Displaced Persons

author: Derek McCulloch

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.50

book published: 2014

rating: 3

read at: 2014/08/31

date added: 2014/08/31

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Displaced Persons' is a graphic novel about a cursed family. The book includes three larger stories that overlap, and some intermittent smaller ones. While I liked the concept, it was only just okay.



There are timelines of the family throughout the book to keep the family members straight. In 1939, we have a detective hired to find a missing heiress. In 1969, we have the story of a couple twin brothers involved in a drug deal from two different angles. One is a cop, the other is not. The final story is about a woman whose husband wants to borrow against the family home for a stock opportunity. He becomes increasingly violent towards her during the story. Throughout the stories, strange visitors show up who are confused about their surroundings. It's an interesting element to the story and confusing at first, but makes sense as things move along.



The art was interesting and the color tone used to interesting effect to denote time. The stories were good, but felt incomplete. I know that also fits with the story, but it felt a little unsatisfying as a reader. Overall I liked it, but I didn't love it. Your mileage my vary.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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A Bag of Marbles: The Graphic Novel

author: Joseph Joffo

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.71

book published:

rating: 4

read at: 2013/10/11

date added: 2014/08/31

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

This review is for a new graphic novel interpretation of the novel 'A Bag Of Marbles' by Joseph Joffo. It tells the story of how his Jewish family survived and escaped from occupied France during World War II.



When Nazis threaten Maurice and Jo, their father has a plan. He's already migrated from Russia to Paris to escape other problems, so he is used to running. And he's sent Jo's 2 older brothers on ahead. The boys have to make their way south through the border of occupied France without papers and only their ingenuity to get them by. There are narrow escapes, clever plans, heart-warming reunions and tragedy.



The art by Vincent Bailly is great, keeping the art light and then ominous then light as the story changes tones. It's a rough subject, but it's a good story and is accessible to middle grade children. The original novel has been translated into 18 languages, and after reading this, I can see why the story has endured.





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Sisters

author: Raina Telgemeier

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.32

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/28

date added: 2014/08/28

shelves: children-s, graphic-novels

review:

'Sisters (Smile #2)' is a sequel, but I didn't realize that until I looked at the entry on Goodreads. That means it works fine as a standalone graphic novel. It's written for younger readers, but the timeframe works as a memoir for older readers as well.



Raina and her younger sister Amara don't get along. They are quite different. This isn't what Raina envisioned when she begged her parents for a sister. This volume takes place during a road trip to a family reunion with the two girls, their mom and little brother. There are mishaps on the road and the usual fights that occur when siblings are stuck in close quarters together. There are also flashbacks showing the request and arrival of Amara and a younger brother, the ways that Amara is annoying, and a humorous set of flashbacks about shortlived pets. Things are not all rosy as Raina's mom and dad seem to be vacationing apart and Raina learns that she and her favorite cousin have grown apart.



The art is great and the story is too. It's handled with lots of humor, but the hard parts of life are also here. I would have no hesitation recommending this to a younger reader. Especially one with a troublesome younger sibling.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Scholastic Graphix and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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With a Zero at its Heart

author: Charles Lambert

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.21

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/28

date added: 2014/08/28

shelves: non-fiction

review:

'With a Zero at its Heart' is a very deliberately written book. It could come across as gimicky if it weren't so deftly executed.



The book is comprised of 24 themed chapters with titles like Travel or a harp embedded, and Death or a sprig of leaves. Each chapter has 10 numbered paragraphs. Each paragraph has exactly 120 words (I didn't count, so I'm taking the publishers word). Each paragraph themes in with the subject and presents a chronological memory throughout Charles Lambert's life. Each paragraph is concisely and beautifully written, and the whole thing has the feel of memory since we (or at least I) tend to remember events in fragments.



It's linear within each chapter, but not for the whole book, so every chapter resets to an early remembrance. It feels a bit more like poetry than prose, but that works for the fragmentary nature of the book. I really enjoyed this one for it's unique composition.



I received a review copy of this ebook from HarperCollins UK, The Friday Project and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this unique book.





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I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent, #1)

author: Barry Lyga

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.99

book published: 2012

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/25

date added: 2014/08/25

shelves: young-adult

review:

'I Hunt Killers' is the first book in a new series. It's got a completely likeable protagonist, and it's just tough to put down, even if the villain was a bit too easy for me to figure out.



Jasper "Jazz" Dent lives in a small town in a house where he takes care of his grandmother. He's got a small collection of friends and seems like a really likeable kid. The problem is he is the son of notorious serial killer Billy Dent who made Jazz help him with his crimes. Jazz now knows way too much about serial killers and violent crime and he is not convinced he won't be one someday. The local sheriff, who arrested Billy Dent, has taken Jazz in under his wing and believes that Jazz is not who the media thinks he is. When a series of murders happens in this small town, Jasper sees something familiar about them, and sets about trying to stop the killer.



I liked Jazz, his girlfriend Connie, his friend Howie and G. William who seems like a good father figure to Jasper's real father. I thought it was pretty gory for a YA novel, but there was enough humor to keep it from being too dark. The book ends with a pretty serious cliffhanger that will have me coming back for more pretty quickly. Fortunately, the second book is out and the 3rd is almost here. Jazz and his friends kind of reminded me of Odd Thomas and the people of Pico Mundo, but I say that as an extreme compliment. Let's have more Jasper Dent!



I received a review copy of this ebook from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this great thriller.





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Amulet, Vol. 6: Escape From Lucien (Amulet, #6)

author: Kazu Kibuishi

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.51

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/24

date added: 2014/08/24

shelves: children-s, graphic-novels

review:

'Amulet, Vol. 6: Escape From Lucien' continues the young adult graphic novel series. I've heard it's a good series and I was impressed with this volume.



It does drop you in the middle of the story, so you do need to read previous volumes. The series characters have been split up with Max and Logi heading toward the Elf King and Navin and Aly getting in trouble. Navin gets banned from operating any vehicles, but when the base gets attacked, that gets reversed. They end up finding what seems like the abandoned city of Lucien. They are attacked by strange monsters made of vaport or fire which possess anyone they touch. There are a variety of strange robot vehicles which provides some humor.



Even though I was a little less familiar with what was going on, I enjoyed the story, the characters, the humor and the really great art. Kazu Kibuishi has created a great series for young readers and I'm going to try to get my young nephews and nieces hooked on this one, if they aren't already. It was a really fun read, and I'll be looking for the previous volumes so I can catch up.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Scholastic, GRAPHIX and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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Murder Me Dead

author: David Lapham

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.72

book published: 2000

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/23

date added: 2014/08/23

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

I read a graphic novel not too long ago purporting to be in the style of noir. I was disappointed. I was certainly not disappointed by David Lapham's 'Murder Me Dead.' It has the kind of dark story that the genre is known for.



Jazz pianist Steven Russell comes home late one night to find his wife dead and hanging from the ceiling fan. She is wealthy and her family is convinced that Steven is guilty. They hire a seedy private detective to dig up dirt on him. He runs into an old friend from high school who reintroduces him to an old high school flame named Tara. She's fallen on hard times, but before long Stephen is in love with her. When it turns out Tara is married and her estranged husband shows up one night, things take a dark turn as things. There are schemers and femme fatales and Stephen finds himself fighting to stay alive.



I enjoyed the story. It's full of noir tropes but it's nice to see this kind of story in a modern setting. There are other recent noir type stories I've enjoyed a bit more, but this one fills the bill nicely. Art and story by David Lapham are good. There is a nice introduction talking about influences for this story. I enjoyed it.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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The People Inside

author: Ray Fawkes

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.60

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/23

date added: 2014/08/23

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'The People Inside' follows 24 people in and out of love and through their lives. It was a bit tough to get into because the stories switch with each frame, but I ended up finding it a unique way to tell a story.



There are a variety of characters and situations. There a straight and gay relationships, there are domination-based relationships, there are dysfunctional relationships, etc. Throughout the book, some of the stories intertwine. There are also occasional breaks as time passes. Characters age and eventually die. Families grow up. There is anguish and loss and revenge. Characters adapt to changes or don't. As characters exit the story, their panels go dark. The writing style is kind of like poetry. There are run on and incomplete sentences. There are sentences that are finished in the following panel, where there meaning is changed.



It's not a traditional way to tell a story and the comic book format is used to great form. The character drawings are a bit sparse and initially I had trouble with figuring out what was going on, and defining some of the characters, but by the end I was sold. The tone is darker and more depressing, perhaps because it's mostly inner character thoughts and that's the type of story that the author wanted to tell. I found it compelling and unlike most graphic novels I read.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this unique graphic novel.





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Hunt the Wolf (Seal Team Six, #1)

author: Don Mann

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.65

book published: 2012

rating: 3

read at: 2014/08/22

date added: 2014/08/22

shelves:

review:

The first book in the SEAL Team Six, 'Hunt The Wolf' by Don Mann and Ralph Pezzullo is a serviceable enough start to the series. I think the procedures are pretty realistic, but the story seems a bit stereotyped.



When a group of Middle Eastern bad guys starts kidnapping young women, Thomas Crocker and his team inadvertently stumble across it. He butts heads with his local CIA chief, but he has a strange ally with the king of Sweden. The book travels from icy mountains of K2, to an ambush in a French villa, and eventually onto a ship. The main character is battered and beaten and keeps relentlessly moving forward because that's what he's supposed to do. His team is loyal to a fault.



The characters could use a little more of something. The plot seems a bit rehashed, but that's not a complaint. The action is good, but the moments waiting for the action felt a bit long and drawn out. I don't think it needs more action. I think it needed more interesting drama to play into the action. Perhaps future books in the series will flesh the characters out and do more than present cardboard cutout villains. I'm planning on reading more in the series.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Mulholland Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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Lazarus, Vol. 2: Lift

author: Greg Rucka

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.10

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/19

date added: 2014/08/19

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

While the first volume wasn't pretty, 'Lazarus, Vol. 2: Lift' takes an even darker turn. Forever is still guardian of her family, but we get to follow along with a dispossessed family this time.



In the future of Lazarus, the US (and perhaps the rest of the world) is carved up into the wealthy, called families, those who serve them, known as serfs and the rest, called Waste. Forever belongs to the Carlyle family as it's protector, but she is not really treated as family. The book takes a flashback to when Forever was training and a particular test that she is asked to perform to earn affection from her "father." In the meanwhile, there is a Waste family, known as the Barrets, who find themselves impossibly indentured and seek Serf status to help them out. They take a long journey and discover they are far from alone. Meanwhile, present day Forever has found a threat to the family in a rebellion in L.A.



It's all a powderkeg set to explode and it's done with great style by writer Greg Rucka and artist Michael Lark. While I personally enjoyed the first volume more than this one, I like the threads in this one that seem to be unraveling. While the first volume showed the strife inside and outside of the Family, this one shows the seeds of discontent and frustration among larger segments of the population. I look forward to reading future volumes of this story.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fine graphic novel.





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Hard Spell (Occult Crimes Unit Investigation #1)

author: Justin Gustainis

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.62

book published: 2011

rating: 3

read at: 2014/08/19

date added: 2014/08/19

shelves:

review:

'Hard Spell' works as a good cross between police procedural and urban fantasy. I found it to be a good story and I liked the characters I ran across while reading it.



Stan Markowski is a cop assigned to the supernatural unit in Scranton, Pennsylvania. When a series of corpses show up bearing strange symbols and they all turn out to be vampires. This is a problem because Stan's daughter might be next. Another problem is that one of Stan's consultant's is being hunted by witch hunters who want to burn her, and he's got a strange helper on the case who shows up at odd times and Stan really doesn't like.



I liked the setting and the way the world works. There was some decent humor and references to other horror films and novels. I'll definitely read more in the series.







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Noir Volume 1: The Mohawk Templar

author: Victor Gischler

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.18

book published: 2014

rating: 3

read at: 2014/08/16

date added: 2014/08/16

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Noir Volume 1: The Mohawk Templar' is not so much noir as old school serial adventure. That's not bad, but it does make the title perhaps a bit misleading.



The Black Sparrow is hired to steal the Moon Stone from a New York museum, but decides to sell it to a higher bidder. To get herself out of a problem, she enlists her rival, The Shadow, to help her figure things out. He only shows for the first bit of the adventure, but the Black Sparrow is then joined by the mysterious Miss Fury. Can these two solve the mystery and come out unscathed?



And it's a doozy of a mystery, involving Native Americans and Templars. There are bad guys with strange strength and a cave full of traps that would make Indiana Jones cringe. There are double crosses and derring do. Hence my contention that the title is wrong. This is good fun, but the setting seems to take it away from noir. At least for me.



The book concludes with a script of the first issue, some character sketches and a cover gallery. Story by Victor Gischler is good and so is art by Andrea Mutti. I liked these two characters and would like to see more of their adventures.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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I Was the Cat

author: Paul Tobin

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.07

book published: 2014

rating: 0

read at: 2014/08/15

date added: 2014/08/15

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'I Was the Cat' is an interesting concept for a graphic novel, but by the end, I felt like it was a little long and meandered a bit. Still, what's not to like about a talking cat with schemes to rule the world.



Allison Breaking is a blogger with a blog titled Breaking News. When she is hired by a mysterious client named Burma, she takes on the job and discovers that her client is a talking feline living in high style. Burma tells her of his nine lives. He lived in many different eras, like Ancient Egypt, and was in the lives of famous people, like Audrey Hepburn and Teddy Roosevelt. Throughout all these different lives, we see his attempts to rule the world and how they were foiled by time and circumstances. He is now poised to try again, and there is a vast shadowy network that appears to be doing his bidding, both feline and human.



Which all sounds interesting, but seems to meander and loiter to the point where I felt like I didn't much care by the time it ended. Also, it was light and fun in tone, but then violent and deadly. It was a weird juxtaposition. Still, Paul Tobin weaves a goofy story here that I ended up liking and Benjamin Dewey's art is good. I liked it, but I just didn't love it.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes

author: Tom Rath

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.54

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2014/08/12

date added: 2014/08/12

shelves: non-fiction

review:

'Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes' by Tom Rath is a book that is as simple as it's name implies. That the message is given over and over again, merely reinforces it's importance.



As a person who is cancer-prone, the author investigated ways to make and keep himself healthy. The book makes the argument that what we eat, getting regular exercise and the quality and quantity of sleep we get are crucial to health. The choices we make throughout the day are compounded into good or poor health. Every chapter has 3 sections and some have tips for eat move and sleep or some combination of the three. The chapters are short and end with a summary. The summaries are all collected at the end of the book.



I thought at first it would get repetitious, and it does to some extent, but it's good, basic information and probably needs to be presented this way to get the message across. It made me think a lot about the choices I've made and how I can do better. It's a fairly quick read, and it does seem to fall into common sense, but it seems to be common sense that is failing some of us.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Missionday and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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Seven Kinds of Hell (Fangborn, #1)

author: Dana Cameron

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.30

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2014/08/12

date added: 2014/08/12

shelves:

review:

'Seven Kinds of Hell' by Dana Cameron is not the kind of urban fantasy I'd normally read, but I found the premise and the main character interesting enough to keep me interested.



Zoe Miller's mother is dying, and her last wish is to keep Zoe safe from her father. They've been on the run from him her whole life and she's never known them. Adding to that, her cousin Danny has been kidnapped and the kidnapper is demanding that Zoe bring him antique Greek statues as ransom. She has one, and she'll have to steal the second one. It turns out Zoe is also a werewolf and finds herself among a community known as the Fangborn. They try to teach Zoe how to use her powers. The story zips around exotic locations and archeological digs.



The payoff seemed a bit flat and there was kind of a long prologue bit that basically leaves the story open for the next book in the series. I like Zoe, and I liked that she was an archeologist and smart. I liked some of her friends. By the end of the book there seemed to be an overabundance of characters, but that's also probably setting things up for the next book too. Not bad, and I'll continue on.



I was given a review copy of this ebook by Amazon Publishing, 47North and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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Desmond Pucket and the Mountain Full of Monsters

author: Mark Tatulli

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.79

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/10

date added: 2014/08/10

shelves: children-s

review:

'Desmond Pucket and the Mountain Full of Monsters' is the second book in this series for kids and this time around, Desmond is still making monster magic. It's a hybrid book and graphic novel and I loved it.



Desmond is so excited because his class field trip is to Crab Shell Pier and a ride that Desmond has always wanted to ride on, The Mountain Full of Monsters, a roller coaster packed with ghosts, zombies and other assorted monsters. Along with that, he has plan to ask Tina Schimsky to ride beside him. Things go awry as Mr. Needles, a teacher out for Desmond, tries to stop things before they start. Nemesis Scott Selzer is trying to also keep Desmond from sitting next to the girl of his dream. In addition, Desmond finds out that his favorite ride is being shut down.



Desmond comes up with a plan to try to save the fake monsters in the ride, and he scares a lot of siblings with a new business and learns about the friends he has along the way. It's a fun read and even includes fun advice for creating your own scares. As someone who began loving monsters as a kid, and still does, I really enjoyed this.



I was given a review copy of this ebook by Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun ebook.





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The Dimension Scales and Other Stories

author: Garry Abbott

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.00

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/09

date added: 2014/08/09

shelves:

review:

'The Dimension Scales and Other Stories' is a collection of short stories by Garry Abbott. The stories reminded me of The Twilight Zone and some of the short stories of Philip K. Dick. That means I liked them quite a bit.



There is an accidental time traveller, a woman whose family intervenes between her and her unconventional lover, a creepy garden patch and a man trapped in a strange experiment with only a pencil and an Etch A Sketch. My favorite story might be Cry Again Army about cryogenics and a woman trapped in a marriage she no longer wants to be in. But it's hard to pick a favorite.



There is some interlinking between stories, and that's fun to discover. The stories were all pretty good and I look forward to reading more by this author.



I was given a review copy of this ebook by Garry Abbott and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this engaging short story collection.





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Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity

author: Luc de Brabandere

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.00

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/08

date added: 2014/08/08

shelves: non-fiction-business

review:

'Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity' by Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny is one of the better, more focused books I've read on business creativity. Instead of talking in broad, vague concepts, it gets to practical matters right away.



The usual thinking for creativity is to think outside the box, but doing that is harder than it sounds. It's better to recognize the boxes that we find ourselves in. The constraints we assume or place on our businesses, and then find new boxes based on those. Techniques are all throughout the book and based on five techniques, such as diverge.



The emphasis here is on more focused approaches than I've seen. While it is focused, there is room for blue sky thinking and "what if" scenario building, but in the context of current boxes. There are good examples throughout, and I liked the fictional video game company they used to guide through the process. By the end of the book, it shows how a company can truly transform. I enjoyed it.



I was given a review copy of this ebook by Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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The Wraith

author: Joe Hill

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.82

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/08

date added: 2014/08/08

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'The Wraith: Welcome To Christmasland' by Joe Hill is another story set in the world of his novel 'NOS4A2,' and it's a nightmarish story. I haven't read the original book, but now I want to.



Charles Talent Manx III drives a special Rolls Royce. With this antique car, he can go places that others can't. One of those is Christmasland, a creepy amusement park that he has a connection to. He ferries children to this place and they become something else. In this graphic novel, we learn the origin of Christmasland.



Along with this, we get the story of some convicts being transported to prison. It turns out that one of them has made a deal with Mr. Manx, but it's going to lead all of them into strange and terrifying territory.



It's pretty wordy, but I did like it. The art feels like old time illustrations in places and I liked it, but sometimes the character perspectives were a bit strange. There is a backup written story about a conman that figures into the story. It was creepy and scary. Think little kids with pointy sharp teeth and a scary amusement park. Shudder.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor

author: Jon Scieszka

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.93

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/03

date added: 2014/08/03

shelves: children-s

review:

'Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor is another hilarious homerun from kidlit superstar Jon Scieszka ('The Stinky Cheese Man,' etc.). It's the start of a new series and has a good focus on science.



Frank Einstein is a bright kid living with his bright grandfather Al while his not so bright parents are away on a trip to Antarctica. Frank really wants to win the Midville science fair so he can use the money to help his grandfather out. When an experiment with neural networks accidentally works, he ends up creating a couple self-aware robots, the sarcastic and smart Klink and the wisecracking and not-so-smart Klank. Along with his friend Watson, he comes up with a cool idea, but will his idea be the best or will his rival T. Edison and his sidekick, Mr. Chimp beat him?



There was a lot to love in this: Mr Chimp using sign language to speak (with the ape hand diagrams on the page), the numerous science diagrams showing scientific principles at work, the continual science fair jokes about volcanoes, and jokes in general. Brian Biggs gets high marks for illustrations. There is also a glossary in the back with explanations of the diagrams in the book, as well as a short appendix on the creation of corn flakes. Great fun for kids, and it might even get them more interested in science. I really liked it.



I was given a review copy of this ebook by Abrams, Amulet Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun ebook.





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Letter 44 Volume 1: Escape Velocity

author: Charles Soule

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.95

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/08/02

date added: 2014/08/02

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Letter 44' is a cross between a political intrigue story and a space epic. It's the kind of big sprawling story that might make a good television show or movie, but it works probably best as a graphic novel, with it's cosmic themes and strange elements.



Shortly after the 44th President is sworn into office, he finds a letter on his desk addressed to him from his predecessor. The letter spells out the danger facing the earth from space: something has been spotted heading towards earth, the military buildup of the last two terms was to get the planet ready, and there is already a deep space exploration vessel with scientists and military on it's way to investigate.



It's a lot for a new president to digest, and the story deals with that as well as switching to the crew in space about to be close enough to get data back to earth. The tension is between the military and the scientist in space, and the new president and his rivals on earth.



It's an ongoing story, and I'm looking forward to where it goes from here. The story by Charles Soule is a engaging and the art by Alberto Alburquerque is quite good.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fine graphic novel.





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