Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Villains (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Villains
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artists: Leonard Kirk, Cory Hamscher, & GURU-eFX
Recent Release Date: December 3, 2019

Age of Republic - Villains
Age of Republic - Heroes

Age of Rebellion - Villains
Age of Rebellion - Heroes

Age of Resistance - Heroes

Synopsis: This is the Age of Star Wars - an epic series of adventures that unites your favorite characters from all three trilogies! Now it's the First Order's turn to take center stage. As Captain Phasma leads an attack on the iron planet Demir, a young Stormtrooper looks to follow in Phasma's footsteps. But will she have the heart to follow the merciless ways of the First Order captain? General Hux has always been looked down upon, but when a sabotaged shuttle crash-lands on an unknown planet it will be up to Hux to save Kylo Ren! Plus: Tales of Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke!

COLLECTING: STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - CAPTAIN PHASMA 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - GENERAL HUX 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - KYLO REN 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - SUPREME LEADER SNOKE 1

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Review: The final volume in this series of shorts from each of the Star Wars eras. We know very little about these villains, so it's fun to finally get stories about them.

The first story shows Captain Phasma being ruthless. I enjoyed this comic so much more than the whole volume dedicated on her. This story really gets into Phasma's mind, showing her perspective on the troops that she leads. This is my favorite Phasma story so far, but I have yet to read Delilah S. Dawson's book. 5/5

General Hux is stranded on a planet with Kylo Ren. Hix manipulates the situation. This short comic story gave Hux way more character depth than both of the movies he's been in. 5/5

The story focusing on Supreme Leader Snoke shows him training Kylo Ren on Dagobah. There's also a fun twist ending. I'm interested to go back and read this after The Rise of Skywalker comes out. 5/5

Kylo Ren's story is my least favorite in this volume, but I still give it a 4/5. In this story he compares himself to Vader. 

Overall, I was very impressed with this volume. I didn't expect to enjoy a collection of villain's stories. Since most of these characters have had very little on-screen development, these stories got to give them a little more depth. This was my highest rated of these collections. 5/5

--PAUL

Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Heroes (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Heroes
Writers: Tom Taylor, G. Willow Wilson, & Chris Eliopoulos
Artists: Ramon Rosana, GURU-eFX, Matteo Buffagni, Elsa Charretier, & Javier Pina
Recent Release Date: November 26, 2019

Age of Republic - Villains
Age of Republic - Heroes

Age of Rebellion - Villains
Age of Rebellion - Heroes

Synopsis: This is the Age of Star Wars - an epic series of adventures that unite your favorite characters from all three trilogies! Explore untold tales of the greatest heroes of the Resistance. Finn starts to question the First Order as he is put on infestation control on Starkiller Base. Poe Dameron fancies himself the best pilot there is, but after a New Republic protocol droid is stolen he may just meet his better! Trapped in an asteroid fi eld, Poe will have to learn a thing or two from this mysterious pilot if he wants to survive. Rey, Chewie and R2-D2 start their journey to fi nd Luke Skywalker, but mechanical issues force them to land on the junkyard planet the Necropolis. Plus: Rose Tico, Admiral Holdo, Maz Kanata and BB-8!

COLLECTING: STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - FINN 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - ROSE TICO 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - POE DAMERON 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - REY 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE SPECIAL 1

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Review: I was definitely excited to read this collection since we haven't gotten much content featuring the heroes from the prequel trilogy quite yet. I really enjoyed this volume. 

The first story features Finn as a janitor on Starkiller Base prior to the events of The Force Awakens. It really shows how different Finn was from the other First Order stormtroopers. He had compassion even when he was still technically with the bad guys. I give this story a 3/5. It was pretty boring and my least favorite of the stories in this volume.

The next story has Poe Dameron flying with Rapier Squadron in the New republic. A mysterious ship steals a droid's head and Poe chases them into danger. They bond by barely surviving. There's a really fun reveal. This one gets a 5/5.

Rose and Paige are the focus of the next story. This is a true origin story for the sisters, from childhood to joining the Resistance. I always want more stories about these two! 5/5

Rey's story is small, but exciting. It follows her in the moments leading up to and the travel to Ahch-To to find Luke. 5/5

The next story shows Maz Kanata being pretty badass. It also features a younger Han and Chewbacca. 4/5

I really enjoyed the young Holdo story. It's all about impressions. I feel like this story is so relevant to how so many people viewed her in The Last Jedi. 5/5. 

The last story in this volume is all about BB-8 being a kick-ass droid with a heart. BB-8 comes to the aid of other droids. 4/5

This was a really fun collection. Most of the stories are semi-origin stories or feature younger versions of the heroes we're still getting used to on the screen. I look forward to many comics featuring these characters in the future. I give this volume a 5/5. 


--PAUL

Gaia Blues by Gud (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Europe 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: Gaia Blues
Author: Gud
Release Date: February 15, 2017


Synopsis: Gaia is the ancient name of our Earth, a place now endangered by growing human pollution. A family of polar bears is about to discover what are the effects of this situation, in a story told entirely with no words.

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Review: This book is very odd. There are great images depicting the effects of global climate change, but there' not very much of a story. And it's very surface level. There's not too much information provided. I was hoping for more conservation optimism. I have no idea who the intended audience is for this book. I give this book a 2/5 for its cute pictures and focus on climate change.


--PAUL

Hubert Reeves Explains Biodiversity (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Europe 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: Hubert Reeves Explains Biodiversity
Author: Nelly Boutinot & Hubert Reeves 
Illustrator: Daniel Casanave
Release Date: August 21, 2019


Synopsis: After spending many years gazing up at the stars, Hubert Reeves has turned his attention to the future of our planet. The world's friendliest and most enthusiastic astrophysicist takes us on a surprising journey, which will make us all realize how important it is to protect our environment.

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Review: This is a graphic novel about biodiversity and its connection to us. The story takes the form of a field trip, kind of in the style of the Magic School Bus. But French. There are some odd cultural references that I believe are the result of this being a translation. This book does a good job of balancing human's uses of resources and the advances we are making to remedy all that we have done to the world. 

This book covers a lot of different things. Microbes, both from the distant past and now today. Things like fossil fuels and drinking water. Animal extinction and reintroduction stories. Invasive species.

This is an informational and fun story. With great artwork. A kid interested in nature and science would absolutely love this book. As an informal educator myself, I think the topics were handled age appropriately and with care. There's also a great piece about having discussions with people who think differently than you. It's a great ending to this science book. I give this graphic novel a 5/5. 


--PAUL

Worlds Unseen (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Europe 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: Worlds Unseen
Author: Georges Abolin
Illustrator: Olivier Pont
Release Date: September 18, 2019


Synopsis: 906. William is ten years old when his family leaves London for Barellito, a small Italian fishing village. The quiet of the village will not last long, however, thanks to the ripples created by the arrival of William and his family. His own life, too, is about to be upturned, in this remarkable and wondrous new land where he will find new southern landscapes, a new kind of liberty, and above all new friends: Paolo, Nino, and the charming Lisa, united forever by an extraordinary event and a strange object…

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Review: This graphic novel had a lot of interesting concepts, but I found it just boring. I never got into this story. I had difficulties figuring out the perspective. The book starts out in 1902 in Italy. Then it jumps forward four years. There's a young boy in a new city. A mysterious girl his ageA group of kids all born on the same day. They get high one night together...I think. There's some nudity and sex scenes. There was just a lot of different things happening, but still I was bored. 

I was very unsure who the audience for this book is supposed to be. It seems to be from the perspective of a child, but there's some adult material. 

The artwork was off-putting for me. There are some unusual facial expressions drawn that I was not able to interpret. 

Overall, some interesting ideas. But, I was bored. I give this book a 2/5.  


--PAUL

Greta and the Giants: inspired by Greta Thunberg's stand to save the world (picture book) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Frances Lincoln Children's Books via Edelweiss. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: Greta and the Giants: inspired by Greta Thunberg's stand to save the world
Author: Zoë Tucker
Illustrator: Zoe Persico
Recent Release Date: November 19, 2019


Synopsis: This inspiring picture book retells the story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg—the Swedish teenager who has led a global movement to raise awareness about the world’s climate crisis—using allegory to make this important topic accessible to young children.

Greta is a little girl who lives in a beautiful forest threatened by Giants. When the Giants first came to the forest, they chopped down trees to make houses. Then they chopped down more trees and made even bigger homes. The houses grew into towns and the towns grew into cities, until now there is hardly any forest left. Greta knows she has to help the animals who live in the forest, but how? Luckily, Greta has an idea…

A section at the back explains that, in reality, the fight against the “giants” isn’t over and explains how you can help Greta in her fight. 

This book has been printed sustainably in the US on 100% recycled paper. By buying a copy of this book, you are making a donation of 3% of the cover price to 350.org.

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Review: This picture book should be on every child's book shelves. It features such a great message of standing up for your ideals and having the courage to stand up. And how that bravery can inspire and encourage others to stand up too. It's all about working together with others to make all of our voices heard. 

This book has such a great message, but from a story perspective I felt it was too easy. I wanted to see the giants push back, but I understand the desire to be purely inspirational for this audience. It's hopeful. A great example of conservation optimism. 

At the end of the book there's a note about Greta Thunberg, the inspiration for this story. It also explains that although this story has a happy ending, there's still a struggle ahead of us in real life. I give this picture book with a great message a 5/5. A perfect gift for conservation minded kiddos.


--PAUL

Man in Furs (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Europe 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: Man in Furs
Author: Catherine Sauvat
Illustrator: Anne Simon
Release Date: September 18, 2019


Synopsis: In 1870, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch publishes "Venus in Furs," an erotic novel revealing the author’s desire to be dominated by a woman. After the success of the novel, a woman turns up at his doorstep and offers to take on the role of the dominant woman. He submits to her completely and they get married. Years later, Leopold has remarried and lives a quiet life, far removed from the sexual escapades of his first marriage. This is when he learns that his surname is being used, to his detriment, to describe a new sexual perversion: masochism. 

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Review: This graphic novel describes the origin of the phrase masochism. This is a very interesting historic fiction based on true events and true people. The focus is sexual fantasy and its perception in the 1800s. I found the subject matter very compelling, but the story aspects of it made me bored at times.

There's obviously mature content in this book. It made me want to do more research into the origins of these concepts and the world's perception of sexual interests throughout history. I give this book a 3.5/5. I would definitely be interested in reading more graphic novels like this, but the story definitely could have been tighter. 


--PAUL