Comic Adventures Issue #26

I read a lot of comics and rarely review them here on the blog. That's because I really don't have a lot to say for an entire post.  So I thought I would review several comics on one post.  I will still review graphic novels on their own now and then, but this is where I will talk about super-hero type comics (DC/Marvel) or sequels to some that I have already reviewed.

This issue I talk about Nightwing Vol. 5 Setting Son, Guardians of the Galaxy, Harley Quinn Vol 1 Hot in the City,  and Justice League vol 6 Injustice League.

 I have really liked the Nightwing series.  So I was really sad to see that this was the last issue.  There is a new Grayson series that follows him as a detective of sorts... but it won't be the same. If you are reading the Batman comics then you know that Dick Grayson is known as being dead and is undercover for Batman as a spy.  There were a few story just mixed in here which was confusing. We get to see the Mad Hatter, Mr. Zsasz, thought the stories just seemed filler.  As for Nightwing's death that stems from Forever Evil, which I didn't end up reading so I was a little lost there.  It's a bummer that I have to go and read a completely different comic book to see what actually happens to the title character.  I mean... if this whole comic is about Nightwing dying and becoming someone else I think we should be able to read about why that happened. I liked the mixture of Batgirl into this volume.. the old school Batgirl before the new revamp.  4 out of 5

I keep trying to read Guardians of the Galaxy but am never able to find volume 1. I read this book... and could tell I was jumping into the middle of a story that had already begun.  When I finished I went on goodreads to add it to my read pile and then discovered that it was volume 2 of the complete collection.  Um... ok.  Well it was still really good I thought even though I was jumping into the middle.  I am going to probably pass though on reading any more of these since I really don't know what volume I am on.  I think I've read three volumes already. Since I am not really a Marvel reader I enjoyed learning a little but more about the Inhumans. I don't have a lot of other Marvel comics to compare this to... but I enjoyed meeting a lot more of the Guardians that I hope might appear in other movies.  3 out of 5

I have started liking Harley Quinn more and more these past few years.  I used to think she was just super corny.  I think Suicide Squad comics is one of the things that really got me interested in who she is.  So when she got her own comic book series I couldn't wait to read it.  I liked it a lot.  At the beginning there are many comic artists who jump in and get a page where they draw her in different styles.  I love art so I thought this was really neat! There really is no big plot going on here.  There are a few stories of her just mixed in here.  Quinn has a fun relationship with Poison Ivy in this book too.  It makes me want to have them as girlfriends minus murder and mayhem. The end of the book has some sort of odd ball story of an robotic man wanting revenge on some old enemies and she helps him out.  That was kind of eh.  I am mixed about this comic but will for sure go and read the second volume. 4 out of 5

 The final comic we talk about this week is Justice League vol. 6 Injustice League.  I would like to thank DC and Edelweiss for a free review copy for an honest review. This volume continues on with the Crime Syndicate story line from the previous volume where Lex Luthor came in and saved our world. He knew there was something bigger out there so he created a virus to take care of this... unfortunately the virus is let loose. Meanwhile Luthor is doing everything in his power to become part of the Justice League.  He even discovers the identity of Batman because of the revelation of who Nightwing is.  Captain Cold plays a big role in this comic too and I have really enjoyed seeing him because he is the CW show Arrow and is about to get his own show.  I think the Justice League is a strong story and hope it continues that way. 5 out of 5





This counts for 32 comics towards my 2015 Graphic Novels Challenge!!

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King Review

Title: Doctor Sleep
Author: Stephen King
Pages: 531 pgaes
Publisher: Scribner September 24th, 2013
Source: Owned
Links:  Stephen King Author webpage, Goodreads,

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death. Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.” Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

I am so glad to have finally read this book! I have had it forever... I received it at a Stephen King book signing and still hadn't got around to it.  I actually really enjoyed it.  The Shinning was my first King book and I loved it so much. So I was very cautious about reading this book. I didn't want it to ruin the magic of the Shining for me. Honestly though I thought it did a good job of being it's own book but having nods to the Shining in it.  I thought the True Knot was a cool idea (a group of vampire like people who travel around together to steal the Shining from those that have it).. though I was expecting them to be more of a carnival type of group.  The idea of these vampires is that they have one tooth and some how suck up "steam" which is the Shining in kids. 

This book certainly wasn't scary to me. I didn't get the same fear I had when reading the Shining. It's funny that I loved this book and then started reading all the negative reviews on goodreads then it starts making me second guess myself! As for as the characters I really liked Abra's character.  We get to read about her from birth... she also has the Shining and eventually her life mixes with Dan (from the first book).  I enjoyed reading about Dan's problems with drinking.. thinking that King was actually talking about himself. So we read a lot about being an alcoholic in this book. Rose the Hat was a fantastic villain. After reading about her I loved the book cover even more (she is on the cover).  She would be the head of the True Knot. 

I think we all have to remember that The Shining and Doctor Sleep were written 30 years apart. That is barely older then I am and I have changed SO much in those years so I am not surprised that King's writing style has changed. One thing I think the book was missing was more detail about the True Knot.  We only read one back story to a character in the True Knot and that is it.  I think had we had more information on the group's characters they might have been a little more scary.  I just remember reading a bunch of names for the group and not even knowing really who they even were except maybe 2 or 3 of them.  A hard thing for me on this book is how to rate it? Comparing it to the Shining?? Or as a stand alone book?? So hard!

I would recommend this book to other King lovers.  You should for sure read The Shining before reading this... though I do think enough information is given about the previous book so you could read this one alone.

The Shining Review 

The crystal ball says:

Clouds are covering! A read that lets me down every now and then but peaks out of the clouds!

Comic Adventures Issue #25

I read a lot of comics and rarely review them here on the blog. That's because I really don't have a lot to say for an entire post.  So I thought I would review several comics on one post.  I will still review graphic novels on their own now and then, but this is where I will talk about super-hero type comics (DC/Marvel) or sequels to some that I have already reviewed.

This issue we talk about Saga Vol. 4, Superman Batman Vol 2, Ms. Marvel Vol 1,  and Batman Vol 5 year Zero-Dark City. 

I am loving the Saga comics.  I mean... so unique and fun.  I didn't love volume 3 but vol 4 was a great story.  I will say I realized after finishing this volume that this series is quite short.  I read this pretty fast compared to other comics I read.  This comic book series has nudity, sex, cursing, violence,  but also love, family, friendship, and an epic story. I just don't even know how to tell you how great these comics are.  The art work is so amazing.  There is one part where some drugs are done and that art work is great.  The story is still Hazel telling us the story of her parents and it is just great. The cliffhanger ending had my mouth hanging open.  I didn't even see it coming. If you want to know just how amazing this comic is go to goodreads and read all the reviews. The character development is really coming along too.  I am actually caring about the characters and can't wait to see what happens to them.  5 out of 5

Batman/Superman Vol. 2 Game Over was better then I thought.  I remember only kind of liking the first volume because here we have Earth One and Earth Two mixing and that can confuse me a little. Even after reading this comic I have no idea which Earth it took place in!  I looked for hints but never figured it out. The first two comics included in this book are sideways.  I thought this was neat because it gave a different look to the artwork.  Speaking of artwork, the artist switches for each comic.  Honestly.. I only read these comics because of the artist Jae Lee.  I have loved him ever since I first saw his artwork in the Dark Tower comics (Stephen King).  Power Girl and Huntress show up and it's obvious that I am missing something here.  I guess I should be reading World's Finest and Action Comics but I read so many already I don't want to add anymore to the pile of comic series. 4 out of 5

I was excited to read Ms. Marvel when I saw all the hype about it. Honestly I haven't really read any Marvel comics... really because I never knew where to start.  This is a vol 1 so I was able to start somewhere.  I did enjoy it.. I really liked how diverse the comic is.  Ms. Marvel's buzz I think is because it is all about Kamala who is Muslim.  She has to deal with being different.. kind of an outsider which usually anyone can relate to.  Her family and friends are quite fun to read about also. Especially her brother. I read that this comic is linked to the Inhumans so that is kind of neat. This comic is geared to a middle school audience... but I still enjoyed it unlike the new Batgirl series which is also written for a middle school audience.  I don't know yet if I will continue on in this series.  I just have so many comics I am following. This comic sold way above expectations and people were really getting to talk about it. I would say 4 out of 5

So ... I skipped this comic and read vol 6 by accident.  So I went back and read this comic.  It was good.. but I am not into all this hype over Batman's origin story. Of course we do get to see the origin of the penny in Batman's bat cave.  That was fun to see.  Now if we could just see the dinosaur's origin! I actually haven't read Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, Year One origin story.   I think there have been other better New 52 story lines like The Court of Owls which was super neat to read. I will admit that the Riddler as a villain is cool... but riddles get boring.  I skimmed them.  Maybe it's because I never have been able to figure riddles out and so I didn't even want to try to figure them out. The art work was great too.  Vol 6 goes onto a totally different story so you really don't need to read volumes 4 and 5 in order to read volume 6.   3 out of 5




This counts for 28 comics towards my 2015 Graphic Novels Challenge!!