Invincible: The Ultimate Collection Volume 5

Invincible: The Ultimate Collection Volume 5

By Frank R. Anderson "Sluffmo" (Austin, TX)

Here's the lowdown. I loved all of the Ultimate Collections, but this one was just lacking overall compared to the others. Don't get me wrong... It's still worth checking out, but nothing really happens.

The whole Doc Seismic plot line felt a lot more like an advertisement for other comics than anything else. I'm all for crossovers, but not when there isn't any meat to it.

There are a couple of short stories as well. One is from the Astounding Wolfman, but if you read those books you'll already have read it. Another is about Allen the Alien and Omni-man in prison, and the last is about Invincible in the future. They are more filler than anything.

The rest is just set up for the big events that come after this. If it wasn't a year or so between the Ultimate Collections I wouldn't mind, but it is so I'm disappointed.

All that being said... the art and writing overall is still great. It has definitely gotten me excited for what's to come.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 6: Retreat

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 6: Retreat

By N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA)

Retreat, the sixth collected volume of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, finds Buffy and her crew of scoobies and Slayers on the run, as the mysterious Twilight begins to set sights on them all for what may be a final killing blow. Seeking sanctuary with Oz, who has since found peace and happiness, it soon becomes clear that the worst is indeed yet to come. One thing that I've noticed since Buffy Season Eight came to fruition is that Joss and his revolving team of writers take advantage of the Buffy-verse being comic book based, with enough wild antics and action to satisfy comic readers of any and every age, regardless of being a Buffy fan or not. However, while veteran series writer Jane Espenson manages to inject enough crackling energy into this storyarc, by the time it reaches its conclusion it feels like it's just too much, and comes close to feeling like it isn't Buffy at all. Not to mention the fact that Georges Jeanty's artwork appears to be waning a bit in terms of how much his renderings of the show's cast reflect their real life counterparts. Still though, Retreat offers up enough goodies for Buffy addicts to dig, and with that in mind, here's hoping that Season Eight keeps going on strong.

The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1

The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1

By Benjamin A. Ford (Arizona)

This is an amazing collection of all the issues released up to the 48th. It is a great way for new readers to get quickly caught up on an amazing story that I hope never ends. When I first got this book it was a day before amazon had put the book under review. I got my copy and was a little bit nervous. I thumbed through it a bit and read through the whole thing and there seemed to be no problem at all. Anyway, this collection is to die for, however, I feel that you do get the whole story when you read the collection but having to wait every month for the new issue really helps the story's time line from feeling so jumpy. But that is really nothing that the book could have helped. Get this book. If you like Zombies, if you like stories, if you like anything. This book is for you. wicked cheap too.

Bloom County: The Complete Library, Vol. 2: 1982-1984

Bloom County: The Complete Library, Vol. 2: 1982-1984

By K. W. Schreiter (Conshohocken, PA)

This hardcover collects Berkeley Breathed's "Bloom County" comic strips that originally ran from September 27, 1982 to July 1, 1984. These were previously collected in trade paperback form in the last quarter of "Loose Tails", all of "Toons For Our Times" and the first half of "Penguin Dreams and Stranger Things". Strips appear in sequence, three dailies to a page, with Sunday strips each spanning one full-color page.

Breathed provides annotations throughout the book, explaining both his thoughts about the strips and pop culture references that young readers might find obscure. Ted Koppel provides the forward. The familiar cast of characters is here: Opus, Milo, Binkley, Steve Dallas, Cutter John, Bobbi Harlow, Oliver Wendell Jones, Hodge Podge, Portnoy, etc. Breathed gently satirizes both the political left and right: for example, on page 68, "Bloom Beacon" editor Milo is approached by respective caricatures of a gun zealot and misguided hippie in successive strips.

I got into "Bloom County" a couple years after these strips appeared, devouring the aforementioned trade paperback collections in junior high school. Rereading these strips two decades later revealed some previously unappreciated jokes, such as the fake "Those Darn Feminists" cartoon drawn by "Buckley n' Safire". Some charmingly dated 1980s references inspire nostalgia, but the majority of this material remains culturally relevant. I enjoyed the Volume 1 collection: this material is even better. Very strong cases can be made for both "Calvin and Hobbes" and "The Far Side", but "Bloom County" remains my favorite comic strip of the 1980s.

Mogworld

Mogworld

In a world full to bursting with would-be heroes, Jim couldn't be less interested in saving the day. His fireballs fizzle. He's awfully grumpy. Plus, he's been dead for about sixty years. When a renegade necromancer wrenches him from eternal slumber and into a world gone terribly, bizarrely wrong, all Jim wants is to find a way to die properly, once and for all.

On his side, he's got a few shambling corpses, an inept thief, and a powerful death wish. But he's up against tough odds: angry mobs of adventurers, a body falling apart at the seams and a team of programmers racing a deadline to hammer out the last few bugs in their AI.

Mogworld is the debut novel from video-game icon Yahtzee Croshaw (Zero Punctuation). Mogworld is a comic fantasy novel in the tradition of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, with a video-game twist: the main character is a minor character in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1

Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 (The Twilight Saga)

By Setsuna

I never review and I would never review on anything Twilight. But I guess there is a first for everything! I received this book in the mail today and was immediately impressed. Opening it up, I honestly didn't really know what I was expecting. I saw the movie before I read the books. First thoughts was the movie was ok, but after I read the book, I hated the movie.

After finishing the graphic novel (took about an hour) I have to say, it makes me wish they would re-do and re-cast the first movie. This is way more than even I could have imagined. Stephanie Meyer was right when she wrote that this breathed new life into the Bella and Edward story. The drawings are exactly how I would have pictured the characters for the movie should look like. The vampires are truly beautiful and Bella has that understated beauty, so well drawn out in this novel. Their love story is not rushed (like in the movie...I never understood why Bella and Edward fell in love) and is well played out. What surprised me even more was the nice little splashes of color through-out the book. This is what sets this apart from being a boring black and white manga/comic, the splashes of colors (there is a nice colored twilight scene) and the emotions certain scenes carried.

Definitely a must read, this is the way the movie SHOULD have been like!

Instructions (Hardcover)

Instructions

By M. Jacobsen "Stop the Spelling and Grammatica... (Southeast of Disorder)

First things first: this is a poem, not a children's bedtime story as the cover art might suggest. I just wanted everyone to know that before they buy. That said, it is an absolutely charming poem about how to survive in a fairy tale and is fabulously well-done by Neil Gaiman. Fans of his work (the latest award-winner being his novel The Graveyard Book) will instantly recognize his invention on these pages. It's really quite charming and the illustrations are wonderful. If you're looking at this for your kids, it's appropriate for those who are old enough to understand the concept of entering a fairy tale, at least in my opinion....my four year old certainly understands it (and enjoys it!).

Kick-Ass (Hardcover)

Kick-Ass

By dawg

Well written, brisk pacing, fantastic art, fun twists, and great characters all combine to make this one of the best reads out there right now.

Is it shocking? Sure, but that's part of the fun of it! However, the "shock factor" is only one small part of what makes this book feel so fresh.

For me, Millar and JRJR kncoked this book out of the park. You can tell how much fun they're having telling their story, and I love being along for the ride.

If you're sensitive to violence or to underage kids using guns, swords, and adult language, this book may not be for you; but if you can appreciate it for what it is, you won't be disappointed. Don't worry -- it's nowhere near as "shocking" as many other comics out there such as Preacher or The Boys (or pretty much anything else Garth Ennis writes), but it certainly is edgy.

Overall, it's a surprisingly fresh and unique take on superheroes, geek culture, and adolescence, masterfully illustrated and perfectly paced.

I love it!

Naruto, Vol. 48

Naruto, Vol. 48 (Naruto (Graphic Novels))

By P. Brown "Library Geek" (Texas)

I've never been one for manga, but when teenagers at our library started asking, 'Do you have this one?', or 'That one.', and 'This is a great one!', I knew I had to do something about it. So I started reading this series as well as a few others to see what was so great about it before I bought them for our library. To my surprise I was instantly hooked and ended up reading the entire series in a matter of days. (I don't think I ate during that time or slept...)

Anyhow, this volume impressed me, as they all do. Naruto has now defeated all the Pains' and he now knows where the TRUE Pain is. In this book we learn of the background of Pain and what lead him to his decision to destroy the Hidden Leaf, and everything they stand for. Now knowing, Naruto will face Pain, even though all he wants is revenge for what Pain has done to his village. But can Naruto break the cycle of hate that the ninja world has produced?

Since I'm not going to give it away, you will just have to read it yourself. This is a beautifully done series, one I formally 'BRAVO!' and I would definitely say, read it to teens and adults. Some of it might be a little too hard to understand for children because of it's deep meanings and hardship. Still it's a must buy, check-out, or 'borrow' from a friend book.

Wednesday Comics (Hardcover)

Wednesday Comics

This oversized hardcover edition collects the entire critically acclaimed anthology series that reinvented the classic weekly newspaper comics section. It features 16-different stories starring the World's Greatest Super Heroes including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash, as well as lesser known characters including Metamorpho and Metal Men written and Illustrated by the comic industry's top talents including including Neil Gaiman (THE SANDMAN), Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo (JOKER), Dave Gibbons (WATCHMEN) Eduardo Risso (100 BULLETS), Joe Kubert (SGT. ROCK) and Paul Pope (BATMAN: YEAR ONE HUNDRED). The 11" x 17" trim size best approximates the oversized reading experience from the weekly periodical which was spearheaded by DCU Editorial Art Director Mark Chiarello, whose past editing credits include BATMAN BLACK and WHITE, DC: THE NEW FRONTIER. The full list of featured stories and creators is as follows:

BATMAN, by the Eisner Award-winning 100 BULLETS team of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso

ADAM STRANGE, by writer/artist Paul Pope (BATMAN: YEAR 100) METAMORPHO, written by New York Times best-selling writer Neil Gaiman with Art by Eisner Award-winner Michael Allred (Madman)

THE DEMON AND CATWOMAN, written by Walter Simonson (Thor, MANHUNTER) with Art by famed DC cover artist Brian Stelfreeze

DEADMAN, written by Dave Bullock and Vinton Heuck, Art by Dave Bullock

KAMANDI, written by Dave Gibbons (WATCHMEN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS) with Art by Ryan Sook (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL)

SUPERMAN, written by John Arcudi (The Mask) with Art by Lee Bermejo (JOKER)

WONDER WOMAN, written and illustrated by Ben Caldwell (Dare Detectives)

GREEN LANTERN, written by Kurt Busiek (TRINITY, ASTRO CITY) with Art by Joe Quiñones (TEEN TITANS GO!)

TEEN TITANS, written by Eddie Berganza with Art by Sean Galloway

SUPERGIRL, written by Jimmy Palmiotti (JONAH HEX) with Art by Amanda Conner (POWER GIRL)

HAWKMAN, written and illustrated by Kyle Baker (PLASTIC MAN, Special Forces)

SGT. ROCK, written by Adam Kubert (SUPERMAN: LAST SON), ilustrated by legendary comics artist Joe Kubert

THE FLASH, written by Karl Kerschl (TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE, THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE) and Brenden Fletcher, illustrated by Karl Kerschl

METAL MEN, written by Dan DiDio with Art by Ian Churchill (SUPERGIRL)

Kick-Ass (Hardcover)

Kick-Ass

By dawg

Well written, brisk pacing, fantastic art, fun twists, and great characters all combine to make this one of the best reads out there right now.

Is it shocking? Sure, but that's part of the fun of it! However, the "shock factor" is only one small part of what makes this book feel so fresh.

For me, Millar and JRJR kncoked this book out of the park. You can tell how much fun they're having telling their story, and I love being along for the ride.

If you're sensitive to violence or to underage kids using guns, swords, and adult language, this book may not be for you; but if you can appreciate it for what it is, you won't be disappointed. Don't worry -- it's nowhere near as "shocking" as many other comics out there such as Preacher or The Boys (or pretty much anything else Garth Ennis writes), but it certainly is edgy.

Overall, it's a surprisingly fresh and unique take on superheroes, geek culture, and adolescence, masterfully illustrated and perfectly paced.

I love it!

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender (The Art of the Animated Series)

By M "CultOfStrawberry"

For ANY fan of the series, this is an ABSOLUTE must-have. This book is jam-packed with all sorts of goodies, plus stuff I didn't expect to have. I've always loved seeing rough sketches and idea drawings, and this book does not fail to disappoint.

Like Johane said, it's almost a shame that there isn't a separate book for each season, because there's just so much good stuff in here. It's almost too much - I do wish some of the drawings were bigger. At 184 pages, I cannot help but wonder why the creators of this book didn't just spring for 200. Still, this is a pretty sweet collectible full of lovely artwork and other goodies that should not fail to disappoint even the most die-hard Avatar fan. And if you have a friend or family member who is an Avatard, believe me, this is a gift that WILL make their day.

Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour (Paperback)

Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour

It's finally here! Six years and almost 1000 pages have all led to this epic finale! With six of Ramona's seven evil exes dispatched, it should be time for Scott Pilgrim to face Gideon Graves, the biggest and baddest of her former beaus. But didn't Ramona take off at the end of Book 5? Shouldn't that let Scott off the hook? Maybe it should, maybe it shouldn't, but one thing is for certain all of this has been building to Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour! The sixth and final volume to indie comics most influential series in the last decade! Soon to be a major motion picture coming in August 2010 directed by Edgar Wright and starring Michael Cera.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5 (Hardcover)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5

Jeff Kinney is an online game developer and designer, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. In 2009, Jeff was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and their two sons.

Troublemaker Book 1: Alex Barnaby Series 3 (Hardcover)

Troublemaker Book 1: Alex Barnaby Series 3

Janet Evanovich, the New York Times #1 best-selling author of Finger Lickin' Fifteen, brings Alexandra Barnaby and Sam Hooker, from the hit Barnaby novels Metro Girl and Motor Mouth, to Dark Horse Comics with her debut graphic novel Troublemaker!

Alex Barnaby and Sam Hooker are back together and fighting crime the only way they know how by leaving a trail of chaos, panic, and disorder. Alex, an auto mechanic and spotter for racecar driver Sam Hooker, is drawn to trouble like a giant palmetto bug to a day-old taco. Unfortunately, she's also drawn to Hooker in the same fashion. There's no steering clear of trouble or Hooker when friends Rosa and Felicia call for help. A man has gone missing, and in order to find him Barnaby and Hooker will have to go deep into the underbelly of Miami and south Florida, surviving Petro Voodoo, explosions, gift- wrapped body parts, a deadly swamp chase, and Hooker's mom.

Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness (v. 3) (Paperback)

Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness (v. 3)

By Andrew "Radaar" (Chicago, IL, USA)

I can still barely believe that the Scott Pilgrim series is as good as it is. Author Bryan Lee O'Malley has taken a relationship drama and infused it with numerous references to video games, indie music, manga, and other niche areas of popular culture to create a world where characters are completely fine with breaking out into a massive, over-the-top fight that involves the battleground imploding at the end.

Scott Pilgrim, for those of you who aren't caught up, is a 23-year-old slacker who lives in a small Canadian town around Toronto. He is in a bad band named Sex Bob-Omb along with the completely cool (so cool he has no emotions) Stephen Stills and the angry Kim Pine (whom he dated in high school). After breaking up with a 17-year-old high school girl named Knives Chau, Scott began dating Ramona Flowers, an American now living in Canada and working as an Amazon.ca delivery girl. However, before Scott can officially date Ramona, he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. He has already taken out 2, but the next on the list, Todd Ingram, may prove to be more than Scott can handle.

Picking up pretty much exactly where the second volume, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, left off, Scott and Ramona have just learned that Todd is dating Natalie V. "Envy" Adams, Scott's girlfriend before Knives who ripped his heart out. Through flashbacks, we learn how Envy met Scott as a shy anime fan and eventually turned into a rock goddess. If that weren't bad enough, Todd is a vegan, and in Scott's world, vegans attain vast psychic powers that make him a much more formidable opponent than Matthew Patel and Lucas Lee.

As usual, the battles don't take up the whole book; most of the pages are devoted to hilarious character studies. Scott's roommate, Wallace Wells, is just as funny as ever, with his snide comments about Envy and his platonic love of Ramona. Knives is great due to the sheer sadness of her situation (I kind of feel bad for her, but she is responsible for some very funny and heartfelt situations). New characters like Envy and Lynette, Envy's drummer who has a biomechanical arm, are fun as well. But the book is also full of great moments that don't deal with characters. The existence of a save point in the world was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. And of course, the fights just keep getting better. Ramona shows that she can hold her own and that her little handbag is just full of surprises.

The only thing I have to say that is negative is that I just can't get a good feel for the art. It is (as far as I know) intentionally cheap, but there are times when I can't tell who certain characters are or when the flashbacks end. Still, it isn't too much of a problem.

I don't care what excuses you may have for not reading Scott Pilgrim, get on it now! The story is great and the humor is fantastic.

Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 4) (Hardcover)

Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 4)

By Shilom (MI)

My son loves this series so of course I pre-ordered this book for him. It just arrived today and boy did he gush when I surprised him with it after school. I even got a hug and an "I love you!" before he disappeared with it for the remainder of the evening. He's about halfway through with it already and stopped himself so he would have more to enjoy tomorrow. He rereads them all anyways. I also flipped through it before he came home and chuckled at the parts, the boy reminds me of my own and is probably why he loves this series so much. It is very relatable to kids without being a bad influence. I love the humor and that it keeps my son reading!