The Daughters of Salem: How we sent our children to their deaths: Part 1

author: Thomas Gilbert
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2019/11/30
date added: 2019/11/30
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'The Daughters of Salem: How we sent our children to their deaths: Part 1' with art and script by Thomas Gilbert and translation by Montana Kane is a fictionalized take on the Salem Witch Trials.

A young girl in colonial Massachusets doesn't fit in. There is a young man from the Abenaki tribe that she makes friends with even though there is a language barrier. There is also a lot of misguided fear of him, and the girl has to sneak out to see him. Word gets around and tensions build as the men of the village go out and brutally murder a native. The natives retaliate in a night of fire and murder.

This was supposed to be an updated take on this story for today's troubled times. The author boldly compares his version to Arthur Miller. That is a misstep, as this book seems to be more about being voyeuristic and gory rather than trying to teach us anything. The art is crude and works ok for the story, but is not pleasant to view.

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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Fallen World

author: Dan Abnett
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.25
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2019/11/30
date added: 2019/11/30
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Fallen World' by Dan Abnett with art by Adam Pollina is a graphic novel set in the Valiant 4001 AD universe. There are other volumes before this, so you may want to start with those.

It is 4002 AD. New Japan was a floating city in the sky run by a crazed A.I., but that city has fallen. A cyborg named Rai will face the A.I. in battle, but not without quite a bit of help, including a familiar eternal warrior and an army of evolved animals (led by an elephant with a dirty mouth).
Does it all make sense? I didn't read the previous two volumes, so I started out a bit lost, but I caught on. One thing I seem to notice with Valiant is a nice level of art and I did like much of Adam Pollina's art here. It's a nice epic story, and it makes a bit more sense than a couple others I've read by other publishers.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Valiant Entertainment, 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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Redline

author: Neal Holman
name: Wayne
average rating: 2.67
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2019/11/30
date added: 2019/11/30
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Redline' by Neal Holman with art by Clay McCormack and Kelly Fitzpatrick is a graphic novel about an out of control soldier investigating a crime on Mars.

Denton Coyle is a soldier on Mars just trying to get by. Then a bomb goes off in a crowd and Denton and his guys start investigating. They don't have very clean hands, and their methods are a bit unorthodox. Before long, Denton realizes that the bomb is linked to something in the past.

I almost gave up reading this, and perhaps I should have. It's over the top, kind of gross and the main characters are kind of unlikeable. Maybe I'm just tired of this kind of cynical story. The art is passable, the story feels like it doesn't really care.

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


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The Art of Dying

author: Raule
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2019/04/13
date added: 2019/11/28
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'The Art of Dying' by Raule with art by Philippe Berthet is a graphic novel about a man who has been to Barcelona many times, but is seeing things that are new on this trip.

Philippe Martin is a Paris cop who has taken many vacation trips to Barcelona. This time, he is called to Barcelona for the suspicious suicide of a girl. His trip there will take him to new places, and he discovers there may be a link between himself and the missing girl. He finds himself in a world of art forgeries and a gang of criminals that like to tattoo their faces, but Philippe knows how to handle himself in dangerous situations.

As a procedural goes, I liked it. I've seen some criticism of the art, but it's got a nice clean style that I really liked. The story offers few surprises, but was a pleasant enough read.

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 Castoffs, V.2: Into The Wastelands

author: M.K. Reed
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2019/11/26
date added: 2019/11/26
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'The Castoffs, V. 2: Into The Wastelands' by M.K. Reed and Brian Smith is the second volume of this clever science fiction fantasy series.

In the first volume, our heroes Charris, Trinh, and Ursa defeated the evil Priestess and a robot army. Now they are travelling back to their village to report what they found. Along the way, they uncover a secret plot and may have to trust each other in another fight.

I liked the first volume a bit better. This felt like a story that is setting up the next volume. There's nothing wrong with that, and I can't wait to read the third volume, but this one felt a bit flat story-wise. The art, like the first one, is good, and I like the pen-work that kind of looks like woodcut at times.

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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The Loud House: Livin' La Casa Loud!

author: The Loud House Creative Team
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2019/11/26
date added: 2019/11/26
shelves: childrens, graphic-novels
review:
'The Loud House #8: Livin' La Casa Loud!' by The Loud House Creative Team is a graphic novel with a lot of characters (just like the cartoon).

This graphic novel has 16 short stories featuring some of the over 20 characters. There are rainy days and pranks. There are dates out and conversations with a ventriloquist dummy. My favorite might be the first story 'Little Big Top' in which Lincoln Loud misses his chance to go to the circus, and totally misses how much like a circus his house really can be.

There are a lot of characters and it's hard to give them all a spotlight this time, which is fine. The gags are fine and the intermingling of the family makes for a good story. The art is by multiple artists, but still feels like it's cohesive.

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


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Basquiat: A Graphic Novel

author: Paolo Parisi
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.43
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/24
date added: 2019/11/24
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Basquiat: A Graphic Novel' written and illustrated by Paolo Parisi is a graphic novel biography of the famous artist.

Told from a few different perspectives, the story begins with Jean-Michel Baquiat's father finding out about his death, then jumping back and forth to tell the story. Basquiat started as a street-art legend known as SAMO. He was involved in a lot of the underground scene of New York in the early 1980s. He rose to fame, and made money, but had a troubled life.

The color palette for this book is very distinct, and I really loved what was done. The story was divided up in to chapters based on articles or incidents. I really liked the changing narrators in the story. The book ends with a bibliography including music and films that Basquiat created.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Laurence King Publishing Ltd. in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.


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