The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clark

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can't believe Goodreads ate another review of mine! This sucks! I guess this is an opportunity to better clarify my thoughts this time.

I was very excited about reading this book, and I snatched it off the library shelf. I have a fixation on assassin main characters (don't you judge me!). I also liked the idea that the heroine might fall in love with her would be assassin and vice versa (no judging!). Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book. I'll try to start with the positives and then go to the negatives, because that seems fitting.

What I liked:

Ananna was an interesting lead character. I loved how distinctive her background as the daughter of pirates was. The author kept her characterization true to her origins. Her narration was uneducated sounding and her actions and beliefs showed the ethics of a person who was raised on a pirate ship. She was believably down to earth, and I liked that while she could hold her own and was a capable fighter, she wasn't amorally bloodthirsty.

The background on the pirate factions was intriguing. I also liked the magical aspects of this book, although they could have been better described.

What I didn't like:

Naji's characterization palled in comparison to Ananna. While this was a 1st person point of view, that didn't necessarily have to result in such an obvious lack in definition that his character had. He felt more like a background character, which doesn't work for this story, due to the intimate connection they share.

Speaking of, I think the curse could have been better described. I understand the author was trying to keep some suspense about why Naji had to protect Ananna, but it wasn't very well explained. Also Naji's magic was cool enough for me to want more explication.

I think the plotting could have been better. The beginning was catchy and I was sucked in, but around the last third of the book, I started losing interest. I couldn't decide where she was going with the story, but I didn't really care after a point. I just wanted to finish the book.

The magical aspects had a lot of potential, but after a while the different magical factions sort of ran together and lost distinction for me. I couldn't understand where she was going with the story overall.

Speaking off, I am heartily sick of cliffhangers. I think it's a dirty cheat to write a story that ends abruptly, just so people will keep reading. There are rare circumstances where a cliffhanger makes sense, or if the book is just really long. This was not the case in either way with this book. I truly believe the book could have been longer and the story could have been wrapped up to a satisfying conclusion without sacrificing tension for a series. When it ended, I was like, "What the What?!" like Finn on Adventure Time. Not cool! I don't want to turn this into a rantview, so I'll leave it at that.

While I don't regret reading this book, I wasn't satisfied with it overall. There were enough things I liked to propel me to read the second book in the series from my library. I hope that the character and story development are improved in the forthcoming books, since it has a lot of potential.



View all my reviews

Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Vol. 1 by Roger McKenzie

Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Vol. 1 by Roger McKenzie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Daredevil is the Man Without Fear, shaped by childhood circumstances to be a nighttime prowler and avenger/crime-fighter. His father's sad demise spurred him to seek justice, but he doesn't stop there. He disciplines his body to further his mission of protecting the innocent and seeing criminals captured, although he never goes over the line to murder.

I am in the minority, but I liked the movie with Ben Affleck. I think they conveyed the essence of the comics fairly well.

Daredevil is actually pretty noirish. The concepts, the setting and the characters. Daredevil has an interesting Rogue's Gallery, a mix of types. While some of the villains/foes that Daredevil faces are over the top and comic booky, a fair amount are amoral criminal types that you might see in the real life of any city's underworld. You can see why he is so determined to wipe out crime in his city as it's evident how far-reaching and destructive its effects are, which Matt Murdock learned intimately. As a lawyer, he sees the failings of the justice system to protect people, so he is not afraid to get physical to see justice done.

Daredevil's ability is really cool. When he was doused with radioactive waste, it blinded him, but enhanced all his other senses. His sense of hearing and smell is super-acute, but he can also see things with sonar, similar to a bat. While Daredevil does have superpowers, he also uses extensive martial arts and physical conditioning to hone his skills, along with his billy club, which is pretty darn awesome. This dude can kick serious butt.

This is an older graphic novel collection, and the coloring and artwork is a bit dated-looking, but otherwise, compelling and well-written despite the dated feel of the illustrations. Many will be familiar with Frank Miller, if not from the comic book world, than from the movie adaptations based on his work. His noir touch is very evident in the stories inked by him, with Daredevil's formidable and well-earned reputation as a denizen of the night who vigilantly protects his city. Matt Murdock is a mall-mannered lawyer by day, stricken with blindness as a child. His personality seems fractured, but he merely hides his purpose from those in his life who would no doubt be hurt by his double life. It's not one of those situations where you wonder why people don't know who he is. Clark Kent, I'm looking at you! His secret identity is rock solid.

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. I guess I forgot how much I liked what I read of this series. I have read a couple of comic books with Daredevil (years ago, back when I first fell in love with comic books), with a stack of them in my garage I never got around to. I'm glad that my library had the collections that show his origins as a crimefighter. He's a compelling character that resonates with me. Not a carbon copy of Batman, but there are some similarities between them. Goodness knows how much I like Batman. I think I like Daredevil for similar reasons, and he's also a redhead, so that's another level of like.

So yes, I am grateful to the movie version for bringing this character to my attention. I am looking forward to Affleck as Batman too, for the record. I got Volume 2 which has my girl Elektra, so I'm jazzed! I recommend this graphic novel.

View all my reviews

Ultimate Iron Man, Volume 1 by Orson Scott Card

Ultimate Iron Man, Vol. 1 by Orson Scott Card

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I think a caveat of enjoying this book is suspending what you know about Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. If a reader can't do that, then that's going to be an issue in reading this graphic novel.

Orson Scott Card takes a huge departure in some ways in the evolution of Tony Stark and his becoming Iron Man.  It was pretty weird and different from what I know, and I am admittedly mainly familiar with the character from movies and TV, and some research I've done into the character online.  I won't go into what was changed, because it's a major spoiler.  I think in some ways, it undermines the coolness of Stark as a normal man who becomes a superhero through his ingenuity and invention. That's probably my major issue with this story.

I'm not sure why they decided to take that direction with the story, but I think less experimentation with the central identity of the character would have been better.

I gave it 3 stars because it has good action, good artwork, and there were some interesting ideas, but subtracted two off because it took too many liberties with the storyline.



View all my reviews

Zatanna, Volume 1: The Mistress of Magic by Paul Dini

Zatanna, Vol. 1: The Mistress of Magic by Paul Dini

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My first review got sucked into the Review Twilight Zone, so here we go again.

Zatanna is an interesting mix of showmanship, jocular affability and incredible magical aptitude.  Her costume is a shirtwaist and tails, with a top hat, and she brandishes a magical wand.  Her enemies tend to underestimate her abilities, big time. She's more than capable of taking on the practitioners of the darkest of magics, as evidenced in the story arcs of this book.

This book was an improbably successful mix of a light-hearted vibe and kooky magic tricks and a glimpse into the world in which sorcerers practice dark arts and demons trade power for souls.  It shouldn't have worked, but it did.  I think it's because Zatanna successfully straddles that line of fun-loving, cheerful stage magician and truly talented wizard who uses her skills to protect humans from the world of evil sorcery that she is familiar with through past battles and a heartbreaking loss.

I am watching "Young Justice" on Netflix (fantastic show, by the way!), and Zatanna was on an episode I watched today, and it was serendipity that I had read this around the same time.  I think she's a cool character with a skillset that is distinctive compared to some of the more famous DC Comics heroes.  I found Justice League Dark at my library, where she teams with other sorcerers and wizards to combat dark magic, and I'm looking forward to reading more Zatanna graphic novel content.

I'd recommend this to readers who aren't too squeamish about sorcery and magical content.  One of the baddies is really, really bad, and some folks die in terrible ways due to evil magic, so not for the faint of heart.



View all my reviews

Powers Volume 2: Roleplay by Brian Michael Bendis

Powers, Vol. 2: Roleplay by Brian Michael Bendis

My rating: 3.25 of 5 stars


Powers is an interesting concept.  It looks at the superhero world from the viewpoint of superheroes being the perps and victims of murder. With this second volume, the victims aren't quite superheroes.  They are college students playing an elaborate superhero role playing game that gets deadly when they get murdered by a superhuman.

This was dark and sad, to think that these kids were being murdered that way.  And the root cause makes it even more distressing. Detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim investigate this crime, and Deena in her forthright way steps on some toes and gets herself in trouble. There is a part that is really funny, in a sick kind of way.  So Walker is forced to solve the crime on his own for the most part. He calls in some markers with folks he knew from his superhero days.

I didn't like this one as much as the first book in the series. It seemed less dynamic, although it has an interesting statement on the concept of superheroes as celebrity and part of popular culture.  The kids were playing with fire in big and small ways, considering dressing up like a superhero is illegal in the story and also for another huge reason.

Powers is for people who are intrigued by a different view of superheroes, but the story is focused on dialogue and characterization and less on action and over the top exploits of superpowers.  In a way that's kind of refreshing, but you have to be in the mood for it.  It was a departure from some of the other graphic novels I am reading right now, so I think the downer aspect of this book didn't quite work for me at the time.

Overall rating: 3.25/5.0 stars





View all my reviews

Incognito by Ed Brubaker

What if a powerful supervillain ended up in witness protection, working a regular office job like the average Joe?

That is the scenario that Ed Brubaker presents his readers in the series "Incognito."

Zack Overkill was 'a very villainous fellow,' it was all he knew. And then his world changed. His brother was killed and he woke up in a secret government hospital and he was given drugs to deactivate his supernatural abilities and he was under the oversight of SOS, who had once been his greatest adversaries.

Zack hates his new life. He feels empty and useless, until he begins going out at night as a masked avenger, saving people, not out of altruism, but because it staves off his sense of boredom. But his past is catching up with him.

This is noir meets comic book superheroes and villains, and it's very well done. The tone is unapologetically 'adult', with plenty of foul language, violence, and some sexual content. However, there is something quite fascinating about this book. Maybe it's the whole concept. Or maybe it's the fact that Zack's situation is compelling. Readers can feel his pain, especially if your workday has ever felt like the movie "Office Space." And imagine going from being a supervillain to a working stiff who has the strength of the average sedentary young male. Brubaker allows the readers to walk in the shoes of a supervillain and watch his view of the world change. Zack comes to realize that why kill, steal and rampage for no reason, when once's powers can be strategically employed for something of more value? Can there be a better worldview than nihilism? Can people you once viewed as your enemies become your allies for a greater purpose?

There are some disturbing scenes in this book, but then we are dealing with plenty of amoral villains and psychopaths, and even some of the office joes and janes are not exactly admirable in their choices. I didn't care for that, but I did like that Zack's view on things is evolving, and he realizes he doesn't have to be enslaved to his past identity or even who others see him as.

I'll have to keep following this series.

Proposition Player by Bill Willingham

Proposition Player by Bill Willingham

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


This proposition player has become a whale. He's playing for the highest stakes he has ever been handed--human souls.

I wasn't a big fan of this graphic novel. While the idea was very interesting, I didn't like the direction the story took or the main character much at all. Joe is a jerk, a lowlife, and a self-absorbed, insensitive putz. Strong words, but warranted. The folklore and mythology aspects could have been an advantage in this book, but they weren't. The situations in which they acted sort of stole their thunder, considering the opportunity to have all the mythological godfigures in the same place. It would have been interesting to show traits that distinguished them from each other to people who had some background in their various folkloric origins. I had hopes that there would be a big stakes poker game with the mythical godfigures and Joe, but the author chose to end this one differently. Also, I think this is one of those stories where a jerk gets rewarded for his bad behavior. Not a fan of this plot device in the slightest. Lastly, the humor is irreverent and in some places, downright perverse.


I can't think of a whole lot to recommend about this book, other than the artwork was lovely and the concept mildly interesting. As much as I love the Fables series by Willingham, I didn't care much for this one.

Overall rating: 2.5/5.0 stars.



View all my reviews

Irredeemable, Vol. 1 by Mark Waid

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


This book earns a "WOW" from me!

For readers who are hugely captivated by superheroes, this book will hit them where they live.  It's very ambitious and quite brave of Mark Waid to go there. To show a superhero go dark, and I mean, really, really dark.  I know that we've seen Superman get a little 'bad boy' when he gets poisoned by red kryptonite, but that is no where near what happens to Plutonium. 

Plutonium is evidence of a superhero who cracks under the pressure. He has been derided and criticized and blamed for what he has not done and not thanked enough for what he does.  He hears all the negative thoughts of people, and over time it erodes his optimism and belief in himself and humanity.  When betrayed by people who he trusted, he goes over the edge and becomes a genocidal killing machine with no sense of morality or ethics.  The worst part is he is nearly invincible and he is determined to kill all his former crimefighting partners.

This is a book I read with my mouth open, my eyes transfixed by the visceral, emotionally distressing story unfolding before me. It was like a runaway train that couldn't be stopped.  I can imagine the horror of Plutonium's former teammates and his past love interest.  Their increasing realization that nothing would be able to stop Plutonium before he had exhausted his rage and ceased his rampage of terror, if ever.

Part of me is afraid to keep reading this, but part of me is afraid not to read it. I have to know what happens next. If anything will bring Plutonium to his senses.  Where does this end?  My inquisitive brain is already pondering what happens next.

This is a powerful and fearless series.

4.5/5.0 stars.



View all my reviews

Deadpool, Volume 2: Soul Hunter

Deadpool, Vol. 2: Soul Hunter by Brian Posehn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Disclaimer:  You cannot take these Deadpool graphic novels seriously.  Deadpool is a wise-cracking mercenary who is also cracked in the gourd.  His grasp of reality is tenuous, and thus, through his eyes, our view of the world is as well. 

I think that Marvel uses this character for some comic relief (although I think Spider-Man as well to a lesser extent). Of course, readers have to have a twisted, darker sense of humor.  When I started reading this, I was hoping that Deadpool wouldn't do any killing of innocent people, and he mostly doesn't.  It's complicated.  He has a conscience in the form of a dead SHIELD agent who shares his mind with him, and I think that deep down, Deadpool isn't a bad guy. Maybe that's wishful thinking on my part.  No, seriously, he does try to minimize collateral damage and help people, showing a strange sense of ethics.

The artwork was bright and reflected the craziness of Deadpool's mind and his adventures.  Another great thing about this book was the prodigious cameos it had:  Iron Man/Tony Stark, Luke Cage/Power Man, Daredevil, even Spider-Man.

The story is seriously whacked, so I wouldn't recommend it across the board.  It's for folks who have a strange sense of humor (I can count myself among those, even though some of it was on the edge of my own tastes). And for those who like a seriously kickbutt main lead who can go all ninja on his enemies, even while he's spouting foolishness and who is quite obviously insane.



View all my reviews

The Astonishing X-Men Volume 1: Gifted by Joss Whedon, John Cassady

Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 1: Gifted by Joss Whedon

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


I have been on a Marvel roll lately.  It's mainly due to the fact that I've been mainlining Marvel shows on Netflix, along with the various Marvel movies we've been treated to lately. I discovered that there was a motion comic series for The Astonishing X-Men, and some of the episodes are posted on Netflix.  Watching it and "Wolverine and the X-Men" (and loving it), encouraged me to check out some of the comics after many years of not reading them.  Luckily my awesome library has this series!

I will admit I am an admirer of Joss Whedon's tv shows, and his characteristic wit is on display in this comic book series run that he authors. His snark and biting sarcasm, plus some sociopolitical commentary.  It's fun to see his words come out of the mouth of Emma Frost, Wolverine, and the gang.  Not to say it feels foreign to the X-Men, but Whedon just has a characteristic writing style.

Along with the writing, the artwork is beautiful.  Bright and stylish, but also detailed to the degree that Kitty's hair blows in the wind like real life, Wolverine's arms and back are covered in hair (let me say that he's the only guy who can get a free pass for back hair), and Emma Frost is unrealistically gorgeous, both in her flesh and diamond form (Can I admit I have a tiny girl crush on Emma Frost?). 

I thought I was over the X-Men, but I see that I am very wrong.  I am definitely officially sucked back into the world of the mutants.  I wish I could run back to the library today to get the next volume.

FYI: Marvel has a wikia database that is tres awesome: http://marvel.wikia.com/Main_Page

Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.



View all my reviews

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Mistborn is set in a world where people have a special magical ability, allomancy. They can manipulate metal to endow themselves with specific abilities.  The Final Empire is in the stranglehold grip of a tyrannical ruler, the Lord Ruler, considered a God, and his enforcers, the Inquisitors.  The world is a place of overt injustice and ecological disaster.  The ruling class manipulates and abuses the lower classes, who are enslaved (skaa). 

There is one man who is determined to dismantle this system, the only man who survived the worst hell, The mining Pits of Hathsin, where atium, the most powerful metal for allomancy is mined and controlled by the Lord Ruler. Kelsier is a mistborn, a person who has the ability to manipulate all the known metals, and has found another one that he feels is powerful enough to kill the Lord Ruler.  He has assembled a group of incredibly skilled allomancers who work as thieves, and a new addition, a young female street thief named Vin, who might just be the most powerful Mistborn of all.

Sanderson has written a novel that combines several genres together in one punch:  the caper thriller, political drama, martial arts historical action, coming of age drama, epic fantasy, and even a bit of star-crossed romance thrown in.  And it's a great mix.  While this book is quite long, and it takes a while to get a feel for the world-building and the magical system, it's intriguing the whole way through. 

The characterization shows a deft touch, with layered portrayals, and gradual revelations of the leads.  Kelsier is appealing in his flaws and his strengths, a charismatic man who truly believes in what he's doing, even if his actions are not strictly moral.  Vin is a good stand-in for the reader, normal enough to gain a sympathetic connection from the reader.  She is also deceptive in her normality.  While Kelsier seems like he's the one to save the day, the reader might just be surprised at what little Vin can do.  The secondary characters round the story in a desirable manner, each character serving a specific function. 

Sanderson tackles some important issues in this novel.  Ecological mismanagement (something we know a lot about with our rapidly escalating climatological changes and their effects on the world and even the economy), for one. Also the lack of ethics in a system of vast inequality where the rich are very rich and can commit crimes without reprisal, and the poor are desperately poor, with no rights.  How this system in itself contributes to societal breakdown and criminality as the poor have little resources to do other than commit crimes to improve their situation in society, and they have no protection under the law.
 
Vin is placed in a situation where she sees both sides of the equation and can understand that while not all the nobles are bad, the system itself is broken and needs to be changed.  Through her eyes and Kelsier, we are able to evaluate the ethics of Kelsier's plan and make up our own minds.  Although seeing the horrible actions of the Lord Ruler and his bullyboys, and the way they manipulate and abuse the skaa, it wasn't difficult for me to believe in what Kelsier is working for.

While this is a thoughtful book with some serious subject matter, it has plenty of action and fantastic magic battles for the action-craving reader.  The allomancy concept is fascinating and provides a very fertile foundation for plenty of intriguing magic-driven scenes, many action-oriented.  It took me a while to get a good understanding of the allomancy principles, but once I started catching on, it made sense and adds up to a fun read. I liked how it has plenty of twists and turns and builds to an exciting climax. And I think that it was far from predictable.

"Mistborn" is a fantastically complex novel that offers plenty of action along with a fair amount of food for thought.  I can see this is going to be a great series to follow. This definitely earns five stars from this reader.



View all my reviews

Proposition Player by Bill Willingham

Proposition Player by Bill Willingham
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

This proposition player has become a whale. He's playing for the highest stakes he has ever been handed--human souls.

I wasn't a big fan of this graphic novel. While the idea was very interesting, I didn't like the direction the story took or the main character much at all. Joe is a jerk, a lowlife, and a self-absorbed, insensitive putz. Strong words, but warranted. The folklore and mythology aspects could have been an advantage in this book, but they weren't. The situations in which they acted sort of stole their thunder, considering the opportunity to have all the mythological godfigures in the same place. It would have been interesting to show traits that distinguished them from each other to people who had some background in their various folkloric origins. I had hopes that there would be a big stakes poker game with the mythical godfigures and Joe, but the author chose to end this one differently. Also, I think this is one of those stories where a jerk gets rewarded for his bad behavior. Not a fan of this plot device in the slightest. Lastly, the humor is irreverent and in some places, downright perverse.


I can't think of a whole lot to recommend about this book, other than the artwork was lovely and the concept mildly interesting. As much as I love the Fables series by Willingham, I didn't care much for this one.

Overall rating: 2.5/5.0 stars.

View all my reviews

Irredeemable Volume 1 by Mark Waid

Irredeemable, Vol. 1 by Mark Waid

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


This book earns a "WOW" from me!

For readers who are hugely captivated by superheroes, this book will hit them where they live.  It's very ambitious and quite brave of Mark Waid to go there. To show a superhero go dark, and I mean, really, really dark.  I know that we've seen Superman get a little 'bad boy' when he gets poisoned by red kryptonite, but that is no where near what happens to Plutonium. 

Plutonium is evidence of a superhero who cracks under the pressure. He has been derided and criticized and blamed for what he has not done and not thanked enough for what he does.  He hears all the negative thoughts of people, and over time it erodes his optimism and belief in himself and humanity.  When betrayed by people who he trusted, he goes over the edge and becomes a genocidal killing machine with no sense of morality or ethics.  The worst part is he is nearly invincible and he is determined to kill all his former crimefighting partners.

This is a book I read with my mouth open, my eyes transfixed by the visceral, emotionally distressing story unfolding before me. It was like a runaway train that couldn't be stopped.  I can imagine the horror of Plutonium's former teammates and his past love interest.  Their increasing realization that nothing would be able to stop Plutonium before he had exhausted his rage and ceased his rampage of terror, if ever.

Part of me is afraid to keep reading this, but part of me is afraid not to read it. I have to know what happens next. If anything will bring Plutonium to his senses.  Where does this end?  My inquisitive brain is already pondering what happens next.

This is a powerful and fearless series.

4.5/5.0 stars.



View all my reviews

BRPD: Hollow Earth and other Stories by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Thomas E. Sniegoski

B.P.R.D., Vol. 1: Hollow Earth and Other Stories by Mike Mignola

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the first in the spin-off series from Hellboy, about the other members of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.  It starts just after Hellboy quits, and it's all on Abe Sapien to be the leader of their team to go out and save the world from paranormal threats.  Abe and his crew are still reeling from Hellboy's departure, but they have to move on because the world isn't safe. Along with Abe, and Roger, the homunculus, Johann Krauss joins the crew. He is a powerful medium who unfortunately had his body fried during an out of body experience during a seance.  He was powerful enough to keep his spirit together, and now he had to wear a specially designed suit that contains his essence.  Being spirit form comes in handy a lot in this story, and his special skill adds a lot to toolbox of the BRPD.  They are dealing with a race of primitives who have traveled from the inside of the earth, yes the earth is Hollow, at least in this story. An old friend and former BRPD member needs their help big time, and they follow her trail into the earth.

This is a weird idea, to say the least. What does that say that I still gave it four stars? I guess I have to admit, I like weird stuff.  Glad there are stories out there to cater to weird fiction lovers like myself.

I like seeing Abe take the wheel in this series. Abe is a cool character. He seems to be mostly cerebral (compared to the brawn and bravado of Hellboy), but he can hold his own.  Additionally, he is a very empathetic, and caring person.  That's a good combination in a leader. 

While Hellboy's absence is felt, I still enjoy the BRPD stories, because the other characters are appealing and fascinating in distinct ways from Hellboy, and there is plenty of supernatural oddness to go around. And there is more Mignola to read, especially with Golden and Sniegoski along for the adventure. All good things.





View all my reviews

Hellboy Volume 5: The Conqueror Worm by Mike Mignola

Hellboy, Vol. 5: Conqueror Worm by Mike Mignola

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Gee, I wish I'd had time to write this review sooner, because my brain can be like a sieve.  I'll do my best, two weeks down the road.

It's fairly obvious that I am a big fan of Mike Mignola, so the four star rating is not unexpected.  I love me some Hellboy, which sounds really strange to say, but there it is. 

Hellboy faces his past head on in this fifth installment in the series.  He is confronted with his identity and how others may see him as he becomes an advocate for Roger, a homunculus who is treated as much less than human by the brass at the BRPD. If they view Roger this way, then they must see Hellboy the same way. Is Hellboy more than just a demon spawn, a walking, talking weapon who can be used for the BRPD's purposes, until he outlives his usefulness? Despite the BRPD's definition of who he is, does that mean that Hellboy can't be more if he chooses?

Along with the exploration of identity, Hellboy comes face to face with a sinister Nazi plot to awaken a worm that will destroy the world.  I think Hellboy and I share a true abhorrence for Nazis, and not surprising at all.  This is one of the weirdest Hellboy stories thus far.  Killer giant worms, Nazi undead astronauts, killer monkeys, talking heads, ghostly crimefighters from the 30s, you name it.  At the core, another good volume full of Mignola's expert storytelling with its respectful nods at classic horror and weird fiction greats like Poe and Lovecraft.  Hellboy is a non-human who struggles with the essential elements of humanity, and it's appreciated by this reader.



View all my reviews

Incognito by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips

Incognito by Ed Brubaker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What if a powerful supervillain ended up in witness protection, working a regular office job like the average Joe?

That is the scenario that Ed Brubaker presents his readers in the series "Incognito." 

Zack Overkill was 'a very villainous fellow,' it was all he knew.  And then his world changed.  His brother was killed and he woke up in a secret government hospital and he was given drugs to deactivate his supernatural abilities and he was under the oversight of SOS, who had once been his greatest adversaries.

Zack hates his new life. He feels empty and useless, until he begins going out at night as a masked avenger, saving people, not out of altruism, but because it staves off his sense of boredom.  But his past is catching up with him.

This is noir meets comic book superheroes and villains, and it's very well done.  The tone is unapologetically 'adult', with plenty of foul language, violence, and some sexual content.  However, there is something quite fascinating about this book.  Maybe it's the whole concept.  Or maybe it's the fact that Zack's situation is compelling.  Readers can feel his pain, especially if your workday has ever felt like the movie "Office Space."  And imagine going from being a supervillain to a working stiff who has the strength of the average sedentary young male.  Brubaker allows the readers to walk in the shoes of a supervillain and watch his view of the world change.  Zack comes to realize that why kill, steal and rampage for no reason, when once's powers can be strategically employed for something of more value?  Can there be a better worldview than nihilism?  Can people you once viewed as your enemies become your allies for a greater purpose?

There are some disturbing scenes in this book, but then we are dealing with plenty of amoral villains and psychopaths, and even some of the office joes and janes are not exactly admirable in their choices.  I didn't care for that, but I did like that Zack's view on things is evolving, and he realizes he doesn't have to be enslaved to his past identity or even who others see him as.

I'll have to keep following this series. 



View all my reviews