Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris, Volume 1 Review

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris, Volume 1: Colossus of Mars. Arvid Nelson and Carlos Rafael. 2011. Dynamite Entertainment. 128 pages.

Rating: 3/5

Colossus of Mars is part of Edgar Rice Burroughs' science fiction setting. This side story looks at the history of Barsoom (Mars) following Dejah Thoris. The setting is pretty rich since it is able to pull from Burroughs' existing work.

I like the story quite a bit. Dejah Thoris is engaged to be married to the son of a rival tribe to create an alliance. The rivalry between the tribes isn't delved into much. It does provide a good backdrop for the events of the book. The secondary part of the story involves one of the tribe leaders resurrecting a colossus, which is an ancient artifact from the earliest days of Mars. He uses this construction to attack his enemies.

There is a lot of action in the book. It moves along really well. Dejah Thoris develops into a fairly strong character. The art is good, but there is a lot of skin shown throughout the book. It is pretty even between the sexes, although it seems to objectify Dejah Thoris a bit. This is based again on the works of Burroughs, so it isn't contained to this work. The visual aspect just makes some of these things more apparent.

It's worth checking out for a view into the setting.

The Opposite of Spoiled Review

The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money. Ron Lieber. 2015. Harper. 256 pages.

Rating: 4/5

My local library did a series of events on personal finances this year, including a community read of The Opposite of Spoiled. I don't think I would have come across the book otherwise. While I've read some other stuff on personal finances, I've never picked up a parenting book.

I thought this book was pretty good for what it is. You won't find information on creating budgets or anything like that. The biggest themes that I picked up from the book are to be open about money and give kids a chance to experiment with spending on their own terms. Lieber encourages asking questions to get to the root of a child's inquiry about money (such as: how much do you make?), giving kids an allowance, and earmarking funds for different activities (save, spend, and give).

The information is easy to read and well organized. While the focus is on parents with kids that are starting to inquire about money, there are tips that any parent could use. The examples he uses are nice, but sometimes felt like they were intended for wealthier or well established families. There are examples along a wide spectrum though, so maybe those are just the ones that stick out in my mind. Lieber's advice is worth checking out.

Nopalito Review

Nopalito: A Mexican Kitchen. Gonzalo Guzmán and Stacy Adimando. 2017. Ten Speed Press. 256 pages.

Rating: 5/5

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

I love Mexican food. This hasn't always been the case. I feel like this book showcases a lot of what has drawn me into the cuisine over time. There are a lot of bold flavors and simple recipes that taste great.

Guzmán clearly loves this cuisine and wants to share that love with others. He shares stories about how he grew up around food and which dishes are his favorites. There is a bit of leeway with these recipes too. They might be presented one way with notes about how he has changed the recipes to fit the region he is cooking in.

The best part about it is that all of the recipes are clearly authentic. This starts with instructions on making tortillas at home, an overview of commonly used peppers (fresh and dried), and branching out from the expected Mexican dishes. He draws from recipes found throughout Mexico, so it is not simply a regional cookbook. I found this more interesting because it shows off how varied the ingredients and tastes can be.

I've only read a couple other Mexican cookbooks before, but I would place one at the top of the pile. It has so much that can be useful to beginning and experienced cooks, and presents it in a way that did not feel intimidating at all.

FUBAR: By the Sword Review

FUBAR: By the Sword. Jeff McComsey, Steve Becker, Chuck Dixon, and Jeff McClelland. 2015. Alterna. 296 pages.

Rating: 4/5

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

There are tons of zombies in this book. The creators reimagined various historical events (i.e. wars) that feature zombies. Some of them I was able to pick out what they were related to immediately, while others were more elusive. At first I was a little uncertain how this would play out because it seems like a riff on adding supernatural creatures to certain novels. The gamble paid off though.

Most of the stories are pretty short. There isn't a huge investment in any of them so a weaker story doesn't drag the whole book down. The art is great though. Again, some of it is stronger than others, but for the most part it is really good. I particularly enjoyed the illustrations connected to medieval Japan. It would have been nice if the stories gave some more information to clue the reader into where and when the story is set. Some of the stories felt generic because they lacked this sort of detail.

It's definitely worth reading for fans of zombie and alternative histories.

Thrud the Barbarian Review

Thrud the Barbarian. Carl Critchlow. 2013. Titan Comics. 110 pages.

Rating: 3/5

Here's what you need to know: Thrud has a small head, he likes beer, and his approach to every situation is to smash things. The book has a rather silly premise. Every one of the stories could stand alone. I think they work pretty well together.

I'll start by saying that the art is the highlight of this series. Aside from some glaring anatomical disparities, it is fantastic. The style reminds me of Mike Mignola's art, but this originally came out about 10 years earlier. It's worth checking out for the art alone.

The stories are pretty simple. Thrud is trying to enjoy some beer and either someone spills it or he runs out. Whatever the case may be, he is motivated to fight the person who spilled his beer or go on an adventure to obtain more beer. The tales go through a range of locations and enemies for Thrud to fight. They just aren't different enough from each other for my taste.

I received this as part of the November 2016 Comic Bento box.

Black Road Volume 1 Review

Black Road, Volume 1: The Holy North. Brian Wood, Garry Brown, and Dave McCaig. 2016. Image Comics. 136 pages.

Rating: 3/5

I really wanted to like this book. I've read some previous stuff from Brian Wood that was fantastic, and the premise seemed interesting. However, the implementation just wasn't up to my expectations.

So the story is about a man in England known as Magnus the Black. He does odd jobs to get by, which include protecting members of the Christian church as they expand their influence in England. A member of the Vatican is killed under his care and he becomes a hunted man.

Magnus straddles the realm between pagans and Christians in this story. This lets him be a guide to the reader into the series, but his indifference left him a little wanting as a character. By the time the story explains how he got to this point as a wanderer I didn't much care about his background. It could have made him a bit more likeable, yet it might do the opposite. He's more of an antihero without the charisma. The side characters round things out a bit, but not enough to want me to keep reading. Some parts of the story didn't mesh well with the others. It made it feel less cohesive than it could have.

The art is really good. It is quite dark, which matches the story fantastically. Something brighter just would not have fit as well. There were aspects of the art that I didn't care for, particularly the shading over the character faces. It strays a little toward the abstract in the art, but not enough for it to be real noticeable.

Bloodshot Reborn Deluxe Edition Review

Bloodshot Reborn: Deluxe Edition, Book 1. Jeff Lemire, Mico Suayan, Butch Guice, Lewis Larosa, David Baron, and Brian Reber. 2016. Valiant Entertainment. 352 pages.

Rating: 5/5

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

Holy crap. I've never read a Bloodshot comic before, although he has appeared in some other Valiant titles that I've read. This book covers three arcs in the character's story, and it is amazing. Not being too familiar with the character, I felt like this was very friendly to new readers.

It gives a brief introduction to the character: he is a super soldier that was implanted with nanites to give him increased strength, speed, and healing. He also doesn't know who exactly he is. During a recent event those nanites were removed from his system. Now he is trying to deal with the aftermath of that event and what it means to be normal again.

Given the character's background, it's not surprising that there is a bit of action in this book. The story builds slowly to that action though. I like that there is some balance between the action and character development. It gives him a chance to grow and create relationships with other characters, even if some of those are only in his head.

I mentioned this covers three arcs. The first is about Bloodshot trying to find himself. It leads directly into the second arc in which he wraps up some loose ends. The third arc is way different from the other two though. It jumps between present day and 30 years in the future. The setting in the future reminded me of Mad Max: a bit crazy and over the top, but still a lot of fun.

The art is superb. There is a different style for each of the arcs. The art for the first arc is great. When it came to the second arc, it felt like there was a huge change in style. It definitely took some getting used to. The illustrations are so noticeably different between the two. The third arc felt like less of a shift in terms of technique and colors, but the panel layouts are pretty different. The creators make great use of mirroring events between the two time periods.

As a first time Bloodshot reader, this book is great. I highly recommend it. Jeff Lemire's writing and the art team are a top notch combination.

A Burglar's Guide to the City Review

A Burglar's Guide to the City. Geoff Manaugh. 2016. FSG Originals. 304 pages.

Rating: 3/5

I spotted this book while browsing at the library and I couldn't pass it up. The title is just too intriguing. It's really about how criminals use architectural spaces for purposes other than their original intentions. In other words, they don't obey the common rules of how buildings work.

The first few pages drew me in really quickly. The way it was written reminded me of The Devil in the White City, which was fantastic. It veers into a first person narrative filled with anecdotes about the research done for the book and examples of real life crimes. This approach to the subject isn't bad. It just didn't grab me the same way the beginning did. There is a section that gets into legalese about burglary that felt like it went on too long.

I loved the stories peppered throughout the book, whether they were the author's or a burglar's. These spanned a number of topics such as how a city's structure affects crime, the way a building's placement in the city and layout can draw or deter criminals, and tools that are used in burglary. There is a balance between looking at how burglars act and what the police and others do to try to deter burglars.

The author is clearly interested in the subject and put in a lot of time and effort to write this book. However, it was repetitive at times and seemed to be longer than it needed to be. Definitely worth checking out for the ideas presented and the true crime elements.

Emotional Rescue Review

Emotional Rescue: Essays on Love, Loss and Life--With a Soundtrack. Ben Greenman. 2016. Little A. 250 pages.

Rating: 4/5

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

As the title indicates, this book is centered around music and how it relates to aspects of our lives. I like the setup for the chapters. Each one starts with a heading page introducing the topic(s), the next page lists music selections the writer associates with the topic, and then there is an essay about it. Sometimes the topics seemed loosely connected to the music selected, although I was not familiar with many of the songs. That didn't stop me from enjoying the writing because the pertinent details of the music are discussed.

I ended up reading this book on my phone, which is the first time I've used it in that capacity. This book lent itself really well to doing so. Each chapter is relatively short, taking about 5 or 6 minutes to read. So it was pretty easy to open it up and read a small chunk when I had an opportunity without dropping out in the middle of a chapter. I could digest it in smaller chunks rather than trying to sit down and read the whole thing in one go. This gave me some time to reflect back on what Greenman was trying to say at times, which may have made it more enjoyable for me.

His writing reminds me a bit of Chuck Klosterman without being quite so cynical. There are times where his stories put me off, but the honesty behind them kept me reading. He talks quite a bit about how he relates to music. It really is about relationships though. Whether it is something that he experienced directly, or just something he noticed through song or from watching others, there is insight here that should resonate with readers. It is a very personal journey and I'm glad to have had a chance to tag along.

Understanding Comics Review

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Scott McCloud. 1994. William Morrow Paperbacks. 224 pages.

Rating: 5/5

As a comics fan, there was a pretty good chance I was going to love this book. McCloud takes a stab at explaining why people like comics. What about them resonates with us? What makes them unique? How does this particular format compare to other forms of media?

I think what made this book work so well for me is the format itself. It is written as a comic book. This allows McCloud to utilize the page to show the concepts that he talks about throughout. Sometimes it is simple and seems unnecessary, but might be helpful to someone that doesn't read comics. And it is meant to be accessible for anyone, whether they are regular comics readers or not.

The book covers a lot of different topics from the panels and the space in between, known as gutters, to the passage of time and expression of emotions. Every single one comes with examples to guide the reader through his thought process. There are a couple ideas that I did not agree with, but it didn't taint my reading of the book. He puts it out there that the book is meant to foster discussion about comics and to get people thinking about the way they work. Everything in this book falls under that umbrella. It did a great job of getting me to think about comics with some more depth.

These Are My Friends on Politics Review

These Are My Friends on Politics: A Children's Book for Adults (Who Occasionally Behave Like Kids). Billy O'Keefe. 2016. Inkshares. 64 pages.

Rating: 2/5

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

This book didn't strike a chord with me at all. Maybe I'm just lucky that the people in my life don't act anywhere near what is depicted in this book. It mostly is poking fun at the way people behave when it comes to politics. And there are funny parts. I think the creator has a good pulse on some common social behaviors. Too bad those are just asides to the main focus, which is the way people discuss politics.

The art is cartoonish, which is expected given the subtitle. The interior drawings match the cover art, which is nice to see. Being a creator owned piece rather than coming from a large publisher probably plays a part in that. The layout didn't really work for me though. Every page has the illustrations at the top, depicting all of the characters on the cover image interacting in different ways. These might be the best part of the book because they can be hilarious. Just keep an eye on the pets and the baby. The bottom portion of the page contains the text. It's not a terrible layout, but it felt like two separate pieces that didn't get integrated.

If you want to see people argue about politics, this is the book for you. More importantly, if you like supporting indie writers, I recommend picking it up. It wasn't the right book for me and that's ok.

Champions: No Time For Losers Review

The Champions: No Time For Losers. Tony Isabella, Bill Mantlo, Don Heck, George Tuska, John Byrne, and Gil Kane. 2016. Marvel. 99 pages.

Rating: 2/5

The Champions is a superhero group set in the Marvel universe led by Black Widow. The other members of the team are Hercules, Angel, Iceman, and Ghost Rider. It's an odd mix of characters, but they actually work well together.

There are two story arcs in this book. The story arcs are about as ridiculous as the team itself. In the first arc, Pluto, the god of the underworld, attacks the UCLA campus in an attempt to capture Hercules and Venus, the goddess of love. His plan is to force them to marry his allies and use that as leverage to be able to take over Olympus. The second arc features a villain known as the Swarm, a former Nazi that now has control over killer bees. That should give you an idea of what to expect.

The stories actually aren't that bad. They are put together pretty well. As odd as it seems that these particular characters come together, there are reasons for each of them to be in the area when the attacks occur. Where the book falls short for me is in the style of the book. These stories were originally published in the 1970s, and it shows. There is too much repetition as the characters recap what happened in the previous issues. I understand why it was done that way, but it breaks me out of the story and makes the whole experience less enjoyable.

The art is decent. It is dated a bit, much like some of the writing elements used. There are only a couple times where it struck me as being really good. The book is somewhat progressive by putting Black Widow in the lead role on the team. It's an interesting time capsule of Marvel comics, but nothing too exciting.

I received this book as part of the November 2016 box from Comic Bento.

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage Review

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage. Jen Van Meter, Roberto de la Torre, and David Baron. 2015. Valiant Entertainment. 128 pages.

Rating: 5/5

I was excited to read this book. The title and the cover art piqued my interest immediately. I had a vague notion of what the story was about when I picked it up. For met it hit on all cylinders to deliver a good story.

When we meet the heroine, Shan Fong, she is at a support group. She is there to provide closure for some widows using her ability to speak with the dead. The kicker is that her own husband, Hwen, passed away and she is unable to locate his spirit. When an opportunity that seems too good to be true comes along, Shan Fong is skeptical, but can she pass on something that may result in finding her love?

The story uses a lot of really interesting elements. It is part ghost story, part Greek tragedy, with a little bit of Faust thrown in for good measure. Let's not forget the detective, folk magic, and fairy tale elements either. With all this going on, the story could get a bit muddled. The creators handle it wonderfully though. It is layered really well so that the reader is gradually drawn into this mystical world. Shan Fong's past and relationship with Hwen unfold as the story progresses too.

And the art is fantastic. It took me a while to get used to it though. The style isn't quite as polished as I've seen in other books. It sort of reminds me of Mike Mignola's art on the Hellboy series without being as cartoonish. Anyway, the colors are great. The variety really make the pages pop at times, especially once Shan Fong enters the Deadside. It can go from dark and oppressive to bright and open quickly. The use of the different speech bubbles is a nice touch too. I could identify who was talking at times based on that alone.

This boils down to a supernatural detective story with a love story blended in. It is set in the Valiant universe, but it stands on its own really well.

Hulk: Season One Review

Hulk: Season One. Fred Van Lente and Tom Fowler. 2012. Marvel. 136 pages.

Rating: 4/5

I'm quickly becoming a fan of Fred Van Lente. Everything I've read from him has been very enjoyable. His writing on the Hulk took a character I wasn't much interested in and made him sympathetic.

Hulk: Season One retells the origin of how Bruce Banner became the Hulk. The story takes place in and around a military installation known as Gamma Base. Bruce is here developing a weapon to rival the nuclear bomb and ends up getting caught in the blast. This triggers his transformations into the Hulk, which he tries to hide while simultaneously attempting to figure out what is causing them. Having never read a Hulk comic before, this felt like a great starting point.

There are some characters included that Hulk fans should recognize. These allow for some interesting relationships to develop, both friendships and rivalries. That is probably part of why I found this book so likeable. The characters felt developed enough to understand the interactions between them without having tons of history on them. It also delves into Bruce's background a bit, giving clues as to why he acts the way he does and showing a reason for the Hulk to exist.

The art is cartoonish, which works nicely for the story. It isn't overly serious and the art style complements it. For those that like something a little different, this book includes the first issue of Jason Aaron's Hulk series. The art on that one is superb, and I like the take on the character.

This book leaves a few things unexplained within the story presented. Familiarity with the Marvel universe will allow the reader to fill in the blanks, and those elements aren't things that will ruin the story for a new reader.

Thanks to Comic Bento for including this in the November 2016 box!

Four Letter Worlds Review

Four Letter Worlds. Joe Casey and Jay Faerber. 2005. Image Comics. 144 pages.

Rating: 3/5

This book is an anthology of 16 short stories. There are four main sections: love, hate, fear, and fate. Each of these sections contains four stories related to the theme.

For the most part, I enjoyed the stories. The writing and the art vary quite a bit, which is both a strength and a weakness of this type of book. It makes it possible for a reader to be exposed to an array of creators and content, sampling small amounts that might launch them into a creator's other works.

None of the stories in this anthology were awful. The only one that really impressed me was "Spin" because it is able to tell a story and show the connection to a theme without using any dialogue or exposition. The art conveys everything the reader needs to know and does so wonderfully.

The book exists in a sort of limbo for me. I like the concept behind it, and most of the stories are pretty good. But it didn't leave much of an impression on me.

Buddhism for Beginners Review

Buddhism for Beginners. Thubten Chodron. 2001. Snow Lion. 160 pages.

Rating: 5/5

I've been interested in Buddhism for a while now. This is probably the third or fourth book I've read that touched on the subject. The others gave more of an introduction to the core beliefs, which makes this book make a lot more sense.

The format of the book is question and answer, such as what would occur between a teacher and student. The questions posed throughout the book were ones that the author was asked by numerous people. The goal here was to answer those questions in plain language that would make the topics more accessible. It also sought to correct some misinterpretations that occurred when Buddhism was becoming popular in the West.

I mentioned that having a basic knowledge of Buddhism helps to understand this book, but the author addresses the most important aspects in the first couple chapters. So the rest of the information presented wouldn't be completely confusing to someone with no prior knowledge. I would suggest reading and thinking about the information in the initial chapters two or three times before moving into the rest of the book though. In fact, Buddhism lends itself to that sort of assessment.

Everything is explained wonderfully. There were a few times where I needed to go back to previous sections to familiarize myself with something the author mentions, but that is not a fault of the book at all. It also covers a wide variety of topics. Some of the subjects are questions that I never would have thought to raise. This is a very inspiring book with information that can be useful to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.