next.)

Story-wise, my curiosity is piqued. There's been a lot of different things in the urban fantasy world, but shamans are rather under-represented. Necromancers or witches? Plenty. Shamans? Not so much. There's a lot of room for Mead to expand in & showcase Eugenie's talents in this series.

So far I've got my theories as to what's going on with certain characters, but I'll have to wait until I finish the graphic novel or book to find out. I'm also sort of predicting some future romantic entanglements, or perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part. (Eugenie's roommate is pretty intriguing.)

My two issues ended on a very big cliffhanger so I'm really looking forward to reading the full volume when it comes out in October. I've been informed that volume 1 will cover the first half of Storm Born, with volume 2 completing the novel.

Fans of Mead will also be happy to know that her much loved Vampire Academy series has also gotten the graphic novel treatment, with the first book coming out this August.


5 out of 5 stars

(Reader copies provided by Sea Lion Books)

Book Review: Evelyn Evelyn by Amanda Palmer

Title: Evelyn Evelyn
Author: Amanda Palmer, Jason Webley
Artist: Cynthia von Buhler
Publisher: Dark Horse
Release Date: 09/14/2011
ISBN: 1595825789






Ever read A Series of Unfortunate Events & thought "It would be really cool if instead of focusing on a trio of orphans & mysterious events, it'd be cool if Snicket wrote about conjoined twins?" If you've ever thought that, then you're in luck. Dresden Dolls genius Amanda Palmer has you covered in spades. (Oh yeah, and Jason Webley. I'm not too familiar with his stuff.)

Enthusiasts of genuine tragedy and celebrity intrique, gird your mental loins for an authentic tale of unbelievable hardship and epic catastrophe!

This wholly true and accurate account details the extraordinary lives of Evelyn and Evelyn, a darling but unfortunate pair of conjoined twins who brave extreme circumstances of calamity and adversity, such as the bizarre and bloody night of their birth and subsequent orphaning; their early years on a chicken farm; shocking encounters with depraved gentlemen; life in the circus; the terrible fates of their dearest friends; and concluding with the sisters' rise to international fame via the internet!

Fans of Amanda Palmer won't be surprised at how completely twisted & strange this collection is. A story like this can really only be properly told by someone as wickedly unique as her. It's not PC, but that's not the point of this story. The point is to showcase two talents that have been here all along.

The storyline of the book is quite frankly very dark. If you saw this & thought "oh how cute, a kid's book" then you'll be incredibly mistaken. There's nothing in this that's appropriate for children. The book starts off with the twins' sad beginning & from there goes through a pretty tragic course of events. I don't want to spoil the book for you but there's stuff in here ranging from child abuse to pedophilia. None of it is especially graphic. You never see it "on screen" or directly called out for what it was by the twins, but it is there. People who prefer not to read books with this sort of material will probably want to steer clear or at least get this for a library read. (Hey, nothing wrong with that. I avoid overly tragic movies for the same reason.)

Artwork-wise, it really fits the tone of the story. The artwork is sad and depressing, but intentionally so. After all, it's not like this is a story about two happy-go-lucky girls fighting evil with magical powers given to them by a stray cat. There was a lot of time & care put into the art in this book & I can't help but admire it even as I wince at some of the things inferred in it. (We can thank the uber-talented Cynthia von Buhler for this artwork!)

Overall this was a pretty great read, but I think it'll really only appeal to a specific group of people. It's definitely worth reading but I recommend this as a library read first for anyone who is on the fence about purchasing this book. There will be people for whom this will be an absolutely buy immediately book, but others will be content to read this once, bask in its glow for a while, then remain content to keep up with the twins via the internet.

(By the way, if you haven't checked them out on youtube, do so. It's worth the watch. By the time the video is over the musical stylings of Amanda Palmer & Jason Webley, erm... I mean Evelyn Evelyn will have stolen your heart away. I've included this video below. It's entirely kid-friendly.)



4/5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Book Review: My Boyfriend Bites by Dan Jolley

Title: My Boyfriend Bites (My Boyfriend is a Monster #3)
Author: Dan Jolley
Artist: Alitha E. Martinez
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Release Date: 09/1/2011
ISBN: 0761370781







When I first picked up this series via Made for Each Other (book 2 in the series), I was a little underwhelmed. I'd been told that there were better entries out there, so I picked this one up to see if that was the case & I'm happy to say that it is.

Vanessa Shingle has a knack for choosing boyfriends who need fixing—the juvenile delinquent, the school cheat, the slacker….Then she meets Jean-Paul McClellan—the perfect project!

Vanessa is determined to find out Jean-Paul's story. Why would such a smart hunk waste his life as a janitor? She drags her best friend Stork on a nighttime mission to learn more. What she sees makes her blood run cold.

Suddenly, Vanessa's little New Mexico town is overrun by vampires—obnoxious ones at that. And Vanessa seems to be their target. Is Jean-Paul one of them? If so, why is he being so nice to her? When he talks about prophecies and legacies and Romania, what's he really up to?

Vanessa finds herself with a real situation to fix—and she stakes her life on being able to rise to the challenge.

While the content was definitely inspired by various vampire hunting heroes (Buffy anyone?), this comic takes that inspiration & manages to turn it into something new & fun. You won't care that you've seen it before in a different incarnation. You'll be too busy tearing through the pages & rooting for Vanessa.

I absolutely loved that Jolley managed to give Vanessa just enough depth to keep her from being a cardboard cutout as well as avoiding the temptation to keep from giving her any flaws. (It's quite easy to fall into that when your story only has so many pages for both plot & character development.) The illustrator also deserves a hand of applause for doing such a great job on the characters- I loved the way this looked.

My only complaint is that while Vanessa & Jean Paul are developed as characters, the secondary ones sort of fell to the wayside & other aspects of the book (the bad vamps, JP's bosses) weren't as well explored as I'd like. Since that would probably require at least 20-30 more pages, I can't really fault the team for focusing more on our two lead characters.

This really felt like the setup for a series, so I can only hope that Graphic Universe will allow us another look back into Vanessa's world. This has far too much promise & potential for just one entry.

4.5/5

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Book Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (No Future For You) by Joss Whedon

Title: Buffy The Vampire Slayer: No Future For You (Season 8, V 2)
Author: Joss Whedon
Publisher:Dark Horse
Release Date: 06/11/2008
ISBN: 159307963X







I took a while to savor the first volume before fully jumping into this one, taking my time to enjoy the story & artwork. After all, this volume brought back Faith, one of my favorite characters in the show. (She isn't going to topple Willow as my favorite character, but she's up there.)

Eisner award-winning writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) tackles Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight with "No Future for You." When a rogue debutant Slayer begins to use her power for evil, Giles is forced to recruit the rebellious Faith, who isn't exactly known for her good deeds. Giles offers Faith a clean slate if she can stop this snooty Slayer from wreaking total havoc - that is, if Buffy doesn't beat her to it. Georges Jeanty (The American Way) remains at the top of his game as series artist, and Whedon stays on as "Executive Producer" in this direct follow-up to Season Seven of the smash-hit TV series.

I'll be honest & say that this volume was really all about Faith & how she's dragged back into the action by Giles. The comic format really does help the story along since it allows us to see into Faith's head via the mental narration, something that'd be harder to do on TV. I really loved how the story reintroduced Faith as well as given Giles a little something to do that doesn't involve Buffy. The guy does deserve a life of his own, after all!

Unfortunately the artwork didn't seem to suit Faith as well as it did Willow & Buffy in the first volume. It's still well done but it just seemed like it wasn't as good as the first volume was. I also couldn't help but wish that Faith's interaction with the snobby blue-blooded Slayer had been a little more drawn out. There was just so much potential there & I felt it ended a little too soon.

Still, this was a good volume & one that I still heartily recommend to Buffy fans or just fans of comics in general.

(Reader Copy provided by NetGalley)