Fatalysia #2

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Fatalysia
Issue: 2
Date: January 2008
Publisher Primeval
Writer: Liam Kemp
Artist: U!
Letterer: Chris Tabor
Cover: Myke Amend

A dark fairy tale with a classic gothic horror vibe. Susan lives in an isolated village surrounded by forest. Trapped in an abusive home, she is haunted by dreams of a mysterious scarecrow, and she has begun to believe that there is something awaiting her in the forest that is more than just the stuff of dreams.

Meanwhile, her father, the town butcher, is succumbing to his own brand of madness.

This was moody and intriguing, with a great look to it and an interesting group of characters. The story is developing slowly, and it didn't feel like I missed much by starting at the second issue, but it still did a nice job of getting me interested and building tension.

Rating: 7/10

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck

The Kiddo brought this one home from the school library.

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck
Publisher: Puffin Books (a division of Penguin; series website at wimpykid.com)
Date: 2013
Writer: Jeff Kinney
Artist: Jeff Kinney

Greg Heffley is down on his luck. His best friend Rowley suddenly has a girlfriend, and Greg has been given the full third-wheel treatment.

As his life at school spirals out of control with the loss of the friend he relied on (here meaning "exploited") for everything from homework help to dog-poop spotting on the walk to school, Greg turns to a magic eight-ball to make his decisions for him.

The romantic drama is one big sexist trope dragged out over the course of the whole book, but fortunately it does not take center stage for most of the story.

What does work is the big expansion of interesting characters from Greg's school and family, as well as a subplot about family greed over a lost diamond ring. There are also some revelations about Greg's mom as Greg gets a look at some of the secrets in her bedroom closet.

It was also nice to see Greg actually grow a bit and learn something from this round of mishaps.

Rating: 5/10

Sky Pirates of Valendor Series 2 #4

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Sky Pirates of Valendor Series 2
Issue: 4
Date: 2012
Publisher: Jolly Rogue Studios
Writer: Everett Soares
Penciler: Brian Brinlee
Inker: Alex Rivera
Tones: Jet Amago
Letterer: Steve Kuster
Editor: Amy Haley
Cover: Craig DeBoard

The unlikely team of Gearz and Shyni, along with gun knight Kirby Kingsman are all that stands between the Prince and a horde of assassins.

The good news is that these ninja-types are definitely from the cannon-fodder school of ninjitsu. The bad news, they're just the distraction for a much bigger threat.

The ninja jobbers were a bit silly, but they did give the trio of heroes a chance to show off their fighting moves, and the main event featured some interesting reveals about what exactly Gearz is.

This was fast-paced light fun, that didn't take itself all that seriously, so it was easy to just enjoy the mayhem.

Rating: 7/10

Battlestar Galactica #6

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Battlestar Galactica
Issue: 6
Publisher: Dynamite
Date: 2007
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Nigel Raynor
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: Simon Bowland

Photo cover edition. Set during the second season of the SciFi TV series, this issue has the Galactica and it's "rag-tag fleet" hiding among space debris as they deal with a virus that has incapacitated many of their crew, as well as multiple ships with FTL drives damaged by attacks from Earth Protectorate terrorists.

To make matters worse, the (temporary, apparently) death of one of the Cylon agents may have alerted the cylons to the location of the fleet, and an attack could come at any moment.

I have only seen a few episodes of the show, and the only other issue of the comic series I have read so far was #0 (reviewed here), but I was impressed with the comic's ability to capture the emotional tension of the show. This issue had a ton of subplots, and breakneck pacing, but in spite of my relative unfamiliarity with the ongoing story, I never felt put off by the complexity. Instead, it added to my interest.

Coupled with some terrific art, the pacing and intensity of the story made for a very engaging read.

Rating: 7.5/10

Kay And P #00

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Kay And P
Issue: 00
Date: 2010
Publisher: Jackie Musto
Writer: Jackie Musto
Artist: Jackie Musto

This issue introduces the title characters, a young music student and her best friend, a skeleton named P who is (mostly) invisible to everyone but Kay.

The focus here is almost entirely on the two lead characters, setting up their easy and fun banter as they deal with a breakup of a short-lived relationship and P's interest in celebrity news and pop fashion magazines.

The dialogue flows nicely and the artwork is beautiful. Writer/artist Jackie Musto does a particularly good job capturing Kay's many moods and expressions in this issue, without the pressure of having to do a lot of major plot developments.

This was a good introduction that definitely left me wanting to learn more about these characters and their relationship.

Rating: 8/10

The Flutter Collection

Title: The Flutter Collection
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Date: 2018
Writer: Jennie Wood
Artist: Jeff McComsey
Colorist: Chris Goodwin, Jeff McComsey
Letterer: Jeff McClelland, Jeff McComsey
Editor: Jeff McComsey, Dave Marshall

The story of a girl with shapeshifting powers who becomes a boy to get the girl she's fallen in love with. And things proceed to escalate quickly.

This story is full of twists as it morphs from high school drama to science fiction political thriller, with bits of horror and superhero flavor along with way.

The characters are complex, and the story manages to constantly go in directions that are unexpected, but at the same time are logical repercussions of the (often bad) decisions by the characters.

Writer Jennie Wood tackles a a range of current political issues, especially as the story reaches its climax, and handles them without going astray from the strong character-driven narrative.

Rating: 9/10

Lumberjanes Volume 5: Band Together

Purchased last Spring when Gynn was visiting the US.

Title: Lumberjanes Volume 5: Band Together
Date: December, 2016
Publisher: Boom! Studios (Boom Box)
Writer: Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh
Artist: Brooke Allen, Carolyn Nowak
Colorist: Maarta Laiho
Letterer: Aubrey Aiese
Cover:  Brooke Allen, Maarta Laiho
Editor: Dafna Pleban, Whitney Leopard

While fishing at the lake, the Lumberjanes discover a merperson, along with some of her former friends who she used to be in a band with.

April, dazzled by the ideas of both merfolk and bands, comes up with a series of plans to help the merband reunite, whether they want to or not. Not surprisingly, mayhem ensues.

This volume had a much-needed bit of backstory, with a flashback chapter that showed the arrival of all of the main characters at the camp. It contained some really great insights, and was a perfect breather after the frantic pace that had been set in the previous four volumes.

The merfolk story also something of a break from the longer-term plot elements, and was a nice self-contained tale with good character development and a lot of small, unexpected twists. Not to mention a rousing finale!

This is a good book, and it could function as a jumping-on point for new readers.

Rating: 9/10

Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal

Bought at the Eslite main store, Taipei, Taiwan, June 2019.

Title: Ms. Marvel
Issue: Volume 1: No Normal
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Date: 2018
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Adrian Alphona
Colorist: Ian Herring
Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna
Editor: Sana Amanat, Devin Lewis

Jersey City teenager Kamala Khan gains a set of shapeshifting powers and begins figuring out the whole superhero thing.

This is, in many ways, a fairly straightforward superhero origin story, with Kamala Khan as an updated Peter Parker, trying to do good in the world while she deals with the consequences of her new abilities and her sudden status as the mysterious neighborhood hero.

It's the details that make this work. The multifaceted supporting cast is terrific, and the main character is relatable. There are plenty of interesting bits of dialogue and interactions taking place between the super-heroics, and the book has a sly sense of humor and self-awareness. Having worked in Jersey City for four years, I also appreciated the use of the setting.

The only area I felt could have been a bit stronger in this volume was the villain, but he will hopefully get some more development as the story continues.

Rating: 8.5/10

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #28

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: John Carter, Warlord of Mars
Issue: 28
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Date: 1979
Writer: Peter Gillis
Artist: Larry Hama, Ricardo Villamonte
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Letterer: Diana Albers
Editor: Roger Stern

John Carter, on a surveying mission over unexplored areas of Barsoom with his friends Sasoom Thil and Kantos, discover an abandoned city, and are soon faced with a series of unexplained phenomena.

This was the final issue of this run, and this story was a self-contained tale that left a fair amount unanswered, with plenty of potential for further exploration. Because of the lack of follow-up, the ending was a bit unsatisfying, although it worked in a missed-connection sort of way.

Typical for its time, this was wordy compared to how the same story might be told today, and while some of the excess of text was useful in filling in details about the comicbook version of John Carter's Barsoom, a lot of it felt like it could have been cut.

It's too bad that the character introduced at the end of this story didn't get the chance to appear in further books in this series, and I wonder of some version of her has been brought back in the various reboots of John Carter that have some up since this was published.

Rating: 5.5/10

Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #1

From the stack of comics I bought at Double Midnight Comics in Manchester NH last year.

Title: Bitch Planet: Triple Feature
Issue: 1
Date: June 2017
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Andrew Aydin, Conley Lyons
Artist: Maria Frohlich, Joanna Estep, Craig Yeung
Colorist: Marco D'alfonso
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor:  Lauren Sankovitch
Cover: Valentine De Landro

This is an anthology series set in the world of Bitch Planet, a patriarchal future in which "troublesome and offensive" women are imprisoned on an off-world penitentiary.

In the three stories in this collection, the only part that actually takes place in the Bitch Planet prison is a flashback sequence. Instead, the focus here is life under oppressive patriarchy, and acts of resistance and defiance.

All three stories were powerful, but all of them felt like they could have used a bit more breathing room. I haven't read the Bitch Planet main series (Yet! It's on my list!), so I don't know if there is any crossover of characters, but the lead characters in each of these stories had the potential for her own major plotline.

This is clearly a great companion piece for fans of the main series, but not as good a jumping-in point for new readers. That being said, I did jump in here as a new reader, and it did leave me intrigued enough to want to read more.

Rating: 7.5/10

Seductions

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Seductions
Date: 2008
Publisher: Aazurn Publishing
Writer: Gary Scott Beatty
Artist: Bill Bryan
Colorist: Gary Scott Beatty
Letterer: Gary Scott Beatty

The narrative in this vampire story starts off with something of a pickup artist vibe that was perhaps more of a turn-off in terms of sympathy for the main character than the author intended. Or perhaps not?

The gimmick here is that the vampire sleeps for ten years after each kill, so a lot of the book is quick flashes that manage to incorporate as many obvious cultural cliches from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s as possible into a couple of panels.

This is interspersed with backstory set in the 1500s that tells something of an origin story. The 1500s stuff is the best material by far, and provides the best character: the lost love-interest of that the vampire narrator now chases through an eternal existence of what felt like standard vampire angst.

The artwork looked great, but in spite of some attempts, this never broke far enough away from standard vampire tropes.

Rating: 4/10

Inbound #2

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Inbound
Issue: 2
Date: 2008
Publisher: Boston Comics Roundtable
Writer: Matthew Reidsma, Jason W. Salzarulo, Charles Schneeflock Snow, Kevin Kilgore, Rachel Maguire, Ron LeBrasseur, Jay Kennedy, Cathy Leamy, Justin Clibun
Artist: Matthew Reidsma, Shelli Paroline, Eric Haines, Kevin Kilgore, Rachel Maguire, Ron LeBrasseur, Jay Kennedy, Cathy Leamy
Editor: Dave Kender, Dan Mazur, Ron LeBrasseur, Shelli Paroline
Cover: Braden Lamb

Anthology from the Boston Comic Roundtable. Very nice collection with a good variety of stories, including a comic adaptation of Justin Clibun's true account of US soldiers in Iraq. There is a humorous science fiction story by Charles Schneeflock Snow and Eric Haines, as well as a silly tale of mad science called Too Many Robots by Ron LeBrasseur. Jay Kennedy and Matthew Reidsma each provide a different and unique examination of the superhero genre. There is also a very creepy dark fairy tale by Jason W. Salzarulo and Shelli Paroline, and one of Cathy Leamy's wonderfully quirky slice-of-life story, this one dealing with her sister living an alter-ego life. A wordless and surreal tale by Rachel Maguire rounds things out, along with a humorous fictional history of comics creators in Boston.

All of this was good, and I enjoyed the variety of styles represented here.

Rating: 8/10

Dog Man: For Whom The Ball Rolls

The Kiddo borrowed this from a friend at school.

Title: Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Date: September, 2019
Writer: Dav Pilkey
Artist: Dav Pilkey
Colorist: Jose Garibaldi, Aaron Polk

Petey is released from Cat Jail, but will he be able to be the father that Li'l Petey wants him to be? When Petey's own father suddenly comes back into the picture, Petey must face his own abandonment issues, even as he finds himself part of a very nontraditional extended family with his son, Dog Man, and 80-HD.

Meanwhile, Dog Man gets some well-intentioned Pavlovian behavior modification to cure him of his obsession with chasing balls, but when a (not) new villain unleashes a horde of ball-shaped robots, Dog Man's greatest weakness becomes, well, his greatest weakness. Just in an even worse way.

Dav Pilkey drops Ernest Hemingway and Eric Carle references, confronts the reality of toxic family relationships, and expands the character development of a bunch of returning cast members.

This was a fun step forward that brought some new ideas and kept the same impressive joke-density of the previous books in this series.

Rating: 8.5/10

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway

The second of two Wimpy Kid books that the Kiddo purchased during our summer travels. He got this one at the Surangel & Sons department store in Koror, Palau.

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway
Publisher: Amulet Books (a division of Abrams; series website at wimpykid.com)
Date: 2017
Writer: Jeff Kinney
Artist: Jeff Kinney

The Heffley family change up their Christmas plans and book a vacation at a tropical beach resort. As is typical, things begin to go wrong, starting with a luggage mixup and a series of unfortunate encounters with local wildlife.

It's not complete misery, though. It was nice to see a few moments of the family having fun, even if those were few and far between.

I get frustrated with the lack of sympathetic characters in these books, although Kinney does come up with some genuinely funny jokes. The end sequence, which plays on a nice double meaning of the title, was a nice cascade of mayhem.

But I also find that the series has a pervasive low-grade sexism that never seems to go away. Greg's mother is a collection of over-the-top tropes, with the least character development of any of the family members, and a character who is a romantic interest for Roderick isn't even given a name. Their arc also ends in pretty much the most tired cliche imaginable.

I did like this one better than the similarly-themed The Long Haul (reviewed here), only because the scenario rang a bit more true, and there were a few more of those rare moments of joy here. I realize that moments of joy is not exactly the vibe that the series is going for, but I just don't feel invested enough in taking much amusement from seeing the family get their comeuppance for their bad decisions and bad luck

Rating: 4.5/10

Shade: The Changing Man #44

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Shade: The Changing Man
Issue: 44
Date: February, 1994
Publisher: DC Comics (Vertigo)
Writer: Peter Milligan
Penciler: Chris Bachalo
Inker: Rick Bryant
Colorist: David Hornung
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Shelly Roeberg, Karen Berger
Cover: Duncan Fegredo

Trapped in the midst of an outbreak of 17th Century witch hysteria, Lenny and Karen are about to be hanged, and Shade is not helping matters at all. In fact, he's actually transformed himself into the gallows tree as he wages an internal battle between his love and hate for Karen. Meanwhile, John Constantine tries to figure out the spell to get all of them out of this mess, only to find that the secret he needs is buried in a very dark place in his own past.

Loaded with overtones of abortion politics and religious puritanism, the story also features some heartbreaking interactions between all of the main characters. It also fills in some interesting backstory on Constantine, and serves up a side helping of time paradoxes.

I didn't read the issues leading into this one, so I probably missed some of what was going on here. There was a LOT going on. But even without all of the backstory, this was a memorable chapter in the tale of Shade and his fellow travelers.

Rating: 8.5/10

Sky Pirates of Valendor #5

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Sky Pirates of Valendor
Issue: 5
Date: 2008
Publisher: Free Lunch Comics
Writer: Everett Soares
Penciler: Brian Brinlee
Inker: Alex Rivera, Keith Murphey
Tones: Jet Amago
Letterer: Steve Kuster
Editor: Amy Haley, Dave Haley

As Tobin Manheim and the crew of the Rogue's Revenge race to deliver their prisoner to the port of South Gate, the Temple of Khorii calls upon the full might of its fleet to blockade the approach to the floating island.


But Tobin is not out of tricks, and he's got one last favor that he can call in.


This was the conclusion to the current storyline, and it had some fun mass battle scenes between the sky ships of the Temple of Khorii and the returning (Yay!) Pirate Queen.

The more personal confrontation at the climax was fine for what it was, but would have been helped by a bit more depth and personality for the villain. Still, it delivered a fun moment and a satisfying end to the story arc.

Rating: 6/10

The Warriors #1

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: The Warriors
Issue: 1
Date: 2009
Publisher: Dabel Brothers
Writer: David Atchison, David Shaber, Walter Hill, Sol Yurick
Artist: Chris Dibari
Colorist: Kieran Oats
Letterer: Bill Tortolini
Cover: Chris Dibari, Kieran Oats
Editor: Rich Young, Eric Ruiz

This is the Diamond Exclusive cover.

Adaptation of the 1979 film. The Warriors is one of those iconic films I remember from my childhood ("Warriors... Come out and play!"), and writer David Atchison is clearly sticking very close to the script of the film. The story has a Coney Island street gang framed for the murder of a leader who was trying to unite New York's gangs at a meeting clear across town from the Warriors' turf. Hunted by every gang in the city, the Warriors make a desperate late-night journey home.

there is a one-page bit that sets the story up with an ancient tale that was a parallel and inspiration, from the Persian War of Ancient Greece. But from there, it launches right into the plot of the film.

While it might have been nice to see some expansion of characters and background that could be provided in a comic, I appreciate the faithfulness to the source material that is evident here. The pace is fast right from the start, with the minimal dialogue needed to convey the story.

Artist Chris Dibari did a nice job of highlighting the tension between characters through expressions and body language.

This was an enjoyable bit of nostalgia, and still a solid story.

Rating: 8/10

Sky Pirates of Valendor #4

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Sky Pirates of Valendor
Issue: 4
Date: 2008
Publisher: Free Lunch Comics
Writer: Everett Soares
Penciler: Brian Brinlee
Inker: Brian Brinlee, Michael W. Kellar
Tones: Jet Amago
Letterer: Steve Kuster
Editor: Amy Haley, Dave Haley
Cover: Brian Brinlee, Jet Amago

The skyship Rogue's Revenge comes upon a seemingly abandoned floating island, but when they attempt to claim salvage rights, they find themselves in competition with a crew of gnolls, and then fighting for their lives against a horde of zombies, controlled by a figure from Shyni's past.

The climactic fight scene was good,  but getting there involved a whole series of bad decisions by people who should have known better (heroes and villains alike). It also felt like some of this was resolved too quickly, although there was still plenty of plot left open at the end.

One thing is absolutely loved was the spectacular cover art by the Brinlee/Amago team.

Rating: 6.5/10

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

On our trip this past summer, we ended up buying two Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. This one was purchased at the Eslite main store (open 24 hours!) in Taipei, Taiwan.

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
Publisher: Puffin Books (a division of Penguin; series website at wimpykid.com)
Date: 2016
Writer: Jeff Kinney
Artist: Jeff Kinney

This is the British edition, featuring terms like "petrol" in the otherwise American setting.

Family road trip! Greg Heffley's mom, inspired by a family activities magazine, packs up the whole family in the minivan, with the (barely held together by duct tape) boat in tow, and they are off to seek out adventures, complete with packed "Mom Meals" so they can

There are some cute touches: funny parodies of Captain Underpants and Choose-Your-Own adventure books, and an appearance by Flat Stanley, and author/artist puts together some genuinely funny sequences of cascading chains of small events that lead to complete disasters.

That being said, an awful lot of the humor is just based on members of the family being jerks to each other, and occasionally to strangers. The story also really does a thorough job of sucking the joy out of travel, which was disappointing to someone like me, who always enjoys a good road trip.
avoid having any, um fun really, but Mom is actually trying to avoid fast food.

I get it. It's easier to make up misfortune to laugh at, but the continuous bad attitudes and bad decisions, in spite of the funny moments made this a chore to get through.

The Kiddo (age 11, and grade 5) liked this a lot better than I did, but fortunately, the Kiddo also enjoys family travel a lot more than Greg Heffley does.

Rating: 4/10

Archie #600

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Archie
Issue: 600
Date: October, 2009
Publisher: Archie Comics
Writer: Michael Uslan
Penciler: Stan Goldberg
Inker: Bob Smith
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Editor: Victor Gorelick

This milestone-number issue is also the first installment of the "Archie Marries Veronica" storyline. This is basically a "What If?". Archie, about to graduate from high school, with no idea of where his future is heading, goes for a walk in Riverdale, and finds himself on Memory Lane. But this time, instead of walking backwards in time, he tries out the other direction. The lane becomes a path in the woods, that splits, in a little bit of a Robert Frost reference, setting up this series along with the parallel "Archie Marries Betty story.

From there we leap into the future, where Archie and his friends are now college grads, finally going their separate ways (including one to Bayonne NJ! Yay Bayonne!) after four years at State U.

With Veronica about to depart on a round-the-world cruise, Archie makes the biggest decision of his life.

The scenes with Archie and Jughead had some good dialogue, and I enjoyed the general vibe of good friends having to part ways, and looking forward to different futures.

The stuff with Veronica and her caricature-level rich father were the usual silliness, and some of the sentiment around Betty "losing" in her rivalry felt forced. The story implied that Archie and Veronica had been dating steadily through college, and I was left wondering why Betty hadn't moved on.

Like a lot of the relatively recent Archie books I've read, this was pretty heavily playing up the nostalgia, with mixed, but generally positive results for me.

Rating: 7/10

Shanghai Red #1

I believe this is the last of a stack of comics bought at Double Midnight in Manchester NH over Christmas break last December.

Title: Shanghai Red
Issue: 1
Date: June 2018
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Christopher Sebela
Artist: Joshua Hixson
Colorist: Joshua Hixson
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Editor: Andrea Shockling

A ship crewed by "Shanghaied" conscripts suffers a bloody mutiny, carried out by Red, a woman who had been living disguised among the rats in the bilges as she plotted her revenge. Now, she has set sail for the Pacific Northwest, where the trail of retribution will continue.

Red is a great character, and the plot twists and bits of background are intriguing.

I will admit that I bought this solely because of "Shanghai" in the title (and the ship arrives just off the coast of Shanghai and doesn't actually ever arrive there), but it exceeded expectations as a story.

This was a good start and I'd be interested in reading more.

Rating: 8/10

Ghosts

The last graphic novel from the four-book boxed set we bought at the Eslite main store in Taipei, Taiwan.

Title: Ghosts
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Date: 2016
Writer: Raina Telgemeier
Artist: Raina Telgemeier
Colorist: Braden Lamb
Letterer: Jenny Staley
Editor: Cassandra Pelham

Of the four Raina Telgemeier graphic novels in the boxed set we got, this was the only one that involved supernatural elements. Catrina's family has moved from southern California to the foggy northern coastal town of Bahia de la Luna, where they hope the air quality will be better for Catrina's sister Maya, who has cystic fibrosis.

They soon meet a boy who runs the local ghost tour, followed by an encounter with real ghosts. Fearing for her sister's safety, Catrina tries to shut the supernatural nature of the town out of her life any way she can, but as Dia de los Muertos approaches, Catrina must find understanding with both the visiting spirits and her sister.

There are some moments of atmospheric creepiness to this story, but the ghosts are portrayed primarily as joyful beings, and their joy permeates the story, bringing light to the worries that Catrina has about her sister's future and her own place in their new home.

This had the strongest  plot of the four Telgemeier books, and her interpretation of the ghosts themselves was clever and fun. There were great touches of humor, beautiful landscapes, and some powerful emotional scenes.

Rating: 9/10

Sisters

The third book in a four-book boxed set we bought at the Eslite main store in Taipei, Taiwan.

Title: Sisters
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Date: 2014
Writer: Raina Telgemeier
Artist: Raina Telgemeier
Colorist: Braden Lamb
Letterer: John Green
Editor: Cassandra Pelham

Raina Telgemeier returns to autobiographical material with this story of her relationship with her younger sister. She embarks on a road trip with her mom and her younger brother and sister: a week of driving and camping from San Francisco to Colorado, then a week of family reunion with cousins, followed by another week of driving and camping on the way home.

All of this takes place during the timeframe around the end of the companion book, Smile (my review is here), but the two books stand alone nicely, and there is not much overlap aside from the characters themselves.

Interspersed with the road trip adventures and family drama are flashbacks that reveal the sometimes contentious relationship between the Raina and her sister Amara over the years. There is also a fair amount of other family drama, lots of terrible luck with pets, some 80s and 90s nostalgia, and plenty of humor.

The story encapsulates a lot of Raina's frustrations as a teenager, and does a nice job of showing how the road trip brings conflicts to a boil, but also brings a bit of understanding. I thought that Smile had a tighter narrative, but this book provided a lot of good backstory.

Rating: 7/10

Drama

The second book in a boxed set we bought at the Eslite main store in Taipei, Taiwan.

Title: Drama
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Date: 2012
Writer: Raina Telgemeier
Artist: Raina Telgemeier
Colorist: Gurihiru
Letterer: John Green
Editor: Cassandra Pelham

The story follows the planning and staging of a middle school's musical production through the eyes of Callie, who is in charge of set design on the stage crew. Callie finds herself in the midst of a bunch of romantic issues and relationship dramas even as she works to overcome the obstacles that the production is encountering along the way.

She also makes new friends, learns a lot about the friends she has, and shares her love for musical theater with everyone.

And this book shares the author's love for musical theater with the audience beautifully. There is also plenty of detail on how things work backstage at a school theater production. Much as I learned a lot about dentistry reading Smile (see the previous review), I felt like I learned quite a bit about the workings of the stage crew reading this.

The characters were entertaining, and the representation of gay characters in the story was great. The romantic elements felt realistic, and there was plenty of humor.

Rating: 8/10

Smile

We bought a boxed set of Raina Telgemeier's graphic novels at the Eslite main store, Taipei's famous 24-hour bookstore. This book was required summer reading for the Kiddo, and I read it with him.

Title: Smile
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Date: 2010
Writer: Raina Telgemeier
Artist: Raina Telgemeier
Colorist: Stephanie Yue
Editor: Cassandra Pelham

Sixth grader Raina is worried about getting braces, but the situation gets a lot worse when she breaks two teeth in an accident. The story, a memoir of the author's childhood in late 80s/early 90s San Francisco, takes place over the following four years of dental procedures interspersed with middle and high school social drama.

This was a charming story with a very sympathetic main character, tons of insightful details, and a sprinkling of history and nostalgia. Raina is easy to cheer for, and her experiences felt very real.

I also learned quite a bit about dentistry through this, and it resonated with my own orthodontic adventures as a teenager, which like Raina's were of above-average complexity (hers were certainly more extreme than mine, though!).

This is a story that leaves a good feeling but has enough depth to get you thinking a bit.

Rating: 8.5/10

Healed #5

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics. Purchased directly from the creators (and signed) in 2012.

Title: Healed
Issue: #5
Date: 2012
Publisher: Homeless Comics
Writer: George O'Connor
Artist: Griffin, S.
Editor: Tracy O'Connor

Reviews of previous issues: Issue #1, Issue #2, Issue #3, Issue #4.

Fifth and final issue in a series that examines the effect of a mysterious event that heals all human disease and effectively eliminates death from natural causes.

The writing and creativity in this issue were excellent, but the lack of resolution with this being the final issue was disappointing.

As with previous issues, this contained three stories. Two were seemingly self-contained. One of those examined the question of what happens to prisoners sentenced to life behind bars when life could now mean an eternity. The other standalone story focused on a disabled man who was somehow passed over in the Healing.

The main ongoing story hinted at big revelations, but nothing really came of it, which was frustrating because the slow-burn pacing of this series had been a strong point, so to see it end here left a ton of unfulfilled potential.

Still, the work that the series did up to this point with its fascinating concept was quite intriguing. If they ever do decide to continue the series, I would be eager to read more.

Rating: 5/10

Healed #4

Gynn bought this back in 2011 at Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE). I read the first three issues of this series, but issues #4 and #5 got lost in the Random Stack of Unread Comics... Until now!

Title: Healed
Issue: #4
Date: 2011
Publisher: Homeless Comics
Writer: George O'Connor
Artist: Griffin, S.
Editor: Tracy O'Connor

The fourth chapter in George O'Connor and S. Griffin's anti-apocalyptic story of a mysterious event that cures all diseases and eliminates all death by natural causes. It's been a while since I last visited this series, but you can find my reviews of previous issues here: Issue #1, Issue #2, Issue #3.

Pharmaceutical executive Donna Gibbs recruits for her team investigating the Healing, and locates the body of the only person to die a natural death in the ten days since the event.

Meanwhile, a members of a small-town therapy group are faced with the realization that their mental illnesses seem to have been unaffected by the rest of the world's miracle.

This series continues to do a nice job of slowly unraveling its central mystery while presenting interesting and creative implications of a world suddenly without natural death.

Rating: 8/10

Tragedy At Farstation Prota

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics. No idea where I got this one.

Title: Tragedy at Farstation Prota
Publisher: Jerel Dye
Writer: Jerel Dye
Artist: Jerel Dye

A space station suffers a catastrophic malfunction, and only one crewman has enough warning to flee to an escape pod. Told in single-page wordless panels, this tale of space disaster features beautifully detailed artwork, with better print quality and paper stock than you see in most minicomics.

Terrible in the scope of the destruction, with lots to absorb on every page.

Rating: 8.5/10

Dark Red #2

Back from an amazing vacation in Taipei and Palau, and back the Random Stack of Unread Comics!

Title: Dark Read
Issue: 2
Date: 2008
Publisher: Dark Red Comics
Writer: Lynn French
Artist: Lynn French
Letterer: Joanna McKenzie
Editor: Joanna McKenzie

Sarah MacAllister's introduction to the supernatural side of the city continues at a rapid pace as it turns out that a woman she's known since her childhood is deeply connected to the city's mystics.

Meanwhile forces are conspiring to release a plague of demons on the city, and the first attacks on the city's protectors have begun.

This issue really ups the complexity of the story, introducing new villains and new supporting characters, and extending the story beyond Sarah's personal experiences. By the end, there is a good established direction to the action, and the plot feels less scattered than at the start of the issue.

The photo-based artwork continues to be a visual treat, and I'm enjoying the worldbuilding.

Rating 7/10

Awakening Comics #1

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Awakening Comics
Issue: 1
Date: Summer, 1997
Publisher: Awakening Comics
Writer: Steve Peters
Artist: Steve Peters, Doug Sheaff, Dave Sim, Paul Pope, Mark Oakley, Matt Feazell, Scott Roberts, Steve Remen, Greg Hyland, Joe Chiappetta, Rick Veitch, James Kochalka, Sam Henderson, Oscar Stern, Rob Walton, Jimmy Gownley, David Nowell

This is an anthology comic that is mostly Steve Peters' solo work, but also includes a jam scection featuring a big cast of guest artists.

The stories cover a range of mystical and surreal topics, including a dreamer visiting an island and joining a battle against invading lobsters, a Hindu afterlife tale that takes a turn in the Norse direction, and a discussion of a long-abandoned roleplaying game campaign.

There is also an alternate dimension of super-powered kids, and a man trapped in a Circus of Heaven.

These were all prtetty interesting, and I especially enjoyed the discussion of what happens to the gaming worlds we invent after we stop playing.

The jam segment in Circus of Heaven was a bit choppy, but that is the nature of jams, and it featured a pretty stellar list of contributors.

Rating: 8.5/10

Dark Red #1

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics. I bought this from Indyplanet in 2007. I know this because I found the packing slip in with the comic.

Title: Dark Read
Issue: 1
Date: 2007
Publisher: Dark Red Comics
Writer: Lynn French
Artist: Lynn French
Letterer: Joanna McKenzie
Editor: Joanna McKenzie

A young woman who was permanently blinded by a sudden illness discovers that she can see elements of a hidden world: Demons, angels, and magical beings and objects. After rescuing a man from an attack by demons, she is introduced to a hidden world, in which the peace that has existed between the supernatural beings of her city is suddenly threatened, and she is being drawn into the conflict.

This book uses digitally-painted art over photographs for a pretty effective and unique look.

The first issue does a nice job of introducing the lead character, Sarah MacAllister, as well as several members of the supporting cast, while balancing a good amount of worldbuilding. Sarah is instantly likeable, and the world is intriguing.

This was a good beginning that did its job of getting me hooked. I have the second issue and I'm eager to see where we go from here.

Rating: 8/10

How I Became A Pirate #2

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: How I Became a Pirate
Issue: Chapter 2
Publisher: Feral Kiwi
Writer: TC McKenna
Artist: TC McKenna

Sixteen-page b/w minicomic that tells the story of a recent college graduate who is given a cursed compass that summons a whole crew of pirates who proceed to occupy the house she is renting.

This installment features a visit from the landlady and the test-firing of the cannons. As you might imagine, neither of these go well for "Cap'n" Christine Evans.

As the (sometimes) helpful parrot gives her some additional information on the nature of the curse, Christine realizes that she's going to have to truly take command of her horde of scurvy dogs before they do further damage.

This is an amusing concept, with the pirate world spilling over (kinda Jumanji-style) into our own, and the main character having to accept her destiny if she is to have any hope of removing or controlling the curse.

There were some funny moments, a few good one-liners, and plenty of pirate-jargon. The minicomic format hurt the legibility a bit, but the concept was entertaining enough that it was worth the effort needed to read every bit of dialogue.

Rating: 7/10

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Free Comic Book Day 2014 All Ages

Title: Avatar: The Last Airbender: Free Comic Book Day 2014 All Ages
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Date: May, 2014
Writer: Gene Luen Yang, Art Baltazar, Franco, David Lapham
Artist: Faith Erin Hicks, Art Baltazar, David Lapham
Colorist: Cris Peter, Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Michael Heisler, Nate Piekos of Blambot
Editor: Dave Marshall, Scott Allie, Jim Gibbons, Shantel LaRocque, Daniel Chabon

Three stories, featuring Avatar: The Last Airbender, Itty Bitty Hellboy, and Juice Squeezers respectively.

The Avatar story has Suki and Sokka dealing with the sexist owner of a collectible seashell shop, in an amusing commentary of the "fake geek girl" trope. The initial action is satisfying in a jobber-squash-for-a-good-cause kind of way, but the ending of the story is quite good and shows some real heart.

Itty Bitty Hellboy has some fun trying to teach a ghost how to do his job, and also plays on the old "cough syrup for the coffin" joke. Not much to it, but I give credit for bringing up a classic dad-joke I got told as a kid.

The Juice Squeezers story involved some kids braving a nest of giant ants to exact a bit of revenge on the local school bullies. I'm not clear on why there are giant ants, but the story did a decent job of representing the "kids on bikes" subgenre (ET, Goonies, Stranger Things, etc). I'd be interested in seeing what this series does when it has more to work with in the way of plot.

Rating: 6/10

The Vengeful Half

From the To-Be-Read bookshelf. I've had this for a while.

Title: The Vengeful Half
Date: 2016
Publisher: Catlord Press
Writer: Jaclyn Dolamore
Artist: Jaclyn Dolamore
Cover: Ilicheva Anastasya, Dade W. Bell

Prose novel with comic segments and sketches drawn by the author at the end of each chapter.

Olivia and her mother have been living in hiding in various locations around America, but their past finally catches up to them, as Olivia's mom is abducted by agents from the Hidden Lands, a dimension of magical beings living in a world that has absorbed a great deal of 20th Century Earth technology and culture.

When Alfred, the eldest son of a powerful Hidden Lands crime family, offers to bring Olivia to the Hidden lands to help her mom, Olivia is thrust into the midst of ancient conflicts between powerful forces, including a mysterious telepath who seems to know secrets from Olivia's past lives.

This was a good mix of powerful fantasy with intrigue and romance. The world is intentionally excessively pretty, but it holds many dark secrets beneath the glittering surface, and there is a great deal of background development that adds depth to the story.

The characters are likeable, and there is a lot of light humor and fun, but the ending packs an emotional punch.

The comic segments of the book are mostly short asides that flesh out scenes that got a mention, but were not actually played out in the prose, along with some sketches that give visuals to the characters or add to the worldbuilding. The art style fits nicely with the flavor of the world.

This was fun, and it had quite a bit going on, with plenty of potential for further stories.

Rating: 8.5/10

DC Retroactive Batman: The 1980s #1

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: DC Retroactive Batman: The 1980s
Issue: 1
Date: October, 2011
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Mike W. Barr
Artist: Jerry Bingham, Alan Davis, Paul Neary
Colorist: Carlos Badilla, Adrienne Roy
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual, Richard Starkings
Editor:Jim Chadwick, Chynna Glugston Flores, Denny O'Neil

This book contains a new story, and a reprint, both written by Mike W. Barr. The reprint is the classic first issue of  Batman Year Two from Detective Comics #575 in 1987. This story introduces the Reaper, a vigilante who once stalked Gotham's criminal element, and who has now come out of retirement and into conflict with the Batman, who is still at the beginning of his own path of vigilante justice, less lethal than that of the Reaper.

This is a good classic Batman story with some excellent character work on Leslie Thompkins, Alfred, and Commissioner Gordon, along with the introduction of Rachel Caspian, a love interest of Bruce Wayne with a connection to the Reaper. Rachel Caspian is an intriguing character and the art team of Davis and Neary do a great job with her look. Likewise, the Reaper is a really fun design with his twin sickles, hidden guns, and armor.

The Batman's reaction to the thorough trouncing he receives at the hands (blades) of the Reaper seems a bit odd, but it makes sense in the "Year Two" context of the story.

The new story is a sequel, with a new Reaper stalking Gotham's crime families, and Batman on the case with Robin at his side.  The story was fun, with some good plot twists, but it went for more of an 80s-amusing vibe (with some of the dialogue throwing back to Adam West 1960s Batman), and as such, it lacked the gravitas of the original story. The new Reaper just never rises to the threat level of the original, and the result is what feels like just a regular day at work for the Batman and the Boy Wonder. Not that this is a terrible thing; I enjoyed the story. It just felt a bit out of place as a direct follow-up to something as iconic as Year Two.

Rating: 5.5/10

Giant-Size Thrills #0

Another Free Comic Book Day flip book from Red Giant by way of the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Giant-Size Thrills
Issue: 0
Publisher: Red Giant Entertainment
Date: May, 2014
Writer: Benny R. Powell, Mort Castle, Kevin Juaire
Artist: Ricardo Jaime, Vincenzo Cucca
Colorist: Marlon Ilagan, Mariacristina Federico
Letterer: Zach Metheny
Editor: Brian Augustyn, David Lawrence

Flip book. First up is Darchon, an urban fantasy story focusing on a man who can see monsters that are invisible to most people. He sees himself as a friend of Darchon, a wizard/detective character from a pulp adventure comic magazine. How much of this magical world is real and how much is delusion is left somewhat unclear.

Flip the book over to find Shadow Children, telling the story of a boy and a girl growing up in a magical dimension, and eventually making their way back to our world.

Neither of these stories managed to hook my interest much. Both were going for a dark fantasy vibe, with Darchon in a straight-up world filled with unseen demons, and Shadow Children putting a dark spin on a fairyland type of setting.

The stories had some appealing visuals, especially Shadow Children, which also appeared to have some complex and well thought out worldbuilding behind it. But none of the characters in either story were all that engaging, and neither story hooked me with its plot.

Rating: 4.5/10

Dark Horse: 20 Years

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Dark Horse: 20 Years
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Date: 2006
Artist: Adam Hughes, Art Adams, Doug Mahnke, John Sommariva, Sean Parsons, Mark A Nelson, Cary Nord, Sergio Aragones, Paul Chadwick, Chris Warner, Kilian Plunkett, Eric Powell, Matt Wagner, Jason Alexander, Thomas Yeates, Tony Millionaire, Rick Geary, Joss Whedon, Buzz Parker, Stan Sakai, Frank Miller
Colorist: Michelle Madsen, Edgar Delgado, Dave Stewart, Tom Luth, Dan Jackson, David Nestelle
Editor: Matt Dryer, Matt Hollingsworth, Jim Campbell
Cover: Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart

This is an anniversary pinup book, distributed as a $.25 promo from Dark Horse Comics, celebrating 20 years of their history.

Lots of classic characters and stories are represented here, with some great-looking artwork. What's really fun about this book, though, is getting to see artists do characters by other creators. Highlights included Adam Hughes on Hellboy, Matt Wagner's rendition of the Goon, Frank Miller drawing Usagi Yojimbo and Stan Sakai's take on Sin City, Paul Chadwick's Groo, and Sergio Aragones bringing a very Groo-style take to Conan the Barbarian. There's even a rare art credit for Joss Whedon, who drew Emily the Strange.

Nice way to celebrate 20 years.

Rating: 7.5/10

Spongebob Freestyle Funnies 2014

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics by way of Free Comic Book Day 2014.

Title: Spongebob Freestyle Funnies 2014
Publisher: United Plankton Pictures
Date: February, 2014
Writer: Graham Annable, Sam Henderson, Maris Wicks, Gregg Schigiel, Corey Barba, James Kochalka
Artist: Jacob Chabot, Sam Henderson, Maris Wicks, Gregg Schigiel, Corey Barba, James Kochalka
Colorist: Rick Neilsen, Mike Lapinski
Letterer: Comicraft
Cover: Graham Annable, Jacob Chabot, Rick Neilsen

This is the Free Comic Book Day offering for Spongebob Squarepants from 2014. It includes three main stories, plus some one-page gag strips, and activity page, and even an educational feature about marine life.

The first full story involves Squidward activating the "Relocate" feature on his house in an attempt to get away from annoying neighbors Spongebob and Patrick. Unfortunately, their houses also come equipped with the same feature. This was funny, and definitely in the flavor of the show, and it never wore out its welcome.

The other two main stories are aimed more at the geeky crowd.

There is a cute parody of Silver-Age (and 1960s TV) Batman/Batgirl featuring Mermaid Man and his sidekick Barnacle Boy as they battle Octopus Doctor, with some help from the mysterious Mermaid Girl. This did a nice job of mirroring Batgirl's debut, and featured some amusing action bits.

Finally, Underswimming Comics was a parody of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, which was one of those things that I'm surprised no one thought to parody before this. It didn't completely hit the mark, but it was still good for a few laughs, and the overall flavor of it worked really well.

I liked all of the shorter features in this book as well, which is a pretty good achievement when so many elements have to come together to make a book like this. This was fun all around with plenty of appeal for younger readers as well as serious comic fans.

Rating: 7/10

Red Bird Comics #1

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics by way of the SPACE convention.

Title: Red Bird Comics
Issue: 1
Publisher: Dimestore Productions
Date: April 2009
Writer: Madison Shires, Ally N., Kaitlyn R., Hanna M., Ben B.
Artist: Madison Shires, Ally N., Kaitlyn R., Hanna M., Ben B.
Editor: Ian Shires

This is a minicomic anthology that grew out of a comic workshop run by Ian Shires for his daughter's elementary class. The short stories by young creators include football rivalries, a family of lost birds, and time travel (complete with a T-Rex!).

Cute, fun, and heartwarming to see kids encouraged to make comics!

Rating: 8/10

Spring-Heel Jack: Revenge of the Ripper #2

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Spring-Heel Jack: Revenge of the Ripper
Issue: 2
Date: 1993
Publisher: Rebel Studios
Writer: David Barbour
Artist: Wayne Tanaka
Letterer: Gary Kato
Cover: Tony Harris, Tim Vigil

This story combines the 19th Century folk legend Springheel Jack with the infamous Jack the Ripper, and brings it all into a modern setting.

Although this was the second in a three-issue series, much of this issue was devoted to explaining the Ripper's backstory as Prince Albert Victor, grandson of Queen Victoria. His dealings in the occult granted him immortality through the commission of ritualistic murders, and he was later captured and held prisoner by the British government in a succession of psychiatric asylums.

Opposing the Ripper is Spring-Heel Jack, a tulpa conjured by a woman with psychic powers. As London detectives attempt to stop the Ripper from replicating his past crime spree, and Spring Heel Jack begins his own campaign to locate the Ripper, it becomes apparent that the Ripper has a new target in his sights: Diana, Princess of Wales.

The art style is is grim black-and-white, befitting the story's noir style with its callbacks to steampunk. Some of the action could be a bit hard to follow, and the incompetence of the Princess' security detail was a bit dismaying (although it's nothing that we haven't seen from the GCPD in pretty much any random Batman story).

I liked the Spring-Heel Jack character a lot. He's more interesting than the villain, and I'd be interested in reading more of this series and his previous series just to get more sense of his backstory, as almost all of the exposition in this issue is focused on the Ripper.

Rating: 6/10

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #187

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight
Issue: 187
Date: March, 2005
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Shane McCarthy
Penciller: Tommy Castillo
Inker: Rodney Ramos
Colorist: Tony Avina
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Bob Schreck, Michael Wright

This is part three of a story arc called "Riddle Me That", with the Batman being manipulated through a complex series of puzzles and traps by the Riddler, while the Riddler's past is explored in flashback sequences.

It hadn't occurred to me until I read this, but I know pretty much nothing about the Riddler's origin story, which is surprising to me considering what a longstanding and iconic character he is. I've even cosplayed him! And I still know nothing about his background.

So for that alone, I found this a really intriguing issue. It's a pretty transitional piece of the overall story arc, so the present-time action doesn't really amount to all that much, but the bits of Riddler backstory were enough to get me interested in reading more.

Rating: 6.5/10

Mister Beecher: The World's Worst Teacher

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Mister Beecher: The World's Worst Teacher
Publisher: Marek Bennett
Writer: Marek Bennett
Artist: Marek Bennett

Mister Beecher has a new system in place for motivating his students and it involves a pool of jellyfish! Eight-page quarter-sized minicomic that is really just two jokes. They were reasonably amusing, so the book accomplishes its purpose. Mr. Beecher has a fun look, and the concept has plenty of room for expansion.

Rating: 5.5/10

The Tick: Free Comic Book Day 2014

With Free Comic Book Day coming this weekend, here's a book I bought during 2014's FCBD at New England Comics in Quincy MA, where I got it signed by the writer and artists.

Title: The Tick: Free Comic Book Day 2014
Publisher: New England Comics
Date: 2014
Writer: Jeff McClelland
Artist: Duane Redhead, Ian Chase Nichols
Editor: George Suarez, Bob Polio

Arthur and the Tick have to solve the mystery of the disappearance of their entire city. Fortunately, an alien that they find standing by the edge of the massive hole in the ground is able to provide a clue, which leads them to a showdown with a deranged alien collector known as the Hoarder.

This was an amusing and fast-paced story with some good visual gags and some nods to silver-age city-in-a-bottle tropes.

The backup story was also amusing, with the Tick taking on a new bearded identity as the Lone Santa. It was mostly setup for one visual joke, but the payoff was pretty amusing.

Good, silly fun all round.

Rating: 7.5/10