Karate Heat Vol. 1

author: Eiichi Kitano
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/03
date added: 2018/07/03
shelves: graphic-novels, childrens
review:
'Karate Heat Vol. 1' by Eiichi Kitano is about a young boy's journey into the world of karate.

Shinya is going in to middle school, and he's never been in to sports. He meets another boy named Takumi and they become friends. What Shinya doesn't know is that Takumi is a 6-time school national champion. Takumi is supposed to only be training himself, but he sees natural style in Shinya, and Shinya brings the fun of karate back to Takumi. They find themselves in a karate school and Shinya is determined to learn and become better.

I really liked this sports story with a nice friendship at it's heart. The art is fun. There are notes throughout to introduce concepts to western readers. This was a fun read, and I think young readers who like sports stories would enjoy this quite a bit.

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


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Sir Tim Wants a Dragon

author: Judith Koppens
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2018/07/03
date added: 2018/07/03
shelves: childrens
review:
'Sir Tim Wants a Dragon' by Judith Koppens and Eline van Lindenhuizen is a picture book about a young boy who wants a very specific pet.

Young Tim likes dressing like a knight. When his mom tells him he can have a pet, he is emphatic about what kind of pet. Sir Tim wants to get a dragon. The local pet store offers Tim all kinds of options, but they are too small or slow or fuzzy. Will young Tim find the dragon he is looking for at the local pet store?

This is a really cute picture book about wanting what you want. I loved the cute story and the cute illustrations that went along with it. The final outcome is completely adorable and should be a fun read for the young ones.

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


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SETO UTSUMI #1

author: Kadzuya Konomoto
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.33
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2018/07/03
date added: 2018/07/03
shelves:
review:
'Seto Utsumi #1' by Kadzuya Konomoto is a manga about two friends who sit on some stairs by a river and talk. That didn't draw me in, but that it got made into a movie and a tv series did.

In 8 plus stories, over 164 pages, nothing much happens besides dialogue. These two friends meet and talk about, well, not much. There is some competition over badminton, or whose sparkler will last the longest. There is a recurring bully that doesn't seem very threatening, and there is the girl that one of the boys awkwardly likes but can't ever seem to get the nerve up to approach. There is a bonus story at the end of this volume that explains how they met. And that's about it.

I suspect you'd have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy this. It does remind me of other conversation driven media I've seen, but with more of the cynicism of youth thrown in. The art is really quite good. The characters don't do a whole lot, but the perspective is fluid and doesn't make the lack of plot feel static and boring. It's probably not for everyone, but I kind of liked it.

I received a review copy of this manga from Akita Publishing Co., Ltd. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.


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Dark Nights: Metal: Dark Knights Rising

author: Peter J. Tomasi
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/03
date added: 2018/07/03
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Dark Knights: Metal: The Nightmare Batmen' is part of the DC Comics mega event. This is the third volume I've read and I feel like it's the strongest of the titles.

All the Earths have all the heroes. With the coming of Barbatos, Batman has been corrupted. This volume shows all the ways he is corrupted by conquering and using other heroes and villains. First, he becomes the Red Death by taking the Speed Force from Flash. Then he (or rather she) becomes The Drowned by conquering Atlantis. There are others, but my favorite might be The Dawnbreaker, which is what happens when an evil Batman takes on a Green Lantern Ring. The ringleader is the Batman/Joker amalgam The Man Who Laughs.

These stories are really dark, and I really liked them. I like the idea of a Batman who has been pushed over the edge and uses his mind to become a killer. The origin of Batman is in most of these stories, and it has driven him to revenge, not justice. I liked the various artists. The last story with the Detective Chimp feels like a weird aside after the preceding darkness, but it was ok.

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


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SHOCK Anthology

author: Joe Pruett
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2018/07/03
date added: 2018/07/03
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'SHOCK Anthology' edited by Joe Pruett is a series of 21 stories, most with a SF, horror or fantasy slant. As with most anthologies, some stories work better than others.

The first story is written by Neil Gaiman, and feels like one of his poems illustrated by Michael Zulli. From there, we stories about deadly butterflies, alien invasions, revenge, witches, a message from beyond the grave, and others.

The art is all consistently good. The stories vary, and some feel like they aren't complete. I kept thinking some might be continued further on, but that wasn't the case. The first few stories had some surprise endings, and I thought they all might go that direction, but that wasn't the case either.

Overall, the art is quite good, and the stories were fine. Like any anthology, you take the good with the bad. The stories are all pretty short.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Aftershock Comics, 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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Astromouse

author: Steve Smallman
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2018/07/02
date added: 2018/07/02
shelves: childrens
review:
'Storytime: Astromouse' by Steve Smallman is about a little mouse with big dreams.

When Pip sees the moon, he wonders if there are other mice living there. If it's made of cheese, then they must, so he sets out to go there. With a colander for a hat, and a homemade rocket, it seems his dreams may be bigger than his reality. Pip is a dreamer though, and dreamers have lots of imagination.

It's a cute enough story for young readers. I really liked the illustrations in the book. The little mouse and his big dreams make for a fun story.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - QEB, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.


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Hunters

author: Paul Maybury
name: Wayne
average rating: 2.33
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2018/07/02
date added: 2018/07/02
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Hunters' with main story and art by Josh Tierney and Miguel Valderrama is a unique idea for an anthology story. Some of the art quality just doesn't hold up with the rest.

A dying king sends a group of adventurers to a mysterious island to look for a cure. They find clues for how to proceed and split up in to groups to search. As each group goes their way, a different art team tells their story. The styles vary quite a bit, and characters perish along the way. The group comes back together a couple times, and the mystery of the island has a final resolution, but not before showing us some pretty weird traps and monsters that the island has in store.

I like the idea, and I liked most of the artwork. I wish there had been a brief foreword to explain the concept. The radical change in styles was initially confusing, but I ultimately liked this odd tale.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lion Forge, 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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