Chainbreaker #1

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics

Title: Chainbreaker
Issue: 1
Publisher: Microcosm Publishing
Writer: Shelley Lynn Jackson, Merry Death, John Gerken
Artist: Shelley Lynn Jackson, Merry Death

Not a comic. This is a zine, and in some sense a love-letter to the bicycle, covering bicycle history, culture, and repair. The author works at a bicycle repair shop in New Orleans, and volunteers at the Plan B, the New Orleans Community Bike Project.

The zine starts out with the historical impact of the bicycle, including short biographies of bike pioneers Marshall "Major" Taylor and Gyda Stephenson. The impact of the bicycle on womens fashion and feminism are discussed.

Other features in the zine include essays on bike maintenance and ideas about self-reliance and repair, plus a well-written guide to changing a flat tire.

A guest essay by John Gerken goes into more detail on the Plan B community project in New Orleans.

As someone who's spent a lot of time riding bikes, including commuting to work by bike, this was a great way of taking a further step into bicycle culture while also providing some great ideas and background.

The real highlight of this zine, though, is the shear joy and enthusiasm for the bicycle that shines through on every page.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Legend of Drizzt Book IV: The Crystal Shard

Last of four Forgotten Realms graphic novels loaned to me by the GM from my gaming group here in Shanghai. These were purchased at Atomic Comics in Artesia CA.

Title: The Legend of Drizzt
Issue: Book IV: The Crystal Shard
Date: 2007
Publisher: Devils Due Publishing
Writer: R.A. Salvatore, Andrew Dabb
Penciler: Val Semeiks
Inker:Dan Davis, Jeff Austin, John Stanisci, Jeremy Freeman, John Lowe, Marc Deering, Em Stone
Colorist: Blond
Letterer: Brian J. Crowley
Editor: Mark Powers

The fourth volume of the Legend of Drizzt graphic novel series goes back to the prose novel where Drizzt was originally introduced. The barbarian Wulfgar was the lead character of that novel, but here the emphasis has been shifted slightly to focus more on Drizzt, although the story is, so some extent, an ensemble cast.

The lack of female characters (there is one, and she only appears in two minor scenes), was a bit disappointing, particularly after this had not been an issue in other books in the series, but again, this feels like a product of this graphic novel being based on an earlier piece of Salvatore's writing.

As for the story, there's an evil artifact, a weak-willed but power-hungry wizard who uses his newfound power to set himself up with a horde of monsters, and the heroes determined to save Icewind Dale in spite of the struggles of the locals to unite.

This volume tells a complete story. I had forgotten that the Icewind Dale books were more standalone than the Dark Elf Trilogy.

Wulfgar gets a lot of the spotlight, as does the halfling rogue Regis, who ends up having one of the best scenes in the story in a mind-control battle with the villain. Drizzt does all of his usual Drizzt things, but seeing him as a mentor-figure to Wulfgar is a nice turnaroud after all of his times in the student role in the first three graphic novels.

The battle scenes are bloody and intense, and all of the artwork on the action scenes is great.

This novel had a lot of plot, and the graphic novel struggled a bit to give everything the space it deserved, with a scene involving a dragon getting sold a bit short in the crunch for space.

The climactic battle does get the space it needs, and the pacing on that final battle is great.

Rating: 6.5/10

Black Panther: Battle For Wakanda

Bought this for the Kiddo at a bookstore in Hub Mall here in Shanghai.

Title: Black Panther: Battle For Wakanda
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Date: 2019
Writer: Brandon T. Snider

Another of the Mighty Marvel Chapter Books series. While it's a prose story, it is full of color illustrations, but unfortunately, the artists are not credited (at least I was not able to get the information from the Amazon or Goodreads entries for the book and, as noted below, the credits on the copy we bought were not in English). This is the, well, I guess the phrasing would be English language Chinese edition, which we purchased in China. All of the story text is in English, but the credits, copyright and publisher information, and there are vocabulary footnotes in Chinese, which seem to be aimed at English language learners.

The Chinese edition covers for this series look awesome, by the way.

The story involves a plot to stir up trouble in Wakanda every time T'Challa is off doing Avengers things with the Avengers, which is currently more often than usual because there is an imposter Black Panther running around sabotaging SHIELD installations and beating up SHIELD-agent jobbers.

T'Challa makes some questionable decisions in order to move the plot along, but it eventually builds into a big confrontation with Klaw back in Wakanda, and a chance for T'Challa to regain the confidence of his people.

Several Avengers guest-star, and Shuri gets a decent supporting role.

Those picky about continuity should note that this is based more on comic storyline than the MCU version, but like the Gamora book in this series (I reviewed it here), it definitely tries to play to fans who have seen the films, but have not read the comics.

There were some editing issues, including a mess of a pronoun problem at one point, and the plot left a fair number of unanswered questions.

Still, it did the flavor of the characters well, and hit the right emotional notes in the end.

Rating: 5.5/10

The Legend of Drizzt Book III: Sojourn

Title: The Legend of Drizzt
Issue: Book III: Sojourn
Date: 2006
Publisher: Devils Due Publishing
Writer: R.A. Salvatore, Andrew Dabb
Penciler: Tim Seeley
Inker: John Lowe, Robert Q. Atkins, John Rauch, Mark Englert
Colorist: Blond
Letterer: Brian J. Crowley
Editor: Mark Powers

Dark elf Drizzt Drizzt Do'Urden seeks a new home on the surface of the Forgotten Realms world of Faerun in this adaptation of the third novel in R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy.

When his first attempts at finding peace and friendship end in tragedy, Drizzt finds himself hunted again, this time by a ranger and her party of adventurers, along with a rugged frontiersman who blames Drizzt for the injury that left his face scarred.

The long pursuit will bring Drizzt face-to-face with some classic Dungeons & Dragons creatures, and will lead to his discovery of the path of the ranger, and finally to a last refuge in a place called Icewind Dale.

The Icewind Dale trilogy was written before the Dark Elf trilogy, and this volume completes the prequel, bringing together the characters and the setting that originally introduced the character of Drizzt.

There is a lot happening in this story, and supporting characters are sometimes written out rather abruptly. Still, there is a lot of good character development for Drizzt, and some very memorable members of the supporting cast. The characters in this volume, with a couple of notable exceptions, come across as smart and nuanced, and are not defined just by their preconceptions about Drizzt.

Rating: 7/10

The Legend of Drizzt Book II: Exile

Second of four Drizzt graphic novels I borrowed from a friend here in Shanghai.

Title: The Legend of Drizzt
Issue: Book II: Exile
Date: 2006
Publisher: Devils Due Publishing
Writer: R.A. Salvatore, Andrew Dabb
Penciler: Tim Seeley
Inker: John Lowe, Marco Galli, Dennis Cristostomo, Rob Atkins, Cory Hamscher, Robert Grabes, Serge LaPointe, Rebekah Isaacs, Johnny Timmons, Shaun Beaudry, Alex McCaffrey
Colorist: Blond
Letterer: Steve Seeley, Brian J. Crowley
Editor: Mark Powers

Graphic novel adaptation of R.A. Salvatore's second novel in his Dark Elf Trilogy, set in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms world.

Away from the intrigues of Menzoberranzan, Drizzt Do'Urden's struggle becomes an internal one against the primal instincts that threaten to make him into a merciless creature of the Underdatk.

Facing the prospect of centuries of isolation and a descent into madness, Drizzt throws himself on the mercy of the deep gnomes of Blingdenstone, where for the first time in his life, he finds the possibility of true friendship.

But his Mother, (the rather blatantly named) Matron Malice, still seeks him out, and she has called forth Drizzt's father in spirit-wraith form to hunt him down.

Although there is some resolution to the political drama in Menzoberranzan in this volume, this is a much more personal story about Drizzt recovering from his totalitarian upbringing and his toxic family. He grows closer to his first real friend, the astral panther Guenhwyvar, and he makes new friends in his travels through the Underdark.

This volume also introduces the menace of the Illithids, although the conclusion to their part in the story felt a bit rushed. The subplot involving the tragic Clacker, a pech transformed into a monstrous hook horror by a wizard's spell, does work very well with the graphic novel pacing.

The artwork looks great throughout, especially the work on the mind flayers.

This volume features an introduction by Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood, and a nice gallery of individual issue covers.

Rating: 7.5/10

Black Panther: The Complete Collection Volume 1

I bought this at Boocup in the Kerry Center mall in Shanghai, China, last September.

Title: Black Panther: The Complete Collection
Issue: Volume 1
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Date: 2015
Writer: Christopher Priest
Penciler: Mark Texeira, Vince Evans, Joe Jusko, Mike Manley, Mark Bright, Sal Velluto, Joe Quesada, Amanda Conner,
Inker: Alitha Martinez, Jimmy Palmiotti, Mark Texeira, Vince Evans, Joe Jusko, Mike Manley, Nelson DeCastro, Bob Almond
Colorist: Brian Haberlin, Avalon Studios, Elizabeth Lewis, Chris Sotomayor, Brad Vancata, Drew Yackey, Matt Yackey
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Comicraft Inc.'s Siobhan Hanna, Wes Abbott, Jason Levine, Liz Agraphiotis, Sharpefond, Paul Tutrone
Editor: Joe Quesada, Jimmy Palmiotti, Ruben Diaz, Tom Brevoort, Kelly Lamy, Frank Dunkerley, Greg Schigiel
Front Cover: Joe Quesada, Jimmy Palmiotti
Back Cover: Joe Jusko, Elizabeth Lewis

This trade paperback collects the Black Panther Marvel Knights run that started in 1998, covering the first seventeen issues of that series. It's all narrated through the eyes of hapless federal agent Everett K. Ross, who is in way over his head in just about every moment of every issue as he tries to do his job as T'Challa's US State Department liaison. Unfortunately for Ross, the King of Wakanda has lost his throne to an international conspiracy, and he is trying to solve a murder case in New York before he can return to Wakanda to set things there right.

The result is a wild and sometimes disjointed ride that involves a plethora of guest stars from Captain America to Luke Cage and Iron Fist to Hulk to Mephisto (!) to Hydro-Man to (no I am not making this up) Brother Voodoo.

The humor is snarky and fun, and the pacing is frenetic. There is a lot of political humor, some of it a bit dated at this point, but most of it still biting. The action scenes don't always measure up to the cleverness of it all, as a lot of the fight scenes get cut short for the sake of more cleverness.

MCU fans will enjoy seeing many of the characters who ended up as part of the Black Panther film, not to mention favorites from the Avengers films as well as the Netflix Defenders.

Several important elements are not resolved by the end of this volume and the cutoff point of 17 issues felt arbitrary.

Still, there is a lot to enjoy here, and as someone who had not read much Black Panther, this was a treat.

Rating: 7/10

The Legend of Drizzt Book I: Homeland

Borrowed from a friend here in Shanghai, who recently brought the first four of these graphic novels here from the US.

Title: The Legend of Drizzt
Issue: Book I: Homeland
Date: 2005
Publisher: Devils Due Publishing
Writer: R.A. Salvatore, Andrew Dabb
Penciler: Tim Seeley
Inker: Andrew Pepoy, Marco Galli, Derek Fridolfs, Dennis Crisostomo, Serge LaPointe
Colorist: Blond
Letterer: Steve Seeley
Editor: Mark Powers

Adapting the first novel in R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy. Set in the Forgotten Realms (D&D campaign setting) underdark city of Menzoberranzan, the story is essentially the origin of Drizzt Do'Urden. In the original prose novels, the drow elf Drizzt was introduced in the Icewind Dale Trilogy, and was then given his own story, starting with Homeland. In this graphic novel series, the stories will appear in chronological order, with the Icewind Dale adaptations to follow the Dark Elf trilogy.

This volume gives the story of Drizzt's birth and childhood through his days at the infamous Melee-Magthere combat academy where he trained to become one of Menzoberranzan's greatest warriors, even as he began to have his doubts about the brutal nature of drow society.

The original Homeland is a richly-detailed novel, and a lot had to be cut in order for this to flow smoothly in the graphic novel medium. Script writer Andrew Dabb did a remarkable job, especially with the complex web (see what I did there?) of political intrigue that binds the drow noble houses. While not all of the descriptive worldbuilding could be included, the art team led by Tim Seeley manage to capture much of the mood of Menzoberranzan in the visuals.

The drow society as presented in these stories has always felt like it could have used more nuance, but the conflicting motivations of the characters are handled well. The story felt complex, but not to the point where it was hard to follow. Drizzt himself comes off as a bit less broody than the prose version due to the limitations of space, and the emphasis on actions over words helps move the story along.

The Dark Elf Trilogy were not really favorites of mine as I look back on them, but this edition got me sufficiently nostalgic and never overstayed its welcome.

Rating: 7/10

Amulet Book Eight: Supernova

I bought this for the Kiddo at Boocup in the Kerry Place Mall in the Jingan Temple neighborhood of Shanghai, China.

Title: Amulet Book Eight: Supernova
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Date: 2018
Writer: Kazu Kibuishi
Artist: Kazu Kibuishi
Editor: Cassandra Pelham Fulton

Something of a transitional chapter in the story, this volume focuses on Emily's struggle to regain control over her powers and her identity. It also serves to wrap up several plot details, and expands on the worldbuilding, extending the story into outer space and to other planets.

Emily's internal struggle is central to the ongoing plot, and there are a couple of surprising revelations. But what really stands out in this volume are the interactions between Aly and Navin, who are on a mission to a planet where they make some new friends, but end up having to make a harrowing escape down a narrow mountain path on bikes. Aly and Navin are great in this story, and it's good to see them get some of the spotlight even as Emily is coming into her own as a stonekeeper.

Rating: 8.5/10

Updated All-Time Top Rated Comics

Here is my updated list of all of the comics I've rated a 9 or above. I'm happy to report that five comics were added to this since the last time I updated it!

9/10

All In The Family Part Two: Angel
Amulet Book Two: The Stonekeeper's Curse
Amulet Book Seven: Firelight
Dog Man And Cat Kid
The Flutter Collection
Ghosts
Life With Archie #16
Lumberjanes Volume 3: A Terrible Plan
Lumberjanes Volume 4: Out of Time
Lumberjanes Volume 5: Band Together
Machiavelli
Understanding Comics
Warriors: Graystripe's Adventure
We Won't Be Erased
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
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 2020!

2019 Comic Review Recap

I spent 2019 living and working in Shanghai, China. For non-comics reading, I spent 2019 reading only books written by women (my top five books of the year are listed here). I didn't extend this to my comics reading because I was relying on the Random Stack of Unread Comics, which I had brought to China from storage in the USA in 2018. I only went to one geeky convention in 2019, a local anime/cosplay event at the Hub Mall near Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai. I did also get to see mall exhibits on Marvel Studios and Ultraman, and attended a WWE live show in Shanghai. Travel destinations in 2019 included Taiwan, Palau, the Philippines, as well as Wuxi, Hong Kong, Xi'An, and Hangzhou within China. I went to Hong Kong Disneyland, which brings my total number of Disney parks to three.

I also read and reviewed 96 comics. which is 11 less than 2018. Here are the highs and lows:

Highest Rated Comics Read In 2019

Alethia Chapter 1 (8.5)
Awakening Comics #1 (8.5)
Awkward (8.5)
Bored Angel (8.5)
Circadia #1 (8.5)
Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls (8.5)
Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal (8.5)
The Realm #2 (8.5)
Shade: The Changing Man #44 (8.5)
Smile (8.5)
Tragedy at Farstation Prota (8.5)
The Vengeful Half (8.5)
The Walking Dead #175 (8.5)

The Flutter Collection (9)
Ghosts (9)
Lumberjanes Volume 4: Out of Time (9)
Lumberjanes Volume 5: Band Together (9)
We Won't Be Erased (9)

The Prince and the Dressmaker (9.5)

Lowest Rated Comics Read In 2019

Hermann Shepherd in "Gitmo Goofs" (2.5)