Review: The Weatherman Vol. 1

This was recommended to me by an app I use to read digital comics, and I'm glad I decided to check it out. Weatherman is set sometime in the not too distant future where mankind has colonized the galaxy...well at least our region of it. Most humans live on Mars and Venus. The story reminded me very much of a PKD( Philip K. Dick) story much like "We Can Remember it For You Wholesale" (Total Recall/film adaptation) with the art style being similar to Tank Girl. This story takes place in a world where a terrorist organization has decimated the Earth and basically wiped out the entire population of that world. The people of this future are left to pick up the pieces and mourn the loss of loved ones from Earth.

In comes Nathan Bright a mild-mannered doofy Weatherman. Out of nowhere, he's accused of being the mastermind to have destroyed the Earth under another name, and someone who looks totally different from him. Is it mistaken identity? Or is he really Ian Black from the terrorist organization that destroyed the Earth and all of its inhabitants? Things go from mundane to topsy turvy for the weatherman and things are not what they had seemed. Can an ordinary weatherman be something much more than he appears, and can he help save the Colonies from the terrorists?

I found this very enjoyable. I loved the art style which held on to that futuristic kinda look with bright neon colors. The story was fast paced, and not boring at any time. This had me locked in and ready for more. Can't wait for the next volume in the series. So if you're a fan of Dick's strange science fiction worlds, and the zaniness of Tank Girl than I highly recommend checking this new series from Image comics out. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodread.com. 

Review: I Hate Fairy Land Vol. 2 Fluff My Life

It has been quite a while since I have updated this blog and an even longer time since I had read the first volume of I Hate Fairy Land. So I had to look up my review of the first volume, and I was surprised that I hadn't done a full-on blog posting about it, because I really enjoyed it. So I discovered that I had just done a quick review on Goodreads...I have decided to leave that review below so you can read what I thought of that volume before reading my thoughts on the second one.

"This may look all cutesy and techno-colored safe for kids......But it's not. Gertrude enters Fairyland much like Alice and she has been stuck there a very long time. She's mad and just wants to go home. This was like if Dr. Suess had written more like a "muffin fluffer" trucker...subtle cussing. I've always enjoyed Skottie Young's art and this has to be his best work yet. I would recommend this to fans of Rat Queens or any violent and highly inappropriate book." Okay. Now that we have gotten that out of the way let's get on with the review of Fluff My Life. So picking up from the events of the first volume Gert is now the queen of Fairy Land. I know you're probably thinking "oh no"...right? And you would be right in thinking the Shtuff will hit the fan..lol.  I have to admit that when I read these books I always hear Angelica from Rugrats as the voice of Gert.  The second volume still keeps up with the perfect blend of off-color remarks while censoring itself by making them other words.  And of course, it still has the perfect blend of shenanigans to make it exciting and page-turning as always. She is still trying to get the fluff out of Fairy Land, and failing miserably....and that is one the most charming things about this series. We have to remember that Gert is not really a child but a 30 yr old woman who has grown up in this make-believe world and just wants to go home.  I loved this second volume just as much as I did the first one. I rated this 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Get your copy by clicking the link found below. Thanx for reading and Get the fluff out there and read this book!

Review: The Gravediggers Union Vol. 1 by Wes Craig

I saw this book come up as a suggested read on Goodreads, and I'll admit that the title had me intrigued. I wasn't exactly sure what this book was about but I had my suspicions that this was a supernatural book just by the title alone.

Right from the start, we see the action and what the Gravediggers Union's main purpose is....to protect the living from the undead! We see them fight back hordes of zombies and vampires. We later learn just what kind of sinister world this is which is overseen by the rich who are in league with an evil cult called the Black Temple(sounds like the Illuminati, right?). These people hope to bring the dark gods back to earth so that they may reap their rewards. Typical selfish rich people...ya know. We also see the origins of the supernatural in this world which features Lovecraftian creatures...Cthulu anyone? Kinda like 2001 Space Odyssey with the monkeys and aliens...just plain weird and fun shit going on in these panels. 

It's kinda obvious that this is a horror comedy and not a super serious plot....if compared to a tv series I would compare it to Ash vs  Evil Dead. This book is kinda campy. If you are looking for a more serious horror/supernatural title I would check out Nailbiter or Harrow County. 

First off I was super impressed by the artwork of this and the use of color. Toby Cypress is the artist for this series. I kinda liked the sketchy way the figures are drawn and really liked the splash of color randomly placed on certain scenes which kinda gave this a 60's/70's horror vibe. To be honest that was the strong point of liking this book...that and it's campy horror vibe. Now I know that this is not a series for everyone. The ratings for this are not too high and I hope they do not cancel it before it really gets going. I myself rated this 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, and am looking forward to reading more of this series. 

Review: Injection by Warren Ellis Volumes 1- 3

I recently finished reading the third volume of this series which is weird, different and kinda great. In the words of Image comics taken from their site - "...there were five crazy people, and they poisoned the 21st Century. Now they have to deal with the corrosion to try and save us all from a world becoming too weird to support human life. It is science fiction, tales of horror, strange crime fiction, techno-thriller, and ghost story all at the same time." So yeah it's quite the mix of genres. 

The first volume introduces the concept of the Artificial Intelligence and how it is manipulating the world to create paranormal events, and we meet part of the team responsible for its creation. This was a great start for the series. I thought it was okay but it had enough to keep me interested and wanting to continue on with the series. The second volume introduces yet another member of this team and one who is kind of Hannibal Lector meets Sherlock Holmes kinda vibe. 

This story was way better than the first but left me feeling that the story did not live up to its expectations. The third and I'm assuming final volume (I assume final because the last issue was released in Nov. 2017 and there is no news about a follow up). Was very intense and I felt the story had finally reached its potential. Of course, the third volume ended on a cliffhanger, and I do not know if Ellis will ever finish this story. This last volume had the perfect blend of fantasy, horror, and science fiction, and a nice nod to Dr. Who with a comment from a student about it not really being bigger inside.

I rated the first volume 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads and the other 2 both 4 stars. I really hope that Warren Ellis picks this back up and continues on with this story because it would be bad to end this series just as it started to get good. I also called a few comics shops and there was no word of this very infrequent book coming back.  Below is the complete hardcover edition which features 3 volumes. 


International shoppers click here to get your copy - http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=geekpron

Review: Paper Girls Vol 4

I have to say I loved the first few volumes of this series as I really enjoy time travel stories. This is the 4th volume in the series, and things started to slow down momentum-wise in the last volume. I do know a lot of people have hopped on the hype train regarding this series just because the first 2 volumes feature 80's nostalgia. (To be honest, I don't understand why people who were not alive in the 80's are so obsessed with this time period as it wasn't the best in regards to fashion and music, etc. ) So for those people, the series may be a disappointment for them as this volume takes place in the year 2000. Which discusses the whole Y2K issues.

This volume did reveal more about the time traveler war such as their background and just how they influence the world. I do not care if they ever venture back to the 80's, and I am still interested in this series because it is about time travel and features big fucking robots fighting! Although I still enjoyed this I didn't feel it was a strong volume as the last few ones. I rated this 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I will continue to read this series as I feel it has great potential and I have always enjoyed Vaughan's writing.

 

Review: Happy! by Grant Morrison

First off I have to say this was on my radar, but it was a very long time before I had the opportunity to read it. I liked reading this author's works, and of course, this seemed interesting enough. My local library did not have any copies of this, and I was not sure I wanted to drop money on this book. I then saw an advertisement for the series on Syfy and knew I had to read this soon.

So I discovered my local library finally got a digital copy of this book and I checked it out. The reviews on this book are varied not many people can agree on whether it's good or bad. I will say that this miniseries about an ex-cop turned hitman in search of his daughter is sorta like a more gruesome and vulgar version of Taken....if it was a Christmas special. Having seen the Syfy series before reading the comic originally was something to get used to. As you would know if you have seen the miniseries it is really drawn and dragged out to make for like 8 episodes. The original book is much shorter and does not have as many scenes. Even characters have somewhat different names and looks. A lot of scene differences between the comic and the miniseries adaptation. Each is there own separate animal and when I did my review of this book upon completion I took that into consideration. Some hated this book and some loved it. I will say that the artwork is gritty and definitely leaves the reader feeling a bit of unease as they read it. 

This does have the gritty feel that Morrison is known for writing in his stories, and for that reason, and considering it is very different from its TV adaptation(which is much milder in comparison) I decided to rate this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. If you have not seen the series and have read the book please be mindful that it was tamed down for syndication. 

Kill or Be Killed Vol. 1 Review

First off I want to say that I am no stranger to Ed Brubaker's writing. Honestly, he has written some of my favorite series. One of his most popular being Fatale, which was another story that blended the crime and supernatural to make a fantastic story that many enjoyed.
Kill or be Killed is also a blend of the same elements, but this time around it doesn't have a pulp fiction feel that Fatale had. This book starts out by getting into the thick of it, and then slowly back tracking so that the reader understands just what the main character has gotten himself into. So it's written from the point of view of the guy who is doing the killing. I found the character kind of relatable as he lives a hum drum life and his best friend, who should be with him is with his room mate. Being that his life kind of sucks he decides to commit suicide, but it doesn't work out the way he planned, and next thing you know he has unwittingly made a pact with a devil. In order to keep living, he must take the life of someone deserving of dying...someone bad.

So sometimes due to the main character getting behind sometimes in the direction of the story, it helps for it to be serialized as a monthly comic. If you like action, and movies that have lots of guns, and shooting than this is right up your alley. I loved this book and rated it 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.  I have already started reading the second volume.

Get your copy here by clicking the above image it will take you to Amazon where you can get your own copy. 

Review: Trees Volume 1

So I know this isn't a trending book in booktube, but once I saw that Warren Ellis was the author I knew I wanted to read this. Let's just say that his writing has never let me down. I will admit that was the only reason I wanted to read this aside from the cover and title I had no idea what this was about.

Once I started reading this I discovered just what a gem this truly is. Let's set this up for those who do not know about this amazing series. These cylinders have arrived in the future. They just sort of chose to plant themselves in certain cities around the world. No one knows what they are. Some imagine that there are intelligent beings inside waiting to come out at some point, but they have stood silent for 10 years....just standing there. So of course, scientists are going to investigate these things, and this is where the fun begins. This had a really eerie sci-fi kinda feel like Prometheus, and some other dark sci-fi films.

What made this so enjoyable for me was just seeing the way humanity reacts to these behemoths and how culture changes in the shadows of them. The anticipation of what would happen also made this fun to read. If you are a fan of dark sci-fi then this is for you. I am already reading the second volume, as it was that good. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

Review: The Fade Out Vol. 2

I just finished this trade last night. If you are not familiar with this series it is a murder mystery that takes place in Hollywood's hey day. So it has that classic feel.
I will admit that the beginning of this was not very fun to read it seemed disjointed and was all over the place...jumping between different events. But it does pick up around the mid point of the book, and resumes where I think it should have to continue the mystery.

I will say that this is definitely not for kids, as the sex scenes get pretty hot and heavy...it is Image after all and they push the limits when it comes to sex. Of course it ended on a cliff hanger... I decided to rate this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Below I have included a link to buy your own copy.

Bedlam Vol. 1

Hmmm... where to start.

Let's start by introducing you to the city of Bedlam. It's kind of similar to Batman's Gotham, and it has a villain similar to the Joker, but 100x more homicidal. His name is Mad Redder, and basically he's a serial killer. Serial in the fact that he kills men, women, and even children!(scary, huh?)

So this guy decides to plan a scheme where he lets the public think he has killed himself, but in reality, he has gone into hiding. While in the care of a doctor he becomes reformed and decides he wants to redeem himself for all of the pain he has inflicted upon the residents of Bedlam. Of course, the city of Bedlam has other villainess killers within its domain. He calls a detective working a current murder investigation and offers to help her solve the crime. And this is what the first volume of this series consists of. 

I really liked this and thought the flashback scenes which were in shades of grey and reds were interesting. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on goodreads, and am looking forward to reading volume 2.

This Week in Review : 3/11/16

These are the books I read this week -

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5. 6. 7. 8.
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This Week in Review: 2/19/16

Short list this week, as I haven't had much time to read since school has started back up and I'm now working full-time on top of that.

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6.

Comics Weekly Wrap Up 11/20/15 Image Comics

So I was almost going to write a separate blog about Image Comics, but when I decided to finally read and review some books I had bought over the past year I figured I would do it here.  I'll admit that growing up I was a huge Marvel fanboy, but over the last few years since the aquisition of Marvel by Disney their stories have just not been up to standards. I have noticed over the past year that Image seems to be more appealing to the Mature audience, as their books have more mature content( besides gratuitus nudity and sex filled panels) they are writing and telling adult oriented stories. Being a comics reader that has grown up and wanting something more substantial I am appreciating Image as a comics company more and more every day. So if you can handle adult oriented, NSFW, and raunch adult humor....then you really should check out this comics company.

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6.

Comics Weekly Wrap Up 2/7/15

This week's books. Mostly a lot of Robert Kirkman books. Maybe you are interested to know about what he has written beside The Walking Dead -

1. 2. 3.4.

5. 6.