comicreview

Comic Review of Teen Titans: Beast Boy

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TeenTitans_BeastBoy

Series: Teen Titans: Beast Boy

Written by: Kami Garcia

Illustrated by: Gabriel Picolo

Rating: 5/5

Grab at your local comic book store, or preorder here

Description:

Author Kami Garcia (Beautiful Creatures) and artist Gabriel Picolo, the creative duo behind the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller Teen Titans: Raven, take you on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance, while reminding us the value of true friendship–especially when life gets wild.

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

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

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

*I received a copy of Teen Titans: Beast Boy from DC Comics for my honest opinion*

This was a great graphic novel! I have been a fan of Picolo’s art for a while and it warms my heart that he was able to have his dreams come true and become an artist for DC! The art in this comic is amazing and I can’t wait for my physical copy to come so I can gush over it some more. I also loved Teen Titans: Raven when it came out and have been waiting anxiously for the second book in this series, and I was not disappointed.

The story was quite interesting, as it was Beast Boy’s origin story. The most I know about Teen Titans is from the show in the 2000s and a few comics here and there, but I know that it is a little different than the original canon, but DC and Marvel like having a lot of different universes and back stories for their characters, so I don’t mind that in these books. I liked how it is more modern so teens of this era can identify with the characters and whatever they are going through.

The writing was done really well. Garcia is a great author and I felt that the characters and plot made sense. I really like the best friends and how she was able to tackle a few modern issues using them, as that was the original point of comics when they started becoming big in the day. I cannot wait for the next book in the series and am glad we don’t have to wait as long!

If you are a fan of Garcia’s, Picolo’s, or a fan of Teen Titans, I highly suggest checking this series out!

~Dani

 

Check out the preview of a few different pages below!

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Comic Review of Vampire State Building

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Series: Vampire State Building

Written by: Ange and Patrick Renault

Illustrated by: Charlie Adlard

Genre: Horror

Rating: 3/5

Order from your local Comic Book Store or Buy Here

Description:

The newest horror series from the artist of The Walking Dead! Get ready to be bitten from the first full color page…

Terry Fisher is a young soldier on the verge of being sent away for active military duty, and is going to meet his friends at the top of the Empire State Building for a farewell party. But suddenly a legion of vampires attacks the skyscraper and massacres its occupants. Hounded in the 102 floors that have become a deadly trap, Terry must take decisive action to save himself and his friends – and the city of New York – before the army of abominations, and the terrible vampire god within, walled in the building since its construction, spill into the city…

Collecting the hit 4 issue series into one handsome hard cover volume. Includes behind the scenes material, cover gallery, sketches, designs, and more!

*I received an ARC through Netgalley for my honest opinion*

The art from this series is quite well done and is in the same fashion as The Walking Dead (as it is the same artist). Adlard is a very talented artist that can create a horror-genre style that is still similar to a Marvel or DC comic. I definitely feel the art is done well and fits the vampire story.

The story, however, was confusing and I didn’t really care for the characters. The idea of vampires being stored somewhere in the Empire State Building was really interesting, but I didn’t know more than that. So of the stunts the main character did were also not physically possible, which also made me lose interest quite fast. I finished the graphic novel, however, and did like how it was all finished in one book. There were still a lot of unanswered questions, but if you are looking for something short and of the horror genre, you might enjoy it more than I did.

~Dani

Comic Review of Plume

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Series: Plume

Written and Illustrated by: K. Lynn Smith

Rating: 5/5

Buy Here

Description:

Plume is a story set in the Old West about a girl named Vesper Grey and her supernatural companion, Corrick. On their quest to recover her father’s life work, they encounter new friends and new foes, and learn that the Wild West is anything but tame.

K. Lynn Smith is one of my favorite artist, so I had to splurge and get the omnibus for her series PLUME and it did not disappoint. This was a great mix of fantasy, adventure, and mystery that is set in the past during the Wild West. Who could want more than that?

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I really enjoyed the story and characters Smith created. They all felt believable and one could understand their motives for what they did. There were a lot of twists and turns and I was surprised much of the time. If you enjoy Indiana Jones or Trigun, you will definitely enjoy this series!

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K. Lynn Smith has a Patreon so if you want to follow her work and support her, please check it out by clicking here! I am excited for her new series and will give my review of the first graphic novel collection soon.

~Dani

Comic Review of Fangs

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Series: Fangs

Written and Illustrated by: Sarah Andersen

 

Rating: 5/5

Read on Tapas

Buy the Hardcover Here

Description:

A love story between a vampire and a werewolf by the creator of the enormously popular Sarah’s Scribbles comics.

Vamp is three hundred years old but in all that time, she has never met her match. This all changes one night in a bar when she meets a charming werewolf. FANGS chronicles the humor, sweetness, and awkwardness of meeting someone perfectly suited to you but also vastly different.

*I received an ARC through Netgalley for my honest opinion*

I have been a big fan of FANGS since it first came out on Tapas. I love vampires, and sometimes werewolves, and this lighthearted comic did not disappoint. It is about a vampire and werewolf who fall in love and have to deal with situations that they might not be accustomed to. It is funny and sweet and I can’t get enough of it.

Some of the conversations these two have are perfect. It is totally something that would happen if a gothic vampire girl and a down-to-earth werewolf. I really like how the werewolf is more of a nature-loving dude instead of a buff, alpha-male type. I felt it would be more real, if werewolves did exist.

I also love how the vampire is portrayed as well. I love vampire and feel this could be me if I was indeed undead (lol). She is consistent in how she acts and follows a lot of the general vampire rules (no sunlight, garlic, etc.).

The hardcover version is definitely something I am going to preorder. The ARC had more panels than tapas and some of them were quite funny and I want to support this clever and amazing artist. I definitely recommend her work and hope you check it out and enjoy!

~Dani

Comic Review of Grimoire Noir

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Series: Grimoire Noir

Written by: Vera Greentea

Illustrated by: Yana Bogatch

Published by: First Second

Rating: 4/5

Get a copy here

Description:

Bucky Orson is a bit gloomy, but who isn’t at fifteen?

His best friend left him to hang out with way cooler friends, his dad is the town sheriff, and wait for it—he lives in Blackwell, a town where all the girls are witches. But when his little sister is kidnapped because of her extraordinary power, Bucky has to get out of his own head and go on a strange journey to investigate the small town that gives him so much grief. And in the process he uncovers the town’s painful history and a conspiracy that will change it forever.

The art for this series really caught my eye and is why I ordered it through my comic book store. I also really like any story with witches and like to see what kind of magic an author decides to use. In this story, all the girls in town are witches and have their own different types of power—some can use fire, some can fly, some can turn invisible, and so on. No one can leave the town either, that way the witches would be confined to the area and protected from the outside world.

But who wants to be confined, am I right?

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There is a lot going on in this story and I felt some parts weren’t completely flushed out and lot was left open. I don’t mind some parts to be left open for sequels and such, but I felt like it ended a little abruptly and there were still a lot of unanswered questions. Most of it was the chase and everything, but then in the last few pages it just kind of all happened and was resolved. There needed to be a little more clues and things to be revealed before how it ended. I enjoyed it a lot though and definitely recommend it.

I felt for the character Chamomile and how she was written. I probably cared about her more than the main guy, and I’m still not sure about their past and what had happened between them. It didn’t seem like something that would end a friendship like they had and I wished we learned a little more. All in all, the art was beautiful and there was enough of the story that it kept me reading until I finished it, as I wanted to know what happened next.

Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments!

~Dani

Comic Review of Black Canary: Ignite

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Title: Black Canary: Ignite

Author: Meg Cabot

Artist: Cara McGee

Rating: 5/5

Amazon/Barnes&Noble/Changing Hands/Indie Bound/Book Depository

Description:

Thirteen-year-old Dinah Lance knows exactly what she wants, who she is, and where she’s going. First, she’ll win the battle of the bands with her two best friends, then she’ll join the Gotham City Junior Police Academy so she can solve crimes just like her dad. Who knows, her rock-star group of friends may even save the world, but first they’ll need to agree on a band name. When a mysterious figure keeps getting in the way of Dinah’s goals and threatens her friends and family, she’ll learn more about herself, her mother’s secret past, and navigating the various power chords of life.

With expressive and energetic art by Cara McGee to match the trademark attitude and spunk of Meg Cabot’s characters and dialogue, this mother-daughter story embraces the highs and lows of growing up without growing out of what makes us unique. It’s an inspirational song that encourages readers to find their own special voices to sing along with Black Canary!

I came across this comic because I’m a big fan of Cara McGee’s art. One of my favorite commissions is from Emerald City Comic Con this year where she drew a punk version of Crowley Eusford from Seraph of the End (aka my husbando <3) I love it a lot and have it in my living room/anime room.

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Anyway, I heard about it through her website and saw that it was written by Meg Cabot. It’s like a win-win! Meg Cabot is great author who wrote the Princess Diaries! So I figured this would have to be good (spoilers: it was).

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This graphic novel follows the origin story of the Black Canary. She is a teen who wants to be a police officer and is the main singer in a band. Weird stuff starts to happen because of her voice, as anyone who knows Black Canary knows, and she has to figure out what she wants to do. It’s a simple plot, but it is made for 8-12 year olds so it has to stay pretty simple. Even with it being a simple plot, the art and story was good and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves DC, punk art, or Black Canary!

Deadpool: Dracula’s Gauntlet

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I am now getting back into comics! If you have any comics to recommend, please do so by commenting below! I can’t promise I will review them, but I will definitely check them out.

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Deadpool: Dracula’s Gauntlet 2014

Posehn – Duggan – Brown – Koblish

MARVEL

*Note: I haven’t read any other Deadpool comics and the only things I know about Deadpool are from the movie and random things online*

Deadpool has gone to England for some time off to forget about whatever is going on his life, and he suddenly finds himself getting a job from Dracula. He wants Deadpool to retrieve his fiancé from a tomb in Egypt and bring her to England. Of course he runs into trouble every step of the way.

As a fan of vampires and Marvel, I found this comic to be hilarious. Deadpool is a hilarious character and I love how he makes fun of himself, comics, and how he breaks the third wall all the time. I found the plot to be interesting, the myths, history, and pop culture references incorporated in the story to be perfectly selected, and the art to match the story. I really liked the art and coloring done. It matched the feeling perfectly.

My favorite part of the comic was when they visit tombs in Paris. I won’t give away what happened, but it was really well written and I thought it was a great scene.

I give the comic 5/5 stars as it was well-written, the art was perfect, and the humor in it left my husband staring at me like I was crazy.