Troublemaker, Book 1 Review

Trouble Maker, Book One. Janet Evanovich, Alex Evanovich, and Joelle Jones. 2010. Dark Horse Books. 112 pages.

Rating: 3/5

I thought this book was fun. It is a short mystery about a friend of the protagonists that goes missing. They set out to find her and take some strange detours along the way. The story could have been stronger though. It felt more like a way to show off the characters than to tell a particular compelling story. The characters get brief introductions, so its not necessary to read any of Evanovich's other works to enjoy this one.

Sam and Alex are members of a racing team (no really, stay with me here; that part isn't all that important to the plot). For reasons I won't get into, they can't go to the police about their missing friend. But this allows the relationship, or non-relationship?, between the main characters to come forward. They aren't particularly deep characters, but what is presented is done well. It gets pretty funny once Sam's mom comes on the scene.

The art has to be the best part of this book though. It is cartoonish yet stylish. I feel like they wanted to gear this toward adults without making the art super realistic, and it works wonderfully. The instances where Jones gets to show off the background and landscapes are great too. This isn't a book that I would normally go out of my way to read (it came as part of a Comic Bento box that I received), but it was a nice distraction and made me want to pick up some other stuff featuring Jones' art.

Appetites Review

Appetites: A Cookbook. Anthony Bourdain. 2016. Ecco. 304 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Anthony Bourdain is an acquired taste. He is crass, opinionated, and knowledgeable about food. This book captures his voice perfectly on all of those levels. Having watched some of his shows, I could hear his voice as I was reading the book.

The recipes all look well crafted and there is a nice range of options. There are simple things like scrambled eggs and grilled cheese, while there is an entire section on preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. He skips out on desserts though, which I'm okay with. There are some nice tips within these recipes that could be useful for new and experienced cooks. And it covers recipes from some different cuisines, so it gives some added flexibility in that regard.

Aside from Bourdain's voice shining through, the thing that stood out most to me is the pictures. These can be off putting, especially for readers unfamiliar with Bourdain. Some of them could make the reader squeamish, but I think they complement the book nicely and take a step toward showcasing where our food comes from. People are so focused on dressing up our food that it is interesting to see this book take the opposite approach. That being said, I didn't have a problem with any of the images. They didn't make anything unappetizing to me, and there are points where the food is dressed up (I'm looking at you Thanksgiving). I'd definitely recommend this book, whether you're a fan of Bourdain or not.

Southern Bastards, Volume 3 Review

Southern Bastards, Volume 3: Homecoming. Jason Aaron and Jason Latour. 2016. Image Comics. 160 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Volume three of Southern Bastards is a bit different from the first two in terms of storytelling style. It has the same brutal, hold nothing back attitude that the first two books had. I like it even though that can be off-putting at times. But getting back to the style. This volume is told through a series of short stories, one for each issue collected in the volume. They all circle around the big Homecoming game and help to flesh out the setting. These set things up for what is going to happen next.

Since these focus on different characters, some of whom haven't been detailed much beforehand, there is a lot of character development in this book. I love that the creators are able to give a sense of who each of these people are, in the case of the ones that we haven't seen much, or built on what came before, particular with the coach, in such a short span compared with the previous books.

I like the art a lot. Anyone who has read the first two volumes knows what they are getting into with the art (and with the general content). It is gritty and in your face. It isn't always pretty, but it sure can leave an impression The art goes a long way to underscoring the tone of the book. Aaron and Latour are a great combination for this series.

Artful Review

Artful. Peter David, Nicole D'Andria, and Laura Neubert. 2018. Action Lab Entertainment. 192 pages.

Rating: 1/5

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

All told, this book just didn't work for me. I like the idea of a spin-off story focusing on the Artful Dodger. Add vampires and you get a nice horror story. I was excited to get a chance to read this adaptation because I enjoyed the novel.

I feel like some of the Artful's personality is lost in this adaptation. It gives the superficial elements, i.e. he's a thief and wants to do good, but there isn't a lot of depth. This sort of carries into the plot in general because it is paced so quickly that it doesn't dig deeper into some of the issues. The setting is evoked really well though, especially with the inclusion of some familiar characters such as Fagin, Oliver, the Van Helsing family, and the Baker Street gang. They prop the book up at times and kept me interested enough to finish it.

I didn't care for the art style. It is geared towards a younger audience for sure. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it dips too much into the cartoony style for my tastes. There aren't any illustrations that stood out to me either, so it becomes forgettable in a format where the pictures should excite me or at least leave some sort of impression. Younger readers should get a kick out of this story.

Generation Zero, Volume 2 Review

Generation Zero, Volume 2: Heroscape. Fred Van Lente, Diego Bernard, and Javier Pulido. 2017. Valiant Entertainment. 112 pages.

Rating:4/5

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

This takes many of the antics from the first volume and amps them up. At the same time, it loses some of the humor that made the first book so much fun. It is a much more serious arc that gives this newer group of heroes a chance to shine. For me, they became much more distinct and I was able to appreciate them more.

The heroes continue to fight against the Cornermen and the people in charge of Rook. Some of the turns the story takes allow the creators to play with different art styles. I really like when a book can do this in a natural way and it works well here. An antagonist comes back in a new way, which provides a rather satisfying foil to Keisha gives a nice boost to the story. The wrap of the arc is great. The series comes full circle at this point while leaving room for it, or others, to grow.

Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 3 Review

Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 3: Double Trouble. Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. 2001. Marvel. 176 pages.

Rating: 4/5

There's a lot going on in this volume. It introduces Gwen Stacy and Kraven the Hunter to the Ultimate series and brings back Otto Octavius as Doctor Octopus.

I love what they do with Doctor Octopus. There is a lot of psychological trauma affecting the character after his accident. He is seeking revenge on the person he blames for it, but grows out of simply wanting to physically hurt him. It shows the intelligence Otto is supposed to have from previous iterations and his role as a scientist. Nicely done.

Kraven it kind of amusing. His portion of the story didn't impress me a whole lot because it seemed more of a diversion away from the Doctor Octopus portion of the story than anything else. But it is fun to see him as a Steve Irwin type character that sets his sights on Spider-Man. The rewrite as a reality TV star fits the character really well. The humor that comes from his part of the story makes it worth including in the book, particularly near the end of the arc when Spider-Man, Doctor Octopus, and Kraven all come together.

Gwen Stacy's appearance is perfect. Her effect on Peter is great. She brings attitude and defiance to his world. It's almost as if she inspires him. I'm looking forward to what she will bring to the series. This sets the tension between Gwen and Mary Jane that sort of defines Peter's love life. As for the art, I don't have much to say. Bagley is doing a great job still.

Harbinger, Volume 3 Review

Harbinger, Volume 3: Harbinger Wars. Joshua Dysart, Khari Evans, Trevor Hairsine, and Mico Suayan. 2013. Valiant Entertainment. 128 pages.

Rating: 3/5

This volume ties into the Harbinger Wars crossover event. The event itself is quite good, but this volume felt a little disjointed. It shifts between the past and present. The past focuses on the early days of the Harbinger Foundation and Toyo Harada's struggle against the group that would become Project Rising Spirit. This complements the Harbinger Wars event nicely by filling in some gaps about the history of these organizations. The present portion of the story details the Renegades' part of the Harbinger Wars story. If I wasn't familiar with the overall event, I think I might have felt a little lost during this part of the story.

The art is great. It helps give a sense of the time when Harada was starting out and shows what these characters are capable of. I love that there are some very character driven illustrations amidst these significant events that could have been all about the action. It gives a nice balance to the arc. While this one felt a little less cohesive than the previous arcs, I still enjoyed it and will definitely continue reading this story.