Monster on the Hill

author: Rob Harrell

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.27

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/09/08

date added: 2013/09/08

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

Stoker-On-Avon has a problem. Their town has a monster, but that's not the problem. The problem is that their monster isn't scary. Certainly nothing like the rock star monster, Tentaculor, of the town of Billingswood.



So, a bumbling scientist, and a stowaway newsboy are sent to see if they can solve the monster problem. It seems the monster suffers a self-image problem, so they head out to find the monster's old classmates to see if they can help. There may be an even bigger problem waiting when they get back home.



Rob Harrell, of Adam@Work fame, has written a hilarious send up of all that scares us, all that holds us back and the friends we make along the way. There are laugh out loud moments in here and the art is cartoony and fun. Great fun for all of us who secretly wish our town had a monster on the hill.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/714127150?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 2 — Prisoner of Bogan

author: John Ostrander

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.69

book published: 2013

rating: 2

read at: 2013/09/07

date added: 2013/09/07

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

In a time about 37,000 years before the events in Star Wars, we get a tale from before the Old Republic of the Je'Daii (precursors to the Jedi). Xesh is a force hound who is toying with the dark side. For that reason (among others), he is forced to live on the prison planet Bogan. These events take place before this book, and the story picks up here.



We learn some of Xesh's troubled past, and why he wants to be the master of his own destiny. We meet the friends and teachers he has betrayed. We meet Lok, a fellow prisoner, who has his own plans for the power that Xesh has, and we meet Trill, Xesh's broodmate, who is hunting him down for her own reasons.



As a casual Star Wars fan, the story seems so far removed from what I know that, while it's interesting, it seems quite distant. Some of the characters have strange markings on their faces, and this just seemed distracting to me. I like the art by Jan Duursema, but so many of the poses were so overdramatic, that I kept wondering if people in this world ever just stand around and have a conversation, or if they need to crouch and swing a weapon over their head at the same time. That's probably a preference in the series that I'm not aware of. It wasn't bad, but just not to my particular liking.



I got this as a galley from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley!





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The Bottom Of The Sea

author: Zachary Jernigan

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.20

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/09/05

date added: 2013/09/07

shelves:

review:

Zachary Jernigan is fast proving to be one of my favorite new writers. His writing is intelligent and imaginative and breathes new life into a genre that I love. THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA collects 5 of his stories. 4 have previously been in print and one is new to this collection. In Zachary's foreword, he mentions taking the chance to make some small changes to the stories.



The stories range all over the place. From a city racially divided after a war to a blind man dependent on a young boy to take him to the fish market daily. The title story feels like it could be in the same universe as Jernigan's excellent book NO RETURN. I loved all the stories, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be All My Ghosts, about a father who will do anything to save his ailing child, but he is no ordinary father.



It's a short collection, but every story is a great read. I look forward to seeing what Mr. Jernigan comes out with next.





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A Distant Soil: The Gathering Tp

author: Colleen Doran

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.25

book published: 1997

rating: 4

read at: 2013/09/04

date added: 2013/09/04

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

Colleen Doran began writing A Distant Soil when she was twelve. Neil Gaiman gives a great tribute to this and the stories he wrote when he was 12, and how Colleen's saw print and his didn't (sort of).



This is an epic story of a brother and sister who are espers, aliens, cops and gangsters and even a knight from King Arthur's round table shows up. It seems like every few pages another character is showing up. In another story, that would seem to be too much, but it's all done pretty well here.



The art has been digitally restored, and you can really see the artistic progress from the beginning of this graphic novel until the end. The characters hair and clothes are very much from the 80s, with everyone sporting big hair. The characters look a bit similar in the way they are drawn, so I got confused occasionally, but the backgrounds in the later issues reminded me of the cosmic comics of the 1970s like Doctor Strange and the Silver Surfer. It's a fun book.





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The Night Wanderer: A Graphic Novel

author: Drew Taylor

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.36

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2013/08/31

date added: 2013/09/04

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

The Night Wanderer tells the story of a vampire who returns home after hundreds of years. His people lived as Native Americans off the land. He is on a self imposed fast during his journey. He takes a room with a broken family.



Tiffany, her father and grandmother are still feeling the effects of Tiffany's mother leaving the family behind for a white man. Tiffany is also having trouble with her boyfriend. She finds a strange friendship with the new boarder, Pierre. A friendship she can't seem to make with her own father.



The story began life as a play by Drew Hayden Taylor, then became a graphic novel. The art by Michael Wyatt is not my favorite. It's a little over digital, so it lacks a bit on shading and warmth, but it serves the story well. The art is black and white, except when Pierre is fighting hunger or anger, then his eyes glow red. It's a better told tale than other contemporary teenage vampire stories. Tiffany and Pierre are both sympathetic in their own ways.





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The Killer Volume 4 Unfair Competition

author: Matz

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.00

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/09/01

date added: 2013/09/01

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

The killer teams up with Mariano again in Volume 4, Unfair Competition. There are two stories that make up this volume, but they are tied together.



In the first story, the killer is sent to America to take out some corrupt people in the oil industry. He meets up with Freeman, an ex-CIA agent. In the second story, Mariano, Freeman and the killer find themselves in the oil business in Cuba. In order to cut through regulatory agencies, the killer's special talents are called on.



Along the way, there is plenty of commentary on the corrupt rich, or the complacent middle. It's another fine story in the series, and although I used the word a couple days ago in my review of The Killer Omnibus, it's very cinematic. The story by Matz is good and the art by Luc Jacamon is excellent with backgrounds teeming with details. I like this series.





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The Killer Vol. 4: Modus Vivendi Part Two

author: Matz

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.78

book published: 2012

rating: 4

read at: 2013/09/01

date added: 2013/09/01

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

The killer teams up with Mariano again in Volume 4, Unfair Competition. There are two stories that make up this volume, but they are tied together.



In the first story, the killer is sent to America to take out some corrupt people in the oil industry. He meets up with Freeman, an ex-CIA agent. In the second story, Mariano, Freeman and the killer find themselves in the oil business in Cuba. In order to cut through regulatory agencies, the killer's special talents are called on.



Along the way, there is plenty of commentary on the corrupt rich, or the complacent middle. It's another fine story in the series, and although I used the word a couple days ago in my review of The Killer Omnibus, it's very cinematic. The story by Matz is good and the art by Luc Jacamon is excellent with backgrounds teeming with details. I like this series.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/584887999?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss