Very Funny Charlie Brown

From the Wilbraham Public Library book sale, Wilbraham MA USA, 2024.

Title: Very Funny, Charlie Brown
Date: 1968
Publisher: Fawcett Gold Medal
Writer: Charles M. Schulz
Artist: Charles M. Schulz

Paperback collection of Peanuts cartoons compiled from the larger collection You're Out of Your Mind, Charlie Brown Vol. 1. This was a great collection of older Peanuts material. It covers a lot of the classic jokes: Lucy pulling the football away, kites stuck in trees, baseball games rained out, and Snoopy doing everything at very high speed.

There was also a cartoon about the fear of nuclear war. And I appreciated all of the classical music references in Shroeder's scenes.

Interestingly, the adults do get dialogue rather than mumbles in these cartoons, although it does always come from off-panel.

This was a quick and enjoyable read.

Rating: 8/10

XXXHolic Volume 3

From the books unpacked from storage.

Title: XXXHolic
Issue: Volume 3
Date: 2004
Publisher: Del Rey Manga
Writer: Clamp
Artist: Clamp
Letterer: Dana Hayward

Kimihiro Watanuki can see spirits. Domeki can't see them, but he can repel and exorcise them. They would make an effective team, except for the fact that they can't stand each other.

This volume tells two stories. The first involves the spirit-busting duo investigating a school where a divination game similar to an Ouija board has gotten gotten out of control, and taken control of several of the students.

The second story involves the sorceress Yuko Ichihara, and it's basically a variation on the classic story, "The Monkey's Paw". A young student obtains a box from the sorceress with the warning never to open it. Things go downhill rapidly from there.

This issue has a bit of a monster-of-the-week vibe, without too much focus placed on the longterm plotlines. The book could do a better job of recapping the storyline at the beginning.

Clamp's art is always gorgeous and a highlight of any of their books.

Rating: 6/10

Spy Family Volume 4

Bought at Barnes & Noble, Enfield CT USA.

Title: Spy Family
Issue: Volume 4
Publisher: Viz Media
Date: November, 2023
Writer: Tatsuya Endo
Artist: Tatsuya Endo

A group of student terrorists are about to try to carry out an assassination using trained dogs carrying explosives, and Loid needs to stop them.

And speaking of dogs, Loid also just promised to get Anya a dog. So it's off to the dog adoption fair.

You can see where this is going, right?

And, since everyone else in the story is walking around with a big secret, it turns out that the adorable dog, eventually named Bond, is precognitive.

This had some of the best action so far in the series, with Anya and Bond rushing to prevent a future where Loid is killed in a booby trap explosion, and then Loid racing to stop the assassination plot. Yor gets a couple of moments, but is in the background more in this story.

This had much better pacing than the previous issue (reviewed here), and was more of a self-contained story. Bond is a great addition to the cast, and is drawn delightfully. While it didn't advance the main plot of the series much, it provided some needed character development time while giving Loid a chance to show of some of his skills.

Two backup stories in this issue. The first is a cute game of make-believe with Anya and a large plushie penguin. The second has Franky asking Loid for dating advice, in a quick story that is mostly silly, but takes a surprisingly poignant turn at the end.

Rating: 7.5/10

All's Faire In Middle School

Borrowed from my school library.

Title: All's Faire In Middle School
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin/Random House)
Date: 2017
Writer: Victoria Jamieson
Artist: Victoria Jamieson

Imogene is about to embark on her most dangerous quest on her path to becoming a knight: Surviving middle school. And even her fellow performers at the Florida Renaissance Faire, where her parents work, seem to agree that middle school is the worst. After being homeschooled through her elementary school years, Imogene navigates friendships, bullying, schoolwork, and teen fashion, all while starting her first faire season as a full cast member.

This is full of cleverness, Shakespearian insults, ren faire culture, wholesome family interaction, and yet more cleverness. The extended "fairemily" steal the show somewhat as Imogene's school drama takes on mostly expected twists and turns, and fun characters like aunt-figure Cussy provide entertainment even as they gently guide Imogene's recovery from a succession of bad decisions.

The ending was heartfelt, and the family and found-family elements were fun and wholesome.

Rating: 8/10

Rave Master Volume 1

From a Little Free Library in Amherst MA USA.

Title: Rave Master
Issue: Volume 1
Date: February, 2003
Publisher: Tokyopop
Writer: Hiro Mashima
Artist: Hiro Mashima

This was full of charmingly odd translations. So there's a set of magical stones called Rave. And there is a series of evil magical stones called Dark Bring. The Dark Bring stones are controlled by an evil organization called Demon Card.

Enter, our hero, sixteen-year-old Haru Glory, resident of the an isolated community called Garage Island. When Haru catches a strange horned creature in the sea, he is set on a course that leads him to become the new controller of the Rave stone and wielder of the Rave-powered shapeshifting sword.

The story here is straightforward hero's journey, but the characters are pretty strong, there is some good tragic backstory going on, and the odd quirky details like the strange talking flower-being that lives attached to the wall of Haru's house really make the story shine.

This was more fun than I expected it to be, and I'm interested in seeing where it goes.

Rating: 7.5/10

Batman/Superman: World's Finest, Vol. 1: The Devil Nezha

Read this at the Clapp Memorial Library in Belchertown MA USA. Nice selection of graphic novels there, considering it's a small library.

Title: Batman/Superman: World's Finest: The Devil Nezha
Issue: Volume 1
Date: January, 2024
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Editor: Paul Kaminski

Reprinting the first four issues of the latest World's Finest reboot. Poison Ivy attacks the Daily Planet, and finds herself up against the Batman, Robin, and Superman. But before the heroes can defeat her, Metallo shows up, adding a whole new level of threat when he injects Superman with red kryptonite.

As it turns out, this is just the beginning, as an ancient demonic figure named Nezha takes control of villains, and then heroes to set them against Superman and the Batman.

This turned complicated quickly, with a time-travel subplot, and continuously-escalating threats as Nexha takes control of more and more powerful metahumans to try to wipe out all potential resistance to his conquest of Earth and beyond.

The character work and action in this story are solid, especially the little insights into the relationship between Clark and Bruce and how they look out for each other.

The weak point is the villain, who's a mess of inconsistent powers, unclear motivation, and bland generic-villain personality.

There was enough of interest here that I'd be willing to check out more of the series once it moves past Nezha.

Rating: 5/10

The Treasure of the Black Swan

Borrowed from the Wilbraham Public Library, Wilbraham MA.

Title: The Treasure of the Black Swan
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Date: 2022
Writer: Guillermo Corral Van Damme, Paco Roca
Artist: Paco Roca
Editor: Conrad Groth

Based on true events, this is a realistic story of the hunt for sunken treasure, and more importantly, the legal battles that occur when a treasure is found. Alex Ventura is a young diplomat, just starting a job with the Spanish government's Ministry of Culture. A late-night call from the Spanish Embassy in the United States puts him on the case of an historic find: a fully-loaded treasure ship has been located by an American salvage company, with a reputation as dirty players in the treasure-hunting business. The Spanish government needs to prove that the treasure is Spanish property against a ruthless and well-funded American conglomerate

This is a great political thriller with elements of history and a sprinkling of romance, all done up in an art style that gives homage to Hergé's classic Tintin stories. I found this enthralling from start to finish, with a great mix of intrigue, drama, some action, and a bittersweet ending with a few nice surprises.

Rating: 9/10

Cardcaptor Sakura Volume 3

Read my friend's copy of this while visiting.

Title: Cardcaptor Sakura
Issue: Volume 3
Date: 2003
Publisher: Tokyopop
Writer: Clamp
Artist: Clamp
Editor: Jake Forbes

Sakura deals with a Clow Card doppelgänger that has led her brother into danger. She also helps her friend deal with a box that refuses to be opened, revealing another Clow Card. This volume ends with the arrival of a mysterious new teacher at Sakura’s school.

I jumped into this series with this issue, and in spite of the big cast, I never felt lost. The book does a nice job of reinforcing the worldbuilding as it expands on the rules and ideas behind the magical Clow Cards. The story is sprinkled with lots of humor, and Clamp always delivers spectacularly on the artwork.

Rating: 7/10

Stravaig #1

Bought at the Flywheel Zine Fest in Holyoke MA USA.

Title: Stravaig
Issue: 14
Publisher: Emma Percy
Date: January 2020
Writer: Emma Percy
Artist: Emma Percy

These got out of order in my TBR stack. I reviewed #14 of this series here. This first issue starts out as a very personal journal chronicling the author's move to a different state for the first time in her life. It's a good account of expanding horizons and settling in to a new place.

Along the way, we get a winter soup recipe, a bit of tarot, and a protective spell, along with some discussion of Catholic, Pagan, and Unitarian ritual and tradition, which was of some interest to me, as someone who has had experiences with the Catholic and Unitarian churches, as well as a bit of Pagan tradition. This first issue also explains the meaning of the zine's title.

Rating: 8/10

Attack on Titan Volume 6

Bought at Barnes & Noble, Enfield CT USA.

Title: Attack on Titan
Issue: Volume 6
Date: 2013
Publisher: Kodansha
Creator: Hajime Isayama
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Ben Applegate

This was action from start to finish when an abnormal female titan, possibly a human in titan form wreaks havoc on the Survey Corps expedition. The result is a frantic battle/chase sequence that keeps the tension high for the entire issue. Eren has to decide whether to trust his teammates or go against orders. The one break from the action we get is a flashback sequence that gives a bit more insight into how Eren's transformation power works.

The character development in this issue is subtle because it happens in the midst of all of the action, but it's effective. The artwork on the chase and fighting in a forest setting is great, although the scene transitions can be a bit abrupt.

Rating: 7/10

Stravaig #14

Bought at the Flywheel Zine Fest in Holyoke MA USA.

Title: Stravaig
Issue: 14
Publisher: Emma Percy
Date: March 2021
Writer: Emma Percy
Artist: Emma Percy

Nature/gardening oriented personal zine, opening with an essay on the beginning of Spring and mental health. There's a practical bit on preventing and treating tick bites, and a brief profile of the Catholic martyr Thomas Percy.

A second short essay on gender fluidity and some cute sketches from a nature walk finish up the issue. This was a nicely put-together traditional zine with collage-style layout and a succinct writing style that evokes the images of the season.

Rating: 8/10

Superman #223

Bought at Has Been Collectible Toys and Comics, Wilbraham MA USA.

Title: Superman
Issue: 223
Date: January, 1970
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Cary Bates, Henry Boltinoff
Artist: Curt Swan, Henry Boltinoff
Editor: Mort Weisinger

Clark Kent encounters three women who know that he's Superman. They soon reveal themselves to be part of an extraterrestrial team of superheroes who are considering recruiting him for their team. But a test of his powers goes badly wrong, Superman soon finds himself facing a new threat to Earth.

So, this is one of those stories where everything would have been solved much more easily if people had just talked to each other. It's got a bunch of plot twists, a surprise guest appearance, and the general silly vibe typical of Silver Age DC.

The story is a fairly entertaining ride, but the grim situations that come up don't mesh with the overall goofy flavor of the story. The superheroine team, the Galactons, turn out to be not what they seemed, which is too bad, because their introduction was pretty intriguing, and they might have made interesting longer-term characters.

Rating: 5.5/10

Assassin's Creed: The Fall (Deluxe Edition)

 

Bought at Goodwill, Davis Square, Somerville MA USA.

Title: Assassin's Creed: The Fall (Delux Edition)
Date: 2011
Publisher: Ubisoft
Writer: Karl Kerschl, Cameron Stewart
Artist: Karl Kerschl, Cameron Stewart
Colorist: Nadine Thomas
Letterer: Studio Lounak's Serge LaPointe

Around the end of the 20th Century, a man suffers from hallucinations of the fall of the last Czar of Russia and the battles between the Assassins and Templars in the years leading to the Russian Revolution. When the modern-day Assassins make contact with him, Daniel Cross gains their trust and embarks on a pilgrimage to seek out the elusive leader of the Order of Assassins, the Mentor. As he does, Cross sets off a chain of events leading to a modern purge of the Assassins by their ancient enemies, the Templars.

I bought this with the upcoming Assassin's Creed/Magic: The Gathering crossover in mind, having never played any of the Assassin's Creed games. For a newcomer to the lore, this did a pretty good job of getting me up to speed. I enjoyed the integration of history into the storyline, including the connections to the Tunguska Event and Nikola Tesla.

The story itself does a reasonable job of building suspense at the beginning, although it telegraphs its plot twist a bit, and the Order of Assassins come of as complete chumps by the time all is said and done, which is possibly not the desired impression to make on someone new to the franchise.

Still, it provides a decent setup for Assassin's Creed: The Chain, which will continue the story.

This was the Deluxe Edition, so it contains an extra ten-page epilogue, which really felt like an important part of the story, so it was good to have it here. There is also some "making-of" material, some notes on the relevant historical details, and a selection from the Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia. This last bit had some good background, but also spent a lot of time summarizing the story I had just read.

Rating: 6/10

Attack on Titan Volume 5

Bought at Barnes & Noble, Enfield CT USA.

Title: Attack on Titan
Issue: Volume 5
Date: 2013
Publisher: Kodansha
Creator: Hajime Isayama
Letterer: Steve Wands

In spite of having won the day in humanity's first major victory against the titans, Eren finds himself imprisoned and put on trial for his life. There are many among the powers that be who feel that Eren would be most useful to humanity if her were killed and dissected. Fortunately, Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps has a different idea.

Eren finds himself on a major expedition outside the walls in the hope of recovering vital information about the Titans, information that my be found in the ruins of Eren's own home.

In addition to some key plot developments for Eren, we also get to see Eren's training comrades make their final choice of whether to join the Survey Corps or the Military Police. This issue also deepened the mystery of the Titans, kicking things off with an encounter with a titan who could speak, and ending in a battle with a dangerously intelligent abnormal titan. In between, the character of Squad Leader Hange, who is driven to learn all she can about the titans, to the point of conducting gruesome experiments on captured titans.

Although Mikasa and Armin continued to be mostly in the background, this volume did a great job of adding complexity to the titan concept, and ended with some excellent action sequences.

Rating: 7.5/10

Magic Item Mini #1

Bought at the Flywheel Zine Fest a few weeks ago in Holyoke MA USA.

Title: Magic Item Mini
Issue: 1
Publisher: Alec Adams Art
Writer: Alec Adams
Artist: Alec Adams

Micro-mini zine collecting six magic items for use with fantasy roleplaying games. These aren't given specific stat blocks, but there's enough information with each one, along with the very nice illustrations, for a gm to adapt these items to their game without much difficulty. They range from the combat-practical Owl's Shield and Weaver's Bow to the useful warding item, the Ghost Bane Lantern. On the more ridiculous side is the Staff if Immediate Livestock, and yes, it does pretty much exactly what it sounds like it does.

As with several of the other small gaming zines I picked up recently, this gives a good amount of value for its size/cost, and I expect I'll use an item or two from this in a game at some point.

Rating: 7/10

Angel Sanctuary Volume 1

From my books retrieved from storage.

Title: Angel Sanctuary
Issue: Volume 1
Date: 1994
Publisher Viz Media
Writer: Kaori Yuki
Artist: Kaori Yuki

Setsuna's life is a mess, and that's before we even get into the details of his incestuous feelings for his sister. In the background of all of this there is an ongoing war between angels and demons and their various earthly reincarnations.

The artwork had some pretty spots, and there were a few moments where this story's horror elements really stood out nicely, but overall, I found it to be on the confusing side. This was a very nihilistic take on angels and demons, but it didn't leave me with much in the way of likeable characters.

The worldbuilding and the backstory are there, and there is definitely potential to get a decent story out of this, but this failed to hook me as an opening chapter.

Rating: 4/10

One-Page Dungeon: Quest for the Weird Stone

Bought at the Flywheel Zine Fest a few weeks ago in Holyoke MA USA.

Title: One-Page Dungeon: Quest for the Weird Stone
Publisher: Alec Adams Art
Writer: Alec Adams
Artist: Alec Adams

Another rpg adventure in zine form, this time, more of a micro-zine.This is a quick dungeon crawl with a couple of unique magic items and a monster/npc adversary. The descriptions are simple, but the GM can easily add the necessary details to work this with any D&D style rules set, and it's easy to adjust the challenge level as well.

This is a linear dungeon with interesting challenges, but no real plot and not much given in terms of backstory. Still, it definitely delivers value for its size/cost, and a group with get a fun side quest out of this at the least. Since the "Weird Stone" has vaguely-described healing properties, this would be a good quest to remove a curse placed on a PC or NPC. It's easily adaptable to just about any D&D setting.

Rating: 7/10

Just Another Goblin Cave

Bought at the Flywheel Zine Fest a few weeks ago in Holyoke MA USA.

Title: Just Another Goblin Cave
Publisher: YCBN Games
Writer: Eon Fontes-May
Artist: Eon Fontes-May
Cover: Dan Dawson

Not a comic. This is a rpg adventure in zine form. The basic idea is that the PCs are sent on a mission to a gnomish forge only to find it completely taken over by hostile goblins. This low-level adventure is designed to be run with OSR-style systems, but it's pretty workable with any D&D type set of rules. I ran it with 5E for my middle school gaming club and it worked fine. It's nonstop action, essentially one running battle from start to finish, so the roleplaying elements are a bit limited, but there is some good backstory and potential to expand on what's here, and it's adaptable fairly easily to most fantasy settings.

This provided some good entertainment for such a small, inexpensive product.

Rating: 7.5/10

Lady Bugs

Well, it's been 10 months since we moved back to the US, and I finally made it to a convention: The Flywheel Zine Fest in Holyoke MA USA was a really fun event, and I'll be posting items from my haul in the coming weeks, starting with this.

Title: Lady Bugs

This is an uncredited mini-zine, worless except for the title. It features illustrations of insects with mask-like human faces, either as their faces, abdomens, or wings.

The drawings are lovely, with a tiny bit of an uncanny valley vibe going on.

Seriously quirky fun.

Rating: 6.5/10

Once Upon A Time In The North

From my school library.

Title: Once Upon A Time In The North
Publisher: Random House Kids
Date: 2023
Writer: Philip Pullman
Artist: Chris Wormell

Not a comic, but beautifully illustrated, this novella (novelette? fairly long short story?) is a prequel to Pullman's His Dark Materials series. This is a classic western tale (well, northern, technically) featuring a stranger coming to town, a corrupt politician, an evil mining company, a good-hearted librarian, gunslingers, and, of course, a talking bear.

This is the story of the first meeting of Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison. Lee arrives in a sleepy northern oil town, and gets introduced to the local political scene, where an offer is made to pay him to be hired muscle in the unfair treatment of a merchant captain. Instead, Lee decided to side with the captain, and earns the support of the armored bear Iorek Byrnison.

This was really fun because the pacing of most of His Dark Materials makes it difficult to give center stage to secondary characters like Scoresby and Byrnison, and even more difficult to spotlight a character like Scoresby's daemon, Hester, who is absolutely awesome here.

This features an intense gunfight with an extremely nasty villain, a good bit of worldbuilding, and some fun subplots. Really enjoyable as a fan of Pullman's other works, but stands on its own pretty well as long as you have an idea of the daemon concept.

Rating: 8.5/10

Heartstopper Volume 2

From my school library.

Title: Heartstopper
Issue: Volume 2
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Date: 2020
Writer: Alice Oseman
Artist: Alice Oseman

The second volume of Alice Oseman's high school romance focuses first on the fallout of the end of the first issue, and then to Nick's growing understanding of his identity and the beginning of his coming out. As with the first volume, the dialogue is great, and the whole story just has a warm and comfortable vibe to it. There is some conflict involving Nick's friends, but the romance continues to be front and center.

The second volume continues the great use of art and layout, and the excellent pacing of the first volume.

Rating: 8.5/10

On The Run In Ancient China

I bought this in, well, modern China, at the Foreign Languages Bookstore in Shanghai in June of 2022.

Title: On the Run in Ancient China
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Date: 2003
Writer: Linda Bailey
Artist: Bill Slavin
Editor: Valerie Wyatt

Short educational graphic novel for kids, part of the Time Travel Guides series. The general format has the fictional comic story at the top of each page, while the bottom half has a writeup of the relevant historical and cultural facts.

In terms of plot, this resembles Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series. Three kids, Emma, Josh, and Libby, enter a magical (time-) travel agency and are transported back in time to Han-dynasty China. Mayhem ensues when the youngest is found by a traveling nobleman and taken to the Emperor's court. Meanwhile, the two older siblings accidentally stumble on the secret of silk-making and quickly become wanted fugitives.

The story whisks the kids through an array of scenes, showing life and culture during the time period, while the kids get into more and more trouble as they go.

The illustrations looked good, but the story was mostly about the older two siblings trying to reunite with Libby and escape, and the frantic pace of it loses some of the sense of wonder. The story comes to its expected reset, without much more than superficial character development, and some of the historical prose felt a bit dry. Libby, who actually enjoys most of her adventures, is the highlight of the story, but her plotline gets excessively silly at times.

Rating: 5.5/10

Heartstopper Volume 1

Bought at my school's book fair in Winter of 2024.

Title: Heartstopper
Issue: Volume 1
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Date: 2020
Writer: Alice Oseman
Artist: Alice Oseman

Romance, or rather, the beginnings of romance, between two boys at a British high school. This is one of the most wholesome love stories I've read, not that there aren't complications and things that go wrong, but just that the author does such a great job of getting the reader cheering for the couple to come together.

And while the supporting cast is small, the author manages to give us an amazing character in rugby coach Mrs. Singh, who shines in spite of only getting a couple of quick scenes.

The pacing is great, allowing for small moments and dialogue while still moving things along. The cliffhanger ending does feel like a bit of an arbitrary place to cut things, but it did it's job of leaving me wanting to read more.

9/10

Unearthly Volume 1

From the books I unpacked out of storage.

Title: Unearthly
Issue: Volume 1
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Date: September, 2005
Writer: Ted Naifeh
Artist: Elmer Damaso, Paolo Aguasin
Letterer: Nicky Lim
Editor: Jason DeAngelis, Adam Arnold

This is set up as a high school love triangle romance, and very quickly turns into something else entirely. Bookish student Ann has a crush on Jem, a sensitive boy who also has the attention of volleyball captain Rae.

Enter Star, an alien shapeshifter on the run. A fair amount of mayhem ensues before we get a final shift into space opera mode.

I liked that the characters are deeper and more complex than they first appear, especially Rae, the popular girl/jock. She's loads of fun with a surprising emotional range and a more real vibe than I expected when she was introduced. She's the real highlight of this initial volume, but I enjoyed the interactions between Ann and Jem as well.

The second volume looks to have a very different flavor, and I'm interested to see where the story goes.

Rating: 7/10

Death Note Volume 3

From the shelf of unread books unpacked from storage.

Title: Death Note
Issue: Volume 3
Publisher: Viz Media
Date: November, 2006
Writer: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist: Takeshi Obata

I read the first two volumes of this series quite a while ago, and I remember enjoying them, but not quite seeing what the hype was about. The premise is intentionally ridiculous: A death god lets a human (teenager Light Yagami) take possession of a notebook with the power to kill anyone whose name is written in it. There is a whole series of complex and arbitrary rules that go along with the notebook, and Light's plan to rid the world of criminals puts him up against the mysterious L, a young genius detective.

This volume is where the two main characters meet, and it's also where I began to buy into the hype. The intricate game of second-guessing, third-guessing, and beyond plays out like an elaborate version of Who's the Werewolf/Mafia, with increasing levels of duplicity.

Then a series of events at the end of this volume introduce a massive additional plot twist, further complicating an already-tangled story. This was loaded with tension. It does require a bit of suspension of disbelief to accept the premise of the story, but the author then takes that premise to all sorts of logical extremes, adding layer upon layer of intrigue. I wasn't sure I'd be interested in reading more Death Note after the first two, but this one hooked my right back in.

Rating: 8.5/10

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #3

Bought at Bob's Hobbies & Collectibles, Springfield MA USA.

Title: Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong
Issue: 3
Date: 2024
Publisher: DC Comics / Legendary Comics
Writer: Brian Buccellato
Artist: Christian Duce
Colorist: Luis Guerrero
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt
Editor: Ben Abernathy, Robert Napton

This was back to being a bit of a setup issue, with quick and relatively indecisive conclusions to the giant monster attacks on Central City and Themyscira. In fact, the destruction of Iron Heights Prison and the escape of most of the Flash's Rogues Gallery causes more problems than the titan Scylla does (Hey, look! It's Captain Cold!).

Meanwhile Superman appears to be dead as a result of taking a direct hit from Godzilla's atomic breath. Well, dead in the DC Universe, anyway... I mean actually, this isn't in regular continuity, so I suppose it could go either way. But it still lacks impact much in the same way most deaths or apparent-deaths in alternative continuities lack impact.

Supergirl's scene with Kong doesn't end up amounting to much either, and by the end of this, we're left with an ominous Lex Luthor bit and something of a pause in the action.

Going into this, it felt like it shouldn't be a transitional issue, but that's what we ended up with.

Rating: 5.5/10

The Deep

This was a gift from a friend when we moved back to the US.

Title: The Deep
Date: 2023
Publisher: Penguin Workshop (an imprint of Penguin Random House)
Writer: Lindsey Leigh
Artist: Lindsey Leigh

This is an illustrated survey of the creatures of the deep ocean, full of some amazing biology mixed with a lot of goofy humor. The author does a great job of highlighting some of the most interesting adaptations to life in the ocean depths, organizing most of the book by the different zone of the deep sea. There are also some special topics such as chemosynthesis and whalefalls that get a bit of extra coverage.

Some really alien-looking creatures come off as quite charming, and the range of deep sea life that is included is impressive, given the size of the book.

Rating: 7.5/10

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 1

Bought at Goodwill in Davis Square, Somerville MA USA.

Title: Fullmetal Alchemist
Issue: Volume 1
Publisher: Viz Media
Date: January, 2005
Writer: Hiromu Arakawa
Artist: Hiromu Arakawa
Editor: Jason Thompson

This story introduces Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers who suffered a terribly fate when they tried to use their alchemical powers to resurrect their mother. Edward lost an arm and a leg, replacing them with robotic prosthetics, while his brother's mind was entirely trapped in a living suit of armor.

They seek the legendary Philosopher's Stone in the hope of restoring their bodies, while having a series of adventures across a vaguel-steampunk nation.

The first volume is told in three distinct vignettes. In the first, the brothers deal with a religious demogogue who has used alchemy to convince the people of his town that he has miraculous powers. The second story concerns a remote mining outpost run by a thoroughly corrupt military official. And the third is a more action-oriented story about the brothers intervening in a hostage situation aboard a train.

This is a solid introduction to the main characters, with a few small hints as to where the long-term plot is heading, and plenty of worldbuilding. The alchemical magic is cleverly done, with a concept of "equal exchange" as its central premise. I enjoyed the interactions between Edward and Alphonse, and the fight scenes were well-constructed with some good surprises.

Rating: 7.5/10

Tears of a Lamb Volume 1

From the books I had in storage.

Title: Tears of a Lamb
Issue: Volume 1
Date: 2008
Publisher: CMX
Writer: Banri Hidaka
Artist: Banri Hidaka
Editorial Director: Jim Lee

High school romantic drama that starts light and builds into more serious issues as it goes. Kei Hasumi only wants one thing from her classmate, Kyosuke Kanzaki. She wants to get into his apartment. She's lost something, and she believes the apartment, when it was rented to a previous tenant, is where she misplaced her treasure.

It begins as something of a silly argument, with Kanzaki reluctant to show Hasumi his place because it was previously rented to his sister and still has all of her feminine decor. But as the story continues, additional layers of drama and misfortune are revealed about the two lead characters and their families.

The romantic direction is clear, but it's on slow-build, and the lead characters don't start off with much chemistry between them. The relationship between Hasumi and her older twin brothers does more for character development than here interactions with Kanzaki do.

This had a slow start, but it does do a good job of building some tension and complexity. Possible trigger warning: An eating disorder is a major plot point, and it's not always handled as sensitively as it could be.

Rating: 5.5/10

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #2

First review of 2024! Bought at Bob's Hobbies & Collectibles, Springfield MA USA.

Title: Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong
Issue: 2
Date: 2024
Publisher: DC Comics / Legendary Comics
Writer: Brian Buccellato
Artist: Christian Duce
Colorist: Luis Guerrero
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt
Editor: Ben Abernathy, Robert Napton

With all of the preliminaries out of the way, we get right to the mayhem in this issue. Godzilla takes on Superman, Hawkgirl, and Captain Marvel (you know, the Shazam one), while the Batman and a bunch of Bat-family members go after um... okay, I need to look up a list of members of the Monsterverse B-team... Camazotz, who is attacking Gotham City. Two other Titans, Scylla and Behemoth, are attacking Central City and Themyscira respectively, but those battles will wait until next issue. No problem with that; this issue packs plenty of action.

The Justice League characters all get some good moments, and writer Brian Buccellato does a nice job of keeping them true to their characters while delivering fun interactions, including a feel-good moment of Batgirl knocking out Jason Todd.

Godzilla no-sells pretty much everything thrown at him. looking like a Doomsday-level threat to the Man of Steel by the end of this.

This was a fun issue that delivered on what it promised.

Rating: 7.5/10

Updated All-Time Top Rated Comics

Here is my updated list of all of the comics I've rated a 9 or above. Only one book (White Bird, with a 9), was added in 2022/2023.


9/10

All In The Family Part Two: Angel
Amulet Book Two: The Stonekeeper's Curse
Amulet Book Seven: Firelight
Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You
Boxers
Dog Man And Cat Kid
Dog Man: Grime and Punishment
The Flutter Collection
Ghosts
Guts
Life With Archie #16
Lumberjanes Volume 3: A Terrible Plan
Lumberjanes Volume 4: Out of Time
Lumberjanes Volume 5: Band Together
Machiavelli
Rival Angels Season 3 Volume 2
Saga Compendium 1
Small Town Type #1
Understanding Comics
Warriors: Graystripe's Adventure
We Won't Be Erased
White Bird
With the Light Volume 2

9.5/10

Amelia Rules: When the Past is a Present
The Arrival
Castle Waiting Volume 1
I Kill Giants
A Monster Calls
The Prince and the Dressmaker
Vietnamerica: A Family's Journey

10/10

Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic In One Volume

Looking forward to reading more great books in 2024!

2022/2023 Comic Review Recap

As mentioned in the previous post, 2022 (especially) and 2023 were pretty unproductive for this blog. I'm back settled in the US and have just reorganized the Random Stack of Unread Comics, and I've also got lots of graphic novels and manga on the to-read shelf, so expect more in 2024. My most recent review was actually for a comic I read in 2023, so 2024 reviews will start soon.

My total number of comics read in 2022 was a miserable 3. I did a bit better in 2023, but only a bit, with a total of 18.

Highest-rated comics in 2022/2023:

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt (8.5)
Keep the Home Fries Burning: A For Better or For Worse Collection (8.5)
The Sands of Time: Accidental Time Machine (8.5)
White Bird (9)

Lowest-rated comics in 2022/2023:

Dork Diaries: Tales From A Not-So-Happily Ever After (5)
Snow Drop Volume 2 (5)
Star Wars: Allegiance (4)

2022/2023 Recap: My Top 5 Books (Prose or Comics) Read

Due to internet connectivity issues in China, lockdowns, and being generally busy with plans to move home, I only added a couple of entries to this blog in 2022. There were a few more in 2023, but I never did recaps for 2022, so I am combining them here, starting with my overall top books from each year. No comics or graphic novels made the list in 2022 or 2023, mostly because I was concentrating on reading prose.

My top 5 books read in 2022:

5. The Chicken Sisters by K.J. Dell'Antonia

4. The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

3. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

2. Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

My Top 5 Books Read In 2023:

5. The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

4. A Game of Fox and Squirrels by Jenn Reese

3. Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

2. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

1. Beloved by Toni Morrison

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #1

Look! A (relatively) new comic! Bought at Bob's Hobbies & Collectibles, Springfield MA USA.

Title: Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong
Issue: 1
Date: 2023
Publisher: DC Comics / Legendary Comics
Writer: Brian Buccellato
Artist: Christian Duce
Colorist: Luis Guerrero
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt
Editor: Ben Abernathy, Robert Napton

There is a lot more focus on the DC characters than the Monsterverse in this mostly-setup introduction to this epic crossover. That being said, the setup for the crossover, featuring a series of mishaps in a plot by the Legion of Doom (remember Challenge of the Superfriends?), and the Toyman in particular, as they attempt a raid on Superman's Fortress of Solitude.

Clark, meanwhile, is in the midst of getting his act together to propose to Lois (she knows he's Superman, but they aren't yet married in this version of whatever continuity we're in here), only to have the moment (of course) interrupted by the arrival of Godzilla in Metropolis. Pretty much all of the expected mayhem is saved for next issue, but the interactions between Clark and the rest of the Justice League are really good, and the interplay between the Legion of Doom is at least entertaining.

Good setup. The action was a bit on the generic side, but business should pick up (as Jim Ross would say) once the Monsterverse Titans get fully involved.

Rating: 6/10

Owly: The Way Home

Bought at a book fair at my school in Shanghai, China, in March of 2022.

Title: Owly: The Way Home
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Date: September, 2020
Writer: Andy Runton
Artist: Andy Runton

Two stories about Owly, a lonely owl who wants to make some friends. The first story describes how Owly meets Wormy and how they travel together to try to find Wormy's home and family, having some adventures along the way.

The second story details Owly and Wormy's friendship with Tiny and Angel, a pair of hummingbirds. Once again, there are a few adventures, but this time it's the hummingbirds who must embark on a journey as winter approaches.

This has more words than previous Owly stories I've read (I review one here), but keeps most of Owly's dialogue to symbols and pictures like in previous books.

This was a cute exploration of friendship and loyalty framed around a fun series of adventures.

Rating: 7/10

Detective Comics: The Complete Covers Volume 2

 

Bought at Foreign Languages Bookstore, Shanghai, China, in December of 2021.

Title: Detective Comics: The Complete Covers
Issue: Volume 2
Publisher: Insight Editions
Date: 2019

Pocket-sized artbook, featuring a selection of Detective Comics covers from issues 301 to 600. This starts things off firmly in the Silver Age and it's over-the-top brightly colored goofiness, and brings up up to the Batman of the modern era. Along the way, we see the introduction of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, some redesigns of the Batman's costumes and milestone events like Batman: Year Two, and Blind Justice.

Unlike volume 3 (reviewed here), a lot of this material was unfamiliar to me. There were some really fun covers here, a few surprises in terms of crossovers (the Batman crosses paths with several of the Flash's adversaries). There is also a fair amount of silly Silver Age absurdities (Batman and Robin held captive in an alien zoo!) including a "Holy tombstone!" from Robin (who previous to the Batman TV show was more likely to go with "Great Scott!" as his exclamation of choice.

Like the rest of this series, the quality of the illustrations suffer a bit from the limitations of the book's size, but this is still a fun collection that delivers a lot of nostalgia in a small package.

Rating: 7/10