Netgalley Round UP! Graphic Novel Spotlight and mini-reviews

Thanks to Netgalley I’ve had access to some amazing Graphic Novels in the past month or so. Here are my thoughts on them:

DC

Justice League America has a bit of a dark edge to it. It fits into a lot of the changes the New 52 instituted in regards to characters and with Geoff Johns at the helm there is a lot of humor amongst the team building. I liked the art but found my self continually disappointed in the physical look of Catwoman. Especially because she is written so well. My favorites on the team are Vibe and the new Green Lantern, but there are some solids bits by the other team members as well, including a very scary Martian Manhunter. Definitely a title I would continue to give a chance in trade format, will see how it goes.

Injustice was a bit of a disappointment to me. Maybe it’s because I’m not playing the game, or maybe its the spoty art and the good hero goes bad trope, either way I thought it was just ok. The series follows a what if scenario. What if the Joker killed someone dear to superman. Would supes snap? and if so what would be the outcome? who would support Superman, who would fight him? The fight scenes were a bit cool but overall I’m not motivated to continue with the story.

  

Archaia

Archaia has done a wonderful job with Cyborg 009.It’s not always easy to adapt a foreign work to English but I found it very easy to follow around with the story. A young teen wakes up with no memory of who he is. He hears strange voices in his head and manifests a surprising power. Soon 9 learns he has been abducted and experimented on along with 8 other subjects from various age groups and racial backgrounds. Thanks to a helpful scientist the team breaks free and is on the run.

There are a lot of themes in this story that readers will find familiar but they are freshly presented and engaging. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this series develops. There is a great website to learn more about the series click HERE to learn more.

IDW

Colonized sounded really great in the description. Aliens vs Zombies ?  Yes! But this story failed to really capture my interest. The subplot about a group of feuding town folks was boring and the characters were very stereotypical. I wasn't a big fan of the zombie action either.

!!!! I love what IDW is doing with Judge Dredd Year One ! I brought the first trade and was excited to see the next collection on netgalley. This series focuses on the rookie years of Mega City Ones greatest Judge. I love how the writers take elements from the British series and create unique cases for the US version. In this collection Dredd is investigating a number of cases involving young juves developing psychic powers with disastrous results. Solid action and art. This is a great way for new readers to experience Dredd’s world.

Dynamite

Dynamite is doing a great job with these Sherlock stories. Ill be doing a full review of this book tomorrow, but let me just say that fan of Holmes and Watson will love the look and feel of this story.

So Grateful for Netgalley as a continuing source of great graphic novel reads. Hope I’ve inspired you to check these books out! Happy Reading!

R.I.P. Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Liverpool Demon by Moore & Reppion

PUBLISHER:

Dynamite Comics

I received a download of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review

I find Sherlock Holmes stories  very atmospheric. I’m always able to envision the locations and action from Doyle’s narratives, especially in The Hound of the Baskervilles.  One look at this gorgeous cover by Francesco Francavilla and I new I wanted to read this graphic novel collection. Though The Liverpool Demon is not canon (not written by Doyle), it has the feel of a true Holmes story.

Set in August 1888, the story opens with  Holmes and Watson  celebrating a recently solved case with drinks at a local hotel. While ruminating the recent case the pair  are invited to dinner by a former colleague of Watson’s. After a pleasant evening,the two awaken to find the rail lines flooded and travel to England by rail impossible. While Watson is contemplating alternate transportation, Holmes sees an interesting piece in the paper that causes him to stay.

A demon has been spotted and has brutally murdered a homeless man. Interest piqued, Holmes checks back into the local hotel and asks the local police to show him the body, which turns out to be a gory mess! Holmes sees enough to stay put and begin to investigate the threads of the case.

This is a really creepy tale. There are bloody corpses, strange animals, creepy tunnels and vicious thugs that aren't too happy that Holmes is sticking around.

The art on this book is fabulously gothic. Lots of dark shadows and creepy shadows. Holmes and Watson have to immerse themselves in the seedier side of the port city and the artistic team does a great job of portraying the squalor and danger of the times.

Each issue in this trade collection leads the reader closer and closer to the solution of several mysterious threads with a high speed, thrilling finish. I really loved this collection and want to see more from this team. A perfect, creepy read!

This is book 1 of my Peril The First Challenge and for :

Review: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

 

 

 

 

Publisher:

Harper Collins

Source:

Purchased

 

AH!! The lure of the free e-book! Bored with your current read? Free E-Book! In the middle of a self-imposed book buying ban? Free E-Book! I had heard blogger buzz about this series for awhile and I had been in love with the cover for some time when I heard on twitter that Sweet Venom was free for a short time. That was over eight months ago and I just got to this book a few weeks ago and I fell in love with the characters.

 

The book opens dramatically with a snapshot into the world of Gretchen: Monster hunter. In a few pages Tera brings the reader up to date on Gretchen’s world and her motivations. I loved the snark in Gretchen’s narrative voice. She is practical and kickass!

In Chapter two we meet Grace Whitfield who is completely different from Gretchen in many ways. Grace is an honor student and a computer whiz. She has moved to San Francisco to attend a prestigious school and is dealing with a little stress over uprooting her family.

Things start of  well for Grace until she starts seeing things. Huge smelly creatures wandering the world yet not drawing the attention of anyone else, or so she thinks until she meets Gretchen, who surprisingly  happens to be her identical twin! Soon Grace is drawn into Gretchen’s world and through her investigative skills learns that the two of them are not alone. There is another G to the family line: Greer, which means the girls are triplets and know that they have found each other all hell is breaking loose!

This book is a textbook case of what I love about YA paranormal series. Tera does an amazing job fleshing out each girls personalities and by alternating chapters with the different POV we learn more about the girls then they are willing to share with each other.

Really looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.