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Comics and Graphic Novels
Showing posts with label Comics and Graphic Novels. Show all posts

Sunday, 4 July 2021

Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms | Crystal Frasier, Val Wise | Review


 

Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications.

Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention micro aggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they’d lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them. 

I hadn't heard of this graphic novel until I discovered it on Netgally this month, but I'm so glad I did!

This is a really sweet story about Annie and BeeBee and their friendship. The two girls used to be friends, but have drifted apart a bit over the years. When Annie is encouraged to join a team - cheerleading no less - to try and improve her college applications, she's reunited with BeeBee.  

As well as dealing with school grades, parents, and teen drama, they're also experiencing everything that comes with being queer high schoolers; the good and the difficult. The two become close, and eventually discover there might be more than friendship ... 

It was such a cute story, while also covering some really important issues that arise through characters. The illustrations are very Faith Erin Hicks-esque, and I loved the style of art created by Val Wise. It's definitely my favourite type of graphic novel; soft and round, rather than sharp and edgy, if you know what I mean. 

If you're looking for a sweet tale of friendship and love (and pompoms), then pick up Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms, when it comes out in August.

Thank you to Netgally and Oni Press for the free version of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

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Monday, 27 April 2020

I Go Quiet | David Ouimet | Review




How do you find your voice, when no one seems to be listening? A young girl struggles to make herself heard, believing she is too insignificant and misunderstood to communicate with the people in her life. 

 Anxious about how she thinks she should look and speak, the girl stays silent, turning to books to transport her to a place where she is connected to the world, and where her words hold power. As she soon discovers, her imagination is not far from reality, and the girl realizes that when she is ready to be heard, her voice will ring loud and true.

With the ongoing closure of libraries here in New Zealand due to COVID-19, I've been making use of OverDrive and Libby (great apps that are connected to your library and makes accessible eBooks and audiobooks). I was having a browse for some graphic novels (something I prefer to read on Kindle/tablet over novels), and I stumbled across this one. I was drawn in by the cover, even though, as Sophie pointed out when I showed her, it's "a bit creepy".

I Go Quiet is a short but poignant graphic novel about an introverted girl who finds her place in the world in stories rather than in the physical world around her. Each page has stunning images of the girl wandering through life, keeping quiet, then walking through her imagination into new places.

This book came out in March 2020, so it's very new to the book world. If you manage to find it online or at your local bookstore or library, pick it up and have a read!
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Friday, 12 July 2019

In Real Life | Cory Doctorow + Jen Wang | Review


Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role-playing game where she spends most of her free time. It's a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. It's a place where she can meet people from all over the world, and make friends. 

 But things become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer--a poor Chinese kid whose avatar in the game illegally collects valuable objects and then sells them to players from developed countries with money to burn. This behavior is strictly against the rules in Coarsegold, but Anda soon comes to realize that questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real person's real livelihood is at stake.

When I went to Portland, Oregon, I visited Powell's Books (the greatest place on earth), and one of the books I picked up was this super cute graphic novel, In Real Life by Cory Doctorow (illustrated by Jen Wang). I haven't read that many graphic novels before, but I had seen this one around the internet and decided to give it a go.

Thanks to the Goodreads description above, you have a pretty good idea as to what it's about, but in short, Anda starts playing Coursegold Online and part of her role in this new guild she's a part of is to track down gold farmers and get rid of them. But what she soon realises is that these gold farmers are actual players and not bots, and the conditions they're living and playing in are anything but healthy.

“This life is real too. We're communicating aren't we?”  

Not only was this a really sweet story about an online friendship through this massively multiplayer online game, but it's also about economics, work places environments, and human rights.

It's just a wee book, and will only take you an hour, perhaps, to read, but it's well worth picking up. Jen Wang's illustrations are so sweet and the story line is fun, quirky, and important.

Have you read In Real Life?
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Thursday, 3 January 2019

Lore Olympus | Rachel Smythe | Review

The image is owned by Rachel Smythe.

I always talk about physical books or ebooks but I never talk about webcomics. Today however that's all about to change! In case you missed my tweets, I need to tell everyone about the fabulousness that is Lore Olympus. If you're going to read one webcomic this coming year then let this be the one, you won't regret it.

You'll only regret getting sucked in and suffering the enduring wait week to week waiting for the next chapter...

 To sum it up, it's all about how Rachel Smythe (the author/illustrator/creator) interpreted Persephone and Hades getting together. If you're not up to date with your Greek Mythology, Hades and Persephone are a couple and rulers of the underworld. Don't get too excited though as I'm up to date and they still aren't properly together, it's all about the journey, the flirtation and the worry. Very relatable if you've ever had a crush on someone and constantly worried about what they thought of you and if you said the right thing.

The hilarious writing paired with the fantastic illustrations makes for a rather entertaining read. Be prepared to fall in deep rather quickly and get invested in the characters lives. Never thought I'd hate Apollo as he's one of my favourite Gods but gosh he's such a douche, wee bit of a spoiler sorry.

Anyway, full of drama and totally worth a read!
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Thursday, 13 September 2018

Sheets | Brenna Thummler | Review



I hadn't read a graphic novel in such a long time so when an email came through from NetGalley about this new graphic novel called Sheets I took a stab in the dark and requested it.

Marjorie Glatt feels like a ghost. A practical thirteen year old in charge of the family laundry business, her daily routine features unforgiving customers, unbearable P.E. classes, and the fastidious Mr. Saubertuck who is committed to destroying everything she’s worked for.

 Wendell is a ghost. A boy who lost his life much too young, his daily routine features ineffective death therapy, a sheet-dependent identity, and a dangerous need to seek purpose in the forbidden human world.

 When their worlds collide, Marjorie is confronted by unexplainable disasters as Wendell transforms Glatt’s Laundry into his midnight playground, appearing as a mere sheet during the day. While Wendell attempts to create a new afterlife for himself, he unknowingly sabotages the life that Marjorie is struggling to maintain.

The thing I find that I struggle with, with graphic novels, is the fact they're rather short most of the time. They have to have quite the storyline to make it feel worth reading if you get me. I don't read a lot of short stories so most of the short stories I read are graphic novels.

This, however,  is such a feel-good graphic novel. There's quite a journey to get to the feel-good part but boy is it worth it!

You're immediately pulled into Marjorie's life and learn about her losing her mum and basically losing her dad after he retreated to the bedroom due to the loss of his wife. You feel the hardship of Marjorie's life taking care of the family business while cheering up her brother and attempting to get through to her dad. It's all the feels!

Then there's little Wendell, a new ghost, a child, getting to know his new life after losing his old life so young. He's adorable, sad but funny, and you just want to scoop him up. The way the ghost world is described you don't really question the fact that it's a ghost world, you connect to Wendell so much that you don't notice.

Once their worlds come together your heart hurts for them both, only wanting to do good but of course fate has decided that things go wrong. Feelings are hurt and your own feelings are hurt when they fight. But I promise you the feel-good part is there!

Have you read this before? What did you think?

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Friday, 24 August 2018

Features | Reading My First Ever Comic Book


As well as creating a Vow to Read list at the beginning of 2018, one of the things I wanted to do this year was try and branch out and read things I don't normally. Thankfully our Blogger's Bookshelf Book Club theme this year is Short Stories, which means we've been reading a lot of books under 200 pages, and anthologies of tales by multiple authors, neither of which I would probably read otherwise. It's been really great and if you haven't been following along, then I highly recommend it.



In my 'branching out', I also wanted to try my hand/eye at graphic novels and comics. I picked up The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang, earlier in the year and really enjoyed that (can now tick 'graphic novel' from my list). In a bout of impulse book buying on the Book Depository I popped Rainbow Rowell's Runaways into my basket and proceeded to check out. But then I realised that I should probably read the original comics from the 2000s before it arrived. Enter the wonderful people at Auckland Libraries. I managed to put 10 volumes of Runaways on hold, and collected them all at the same time, while concurrently realising that that was probably a bad idea as I didn't even know if I liked them or not.

Thankfully, I did.

Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy (comics #1 - #6 bind up, by Brian K. Vaughan) was my first ever comic read. Yes, I've flipped through them before, yes I've often thought 'I should really check these out', and yes I would love to be that person who goes to comic book store and devours titles for days on end. But this was my first actual sit-down-and-read. And, guys, it was pretty epic.


A little about Runaways: Pride & Joy

If you're unfamiliar with the Runaways comic (as I was, despite being a Marvel fan), it tells the story of 6 kids who discover their parents are actually living double lives as supervillians (with code names, costumes and the whole shebang!). Obviously shocked by this discovery, the kids decide to runaway, but not before they're framed for kidnapping and murder. 

I haven't read the full series yet, but that's the main premise.


Some of the things I thought while reading Pride & Joy

"Okay here it goes. Comic book time."

"Oooh, so many pretty pictures."

"So whispers are indicated by text which is lower in opacity, bold words are emphasized speech, and huge colourful writing is shouting."

"It's amazing how the artist keeps the characters looking the same from frame to frame. Even my stick figures look different..."

"Klick, fwish, shunk, hssss, krak, klang, skreech, fwooom ... I wonder if I can use these words in day-to-day life for my own sound effects..."

Comic Book Verdict

So after that comic-book-gathering saga, was it worth it? Did I actually enjoy reading a comic book?

Yes, yes I did.

There are some things that didn't come that easily to me but I'm sure by the time I read more it'll be fine and dandy. For example, I really need to remember to actually look at the pictures. They're there for a reason and pretty much the whole point of a comic book. I found myself just jumping to the speech bubbles from frame to frame and not paying too much attention to the wonderfully drawn images. That needs to change. I think I'm so used to painting a world in my head when I'm reading just words that the jump to "here's a pre-made world we've created so you don't have to" was a little jarring.

Having less to read, too, was a challenge. Even if you had a book with the same amount of pages - around 150 for a bind up of 6 issues - there's still a bucket load more words. It's definitely a different way of engrossing yourself in a story. The words the writers choose all have to be relevant and worthwhile, because there's only so much you can fit on a 4 - 6 frame page of images and speech bubbles.



And just to leave you with a practical question to aid me in my cataloguing of these: what do you think about adding these to the Goodreads Reading Challenge? I've been adding them as I've read them (as a whole bind up of e.g. Volume 1 which is single issues #1 - #6), but I've noticed there's a Deluxe Version, which is a bind up of Vol 1 - 4, and single issues #1 - #18. I'd love to get your opinion as to whether I should delete all 10 of the Runaways books on Goodreads, and replace hem with the 4 deluxe bind up versions. I know it's a bit trivial, but I'd love to know your thoughts!

Do you read comic books?
 Have you read Runaways? 
Can you suggest any that I could try out? 

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Friday, 1 June 2018

The Prince and the Dressmaker | Jen Wang | Review


Paris, at the dawn of the modern age: Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion! Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances―one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend? - Goodreads
This year I wanted to try and get into graphic novels, or at least have a go at reading one. I saw this one in the library and decided to pick it up. I am well pleased that I did, because not only were the illustrations beautifully drawn, but the story was super sweet.

Frances is working as a seamstress when she is given the job of making a dress for a new client. While most of Paris can't handle it's uniqueness, Frances soon gets approached by a man who says his client would like Frances to work for them, for a great deal more money than she's currently getting paid. She accepts, and off she goes.

As it turns out, her new client is the Prince, and he wants her to create gowns for him to wear out as he dresses up as Lady Crystallia. As the story goes on, there's ups and downs, the meeting of famous people, the hopes and dreams of people shattered and stitched together again.

While the story was very sweet, it was very predictable, and I did struggle with the dialogue in terms on consistently and era-savvy, as it was not the language of 'Paris, at the dawn of the modern age'. It was very modern and not what I imagine them speaking like back in the day. But it was a great coming-of-age and who-am-I story, and very beautifully drawn; Jen Wang is very talented!

If you're thinking of trying your hand (or eye?) at graphic novels for the first time, then The Prince and the Dressmaker was a good one to start with, I think. 3.5 stars from me.

Have you read The Prince and the Dressmaker? What did you think? 
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Monday, 4 September 2017

Invader Zim Comic Books Series | Jhonen Vasquez


Summary:

The comic book series picks up some time after the cartoon show ended. Long enough for Dib to become, quite literally, fused to his chair. This series continues the strange, silly and sometimes gross adventures of Zim and his attempts to conquer Earth for the Irken Empire.

Review:

This probably isn't a shock to anyone but I was a huge fan of the original cartoon show. I have the DVDs, a Gir plushie, a Gir hoodie and a Gir keychain (guess my favorite character). So when I found out about the comic books, I knew I had to get them! As it is, I've only been able to read volumes 1-3. I still need to order up volume 4, which I will because I'm just having so much fun with these books!

Saying that this series was by Jhonen Vasquez is a bit misleading. He is the creator of Invader Zim but many authors have contributed to these books and it adds a nice element to the world. It was Eric Truehart who made me feel bad for Zim because he clearly just wants the approval of The Tallest more than anything! Danielle Koenig and Jamie Smart's contributions to the possible origins of Ms. Bitters were so cool and helped sell the idea that each kid had their own story. 

The art style of the books is, for the most part, very close to the original cartoons. Be prepared for a lot of toilet humor. At the same time, though, several artists provide their own little spin that gives each book a unique feel. Each comic, each chapter of the volumes, is its own adventure into the depths of chaos these writers and illustrators find in the world of Zim. 

If you were a fan of the show, don't hesitate to pick these books up! If you have no idea what the series is, you may have a little trouble getting into the world, but I think the humor more than makes up for that. While I don't recommend it for all ages, I think it would be okay for as young as junior high, maybe middle school aged kids.
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Monday, 3 April 2017

Chainmail Bikini | Hazel Newlevant | Review


Summary:

A collection of comics about women in gaming by women in gaming. The type of gaming includes: video games, LARP-ing, and tabletop gaming.

Review:

I first learned about this book when I saw a kickstarter campaign for it. I couldn't afford to help it out, but I was very happy to see it get funded. When I found a copy of this book at my local comic book shop, I had to pick up a copy and I am so very happy I did.

A lot of the stories in this collection are about the trials and tribulations a lot of women go through in the gaming community. One or two of them end there, but the rest show signs of hope and change in their communities. This includes fictional and non-fictional stories about women and LGTBQ gamers finding where they belong, in all the right ways. There is a place for everyone at the gaming table. 

Some of the stories were more about how gaming had affected the author individually. From one author who talked about living with severe OCD to another who talked about how defeating gaming monsters helped her stay strong against real ones. Other stories talked about how the authors find themselves and who they want to be in the characters they play as. 

This is an incredibly moving anthology that I think all gamers, or those interested in gaming, should read. I identified with more of the stories than I thought I would and I cannot recommend this book enough. 
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Friday, 16 December 2016

Adulthood Is a Myth - A Sarah Scribbles Collection | Sarah Anderson | Review



Are you a special snowflake? 

Do you enjoy networking to advance your career? 

Is adulthood an exciting new challenge for which you feel fully prepared? 

Ugh. Please go away.

If you've spent anytime at all on the internet then you have probably come across Sarah Scribbles (aka Sarah Anderson). She's an artist who draws fantastically relatable content in cartoon strip form, and nearly all of them are 'so true' moments.

I recently bought this book for my friend as a gift, and it is fantastic.

Sarah's drawing bring out the real life in every situation. They're not cute and fluffy (although there are bunnies!), nor are they of dreams being fulfilled by people who have their lives together, but they all of us. They perfectly depict the young adult (and perhaps older!) and the real life struggles that 'adulting' bring.

Each strip documents things like what you could do when the WiFi is down, about social media and the internet, how one reacts to reading and books, what's socially acceptable ... and on and on it goes. Sarah so accurately depicts life as a young adult and the things that a) we don't know, b) the things we thought we knew, c) the things we never knew, and d) the things we will never understand.

If you're looking for a fun gift for your favourite young adult (or teen who gets to be one soon enough! Or middle-ager who wonders what it's like being in your 20s in 2016), then this is a goodie.

Here is one of my favourites from the book (which you can pick up on Book Depository and Amazon), which definitely is me every time I cook something:
Source

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Snow White | Matt Phelan | Review

Monday, 19 September 2016

Snow White | Matt Phelan | Review

*Image and book provided by NetGalley.

Summary:

A graphic novel version of the classic Snow White story set in 1930's Depression Era New York City. 

Review:

There isn't a lot of dialogue in this book and the base story is very familiar so I'm going to focus on the artwork. Phelan is incredibly talented. The copy I received was all shaded work, no real color, with the promise that the full book would be published in color, but I'm not sure I'd want to read it then. The whole story works so well with the film noir styling. It's already so beautiful that I hope the final, full color version of the book uses muted colors at most. 

I'm not normally one for retelling of classic fairy tales (The Lunar Chronicles being the exception) but this was such an engaging retelling. The Depression Era setting is well thought out and integrated. The use of a ticker machine instead of a magic mirror and the "glass coffin" are so perfect for the setting and the story. 

I'm a little hesitant to recommend the final book since I'm not sure how full color will affect the overall feel of the book, but, fingers crossed, it'll still be just as beautiful and heart-warming.  
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Orphan Black Vol. 1 | John Fawcett, Szymon Kudranski, Graeme Manson, Jody Houser & Cat Staggs | Review

Monday, 1 August 2016

Orphan Black Vol. 1 | John Fawcett, Szymon Kudranski, Graeme Manson, Jody Houser & Cat Staggs | Review

orphan black graphic novel

If you caught my recent review of Gregory E. Pence's What We Talk About When We Talk About Clone Club, you'll know it's no secret that I'm an Orphan Black fan. Although I'd heard about the graphic novels a little while back, I only recently discovered that Vol.1 was available at my local library, and that felt like a nudge that it was time to delve into a new version of the Orphan Black universe!

The graphic novel is based on the TV series and features illustrations of all our favourite characters/actors from a selection of artists. Story-wise this volume delves into our introductions to five of the most familiar clones; Sarah, Helena, Alison, Cosima and Rachel, showing how complex and different the clones really are. With that in mind, for those who have watched the show there isn't a whole lot of new information to be found within these pages, although there are a few interesting snippets that weren't featured on screen. For those who haven't seen the show.... well, I can imagine it may be a bit of a confusing read.

Although the storylines closely follow those already explored on the show, I still enjoyed this quick read and would recommend picking it up if you're a fan, in particular to see the variety of artwork included. If you're more interested in exploring parts of the story never before seen on screen, there is also a second Orphan Black graphic novel series focusing on Helsinki. If the description is anything to go by, Vol.2 sounds like a much more interesting exploration of the universe fans have come to love and I'm definitely planning on picking it up soon!
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U.S.S. Stevens | Sam Glanzman | Review

Monday, 27 June 2016

U.S.S. Stevens | Sam Glanzman | Review

*Image and book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

This book is a compendium of Golden Age comic book artist Sam Glanzman's series U.S.S. Stevens. Complete with a foreword on Glanzman's history and notes regarding the historical events and recommended readings for more information on World War II.

Review:

My family has a history of Naval service. My dad was in the Navy. My maternal great-great-uncle was one of the first casualties after Japan started attacking the Philippines. My paternal great-uncle was one of the soldiers on the U.S.S. Indianapolis who died after delivering the atomic bomb to Tinian. So when I picked up this book, I felt like I was getting a little more connected with family history, not just my national history.

There are many sobering stories in this series. Glanzman does not glorify war or heroes. The few, more lighthearted stories, still have the sobering background of war. Some stories that start off light become sobering. At every turn of the page, you can feel Glanzman's experience and sincerity in his recreations of events that happened to him. Especially interesting to me were the "footnotes" from almost every issue in the book. These talked more on the topic the comic was covering in this issue from PTSD to gays in the military to the high number of illegitimate children born in the Philippines.

If you are interested in World War II, the US Naval History, or war stories in comic book format, this is a book for you. Glanzman mixes in many history and engineering lessons into his comics making this both an emotional and informative read.

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Group Collaboration | Graphic Novels We Love

Sunday, 12 June 2016

Group Collaboration | Graphic Novels We Love

It's time for another group collaboration! This month we've decided to step away from our usual reviews and share some of our top graphic novel recommendations, all perfect for those summer readathons. Here are the ones that made the cut...
graphic novels 1
graphic novels 2
graphic novels 3
graphic novels 2
graphic novels 8
graphic novels 6

 Thank you to this month's contributors: Ria, Joshua, Rachel, Kaitlin, Erin
 
Next month we're celebrating another year of the amazing YALC by talking about YA! If you'd like to get involved just email bloggersbookshelf@gmail.com or drop us a tweet @blog_bookshelf!
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Little Red Fish | James Moffitt & Bizhan Khodabandeh | Review

Monday, 7 March 2016

Little Red Fish | James Moffitt & Bizhan Khodabandeh | Review

*Image and books provided by Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

This series is an allegory for the Iranian Revolution for adults and an adventure story for kids. The books tell the story of the fish who are under the harsh rule of the egrets. Their only hope is the eagle who is the only one able to take down an egret, but will he be able to do all of it himself?

Review:

I've been sold on this series for a while now. I first found it on Netgalley and thought the idea of an allegory for the Iranian Revolution (of which I know painfully little) would be a good way to start piquing my interest. I was not prepared for how beautiful the art work would be nor how quickly the story would draw me in. I've actually started immediately reading these books after getting approved on Netgalley because I need to know what happens next! 

Of course, I could do some research on the Iranian Revolution to find out what's going to happen next, but I will not get to see it in such a beautiful art style. I cannot understate how well the art and design work for this series. It actually takes me longer to read these books than most graphic novels because I like the artwork. 

This series a beautiful allegory for a piece of Iranian history that is under researched. Even if you don't care about learning history, the story is amazing and dramatic. I'm happily addicted to this series and I hope you will give it a read as well. 
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Library Wars: Love & War | Kiiro Yumi | Review

Monday, 28 December 2015

Library Wars: Love & War | Kiiro Yumi | Review


Summary:

In the near future, the Media Betterment Committee (MBC) is formed to censor all offensive and questionable media, by force. In response to this, libraries are reformed to protect patron rights and freedom of expression. Enter Kasahara, a private in the Library Task Force, full of passion, but not a lot of skill. This series follows her personal growth in the Library Task Force as well as the political and emotional turmoil between Libraries and the MBC.

Review:

I originally started reading this because it's about libraries. I had no idea, when I picked up the first book, that there would also be a few love stories involved. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't really care for love stories. That being said, this has been an amazing series to read.* Kiiro Yumi's depictions of the characters are a delight to read and I am fully emotionally invested in these characters. I've almost cried for one of them.

My favorite part about this series is that it covers actual problems contemporary librarians face. Don't get me wrong, so far libraries haven't had to create their own armed forces, but there's so much more than that in these books. We read about librarians not handing over patron records to the police in an investigation. We read about problems librarians have with parents expecting them to be babysitters. Heck, in order to be promoted, the challenges range from sitting at a computer all day inputting new books to keeping a room full grade school kids occupied for story time, to hosting a public forum on questionable books. This series does a masterful job of showing the many roles a librarian can play. This may all sound boring, but there is plenty of action as well. It really is a war between Libraries and the MBC. There are gunfights and raids. 

Of course, the love stories do have to be addressed. Throughout the series the main couple is in denial of their feelings. This could have made the series more of a drama, but Yumi turned it into a comedy. The back and forth between the two makes me, literally, laugh out loud. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me if that's why I enjoy a series with a love story; because it's hilarious. There are other couples in this series and they show so many other kinds of love stories. One is absolutely adorable, another is an interesting meeting of highly intelligent people, and there are more. 

In case you can't tell, I absolutely love this manga. I've even started looking for the anime, the original book by Hiro Arikawa, and the live-action movie. This is an incredibly enjoyable series for people who love books, people who love love-stories, and people who love to laugh. 



*I'm currently waiting to get Volumes 13 & 14. 
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Monday, 21 December 2015

Warren The 13th & The All-Seeing Eye | Tania del Rio & Will Staehle | Review

warren the 13th
*Review copy c/o Netgalley, images via goodreads.com & amazon.com

The Warren Hotel, designed by Warren the 1st and built by Warren the 2nd, has been passed down through the generations and Warren the 13th is set to take over on his 18th birthday. Currently twelve years old Warren is living and working in the somewhat rundown hotel alongside his evil Aunt Annaconda and lazy Uncle Rupert. Despite his love of the hotel, working under the strict rule of his Aunt means that Warren dreams of a big adventure and he certainly gets one in this quirky middle-grade fantasy tale!

When Warren’s Aunt learns that a powerful object called the All-Seeing Eye is hidden somewhere on the property she is determined to find it. Question is, can Warren stop her in time to save his family’s beloved hotel? As word spreads about the power of this mysterious object, guests start to flock to the (usually rather empty) hotel, keen to find it and claim it’s power for themselves. With new friend Petula in tow, Warren sets out on his own mission to locate the Eye, crossing paths with a whole host of weird and wonderful characters along the way, including my personal favourite, Sketchy!

Not only is this charming adventure tale packed full of fun but it is also beautifully illustrated. The imagery plays a big part in the story and the illustrations, which have been created using a simple black and red colour scheme, compliment the text perfectly and were my personal favourite part of the book. The layout is also stunning and it’s easy to see a lot of thought has been put into this element, which I really appreciated.

As I don't generally read a lot of middle-grade titles I can't comment on how Warren the 13th stacks up against what else is out there, however I can tell you that I really enjoyed following Warren and co. on their adventure. Plus, the amazing illustrations definitely make the book one to pick up!
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Heart and Brain | Nick Seluk | Review

Monday, 2 November 2015

Heart and Brain | Nick Seluk | Review


Summary:

The cover really says it all. This is a collection of web comic artist Nick Seluk's best Heart vs. Brain comics.


Review:

I picked up this book because I am a fan of The Awkward Yeti comics. Seluk does an amazing job of depicting real-life battles between what your heart wants and your brain knows is best. Every page of this book made me laugh because it's so easy to identify with the characters. We've all been in situations where our brain tells us "yes, I remember this person's name" only to find out our brain forgot how to talk. And I know I'm guilty of letting my heart talk me into purchases that my brain told me weren't worth it.

This is a great book if you're in need of a laugh. So many of the situations and conversation in this book are relatable to everyone. I highly recommend this book and the web comic.
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Saturday, 31 October 2015

Edward Scissorhands Volume 2: Whole Again | Kate Leth & Drew Rausch | Review

 


*Review copy c/o Netgalley, image via goodreads.com

The second volume of this Edward Scissorhands reboot takes place after our favourite outsider has won over the town’s residents as we tag along on another of Meg and Edward’s adventures.

Alongside a couple of new characters the pair find themselves headed out to meet Dr Wells, queen of the makeover. You see, Edward has just had a TV installed in his castle for the first time and stumbles across the Dr’s popular reality series, and becomes fixated on being ‘normal’. Soon the group find themselves at the centre of Dr Wells next big episode, with Edward becoming somewhat of a celebrity. Meg however isn't the Dr's biggest fan and has her suspicions that things may not be quite what they seem.

In this volume we also get to see Kim through some flashback sequences. These show snippets of her life across the last twenty years, between the events of the 1990 film and the previous graphic novel, including interactions between her and her young family as well as Edward. I really loved this addition to the graphic novel's fresh story as it perfectly ties the new adventures of Edward back to the original film.

I have to admit, I didn’t enjoy the story of Whole Again quite as much as Parts Unknown but it was still a good quick read with awesome illustrations. Once again, I hope to see more adventures starring Edward, Meg and co. in the future!

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Friday, 30 October 2015

Edward Scissorhands Volume 1: Parts Unknown | Kate Leth & Drew Rausch | Review

 Review copy c/o Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion, images via goodreads & drewrausch.com

Edward Scissorhands and I go way back. I’ve been a big fan of the 1990 Tim Burton film for a long time and even used it as inspiration for a project whilst at university back in 2008. Unfortunately that particular idea didn’t end up working out and whilst I still love the story I haven’t watched the film since. I always thought that one day I would revisit the characters and the story however I never imagined it would be through a graphic novel. A few months ago I noticed the cover for this book pop up on Netgalley and couldn't resist taking the opportunity to snap it up, and I'm happy to say that I'm glad I did!

As this is an adaptation of a film with such a distinctive style I want to kick off by talking about the visuals. I have to say I honestly really loved the style of the illustrations in this book, particularly those of Edward and the interior of his castle, which I preferred over the more brightly coloured scenes set outside of his lonely world. With reference to the original film the illustrations had a bit of a Burton-esque feel to them and I really felt that Drew Rausch’s style was perfectly suited to this quirky project. With this in mind I would really love to re-read the story, perhaps next time as a physical book, to catch all of the little details I must have missed first time around.

As for the story itself it’s important to first note that Parts Unknown is not a re-telling of the film’s plot but is actually a sequel. Set years into the future we are introduced to teenager Meg who is the granddaughter of Kim (Wynona Ryder’s character in the film). The plot follows Meg as she looks for Edward and tries to prove that her late grandmother’s tales of the mysterious but lovable character are more than just make-believe. Another new character is introduced in the form of Eli, one of the inventor’s failed projects who becomes the villain of this piece, an interesting twist on the events of the original story.

Personally I loved that this graphic novel offered a different spin on the world of Edward and brought new life to the character so many fans love. It also gave an interesting insight into what could have happened after the events of the film or what we may have seen if there had been a cinematic sequel. I did however feel like the story could have been padded out a little more, although I understand that this isn’t always easy with the format of a graphic novel.

Overall I think Edward Scissorhands Volume 1: Parts Unknown is a great little graphic novel and love that the story of Edward is being shared with a new generation. As it looks like this is just part one of a planned series I’m really looking forward to finding out where the story will go in the next instalment and what future adventures Edward and Meg may go on together!

This review was originally published over on my blog e-elise etc in May. Don't forget to check back here tomorrow to read my review of Edward Scissorhands Volume 2: Whole Again!
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