Goodreads Book Review - Doctor Who: The Silent Stars Go By

Doctor Who: The Silent Stars Go By by Dan Abnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I haven't read that many Doctor Who books, but with the few I have, the most important factor for me is just how real the character voices feel. Meaning, when I read the dialogue, does it sound like the characters do on TV? Can I hear their voices in my head, picture them saying the words and acting out the motions described? In this case, with the way Dan Abnett (who I'm a huge fan of from his comic book work) writes this story, I definitely can. Add that to the fun, twisty plot he created and the good supporting characters, and you have all the ingredients for what would make a great episode of the show. Eleven, Amy, and Rory all feel true to the characters, and what I love about this story is that the Ice Warriors get a better deal here than they did in their one episode of "NuWho" so far. It's a little slow here and there, but for the most part it's a great story that Id recommend for any fan of the Eleven and the Ponds era of the show who is feeling a little nostalgic.


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Reblog: Words From the Master: Review and Contest for CS Moore Grimm Fairy Tales Snow White Ruby Edition Statue

My buddy Gio is running a contest on his site to give away a pretty cool piece of comic-related swag, so even though it could hinder my chance of winning, I thought I'd reblog it here to give some of my readers a chance to enter and perhaps become his readers too. Click the link below to check out the contest and find out how to enter.

Or, y'know, don't, and increase my chance of winning!

Words From the Master: Review and Contest for CS Moore Grimm Fairy Tales Snow White Ruby Edition Statue

Goodreads Book Review - Armada

Armada by Ernest Cline
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up because I enjoyed Ernest Cline's previous book, Ready Player One, and was hoping to find more of the same. In a way, I got what I wanted; it's filled with the same humor and appreciation for geekdom both modern and classic as Ready Player One, two things I loved about both stories. But while Ready Player One felt very long but not in a bad way, like it was given room to breath and become fully realized, Armada feels far more rushed. Both the story itself feels shorter and the pacing feels far quicker, like things happen in a blur and are over before I really had a chance to enjoy them. So while I loved the characters involved and world-building that went on, the pacing left me cold. But while it's true not all books can be perfect, the imperfect ones can still be enjoyable and, flaws aside, Armada is still a good read.


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Panel of the Week: 8/12/15

Here's a quickie for you this week, because work has been absolutely insane and I'm running on empty. This week's winner, from Red Hood & Arsenal #3 (written by Scott Lobdell, who I used to love, and drawn by Denis Medri) goes a long way to show you just how bad DC can get.

That's the big new villain of this book. Underbelly. SO, you know, he has to be fat then. And gray. And have multiple heads. Even though he's apparently the unkillable embodiment of the concept of organized crime. Or something. It doesn't make a lot of sense. They explode him once, and he comes back, so their solution is to explode him again and hope it takes him longer to pull himself back together this time. Again, stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. And totally DC.

Make mine Marvel.

Goodreads Book Review - Every Day

Every Day by David Levithan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I thought this was a beautifully written book, even if it does come off as a YA version of Quantum Leap, but without the science or any explanation at all. Which is fine, because that isn't the story the author was telling, and I'm more than capable of enjoying the story in front of me as it is. I love what Levithan does with the language when it comes to A's narration, and I love the characters; A and Rhiannon feel very vibrant and lifelike to me. I did have a major problem with the book, though, that kept it from getting four or even five stars. The whole story really seems to be about how love is valid no matter the shape it takes, because you fall in love with the person inside... gay, straight, trans, whatever. Love is love and it's beautiful. Until, this book seems to say, it comes to the overweight. Once A explains to Rhiannon his situation, that he wakes up inside a different person every day, she eventually falls in love with him, no matter who he wakes up as. He's a boy, a girl, a boy born in a girl's body, different religions, different races, different ailments, whatever. And she loves him in whatever shape he is. That is, until he wakes up as someone who weighs three-hundred pounds and it's suddenly too much for her to have him be someone else and she calls it off. Granted, it's possible that was just the emotional arc and it would have happened at that point regardless of who A woke up as that day, but the fact that Levithan has her be so taken aback by A's size that she won't even touch him combined with A's own very apparent discuss as he talks about his new body really amounts to a chapter full of body-shaming that mars an otherwise beautiful story about love and acceptance.



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Panel of the Week: 8/5/15

Let's get some Spider-Man love going this week, as the winner this time comes to us from Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #3, written by Dan Slott, with art by Adam Kubert, who is a bit of a legend in the field, going back at least to his stint on Wolverine back in the '90s, if not even farther back than that. It's an alternate reality tale, part of the Secret Wars event, from a world where Peter Parker and Mary Jane are still married and have a daughter. In this issue and specifically in the page from which the panel we're about to see can be found, Annie is asking her mother if her father ever lost any of his battles. This is how MJ responds:

Aside from loving Kubert's pencils (although I always preferred his brother Andy, and even more, their truly legendary father Joe Kubert), which bring a perfect sense of melancholy to Mary Jane's features, I love the juxtaposition of her saying Spidey always wins while visualizing some of his greatest losses. It definitely makes me miss the days these two were married, back before the shitshow that was One More Day. Ugh. I feel an ulcer kicking in just thinking about it. I'll just enjoy the art instead.

Panel of the Week: 7/29/15

Yeah, I know this is really late. Shit happens. There might just be another of these tomorrow to help me get caught up. Or maybe not. Anyway. For the first time, a panel wins this mostly meaningless weekly award based on the dialogue, not the art. Here, I'm sure you'll see what I mean.

The above panel comes from Age of Ultron vs. Marvel Zombies #2, and yes, that's a mouthful. And also yes, that's a Puritan version of the Punisher as he stomps on the head of some zombified Marvel bad guys. The art is by Steve Pugh, and it's a great design, but it's the writing by James Robinson that does it for me. Not only does the scene itself as imagined tickle e pink, but that dialogue, my goodness. It's almost enough to make me want to be a Puritan Punisher for Halloween.

Goodreads Book Review - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I decided to read this mostly because I loved the movie and have run low on things to read. I was pleasantly surprised by it. Despite its protestations of not being a love story, it's definitely written with a lot of heart. The characters are fully realized and wonderfully brought to life. the format and writing style is creative and just a joy to read. The only drawback for me is that the main character (the "me," as it were) is written as being way, way to down on himself and the story he's telling, especially when narrating. I realize it's part of his characterization, trying to get over how bad his self-esteem is, but that point comes across plenty in his dialogue; it doesn't need to be hammered home again and again in his first person narration as well. Other than that little annoyance, however, I absolutely loved this book.


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Goodreads Book Review - The Seventh Sigil

The Seventh Sigil by Margaret Weis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There are a lot of things to like about the conclusion of this trilogy. It was action-packed, filled with great character moments, and even had a few touching emotional moments thrown in there as well. Which is no surprise to me, having been a reader of Weis' work for most of my life. What I didn't like about the book is how and where the characters ended up at the end of it; while after looking at it it's true the characters ended up happy and ultimately getting what they really wanted, it wasn't what I wanted for them and it annoyed me. Selfish, maybe? Sure. But equally sure is that it must say something about how good a book and, ultimately, the series was and how good the authors' work was that they made me care enough about the characters to have that reaction. In the end, the Dragon Brigade series turned out to be some pretty great period fantasy adventure, and I'd recommend it.



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"All American Bully" Review - Written by Jim Herling

http://www.film-arcade.net/2015/07/all-american-bully-review-written-by.html