I have trouble describing what I just read. It was a mix of so many different story, both set in the present and the past that I had great trouble distilling the story from the pages. It sounded interesting enough though. Two FBI agents, still struggling with the aftermath of their previous case, are called to investigate a warehouse. Something strange and deadly is certainly going on.

I had the feeling it tries to be to much different things and therefore, it sort of fails at all of them, if that makes any sense. Also, I didn't really like that the ending was so open, I have to read the second and possibly more volumes to get even some kind of closure. The artwork was okay, but nothing special. I just felt like it didn't live up to its potential.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Bloody Mary is a reprint of an original series from 1997. So, I assumed that at least some people thought it had stand up to time and was worthy of a new edition.

However, not often I've been able to say that I didn't like a book more convincingly than with Bloody Mary. It really wasn't for me. Neither style, story or art could bother me. A struggle to finish.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I"m not sure why but I've yet again found myself distanced from BL as I was in the earlier months of this year. I'm trying to get back into participating on the site a bit more and noted that I'm way behind on posting what I've been reading in that time.

The good news is that I've caught up with most of my reading challenges for the year and should manage to read over my 150 goal.

Yearly reading challenge update (May) - 60/150

Read in May - 7

Audio - 4

Novel/novella - 3

Graphic Novels - 0

5*

4.5*

4*

3.5*

Yearly reading challenge update (June) -72 /150

Read in June - 12

Audio - 2

Novel/novella - 5

Graphic Novels - 5

5*

4.5*

4*

3.5*

3*

Yearly reading challenge update (July) -  98/150

Read in July - 26

Audio - 0

Novel/novella - 9

Graphic Novels - 17

5*

4.5*

4*

3.5*

3*

2.5*

2*

Challenges

Total reading challenge 98/150 (65%)

A-Z Challenge - 18/26 (69%)

Graphic novels challenge - 37/50 (74%)

Random TBR Challenge - 6/25 (24%)

Just lagging behind in the TBR challenge, have managed to catch up with everything else.

On a personal note it's been a stressful few months with insurance repair issues and the insurance company only just denying my claim after pissing around for a few months. I have now had to go back to my former insurer to lodge a claim, very frustrating, especially as I had wanted my property to go on the market at the end of September/early October. Trying not to panic but hopefully things will go a little bit smoother over the next few months.

Still leaving in December so nothings changing that and to be honest it can't come soon enough.

I managed to read 143 comics last year which was a bit more than anticipated and came at the expense of neglecting novels and audiobooks.

I love my comics but this year I'll be trying to pare it back a little and concentrate on getting my novel/novella TBR under control.

A fun first outing for me with the Suicide Squad team, the star is of course Harley Quinn and I'm looking forward to reading more of her this year.

A beautiful start to the Sandman series with the Robert Smith inspired Dream escaping capture and returning to his kingdom.

I loved all six books in this series but the reason I picked this one was due to Herr Starr. He is left wounded by Preacher, his head now resembles a penis and there are some hilarious panels that show him trying on wigs and hats with the same sour expression on his face until the last panel when he finds something he likes.

Great premise of beauty being a STD and how society values outer beauty at any cost. Amazing artwork makes this a must read.

A shocking end to an amazing series. Garth Ennis is a genius.

I originally read Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher about 15 years ago. It was of one of the original printings of the first trade collection and I realise now that I was too young to understand it.

Now, a little bit older and (hopefully) a little bit wiser I “get” the story, and what Ennis is trying to say with it, much more. I also understand and appreciate Dillon’s art in a way I didn’t those years before.

I can certainly understand why people were - and continue to be - offended by this book. It’s crass, it’s violent, it’s characters are sexist and racist. America is made to look like a country of inbred idiots and not much else. Every character is, for the most part, decidedly unlikable. Even the hero, Jesse Custer, is a bit of a bastard. 

Angels swear and get pissed. Demons and angels fuck, Heaven has the biggest murder in creation on it’s pay role and, oh yeah, God’s quit. 

While all of this can seem like just an excuse to piss off the religious and more moral readers, if you look past that you can see Ennis is really critiquing ourselves, not religion. Preacher isn’t saying that religion makes people crazy bastards, he’s saying that we make religion crazy. And, maybe, God’s had enough.

I loved reading this, properly understanding it for the first time. I’ll certainly be getting the rest of the volumes and I can not wait to see where it all goes!

(Originally posted on Collectorize blog.)