Graphic Novel Review: Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 by James Patterson

Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 (Maximum Ride: The Manga, #1)

by James Patterson; NaRae Lee (Illustrator) 

Genre: Fantasy/Sequential Art (Manga)

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publication Date: January 27, 2009

Source: paperback purchase

Age Rating: 15+

| Amazon | | Barnes &Noble |

Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it’s like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the “flock”—Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel—are just like ordinary kids—only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time... like when Angel, the youngest member of the flock, is kidnapped and taken back to the “School” where she and the others were experimented on by a crew of wack jobs.

Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare—this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf “Erasers” in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb—now her betrayed and greatest enemy—that her purpose is save the world—but can she? 

My Review

Just to start, I've never read the original books this manga is based on. I really wasn't expecting to like it, but I did. The story starts out with 14-year-old Max Ride living with her younger friends as she protects them all from the School they escaped from four years earlier. They are all experiments in genetic engineering, humans who have been given a bit of bird DNA in order to make them flight-capable. One day, they get attacked by a pack of wolf-men called Erasers and they take the youngest in Max's care, 6-year-old Angel. They all vow to get her back and decide to head out to the School in California from their hideout.

I really liked these characters. Max is kind of impulsive and does get herself into what appears to be a silly mess when she saves a helpless girl from some bullies, but she meets the girl's mother who is a sweet lady and even gives her some cookies and cash. Fang might just be the next oldest character at age 13, he being a very intuitive thinker type, quite the opposite of Max. Then, Iggy is 13 and blind, but can somehow fly around with no trouble, then Nudge age 11 or 12 who is way too talkative, but cute, then gassy Gasman is 9, and doll-like Angel is his little sister at age 6. Silly names, but all of them are unique and have distinctive personalities. Also, they each either have individual goals to achieve, or disadvantages to overcome.

The story is straight-forward and simplistic, but it works. It's just like shonen (boys) manga with a female main character, which is rare. I happen to love shonen manga, so I have to say I enjoyed it. It kept me entertained with plenty of action and scenes that revealed the characters' personalities and relationships with each other. Also, we find out a little about how these kids are able to fly. Just having wings alone wouldn't really allow for human flight.

The writing is done through captions and talk bubbles, and it's an effective way to tell a story as it's happening. I will say that the actual dialogue seemed a little unrealistic—too 'Hollywood.' I would have preferred that they talk like normal American teenagers, but it didn't ruin the experience for me. As for the art, the characters all look way older than they ought to and are super, super pretty, but that's the manga art style in play. Everything is quite beautifully illustrated and I have no complaints about it.

I can't compare it to the novels, but it was quite enjoyable and never took itself too seriously. There are a lot of silly moments meant for comedic relief, which is typical of manga. There's even an intriguing plot twist towards the end and it ends on quite the cliffhanger, although it's really an overused trope. Still, it makes me wonder what's going to happen in the next volume. And, just so you know, this manga volume comprises the first half of Volume 1 of the Maximum Ride novel series.

My score: 4/5 stars. 

 

  

Graphic Novel Review: Star Trek, Volume 1

Star Trek: Volume 1

by Mike Johnson, Steve Molnar 

Genre: Sci-fi/Sequential Arts/Graphic Novel

Reading Grade: Adult

Publication Date: April 3, 2012

Source: NetGalley

Age Rating: 14+

| Buy from Amazon |

The adventures of the Starship Enterprise continue in this new story that picks up where the blockbuster 2009 film left off. Featuring the new cast of the film, these missions re-imagine the stories from the original series in the alternate time-line created by the film, along with new threats and characters never seen before. With creative collaboration from Star Trek writer/producer Roberto Orci, this new series begins the countdown to the much-anticipated movie sequel premiering in 2013. 

 

My Review

• Plot: This is a new in-between comic book series that takes place after the 2009 Star Trek movie, but before the sequel film due out in 2013. Because it's a serialized comic book, very little actually happens in this volume. It sets up the story arc with Captain Kirk and Spock, Scotty, Bones, etc. all continuing on with their space adventures post movie. The Enterprise is on its way to the edge of the galaxy when they encounter a ship that had apparently vanished 200 years earlier while on the same mission. A member of the crew gets affected by the old ship and he starts doing weird, paranormal things. Mr. Spock wants to take drastic measures to eliminate the unknown threat, but Kirk is not hearing of it, and it ends on that cliffhanger over what Kirk is going to do about it.
• Characters: With something like this, an adaptation of a good adaptation, you look for whether the characters seem in-character—and they do. The rapport between Kirk and Spock and Scotty (and everybody, really) is very much what you can see in the movie, if not the original Star Trek TV series. They are perfectly lovable, or infuriating, depending the character.
• Writing: Here I'll have to mention not only the writing, but the artwork, too. First, the writing is good, the dialogue is very 'Trekkie,' in that you have the kinds of commands being shouted that you'd expect on a Star Trek episode. It works because it's familiar. Second, the artwork is very good, as expected, and features the typical western comic book style. The characters actually look just like how they do in the 2009 film, not like the original Star Trek TV actors. It gives you the right impression that you're reading about an event taking place in-between these newer films.
• Storytelling: This is like watching an episode of Star Trek. It gets right to the point, or to the inciting incident and then the set-up. I do sort of wish it had gone a bit further than it did, but it's definitely the beginning of a promising story arc.
• Overall Quality: High quality in the story, the writing, the art, even the in-characterness of the characters.
• Favorite Moment/Scene: I didn't think any scene was so amazing, but what stands out to me is when we see Gary, the crew member affected by the 200-year-old ship floating in space, and first realize he's tripping on some space junk, so to speak. It's nothing I haven't seen before, but it stands out.
• My Score: 4 out of 5 stars.

*I received this title from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Buy this title on | Amazon |.

Graphic Novel Review: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1

by Gene Yang; Brian Konietzko 

Genre: Fantasy/Sequential Art/Graphic Novel

Reading Grade: Middle Grade

Publication Date: January 25, 2012

Source: NetGalley

Age Rating: 10+

| Amazon |

The wait is over! Ever since the conclusion of Avatar: The Last Airbender, its millions of fans have been hungry for more—and it's finally here! 

This series of digests rejoins Aang and friends for exciting new adventures, beginning with a faceoff against the Fire Nation that threatens to throw the world into another war, testing all of Aang's powers and ingenuity! 

 

My Review

I have been a huge fan of the Avatar: The Last Airbender Nickelodeon cartoon series for a number of years now, so when it ended with so many of my questions still unanswered, I was miffed to say the least. Not to mention I just didn't want all the exciting adventure to end. This new comic book series, though late in getting out into the world, picks up where the TV series left off, after Aang has defeated the evil Fire Lord Ozai, and has restored peace and balance to the world. Well, he sort of has…

In this first serialized comic book installment, Zuko is now the new Fire Lord, and he and Aang, now acting as the world's ambassador Avatar, decide that all the Fire Nation colonies located within the Earth Kingdom need to be displaced back to the Fire Nation homeland. They believe there can be no real peace if those colonies remain where they are because they were built as a result of the Fire Nation's occupancy of the Earth Kingdom. Earth Kingdom peoples are wanting them gone.

But, Zuko finds some of the Fire Nation colonists are resistant to this displacement. The Fire Nation people of this colony have been living there for over one hundred years, and feel that Fire Lord Zuko is a traitor to them for making them leave their prosperous home. Someone makes an attempt on his life, and he winds up spending some time there with the colonists and realizes he has to go back on his word to support the Earth King in removing the people. This makes all his trusted friends, Aang, Katara, and Sokka believe he's becoming like his father, who is still in a Fire Nation prison.

Mostly what fuels the plot is a big misunderstanding between Zuko and Aang, and this time Zuko is in the right. Aang doesn't even realize just how hard this displacement will be on the citizens of the colonies, so they try to talk things out, as world leaders ought to. They are only able to get the Earth Kingdom protestors who want the colonists to leave to stop protesting, but that's about it. It ends with Zuko doing something quite shocking in regards to his imprisoned father, evidence that Zuko is continually haunted by him and his wicked legacy.

Zuko is the ultimate bad boy trying to change, but is constantly backsliding again and again. Despite the fact that he fought on the side of the Avatar during the war, and helped to defeat his sister, Azula, along with his father, he still has a lot of darkness within him. He's still a teenager who has a lot to learn about running an entire country. So, too, does the Avatar gang have a lot to learn about maintaining the world in a peaceful, balanced way. They are learning it's not as easy as it seems. Heck, even grown-ups can't get it right!

This new installment to the canon story felt like watching an episode of the cartoon series, in how it looked and felt on the story, dialogue, and characterization levels. The creators of the series are part of creating this comic book, so it ought to feel that way. The artwork is spectacular, as all the characters look just as they do in the cartoon. And, it leaves you with quite the shocking cliffhanger at the end! Somehow, this series is supposed to link up to the new Avatar Korra cartoon that will debut on Nickelodeon later this year, but exactly how is still not clear. I can't wait to read the next installment.

*I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My score: 4 stars out of 5. (I really liked it!)

Buy this title from |Amazon|

Graphic Novel Review: Kin by Holly Black

Kin (The Good Neighbors, #1)

by Holly Black; Ted Naifeh (Illustrator)

Genre: Paranormal/Faery Graphic Novel

Reading Grade: YA

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: October 2008

Source: public library

Rated: Teen (13+)

Amazon.com

Rue Silver's mother has disappeared . . . and her father has been arrested, suspected of killing her. But it's not as straightforward as that. Because Rue is a faerie, like her mother was. And her father didn't kill her mother—instead, he broke a promise to Rue's faerie king grandfather, which caused Rue's mother to be flung back to the faerie world. Now Rue must go to save her—and must also defeat a dark faerie that threatens our very mortal world.

My Review

Rue Silver is your garden-variety goth teenager who thinks she's just another normal human being. But, when her mother suddenly disappears, she starts to notice that a lot of people look odd to her. They have horns, pointy ears, leafy skin. No one else sees this but her. Soon she discovers that her mother is a faerie and that her father is considered the suspect in her murder. Rue believes her father is innocent and tries to go about finding evidence to support her case, all the while discovering her own unique heritage.

When I first started to read this graphic novel, I was liking it. I got about halfway through it and it seemed interesting. I don't like the art all that much because the artist makes all the teenagers look like they're in their forties, but he draws the faeries extremely well, so that might be why he was hired for the job. But, what started to bother me when I finished up the story was how it got a bit too confusing with the comic panels.

I was confused about the story for a while, too, but it was cleared up as I finished it. The story is interesting and it's more paranormal than fantasy in that the faerie realm is beginning to encroach upon the normal human world, and the protagonist, Rue, is totally unaware of it all before the start of the story. But, something about it felt too weird for me. Maybe I just couldn't get past the artwork—I don't know! I wish I could put my finger on it, but it didn't jibe super well with me. Still, I liked it.

Although, if I were a fan of Holly Black's works (author of The Spiderwick Chronicles), I wouldn't want to pass this up. Definitely check out this graphic novel if you love her existing novels. And, those who love anything 'faerie' or 'fairy'—well, you might like this, too. I think it has a unique twist on the faerie/fairy realm. The ones presented in this book are quite dangerous and not very sympathetic to humans. They're kind of 'dark' faeries, in my opinion, and if that sounds great to you, then give this graphic novel a go.

My score: 3 out of 5 stars

 

My Boyfriend Is a Monster #1 by Evonne Tsang

My Boyfriend Is a Monster #1: I Love Him to Pieces

by Evonne Tsang; Janina Gorrissen (Illustrator)

Genre: Paranormal Graphic Novel

Reading Grade: YA

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: April 2011

Source: public library

Rated: Teen (13+)

Amazon.com

Can love survive the zombie apocalypse? Maybe Dicey's first chance at a real relationship was dead from the start. She's the star of her high school baseball team, and Jack's the star of the science program. Her idea of a study session includes sleeping in the sun, and his idea of a good game involves dungeons and dice. But opposites start attracting when they're assigned to be partners in a class project. Now an outbreak of a weird infection—it eats your brains and leaves you hungry for more—might not mean just the end of their first date. It might mean the end of everything. Will their relationship fall apart faster than zombies in the Florida sun, or can Dicey and Jack beat the odds and find a happy ending?

My Review 

I Love Him to Pieces (the first book in a series) takes place in Florida where baseball star Dicey Bell is paired up with her fellow high school student, Jack Chen, for a Health Ed project. She is a jock and he is a nerd. Somehow they end up liking each other and Jack Chen asks her out on a date that turns into the worst date imaginable because the zombie apocalypse breaks-out in their area during their date. 

This is my first review of a true graphic novel (not a manga), which I love to read along with regular ol' fiction. Nice thing is, NO superheros in tights. Thus, I Love Him to Pieces is a very cute little romantic zombie apocalypse story that could easily function as paranormal romance fiction. 

There was nothing particularly earth-shattering about the story-telling, nor the characterization (but, what happens is earth-shattering to the characters' lives, of course). There's nothing here that I haven't seen done before somewhere else, but it is a nice way to turn off your brain and read a brain-eating zombie story before you turn in for the night, assuming that sort of thing relaxes you. 

I will say that it is very sweet and romantic, but I just didn't buy Dicey's and Jack Chen's very quickly burgeoning love for each other. Seriously, it was way too fast to make such confessions to each other, since they barely knew each other before being paired up for their Health Ed project. But, I did like Dicey as a character. She was lively and tough enough to be the only girl on the boy's high school baseball team. Jack Chen was cute in a geeky sort of way. 

The art is very good, although I usually prefer manga-style art. But, the art in this volume is very professional-looking and pleasing to the eye. It's worth reading if you already like zombie fiction with a side of romance, or already like reading graphic novels. 

My score: 3 out of 5 stars

The Dark-Hunters, Vol. 1 by Sherrilyn Kenyon

& Claudia Campos (Illustrator)

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Reading Grade: Adult

Publishing Type: traditional house

Publication Date: July 2009

Source: store purchase

Rated: Teen (14+)

Amazon.com

In the war against vampires, mankind has only one hope: The Dark-Hunters. Ancient warriors who died of brutal betrayal, the Dark-Hunters have sworn themselves into the service of the goddess Artemis to protect us.

Until Kyrian meets the most frightening thing imaginable. An accountant who's being hunted by one of the most lethal vampires out there. If Amanda Devereaux goes down, so does he and no offense, he doesn't want to die (hence the whole immortality thing). And he doesn't want humanity dead either which is a good thing for us since he and Amanda are all that stands between us and oblivion. Let's hope they win.

My Review

This review is for the MANGA version of Kenyon's adult novel Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter Novels), which encompasses the first half of the novel version of the first book. Or, so I've read, since I haven't read the book this manga was adapted from. So, I'm not able to compare it to the novel.

This story is about Amanda Devereaux, a young woman living in New Orleans who has quite a few “paranormal” relatives who all have supernatural abilities. Amanda's completely unimpressed with 'all things paranormal', and has chosen to be the black sheep of her family by taking a boring accounting job while searching for a normal husband.

She also has the tendency to date jerks, so she's not initially happy to meet the main male character, Hunter, aka Kyrian, who is a vampire called a “Dark-Hunter”. Hunter's not too polite, although he is extremely hunky and blond. Amanda and Hunter meet when they both get kidnapped by a vampire named Desiderus, who actually meant to kidnap Amanda's identical twin sister, Tabitha. Oops. She ends up hand-cuffed to Hunter for a while, and discovers his past and why he chose to become a Dark-Hunter. Hunter decides to stick around to protect her from Desiderus.

I'll just say that I think Amanda is funny and there's more to her than meets the eye. She has a good reason for choosing to lead a normal, dull life. And, at first, I thought Hunter/Kyrian was just a bit too annoying as he tried to act so cool, saying “babe” every other page, but he seemed to stop that about halfway through the volume, thank goodness. In fact, he becomes far more likable in the second half when his past is revealed as to what drove him to become a Dark-Hunter.

There is a lot of information crammed into this volume about the Greek gods and goddesses and the ancient Greeks and Romans. It all relates to these people who are gods living amongst us modern day humans. That concept is pretty cool, and the origin of these vampires is very unique. It might interest anyone into vamps just to discover how it all works in this series. But, all that info was overwhelming to me. It's probably easier to digest when reading the novel, since there's more room to go into.

Still, I thought this manga was enjoyable and funny in many places. It was very romantic comedy-like, but with a dangerous edge. Hunter kisses Amanda several times (it can get SO corny), but they don't go beyond that. The art is splendid (drawn by Claudia Campos), so if you enjoy manga-style art, you'll get a feast for the eyes. If you love bishounen (Japanese for “beautiful boys”), you'll no doubt find a few to ogle other than Hunter/Kyrian, although, he happens to be the most ogle-licious one.

My score: 3.5 out of 5 stars