Review: Wayward Deluxe Book 1

Wayward Deluxe Book 1 by Jim Zub
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read volume one of this series previously and really enjoyed it. This deluxe book (which I got as part of a Humble Bundle) contains the first two volumes of the series. Volume one was just as good as I remembered.

Volume two takes a hard shift in the story. It sort of makes sense based on where volume one ends, but it disrupts the flow of the story in this edition. I might not have had a problem with that if I had read the second arc separately instead of back to back as it is collected here. I had to reorient myself to the setting.

Once the story gets back on track and I could see how this ties into the first arc it was a lot more interesting to me. I really dig the characters. Zub does a good job of introducing them. The art team helps to make the important characters readily recognizable. And the setting is pretty cool. It's set in Japan and contains a lot of culturally appropriate mythical creatures.

The back matter goes in depth of a bunch of them to give the reader an idea of how they are identified and what they are capable of. This was one of my favorite parts because it shows how the creators actually thought about what they were using in the book.

Despite some issues in the second volume, I really enjoyed this book. I will definitely try to track down some of the later volumes to see what happens next.

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Review: Imperium, Vol. 2: Broken Angels

Imperium, Vol. 2: Broken Angels by Joshua Dysart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a great follow up to volume one. Harada takes his monstrous henchmen into the depths of the sea to attack PRS's submarine base. These characters are fantastic. It's a lot of fun to read about each of them. The art is topnotch. It pumps up some already pretty great scenes by showing how certain events interplay and the characters come together.

The second half of this book launches into Harada's attempt to dominate Divinity. This focuses much more on Harada and Divinity, leaving the other characters on the sidelines. That's not a bad thing because it allows the book to center around these two titans battling for control. Harada's vision for what the world should be stays important throughout the second volume as well. Can't wait to jump back into the series.

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Review: A Contract With God and Other Tenement Stories

A Contract With God and Other Tenement Stories by Will Eisner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. It is a lot more down to Earth and realistic than I imagined it would be going in. The art can be exaggerated at times, but that lends itself to some of the impact that the stories have. And that is what this book is, a collection of stories that are all based around tenements in New York during the 1930s (or so). Eisner's personal touch to each of these stories is what makes them work so well.

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Review: Noir

Noir by Christopher Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First of all, I'm a fan of Christopher Moore. I haven't read everything he's written, but I've enjoyed all his books that I've read. Second, I tend to like books with hard boiled private detectives. So, needless to say, I loved Noir.

Sammy is a bartender looking for his next big con to rake in some cash. He has an interesting ensemble of supporting characters, from his jerk of a boss to his love interest, Stilton. The book takes a little bit to find its feet. Once the characters find their voices and start to take charge, things get downright ridiculous. And that is one of the big things that I liked about this book. It never takes itself too seriously. That shows from page one and doesn't let up until the end.

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Review: Dr. Stone, Vol. 1

Dr. Stone, Vol. 1 by Riichiro Inagaki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not really sure why I liked this book as much as I did. The premise is kind of silly: something caused everyone in the world to turn to stone. Fast forward a few millennia and the heroes of the book manage to break out of their stone prisons. Now they are on a quest to restore everyone in the world. I think the fact that this story doesn't take itself too seriously made it a lot more fun. The art isn't quite as overly expressive as other manga stories I've read, so that probably helped me to enjoy it a bit more.

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Review: Megahex

Megahex by Simon Hanselmann
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

There are some amusing moments, but the stoner humor didn't appeal to me much. The character are pretty much all jerks too.

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Review: Haphaven

Haphaven by Norm Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what it is, but I have really been enjoying stories like this. It takes fairy tale elements and puts it into a modern setting. There is a mixture of the real world and a fantasy world that complement each other nicely. In this story, Alex is a young lady that is turning thirteen and her world revolves around superstitions. When one of them threatens her mother's life, she sets out on a journey to find a cure.

The fairy tale elements and the superstitions are great. The real winner for me is the characters. The book takes a decent amount of time establishing Alex's history and her motivation. That could give it a slow start for some, but it pays off. The supporting characters are wonderful too. I found them to be funny and they worked well within Alex's story. I loved the art. It is perfect for the story without being too cartoony.

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