Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (2011), 136 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

The year's most talked about story! Miles Morales IS the new Spider-Man! What's the secret behind his powers, and how will he master them? What new and familiar enemies will rise to challenge this all-new Spider-Man? And will Miles live up to Peter Parker's legacy?

Review

Miles is my favorite Spider-Man and I really enjoyed this start to his origin story, so I'm excited to continue. I am also in real need of this series since the third Spider-Verse movie keeps getting delayed.

Nightwing, Vol. 1: Leaping into the Light by Tom Taylor

Nightwing, Vol. 1: Leaping into the Light by Tom Taylor

Nightwing (2016), #078-083, 160 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Nightwing is back—and his drive to keep Blüdhaven safe has never been stronger! But his adoptive city has elected a new mayor with the last name Zucco. When Nightwing enlists Batgirl’s help in investigating the politician bearing the same name as the man who murdered his parents, she unearths details that will shock and fundamentally change the hero.

Dick Grayson’s big heart has protected those persecuted by bullies in his youth, combated evil alongside Batman as Robin, and pledged his newly inherited wealth to enriching Blüdhaven as Nightwing. His kindness and generosity have always guided his life. But now a new villain stalks the back alleys, removing the hearts of the city’s most vulnerable. Who is this terrifying new menace named Heartless, and will he be able to resist plucking out the biggest heart in all of Blüdhaven?

Review

Nightwing is my favorite superhero so I will probably love every volume! Seeing the dynamics of the Bat-family was really fun and it's obvious there is a lot of heart in this story.

Robin: Year One #1-4 by Chuck Dixon

Robin: Year One #1-4 by Chuck Dixon

216 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Already entrenched in the Batcave and his official training complete, young Dick Grayson has a world of experience to gain and a ton of new enemies to make--beginning with the truly insane Mad Hatter! The early days of the Boy Wonder begin here!

Review

This was a really enjoyable intro to Dick Grayson's Robin, and I liked how they acknowledged the dangers of a child fighting crime. The retro art style is fun and works well for this story.

New X-Men, Volume 2: Imperial by Grant Morrison

New X-Men, Volume 2: Imperial by Grant Morrison

New X-Men (2001) #2, 224 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

As protesters lay siege to the Xavier Institute, Professor X lies in a coma, trapped within the shattered form of his evil twin, Cassandra Nova.

Review

A good conclusion to the Cassandra Nova arc. The art is a little weird but I kinda like it.

Star Wars, Vol. 8: Mutiny at Mon Cala by Kieron Gillen

Star Wars, Vol. 8: Mutiny at Mon Cala by Kieron Gillen-144 pages

I really enjoyed reading this comic/graphic novel. Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewie, R2-D2, and C-3PO set out on a mission to rescue the King of Mon Cala from an Imperial high security prison. The goal is to get him to authorize the Mon Cala fleet to aid the Rebellion since the regent (who is in the King's place) won't. They will have to kidnap the Moff of the Mon Cala region and replace him with a being who can replicate him. First, they have to rescue said being from a prison. Will Leia and the gang succeed? Will Mon Cala's fleet aid the Rebellion or not?

Scarlet Witch, Vol. 1: Witches' Road by James Robinson, et al.

 Scarlet Witch, Vol. 1: Witches' Road by James Robinson, et al.-112 pages

Scarlet Witch feels something wrong within magic/witchcraft. She's not sure what it is or who is causing it, but she feels it nonetheless. Her travels to face off against villains and find answers take her across the globe. I enjoyed reading this, but not nearly as much as I enjoyed the Disney Plus series "WandaVision." 

The Big Bad Fox by Benjamin Renner

The Big Bad Fox by Benjamin Renner - 188 pages

Try as he might, the Fox just isn't big, bad, or scary.  Not a single animal on the farm is afraid of him.  So he schemes with the wolf to steal some eggs. When they hatch, they'll have a tasty meal.  But things never go as the fox plans . . . .

I really enjoyed this children's comic.  It was quick to read -- I read it on my lunch break -- yet it tells a complete story.  The fox is endearing for all of his bumbling and his growing attachment to the chicks.  However, my favorite characters were the chicks themselves as bloodthirsty, scary foxes.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

What Would Dewey Do? by Bill Barnes

What Would Dewey Do? by Bill Barnes -- 128 pages

Volume two of our favorite library comic strip! I'm still wondering if I would enjoy this if I didn't work in a library. I think I would, but maybe not as much.

Amulet - Book 1 - The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi

Amulet
Book one - The Stonekeeper
by Kazu Kibuishi
192 pages







After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals.
Eventually, they enlist the help of a small mechanical rabbit named Miskit. Together with Miskit, they face the most terrifying monster of all, and Em finally has the chance to save someone she loves.

There are seven books in the Amulet series:

1. The Stonekeeper (2008)
2. The Stonekeeper's Curse (2009)
3. The Cloud Searchers (2010)
4. The Last Council (2011)
5. Prince of the Elves (2012)
6. Escape From Lucien (2014)
7. Firelight (2016)

Bone: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith

Bone: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith - 142 pages

This comic features a blob-like creature named Fone Bone who helped his cousin escape from being mobbed by running away from the town of Boneville.  While wandering around he loses his two cousins and finds his way into a beautiful valley.  Unfortunately, there are rat-like creatures that want to eat him, a dragon that seems to be following him around, and the snow has blocked his way out of the valley to find his cousins.
This is a fairly popular comic with younger children. I picked it up as part of the Banned Books Week challenge this month.  I'm not quite sure why it was banned.  I don't really see anything offensive in this first volume.  It seems to be a fairly tame adventure fantasy comic for children.

Bad Machinery: The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison

Bad Machinery: The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison - 135 pages

Six middle school students try to solve the mystery of a cursed football team while making sure an old lady doesn't lose her house. 
I was not impressed with this book.  There were several misspellings and the grammar made no sense whatsoever.  It was almost as if the panels were not proof-read.  I also think the story would have made better sense if you had read the previous web comics it is based on. 

Doctor Who, v.1: The Hypothetical Gentleman

Doctor Who, v. 1: The Hypothetical Gentleman - 104 pages

This comic contains two Doctor Who stories.  The first - The Hypothetical Gentleman - was not very good.  The second - The Doctor and the Nurse - was slightly better.  In both the artwork was offputting.  The characters did not look like them in the tv show.  This is only for Doctor Who super-fans.

Concrete, vol 4, "Killer Smile," by Paul Chadwick

 Concrete, vol 4, "Killer Smile," by Paul Chadwick, 120 pages

It wasn't the best idea to jump in with volume 4 of a series with which I am completely unfamiliar; but I could still follow along.  Concrete is some sort of, well, concrete alien, whose friend, Larry, has been taken hostage/carjacked by some crazy robbers.  This is not a funny read, nor is it super strong as a stand-alone.  There is a darkness there that gives it some depth, though, and you can certainly follow along.

Deadpool Killustrated, by Cullen Bunn, 96 pages

Deadpool Killustrated, by Cullen Bunn, 96 pages

They say that this makes more sense if you read Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, but it makes sense on its own just fine.  Deadpool is a mercenary in the Marvel Universe- he kills all sorts of comic characters.  But by this volume, Deadpool has become self-aware, and is intent on killing the very idea of superheroes, etc, which begins in the "classics."  So Deadpool goes out into the universe and kills Moby Dick, the ladies of Little Women (don't worry- he doesn't walk away unscathed), the Musketeers, and other literary characters, in his attempt kill the root of the Marvel characters.  Meanwhile, he is being tracked by Sherlock Holmes and a gang of other literary characters, intent on saving their own existences.  This book was pretty wild- I thought it was funny, and as a lover of reading, etc, there are some interesting allusions made.  There's some mild gore, though, that might offend those of a sensitive nature.

Batman: Hush, vol 1, by Jeph Loeb, 121 pages

Batman: Hush, vol 1, by Jeph Loeb, 121 pages

This has promise for being a good Batman arc.  Catwoman and Killer Croc both participated in a ransom- but are they the ones behind it?  Can Batman trust Catwoman- even work with her?  Can romance bloom between the two?  This is definitely just the beginning- someone is running a scheme in the background and neither Batman nor the reader yet know who it is.  There are good, strong female characters in this one, which is always nice to see in comics.

I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales from a Happy Life Without Kids, by Jen Kirkman

I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales from a Happy Life Without Kids, by Jen Kirkman, 213 pages

Men don't seem to get asked this question that every childless woman over the age of about 25 gets asked on the regular: "So, when are you having children?"  Jen Kirkman, a child-free by choice stand-up comic, takes on the people who ask this question and those who can't accept "I don't want children" for an answer.  It was refreshing to hear a fairly normal woman defend her position, and add some humor to the conversation.  What it seems to boil down to is that it really isn't anyone else's business, and we really should stop inquiring about the choices other women and couples decide to make.

Saga, volume 1, by Brian K Vaughan

Saga, volume 1, by Brian K Vaughan, 160 pages

We are thrown right into the middle of the action at the beginning of this book- so much so, that I thought I had not picked up the first volume. But it is a hip, outerspace/fantasy sort of comic.  Alana and Marko should be fighting on opposite sides in an intergalactic war.  Instead, they're running from both of their armies, getting married and delivering their baby together.  It is a very adult series.  Fans of Vaughan's Y: the Last Man series might like this (different type of story, same sort of voice).  

100 Months, by John Hicklenton

100 Months, by John Hicklenton, 170 pages

This is one of those books that you read more because of the book's back-story than the actual appeal of the book.  John Hicklenton, a talented comic artist, struggled for years with multiple sclerosis, before deciding to take his own life with the help of an assisted suicide group.  100 Months was his salute to the rage of life and death, and the last work he produced, knowing that he was going to kill himself upon its completion.  The work itself is stark, bloody, and evocative of our most visceral fears of death.  While it's a small book, the text requires concentration and thought, and you will definitely have to read it more than once in order to put together even the roughest meaning.  It was dark, but brilliant.

Marvel 1602, by Neil Gaiman

Marvel 1602, by Neil Gaiman, 248 pages

What if all of the Marvel heroes that we know and love were Marvel heroes in the year 1602?  Well, Sir Nicholas Fury would be advisor to Queen Elizabeth, and his loyal assistant would be young Peter Parquagh, with a penchant for spiders.  And the Inquisition would be trying and burning mutants at the stake, Dr. Doom would be a count keeping the Fantastick Four captive, and apparently the world might end because of a incredibly strong, blonde-haired American Indian named "Rojahz" (but pronounced Rogers. Marvel fans will see where he's going with that.)  This was tougher than most Marvel works to get into, simply because of some of the language and making connections with who characters were seventeenth-century equivalents of.  But it was well worth the read for those who like Marvel characters and also enjoy historical fiction.

When the Wind Blows, by Raymond Briggs

When the Wind Blows, by Raymond Briggs, 48 pages

This book is basically about an elderly British couple who are planning for an impending nuclear holocaust, and how they react to the aftermath.  This is one of those books that is short, and seems simple, but it's actually pretty profound. This is less of Briggs' Snowman style, and more of his Gentleman Jim style.