Category: Graphic Novel Review

REVIEW: Texts from Mittens: Friends and Family Edition by Angie Bailey

REVIEW: Texts from Mittens: Friends and Family Edition by Angie Bailey

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

Mittens is back for another collection of text messages. His texting partners include Mom, Grandma, Earl the dog, their neighbor Drunk Patty and two other cats – Stumpy, who has a catnip addiction, and Fiona, Mittens’ girlfriend.

Fans will find everything they’ve come to expect from Texts from Mittens in this collection:

  • fun with boxes
  • empty food dish drama
  • hashtags and autocorrect issues
  • Grandma to the rescue, and lots of other fun scenarios.

Our family has been enjoying the 2019 page-per-day calendar starring Mittens and his family, and this content is just as fun. As a cat person, I saw a lot of familiar factors – food, litter boxes, toys trapped under the fridge, etc. Many of Mitten’s dilemmas will strike a chord with cat people. If you enjoy cat humor, be sure to check out this collection!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Cheshire Crossing by Andy Weir

REVIEW: Cheshire Crossing by Andy Weir

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Three girls bounced from institutions to asylums find themselves at a boarding school called Cheshire Crossing. The girls are the only residents – and they have a history of “dissociative psychosis.” But Dr. Rutherford doesn’t think they are crazy. He believes every story Alice Liddell (Wonderland), Wendy Darling (Neverland) and Dorothy Gale (Oz) have ever told.  And he’s going to research how the girls have been able to travel between worlds.

Alice’s bad attitude starts the trouble. Determined to escape the boarding school, she steals Dorothy’s silver slippers to go to Oz. Wendy tries to stop her and is pulled along. Their sudden arrival in Oz catches the attention of the resurrected Wicked Witch of the West and kicks off a universe-crossing adventure for all three girls and their nanny.

[Illustrations by Sarah Andersen]

Review

I have never been a fan of Wonderland or Neverland, but the premise of this one felt like something I had to check out. I’m so glad I did because it was a ton of fun! Alice has the most distinct personality of the three girls. She’s abrasive from the first moment, but I warmed to her over time. Each of the girls has a basic understanding of her world, but when the others visit, it creates a lot of fun scenarios. And there are even some things they can learn about their magic and their lands from one another.

The final page sets up a possible sequel – and I am here for it! I’m curious to see more of Cheshire Crossing and to see how Dr. Rutherford’s research impacts the girls and where their magical abilities and artifacts take them next.

One site says this is for teen readers (12-17) while some other places have this with middle grade graphic novels. I don’t know that I would go below 10 years old with this – that “older middle grade” designation might be the best fit for this story.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Marvel Champions: Change the World by Mark Waid

REVIEW: Marvel Champions: Change the World by Mark Waid

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

After the events of Civil War II (Marvel comics), Ms. Marvel is fed up! The adult heroes don’t seem to care about the destruction they leave in their wake. There’s always an excuse for why they can’t help clean things up. And they’re losing some of their good will with the people.

She seeks out Nova and Miles Morales – two other heroes who left the larger hero team for the same reason. They add in Amadeus Cho (Totally Awesome Hulk) and Viv Vision to the team and try to right wrongs and be heroes without becoming vigilantes.

Those goals are put to the test as they confront human trafficking and bigoted, power-mad law enforcement officers who are breaking the laws they are supposed to enforce.

Review

I liked this graphic novel introduction to these heroes (and others) as a team. I would have liked some more substance from Miles. And Amadeus Cho’s attitude can get tiring at times. And I could have done without Gwenpool all together.

But I liked that the characters faced some of today’s real issues. And that they had to wrestle with what’s an appropriate use of their power. And the heroes weren’t the only ones wrestling with that question.

I would read more of these to see how the characters develop. Volume 2 is The Freelance Lifestyle (issues 6-11). Volume 3 is Champion for a Day (issues 16-21). Avengers and Champions: Worlds Collide includes issues 13-15.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Marvel Super Hero Adventures

REVIEW: Marvel Super Hero Adventures

Posted on by Jaymie

The debate over whether or not graphic novels “count” as “real reading” continues, but for me there was never any doubt. As a visual learner, I love comics and graphic novels. And plenty of my students did, too.

These three Marvel Super Hero Adventure graphic novels immediately grabbed my eye at our local comic book store. I couldn’t pass them up. These collect five comics starring Spider-Man and various other Marvel heroes and villains. The art is perfect – exactly the style I love in graphic novels.

To Wakanda and Beyond – This is the first book of the line. I was a little disappointed with this one. I read it last instead of first, and it didn’t include some of the features that made the other books extra fun. Each of the stories here is part of a lesson Spider-Man is trying to impart to someone else. It’s fun, but not as fun as the other two books. Black Panther only makes an appearance in one story in this volume. There is also a Doctor Strange team up, a young heroes adventure (Cassie Lang, Kate Bishop), an adventure with Ms Marvel and another with one of the Inhumans. There is also a teaser for the Marvel Rising line as well as a Super Hero Adventures early chapter book teaser. Rating: ♥♥♥½

Captain Marvel – Remember that this is a Spider-Man collection (the title is misleading), and you will be happy with this one. Captain Marvel plays a major role in one story and a smaller part in two others. So kids picking this up looking for a lot of Captain Marvel might be disappointed. But if they go in expecting just fun Marvel stories, this won’t disappoint. This book includes a collection of small Halloween stories, an adventure with Nova, Ms. Marvel and Shuri (!), a Spider-Gwen story, and a Thor/Loki battle that eventually draws in the rest of the Avengers. One story in this collection is duplicated from the Wakanda book. One feature I loved in the last two books of the line (so far) are the comics in between stories. They include various Marvel characters but the comics are done in the style of famous Sunday funnies – Calvin and Hobbs, Garfield, Peanuts, etc. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Spider-Man – Fans of Marvel’s Into the Spider-verse will enjoy this collection which includes several members of the Spider-verse. This is probably my favorite of the three books for that very reason. This includes one story that also appears in the Captain Marvel book. This book also includes the Sunday funnies interludes between stories. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

I think all of these would be terrific for Marvel fans, super hero fans, and in classroom libraries!

REVIEW: Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia

REVIEW: Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Ink in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

One night in Atlanta, a girl and her foster mom are driving on a wet night. One minute they are talking about signing adoption papers and making their family official. The next, they are part of a horrible car accident that leaves the foster mom dead and the teen with no memories of her life before the crash.

After the accident, Raven moves to New Orleans to live with her foster mom’s sister and her daughter, Max. Max is a great friend – and being at a new school, this is a huge help. But having her “cousin” there isn’t enough to offset the weird things that happen – hearing other people’s thoughts, making the resident mean girl trip just by thinking of it.

Since Raven has no memories from before the accident, she has no way to be sure these things are new and a result of the crash. Could she have been doing these things before?

While Raven and Max try to sort out what’s going on with Raven, they are distracted and unaware that danger is lurking in the shadows and trouble they can’t even fathom is around the corner.

Review

Raven has always been my favorite character of the Teen Titans. Her powers and her back story are mysterious and fascinating. This graphic novel introduction to the character is terrific! I thoroughly enjoyed this!

DC Ink has launched three graphic novels so far this year. I enjoyed Mera: Tidebreaker, but Catwoman: Under the Moon was not a good fit for me as a reader (foul, dark and violent). I was a little concerned that the line was all going to be closer to the Catwoman story than the Mera story, but that was not the case here. This was a perfect graphic novel for me – I loved the art and the color scheme for the storytelling. I would have read a whole series of these. I hope there will be more Raven stories. This does include references to voodoo, astral projection, tarot and demons in keeping with the canon of the character. This may not be a good fit for all readers.

This is a solid introduction to the character and it also hints at the larger DC Universe. DC is restructuring and doing away with the DC Ink imprint in favor of age-rated comics and graphic novels. I’m curious to see where that goes.

I would have loved even more of this story! The author and artist will be releasing Beast Boy in 2020. I’m curious to see if Raven’s story will be part of that or if that will stand on it’s own. A fourth DC Ink graphic novel, Harley Quinn Breaking Glass, will release this fall.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige

REVIEW: Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Ink in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Mera is the princess of Xebel, an underwater kingdom under the rule of Atlantis. Mera calls to mind The Little Mermaid with her red hair (the only “color” in a shades-of-blue graphic novel) and her longing to be independent and understood.

Mera is fierce in her love of Xebel to the point of vandalism in rebellion against Atlantis. In fact, when she hears her father and her betrothed plotting to assassinate the Atlantean prince, Mera decides to do the job herself. Maybe then she can rule Xebel on her own.

Mera has no trouble finding the naïve prince at Amnesty Bay. And she has even less trouble drawing him in close enough to kill him. But while she waits to get her “land legs” and recover her strength, she discovers Arthur is no monster. He is a truly good person. And she can’t bring herself to end him. But other forces are not so reluctant – and they are converging on Amnesty Bay.

Review

I enjoyed this one! I thought the storytelling and character development of this book was done more thoroughly than in Super Sons. It’s still a graphic novel, so the story is not as deep or intricate as it might be with a prose novel. But I felt the motives of the main characters were clear. Sure, the shift from murderer and target to a romantic couple was abrupt as far as time in the story passed, but it fit for the format of the story.

I loved the art work in this!! I thought it did a great job of working with and enhancing the text of the story.

The best friend character was kind of thin in development. And I’m not sure if the relationship with the trainer/mentor in Xebel was supposed to be romantic or maternal. But the main action of the story – Mera, Arthur, their families, etc. – was clear. There could have been more history on the underwater political situation, but again, for a graphic novel it was fine.

Readers who enjoy hero stories or enjoy Aquaman’s world should definitely check this book out – I think they will enjoy it! (Mild language, one panel with two men kissing.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Super Sons: Polar Shield Project by Ridley Pearson

REVIEW: Super Sons: Polar Shield Project by Ridley Pearson

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Zoom in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

In a world plagued by climate disasters, Superman and Batman move their families inland to escape coastal flooding. Batman is working with the Polar Shield Project to hold global temperatures steady and eventually cool them and reverse some of the ecological damage. Superman is on a trip to Mars for a “dust” to help. Lois Lane (Kent) is working on the story.

Jonathan Kent, Superman’s son, and Ian Wayne, Batman’s son, find themselves in Wyndemere. They’re expected to keep their family secrets and blend in while their parents save the world.

Jon makes a friend at school, Tilly, who helps him get into the Daily Planet and secure internships so they can track Project Polar Shield – and find out why Lois hasn’t checked in.

Ian meets a mysterious girl named Candace and together the four kids start digging into a mysterious illness that’s moving through their region.

Review

I’ve been so excited about the new DC stories releasing for kids in 2019. But I was a little disappointed in this one.

Overall, I like the characters and the art. But the story is thin with some gaps. I realize that can happen with the graphic novel format. It’s hard to get the same level of depth and character development with a GN that you can with prose. But I have seen it done well in other instances. The creators came up with a way of displaying some internal monologues so you get the inner thoughts of the characters. But mostly they are short and full of teen attitude. While they fit the characters/voices well, they don’t do a lot to advance the story. This is first in a series, so there are plenty of things left open to develop in later books.

I think kids will enjoy the format and the characters. But I wanted more – more depth, more details, more character development. There’s plenty of backstory to establish some relationship details for the boys with their famous dads, but there are still some gaps I felt could have been addressed more fully. I hope book two will have some more of that depth I was looking for. Or maybe DC will add a prose novel or two to the line with these characters.

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: DC Super Hero Girls Graphic Novels by Shea Fontana

REVIEW: DC Super Hero Girls Graphic Novels by Shea Fontana

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of both of these books from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

DC Super Hero Girls Out of the Bottle – Summary

Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Supergirl and Katana are in the art room at Super Hero High working on their comics project. Katana’s is one of the best their teacher has ever seen, but Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn are struggling with theirs. While Wonder Woman checks out Supergirl’s project, Harley decides to try their teacher’s “magic paint” on her own.

When Katana checks on Wonder Woman’s project in order to encourage her friend, one of Harley’s drawings has moved from her project onto Wonder Woman’s. And the comic version of Harley is only interested in causing trouble. Soon she is off the pages all together and hassling the heroes face to face. Then she sets all of their comic characters free, too – and they all become villains.

Review

This is a fun addition to the Super Hero High graphic novel collection. It was the sixth book in the series so far (although in some places it is marked as book 5), after Date with Disaster and before Search for Atlantis. The story for this one is delightfully wacky, which fits the focus on Harley, with more chaos in every chapter, especially when the art teacher gives in to her dark side. The solution to the runaway comic characters is a little cheesy, but I think kids will get a kick out of it (although it may elicit some groans). The story takes a serious turn at the end when the characters talk about anger management, mental health, and therapy. This seems like a great message for the audience – it’s okay to need help and to get help!

These are fun characters, familiar in a lot of ways but still growing up, learning about friendship, and gaining confidence in themselves and their gifts. This particular book had some nice moments celebrating creativity along with the usual friendship and teamwork themes. Fans of this series will gobble up this story.

This is a lighter, sillier version of the characters in Lisa Yee’s middle grade novels. One series or the other (or in my case, both!) will appeal to superhero fans in general as well as fans of these particular heroes.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

DC Super Hero Girls Search for Atlantis – Summary

Mera has arrived from Atlantis to go to Super Hero High. Wonder Woman offers to help her get settled in. The two become friends, leaving Bumblebee feeling left out. Mr. Fox, the weaponomics teacher, leads the heroes on a field trip to Atlantis. But after a battle with a giant squid the group discovers Atlantis has gone missing! It is a lost city once again.

The kids discover Brainiac has shrunken the city and keeps it on his ship. Their elaborate plan to rescue Atlantis requires Miss Martian to impersonate a criminal; the Teen Titans to back her up; and Bumblebee, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Mera to shrink down and wait in a fake miniature city until Miss Martian’s team sells it to Brainiac. What could possibly go wrong?!

Review

This series just gets better and better! I loved this story. It’s intricate with lots of suspense and conflict in each chapter. The characters are smart and play off one another in familiar ways (the Teen Titans are a great example). I loved the emphasis on Bumblebee, Raven and Miss Martian in this story. I know Raven from a few episodes of Teen Titans Go! and Miss Martian from Young Justice. I enjoy both of those characters a lot, so I loved seeing them get a lot of focus in this story. The author does a great job with these characters as well as with Bumblebee’s angst and jealousy over Wonder Woman’s friendship with Mera.

In the midst of superhero powers and super villain schemes, there’s a very relate-able friendship crisis that plays out through the larger Atlantis/Brainiac story that’s fantastic! Highly recommend.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Knight's Club: The Bands of Bravery by Shuky

REVIEW: Knight’s Club: The Bands of Bravery by Shuky

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley and Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Three young men decide to leave their life of farming and manure and instead try to become knights. Each has different skills and deficits. Readers choose the path through this graphic novel for their knight-in-training. The character has five nights to find the most “bravery bracelets” to win.

Review

POSITIVES: This is a clever idea! It’s like a role playing game (RPG) in book mode. Solving puzzles can lead to rewards like weapons or bracelets. There are blank pages at the back of the book to track your character’s progress through the quest.  Readers could compete against themselves or against a friend.

NEGATIVES:

  • It’s disappointing that the author and publisher chose to make all of the characters male. I hope this gets fixed in the sequels. Girls are just as likely to want to try this and may be frustrated that there are no female characters.
  • Many page jumps in my trial run served no purpose except to send me to the opposite end of the book. For example, the first place where I could make a choice sent me to a page that sent me right back to the check in point. Then I went from 4 to 25 to 88 to 7 to find out how things worked in the game/book. THEN I was able to make another choice. That choice took me to three pages that were essentially blank except for the next page number – 299, 311 and 178 – before I had another choice. Usually in a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story there’s content on each page even if there isn’t a choice to make. And they usually move mostly forward through the book until you hit a dead end. This jumped me all around, back and forth for no purpose.
  • This jumping was especially frustrating because the electronic review copy didn’t have any page links. Every large page jump required a scroll to find just the right image number. In a paper book, that won’t be as frustrating, but I hope any e-books will have page links instead of all the scrolling.

VERDICT: I would try this in physical form and would feel comfortable giving it to a kid. As I said, it’s a really clever idea, which is why I rated it as highly as I did despite the issues in execution. In all the scrolling I saw several sections where I wanted to know more about a different path. I’m curious to talk with kids who use the book to see if they find the pages with only another page number and no other purpose frustrating or not. I’d hold off on getting an electronic version until you know if there are page links or if scrolling is required.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

REVIEW: Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Readers may know Jarrett J. Krosoczka from his previous work. He is the author and illustrator of many picture books as well as the Lunch Lady graphic novel series, the Platypus Police Squad middle grade series (LOVED those), and the second phase of the Jedi Academy books.

Adults may know Krosoczka from his popular TED Talk called “How a Boy Became an Artist.” It’s an inspiring story of his development as an artist and illustrator. And it hints at his childhood experiences. Hey Kiddo, Krosoczka’s new graphic novel memoir, tells more of that story.

Krosoczka was raised by his grandparents due to his mother’s addiction to heroin. His mom was in and out of his life as she was in and out of treatment and jail. Jarrett didn’t meet his father until high school. The details of his home situation impacted him as he grew up and as he developed as an artist. Hey Kiddo shares some of the significant moments of that journey.

Review

This graphic novel memoir for teens is moving and inspiring. I loved it. It’s definitely for a mature audience – teens and older. There’s some language and a few dark moments in his story. He doesn’t shy away from the emotions of his journey – the anger and despair when his mom didn’t show up for important things, his discomfort with anyone finding out she was in jail, etc. Kids who have experienced similar things will feel seen and understood – maybe for the first time – by reading this. Readers who have not walked a similar path have an opportunity to gain insight and empathy for others. And any reader can be inspired by Jarrett’s journey to his creative career.

There are several pages of notes in the back that were even more moving than the book itself. One note shares the rest of the story about Jarrett and his family. Another note focuses on the art included in the book. I love that the book has scans of Jarrett’s actual childhood pictures and letters exchanged with his mom.

This is an excellent, engaging and thought-provoking story. If you love Krosoczka’s work or if you love memoirs or graphic novels, don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥