Paper Girls, Vol. 1 (graphic novel) by Brian K. Vaughan - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Diamond Book Distributors/Image Comics via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Paper Girls
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Illustrators: Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson

Recent Release Date: April 5, 2016

Synopsis: In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.

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Review: Brian K. Vaughan is such a big name in comic books. Y: The Last Man and Saga are two of my favorites (although I am behind on Saga). This comic definitely has Vaughan's wonderful touch. There is great characterization early on, but so much is left open to confuse the reader. Things are flying left and right with little explanation. It is easy to follow, but more complex than it first appears.

This first volume is crazy and fun. I have no idea where it's going, but I want to follow it wherever it goes. The time travel is interesting and I like that it makes sense so far. There's huge world building done so far, but so little is explained. I give this graphic novel a 5/5 and am super excited for the second volume.


--PAUL

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future For You (Season 8, #2) by Joss Whedon - Ashley's Review

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Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future For You (Season 8, #2)
Authors: Brian K. Vaughan (Scriptwriter), Joss Whedon (Scriptwriter), Georges Jeanty (Penciller), Cliff Richards (Penciller), Andy Owens (Inker), Dave Stewart (Colorist), and Richard Starkings (Letterer)
Publication Date: May 14, 2008

My The Long Way Home (#1) Review

Synopsis: When a rogue debutant Slayer begins to use her power for evil, Giles is forced to recruit the rebellious Faith, who isn’t exactly known for her good deeds. Giles offers Faith a clean slate if she can stop this snooty Slayer from wreaking total havoc--that is, if Buffy doesn’t beat her to it.

Georges Jeanty (The American Way) remains at the top of his game as series artist, and Whedon continues as Executive Producer in this direct follow-up to Season Seven of the smash-hit TV series.

* Eisner award-winning writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y:The Last Man, Ex Machina) tackles Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight.

* Collecting issue #6-10 of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight 

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Review: I was really excited when I found out that Faith would be featured in No Future For You. She's always been one of my favorites, so I'm glad that she factors in to this season of Buffy! I thought it was really interesting that Giles chose Faith to save Buffy from the crazy English debutante Slayer, considering Faith & Buffy's history. It makes sense, I guess, since Buffy won't hurt another human, but still. 

This volume seemed to be way more cohesive than the first volume, The Long Way Home. There's still a little bit about Twilight, but most of this volume is focused on Faith. I enjoyed the flashbacks from her perspective, even though I'd already known about them from the show. It was still interesting to see that, through everything, the only time she had felt loved was with the Mayor. She's felt alone at every other point in her life, and that's just so sad. I also enjoyed how Robin made a brief appearance, since he was such a big part of Season 7.

It did kind of annoy me how rude Buffy is to Faith. I mean, I know they don't like each other, but Buffy doesn't even give Faith any chance to explain anything. She just jumps right in to assuming Faith is the bad guy...even when her mission is to save Buffy. I was also annoyed when Buffy got mad at Giles for calling Faith instead of her. Come on, get over yourself. Things like this annoyed me about Buffy in the show too though, so at least she's consistently annoying.

The art in No Future For You was just as excellent as in the previous volume, and I was really excited that I could tell who Faith was supposed to be before they even mention her name. I love that the characters aren't exact portraits of the actors/actresses who played them (although the resemblance is much closer on the covers and included artwork), and that the artists portray them in their own style. 

No Future for You is a closer return to the television show than The Long Way Home, I thought, and I'm hoping that the rest of the series continues in this direction. We don't learn too much more about Twilight here, but it's ok because we get to see a little bit of what Faith has been up to. I would definitely recommend this volume to anyone who has already read The Long Way Home, and I would recommend these comics to fans of the show in general. It's definitely not the same as watching season 1-7, but I think it's getting there! 4/5. 


--Ashley

Saga (Volume Two) - Paul's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Image Comics on NetGalley in exchange for a fair review*

Title: Saga (Volume Two)
Author: Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples
Year Published: 2013

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My REVIEW of Saga (Volume ONE)

Upcoming Release Date: Tuesday July 2, 2013

Synopsis: The smash-hit ongoing epic continues! Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and alien monstrosities, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters something truly frightening: her grandparents!

Collects Saga issues #7-12 

Review: I have been reading this series as each issue comes out. When I saw Image Comics had the trade paperback compilation of volume two, I had to get it and review it. 

Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples continue this great story. The characters all have such depth. I like how in this volume we got to see how different characters interacted with each other when they were split from the main group.  

The world even continues to grow bigger, taking us to different planets and introducing us to many new interesting characters. I love the complexity of the artwork. It's fun to find things in the background. It reminds me of the Cantina Scene from the first Star Wars movie. 

This volume was really great, but I didn't feel like it really came to any close. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of issue 13! I give Volume Two a 4/5.

-PAUL