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| # | cover | title | author | isbn | isbn13 | asin | num pages | avg rating | num ratings | date pub | date pub (ed.) | rating | my rating | review | notes | recommender | comments | votes | read count | date started | date read |
date
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date purchased | owned | purchase location | condition | format | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0061998168
| 9780061998164
| 4.39
| 5,964
| Sep 20, 2011
| Sep 20, 2011
|
 After reading many of Shel Silverstein’s books including Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic, I stumbled upon one of his most recent boo...more After reading many of Shel Silverstein’s books including Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic, I stumbled upon one of his most recent books, which is called “Every Thing on It” and it is just as surreal and hilarious as his previous works! Basically, this book contains poems written by Shel Silverstein and some of my favorites include: All Packed Me and Joe, we’re all packed up, Me and Joe, we’ve got our tickets, Me and Joe, we’re set to go- Hey, wait a minute… Where’s Joe? Whoosh My hair blower worked in reverse today- There’s really not much more to say. What I always loved so much about Shel Silverstein’s books is that the books are always surreal and hilarious, making Shel Silverstein’s books so creative to read through. I have always thought of Shel Silverstein being like Dr. Seuss as his poems would usually have a rhyming scheme and often has outlandish situations happen to the characters; however Shel Silverstein’s poems are often much edgier than Dr. Seuss’ poems since most of his poems involves characters getting hurt or eaten. But, it is that slightly dark quality that I always loved about Shel Silverstein’s poems and this book definitely did not disappoint me in this approach! I loved the surreal nature of these poems as the characters would often meet creatures that are seriously out of this world, such as the poem “My Zoootch” where the bird-like creature actually helps scare a child’s nightmares away. I also loved Shel Silverstein’s illustrations as they are bizarre and simplistic at the same time and I think the black and white colorings of the illustrations really made this book even more unique from the other children’s books.  Parents should know that there are some suggestive poems in this book that includes characters getting hurt or eaten by various creatures. One poem that might disturb small children is the poem “My Hat” which shows an image of a small children wearing an extremely frightening hat that is shaped into a scary face and the illustration of the hat is so detailed that small children will be terrified by the image. Parents might want to read this book before they read it to their children to see if their children can handled some of the somewhat disturbing poems in this book. Overall, “Every Thing on it” is a truly superb book for children who are fans of Shel Silverstein’s works and are looking for books that have surreal images and poems! I would recommend this book to children ages seven and up since it is extremely lengthy and some of the poems might be a bit too suggestive for younger children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| May 04, 2013
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May 04, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 0785137688
| 9780785137689
| 4.05
| 57
| Apr 08, 2009
| May 13, 2009
|
 Introduction: When I heard so many good things about one of the most iconic “X-Men” stories, next to X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga and X-Men: Days of...more Introduction: When I heard so many good things about one of the most iconic “X-Men” stories, next to X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga and X-Men: Days of Future Past, “Proteus,” I just had to give this comic a shot! Now, I actually first heard about the Proteus storyline through the “X-Men” cartoon series that came out during the 1990s and ever since then, I was interested in seeing how this popular storyline unfolded in the “X-Men” universe and now, I finally got a chance to read it! What is this story about? In this story, after the X-Men’s intense battle with Magneto, each of the members believed that the other was dead. However, when Moira MacTaggert’s mutant son, Proteus, suddenly breaks out of his prison, the X-Men are reunited again and they have to fight this new menace that not only is out to get Moira MacTaggert’s estranged husband, Joe MacTaggert, but Moira herself! Can the X-Men defeat this new foe? What I loved about this story: Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s writing: As a long time “X-Men” fan, I was always interested in Chris Claremont’s writing during the early years of the X-Men and this comic was just as interesting as the stories “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and “Days of Future Past” were! I loved the way that Chris Claremont wrote Proteus as being a mysterious and frightening character that has a deep grudge against Moira MacTaggert and her estranged husband Joe MacTaggert as it made his character extremely interesting to read and I was actually scared of Proteus’ ability to warp reality to his will while possessing any body he comes across! I also loved seeing how the X-Men had to work together to defeat this foe while going through some personal issues to complete this job. One of the most memorable and intense scenes I had seen in this comic was when Proteus warps Wolverine’s mind and Wolverine ends up being terrified of Proteus. This moment stood out to me because Wolverine is usually shown as being a “tough as nails” character and to see a villain actually break down Wolverine emotionally was terrifying to see. I also liked the fact that this story was not as lengthy as Chris Claremont’s work in “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and “Days of Future Past” as we still get a really effective story while the story was extremely short enough to explain the characters’ personal feelings on this situation. I also loved seeing Havok, Polaris and Multiple Man (Jamie Madrox) appear in this story and actually help the X-Men out with Proteus, since John Byrne’s artwork: John Byrne’s artwork in this comic is truly beautiful and it really captures the spirit of all the characters. I especially loved the images of the X-Men themselves, especially of Jean Grey whenever she goes into Phoenix mode and you can see the powerful aura surround Jean Grey as it shows how powerful she is in her Phoenix form. I also loved the images of Proteus using his reality warping powers against the X-Men as the images look so surreal and distorted and it really gives off the creepy feel of Proteus’ powers.   What made me feel uncomfortable about this story: Not much was really wrong this story, but anyone who does not like seeing surreal imagery used in a disturbing way might feel uncomfortable of the scenes where Proteus warps Wolverine and Nightcrawler’s minds. The imagery during these scenes is extremely distorted and that might frightened anyone who does not like surreal imagery. Final Thoughts: Overall, “X-Men: Proteus” is a truly fantastic story that all “X-Men” fans should check out! Also, in the edition I got, there are three extra stories in this volume that are just as interesting as the main story and they are called “Shreds of Humanity,” “So Good it Hurts,” written by Ann Nocenti along with artwork by John Bolton and “Outside In.” Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Mar 28, 2013
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Mar 28, 2013
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1401200923
| 9781401200923
| 4.16
| 5,531
| Jan 01, 2004
| Nov 01, 2004
|
5.5 stars!
Introduction: After reading the first volume of the well-acclaimed “Batman” story, “Batman: Hush,” I just had to check out the second volu...more 5.5 stars! Introduction: After reading the first volume of the well-acclaimed “Batman” story, “Batman: Hush,” I just had to check out the second volume that would conclude this fantastic storyline! Now, that I had just finished reading “Batman: Hush Volume Two,” I can clearly say that this storyline definitely rates along my most favorite “Batman” storylines next to “Batman: The Killing Joke” and “Batman: The Long Halloween!” What is this story about? Continuing from the last volume, the story begins when Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle are attacked by Harley Quinn at the opera! Harley Quinn’s attack was not just coincidence as she is then connected to the Joker, who happens to have shot a close friend of Batman’s, who then leads to the Riddler planning a bank robbery and the story goes on until it reaches its shocking conclusion! What I loved about this story: Jeph Loeb’s writing: Oh my goodness! Can I just say that this volume had really put me at the edge of my seat? Yes I can, as Jeph Loeb has once again written a truly amazing mystery story that not only introduced Batman’s greatest foes (Killer Croc, the Riddler, the Joker, Harley Quinn, the Scarecrow, Ra’s al Ghul and Two-Face) all into one story, but managed to get all of the characters wrapped up into one shocking and twisted scheme that was cleverly thought up by a truly evil mastermind! I really enjoyed the way that Jeph Loeb weaved all the characters’ storylines into one story and it was exciting seeing how Batman would solve the case about who is behind his foes’ activities and who caused the death of one of his most beloved friends. I also loved seeing the developing relationship between Catwoman and Batman as Jeph Loeb truly showed Batman struggling with trying to trust Catwoman and how Batman has to learn to start trusting people despite what happened to his parents when he was a child. I especially loved seeing the appearances of Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Tim Drake (the new Robin) as they were truly fantastic characters and this was basically the first “Batman” comic I had read that featured both Dick Grayson as Nightwing and Tim Drake as the new Robin! I loved Nightwing the best as he has a bright and hilarious personality and is usually there to comfort Batman whenever he was at his most vulnerable. Jim Lee’s artwork: Jim Lee’s artwork once again was just as beautiful as it was in the first volume! I just loved the way that Jim Lee illustrated the lightning sequences in this volume as the lightning looks truly realistic and it really captured the intense mood of the scenes where Batman is fighting during the nighttime. Probably my most favorite images in this volume was of the fight scenes between the Joker and Batman as the panels suddenly go red as we see Batman beating up the Joker brutally and it really shows how intense this scene really was.   What made me feel uncomfortable about this story: For anyone who does not like hearing language in comic books, this volume does have a bit of language, even though it is not as strong as something you would read out of a Vertigo comic. Also, there is some violence in this volume, especially with characters getting shot and blood spurting out of the wounds. Final Thoughts: Overall, “Batman: Hush Volume Two” was just as good as the first volume and this storyline definitely deserved to be regarded as one of the best “Batman” stories ever as the mystery and the drama was so well built up! This volume has also gotten me interested in Dick Grayson as Nightwing and I am open to any recommendations about some good titles starring Dick Grayson as Nightwing! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Mar 16, 2013
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Mar 16, 2013
| Paperback
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| 1401200605
| 9781401200602
| 4.03
| 5,349
| Jan 01, 2003
| Aug 01, 2004
|
 Introduction: I have been reading many “Batman” comics for awhile now and after searching for some really good “Batman” stories that were recommended...more Introduction: I have been reading many “Batman” comics for awhile now and after searching for some really good “Batman” stories that were recommended to me by other fellow comic book readers, I keep hearing good things about “Batman: Hush” and I finally picked it up! “Batman: Hush Volume One” is apart of an alternative universe in DC Comics called “Elsewhere,” like where “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” also came from and I have to admit, I really enjoyed this volume! What is this story about? The story starts off with Batman trying to rescue a young heir to the Lamont chemical fortune named Edward Lamont IV from Killer Croc and after Batman rescues the young heir, he discovers that Killer Croc was trying to steal a case of money, which was stolen in the middle of the fight. Batman then realizes that Catwoman stole the money, but is not sure why she stole the money and it is revealed that Poison Ivy might be the ringleader in this entire scheme. Or is she? Also, Batman makes a trip to Metropolis to learn more about Poison Ivy’s whereabouts and guess who he runs into? What I loved about this story: Jeph Loeb’s writing: Wow! Jeph Loeb’s writing for the “Batman” series just continues to amaze me as the stories are fantastic and the characters are extremely well-written! This volume definitely does not disappoint me as the story and the characters were extremely interesting to me. I especially loved the way that Jeph Loeb portrayed Catwoman and Batman’s relationship with each other as their relationship felt a bit awkward, but in a good way as the sexual tension between Batman and Catwoman was interesting and clever at the same time. It was interesting seeing Batman having trouble with sorting out his feelings for Catwoman since we normally do not see Batman react so strongly to a situation he does not understand. I also loved the way that Jeph Loeb builds up the plot surrounding the mystery of the stolen money and how Poison Ivy is tied into this whole situation. I was practically trying to figure out the mystery of this criminal plan throughout the entire volume as it was cleverly woven into the lives all of the characters involved especially Batman, Catwoman and Poison Ivy. The storyline was clearly intense and dramatic and I was practically sitting in the edge of my seat trying to see the true motive of Poison Ivy’s plans and how it would affect Batman. Jim Lee’s artwork: After seeing Jim Lee’s artwork in the “X-Men” comics, I was interested in seeing more of his work! Well, Jim Lee’s artwork in this volume was absolutely brilliant as the characters look truly realistic and the colorings really brought out the surroundings. I loved the dark colorings done on Gotham City as it really sets the dark mood for the story. I also loved the image of Killer Croc himself as he truly looked monstrous and I loved his green scaly skin as looks truly frightening.   What made me feel uncomfortable about this story: The only problem with this volume is that there is some language and violence that might make readers who are not used to violence and language in books uncomfortable. The language is not as strong here as it would be in other comic books and the violence is probably more problematic as there are scenes of characters being punched and having blood spilling from them. Final Thoughts: Overall, “Batman: Hush Volume One” is a truly fantastic series so far and I cannot wait to see how Batman will uncover this huge mystery in the next volume! “Batman” fans will definitely be impressed with series for many years to come! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Mar 16, 2013
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Mar 16, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0786837462
| 9780786837465
| 4.33
| 9,074
| Apr 01, 2006
| Apr 01, 2006
|
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!. These are all the books I had read so far from Mo Wil...more
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!. These are all the books I had read so far from Mo Willems’ popular “Pigeon” series! Recently, I had read another book from Mo Willems’ fantastic “Pigeon” series and it is called “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay up Late!” With witty dialogue and cute illustrations, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay up Late!” is a fantastic read for children who are fans of the “Pigeon” series! When the Bus Driver tells the readers that they have to make sure that the Pigeon does not stay up late, the Pigeon comes in and starts trying to persuade the readers to let him stay up late. Once again, Mo Willems has amazed me with his witty dialogues and humorous illustrations in his popular “Pigeon” series! I loved the way that Mo Willems made the dialogue simplistic enough for small children to get a grasp on what is going on with Pigeon and yet is able to make the dialogue from the Pigeon hilarious enough for adults to enjoy. I loved the way that the Pigeon tries to persuade the readers to let him stay up late as many hilarious dialogues pop up whenever he is trying to convince everyone that he should stay up late. One of my most favorite quotes from the Pigeon was this: “How about five more minutes? Come on! What’s five minutes in the grand scheme of things!?” Mo Willems also did a fantastic job at exploring a parent’s frustrations at getting their own children to go to bed and having the Pigeon trying to persuade the readers to let him stay up late is really something that many parents would enjoy reading over and over again! I also loved Mo Willems’ illustrations as they were hilarious to look at and I also loved the simplistic drawings of the illustrations as they were extremely cute to look at! I really loved the image of the Pigeon himself as he has blue fur and constantly has crazy expressions on his face whenever he desperately wants events to go his way. Overall, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late” is a fantastic book for anyone who is a huge fan of the “Pigeon” series and for parents who also had trouble getting their children to go to bed! I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since the writing is simple enough for younger children to understand. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Feb 10, 2013
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Feb 09, 2013
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0060530928
| 9780060530921
| 4.09
| 128,314
| Sep 30, 2008
| Sep 30, 2008
|
  “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.” That is pretty much the opening sentence to Neil Gaiman’s classic story, “The Graveyard Book,...more “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.” That is pretty much the opening sentence to Neil Gaiman’s classic story, “The Graveyard Book,” so you definitely know what kind of book you are getting yourself into! After reading so many of Neil Gaiman’s fantastic books (“Coraline,” the “Sandman” series and “American Gods”), I just had to check out one of his most beloved young adult books, “The Graveyard Book” which also had the honor of winning the Newbery Medal Award! Filled with heartwarming scenes and your average creepy themes, “The Graveyard Book” is certain to be a hit with fans of Neil Gaiman’s works! The book starts off with the murder of an innocent family, which was caused by a man named Jack (they call him “the man Jack” throughout the book). When the man Jack thought that he killed the whole family, it turns out that the youngest child, who was a baby boy, managed to escape from Jack and ran to the graveyard. Since Jack could not find the child, he decided to give off the chase. When the citizens of the graveyard found out that the young boy’s family was killed, a ghost couple named Mr. and Mrs. Owens, decided to raise the boy themselves and they called him Nobody Owens. After that, the young boy Nobody Owens begin having many adventures in the graveyard including meeting the frightening Sleer and meeting a human girl named Scarlett, while also trying to figure out who murdered his family. Wow! I was totally blown away by the plot and the imagery in this book! As always, Neil Gaiman had crafted a brilliant story that not only revolves around the mystery of the murder of Nobody Owens’ real family, but also provided a heartwarming story about a young boy trying to discover who he really is and what he really wants out of life. I loved the way that Neil Gaiman made Nobody Owens into a sympathetic character who only wanted to see what life was like outside of the graveyard since he spent his whole life living in a graveyard and I often felt sorry for Nobody as his curiosity about the real world would not let him rest. It was also interesting in the way that Neil Gaiman mixed in the supernatural elements (such as Nobody Owens being able to fade so no one can see him and his ability to talk to the dead) into the story as it made the story extremely creative and creepy to read through! I really enjoyed the murder mystery aspect of the story as I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat trying to figure out if the man Jack will ever find Nobody Owens and how Nobody Owens would handle the man Jack if he ever comes across him! Dave McKean’s illustrations are simply gorgeous and creepy at the same time as the characters look a bit abstract, as their bodies are far too lean, but it fit the surreal atmosphere of the story! I also loved the way that Dave McKean shadowed the characters’ facial expressions as it made the characters look extremely dramatic and mysterious in every page they appear in. I also loved the creepy images of the graveyard as they really give off a mysterious and frightening feel to the story (the book is called “The Graveyard Book” after all!)   Even though this book is aimed at a young audience, there are some genuinely creepy moments in this book which includes what Nobody Owens did to two bullies at school and some readers might be a bit frightened at the creepy atmosphere of this book. Also, since there are many scenes of dead people talking to Nobody Owens, some readers would be frightened by the scenes of dead people walking around. Overall, “The Graveyard Book” is a truly fantastic book for fans of Neil Gaiman’s works and books with ghost, monsters and friendly strange children! Review is also shown on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jan 02, 2013
| Jan 12, 2013
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Jan 02, 2013
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0785138056
| 9780785138051
| 3.83
| 526
| Oct 01, 1996
| Jan 20, 2010
|
 Introduction: After I heard so many good reviews on this comic, I just had to read this and oh boy, I just have so much to say about this particular...more Introduction: After I heard so many good reviews on this comic, I just had to read this and oh boy, I just have so much to say about this particular comic book! I know that so many events had happened before “X-Men: Mutant Massacre” happened (as was stated by the characters in this comic), but I wanted to read this so badly that I was willing to skip the last few issues of “X-Men” just to get to this comic! “X-Men: Mutant Massacre” was a first for me in many different ways: it was the first “X-Men” comic book that I read that featured Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock, also known as Psylocke, the first time I had read about the original “X-Factor,” the first time I had read about “The New Mutants,” the first time I had read “Daredevil” and the first time I had read about the “Power Pack.” With the combined writing of Chris Claremont, Louise Simonson, Walter Simonson, and Ann Nocenti and the combined artwork of John Romita Jr., Terry Shoemaker, Bret Blevins, Walter Simonson, Jackson Guice, Sal Buscema, Jon Bogdanove, Rick Leonardi, Alan Davis, and Barry Windor-Smith, “X-Men: Mutant Massacre” is definitely a story that “X-Men” fans have to check! What is this story about? When the Marauders, a group of mutant assassins, started killing most of the Morlock community, the X-Men, now lead by a Mohawk wearing Storm, step in to help out the Morlocks. Meanwhile, X-Factor, a group of mutant hunters who are actually the original five X-Men (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast and Angel) in disguise, try to defeat the Marauders while Angel goes through an emotional trip that would change him forever. Also, this comic features guest appearances from Thor, Daredevil, the New Mutants and the Power Pack who also try to help out the X-Men in defending the Morlock community! This graphic novel contains stories from: Uncanny X-Men (issues #210 – 214) X-Factor (issues #9 – 11) New Mutants (issue #46) Thor (issues #373-374) Powr Pack (issue #27) Daredevil (issue #238) What I loved about this story: The story: Usually, I do have problems with reading crossovers in comics because the stories almost never match up as long as you have different writers writing each story, but for a crossover, I found this story pretty impressive! I liked the fact that all of the stories mentioned in this graphic novel actually flowed well together and it felt like we were getting one cohesive storyline instead of having several different things happening all at once and it made me really enjoy the storyline! I really enjoyed the way that each different writer had a different take on the Marauders attacking the Morlocks as we see the attacks on the Morlocks from the X-Men, Thor, the Power Pack and Daredevil’s viewpoint. The stories that I really enjoyed in this graphic novel were the stories written by Chris Claremont as he wrote the stories for “Uncanny X-Men” and “New Mutants.” I loved the way that Chris Claremont made the story extremely dramatic and intense as we witness many Morlocks being killed in brutal ways and the X-Men characters dealing with the tragedy emotionally. I really enjoyed how Chris Claremont handled Storm’s character as we see her being emotionally affected by the situation and how it affected her position as the leader of the X-Men and it was truly moving seeing Storm struggle with being the leader of the X-Men. I also enjoyed seeing Storm as the leader of the X-Men since it was rare of me to see her in such a position. I really enjoyed Chris Claremont’s writing in “New Mutants” as the characters were really interesting, especially Illyana Rasputin (Magik), Warlock, Danielle Moonstar (Valkyrie) and Samuel Guthrie (Cannonball) and it was great seeing a younger generation of X-Men step up the plate in this tragedy. Louise Simonson’s writing for “X-Factor” was fantastic as it was interesting seeing the original five X-Men work together again and I enjoyed seeing how the murdering of the Morlocks affected them and how the mutant community looks at them as they were disguised as the mutant hunting team “X-Factor” even though they were trying to help the mutants. I also enjoyed Louise Simonson’s writing in “Power Pack” as it was hilarious and intense at the same time as I really enjoyed seeing the adventures of Franklin Richards and the Power Pack as it is rare that I see a comic book with small children being superheroes, which I thought was really cute! I really like Ann Nocenti’s writing in “Daredevil” as the fight between Daredevil and Saber tooth was really intense and I enjoyed the inner monologues of Daredevil as it really defined his position in being a superhero. The artwork: Out of all the graphic novels I had read, “X-Men: Mutant Massacre” probably had the most artists I had ever seen out of any graphic novel! Each artist had contributed greatly to this storyline and I had enjoyed each one! My favorite artwork in this book came from Jackson Guice’s artwork in “New Mutants,” Rick Leonardi’s artwork in “Uncanny X-Men,” John Romita Jr’s artwork in “Uncanny X-Men,” and Sal Buscema’s artwork in “Daredevil.” (I know that there is some hate on John Romita Jr.’s artwork in current comics, but I enjoyed the scratchy artwork he created for this storyline). What made me feel uncomfortable about this story: The reason why I gave this book a four star rating was because I felt that Thor’s side of the story was a bit of a distraction for me as it focused too heavily on Thor and I am not used to the “Shakespearean” dialogue that Thor usually talks in. Also, you can tell that so much has happened before this storyline, so anyone (like myself) who just jumped in to read an X-Men comic might be wondering about how half of the events that happened to the characters happened in the first place. This was back in the days when continuity was important in comics. This comic also deals with the theme of death and sorrow as many characters are killed in this graphic novel and that might upset sensitive readers. Final Thoughts: Overall, despite the four star rating (the “X-Men” storylines alone are five stars in my book), “X-Men: Mutant Massacre” is definitely one of the darkest yet most invigorating series I had ever read and anyone who is a huge fan of the X-Men will definitely enjoy this book! (view spoiler)[At the end of this book, I've wondered whatever happened to Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler and Colossus? They were injured in battle, but they never really told us if they ever got better or not. That was apart of the story I would have like to see resolved. Also, here are some of my favorite moments from this comic:  (hide spoiler)]Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Dec 21, 2012
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Dec 21, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1423109600
| 9781423109600
| 4.34
| 6,725
| Apr 01, 2008
| Apr 01, 2008
|
After reading Mo Willems’ classic picture book, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,” I wanted to try out the other books in the “Pigeon” series and I...more
After reading Mo Willems’ classic picture book, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,” I wanted to try out the other books in the “Pigeon” series and I finally stumbled upon “The Pigeon wants a Puppy!” “The Pigeon wants a Puppy” is a great follow up to “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” and anyone who is a huge fan of Mo Willems’ “Pigeon” series will definitely enjoy this book! Basically, this story is about how the Pigeon wants to have a puppy and constantly keeps telling the readers about how it will try to take care of the puppy and love it. However, what will the Pigeon think when its wish actually comes true? “I want a puppy!”  Those were the exact words spoken by everyone’s favorite blue pigeon! Mo Willems has done a brilliant job with this book as the story is extremely simplistic (it is basically just about a pigeon telling the audience that it wants a puppy). I always loved the way that Mo Willems made this story extremely funny and cute at the same time as the Pigeon constantly tells the audience that it wants a puppy and I loved it when the letters on the pages are highlighted in red whenever the Pigeon gets overexcited or angry as it really adds to the Pigeon’s emotions about the situation. Mo Willems’ illustrations are as always simplistic with a touch of your usual humor as the pigeon has big round eyes and is blue and the illustrations look like it was hand drawn by a child as the characters look extremely simple. I also loved the image of the “puppy” at the end of the book! I will not tell you what the puppy looks like, but it was certainly surprising to look at such a puppy! Overall, “The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!” is a fantastic book for children who also went through the same situation about asking their parents for a puppy or something they really want and I think that many children will read this book for many years! I guess if there was a problem with this book, is that the Pigeon might seem a bit demanding in wanting a puppy and parents might want to alert their kids about not being too demanding about asking them want they want, but this book is still loads of fun for little kids ages four and up! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Dec 12, 2012
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Dec 12, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0399504338
| 9780399504334
| 4.33
| 10,626
| 1972
| Jan 28, 1980
|
4.5 stars!
EDWARD GOREY’S BEST WORKS JAM-PACKED INTO ONE VOLUME! After reading Edward Gorey’s morbid classic The Gashlycrumb Tinies (which is also sur...more 4.5 stars! EDWARD GOREY’S BEST WORKS JAM-PACKED INTO ONE VOLUME! After reading Edward Gorey’s morbid classic The Gashlycrumb Tinies (which is also surprisingly in this volume), I just had to read more of Edward Gorey’s works and I managed to pick up a volume of his works called “Amphigorey” and boy, was I amazed at the stories in this collection! In this volume, there is a collection of fifteen stories written by Edward Gorey and they include: 1) The Unstrung Harp 2) The Listing Attic 3) The Doubtful Guest 4) The Object-Lesson 5) The Bug Book 6) The Fatal Lozenge 7) The Hapless Child 8) The Curious Sofa 9) The Willowdale Handcar 10) The Gashlycrumb Tinies 11) The Insect God 12) The West Wing 13) The Wuggly Ump 14) The Sinking Spell 15) The Remembered Visit Wow! I never would have thought that I would find part of the complete collection of Edward Gorey’s works since he noted at the introduction that most of his works were expensive and hard to find, so he made this compilation of all of his works, which was fine with me! After reading most of his works in this volume, I have a greater appreciation for Edward Gorey’s writing style as the majority of stories he had written were truly morbid and gruesome to read through! Just reading about murders and people dying of unnatural causes was just a treat for me to read since I love reading really morbid stories with effective illustrations! Edward Gorey’s illustrations clearly compliment the dark and spooky mood of the stories as the colorings are all in black and white, which seems like something that came out of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. Some of my favorite stories in this volume were: The Fatal Lozenge  The Hapless Child  The Gashlycrumb Tinies  The Insect God  The Wuggly Ump  ~A Little Warning~ THIS BOOK IS NOT EXACTLY FOR CHILDREN! As I mentioned before, there are many images of characters being killed or dying of unnatural causes and also, there are many stories where children are killed or are being mistreated that could be disturbing for young children. There is also a story called “The Curious Sofa” that implies that sexual activities between several characters are present. Also, the reason why I took off half a point from this book was because I felt that some of the stories in this volume were a bit boring (“The Unstrung Harp” was my least favorite story) and some stories were a bit difficult to understand since the language is a bit old-fashioned for the modern audience. Overall, “Amphigorey” is a great collection of stories for fans of Edward Gorey’s works and anyone who loves reading about morbid stories would definitely enjoy this collection! I would recommend this volume to older children and teenagers since there are many disturbing moments in this collection and some young readers might not understand the sexual themes in “The Curious Sofa.” Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Nov 24, 2012
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Nov 23, 2012
| Paperback
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| 0380973650
| 9780380973651
| 4.10
| 188,428
| Jun 19, 2001
| Jun 19, 2001
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“There are many Gods in America. It is just that many people either do not believe in them or see them anymore. Are they real or not? Only you could...more
“There are many Gods in America. It is just that many people either do not believe in them or see them anymore. Are they real or not? Only you could decide on that.”
I have been a huge fan of Neil Gaiman’s works for many years and some of my favorite works done by Neil Gaiman included Coraline and the “Sandman” series. So, when I heard that Neil Gaiman was writing some books for older teens and adults, I just had to check them out and that is where I found “American Gods!” “American Gods” has won many awards including the Bram Stoker Award, the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and is a World Fantasy award nominee and it definitely deserved all of those awards! “American Gods” is definitely one of the most intense and creative stories I have ever read from the master of storytelling! The book starts off with a mild mannered man named Shadow, who spent three years in prison for beating up some people. One day however, when Shadow mysteriously gets an early release from prison, he decided to go home to his wife Laura. But, when Shadow discovered that Laura was killed in a car accident, his life turned upside down and he did not know what to do with his life without Laura. It was not until afterwards that Shadow meets a mysterious old man named Wednesday, who wanted Shadow to work for him and Shadow agreed to work for him. However, as soon as Shadow starts working for Wednesday, he will soon discover that there are many dark secrets abound, which includes not only the people’s faith in Gods, but the fact that there is an upcoming war between the old Gods and the new Gods! OH…MY…GODS!    There was just so much about this novel that made this a truly electrifying and awesome experience for me! Neil Gaiman has definitely created a brilliant story that not only revolves around the mysteries of mythical beings, but also plays on the theme about how people’s beliefs in these Gods affected the Gods themselves. I really enjoyed the characters in this story, especially Shadow as he is shown to be an extremely mild mannered man who does not seem to know what he has gotten himself into. Shadow may seem a bit awkward at the beginning since he does not seem fazed by the surreal activities that happen around him, but once you get deep into the book; his character arc becomes full of surprises that really shocked me! I also loved the way that Neil Gaiman wrapped the mythology about Gods into a more modern day setting that begs the question about whether or not people in current times still believe in the old Gods, which helped gave this book a more creative flair. I really enjoyed how Neil Gaiman was able to make the famous gods like Odin, Czernobog, Anansi and Easter seem like ordinary people as it made guessing which characters are which Gods the more interesting! I also loved the theme that this book sort of poses for readers as the war in this book is supposed to be between the old Gods (Odin, Czernobog and Anansi) and the new Gods as the old Gods were afraid of being forgotten once the New Gods, who are more up to date with the modern society, become more believable to the people. To me, it seems like the book was trying to point out about what happens when a society encounters new things that are interesting, like iPads or cell phones, and whether or not, they would forget the old things that they enjoyed in the past like board games and I wonder if the book was stating that you can have both the old and the new things in life as society changes over the years since they are both important your lifestyles (the old things in society helping people remember where they came from and the new things in society letting people see how society has changed over the years). Now, since I had already read Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series, I am already accustomed to his dark storytelling for adults, so the fact that this was my first adult book by Neil Gaiman, I was not really shocked by the dark content presented in this book and it made me really enjoy the book even further! For anyone who does not like strong language in a novel, this novel definitely has some strong language such as dropping the “f” bomb several times and using the “s” word several times. Also, this novel has so much disturbing content which includes dead bodies being revived and characters being murdered in a brutal way. While I did find most of the dialogue to be interesting and amusing, I cannot help but feel that some of the dialogue in this book is a bit too lengthy and they take up so much space in the book that it feels like the book could have been shorter if the dialogue did not go on forever. Overall, “American Gods” was dark, disturbing and amazing at the same time! It may have taken me a long time to read through this book (this book has nearly five hundred pages), but it was definitely worth the experience in reading this unique little masterpiece and I would highly recommend this book to any fan of Neil Gaiman’s works! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Nov 04, 2012
| Nov 18, 2012
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Nov 04, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0394865804
| 9780394865805
| 4.18
| 5,860
| Jan 12, 1984
| Jan 12, 1984
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 6 stars!!! Being a huge fan of Dr. Seuss’ works over the years, I was in that mode where I wanted to read everything that was written by him and I rem...more 6 stars!!! Being a huge fan of Dr. Seuss’ works over the years, I was in that mode where I wanted to read everything that was written by him and I remembered reading “The Butter Battle Book” many years ago when I was little. Well, I stumbled upon “The Butter Battle Book” again when I got older and at first, I was a little hesitant about reading this book again because of its war themes and I usually do not like reading books about wars, but after reading this classic book by Dr. Seuss, I actually found myself really enjoying this book! “The Butter Battle Book” is definitely one of Dr. Seuss’ most impactful and darkest stories ever told! The book starts off with a grandfather character telling his grandson about the great battle between the Zooks (orange uniformed people who ate their bread with the butter side down) and the Yooks (blue uniformed people who ate their breads with the butter side up). The battle between the Zooks and the Yooks started when one of the Zooks shoots off the grandfather’s Snick-Berry Switch with a slingshot and the grandfather goes to Chief Yookeroo to get a better weapon that can beat out the weapon of the Zooks. Unfortunately, the Zooks keep on making better weapons than the Yooks, while the Yooks constantly try to build a better weapon to match with the Yooks’ weapon, which causes the book to come to a surprising conclusion! Wow…just wow… Who would have ever thought that I would ever come across a Dr. Seuss book that discusses about war? Well, I have come across other Dr. Seuss books that have a heavy message (“The Lorax” and “The Sneetches”), but this was what I called one of Dr. Seuss’s darkest books since it discusses about a topic that is often serious to many children…WAR. It was also surprising that this book was actually a parody of the Cold War (the war between the United States and the Soviet Union) as both the Zooks and the Yooks tried to best each other with having a better weapon than the other side. Even though I do not usually read books that have war themes because of the whole “only one side can win in this war” mentality that is constantly being shown in these types of books, this was one of the few war books that I had read that actually had a brilliant moral to the story: WAR I S POINTLESS! Since the premise of this book is about how both sides do not like each other because they spread their butters a different way on their breads, you might be thinking to yourself about how ridiculous this all is and why both sides could not reach a compromise about spreading their butter on both sides of the breads. But, what I loved about the way that Dr. Seuss wrote this book was that both sides were not portrayed in a positive light since the Zooks seem like bullies and the Yooks are prejudiced towards the Zooks for buttering their breads differently and that might sound a bit odd, but it was appropriate enough to bring the theme of this book home. The reason why I have such a huge dislike for wars is because both sides that participate in the wars can be shown in a negative light if they believe that fighting is the only solution to whatever problem arises instead of sitting down and talking about the problem and coming to a reasonable solution that can benefit both sides. I loved the way that Dr. Seuss made a statement about how ridiculous the war between the Zooks and the Yooks really was because having a war about who has the best weapons seems like a ridiculous reason for countries to fight each other and we can easily see that through the Zooks and Yooks’ actions throughout this book. Dr. Seuss’ illustrations may look a bit darker than usual, but still has the usual creative flair as the Zooks are always shown in orange jumpsuits while the Yooks are always shown in blue jumpsuits and I also loved the different weapons that each side has, especially the Zooks’ weapon that was called the Eight-Nozzled, Elephant-Toted Boom-Blitz which looks like a machine that has eight nozzles and is being carried by two mean looking purple elephants. Probably one of the most controversial things about this book was the abrupt ending. I will not tell you what happens at the end since I do not want to spoil this book for anyone, but you will be left wondering about what happens next after the events of this book. I will admit that I was actually mad at how the book ended, but then since this book was written during the Cold War, it is understandable about why the book ended the way it did. It makes me wonder about if they ever thought about making a “Butter Battle Book” movie, will the conclusion be changed in the movie and how will they go about it? Also, the theme about the Zooks and the Yooks going at war with each other might be a bit disturbing for younger children, especially if they do not understand about the motives of wars or if they do not like seeing characters fighting each other. Overall, “The Butter Battle Book” is easily one of the best books about anti-war ever written and anyone who is a fan of Dr. Seuss’ works or would love to read about how terrible wars are will definitely not be disappointed in this book! I would recommend this book to children ages six and up since the war themes might upset younger children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Oct 10, 1996
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Oct 10, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 1401219217
| 9781401219215
| 4.40
| 4,514
| 2008
| Oct 28, 2008
|
 Introduction: What would happen if you became the last gender (whether you are a male or female) on the face of the planet? Well, that is what we ar...more Introduction: What would happen if you became the last gender (whether you are a male or female) on the face of the planet? Well, that is what we are discovering in Brian K. Vaughan’s Eisner Award winning classic graphic novel, “Y: The Last Man: Book One!” After hearing so many glowing reviews about this graphic novel, I decided to give this book a shot and man, was I blown away by the creative concept of this graphic novel! “Y: The Last Man: Book One” is definitely one of the most dramatic and creative graphic novels ever created! What is this story about? Yorick Brown was a twenty-two year old young man who had a job as an amateur escape artist. He was planning on proposing to his girlfriend Beth when all of a sudden, all the men and the male animals around the world started dying off when a mysterious plague hits the world and only the males with the Y chromosome are affected. Fortunately, only Yorick and his pet male monkey Ampersand survived the plague and now Yorick must find out more about the plague and try to save mankind while trying to find his girlfriend Beth who is on the other side of the world! What I loved about this story: The premise and Brian K. Vaughan’s writing: When I first heard about this book, I was thinking to myself about how would you write a book about being the last man standing on Earth? Brian K. Vaughan has done an impressive job at bringing out that aspect as it was done in an extremely creative and intense way! After reading so many books that deal with a post-apocalyptic setting, whether it dealt with oppressive governments (The Hunger Games) or crime ruling the city (Fray), “Y: The Last Man” was a truly unique case of a post-apocalyptic setting as it has it set up where all the men (including the male animals) of the world are wiped out, leaving only the women to occupy the world, which gives us a “what if” moment about what would happen if one gender is wiped out by an unknown force? I loved the way that Brian K. Vaughan really delved into the set up of this world as not only do we readers try to find out what caused the plague that caused the death of many men around the world, but we also see how the women of the world try to deal with the politics and the technology that were once occupied by the men. I also loved the main character Yorick Brown as he is extremely funny and optimistic, despite being the last man on Earth and I enjoyed seeing him trying to help the women who are trying to save mankind accomplish their goals and I loved the witty dialogue that Brian K. Vaughan wrote for all the characters in this book. Pia Guerra’s artwork: Pia Guerra’s artwork along with coloring by Pamela Rambo and inking by Jose Marzan Jr., really brought out a dramatic feel to this story as the characters look realistic and the colorings really brought out bright yet intense feel to the story. Probably some of my favorite artwork in this graphic novel was of Yorick himself as he has brown wavy hair and also has a laid back look on his face that really made me feel for the character. What made me feel uncomfortable about this story: Probably the only problems with this graphic novel are that there is some strong language in this book like the “f” word and the “s” word and some disturbing content. The idea about a plague killing off the men in the world is a disturbing thought and could scare some readers who are uncomfortable about the subject of diseases spreading around the world. Final Thoughts: Overall, “Y: The Last Man” is easily one of the most CREATIVE, INVENTIVE and INTENSE graphic novels I have ever read and I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to anyone who is a huge fan of Brian K. Vaughan’s works and love reading about post-apocalyptic worlds! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Sep 25, 2012
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Sep 25, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 156389341X
| 9781563893414
| 4.27
| 62,490
| 1986
| Nov 01, 2002
|
5.5 stars!
It is 1960s “Batman” vs. 1980s “Batman!” Guess which one will win!   Introduction: For many years, I have actually grown up with the darker...more 5.5 stars! It is 1960s “Batman” vs. 1980s “Batman!” Guess which one will win! Introduction: For many years, I have actually grown up with the darker version of Batman when I was little, thanks to the animated TV series that came out of the 90s. But a few years back, I have realized that there was a 1960s TV series where Batman seems a bit campy, but I had enjoyed it for what it was. Now, I had heard of a particular “Batman” story that was the one that really changed Batman’s character over the years and that story happened to be “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” written by Frank Miller along with artwork by Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley. This is easily one of the most influential stories I have ever read from the “Batman” comics! What is this story about? Basically, this story is broken up into four different books detailing Batman’s adventures in Gotham City: Book 1: The Dark Knight Returns: When Batman (who is now much older) retires, he then realizes that after all of the years he had retired, there is still crime rampaging in Gotham City. So, Batman decides to come out of retirement and save Gotham City, surprising the citizens of Gotham City. Book 2: The Dark Knight Triumphant: When the mutant gang threatens Gotham City, it is up to Batman to stop the leader of the mutant gang, putting an end to their terror. Book 3: Hunt the Dark Knight: When the citizens of Gotham City saw Batman as more of a threat then as a hero, they send out the new Commissioner, Commissioner Yindel, and she decides to go out of her way to arrest Batman. Book 4: The Dark Knight Falls: When the Soviets start attacking Corto Maltese and Superman takes the job to stop them, this leads to a huge showdown between Superman and Batman to decide about their ideologies about protecting the world. What I loved about this story: Frank Miller’s writing: Frank Miller has once again proven that he is definitely a force to be reckoned with whenever he was writing for Batman! After reading his work in “Batman: Year One,” I just had to read more of his work on “Batman” and behold, this story was beyond anything fantastic I have read about Batman! I loved the way that Frank Miller portrayed Batman in this story as Batman seems darker and grittier than ever before and this really helped revolutionized the dark character that Batman would soon become in the future “Batman” stories. At first glance, there does seem to be so many events going on in this book (Batman’s return, Batman fighting the Mutant Gang, Batman’s battle with Superman) so, it was a bit hard to keep up with all of the events going on in this book (I was even confused at the beginning when I found out that Batman was much older than he was early on, only to realize this story takes place several years in the future). But the best thing about all of these events taking place in this book was that we were able to get so many amazing stories centered on Batman and his struggles in coming back out of retirement to fight the bad guys. I also loved the dark and gritty feel of this book as the Batman in this book is not afraid of hurting enemies to get what he wants and even recruits a young girl named Carrie Kelley, who is dressed up like Robin, to be his sidekick. Now there is one thing that I wanted to get out of my chest and it is this: I DO NOT LIKE POLITICAL TIE INS IN THE STORIES I WANT TO READ! I am getting this off my chest because of the Cold War themed story in “The Dark Knight Falls” and most of the time, I do not like reading about any kind of political wars in these stories because it is either the “us against them” mentality in these stories or sometimes they tend to interrupt the flow of the story. However, this is the one case that I did accept the political themed story in “The Dark Knight Falls” because it was using the Cold War theme to bring out a message about how Superman and Batman have different views on how to handle the situation in saving people’s lives as Batman seems to be anti-government while Superman seems to support the government and I loved the way that their views on the government was brought out through their actions and ultimately their showdown with each other.  I also loved the way that Frank Miller presented some news media segments in this story as we are able to gain a great insight on how the people of Gotham view Batman and how he is affecting the American society as a whole as it brought great depth to the story. Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley’s artwork: Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley’s artwork is very well done in this story as the artwork has a dark and gritty feel to them. I loved the images of Batman being large and muscular and how he usually looks threatening to all the criminals. The colorings may seem a bit washed out and some of the artwork was a bit sloppy, but the artwork has that 80s feel that I really enjoyed and so, I really enjoyed the dark artwork being portrayed in this story. What made me feel uncomfortable about this story: Some of the problems that some “Batman” fans might have with this story are that it is a bit too lengthy. There are a total of four volumes contained into one book and since so much is happening in this book, it might be a bit too much for some fans to take in. Also, this is probably one of the darkest “Batman” books I have ever read since Batman is shown to actually torture some of his enemies and there is some gore in this story as characters are punched and several scenes of characters being cut up. Final Thoughts: Overall, “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” is a fantastic take on everyone’s favorite dark knight vigilante and with its many running themes about taking the law into your own hands, it will remain a classic in many “Batman” fans’ eyes! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Aug 17, 2012
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Aug 16, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0785137246
| 9780785137245
| 3.99
| 2,694
| 1982
| Mar 18, 2009
|
KILL BILL!
  Or at least that is what I think of when I read this story since both main characters (Wolverine and the Bride) had to go to Japan to figh...more KILL BILL! Or at least that is what I think of when I read this story since both main characters (Wolverine and the Bride) had to go to Japan to fight off their rivals. Brief Introduction: When I was looking through the comic book boards and I wanted to know what the best “Wolverine” story was, many fans declared that “Wolverine” which was written by Chris Claremont along with artwork by Frank Miller was considered the best “Wolverine” story out there. So, I went out and got this graphic novel and I have to agree with the fans that this was indeed one of the best “Wolverine” stories out there! This also features the first four issues in Wolverine's new solo series during the 1980s which I was so impressed at seeing for the first time! Never have I have seen so much drama, romance and action contained into one graphic novel and because of that, “Wolverine” has remained to be one of my all time favorite “X-Men” stories about Wolverine! What is the story? Wolverine heads off to Japan to find the love of his life, Mariko Yashida, who is the daughter of Lord Shingen who is the Lord of the Clan Yashida, but discovers that his lover has married someone else, which breaks his heart. Along the way, Wolverine meets up with a mysterious assassin named Yukio who seems to know about Lord Shingen’s plans to take over all of the major crime gangs in Japan. Wolverine must put a stop to Lord Shingen’s evil plans to rule as the ultimate crime lord of Japan before it is too late! What I loved about this comic: The premise and Chris Claremont’s writing: I will admit that when I heard about this graphic novel, I did not know what to expect from another book about Wolverine and I actually thought that we would get another “Wolverine” book that is all about the fighting and Wolverine acting tough. However, in this graphic novel, what we got was an extremely thought-provoking and heartwarming tale about Wolverine’s romance with Mariko and his inner struggles with dealing with his “animal” side. I loved the way that Chris Claremont has shown us a more sensitive side to Wolverine as he struggles to get the love of his life back while dealing with the customs of her family, which the importance of honor and pride plays a huge role in his story. I also loved the intense kung-fu atmosphere of this story as it gave this story a more creative approach to Wolverine’s time in Japan and made the story exciting to read through. Chris Claremont has done an excellent job at writing this story from Wolverine’s point of view on the situation as we are able to see how Wolverine reacts to the situations he gets involved in Japan whether he is confessing his love for Mariko or fighting ninjas out to get him. It was also interesting seeing how Wolverine viewed himself and Chris Claremont does a brilliant job at portraying Wolverine’s insecurity about being seen as an animal as he usually uses violence to solve his problems. I really enjoyed the tone shift that Chris Claremont had provided when he introduced the other X-Men (Colossus, Storm, Cyclops, Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler) in the second story that was apart of "Uncanny X-Men" as Wolverine’s solo series was dark, while the "Uncanny X-Men" storyline was a bit light toned. Frank Miller and Paul Smith’s artwork: When I heard that Frank Miller was doing the artwork for this graphic novel, I was actually blown away by this information because before I read this graphic novel, I was reading “Batman: Year One” which was a graphic novel that Frank Miller wrote himself and I was surprised that Frank Miller has actually done some artwork during his time at the comic book industry. Frank Miller’s artwork was fantastic as they greatly captured the fight scenes in this story. I loved the colorings that were done whenever the characters were in shadows as there are dark colorings shadowed on the characters’ faces which really gives off a foreboding feel to the situation. I also loved Frank Miller’s artwork on the fight scenes, especially the scenes where Wolverine is fighting a group of ninjas and the scene where Wolverine is punching the ninjas is effectively done. In the “Uncanny X-Men” issues of this graphic novel, Paul Smith did a brilliant job at detailing the fight scenes and the characters’ facial expressions and I loved the way that the colorings are much brighter in these issues than in Frank Miller’s artwork in the “Wolverine” issues. What made me feel uncomfortable about this book: The only problem that some readers might find with this graphic novel is that there is some violence in the fight scenes. The violence usually has Wolverine cutting into another character and you can see some blood squirt out of the wounds. Now, the violence is actually pretty low-key here as sometimes the blood is not as realistically shown as it usually is in current comics, but the scenes of Wolverine cutting into people might upset some readers.  Final Thoughts: Overall, “Wolverine” is definitely one of the best stories dealing with Wolverine and anyone who is a fan of Wolverine or the X-Men in particular; I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this graphic novel to any comic book fan! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Aug 09, 2012
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Aug 09, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0930289455
| 9780930289454
| 4.33
| 43,167
| Mar 1988
| Dec 01, 1995
|
5.5 stars!!!
OH…MY…GOD…  I thought I knew everything there was to know about the Joker, one of Batman’s greatest foes. But after reading “Batman: The Ki...more 5.5 stars!!! OH…MY…GOD… I thought I knew everything there was to know about the Joker, one of Batman’s greatest foes. But after reading “Batman: The Killing Joke” and how the Joker was portrayed in this book, the Joker has officially become one of the most VILE, TWISTED, DARK and most DISTURBING villain I have ever come face to face with…AND I LOVED IT! Being brilliantly written by Alan Moore and being masterfully illustrated by Brian Bolland, “Batman: The Killing Joke” has remained to be one of the greatest and most disturbing “Batman” stories to ever be created! What is the story? When it turns out that the Joker, one of Batman’s greatest foes, breaks out of Arkham Asylum, Batman must stop this evil doer at all costs. Unfortunately, the Joker then comes after Commissioner Gordon and his daughter Barbara and performs some of the most vile and disturbing acts in his villainous career (starts by shooting Barbara Gordon, paralyzing her and then twisting Commissioner Gordon’s mind to make him crazy) and Batman must stop the Joker before it is too late. Also, we are introduced to the back story of the Joker and how he became the villain he is known as today. What I loved about this comic: Alan Moore’s writing: WOW! I mean, I thought that I have read some of the best Batman stories around (“Batman: Year One” for starters), but I think that “Batman: The Killing Joke” has nearly beaten some of the best “Batman” stories I had read! I had read some of Alan Moore’s works (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), but I can easily say that this graphic novel is easily one of his best works! I loved the way that Alan Moore made this story extremely disturbing and dark and I was actually cringing during the scene where Barbara Gordon is shot and then tortured, which proved how demented the Joker really is. I also loved the way that Alan Moore portrayed the relationship between Batman and the Joker since it is rare that I see a hero and a villain have a sort of understandable relationship seeing as how they both had lost people dear to them, but viewed life in a different life. I enjoyed the psychological message that Alan Moore was presenting in this story as the Joker sees life as being a huge awful joke (meaning that life is miserable) while Batman is truly trying to see the reality of the situations in life. I really enjoyed seeing the back story of the Joker as we learn what he was like before he became the villain he is known today and that really added so much depth to the story and to the character of the Joker. The ending of this story was truly terrifying yet amazing to see at the same time (I will not spoil it for you, but let us just say it is the confrontation between Batman and the Joker). Brian Bolland’s artwork: Brian Bolland had done a truly amazing job at providing the artwork of this story as all the characters look truly realistic and colorful. I loved the attention in details that Brian Bolland gives to the characters’ facial expressions, especially the Joker as he is seen smiling dementedly, which makes him a truly menacing character to look at. My favorite artwork in this graphic novel was of the images of the rain drops making small circles in the ground, as they look truly beautiful and yet give this story a truly ominous feel as these images appear at the beginning of the book towards the end of the book. What made me feel uncomfortable about this book: The only issue with this graphic novel that some readers would have problems with is the fact that the story is extremely dark and disturbing for your average “Batman” story. For one thing, there is a scene where Barbara Gordon is shot and then tortured which would disturb many readers (it definitely disturbed me a bit). Also, as in many “Batman” stories, the atmosphere of this story is extremely dark and brooding and that might be a bit uncomfortable for many readers who are not used to reading dark stories to handle. Final Thoughts: So what is my final verdict on this story? “Batman: The Killing Joke” is easily one of the most disturbing yet most amazing stories I have ever read and I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this story to “Batman” fans everywhere who love a good dark and intelligent story about the follies of life. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Jul 11, 2012
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Jul 10, 2012
| Paperback
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| 1600102379
| 9781600102370
| 4.25
| 10,300
| Sep 29, 2008
| Sep 29, 2008
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After reading Neil Gaiman’s fantastic “Sandman” series, I never would have thought that there would be another graphic novel that blends horror and my...more
After reading Neil Gaiman’s fantastic “Sandman” series, I never would have thought that there would be another graphic novel that blends horror and mystery perfectly together. But I was wrong as I soon discovered a new graphic novel that does just that called “Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft!” “Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft” is an Eisner Award nominated graphic novel superbly written by Joe Hill along with dramatic artwork by Gabriel Rodriguez and it is definitely a horror/mystery story that is definitely worth checking out! The story starts off with three siblings named Tyler, the oldest son, Kinsey, the middle daughter, and Bode, the youngest son and how when they were spending the summer at their family’s home, their father was brutally murdered by two strangers right before their very eyes. After their father’s funeral, Tyler, Kinsey and Bode had a hard time coping with life after their father was killed and they along with their mother who managed to survive the tragedy, decided to move to the city of Lovecraft to leave their old life behind. However, it turns out that the home that Tyler, Bode and Kinsey all moved into is no ordinary home as Bode soon discovers that the house has dark secrets that only he knows about and those secrets will soon change all three siblings’ lives forever! Words just cannot describe my feelings and my love for this graphic novel! I have never read a comic series that really knows how to blend horror, loss and mystery all into one glorious story that will remain to be an all-time favorite among comic fans! Joe Hill has certainly done a brilliant job at writing this story as it is full of suspense and mystery that will keep you wanting more from the story! I loved the way that Joe Hill focused on how the three siblings Tyler, Kinsey and Bode all deal with the murder of their father and how they all reacted differently to the situation such as Tyler blaming himself for his father’s death, Kinsey not knowing about what to do with her life without her father and Bode, being extremely young, not quite understanding the seriousness of the situation. I felt that knowing what these characters are going through after the tragedy that has taken place really gave them so much depth in their characters and I actually felt sad for Tyler, Kinsey, Bode and their mother as they had to deal with the loss of the person they love so dearly. I also loved the way that Joe Hill brought the supernatural themes into the story without really interrupting the tragedy that the characters were going through as I was practically on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how the keys provide a sort of alternative dimension portable for the characters and I want to see how collecting all the keys to the house would change events for the characters. Gabriel Rodriguez’s artwork is brilliant as the artwork has dark coloring that fits the gloomy mood of this story extremely well. I also loved the way that Gabriel Rodriguez drew the images of the supernatural activities taken place such as the images of characters turning into ghosts and you can see the blue wisps of the characters themselves floating towards the reader.  Probably the only issues with this book is that it surprisingly has some really strong language that you would not find in mainstream comic books and that makes it more difficult for younger readers to get to read this story. Also, there are some disturbing moments in this book that not only involves the brutal murder of Tyler, Kinsey and Bode’s father, but also has many scenes of innocent people being killed throughout the book. Also, the supernatural elements such as the characters becoming ghosts might be a bit disturbing. Overall, “Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft” is a brilliant introduction to the “Locke and Key” series and now that this volume has ended on a huge cliffhanger, I am now looking forward to reading more adventures of Tyler, Bode and Kinsey and will soon be picking up the second volume Locke and Key, Vol. 2: Head Games pretty soon! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| Jun 2012
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Apr 22, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 1563891700
| 9781563891700
| 4.48
| 19,311
| 1993
| Jul 16, 1999
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Now just looking at the title of this volume “The Sandman: Worlds’ End,” you might be thinking that this might be the last volume of Neil Gaiman’s fan...more
Now just looking at the title of this volume “The Sandman: Worlds’ End,” you might be thinking that this might be the last volume of Neil Gaiman’s fantastic “Sandman” series, but it is not the final volume! “The Sandman: Worlds’ End” is actually a series of stories woven by several characters in this volume who are stuck at an inn called Worlds’ End. Be prepared for some engaging storytelling from the great Neil Gaiman in this classic volume! In the eighth volume of the “Sandman” series which is called “Worlds’ End,” a young man named Brant Tucker and his friend Charlene Mooney ended up in a strange inn called “Worlds’ End” after they both get in a car crash during a snowstorm and tried to find shelter from the storm. It turns out that the inhabitants of the strange inn are all characters from mythical tales and all the characters ended up telling their stories that are either about their actual lives or dreams they would like to have come true. There are a total of seven stories in this volume and they are: Worlds’ End: Sequences at the Inn – illustrated by Bryan Talbot and Mark Buckingham A Tale of Two Cities – illustrated by Alec Stevens Cluracan’s Tale – illustrated by John Watkiss Hob’s Leviathan – illustrated by Michael Zulli and Dick Giordano The Golden Boy – illustrated by Michael Allred Cerements – illustrated by Shea Anton Pensa and Vince Locke Worlds’ End – illustrated by Bryan Talbot, Mark Buckingham, Dick Giordano, Steve Leialoha, Gary Amaro and Tony Harris For the past few days, I have been reading most of the volumes from Neil Gaiman’s popular “Sandman” series and I have enjoyed every single one! I have also read the other volumes in the “Sandman” series that mainly contained short stories of the Endless’ adventures in exploring other people’s dreams which included “Dream Country” and “Fables and Reflections.” Even though both “Dream Country” and “Fables and Reflections” were enjoyable reads, I felt that “Worlds’ End” was the best out of all of the short story collections in the “Sandman” series! I loved the way that Neil Gaiman had woven each of the stories told by each character in the story into one story that involves the secrets of the inn that all the characters ended up at and how the stories that each character told reflected the dreams that everyone wished were to happen. My favorite stories in this volume were probably “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Cerements,” and “Cluracan’s Tale.” I loved the idea that Neil Gaiman presented in the story “A Tale of Two Cities” as the story implies that the cities can dream of what they want too and it was a bit interesting and a bit frightening hearing about what would happen if the cities wake up, although we were never told what would happen and it is that sense of mystery and yearning to know the answer that really grasped my attention in this story. I also loved both “Cluracan’s Tale” and “Cerements” because they were really creepy stories that dealt with the dead, especially in “Cerements” as the main characters actually dig up dead bodies! Michael Allred, Gary Amaro, Mark Buckingham, Dick Giordano, Tony Harris, Steve Leialoha, vince Locke, Shea Anton Pensa, Alec Stevens, Bryan Talbot, John Watkiss, and Michael Zulli’s artwork were true works of masterpieces as each artist contributed dramatic artwork that flows nicely with each story. I especially loved the artwork done by Alec Stevens in the story “A Tale of Two Cities” as the artwork resembles an 80s artwork vibe as the characters look a bit blocky and there are only mainly black, white, yellow and blue colorings in the artwork, which gives the story a distinct feel. Like the other volumes in the “Sandman” series, there is some disturbing content in this volume, especially in the story “Cerements” where there is a scene where a young man named Petrefax witnesses an air burial where birds peck at the innards of a dead man while Master Hermas, the man performing the burial, takes out the dead man’s innards and lay it out for the birds to feed on. This scene and the other scenes that deal with death might be a bit morbid for some readers to handle, so if you do not like scenes with blood and gore, then you might want to skim over these scenes. Overall, “The Sandman: Worlds’ End” is easily one of the best short story collections to ever come out of Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series and it is definitely worth reading over and over again! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| Apr 21, 2012
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Apr 21, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 1563891379
| 9781563891373
| 4.55
| 21,452
| Mar 01, 1993
| Mar 01, 1999
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After reading the sixth volume of Neil Gaiman’s famous “Sandman” series, I just had to keep reading more and more of this fantastic series! For the pa...more
After reading the sixth volume of Neil Gaiman’s famous “Sandman” series, I just had to keep reading more and more of this fantastic series! For the past six volumes of the “Sandman” series, we have been reading about mainly Dream’s (Morpheus’) side of the story, but now in the seventh volume, “Brief Lives,” we are finally reading about Dream’s other siblings, mainly the youngest sibling of the Endless, Delirium, and how she tries to convince Dream to help her find their missing brother, Destruction. This volume “Brief Lives,” is full of drama, surreal fantasy moments and heartbreaking moments that will set any “Sandman” fans ablaze with excitement! In the seventh volume, “Brief Lives,” the youngest sibling of the Endless who is known as Delirium decides to drag Dream into a journey in finding their missing brother, Destruction who disappeared from the Endless many years ago. Even though the two siblings go through so many tragedies along their way, they will soon discover a startling revelation about Destruction that might change the lives of the Endless forever! There are a total of nine chapters in this volume that details the story of Dream and Delirium’s journey to find their missing brother. Wow! This volume was just so amazing beyond all reason! I will admit that even though there is not that much action in this volume as there was for the past few volumes, this volume clearly shows that you do not really need a lot of action to make an extremely interesting story! Neil Gaiman has done an excellent job at writing this volume as it was not only intense, but it provided a good insight on the relationship shared between the Endless siblings. For a long time now, we keep seeing the close relationship shared between Death and Dream, but now we see another close relationship between Dream and Delirium and it was nice seeing how Dream was willing to help out Delirium through her quest in finding their missing brother Destruction, even though Dream was hesitant about helping Delirium in the first place. I also loved the way that Neil Gaiman gave this story a dark fantasy feel as we see Dream and Delirium traveling through the real world while mysterious and frightening accidents keep happening whenever they are around. Jill Thompson and Vince Locke’s artwork is gorgeous and dark at the same time as the images of the Endless siblings are truly unique to look at. I especially love the appearance of Delirium herself as she has multicolored hair and her hair constantly changes appearances every time she is in a different world. I also enjoyed the disturbing images in this volume, especially of the image of Orpheus’s severed head sitting on a desk. Like the previous “Sandman” volumes, this volume does have some blood and gore, although it is not as explicit as the first few volumes and there is few in between. Probably some of the gory images that might disturb some readers are an image of Despair, one of the Endless, cutting herself up and you can see the blood spurt from her cuts and another image where a Cat goddess bites off the head of a rat and you can see the bloody insides of the rat. Overall, “The Sandman: Brief Lives” is a truly wonderful volume about sibling love that fans of the “Sandman” series will easily enjoy for many years! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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| Apr 21, 2012
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Apr 21, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 1401207529
| 9781401207526
| 4.25
| 43,948
| May 1987
| Jan 10, 2007
|
 Brief History: To be honest, I have actually first heard about Batman through the 90s cartoon series “Batman: The Animated Series,” which apparently,...more Brief History: To be honest, I have actually first heard about Batman through the 90s cartoon series “Batman: The Animated Series,” which apparently, I have actually had my first exposure to the world of comics through so many animated series throughout the 90s. Since I have been reading a lot of comics lately, especially the “X-Men” comics, I wanted to try a different comic book series and that is where I started reading up on “Batman.” So, the first “Batman” comic I have actually came upon recently is a little gem that I have just noticed lately and that is “Batman: Year One” by Frank Miller along with artwork by David Mazzucchelli along with coloring by Richmond Lewis. “Batman: Year One” is truly a brilliant comic book that newer fans of “Batman” can easily get into! What is this story about? This story basically retells the origins of Bruce Wayne as Batman as it details Bruce Wayne’s first year as Batman and all the struggles he overcomes in his new role as Batman. This story also details about Commissioner James Gordon’s first year as a lieutenant of the police force before he became a commissioner. What I loved about this story: Frank Miller’s writing: Frank Miller’s writing was so amazing and simple to read through, especially if you are new to the “Batman” comics and you need a good place to jump right in the series. Frank Miller has created a more modern spin on the origins of Batman without changing the original history of Batman (his parents are killed before him when he was a child and he decides to become the famous caped crusader he is today) and I especially loved the way that Frank Miller details Batman’s first year fighting crime as being difficult since Bruce Wayne had difficulties in becoming the crime fighting caped crusader since the public viewed him as a menace the moment he started fighting crime. I also loved the way that Frank Miller shown the months that all of this was taking place from January fourth to December third which gave an extremely detailed timeline of this story. What really interested me about this story was learning about the origins of Commissioner James Gordon since I have not really been exposed to his origins and it was interesting to see how James Gordon actually started out as a lieutenant of a police force that was corrupted by the crimes of Gotham City and how he tried to do his best to protect the citizens of Gotham City from such criminal activities. David Mazzucchelli and Richmond Lewis’ artwork: David Mazzucchelli and Richmond Lewis’ artwork is simplistic yet gives a dramatic feel to the story, especially during the scenes where the characters are in shadows and they give out an eerie feel to the scene they are associated with, like during the scene where James Gordon is attacked by hit men and Richmond Lewis’ red coloring that flashes on the characters’ faces makes this scene extremely intense as you can see the pain and sorrow on James Gordon’s face. I also loved the shadowing that Richmond Lewis applies to Batman as Batman is usually shown in the dark and the dark shadowing makes him look menacing. What made me feel uncomfortable about this story: The only problem with this comic book novel is that there is some blood in some scenes, especially during the scenes where some of the characters are shot. Also, there is some language in this book that might offend some readers, so if you do not like dark themed books that deal with crimes in the cities, then this graphic novel might be hard to read through. Final Thoughts: Overall, “Batman: Year One” is not only a brilliant read for “Batman” fans everywhere, but it is also a great place to get into the “Batman” comic series, especially for new fans who are just getting into the “Batman” comics and want to know how Batman’s origins came about! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| Mar 30, 2012
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Mar 30, 2012
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| 1563890933
| 9781563890932
| 4.43
| 22,035
| Sep 03, 1992
| Mar 10, 1999
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6 stars!
Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series just keeps getting better and better every time I read them and the fifth volume “A Game of You” definitely do...more 6 stars! Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series just keeps getting better and better every time I read them and the fifth volume “A Game of You” definitely does not disappoint me! This time, Dream (Morpheus) is dealing with a world that may look cute on the outside but on the inside, a sinister force is at work here and it is up to Dream to save the day! In this volume, “A Game of You,” a young woman named Barbie (think of Ken and Barbie, the dolls that every little girl used to play with) who starts suffering dreamless nights after she broke up with her boyfriend Ken. One night however, Barbie is put into a coma of sorts and her friends Hazel and Foxglove, two lesbian couples, Wanda, a drag queen and Thessaly, a quiet and mysterious woman try to enter Barbie’s dream world in order to rescue her from the forces of the Cuckoo, an evil being that is invading her dreams! There are a total of six chapters in this volume and they are: Chapter 1: Slaughter on Fifth Avenue Chapter 2: Lullabies of Broadway Chapter 3: Bad Moon Rising Chapter 4: Beginning to See the Light Chapter 5: Over the Sea to Sky Chapter 6: I Wake Up and One of Us Was Crying Wow! This volume was beyond fantastic and is probably the best volume I have read so far out of Neil Gaiman’s famous “Sandman” series! Neil Gaiman has definitely done a brilliant job at weaving a truly frightening and exciting story about how Barbie is swept away in a dream world where she is a princess and the evil forces of the Cuckoo tries to kidnap her while her real body is in a comatose state in the real world. I loved seeing the stark differences between Barbie’s dream world and the real world as the real world is dark and dreary while Barbie’s world seems to resemble a world similar to Narnia as she travels with talking animal companions and goes on an epic adventure to escape the evil forces of the Cuckoo. I also loved how Neil Gaiman made this volume so dark and gory, since I am a huge fan of anything that has blood and gore in it and this volume definitely has tons of blood and gore that is shown in the most disturbing way possible! The artwork by Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch, and Dick Giordano is truly amazing, especially with the scenes of Barbie being in her dream world as her dream world is set up as a world similar to Narnia as there are green trees and endless landscapes covering each page. Also, I loved the details being put into the gory scenes that occur in the stories as they look truly gruesome and terrifying at the same time. As with the other volumes in the “Sandman” series, this volume contains some extremely gory and bloody scenes that might make many readers’ stomachs turn. One of the most disturbing moments in this book was when a character peels another person’s face off and then rips out the person’s eyeballs and their tongue out and nails the other person’s peeled face, eyeballs and tongue to the wall to talk to it. This is definitely a truly disturbing scene that might make some readers feel really uncomfortable if they do not like seeing gory scenes in a novel. Also, there is so much killing in this volume that might be too disturbing for readers who do not like reading about murders in novels. Overall, “The Sandman: A Game of You” is easily the most disturbing yet the most exciting of Neil Gaiman’s fantastic “Sandman” series and it is definitely a favorite of mine that fans should definitely check out! I would recommend this book to readers ages sixteen up since there is so much disturbing content in this volume that would be too terrifying for younger readers. Now I am off to read the next volume in the “Sandman” series, The Sandman, Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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| Mar 26, 2012
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Mar 26, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0140504419
| 9780140504415
| 4.00
| 5,043
| Oct 08, 1979
| Oct 27, 1983
|
I have actually first seen “Ox-Cart Man” on an episode of “Reading Rainbow” and I have decided to re-read this book after so many years of not reading...more
I have actually first seen “Ox-Cart Man” on an episode of “Reading Rainbow” and I have decided to re-read this book after so many years of not reading it in my adult years. “Ox-Cart Man” is a Caldecott Medal Award winning book by Donald Hall along with illustrations by Barbara Cooney and it basically details the everyday life of how a man and his family keep on making new items to sell at the market and to use the money they earned from selling their items to buy new items. “Ox-Cart Man” might have a good insight on how people lived in America during the Colonial times, but the story might be a bit too boring for most children to handle. This book is basically about a New Englander and his family and how he usually packs some wool from the sheep, mittens made by his daughter, a bag of goose feathers and birch brooms that his son carved in his ox-cart. The father would then take these items to the market in his ox-cart and sell them and then he would use the money to buy his family provisions and then his family would use the provisions to make the same items they made at the beginning and the cycle starts all over again. Donald Hall has done an excellent job at explaining to readers about how the people lived in America during Colonial Times. I liked the way that Donald Hall mentions how the family is able to make the items that they are planning to sell such as the daughter making the mittens by knitting it from the wool that came from the sheep and we were able to see the family make the items out of the materials at their own home. It was interesting seeing how the family made most of their items from their own backyard and then sell it to the market to buy new materials for their home. Barbara Cooney’s illustrations contain the old-fashioned look of nineteenth century New England as the characters are dressed in colonial styled clothing such as the wife wearing a white bonnet on her head and the father wearing olive colored breeches with tall black boots. I also loved the way that Barbara Cooney drew the seasons of the year, especially with fall as we can see all the leaves falling off the trees, making the New England landscapes extremely breathtaking to look at. The biggest issue I had with this book is that the story is a bit too boring since not much really happens in the story. All that happens in this story is that the family makes some items to sell at the market and then the father comes home and brings more materials for the family to make more items to bring to the market and that is pretty much the whole story. There is no action in the story and this might actually bored many children. Overall, while “Ox-Cart Man” had a great insight on the family life in Colonial New England, the story might be a bit too boring for many children to handle since there is no action involved in the story. (less) | Notes are private!
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| Mar 22, 1996
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Mar 22, 2012
| Paperback
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| 1563892251
| 9781563892257
| 4.43
| 31,397
| Jun 01, 1990
| Mar 10, 1999
|
6 stars!!!
After reading Neil Gaiman’s first graphic novel in the “Sandman” series “Preludes and Nocturnes,” I just had to read more from this fantast...more 6 stars!!! After reading Neil Gaiman’s first graphic novel in the “Sandman” series “Preludes and Nocturnes,” I just had to read more from this fantastic series and lo and behold, I have just picked up the second volume of the “Sandman” series, “The Doll’s House!” “The Doll’s House” is just as dark and gritty as the first volume and this will be a volume that fans will cherished for many years! After the events of “Preludes and Nocturnes,” Dream (known as “The Sandman” or Morpheus) goes back and tries to restore everything in his kingdom, starting with dealing with the missing subjects in his kingdom which includes Brute and Glob, two monstrous beings who once worked for the Sandman, the Corinthian, who is a being of nightmares and Fiddler’s Green who is a place that has gone missing. While the Sandman is trying to find all his missing subjects, another part of the story is focused on a young woman named Rose Walker who finds out more than she wanted to know when she finds out that her grandmother is still alive and she sets out to find her long lost Brother Jed. There a total of seven parts in this volume and they are: Tales in the Sand The Doll’s House Playing House Men of Good Fortune Welcome Cereal Convention (Fifth story) Into the Night Lost Hearts Wow! I was just so blown away by this second volume of the fantastic “Sandman” series! Even though the first “Sandman” volume was dark and gritty in the violence department, this volume was dark and gritty in the psychological department as it deals with serial killers and child abuse. Neil Gaiman has wonderfully written this story in an extremely dark and twisted way while providing excitement for the readers. I also loved how in this volume, the story is more focused on the characters and their strife, especially with Rose Walker and her place in the world. My favorite story was the prologue of the story called “Tales in the Sand” which is when an African tribesman relates the sad story of Queen Nada who ruled the city of glass and how she fell in love with the lord of the dreams named Kai’ckul to his grandson. “Tales in the Sand” is a really dark and interesting story about forbidden love and tragedy that really made me really sympathize with all the characters in this story. Neil Gaiman has also done an excellent job at providing suspense and mystery to the story surrounding Rose Walker that while I was hoping that she would find her missing brother Jed, I was also on the edge of my seat in seeing what kind of connections she has with the Sandman and what her destiny holds for her. It was also interesting and disturbing to see a convention for serial killers in the fifth story of this volume as I was wondering how could these serial killers have a convention in a public hotel without the police noticing something is wrong here? This volume is a bit different from the first volume as the first volume had a more “surreal dream” spookiness to the story while in this volume, it had a more “realistic” horror spookiness since it deals with rape and child abuse and seeing innocent children being tortured is scary enough. The artwork by Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli and Steve Parkhouse is so astonishing and they greatly complement the dark and gritty style of the stories. I especially loved the images of Rose Walker herself as she has blond hair with red and blue highlights in her hair which makes her look extremely creative. I also loved the image of the Corinthian itself as its eyes are two mouths with sharp teeth that truly make it look nightmarish. Just like the first volume, the second volume has disturbing content that might make some readers really uncomfortable. Even though in this volume, there is less violence although there are some bloody scenes, this volume is more disturbing in criminal situations such as a scene with a child being locked in a basement and being abused by his relatives and a scene where a character is nearly raped. If you are uncomfortable with scenes that deal with child abuse and rape, then this volume might be difficult to get through. Overall, “The Sandman: The Doll’s House” is a brilliant volume that fans of the “Sandman” series should definitely check out and read! I would recommend this volume to children ages sixteen and up since there is so much disturbing content in this volume such as rape and child abuse. Now I am off to read the third volume in the “Sandman” series, The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| Mar 14, 2012
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Mar 14, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0152817867
| 9780152817862
| 4.10
| 431
| Oct 29, 1982
| Apr 16, 1984
|
I have been reading the “Strega Nona” series ever since I was a child and there were many “Strega Nona” books that I have really enjoyed over the year...more
I have been reading the “Strega Nona” series ever since I was a child and there were many “Strega Nona” books that I have really enjoyed over the years! One of my favorites was this little gem called “Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons” by Tomie dePaola and it is about how Big Anthony wanted to learn magic like Strega Nona, but might have to go through drastic measures to learn magic! “Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons” is a truly clever and hilarious story for “Strega Nona” fans! Bambolona, the baker’s daughter was extremely upset with her job since she is the only employee working at her father’s bakery while her father just sits in the town square chatting away with his friends. When Bambolona tried to tell her father that she needs help with the bakery, her father just told her to work harder and that caused Bambolona to leave her father’s bakery and go to Strega Nona’s house. Strega Nona then tells Bambolona that she could teach her magic, but when Big Anthony wanted to learn magic too, Strega Nona told him that he could not learn magic. Big Anthony was so upset at this that he leaves Strega Nona to work for the baker, only to end up losing his job at the bakery on the first day. When Big Anthony realizes that the only way he could learn magic is if he is a woman, he decides to dress up like a Strega and try to learn some magic! . Everything about this book is so perfectly humorous and creative that I just had to read this book over and over again! Tomie dePaola’s writing and illustrations are both extremely creative and hilarious at the same time and together they made this story into quite a treat to read! I loved the way that Tomie dePaola portrayed all the characters in this story as they are all interesting to read about, especially Strega Nona, Bambolona and Big Anthony! Now, I keep forgetting that Bambolona’s actual first appearance was in “Big Anthony and the Magic Ring,” but she did not have a speaking role in that book. This book however, is Bambolona’s first speaking role in the “Strega Nona” series and it was great that she has become apart of the popular cast of “Strega Nona” as she is like a clever folly to Big Anthony’s foolishness. Big Anthony’s latest mischief is just as hilarious as his incident with the pasta pot in “Strega Nona” and I loved seeing him dressed up as a woman in order to learn magic from Strega Nona. Tomie dePaola’s illustrations are extremely hilarious and creative at the same time as Strega Nona is as always shown as a wise looking woman who is always wearing an apron and a white shawl on her head. My favorite illustrations were of when both Bambolona and Antonia were learning cures for the people and while Bambolona was always getting the cures right, Antonia was always getting the cures wrong. Overall, “Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons” is a truly hilarious and creative book for children who are fans of the “Strega Nona” series and who love seeing a little magic in their lives! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the Italian phrases might be a bit too difficult for smaller children to understand. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| Mar 14, 1997
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Mar 14, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1563892278
| 9781563892271
| 4.34
| 62,952
| Jan 01, 1991
| Dec 01, 1998
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6 stars!
“In a fairy tale story, once all the children are asleep, the Sandman will come in and sprinkle magic dust in children’s eyes and give them...more 6 stars! “In a fairy tale story, once all the children are asleep, the Sandman will come in and sprinkle magic dust in children’s eyes and give them sweet dreams.” At least, that is the interpretation we get about the Sandman. However, in this graphic novel, we are about to enter a world where the Sandman is a magical being of the Dream world, but the world of the Sandman is much darker and more disturbing than you can ever imagine! “The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes” is a comic series written by none other than Neil Gaiman himself and it details the beginning of how the Sandman came to be and his mission in retrieving his lost tools. The story starts off with a man named Roderick Burgess who wanted to prevent death from happening around the world by summoning Death and then imprisoning it. When Burgess starts his summoning spell, he ended up getting Death’s younger brother Dream and ended up imprisoning him for seventy years, while stealing Dream’s three tools. When Dream is finally released, he wrecks his revenge on Roderick’s son, Alex who was the surviving family member of the Burgesses and he sets out on finding his three tools which were: a pouch of sand, the helm and the ruby (moonstone). Can Dream find all of these items before the world fall into turmoil? There are a total of eight stories in this novel and they are: Sleep of the Just Imperfect Hosts Dream a Little, Dream of Me A Hope in Hell Passengers 24 Hours Sound and Fury The Sound of Her Wings To be honest, I have never heard of Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series until I had read so many positive reviews on it on Goodreads and I have decided to give this series a try. Well, I have the honor to say that I was totally blown away by this introductory novel! Neil Gaiman has done a brilliant job at writing this collection of stories about the Sandman as the stories are dark yet engaging to read at the same time! I loved the way that Neil Gaiman put a new and disturbing spin on the classic children’s fairy tale of the Sandman by actually portraying the Sandman (who is called Dream in this version) as a powerful being who is able to rule the Dream world and even has a powerful influence on the surreal worlds he visits when he was on his mission to retrieve his stolen items. I also loved how the mythology of dreams is fitted in perfectly in this story, which gives this story an extremely creative and authentic feel to the dream world. Neil Gaiman also gives the Sandman a somewhat dark personality throughout this whole novel, which is greatly justified by the fact that he was captured and kept prisoner for over seventy years and he had to deal with the fact that his tools were stolen from him. I also enjoyed the way that Neil Gaiman made the narration of this book somewhat surreal since most of the time, the plot tends to jump around in the story so many times. However, this is to be expected since the majority of the story takes place in the peoples’ dreams and most of the time, dreams do not usually make any sense. Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg and Malcolm Jones III’s artwork are extremely effective and haunting at the same time. The artwork sort of reminds me of the older DC comics back in the 80s and I loved the realistic and retro style of the characters in this novel as it gives the stories in this novel a sort crime noir feel. I also loved how the artwork is dark and surreal at the same time as there are many images of people being killed in their dreams and many images of demons when the Sandman goes to the Underworld. The image that really stood out to me was the image of the Sandman himself as he looks like a young man with a pale face and rock star hair that sticks out in all places. His appearance sort of reminds me of Edward Scissorhands as he also has spiky hair and a pale face.   Surprisingly, this graphic novel has many disturbing scenes of people getting killed in their dreams. Some of the disturbing images in this book has scenes of the Sandman being surrounded by demons when he goes to the Underworld and some images of people being killed in their dreams such as a person’s head is suddenly cut off and the severed head is still talking and a person stick nails in their eyes. If you are uncomfortable with violent and disturbing images, then this book might be a bit too difficult to get through. Overall, “The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes” is a fantastic read for fans of Neil Gaiman’s work and readers who love dark and gritty graphic novels! I would recommend this series to teens ages sixteen and up since there is so much dark subject matter in this graphic novel. Now I am off to read the second volume, The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| Mar 08, 2012
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Mar 08, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0345524195
| 9780345524195
| 4.21
| 81
| Jan 25, 2011
| Jan 25, 2011
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For all my life, I have been a huge “Garfield” fan! I have read all the “Garfield” comics when they first appeared in the Sunday Newspapers and I have...more
For all my life, I have been a huge “Garfield” fan! I have read all the “Garfield” comics when they first appeared in the Sunday Newspapers and I have even watched the 80s cartoon, “Garfield and Friends” when I was little.  Now, I have read the fifty-first book from the classic “Garfield” comics called “Garfield Shovels It In” by comic legend Jim Davis and this collection of fantastic comics will surely be an instant treat for “Garfield” fans everywhere! Basically, this book just collects various comic strips of “Garfield” during the 2000s and it details the crazy adventures that Garfield, Jon and Odie all have together, including Jon’s relationship with Liz the veterinarian, Garfield continuously torturing the spiders at his home and Garfield making sarcastic remarks about Jon’s lifestyle. Where do I begin with this book? Well for starters, Jim Davis’ writing has always been top notch whenever it came writing “Garfield” comics for the jokes in these comics are always so hilarious and clever, especially Garfield’s sarcastic remarks towards Jon’s eccentric lifestyle. Here are some of my favorite quotes from this collection: 1) Garfield: (Sees a cricket in the house) “Cricket in the house! Crick—“ Jon: (Is sleeping in the chair). Garfield: (talking to the cricket) I’ll give you a dollar to jump into Jon’s mouth.” 2) Jon: (Is deeply thinking about something). Garfield: “Jon is in deep thought.” Jon: “How come you can’t taste your tongue?” Garfield: “Relatively speaking.” 3) Spider: (Starts coming down towards Garfield) “I’m not touching you…I’m not touching you…” Garfield: “You’re new here, aren’t you?” 4) Jon: (Is sitting by the cookie jar) Garfield: BURP! Jon: “Garfield!” Garfield: “Nobody here but us crumbs.” I just loved the way that Jim Davis is still able to make Garfield into such a likable character, despite the fact that he makes fun of both Jon and Odie whenever he gets the chance to. I especially loved the sarcastic remarks that Garfield makes towards Jon’s lifestyle as it is hilarious without being offensive and I am always laughing so much whenever I read his little remarks towards Jon. To be honest, Garfield sort of reminds me of a “orange cat” version of Daria from the TV series “Daria” since the main character Daria is always making sarcastic remarks about the people in her life and whenever I read the “Garfield” comics, I always thought that Garfield was the only character in that world who seems to get what is really going on whenever weird situations with Jon and Odie pop up.  I also loved the fact that in this collection, Jim Davis is able to explore Jon and Liz’s relationship even further. After years of seeing Jon never catching a break whenever it came to dating, here is finally a woman who can deal with Jon’s eccentric ways, which I think is really sweet and I really liked the character Liz and I hope that we see her in more “Garfield” comics in the future! Jim Davis’ artwork is as hilarious and creative as ever as Garfield is a cat that is orange and fat, which is a look that has clearly defined the beloved comic character we all know and love! I also love how all the characters in this collection have large eyes that cover their heads as it makes them look so hilarious and I also loved the appearance of Jon as he is always wearing a blue shirt and black pants, which has become his signature appearance over the years. Overall, “Garfield Shovels It In” is another impressive collection of “Garfield” comics that will have fans rolling around laughing for many years and it is also the perfect collection that both kids and adults will enjoy for years to come. I would recommend this collection to children ages five and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book unless younger children might not understand the sarcastic humor. Review is also shown on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| Mar 08, 2012
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Mar 08, 2012
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| 0785115609
| 9780785115601
| 4.27
| 3,565
| 1981
| Jun 07, 2006
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Brief Introduction:
As I read through these older X-Men stories originally written by Chris Claremont, I wondered to myself about how the X-Men stori...more Brief Introduction: As I read through these older X-Men stories originally written by Chris Claremont, I wondered to myself about how the X-Men stories were like back then versus how they are now. The stories back then seemed to flow together nicely and the character interactions were fantastic and reading some of the newer X-Men stories currently being made, they seem to lose that magic that made them great in the first place. But enough about my little rant on the state of the “X-Men” comics nowadays, this is about the most popular story in “X-Men” history since “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” “Days of Future Past.” This graphic novel does contain the popular story “Days of Future Past” written by Chris Claremont with artwork by John Byrne, but it also contains issues 138 – 143, so there are multiple stories in this collection that were quite enjoyable! What is the story? This collection of stories takes place after the events of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and the X-Men get into more adventures which includes the inclusion of a young Kitty Pryde into the X-Men! There are a total of six issues in this collection and therefore there are six stories that include: Elegy – After the events of “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” Cyclops decides to leave the X-Men in order to cope with Jean Grey’s unfortunate death. Nightcrawler’s Inferno – When Nightcrawler’s soul is stolen by an evil force in the Inferno, the X-Men along with Doctor Strange journey to the Inferno to save Nightcrawler’s soul from the evil forces of the Inferno. Something Wicked This Way Comes and Rage! – Wolverine and Nightcrawler journey to Canada and not only meet up with the mutant team Alpha Flight, but they also discovered that a monstrous beast named Wendigo is on the loose in the Canadian wilderness! Days of Future Past and Mind out of Time! – In this classic tale, Kate Pryde (who is Kitty Pryde in the future) goes into the past and takes over Kitty Pryde’s mind in order to warn the X-Men about the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants’ attempt at assassinating Senator Robert Kelly that will unfortunately cause a terrible chain of events that will cause the Sentinels to kill all the mutants in the future. The X-Men then try to stop the Brotherhood of Mutants from killing Senator Robert Kelly in order to prevent this terrible future from happening! Demon – On Christmas Eve, all the X-Men left the Institute to spend the holidays with their families, leaving Kitty Pryde by herself. Unfortunately, Kitty Pryde will soon realize that she is not alone in the Institute when a frightening demon comes to the Institute and tries to attack Kitty! What I loved about this comic: Chris Claremont’s writing: As usual with most of the older “X-Men” comics written by Chris Claremont, Chris Claremont’s writing was truly excellent and exciting! I loved the way that Chris Claremont makes sure that the readers understand what was happening over the years that the characters spent their time as the X-Men, especially in the first story of Cyclops telling readers about the events that happened while he was with the X-Men from the day he first became an X-Men to the death of Jean Grey when she turned into the Dark Phoenix. I also loved the way that Chris Claremont portrayed the relationships between the X-Men, especially between Storm, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Wolverine and Nightcrawler as all of these members have an extremely close relationship with each other and it was hilarious seeing the witty banter that takes place between Colossus, Wolverine and Nightcrawler. I especially loved the way that Chris Claremont wrote the story “Days of Future Past” as it was the first X-Men story where the X-Men deals with an apocalyptic future that would soon inspire many other apocalyptic themed stories in the future and the dark and dreary mood of the dystopian world that that X-Men would face in the future was done extremely well and I often felt so much remorse for the X-Men as they had to survive in a world where mutants were becoming extinct. I also loved the story “Nightcrawler’s Inferno” as Chris Claremont clearly showed the close relationship between the X-Men and Colossus was just so awesome in that story! John Byrne’s artwork: John Byrne’s artwork was so fantastic and beautiful and I especially loved the appearances of most of the characters, especially of Kitty Pryde herself having a cute face and long and wavy brown hair (even though I often wonder why she is drawn with having a long face). I also loved the way that John Byrne illustrated the dystopian future in “Days of Future Past” as the world looks dark and dreary with images of buildings being worn down and Sentinels occupying everything in its mist. What made me feel uncomfortable about this book: The only problem with this collection of stories is that each story is a bit too long to read through as the pages are littered with information about what happened in past events and the characters are constantly talking about the limits of their powers and how they plan on defeating their enemies. Now, I love stories where there is so much information about the characters, but in a graphic novel or comic format, it might be a bit too much for new readers to handle and you might get a “brain burn” after you try to read all the information about the characters and the story itself. Final Thoughts: Overall, “Days of Future Past” is easily one of the most memorable “X-Men” stories next to “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and “God Loves Man Kills” and I am definitely sure that “X-Men” fans will take delight in reading this story! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| Feb 19, 2012
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Feb 19, 2012
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| 0805032436
| 9780805032437
| 4.10
| 119
| 1835
| Sep 15, 1995
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I have read many interpretations of the classic Brothers Grimm tale “The Fisherman and his Wife,” but this is the first time I have read the Russian v...more
I have read many interpretations of the classic Brothers Grimm tale “The Fisherman and his Wife,” but this is the first time I have read the Russian version of this tale. “The Magic Gold Fish” is a Russian folktale retold by Demi and it is about how a poor fisherman wants to please his greedy wife when he finds a magic golden fish. “The Magic Gold Fish” is a great retelling of the ancient tale that children everywhere will love! One day, a poor fisherman catches a gold fish and the gold fish promised to repay the kind fisherman in any kind of way. Unfortunately, the fisherman’s greedy wife wanted more from the fish, which includes a cottage, a mansion and a czarina! Ever since I have been reading Demi’s works, I was always amazed at how detailed and beautiful her retellings of ancient folktales are! Demi’s writing is extremely dramatic and interesting at the same time as the fisherman is thrown into one crazy situation into another and I loved the Russian elements being put into this story such as “czarina” and “distaff.” Demi’s illustrations were simply gorgeous as she uses traditional Chinese inks to illustrate the drawings in this book. I especially loved the Russian landscapes in this book such as the picture of the royal palace looking red and having red flags waving in the air. I also loved the illustrations of the fisherman’s wife being dressed in gold and red royal clothing after she wishes to be a czarina and it really helped me see Russia in ancient times through a picture book. The problem I had with this book is that the wife is a bit too cruel in this version as she goes from beating her husband up to making him live in the stables and pushing him away from her. Okay, well maybe she is more vain than cruel, but it was just so hard to even like her character in this version and I constantly feel sorry for the fisherman as he has to take his wife’s abuse throughout the book. So in a way, the ending was a bit satisfying for me because the fisherman’s wife gets what is coming to her for her greed, but at the same time, I felt that there should have been more added at the end, such as whether or not the fisherman’s wife learned her lesson or not. All in all, “The Magic Gold Fish” was an interesting spin on the classic Brothers Grimm tale and children everywhere who love reading Russian folktales will definitely enjoy this classic tale! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the greedy wife might upset smaller children. (less) | Notes are private!
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| Jan 11, 2010
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Jan 10, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0739350633
| 9780739350638
| 4.33
| 3
| Jul 01, 2007
| Jul 10, 2007
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Imagine two of your favorite celebrities (Robin Williams and Tracey Ullman in this case) narrating stories that are targeted towards children. That is...more
Imagine two of your favorite celebrities (Robin Williams and Tracey Ullman in this case) narrating stories that are targeted towards children. That is a fantastic thought is it not? That is what I thought whenever I listen to any of these classic “Rabbit Ears Treasury” audio CD series and this small collection which is called “Rabbit Ears Treasury of Storybook Classics Volume 1: Pecos Bill and Puss in Boots” is definitely an audio CD that is right up my alley! I have pretty much already summarized both of these stories through their book counterparts, so I will just briefly summarize each story: Pecos Bill Told by: RobinWilliams Music by: Ry Cooder Join the wild and rollicking adventures of America’s number one cowboy, Pecos Bill! Listen to the stories of how Pecos Bill created the first cattle drive, meet up with a sassy yet beautiful cowgirl and managed to wrestle with a cyclone single-handedly! Puss in Boots Told by: Tracey Ullman Music by: Jean-Luc Ponty When the youngest son of a miller wanted to eat Puss in Boots, Puss in Boots tries to help the youngest son win the hand of the king’s daughter and get a kingdom in order to save his hide! Be amazed! Be very, very amazed at what two small stories can pack into an hour! These two tales that are considered the more hilarious and modernized versions of the classic fairy tales are pure epic classics!  My favorite of the two stories is probably “Pecos Bill” because Robin Williams has always been one hilarious actor and his narration of this ancient tall tale really brought this story to life! I really loved the spectacular adventures that Pecos Bill endures such as lassoing a cyclone in the west! Ry Cooder’s music is simply magical and fits the playful mood of the story perfectly as it gives the story a more energetic feel. In the second story, “Puss in Boots,” Tracey Ullman is just as hilarious in her narration as Robin Williams was in narrating “Pecos Bill.” I always have a thing for actors portraying certain accents fluently and Tracey Ullman portrayed both a French accent and a British accent within this story with such clarity that I actually imagined myself living during those times.  Jean-Luc Ponty’s music is extremely graceful and it fits the somewhat sophisticated mood of this story perfectly as the music is mainly composed of violin musical pieces. There is only one small and tiny problem with this audio CD and it is that there is no book to accompany it. For those of you who have grown up with the Rabbit Ears stories during the 80s and 90s, you might remember that there used to be a little something called books and cassettes where the books are sold along with the tape cassettes that contain the stories being narrated by the celebrities. So, you might be a bit disappointed that there are no books accompanying these audio CDs because, if you wanted to share these stories with your children or with your friends, then it might be a bit difficult to show them how the story goes without the book being accompanied with the audio CD. Overall, “Rabbit Ears Treasury of Storybook Classics Volume 1: Pecos Bill and Puss in Boots” is definitely one collection of classic stories that you certainly do not want to miss and it will definitely remain with many children for years to come! Now before I close up this review, I would like to ask you all a question: Question: Have you heard of Rabbit Ears Productions before? If you had heard of this company before, relate your favorite stories or your experiences with this series or if you have not heard of this series before, go ahead and check out this fantastic series! (less) | Notes are private!
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| Jan 02, 2011
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Jan 02, 2012
| Audio CD
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| 0785100393
| 9780785100393
| 4.12
| 1,922
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| Sep 01, 1994
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5.5 stars!!!
Early Thoughts: Lately, I have been reading many “X-Men” comics, especially the ones from the 70s and 80s and I have stumbled upon this...more 5.5 stars!!! Early Thoughts: Lately, I have been reading many “X-Men” comics, especially the ones from the 70s and 80s and I have stumbled upon this unique little story. Since I had heard so many good things about this story, I decided to check it out myself and what I got was probably the darkest, most disturbing, most engaging and most brilliant piece of work I have ever read from any comic! This story is called “God Loves Man Kills” and it was an “X-Men” story written by Chris Claremont along with artwork by Brent Anderson, which was created without the constraints of the comic industry. So expect some really shocking moments awaiting you in this volume! What is the story? Basically, this story is about Reverend William Stryker, a well respected religious man who has done many televangelists programming around the country. Unfortunately, William Stryker is actually a truly evil man who wants nothing more than to exterminate the mutant race by sending out his assassins, the Purifiers, to eliminate anyone who is a mutant while preaching to the world about how mutants have no place in the world. So, when the X-Men find out about William Stryker’s devious plan in exterminating the mutant race, they have to do everything in their power to stop William Stryker’s plan from succeeding! What I loved about this comic: The story itself: Oh my goodness! After I had heard how harsh this story was, I was a little reluctant in reading this story. However, once I had read this story, I was totally blown away by the truly effective storytelling this story had to offer! Chris Claremont has certainly done an excellent job at comparing the X-Men’s situation in being mistreated by the public because they are different from the humans to how the minority community is being treated in society as they are also mistreated because of their skin colors or their different religious affiliations. Even though this idea has always been the norm for the “X-Men,” Chris Claremont had made this story truly memorable as it was one of the few “X-Men” stories to actually capture the realistic and harsh view of racism and prejudice in our society in a very compelling way. I will admit that there were some very harsh and disturbing moments in this book, especially with the opening scene of two mutant children being killed by the Purifiers and being hung by the swing sets to be shown as an example about what would happen to other mutants like them (personally, anything that deals with innocent children being killed for no reason is disturbing to me) and it is moments like that that really makes you think about the disturbing nature of racism and prejudice. I also loved the way that the X-Men not only try to save mutant kind from threats like William Stryker, but how they try to explain to the audience about the importance of being different and how no matter how different you are from other people, you are still human and that message was brought out in a very compelling way that made me root for the X-Men all the way. I also loved the way that Chris Claremont had written the villain William Stryker. William Stryker was not written as your usual “trying to take over the world” villain, but he was written as a villain who had a past that will horrify you and shaped what he has become and uses religion as a way to exterminate a race that he believes is evil. Also, the fact that William Stryker was a normal human being, but was able to cause harm to the X-Men made him a truly formidable villain in the “X-Men” universe. Brent Anderson’s artwork: I loved Brent Anderson’s artwork because it has that retro 70s/early 80s look that I have always enjoyed looking at when I was small. I loved how Brent Anderson’s artwork has that scratchy look and it really complements the story extremely well and captures the dark scenes in this story, especially with the opening scene of the two mutant children being killed and while this event takes place during the night, you can see the blue colorings giving an eerie feel to this scene. What made me feel uncomfortable about this book: Since this story was written without the advisory of the comic industry and is not really within the X-Men continuity, there are many disturbing and harsh elements throughout this book. There are many deaths throughout this story, especially with the disturbing opening scene of the two mutant children being killed and hung by the swing sets. Also, there is some strong language in this book that might offend some readers, especially since they are used in a way to describe how certain words can hurt people if used in an offensive manner. Also, this story is a bit too dark for younger teens since it deals with racism and prejudice in a very realistic and disturbing manner and because of this, this story is often not really counted as apart of the X-Men stories although it inspired a movie and some stories in the future, however, it is one of the most popular and well-written stories ever created. Final Thoughts: All in all, despite the very dark nature of this story, “God Loves Man Kills” will remain to be one of the most inspirational stories ever created! It was one of the few stories that actually shows the true dark side of racism and prejudice and even though there were some harsh moments in this story, those moments clearly show us the true nature of racism and prejudice and I think that this story will always stand the test of time no matter what generation reads it. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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| Dec 24, 2011
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Dec 24, 2011
| Paperback
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| 2756008621
| 9782756008622
| 4.55
| 4,039
| Mar 19, 2007
| Nov 14, 2007
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1
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| Nov 02, 2011
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Nov 01, 2011
| Paperback
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