Saga, Vol. 8 | by Brian K. Vaughan

Saga, Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughan; art by Fiona Staples
(Image Comics, 2017, 146 pages)

The saga continues… ha! But seriously, I’m ready for volume 9 and I wish I didn’t have to wait until October for its publication.

The family drama continues as Hazel and her parents try to survive in the midst of a chaotic universe. The social commentary in Vaughan’s work combined with Staples’s amazing artwork  make this a series not to be missed. I’d definitely recommend Saga if you haven’t already picked it up. Sure, there are parts that are graphic, but there’s so much packed into each volume!

4/5 stars

Saga v. 5-7 | by Brian K. Vaughan

Saga, Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan; art by Fiona Staples
(Image Comics, 2015, 152 pages)

Well, I apparently read this volume about three years ago… I’m glad I read it again, though! It was so fun getting back into Saga after an unintended hiatus. We still have the same cast of characters, people are trying to stay alive, others are trying to kill… This would end up being spoiler-y for anyone that isn’t as far in the series or who is considering picking it up. For all three volumes in this post I’ll just say that Vaughan and Staples continue to work their magic. It looks like volumes 8 and 9 have moved up in my TBR pile 🙂

4/5 stars

Saga, Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan; art by Fiona Staples
(Image Comics, 2016, 152 pages)

4/5 stars

Saga, Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan; art by Fiona Staples
(Image Comics, 2017, 152 pages)

4/5 stars

Tangles | by Sarah Leavitt

Tangles: A Story about Alzheimer’s, My Mother, and Me by Sarah Leavitt
(Skyhorse, 2012, 127 pages)

When I first opened the book and saw the very simplistic drawings, I was afraid that I would be let down by this story. I decided to read it at a slow pace and really study the pictures. I was in awe of how much raw emotion could be shown in the simple black and white drawings.

I applaud Sarah Leavitt for having the courage to write something so incredibly personal. It had to be an incredible undertaking to be able to open up and tell her life’s story of those few short years after her mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She did not live close to her parents and she goes into so much detail about how she handled the stress of staying in touch and the traveling back and forth. Each family member is clearly presented along with the relationships she has with her aunts, sister, dad, and especially her mother. It is very inspiring to see a family through the eyes of the daughter (who is going through some extremely tough situations); for them to know that it’s okay to be able to laugh, get angry, cry, but above all else, love unconditionally.

5/5 stars

My Boyfriend is a Bear | by Pamela Ribon; illus. Cat Farris

My Boyfriend is a Bear by Pamela Ribon; illustrated by Cat Farris
(Oni Press, 2018, 176 pages)

My Boyfriend is a Bear is a graphic novel about a young woman and a bear who fall in love. The bear says little more than “grah,” but they seem to be able to communicate. The relationship is no secret. The bear is the life of the party, drinking and playing Twister with the woman’s friends. Her parents are skeptical though (you can’t have kids with a bear). The story, complemented well by brightly colored drawings, elicited a range of emotions. It was hard to put down. Highly recommended, but not for kids.

5/5 stars

The Flintstones, Vol. 1 | by Mark Russell

The Flintstones, Vol. 1 by Mark Russell; illustrated by Steve Pugh
(DC Comics, 2017, 168 pages)

One of my favorite co-workers, Kelly M, convinced me to pick up this graphic novel. I’d been hearing about it off and on but I wouldn’t necessarily have gone out of my way to pick it up for myself. Then Kelly pitched it and I figured I’d give it a shot.

This satirical interpretation of The Flintstones was entertaining and hit on a lot of issues you wouldn’t anticipate finding in a graphic novel about this classic t.v. show. You can check out a more in-depth review on Slate. Just know that I plan on seeing where they take the rest of the series 🙂 This was a quick read with surprising depth.

4/5 stars

The Drawing Lesson | by Mark Crilley

The Drawing Lesson: A Graphic Novel That Teaches You How to Draw
by Mark Crilley
(Watson-Guptill, 2016, 144 pages)

Young David spies 20-something Becky sketching a tree in a park. He strikes up a conversation and soon convinces her to give him a drawing lesson. Due to David’s persistence, one lesson leads to another and then another. Becky teaches him about shading, understanding light and shadow, using negative space, checking proportions, and creating a composition. In the end they go to the art museum where David combines all of his skills to draw Bertel Thorvaldsen’s sculpture Hebe, the goddess of youth. The Drawing Lesson is a fun and effective way through a visual story to help people develop the skills to see things as an artist does and draw what they see.

5/5 stars

Going into Town | by Roz Chast

Going into Town: A Love Letter to New York by Roz Chast
(Bloomsbury USA, 2017, 169 pages)

Going into Town: A Love Letter to New York started as a small booklet written by author Chast as a guide to Manhattan for her daughter who was moving there for college. On the first page though, she states, “it’s not really a guide book” because, for example, there’s nothing in it about the Statue of Liberty. She covers the basics, including the layout of Manhattan, from which I learned that avenues run north and south, while streets run east and west, and the distance between avenues is greater than the distance between streets. I also learned that Manhattan is 2.3 miles across, so you could plug in a toaster on one side of the island, run the cord along 14^th Street, and have toast on the other side. Chast’s dry wit made me chuckle aloud several times. In addition to the layout of Manhattan, she covers the Subway system, the Met and other museums, parks, food, and apartments. I’m planning to go to New York over the summer and will probably check out this book again before I leave. Even if you’re not going there, it’s a fun, informative read.

5/5 stars

Paper Girls (v. 1 & v. 2) | by Brian K. Vaughan

Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan; illustrated by Cliff Chiang and Matthew Wilson
(Image Comics, 2016, 144 pages)

I grabbed this off the shelf at my public library because it caught my eye and I’d been wanting to check it out; especially since one of my co-workers, Kelly, was a fan of the series. Brian K. Vaughan, the author, is also the mastermind behind the graphic novel series Saga (which, if you haven’t read you’ve no doubt heard about). He has such a way with crafting stories that you’re always intrigued to see where he’s going to take you next. This remains the case in Paper Girls. It was so far from what I thought it was going to be… but it captured my interest and I’m so curious to see how he ends things!

Paper Girls, Vol. 1 takes place in the late 80s and introduces us to a group of four pre-teen girls who each have a newspaper delivery route. They meet up early in the morning on November 1 and notice that things are a little “off.” They try to get to the bottom of things but find they don’t really have any frame of reference for what’s going on. I saw a review that mentioned this would be an ideal read for fans of the Netflix show “Stranger Things.” I definitely agree.

4/5 stars

Paper Girls, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan; illustrated by Cliff Chiang and Matthew Wilson
(Image Comics, 2016, 128 pages)

I can’t really say much about this one because I don’t want to ruin volume 1. Just know you’re following the girls as they continue on their journey to try and figure out what happened that fateful morning of November 1.

3.5/5 stars

Star Trek: Boldly Go, Vol. 2 | by Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott

Star Trek: Boldly Go, Vol. 2
by Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott; art by Megan Levens and Tony Shasteen
(IDW Publishing, 2018, 144 pages)

Star Trek: Boldly Go features characters from the new films (primarily Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, and Spock’s father, Sarek) along with those from the Starfleet Academy series, also written by Mike Johnson. It comprises four main stories in different settings—a peace conference focusing on the relationship between the Federation and Romulans; Spock and Uhura helping to rebuild new Vulcan; the mystery of the stolen captain’s chair from the Enterprise that is being repaired; and the search for a woman whose young daughter reports her lost. I enjoyed all of the stories, but the endings of the first two were a little disappointing. Fortunately, each story got better as it went along. Recommended to Star Trek fans of the original series and new films.

4.5/5 stars

You Have Killed Me | by Jamie S. Rich and Joelle Jones

You Have Killed Me by Jamie S. Rich and Joelle Jones
(Oni Press, 2009, 184 pages)

You Have Killed Me is the story of a detective hired to find his former girlfriend by her sister. Told from the point of view of the detective, the story was good, but it wasn’t long enough to fully develop the characters. I got the gist of what happened at the end, but to fully understand it I needed to go back to recall the characters. This would be better read in one sitting with characters and events fresh in one’s mind. The black and white art is amazing. I recommend it for a quick read for fans of detective fiction.

4/5 stars