Review: Beast Boy

 

Teen Titans: Beast Boy 

Rating: 4/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy! 

Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Garfield Logan has spent his entire life being overlooked. Even in a small town like Eden, Georgia, the 17-year-old with green streaks in his hair can’t find a way to stand out–and the clock is ticking. Senior year is almost over. If Gar doesn’t find a way to impress the Chosen Ones–the social elite at Bull Creek High School–he will never know what it’s like to matter. Gar’s best friends, Stella and Tank, don’t understand why he cares what other people think. They miss their funny, pizza-loving, video game-obsessed best friend.

Then Gar accepts a wild dare out of the blue. It impresses the Chosen Ones and his social status soars. But other things are changing, too. Gar grows six inches overnight. His voice drops and, suddenly, he’s stronger and faster. He’s finally getting everything he wanted, but his newfound popularity comes at a price. Gar has to work harder to impress his new friends. The dares keep getting bigger and the stakes keep getting higher.

When Gar realizes the extent of his physical changes, he has to dig deep and face the truth about himself–and the people who truly matter–before his life spirals out of control. 

So, Beast Boy is my absolute favourite in Teen Titans so I've been practically vibrating in excitement waiting for this to come out! I really enjoyed Garcia and Picolo's work on Raven and I couldn't wait to see what they'd do with Beast Boy! 

Once again, I loved how the colour scheme for the volume's art was all shades of green or cool tones to match Beast Boy much like for Raven's volume it was all purple and blue! I also liked the art once again, particularly how the scientific aspects/DNA/body diagram's were all drawn and time passing and so on.  

I feel like Gar is quite relatable with the whole 'everyone has a thing, you just haven't found yours yet' thing, I know I felt that deeply anyway! I also feel like he's incredibly relatable with his desire to fit in and be popular if only to see what it's like. He doesn't go too crazy with it or let it get to him that much though it does push him at one point. Overall Gar is basically just really relatable in this volume and there's some teen angst because of everything he's going through with being small and kind of weedy, I guess? There's an additional, subtle thread of something strange going on with him woven throughout that builds up and comes to a nice climax towards the end of the volume! 

I loved Gar's friends and how Stella and Tank always had his back! I'm sad that he had to leave them behind for the next phase of the story! Beast Boy is a nicely paced origin story showing how Gar comes into his power and where it came from. It builds throughout the volume until he finally realises something's wrong and what that is and has to go to Slade for help! He's not entirely in control of his power and we don't see too much of it, I'm sure we will in the next volume though! Slade is such an ominous presence, I can't lie! 

I liked how the story flowed up until the end and set things up for the next volume and the next phase as Beast Boy and Raven will no doubt meet! Gar still has a way to go with controlling and understanding his power, but he's well on his way! 

Review: Black Canary Ignite

Black Canary: Ignite 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Thirteen-year-old Dinah Lance is in a rock band with her two best friends and has a good relationship with her mom, but when a mysterious figure threatens her friends and family, she learns more about herself and her mother's secret past. 

As a huge fan of both Meg Cabot and the DC universe, I've been super excited for this team up and for Meg Cabot to give Dinah her own spin! DC are really spoiling us with some wonderful author collaborations this year! 

First things first, the character designs were so cute and fun, as was the colour scheme. I really enjoyed all of the bright colours, I felt like it was fitting for Dinah's character as well as her world. The introduction to she and her friends was also a lot of fun, I got such strong girl power vibes from them and I loved the dynamic between them. 

Dinah and her friends are going through careers week, figuring out their future and what they want to do as well as in Dinah's case struggling with her parents disapproval over what it is that she wants to do. Her police officer father isn't exactly thrilled that she wants to follow in his footsteps. But I feel like this part of the story will be quite relatable to a lot of readers! 

Dinah has a strong sense of what it is that she wants to do and achieve with her life, and a determination to do it all. She's also kind of a badass and doesn't really take any crap from anyone. Her friends are as equally colourful and fun to read about, just as strong in their goals as Dinah. I loved that Kat's a cheerleader but not your stereotypical kind, all three girls were a little bit different and a little bit quirky which is why I loved them so much! 

Of course, her future isn't the only thing Dinah's struggling with, she's struggling with the strange incidents around her that seem to point to her being able to destroy things with her voice. She refuses to believe that she could have a superpower and as such struggles with her new power, what it can do and how to control it. Plus we've got a shadowy figure creeping around. 

One thing I did enjoy a huge amount in this was Dinah's parents and her relationship with them, it was so nicely depicted. While her father wants to keep her safe, he's still proud of her desire to save people, and they always have her back in any given situation. They encourage her a lot too when it comes to her power. I also enjoyed the relationship she had with her friends, it was very natural and very well done as she tried to keep her secret from them and they worried for her. 

Nicely paced, and with a nice amount of humour as well as some excellent relationships, along with a nice journey for Dinah as she figures out how to use her power, comes to terms with it and herself and finds the courage to use it. Black Canary: Ignite is a fun read, with nice, bright art and a lot of quirky characters to bring the story to life! 

There are also a tonne of easter eggs when it comes to the DC universe, Green Arrow, Batman, Batgirl, the Joker and a lot of other familiar names dropped throughout the volume as well! 

Review: Batman Nightwalker

Batman: Nightwalker
Rating: 4/5 
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Returning home from his lavish eighteenth birthday party, Bruce Wayne stops a criminal's getaway - disobeying the police and crashing his car during the chase. 

Sentenced to community service in Gotham City's Arkham Asylum, he encounters some of the the city's most dangerous and mentally disturbed criminals. Among these, Bruce meets the intriguing Madeleine who has ties to the Nightwalker gang that is terrorizing Gotham City.

She's a mystery Bruce has to unravel but can he trust her? The Nightwalkers target the rich, and Bruce's name is next on their list.

First thing's first, I loved the art style for this graphic novel adaptation! The art is just gorgeous, the character designs are wonderfully drawn and I really liked the aesthetic of them, but I loved the colour palette for this entire graphic novel the most. It's all black, white and grey with yellow being the only colour but it's only used for certain things...to accent things you could say and I really loved that choice! I also particularly liked the way the expressions were drawn on character's faces and the emotion that you could see in their eyes where brought across so well with the art, like the snide looks Bruce got in one particular panel. 

The beginning of this is intriguing, and there's action from the start including a nice and tense car chase. After that it's not long before we're presented with a mystery in the form of the Nightwalkers and then we're getting up close and personal with Arkham Asylum. Bruce is adjusting to life as a billionaire now that he's 18 and like Madeline says...he sees everything in black and white. Good and bad. He's also a little bit too nosy for his own good in this case! 

Madeline is suitably mysterious, she seems to relate to Bruce and you can empathise with her past. But you can't really trust her and I was constantly torn between wanting to trust her...but not quite being able to bring myself to. You could never really be sure if she was telling the truth or if she was lying and she's very manipulative but she certainly kept you on your toes.

As someone who's read the original book, I have to say this was nicely paced and we move through the story wonderfully from point to point with action, tension and suspicion throughout before everything wraps up perfectly. The key plot points and most important scenes have been picked out to be brought to life in the graphic novel, with the characters expressions getting across a lot of the emotion as well as adding to the tone and atmosphere of the scenes. None of the plot or feeling behind it is lost with this adaptation, and you can see the beginnings of Bruce becoming Batman with his need to solve mysteries and crimes. By the end of the volume Bruce has been set on his path to truly becoming Batman. We also get cameos from Alfred, Lucius, Harvey Dent and James Gordon as well.

Review: Teen Titans Raven!

Teen Titans: Raven
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

When a tragic accident takes the life of 17-year-old Raven Roth's foster mom—and Raven's memory—she moves to New Orleans to recover and finish her senior year of high school.

Starting over isn't easy. Raven remembers everyday stuff like how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can't remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. And when impossible things start happening, Raven begins to think it might even be better not to know who she was before.

But as she grows closer to her new friends, her foster sister, Max, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she's ready to face what's buried in the past... and the darkness building inside her. 

I'm not super well versed in the Teen Titans universe, not compared to other DC characters but I did watch the show on Netflix and really enjoyed it, and I've been curious about each of the characters! So when I spotted that this was coming out, it was immediately on my TBR...let alone when I realised Kami Garcia was writing it! I have to say...I really, really enjoyed this. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed the story and the artwork. 

The art is pleasing to the eye, it's got clean lines and neat character designs. I really liked the way everything was cool toned for the most part, when it came to the colour palette. Purples, blues, blacks and greys...which coincidentally went really nicely with Raven's hair! We basically had more dark, and muted colours rather than bright colours, which I thought fit with Raven as a character remarkably well! However creepy demon Trigon was completely red, which made him stand out all the more in the story as 'other' and not really belonging there. I also liked the touch of the red tinge when she was angry and influenced by him so you could tell it wasn't entirely Raven. Even the speech bubbles matched, Raven's being purple and his red. The thoughts of others where a nice muted grey as well, another clever touch in the storytelling and it gave you the impression of a faint thing heard in passing rather than a loud, shouted thought. 

The final thing I wanted to say about the art was I thought it was interesting how everyone and everything was muted out except for Raven, and occasionally her aunt, Max and Tommy. The only scene anything close to full colour, including the backgrounds, is part of her outing/date with Tommy and when you see her with her friends and I'm wondering if that's because they're happy memories to her. Either way, I liked how the art and the colour choices helped with the storytelling and it was cleverly done to match! There's also some beautiful images of the raven behind her in the mirror with its wings stretched out! 

As for the story itself, we jump straight in with things, and we have mystery from the start with the accident, the swift appearance of the demon, and then we dive in to getting to grips with Raven and her power. She has amnesia so she remembers nothing of it, so she's getting to grips with it all right alongside us, the reader. Meanwhile, there's a dash of the ominous as we have Slade hanging around with his talk of delivering kids for strike teams, which is no doubt going to come in to play later. 

Everything builds up nicely, we meet Raven, learn about her powers, see her become close with others, see a little bit of romance, we've got the mystery with the demon and the ominous graveyard visits to commune with spirits and then everything comes crashing down for the finale as her memories return and we have our questions answered regarding the demon and her powers and so on. 

I enjoyed the cast of characters, there's a nice amount of representation when it came to the cast, LGBTQ characters, Latin and African American characters, which was nice to see. Raven is easy to empathise with her and I actually found myself liking her a lot more in this graphic novel than I did in the TV show, I had a few moments with the show when she bugged me, I have to be honest. But I really enjoyed her character in this and I feel like I understand her a lot better in this. She's an empath and can hear everyone's thoughts even if she doesn't want to and she's struggling with the demon voice popping in and making unpleasant things happen. I liked seeing her open up to Max and Tommy and let them in and allow herself to become close to them, and I think she's a strong character. 

Her foster sister Max is awesome, and she's my new favourite character after Raven! She tried her best to help Raven as much as she could, and look out for her. I ship she and Eman so badly, but she has a secret of her own that she's keeping from everyone and she doesn't want to let him close. That secret being that she's Soulstorm of course, and her mother is the Mother of Souls. All I'm saying is, they have some seriously awesome ghost related powers and I was getting excited at the clues and implications! What I loved most about Raven and Max, was the sisterly bond between the two of them. They really cared about each other and became so close, and then the end kind of wrecked my heart a little bit. The way Max said "you don't have to have the same parents to be sisters" hit me right in the feels and I kind of need more of the two of them, if I'm honest!? 

Tommy is another prominent character in this graphic novel, and in his own words...he's 'unfiltered'. I thought he was quite sweet initially, helping her to find out what her favourite candy bar is and so on. There was one weird moment with him that had me side eyeing him but I kind of pushed aside a little, and went on my merry way. Like it was in the back of my mind but I was choosing to ignore it, I think. Until of course my shady radar started pinging. I'm curious about him, I don't recall him from the show but then I do have a mind like a sieve so who knows. I'm curious as to who and what he is and I'm assuming we might be seeing him again in the future. 

Oh! One other little touch I liked? The use of the Dracula quotes, and while they don't make sense to Raven...if you're familiar with her already you're reading and smiling to yourself because it's so accurate and was so nicely done! 

Everything came to a fantastic conclusion, questions are answered for us although Raven is left heading off to go and try and get some answers from Slade about how to deal with Trigon. I have to say...I need more. I feel like this was a really solid introduction to the Teen Titans universe, and Raven in particular. It smoothly introduces you to her, shows you her powers and what she can do and she was realistically represented, angry and scared because of what was happening to her. I liked the storytelling, the pace as brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed how the story was portrayed on the pag by the artist! Whether or not you're familiar with the Teen Titan universe isn't going to matter if you want to pick this up! 

I'm kind of sad that there won't be a second volume for Raven, but I had assumed Kami was just writing this one story about Raven, I actually didn't realise this would be a series, so imagine my surprise when I reached the end of the volume and saw a sneak preview of Teen Titans: Beast Boy also written by Kami Garcia and coming soon! I loved him in the show okay, so this is going to be excellent! I'm looking forward to seeing Kami and Gabriel team up again and I'm excited that they're presumably going to be doing all the Teen Titans! I'm also going to assume Raven may or may not make an appearance in Beast Boy's volume! 

Blog Tour: Mera Tidebreaker

Mera: Tidebreaker 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Mera is teenage royalty, heir to the throne of Xebel, the other not-so-lost colony under the sea. But Mera is destined to wear a different crown, that of Atlantis. When the inhabitants of Xebel plot to overthrow their homeland of Atlantis, Mera is sent to kill the heir to the throne, Arthur Curry. As the unrest between their colonies grows, Mera and Arthur unexpectedly fall in love...will Arthur Curry be the king at Mera's side in Atlantis, or will he die under her blade? 

I am so excited for DC's two new imprints, DC Ink and DC Zoom, bringing us some of our favourite authors taking on some of our favourite DC characters! DC Ink is kicking things off with Mera: Tidebreaker! 

I'm not going to lie, it took me a while to finally get around to watching Aquaman, but when I did I completely loved it and I loved Mera in particular. So of course I had to read Mera's own graphic novel! 

Mera is rebelling and being a badass right from the first page. Understandably she and her people of Xebel aren't happy to be under Atlantean rule. Mera is trying to figure out who she is quite a lot in this volume, which makes her super relatable. She wants to follow in her mother's footsteps but her father has other plans so she decides to make her own destiny, as it were. She's not about to let Larken take her throne from her, but is she really cut out to be a killer? 

The art for this is good, I liked the colour palette of blue's and greens as it fit with the fact that this is largely set under the sea or near to it. It also serves to make Mera stand out as her red hair is quite eye catching! The pace is also nicely done, introducing us to the world of Xebel and the political climate and what the situation is with Mera before bringing in Arthur and having her get to know him....and save him which I cheered for! All comes to a satisfying conclusion after a lot of tension and murder attempts! 

I enjoyed reading this and I feel like it's going to be an inspiring and relatable read for it's intended teen audience. It's a fantastic introduction to Mera, and I also feel you can read this if you aren't familiar with Aquaman or Mera previously! 

Don't forget to check out the other stops on the blog tour! 

Graphic Novels: The Despicable Deadpool

The Despicable Deadpool 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

To be honest I don't think I'll ever nor find Deadpool completely freaking hilarious. He's such a snarky asshole an he always has a comeback and half the time he's just so damn right. This volume is action packed and time travel-ly with some dinosaurs and vampires thrown in and it leaves on quite the interesting note. 

To be honest with you guys, I don't think I'll ever not find Deadpool completely freaking hilarious. He's such a snarky a-hole and he always has a comeback and half the time he's just so damn right with his snarky little comments. I found myself laughing out loud or at least chuckling so many times while I was reading this volume. "Oh Deadpool" is pretty much my catchphrase when I was reading this! 

This volume is action packed and time travelly with some dinosaurs and vampires thrown in and it leaves off on quite the interesting note. As for the art, it was brilliantly drawn, and I enjoyed the colour palette and how it changed depending on the setting! 

Graphic Novel: All New Guardians of the Galaxy 2

All New Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2: Riders in the Sky
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Your favorite Guardians take turns in the spotlight! Gamora - the most dangerous person in the galaxy - has been hiding something from her teammates. What is her secret quest, and how did it find her? Star-Lord has been sailing the radio waves of the cosmos for years, keeping up with the one piece of Earth he could never quite leave behind - discover the story of his sonic conquests! And Drax has long been known as "The Destroyer"...but no more! He has forsaken all violence, and sworn to never again strike another in anger - now, follow Drax down the road of peace! 

I'm kind of torn with this volume, because it was quite disjointed and there where different artists for each of the stories, some I liked and some I didn't. I really wasn't much of a fun of the art for Star-Lord's little story. I did feel a little disappointed when reading the volume and upon finishing it. I was expecting to see the story move forward after the events of the previous volume, and to see what happens next, but this volume focuses on each character one at a time. Which you know...gives some more background on the characters and where they're at right now in the story, and provides some new insight in to the characters and their actions. So while it was disappointing it was kind of necessary I guess. 

The opening was interesting, with Gamora and the whole situation with her. We finally find out what Drax's deals is with the whole pacifist thing. As well as more insight in to what's going on with Groot and what happened and so on. We basically get a couple of chapters that focus on each character or a couple of them. Then we hit issue 11&12, which gives us some background on the talons. So it kind of all fleshes out the story and the characters more, but it was really disjointed and not at all what I was expecting. 

We also get a brief visit from Loki who's up to no good...standard. And Dr. Strange made a brief appearance. My favourite guest star was Deadpool however, even though he was only there briefly. I'm furious they kicked him out but kept Ant-Man. 

We end on quite the cliffhanger, just when the volume was starting to get good. I will admit, I'm feeling more impatient than normal to get on with the story! 

Graphic Novel: Rocket

Rocket: The Blue River Score
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Get ready for a life of spacecrime with Rocket! It's a dirty universe out there, even when you're not regularly mistaken for trash-foraging vermin. And it's about to get dirtier. He thought his paws were clean, that he was on the up-and-up. But then an old flame swam back into his life, and he was back in the game...the heist game. If you need a safe cracked, a vault busted or a score taken...ask for Rocket. Just don't call him a raccoon.

The opening really reminds me of an old black and white detective/crime movie, kind of thing! With the whole bar scene and the intro and so on! I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this volume, but this totally surprised me with the tone and the narrative and the storytelling! 

I have to say, I live for all the nice little easter eggs that got dropped in, like you know....Daredevil. I love catching them and fangirling a little bit! 

Rocket assembles a crew to pull off a heist, which I could have told him was a bad idea! Then the story evolves in to a prison break and it was such a lot of fun as the tables turned again and again. It's fast paced, completely hilarious like the lines, and the language used and everything. I had many a chuckle as I was reading! I loved it. It genuinely had me cracking up continuously! I also loved the written narrative going along the side, it was seriously like an old black and white 30's movie! 

I loved the pairing of Rocket and Deadpool, it was a match made in snark heaven and I need more of it! I could quite easily read an entire series that's just the two of them, I'm not going to lie! 

Rocket is a fun adventure featuring you know...Rocket, obviously! I loved the storytelling to it and the way it was written, it was something a bit different to what I'm used to in comic books but oddly enough it really fit Rocket and it was wrapped up really well! 

Graphic Novel: The Shield

The Shield: Daughter of the Revolution
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Over the centuries, in our nation’s times of need, a supernatural force appears to battle back the enemies of the United States: THE SHIELD.

Today, the country—and the whole world—is on the edge of chaos. The middle class is dying as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Global warming’s effects on the environment are drastic and dramatic, with superstorms and deadly droughts. The government increases its grip on the lives of ordinary people, controlling information and curtailing freedoms and privacy. For some, the government itself has become an enemy of the people, and revolution is on the minds of Americans all across the country.

The Shield returns—but what happens when she’s not sure who the enemy is?

The Shield has some really nice art to it, it's a bit dark and grungy which fits the story and the theme, but it's nice to look at too! The opening is intriguing, and I was soon sucked in to the story. I wanted to know who she was, what had happened and who's after her and why. There where so many questions to be answered right from the start. I loved the historical aspects as we get glimpses in to her past and everything she's been involved in, it added to the intrigue too! As well as tidbits of her past with Chase which I'm also curious about! I'm curious about so many different aspects of the story to be honest! 

I really loved our MC, she was quite funny, and a total badass, I loved her interactions with Nicole too and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the two of them working together and puzzling things out! 

This is a fun first volume, introducing the characters and the situation. There's plenty of action, and I'm left wanting more, along with still having a fair few questions that I need answered! I'm so excited to see more of V and Nicole too, they're going to be quite the team! 

Graphic Novel: I Am Groot

I Am Groot
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Groot is back - smaller and better than ever! When the Guardians of the Galaxy get caught in a wormhole, a pint-sized Groot finds himself out on his own, billions of light-years away from his team, on an entirely alien and unknown world full of strange creatures and societies. Seriously underdeveloped and with nobody who can understand him, Groot will need to make the journey to the center of this world if he is to find the way back to his family! 

It's no secret that Groot is one of my favourite characters from Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians is one of my favourite series! So I've been super stoked for a series that's aaaaallll about Groot as well as curious as to how it would be done! 

I loved the art and the art style. It was beautifully drawn and nice and colourful, and the colour scheme fit the series nicely.....plus Groot is so freaking cute! 

Baby Groot is is enjoying his childhood according to himself, which means he's low-key misbehaving. He pulls the crew through a mysterious portal and ends up getting left behind and has to fend for himself on a strange new planet. There's a nice, shady Administrator in charge of everything and determined to stop Groot from returning back to where he came from and you know...generally up to no good! The whole planet has a sense of wrongness that translates from the page and the images. 

Groot gets himself a new oddball crew, Diplatessa, Dhamsus and Buddy! They where such an interesting group and I was curious about each of them! They fit with Groot well and I enjoyed the interactions between them all, they provided for a nice amount of comedy. A couple of the characters had to translate for Groot, obviously, but the volume went along quite well despite Groot not being able to say anything but "I am Groot". 

I Am Groot is fast paced, entertaining and humorous. Groot as the main character has certainly been a lot of fun and a wild ride! I'm really hoping there will be more! We get to see another, kind of creepy planet, and there's some little easter eggs thrown in for you to spot! We also get to see some fun interaction between Groot and Rocket and some more of the friendship between the two! 

Graphic Novel: The Once And Future Queen

The Once and Future Queen
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Rani Arturus is a chess prodigy with no plans to be a leader of any sort, let alone QUEEN. After she pulls the legendary sword Excalibur from the stone...well, no backsies. Now she must form a new round table made of friends and family to protect the Earth from an invasion of Fae, who'd like a new planet to call their own. It's magic, romance, adventure, and excitement as old myths reveal themselves to be fake, and new ones cause trouble for everyone!

You guys know I love King Arthur, I rewatch Merlin religiously, and if it has King Arthur in it or anything to do with him...then I'll read it. I'm a sucker for anything King Arthur related, so of course I had to pick this up! I mean it's King Arthur reimagined as a multi-ethnic teen girl in the modern day....sign me up! 

The Once and Future Queen is fast paced from the start, and there's no faffing about as the action kicks off straight away. Our setting is Portland and the UK, and our MC is an LGBT WoC, she's also super relatable. Like she has the kind of reaction to everything that any of us would have and I was really rooting for her, she's a brilliant MC! 

The rest of the cast of characters are just as brilliant as Rani is, Gwen is a hilarious badass. Lance is also hilarious and a genius at making things. Merlin is......Merlin. Morgana cracked me up way too much for a villain, she went from all evil Fae to author on a deadline in like 0.3 seconds. "Be gone. Deadlines" I genuinely cracked up. Even the parents are pretty funny too, rather than the annoying ones usually present in this kind of story. It was nice to see them included! 

Our entire cast of characters are diverse both in ethnicity and in LGBTQ representation, which you know...was really nice to see in a comic! I wasn't entirely expecting it either so it was a nice surprise for me to read about! I love how everything has been adapted and changed to fit the modern setting. Yes it's in the modern world, but there's still plenty of magic and fun. 

Along with Rani coming to terms with who she is and what her power is, and the team you know....teaming up. There's the two factions within the Fae, both wanting to take over the world and Rani and co are the ones that need to stop it. Of course Morgana is our villain, because who else would be?! 

The art is fun, the Fae drawn incredibly creepy and sometimes just plain gross. The Fae world is a lot brighter, with more colours than the occasionally drab and dark real world, but the colour combinations in the Fae world are occasionally kind of eye watering. 

I'm really impressed with the story so far, and we cover a lot of ground with getting to know the characters, seeing relationships and plot develop all in just this one volume. I'm excited for more to come, and this is a brilliant start to the series I have to say! 

Graphic Novel: All New Guardians of the Galaxy

All New Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

The Guardians of the Galaxy have taken off into space once more on their biggest and weirdest misadventures yet! Kicking things off with the boldest heist they've ever pulled, Star-Lord, Rocket and company blast their way through the galaxy -with the peacekeepers of the Nova Corps hot on their tail! And soon enough, they find themselves caught in a war between the Collector and the Grandmaster! Will there be any room to explain why Groot can't grow any bigger, what Gamora is searching for, or why Drax has sworn off violence?! 

The volume opens in typical Guardians fashion....with a prison break! And as usual...it has a brilliant soundtrack even in graphic novel form! Not to mention the fact that it's freaking hilarious! I love the interactions between the group and Quill is always my favourite. He cracks me up so much, and he's just so snarky! 

Poor old Groot is a baby and is having trouble regenerating, Drax has come over all pacifist which is unfortunate considering their on their most dangerous/suicidal mission yet. With an action packed, fast paced volume we go on quite the wild ride, before some pieces fall in to place and the larger plot is revealed to us. It's certainly going to be interesting, shall we say? 

As for Loki? I'm disappointed but not surprised. 

This volume is hilarious, and Rocket and Quill are forever cracking me up. The art is colourful and Groot is too cute. I'm genuinely enjoying the art style for this series, everything is so well drawn and fantastical at some points! I'm enjoying the colours used too. Roll on the next volume! 

Graphic Novel: Spider-Gwen 4

Spider-Gwen Vol 4: Predators
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

After her adventure with Miles Morales, Gwen finds herself thrown into her toughest, most intense encounter yet. One word: Gwenom! It's the mash-up to end all mash-ups, but the stakes are high and the consequences are all too real! Can she get through this new challenge in one piece? And with Wolverine and Matt Murdock gunning for Harry Osborn, Gwen will need to step in and save him - but will the cost of this rescue be her own soul? As predators aplenty converge on Madripoor, things get deadlier than ever for the Spider-Woman of Earth-65! Plus: Musical mayhem with the magnificent Mary Janes! 

Ominous opening much?! I mean, sure it was exciting and provided some tension for the volume but sooooo ominous! Gwen's in deep with Murdock and she sets out to help Harry de-lizard, as it where. But there's a surprise newcomer....Mr. Murderhands who's hilariously familiar. His name begins with a W ;) Shadowcat makes an appearance too. 

While this is setting up the next story arc, Gwenom, this is far from the regular filler. Gwen is forever hilarious and she cracks me up but she's dealing with a lot emotionally this volume, and she has to think long and hard about what she wants to do...save Harry and face some ominous consequences or not save him. Casual stuff like that. It was nice to see some cameos from some well known and loved characters. I also enjoyed how it linked back to volume 1! 

The art is colourful and bright, and the volume itself is action packed and fast paced. There's a way to help Harry but it's going to cost Gwen and we all know exactly what it's going to cost. We're left with quite the cliffhanger as we wait to see what happens next, but we all know Gwenom is coming let's be real. Everything's going to change and things aren't looking good for her dad either. 

The volume does end on a slightly strange note, as we get a kind of filler chapter with MJ and co. It shows some nice bonding between the three of them, and MJ is pretty convinced Gwen is you know...the superhero and she gets her own little badass moment which was nice to see. I mean...it didn't have much bearing on what was going on, and it seemed out of place, but at the same time it was probably best to go that way rather than kick off the next arc in earnest! 

Manga: Brave

Brave
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

In his daydreams, Jensen is the biggest hero that ever was, saving the world and his friends on a daily basis. But his middle school reality is VERY different - math is hard, getting along with friends is hard...Even finding a partner for the class project is a big problem when you always get picked last. And the pressure's on even more once the school newspaper's dynamic duo, Jenny and Akilah, draw Jensen into the whirlwind of school news, social experiment projects, and behind-the-scenes club drama. Jensen's always played the middle school game one level at a time, but suddenly, someone's cranked up the difficulty setting. Will those daring daydreams of his finally work in his favor, or will he have to find real solutions to his real life problems?

I haven't read the first book, but this works just fine as a standalone so don't hesitate to read this without having read the first book! I have to admit, I wasn't sure how I'd get on with this one, I was thinking...middle school boy...hmm...but you guys. This had me choked up and nearly in tears. 

I could really, really relate to Jensen and how he felt throughout the book. I felt the same way at school, like there was a secret I didn't know and I just had to get through the day and then it would all be over. As someone who has been bullied, and who's experience at school was you know...viewing it as a living hell I couldn't wait to be over...I just really connected to and related to Jensen. 

I knew something was shady with his friends from the beginning, and it was heart wrenching for me to see Jensen realise that he is being bullied, that it's not just people 'joking' and his reactions to it broke my heart. The poor little guy had me tearing up. I really liked Jorge he was the only one who was solidly nice to him and looked out for him, I wish I'd had a Jorge! The newspaper crew where great but at times they weren't brilliant to him either, although they where there for him in the end. To be honest I got a wee bit protective of Jensen. 

I wasn't too sure about the art style, but I loved Jensen's daydreams and adventures scattered throughout his every day life, they where bright and colourful, a contrast to the other illustrations. I also liked how he viewed school as a game and how that was shown on the page. 

Brave is brilliantly diverse, but it's diverse in a way that's natural. It's not diverse for the sake of it, or forced in there, it's just natural and great to see. The world of this book is brilliantly brought to life and it's rich, and the characters all have their own distinct personalities that have been well developed. I actually really enjoyed this story, and the way the author brought it to life with art and dialogue. Plus like I said...I just found Jensen and his situation so relatable and at times it was incredibly emotional for me because it was like taking a trip down memory lane. I really liked how the bullying theme was handled. 

Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon

Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Borrow
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Following his encounter with the vampire Selymes, Sherlock Holmes embarks on an Arctic expedition under the assumed name of Thomas Sigerson. During his excursion, the great detective uncovers strange and dark forces at work, and only learns that some mysteries are best left unsolved!

As the GoodReads synopsis says...Sherlock Holmes does indeed meet H.P. Lovecraft in this Holmes story. The artwork for this particular graphic novel was very well done, not at all cartoony, very dark and realistic, as well as detailed. The setting of Victorian London was beautifully created and very authentic! It's actually the art giving it a high rating and I was tempted to give it four for the art alone. 

The dialogue added to the authentic feel of the setting and the narrative was all very straight forward, I didn't really have a problem with it. I was expecting the supernatural elements to the story when I received the novel to review, and I was most intrigued as to how they would be worked in to a Holmes story. I have to say, it was very well done and I actually enjoyed the blend of Victorian England being so authentic with Holmes and all the supernatural goings on. There was no Watson however?! No Watson in a Holmes story?! What was going on with that? Perhaps I missed something, as I've realised this is a follow on from a previous Holmes story. 

Anyway, everything comes together very well and the plot was good. I've given it three stars however because I just didn't find myself engrossed in it or glued to the page. My mind was wandering as I was reading and I found myself focusing more on the artwork rather than the words, and I did find myself a bit bored once or twice, which is a shame because I did enjoy the blend the novel had going on as I said. I'm not really sure what it was either? Perhaps it was the dialogue and the phrasing, perhaps I thought the pace was a little bit slow, it could have been any number of things but it was just disappointing considering how fantastic the artwork was and how much I enjoyed the addition of the supernatural. 

The Graveyard Book Volume One

The Graveyard Book Volume One
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bloomsbury

As a huge Neil Gaiman fan, I leapt at the chance to get my hands on this particular book to review!
We join Bod from the first threat on his life through to the Macabray Dance, where this volume ends.

I am really pleased I can put all fans fears to rest and say, don't worry guys, the graphic novel adaption keeps the feel of the novel and the original text! Plenty of creepiness abounds, but I mean...it's a good creepy?

The different illustrators sections blended together well and makes for smooth reading, with no jarring differences throwing you off.

The story is just as engaging in this format as it is in the actual book, I think there's lots of scenes you imagined when you where reading the book, and looking at them in the graphic novel it's more or less how you pictured it!

This is a truly beautiful novel, and one that will need to be in any fans collection, I myself can't wait for volume 2!