Dreadnought (Nemesis #1) by April Daniels - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Diversion Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Dreadnought (Nemesis #1)
Author: April Daniels
Recent Release Date: January 24, 2017

Synopsis: Danny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of Dreadnought, the world’s greatest superhero.

Until Dreadnought fell out of the sky and died right in front of her, Danny was trying to keep people from finding out she’s transgender. But before he expired, Dreadnought passed his mantle to her, and those secondhand superpowers transformed Danny’s body into what she’s always thought it should be. Now there’s no hiding that she’s a girl. 

It should be the happiest time of her life, but Danny’s first weeks finally living in a body that fits her are more difficult and complicated than she could have imagined. Between her father’s dangerous obsession with “curing” her girlhood, her best friend suddenly acting like he’s entitled to date her, and her fellow superheroes arguing over her place in their ranks, Danny feels like she’s in over her head.

She doesn’t have much time to adjust. Dreadnought’s murderer—a cyborg named Utopia—still haunts the streets of New Port City, threatening destruction. If Danny can’t sort through the confusion of coming out, master her powers, and stop Utopia in time, humanity faces extinction.

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Review: I had heard great things about this book and I was so excited when I got my hands on it. One of the first books with a queer lead I read was Perry Moore's Hero. A gay teen superhero is the main character. In Dreadnought, a trans teen superhero is the main character. That's all that I needed to pique my interest in this book. 

Daniels creates a vast and interesting alternative world in which superheroes have existed. I really enjoyed the World War 2 history involving people with powers. All of the classic elements of a superhero universe are present. There's a JLA equivalent. High tech heroes. Mythological heroes. Odd element based heroes. Vigilantes with gray morals. The whole gambit is covered. The worldbuilding is excellent.

Although it took me longer than I had hoped to finish it, (I was in a weird reading slump) I enjoyed every page of this book. It's fun and playful at times, but there's some deeper issues of identity and family that are central to this book. Any person who has had to come out to their parents will be able to identify with this book. 

I am ready for the sequel, which comes out July 25th! I give this book a 5/5. I want to see more books like this. Bring me all the genre stories with queer protagonists!


--PAUL

Joyride Vol.1 (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from BOOM! Studios via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Joyride Vol.1
Author: Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly,
Illustrator: Marcus To 
Recent Release Date: September 27, 2016

Synopsis: Earth Sucks. Steal a Spaceship. 

Earth sucks. The stars have been blocked out for so long that people have forgotten there was anything else besides the World Government Alliance watching over them. Uma Akkolyte is a girl who shoots first, leaps before she looks, and is desperate for any means to leave her planet behind. And so she does. When Uma jacks an alien spaceship and punches through the stratosphere she sets forth on an adventure with an unlikely crew who are totally not ready for all the good, bad, and weird the universe will throw at them.

From writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (Batman and Robin Eternal, Grayson) and artist Marcus To (Nightwing, New Avengers), Joyride is a rebellious love letter to the sci-fi genre, exploring what happens when nothing stands between a group of teens and their freedom amongst the stars.

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Review: Rebel teens escape a fascist government and have crazy adventures in space. This comic is fun. There's comedy. There's space adventures. It is lighthearted and full of both friendship and familial relationships. 

I liked the art. There are some really interesting aliens in this book. And robots. The fashion is also pretty cool.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were developed and interacted well together. I give this volume a 3.5/5. 


--PAUL

Blue Hour (comic) by Dino Caruso - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Action Lab Entertainment via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Blue Hour
Author: Dino Caruso
Illustrator: Chad Cicconi
Recent Release Date: May 23, 2017

Synopsis: After the great resource wars on planet Earth a group of disillusioned colonists set out to establish a utopian colony on another planet, but can they overcome basic human nature, a treacherous environment, and a hostile indigenous race? This collection presents the entire five-issue series in one beautiful package.

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Review: This looked like it was going to be a fun sci-fi colonization comic, but it was not. This book barely kept my interest. The artwork was unimpressive. The storytelling also wasn't very modern. That was my biggest grievance with this book. It didn't seem like it was written in 2017. It was very old school in its characterizations. So many women are presented wearing almost nothing. There's a lot of meaningless bar fights. If you're an older straight white man, you may enjoy this book more than I did. 

I don't have anything good to say about this comic. I give it a 1/5. 

--PAUL

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Vol. 3 (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Vol. 3
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Illustrators: Hendry Prasetya and Jonathan Lam
Upcoming Release Date: November 4, 2016

Synopsis: The Green Ranger and Blue Ranger are lost in a mysterious world, as the rest of our heroes must try and track them down.

Tommy and Billy are lost in a mysterious land without their powers. With the world reeling after Rita’s attacks, Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Alpha 5 must do all they can to save Zordon, and bring their missing friends home.

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Review: This ongoing series is so good! I love how Higgins has taken such a staple of my childhood and brought it to the present with more modern and mature storytelling while keeping the fun and ridiculousness that is Power Rangers. 

This is the third volume, so it picks up where the last one ended. Lord Drakkon is a main focus of this volume. I love the design of his costume. And I am totally here for his backstory. I'm a big fan of alternate timelines and time travel, so it's exactly my cup of tea. 

There's a whole chapter in this volume that puts the main story on the back burner and focuses on one character, Billy. A different artist draws this chapter so there's a more personal feel to it. I liked it, but having less of the main story in this volume made me hungry for more. 

I really like the references to other seasons of Power Rangers. I won't go into details, but the last panel has two people standing next to each other that made me very excited.

The Ongoing Adventures of Bulk & Skull has another story at the end of this volume. It's a fun, cute story but I'd prefer more of the character stories than another comical slap comedy with those lovable antagonists.

I give this volume a 5/5. Higgins knows what to do with Power Rangers. My favorite ongoing comic series currently out there.   


--PAUL

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2017 Annual (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2017 Annual
Contributors: Kyle Higgins, Goni Montes, Tom Taylor, Dan Mora, Jamal Campbell, Trey Moore, Frazer Irving
Recent Release Date: May 31, 2017

Synopsis: The future of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers starts here as Tommy makes a choice that will have huge consequences for the team; Black Power Rangers from across parallel dimensions meet to face off against a deadly foe; and all-new secret origins revealed!

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Review: Another year and another annual. This collection of short comics is just as wonderful as last year's. The first story ties a nice connection to the ongoing series with mention of someone by the name of Drakkon. There's also a backstory for Finster! He was also my favorite of Rita's crew. The most epic panels are definitely found in the "Forever Mighty Morphin Black" story. I loved seeing the pink-accented Black Ranger suit as well as others which I really want their stories. 

This collection has varying styles of both storytelling and artwork. I'm a huge fan of collections like these. I hope for more like this in the future! I give this annual a 5/5.  


--PAUL

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2016 Annual (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2016 Annual
Contributors: Kyle Higgins, Rod Reis, Trey Moore, Terry Moore, James Kochalka, Ross Thibodeaux, Rob Guillory, Marguerite Bennett, Huang Danlan, Jorge Corona

Synopsis: Comics creators come together to celebrate their mutual love of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers! From short stories like “The Origin of Goldar” to “What Would Happen If Bulk and Skull Became Rangers?”, this oversized anthology collection features contributions from creators like Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Rob Guillory (Chew), James Kochalka (Monkey vs Robot), and more!

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Review: It took me a year to get my hands on this, but I finally did! This is a collection of comic stories that all take place in the Power Rangers universe. They range in style from cartoony and comical to realistic and emotional.

My favorite story gives a glimpse into Goldar's backstory and how he came to be a general of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. There's also a beautifully drawn story about Trini and Kimberly hosting a charity tea party before the crowd gets turned into cute and fluffy animals. The most outrageous and fun story though involves Bulk and Skull getting temporary Power Rangers powers. 

I am absolutely loving what BOOM! Studios is doing with the Power Rangers comics. I want to see more stories that delve into backstories or breath new life into smaller aspects of the Power Rangers world. I give this annual a 5/5.  


--PAUL

Queer There and Everywhere: 22 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Harper Collins via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Queer there and Everywhere: 22 People Who Changed the World
Author: Sarah Prager
Upcoming Release Date: May 23, 2017

Synopsis: This first-ever LGBTQ history book for young adults will appeal to fans of fun, empowering pop-culture books like  Rad American Women A-Z and Notorious RBG.

World history has been made by countless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals—and you’ve never heard of many of them. Queer author and activist Sarah Prager delves deep into the lives of 22 people who fought, created, and loved on their own terms. From high-profile figures like Abraham Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt to the trailblazing gender-ambiguous Queen of Sweden and a bisexual blues singer who didn’t make it into your history books, these astonishing true stories uncover a rich queer heritage that encompasses every culture, in every era.

By turns hilarious and inspiring, the beautifully illustrated Queer, There, and Everywhere is for anyone who wants the real story of the queer rights movement.

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Review: This book is an excellent look at just 22 amazing people who shaped what it means to be queer now. There need to be more non-fiction books like this for young readers. The people described in this book are so different from each other, but they all have one thing in common. They were different. They were queer. And they found a way to use that to their advantage in a world where so many were against them. 

This book is inspirational, funny, sad, educational, and so much more. I hope this book finds its way into every library's Young Adult section.

I give this book a 5/5 and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it! The stories are short enough that this would make a perfect coffee table or waiting room book. 


--PAUL