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.