Review: Lucifer, Volume 1: Cold Heaven

Lucifer, Volume 1: Cold Heaven by Holly Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since this book is bound to draw comparisons to Mike Carey's Lucifer series, so I will start out by saying that it is not as good. That doesn't mean this one is bad by any means though. It takes the ideas and characters from that series and builds on them.

Lucifer is back and God is dead. All signs point to Lucifer as the culprit, so he sets out to clear his name along with Gabriel. Things are compounded by a mysterious wound in Lucifer's side that won't close. This gives him motivation to return that makes it so this story doesn't disregard the way the previous series left off.

I like the way the characters are portrayed. Black does a decent job capturing the smarminess and intelligence of Lucifer. Where the book tends to shine is capitalizing on the setting. It pulls in some recognizable characters like Cain and Abel and Mazikeen. The story pulls in some familiar settings like the land of Dreaming. This allows the art to stand out too. There are some really wonderful sequences that could only take place in such a realm.

This book will probably appeal to readers interested in getting into the setting for the first time, rather than fans of the previous series. It does a lot of work to establish who the characters are and their place in the world. After setting the stage in volume one, I am looking forward to picking up the second volume to see where it takes things.

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Review: New Avengers, Vol. 1: Breakout

New Avengers, Vol. 1: Breakout by Brian Michael Bendis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Avengers have disbanded. This book explores the idea of what happens in the Marvel universe when the Avengers are gone and settles on the concept that a group of heroes will naturally come together. This time, it gives us the New Avengers: Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Spider-Woman, and Wolverine.

The big thing I liked about this book is the massive breakout of supervillains from Ryker Island. This actually filled in some holes from a few other Marvel books I've read recently. Electro has never been a favorite villain, but his role in this book is done well. And this New Avengers team comes together in a way that is mostly natural. Each of the heroes acts in a way that I would expect from them. Bendis does a great job bringing these characters together.

It sort of fell apart when the group heads to the Savage Land. This part of the story isn't told poorly, but it seemed unnecessary. It does introduce some good ideas for the series. I thought the art was fantastic. Marvel does a great job of nabbing some of the best artists around. There are definitely better titles out there. I found this one enjoyable though and full of potential.

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Review: From the Dead

From the Dead by Warren Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ellis' take on Moon Knight is quite wonderful. This book really captures both the in your face nature of Moon Knight and the sheer insanity of Marc Spector, the man behind the mask.

This volume is made up of a series of loosely connected short stories. I don't recall an overarching storyline that you might get in other comic volumes. It doesn't really matter because each of these stories can stand on their own just fine. Some of the stories pull in more supernatural elements, which work well for with the character but aren't always used. Moon Knight also tries to play well with the NYPD. I liked these interactions. It gives Moon Knight a supporting cast that he turns to as it suits his need.

I loved the art. One thing that I think this volume brings to the character is the full on white suit that he wears from time to time. The visual element this brings to the book is great. And that is another thing this book does fantastically. Besides the white suit and his traditional costume, there are a couple other variations that look awesome. These also serve as a way to explore the character's psyche without spelling it out.

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The Walking Dead, Vol. 2 Review

The Walking Dead, Volume Two: Miles Behind Us. Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn. 2004. Image Comics. 136 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Volume two gives us a nice change as the group moves away from the outskirts of Atlanta and we begin to see more of this new world. There are two major locations: a sub-division and the farm.

I like that this deals with the encounter at the end of volume one between Rick and Shane in a couple of ways. It gives some physical reactions, e.g. the move away from the former campsite, and emotional reactions from a lot of the party. These give us a believable world within this fantastic environment and really builds the characters in some nice ways.

There are a couple additions to this main group, as well as a few losses. I like the growth this gives the book. Despite all the odds this group continues to survive, but is looking for something more permanent. This is a theme that comes up again and again in this volume. It does a nice job of giving motivation to the characters beyond mere survival.

The art is just as good as the first volume. It can be a bit of an acquired taste though. Two things of note about this book/the series in general. First, it is quite wordy. This isn't a bad thing since it is all dialogue between the characters. Second, there are a few inconsistencies with some minor story elements. It's not a detriment to the story that is being told at this point. Otherwise, this is a great character driven book that sets the hook for the next volume.

Faith and the Future Force Review

Faith and the Future Force. Jody Houser, Stephen Segovia, and Barry Kitson. 2017. Valiant Entertainment. 112 pages.

Rating: 3/5

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

I really like Faith and most of the Valiant comics in general. This one didn't really work for me though because it felt kind of rushed. It does include some of the humor and references that I would expect from the featured characters though.

The main plotline in this book is that there is a killer robot from an alternate timeline that wants to destroy the Valiant universe. Neela, who was introduced in the Ivar, Timewalker series, reaches out to Faith for help in stopping the robot. This mixture works well because they are both kind of sci-fi nerds, one by choice and one by circumstance. There isn't a ton of characterization, which is what I tend to respond to in books.

The plot on this one felt more like a traditional superhero comic book than I'm used to getting from Valiant. Although the idea of a malicious robot bent on killing everything isn't new, the creators put a decent spin on it that leads to a satisfying ending. There is some repetition in the story as they work through how to defeat the robot. It's fun to see the ever increasing cast of characters that are brought in to fight this threat.

I liked the art though. The characters are drawn really well. There are visual cues that add some humor to the book that would be lost in another format, so I appreciate that they used the medium in a good way. The way it is designed sort of reminds me of Groundhog Day. I want to see more from these characters, but there needs to be some more substance.

Bitch Planet, Vol. 2 Review

Bitch Planet, Volume Two: President Bitch. Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, and Taki Soma. 2017. Image Comics. 144 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Let's start a riot! This book takes us back to the prison planet and goes into the aftermath at the end of volume one. While the first volume was more of an establishing book, introducing the setting and the characters, this second volume takes more focus and fleshes out a few specific aspects. DeConnick's writing is good and the art team does a wonderful job driving things home.

Starting with the art, there is a lot of nudity and violence. This shouldn't be a surprise for anyone that read the first book, but I think it still needs to be said. Anyone that might have been expecting this to let up in that regard will be disappointed. I think the illustrations normalize the setting. For one, the characters are fairly ordinary. There are a wide range of body types but nothing inhuman. And the locations feel like they could be set on Earth somewhere even though much of the book takes place on another planet.

The plot mostly follows one character. We get to see her background as far as the events that led up to her imprisonment. There are some great elements the suggest the type of world these characters are living in, particularly the secret meetings intended to educate young women. I like this glimpse into the regime and how ordinary citizens are reacting to it.

That part of the story is mixed with the present day. The focal character is searching for her sister and ends up finding someone much more influential to the setting. Add on top of this a riot that leads to exposing more of what the regime is up to and the story comes together pretty nicely. It does leave some questions on where the series is going. I like the direction its going in and can't wait to get more of it.

The Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk Review

The Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk. Greg Pak, Carlo Pagulayan, Aaron Lopresti, Gary Frank, and Takeshi Miyazawi. 2007. Marvel. 416 pages.

Rating: 4/5

I've never been a huge fan of the Hulk. He always seems to be portrayed as a big, dumb green monster that will kill everyone yet somehow manages to avoid it. And the premise of this book takes that to the extreme by having the Hulk exiled from Earth by some of his best friends. To say the least, I was not impressed by this beginning.

But it gets way better once Hulk ends up on an alien planet, which of course is not where he was supposed to go. The world building is awesome. There are a bunch of different alien species that are represented along with a familiar face or two. The creators do a fantastic job of fleshing them all out and giving them a purpose. This is a long story arc that gets a good opportunity to ramp up.

Hulk is shown to be a lot more complex in this book than I expected. Sure, there is a lot of fighting and he struggles with being a "monster". By the end of this book he is so much more than that. He displays loyalty, integrity, and even vulnerability. This book takes him from being purely destructive to a realistic character in spite of his powers and origin.

I loved the art. It is very detailed and covers a pretty wide range of characters and settings. There are a few stumbling points where characters seemed a little out of proportion, but they are all pretty minor. There is an excerpt from an issue of Amazing Fantasy featuring Amadeus Cho that really didn't need to be in here. It didn't quite fit with the rest of the book in terms of the story and the art. This book is really a lot of fun to read and took a character in which I had no interest and made me excited to read more.

Princess Leia Review

Star Wars: Princess Leia. Mark Waid, Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson, and Jordie Bellaire. 2015. Mavel. 120 pages.

Rating: 2/5

A miniseries featuring Princess Leia sounds like it should be pretty awesome, right? This one just didn't do it for me though. It has a lot of good elements that just don't come together well.

Leia is struggling with the destruction of her home planet, Alderaan, right after A New Hope. She sees herself as responsible in a way and is trying to figure out what to do about the remnants of her people scattered across the galaxy. She picks up a sidekick of sorts who acts as Leia's conscience throughout the miniseries.

There is a lot of push for Leia to organize these people without a home and become their leader. The way she takes of to do this and some of the subsequent action made her feel kind of flighty. And I never felt like she stepped into the leadership role her people needed. The way the book ends reinforced that for me.

I didn't care for the art in this book. It came off as too cartoonish, which didn't mesh well with the subject matter. It made it hard for me to take Leia seriously. I liked the idea behind this book, but felt the execution was lacking.

Snotgirl, Vol. 1 Review

Snotgirl, Volume One: Green Hair Don't Care. Bryan Lee O'Malley and Leslie Hung. 2017. Image Comics. 136 pages.

Rating: 3/5

I only picked this up because of Bryan Lee O'Malley. For those that don't know, he wrote a little series known as Scott Pilgrim and if you haven't read it, go do so now.

Back to Snotgirl. This book is about a fashion blogger named Lottie Person with some serious allergy issues. It compares her public persona to her real life quite a bit and how there is a disconnect between them. She is friends with a lot of other fashion bloggers and is constantly comparing herself to them. There is an insecurity about the character that makes it seem that despite the title she does care.

This book has some really good elements that bring it to the verge of being great, but there is a quality to the writing that holds it back. The whole subplot about her ex's new girlfriend is a perfect example. There is clearly something going on there and yet the protagonist comes off as petty about the whole thing. Could her fears be real? Sure, but her attitude throws me off too much for it to matter. I do like the bits with "Cool Girl" and think that part of the story has the most potential to bring this book up a level in future volumes. I just need a reason to care about Lottie and it isn't there yet.

I did enjoy the art. The coloring is wonderful. The illustrations seem more fitting to a manga, which usually doesn't appeal to me much. It tends to be overly expressive and that pulls me out of the story. This book reigns that in to a degree. By the end of this volume I was enjoying the story and the small mystery. I'd like to see Lottie grow beyond the petty person in this volume but I'm not sure if I'm willing to come back for more.

The Periodic Table of Cocktails Review

The Periodic Table of Cocktails. Emma Stokes. 2017. Abrams Image. 160 pages.

Rating: 3/5

I'll admit that I wasn't wowed by this book. The idea behind it is intriguing. It categorizes cocktails based on different characteristics with the idea that if you enjoy one of them, the others adjacent to it on the table should be a good match as well.

There are a lot of classic cocktails represented in the book. It also includes some modern cocktails that serve to mix things up a bit. The author clearly identifies when she has a preference about one way of making some of these drinks. Many have been around so long that there are innumerable variations. She even encourages the reader to try making small changes to the recipes she presents to see if they like it better another way. I always appreciate seeing that embrace for experimentation when it comes to food and drink because it gives the feeling that these things aren't set in stone.

Another good thing about the book is the anecdotes that accompany the recipes. It usually includes a brief history of the cocktail, many of which are up for debate. These won't add to the experience of the cocktails themselves, but they are fun to read nonetheless. Some of the recipes are just variations based on the type of spirit or liqueur added to the drink. For me, this detracted a little bit from the book because it means that something else was left out. All in all it's a nice book for picking out a new cocktail to try, although I probably wouldn't make them myself.

Cimarronin: The Complete Graphic Novel Review

Cimarronin: The Complete Graphic Novel. Neal Stephenson, Charles C. Mann, Mark Teppo, Ellis Amdur, Robert Sammelin, and Dean Kotz. 2015. Jet City. 160 pages.

Rating: 4/5

I thought this was a pretty cool book. It tells the story of a fallen samurai who travels to Mexico with a Jesuit priest and a Chinese princess. They each have their own motivations for making this trip, but they end up crossing paths in a very interesting way. As someone who likes history, this was a really strong story. It mixes in just enough of some seemingly disparate elements to give it the feel of something that could have happened.

While this isn't a humor book by any means, there are some nice moments that amused me. Mostly these involve the copious amount of brothers that the Jesuit priest has. The relationships between the characters bolster the story a lot too. That combined with the historical details made it enjoyable even though it might not appeal to everyone.

For the most part I enjoyed the art. The coloring and lettering are both done well. There is more action in this book than I initially expected. The only downfall to this is that sometimes the action didn't flow well from one panel to the next, making it difficult to understand how certain scenes unfolded. I was drawn in by Neal Stephenson's connection to the book and it didn't disappoint.

4001 A.D.: Beyond New Japan Review

4001 A.D.: Beyond New Japan. Robert Venditti, Jeff Lemire, Jody Houser, Rafer Roberts, Fred Van Lente, Clayton Henry, Doug Braithwaite, and Robert Gil. 2016. Valiant Entertainment. 112 pages.

Rating: 4/5

I liked this book quite a bit. It is a collection of four tie in stories to the 4001 A.D. event from Valiant. It features three previous Valiant heroes and one new one.

The first story tells the history of the massive X-O armor that plays a role in the main 4001 event. I enjoyed seeing the origins of this armor and how it tied into the future storyline. Next up is a story about Bloodshot. Specifically, it is about the nanites and their final mission. This felt like the weakest of the stories to me. Bloodshot has become one of my favorite Valiant characters thanks to Jeff Lemire. It's a nice transition story but didn't add much to the character.

Third is a Shadowman tale. This one raised a bunch of questions for me regarding Shadowman and the Loa. It's pretty cool though because it is set on Earth and explains how these coexisting towns have been able to survive. It also introduces a new character that could easily pick up the Shadowman mantle in the future storyline. Lastly, is the story about Warmother, the new Valiant hero. Also set on Earth, this one shows what I think might be a more common way of life for the planet-bound people in 4001. There is a lot of isolation and scramble for tech. The character is strong and has the makings of a great leader.

The art on all of these are pretty solid. The Bloodshot story has some interesting effects with the nanites. Warmother shows off Earth of the future wonderfully. I thought these stories were great, even though they are mostly tangential to the 4001 event. I recommend reading 4001 A.D. first just because it is easier to see how these stories fit alongside it.

Lighter Than My Shadow

Lighter Than My Shadow. Katie Green. 2017. Lion Forge. 516 pages.

Rating: 5/5

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

There is some pretty rough subject matter in this book. It details one woman's struggle with an eating disorder and sexual assault. I think the book does a wonderful job portraying these issues and shows why it can be so difficult for people that suffer from them to overcome them. While I don't imagine I would ever have to deal with these sorts of problems, I found myself identifying with her at some points.

I loved the art. The use of the "shadow" lingering around her pretty much non-stop was a great visual indicator of what was going on in her mind. It emphasized the struggle and horror of these events. Some of the images can be repetitive at times, which really serves to show how pervasive these type of issues can be in someone's life.

This wasn't an easy book to read, but when I gave it my full attention it move quickly. I have a lot of respect for the creator for putting this out there.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 1 Review

The Walking Dead, Volume One: Days Gone Bye. Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore. 2004. Image Comics. 144 pages.

Rating: 4/5

For those that don't know, The Walking Dead is a book about a zombie apocalypse. It follows the story of a small town cop, Rick Grimes, after he wakes up from a coma to find the world changed. In this volume he has to adapt to the world as it is now and seeks to find his wife and son.

The thing that I like about this book (and the TV show) is that it isn't all about the zombies. Sure, they are ever present, but the focus is really on the survivors. This is such a character driven book and is bolstered by focusing on mundane things at times. The characters feel like real people, even if they can be a bit extreme at times, because their reactions seem natural.

I like the art a lot. It's very distinct and can make certain scenes very unsettling. The art certainly helps set the tone of the book between some of the creepier moments and the landscape images. The lack of color is an interesting choice and it doesn't hinder the book in any way. One thing that stands out to me is that all of the characters have a distinct look. This doesn't always happen, especially for minor characters. This isn't just another zombie story.