- Dust – Hugh Howey. I took this out from the library in December 2014 and didn’t get around to reading it until Febraruy 2017. AND I DON’T KNOW WHY. I loved Wool, was pretty excited by Shift and couldn’t wait for Dust. Who knows why it languished for so long in my TBR pile. Happily, when I finally did get around to reading it, it didn’t disappoint. I love the enclosed world(s) created in the Wool series, and I’m a sucker for unexpected twists and turns which Dust delivered in spades.
- Captain Marvel, Volume 1: Rise of Alpha Flight – Michele Fazekis et. al. I don’t know why Alpha Flight are suddenly in space, but there’s not really any time to ponder that question as we’re thrown straight into the action, and I’m kind of into it. The combination of action, politics and sci-fi in this volume reminded me of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which can only be a good thing. Where’s my Captain Marvel movie, Marvel????
- Black Widow, Volume 1: The Finely Woven Thread – Nathan Edmondson & Phil Noto. I don’t know much about Black Widow, and ‘The Finely Woven Thread’ didn’t do much to enlighten me. That said, it was a solid spy-thriller that I enjoyed more than I thought I would.
- Savage Wolverine, Volume 2: Hands on a Dead Body – Zeb Wells, Joe Madureira & Jock. So many Wolverine titles make me throw my hands up in the air and question the popularity of the character, and this was definitely one of them. The first half is thoroughly ‘meh’ and the second half makes almost no sense. I gave it two stars. ‘Nuff said.
- Queer: A Graphic History – Meg-John Barker & Julia Scheele. Breaking down queer theory is a tall order, but one that this book takes in its stride. Illustrated with humour and verve, it takes a more-or-less academic look at an incredibly complex subject and manages to make it accessible to almost everyone.
- Paper Girls, Volume 2 – Brian K. Vaughan & Cliff Chiang. So, I liked the first volume of Paper Girls. It was good, and the ending was exciting, but I felt a bit unmoored when reading it. I was hopeful for volume 2, but not quite sure what to expect. Luckily we jump right in to aliens, time travel, witty banter, awesome relationships and general EXCITEMENT. If you haven’t started this series yet, you really, really need to.
- Superman/Wonder Woman, Volume 4: Dark Truth – Peter J. Tomasi & Doug Mahnke. Dismal. So very dismal. There was potential in the storyline but I really don’t think Tomasi knew what to do with what he was writing. Avoid.
- Sorcerer to the Crown – Zen Cho. This was recommended to me by several bloggers and man am I glad I listened to you all. Things are not going well for England’s Sorcerer Royal. There’s a war on, and the government are set on involving magic in the fight, magic reserves seem to be falling, someone keeps trying to kill him, he’s somehow ended up with a female apprentice. Oh, and he’s black. This book covers so many amazing things. Magic – check. ‘Regency’ shenanigans – check. Diversity and the problems inherent therein – check. Rampant feminism – check. Romance – check. Read it!
- The X-Files, Volume 1: Revival – Joe Harris et. al. A decent, if not spectacular, collection. Some hits and some misses, but it’s always fun to revisit the world of Mulder and Scully.
- Tracer – Rob Boffard. The future is here and it’s not that fun. On a decrepit spaceship, Riley delivers packages for a living. It sounds easy, but given how much of the station is a no-go area thanks to various gangs, it’s not an easy way to get by. When she gets dragged into a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top of station management, she does the only thing she knows how to do – runs. It’s Mirror’s Edge in space, basically. I never fully connected with this book, but it was a fun, fast read, and I recommend it if you’re looking for some lighter, action-packed sci-fi.
- We Go Out: Dung Beetle Book 1C – Miriam Elia & Ezra Elia. A fun, if not particularly memorable, parody.
- The Ladybird Book of the Zombie Apocalypse – Jason Hazeley & Joel Morris. See above. An amusing, fast read, but not one that will stay with you.
- The Battles of Bridget Lee: Invasion of Farfall – Ethan Young. A sci-fi war comic aimed at younger readers, there’s not much in this that’s earth-shatteringly original. That said, I mostly enjoyed it but took, and still take, issue with the idea that it’s the future but women aren’t allowed to take part in combat.
- Aquaman, Volume 1: The Drowning – Dan Abnett, Philippe Briones, Scot Eaton & Brad Walker. Right, so, Aquaman. I see what Dan Abnett was trying to do with this relaunch, but the problem seems to be the Aquaman as a character is dull, dull, dull and therefore not someone you particularly care about.
- Doctor Strange, Volume 1: The Way of the Weird – Jason Aaron & Chris Bachalo. I’ve never had any fondness for Doctor Strange. In my view, the magic Marvel universe, and the mutant one should remain separate. Marvel disagree though, so I thought I’d give this new series a chance, especially since it’s illustrated by Chris Bachalo, who I’ve had a soft spot for since Generation X. And I loved it! This is a rollicking, disturbing, amusing look into the world of Doctor Strange. A good starting point for new readers, but one that fully acknowledges and incorporates the history of the character.
- Doctor Strange, Volume 2: The Last Days of Magic – Jason Aaron & Chris Bachalo. A fantastic continuation of volume 1 (the bad guys are… weird, but you just need to roll with it).
- Spider-Man/Deadpool, Volume 1: Isn’t It Bromantic – Joe Kelly & Ed McGuinness. Peter Parker is another character I’ve never have a lot of time for. Sadly, even though he’s got Deadpool around to help him be much cooler, ‘Isn’t It Bromantic’ hasn’t changed that for me. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy this at all. Spider-Man isn’t my cup of tea, this version of Deadpool isn’t stellar, and putting them together weakens them both.
- Black Panther, Volume 1: A Nation Under Our Feet – Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brian Stelfreeze & Laura Martin. I wanted to love this, I really did, but I just couldn’t connect to any of the characters or invest in the storyline at all. I’ll keep reading it in the hope that it improves but I suspect it’ll turn out to just not be for me.
- Daredevil Back in Black, Volume 1: Chinatown – Charles Soule & Rob Garney. This has a surprising amount of negative reviews, but I actually really enjoyed it. I’ve never really found a Daredevil book that I’ve fully liked, so I didn’t have much in the way of expectations for this one. But it’s fun, and interesting, and dark. Daredevil gets a sidekick, who brings a lot of complications to the table, but that’s part of what makes the book worth reading.
- The Amazing Spider-Man: Edge of Spider-Verse – David Hine et. al. I’m only in this for Spider-Gwen. Quelle surprise!
- Spider-Gwen, Volume 0: Most Wanted? – Jason Latour & Robbi Rodriguez. Given that Spider-Gwen was initially just super cool outfit, ‘Most Wanted?’ does a really good job of setting her up as a fully-fleshed character with motivations and problems. Gwen Stacy decides to become a superhero when she’s bitten by a spider and develops powers. The problem is that she doesn’t really know what she’s doing, her band would really like her to stop missing practice, and her father is the vigilante-hating Chief of Police. A solid set-up and some great artwork.
