I have to say, if the goal of Sea Lion Books sending me review copies is partially to make me want to own the physical books myself, they're achieving...moreI have to say, if the goal of Sea Lion Books sending me review copies is partially to make me want to own the physical books myself, they're achieving it with a rate that's probably scaring my checkbook. (Not that I don't scare it myself every time I walk into my local comic book store or Barnes & Nobles.) I need this book, just like I needed a copy of the first volume of Storm Born.
Brent Marks, a known Vitro, is desperately trying to live a normal high school life while suffering the slings and arrows of being known as an uber-geek. But, things go from bad to worse when the Vitro community, en-masse, is blamed for a fatal explosion in a military weapons lab and the subsequent release of a deadly toxin. Caught up in a global panic, the Vitros become subject to a groundswell of persecution, as they are declared terrorists and hunted down!
The first issue of the comic was rather slow in revealing its data, and despite the fast pace of the first volume, I'm still left with a lot of questions that haven't been answered. This is to be expected, as you don't give it all up in the first go, but I'm dying to know more about these characters. What exactly are the Vitros? They're smart, but why are they so different? How were they made? Were they really accidental? One of the characters in the series makes an off-hand remark about Vitros being an accident, but somehow I'm not so sure of that.
There's a lot of character introductions here, so you really only get enough to get a basic feel for the more important people. One of my two favorites has to be the super-smart yet somewhat out of touch Franklin, a Vitro that was raised in an unloving and completely isolated environment. As such he has the book smarts yet perhaps not the street smarts to deal with the others. The other favorite has to be the uber-creepy Maudsley, who thinks nothing of manipulating people with nothing but his words... to deadly effect. There's some pretty intriguing characters here and the first issue deals with the brainy Brent, but these two are the ones who truly stole the spotlight and odds are that they'd be the two best characters to watch. If they were real, I'd love to see what an interview with either of them would be like. (Although I'll admit that I'm grateful that Maudsley doesn't exist IRL. That I know of.)
Volume one of this series ends with quite a bang, so I'm glad that I had issue five bundled into my review copy. I'm going to write a mini-review for that, but I'll leave that on the final part of my blog/goodreads review. If you don't want spoilers, you'll want to stop here. If you want to know, read on. Just know that this is well worth the price of admission, and with all of the comics being adapted into movies or TV shows, this would be something that would look good on either screen. Absolutely worth checking out.
(Thar be spoilers, arr!)
Now for the evaluation of issue 5. The first volume ended with our intrepid teens waking to find themselves on an ancient space station. A space station that they soon discover is rapidly deteriorating to the point that they're going to die within five hours if they don't find a way to (if I could quote Tim Gunn) "make it work". This issue has them focusing their superhuman intellects on the task at hand, which is pretty interesting to watch. So far we've seen glimpses of what they can do, but never really any of the actual work in depth. This issue shows us how they might work as a team in the future. The issue is pretty well paced and as a result, is nice and exciting. There's also some great foreshadowing in the artwork by way of a well placed image in the helmet of a space suit (no spoilers on what it resembles!) and Weldele is to be congratulated on this. I'm rather happy that SLB has the same artist doing the artwork, as it allows for more collaboration between the teams and a better understanding of the story than if they'd brought someone else in partway through. (Plus I really dig his style.) Definitely a good followup to the cliffhanger of the first volume.
I know this sounds fangirlish, but this is one of those great indie series that will probably never get the attention it so very much deserves.
I got this at the same time as I did volume 2, so I dove into this immediately after finishing the previous one. (Now I just have to wait for my other...moreI got this at the same time as I did volume 2, so I dove into this immediately after finishing the previous one. (Now I just have to wait for my other volumes to get here!)
The artwork in this is just as good in the previous volumes, so if you've been a fan of the artwork then you're going to love this volume.
Where this volume really shines is in the further character development. If you've been waiting for lots of great action scenes, this is the volume you'll definitely want to read. Emp has a lot of kick butt scenes and the volume ends on a pretty awesome one. I can't elaborate without getting too spoilery, but it's probably her coolest one so far and it emphasizes the mystery of the suit and what it's capable of doing. We get a little explanation towards the suit's tendency to short out on Emp as well as more background on Thug and Ninjette. It's a really great volume and it really makes me impatient for the next volume.
This is one that you definitely have to get, although unlike the previous volume it's not one that you could easily and instantly get into without having read anything prior. You could if you really wanted to, but you'd be missing out on quite a bit of story. (less)
I have to admit that I'm a big fan of indie comics in general. Hopeless-Savages, Koko be Good, and Blue Monday... I love them all. Friends With Boys c...moreI have to admit that I'm a big fan of indie comics in general. Hopeless-Savages, Koko be Good, and Blue Monday... I love them all. Friends With Boys can now be added to this list. I literally sat and devoured this in one night, flipping back to scenes and images that I particularly loved, especially Maggie's interactions with her family.
One of the best things about this comic was that the main character isn't some picture-perfect character with flawless skin and great hair. (You know the ones I'm talking about- the characters who are supposed to be outcasts but look like models instead.) Maggie does have good skin, but most importantly she isn't perfect. She has hair that sticks straight up and a huge nose, which I found refreshing. It makes her that much easier to instantly relate to as an average person. I also loved Maggie's expressions throughout the book. She's a very expressive character and it shows through her facial features. Another thing that I loved about the artwork is that it reminds me of so many different artists without actually copying their style. Hicks might have potentially been inspired by them, but her artwork style is all her own. (Especially reminds me of Koko be Good and Blue Monday.)
The story line here is pretty interesting, although I'd like to warn people that the ghost part of the story is never fully explored. I'm not sure if that means there will be another volume, but if you're hoping for a big ghost story then you'll be disappointed. She (the ghost) does factor into the story, but not as the main grab. No, the biggest and most basic focus of the story is Maggie growing up and adapting to life outside of her comfort zone. Hicks does a good job of showing this off, from Maggie's awkward first day to her attempts to deal with some of the more major issues of her life.
This is only a brief glimpse into Maggie's world and I hope that this won't be the last I see of her, but this does work as a stand alone book for the most part. People wanting a definitive ending will undoubtedly get frustrated at it and I won't entirely blame them. This doesn't have the clear cut ending that I normally want my stories to have, but it's satisfying enough that I won't begrudge it. I loved this manga and I would love to see more like it, if not more of Maggie herself.(less)
(Note: This review was originally based on the first two issues, but I've since read the full volume and the ratings stand.)
Wow. Just wow. Richelle Me...more(Note: This review was originally based on the first two issues, but I've since read the full volume and the ratings stand.)
Wow. Just wow. Richelle Mead has been on my list of authors to check out so Sea Lion Book's offer to preview one of her comics was pretty exciting. After all, thousands of screaming fans must mean that she's doing something right, right? Well, those thousands of screaming fans have to check out the graphic novel adaptation of the first book in her Dark Swan series because then they'll have a little something to scream extra loud about. Storm Born is a perfect example of what you should do as far as book to comic goes. I haven't read the books (although that's going to change very, very quickly) so I'm not sure if there's any big alterations from the novel, but this was easy to get into and follow along with. I absolutely love-love-LOVE the artwork. It's so beautifully done. It doesn't hurt that I love artwork of redheads. Hamann does a very good job of bringing the characters here to life. Some of the artwork reminds me of the comic series Fables, which is a good thing considering the quality of work you see in it.
Sea Lion Books was gracious enough to allow me to post some of the covers as well as a few pages from the comics. Eugenie (aka Odile) has such wonderful expressions that it's easy to get wrapped up in the story. I do have to warn that there are some adult situations in this volume, although they are very tactfully done. You won't see any full nudity in these comics and any "extracurricular activities" aren't overly graphic. Parents might want to preview this before handing it over to their teens, but this is rather tame in comparison to some of the things seen in other graphic novels out in the market. (Although there is a risk to teens of getting their libraries raided so the parent in question can read the novel format of Storm Born and find out what happens next.)
Story-wise, my curiosity is piqued. There's been a lot of different things in the urban fantasy world, but shamans are rather under-represented. Necromancers or witches? Plenty. Shamans? Not so much. There's a lot of room for Mead to expand in & showcase Eugenie's talents in this series.
So far I've got my theories as to what's going on with certain characters, but I'll have to wait until I finish the graphic novel or book to find out. I'm also sort of predicting some future romantic entanglements, or perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part. (Eugenie's roommate is pretty intriguing.)
My two issues ended on a very big cliffhanger so I'm really looking forward to reading the full volume when it comes out in October. I've been informed that volume 1 will cover the first half of Storm Born, with volume 2 completing the novel.
Fans of Mead will also be happy to know that her much loved Vampire Academy series has also gotten the graphic novel treatment, with the first book coming out this August.
5 out of 5 stars
(Reader copies provided by Sea Lion Books)
Edit:
I've read the full volume now, and it is awesome. So awesome, that I ended up deciding to purchase the volume itself from Amazon only seconds after finishing my review. (So I guess my reviews do work to help sell books!) Still five stars, all the way.(less)
I'd heard a lot about the Sailor V manga and let me tell you, it's all true. Not only can you see where Takeuchi started toying around with the charac...moreI'd heard a lot about the Sailor V manga and let me tell you, it's all true. Not only can you see where Takeuchi started toying around with the character designs for Sailor Moon, but you can also see where some view it as close, but not quite as good as Sailor Moon. (Still worth reading, though!)
First I just have to say that like Sailor Moon, the artwork is gorgeous. It's a little rough in places compared to her later work (especially since the new [[ASIN:1935429744 Sailor Moon]]), but it's still incredibly fun to look at. The story is also interesting since it's both a standalone manga as well as being linked to the SM universe. I have to warn readers that they should take this manga with a grain of salt as far as how it fits into the SM world since you'll see various things that don't match up with what we know about the Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon. This is because Sailor V was initially released before Sailor Moon was and eventually sparked the idea for what is now her best known series.
The most fun of this volume is to look to see where Takeuchi started playing around with character designs. Minako (Sailor V) was quite obviously a springing board for Usagi, as she shares many of Usagi's characteristics and surroundings, most notably Usagi's parents and a few of her classmates. It's interesting to also see how the story changed over time, as the Sailor Moon series started up not long after Sailor V started up and ran alongside the Sailor V manga. (Sailor V releases started coming out more sporadically.) You can see some of the Sailor Moon characters (most notably Usagi), which was pretty neat.
Translation-wise, this isn't bad. I did spot a grammatical error in the volume and at times it does suffer from awkward translating, it's pretty well done and actually flows a little better than the Sailor Moon translation did. (Possibly due to it being potentially less scrutinized by the fanbase as the SM manga would be.)
This isn't as strong as the Sailor Moon manga is, but it's still very fun and it's a must buy for fans of Sailor Moon. For those who aren't as die-hard? Well, personally my gut reaction is to collect everything and tell everyone else to (hey, I'm a completist), but some might find that this just doesn't grab them as much as the Sailor Moon series does (or vice-versa). For them it might be worth checking out in the bookstore before buying it.(less)
Ever since the ill fated Mixx/Tokyopop lost their license to the series I've been hoping that Sailor Moon would eventually hit these shores again and...moreEver since the ill fated Mixx/Tokyopop lost their license to the series I've been hoping that Sailor Moon would eventually hit these shores again and they have. Happy day!
Fangirl gush aside, I really enjoyed this volume. The artwork is gorgeous, which is what you'd expect for a mangaka of Takeuchi's caliber. It's interesting to flip through the pages and let my eyes slide over the illustrations.
The translations are a little awkward at times, though. One of the things that Kodansha really hyped up was that they were going to be as faithful as possible, which included the honorifics. I was actually looking forward to this since I enjoy reading honorifics for the most part. I enjoyed much of the honorifics but I'd be lying if I said that some of them just felt really silly to tack on. Things that sound fantastic in Japanese with the untranslated word just sound clunky here, such as Hime-Sama being turned into Princess-Sama. (As one reviewer so aptly put it.) I think that Kodansha just tried a little too overly hard to stay faithful to the original translations, possibly due to all of the complaints over the Tokyopop translations. This just doesn't come across as organically as it should, which might bore a few readers.
I can't really hate the Sailor Moon manga for this and I waffled over giving it 4 stars and giving it 5 stars. I eventually had to concede that while the flaws didn't ruin my experience as a whole, they were definitely noticeable and kind of interrupted my reading at least slightly.
For the Sailor Moon fans, this is an absolute 100% must buy. For any new readers or those on the fence, I'd still recommend it. It's worth having in my opinion and the awkward translations should ease up over time as Kodansha gets used to what they do and don't have to add. (less)
When I first picked up this series via Made for Each Other (book 2 in the series), I was a little underwhelmed. I'd been told that there were better e...moreWhen I first picked up this series via Made for Each Other (book 2 in the series), I was a little underwhelmed. I'd been told that there were better entries out there, so I picked this one up to see if that was the case & I'm happy to say that it is.
While the content was definitely inspired by various vampire hunting heroes (Buffy anyone?), this comic takes that inspiration & manages to turn it into something new & fun. You won't care that you've seen it before in a different incarnation. You'll be too busy tearing through the pages & rooting for Vanessa.
I absolutely loved that Jolley managed to give Vanessa just enough depth to keep her from being a cardboard cutout as well as avoiding the temptation to keep from giving her any flaws. (It's quite easy to fall into that when your story only has so many pages for both plot & character development.) The illustrator also deserves a hand of applause for doing such a great job on the characters- I loved the way this looked.
My only complaint is that while Vanessa & Jean Paul are developed as characters, the secondary ones sort of fell to the wayside & other aspects of the book (the bad vamps, JP's bosses) weren't as well explored as I'd like. Since that would probably require at least 20-30 more pages, I can't really fault the team for focusing more on our two lead characters.
This really felt like the setup for a series, so I can only hope that Graphic Universe will allow us another look back into Vanessa's world. This has far too much promise & potential for just one entry.
I'm honestly not sure what I thought about this after I finished it, but I'll warn potential readers that this isn't exactly light reading. I have to...moreI'm honestly not sure what I thought about this after I finished it, but I'll warn potential readers that this isn't exactly light reading. I have to say that while this wasn't what I was expecting exactly, I was just left a little underwhelmed at the end of it all.
I started out really digging the feel of this comic. The artwork is pretty good. It suited the initial feel of the characters while not being overly polished. When the artists start bringing in the more flashy stuff later on, it's actually to a rather nice effect. I believe that this is because initially we're to believe that this is a simple little world where everything is exactly as it seems to be, with the stranger artwork coming in only after revelations about said world begin to start sinking in to the various unnamed characters in the story. Art-wise, this was great. Story-wise, this was just "OK". I'm going to try to keep from being too spoilerific, but I'll warn you that I might accidentally let some story line spill in my attempts to explain why I felt disappointed by this.
We're thrown rather abruptly into the story line, with little to no information about our youthful characters other than they're teenagers that are pretty disillusioned with the educational system. A few of them are dating, but that's pretty much all we're ever really given about them. We don't even get their names. This actually works in the comic's favor for the most part since the point of this comic is that it's not supposed to be a big epic where just as much time is spent on fleshing out back stories as it is telling the bigger story. I wouldn't be lying if I said that it also kept me from fully sinking into the characters as much as I wanted to.
I think what the ultimate problem with this is that it just feels like it's trying too hard to tell its message. We have themes of anarchy, reality, and disillusionment, but I felt like I was being clubbed over the head with the message. The revelations here are interesting, which is why I was so disappointed in how heavy handed and preachy everything felt. The "ah ha!" moment just didn't have the momentum to go through the entire issue. In the end I couldn't help but feel that the characters were essentially being just as obtuse as the people they were trying to uprise against. The book relies too heavily on the idea that the message here is so novel and interesting that we'll just keep going.
Ultimately this wasn't bad and I appreciate that the comic team was taking a risk in trying to make something of this nature. It's just that this sort of thing has been done before and done better. People who are entirely new to these types of comics will likely embrace this comic, and I encourage them to do so. There's a good idea here. For the ones who are familiar with surreal comics that deal with reality like this, you'll just get a feeling of "been there, done that, already replaced the t-shirt a few times". It's worth reading for the nice artwork and for introducing someone to surreal "challenge what you know" comics, but you'll want to have backup stuff to show them that there are better things out there.
(I want to disclose that I read the fan translated English version of this via MangaFox.)
This really is a cute series, but I have to say that it's a l...more(I want to disclose that I read the fan translated English version of this via MangaFox.)
This really is a cute series, but I have to say that it's a little too "monster of the day" so far. I love the premise of a dating sim otaku having to win the heart of girls, but this if you're looking for something that will be quickly wrapped up and not be 100+ chapters, this isn't that type of manga.
It does have a better premise than most as far as "umpteen chapters for eternity" mangas tend to go, so I'm going to go ahead and give the other volumes of this series a try. It's pretty cute so far, although I will say that when this gets picked up here in the USA I'll probably decline purchasing these. (Not if, but when since this is a decently written series with a HUGE fanbase both here and in Japan.)(less)
Before I go any further with this review I have to state that I've only read the first chapter of Gate 7, the oneshot that started everything with thi...moreBefore I go any further with this review I have to state that I've only read the first chapter of Gate 7, the oneshot that started everything with this series. CLAMP works tend to have plots that reach far beyond one chapter, so I want to stress that all I can do is give my impressions of what I have.
You can't read any CLAMP manga without admiring the gorgeous style that is their trademark. It might change as members come and go, but it's always beautiful and worth looking at on its own merit. This doesn't really change in Gate 7. I absolutely loved looking at the art in this story. It might not be their strongest work (their earliest works will always be my favorite), but this is beautiful. I can't say enough about it.
Story-wise, I can see where this will draw in a lot of readers. It's not entirely my style, but there's a decent base here to expand upon. It's a little on the vague side, but since this was just the first chapter I don't feel right giving any final judgement on the storyline of this series. (Supposedly what I read was just a oneshot but it looks like it was definitely intended to be a promo for a series.) I've done a little snooping on the internet for information and it looks like this series will get pretty interesting as the volume progresses. It just doesn't seem to be my cup of tea, but that's OK. I'll just wait for Dark Horse to release the inevitable artbook. (Hopefully they'll re-release some of the out of print artbooks TokyoPop used to carry.)
I have to say, this will definitely find an easy audience here in the states. CLAMP can rarely go wrong in my opinion and they're giving us more of what they do best. Gate 7 will definitely appeal to those who loved X and xxxHolic.
I've been eagerly awaiting this comic for a long time & now that I have it in my hands I have to say that the experience is both underwhelming &...moreI've been eagerly awaiting this comic for a long time & now that I have it in my hands I have to say that the experience is both underwhelming & better than I expected. I'll review this in two parts, one for the artwork and one for the story since I kind of reacted to the two a little differently.
ARTWORK:
I have to admit that not everyone came across the way I expected them to. The artist did an incredible job adapting this to comic format but at times I don't think he really *got* the characters. The drawings are beautiful but I really got the feeling that the artist hadn't read the source novels (instead reading a cliff notes version) & because of that, he didn't really bring that deeper level to the characters. It's possible to do since I've seen some good GN adaptations out there but it just wasn't done here. (I assume that he didn't read the source novels because the book did have the artist's initial character sketches & he was pretty off with quite a few of the characters. He initially wanted to give Piscary hair & make him into a skinny white guy, for pete's sake.) Where the artist did get it right was with Rachel's character. I loved the artwork for her. When it comes to others such as Ivy, well... let's just say that it doesn't come close to capturing her depth, grace, or beauty.
STORY:
The story here is pretty light but it's still pretty darn good. It's nice to see how our dynamic duo met & I have to admit that my Ivy/Rachel shipping flared up again with this story. The story I have no problem with, although I wish it was just a little meatier at times. Maybe it's just the comic adaptation and/or that I enjoyed Pale Demon so much it set the bar very high, but I didn't get the glow that I normally do from reading a Hollows book.
It's still a good story & the artwork is captured better than the current state of the Anita Blake comics* (although that's not saying much). I'm still interested to see the next few volumes, although I'll probably wait for this to hit paperback rather than pre-ordering the hardback. As for everyone else, I suggest checking this out via the library or your local bookstore before plunking down the money for the hardcover.
3/5
*Although to be fair, the first volume or two of the Anita Blake series did do a good job at the artwork. It's just fallen into a steady decline since then. (less)
This had been something I'd wanted to read for a while but had put off for one reason or another. After locating a copy at a used book store, I finall...moreThis had been something I'd wanted to read for a while but had put off for one reason or another. After locating a copy at a used book store, I finally hunkered down to read it.
My first thought was that I liked how well the artwork fit the characters. It's a little "simplistic", but one of the things I loved about the previous books was how Stolarz had created a world that was complicated yet simple.
My second thought was that this was a pretty boring book when you hold it up to the previous novels. I liked the storyline well enough as well as the idea of a rival setting her hat for Jacob, but this just seemed to really drag itself out. I really felt like this could have been told better than it was.
I recommend checking this out via the library. This is fun enough & the ending was sweet, but it just isn't something I'd really read again. I ended up giving my copy away to a friend who was just starting on the series.(less)
So far I've found that this series is sort of hit or miss. For every volume that's absolutely great (My Boyfriend Bites), there's a volume that's some...moreSo far I've found that this series is sort of hit or miss. For every volume that's absolutely great (My Boyfriend Bites), there's a volume that's somewhat mediocre. This volume falls under the mediocre category.
One of the most distracting aspects of this story really had to be the artwork. The quality of it just wasn't very consistent. On one page it would be very well done and on the next you'd see proportions that just weren't very realistic or feasible. There was one panel where our heroine Bethany was giving a solid kick to one of our villains and her leg and foot seemed to be unnaturally twisted. It made it look a little malformed, as if she'd broken it. The only thing about the artwork that seemed to stick to the same level of quality was the backgrounds, which were generally very well illustrated. This was just really disappointing to see since one thing the previous volumes did have in common was some decent artwork. I just couldn't help but think that the artist's work detracted from the story.
I can't blame everything on the artist, however. The basic gist of the storyline is decent. Girl meets fae boy. (I'd consider this a spoiler except the cover pretty much shows that he's a faerie.) Despite this being a pretty common story element, there's a lot you can do with this and I can't help but think that the delivery felt a little flat. I never really felt like the characters came to life for me and to be honest, neither did the chemistry between our lead characters.
There are some nice things about this volume, such as the section of the book that was in full color. It was a smart move and it did pay off well. It was one of the better sections of the book story and art wise. Parts of this book showed me that this really wanted to be a better story than what it was and I wish that it could have been.
If you're looking to read this, I'd recommend getting it from the library. This just wasn't one of the strongest offerings in the MBIAM series. Read it first via the library and then decide if you want to buy it for further re-readings or save up and wait on the next book in the series.
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