Comic Book Tuesday: Asterix Omnibus #2 by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo

Author: René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo (Illustrations)
Series: Astérix le Gaulois
Audience: +7
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Papercutz
Release Date: July 14th 2020
My Rating: 3.5 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Asterix mixes it up with everyone from Julius Caesar to Cleopatra in this outstanding Omnibus!

After conquering Europe, where this feisty, little warrior is a true pop culture super-star, Asterix is invading America with another three classic adventures, newly translated into American English. Asterix conquered Europe ironically by keeping his tiny village in Gaul from being conquered by the Roman Empire. Turns out, Asterix and his fellow villagers have a secret weapon, a potion that imbues them all with super strength. But the Romans aren’t about to give up no matter how many times Asterix and his friends fend them off. These classic comics are not only incredibly entertaining, filled with humor, adventure, and great characters, but the historic figures are brought to life in a way that’s exciting and humanizing, providing educational elements to each story, similar to the Geronimo Stilton graphic novels.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Papercutz and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I'm back with another comic book review and guys, this is probably my most anticipated read. Let me give you a little backstory before I begin, shall we? So child Ruby had the chance to discover comic books...erm... over 20 years ago. But she had no idea that girls read comic books, much less that it wasn't just for children. So she didn't take advantage of the chance. Because my first comic book, that I have no idea how I ended up owning, by the way, is Asterix and Cleopatra. Unfortunately I don't have it where I live now, otherwise I probably would have devoured it by now. Which brings us to today's review.

The minute I saw an Asterix comic on NetGalley, I knew I had to jump on it. I was fortunate enough to be granted my request, and here we are. Let's get started!

Comic Book Tuesday: Blackbird by Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel, Triona Farrell

Author: Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel (Artist), Triona Farrell (Colourist)
Series: Blackbird #1-6
Audience: +16
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: May 14th 2019
My Rating: 3 Cups
Source: Image Comics
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Nina Rodriguez knows a hidden magical world run by ruthless cabals is hiding in Los Angeles. When a giant magic beast kidnaps her sister, Nina must confront her past (and her demons) to get her sister back and reclaim her life. Don't miss the first collection of the smash-hit neo-noir fantasy series from fan-favorite writer SAM HUMPHRIES (Harley Quinn, Nightwing) and red-hot artist JEN BARTEL (Mighty Thor)!

Collects BLACKBIRD #1-6

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Image Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Trigger warning: substance abuse

Aside from books, I've collected some comic book ARCs over the last few months and I thought that it's finally time to read them. First up is this really interesting story by Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel, and Triona Farrell. Let's dive right into it.

Comic Book Tuesday: Paradox Girl Volume 1 by Cayti Bourquin, Yishan Li

Author: Cayti Bourquin, Yishan Li
Series: Paradox Girl
Audience: +16
Genre: Graphic Novel,
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: June 4th 2019
My Rating: 4.5 Cups
Source: Image Comics
Blurb (from Goodreads):

As a hero with the power to go anywhere and anywhen, Paradox Girl has made an absolute mess of her own life. She's changed history so often that isn't even sure who she is anymore. Join her in this superhero comedy as she tries to make sense of her chaotic existence, chases bizzare whims, and maybe even finds time to save the day once in a while.
Collecting the first cycle of six issues of Paradox Girl, in which new writer Cayti Bourquin playfully explores questions of time, meaning and identity. A book which rewards multiple readings as PG jumps from panel to panel, weaving a complex tangle of timelines.

Collects PARADOX GIRL #1-6

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Image Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

It's been a while since I read a comic book I wanted to talk to everyone about, really. Not because I haven't read any comic books until now, but because I just didn't feel like I had something to say. Well people, Paradox Girl gave me plenty to say and I am happy about that.

I picked up this book because I was curious. The cover had me do a double take, because I wasn't sure if I was seeing things or if that truly was the same character in different outfits. After reading just a few pages, I was hooked.

Comic Book Tuesday: Sunstone Vol.1 by Stjepan Šejić

Author: Stjepan Šejić
Series: Sunstone #1
Audience: +18
Genre: Graphic Novel, Erotic Romance, BDSM
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: January 6th 2015
My Rating: 4.5 Cups
Source: DeviantArt
Blurb (from Goodreads):

«Sexual nerds. That is what BDSM people are, behind all the pretense...»

From critically-acclaimed creator Stjepan Šejić (Death Vigil, Ravine, Aphrodite IX, Witchblade) comes Sunstone, a love story like no other.

Lisa's tastes were always...unique. Longing to be restrained, without restrain. Lisa always felt like something was missing from her love life─until she met Ally. Ally was implacably ordinary─successful job, nice house, an average childhood─except for her preference for bedroom domination.

Originally posted on DeviantArt, this books collects the first volume of the often erotic, always amusing, and surprisingly heartfelt Sunstone.

*Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As such, my review may contain references to themes intended for a mature audience.

Comic Book Tuesday: Xena: Penance by Meredith Finch

Author: Meredith Finch
Series: N/A
Audience: +16
Genre: Comic Book
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: October 9th 2018
My Rating: 3 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The path to redemption is never easy, and the journey of a warrior princess seeking to wash the blood of innocents from her hands is no exception. Xena travels to Athens, to plead for redemption in the temple of Eleos. But some things can never be forgiven and the shadows of past sins are long. Will Xena find redemption or betrayal waiting for her in the temple of the gods? The power, the passion, the danger... her courage would change the world. Xena: Warrior Princess.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Dynamite Entertainment and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

Comic Book Tuesday #31: The Altered History Of Willow Sparks by Tara O'Connor

Author: Tara O'Connor
Series: N/A
Audience: +15
Genre: Comic Book
Publisher: Oni Press
Release Date: March 6th 201
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

What happens when you can finally get everything you ever wanted?

Willow Sparks and her best friend Georgia Pratt are at the bottom of the social ladder at Twin Pines High School, just trying to get through each day relatively unscathed. But when Willow finds a mysterious book that allows her to literally change her life, it feels like her luck is finally turning. Becoming more and more popular with each entry into the book, her old life, including her friendship with Georgia, seems miles away. Yet as Willow will discover, every action has a reaction, and the future has unusual—even dangerous—ways of protecting itself.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Oni Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

Have you ever read a book that made you wish you had something similar back when you were a teenager? That's what this book made me think once I finished reading it. I wish I had this book back when I was an awkward teen.

The idea of the book is pretty simple: you have a regular teenage girl, Willow, working at a library in her spare time, that isn't popular, and is bullied, alongside her best friend, Georgia, by a group of really popular kids. After an incident in the library, she discovers some books, one of which carries her name. Once she realizes what this book really is, she takes it, and tries to write herself a better story. Simple, right? Something I most certainly would have done had I been in Willow's shoes. Because what teen doesn't want to escape those years, when it's all awkward, and when acne, bad hair days, not being noticed by your crush, and not being picked for one of the teams in sports class seem like the worst thing that could ever happen.

But as simple as it may seem, it's also really complex. Because in doing so, Willow has to face the consequences of her actions, one of which is losing her best friend. The other visible effect of Willow altering her life in such a way is the signs that she has on her, some marks that look like lines made with a pen. I kind of get the symbolism behind it, but I would have wanted a bit more time spent on that aspect. I loved the fact that Georgia, Willow's best friend, lectures her on the fact that she's using this book to have an easier life, when she should find a different way to deal with life. At the same time, Georgia is going through some changes in her life, and seeing Willow exchanging their friendship for the company of the popular kids in school hurts her enough to stop trying to reason with Willow.

While the story itself is great, and some of the effects of Willow's tampering are mostly explored in this book, there were a few things that were left untouched, like the parents angle. I would have wanted Willow's parents to notice something. There's an interesting moment that shows the limitations of the book, but it wasn't completely explored. I am hoping that there's a volume 2 in the works, because the ending was a bit too abrupt. While I do remember how fights between friends resolved at that age (God knows I've had some of the most "epic" fights with my BFFs that ended in tears 5 minutes afterwards and promises to never fight again), I feel like Willow needs to face the school crowd without the help of the book, she needs to be exposed to the same popular kids after she returned her book. I'd love to see how she's going to do that.

Aside from that, there's a wonderful moment of someone having a crush on somebody, and it turns out that somebody is a gay character, and it's a beautiful conversation between friends that warmed my heart, really.

The artwork is pretty simple. It wasn't the best I've seen, but it's cute and it's in line with the story. The drawings are black-and-white, which is a nice change for me. The panels were easy to follow, and they weren't too crowded by dialogue. I liked the fact that the author shares, at the end of the book, a little bit of this book's history, with the changes in artwork that went on over the years. I've said this before, but I really enjoy seeing this behind-the-scenes type of segment in comic books.

Overall, this was a pretty good book, but I would have wanted a bit more. I hope the story will be continued in the future, and I'll definitely read the next volume if and when it comes out.

Comic Book Tuesday #30: Charmed: A Thousand Deaths by Erica Schultz

Author: Erica Schultz
Series: Charmed Vol. 1
Audience: +18
Genre: Comic Book
Publisher: Dynamite Book Distributors
Release Date: October 11th 2017
My Rating: 3 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Dynamite Entertainment is proud to continue the story of Phoebe, Piper, and Paige, television’s fan-favorite witches, in all-new adventures set within the official continuity of Charmed! A dark force has set its sights on the art world of San Francisco, utilizing a gallery exhibit to feed souls to the underworld and unleash demons into our reality. Only the Power of Three, harnessed by the Halliwell sisters, can stop the madness! Collects issues 1-5.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Dynamite Book Distributors in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I have a confession to make: I haven't watched Charmed. I watched a few episodes back in the day, but it didn't catch me. I don't know why exactly. My guess is it was because it was airing at the same time as Buffy, and I loved Buffy, and I was a one-TV show kind of girl at the time. I was a kid, okay? Anyway, I saw this on Netgalley a few weeks ago and I thought I'd give the Charmed sisters another try, and now I'm kinda thinking about watching the show too.

The story in this comic book is pretty simple, when you think about it. Basically a bad guy with a lot of power wants to bring some pain and mayhem on Earth and decides to help another bad guy that wants the sisters dead. I feel that for the number of issues this volume had, the story was enough, however I kept wishing for a bit more depth. There were a lot of things that could have been explored more, like what Shaina can do and what are the limits of her power, what this place where souls go is like and more. I also didn't particularly like the fact that for as bad as he was, the sisters managed to get rid of the villain so fast, based on how devious he was. Djall was pretty smart and pretty evil, and I believe he deserved a bit more struggle from the sisters' part. That being said, the story is pretty short, so it kind of makes sense that it was all solved so quickly.

The artwork was pretty amazing. I liked it a lot. The panels weren't too crowded, and they were easy to read and to follow. The colors used were very pretty and vibrant, but they also got pretty dark when the story went to darker scenes, which I liked. I love it when the color tones follow the story-line like that.

All in all, this was a pretty good story, and it made me curious about the sister and their stories, so I might be inclined to watch the show now.

Comic Book Tuesday #29: Wonder Woman Vol. 4: Godwatch (Rebirth) by Greg Rucka

Author: Greg Rucka
Series: Wonder Woman, Volume V #4
Audience: +16
Genre: Comic Book
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: November 21st 2017
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

NEW YORK TIMES best-selling writer Greg Rucka continues his celebrated return to the Amazon Warrior in WONDER WOMAN VOL. 4: GODWATCH!

Since the moment Wonder Woman arrived in our world, Godwatch has been waiting. But who are they, and what do they want? Diana’s journey to the truth that she’s been seeking since WONDER WOMAN VOL. 1 continues here, with the origin of what may prove to be her greatest enemies.

Teaming with up-and-coming artist Bilquis Evely, Greg Rucka’s critically acclaimed run on one of Rebirth’s most successful titles continues here in WONDER WOMAN VOL. 4: GODWATCH! Collects WONDER WOMAN #16, #18, #20, #22 and #24.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this 4th volume of Wonder Woman. If the previous volumes that I read, 1 and 3, focused on Wonder Woman, here we get the other side of the story, Cale's story, which helped me understand her a little bit more.

I still believe it would have been better to have these volumes include the issues in order, but at the same time, having this last part told from a different POV altogether kind of made me like the story more. I got a few of the answers that I hoped I'd get, while at the same time some of the gaps I had are still there, like for instance what convinced Diana to fight the inner demons that kept her mind captive. But back to this volume.

We get to see how Cale, Doctor Cyber and Cheetah became who they were. The volume starts way back in the past, with Cale's daughter being a normal little girl, and we get to see doctor Cyber as a regular human, Cheetah as Barbara Ann. I believe this was a story that deserved a bit more page time, probably a bit more story development than it got, because there were a lot of elements that could have been explored more, but as a whole I liked the story. I would have wanted to see more of Cheetah, so I'm hoping there's a comic book out there that focuses on her a lot more than this one did.

Despite these missing details, I loved seeing the struggle of Victoria Cale and her transformation from regular woman to villain, her dehumanization in a way. At her core, Cale is just a mother trying to protect her daughter and willing to do anything in order to keep her safe. There's a wonderful scene halfway through this volume that shows just that, when she takes her now teenager daughter to see some specialists that might help figure out how to cure her. I liked that, because here you have a woman willing to do anything, from creating an inanimate AI version of her best friend to subduing the two gods who cursed her daughter, while at the same time you get the mother who is trying out everything medically possible to figure out how to cure her doctor. I loved that side of the story. Based on that alone, I kind of liked the idea of the story being split across the volumes, with this last one focused on the "villain's" side of the story.

The art was a bit confusing. While still pretty, it was strikingly different than what I was used to from the previous volumes. I felt like this was more similar to the older, 80s version of Wonder Woman. It kind of set the two versions of the story apart. This kind of made me realize that while everybody else was enamored with Wonder Woman, as shown in the previous volumes through the clean, almost poster-like art used there, here you have Cale who doesn't really care one way or the other, which for me seemed translated in the art. That's how I interpreted the choice made to have this big difference. It also made me think of how the insanity of Cale translated in the art. There's a sort of disturbing quality in the art, if it makes sense, which I loved seeing. It's not that the drawings are bad, on the contrary, but the lines, the colors used, everything about it made me think of how disturbing this version of the story was.

The volume has a few loose ends, and I hope that maybe they'll be picked up in the future and resolved, but if not, I thought this was a good way to end this run. I'll definitely read future installments if they come out, but if not, I just hope we'll get some connected stories, at least so we can see Barbara Ann get some form of happy ending. All in all, a good volume that I enjoyed a lot more than I anticipated.

Comic Book #28: Injustice 2 Vol 1 by Tom Taylor

Author: Tom Taylor
Series: Injustice 2 #1-6
Audience: +16
Genre: Comic Books
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: October 31st 2017
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

From the makers of the critically acclaimed prequel comic to the smash hit fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us comes the highly anticipated prequel to Injustice 2!

Batman has triumphed over the tyranical Superman! But now he must piece all of the world back together, and to make matters worse, he has to do it while fighting off the former dictator's supporters working to reinstate the old regime. With all the in-fighting a dark shadow appears on the horizon.

From best-selling writer Tom Taylor, scribe of the original INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US graphic novel series, comes INJUSTICE 2! Collects issues #1-6.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I really enjoyed this comic book. I was a bit confused at times, because I haven't played the Injustice games, nor have I read the related comic books, but I was still able to follow the story pretty easily.

The story focuses on Batman's struggle to help rebuild the world after the destruction Superman caused, while also fighting off against a pretty strong opponent intent on helping Batman's enemies. This was the first time I've read anything related to the fight between Batman and Superman, and it was the source of my confusion, because there were a lot of gaps there that I don't know if they're from the previous Injustice series or in the game or if they'll be filled at least partially later on in Injustice 2. I liked the idea of Superman being a villain, to be honest. If I had to choose between the two, I'd pick Superman, because I grew up watching the movies many, many times, a lot more times than the original Batman movies, but I've always wondered if somehow Superman's desire to help the world, to save everybody couldn't turn into a dangerous and negative aspect of him. This is probably the reason why I loved seeing Superman depicted as a bad guy.

At the opposite side of the war you have Batman, who is trying to keep the world together, but just before he starts working on fixing everything, new enemies rise. I liked this new foe and I wonder where that will lead the story to. It was an interesting plot device, to be honest. Here you have Batman, trying to save the world, when all of the sudden, a Batman impersonator comes along to wreak havoc everywhere. The subtle hints towards the duality of Batman are also among my favorite parts of this story. I never believed Batman to be a full hero, because he's so dark and he's willing to do some pretty hard choices. Maybe it's also the fact that his hometown, Gotham, is such a dark place, that the darkness of it rubbed off on Batman. But the idea of a fully-dark, villainous Batman fighting with the original, hero version of Batman is kind of like seeing Bruce's inner struggle come to life, so I cannot wait to see how that will progress in future installments. There's also another side to this war, that I won't give too many details about, because of spoilers, but I'm also curious about how that will be explained and resolved.

I also loved the art. There were a lot of details in the panels, but not too many as to distract me from reading. The story itself is reflected in the art, and you can tell there's a big difference between Batman and Superman in the way color is used for these two characters' panels. As for good Batman vs bad Batman, there are subtle differences, but generally you get the same style, which again was amazing, because it made me think of the duality of this character.

I read this pretty easily and I was actually very sad to get to the end of it. I'm definitely planning on reading the rest of the story.

Comic Book #27: Batwoman Vol.1 : The Many Arms of Death (Rebirth) by Marguerite Bennett, James IV Tynion

Author: Marguerite Bennett, James IV Tynion
Series: Batwoman (2017-) #1-6
Audience: +16
Genre: Comic Book
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: October 31st 2017
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Batwoman returns with her own series in BATWOMAN VOL. 1, as a part of DC Rebirth!

The newest chapter of Batwoman’s life begins here! Monster Venom is the hottest new bioweapon on the market…and to break up the syndicate spreading it around the world, Batwoman’s going to have to return to the place where she spent some of her darkest hours!

With writing from Marguerite Bennett (DC BOMBSHELLS) and James Tynion IV (DETECTIVE COMICS), as well as spectacular art from Steve Epting (CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER) and Ben Oliver (THE MULTIVERSITY), this new series spins directly out of the smash hit DETECTIVE COMICS series!

BATWOMAN VOL. 1 collects issues #1-6 and the one-shot special BATWOMAN: REBIRTH #1.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I went into reading this knowing nothing about Batwoman. I didn't even know Batwoman existed, to be honest. So I was surprised to see this redheaded heroine and read about her adventures, and let me tell you, I liked what I read.

The story is pretty interesting. We spend the entire first issue jumping through time, seeing brief instances from Batwoman/Kate Kane's life, since childhood to present times. This had me confused for a little bit, because for a while there I thought I was reading a similar story with Greg Rucka's Wonder Woman, which is different backstories of the same character. It took me a little bit to figure out it was small flashes of the same Kate Kane. This is probably due to me not knowing anything about Kane. We then see her trying to stop an attack at a pretty important market, which eventually leads her to a secluded island, where apparently Kate left her heart on many years ago. It was a pretty interesting concept, and I liked the flashbacks on the island, and trying to figure out what exactly happened. We still don't know a lot, so I'm hoping the future issues (if there are any) will shed some light onto what happened between Kate and Safiyah, where the latter is, and how big is this organization trying to bring down Kate.

I have to say, I wish the last issue in this volume, Rebirth #1 was at the beginning. This is actually the way I've been used to in DC comics so far, so I don't really understand why they decided to include that one at the end of the 6 issues of The Many Arms Of Death. That was the only thing that I didn't quite enjoy, mostly because it pulled me quite harshly from the original story.

The art is pretty great. There were a lot of vivid, really strong colors. The panels were not too crowded, and were easy to follow. There seemed to be a bit of a shift in drawing technique towards the last issues, but that didn't bother me as much as I expected. The art complements the story a lot, and it sort of follows the story and the timeline. The art in Rebirth however was pretty different than the one in TMAoD. Not a bad thing, just something that I noticed.

The pacing was great and I read it pretty fast. All in all, I think this is by far my favorite DC comic I've read so far. It was mysterious and dark enough to keep me wishing for more issues and page time. I will definitely read volume 2 when it comes out.

Comic Book Tuesday #26: Wonder Woman Vol. 3: The Truth (Rebirth) by Greg Rucka

Author: Greg Rucka
Series: Wonder Woman, Volume V #3
Audience: +16
Genre: Comic Book
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: August 29th 2017
My Rating: 3 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A part of DC Universe Rebirth!

New York Times best-selling writer Greg Rucka continues his return to WONDER WOMAN! Rucka is joined by fan favorite artist Liam Sharp as Diana's life is unraveling around her. Diana’s search for the truth about herself, her history, and her home Themyscira, takes her on a journey into darkness. But the price of understanding may be one sacrifice too many for Wonder Woman.

Collects WONDER WOMAN #13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25.

Rebirth honors the richest history in comics, while continuing to look towards the future. These are the most innovative and modern stories featuring the world's greatest superheroes, told by some of the finest storytellers in the business.

Honoring the past, protecting our present and looking towards the future. This is the next chapter in the ongoing saga of the DC Universe. The legacy continues.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not inlfuence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I had really high hopes for this volume, which unfortunately weren't completely met.

The book starts off with Wonder Woman having some issues, being completely unresponsive towards the outside world, and a good part of the first half of the volume shows Diana suffering from some mental issues. I enjoyed that part, but I feel like it wasn't explored as it should have, nor was it explained in a proper way. This may be because, yet again, this volume includes only select issues, so I didn't get to read about how she actually found it in her to fight her catatonic state and her delusions. I also didn't completely understand what brought the entire situation on, but that may be because I haven't read Vol. 2. So maybe it was explained there. I liked the fact that she realizes that she's not as invincible as she thought in the beginning. I also liked that eventually the laws of the Amazons are respected, in the sense that what she was warned about in the past came true. I don't want to give too many details, because I don't want to spoil it for anyone in case you haven't read it. Even so, I was pretty unimpressed with the ending. I was expecting this huge plot against Wonder Woman, at least from the way the story was told in the first volume. I do hope that the story will be picked up in the future and the implications of what Diana found out will be explored more thoroughly.

The art, as usual with the Wonder Woman Rebirth storyline, is stellar. I really have no complaints there. I hope I get to read more comic books drawn by Liam Sharp, as he is very talented and manages to capture the exact mood and tone of each panel, each dialogue, each scene, even each character.

I think I probably would have enjoyed this volume a lot more if it had all the issues, not just select ones. That way the story would have made much more sense, and I wouldn't have the feeling I'm missing something. Other than that, I hope there will be more Wonder Woman books in the future, because I am curious if some of the details from this volume will be explored more.

Comic Book Tuesday #25: Army of Darkness/Xena, Warrior Princess: Forever and a Day by Scott Lobdell, Elliot Fernandez

Author: Scott Lobdell, Elliot Fernandez
Series: N/A
Audience: +16
Genre: Comic Book
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 29th 2017
My Rating: 3 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Xena, Warrior Princess, has toppled nations through the force of her will. She's captained the most deadly pirate crew ever to sail the seas. She even turned her back on her past, seeking redemption for her darker acts alongside her partner Gabrielle. And yet, despite her propensity for defeating all odds, her thousand-strong army has fallen to an implacable and ancient evil. Her only recourse? To use the dreaded Necronomicon to summon Ash Williams - the wise-ass, butt-kicking, smooth-talkin' demon-killer from the future - for aid! But how can Xena save the world when that chainsaw-wielding knucklehead's every temporal mishap threatens to unravel time itself? Cult favorite media sensations Army of Darkness and Xena, Warrior Princess collide in a wildly hilarious adventure written by Scott Lobdell (Red Hood and the Outlaws, Uncanny X-Men) and featuring artwork by Elliot Fernandez and Diego Galindo!
"A superlative job of capturing the spirit of both Xena, Warrior Princess and Ash of Army Of Darkness." - SciFiPulse
"Lobdell balances the personalities of his distinct cast and Fernandez's layouts are superb." - Nerds on the Rocks
"(Lobdell's) dialogue is hilarious and flows very well." - Big Glasgow Comic Page

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Dynamite Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

It's no secret that I love Xena, and that, in my opinion, she's the second best superhero, right after Wonder Woman. Since the end of the show *queue sobbing* I've been drowning in watching reruns and reading whatever new story available with and about her. So I was super duper excited about reading this book. I also have to be honest and say that I know nothing about the Army of Darkness, but I plan on rectifying that this year.

I have to say, the artwork was awesome. The thing I liked most was that the artist didn't try to make portraits of the actors playing these characters, which would have bothered me to be honest. I can't explain it exactly, but I know I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much with actor portraits all over the book.

The panels are easy to read and to follow, and they were not as crowded as usual. I also liked how the art seemed to adapt to the story in each issue. You could tell that the story happens in a different timeline based on the colors used and the use of shadows. I thought that was cool.

The story was pretty standard. You have Xena and Gabrielle in a little bit of trouble and they're trying to get some help by summoning Ash, the time travelling warrior. I loved the Xena episodes with time loops. I'm not sure if there were more than one, I remember one where Xena gives in and just kills the rooster, which still makes me giggle every now and then. But time loop usually means that things stay the same, it's just one person that figures it out and tries to break the loop. For some reason this didn't happen in this comic book, which I guess makes sense, because it shows how desperate times are for Xena and Gabrielle, so in that regard the book is pretty unique and different from what I was expecting.

Now here's what I didn't like all that much. I feel like the story in itself wasn't bad, but it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. At one point there's this character that tells Ash to look for clues in all his time jumps. There were no clues, not that I could figure out. Ash makes a ton of time jumps, but they don't actually make sense. The ending was anticlimactic too. If you're going to have a super powerful baddie, make him really bad, and scary and not as easily defeatable. Maybe this is just me being more bloodthirsty than most, but I was expecting more of a struggle than that. There were a lot of things that didn't quite make sense in this story, and I feel like they could have made for a fantastic plot, had the story not been so rushed. The idea that someone is like a time guardian, that guards the various alternate worlds and timelines, or the fact that it takes a lot of time before Ash reaches Xena when she's summoning him, or that we don't know what happens to Xena while Ash is timejumping to the wrong place.

I was expecting a lot more from this story, honestly. A tons more than what I got, but it was still fun to spend some time reading and remembering about my favorite heroine.

Comic Book Tuesday #24: Monstress Vol 2 by Marjorie M Liu, Sana Takeda

Author: Marjorie M. Liu, Sana Takeda
Series: Monstress (Collected Editions) #2
Audience: +18
Genre:Comic Book
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: July 11th 2017
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Edelweiss
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The Eisner-nominated MONSTRESS is back! Maika, Kippa, and Ren journey to Thyria in search of answers to her past... and discover a new, terrible, threat. Collects MONSTRESS #7-12

*Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from Edelweiss and Image Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I've been waiting for a long, long time for this volume to come out, and it was just as fantastic as I'd hoped and imagined it would be.

Let me start by saying that the art is just as fantastic and amazing as it was in the first volume, if not even more gorgeous. The tone in some drawings changed a little bit, with some panels being more colorful than usual, and even more detailed than before. I love how dynamic the art looks, you can almost imagine the drawing moving. The entire time I was reading this book I could almost see the characters moving, speaking, the smell of the ocean and the sounds of the city, every little detail was present in those panels in such a way to make me imagine the story and see it in my head much like I would watch a movie.

The story picks up right where volume 1 ends, and we get to learn more about Maika, and why she's so dark and tough, especially with Kippa, all the time. I liked the glimpses we got into Maika's childhood, as it made me understand her more. I am curious to see how her story ends and if she'll find the closure she needs. Kippa, as always, was fantastic. She grew from being the little fox-child needing protection from everyone, to making choices and being braver than in the previous volume. This is also probably due to Maika's form of tough love, but also because Kippa is a brave character. Master Ren is still the snarky cat I remember, but he's taking a few risks I didn't imagine him taking in this story. I really want to understand what his angle is though, what's his endgame.

It seems to me that somehow everyone knows something about Maika that she isn't aware of herself, which is kinda sad and infuriating, because I wonder if everybody has a hidden agenda here.

The story is completed by the lectures of professor Tam Tam, and they offer a glimpse into some stuff that Maika is definitely not aware of, or so I believe. We also find out more about the monster inside Maika, her backstory, and how she ended up inside Maika, as well as more about Maika's family.

I loved this story so much, and I am impatiently waiting for the next installments, especially after that ending, although I will be completely honest with you, I am not ready for the story to end! Not at all!

Comic Book Tuesday #23: Nightwing, Volume 1: Better Than Batman by Tim Seeley

Author: Tim Seeley
Series: Nightwing, Volume IV #1
Audience: +16
Genre: Comic Book
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: January 25th 2017
My Rating: 3 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A part of DC Universe: Rebirth!

Nightwing is back...in blue!

He's been Robin, he's been a super spy, a ghost. Now, Dick Grayson finds himself back in Gotham City fighting to reclaim the life that was taken from him. But when a new evil threatens those closest to Dick, as Nightwing he must once again choose whether or not to tear himself away from his home in order to combat this dark force.

Everything Dick thought he knew about being Nightwing will be brought to bear, and his relationship to his former mentor Batman will be put to the test in Nightwing: Volume 1, Better Than Batman! written by Tim Seeley (Grayson) with art by Yanick Paquette (Swamp Thing, Batman/Superman) and rising star Javier Fernández (Red Hood/Arsenal).

Collecting: Nightwing 1-4, 7-8, Rebirth

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

Since I'm fairly new to the DC universe, I went into reading this book not knowing anything about Nightwing, who he is, who he was before he became Nightwing and why he is so important in the Batman universe.

The artwork was pretty, but I felt like the artist at times wasn't really sure how to draw the characters, as the drawing style changed a bit between issues. The artwork was also a bit darker, fitting the storyline, but I felt the need for some lighter panels here and there.

As for the storyline, it wasn't all that clear. There are funny parts, with him and Babs trying to go out, and with the new Robin and Nightwing himself. But I wasn't really sure what was happening at times. I felt like the plot for this book was driven mostly by the inner struggle of Nightwing rather than an actual bad guy. Yes, there is a bad guy involved, but call it ignorance or whatever, but I didn't feel that connected to the story. Now, keep in mind that this volume has 2 missing issues, 5 and 6, and maybe some of the story makes more sense with those two issues inside, but that's how I read this book.

I would like to read more about Nightwing, probably some of the older stories about him, because it is interesting to see how the old Robin transforms into Nightwing. All in all, the book, while not one of my favorite DC stories so far, it served its purpose and made me curious about the character a lot more than I was in the beginning.

Comic Book Tuesday #22: Wonder Woman, Volume 1: The Lies by Greg Rucka

Author: Greg Rucka
Series: Wonder Woman, Volume V #1
Audience: +16
Genre: Comic Book
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: February 28th 2017
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A part of DC Universe: Rebirth!

New York Times best-selling writer Greg Rucka returns to Wonder Woman! After suffering an unimaginable loss, Diana must rebuild her mission as Earth's ultimate protector and champion. However, in the midst of her grief, her Lasso of Truth stopped working! Start down the rabbit hole as dark secrets from Wonder Woman's past unravel her present!

From the ashes of DC Universe: Rebirth, critically acclaimed writer Greg Rucka along with illustrator Liam Sharpunveil a tale that will forever alter the DC icon in Wonder Woman, Volume 1: The Lies!

Collecting: Wonder Woman 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, Rebirth

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and DC Comics. This does not affect my rating or the content of my review in any way

It's no secret that I love Wonder Woman or that she's my favorite superhero ever. So when I saw this beauty on Netgalley I just knew I had to read it ASAP.

As usual with most DC books, the artwork was fantastic. The drawings are gorgeous, the colors chosen are fit for a Wonder Woman comic book and it just looked good. I loved the look of each and every panel and I would love to see this book in real life, because I bet it's even more beautiful. The panels are well done, not too crowded and easy to follow. There were a few panels, especially towards the end, with the jungle, that I would love to have as posters, they're so pretty. My only real issue was with WW's costume. I am a sucker for the old one, and I can't exactly say I like the current one.

The story was also pretty great. I like the idea of Diana struggling with her identity and with entering the Paradise Island, and also the fact that her past keeps changing. I love the fact that all of her different origin stories are kind of put together into one story and made to seem as though someone is trying to make her forget who she really is. I wonder if this somehow influences other superheroes or just WW. I have to say, I was a bit confused by the choice to include odd numbered issues in this volume, but even so it didn't keep me from reading the book easy.

I'm definitely going to keep reading this story, because I'm very curious to know if Diana finds out who's guilty for the past being altered, and also because I want to know how that alteration will eventually influence the future.

Comic Book Tuesday #21: Justice League, Volume 1: The Extinction Machines by Bryan Hitch, Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea, Tomey Morey

Author: Bryan Hitch, Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea, Tomey Morey, Richard Starkings, Sean Parsons, Jesús Merino, Matthew Clark
Series: Justice League, Volume III #1
Audience: +16
Genre: Comic Book, Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: January 18th 2017
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A part of DC Universe: Rebirth!

A new day dawns for the Justice League as they welcome a slew of new members into their ranks. The question remains though, can the world's greatest superheroes trust these new recruits? And will the members of League be able to come together against an ancient evil that threatens to reclaim not just the world, but the entire universe!

Masterful storytelling, epic action, and unbelievable art come together in Justice League from best-selling comic book writer Bryan Hitch (JLA) and superstar penciler Tony S. Daniel (Batman, Detective Comics).

Collect: Justice League 1-5, Rebirth

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of this review in any way

After reading my first Flash comic book, I tried to keep my excitement and my expectations under control, because I feel like the hype surrounding these comics, both due to the various forms they exist in, and the fans themselves, can influence the experience of reading them a lot. And as I manage to do that, and as I read more and more of the stories from the DC universe, I'm starting to understand why are these comic books so well-loved.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I was able to understand most of what was going on, even without knowing some of the most important details, like Superman's backstory. The story is a pretty simple one, with someone attacking Earth, trying to destroy the planet, and the superheroes trying to save the day. But I loved the aspect of "stolen powers". The creatures attacking the planet kept going on and on about how each superhero stole the powers they had, making some of the guys from the team doubt themselves a little bit. It was a really interesting idea, seeing all these really famous characters doubting themselves and also seeing how they dealt with it all. I am also intrigued by the fact that, even though they saved the day, the heroes didn't manage to find out who was attacking the planet. I liked that a lot, because it just means I'll definitely check the next volume out.

As far as the art goes, that one was fantastic. Each panel was more beautiful than the previous one, and there wasn't too much text, which I also liked. There were panels where the art seemed a bit different and it seemed as if the drawings for certain characters had some changes in them, but other than that I pretty much liked this issue. I'm curious to see what some of the older versions of the Justice League looks like, as opposed to this one. All in all, I was pretty surprised to how enjoyable I found this book, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for the next volume.

Comic Book Tuesday #20: The Flash (2016-) Vol. 1: Lightning Strikes Twice by Joshua Williamson, Carmine Di Giandomenico

Author: Joshua Williamson, Carmine Di Giandomenico (Illustrator)
Series: The Flash, Volume V #1
Audience: +15
Genre: Comic Book, Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: January 24th 2017
My Rating: 3 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Part of the most critically acclaimed, best-selling, all-new line of volume one graphic novels, DC Universe Rebirth!

His name is Barry Allen, and he’s the Fastest Man Alive. But he’s also so much more.

As he learns more about the Speed Force that fuels his incredible powers, the Flash is also discovering secrets about his past beyond anything he’d ever dreamed-how he created a Flashpoint that changed history and helped create a new world, watched over by forces unknown.

And when the same Speed Force that flows through him is unleashed all over Central City, striking cops, criminals and ordinary civilians alike, it’s up to the Flash to train this new wave of speedsters to use their amazing abilities wisely.

But while some may become his partners in crime-fighting-forming a true “Speed Force”-others will use their godlike powers for a more sinister purpose. And the Flash is about to learn that there’s some evil even he can’t outrun…

The race is on as writer Joshua Williamson (DEATHSTROKE) and artist Carmine di Giandomenico (All New X-Factor) present THE FLASH VOL. 1: LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE-the starting line of a bold new era for the Scarlet Speedster, bursting from the blockbuster DC Universe Rebirth event! Collects THE FLASH: REBIRTH #1 and THE FLASH #1-8.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating of the book or the content of this review in any way

Ever since the TV show The Flash, I've been dying to read more about the superhero, so when I received the approval notification on Netgalley, I was super duper excited. Alas, I can't say I was as in love with this book as I thought I'd be. Let me start with what I did like.

I realize there's a lot of backstory that I don't have, but I liked the fact that I was able to start reading this book, even with what little knowledge I acquired from the TV show, and not feel as lost as I thought I'd be. That's always a huge fear of mine when I try to read comic books about superheroes that have been getting their stories told for decades, that I'll never get the gist of things. So it was actually a really nice surprise to see that I was able to read this book and not be completely lost about some of the characters or storylines.

The thing that I liked most was the fact that this book shows that sometimes the Speed Force makes mistakes. It shows that not always someone that gets speed powers has good intentions. Sure, we all know about how Zoom killed Barry's mom, but that is one example (or at least the only one I know of). But in this story there are a lot of bad guys turned speedsters, people who are willing to abuse their newfound powers and use them for evil. I also liked the balance between those who wanted to use the powers, those who thought they got lucky or that they had a chance to be what they always wanted to be with their powers, and those who wanted nothing to do with superpowers. In a way, I feel like that was one of the main themes of this comic book, balance between good and evil, between friends and enemies, between those who wanted powers and those who didn't. And the book did an okay job of getting that across. I also liked that I wasn't suspecting the right person, so the book kind of fooled me for a while.

The art itself was pretty great. Not the best I've seen, probably not what I imagined a DC comic should look like, but I did go into this with pretty high expectations. Even though they can be challenging to read, I adored the double-paged panels. The panels themselves aren't that difficult to read, they aren't too crowded with either characters or text bubbles. I liked the fact that whenever the POV changed, we got some inner monologue bubbles, because, in a way, it helped me understand the characters better.

The thing that I didn't enjoy was how fast it seemed that Barry got to the answer, and the fact that, in some way, the first part of the book seems to be very, very disconnected from the second part of the book. This part of the review might have spoilers for some of you, so don't read ahead if you don't want to.

Maybe this is just me, since I'm new to this comic book, but I was slightly confused by the idea of Barry Allen not remembering certain things in the beginning, and not knowing about it. It seemed as if he wasn't even aware that something was wrong with him, and then just a few pages in, he manages to crack that mystery and restore part of his memories. Not a bad idea, except, and maybe I'm wrong here, but it didn't feel as if that particular plot point had anything to do with the rest of the story. Now, it's possible that that is the big story with the full run of this comic book. Or, which is another possibility, is that the first part of this volume is actually the first issue of the Rebirth comics, while the rest is from a different comic book, in which case, I'm still confused. Mostly because, and this is another thing that kind of bothered me, the volume doesn't make it clear when one chapter or issue ends and when another one begins. I don't know if that's the case with every DC comic book volumes, but this one didn't include chapter breaks, or at least it didn't seem like that to me. I guess you could take the change in the POV as a new chapter, but it still doesn't really help all that much.

I actually wanted to be more impressed with this book than I actually was. It may be that I had too high expectations, or it could be that because of the two different storylines, the entire volume felt a bit strange. Will I read the next volume? Probably, since this one ends on a cliffhanger and you know I can't help myself but be curious about it and to want to know the end of the story. But I'll probably seriously reduce my expectations. In the end, I did enjoy this story, even if not as much as I wanted to.

Comic Book Tuesday #19: Another Castle: Grimoire by Andrew Wheeler, Paulina Ganucheau

Author: Andrew Wheeler, Paulina Ganucheau
Series: Another Castle #1-#5
Audience: +15
Genre: Comic Book, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Oni Press
Release Date: February 28th 2017
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

We are thrilled to invite you on a journey of courage, friendship, and rebellion—Another Castle: Grimoire! This volume gathers all the issues from the hit comic book series centered on the adventures of Princess Misty of Beldora, whose courageous spirit leads to her capture, and ultimately, to a heroic adventure that spans two kingdoms.

Our tale begins when Princess Misty of Beldora, who longs for a more exciting life, gets more than she bargained for when she is captured by Lord Badlug, the ruler of the neighboring kingdom of Grimoire. He intends to marry her and conquer Beldora, leading the land into ruin and chaos. The people of Grimoire already suffer under his rule and desperately need a hero… luckily, Badlug has just kidnapped one! Together with the citizens of Grimoire and a certain bumbling prince, Misty must fight to protect her kingdom and free both realms from Badlug’s tyrannical rule. Misty is determined not to be another damsel in distress; and with her new friends to protect, she'll discover just what it takes to be the hero of the story.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Oni Press in excange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating of the book or the content of this review in any way.

This was a different comic book than what I've read so far, but it was a great change in reading and art style.

I absolutely adored the fact that the women in this story were all powerful, strong, independent, brave and truly capable of saving themselves. At times it felt like the girls got out of sticky situations too easily, but they managed it and I loved seeing that. Misty was a pretty cool heroine, even though I found that her beliefs at the very beginning of the story were too simplistic. I felt as if she thought that attacking the enemy was easy and that her father wasn't doing it because he wasn't brave enough. I liked that she got a wake-up call and that she saw exactly what would happen if she were reckless enough to go into this battle blindly. At the same time though, I liked that, when offered the chance to escape Badlug she didn't take it, because she had friends that needed saving and because she also made a promise. She was bravest than I would have imagined. The secondary characters are also very interesting. This book actually has a pretty diverse group of characters, and I liked that fact.

The story itself is a pretty classic one, with the pretty princess being kidnapped by the evil king, the only twist being that Misty is her own white knight. I thought the ending was a little bit too rushed. I would have wanted for the story to drag out a bit more. That being said, I keep my fingers crossed for some twist in the story, if there are going to be more installments in this story.

Another main difference between this comic book and what I've read so far was the art. The colors were much brighter, more vivid, and there weren't as many shadows as I have come to expect. But I really liked how each character had their own individuality. I never got confused or thought that they looked too similar, like they could all be related, which is a feeling that some comic books have given me in the past. I liked the fact that the panels weren't too crowded.

I also loved that at the end of the volume the authors show how their process in creating this story was, both from the narrative perspective, and from the illustration's perspective. I love it when comic books include such sections.

All in all, Another Castle: Grimoire was a pretty interesting, light read, and I am going to hope that we're going to get the next part of the story (and soon).

Comic Book Tuesday #18: Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris

Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Harper Connelly Graphic Novels #2
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: December 27th 2016
My Rating: 3 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The official graphic novel adaptation of Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris, the author of The Southern Vampire Mysteries!

Harper Connelly, a psychic capable of finding dead people and reading their last thoughts, discovers a grave in Memphis with two bodies: a man centuries dead, and a girl recently deceased. How the two bodies ended up together would be perplexing enough... but the sudden appearance of a third body the next morning makes this a mystery that perhaps even Connelly can't solve!

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Dynamite Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of this review in any way.

If there's one author that will always hold a dear place in my heart, it's Charlaine Harris. She was my first "contemporary" urban fantasy author, and while I haven't had the pleasure of reading all of her works, I'm pretty confident in saying that I'll be just as amazed by her worldbuilding and her writing style as I was when reading the Southern Vampire Mysteries series. That is why when I saw a comic book adaptation of one of her novels, I did a tiny happy dance, because here I could combine three of my favorite things, and be super in love with the result. Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly the case.

Let's start with what I loved first. As I was already expecting, I truly enjoyed the story. The idea of someone reading the last thoughts of dead people, of being able to help families of the some of the victims find closure and peace, solving murders, is fantastic. Harper Connelly felt like an edgier, darker, stronger, less whiny and more mysterious version of Sookie Stackhouse. I loved Harper. I want to learn more about her, I want to know what got her into this job, how she decided to transform her ability into a paying job, I want to know how her story ends, so I'll definitely go back to read the books. I also want to know more about Tolliver, her step-brother. The story was pretty interesting, although I feel like there are a few loose ends that I'm hoping will be solved in the rest of the books.

The art itself is pretty spectacular. A lot of the colors used are pretty dark, making the mystery and the suspense a bit stronger. And I liked how color was used to draw attention to certain moments in the story, or to certain characters. The panels weren't too crowded with drawings, and there were just enough characters to keep the story going and to not confuse me. There were a lot of dialogue boxes of inner monologue from Harper, which I kind of liked, because it made me understand the story and Harper, herself, more.

Which brings me to what I didn't necessarily like in this book. I did have an issue with some of the art details and the panel choices, which a lot of times pulled me out of the story. At times, the way different facial expressions was drawn was too comical, but not in a good way. I understand that it is difficult to transform text into drawings, but I would have wanted for some of their facial expressions to be more natural and to not look so strange. I also struggled a bit with the reading order, because every once in a while, the order of the panels changed, but not necessarily always due to the size of the panels, or at least it didn't feel like that some of the time. I also feel like there were a few inconsistencies in terms of timeline, mostly in the beginning. Towards the end the plot felt a bit too rushed, and the way the story was wrapped up felt too abrupt, comparing to the slower pace of the rest of the novel.

When I started reading this book, I honestly expected to have another 5 cups read on my hands, and I feel like the potential was there, but unfortunately that was not the case. I don't know if this was because I had really high expectations, or because it really is difficult to translate a written novel in a graphic version, but I felt like this was just an okay read. I do, however plan on reading the original version of this story, as well as the other books in the series earlier than I first planned on.

Comic Book Tuesday #17: Monstress #6 by Marjorie M. Liu

Author: Marjorie M. Liu
Series: Monstress (Single Issues) #6
Genre: Comic Book, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: May 25th 2016
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Maika and her friends face betrayal and death, and only the monster inside — and her growing relationship with it — can save them. MONSTRESS will return in August.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from Netgalley and Image Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion or my rating of the book in any way.


This might be my favorite installments out of the first 6 of this story.

We get to see Maika in a very different position here. She's forced to work with the monster inside her to get away from certain people, and I love that. I also loved seeing how this ancient monster, that is trying to escape, starts to look less scary than I initially saw it. The monster also sheds some light into what it is, what it wants.

Again, we get to see a little bit more of Maika's past, in a different way than the past issue, with this monstrous creature exploring her memories. Very interesting way of learning what Maika actually knows, especially concerning some of the revelations about her and her family from the previous issue.

I'm still not sure what Lord Corvin, a.k.a "the stranger", wants. It seems that he's changing his mind about what to do quite a lot. I'm also not sure is he can be trusted.

The ending, although I kind of expected it, was still rather surprising. It was foreshadowed from the fifth issue, but I still wanted it to be just my imagination. I feel like this changes the rules of the game a little bit for Maika, especially because in that case I'm not sure if some other characters can be trusted as well, or if they're also hiding stuff.

I cannot wait for the next issue, to see what happens next with Maika, Kippa, Ren and the rest of the characters.