I was drawn in by this shipwreck and the history of this family of theater actors. One survivor and he thrived. I liked the dynamic of this colorful fI was drawn in by this shipwreck and the history of this family of theater actors. One survivor and he thrived. I liked the dynamic of this colorful family following them for generations. Drama center-stage before the audience and behind the curtains—a little bit of delusional insanity going on. There was a surprise that at first I was disappointed with and then I eventually accepted it. It made it less exciting for me. The mystery died. I did not like this story as much as the others told by this author. I still appreciate his silent film in book style.
Frankie was genuine with her relationship with Joseph, one of trust and ease. I like the sister-brother relationship she had with Marcus too. Sweet. Joseph’s uncle’s renovated house was unique…more of an experience than a homestead. There was a sense of loss in this story. Joseph realized that life is miracles and sadness side-by-side. ...more
Another wonderful story from this author. I love his unique style. Like I said before, it seems like a silent film in book form. There are two storyliAnother wonderful story from this author. I love his unique style. Like I said before, it seems like a silent film in book form. There are two storylines that eventually converge. He keeps the mystery going as you wonder if the next page will have a full page of words, a single word, or a picture. I think it is a fascinating presentation that appeals to adults and children alike.
This resourceful boy, Hugo, lives in the walls of the train station and he takes care of the clocks while his uncle is a drunken guardian. I learned a new fancy word “Horologist.” I liked the shadowy setting and the inner workings of the clocks behind the scenes. It made the story feel more intimate somehow. This story deals with loss, not only from death but also from our past and dreams we may have had along the way in life. Hugo meets an older gentlemen—the toy shopkeeper in the station and it gets more complicated. His past was a good story. The discovered automaton was a character on its own. Even the history of the train station was interesting. There was a shocking photo of a train that “jumped off the tracks, barreled across the floor of the station, rammed through two walls, and flew out the window, shattered the glass into a billion pieces.”
Shopkeeper: “Did you ever notice that all machines are made for some reason?… Maybe that’s why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn’t able to do what it is meant to do. Maybe it’s the same with people, if you lose your purpose… It’s like you’re broken.” ...more
This was wonderful. The format is like a silent film playing out in a book. It was such a sweet story about loss and connection with others in our lifThis was wonderful. The format is like a silent film playing out in a book. It was such a sweet story about loss and connection with others in our life. It reflected on finding a place where we feel like we belong. I know very little about Deaf culture and this naturally introduces you to that world. I loved the alternating storylines, in words for Ben and in pictures for Rose, and how they eventually intertwined. It had a nice flow to it, an easy read. My oldest daughter enjoyed reading it alongside me. We watched the movie together afterwards. Both good.
I liked the museum history subtly playing a part as well—the dioramas and how the cabinets of curiosity started in the homes of the wealthy with their unique collections. I especially liked the Panorama—the scale model of New York City. It sounded amazing, particularly when every 15 minutes night would fall and the windows would light up. A magical moment. “Ten million tiny windows, painted with little dabs of fluorescent paint, lit up across the darkening city. The model glowed magnificently.”...more
My two oldest sons read this and all but shoved it in my face excitedly, telling me to read it. My oldest son watched as I read the inner conflict sceMy two oldest sons read this and all but shoved it in my face excitedly, telling me to read it. My oldest son watched as I read the inner conflict scene where Darth Vader is trying to bend the crystal to his will and at the end of the scene my son noticed the look of surprise on my face and he said “isn’t that cool?” Yes, it is cool. The history of the dark side lightsabers was enlightening. Seeing Darth Vader before he was an all-powerful Lord of the Dark side feared across the galaxy was interesting. It depicts his struggle to shed his previous identity as Anakin Skywalker. He tests not only his new cybernetic armor but also his connection to the power of the Dark side. At one point, he is shown with his cape in tatters, his armor battered, and a leg missing-it was shocking, to say the least. I liked this story along with the artwork....more
I saw this book on a library shelf and quickly flicked through the pages to see if I would be interested in reading it and I liked the style of the ilI saw this book on a library shelf and quickly flicked through the pages to see if I would be interested in reading it and I liked the style of the illustrations so I checked it out. It has black and white pictures with splashes of red and it had the feel of a silent film. It is set in the 1920’s which I thought was unique for retelling the Snow White story. The lack of words, however, left the novel without much depth because the facial expressions were unclear and confused me. It definitely conveyed how greed can drive society and how people choose to do the unthinkable for that greed. I liked the clever use of the ticker tape as a substitute for the mythical mirror on the wall....more
This book got my two oldest sons excited about reading…so much so that they had already read 3 of the books and then urged me “You HAVE to read this”.This book got my two oldest sons excited about reading…so much so that they had already read 3 of the books and then urged me “You HAVE to read this”. So I did, it’s Star Wars. Duh. I love the style of the book, it’s essentially a comic-strip journal by a middle-schooler…in a galaxy far far away. Roan has all the awkwardness of this age and all he desires is to be like his Dad and his older brother and become a pilot. Unexpectedly, he is denied admittance into Star Pilot Academy and is crushed. Then, surprisingly, he receives an invitation-from Yoda himself-to attend the more prestigious but less recognized Jedi Academy. When he told his father the news I appreciated his father’s encouragement to give the academy a try and he let his son know he was proud of him. Good parent role models and good morals in this story.
The story involves going to a new school, making new friends, bullies, teachers with different personalities and other middle school drama. It has funny humor. Roan gets confused over and over again trying to understand what on earth headmaster Yoda is saying. He has drawings and side notes in his journal to show his thoughts and feelings. He talked about how Yoda is “up-mixed” (mixed-up) the way he speaks backwards and one drawing in particular with a comment next to it was funny. His note stated: “Yoda looks funny for 5 minutes.” He had a strange expression on his face. Great illustrations. Fun read. ...more
The best thing about this graphic novel was the great artwork, aside from Wash who at times looked like a bug-eyed weirdo. Their likenesses were well The best thing about this graphic novel was the great artwork, aside from Wash who at times looked like a bug-eyed weirdo. Their likenesses were well done compared to their tv characters. The story was mediocre yet it had the feel of the show. It managed to showcase what I’d come to expect from the show: action, sarcastic Jane, concern about nonpayment, Inara wanted to leave, River was in her own world, and of course someone was out to kill Mal for revenge, as usual. I’m hoping the sequels will complete the story on a higher level.
Odd moment I laughed at—In a heated moment Mal was defending his decision he made as Captain and he asked a rhetorical question whether anyone else had any words to say to which River responded “I hate that color on you. I’ve always hated it.” ...more
Fascinating origin story centered on Loki. I have never read a comic book about Thor and the Norse gods so this was new to me. The artwork was eye-catFascinating origin story centered on Loki. I have never read a comic book about Thor and the Norse gods so this was new to me. The artwork was eye-catching, particularly for Thor and Loki with their incredible outfits.
My oldest son played the villain Loki last school year on stage with incredible flair. It involved his devious plotting including the murder of Balder. It made me more inquisitive about Norse mythology.
Loki is known as the “Trickster” God, known for the mischief that surrounds him. I looked up the meaning of his name and one of the definitions was “God of destruction.” He is a shapeshifter which I found to be captivating. It made him even more unpredictable. He seems misunderstood, treated like an outcast, jealous, envious, and I couldn’t help but feel his loneliness and longing for acceptance. Thor, as his brother, was portrayed as arrogant and dismissive towards Loki. I didn’t see a reason to root for either of them really.
There was a surprising turn of events when Loki’s story entailed the forging of the hammer mjolnir. The task was given to dwarves by Loki and they presented it to Odin and it was then handed over to Thor who in turn became the God of Thunder. That only served to deepen the grudge between Loki and Thor.
This graphic novel did a tremendous job of conveying how conflicted Loki is and why he became that way. It emotes sympathy for him yet he does things that are morally wrong. Great story. I am an even bigger Norse mythology fan now. ...more
This was very basic, even for children. It was like Jedi Training 101. If it’s dark and you can’t see your enemy use a blindfold and rely solely on thThis was very basic, even for children. It was like Jedi Training 101. If it’s dark and you can’t see your enemy use a blindfold and rely solely on the force. There was not enough of a plot with these short stories even for my boys. Our entire family watches the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” TV show and anything Star Wars for that matter but this did not measure up to the quality we have come to expect....more
This was one of the simplest stories; it needed more of Jacob’s humor to liven things up the way he did in the original novel. It didn’t even mention This was one of the simplest stories; it needed more of Jacob’s humor to liven things up the way he did in the original novel. It didn’t even mention how Mike and Jacob had open-faced hands during the movie hoping Bella would hold hands. This didn’t feel as emotional as I think it should have been. I liked seeing the wolves. I liked the drawing of Sam Uley, he looked like a stud. The illustrations are well done. I particularly liked the beginning dream sequence with the elderly Bella. My favorite illustration was in the very end. I loved it. A wolf is howling amidst the mountains and Victoria’s striking red hair is at the top of the page almost swishing out of view. It caught my attention for some odd reason....more
This is an easy review…I was bored right from the start. It seemed like the plot was all over the place and was not very cohesive. The characters wereThis is an easy review…I was bored right from the start. It seemed like the plot was all over the place and was not very cohesive. The characters were dull too and the busty women all looked and acted the same. There was no point to the story....more
The characters shined through a little more in this 2nd graphic novel. I liked how their thoughts were expressed throughout the story. My favorite illThe characters shined through a little more in this 2nd graphic novel. I liked how their thoughts were expressed throughout the story. My favorite illustrations were of Holly simultaneously burning and freezing at the same time—very cool drawing—and Mulch with his back flap open. Ha ha! I have to admit that I hate the depiction of Foaly who looks more like something out of “Planet of the Apes” than a centaur. UGLY. The files before some of the chapters were well done. I particularly liked the one focused on General Scalene. His “to-do-list” was amusing:
“1. Arson attack for Opal, 2. Lick own eyeballs, 3. Fleece a tourist, 4. Shed skin, 5. Backstabbing, 6. Backbiting, 7. General vindictiveness, 8. Bit of smuggling, 9. Kill Commander Root.”...more
I didn't enjoy this as much as volume 1. It didn't seem like the chemistry was there between Edward and Bella. I also had a hard time discerning betweI didn't enjoy this as much as volume 1. It didn't seem like the chemistry was there between Edward and Bella. I also had a hard time discerning between the male characters-who was who? They looked too similar to each other and felt redundant. I thought the best artwork was the telling of the Cullen's histories of who they were and how they became vampires....more
I was hoping for a fresh perspective on one of the most compelling vampire novels I have ever read but it was the same old story deficient of any new I was hoping for a fresh perspective on one of the most compelling vampire novels I have ever read but it was the same old story deficient of any new revelations. It seemed to be lacking in any real effort to make this original. There was very little new information if any concerning Claudia’s point of view. It could have been so cool to hear her voice. Her story is such a tragedy; a woman’s mind stuck in a child’s unchanging body for eternity making her more and more bitter through the passing decades. What was with the disturbing scene where Louis is kissing her? Creepy! Even though she is a woman, she appears to be a child. It was somewhat of a pedophile moment. I felt this was an unnecessary rendition retelling the original story in a graphic novel format. Even though I enjoyed the illustrations I struggled to discern what was going on in some of the drawings. It was hard to tell what was what. It may seem silly but I often found myself tilting my head to figure out what was going on in some of the pictures, specifically the ones that were sideways. I was disappointed noticing how the characters looked alike, so much so that I thought Armand was the return of Lestat. I liked how it was done in a monochromatic sepia tone with vivid red splashed on the pages in contrast. It was interesting revisiting “Interview with the Vampire” in this format, but it would have been more enjoyable if it would have been only that....more
My sister mentioned the TV show to me so I started to watch it and I thought I would give the graphic novels a try. The characters come across as blanMy sister mentioned the TV show to me so I started to watch it and I thought I would give the graphic novels a try. The characters come across as bland; they are more colorful in the show. I would rate this higher if the lead male character was more likeable. I kept thinking “he’s a bit of an airhead, what a dimwit”. He often had a dopey expression on his face. Is it wrong that I liked the zombies more than the living? The story was simple enough and I liked the grotesque illustrations enough. I must admit the ending was abrupt and odd; it made little sense to me. I thought it was dumb. It could’ve been improved with a possible ending that had a tad of closure yet still open-ended for the story to-be-continued. For example the last picture could be one of them leaving the campsite. ...more
The characters fell flat for me in this graphic novel. They seemed watered down. I've read other graphic novels before and I realize it is not possiblThe characters fell flat for me in this graphic novel. They seemed watered down. I've read other graphic novels before and I realize it is not possible to do the character development in depth the way you read in a full length novel but personality can still shine through. Artemis was more of a spoiled brat lacking any charm, Root didn't have much of a temper with a red face to show for it, Foaly was not funny, Butler was not as likeable, and Holly wasn't feisty enough. I personally did not care for the illustrations either. Artemis looked like an older teenager and what was up with the mountainous neck on Butler? That thing was a bulging boulder....more
I read this alongside its book counterpart. The illustrations were what I imagined in my head as I read the book. Very well done. I plan on reading thI read this alongside its book counterpart. The illustrations were what I imagined in my head as I read the book. Very well done. I plan on reading the other two of the trilogy as well....more
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