Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy Vol. 1 - Chyn... This is a fun mash-up of two great comics but it didnt quite live up to its potential. It just doesn't seem like it challenged them so much, either group could have handled it on their own, so why a mash-up for a challenge not worthy of their combined efforts?

Because it's fun?

We'll have to go with that. I really loved the scenes leading to their run in and their initial interactions. Jen's freak out was great as always and the Gotham Academy mode of escape was pretty fantastic. What brought them together is a bit of an interesting concept, but also a bit of a let down. Personally,  I could have liked a real monstr, but I think I get why they went with this. Only this combination could have brought things together.... but still, bring on the monsters!

The art follows the Lumberjanes style more than Gotham Academy, but there are some cover variants that had the Gotham Academy style. As always, the Lumberjanes use the names of famous or historical  (herstorical? Is that a thing?) women as exclamations.  This volume had three:

Chien Shingle Wu - who worked on the Manhattan project
Grainne Mhaol - an Irish lady in active leadership over her land in the 16th century
Jackie Mitchell - the famous female pithe who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gerigh
This has always been one of my favorite features of Lumberjanes. Since I already read both of these separately and a few other all-ages comics, I used thus one as my choice for Task 6 for Read Harder 2017. I do hope they do another combined run when this 'semester' is over at Gotham Academy.

This book is basically all filler. I thought I might like that since I do like the characters, and I don't care about the story, but alas this volume didn't do anything for me either. I might return if Maps and Olive ever start dating, but until then I'm going to find the Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy crossover and then be done with this series.

I want to like Gotham Academy, I really do. But I just don't. I really like the characters. I just wish they were in a different book.

 

The comic itself is difficult to read (I had this same complaint about Vol 1). The frames are not well-defined and text box placement doesn't make sense a lot of the time (two boxes in the top right corner, one on the bottom left... which one am I supposed to read first!?).

 

I'm also not familiar with the DC universe at all, and I think that lack of knowledge is hurting my reading, too.

 

I'm excited to read the Lumberjanes crossover. Both comics have that same Scooby-Doo feel, and I think they'll go well together. But after I finish this first arc, I think I'm done with the series (although, maybe the series is over? I don't understand DC...)

 

 

The previous month was all about graphic novels and comics. Here is what I read in August and what I thought about it:

 

Monster of Frankenstein Vol. 1

 

 

As part of Project Frankenstein, this volume failed to make an impression. I was sad to see that all the stories missed the most essential characteristic present in the monster from the original work: its intelligence. This monster came off as a creature on a rampage. Even where it was shown to be clever, it was in an evil sort of a way.

 

Anyway, another book that I can cross off my list!

 

Kamala has my heart and is keeping it as far as I can see. The humor is amazing, I mean references to Dune, Spiderman’s wisecracks, and keeping things real— the comic has it all!

 

A Plague of Angels

 

 

I enjoyed the heck outta this book and have reviewed it in detail here.

 

Gotham Academy: Endgame #1 &

Annual #1

 

These were cute and nerdy but I am still not too crazy about them.

 

Preacher, Volumes 1, 2, & 3

 

 

Irreverrent as heck but funny and kick-you-in-the-gut sad too. If you can get past the first issue or two, then you are going to love it. If you are easily offended, this might not be the thing for you!

 

Raptor Red

 

 

I have already reviewed this one in detail and on Instagram; it was part of my Books&Chai series. Read my expression of Dino-Mania here.

 

Original post: https://midureads.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/august-2017-a-wrap-up-for-the-month-of-graphic-novels-comics/

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As much fun as only Douglas Adams books can be. Although, it might also be due to my technique that I apply when reading books by DA. I space them out, which keeps the jokes and randomness from being repetitive and not-random!

 

 

I won this in a giveaway. Read my review here.

 

 

Okay, so this was different and seemed a bit incomplete at the end but I still liked it. Something that stuck with me was the concept that while the people were free as a nation, it meant compromising their individual freedom. What does that even mean?

 

 

Here is a scene that stayed with me:

 

 

 

 

This was cute and fun. I will continue with the series to see if it is more than just cute and fun though. Two examples to give you an idea of what the art looks like:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying this one out for size. Still not impressed though. Just wanted to leave this here; it shows a new level of racism, doesn’t it?

 

 

 

 

 

This was for a buddy read over at Booklikes. I won’t say the book wasn’t a fun read, however, it was quite light on science. The humor the depth of observations were the usual Scalzi standard.

 

I just realized this was the beginning of a whole new series with quite a few books in it. While I liked the book, I didn’t love it. Lets see if I feel like reading the next one.

The funny thing is that this book will be the first entry in my Twinsies — Books that Go Together series of blog posts!

 

Two words that I loved:

 

 

Image

 

 

This was okayish. I thought that the author was trying to make up for all the complaints that the readers make about Dresden being sexist. It didn’t work for me though. The story was weak but I did like the art. No idea why I like the code of “honor” that Macone plays by but I do!

 

 

I have no idea why I read this. Maybe I only read it because I had it. Whatever the reason, I didn’t like it just as I didn’t like the movie. This was a sequel in comic form but it had nothing new to hold my attention. Two supernatural species fighting each other with humans caught in the middle. Sound familiar? It did to me too! The art was okay-ish while there was no story.

 

 

Find my review here.

 

 

This one was also a Bingo read for the extremely slow round of Book Bingo that we are playing at work! About the book, it isn’t that I didn’t know what went on in Afghanistan. It was nice to be able to know the exact stats for what went down there.

 

 

You can find my review here.

 

 

I tried Lumberjanes and didn’t like it but when I saw this was going to be a crossover with Gotham Academy (which I mostly like), I decided to give it another try. I am glad I did because it was a whole lotta fun! I love how the characters seem more human and less comic-y because of the way they are drawn. They don’t all look as if they have stepped off magazine covers. Now I just have to give Lumberjanes another chance to wow me!