Review: Harbinger Vol. 6: Omegas (Harbinger: Omegas

Harbinger Vol. 6: Omegas (Harbinger: Omegas by Joshua Dysart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This volume caps off the Harbinger series. It directly follows up on the previous volume by showing what is going on with Harada and the Renegades. It also serves as a bridge between the Harbinger series and Dysart's Imperium series. So, we see more fallout for the characters and elements that set the stage for things to come. On its own it doesn't mean much, but knowing what came before and some of what is coming afterward improves the experience.

A few things really stood out to me in this volume. First, Toyo Harada. I like that he takes the opportunity to step out from behind his previous organizations to do what he really wants. He is a lot less diplomatic here and it works well for the character. Second, the dichotomy between Pete and Toyo. These characters have been at odds since the beginning. It is neat to see how their reactions to the events of the last book are similar and how they differ. It also serves as a reminder that Pete is really just a kid who is out of his depth. Last, the Renegades. They are all struggling with the death of a friend. I like that this book shows that, and how their lives are impacted overall by recent events.

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Review: Gideon Falls, Vol. 1: The Black Barn

Gideon Falls, Vol. 1: The Black Barn by Jeff Lemire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Let me start out by saying that I am a big fan of Jeff Lemire. So it's no surprise that I loved the first volume of this series. There are two storylines. The first follows disgraced priest that is an alcoholic and is assigned to the church in Gideon Falls against his will. It's clear that there is something in his past that has gotten him into trouble, but it doesn't really come out in this part of the story. The second storyline features a young man that seems to have psychological problems. He has an obsession driving him that he can't really explain. These two stories don't cross paths in this volume, but there are hints of how they could.

The art is fantastic. I like how it plays with the format. It does a nice job forcing different perspectives or drawing the eye to certain elements of a scene. And the coloring helps to enhance things as well. There are times when the colors can be pretty drab, but I think that works for the story, particularly with the locations involved. I am really looking forward to the next volume.

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Review: Oblivion Song, Vol. 1

Oblivion Song, Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Robert Kirkman's books have been somewhat hit-or-miss for me, so I was a little skeptical about how this one would turn out. A section of a city in Pennsylvania gets overrun by monsters and a large portion of the population from that area disappears. We join the story ten years on, when everyone has given up on the missing people except for one man: the protagonist Nathan. And this really becomes his story more than anything else.

What I enjoyed most about this book is that even though there is a bit of a mystery about what happened, it is easy to see and understand the motivations of the characters. Kirkman does a really nice job developing the setting while keeping the story moving. There are some odd bits of technology that make it a little difficult to understand what is going on at first, but they are explained quickly enough that it doesn't hurt the story.

The art is the only part of this book that I was divided on. For the most part it is really well done, especially the set pieces and the various creatures. I thought most of the characters were portrayed well. However, there are some moments where Nathan's appearance changes dramatically between panels that threw me off. I'm glad I took a chance on this book though because I liked it a lot. I can't wait to see what happens in the next volume.

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Review: Zojaqan

Zojaqan by Collin Kelly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I feel like this book is one that might benefit from a reread. It takes some time for the story to really unfold, and after seeing how more of the story elements play out near the end of the book I think the beginning might make more sense.

The main thing to know here is that Shannon Kind, known as The Shan throughout this book, winds up in a strange world where she acts as a sort of god. There are jumps through time that disorient Shannon and the reader, but allow us to watch the evolution of the beings known as Zoja. There is a bit of violence, which builds as we learn more about Shannon's background. I like how the last couple chapters incorporate more of her life before she encounters the Zoja.

I mostly enjoyed the art. There are images with awkward postures, which threw me off at times. The book can also be confusing because of the way it jumps around in time. I think this mimics some of the confusion that Shannon is feeling and doesn't know how to express. It is worth checking out for some interesting ideas and artwork.

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Review: The Stone Heart

The Stone Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Almost as good as the first. The top things from this book for me are the art and the expansion of the history of the nameless city. I like the art style a lot. It can be both simple and very expressive. There is definitely a tone set for the story through the art. Even when things get pretty serious, the coloring and the drawing help to keep things a little on the lighter side without being frivolous. The city gets some more history, including some information on the founders of the city. There is a big to-do about them in this volume and spark some nasty events.

The characterization wasn't quite as good this time around. It wasn't bad by any means. I felt like there was an unnecessary tension between the protagonists. After the events of the first book they should be less suspicious of each other than they are presented in this story. The dynamics between the protagonists and the other characters in the story seemed much more natural.

I recommend the book to anyone that enjoyed the first part of the story. I am looking forward to the third chapter.

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Review: Dead and Gone

Dead and Gone by Andy Diggle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Diggle's work on the first volume of this series didn't really impress me. So I wasn't expecting a lot going into this book. The concept sounded cool though because it was going to dive into the history of the Shadowman. This meant opening up the magical side of the Valiant universe a little more and showing the possibilities of the character without radically changing Jack Boniface.

There are three different time periods visited in this book: the 1940s, the late 1700s, and ancient Africa. Each of these adds to the series and foreshadows things to come. I like that the art changes based on the time period that is taking focus. There are a few moments that the art doesn't work for me. Specifically these occur during the few scenes that take place during the present, and the perspective felt off in those moments. Generally, the art is very well done though.

This is the Shadowman book that I've been waiting for. I feel like Valiant is making a concerted effort to bring this character back around and so far it has been working out pretty well. This book is one that I think a new reader could pick up and get excited about the character.

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Review: Moon Knight, Volume 3: God & Country

Moon Knight, Volume 3: God & Country by Mike Benson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Where do I begin? God & Country really felt like a middle of the road book for me. I tend to enjoy Moon Knight books a lot. I wasn't super impressed with this one though. It does a nice job following up on the previous volume, in which Marc Spector is issued a superhuman registration card following the events of Civil War. There is some backlash for his actions given his status. Throw in the fact that someone is committing murders and framing Moon Knight and the tension gets raised.

In the end, this book felt disjointed though. Once it pushes past the registration thing, it loses steam. Marc isn't handling his situation very well and all the people he has relied on to keep him sane start shutting him out. His situation sort of mirrors this volumes place in the series. They are both sort of drifting. I liked the art though. It carries over the tone of this run from the first two volumes very well. Even if I didn't like this character so much, I would still give the next volume of the series a chance.

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Review: Giant Days, Vol. 2

Giant Days, Vol. 2 by John Allison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Giant Days Vol. 2 gives readers more of what worked so well in the first volume. The characters are funny and on point. They can be a bit extreme at times, but that is part of what makes them so fun. This volume as a whole feels a little more disjointed than the first volume. Sure, there are subplots that run through the whole book. I just never felt like there was an overarching story this time around. Which is okay because the subplots do a nice job keeping things going.

This book has more of the same from volume one, but it didn't feel stagnant at all to me. The characters are able to develop within their niches. I like that this book digs into their pasts a little more. Fans of the first volume should have a lot of fun with this one. I know I am looking forward to picking up the next one.

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Review: The Mighty Thor Vol. 1: Thunder In Her Veins

The Mighty Thor Vol. 1: Thunder In Her Veins by Jason Aaron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really like what Jason Aaron has been doing with the Thor titles. Come to think of it I just like Jason Aaron's writing in general. This book feels familiar in that it is focused around a war in Asgard. There is scheming from Loki, Thor and Odin are butting heads, and the dark elves and frost giants are up to no good. Somehow, Aaron is able to give that all a fresh take, partially by pulling on the history of these characters within the Marvel universe. The art is top notch, but I don't really expect anything less from Marvel at this point. A word of warning though, new readers should probably start with Thor, Volume 1: The Goddess of Thunder.

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Review: The Infinity Gauntlet

The Infinity Gauntlet by Jim Starlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to. Mostly, that is because it is an older comic. It came out in the early 90s so it has a lot of the same trappings that I tend to dislike about comics from the 80s: it is particularly wordy when it doesn't need to be, the art hasn't aged well, it has some very comic book stereotype situations, and it takes itself way too seriously.

That said, I actually liked this story in which Thanos sets out to destroy the heroes of Earth in hopes of wooing Death. It can be a little convoluted and there are some characters that I am not familiar with, but it starts out strong and it keeps on going. There are a few points where it gets dull, mostly toward the end of the book where it seems to get repetitive. But the main thing here is that it makes Thanos really feel like a threat. I understand very early in this book what was going on and why Thanos mattered. The characters that I didn't know I was mostly able to figure out without having to go look anything up. And in spite of the over-the-top comic book nature of the story, it comes to a pretty satisfying conclusion.

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Review: Harbinger, Volume 5: Death of a Renegade

Harbinger, Volume 5: Death of a Renegade by Joshua Dysart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Volume 5 feels like the perfect follow up to volume 4. After all the bad stuff that the Renegades have been going through, they take some time to lay low until a potential ally leaks a bunch of data on Project Rising Spirit and sets his sights on Harada. The introduction of Ax, a computer hacker, into the story felt well placed. He adds some perspective that these kids have been lacking. I like the interplay between the Renegades and the Harbinger Foundation.

The story steps back from the big events at times to showcase the characters as people. Characterization is something that Dysart has been great at with this series so far. When the titular event happens, it feels right for the character. And the others react to it in normal ways. The visual aspect of the book plays that up wonderfully as well. The art might just be my favorite part of this book. The events that happen allow for some nice visual moments that add to the strong characterization.

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Review: Priest of Bones

Priest of Bones by Peter McLean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via Penguin Books First to Read in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to enjoy dark fantasy books, so I'm a little surprised that I didn't like this one more. The characters in this book, particularly the narrator Tomas Piety, return from war to find their home stolen from them and the city of Ellinburg on the verge of disaster.

There is a lot to like in this book: the characters are interesting, the setting is well developed, the narration has a strong voice, and it gives a good portrayal of the aftereffects of war. Piety's struggle with his place in the city after the war progresses over the course of the book. Bits of his past, and those around him, come out as the story goes on as well.

While I like what McLean did with the character of Piety, I didn't find the character himself especially likeable. It's not just the harshness that seems to have come from his experiences at war. There are moments presented that are meant to soften that to a degree. He seemed to be lacking some of the charisma and compassion that characters in similar book seem to possess. This might just be a personal preference. It is nice to have a change of pace with this character, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

I would definitely read the second book to see how the story continues and give Piety a second chance.

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