Book Review: Husbands

HUSBANDS

Husbands is what you think it is, a comic book about a gay couple and their totally awesome adventures. The story opens up to "the husbands" going through their gifts and getting sucked into a book which leads them through different times and different worlds. This book is a comedic romance, at least that how it came off to me. The overlying message is the love they have for each other and how it withstands all the funny situations they're put into. Now all the books are about 15 pages, but don't let that fool you into thinking they are not well written. Each book actually tells a complete story from start to finish. Now while they travel to different times and worlds the individual stories are actually drawn by different artists.These artists definitely infuse their styles into each book. From the highly emotional drawings of Ron Chan to the Archie-esque style drawn by Tama Del Rio, each book has a life of its own.

• Book One - Drawn In: Drawn by Ron Chan
• Book Two - The Well-Intentioned-But-Oblivious Prince and the Justifiably Belligerent Peasant or Equally Ever After: Drawn by Natalie Nourigat
• Book Three - A Case of Assumption: Drawn by M.S. Corley 
• Book Four - Nocte Machinas - Drawn by Ben Dewey
• Book Five - Arch Nemesis - Drawn by Tama Del Rio
• Book Six - Agent Secrets - Drawn by Ron Chan

Husbands is brought to you in book form from the web series written by Brad Bell and Jane Espenson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). You can actually go and watch the web series one the Husbands Website. The comic brings to life (in 2d) the lives of Brady and Cheeks. They get a little drunk and end up married in Vegas and find out that marriage life isn't as bad as they thought it be. Husbands is hilariously funny and real, which real characters and okay unreal situations but the stories are well written. By the way I'd really recommend watching the web series, totally hilarious!



 Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: Randomveus Volume 1

 RANDOMVEUS VOLUME 1

 

The story takes place in a really vivid and colorful place called Randomveus. Randomveus is well...totally, completely random. It seems like everything and anything is possible here. Anything that you can imagine can happen in Randomveus. You start out delivering packages with the main character, Raimundo. He has to deliver a package to a huge foot with a mouth? Yea, remember I said RANDOM. Raimundo is a courier and he has a pretty complicated life. He turns out to be wanted for some "unknown" reason. Which is actually just unknown to you, but not to me because I've read the book. He ends up being chased all around Randomveus dodging umm... random things all for some money and chowder. Yes you read that correctly, CHOWDER. Apparently there is some awesomely fantastic chowder and Randomveus and people are willing to kill for it.

Randomveus is so stylized with its bright colors and smooth lines. Its full of action and has a wide arrange of characters who are well developed, even if they are completely random. If you like Japanese manga then you will really like this comic book. It is well drawn and, believe it or not, has a good story behind it.





  
Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: Cherubs

CHERUBS

Cherubs starts off in Heaven following a pack of misfit cherubs that aren't really needed anymore. They're all pretty much chilling when the first murder in Heaven takes place. Yes, that's right I said the first murder in Heaven. I didn't know murders could occur there, definitely not the band of cherubs who were quickly accused of it. So the group does the only thing they can think of at the time...run to Earth! Of course when they arrive no one on Earth thinks twice about some tiny baby looking men with wings is weird. Hey it's a comic, anything can happen.

Once they arrive on Earth they meet Mary, not that one of course. She is on the run as well and they band together to fight evil. Of course you'll have to read the book to find out if they come out on top or not.

Cherubs is filled with detailed whimsical illustrations and gritty writing. It was a good short read and left me wanting to read more. Bryan Talbot and Mark Stafford did a great job on this book and can't wait to read/see more from them.
  


Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: The Curse of Dracula

THE CURSE OF DRACULA

  
The Curse of Dracula is definitely for the more mature reader. It doesn't have anything too out of control, but I wouldn't really like my 10yr old read it either. The story opens with a man being attacked by a swarm of vampires. A group of vampire killers feel generous enough to help him out, or maybe they just really enjoy killing vampires. You'll definitely recognize Van Helsing as no real story about vampire killing would leave him out. It is set in more present times, which I really liked. I also liked how the author adapted Dracula into a more modern villain. Dracula can make you or break you, literally, in this story. I seriously wouldn't want to go up against him. 

The story ends in a surprising way so I won't let the cat out of the bag. You'll have to read it if you want to find out if Dracula gets defeated. Hah, that's kind of funny to say that...as if Dracula could ever be defeated! Overall it was a great quick read full of a great story and good illustrations.   




Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: Billy Fog and The Gift of Trouble

 Billy Fog and The Gift of Trouble

Billy Fog consists of three sections: poems, bestiary and miscellaneous. The illustrations throughout the book are kind of roughly drawn, but it fits perfectly with the feel of the book.

Billy Fog is just your typical young boy that finds himself in trouble. He has his pet cat that he essentially torments, but deep down he loves him. Sadly one day he finds his cat has died and realizes just how much it meant to him. He spends a lot of the time trying to find a way to bring his pet back. I think we've all felt the loss of a pet and wanted so much to be able to bring them back.

The bestiary is full of fantastic creatures. Every page has tons of information on them plus some helpful tips if you should ever happen to meet one. The miscellaneous section has a sort of catch all for poems and stories, but none really stray far from the main story of Billy Fog.  

The book has a more dark feel to it so I don't really know if it would be for younger children. I think preteens and up would really like it. It is really well written and I enjoyed the illustrations from cover to cover.




 Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: The Massive

By Brian Wood

Genre: Action, Adventure

Ages: Teen, Mature 

The story behind "The Massive" is definitely one that plays on the fears of practically all the world. With everyone really bringing environmental issues to the forefront, The Massive is like a window into what could happen. Okay maybe not that extreme, but really who knows what could happen when "mother nature" actually says enough and tries to get rid of us like a bad rash. In the book the world is left under water with the oceans polluted, not that far from the present. It's action packed with everyone in the story taking on the, "every man for themselves" mentality. Seriously who can blame them with the world's largest nations under water and everything in shambles.

You follow a group on a boat called, "The Kapital" and they're in search for their sister ship, "The Massive". Everyone on both ships are activist trying to fix the world after the devastation. The story moves pretty fast back and forth between different characters and settings. This was my only issue as it lost me a couple times. Sometimes a certain character was in one chapter and the next they were missing, then back to being in the next chapter. The drawing style is highly stylized with sharp bright colors and highly detailed illustrations. The characters are really well thought out and seem real and relevant.

It was jam packed with adventure and action, which is why I gave it a teen/mature rating. There is quite a bit of violence with shoot-outs, etc. The environmental issues brought out in this book were not lost on me. The simple fact is that this could be our future. That fact makes this story that much more real. Don't let the fact that it is a graphic novel throw you off! The Massive is a great read and would definitely add to your book collection.


Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: Retrovirus

RETROVIRUS

The story opens up 38,888yrs ago with cavemen warring with each other. It then shoots back to the present day with the main character, -- Wallace.

She works on retroviruses and meets up with two men who have something of high interest to her. They won't give her all the details but what she sees definitely gets her blood boiling. She wants in and is whisked away to Antarctica to join other scientists studying, "Ringo". -- finds out really quick that the company she is now working for, BioPharm, has not been up front with her. Actually nobody has as all the other scientists also know things are not on the up and up.

They drawing style is very classic comic book. There were some moments the illustrations got a little rough, but it didn't break the flow of the story. This comic definitely plays on our fears of germs and the havoc they can wreak. It was a good short read, so you should pick it up!


 Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: Tune

 TUNE

Tune focuses on the life of Andy Go, a college student that majors in illustration. Andy lacks the drive and will to finish college, thinking he knows enough already, and quits. This obviously doesn't sit will with his parents who force him to go out and get a job -- any job. Of course it'll have to be a REAL job because drawing comics could never get him anywhere really...

With his resume in hand Andy sets out to find the job of his dreams, and when that all fails he starts to look elsewhere. He goes all over the city looking for a job getting rejected left and right until his last interview. He's hired as a zookeeper? Well Andy's parents are happy he got a real job even though Andy isn't too thrilled about it. He'll be away for at least a year and sadly thats where the book ends. I hope to read more about Andy and his new job as a zookeeper in the next volume because I was totally left hanging.

This was a great read and the story seems really interesting. If you like reading some good mangas then this should be a book for your list.

 Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: Glitter Kiss

 GLITTER KISS

Glitter Kiss focuses on a teenage girl named, Tinka. Tinka is made fun of because of rumors being spread about her. One day she is walking around and meets up with Sylvia. Sylvia is another teenager who can read palms and tells Tinka she has special powers. A weird event transpires, which for some reason neither of them think anything about. Tinka then goes to the mall and purchases a pretty, glittery lip gloss. This is when it gets really interesting! Tinka meets up with her boyfriend, Jason, and they share a nice little SECRET kiss. You see Jason doesn't want people to know he is dating Tinka because then he would ruin his rep or something.

It's the Kiss!

Anyway, Jason definitely gets his because he wakes up to a huge change in himself. What was really surprising is that even after the change his mother made it seem like all was normal. Also what was weird was that the school was so accepting of it as well and just went on like nothing had happened. This part wasn't very realistic, but then again its a story and hell anything can happen in stories. Either way Jason finds out real quick that girls don't have it so easy, and that our lives are full or torment and other bad stuff. Also Jason finds he isn't alone as the "ailment" spreads to a few of his friends.

Overall the message was good, the drawing was good, and the story was well put together. I liked it and I think you guys will too!

Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

HelmetGirls The Art of Camilla d'Errico

HELMETGIRLS: 

THE ART OF CAMILLA D'ERRICO
VOLUME 2

Camilla's artwork is full of life! She draws in a classic anime style with the characters having large round eyes, tiny pert noses, and small pouty lips. Some of the drawings have a darker feel to them, but still hold an innocence about them.

I really enjoyed the chapter, "Hints of Color" as the small pops of color really gave her drawings another dimension. Also the chapter featuring her paintings is my favorite part in the book. The colors are mellow and cool, but pop and excite at the same time. They have a great life to them that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

The original to digital is another really fun chapter in the book. It was really nice to see the growth in her photos when they were changed to color images. The change really made her images take on a whole new life. She also has photos of some of the items that have been made like a pair of shoes and an uber cute wooden doll.

 Camilla d'Errico was born in Ontario, Canada, there she started drawing comics while she earned her degree in illustration. She has had her works shown all over North America and Europe. Camilla also has designed for big companies, such as: Walt Disney, Hasbro, Microsoft, Wizkids, and Ride Snowboards.

Helmetgirls is a creative exploration and Camilla breates life into her by giving her unique traits and qualities. So if you like anime styled art then this would be a great book to keep in your coffee table arsenal.

Purchase this book at the following sites/stores:
Darkhorse
Amazon.com

Or check out Camilla d'Errico's store for all the products she makes - HERE!

 Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Emerald and Other Stories

EMERALD AND OTHER STORIES

BY HIROAKI SAMURA

Emerald is a one shot story written in the Wild West times. It focuses on a young girl named Sarah who sadly is trapped into playing a game with the man who killed her parents. If she wins she will have her parents debt erased and be set free, but if she loses then she'll be forced to work in a brothel. We all know that she is obviously supposed to lose, but a strange turn of events helps to save her. This is where Rosalie and Jimmy weed step in and one of them will give their life to save Sarah's, of course they don't know it until it's too late. The first story was the quintessential story about the wild west, filled with villains, innocents, and heros.

The rest of the book is filled with other one shots, one in particular called "The Kusein Family's Grandest Show". This one was definitely different to the first story. It is more mature as it focuses on the slighlty skewed look at a relationship between the father and his daughter. It isn't too racy but the subject matter is not for children.

The next few chapters focused on two teenage girls that deal with everything and anything from lucky chances to confessions of love. These stories were pretty valid and pretty easy to understand.

Overall this book was a great compilation of stories that all fed off each other in one way or another. The style was pretty much what I expected from a manga, filled with detail. If you enjoy reading mangas then this is a book you need to pick up!

Check it out on Amazon.com -- HERE!


 Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Makeshift Miracle: Book 1

MAKESHIFT MIRACLE

BOOK 1: THE GIRL FROM NOWHERE

STORY BY: JIM ZUB
ART BY: SHUN HONG CHAN

This story focuses on two "teenagers" named Colby and Iris. Colby is pretty much a loner and when his parents leave on vacation it gives him a chance to get out and experience the city with no limitations. He walks around aimlessly until he finds it, the one spot that is just perfect for him. While he relishes in the quiet it is interrupted by a huge meteor falling to the earth. He goes to check it out like any other human would and he finds...a girl. Iris is sleeping and naked in the middle of a crater that a meteor just left in the earth. Talk about a weird place to end up. Colby is at a loss to what his next move should be so he does what anyone else would do...he takes her home.

The art style of Shun Hong Chan is light and airy by his use of pastel colors. It was a great change in pace to the other mangas that I am reading at the moment, which all have a darker look and feel. I really enjoyed how well everything was drawn as it was very detailed and realistic. You can tell that he really enjoys his work and takes time to really put a great feeling across.

So who is Iris, where did she come from, and why are people wanting to find her so badly? These are a few questions I'm asking right now and hope that they are answered in the second volume - The Boy Who Stole Everything.

You can purchase the first volume: The Girl From Nowhere on Amazon.com. This would be a great way to support the artists that bring us such amazing work. On the other hand you can read the story on their online comic here - Makeshift Miracles.

Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.