Title: Alien Omnibus, Vol. 1
Author: Mark Verheiden
Book #: 1st of Series
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Publish Date: July 3rd 2007
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Date Read: October 18th 2013
Rating: ★★★ / out of 5
For us, mere existence isn't enough. We demand the accoutrements of life as well. The alien makes no such demands. They live in a very simple world.
They live to kill.
They live to breed.
And finally, they survive.
Summary:The first three Dark Horse Aliens series - Outbreak, Nightmare Asylum and Female War - are collected in a value-priced, quality-format omnibus, featuring nearly 400 story pages in full color. Aliens Omnibus Volume 1 is an essential piece of the Aliens mythos and a great entry point into the storied Dark Horse Aliens library.(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)Review:I really enjoyed the Alien movies, from what I remember. I am actually going to be re-watching all of them, as well as Prometheus, and thought that now would be a good time to check out this graphic novel.__________From my previous knowledge, I expected to see certain characters, including Ripley, Hicks, and Newt. Going into this novel, though, I met characters with different names who seemed to have shared the same experiences. As I continued on into the other stories, I became confused as to which character was which, who was who, and what actually took place in the movies.I think things could have been cleaned up a bit more, in order to make the flow better. There were also some pages were dialogue was cut off either at the top or bottom.Overall, I think this was a pretty decent graphic novel. Nothing amazing, but I did enjoy it and want to read the rest.Quote:We wanted to believe in our galliant justifications, but the truth is never so simple.Pages: To come!
On My Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/738482459
Title: I Love Him to Pieces
Author: Evonne Tsang & Janina Gorrissen
Book #: 1st of Series
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Publish Date: August 1st 2010
Pages: 123
Format: Paperback
Date Read: September 21st 2013
Rating: ★★★★½ / out of 5
Summary:
Can love survive the zombie apocalypse?
Maybe Dicey's first chance at a real relationship was dead from the start. 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?
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
Review:
Amazing! The romance is rushed (but I have a feeling that that might just be how it is with these super short, standalone graphic novels), but the characters and the story were awesome.
The CDC is mentioned, and the science is there (though not 100% in detail, we get the idea) and it wrapped up nicely at the end.
The only concern I had was that we never really find out what became of certain characters (mainly Dicey's friends).
Overall, this is a very quick, fun graphic novel read about zombies that will leave you hungry for more!
Pages:
To come!
On My Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/725297098
Title: The Color of Heaven
Author: Kim Dong-Hwa
Book #: 3rd of Trilogy
Publisher: First Second
Publish Date: September 1st 2009
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Date Read: September 23rd 2013
Rating: ★★★★★ / out of 5
"You can hide things from the world, but you can never hide things from time."
Summary:
As Ehwa grew from a girl to a young woman in The Color of Earth and The Color of Water, she began to understand and experience love and relationships, with her mother as a model and confidante. Now, in the heartwarming conclusion to this lyrically written and delicately drawn trilogy, Ehwa's true love comes at last, and as her mother looks on, she takes the final steps towards becoming an adult.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
Review:
I think this was a perfect conclusion to the trilogy. I loved seeing both Ehwa and her mother grow together over the course of these books and I'm glad that the both got the endings they deserved.
Overall, definitely a quick and enjoyable manga that is perfect for avid graphic novel readers as well as beginners.
Quotes:
"A wound on your skin can be easily healed with ointments, but a wound of the heart needs a good cry to start healing."
"I would rather crawl on my knees searching, than sit and wait, or lie down and wait."
"Since when is love a sin?"
"For nine months, a mother carries and nourishes her daughter in her stomach, then gives birth to her. It's a happy occasion, but the mother's left feeling sadly empty inside. But I realized today that, after raising her within my love and embrace and sending her off in marriage, this day is just as sad and leaves me just as empty as the one when I first gave birth to her."
On My Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/719472108
Title: The Girl Who Owned a City
Author: O.T. Nelson / Dan Jolley
Book #: Standalone
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Publish Date: January 1st 2012
Pages: 126
Format: Paperback
Date Read: September 15th 2013
Rating: ★★★★★ / out of 5
Pick a path you believe is right, and stick to it. That's what mom and dad always said. That's all I'm trying to do. But right or wrong tonight?
I don't regret anything.
Summary:
My parents are gone, so I'm responsible for my little brother Todd. I have to make sure we stay alive. Many kids are sick or starving, and fierce gangs are stealing and destroying everything they find. Lots of people have given up, but here on Grand Avenue, some of us are surviving. Because of me.
In a world like this, someone have to take charge.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
Review:
I read the novel this is based off of in middle school and I don't think I ever really appreciated it. Now, though, I really have to go back and re-read it. If it is anything like this, it will have a very strong, determined, kick-ass protagonist!
The story isn't too fleshed out in this graphic novel, so I can't go into too much depth on the story itself. What story we do get, though, is very good.
__________
Lisa is struggling with a lot. After the entire world was struck by a virus- killing everyone over the age of 13- she is alone, surviving with her younger brother. She does this very well. Right away, she takes action. While other kids clear the stores off all the candy and sugary-drinks, she takes the canned food and non-perishable items. She grabs medical supplies and water. She searches the homes further out, isolated, and targets the warehouses.
When violent gangs start becoming a major threat, she rallies together the kids on her block. As a group, they carve out their own safe place in this new, ruined world.
My favorite part of this graphic novels were the graphics themselves. Very vibrant and detailed, yet still keeping a cartoon-ish feel. I really want to check out more from this artist!
Overall, this was a great graphic novel! I just hope the story it is based on lives up to it.
Quotes:"Nothing makes stealing okay."
Pages:
To come!
On My Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/719829205
Title: The Color of Water
Author: Kim Dong-Hwa
Book #: 2nd of Trilogy
Publisher: First Second
Publish Date: June 9th 2009
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Date Read: September 15th 2013
Rating: ★★★★★ / out of 5
A man who becomes enchanted by the flower's fragrance stays only for a fleeting moment, but a man who comes because of love stays for a lifetime.
Summary:
When Ehwa goes to the town festival, she meets a handsome young wrestler named Duksam who’s eager to catch her eye. After he wins the festival wrestling championship, he and Ehwa begin to meet, sneaking spare moments to be together. But a shadow falls on their romance when Master Cho sends Duksam away and asks for Ehwa’s hand in marriage himself It is then that Ehwa discovers the pain of heartbreak – and that love is always complicated.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
Review:
As we see Ehwa grow older in this second volume, we also see her explorations and discoveries in the world of love and sex. While slightly less innocent than the first book, Ehwa is still a very relate-able protagonist and a very remarkable young woman. Her and her mother's romances are heart-warming and fragile things, and we see them connect in a new way as they both test the waters in the possibilities of true love.
Overall, I would very much so recommend this series! I think it is a very good coming-of-age story.
Pages:
To come!
On My Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/719467752
Title: The Color of Earth
Author: Kim Dong-Hwa
Book #: 1st of Trilogy
Publisher: First Second
Publish Date: March 31st 2009
Pages: 312
Format: Paperback
Date Read : September 14th 2013
Rating: ★★★★★ / out of 5
I came hoping to see those eyes, but instead I return with my heart, leaving behind only flowers.
Summary:
Ehwa grows up helping her widowed mother run the local tavern, watching as their customers – both neighbors and strangers – look down on her mother for her single lifestyle. Their social status isolates Ehwa and her mother from the rest of the people in their quiet country village. But as she gets older and sees her mother fall in love again, Ehwa slowly begins to open up to the possibility of love in her life.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
Review:
Despite the fact that this book is sexual graphic, which I would normally not like in a YA book, there is something to innocent and timeless about this story that I fell completely in love.
Overall, this is the perfect coming of age story, as well as one for first loves.
Pages:
On My Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/719415145
