The Shadow Now

author: David Liss

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.15

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2015/02/06

date added: 2015/02/06

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'The Shadow Now' attempts to bring the noir hero forward into the future, and if you squint your eyes a bit and look over a couple things, it works and isn't too bad at all.



After being away for decades in the mystical east learning how not to age, Lamont Cranston returns to New York in a modern age. He attempts to set up a network like he once had using the grandchildren of his former crimefighting partners, including the granddaughter of Margo Lane. This has varying degrees of success. He also runs afoul of one of his old enemies who also has a grandchild in their employ.



Much of the book seems to have the Shadow fumbling around with our modern ways, and seeming to be out of touch and defeatable, but is he really? He's also not a very terrifying Shadow. At least not compared to how he has been in other books. But there is some good setup and doublecrossing in store and I liked it all by the time it was done.



It's written by David Liss with great covers by Tim Bradstreet (among others). The digital art by Colton Worely is something I'm not sure about. It's almost like the painted work of folks like Alex Ross, but there is something about it that feels a little less lifelike at times. Still, I liked the story and I felt like this attempt to bring an older character into the present worked, for the most part.



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





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Thinkers 50 Leadership: Organizational Success Through Leadership

author: Stuart Crainer

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.75

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2015/02/06

date added: 2015/02/06

shelves: non-fiction-business

review:

'Thinkers 50 Leadership: Organizational Success Through Leadership' is a survey of business wisdom from the past 40 or so years. I recently read the Thinkers 50 on innovation, and I liked that one a bit better, maybe because the information seemed to be fresher.



The book begins with a chapter titled How We Got Here which examines why we have come to need thought leadership on the subject. Discussed in further chapters are the subjects of Level 5 leadership, authentic leadership, charisma and followership, and other topics. Throughout the book there are interviews with Jim Collins, Warren Bennis and others.



There is a lot packed into 206 pages, and maybe that's the problem here. while innovation is a newer topic for business books, leadership has been around for quite a while. It's not that these aren't good and valuable insights. They are, and the people interviewed and lauded are thought leaders. I just felt a bit underwhelmed when it was all said and done.



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





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Suffrajitsu: Mrs Pankhurst's Amazons (Issue 1: Votes for Women)

author: Tony Wolf

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.20

book published: 2015

rating: 3

read at: 2015/02/05

date added: 2015/02/05

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Suffrajitsu: Mrs. Pankhurst's Amazons' takes a stab at an alternate history that seems to work. My review copy was only the very first issue, so at 24 pages, there's only the very beginnings of a story to consider.



It's 1914 in London and women are being oppressed. They can't seem to convince men to allow them to vote, so rather than shrink away, they decide to fight back. Literally. They have an elite secret society of Amazons trained in the martial arts, and they are not taking no for an answer.



It's a clever premise, but it didn't completely blow me away like I thought it might. It's possible that as the story advances it might grow on me, so I'll check back in on it.



Writing by Tony Wolf is promising, and I liked the art by Joao Vieira. I can't wait to see where this ends up going.



I received a review copy of this comic book from Amazon Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this new comic book.





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Henni

author: Miss Lasko-Gross

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.52

book published: 2015

rating: 3

read at: 2015/02/03

date added: 2015/02/03

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Henni' is a strange story of anthropomorphic cat-like creatures living in a world of dominant religion and power. I liked the story initially, but it was so continuously heavy-handed that it wore on me.



Henni is a young girl (cat?) living in a village with her family. When her father questions things, he has his ears clipped off and he is banished. As Henni heads towards the day when her husband is chosen for her, she begins to question her society more and more. Eventually she runs away.



She finds herself in a new city, with a new set of rules that are about as strict as the city she comes from. She is equally as questioning here. Eventually, she attempts to escape from this city. Will she be successful, and will she ever find happiness?



I get that there are severely oppressive societies on our planet, and I get that you might not want to point fingers so you would substitute a race or religion for an animal character. This was done incredibly effectively in Art Spiegelman's 'Maus' graphic novels. The art here is completely gorgeous, but the story is so harsh that I found myself in a weird place. Enjoying the art, but hating the circumstances the character was in. The book also ends in a thoughtful place which felt a bit dissatisfying, but the overall message is so heavy and oppressive that I felt a bit like Henni might have with all those elders and wise people pointing fingers and shouting at her. So this gets a 4 for art, but a 2 for story.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Z2 Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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Borderlands: The Fall of Fyrestone Volume 1

author: Mikey Neumann

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.33

book published: 2015

rating: 4

read at: 2015/02/03

date added: 2015/02/03

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Borderlands: The Fall of Fyrestone Volume 1' reminds me if the characters are this great in the game, I need to play it. I laughed out loud on multiple occasions while reading this, and that's a good thing.



The book opens with a friendly robot welcoming our heroes to the city of Fyrestone, home of the vault. Roland, Mordecai (and his bird), Lilith and Brick arrive on the bus to explore the vault and claim their treasure.



If only it were that easy. Of course they need a vehicle and weapons. Which means they need to help out with a couple chores in town. First up is a nasty beast that killed a man's wife and maimed him. Help him out and they get a car. After that, they need to take out Nine Toes who guards the vault with his vicious minions.



Some of the characters are loopy. They humor is off the wall, and I loved it. This is a team of people who don't want to be a team, but don't mind helping out. It's a good follow up to 'Borderlands: Origins' which gave each of these characters their own story. Story by Mikey Neumann is crisp and fast. Art by Agustin Padilla is pitch perfect. Time to install this game from my Steam library and give it a whirl.



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





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Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot

author: Dav Pilkey

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.10

book published: 2000

rating: 4

read at: 2014/05/17

date added: 2015/02/02

shelves: children-s

review:

'Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot' is a reissue of an older series with new art and some pages of paneled comics. They story is by kid favorite Dav Pilkey and the new art is by Dan Santat.



Poor little Ricky Ricotta. He doesn't have a friend, and he has a bully problem. When evil Dr. Stinky's plans go awry, Ricky finds himself with a giant new friend. Will this solve his bully problems and make him more popular in school? I wish I'd had a giant robot to take to school!



The text is the same and the other 4 books in the series will reissue with the new art, with a planned additional two new books. The new art is colorful and jumps off the pages. Dav Pilkey has been a favorite in our house since my kids were quite a bit younger and he's a good go-to for those reluctant younger readers.



I was given a review copy of this ebook by Scholastic and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun ebook.





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Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1)

author: Frank Herbert

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.12

book published: 1963

rating: 5

read at:

date added: 2015/02/02

shelves:

review:







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