Tag Archives: manga/comic

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Book Review: Witchblood, by Matthew Erman

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I accepted a copy of Witchblood for review. The graphic novel was also featured over on Sadie’s Spotlight. So, you can hop over there for the tour schedule and for information on the author Matthew Erman, artist Lisa Sterle, colorist Gab Contreras, and letterers Jim Campbell and Andworld.
witchblood cover

A modern, Wild West road trip about a witch named Yonna cruising the Southwest as a band of bloodthirsty biker vampires, The Hounds of Love, hunt her scattered coven for the source of all magic: witch blood. From the critically acclaimed creators of The Modern Witch Tarot Deck and Long Lost comes Witchblood, a blend of action, lore, and Americana—perfect for fans of Buffy and American Gods.

my review

I liked the art a lot. And, while I know it’s an itty-bitty little thing, I cannot tell you how much I loved that Yonna had armpit hair! I liked some of the way the world is changed. Women in the confessionals and Mother Superiors giving orders, for example. It also blends humor and horror, with a punk-ish dystopian Wild West vibe. If I say it felt super Tank Girl-like, will I be showing my age too much? Actually, now that I’ve said that, Lori Petty would make a great Yonna, IMO.

But the whole things sags on story. I wouldn’t say I disliked it. But I wasn’t blown away by it for a few reasons. For one, the pacing is off. It meanders through the first half and then rushes through the second, where arguably the more important action happens.

But the real issue for me is that here you have a story full of powerful women— a female deity, all of her female witch descendants, some female hex hunters, and a female vampire with important knowledge. But the story hinges on a man. The vampire with knowledge doesn’t use it herself. Noooo, she gives it to a man. And he becomes the cliched villain while she clings wordlessly to his back through out the story. Where this graphic novel had an open opportunity to do something interesting, it instead trod the dull, well-worn path. It just felt cheap and unoriginal.

All in all, I’d call this a middle of the road read. I merely enjoyed the graphic part more than the novel part.

Other Reviews:

Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Witchblood by Matthew Erman and Lisa Sterle

 

Lifestyle Of Me: Witchblood

kamikaze

Book Review of Kamikaze: Run Rabbit Run, by Alan & Carrie Tupper & Havana Nguyen

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Earlier this week, I came across a tweet stating that Team Kamikaze would be giving the profit from books sold until Feb 5th to the ACLU. Being as I’m a big supporter of the ACLU and need very little persuasion to buy a new read, I jumped on it and ordered a copy.

 

 

Description from Goodreads:
In a desolate future, feudal corporate houses hoard the last patches of fertile crop land. A young courier is unwittingly thrown into a life or death game of espionage and sabotage from which she might never escape.

 

Review:
Marvelously detailed, I thought that even as I read, so getting to the end and finding a whole notes section on the details of the comic was amazing. This thing is seriously well thought out, which maybe shouldn’t be surprising since the forward says the ultimate goal is to become an anime. I was impressed.

The art is really gorgeous. I tried to pick a picture that wouldn’t count as a spoiler, but take a look at this. Totally rockin’ my world.

The story is interesting, the themes pertinent and the cast diverse. I have no complaints beyond the normal ‘but it’s only a first volume.’ I’ll be looking for more, for sure. Lucky for me it’s a webcomic and I can in fact find more.

You still have a day or two (I don’t know if it’s until the start or end of Sunday) to order your own copy and support the ACLU.  But even if you miss that offer, I have no hesitation about suggesting you get a copy of your own.

Never Goodnight

Book Review of Never Goodnight, by Coco Moodysson

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Never GoodnightI ordered a tester box from Landfall Freight Co. It’s a subscription box service focusing on graphic novels and comics for girls. I have daughters, after all.  Never Goodnight, by Coco Moodysson was included.

Description from Goodreads:
The cult Swedish graphic novel that inspired the critically acclaimed Lukas Moodysson film ‘We Are the Best!’

Coco, Klara and Mathilda have known each other since primary school, where they met in Folk Dancing class. Now they’re almost teenagers, and their anarchist ideals and dreams of forming a world-beating punk band set them apart from the other girls at school. They can’t play any instruments, practice with pillows and pans, and keep getting told that punk is dead. But they’re not going to let any of those things get in their way…

Published in English for the first time, Never Goodnight is a hilarious and life-affirming memoir that will remind you that all you need in life is your best friends, a can of hairspray and three guitar chords.

Review:
I don’t really know what to say on this. Someone else called it ugly-cute and I think that’s an apt description. It is undeniably cute, as children so often are. But It is also ugly. The drawing style is corse, the characters lumpy and lopsided with a tendency to be shown on the toilet or in other cringe-worthy positions. But it’s about three female, punk tweens in 1982 Sweden. Nothing about them is frilly or girly or pretty and it’s not supposed to be. In fact, this is a lot of what the book is about. They get significant pushback, that they don’t quite understand themselves, for breaking out of that acceptable, pretty, gender norm.

For about half the book I didn’t like it. I thought it was choppy and I didn’t see a theme emerging. By the end however, I was brought around. It ended on a happy note and I was smiling along with it. I guess I’ll have to go find the movie on Netflix now.

What I’m drinking: Something called Coffee Free. It’s a custom blend from Traveling Tea, a local tea shop. (Yes, Coffee Free is a tea. I assume intended as a possible coffee replacement.) The last time I was in the proprietor gave me a sample, so I know almost nothing about it beyond the name and that instructions say brew it at 195° for 3 minutes. But it’s very chocolaty in taste and I got two decent brews out of it.