MANKIND: The Story of All of Us, Volume 1 Review

MANKIND: The Story of All of Us, Volume 1. Marv Wolfman and Tom Derenick. 2012. Zenescope. 120 pages.

Rating: 4/5

This book was included in the Rewriting History box from Comic Bento. Despite the name, the book is an anthology of stories told during progressing eras of human history. Each part tells the story of an individual within the greater part of our history.

These short pieces begin with human ancestors struggling to survive an ice age, takes on the development of major human achievements like farming and forging iron, shows the building of great monuments such as the pyramids in Egypt, and depicts the rise and fall of the Roman empire. There is a bit of an emphasis on war, but these are the more well known moments in history.

I love the art. It varies a bit between each part, but I felt like the illustrations captured the feel of the particular location and era being depicted. Sometimes the character art, particularly the faces, seemed odd. It didn't detract from the stories themselves and wasn't distracting though.

Ultimately, I like the events that were chosen for the book. The summary at the end of some of the issues was nice but unnecessary. I liked the caption boxes within the stories that provided additional information. This is based on a TV series from the History Channel, and the way the stories are told capture that episodic feel. I would not have picked this book up on my own and I am considering picking up the second one because it was very well done.

Frontlines: Requiem Review

Frontlines: Requiem. Markos Kloos, Ivan Brandon, Gary Erskine, and Yel Zamor. 2016. Jet City Comics. 124 pages.

Rating: 3/5

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

This is a decent space military story. I felt like I was reading a book inspired by Battlestar Galactica or something similar. However, I feel like there was too much crammed into this book. At times the story jumped forward, not in a jarring way, but I felt like the creators could have expanded on some aspects of the story that might have been pruned back because of the medium used.

Markos Kloos has a series of novels in the same setting and I would consider picking one up because what is present here is interesting. The alien invaders, known as Lankies, seem well thought out. And Col. Yamin is a relatable protagonist. She is put in some very tough positions. Her decisions don't always work out, but that makes the story more interesting.

The art is fine. Nothing too exciting. There are a couple panels that felt like they were repurposed though. Sort of as if the way the story was written was changed and the panels were already done so they were changed to fit the new path. Not sure if that is what happened here, but it is the impression that I get. I like stories that fit into this genre and this one holds its own.

Lumberjanes, Vol. 2 Review

Lumberjanes, Volume 2: Friendship to the Max. Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A Allen, and Shannon Watters. 2015. BOOM! Box. 112 pages.

Rating: 3/5

The Lumberjanes are back it. These girls are attending a summer camp where a bunch of weird stuff happens.

I love the layout of the book. It is written like a field guide for the campers, with each issue connected to a badge they can earn. There is a short intro page for each chapter with an explanation of the badge. And at the end of the chapters there is a page designed to be like a scrap book for the events of that particular issue.

The girls themselves didn't interest me much though. They are developed a little better than the first volume. At least enough that they feel more distinguishable from one another. Taken as a whole the girls are enjoyable and can present a positive message, but the individuals just didn't leave much of an impression.

This book had a much more cohesive plot too. Part of it may be that there are established pieces of the narrative. I feel like the first book was five loosely connected episodes, whereas this presents an arc of a story in which each issue builds on the previous. There is a bit of a mystery around Jo that spins into something much bigger. The end result wasn't wholly original, but it was still enjoyable.

The humor from the first book is present here. It doesn't always work for me though. The art is the same as well, which is great. The artistic approach to the characters sets them apart. It also maintains the tone of the story, rather than letting things get too dark.

Giants Beware! Review

Giants Beware! Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre. 2012. First Second. 208 pages.

Rating: 4/5

This book is pure silliness. Claudette lives in a town that was previously ravaged by giant attacks. Rather than killing the giant, they just drove it off into the mountains. Claudette believes the giant needs to be killed to protect the town, and recruits her best friend, who wants to be a princess, and her younger brother, who seeks to become the first pastry chef/blacksmith.

Combined with some well used fairy tale tropes, with a slight twist of course, this book should have a pretty wide appeal. The only thing that bugged me is that Claudette can come off as a bully at times, particularly toward the beginning of the story. Her heart is in the right place, but she doesn't always take the best course of action to achieve the results she desires. Later in the book there are consequences for her and she seems to learn from it.

The art fits the book perfectly. It is cartoony, but the main audience it is intended for will enjoy it immensely. Plus, each of the characters is distinct, which can be lacking in graphic novels sometimes. There is a great message in this book for boys and girls.

The Vision, Volume 1 Review

The Vision, Volume 1: Little Worse Than A Man. Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta. 2016. Marvel. 136 pages.

Rating: 2/5

Vision is a long standing member of the Avengers, who was created by Ultron. He is a synthezoid, not completely a robot and not completely human, but something apart from both. So it makes sense that he would want to create a family and try to gain acceptance from people.

My first issue with this book is that the blurb makes it sound like we will get to see him building his family. This would have been cool and could have led to some Frankenstein like moments. Instead, the story starts off and everything is established. He has a wife, Virginia, and twin children, Viv and Vin, and they have a house not far from Washington, DC. Sticking with the "V" names seemed unnecessary to me, but I get it. Vision's goals are clear, but his family felt underdeveloped. Being early in their existence, it makes sense that they are struggling a bit more with the idea of acting human than Vision does.

The other big problem I had with this book is the way it is told. The content for the most part is not bad. The Visions don't fit in for numerous reasons, and most of the story focuses on that. There are some issues that come up that are wholly atypical as well. On the other hand, the way the story is presented is awful. People always say that a good story will show the reader what is happening rather than telling them. This books spends the majority of the time telling the reader what is going on. Caption boxes cover the pages. The art does a good job of conveying what is going on for the most part, but those caption boxes bogged down the story for me.

Monstress, Volume 1 Review

Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening. Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda. 2016. Image Comics. 192 pages.

Rating: 3/5

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First things first, I actually read this in single issues rather than the collected volume. That shouldn't make a difference for the most part, but it included letters and a couple extras that may not appear in the collected book.

I'm not sure why, but this story just did not grab my attention. It follows a young woman named Maika Halfwolf who has been captured in the midst of a war between humans and a race known as Arcanics. These creatures are able to wield magic and typically look like anthropomorphized animals. Maika has the advantage of looking human, although she is missing an arm.

Maika herself didn't really interest me. She has amnesia or a very selective memory. Her internal conflict felt superficial at times. Something is possessing her and she takes strength from it as she comes to term with that relationship, which may have been the best part of the story for me. Their interactions towards the end of the arc are wonderful. The reactions of the other characters to her seemed odd at times too.

For all that, the story is really well done. There is complexity here that can be lacking in other books of this type. And the art captures the world beautifully. The characters are done well enough, but I think it is the set pieces that really bring it life. Some of the illustrations reminded me of an anime, but not in an over the top way. They are blended into the rest of the book perfectly.

Based on the end of the book, I could see myself picking up the next part of the story at some point. It just took getting through the first two thirds to get there.

The Private Eye Review

The Private Eye. Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente. 2015. Image Comics. 300 pages.

Rating: 5/5

This is a beast of a book, which was originally published online at panelsyndicate.com. I read the hardcover version collecting all ten issues. Rather than having the standard portrait layout, the creators used landscape. This, combined with the panel placements, gives the book a very cinematic feel. It works great with the pacing and style of the story. The illustrations themselves help set the tone of the story between the character designs and colors.

The story takes place in the near future. At some point the Cloud that stored everyone's personal data, including online habits and searches, burst, making that information available to everyone. People's lives were basically ruined as a result. Now, everyone wears masks to hide their identities. The Internet has been dismantled as a failed experiment and the youth in this story have never had access to it.

P.I. is hired by a woman to dig into her life to see what kind of dirt he can find. When she turns up dead it is up to P.I., his assistant, and the dead woman's sister to learn the truth about what happened. The resulting events are pretty clever and feel realistic. The futuristic world is well constructed. Each element adds to the whole without having dangling threads. The supporting characters, especially P.I.'s grandfather, add some comic relief to the story.

I recommend picking it up if you are even remotely considering it. I had this on my list of books to read for quite a while, and my only disappointment is that I waited so long to check it out.

Wolf Volume 1 Review

Wolf, Volume 1: Blood and Magic. Ales Kot, Matt Taylor, Lee Loughridge, Clayton Cowles, and Tom Muller. 2015. Image. 163 pages.

Rating: 4/5

I am a little conflicted on this book. It was a lot of fun to read. It is essentially a detective story, but I can't remember what sort of case the title character is supposed to be solving. He spends most of the book trying to help his friend Freddy and a young woman that is supposedly the Antichrist.

The story is set in a version of our world where supernatural things exist. Ghosts, vampires, tentacle monsters, etc. The art really brings these creatures to life. My favorite character is the sidekick that is based on the writings of HP Lovecraft, even the way he speaks.

Wolf himself is a bit of a mystery. There isn't much information given about him. He clearly has some sort of connection to the supernatural, which isn't fully explained, but we do get to see more of it as the book progresses. I don't think there is anything groundbreaking in this book, but the references sprinkled throughout made it enjoyable for me. I am interested in seeing what happens next with these characters.

Rat Queens Volume 3 Review

Rat Queens, Volume 3: Demons. Kurtis J. Wiebe, Tamra Bonvillain, and Tess Fowler. 2016. Image Comics. 160 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Rat Queens keeps going strong. This fantasy series follows a group of women that swear, drink, fight, and have sex regularly. It is clearly directed at adults, but plays off fantasy tropes, particularly ones connected to Dungeons and Dragons, although this book focuses on that a bit less. The creators use what they have established about the characters to drive the story a bit more.

Most of this book focuses on Hannah, an elf mage. The Queens tag along as she goes to see her father, who is currently imprisoned for leading a revolt against the leaders of Mage University. I like that the creators put Hannah up front. She can be a bit standoffish and we haven't learned a lot about her past yet. There are still questions out there about her, but this fills in some big chunks.

The other plotline present that I loved involves Dee, who is a priestess of a creature like Cthulhu. This part of the story feels the most original to me because it is very different from my expectations based on the sources the creators use for inspiration. Her story was given more depth in book two, but this expands on it with the appearance of her brother. The other two Queens have some moments in this volume, but it is more comic relief than anything.

The only thing that really bothered me with this volume, which I don't believe was as present in the first two books, is the choppiness of the transitions. The different parts of the story don't necessarily mesh well and there was at least one point where things shifted in a way that was confusing. Even the art was on par for the other books, which means it was great.

This volume also includes the special Braga #1, which I've reviewed separately.

Doctor Strange: The Oath Review

Doctor Strange: The Oath. Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin. 2007. Marvel. 128 pages.

Rating: 4/5

For my first real foray into Doctor Strange, this one was pretty good. It helps that it is written by Brian K. Vaughan. I've enjoyed everything I've read that he has been involved in. But onto Doctor Strange.

Stephen Strange was a surgeon with a crummy attitude. After an accident left him with limited motor function in his hands, he traveled the world in search of answers. He became apprentice to a mage and claimed the title of Sorcerer Supreme, which didn't help his whole attitude thing. New readers will get all this information in the book, so it isn't necessary to have read other stories featuring the character.

Doctor Strange has an assistant that is dying of cancer. He may have found something to heal his friend, but a mercenary broke into his house and stole it before Strange had an opportunity to use it. The rest of the story is a mixture of hunting down the guy that stole it and determining the best use for it because it is more powerful than even Strange imagined.

The characters drive this book. It took me a little bit to appreciate Strange and his companions, but they do work well together. The antagonist is different than one would normally expect from this type of book. Together with the art, these build a solid story. This is a great introduction to the character, emphasizing his roots, and gives him a chance to show his stuff.

X-Men: Days of Future Past Review

X-Men: Days of Future Past. Chris Claremont and John Byrne. 2006. Marvel. 184 pages.

Rating: 4/5

I received this in the May box from Comic Bento. I probably would not have picked this one up otherwise. This is a classic X-men story, although I've only known variations of it. All of the issues included are originally from around 1980, and that shows through at some points. There is a lot more exposition than modern books that can bog down the story at times.

This felt like an odd collection at first. It begins with Scott Summers leaving the X-Men, introduces Kitty Pryde, includes an issue featuring Nightcrawler and Dr. Strange, moves into the "Days of Future Past" story, and finishes with a Kitty Pryde holiday issue. The "Days of Future Past" story is covered in two issues, which seems short compared to modern comic story arcs. It is executed well enough that it doesn't feel rushed though.

"Days of Future Past" is a time travel story. It looks ahead to 2013 at a time when mutants and other powered people have been killed or enslaved by sentinels. A group of X-Men figure out a way to send one of their people into the past to try to prevent an assassination that started it all. This allows the writers to take a longer scope view of the repercussion of mutants on our world. They incorporate elements present in this setting while taking a look at how humans would react to something like this. It is a clever way to expand the type of stories they can tell involving these characters.

As disparate as the individual issues are, they pull together pretty nicely in this collection. Kitty Pryde is sort of the common factor tying them together even when she doesn't have a major part in the story presented. And despite the elements from this era of comic writing that I don't particularly care for, the creators did a great job keeping me engaged. There are a lot of story elements that I see played out in more recent books. I loved that I could pick out ideas that appear here that are built on or continued in later books, even though I don't feel like I needed to read this first.

Vietnamerica Review

Vietnamerica: A Family's Journey. GB Tran. 2011. Villard. 288 pages.

Rating: 4/5

This is a story about one family's exodus from Vietnam to America at the end of the Vietnam War, although it is painted as being a common one for many families at the time.

There is a ton going on in this book. GB Tran covers at least four generations of his family from before the Vietnam War to the present. The difficulties that his family faced are quite powerful. Some of them occur in Vietnam because of the war/occupation going back to the Japanese. Others happen as a result of fleeing to America like the discarding of tradition and loss of family. Not everything is negative for the family though. There are moments to celebrate, particularly at the end of the book.

The illustrations themselves are fine; not anything great, but fitting for the story. There are visual elements that are fantastic though, including panel arrangements and how he indicates the people constantly listening to the radio. Not everything in this book worked for me though. Part of the way the story unfolds makes it difficult to know which family member is on stage. He bounces around between different generations at times without much needed segues.

The book should appeal to anyone that liked Maus or Persepolis.

The Nameless City Review

The Nameless City. Faith Erin Hicks and Jordie Bellaire. 2016. First Second. 240 pages.

Rating: 5/5

This book features a city that is constantly being conquered by the neighboring countries. The story centers around a young man that is the son of a soldier from the country that most recently took over the city. His story takes off when he leaves the palace where he is being trained with the other boys of his nation and enters the city. There he meets a girl of the city and they disrupt the expectations each of them have.

The friendship that forms between Rat, the soldier's son, and Kaidu, the girl from the city, is at the heart of this story. It begins as more of a rivalry and develops as they learn about each other, finding they have more in common than either would have imagined. The idea that the city is always being suppressed is tied into the plot quite well.

I loved the art. The city is brought to life in a great way. The characters on each side of the conflict are made distinct, even when they are in the background. There is a history present, but only hints of it are given as Rat learns more about it. I am looking forward to the next volume in this series and what we will learn about the city.

Giant Days, Volume One. John Allison, Whitney Cogar, and Lissa Treiman. 2015. BOOM! Box. 128 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Giant Days is the story of three young women during their first year of college. These ladies became friends quite quickly. Some people might find that odd, but in my experience it can be very accurate. Though they are attending school, the focus is more on their friendship and less on any details related to classes, majors, etc.

I enjoyed the art a lot. It borders on cartoony, which might not appeal to some people, but it never crosses to a point that I felt it was wholly unbelievable.  The illustrations match where the characters are at this point in their lives. They are adults and still kind of children and the art captures that balance.

There isn't an overarching plotline that ties each of the chapters together. Towards the end there is a semblance of one as an old boyfriend reappears and the girls take a stab at feminism. It is more an introduction to the girls, and it is fantastic at that. Their interactions are funny and their adventures are fun. From parties to colds to vulnerability, the book kept me engaged.

Ready Player One Review

Ready Player One. Ernest Cline. 2011. Crown. 384 pages.

Rating: 5/5

Welcome to the future where the internet has become a giant MMO game a la World of Warcraft. The real world sucks so of course everyone wants to spend all their time in fantasy land. The guy who helped the internet evolve to this point died and created a scavenger hunt within the game with the winner receiving his vast fortune and ownership of the game.

The hunt is so convoluted that five years pass without anyone making progress. Wade Watts is the first person to earn points in it and this book follows him through his journey. Along the way he finds some true friends and fights against IoI, the "evil" corporation that wants to take over the game and make a profit from it.

I realize this might sound like I didn't enjoy the book, but it was great. It drew me in right away and kept my interest. The pacing is quick, although it slows down a little when the author explains some of the references. And the references are what make the book. They are tied into the entire hunt and act as a celebration of nerd culture. Certain aspects receive more focus than others though.

The world that Cline creates is super imaginative and believable to a certain extent. Sure there are some flaws in this book, but for me they never got in the way of the story the author wanted to tell. I think he hit it dead on and made something that should be enjoyable for more than the obvious target audience.

Pyongyang Review

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea. Guy Delisle. 2007. Drawn and Quarterly. 176 pages.

Rating: 2/5

Guy Delisle makes an interesting choice chronicling his time spent in North Korea. He worked there for a French animation study producing cartoons. The book details his view of life in North Korea during that short period of time.

The art is minimalistic, drawn in black and white. This works for the subject matter. I would have liked to have seen something more done with the book though.

What bugged me about this book is that Delisle has a very clear bias against North Korea. Maybe he isn't off the mark with that bias, but it makes it hard to read because he spends a lot of the book attacking the people that live there without really trying to understand them.

He makes it clear how controlling the regime is from the very beginning. That theme takes over the entire 176 pages. There are occasional breaks, but they are still punctuated by that idea. To me, he should have gone deeper into the subject. Sure that would have been a harder book to write for any number of reasons. It would have been more interesting though.

Love: The Lion Review

Love: The Lion. Frederic Brremaud and Federico Bertolucci. 2016. Magnetic Press. 80 pages.

Rating: 3/5

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

This is the third book in this series. I haven't read the first two, so I can't compare it to those. However, the idea behind this is amazing. The book takes the reader through the life of a lion as if it from National Geographic. There are no words in the book at all; everything is conveyed through images. This can work to the advantage of the story, but there are times where things get muddled.

The art is fantastic, which it should be since it is everything to the book. The creators are able to create some very intense emotional moments. Things are tough for these animals and it shows.

For all that, the book didn't really wow me. It sort of felt like I was reading an adaptation of The Lion King that was stripped of its plot. I still enjoyed the book, but it could have used something more.

Condemnation Review

Condemnation. Richard Baker. 2004. Wizards of the Coast. 375 pages.

Rating: 3/5

Condemnation is the third book in the War of the Spider Queen series. It takes place in the Forgotten Realms, which is a fantasy world that Wizards of the Coast uses for the game Dungeons and Dragons.

The series is centered around a race of dark elves known as the drow. These elves live underground, are ruthless, and endlessly fighting one another, physically and politically. The females rule over the males with iron fists. Their common ground comes from a feeling of superiority to all other races. In this series, their chief goddess has gone silent. No one can reach her and her priestesses have lost their powers.

Condemnation uses two groups of characters to continue the story. The first group comes from the main drow city, and their mission is to discover what happened to their goddess by any means necessary. They are seeking a group of drow that  live on the surface world and venerate a different deity to get answers to their questions. The path ahead of them is long and dangerous.

The second group seeks to take advantage of the loss of power that the females are experiencing. They will use any enemy of the drow they can find to upset the current power structure, hoping to pick up the pieces in the end.

I did not like this book as much as the first two books. The pacing is quite a bit slower. There is quite a bit of action, but sometimes that just emphasizes the low points in the story. The intrigue that kept me interested in the other books just wasn't as present. Plus, this writer focuses on different characters that aren't quite as interesting to me. I felt like the characters were presented well enough, but one in particular is at a very low point that brings the energy of the book down.

Anyone could pick up the first book and enjoy the series though. There are a lot of other books set in this world, which aren't necessary to read before these. Nor do you need to be familiar with Dungeons and Dragons to enjoy the books, though it might help.

She-Hulk Vol. 2 Review

She-Hulk, Volume 2: Disorderly Conduct. Charles Soule and Javier Pulido. 2015. Marvel. 136 pages.

Rating: 3/5

To start with, I definitely enjoyed this book as a whole a lot more  than the first book. It continues some of the themes and storylines, while bringing in a couple new ones.

Jennifer Walters became She-Hulk after receiving a blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner. She is a lawyer who left her job at a large firm and set up her own practice. On the side she does some superhero things.

Here are some of the things that I enjoyed about this volume. First, it resolves the whole blue case file mystery that the previous book introduced. Second, it pits Jennifer Walters against Matt Murdock in the courtroom with Captain America on trial. Most of the book focuses around this portion of things and it really shows off the law skills that these characters have. Third, Angie the paralegal and her pet Hei Hei. They are probably my favorite part of the first book to be honest.

The art style still bugged me because it is mostly the same. I'm not sure what it is that just puts me off. It might be that it feels too polished at times. Or maybe the characters are drawn with weird angles. Whatever it is, I didn't much care for it. I would have liked some more cohesion between the different storylines as well. They have the connection of someone contacting Jennifer for help, but that's about it.

I am glad I gave this book a chance. I was on the fence about it because of the first book. It does take some chances and features stories that you won't find in other Marvel titles. That alone makes it worth a read.

Comic Bento June 2016

The June 2016 Comic Bento box theme is Fan Power. Comic Bento is a blind subscription box service focused on graphic novels. Four or five graphic novels are chosen each month based on a theme. For the Fan Power theme box, the folks at Comic Bento decided to focus on a single publisher: Valiant Comics.  This publisher is quickly becoming one of my favorites thanks to Comic Bento, so I am looking forward to getting into these books.

First up is Faith, Vol. 1: Hollywood & Vine. I've been seeing this one all over the place and I am excited to read it. Faith is a different take on the traditional superhero, although it looks like the book plays on some of the classic elements of a superhero book. Next is Harbinger Wars, Volume 1. This is a crossover event within the Valiant universe. It looks to be quite well done. I am a little leery of crossover books because they don't tell the whole story and bits can get lost. Here's hoping that Valiant can put a good spin on it.

Harbinger, Vol. 2: Renegades bridges the gap between Faith and Harbinger Wars. It details the story of each member of the Renegades, which includes Faith and at least one of the characters in Harbinger Wars. Finally, they gave us Armor Hunters, Vol. 1. This book features X-O Manowar, who returned to Earth with a suit of stolen alien armor. Now, a group of hunters from space have come to exterminate the armor.

These look like a good set of books, which will give me the perfect opportunity to explore the Valiant universe more. Watch for an update on the July 2016 Comic Bento box: They Robots

Hildafolk Review

Hildafolk. Luke Pearson. 2010. Nobrow Press. 24 pages.

Rating: 5/5

Hildafolk is a delightful children's story. It is about a young girl named Hilda and her adventurous spirit. There is a glimpse of her home life, but for most of the book she is outside exploring the world.

The art is the main attraction here. It is cute and imaginative. I felt like the style fit the character and would appeal to the target audience quite a bit.

There isn't much of a plot though. Hilda goes out to play and draw pictures, and ends up spending a little too much time away from home. There is a twist on the expected moral. The book will whet the appetite for more. Luckily, there are more Hilda stories out there to read.

Into the Vietnamese Kitchen Review

Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors. Andrea Nguyen. 2006. Ten Speed Press. 352 pages.

Rating: 5/5

I love food. Particularly food from Southeast Asia. So it is no surprise to me that I loved this book. However, I think it is quite accessible to others that may not share my passion.

The book is laid out nicely. The introduction gives some background on Ms. Nguyen and her family, who moved to America from Vietnam when she was young. Her family's story gives some insight into the experience that the Vietnamese refugees encountered in their flight to this country. These types of tidbits appear throughout the book in the short blurbs that introduce each recipe.

Many of the typical dishes that one would think of for Vietnamese cuisine are present, though Ms. Nguyen does provide suggestions for different ways to prepare them. There were a lot of dishes, as well as occasions when they would be used, that I was unfamiliar with. The final section contains sauces and side dishes that can be used with many of the other recipes in the book.

While many of the dishes call for ingredients that aren't typical for Americans, there are suggestions on where to find them. When a specific ingredient isn't available, there are recommendations on alternatives or she suggests leaving it out altogether. There is flexibility within the recipes that should make them less intimidating for newcomers. I haven't had a chance to prepare any of the recipes from the book, but my experience with similar cuisines makes me think that these would be quite tasty. Definitely a win for anyone interested in Vietnamese or Southeast Asian cooking.

She-Hulk Volume 1 Review

She-Hulk, Volume 1: Law and Disorder. Charles Soule, Javier Pulido, and Ron Wimberly. 2014. Marvel. 136 pages.

Rating: 2/5

This book is a huge pile of meh. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy what Marvel has done with a lot of their characters recently. It can be interesting to see them dealing with more relatable situations instead of fighting the supervillain of the week. She-Hulk just didn't click for me though.

Jennifer Walters is She-Hulk. She obtained her powers when she received a blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner. Ms. Walters is also a lawyer. The book begins with her losing her job and she goes on to start her own firm. She has run ins with Tony Stark and Dr. Doom along the way.

The final two issues in this collection are pretty good though. Jennifer has a mysterious blue file with notes on a case that everyone involved has forgotten about, including herself. The tidbits revealed about Jennifer, her assistants, and the others involved in the case make for an interesting read.

I didn't care for the art in this book either. The only way I can think of to describe it is choppy, almost as if pieces were placed together like clippings from a newspaper.

The Woods Volume 3 Review

The Woods, Volume 3: New London. James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas, and Josan Gonzalez. 2016. BOOM! Studios. 112 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Check out my reviews of volume 1 and 2.

A brief recap: a high school from suburban Milwaukee was mysteriously transported to another planet full of strange creatures. A group of students went out into the woods to discover who brought them here and why. Along the way they ran into another group that was brought to the planet over 100 years ago. The remaining students, led by the faculty and the student body president, struggle to survive in this harsh landscape.

About a month has passed since the school was moved to the alien planet. The group that entered the woods has been taken into the community of New London and cared for after being attacked by the native animals. They soon discover what the community plans for their classmates, but will they be able to do anything about it? Meanwhile, Adrian uses his powers to attack New London and make his way to the arrow kept under lock and key.

This series is slowly unfolding. It is pretty quick paced, but there is a bit of mystery surrounding events and the creators aren't letting things out of the bag just yet. We get to learn some more about the characters introduced thus far. What set this book apart from the previous two is that some more history of the alien planet is presented.

The art continues to be top notch. The town of New London gets to take center stage. Even when we aren't told about things, the art reveals a bit about the town and the inhabitants.

One thing bugged me about this arc. Coach Clay is in New London, but I can't for the life of me remember how he got there. It isn't addressed in this volume, and I don't remember him getting mixed into the group in the woods at the end of volume 2. Whether it is an oversight on my part or the creators, I think it should have been addressed somewhere in this volume because it made his whole part feel off.

When Crocs Fly Review

When Crocs Fly: A Pearls Before Swine Collection. Stephen T. Pastis. 2016. Andrews McMeel Publishing. 176 pages.

Rating: 3/5

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

I thought this book was pretty funny. It is a collection from a comic strip that typically appears in newspapers. I've read the strip before and enjoyed it quite a bit. All of the characters are animals who live in the same neighborhood. The crocs might just be my favorite characters from it.

The characters aren't given an introduction though, so someone who isn't familiar with them might have a harder time getting into the book. There isn't a lot that the reader needs to know about these characters, but I wouldn't recommend this book to someone new to the series.

Not all of the strips feature the crocs. This is okay because the other characters add some diversity to the book. The crocs aren't very smart, and spend a lot of energy trying to figure out how to eat their zebra neighbor. A lot of the humor is at the expense of characters that aren't very bright, which can get a little old.

There are better collections out there, but fans of the series should enjoy it.

Primates Review

Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas. Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks. 2013. First Second. 144 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Primates examines the lives of three female scientists that devoted their work to the study of man's closest relatives. It interested me to see how similar their stories are, particularly the way that they got started.

The book highlights parts of the careers of each woman. It would be difficult to go in depth in a person's life for a book in this format, much less the three presented here. The creators do a great job of bridging the stories together and presenting them as a whole.

There are times where things go unexplained and there are some prejudices that aren't addressed. These aren't major issues as the few items that aren't explained don't really affect the stories presented. While the other things directly impact the story, I think it would be difficult for the creators to address this and stay true to the material they were drawing from.

This is a nice overview of these pioneering women, which should whet the appetite for more information. A list of sources is included at the end for interested readers to delve further.

Southern Bastards, Volume 2 Review

Southern Bastards, Volume 2: Gridiron. Jason Aaron and Jason Latour. 2015. Image. 128 pages.

Rating: 5/5

The second volume of Southern Bastards is brutal. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that read the first book. There is a mix of past and present in the story, which focuses on the antagonist of volume one, Euless Boss.

Boss was a scrawny kid that wanted to play football more than anything in the world. He fought for it no matter how hard things got. Of course, he got a little help along the way, while his daddy screwed things up royally. This book humanizes him quite a bit. The creators never apologize for the bad things this character has done. Instead they give insight into why he made some of those choices.

I liked this more than the first book because it had a little more focus. The creators already set up what to expect in Craw County, so they were able to go ahead full steam. It builds on the first book in some ways, like embracing Southern stereotypes, but the tone of the story feels different. The change from Earl Tubb to Euless Boss is a huge part of it. They are very different men despite some similarities.

As I was reading, I had to remind myself that Euless Boss is a mean bastard that shouldn't be trusted. His focus and stubbornness can be viewed as positive traits, but they lead him down a dark path that he may not be able to recover from.

Ms. Marvel Volume 4 Review

Ms. Marvel, Volume 4: Last Days. G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. 2015. Marvel. 120 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Last Days is a nice follow up to Crushed. Kamala is coming to terms with the events of the previous book and a cataclysmic change to the Marvel universe. Plus, she gets to meet her hero and inspiration, Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel.

A planet randomly shows up over Manhattan and everyone freaks out about it. Kamala and her friends step up in a big way to protect their neighbors and deal with the people fleeing New York. There are also looters, some much needed glimpses of Kamala's relationships, and even an appearance of Spider-Man.

Kamala and Bruno finally face their feelings for each other, even though impending doom appears to be about to ruin it. The couple issues involving Spider-Man felt more like padding than anything else though. Kamala's personality is present, but those issues are pretty superficial. They could have been left out without hurting the book any.

Everything that has made this series good is present. Anyone who has read this far should enjoy the book.

Django/Zorro Review

Django/Zorro. Quentin Tarantino, Matt Wagner, and Esteve Polls. 2015. Dynamite. 192 pages.

Rating: 5/5

This is another crossover book from Dynamite. It features the hero from Django Unchained and Zorro. The pairing works really well if you enjoy Western style stories. Their personalities play off each other fantastically and the writing is great.

Their meeting occurs in the wilderness and appears random at first. Zorro recruits Django to act as his bodyguard as he investigates a man who claims the title Archduke of Arizona. The backstory behind the Archduke is interesting and helps drive the plot. Not much is revealed about Django and Zorro besides the basics. That is really all you need to enjoy this book though.

There are a lot of neat themes that crop up throughout the book, and they tie in nicely to both of the stars. The characterization is top notch, which I would expect from anything involving Tarantino. The illustrations are good, but not great. I can't remember any particular images that popped. That doesn't detract from the enjoyment of this book one bit though. Fans of either of the characters should rejoice at this pairing.

The Jekyll Island Chronicles Book One Review

The Jekyll Island Chronicles, Book One: A Machine Age War. Steve Nedvidek, Ed Crowell, Jack Lowe, SJ Miller, and Moses Nester. 2016. Top Shelf Productions. 176 pages.

Rating: 5/5

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

On the surface, this reminded me of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It is set during a historic time period, just after World War I, and there are steampunk elements. It uses historic figures rather than literary characters as some of the major characters and most of the events take place in America instead of England though.

Woodrow Wilson, the president of the United States at the time, feels that there is a growing threat to America and approaches the leading businessmen in the country to help combat it. Using their resources, they gather together a group of unique individuals to help inspire and lead the country against this threat.  Meanwhile, terrorist attacks break out in Europe and America.

I enjoyed reading about the exploits of these characters. The book itself felt like a breath of fresh air compared to some of the superhero books I've been reading lately. The characters could use some more depth, although what is presented here is perfectly fine. I would like to see their motivations developed more in future books.

The illustrations reinforce the themes the creators develop. They begin as fairly mundane, but easily take on the characteristics of this alternate history. There are some truly fantastic images as the book goes on. I am interested in reading more of the Jekyll Island Chronicles.

Hawkeye, Volume 3 Review

Hawkeye, Volume 3: L.A. Woman. Matt Fraction, Annie Wu, and Javier Pulido. 2014. Marvel. 120 pages.

Rating: 2/5

Check out my review of volume 2.

Kate Bishop is Hawkeye. Well a Hawkeye anyway. This volume follows her rather than Clint Barton as she leaves NY and heads to LA. I have enjoyed Kate Bishop's appearance in this series so far. It felt right to have her included in Clint's life. Breaking off on her own isn't where my problem lies.

Instead, it is the sheer amount of abuse that she is put through. Sure, all of the Marvel heroes get knocked around a bit, but almost every chapter in this book has her beaten down at some point by a group of goons. It speaks to her character that she doesn't throw in the towel. Not all of the abuse is physical either. The interactions with her family are pretty cold. Plus, there is Clint's behavior that drives her out of NY.

The story itself isn't so bad. Kate is mad at Clint, makes a threat to leave, and actually follows through with it. Once she arrives in LA, she isn't really sure what to do with herself. Circumstances force her to become a hero for hire, mostly working as a private investigator. She crosses paths with Madame Masque numerous times, whom she got the best of in a previous volume. There are a few people that help her along the way.

Aside from the treatment Kate is subjected to, this book felt like it lacked some of the humor and artistic creativity that the previous volumes contained. I believe there was a change in artist and some of the previous tricks fell by the wayside. It works having a different artist for the change of venue, but it just didn't feel as connected to the other books.