Review: Vampirella (2011-2014) Vol. 1: Crown of Worms (Vampirella

Vampirella (2011-2014) Vol. 1: Crown of Worms (Vampirella by Eric Trautmann
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I haven't read a whole lot of Vampirella, but I've read enough to know the basics. The thing about this book is that the introduction does a whole lot more to clue readers into what is going on with the character than the actual story. It hits those basic elements and doesn't really dig any deeper. Maybe long time fans that know everything that has been going on with Vampirella before this book kicks off will get more out of it.

Vampirella is back after a tragedy and ready to kick vampire butt. She comes across a strange cult that might be better served in an H.P. Lovecraft story. The cult, and their god, become the driving force for the rest of the story. It even pushes Vampirella to team up with her nemesis Dracula. But it also brings in a human companion for Vampirella that gives some life to the book. We get some small glimpses of her backstory as she helps fight the vampire cult. And the book has plenty of action, which is actually something I would expect from this character. That actually helps keep things moving along at times.

I wouldn't recommend this as a place to start out with the character. It's a decent enough book, but might leave too many gaps to be friendly for new readers. It didn't wow me enough to want to continue with the series either.

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Review: Kill or be Killed, Vol. 2

Kill or be Killed, Vol. 2 by Ed Brubaker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not quite as good as the first book, but still darn good. Brubaker's strange anti-hero kicks off this volume murdering someone in front of the police and things just go downhill for him from there. I like that Dylan's murder spree wasn't dragged out more before he has a run-in with the cops. It is sort of abrupt how it happens though. I think it made for a more compelling story when he is being actively hunted down. The story doesn't flow quite as well as the first volume did because there are more elements being pulled into it. It works pretty well though.

The way the story is told is very similar to the first book to start off. It can be a little disorienting being dropped into the middle of something and not knowing how we got there. Brubaker is good and bringing things back around so it all makes sense. Dylan's romantic relationship, and the insights into his background that come with it, are a nice addition. It helped me get the sense that the story is opening up more and that some seemingly unrelated aspects will be coming together down the line. Once again, the art is top notch. Phillips does a great job with detail. There are perspective changes between panels that remain consistent and the backgrounds are fleshed out. The coloring is also fantastic.

I jumped into this volume right after finishing the first book, and I really wish I had the third one available to me to keep the momentum going. This series has turned into a nice surprise and I want to see what happens next.

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Review: Birthright, Vol. 2: Call to Adventure

Birthright, Vol. 2: Call to Adventure by Joshua Williamson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm continuing to enjoy this series. It blends the real world with a fantasy world in a fresh way. I'm reminded of the way that fairies and their homes are portrayed in certain stories, rather than simply infusing our world with magic. The distinction is important for the story and the way that events unfold.

The huge draw in this book is the development of the brothers' relationship. There is a lot of time spent showing how it has changed due to intervening events and, maybe more importantly, how it has stayed the same. This becomes important toward the end of this volume. I suspect it will play a bigger role as the series continues. It's great to see more of Mikey's adventures and how the elements from the fantasy world have followed him home.

There are a lot of cool things that happen in this volume. Yet, it feels like the characters haven't progressed much by the end. I think this is because it takes place in a fairly confined amount of space and time. But there are some very important moments. And the art is stellar, especially in those moments when the two world interact. I'm excited to continue this series.

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Review: Invincible, Compendium One

Invincible, Compendium One by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don't know if it's Kirkman's writing or the superhero themes, but this book didn't do it for me. It felt like it just dragged on forever. Part of that is because there is so much packed into this compendium. However, the actual story beats felt like they were dragged out. On top of that, most of the characters didn't interest me. That might have been the hardest part of reading this book. I didn't much care what happened to these characters.

It wasn't all bad though. There were certainly moments, mostly in the latter half of the collected issues, that were really good. And there is obviously a lot of thought that went into the characters and the organizations involved in the book. The art style isn't my favorite. Yet it did grow on me as I read further into the book. And there are moments visually that both amused me and felt over used (the outside of the government facility that is featured in almost every issue is one of them).

This collection is really meant for diehard fans. Or someone who finds it at a huge discount that wants to dip their toes into the universe. I fell in the second category and probably won't find myself continuing with these characters. The good moments just didn't outweigh the negatives for me.

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Review: Sing, Unburied, Sing

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a beautifully written book. I enjoyed the family centric focus, even though it's not what you might think of as a traditional family. And it doesn't always work. It feels a lot more real that way. Throwing the story on a backdrop of rural Mississippi works wonderfully. The setting helps to bring depth to these characters and almost takes on a personality of its own.

For a story seemingly focused on a small family, it was a little surprising to have the supernatural elements brought in. Personally, I thought this was done really well. There are hints of it early on. It builds into the overall narrative slowly though. I think by easing the reader into that portion of the story, it has some more impact. Ward did a fantastic job of making this run-down family worth visiting for a time.

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Review: Fantomah, Volume 1: Up From The Deep

Fantomah, Volume 1: Up From The Deep by Ray Fawkes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

So this was not at all what I was expecting. Paz is a young woman that has been helping to raise her younger sisters after their mother died. The father is a detective and is always busy, so she is basically doing this by herself. The story kicks off after some young children start to go missing. While her dad is trying to figure out what is going on, Paz becomes possessed by a spirit that uses her to go after the people involved in the disappearances.

The story has slow build, which worked pretty well. Especially because early on it isn't clear what is going on with Paz. She is just as confused as what is happening as the reader. I liked seeing her growth over the course of the book. A lot of the characters aren't extremely well developed though. Normally that would bother me more, but I liked Paz so much that I think she lifted up the book in areas where it would otherwise fall short. The art is the real winner of this book though. Some of the images are just amazing. It has just the right amount of creepiness to it.

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Review: Star Wars, Vol. 4: Last Flight of the Harbinger

Star Wars, Vol. 4: Last Flight of the Harbinger by Jason Aaron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let's steal a star destroyer. What could go wrong? I liked this story. It combines the impetuousness of the Rebels with a good old fashioned heist story. Aaron does a good job capturing the spirit of these characters, which goes a long way to making an enjoyable book. Throw some souped-up Stormtroopers into the mix and things get a bit wacky. That aspect of the book was pretty good actually. And given some of the stuff that happened in the Darth Vader series, it really isn't out of line for the types of stories that Marvel is creating.

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Review: X-O Manowar Volume 4: Visigoth

X-O Manowar Volume 4: Visigoth by Matt Kindt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Volume 4 took a bit of a turn for me. I want to start with the art. I wasn't a huge fan of the art team this time around. The first few volumes tended more toward a realistic style and were just gorgeous. This time the art steps back a little. It's brighter and less defined (if that makes any sense). Perhaps it is meant to follow Aric's mental state as the series progresses. It got darker and darker until this volume. So maybe I just convinced myself that it was really well done, but the line work didn't do much for me anyway.

Then there is the story. Man, I felt like this was a huge payoff for this arc of Aric's story on planet Gorin. We finally get to see what caused Aric to leave Earth. Others might find it cliché or some such. It fits Aric's personality perfectly though. I'm a little disappointed that we won't get to see more of Gorin (for now at least, who knows what Valiant will decide to do in the future). The other big takeaway from this book is the development of the relationship between Aric and Shanhara. They are so connected that it is cool to see them coming back together.

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Review: Scars

Scars by Warren Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A disturbing book. Ellis has a tendency to write stories that are weird or push the reader out of their comfort zone. That might be part of his popularity. Anyway, this book focuses on a detective that is investigating the murder of a little girl. In some ways it is a very typical cop drama type of story, but Ellis varies up those tropes enough to make it interesting.

The protagonist is not a very likable guy. He's stressed out and takes the murder personally, which adds to his negative image. Ellis is good at writing characters though. So what if the good guy is a jerk? He has depth and still manages to garner some sympathy as he breaks down. The line between the professional upholder of the law and the damaged father figure seeking justice at all cost blurs. It may not be Ellis' best work, but man is it engaging.

I'm not usually one to read this type of story, so I doubt I will ever return to it in the future. I did find it worthwhile to join Ellis for this little thought experiment though. Oh, and the short pieces that Ellis writes for the end of each issue explaining his process and inspiration for this story just adds to the overall creepiness of it.

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Review: Britannia Volume 3: Lost Eagles of Rome

Britannia Volume 3: Lost Eagles of Rome by Peter Milligan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I have to admit that I was excited when I heard this book was coming out, even though elements of the first two volumes left me feeling lukewarm on the series. So what's the deal? I think Antonius Axia and Achillia make a good team. A Roman soldier and a former slave gladiator sounds like a good combo to me.

Nero is just as crazy as ever in this volume. The Eagles of Rome are a symbol of Rome's might, and the emperor's ability to rule, that are taken into every battle. When three go missing in a campaign against the Germans to the north, Axia is tapped to find them and restore Nero's standing with the Roman citizens. Pretty much all the elements that I've enjoyed about this book are back. In addition to the characters already mentioned there are the Vestal Virgins, Axia's son, and his steward/friend. Axia and Achillia explore a new area of this Roman centric world. I think the thing that makes this book work so well is the interactions between these two characters. They complement each other nicely.

I liked the art a lot. There are times where it felt a little rushed (both art-wise and story-wise). Everything moves along at a nice pace though, so it was hard to get hung up on some of the little things that might have otherwise bothered me about the book. This book still doesn't tie the series into the overall Valiant universe. That's okay with me because it has become it's own thing. I think somewhere down the line it will get tied in with the other books. There's no rush. I just want to see more of these characters.

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Review: The Amulet of Samarkand

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Despite an interesting premise, I found this book rather dry and boring. I never got invested in Nathaniel's story, which makes a huge portion of this book irrelevant. Part of it is that his attitude and actions make him unlikeable. Maybe that is supposed to be balanced out by the personalities of those around him. It didn't work for me in any case. The boy wizard trope is fine. Maybe there just needed to be more of a child in Nathaniel's character.

Bartimaeus, the demon that Nathaniel summons early in the book, is very interesting. He had the most personality in the book and kept it from being a total snooze fest. I particularly like the asides that he gives, which show up in the book as footnotes. The kindle version did a great job presenting these and making it seamless to switch between the main story and these asides. They aren't necessary, but go a long way toward defining the character of Bartimaeus.

I might have rated this a little higher. However, the digital version was riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes. I'm not sure how this compares to the physical version of the book though. Every time I notice something like that it pulls me out of the story. Usually, I try to be pretty forgiving when it comes to those types of mistakes. There were just too many for me to give this book a pass in that regard. As much as I liked Bartimaeus, I don't think I would pick up the next book in this series.

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Review: Venom: Carnage Unleashed

Venom: Carnage Unleashed by Larry Hama
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Whew! This book is so 90s it hurts. It's not all bad, but the writing style and art are definitely different from what I am used to from more recent comics. Carnage Unleashed has a bunch of different Venom stories in it, many of which also feature Carnage. I remember watching the Spider-Man cartoon that came out around the same time as these stories were being published. It was one of my favorites and introduced me to the symbiotes. There is a bit of nostalgia for me reading this book even though it was the first time I picked up this particular set of stories.

One thing that these tales do very well is explore the relationship between Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote. It's clear that they have goals that are odds with each other and it is interesting to see how well they work together when their goals align. Despite some relationship issues, Brock/Venom seem to have things pretty well together compared to Carnage! Most of this book actually seems like it would be pretty friendly to readers that don't know much or anything about these characters. There are a couple stories, particularly near the end of the collection, that had characters that I knew nothing about. I was still able to enjoy reading them though.

I touched a little on the art. It is very much a product of its time. It doesn't really compare to the look of comics from the 80s or more recently. The coloring is well done. This is such a large collection that it's worth checking out. There are some nice high points (even those had a few moments that made me cringe by how rooted in the times they are) that outweighed the lower ones for me.

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Review: Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules

Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules by Tony Cliff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A nice addition to the series. I don't think Pillars of Hercules was quite as action packed as the previous volumes, but it is still quite good. Something that we haven't seen before is someone playing on Delilah's ego. That part of the story worked because of the character that was doing it and the fact that it hasn't been shown before. Sure, there have been characters that take notice of her abilities, but no one praises her and tries to manipulate her the way that is done here.

The art is just as good as the previous books. The new characters and locales add some nice variety as well. The parts of the story that are filled with action are done well to denote what is happening. The story grew a little stagnant around the middle. I think Cliff turns that around rather well and ends it on a high note. I love reading about these characters and want to see more of Delilah Dirk's world and adventures. This story expanded on what we had before and left me wanting more.

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