Review: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1

Being a fan of the horror genre and comics in general I am always on the lookout for new horror comics to check out. This one came up as a recommendation on an app that I read some comics on, and I will admit I was intrigued. Also seeing that a writer I have enjoyed reading was the writer for this series also convinced me to want to read this. I was already familiar with Tynion's work on Batman for DC comics.

This series kind of reminds me of the Netflix Stranger Things series, as it's about a couple of "kids" seeking out monsters in the woods. The story starts with a group of boys playing truth or dare and one of the boys mentions that he saw a monster. Of course, his friends think he is making this up. Only kids can see the monsters.

It also has a bad-ass female lead named Erica Slaughter. Not only is she bad-ass but she is a part of a secret monster hunter society. She goes from town to town cleaning up the spread of monsters before they can get out of hand.

The scene where she goes shopping for supplies reminded me of Ash of Evil Dead fame buying his power tools. You know she means business and gore and mayhem will happen. She recruits the survivor from town to show her where the monster can be found. But I will not spoil this for you you have to read it for yourself.

This was a fun and action-packed story one in which I will definitely have to keep up with. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, and recommend this to any horror fans. Or fans of Stranger Things. I do suggest reading this in physical format as the ebook was somewhat problematic with the splash pages. But the art was great and really made the story more enjoyable. This will be available on May 26,2020. Get your copy down below -

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 - Hellboy : Into the Silent Sea

Yet again Mignola does not let us down with another Hellboy tale.  Actually, I found this story to be better than previous HB stories due to the artwork. The art was what enthralled me and made me want to read through this story as quickly as I did. The art has an engraving/woodcut look to it that reinforces the time shift that HB experiences.

The use of nautically themed poetry adds to the mystery of HB's seemingly self-discovery trip of him wandering the world. The reader is reminded of how he quit the agency to do some soul searching at the beginning of this tale. 

Where he ends up is the main part of the story and one in which I cannot spoil for you. But this was well worth reading. I really enjoyed revisiting this character, and the outcome of the tale was satisfying as well. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, and recommend it for fans of Mignola's works.

Review: Abe Sapien Vol. 1 The Drowning

I've read a ton of Hellboy trades and a few BPRD books but I had never read this miniseries featuring one of my favorite HB sidekicks. Of course being that it's the merman, Abe Sapien this was Aquatic themed from the start, and he goes on a special mission that requires his aquatic abilities. The mission takes place in a small fishing village off the coast of France, and one that has a dark past. It turns out as do all of these Mignola tales that something sinister is afoot.

This was my first time reading an Abe solo story and wasn't sure how it would go, and the funny thing is that the title character feels and has similar doubts because he usually tags along with HB.

This read like a movie and it flowed beautifully. There were no dull moments with this first volume. I do not regret checking this out and honestly was not aware of this series until recently. Like I said it was action packed and of course paranormally packed too. I rated this 4 out of  5 stars on Goodreads and would recommend this to any fan of the Hellboy series.

                                                              

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: Dark Knights Metal

I received a review copy for a fair an honest review. Upon reading this trade I feel that this was much better than the prior Road to Metal. This was way more structured and in retrospect, I wonder if Road was mashed together at the last minute to make this series seem more complete. I do have to say at times I really enjoyed the metal(rock) theme, but sometimes the font was a bit hard to read due to it being too jagged and rock looking.

Right off we are introduced to the action as the Justice League are battling on War planet and in an almost Voltron moment they build a giant robot to save the day. 

But hold tight kids we have even more intensity when we meet the evil versions of Batman from the multiverse who serve the dark lord, Barbatos (see first pic above). This really made this trade enjoyable for me. I love alternate versions of my fave comics heroes. Each evil Bats has his side to the story, and why they are doing what they can to assist in unraveling the universe. The payoff for this book was so much better than the lead up to this. I do think they should have combined what I think may have been the other stories to make 2 more volumes fo this storyline into this book. It seemed to rush through to the end rather quickly just as I was getting into it. I really enjoyed this and rated it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. If you are an alternate universe fan this will be the series for you to check out. I am looking forward to reading the other 2 volumes in this storyline and hope they are just as good as this if not better. 

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

Review: Dark Days - Road to Metal

I do not read monthly issues as I prefer to wait and read stories in trade paperback format. But a few of my friends who do read single issues raved about this storyline so much that I just could not wait for it to be released in trade paperback. I'm extremely thankful that Netgalley gave me the opportunity read and review this series for a fair and honest review.

So my anticipation for this series was at the peak. Upon reading the introduction to the series I am kind of not sure what to think. I mean new story....new content, and a whole new world, right? But first off I'm not sure if this was planned years or months ago or if it was a spur of the moment change in the continuum. I say this because this collects a lot of portion of different storylines that they are suggesting elude to this main storyline. Some I can say sure I see a connection but others seem to be a stretch. For instance, the crisis of the multiverse is a portion of this collection along with some other Batman stories that had me wondering and shaking my head. I felt this didn't really run cohesively the transitions between linked stories was very rough. The Bruce Wayne lost in time story makes sense to be a part of the greater storyline. But the Endgame and the Joker poisoning Gotham had me baffled. Don't get me wrong this isn't a bad collection as I did reading the original new story that ties this all together. I hope that s the series goes this will flesh out that way it should and be a great story that my friends raved about. I decided to rate this introduction trade 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. 

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: 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: The Vision Vol. 1 Little Worse Than a Man

The Vision was always one of my favorite Avengers long before the movie adaptation. For some reason, he dropped off the radar for a period of time but has returned and he now has another family??? I will admit I was very eager to read this when I saw it. But this was not what I had hoped for. I was hoping that this would have filled in the gaps as to where he has been and how and when did he get a new family? How were they created? We all know that the Vision is based on Wonderman, but where did the basis of his wife and children come from? This book even had an explanation for the dog, but not the rest of the family. Leaving all of this out and turning this into another murder/ someone knows what you did Pinnochio type story just didn't impress me. I thought this was okay for a debut self-titled series, but it left a lot of stuff in the dark. I rated this 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. It's an okay mediocre read if you are looking for more info about this character but will not really answer anything if that makes sense.

 

Review: Red Thorn Vol. 2 Mad Gods and Scotsmen

First off I have to say I absolutely loved the first volume of this series. I was super impressed as it seemed original and pulled some fascinating folklore into it. This was the first book of 2017 that I gave 5 stars to on Goodreads. So, of course, I really wanted to read more in this series. I have included the review I did of the first volume just so you get an idea of how much I enjoyed it.

I know that the second volume has been available for quite awhile now, but I decided to read other stories so that I may savor the anticipation of reading this series. I finally got around to reading this recently, and I felt very let down. Not only was this nowhere near as good as the prior volume, but apparently this is the end of the series??? Or at least that was the impression the ending of this volume gave me. If that was not the only gripe I had it would be fine, but events in this book seemed to jump scenes with no real explanation or reason for why whole scenes seemed to fast forward at times leaving me confused and thinking how did that happen. This read as if they decided to end the series before this was even written and fuddled through writing this that they made for awkward progression through the finishing of it. I decided to rate this 3 out of 5 stars only because I really enjoyed the first volume, but this was not what I had hoped for in a conclusion.

Review: Clean Room Vol. 1 Immaculate Conception

This was on my recommendations list for quite awhile before I finally got around to reading it. I mean the title seems not to lead to any real clues as to what it's about and the cover seems kind of generic. So that was why I was not in a big rush to read this. But this is not too bad. I totally did not expect it to be what it is. Which is kind of hard to explain and even harder to pinhole this into one genre alone. I would say Weird fiction is the best match as it combines elements of horror, the supernatural, and possibly science fiction....along with a good dose of mystery and suspense.

The story revolves around a few major players who are apart of the mystery which I will not go into detail as that would spoil part of the charm of this book. Others have compared this to Fatale, and I can see the comparison being a worthy one, as that series also relied heavily on supernatural and mystery elements to keep the reader interested. But with this being said this is not a book for everyone. It does contain mature subject matter and at times disturbing scenes/imagery. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Some folks loved this and others just didn't like it. I thought it's a decent enough read and I will continue on with the next 2 volumes although I did find some things kind of silly.

Click the above link to purchase your own copy. 

Review: Batman- The Dark Knight III : Master Race

I really enjoyed Miller's original Dark Knight book and did not anticipate it going beyond the first book. I was pretty excited to see another book in this series. I mean an older, much more mature and angry Batman set in the future. Who doesn't want to see that? With this being said you cannot just jump into book 3 without having read the first 2 volumes of the trilogy. Trust me if you do you will be completely lost in who is who and what is going on. I have always enjoyed alternative storylines that change the heroes we all know and love and make them into something that sets them apart from the norm. 

The third volume stayed true to the writing and story that Miller had originally created. Along with the signature art style that also makes these unique. It was fun revisiting this future what-if world where Batman and Superman still do not really trust each other but still work together to save the world and get the job done. So even though I did enjoy this I do feel it's time to let this have it's heyday and not continue on with the series. I feel that this tried to capture some of what made the prior 2 feel and look so great but it felt flat towards the ending. I enjoyed reading this and rated it 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, but really feel Miller should start another series or maybe focus on the DCU of this storyline versus continuing on with the Dark Knight. 

Get your copy here by clicking the above link!

Review: Lost Boys Vol.1

So I'm pretty sure like others who are fans of vampire fiction and the classic cult film of the same title ...I was super excited when I saw that Vertigo was publishing this. First off I have to say I loved the film. This not so much. The art was kinda blah. None of the characters looked like the people from the film. I mean didn't the artists reference the film this was based on??? But as if just the art was the only bad thing about this dream turned into stale reality. The plot was very rushed and just kind of felt dull. I do not know that I will rush out to read the next volume if this series continues. I was generous with my Goodreads rating and gave it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Get your copy here -

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. 

Huck: Comic Book Review

The cover alone and the fact that this was written by Mark Millar (writer of the Kick Ass series), had me wanting to read this. I didn't even know anything about this. I almost thought this was a Huckleberry Finn remake for a modern age. But nope that is not what this book is. Instead, this was its own thing. So what is this about you may ask....it's about a simple man named Huck who just wants to do good deeds. He does a good deed every day. I say,simple man because most think Huck is mentally retarded or slow. But I got the impression that he was just a caring person. So if doing good deeds were not an enough he has abilities, unlike a normal man.

I did enjoy this book but it just wasn't great like Kick Ass or Wanted. The art was good, but the story seemed kind of rushed and unbelievable. To be honest it wasn't a very original story either. I sometimes felt like the way people viewed this guy as if he were like Forrest Gump, and the ending part of the story was too alike other types of action movies I have seen. This was a fast read and one that might not be for everyone. I rated this 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

 

Review: Escape From New York Vol. 1

Okay, I saw this new comics series, based on an old post-apocalyptic 80's movie. If you have never heard of Snake Pliskin then you are missing out on a cool action hero. SO I was like I must read this now!!!

I will admit that the first film which is the title of the comic series was not as good as it's sequel Escape From L.A. SO of course, I wanted to read this series once I found it. I have been kinda busy but just got some time over the Christmas holidays to read the first volume.This volume starts up immediately from the end of the L.A. film. This is cool and I am okay with that, but it then spirals out of control. This somewhat cool continuation starts to get corny real fast. The dialogue was not as genuine as the original film dialogues and felt phony and un-Snake like. Not to spoil it, but the villain in this book is a pair of twins....wait for it. Who are kids! Yeah, that's what the main villain was....HUGE let down, right?  So I liked that they chose to continue on the journey of this cool character, but the story was rushed and corny at times. So overall I rated this only 3 out of 5 stars. I am currently reading the second volume of this and yes it starts out rushed into yet another scenario...let's just hope it gets better.

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: Fight Club 2

Pretty much everyone has seen the film Fight Club.  I will admit I enjoyed the film but have yet to read the book that it is based on. But even though I have not read the novel I jumped at the chance to read and review it's sequel.
If you enjoyed the film I do think that you will enjoy this continuation of the story. Sebastian and Marla have moved on from Project Mayhem and even have started a family.

So Sebastian has been trying to keep Tyler buried in his subconscious, by taking his prescribed medications.  But Marla misses the hot sex that she had with Tyler. So she has been tampering with Sebastian's meds. "Tyler Durden Lives"...literally. He comes back and so does all of the madness that we saw in the Fight Club film. If that were not the whole situation but now they have a son, and he is in the middle of this. Which makes for an even more interesting story.

Another thing that this sequel proposes is just who is Tyler Durden? What is he exactly? These questions open up a whole 'nother scenario that I cannot get too deep into, and even cannot share a photo from the series because it is too spoilerly. 

The author, Chuck Palahniuk even stars in this sequel. I know strange, right? I can't talk about his role in this either because of....you guessed it. Spoilers!?!

I know a few fans were disappointed with the way that this ended, but seriously? You cannot take a franchise like Fight Club too serious anyways. Yes, the ending was way over the top , kinda rushed, and dumb. But it is what it is, and I enjoyed the ride there. I decided to rate this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I really enjoyed this and I think fans of the film, and possibly the book will too.

Get your copy here-

Review: Hellboy in Hell Vol. 2 Death Card

If you are like me then you absolutely love Hellboy. To be honest I don't think I have ever read a bad Hellboy book or even one that I did not enjoy. Of course one of the good things about Mignola's Hellboy is his stylistic drawing style that emphasizes heavy lines of shadow.

But enough of why Hellboy is so good. I read Hellboy in Hell Vol. 1 and of course I enjoyed that one too. So when I got the opportunity to read and review the follow-up, and finale for this series I jumped at the chance. This continues on with Hellboy's adventure through Hell. It features short stories about different people who have gone to Hell for some reason or another. Now I do not know if these are based on actual people, but there was a section of the book where it talked about them as if they were real people. The title is Death Card due to one short story being based on a gambler who could never lose. I really enjoyed reading this, and I rated it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. This releases on Oct. 18, 2016. Below I have included a link so you can pre-order a copy now.