Diana: Princess of the Amazons (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from DC Comics via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: Diana: Princess of the Amazons
Author: Shannon Hale & Dean Hale
Illustrator: Victoria Ying
Release Date: January 7, 2020


Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Diana leads an idyllic life on the island of Themyscira. Cut off from the rest of the world, she's beginning to feel more and more isolated. Though she has a loving mother and many "aunties," she is an only child. THE only child child on the island, in fact.

After an escapade goes wrong, Diana gets in trouble for not living up to the Amazonian standard. She just can't seem to measure up no matter what she does. Every other person on the island is an adult proficient in their trade and mighty in body, while she is gangly, sometimes clumsy, and not particularly good at anything. She's not Wonder Woman ... yet. What Diana needs is a friend; someone her own age whom she can talk to. But when she decides to take matters into her own hands, she may just make a monster instead of a friend. 

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Review: This middle grade graphic novel finds Diana as a lonely only child. Literally, there are no other children in her society. This is many years before she takes on the role of Wonder Woman. Diana is at that stage of her life where she feels the pull of two worlds. Childhood is starting to disinterest her. Dolls have been left behind. 

Diana ends up finding a friend her own age, but her new pal is quite mischievous. It's new to Diana to have a peer. They're definitely going to get into trouble.

This is a cute simple story. The story works great for a middle grade audience and could even be read to younger fans. I give this book a 3.5/5.


--PAUL

Glory: The Complete Saga (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

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

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Title: Glory: The Complete Saga
Author:  Joe Keatinge
Illustrator:  Ross Campbell
Year Published: 2014


Synopsis: Ross Campbell (Wet Moon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Joe Keatinge (Marvel
Knights: Hulk) collect their critically-acclaimed and brutally told saga of one warrior and
her family torn apart by a millennia-old intergalactic war. 

This is the complete story, collected in its entirety for the very first time in a deluxe, oversized hardcover edition, packed with never-before-seen sketchbook material, scripts, commentary, and interviews.

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Review: This graphic novel is an interesting take on the female warrior superhero. There are definitely similarities to Wonder Woman as well as Thor in the character Glory. Glory is from a far away world where her birth ended a very long war between two ancient people. Her mother's people are known to Earth as gods, while her father's followers have been known as demons. I really enjoyed the mythology in this graphic novel. The art design for both previously warring factions are very well done. I did find some of the art in the battle scenes gruesome though. There's a lot of gore. 

This collection is a complete story within itself. It's always annoying when you pick up a comic book and it is just a small section of a story. Although, there's definitely more to Glory and this saga is only the most recent reboot of the Glory superhero, reading only this collection leaves a sense of closure. 

I enjoyed the way dreams and visions were used. I liked seeing a potential future. 

I give this graphic novel a 4/5. It is definitely a mature comic.There is quite a bit of gruesome violence. In this collection there is also bonus material at the end of the book. 


--PAUL

Injustice: Gods Among Us Vol. 1 - Paul's REVIEW

***I was provided an ecopy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

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Title: Injustice: Gods Among Us Vol. 1
Author: Tom Taylor
Illustrations: Jheremy Raapack
Year Published: 2013

Upcoming Release Date: November 19, 2013

Synopsis: Things in the DC Universe have changed after Superman is tricked into destroying the one thing he loves the most. Now unwilling to let crime go unpunished, the heroes of our world must choose if they are with Superman or against him. But not every country will submit to his new world order and neither will Superman's greatest threat—Batman!

Review: This is a great comic book based off a video game. It doesn't feel like a video game. It feels like its own story. Although, there are a lot of awesome pairings and/or duels that I could tell are referencing the game. 

I liked that this story takes place in its own world. Big events happen. Characters change. The problem with characters like Superman and Batman is that its usually just the same tale told a little differently. This is a new story that puts Justice League members against each other. 

My favorite and the most hilarious pairing in this book is Harley Quinn and Green Arrow. I also liked Batman's protégés, Nightwing and Batman's own son, Robin. 

There are some epically badass battles in this book. I'm not a huge video gamer, but I would love to watch someone play this game just based off of reading this book. I'm definitely interested in reading the next volume. I give this book a 5/5.


-PAUL

Justice League of America, Vol. 1: World's Most Dangerous - Paul's REVIEW

***I was provided an ecopy of this graphic novel via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review***

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Title: Justice League of America, Vol. 1: World's Most Dangerous
Author:  Geoff Johns
Year Published: 2013

Release Date: November 12, 2013

Synopsis: Following the events of Throne of Atlantis, it is deemed nessesary to create a new Justice League.  This new superhero team is under the command of Col. Steve Travor, of the United States Military's A.R.G.U.S. division(Advanced Research Group Uniting Superhumans).  Signing up for duty with this new incarnation of the JLA are Catwoman, Katanna, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Steve Trevor, Hawkman, Star Girl and the long-awaited return of 80s superhero, Vibe.

Review: I've always liked the idea of a team of superheroes. I love what Marvel has been able to do with The Avengers and the companion movies, but the original superhero team is the Justice League, or at least it is to me. I was obsessed with Super Friends as a child. DC has recently relaunched all their titles with The New 52. I haven't really been following the comics, but when I was offered this graphic novel to review I couldn't refuse. 

A new Justice League is being established, one that will be able to take out the old Justice League if it needs to. Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, and Catwoman are just a few of the new members. I like that this crew isn't the best of the best and most known. They are super heroes with potential. This new team is called The Justice League of America. 

I really liked the dynamic of the team. Many of the characters play off of each other. Catwoman's banter is the best. I also liked Stargirl. It was also cool to see the original Justice League with Superman not up to his best and Wonder Woman trying to remedy the situation. I wasn't familiar with the Justice League Dark before reading this. They are a group of superheroes who deal with the magic side of things. 

Since I am not caught up on all the current comics, this book was a little confusing for me. I don't know if it was just set up unusual because it was a review copy, but it seemed like there were multiple stories that weren;t quite in order. After talking to a friend that reads these comics as they are released and doesn't miss a New Comic Wednesday, I was told that this is just one of the storylines in The Trinity War story arc. It is a cross promotional storyline that is covered in different series. So maybe this book will make more sense if you are reading those as well. And then at the end of the book there is a Martian Manhunter story that I am told was a back-up story at the end of each issue. 

Although I was confused, I loved the story and characters. The artwork was also beautiful. Reading this made me want to become familiar with all these comics that are released monthly. I give this graphic novel a 3.5/5. After reading this, you might get hooked and want to get caught up with the current DC comics.

-PAUL