Comic Adventures Issue #48

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 Saga vol. 6, Lumberjanes Vol 3 A Terrible Plan,  Wayword Volume 1 String Theory, and Kanan Star Wars vol 2.

I can't get enough of this series!  It's just so unique compared to any other comic that I am reading right now. Yeah... this issue kind of hit the filler volume.  But I am still into the characters. Hazel is now a little girl in this comic so we get to know her and see her growing up. There's a couple of new characters in this volume that I though was ... meh.  A couple of reporters who get mixed up into everything.  Ok.... just boring.  The Will is back and I still like him... he's flipping out a little and becoming more and more depressing.  I like it.  I like that we get to see him go through all these emotions.  There are a few genitals drawn in this comic and one genital had me shocked!  Meaning.. I just wasn't expecting it.  Good things happen at the end of this comic too!  Things that have me really excited for volume 7. Apparently there is no release date for volume 7!  How long do I have to wait then?? 2017!  I look forward to Alana and Marko's continuing story and see how everything comes together with Hazel. 
3 out of 5

This is another comic I've been enjoying so much.  I look forward to reading it.  New artist this time around but I still felt like it was still the fun quirky art.  I don't know why comics switch artists so often.  I just think that one artist should be contracted till the series is done.  I don't know much about comic book rules though when it comes to writing them/drawing them.  The book starts out with all the girls from camp telling their own ghost stories.  I thought these were great! I like how the girls are also getting their own stories.  By getting to know the girls a little better as individuals the comic is finding it's way to be a long running comic. The creepy camp vibe is still around.  There are dinosaurs, bears, and all that fun stuff!  You can still read about all the different patches they earn.  I always want to try to earn these badges. Why isn't there any cool camps like this for adults? There's a fun badge called Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fondant... a cake decorating challenge that including a funny raccoon!  
5 out of 5

I saw someone reading this on the Graphic Novel Challenge 2016 so I thought I'd check it out.  I mean... there are tons of cats on the cover! Sold. The art is fantastic and the characters are also fun to get to know. Each characters turns out to have some sort of super power. Monsters start appearing here and there and of course they battle. The plot is a little rushed to me. Like there is really no explanation as to why the monsters are there.  I know it will be revealed later but I feel like we still should've known a little bit more now. I like how the comic takes place in Japan. Makes me feel like I'm reading a Manga.  Yeah, I know it's not one but I still felt cool. The story almost feels like one I've read before. Teen kids with superpowers in a team, bad guys showing up to be defeated.  Missing parents (like all YA novels).  I'll for sure check out the next volume just out of curiosity.  That volume will determine whether or not I stick with the series. 
3 out of 5

I loved the first volume of this come.  It was the first time I had been introduced to Kanan.  This issue was such a let down compared to that one.  It was all about Kanan as a child when he was becoming a jedi.  Same story we've heard before.  I wanted more of Kanan's adventures with his group.  They were interesting.  How much back story do we need? The comic needs to start moving on into the present. It's not a terrible comic.. just average.  None of the Star Wars comics has been phenomenal to me. I thought Kanan was going to be the comic that stood out in a flood of average Star Wars story but this one didn't help it do that. Honestly the most interesting character was the one Kanan is becoming a padawan for.  She (Billaba) has just got back from battle and lost most of her troops and is going through a lot mentally to try to be one with the force again.  I did enjoy reading about a Jedi Master having those issues. 
2 out of 5 

This counts for 61 comics towards my 2016 Graphic Novels Challenge.

 

Comic Adventures Issue #47

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 Wytches Vol. 1, Ms. Marvel Vol. 5,  The Mighty Thor vol. 1, and Darth Vader Vol 2.

I tend to find out about new and different comics from the Graphics Novel Challenge I participate in every year. This was one of the comics I saw someone on there review. The story is about Wytches... nasty things that live underground. The Wytches eat children who have been marked by their familes. Sometimes the art was hard to follow.  There was the pencil and there was some ink mixed in so I didn't always know what was going on.  Though that did help with the creep factor.  The end of the book was pretty unbelievable to me.  But I do want to read the next volume.  Oh speaking of next volume... who knows when that's coming out.  I wish I had known before starting this that the next Wytches isn't in the works at all yet.  Who knows when?  The story is the same old horror you find every where else though so don't expect a new witch story.  Do you ever find when you read reviews it starts to change your point of view of a book you read? That happened to me with this book... what I thought was fantastic was actually just another horror story.   I started reading other reviews and realized it wasn't such a great book! 
3 out of 5

Page from Wytches

Ms. Marvel is a series I really enjoy. This issue though kind of is a crossover.  What I mean by that is something happened with Kamala Khan in another issue where she joins the Avengers.  I'm not sure what happens during that time because well.. it's in some other issue. That's ok though... what I like about the Ms. Marvel comics is we get to deal with Kamala's real life.  Her crush Bruno has found another girlfriend since Kamala is so busy and Aamir (her brother) is getting married. I love Kamala's relationship with her brother, it's so funny. In this volume a real estate company comes in to take over her neighborhood.  We find out later that it's HYDRA. There is another fun story line in the book where Kamala is so burned out that she tried to make a clone of herself on a 3D printer and then chaos comes.  I don't think Ms. Marvel has lost any of it's charm yet.  The writing is still young and mainstream.  I can't wait for the next issue!

5 out of 5

Let's be honest, after Thor Vol. 2 I wasn't going to keep reading. I just didn't love it.. but apparently I put this one on hold without remembering so when it came into the library I went ahead and read it.  And really enjoyed it.  I'm not sure why it's not volume 3?  I guess it's 'The Mighty Thor' now?  So we are back to volume 1?  Whatever.  So we all know now that Jane Foster is Thor right?  Well I hope so. Apparently she has cancer and every time she picks up Mjolnir (Thor's Hammer) her cancer gets worse.  Chemo won't help at all because the Hammer pretty much erases everything the treatments have done. Odin has gone crazy because he believes the Hammer belongs to him and some girl has it.  The Elvish world is introduced in this comic so I look forward to seeing more of it in the next volume. I like that Marvel has put cancer in their comic.  I think most people know someone who has cancer, even children know someone.  So I think everyone can relate to that part.  There is only about 200 ratings on goodreads so I'm not sure how many people are really reading this series. 
4 out of 5

I don't know... I'm not totally in love with the Star Wars comics yet. I've given plenty of them a go.  I almost didn't finish this one.  Luckily I checked someone's review on goodreads which explained what was going on and I continued.  So Vader now knows Luke is his son and still tries to find him.  Vader continues to build a droid army by stealing supplies from the Empire.  Vader gets another inspector following him around which is odd to me because why would Vader even put up with that. This comic also visits Naboo, bleh.  Some flashbacks of the prequels.  Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to continue on with this comic. I thought it was going to be way more evil (this was the problem I had with the Maleficent movie, they made her into a good guy). There is this side character in the book (see her on the cover?) and that confuses me because she gets a lot of the plot for her own story and this is supposed to a comic about Vader!  It's like the writers just didn't have enough ideas to come up with a great story about Vader.
1 out of 5

This counts for 57 comics towards my 2016 Graphic Novels Challenge.

 

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

Title: Heir of Fire
Author:  Sarah J Maas
Pages: 565
Published: September 2nd 2014 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Source: Ebook
Links: goodreads,  Sarah J Maas

Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak―but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change her life―and her future―forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed? The bestselling series that has captured readers all over the world reaches new heights in this sequel to the New York Times best-selling Crown of Midnight. Packed with heart-pounding action, fierce new characters, and swoon-worthy romance, this third book will enthrall readers from start to finish.

I really love this series. I like that this book, the third book in the series, was able to add more characters. Of course when you add more characters the ones you have grown to love get less page time.  There were times in this book I thought should've been less wordy.  This caused the pacing to be off a little.  I was happy that this book traveled a little more throughout the world Maas has created.  We get to read about where the Fae live.  Plus Celaena's magic gets tested and finally advances.  That did take a while to get going in the story but I really love how Celaena's story is turning out.  Also.. what do I call the lead female character now?  Celaena?  Aelin? I'm confused.

So Manon is a witch and a new character in this book.  I really enjoyed her chapters.  I love a villain. Even though I think she is going to become a good person in future books from some foreshadowing. Dorian has a new love interest.  I didn't think there was enough time to really love her.  Rowan was a new character that we get to read a lot about.  I loved him.  He starts out so mysterious and then comes around to being a character that I really looked forward to reading about. I want to learn more about his history.

This book does remind me of a second book syndrome book. The ones where you spend a lot of time getting to places in the plot.  Basically Celaena is trying to find her magic, and trying to get to the places she needs to go.  The book really isn't moving the plot along much.  There is a lot of back story revealed which helps the reader understand Celaena more.

I still really enjoy this book despite the slower pace.  I'm looking forward to starting book 4.  I also noticed that there is now a coloring book!  Must check that out.

Reviews of other books in the series:
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

Sunday Post

Let's chat about what's going on this week... on my blog.. on other blogs... on the internet... and just everywhere!    I link up my post to Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Reader.

Hello all!  Sunday!  I'm so happy football is back.  One of my favorite things about this time of year.  Of course Halloween, and the leaves too.  I put up all my decorations today... I get so excited to see orange and purple glowing at night. Fall TV is back too.  I'm pretty much caught up on all the summer shows I'm watching so the DVR is open.  Of course I am about to marathon Luke Cage.  Can't just watch one of those episodes ... I have to watch them ALL.   

I've been trying to catch up on some reviews for the blog.  I'm really behind on reviewing comics.  Slowly catching up.  I plan on reading all the Throne of Glass novels so watch for the reviews for the next two books soon. I'm glad to be reading a series all at once, though I am sure those who follow the blog and don't read those books might find those posts a little boring.  I'm also reading the 3 compendiums of The Walking Dead.  Just finished the first one and am about to start the second one. So different then the show.  

We've started planning for the two Halloween parties we've been invited to and finally turned one down.  You are going to be shocked, but it's a Harry Potter party. A lot of characters had already been taken.  I picked the Grey Lady but seriously that's a hard costume.  I researched long and hard.  Most of the Harry Potter character costumes are hard to create unless you just wear robes.  Then I thought about being Cho Chang but when I went to Amazon the small/medium Ravenclaw robes were sold out.  I thought about being the fat lady and holding up a frame all night.  It was just drama so we nixed it. The other party we are going to is a 1920's theme and it's so much easier. 

Hope you are having a fantastic fall!