Showing posts with label graphic novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label graphic novel. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Book Review - The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

 


The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean is about a young woman, Clary, who can see things other people can’t. The most exciting part of Clary’s life is hanging out with her best friend, Simon. They spend most of their days hanging together. However, that all changes when Clary crosses paths with a mysterious stranger that she realizes no one else can see but her. To make matters worse, her mother disappears and a monster attacks her. She doesn’t know who she can turn to for help. As Clary tries to make sense of her new reality, she crosses paths again with the stranger and he introduces her to an entire new world that she never knew existed. A world filled with magical creatures like vampires, werewolves and demons along with the beings called Shadowhunters, who help protect humans from the monsters.

This was my first time reading anything by the author but I did a quick search before diving into the book and found that she had a huge cult following. It did take a few pages to get into the flow of the books and be able to tell the different characters apart. Since I am not familiar with The Mortal Instruments, the series took me a bit to understand what was going on. However, once I was able to follow along with the story, I found myself hooked. I wanted to read more and find out what happens to Clary. I do wish that the book didn’t end on a cliffhanger but I guess that will motivate me to read the novels to find out what happens next.

Monday, January 8, 2024

Book Review - Barbaric Vol. 2: Axe to Grind by Michael Moreci + Giveaway

 

Barbaric Vol. 2: Axe to Grind by Michael Moreci is about Owen, the protagonist from the first volume, facing an enemy from his past. Owen learns that a malicious demigod, Gladius, has returned. He had tried killing Gladius before but Gladius managed to escape before Owen could finish him off.  Owen’s bloodthirsty weapon, Axe doesn’t mind that Owen is following his own plan of vengeance because he wants to try god blood. As Owen tries to track down Gladius, he is joined by Soren and his barbarian comrade, Steel, who is now a timid vampire who prefers to avoid violence.

The graphic novel was the second book in the series. It follows the same artwork style and storyline from the previous novel. I thought it was a quick and entertaining read. I liked learning more about Owen’s past and seeing him bond more with Soren. Like the previous graphic novel, it has humor sprinkled throughout. The graphic novel does contain one short story at the end which shows an interaction between Owen and Axe in the past. It isn't directly related to the story but I thought it was a fun inclusion for those who want more Owen’s and Axe’s adventures.  I am excited to read the third part of the series to see what happens next!


**Disclosure - I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion** 

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BARBARIC VOL. 3: HELL TO PAY by Michael Moreci, Nicholas Eames, Nathan C. Gooden & QUEEN  OF SWORDS: A BARBARIC TALES by Michael Moreci & Corin Howell Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Books:

Title: BARBARIC VOL. 3: HELL TO PAY

Authors: Michael Moreci, Nicholas Eames, Nathan C. Gooden (Illustrator)

Pub. Date: January 2, 2024

Publisher: Vault Comics

Formats:  Paperback, eBook

Pages: 128

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/BARBARIC-VOL-3-HELL-TO-PAY

As one of Entertainment Weekly’s “10 Best Comics of 2021,” BARBARIC – featuring Owen the Barbarian and his bloodthirsty companion Axe – is back: bigger, bloodier, and badder than ever with BARBARIC Vol. 3: HELL TO PAY!

Hailed as one of the best comics of 2021 by Entertainment Weekly, Thrillist, Screen Rant, and more, bestselling BARBARIC is back, big, bloody and headed straight to Hell in Volume 3: Hell to Pay!

While Owen tames a dragon with an old friend, Soren and Steel cross paths with someone else from our cursed barbarian’s past…who isn’t looking nearly as friendly. Hell hath no fury like a woman stabbed through the heart by an ugly f***ing orc.

Oh, wait! Who’s carrying Axe?

BARBARIC Volume 3: Hell to Pay includes the oversized one-shot Wrong Kind of Righteous co-written by fantasy powerhouse writer Nicholas Eames (Kings of the Wyld)!!


For fans of BRZRKR!, The Witcher, Conan the BarbarianRed SonjaHeathen, Rat Queens, Kings of the Wyld, and Dungeons and Dragons!

Collects the third three-issue miniseries (Hell to Pay) and the special one-shot standalone (Wrong Kind of Righteous)!

It’s just … BARBARIC!

From writer Michael Moreci (Wasted Space, The Plot,Spree, and Revealer) and artist Nathan C. Gooden (Brandon Sanderson's Dark One, The RUSH, Vampire: The Masquerade)!

Own a whole lot of Owen, Axe, and the BARBARIC universe with:
Barbaric Vol. 1: Murderable Offenses (hardcover)
Barbaric Vol. 1: Murderable Offenses (trade paperback)
Barbaric Vol. 2: Axe to Grind (trade paperback)
Barbaric Vol. 3: Hell to Pay (trade paperback)
Queen of Swords: A Barbaric Tale (trade paperback)

PRAISE FOR BARBARIC

‘One of the “10 Best Comics of 2021…” Barbaric took only three issues to establish itself as a first-rate comic.’ - Entertainment Weekly

‘One of the “Best Comics of 2021…” It's a funny, gory, weird comic with stunning art in muted colors.’ – Thrillist

‘One of the “Best Comic Books and Graphic Novels of 2021…” the “excellent…violent, expletive-filled fantasy epic Barbaric never holds back… It’s bloody spectacular.”’ - Screen Rant

"A visually stunning, incredibly funny, action-packed bloody tale." - Comic Book Yeti

 

Title: QUEEN  OF SWORDS: A BARBARIC TALES

Authors: Michael Moreci & Corin Howell (Illustrator)

Pub. Date: January 2, 2024

Publisher: Vault Comics

Formats:  Paperback, eBook

Pages: 112

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, B&N, Indigo, Powell’s, BAM, Bookshop, Blackwell’s

Barbarian. Assassin. Witch. Red Sonja meets Dungeons & Dragons in Queen of Swords: A Barbaric Tale, where the triple threat of women's fury rises - bursting from the pages of the smash, BARBARIC (one of Entertainment Weekly's "Best Comics of 2021!")!

Magic and mayhem, humor and trouble,
Fire burns as blood flows and bubbles ...


Spinning out of the pages of BARBARIC comes an all-new, rip-roaring fantasy adventure, filled with mayhem, humor, and a bloodthirsty weapon that just won’t stop talking!

Serra is a witch with a checkered past; Ka is an assassin with an agenda all her own, and Deadheart is a barbarian who wants to bash everyone in her path. They’ll have to unite their unique skills to track down a powerful foe who’s tied their lives together. Get ready to meet your new favorite instrument of death—the evil Ga’Bar, whose spirit is now trapped in Deadheart’s sword!

Discover the origin of the dark magic that turned Soren into the tattooed witch she is today, in this totally new story, the perfect place to step into the world of BARBARIC for the first time!

Hell's got nothin' on these badass Barbaric belles...

Collects the entire, standalone three-issue series!

 

About Michael Moreci:

Michael Moreci is a bestselling comics author, screenwriter, and novelist. His original comic works include The Plot, Curse, Barbaric, Wasted Space (all for VAULT COMICS), the upcoming Creepy the Snowman Middle Grade graphic novel – with his two sons – for WONDERBOUND, Roche Limit, and more. He's also written canonical stories for Stranger Things, Star Wars, Hack/Slash, and the DC universe. Additionally, Moreci ‘s first movie, Revealer, premiered in Fall 2021 and he's in pre-production on a second film.

Keep in touch:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

About Nathan Gooden:

An award-winning illustrator and sequential artist, Nathan C. Gooden is Art Director at Vault Comics. Nathan studied animation at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and worked in film production, before co-founding Vault Comics. Nathan’s previous works include Brandon Sanderson’s Dark One (Vault), Barbaric (Vault), Zojaqan (Vault), and  Killbox (from American Gothic Press). He lives in Southern California, where he plays a lot of basketball and hikes constantly with his wife. 
Keep in touch:

Instagram

 


About Nicholas Eames:

Nicholas Eames was born to parents of infinite patience and unstinting support in Wingham, Ontario. Kings of the Wyld is his first novel, Bloody Rose his second! He lives in British Columbia, Canada, and  loves black coffee, neat whiskey, the month of October, and video games, anime, movies, and all things awesome.

He is co-wrote(with Michael Moreci) the one-shot, oversized comic BARBARIC: Wrong Kind of Righteous for Vault Comics!

Keep in touch:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

 


About Corin Howell:

Corin Howell is a red head Comic Artist of spooky, scary, and sexy, and monsters, maidens, and robots.
I love cats too.
She is the artist for the supernatural detective series from Vault, SHADOW SERVICE, with bestselling author Cavan Scott.          Hometown:  Austin, TX

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

 

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive finished copies of BARBARIC VOL. 3: HELL TO PAY & QUEEN  OF SWORDS: A BARBARIC TALES, US Only.

Ends January 16th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

12/18/2023

Writer of Wrongs

Excerpt

12/19/2023

Comic Book Yeti

Interview Nicholas Eames /IG Post

12/20/2023

@darkfantasyreviews

IG Post

12/21/2023

Sadie's Spotlight

Excerpt/IG Post

12/22/2023

The Momma Spot

Excerpt

Week Two:

12/25/2023

Two Chicks on Books

Interview Michael & Nate/IG Post

12/26/2023

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt/IG Post

12/27/2023

Lady Hawkeye

Excerpt/IG Post

12/28/2023

Rajiv's Reviews

Review/IG Post

12/29/2023

jlreadstoperpetuity

IG Post/TikTok Post

Week Three:

1/1/2024

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

1/2/2024

Lifestyle of Me

Review

1/3/2024

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

1/4/2024

The Knight's Guild

Review

1/5/2024

Brandi Danielle Davis

IG Review

Week Four:

1/8/2024

Two Points of Interest

Review/IG Post

1/9/2024

Kountry Girl Bookaholic

Review/IG Post

1/10/2024

@ashe_and_ink

IG Review

1/11/2024

Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's

Review/IG Post

1/12/2024

GryffindorBookishnerd

IG Review


Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Book Review - Codex Black: A Fire Among Clouds by Camilo Moncada Lozano and Angel De Santiago

 

Codex Black : A Fire Among Clouds by Camilo Moncada Lozano and Angel De Santiago is about a young Zapotec girl named Donaji, journeying to find her missing father. Donaji is known to be fearless and is a celebrated hero by her village. As she sets out to locate her father, she is accompanied by a god that lives in her poncho.

The poncho is a family heirloom that has been passed down by generations in her family. The god that resides in the poncho blesses the wearer with super strength. He also serves as a guardian and mentor to Donaji.

As she journeys to a village where her father was last spotted, she crosses paths with a young Mexica warrior with wings named Itzcacalotl. They formed a temporary partnership when they encountered a terrifying and dangerous bat monster that was terrorizing an entire village. As the duo spends more time together, their partnership blossoms into a budding friendship.

The graphic novel was colorful and well done. I enjoyed reading Donaji and Itzcacalotl’s adventures and seeing them transform into strangers thrusted into battle together, and then into good friends. I like that the footnotes explain some details about Aztec culture. The book had humor sprinkled with adventure and it’s perfect for young readers. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Book Review - Door to Door, Night by Night Vol. 1 by Cullen Bunn + Giveaway

 


 Door to Door, Night by Night Vol. 1 by Cullen Bunn is about a sales team finding out that monsters exist. In 1987, a group of people from Heritage Mills traveled from town to town selling coupons for photos from a photography studio to support a local fire volunteer station. The sales team are great at their job but they are also a bunch of outcasts that don’t really fit in anywhere else. When they see others who don’t fit in, they try to bring them into their fold.

When traveling to their next location, they see a woman, Max, hitchhiking and decide to let her ride with them. They ask if she would like to join their team. At first, Max thought they were recruiting her for a cult and hesitated. She realizes that she doesn’t really have anything else to do and she needs the money. The team is excited to have Max as she is a misfit just like them.

While they were going door to door,  Max spied an abandoned house covered with flyers about missing people that were posted also all over the town. At the end of the day the team goes to a bar to unwind together. Max leaves the bar after spending some time with the group. The team is nervous that she might get lost in the town by herself. However, when they follow her into the abandoned house, they realize there is more behind that door than they bargained for!

They find her in the middle of fighting a monster who is about to hurt her. The team scrambles and tries to get over the shock of an actual monster in their midst. Together, they chase the monster away, but now that that proverbial door has been opened, can the team go back to living their lives as if they never saw what they did?

The graphic novel was beautifully illustrated and had an entertaining storyline. The motley crew of characters reminded me of the show “Supernatural”. The book was packed with action and had a few funny moments. It was interesting and fun seeing the team bond over fighting the monsters and learning to trust each other while getting over the shock that monsters are real! The chapters are short and felt as if they were standalone. The graphic novel ends with a segue to the next book in the series. I hope the artist and author goes into more detail about each of the characters’ pasts in the next graphic novel. If you loved the TV show “Supernatural”, then you might enjoy reading this graphic novel!

 

**Disclosure - I received a free in copy in exchange for an honest opinion**

 

 


About The Book:

Title: DOOR to DOOR, NIGHT by NIGHT Vol. 1 : A World Full of Monsters

Author: Cullen Bunn & Sally Cantirino (Illustrations)

Pub. Date: July 25, 2023

Publisher: Vault Comics

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 128

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/DOOR-to-DOOR-NIGHT-by-NIGHT-Vol-1

A supernatural horror thriller splattered with dark humor in the vein of Grady Hendrix (My Best Friend’s Exorcism), Stranger Things, Welcome to Night Vale, Supernatural, and the Midnight, Texas series (Charlaine Harris), DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT Vol. 1: A World Full of Monsters tells the tale of a traveling sales team who find that once certain doors open, they are impossible to close.

SALES PEOPLE BY DAY. MONSTER HUNTERS BY NIGHT.

It’s 1987, and the Heritage Mills sales team travels from town to town, knocking on doors. They're the best at what they do... which also means they're the worst. They're broken, each and every one of them, haunted by closets so full of skeletons, they’re bursting. When they discover a terrible secret behind one fateful door, it opens their eyes to a world full of real monsters hidden in every small town.

Knock, knock. What’s there? Open the door if you dare…

From all-star creators, writer Cullen Bunn (Harrow County, The Last Book You’ll Ever Read) and artist Sally Cantirino (I Walk With Monsters, Human Remains) comes the story of a motley crew going to battle against supernatural evil throughout the American South.

For fans of the devilishly delicious blend of nostalgic horror and dark humor, small town secrets, moonlight fright, Stranger Things, Welcome to Night Vale, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, IT, Summer of Night, The Pallbearer’s Club, The Autumnal, Proctor Valley Road, Gideon Falls, The Boys, B.P.R.D., and Something Is Killing the Children.

Volume 1 collects issues #1-4 of the smash 12-issue series!

"It's all kinds of demon-hunting, low-life fun!" -- Cavan Scott (Comic writer, screenwriter & New York Times bestselling author. STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC; TITANS UNITED; SHADOW SERVICE; THE WARD; DEAD SEAS).

“Bunn and Cantirino, as a collaborative team, create a unique, beautiful, and terrifying world filled with monsters we could not imagine.” – Gatecrashers

“…this kind of horror storytelling … delivers across the board.” – The Fandom Post

“A beautiful example of the merging of humor and horror.” – Gatecrashers

“…delivers on its promise …This is absolutely worth picking up.” – Comicon.com

“…supernatural horror at its best.” – Capes and Tights

 

INSERT YOUR POST OR REVIEW HERE!

 

About Cullen Bunn:

Cullen Bunn is a New York Times bestselling author and prolific writer of horror/supernatural comics series and graphic novels including THE SIXTH GUN, HARROW COUNTY, BONE PARISH, THE DAMNED, THE EMPTY MAN, THE GHOUL NEXT DOOR, BASILISK, SHADOWMAN, and many other titles including The Last Book You'll Ever Read for Vault Comics. He has fought for his life against mountain lions and performed on stage as the World’s Youngest Hypnotist.

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon  | BookBub

 





About Sally Cantirino:

Sally Cantirino is a comic artist and illustrator currently based in New Jersey. She has been self-publishing comics and zines since she was a teenager. Her recent comics work includes I Walk With Monsters and Human Remains for Vault Comics,  “The Final Girls”, “Last Song”, and “We Have To Go Back”. She has also done artwork for World Champ Game Co and bands like La Dispute and Murder By Death.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads

 



Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a finished copy of DOOR to DOOR, NIGHT by NIGHT Vol. 1, US Only.

Ends August 15th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/17/2023

Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Review/IG Post

7/18/2023

@enjoyingbooksagain

IG Review

7/19/2023

Character Madness and Musings

Interview

7/20/2023

The Book Countess

Review/IG Post

7/21/2023

Fieldstone_lfl

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic

7/22/2023

Tara’s Book Addiction

IG Post

Week Two:

7/23/2023

Sadie's Spotlight

Interview

7/24/2023

A Dream Within A Dream

Excerpt

7/25/2023

Writer of Wrongs

Excerpt

7/26/2023

Locks, Hooks and Books

Review

7/27/2023

Brandi Danielle Davis

Review/IG Post

7/28/2023

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt/IG Post

7/29/2023

@by_hckilgour

IG Review

Week Three:

7/30/2023

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

7/31/2023

Bookish In Bed

Review/IG Post

8/1/2023

Books With a Chance

Review/IG Post

8/2/2023

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

8/3/2023

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Review/IG Post

8/4/2023

OneMoreExclamation

Review/IG Post

8/5/2023

celiamcmahonreads

Review/IG Post

Week Four:

8/6/2023

@bookish_aly_cat

IG Review

8/7/2023

@My.Bookish.Mind

Review/IG Post

8/8/2023

FUONLYKNEW

Review

8/9/2023

Jaime_of_gryffindor

IG Review

8/10/2023

@enthuse_reader

IG Review/TikTok Post

8/11/2023

Two Points of Interest

Review