Saint Patrick the Forgiver: The History and Legends of Ireland's Bishop

author: Ned Bustard
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.47
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/28
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves: childrens, non-fiction
review:
‘Saint Patrick the Forgiver: The History and Legends of Ireland's Bishop' by Ned Bustard is a rhyming picture book for young readers.

This is the true story of Saint Patrick, including his words from his Confessions and debunking a few of the common myths about him.

The illustrations in linocut are bold and striking. The accompanying rhymes feel a little clunky to me sometimes, but the facts are good and its an interesting subject.


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R.B.I. Robots (Fuzzy Baseball, #3)

author: John Steven Gurney
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/28
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves: childrens, graphic-novels
review:
‘Fuzzy Baseball 3: R.B.I. Robots' with story and art by John Steven Gurney is a graphic novel about a team of scrappy animals who play baseball.

This time around the Fernwood Valley Fuzzies face off against the Geartown Clankees, but all is not as it first appears. It turns out the Fuzzies are playing against a team of robots. The robots agree to play fair, but that doesn't stop the Fuzzies from trying a few tricks to help win the game.

This is a great series and I love the creativity of the opponents and the player names. Young sports fans should enjoy this series.


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The Midlife Crisis

author: Florence Cestac
name: Wayne
average rating: 2.93
book published: 1996
rating: 1
read at: 2018/03/21
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'The Midlife Crises' by Florence Cestac is a graphic novel that is supposed to be funny. I found it not to be all that funny.

The story is about what happens to all men when they turn 40. They all have affairs with younger women and leave their wives to get depressed and addicted to medication and chasing after other men.

Humor can be sharp, but it's a fine line. This comes across as bitter and sad. It's apparently just me because this story was optioned for a movie.

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


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The Mummy With No Name (Geronimo Stilton, #26)

author: Geronimo Stilton
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/26
date added: 2023/03/26
shelves: graphic-novels, childrens
review:
‘Geronimo Stilton Reporter #4: The Mummy With No Name' by Geronimo Stilton is a graphic novel adventure.

When a field trip to visit the mummies at New Mouse City Museum discovers that one of the mummies might be wandering about, brings a new story to Geronimo Stilton and his friend Professor Hyro Glyff.

This is a good story for young readers. The art and plot are captivating.



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Karmen

author: Guillem March
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/26
date added: 2023/03/26
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
‘Karmen' with story and art by Guillem March is a graphic novel about death and fate and second chances.

A young woman faced with heartbreak makes a fateful decision. Karmen, a sort of courier for the afterlife takes her under her wing and shows her all that life could be and could have been. Their dialogue lasts into the night as the young woman sees her life and friends in a new light.

The art is fantastic and the story is really well told. I loved the character design and the message of the book.


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Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story

author: M. Rickert
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/26
date added: 2023/03/26
shelves:
review:
‘Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story’ by M. Rickert is an ebook about Christmas and monsters.

Ro is an aspiring writer spending Christmas in a local diner. When she joins an impromptu group of four strangers, she starts a tradition of gift exchanges and scary story swapping that will lead Ro down darker paths.

When it's all over, I didn't feel like I was very scared at all. There is a good idea here, but the story didn't feel completely done, but I really liked the atmosphere.


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The Smurfs #26: Smurf Salad

author: Peyo
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/24
date added: 2023/03/24
shelves: graphic-novels, childrens
review:
‘The Smurfs #26: Smurf Salad’ with story and art by Peyo is a silly graphic novel starring the Smurfs.

Chef Smurf tries his best, but his meals lately have been disappointing. When the vegetable patch is investigated, Papa Smurf decides to make a potion to help Farmer Smurf’s garden. A little potion goes a long way and when Chef Smurf becomes impatient, the results start manifesting in the Smurfs themselves.

This was a pretty humorous tale with some nice surprises. The art is a lot of fun too with lots of creativity. I think young readers will like it quite a bit.


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A Sparrow's Roar

author: Cristina Rose Chua
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/24
date added: 2023/03/24
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
‘A Sparrow’s Roar’ by Cristina Rose Chua and Paolo Chikiamco is a graphic novel about taking sibling rivalry too far and a sister who has to make up for a mistake.

Two warring armies fighting over Esterpike, one army led by brothers, the other led by two women, with one, Per, impersonating her dead sister. Per must be the face of her city-state to negotiate for war support. While she is doing this, she uncovers a vile conspiracy.

I was lost for the first third of this story, as if there is a previous volume I was unaware of. The art is a fine manga style and the story eventually came together for me, but I’m nor sure many readers will stick with it.


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Baby: A Soppy Story

author: Philippa Rice
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/24
date added: 2023/03/24
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Baby: A Soppy Story’ with words and art by Philippa Rice is a collection of comics about an expectant couple.

In this sequel to Soppy: A Love Story, we follow the same couple as they go through pregnancy, birth and life with a newborn. There are humorous moments as well as poignant ones. Anyone who has gone through this will recognize the anxiety that this situation brings.

I enjoy Philippa Rice’s work and this one feels more personal. The tone is less self-deprecating and more sweet, just as the previous volume was.


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Mooncakes

author: Suzanne Walker
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/23
date added: 2023/03/23
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Mooncakes' by Suzanne Walker with art by Wendy Xu is a graphic novel about magic and family.

Nova works in her grandmothers' bookshop, loaning out spell books. One night out wandering, she hears about a white wolf in the area and discovers that it is an old friend, Tam. There is also a new enemy in the woods and Nora and Tam will need to fight it off.

I liked this story. The setting and characters are nice. The art is also a nice touch.


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The Flintstones (2016-) #2

author: Mark Russell
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2023/03/21
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'The Flintstones #2' by Mark Russell with art by Steve Pugh left me feeling a bit like the most recent Muppets update on television. Why reinterpret something that works?

With the advent of television, the citizens of Bedrock are told that they need to buy Crap, so they head out to Bone Depot and Tarpit to go consumer crazy. In order to afford all this new stuff, Fred takes a second job. Meanwhile, their local church is having a crisis of faith when the god they worship turns out to be a record player (of sorts).

I get that it's a parody and satire of modern culture, but the characters are so idiotic that I don't feel anything for them. They are all lunkheads. When the television broadcasts a gruesome image of someone's death, I also get that there is a send up of television news, but the gratuitous violence just doesn't fit with what I know of this property. Fred and Barney had their dumb moments, but their wives were pretty savvy. The art was interesting, and made the characters a bit more realistic looking, sort of, but overall, I didn't like this much. It didn't feel like the Flintstones I grew up with.

I received a review copy of this issue from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this comic book.

Merged review:

'The Flintstones #2' by Mark Russell with art by Steve Pugh left me feeling a bit like the most recent Muppets update on television. Why reinterpret something that works?

With the advent of television, the citizens of Bedrock are told that they need to buy Crap, so they head out to Bone Depot and Tarpit to go consumer crazy. In order to afford all this new stuff, Fred takes a second job. Meanwhile, their local church is having a crisis of faith when the god they worship turns out to be a record player (of sorts).

I get that it's a parody and satire of modern culture, but the characters are so idiotic that I don't feel anything for them. They are all lunkheads. When the television broadcasts a gruesome image of someone's death, I also get that there is a send up of television news, but the gratuitous violence just doesn't fit with what I know of this property. Fred and Barney had their dumb moments, but their wives were pretty savvy. The art was interesting, and made the characters a bit more realistic looking, sort of, but overall, I didn't like this much. It didn't feel like the Flintstones I grew up with.

I received a review copy of this issue from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this comic book.


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Who Broke the Teapot?!

author: Bill Slavin
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at: 2016/04/28
date added: 2023/03/19
shelves: childrens
review:
'Who Broke the Teapot?' by Bill Slavin is a hilarious whodunnit that you'll want to read aloud with an ever louder voice.

In a chaotic household, tragedy has occurred. While brother is swinging from a ceiling fan, and the cats and dogs are occupied, and dad sits idly by reading the paper in his underwear, someone has done something terrible. Someone has broken mom's teapot and she is not happy. As mom gets more and more upset, will she be able to determine who broke the teapot?

The pictures are fun and the text of the book even finds itself on the newspaper that father is reading, or trailing down the page. Mom's cries of 'who broke the teapot?' get louder until they are covering two pages of big fonts. The book has a perfect rhyming meter and is the funniest picture book I've read in a while. When you find out who broke the teapot, you'll find it funny too.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.


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Space Cat Visits Venus

author: Ruthven Todd
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1955
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/17
date added: 2023/03/17
shelves: childrens
review:



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Scarlet Rose #4: You Will Always Be Mine

author: Patricia Lyfoung
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/17
date added: 2023/03/17
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Scarlet Rose #4: You Will Always Be Mine' with story and art by Patricia Lyfoung continues the story of Maud and Guilhem.

The wedding is approaching but Maud has self doubts, which the local rich young women aren't helping with. Meanwhile Guilhem is approached by a mysterious, impetuous young woman named Natalia with a secret he dare not share.

I've enjoyed this series, but this volume dipped a bit too much into melodrama for my taste. I've found Maud to be a pretty strong character and her misgivings in this volume seem out of character.


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The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories

author: Mary Cagle
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/30
date added: 2023/03/05
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories' edited by Kel McDonald and Kate Ashwin is another compiled graphic novel of fairy and folk tales from Iron Circus Comics.

There are 9 stories in this collection, each by a different creator or creators representing different countries. There are stories I was familiar with like Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel and ones I was less familiar with like Kid Brother and Bisclavret. Some of the stories have twists on the endings.

I have enjoyed this series quite a bit. Seeing stories from different regions and different artists takes on them. The art is all black and white and the art is consistently enjoyable. The book ends with creator bios for those wanting to learn more about the featured artists.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Iron Circus Comics in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.


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