I Am Their Silence: Barcelona Murder Mystery by Jordi Lafebre

I Am Their Silence: Barcelona Murder Mystery by Jordi Lafebre

Je suis #1, 112 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

A cool, hip, wisecracking psychiatrist named Eva turns amateur sleuth after a rich Catalan winemaker is found dead at the luxurious family estate hours before the reading of the matriarch's will, and Eva is viewed as one of the prime suspects. As she embarks on a chaotic journey through a richly detailed and seductive Barcelona cityscape to uncover the real killer, she must deal with two different families and their troubled the rich family that makes wine...and the family that talks to her in her head.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Anaïs Flogny

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Anaïs Flogny

240 pages

⭐⭐⭐.75/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Chicago, 1930. Jules Tivoli is a penniless Italian immigrant doing odd jobs to make ends meet. A twist of fate causes him to cross paths with Adam, a kingpin in Chicago’s criminal underworld who sees something in Jules that nobody else does—something special.

Under Adam’s wing, Jules becomes somebody and falls in love hard with the man who made him. But after an FBI crackdown, Adam and Jules must flee to New York to escape being caught in the ensuing chaos.

In New York, Jules’s Italian heritage gains him access, recognition, and power in the Cosa Nostra crime family. As he becomes more important in a city where Adam can’t seem to catch a break, he meets Eufrasio—his handsome, violent, and ambitious new partner who insists that Adam is holding Jules back. But Jules would be nothing without Adam—wouldn’t he?

Torn between his past and his future, a sudden betrayal forces Jules to find a way to protect his love and prove his loyalty—if he can even manage to make it out alive.

Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross

Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross -- 381 pages

There's a reason no one messes with a grim...

Livvy Savoie is a people person. Not only does she have the magical gift of persuasion, but her natural charisma charms everyone she meets. She hasn’t met a person she didn’t like. Until her annoyingly brilliant competitor walks through the door. No matter how hard she denies it, loathing isn’t the only emotion she feels for him.

Grim reaper Gareth Blackwater is rarely, if ever, moved beyond his broody, stoic state. But the witch he’s partnered with in the public relations contest is destroying his peace of mind. He’s convinced that the flesh-melting attraction he feels for her is merely her witchy magic at work. But forced proximity proves there is more than magic sparking between them. Livvy learns this enigmatic grim’s abilities are beyond any supernatural she has ever known. And when Livvy becomes the obsessive target of a dangerous wizard, Gareth proves just how powerful he truly is. Because no one is going to hurt his Lavinia.

My Hero Academia, Volume 14 - 18

My Hero Academia, Volume 14 - 208 pages

My Hero Academia, Volume 15 - 192 pages

My Hero Academia, Volume 16 - 192 pages

My Hero Academia, Volume 17 - 192 pages

My Hero Academia, Volume 18 - 192 pages

Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb D. Cook (Translator)

Series Summary (From Volume 1 on Goodreads)

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks” at age four? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…

Review

The Shie Hassaikai Arc reached its conclusion here and good grief these books can be emotional when they want to be!  I'm glad we got some more insight into All Might's character and motivations, rather than him remaining as the semi-distant mentor figure whose eventual decline would herald dark times for Japan and the world as a whole.  Also, I thought all the interactions between Eri and Mirio were really endearing!  

Batman: Hush (New Edition) by Jeph Loeb

Batman: Hush (New Edition) by Jeph Loeb

Batman: Hush Saga #1-2, 352 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Gotham City is infected by a crime epidemic and all of Batman's enemies have emerged to throw his life into utter chaos. But little do they know that they're all pawns of the villainous Hush in an elaborate game of revenge against Bruce Wayne. Pushed past his breaking point, Batman will need to use more than the world's greatest detective skills to uncover the true identity of this mysterious mastermind before it's too late.

Marvel/DC: Spider-Man/Superman #1 by Brad Meltzer, et al.

Marvel/DC: Spider-Man/Superman #1 by Brad Meltzer, et al.-72 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

THWIP, THWIP AND AWAY! Fifty years ago, DC's Man of Steel met Marvel's friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, and the world of comics has never been the same! In celebration of that historic milestone, thrill to ALL-NEW tales of Spider-Man and Superman and their friends and foes!

Brad Meltzer and Pepe Larraz pit Spider-Man and Superman against Lex Luthor and Norman Osborn as their greatest villains exploit some of their greatest weaknesses!
In the shadow-laden 1930s, Spider-Man Noir encounters the original Golden Age Superman as told by Slott/Martin!
A crisis ensues as Johns/Frank bring the Super- and Spider-families against each together at the summons of Mysterio... but is their true foe an ally out of control?!
Symbiote hordes invade Metropolis as a new War of the Realms ignites in Aaron/Dauterman's epic.
Co-creator of Steel Louise Simonson hammers out the tale of John Henry Irons' clash with the Hobgoblin, as drawn by Todd Nauck!
Kelly/Ramos take us on a campus crossover between Gwen Stacy and Lana Lang!
Miles Morales (Spider-Man) teams with Superman, as Bendis and Pichelli re-team!
All this, and more than a few super-surprises you'll be talking about for the next fifty years!

Thoughts: I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories/comics from Marvel and DC. There are more superheroes and supervillains than just Spider-Man and Superman. Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Ghost Spider, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Jane Foster Thor, and so many more make a brief appearance. 

Wade Wilson: Deadpool #3 & #4 by Benjamin Percy

 Wade Wilson: Deadpool #3 & #4 by Benjamin Percy-32 pages each, 64 pages total

⭐⭐⭐⭐

ONLY SMILING ON THE OUTSIDE! WADE WILSON is down, and fate (and the gangsters he’s gotten wrapped up with) keep kicking! He’s smiling on the outside, but what tragic fate has befallen DEADPOOL? Witness the gut-wrenching horror Wade has endured…even as he walks into a deadly murder in Central Park that will change the course of his life!

MOB LIFE! The gangster HAMMERHEAD has cottoned on to DEADPOOL's secret. But WADE can't be bought… No wait, that's not right. Wade can totally be bought. That's his whole deal as a mercenary… OH, Hammerhead has the 'Pool by the floats, that's what it is, and whatever choice he makes, someone close to him will wind up DEAD!

Thoughts: I liked both of these issues/volumes and I look forward to continuing this series. I enjoy Deadpool's irreverence and sarcasm.