(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for general gore and violence.)
Young Lamb, an endling, was sel(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for general gore and violence.)
Young Lamb, an endling, was selected by the four Bishops of the Old Faith as a sacrifice, to keep the Old Gods sealed from their realm forever. But when Lamb dies, he's given the chance for revenge - by a godlike creature known as the One Who Waits. His only stipulation? Lamb must start his own cult. And so Lamb travels the land, rescuing poor souls who are about to be sacrificed, as he once was, and slaying the emissaries of the Old Faith. But in his quest for vengeance - and reverence - will he betray his most faithful?
Soooo, I'd never heard of the video game on which CULT OF THE LAMB is based until I stumbled on this title on Netgalley. Perhaps I might have understood or even enjoyed it a bit more if I had? As it was, I found the plot line and underlying messages rather confusing. Mostly it was the specifics (or maybe just the semantics?) of the religion that tripped me up: why, for example, would members of the Old Faith reject the Old Gods? I assume that Lamb's benefactor intended for him to build a cult with which to slay with Old Faith, but we never really get to the end game.
To be fair, this is the first volume in a series. That said, I'm just not that invested to continue with the journey.
Which is really unfortunate, because the artwork in CULT OF THE LAMB? F-ing amazing. The gods are horrendous, Lamb and his cute and fuzzy wuzzy brethren are suitably adorable, and the colors POP. Visually, CULT OF THE LAMB is a fea(s)t. Which is why I might just check out the video game, even if my time with the comic book has hit a wall. ...more
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)
"I just wanted to draw comics."
Comic book artist Maya is in a rut: though she (Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)
"I just wanted to draw comics."
Comic book artist Maya is in a rut: though she longs to tell meaningful, impactful stories, all she's contracted to illustrate are mindless superhero strips, in which a sexy and scantily clad heroine slays the monster - *after* getting some witty quips in, of course. And then there's her bestie, Juu, a nervous (but sweet) wreck of a human being whose interpersonal emergencies wreak havoc with her deadlines.
It's while working on her latest commission that Maya unwittingly becomes an IRL heroine, when an alien named Soma comes crashing through her window and recruits Maya to join his cause. Having destroyed their own planet, Soma's people want to colonize earth for its water.
Soma was a member of an early exploratory team, sent to study earth's ecosystem. When Soma's ship veered off course and he became stranded, a kind family took him in, healed his wounds, and helped him repair his ship. Taught that that humans are a cruel and savage species, Soma is now determined to stop the invasion. But it's difficult when you're just a tiny, tentacled, brain-sized being in a diving helmet. With Maya's help - and a stolen tripod - can Soma save earth from its alien invaders? And will Juu ever find love?
Let's start with the obvious: love, love, LOVE Soma! He's an adorable alien, on the level of E.T. (insert the Harry Vanderspeigle 'E.T. is a beautiful moron' jokes here), and I enjoyed pretty much everything about him, from his diving helmet to his ability to communicate with Maya somewhat telepathically. And, of course, there's his compassion: Soma is the heart and soul of this book. And it doesn't hurt that Maya and Juu are pretty great too.
While the story line is engaging and had me at the edge of my seat (and, let's be honest, on the verge of tears at times; but it's also fun and FUNNY!), it's really the artwork that steals the show here. The art in SOMA is adorable, evocative, colorful, and downright arresting. Sure, I had a little trouble following the action at times, but that's a pretty common complaint I have across action sequences in comic books.
The aliens are awesome, obviously, but I also loved some of the visual gags that Dalmau worked in, like Juu going from 0 to 10 of a slobbering mess in the face of a minor embarrassment.
Though I have to admit that I was a little confused when Juu referred to himself as a vegetarian while on a date with Pam, only to later joke that "dying in a burger joint as a vegan would be a travesty." Regardless, suggesting a burger joint out of sheer social awkwardness? *Snort laugh*. ...more
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Content warning for depictions of homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, racism, a(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Content warning for depictions of homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, racism, and more.)
-- 3.5 stars --
This anthology has been on my TBR list for years, so imagine my surprise when I was approved for an e-galley on Edelweiss - four years after originally requesting it! (Not that I'm complaining, lol.)
BE GAY, DO COMICS: QUEER HISTORY, MEMOIR, AND SATIRE FROM THE NIB is a diverse and inclusive anthology of LGBTQIA+ comics that deal with a wide variety of issues, from adopting embryos as a queer couple to the history of pride flags and the scramble for long-lasting reproductive care in the wake of the 2016 election. (And I write this on the eve of the 2024 election, omfg my heart.) There's a mix of history, politics, and memoir, some of which has an international perspective.
As with any anthology, it's a bit of a mixed bag, but with at least a little something for everyone. I especially enjoyed "Decolonizing Queerness in the Philippines," by Trinidad Escobar; "A Covert Gaze at Conservative Gays," by Sam Wallman; "The Homophobic Hysteria of the Lavender Scare" by Kazimir Lee and Dorian Alexander; and "How Do You Adopt an Embryo?" by Robyn Jordan.
I mostly appreciated the artwork, though the text was kind of small and difficult to read on some strips. I'm really glad I didn't buy a physical copy since there's no easy way to enlarge the text there. Even kindle is a bit of a pita. ...more
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for violence and PTSD.)
Jill Estrada seemingly dropped off the (Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for violence and PTSD.)
Jill Estrada seemingly dropped off the face of the earth when her mom disappeared - or at least that's what it seemed like to her friends. Now a year has passed, and Jill has finally convinced her dad to let her return to school. Trouble is, her friend group has kind of moved on: they've got new slang (is any of that really real? asking as an adult); a mysterious, witchy new friend; and a new obsession - Box Killers, a podcast-slash-IRL game that invites subscribers to solve cold cases.
Desperate to get back in her friends' good graces, Jill buys a subscription - but what arrives is a little too real and custom-tailored to be legit. Before long, Jill and her friends are right in the middle of an honest-to-goodness cold case ... one that heats up with the disappearance of one of their own.
JILL AND THE KILLERS has the bones of a good story, but didn't quite do it for me. For starters, the villain? Kind of silly. Especially the reveal. The clown getup is over the top and unnecessary.
Also, I was hella confused about the plot line with Jill's mom, Juliet. A detective (the town's only competent one, apparently), she disappeared without a trace, save for her abandoned patrol car. Jill's dad holds out hope that she's still alive, but Jill insists that she's dead - otherwise, she certainly would have found her way back home by now, right?
From the story's beginning, Jill is haunted by nightmares and images of a car submerged in water - either she's trapped, or trying in vain to rescue someone who is. As a former competitive swimmer, this fear of the water has caused Jill no small amount of distress. The way the story unravels - we don't learn the details about Juliet until much later - I assumed that Jill and Juliet were in a car accident, and Jill was unable to save her mom. And then with the introduction of Ginger, who's an amputee, I thought that maybe Ginger lost her leg in an accident for which Jill feels responsible. But nope, none of this is true. Honestly, I'm still not sure what the nightmares about drowning are supposed to mean, other than that they're a manifestation of Jill's grief and PTSD. At best it feels like a rather confusing way to convey both. ...more
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)
Kappa is a Beacon - a magical creature who is blessed (cursed?) to play a role(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)
Kappa is a Beacon - a magical creature who is blessed (cursed?) to play a role in the prophecies of various underwater kingdoms the world over. He even looks the part, with his beautiful, shimmering gold scales and aura of light. You'd think he'd love his life's purpose - after all, everyone is always thrilled to see him - yet it's a lonely, unfulfilling existence ... especially when the prophecy doesn't play out as expected. (And, given that prophecies are tricky things, they rarely do.)
Yet Kappa's "visit" (scare quotes because it's hardly voluntary) to the Shark Kingdom will present him with an entirely new threat, as this kingdom's prophecy involves his death. More specifically, Kappa must die at the hands of the kingdom's only un-scarred prince in order to break a decades-long curse that plagues the Shark merpeople.
For his part, Prince Siren has crumbled under the weight of his kingdom's prophecy. So that he may remain alive and intact, he'd had to watch his peers be sent to battle while he remains safe and sheltered in the castle ... reflecting on the morality of killing an innocent being to save his people. Things only become more twisted when Siren meets Kappa, and the two begin to fall in love. Can they find a way to thwart the prophecy, or will Siren be forced to choose between Kappa and his family?
CASTLE SWIMMER is absolutely lovely: sweet and life affirming, comfort food for the heart and soul. The artwork is enchanting: from the various merpeople to the sea creatures and, of course, Kappa and Siren, the nonhumans who populate CASTLE SWIMMER are freaking adorable. Pruney fingers aside, it's almost enough to make me want to live there, among the underwater caves and jellyfish. Kappa and Siren's budding romance is just [heart eyes] (think: HEARTSTOPPER underwater). It's such a beautiful story (and quick read) that I was sad to see Volume 1 come to an end. Luckily, the series is available on Webtoons, where Martin is already up to episode #186 (!). (Volume 1 is just episodes 1-19, with a few bonus stories at the end.) ...more
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)
High school sophomore Vivian Vance is what you might call an overachiever - an(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)
High school sophomore Vivian Vance is what you might call an overachiever - and it's no wonder why, when her beloved father's motto is 'why do something if you can't be the best at it?' Rather than spending her afternoons hanging out with friends at the mall (or whatever the youngsters do nowadays), Vivian earns extra money - and hones her detective skills - performing odd jobs for her classmates. It's while trying to retrieve a "stolen" baseball from a kid in the Pillars that Vivian stumbles upon her greatest case yet: there's a "flesh-taker" in Pensmouth, and it's eating people. Turns out that the monsters that populated Pensmouth's bedtime stories are more than just a tactic to scare the kids into line.
Despite the risks, Vivian decides to take the case - after all, what better way to earn a spot in the coveted Greater Achievers Program than by capturing a monster and exposing a conspiracy among the upper echelon of Pensmouth?
Pitched as Veronica Mars meets Lovecraft, I really wanted to love THE TERRIFYING TALES OF VIVIAN VANCE more than I did. As it was, I was puzzled by many glowing reviews. The story is okay, if a little forgettable. I liked the monsters - especially the skin-takers and the source - but felt like the characters and plot could have used a little more development. The action just never felt very high stakes, perhaps because I wasn't terribly invested in any of the characters. ...more
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley/Edelweiss. Content warning for rape and suicide.)
Accompanied by her mother, Nea(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley/Edelweiss. Content warning for rape and suicide.)
Accompanied by her mother, Nearly Wizened One, and grandmother, Old Crone, Young Hag wanders the British countryside, learning potions and spells - and trying to stay one step ahead of the superstitious villagers who shall not suffer a witch to live.
We meet the trio on the day of Young Hag's naming ceremony ... the morning after which a disappointed, newly-minted young witch learns the truth: that there is no "real" magic left in Britain. Not since the Lady of the Lake closed the doors between the worlds, in the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
The next morning, Young Hag is orphaned, thanks to an angry mob and an (un)lucky shot.
After her mother's death, Young Hag loses her taste for magic - and stories. Never mind that her grandmother's own lore has deep roots in Camelot.
When Young Hag and Old Crone stumble upon a boy named Tom who's trying to track down his kidnapped sister Alice - a changeling left in the baby's place - it ignites a fire in the two women. If faeries are making mischief in the human world, this must mean that the doors to the otherword are once again open. And so the group - once again a trio - sets out the find the doors, rescue Alice, and maybe even save magic as well.
YOUNG HAG AND THE WITCHES' QUEST is a brilliant feminist retelling of the King Arthur legend from the perspective of the female protagonists: namely, Morgan Le Fay and the Lady of the Lake. (Guinevere is rather insufferable tbh.) I really want to say more, but honestly, the joy is in the discovery and I wouldn't want to rob any readers of that. It's just lovely.
Honestly, I'm not super into medieval literature - my knowledge of King Arthur is pretty bare bones - but YOUNG HAG AND THE WITCHES' QUEST definitely has me wanting more.
Even though the subject matter is a bit different, YOUNG HAG has the same vibe as THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EARLY EARTH and THE ONE HUNDRED NIGHTS OF HERO, two of Greenberg's earlier graphic novels. The art is quite similar - you might even say instantly and uniquely recognizable - as is the story-within-a-story narrative structure, and overall feminist sensibility. Throughout all three books, there's a celebration of storytelling and the power of stories to shape the world that I just love.
If you're a fan of Isabel Greenberg - and great visual storytelling in general - YOUNG HAG is a must read. It's easily one of my favorites of 2024.
As a funny aside: I originally received a free e-galley for review through NetGalley/Edelweiss, but gave up after a few pages because the text was too small and pixelated to read without getting a headache. When my library finally got a copy in, I snatched it up ... only to find that the text in the print copy is *teeny tiny* as well. Ack! I know this makes me sound a gagillionity years old, but pleeeeaaassse make the font readable, publishers. ...more
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for violence.)
High schooler Rowan Sterling desperately wants o(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for violence.)
High schooler Rowan Sterling desperately wants out of her small town: out of her father's compost farm, which has earned her the nickname "worm girl"; out of her reputation as the murdered germaphobe's daughter; out of her father's drinking and withdrawal since his wife's death. She wants to follow her bestie (and maybe more) Lucas to college, but she knows there's no chance in hell. Especially not now, when she's suddenly being plagued by visions of blood and violence.
Luckily, Rowan's not going "crazy": turns out that she's a Harrow, just like her mom, imbued with the superpower to see an act of violence before it happens. (Think: MINORITY REPORT.) Her father signs her over to Rosewood, where she can be kept safe and taught how to use her abilities for the greater good. Only, not everything adds up in Rosewood: some of the Harrows are less than thrilled to be there, and no one can give them a straight answer about what happens to the "imcrims" once they've been apprehended. When Rowan gets a premonition that Lucas will kill her handler, Rowan risks her own neck to save him - and prove that the future isn't immutable.
THE HARROWING is okay, if a little underwhelming. I enjoyed the artwork and general story line, though the ending felt a bit rushed. The conspiracies got a little convoluted at the end, and it seemed like there was a lot of telling instead of showing.
I received a free electronic ARC for review, but it was extremely pixelated and borderline unreadable, so I ended up borrowing a copy from my local library after the book was released. Please do better, publishers. :(...more
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