Seriously, if you're not bingeing Giant Days, you're missing out on the funniest comic book ever with lots of charm, wit, and great characters. Seriously, if you're not bingeing Giant Days, you're missing out on the funniest comic book ever with lots of charm, wit, and great characters. ...more
Yep, it seems I'm addicted. Happily, I have 12 more vols to breeze through!Yep, it seems I'm addicted. Happily, I have 12 more vols to breeze through!...more
Wow, it packed a lot of horror and unsettling moments in just ninety pages. The story starts out unsettling and gets really disturbing, but it’s also Wow, it packed a lot of horror and unsettling moments in just ninety pages. The story starts out unsettling and gets really disturbing, but it’s also impossible to put down. An excellent horror / psychological horror novella....more
Ah, the student life. Drinking and dancing, feeling crushed by your crushes, preparing for exams. I feel nostalgic. Giant Days is simply a wonderful, Ah, the student life. Drinking and dancing, feeling crushed by your crushes, preparing for exams. I feel nostalgic. Giant Days is simply a wonderful, humorous, and stylish comic book I can’t stop reading. And Sam, Esther, and Daisy are beautiful people....more
Ok, it was, hands down, the funniest thing I’ve read this year. Yes, it’s silly and exaggerated. But it has lots of charm, great characters and genuinOk, it was, hands down, the funniest thing I’ve read this year. Yes, it’s silly and exaggerated. But it has lots of charm, great characters and genuine laugh-out-loud moments. I loved it....more
Kushiel’s Dart is a fascinating opening to the Kushiel’s Legacy series. An interesting narrative and distinct voice immersed me from the start. Many rKushiel’s Dart is a fascinating opening to the Kushiel’s Legacy series. An interesting narrative and distinct voice immersed me from the start. Many readers come with certain preconceptions and expectations when they hear about all the sex and the protagonist’s profession (courtesan). Kushiel’s Dart thrills the most when it defies these expectations. So, almost all the time.
The book follows the life of Phèdre nó Delaunay. Born with a scarlet mote in the eye (so-called Kushiel’s Dart), she lacks the pure physique expected from a religious courtesan. Or does she? It turns out this imperfection marks her out as a rare “anguissette� - a person capable of enjoying any form of sexual stimulation, including pain. A nobleman, Anafiel Delauney, recognizes her potential, buys her marque at age ten, and trains her as a courtesan and spy. She learns languages, politics, history, philosophy, and sexual skills. First in theory, and later in a kinky practice. I admit it's the first time I read the story told from point of view of an openly masochistic epic heroine :)
Even though the book contains explicit sex and the narrator is a courtesan, it’s important to note Phèdre has a choice and can choose her clients (consensuality is a sacred tenet in D'Angeline culture.) Of course, it’s more nuanced and layered - she does many things to help Anafiel Delauney gain knowledge, and we could spend hours here discussing the imbalance of power, but that would be pointless. Phèdre’s voice is strong from the start, and the cycle of tragedy, loss, and betrayal only strengthens it as the story progresses.
Kushiel Dart's plot contains many layers and strikes a perfect balance between political intrigue and Phedre’s deeply personal story. The book has many memorable characters, including the calculating and ruthless Melisande Shahrizai, whose intrigues and actions lead to Phedre being sold into slavery to the barbaric Skaldi. What happens next would spoil things for you, but it includes a conspiracy against Terre d’Ange.
A few words about the world-building - it’s spectacular! According to legend, Terre d’Ange was first settled by rebellious angels, including Naamah, the patroness of courtesans, whose profession has a religious layer. Carey builds her land’s history, mythology, and social structure with patience and subtle touch. Some readers will feel that it moves too slowly, but it’s always subjective. That said, bigger intrigue gains momentum after more or less 300 pages. There's very little magic, and what there is all comes from the religious mythos. But the story definitely has an epic scope and larger-than-life characters.
What sets the book apart from many others is Carey’s talent for characterization and her focus on intimate moments and relationships. It barely mentions some battles but shows others in vivid detail. I loved how nuanced the people and places are in this story. The antagonists are fascinating and the arch-villainess is irresistible.
The book’s journey is dark and emotionally complicated and made all the better by clever pacing and Phèdre’s growth as a character. It plays with the woman-as-victim trope and explores the nature of strength and weakness, will and desire, cruelty and compassion. And that's what makes it great....more
Cullen Bunn is a pro and he knows what he's doing. The Damned is a solid comic book with an interesting premise and world. Unfortunately, I just couldCullen Bunn is a pro and he knows what he's doing. The Damned is a solid comic book with an interesting premise and world. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get fully into it. Neither story nor the characters absorbed me. I guess it's the case of a wrong fit because it is, by all means, a competent story....more
No one writes comics like Jonathan Hickman; he’s one of the best creators in the business. He’s often innovative and not afraid to challenge the form.No one writes comics like Jonathan Hickman; he’s one of the best creators in the business. He’s often innovative and not afraid to challenge the form. It’s refreshing, but sometimes also tiring. In Decorum, he delivers a fascinating world and a solid adventure but makes things intentionally confusing. We learn about the world through stunning art and pages of exposition delivered as excerpts inserted between chapters.
As a result, the story drags, especially at the beginning. Huddleston’s fantastic art kept me reading; in this case, patience paid off. By the end of the third chapter, I was engrossed. First, I loved the art and how Huddleston played with colors and style. The way he combines black and white parts with saturated panels gives Decorum a distinctive aesthetic. Second, the story got intriguing and provided all the goodies: epic sci-fi, likable characters, assassins in training, and roguish misadventures.
Decorum tells a dense story and it's best read in one sitting.
The Stardust Thief, an Arab-inspired quest story, follows a merchant, a prince, a thief, and a jinn on their journey to find a mythical magic lamp. OnThe Stardust Thief, an Arab-inspired quest story, follows a merchant, a prince, a thief, and a jinn on their journey to find a mythical magic lamp. On the way, they’ll deal with a jinn queen, undead creatures, and face a mysterious hunter. I absolutely understand why so many readers adore this book; Sadly, I’m not fully on board. Despite good writing, layered characters, I had to push myself to finish the book and found it slightly boring.
TL;DR - a good book but there were no sparks between us....more
Joan Harken is out of luck. Someone has robbed her, she has no career to speak of, and she has just discovered a pregnancy she never wanted. Her boyfrJoan Harken is out of luck. Someone has robbed her, she has no career to speak of, and she has just discovered a pregnancy she never wanted. Her boyfriend Deck persuades her to move with him to Lilydale, where his father is mayor and head of the county’s draft board. She agrees and finds herself in a small town that seems too good to be true. However, the people around her show an unhealthy interest in her pregnancy and Joan can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched
At first, the story didn’t capture my attention; it was slow and lacked a strong hook. But then, things changed, and Joan’s paranoia got more interesting. The author built the sense of dread and uncertainty about whether the narrator (Joan) needed help.
I’m not crazy about the ending BUT if you like stories about small towns with terrible secrets and likable protagonists put under mental and physical stress, you’ll enjoy Bloodline....more
Simon Spurrier is one of my favorite comic book creators. I loved (and highly recommend!) The Spire and Six-Gun Gorilla is another excellent book fromSimon Spurrier is one of my favorite comic book creators. I loved (and highly recommend!) The Spire and Six-Gun Gorilla is another excellent book from him.
It floored me with excellent premise and execution, and creative world-building. The story is set in a bizarre other world colonized by humans sometime in the 22nd century, called Blister. Civil war rages in this wilderness and people are sent there to die. And to raise viewership statistics (“Red Shirts� have implants that allow people on Earth to watch the spectacle involving their deaths). One of the anonymous soldiers meets a rogue gunslinger who is a bio-surgically modified silverback gorilla toting a pair of enormous revolvers. The story follows two stories developing simultaneously in the world of Blister and in the state of Earth.
Stokely’s cartooning is formidable and it gives the story life and makes it engrossing. It’s a visual feast, even when it gets ultra-violent (and it does). The story is great in itself but it also offers a strong social commentary. It's daring, bold, and unique in its take on western sci-fi.
It’s all I expect from a great pulp story....more
The Fall of the House of Thomas Weir is set in Edinburgh at the time of the Scottish Enlightenment, a turbulent time when superstition and the Age of The Fall of the House of Thomas Weir is set in Edinburgh at the time of the Scottish Enlightenment, a turbulent time when superstition and the Age of Reason collide and wreak havoc. It follows two famous Scotsmen, Dr. Johnson, a polymath who wrote the first proper English dictionary, and his friend James Boswell, a patriot and a biographer. The story gives them a strong Holmes and Watson duo vibe.
They try to unravel the supernatural mysteries that haunt Edinburgh. Initially, the setup feels like a historical thriller with occult themes; as the story progresses, horror elements, including other-dimensional beings and cosmic horrors, come to the fore. The second half of the story gets brutal and pulpy (but in a good way, especially if you dig horror tropes). Not only is there a hidden conspiracy, it’s alien and threatens all of humanity. Prepare to experience ear-shredding cries rising from the darkness, shape-shifting entities replacing humans, bodies broken.
Johnson and Boswell are a likable pair of adventurers, though their voices are quite similar. Johnson has a vast knowledge of arcane disciplines and he finds solutions way too easily. Boswell has nightmares and doesn’t shy away from a bottle.
It’s a solid historical fantasy / horror story. The author mentions a huge amount of research that went into keeping things period-accurate and I see no reason not to trust him. Edinburgh’s inhabitants will appreciate seeing their city in a new light....more
An excellent start to a dark series filled with strong twists, relatable characters, and good writing. I found the premise thrilling, the charac4.5/5
An excellent start to a dark series filled with strong twists, relatable characters, and good writing. I found the premise thrilling, the characters engaging, the dialogue excellent and the visuals simply brilliant. ...more
The art here is GORGEOUS. The story is worth it for it alone. Fortunately, the writing doesn’t disappoint and takes readers on a trippy adventure to tThe art here is GORGEOUS. The story is worth it for it alone. Fortunately, the writing doesn’t disappoint and takes readers on a trippy adventure to the Negative Zone. Ross imitates a Silver Age aesthetic and does an amazing job of it. Fantastic Four: Full Circle is a feast for the eyes and a quick, satisfying read that doesn’t require in-depth knowledge of FF canon....more
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