Chibi-Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis (American Manga)

 

My Thoughts:

When my children were younger, I had a dream to bring them to every public library in the state. We didn't even get to every public library on the island. However, we did visit some lovely public libraries. The Princeville public library on Kauaʻi stands out because there was a glass enclosed teen room in the center that introduced us to the comic series Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. 

Chibi Usagi is a joint effort by husband and wife team JUST Sakai (JUlie and STan). The characters are chibi versions of Stan Sakai's original Usagi line, however, chibi means to make the characters more cute by making them smaller, more round with large, oversized heads. It is almost like watching Muppet babies. 

In this adventure, the three main characters, Chibi Usagi, Chibi Gen and Chibi Tomoe find a Dogu, a mud creature, and follow him back to his community to save them from a giant salamanderand his heebie chibis who have enslaved the dogu to mine for gold. Kawaii.

From the Publisher:

Stan Sakai's beloved rabbit samurai has won countless fans over his 35-year history, thanks to a clever blend of thrilling action, heartwarming characters, and a realistic portrayal of Japanese culture. Chibi Usagi brings these fun and thoughtful stories to middle-grade readers as an original graphic novel packed with adorable art and captivating energy.

While fishing for freshwater eels, Chibi Usagi, Chibi Tomoe, and Chibi Gen rescue a Dogu, a clay creature from Japan's prehistory. The Dogu's village has been enslaved by the Salamander King and his Heebie Chibi minions and are forced to work in their mines. Chibi Usagi and his friends must rescue the Dogu people and eliminate the threat of the Salamander King forever in this feature-length story of adventure, humor, and slippery eels.

Authors/artists: Stan Sakai, Julie Sakai

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Publication date: June 29, 2021

Sci Fu Volume 1 (Graphic)

 

My Thoughts:

8th grader Wax is a budding DJ who has skills on the mixer even if his rap is a little less skilled. Set in1980s Brooklyn (the home of hip hop), DJ Wax's spinning for his crush Pirate Polly catches the attention of some extraterrestrial baddies by creating a "colossal sonic disaster." In this Afrofuturist tale,Wax, best friend and pizza deliverer Cooky P, ice cream truck vendor Uncle Rashad, super smart and straight up little sister The D get transported to Discopia, a Blade Runner style color-saturated realm. Wax soon finds out that they are there because he has accidentally killed King Chug Chug, Discopia's ruler. He finds a mentor, Kabuki Snowman who teaches the teenager Sci-Fu, a mix between martial art and music used to fight with sound waves. 

For an 80's kid, this reminds me of watching Kung-Fu movies at my local Chinese theater, specifically "The Five Deadly Venoms" mixed with characters reminiscent of Netflix's "The Get Down." In other words this is a nice combination of science fiction, kung fu, and hip hop set in a unique future with a diverse cast of characters and the Brooklyn swagger. Looking beyond the slick style, like "The Get Down" you see creative grit through failure and love. 

From the Publisher:

Hip-Hop, Sci-Fi and Kung Fu all hit the turn-tables for the mash-up mix of the year! Cartoonist/force of nature Yehudi Mercado (Pantalones, TX, Rocket Salvage) sets his sights on 1980s Brooklyn and Wax, a young mix-master who scratches the perfect beat and accidentally summons a UFO that transports his family, best friend, and current crush to the robot-dominated planet of Discopia. Now Wax and his crew must master the intergalactic musical martial art of Sci-Fu to fight the power and save Earth. Word to your mother.

Author/Cartoonist: Yehudi Mercado

Publisher: Oni Press

Publication date: March 14, 2018

Girl on Fire (Graphic Novel)

 My Thoughts:

I admit I picked this graphic novel up because it's Alicia Keys and "Girl on Fire" is my anthem "she's living in a world and it's on fire/filled with catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away/ oh. . . She got both feet on the ground/and she's burning it down" When life gets chaotic, and I just have to dig in and hold steady rather than back down, this is the song I go to for inspiration. 

I thought maybe this was a memoir in graphic form on the artist Alicia Keys. Obviously I didn't look at the cover well, although I would love to read a graphic novel memoir of Alicia Keys (like March by John Lewis). This is a comic style superhero story about 14-year old Lolo. She is a good girl. Conscientious, skipped a grade smart, loving towards her family, including her dad, her maternal grandmother and her older brother. Her mother has been out of the picture since Lolo was a toddler, but although they live in the projects, Lolo's dad is doing his best to get them out. 

Seemingly out of the blue two things happen to her - she has some kind of physical connection with another boy from the projects and when her brother is mistaken for a robber at the bodega and smashed into the ground with a gun pointed at him, Lolo finds that she has superpowers. 

Although they try to keep it under wraps, Lolo is still connected to Mike and tries to keep him from going down a bad path as he deals with his frustration of being too short for football. In addition, the drug dealer that Mike ends up working for wants Lolo's to work with him and will hurt her family to get her. 

Lolo's bravery and kindness, characteristics that she had even before she had super powers help to ground her to the values she holds dear even in the face of bullies and criminals. That, I think is what makes Lolo the Girl on Fire. She stays grounded and she can burn it down. Great for middle grades but older teens and adults will also enjoy this. 

From the Publisher:

Lolo Wright always thought she was just a regular fourteen-year-old dealing with regular family drama: her brother, James, is struggling with his studies; her dad’s business constantly teeters on the edge of trouble; and her mother . . . she left long ago. But then Lolo’s world explodes when a cop pulls a gun on James in a dangerous case of mistaken identities. Staring down the barrel, with no one else to help, Lolo discovers powers she never knew she had. Using only her mind, she literally throws the cop out of the way.

Problem is that secrets like Lolo’s don’t stay a secret for long. Skin, a dangerous dealer with designs on taking over the neighborhood, hears of Lolo’s telekinetic abilities and decides that he needs her in his crew. Skin might not have Lolo’s powers, but he’s got nothing to lose and is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. And what he wants is Lolo.

Lolo’s not willing to let Skin use her to hurt the people—and neighborhood—that she loves. But it’s going to take a whole different kind of bravery to stand-up for what’s right, especially after Lolo’s mom returns suddenly and turns Lolo’s whole world upside-down. For too long, it’s true, Lolo’s had her head in the clouds, but this time, it’s on her . . . and she’s not backing down.

Girl on Fire is a young adult graphic novel about a girl who’s a flame. It’s the first-ever graphic novel from beloved GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Alicia Keys, co-written by Andrew Weiner and illustrated by Brittney Williams.  

Fine: A Comic About Gender

 

Publication date: April 5, 2022

My Thoughts:

This comic starts with the author/ilustrator's own niggling question about gender and how gender is defined. As they went further into collecting stories from a diverse group of people in the American Midwest, Rhea moved from outsider researcher to insider participant. The initial question moves from a scientific curiosity to a personal quest for self. 

What I appreciate about this is that like the anthology Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words, this comic's power is in Rhea's ability to be a participant in their own truth seeking. This kind of honesty around grasping complexity, including going further into culture and diversity to further complicate simple answers is helpful for young students who are themselves trying to identify and define themselves beyond the binary markers that are set forth for them in the home, in the school, even in society.

As teachers, if we do not have a book like this or Growing up Trans in our classroom, the message we are sending is that it is not important. Even if we are well meaning and have just not thought about it or seen something like this as a gap in our classroom library, we are in fact making a statement.  As part of our social equity agenda as teachers, we need to diversify our bookshelves and bring forward stories that address more than just race. This is a great start. 

From the Publisher:

As graphic artist Rhea Ewing neared college graduation in 2012, they became consumed by the question: What is gender? This obsession sparked a quest in which they eagerly approached both friends and strangers in their quiet Midwest town for interviews to turn into comics. A decade later, this project exploded into a sweeping portrait of the intricacies of gender expression with interviewees from all over the country. Questions such as “How do you Identify” produced fiercely honest stories of dealing with adolescence, taking hormones, changing pronouns—and how these experiences can differ, often drastically, depending on culture, race, and religion. Amidst beautifully rendered scenes emerges Ewing’s own story of growing up in rural Kentucky, grappling with their identity as a teenager, and ultimately finding themself through art—and by creating something this very fine. Tender and wise, inclusive and inviting, Fine is an indispensable account for anyone eager to define gender in their own terms.

To Drink and To Eat: Treats & Tribulations from a French Kitchen

 

My Thoughts:

This is a comic about food, a visual personal narrative, a cookbook and a book about food. It is all of that and none of that, which makes it interesting. Guillaume Long  is a French artist and gourmand. He runs the blog To Drink and To Eat hosted by LeMonde.fr

I think the variety of shots from the book tells it best:

The recipes for the most part are "gourmet" like oysters with foie gras, but the sardine butter above sounds divine.

From the Publisher:

Hungry for help in the kitchen? Go from basic cook to master chef with Guillaume Long's clever and charming lessons in French food. The third volume of acclaimed French foodie comics by Guillaume Long boasts a full plate of recipes and stories, from perfectly cooked lobster to culinary adventures in Madrid, to the return of Guillaume's forbidden desire for Burger King! Cooking blogs and comics come together in To Drink and To Eat Vol. 3, the newest and most unique cookbook to add to your kitchen shelf.

1000 Storms: Graphic

 

YA, brief nudity

Author, artist Tony Sandoval

Publication date August 17, 2021

My Thoughts:

I think I got the story on the first read, but after I finished, when I read the synopsis from the publisher, then I was able to really focus in on the parts of the story that were important. In other words, I let go of the weird skips in the story that were bothering me. One reviewer said to read this like a series of episodes and that made much more sense because the gist is below, but the reader is left with many more questions and it is ok, because perhaps they are saved for the next episode. 

What makes this a 4 out of 5 star book, though is that the weird girl gets redeemed and is the hero. But more than that, the art. . . Sandoval's art is hauntingly beautiful. The loneliness seeps off the page. Who needs questions answered when there is art. 

From the Publisher:

Lisa is a lonely girl who enjoys wandering nature and collecting odd bones and pebbles. The other kids think she’s kinda weird, maybe a witch, and avoid her. When one day she discovers a tree that allows passage to a parallel world, she finds herself in the middle of a demonic invasion plot, faced with saving the very children who ridiculed her.

In this magical tale (set in the same world as WATERSNAKES), Tony Sandoval takes readers back to his world of mysterious adolescence and surreal beauty. Like WATERSNAKES, and DOOMBOY before it, the reader is faced with recognizable feelings of solitude and longing mixed with danger and adventure through a visual wonderland.

Girl Haven

 

Oni Press

Lilah Sturges (author), Meaghan Carter (illustrator), Joamette Gil (cartoonist)

My Thoughts:

Graphic novels, comics, manga, have always been gender fluid and Girl Haven is no exception with the main character, Ash, being at the brink of a personal realization that he is a trans girl even if others see him as a boy. It is not shocking to bring this type of resource into a middle school classroom. What I know for sure is that comics, especially manga have androgynous and even feminine male characters with big eyes and high cheekbones. It never was a shock and I have been reading manga (in Japanese and in Japan) since the mid 1970s. 

What is different about this book, though, is the note about identity at the end of the book. It makes it more obvious that this is for a younger audience who would like some questions answered around gender identity, gender expression and sexuality. When the stories put characters in a fantasy world to work out issues around fears, gender and the power of love, we are able to get away from the trauma around social "norms" that haunt our children who are targeted as "different," "abnormal," and "queer."

This is another have in the classroom and let it wait for the right child kind of book. Thanks to Oni Press for continuing to allow stories to unfold like this without plastering LGBTQIA and queer youth on the cover or in the merchandising, which sometimes scares the curious reader who just wants to learn more, but also enjoy an adventure. 

From the Publisher:

Full of wonder, humor, and heart, Girl Haven is the newest original story from the author of Lumberjanes.

Three years ago, Ash’s mom left home and never returned, leaving behind a husband and child and a shed full of mystical curiosities related to the all-girl fantasy world she’d created as a child—Koretris. One day Ash invites a new group of friends from Pride Club over, and they try one of the spells to enter Koretris. To their amazement, they’re all transported to a magical realm filled with human-sized talking animals who are fiercely protective of their world and are ready to fight to protect it. But if Koretris is real, why is Ash there? Everyone has always called Ash a boy—shouldn’t the spell have kept Ash out? And what does it mean if it let Ash in? 

Paper Girls, Volume 3

 

Author: Brian K. Vaughan

Artists: Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson

From the Publishers:

The multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series from BRIAN K. VAUGHAN and CLIFF CHIANG continues, as newspaper deliverers Erin, Mac and Tiffany finally reunite with their long-lost friend KJ in an unexpected new era, where the girls must uncover the secret origins of time travel... or risk never returning home to 1988.

My thoughts:

This is volume 3 of a series on newspaper delivery girls from 1988 who end up in different eras and need to try and find their way back to 1988. Therefore, it is a series, and I am sort of reading from the beginning/middle of it so nothing gets resolved. As the reader, you just try and absorb what is in this new place, who are the friendlies that might help them as well as who are the enemies. They seem to be in a different dimension even if it looks like they are in the past because of the cavewoman-ish indigenous warrior girl with the baby. I say she is in a different dimension because she is wearing technology and it is not unusual for this technology to come through a "poop" hole. There is also someone from the future (or at least after 1988). 

This is a series for girls who love comics, and not the cutesy ones. This is actually a real niche and I have seen just as many females reading graphics series than males so if readers are interested in sci fi/girl power adventures, this series is for you. 

My one gripe that makes this a 2-3 star (kind of ok, I read it, probably not going to get the other volumes) is that it seems obvious by the voice of the characters that this series is written by males who do not quite understand the female voice nor what makes them tick. Perhaps getting a female graphic series, sci fi, met her at a panel in comic con collaborator next time would have been nice. 

Teaching Artfully

 

My Thoughts:
This comic/graphic/textbook/MEd thesis is not necessarily a YA book, nor is it a middle grade book which is what this blog is for. HOWEVER, this book fits in on this blog because it is going to speak to someone in my class. The who and when is not important. In fact, it is inconsequential to purchasing and passing along this book. 
It makes me want to go back to grad school and get another doctorate in curriculum studies, just so I can get my hands on creating and tinkering. This comic is a master's thesis done in comic form. Considering I wrote my dissertation as a multi genre, six chapter metaphor around the word moʻo, I loved, loved, loved this book. I have already passed it on or passed it forward to some of my own English teacher alum with a little note to do curriculum more artfully.
It truly is so inspiring that I just want to get back into the classroom and weave joy into every unit.  This is definitely going to be a part of my language arts methods class in the fall. Yay!

From the Publisher:
A groundbreaking sensation: a Master's thesis done in comics form! Now Teaching Artfully, is a compelling graphic novel! If you loved Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud or Unflattening by Nick Sousanis you will fall in love with this revolutionary and delightful book. In fact Sousanis provides a fascinating introduction!
Teaching Artfully draws the reader in as it presents the growth and explorations of an early-career art teacher, the author Meghan Parker. Parker comes to understand both her teaching and art-making practices through making insightful comics. The reader, too will find themselves illuminated and inspired and entertained! Teaching Artfully looks at daily teaching practices, visual literacy, the teacher's experience, relationships, and engagement with life inside and outside of schools. It uses a unique visual form to emphasize the importance of learning to understand and communicate using images.
First created as a Masters thesis in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, Teaching Artfully playfully and earnestly encourages us to see the arts as a way to connect with one another and find our common humanity. Creative people, educators and the general public are sure to connect with the call for meaningful engagement with the arts.

Black Heroes of the Wild West

 

Black Heroes of the Wild West: Featuring Stagecoach Mary, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons

My thoughts:

The look of this book reminds me of those old western dime novels. It just has a similar style, but the historic importance of these stories is to highlight the fake narrative around America's wild west. The American west was not, in fact, made up of white cowboys (the heroes and outlaws) and the "savage" Native Americans as the only two groups existing on the frontier. By resurrecting these hidden stories through text and graphics, readers are introduced to these unsung heroes and suddenly our American narrative is much more accurate,  rich, and diverse. I would definitely love to see an animated short on each of these historical figures. Thanks to the author, the ancestors seem ready to jump off the page into more adventures. 

These are stories that need to be shared in a genre and style that is also a talk back to the western dime novels of our American literary history.

Ice Cream Man Volume 1: Rainbow Sprinkles

Author: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo

From the Publisher:

Chocolate, vanilla, existential horror, addiction, musical fantasy…there’s a flavor for everyone’s misery. ICE CREAM MAN is a genre-defying comic book series, featuring disparate “one-shot” tales of sorrow, wonder, and redemption. Each installment features its own cast of strange characters, dealing with their own special sundae of suffering. And on the periphery of all of them, like the twinkly music of his colorful truck, is the Ice Cream Man—a weaver of stories, a purveyor of sweet treats. Friend. Foe. God. Demon. The man who, with a snap of his fingers—lickety split!—can change the course of your life forever. Written by W. MAXWELL PRINCE (ONE WEEK IN THE LIBRARY), with art by MARTÍN MORAZZO (SNOWFALL, GREAT PACIFIC). Collects ICE CREAM MAN #1-4

My Thoughts:

Do not mistake this graphic series for a tween or children's comic!!! Despite the title, this is for the older teen interested in the creepy evil that silently lurks in clowns, and now the ice cream man. I think there has always been something sinister about the music coming from the ice cream trucks and the way it just calls to little children like some great promise. Have you watched Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang recently? There is a scene where the child catcher, in his colorful garb and little bell goes door to door: "children, where are you?. . ." Ugh. That kind of creepy. 

The colors in this graphic series, like bubblegum and taffy adds to the horror of this series and in the end I really am confused about what specifically this ice cream man is. Evil, sinister, or just a mirror to our own depravity as a society? I don't know. 

Green Almonds: Letters from Palestine

Green Almonds is a personal memoir of Palestine and Israel through postcards and correspondence by two sisters. Anaele, a writer, spends half a year volunteering with an aid program in Palestine. Her sister Delphine, the artist, stays behind in Liege, Belgium. As Anaele writes about her experiences in Palestine, Delphine draws out her sister's story. 

In the simple drawings and text, Anaele and Delphine share an on the ground story of the complexity and pain of a community severed because of religion, politics, and ethnicity. Anaele makes friends, but as an outsider, is not able to make any kind of real change. It seems like Anaele's relationships with others seem one sided. I am not sure what kind of help she offers, except to be a sympathetic ear for these people. Perhaps this comic is also her way of being witness for the people she works with and telling her story beyond the walls of Palestine. 

For me, this is both a frustrating and realistic look at living as a marginalized citizen in your own land. 

Digital copy provided by Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.

Dark Nights Metal: Deluxe Edition

My thoughts:

This collection follows Dark Days: The Road to Metal and is both a conclusion and a segue for more to come. This is for readers that can see this as a new DC movie because although it doesn't have an end, the appeal of heroes who tap into the sense of goodness and hope amidst darkness comes through. When the more suicidal heroes want to give up, the more stable heroes bring them back. That is what makes the "comicverse" and these heroes immortal over generations of readers. 

I apologize to the writers and the publisher for mixing worlds and heading to Marvel for inspiration but the quote is so appropriate to this book and gets to the heart of the message:

It is easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days when you feel all alone, and that's when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will  hold on to hope. Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. -- Gwen Stacy, The Amazing Spiderman 2

Description:

The New York Times bestselling BATMAN writer and artist team of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo re-unite in the epic event graphic novel DARK NIGHTS: METAL!

 The Dark Knight has uncovered one of the lost mysteries of the universe...one that could destroy the very fabric of the DC Universe! The dark corners of reality that have never been seen till now! The Dark Multiverse is revealed in all its devastating danger--a team of twisted, evil versions of Batman hellbent on destroying the DC Universe! 

 With appearances from heroes, villains and faces long forgotten, DARK NIGHTS: METAL will examine every choice a hero doesn't take and every path they don't walk, and open up worlds that are forged by nightmares. 

  Together on a single title for an outstanding fifty issues, Snyder and Capullo's award-winning stories BATMAN VOL. 1: THE COURT OF OWLS, BATMAN VOL. 3: DEATH OF THE FAMILY and BATMAN VOL. 7: ENDGAME turned generations of Batman fans into a global horde of Batman superfans. With DARK NIGHTS: METAL, Scott and Greg will build on this strong foundation and broaden the scope of their storytelling to encompass the full expanse of the DC Universe.

An advanced digital copy provided by Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.

Herding Cats

I was a middle school teacher for a long time so I can relate to the simile for classroom management that is like "herding cats." This collection of "Sarah's Scribbles" holds that same kind of chaotic, quirky glee and awkwardness .  I am new to Sarah Andersen but I looked up her work and her daily scribbles and it has the same humor that I find charming.

This one talks about the growing pains of becoming an adult, a journey that most of us struggle with until we realize that we must be adults, even if we don't feel different. I think readers and non readers can relate to this as she deals with deadlines, social situations, awkwardness (like teens and tweens).

The bonus on the author's "Guide for the Young Creative" is a timely, honest message to young artists that things will get better, so don't give up.


A digital advanced copy was borrowed by Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.

Puerto Rico Strong (Comic Book)

My thoughts:

As someone who lives on an island, as someone who is Indigenous to a nation that has been colonized and illegally overthrown by the United States, I know a little bit about the struggles of living and thriving on an island. I know that when times get tough, we rally together because if not us, who? If not now, when?

That island survival mentality is what makes Puerto Rico Strong so powerful. This is comics at its most political and most powerful. The authors/artists saw that help for their people was not coming from the US, and they were left with the questions if not me, who; if not now, when? The introductions tell a moving story of why them and why now.

These 21 pieces in this anthology are different in voice, style, coloring. However, what they all have in common is the immense pride and love they have for Puerto Rico. These stories educate, entertain and imagine a future for Puerto Rico that carries forward culture, values and sovereignty. These stories privilege what we Hawaiians call aloha ʻāina, in simplistic terms not just a love for land but a political connection to the land, her people, her culture. 

This is a book worth owning and all profits go to the disaster relief and recovery programs.

Description:

Puerto Rico Strong is a comics anthology that explores what it means to be Puerto Rican and the diversity that exists within that concept, from today's most exciting Puerto Rican comics creators. All profits will go to towards disaster relief and recovery programs to support Puerto Rico. Despite being a US territory, Puerto Rico is often thought of as a foreign land, if it's even a thought in the mind of the average American at all. Its people exist in all corners of America; some of them have parents who immigrated from the home island, others are a part of families that have been on the mainland for generations. Then there are those who have come to the states in search of a dream but struggle to integrate into an unfamiliar culture, while there are those who have lived in the United States all of their lives but still have the same struggle because of the color of their skin or their sexual identity. These stories follow individuals from diverse walks of life but are all part of the culture that is Puerto Rico.Puerto Rico Strong features art and writing by Rosa Colon, Vita Ayala, Naomi Franquiz, Javier Cruz Winnik, Sabrina Cintron, Ronnie Garcia, Fabian Nicieza, Joamette Gil, and many more!

I received an advanced digital copy from Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review. 

Dark Days: The Road to Metal

Author: Scott Snyder

Release date: May 22, 2018

My Thoughts:

The superhero genre with the DC and Marvel cast of characters are huge again because of the success of the new movies. But just like the X-Men movies, the sustainability of this genre depends on new writing that infuses the character with new life to hold older fans and bring in new fans. The humility and release of anger by Wolverine in the movie Logan actually was a great segue to the new movies. Wolverine was able to model the kind of humanity necessary to survive in this world as a "superhero." 

I really think readers and viewers are interested in seeing the way these superheroes are humanized and struggle with similar emotional issues as everyone else. 

This new series shows Batman as a little less sure about the path he is taking and the decision he made. He doesn't listen to others and seems to be fated to the fact that he may have made a foolish decision, but there are no answers, at least not here. For loyal fans of the DC world like my husband who has been reading these comics off and on for 40 years, the characters are still here. He had to fill me in on the genealogy of Wonder Woman and Nightwing which made things clearer for me, but the back story was not necessary in the reading of this. I think new readers have a good base for these new problems. Will Wonder Woman and Batman every get through the hordes? Stay tuned.

Description:

The prologue to the next great DC epic starring Batman, Green Lantern and the rest of the Justice League is here from Scott Snyder, Jim Lee, Andy Kubert and John Romita Jr., with DARK DAYS: THE ROAD TO METAL!

Aquaman, The Flash and more of DC's pantheon of heroes suspect Batman of hiding a dark secret that could threaten the very existence of the multiverse! It's an epic that will span generations--but how does it connect to the origins of one of DC's most legendary heroes?

The unforgettable team of Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Jim Lee, John Romita Jr. and Andy Kubert combine forces to set the stage for the epic Dark Nights: Metal. Leading directly into this blockbuster event, DARK DAYS: THE ROAD TO METAL collects DARK DAYS: THE FORGE #1 and DARK DAYS: THE CASTING #1, as well as classic DC stories that built the foundations of METAL, including FINAL CRISIS #6-7, THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1, BATMAN #38-39, NIGHTWING #17 and more!

An early digital release was provided by Net Galley for an honest review

Noble V.1: God Shots

Author: Brandon Thomas

Illustrators: Roger Robinson, Jamal Igle +

About:

In this first series of Catalyst Prime superhero world, Astronaut David Powell is one of five astronauts sent by the Foresight Corporation and CEO Lorena Payne to save the world from annihilation by a massive meteor plunging to Earth.

Within the first two pages something goes wrong and his wife, former agent Astrid Allen-Powell sets out to not only hold her family and her two sons together, but it seems a year after the accident, Astrid finds out that David is still alive and she is not the only one trying to get him back.

My thoughts:

This will appeal to the new X-Men generation and the readers who liked the movie Logan and are currently watching the TV series Gifted. Granted the characters are adults and we need more teen characters just finding their powers and having to use them to get away from those people who either created and/or want to control them, HOWEVER, the appeal in this first volume is the identity issue.

David, who insists that is not his name, gains powers but loses his memory so he does not know who this David is. What he does have is sudden flashes of a child calling him daddy and glimpses of what happened to him. He remembers Lorena who seems to have implanted some of his powers but when Astrid tracks him down to try and bring him home, he does not remember her at all.

Like all first volumes in any series, the author uses the short chapters to give multiple background stories "to be continued," and this one has potential to hold readers and keep them coming back. 

Long is the Way and Hard

"Long is the way and hard, that out of hell leads up to light." Milton, Paradise Lost

Artists: James Stokoe, Bob Eggleton, Ulises Farinas, Erick Freitas, Brandon Seifert, Dave Wachter

Publisher: IDW Publishing (March 1, 2016)

In short: 

Godzilla meets his greatest adversary of all time-the impossible tortures of Hell! Each issue of this special miniseries will see Godzilla enter a new level of the underworld to do battle with the impossible by a variety of today's best writers and artists!

My thoughts:

There is always something very "Frankenstein"-ish about Japan's lizard king, Godzilla. Look beyond his disfigured, gargantuan body and he is a misunderstood, created monster. He is a creation of man's own greed and arrogance. He is not himself evil. Evil was done to him. Still, the reader must remember that he is still a reptile, so we cannot put the same expectations of humanity on him. Still, the artists in this series of miniseries all understand the loneliness and "humanity" of this monster. It shows in the art, in his actions, in his eyes. I am left wondering how he ended up in these realms of hell in the first place, but I understand that he is just a witness and visitor, not a resident of these hells.

The Buddha quote at the end and the picture of Godzilla walking up to the red torii in the sky is both a haunting and perfect end to this series:

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you. Not by angels or demons, heaven or hell. -- Budha

Provided by NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for an  honest review.

Bird & Squirrel on Ice

Author:  James Burks
Publisher: Scholastic

The Short: Friends Bird and Squirrel crash land in the South Pole after a blizzard and find themselves at a penguin village. Sakari, the chief's daughter believes that Bird is the chosen one who will save the village from the hungry killer whale that lives in their bay. Bird loves the idea of being the hero, but Squirrel finds out that the chief wants to feed Bird to the whale so Squirrel and Sakari need to try and save him, but time is running out!

And So: Although Bird and Squirrel are written for children and tweens, even as an adult these characters are FUNNY and charming. I love the strong female character of Sakari that we continue to see so much of in fiction and movies today, but Squirrel is a pretty brave blue squirrel too, and he genuinely cares for Bird and will continue to be the voice of reason. I am also impressed that there is added tension in the climax scene. I found myself reading faster at the end because it was getting so tense. That's just shows that children's literature has always been the role model for adult fiction.

Manga Friday: The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen

Title: The Last Dragon
Author: Jane Yolen, author; Rebecca Guay, illustrator
Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse (2011)
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
Tansy, the village healer's headstrong daughter comes across some fireweed, a dragon's bane, and an ancient plant that only shows up when a dragon is near. Her father, curious of the implications of the plant in a world that has been free of dragons for hundreds of years goes off into the forest in search of any sign of a dragon and promptly disappears. As other animals and babies disappear from the little village, chaos ensues in the village of Meddlesome and Tansy is forced to try and save the village.  Enter Lancot, tall, blond, muscular, and only mildly heroic. Can the two of them save the village? 


My thoughts:
The writing is simple and a wonderful companion piece for Guay's lush watercolor illustrations. This is an easy sell for reluctant readers and graphic novel enthusiasts of all ages, and readers really can't go wrong with two prolific professionals in Jane Yolen (author of Owl Moon and my favorite The Devil's Arithmetic) and Rebecca Guay. 


Source: netgalley.com