Books of 2023: Quarter 3

 

 

 Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Waking to find her friend dead from a drug overdose while everyone else in the apartment was brutally murdered, the future does not look bright for Galaxy "Alex" Stern. To the surprise of the high school dropout and small-time drug dealer, rather than being released back onto the street with no where to go, she's instead offered admission into Yale University - for a price. On campus, Stern will find not only a grueling class schedule and new classmates to attempt to fit in with, but also a world of real magic and ritual performed by the school's eight secret societies - The Houses of the Veil. And the price of Stern's admission - to use her gift (or curse) to see and interact with ghosts as well as the training and tools provided by Lethe House to monitor the activities of these societies and ensure the safety of not only the school and its student body but also the town around campus as well. Though when her mentor mysteriously vanishes and a seemingly unrelated and mundane murder occurs off-campus, it'll be up to Stern to decide just how far she wants to pursue her hunch and keep those at the top in line.

Finally getting into some new urban fantasy (looking through some of my past reading, it has definitely been a while). And, I guess since the story takes place in our world (mostly Yale Campus and the surrounding area) it also qualifies as Wainscotting fantasy, aka fantasy hidden just below the surface of our world. Like a lot of books I've read recently or will be reading in the future, I probably found this one on some "Top __ list of __ books" and placed it onto my own "To Read" book list. Then, with a slightly-shortened version of said list, I walked around a new bookstore (getting my bearings) and picked out several on my list. Besides being an urban fantasy book, what also interested me about this book is that though it isn't about a school that teaches magic, it is a real school which happens to have a secret, underground magical society which our main character is thrust into, and not for the sake of learning magic but monitoring those societies so their practices don't harm the outside (normal) world.

If your fantasy reading was shaped heavily during the hey-day of "Harry Potter" as mine was, then you're also a sucker for Magic School Fantasy. Probably at the time, it was all about the magic, where I fantasized about being enrolled at a school of magic compared to sitting in my regular classes. As I'm older ... it's still about the magic but also about living life as these younger characters (ugh, I'm getting old). In Ninth House, the school Alex Stern attends is a real world school, Yale University, which, no, is not a school which teaches magic (though, really how would I know for sure). Setting itself on a university campus already sets the story about from a lot of other Magic School Fantasy as it ages the characters up from the typical teenagers you'd see in this kind of story - providing a different type of character and different kinds of problems. The magic, in this case, isn't in full view of the regular public or even the rest of the students on campus but instead is only practiced by a select group of students in a more "underground" scene. Obviously, this changes some of the traditional elements of a typical Magic School Fantasy but it does add some other features. With magic being hidden comes the need for secrecy from everyone involved, making the magic (and everything associated) obviously more subtle - no outlandish displays and revealing magic to anyone not associated is strictly forbidden. It also provides a limit to not only what Alex is able to do, but also the antagonists as well, which helps to increase the mystery as neither side can simply reveal themselves and draw the other into combat. Unlike traditional Magic School Fantasy, Alex isn't there to learn magic but to help keep it contained and prevent the Ivy League elites from using their abilities and knowledge for nefarious purposes. So, if you enjoy Magic School Fantasy but are looking for something a little older, a little different, this might just be what you're looking for.

One aspect of the story where I think Bardugo truly shines compared to other writers is in the framing of the story as well as the overall structure (I'm sure there's a better way to describe it, but I can't quite find the words). The story itself follows three timelines: The Present Day set in Early Spring, the previous Fall during which Stern was learning the trade, and the previous Winter. The main chunk of the story sets itself in the six months before the present day, Fall and Winter, with the initial mystery being the disappearance of Daniel "Darlington" Arlington, Stern's guide and mentor, the Virgil to her Dante as Lethe House describes it. Though the reader is jumping between these two periods, Bardugo makes the story easy to follow, indicating the season at the start of each chapter. What I really liked about this style (and where I think Bardugo's writing shines) is the way each chapter (though they may be set in different time periods) flow from one onto the next. A chapter set in Winter ends with a question or a new insight into a previous event, then the next chapter will go back to the event in the Fall, and then the next chapter after that will pick-up with some new answer - all of it flowing from one onto the next. Yes, the story could have simply followed a more linear path but that simply ruins the suspense and isn't as fun. I've also read through stories that would instead provided needed/vital information via info-dumps, so I'm happy that the backstory is included as part of the story itself.

You keep saying, "magic" so tell me about the magic system, you say (or at least I assume you are, you fucking nerd - another assumption but why else would you be reading this?). Alex's unique ability to see ghosts, or "Grays,'" and of course her later interactions with them, seems to be an anomaly as only a few others have reported the same powers. Of course, this is what makes her stand out, getting the attention of Lethe House. The Societies typically use forms of ritual magic, their power drawn from their own individual Tombs where their magic is most concentrated. Each House practices a different and specific form of magic, though they all tend to share similar requirements to enact: A number of members at the ritual location, chanting, notable objects, and time. Lethe House, on the other hand, having no Tomb or center of power of their own, as well as being required to tend to events at a variety of locations, utilize magical items and potions for easier transportation and mobility. Most items and potions used are pretty standard stuff if you've read a lot of fantasy, leaving it up to Alex to utilize them to the fullest potential - showing off her ingenuity and quick-wit.

Strange Academy: Finals Vol. 4 by Skottie Young

 

The prophecy set forth at the beginning of the school year will finally be resolved as we find which student is destined to bring doom to the school and which will stand to defend it. While Emily Bright leads her rebellion against the teachers of Strange Academy, the remaining students work hard to keep the school functioning and clean. Between classes though, they'll set out to rescue one of their own, put on a carnival to raise money for the city, and even help to defend New Orleans from a terrifying storm. In the end, the prophecy will be fulfilled as the students battle each other to determine the school's ultimate fate.

The last of the "Strange Academy" stories collected into a single volume. Seeing these individual issues of "Strange Academy: Finals" on the shelves of the comic book store was what got me into the series to start, and that it was written by Skottie Young of I Hate Fairyland is simply a bonus. As I've said many, many times before, I'm a sucker for Magic School Fantasy, so this comic series fits perfectly for me. I've probably talked about comic and magic schools a lot, but, well, you're here reading this, so you're going to hear about it some more. What really makes this particular Magic School story stand out to me (besides obviously the students and magic) is, since this is set in the Marvel Universe, superheroes also exist. The children aren't simply learning to control and harness their abilities, but as their teachers are also famous superheroes idolized by not only the kids but people across the globe, they're also striving to be better people.

Unfortunately, it was stated (at least for now, fingers-crossed) that this would be the last "Strange Academy" story written by Skottie Young. I'm hoping he'll be back later to continue the stories of these characters but who knows. As for this resolution - sure, it had the big battle the MCU movies are know for, but I'm happier it wasn't the climax/ finale of the story. After all, I know it's a story involving magic and superheroes and good vs evil, but ultimately it's a story about kids [SPOILER, obviously]. Seeing it all come down to Doyle vs Emily and that their fight wasn't simply the two flinging magical energy at each other but actually trying to convince the other to change their mind and join their side was much more heartfelt and in-line with their youthful, teenage characters. After the battle, the kids pick up the pieces and complete the end of their first year, leaving so much room for growth, but that will be all up to Marvel if they're willing to bring Young back to work on future issues (I really hope so).

DIE vol 1: Fantasy Heartbreak by 

 

For their 16th birthday, Ash and Solomon's friends get together to play a brand new Role-Playing Game designed by Solomon himself. It is on that night the six of them vanish without a trace, only for five of them to mysteriously reappear two years later, unable to speak about what happened to them. Twenty-five years later, the group is brought back together thanks to a simple yet cryptic message received from their missing friend - Solomon's 20-sided die covered in blood. The five will travel back to the world of DIE, again taking on the role of their characters, only to find they've become trapped in DIE by Solomon himself, who has now assumed control over the world.

 Again, thanks to both my new Dungeons and Dragons obsession and my rekindled comic book love, I picked this up from OtherRealms after seeing it on the shelf and thinking, "Hmm, that cover looks interesting." I mean, you've probably already read or seen something like this plot before - a group of kids playing a game get sucked into the game and now must struggle to survive until they find their way out (Jumangi, Sword Art Online, just to name a few). What I think sets it apart from those is first (obviously) the different Player Characters the characters can embody in the world (I'll definitely get to one in particular), but also how the characters' motivations help to shape the world as well as drive the story. In other stories of this type, the world is usually a set, solid thing and it is up to the characters to adapt as well as move themselves forward in the story. In DIE, though, escaping the world truly does hinge on the characters and how they fare in not only the world of DIE but in their real lives as well.

Obviously each of the characters portray a different character class (wouldn't be very interesting if they were all the same). For just a bit though, I just want to talk about one in particular, The Neo. A cyberpunk-inspired rogue, Angela's character uses technology as her weapon in this fantasy world. What I love about the class the most is the condition that she restock on gold every day to fuel her abilities. Every day. So Ash, quite accurately, compares her class to the typically untrustworthy Rogue D&D class seeing as Angela also can't be trusted as she is an addict always in search of gold. It's such an interesting take on the class, and the requirement for the party to constantly look for a particular component everyday is interesting though I'd probably use it as more of a niche for a warlock class. That said, each class is it's own interesting take on the classic D&D and I'm interested to see how they'll all play out.

I also enjoyed the essays set at the end of the volume, each describing what went into creating the world of DIE, the characters and their classes, and even how the chapters are split and contained. Yes, probably because it is simply writer shop talk, but I really liked seeing the little breakdowns that went into creating the story and the information that went into it. I mean, I also do it all the time in my own short stories.

One other thing to check out, as if my bank account could afford to take the extra hit, is if you're into this story and world as well as Tabletop games, is trying your hand at the TTRPG version. Yeah, they made their own TTRPG version of DIE so you and your friends (or enemies, whatever) can play in the world too! That's so cool but so far from where I am in my Tabletop life (and, like I mentioned) bank account.

Monster Hunter Legion by Larry Correia

 

 Owen Pitt and the rest of the Monster Hunter International are invited to attend the first ever Monster Hunter Convention in Las Vegas, and it's everything he imagined it would be: hunters from across the globe swapping stories, panels hosted by industry experts and insiders, and even hands-on testing of the newest prototypes. It's supposed to be a vacation, but someone else has other plans. When an experiment from World War II gets loose, the rival hunter companies set their sights on being the first to bag the elusive creature. When the monster turns out to be more than they thought it was, it'll be up to Owen Pitt and the rest of the hunters to save Sin City.

Damn, I really didn't realize just how long it's been since I've read these novels. So, this makes the fourth of I think eight Monster Hunter novels (at least in the main story). Being so far behind in the series, they're really hard to find at Barnes and Nobles so I have to remember to save room in my box of "Books to be Read" and order it off of Amazon whenever I've put together a big enough list. Surprisingly, even at 500 pages and (from what I remember) it usually taking me longer to read these books (no idea why, though it's the same for a lot of High Fantasy), I ripped through this one in just over two weeks, which feels like a record for me. The only issue is that, because of the time spent between books, I've forgotten some of the events (not the major ones at least) but luckily, the story provides a quick reference at times so there's really no need to stop and look up what previously happened.

I'm sure I mentioned this before, but (just as with the previous three novels) these books would make excellent action movies. Monster Hunter International is a private firm dedicated to hunting down monsters which prey on humanity, collecting on bounties set by various world governments who simply want to keep the existence of monsters from the general public. Previous novels saw the company defeating a variety of monsters with an assortment of guns, knives, explosives, tactics, and even magical weaponry, and this book is no different. Owen Pitt is your typical action hero - he's strong, brave, wise enough to know when to ask for help, and gets the beautiful woman at the end of the story - he's the male fantasy in-line with all these other action star leading men. His wife, Julie Shackleford, is just as tough, brave, smart, and the best marksmen on their team. The rest of the team is made of Hunters who were once regular people ignorant of the existence of monsters, and who now see monster hunting as a calling. It's an action-filled ride as Monster Hunter International hunt down the creature keeping them trapped in their Las Vegas hotel, while connecting the incident to a longer growing conspiracy I'm assuming will pay off big in later books - if I can ever get around to them.

Personal by Lee Child

 

 A mysterious message from the past past brings Jack Reacher back to the US Army in the hopes of finding who just took a shot at the French President and bringing them to justice. From a range of almost a mile, there's few snipers throughout the globe who would possibly make that shot - and Reacher happened to send one of them to prison. Now that John Kott, a former US military sniper is out and on the loose, it's up to Jack Reacher to discover if he was the one who took the shot, and, if so, put him back behind bars before the upcoming G8 summit.

Another Jack Reacher novel! I know, right, it's been a while since I've read one of these. Luckily (maybe thanks to how popular the show is now on Amazon Prime), Barnes and Nobles always seems to have a copy of each book in stock so they're always available when I need one. Another action-filled thriller as Jack Reacher hunts down a man bent on revenge and able to kill from nearly a mile away. A solid story, not the best and not the worst in the series - a great middle-level, cozy (there's probably a better word but I can't think of it, or maybe it is the right word for the type of books I like) novel. I feel like I'm usually pretty good at figuring out the twist in these stories, at least before the main character finds out, but for this one I really only got part of it and the rest surprised me at the end.

United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas

Decades ago, the Axis Powers won the Second World War. Japan now rules over a vast majority of what was once the United States of America. Those living under The Emperor's rule are taught a skewed version of history while anything less than obedience is punishable by death. Captain Beniko Ishimura monitors videogames for any signs of treason or treachery. When a new game emerges depicting a world in which the Allies won World War Two, the government tasks Ishimura with finding who is distributing it and shut it down. As he delves deeper into the investigation, however, Ishimura finds the case more complicated than he originally believed, its content more accurate than his superiors would like, and its creator someone no one expected.

So, obviously I picked this up because of the giant mech shown on the cover. I heard about this book awhile back, and found a used (i.e. discounted) copy at Skull-Face Books after selling off some old ones. One warning: if you're like me and you wanted to see a bunch of mech battles, this is not the book for you - though mechs are present throughout the story, there were only three battles. If you're a fan of alternate history fantasy, then this book is definitely something to check out. I feel like there's already a bunch of stories, videogames, TV shows depicting life under Nazi rule if the Axis won, but no one really talks about what Japan and Italy would've gained. The story doesn't delve too deep into what alternate actions the Axis could've taken to win the war, but instead gives a brief glimpse at at, and then jumps into life under Japanese occupation/ rule in California. I feel like a deep dive would've taken away from the story, and besides, there's also a lot of info out there about how the Axis could've won that you can go out and read it on your own. Set forty years after World War Two, the story definitely gives off "1984" Orwellian - vibes as the Japanese government monitors all of its citizens' communications, utilizing government censor programs and secret police officers.

So, um, I don't know, I didn't really care for this story. I saw a lot of good reviews for it praising the writing, the imagination of Japan taking over the US, the giant mech fights, etc. I already addressed how I didn't think there were enough mech battles to label this as a mecha novel, but I also thought it unbelievable that the Japanese military could create a giant robot with the technology of the 1940s. The writing itself felt ... I don't know, boring, cliche, just something about it (especially the dialogue) that I didn't care for. The main character, despite my love of the slacker/ unmotivated character that's secretly capable, I really couldn't get behind him. Instead, I found the secondary character, Agent Akiko Tsukino of the secret police, much more interesting with a better story and character arc. I think this is the first of a trilogy but as much as I'd like to complete what I start, I'm not sure if I'm going to get to the rest of the story. I don't know, maybe if I find the next books on sale too.

Neil Gaiman's Midnight Days by Neil Gaiman

A collection of six stories written by Neil Gaiman back when he worked at DC comics. No, I'm not sure who chose them or the criteria used, just that they are "classic" stories, which, from what I gathered, Gaiman didn't have a lot of time to work on as he was busy with "The Sandman" at the time. Featuring classic DC comics characters such as Swamp Thing, John Constantine, and Sandman (both of them), Gaiman presents a different take on the classic comic book superhero-punches-bad guy plot, instead delivering stories more in line with his "Sandman" comic, stories about identity and heartbreak and understanding and truth. In one of his Swamp Thing stories, Jack on the Green tries to understand his place among mortal humans, while in another, he barely shows-up at all, the story instead focusing on a thing from the past trying to make sense of its place in the modern day. John Constantine is once again down on his luck when he encounters something supernatural just looking for warmth. In a crossover event (the longest story in the collection), DC comics Sandman (a detective specializing in a type of knock-out gas) meets with Gaiman's Sandman Morpheus in a mystery to uncover a killer.

I bought this a long, long time ago ... and then I guess simply lost it in a pile of books and papers and notebooks. Recently, obviously, I found it again, and went "where did this come from?" I can't even remember where I got it from. I do think though, that where I originally bought it, I probably didn't read the back but bought it because it had Neil Gaiman's name on the cover as I don't typically buy short story collections.

The Boogeyman by 

Elliott knows there are monsters, unseen in the darkness. When his parents are brutally murdered, he will find out just how real Boogeymen are. After he is saved from the same fate by Father Death, one of the oldest of Boogeymen, he'll find himself caught in the middle of a war amongst monsters as they seek to redefine the laws that govern their world. Spending the night hunted by monsters, Elliott ultimately learns what it means to truly face one's fears.

I first heard of this comic through an ad/preview in the back of an issue of another comic. The first couple of pages looked interesting enough, and upon looking into it further, I'm a fan of lore and rules amongst monsters in the darkness. Since the comic itself was already a couple issues in by the time I found out about it, so I figured I'd just wait until the collection got released to pick it up. As a short story confined to a short six issues, I thought it was really well done (I'd read other short stories that were disappointing). The story pacing, suspense, and action throughout was really well done as I read through it in just one sitting, interested to see how this whole, one-night adventure ended. The best part, I think, is that I couldn't even tell where the individual issues ended and the next one began, each part flowing so seamlessly into the next that I'm baffled how anyone read this one issue at a time. My only gripe, and it's a small one as this is a self-contained short story, is the ending wrapping up with Elliott already on his deathbed, giving a short speech about all he'd learned from his Boogeyman, as I really would've liked to see his life growing up with what he knows and what he has seen. But, as I said, it's a self-contained story with no plans for a sequel, so I understand the choice to end it that way.

The Magic Order #4 by Mark Millar

Cordelia Moonstone's exile of her own brother fro abusing his magical powers and using them for personal gain has led to a rift within The Magic Order, a rift ready to be exploited by Madam Albany revealed to be returned from the dead. Seeking a change to the rules that govern their lives, Albany and her followers stage a coup, systematically eliminating everyone in the Inner Circle who either refuses to join or could be seen as a threat. Meanwhile, Cordelia is exiled to the land of Kolthur where, to secure peace between the realms, their king was exchanged for Cordelia's brother. Cut off from her power and staring down the wand of Kolthur's current Magic King, will Cordelia be able to win her freedom in time to stop Albany's plot and save the Magic Order?

"The Magic Order" continues to be one of the best urban fantasy series delivering imaginative magical duels (and not simply wizards shooting colored lights at each other), a great story to keep the pages turning, and a couple of plot twists such that I couldn't even begin to guess what might happen next. Everything about the series has been magnificent, exactly what I want from an urban fantasy series. After Cordelia exile's her own brother, the rest of the Magic Order begin to question why they shouldn't use their abilities for personal gain, especially when they are obligated to put their lives on the line for humanity, even sacrificing themselves if needed. Cordelia though, having turned a corner in her life after rejoining The Magic Order, sees the importance of the society's rules and seeks to keep the Order bound by to its rules.

Earthdivers: Kill Columbus by Stephen Graham Jones

It's 2112 and the apocalypse is upon us. The soil is barren, the rivers have dried up, the oceans rise, and civilization has crumbled. Those who can flee, flee. Discovering a cave which can transport anyone across time and space, a group of Indigenous people decide to rewrite history by changing its course at the moment when everything went wrong: America. To save the world, the group sends one of their own to assassinate Christopher Columbus before he sets foot in the New World. History, however, does not like to change and will do whatever it can to stop their mission, no matter the future outcome. Will they manage to stop Columbus, and could the death of a single man really change the course of history?

Collecting the first six issues of "Earthdivers," a series set to explore stories of alternative history, the first arc focuses on a plot to kill Christopher Columbus and prevent the creation of America. I found out about this series later, picking up the first issue but unable to find subsequent issues. Luckily, the arc got a collected edition (not all comics get that) so I just had to wait until the collection was published. The series is currently ongoing, the new story arc being "Ice Age" which I haven't checked out yet. It's gonna sound weird, but what I really appreciated about the collected edition is the introduction by Jones describing being a "Native kid" sitting in a classroom, learning about Columbus, and just thinking, "what if?"

The main story follows Tad as he attempts to change history and save the future by killing Christopher Columbus before he can arrive to the New World and setting off the genocide of Tad's ancestors. Of course, simply slitting the man's throat isn't as simple as it sounds, and Tad's quest mission gets harder once he realizes history itself is trying to stop him. Back in the present day, the three who couldn't accompany Tad set out to find if Tad completed his mission only to make their own startling discoveries.

Overall, it is really good - the bloody, conflicted sacrifices taken by the characters are very in-line with these types of world-changing stories. I'm a little conflicted about the ending, but it does set up the next story arc, assuming "Ice Age" does pick up where "Kill Columbus" leaves off.

Night Club (#1 - 6) Completed by Mark Millar

Danny and his friends' masked vigilante antics finally catch-up with them after one of their heroic efforts blows-up in their faces, literally. With Danny severely injured, the newbie vampires are easily caught and reprimanded by Danny's maker. Unfortunately, their abilities have also caught the attention of another sinister group of vampires. Finding Danny's group weakened and out-numbered, the vampires give the teenagers one chance to save their own lives - by killing their own families.

The first six-issues of Night Club ends with a vampire brawl as Danny and friends take on a group of evil vampires. Mark Millar's modern take on vampires sees the teenagers using their new vampire powers to become masked vigilantes and, more importantly, become famous through viral internet videos. When a group of evil vampires makes themselves known, though outmatched in raw power, Night Club will use whatever they can get their hands on to survive. I really liked seeing the teenage recklessness given to Danny, a trait only amplified when he receives his powers - and then shattered when he finally discovers what lurks in this new world he finds himself in. I tend to like a lot of these modern takes on old horror stories and monsters, and though vampires in the modern age has been done many times before, I liked Millar's take on giving the powers not only to teenagers but teenagers who've been influenced by the internet and modern day superhero stories.

The end of the first arc sets up the next arc to focus on the relationships between the three friends as well as the growing strife between them. Can you really remain friends for an eternity?

Ultimate Invasion (Issue# 1-4) Completed by 

 The Maker, an evil version of the genius Reed Richards, from the Ultimates Universe, has managed to not only escape his hidden prison but also escape to a new reality entirely - a new universe which he's able to bend and shape as he pleases. Stop Peter Parker being bitten by a radioactive spider? Check. Install Loki as the ruler of Asgard? Check. Stop the creation of the Fantastic Four, and thus this universe's version of himself? Check. Upon eliminating or incapacitating potential threats to his plans, The Maker sets his sights upon the world, creating a secret cabal of global leaders to assist in keeping the population calm and under control. Upon discovering The Maker's machinations, however, Howard Stark (along with a masked and docile Reed Richards) devise a plan to take back their world from the interloper. Disrupting a system which controls the entire world however leads to the creation of very powerful enemies, and so, upon Howard's Death, Anthony Stark throws his lot in with Richards to create a team to reshape the world for the better.

They're bringing back The Ultimate Universe! Surprisingly, as a kid, I didn't read a lot of Western comic books. In college and after though, I started to get back into American comics thanks to Fables (side note: DC, what the fuck are you guys doing over there?) and the Marvel movies. "The Ultimates" were one of those graphic novels I picked up and while I never followed the original run, I was still interested in this sort-of Avengers team put together to face a world more like our own than the ones which you typically find in the pages of comic books. When I heard Marvel was bringing it back with the start of "Ultimate Invasion #1", I knew I had to pick it up. Of course (luckily for me) the story is filled with enough major characters that I either recognize from other comics or the MCU that I didn't need to go out of my way to do research on who these people were.

It's also a superhero comic so of course you're getting the standard folks-in-spandex-outfits-punching-and-kicking-and-using-superpowers action. What I think makes "The Ultimates" stand out from the rest is how closely it can parallel the real world. While the original "The Ultimates" focused on the threat of emerging superpowers and the United States of America as a global power threatening the sovereignty of other nations, the reboot creates a secret cabal of world leaders led by The Maker who manipulate the public perspective through fear to keep them under control (sounds kinds conspiratorially familiar, huh). Anyways, it sets up an exciting series once Marvel begins it's Ultimate-line again with a new set of Avengers going up against global superpowers and nations as well as (more than likely) the public consciousness whose been conditioned to believe has always been this way - and show it instead that there is a better way forward.

Knight Terrors (DC Comics) Completed

A mysterious villain forces all the superheroes, along with the rest of the world, into a deep sleep - forcing them to confront their darkest fears and nightmares - while he scours the Earth for the hidden Nightmare Stone. Deadman, a spirit trapped in the mortal plane, seeks out the stone, hoping to use its powers to reawaken the heroes and defeat the villain.

I first saw this crossover special as a preview during Free Comic Book Day, and a horror-style comic book seemed new for the DC world so I decided to stay with it when the crossover happened. The main story arc was ... meh, it was okay. Insomniac (the new big bad guy) was kind of lackluster as he mostly sent "scary" monsters at the hero and attempted to scare him out of discovering more about his past through nightmares. I think it was the motivation that really put me off as it's A) nothing that I hadn't seen before (heroes are bad because they didn't save my family while fighting villains) and B) kinda stupid (sorry, even if they are superheroes, no they can't save everyone). Maybe I might've enjoyed it more if I invested in the two-part character issues which went into the nightmares of individual characters such as Superman, Batman, The Joker, and others, but I simply didn't want to spend the $5 per issue (sorry, comic books are expensive). Though I'm curious to find out if the repercussions of Knight Terrors will actually carry over into the rest of the DC comics universe as that might actually prove interesting (are people now too scared of heroes to trust them?), I really don't want to spend the money to find out.

City Boy (Issues# 1 - 4) by Greg Pak

 Cameron Kim's unique ability to speak to cities - to see their hidden histories and secrets - allows him to find and pawn lost goods and treasures, helping himself make his way in the world. Along with finding missing objects however, also comes the power to awaken the avatars of each city - the bigger the city, the more powerful its avatar - and there are those who would exploit his power to bring about a global catastrophe.

Introduced during DC's "Lazarus Planet" crossover event, Cameron Kim is an entirely new character to the DC universe which is one of the reasons I picked it up. Originally, I picked this up thinking Kim's power might be something similar to Jack Hawksmoor, the god of cities, from "The Authority" comic, but instead it is something much more interesting. At least to me, it is always more interesting to see a superpower that doesn't simply enable the hero to punch, run, or shoot some sort of beam at the enemy. As a new hero, Kim also receives some mentoring from a couple of established heroes who help him to gain some control of his new abilities.

Spirit World (Issues# 1 - 6) Completed by Alyssa Wong

Xanthe Zhou is a spirit envoy, one who travels between the land of the living and the spirit world transporting goods between the two. When Batgirl is accidentally sent to the spirit world while helping to defend the city from jiangshi, they'll team up with John Constantine to find a way back to rescue their friend. In the spirit world though, spirits are going missing as a mysterious evil entity sweeps through, all while the Jade Court that presides over it turns a blind eye.

Introduced during DC's "Lazarus Planet" crossover event, Xanthe Zhou is an entirely new character to the DC universe. Of course, one of the other reasons I got interested in this comic was the John Constantine connection as well as the Bat Family connection, which also helps. And of course, I'm going to jump into this one because it's about magic. Zhou utilizes magical objects created from folded paper to battle against spirits and other monsters. The story incorporates traditional Chinese myths such as fox spirits and the Jade Court to create a new world of spirits. The six-issue story technically ended in October but because I'm so late typing this out, I figured I'd just write this out now instead of putting it with the next list too. The reveal at the end of the story showing Zhou's origins and her decision affecting her future in the spirit world makes me interested to see what might happen next, assuming DC allows more issues to be written.

The Unbelievably, Unfortunately, Mostly Unreadable, and Nearly Unpublishable, Untold Tales of I Hate Fairyland by Skottie Young (issues# 1 - 3)

A collection of short stories based in the I Hate Fairyland universe, Skottie Young brings together a batch of talented writers and artists to create their own stories within this fantastical world he's created. Opening with the previously (sadly) skipped over battle between Gert and Bruud the Brutal from Gert's first trek through Fairyland, we get the same wit and gory cartoonish violence the series is known for. Besides the expected tales of Gert's original brutal escapades through Fairyland, we also see some other familiar faces such as Cloudia and her return to Fairyland, and even how Duncan the Dragon spends his days. It's a great way to tell a few more stories that would not/ may not fit with the original I Hate Fairyland run, especially the tale of how Fairyland restructured their rules in regards to the visitors they bring over (it involves a caveman-like Gert and Duncan the Dinosaur - so cool!) It's also a fun way to bring others into the project to see what they can create. Mostly though, it's just a way for me to get my I Hate Fairyland junkie-fix while I wait for the next collection to be released.

Big Game (Issues# 1-3) by Mark Millar

Following the conclusion of Mark Millar's Nemesis: Reloaded, The Fraternity has once again stepped out of the shadows to cull the emerging, upstart superhero community to continue the status quo as the world's secret masters. The Fraternity's supervillains work their way through the Millar-verse, eliminating heroes with ease. Will the heroes be able to mount a comeback, or will The Fraternity succeed in their plan?

A Miller-verse crossover event! I was so excited seeing Wesley Gibson at the end of the Nemesis: Reloaded and then for Mark Millar to announce a huge crossover event involving many of his properties such as Wanted, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and Kick-Ass, and even newer titles like The Ambassadors, Night Club, and The Magic Order. If you've never read any of the other titles, there's a list provided to show not only which comics to read but also the order in which to read them. To be honest, I definitely have not read all of the titles, but I've read some of the more recent titles and have heard of a lot of the others. The first three issues so far focuses simply on The Fraternity wiping out all of the new, up-and-coming heroes as Wesley Gibson's father and his colleagues did decades ago with all of the brutal violence you'd expect from a Mark Millar work. It's been a lot of fun so far seeing old characters and new interacting with each other in this crossover event I never imagined would happen.

In Hell, We Fight (Issues# 1 -5) Completed by John Layman

A simple ice-cream truck robbery goes perfectly but instead of the sweet dessert, a set of Hell-bound souls discover a kidnapped angel. Looking to take advantage of their new hostage, the group instead find themselves on the run from the demon looking to reclaim their lost property.

A new, weird, fun story involving a group of souls trapped in Hell looking to make the most of their situation. It's a road trip story as the group dodge bounty hunters, monsters, and demons in an attempt to use their new-found situation to possibly escape Hell to Heaven. The group consists of Midori, a former Yakuza assassin; Ernie, a boy killed by a cursed axe; Xander, a young man who enjoyed killing frogs only to be killed by a frog demon; and Balphie, a young demon enamored with Midori. Together, along with the captured Angel, the group traverses Hell's weird landscape. Though issue five was released in October, I figured since I'm typing this out so late I'd just add it to the Quarter 3 books instead of writing about it once more in Quarter 4. Issues one through five concludes the first arc of the series, and the story is interesting and funny enough that I'd like to see what the rest of the story holds.

Against the Current!

Against the Current at The Republik. Sunday, September 24th, 2023. One Night Only! No, I don't know why I started this like that either. First off, if you're looking to skip my bullshit and jump right to the show, then scroll down until you see the picture. Or, better yet, just go to YouTube because a bunch of people have already posted concert videos, yes, even full-concert videos. If, for some reason you actually like reading this (or you're taking an exceptionally long poop), then continue on, I guess.

To start, the show is Sunday night at 8:00pm and I'm an old man that also needs to work Monday morning. Still needing to wake up by 6:00am on Sunday morning though because Candy not only refuses to sleep-in but also refuses to eat breakfast after 7:00am, and knowing a late nap could very well result in me passed out until showtime, I decided the smart thing to do all day would be nothing at all: a little bit of writing but mostly playing video games.

Having never been to The Republik, I set out around 6:30pm, attempting to time my arrival near the 8:00pm start time. That said, of course my first stop at McDonald's for food was already met with a delay as I guess there was something about making McChickens that took the kitchen longer to make than anything else. Getting back on the road, I got to Ala Moana with some time to spare - time I needed to figure out my parking situation. Assuming the mall might close early (and no idea how long the show might last), I opted to look for something on the street. Giving up after a couple laps though, I instead pulled into a pay lot at just passed 7:45pm or so.

And then I sat there in my car. See, I don't do things like this. I don't do things. The last concert I attended was Blackpink in Korea with Tina five years ago. I don't know anyone else who has heard of Against the Current and also has the freedom to perform their job in a half-asleep state (or simply doesn't care). So, I'm sitting in my car, alone, and the only thing I can think to get me out-and-about is to reach into my bag for a little "security blanket" - a three-year-old opened pack of Camel Crush cigarettes. Just a little reminder there was once a younger version of me that absolutely went out to clubs and other, unfamiliar and shady locations, and stayed out all night, and functioned off of two hours of sleep the next day. Then, hindered slightly by my horrible sense of direction, I found my way over to The Republik by following a couple other people headed in the same direction.

At the door, I'm greeted by a legitimate bouncer (I know, right, it's been a long time since I've been out-and-about to find someone guarding an entrance). In addition to my "security blanket" i.e. cigarettes and lighter, I've also got on my person my wallet, phone, car keys, a mask, pocket notebook, and a pen. So, now I'm emptying my pockets, attempting to balance all my crap while receiving a good-old-fashioned pat-down - and I gotta say it felt kinda ... refreshing. Or perhaps it means I simply need to get out of the house more often. Still balancing my pocket trash, I needed to unlock my phone to get my ticket scanned, and then I was finally inside The Republik. After putting a drink in my hand (yes, another security blanket), I took in the space and noticed two things immediately: ONE) a curtain running down part of the room made the space appear smaller because TWO) the crowd wasn't that big, maybe a couple dozen people, which I thought, yeah this seems right for a Sunday show. The crowd size plus the giant fan overhead plus the space I was able to put between myself and others while still having an unobstructed view of the stage gave me to confidence to keep the mask in my pocket. And I was wrong because I was simply early. The soundcheck team came onto the stage about twenty minutes later, then came the "Against the Current" logo projected on the stage wall, and by then the rest of the crowd packed into the venue, meaning I was no longer as socially-distanced as I thought I might be.

And the show begins!

Finally, the lights flashed, the band appeared on stage, and the show began. I was also empty-handed, but with the show starting, I didn't want to walk back to the bar just yet. I also didn't want to spend another $12 for a Jack-and-Coke. As much as I described being anxious and uncertain earlier in the night, I do want to say I was super-excited to see Against the Current live, to be at a concert again, to just be out-and-about again. I want to put that out there not only so you know I wasn't simply a man-shaped shell filled with anxiety, but also to justify not quite remembering the entire set list. I read an article (okay, part of an article ... while I was sitting on the toilet at work) how excitement caused folks to not quite remember certain parts of Taylor Swift's The Eras show despite, you know, being there, so I feel like this is kinda similar. I am pretty certain (like 90% sure) they played wildfire, again and again, and jump (my favorite song not only off of the "fever" album but of al the songs I've heard) before their first intermission, so I was ecstatic hearing some of my favorites right from the start.

 

 

I also want to say I wasn't particularly a fan of "good guy" when I first listened to it when it was released, but hearing it live, I immediately (upon returning home) downloaded it to my iPod. By about 9:00pm or so, they also got through Running with the Wild Things, one of my favorites from the "In Our Bones" album and one I got to shout lyrics during the fan-chant part (is that what it's called when the band sings one part and the audience shouts a response? I've been listening to too much K-Pop), and silent stranger, a song they'd just released a couple days prior to the show and I was really, really hoping to hear - it was kinda like hearing Blackpink's Jennie's solo debut, Solo when she debuted it at their concert five years ago (shit, saying it twice, has it really been that long!).

 

 

 

 So, it's roughly 9:00pm and they've already played literally all the songs I really wanted to hear (yeah, I made a mental list in the weeks before looking forward to the show) - I could leave now and be perfectly satisfied. After an intermission (they must've taken a break at sometime, I'm trying to do this from memory), they brought out some older songs I didn't know but also Almost Forgot and Chasing Ghosts which I liked seeing since it brought the drummer from the background and onto acoustic guitar (which, I think, he officially plays on the song or something like that - do bands have positions like Kpop group members?).

 

I know, I really should've used the short breaks to get a refill except ONE) I didn't want to pay another $12 for a Jack-and-Coke and 2) I didn't want to move from my spot. As you've seen from the videos, I'm tall and the spot I found to perch myself was off to the side so I could confidently say I wasn't blocking anyone's view and I could hold my phone low enough to see the stage while not obstructing my own view. And yes, I too believe the videos would be better if I turned my phone sideways, but they show up on my phone and that's really all that matters to me since they're for personal use (ahh, memories). And, if you are also wondering why the videos are only around 30 seconds each, I guess the video quality of my newer phone is so much better than my old phone from 5 years ago that Blogger won't allow me to to upload longer videos, and I'm too dumb to learn how to format. If you were hoping to watch the entire concert, you came to the wrong place, moron, as even I know to go to YouTube for much better quality videos of that (I know, I've watched a bunch of them myself already, hell, I've got a full-concert one playing as I typed this out).

 

 Before we get to the end, I also want to point out their crowd work in-between songs. Of course, one of the reasons is to give the band a break but I also feel like it adds a personal touch to the show itself - you can't mention your trip to Lanai in New York or brag about how much rice you've eaten in Germany (actually, I don't know, do Germans eat rice?) or talk about surfing in Seoul. And, just to point out how old I am, I don't remember why the movie "Heavyweights" was brought up, but the reference definitely made me feel old. By the end of the show, thanks to my already mentioned elderly status and proximity to the stage and speakers, my hearing started to wane enough that I wasn't quite certain as to which song I was hearing, if it was an older one I didn't know or simply didn't recognize. Note: After watching someone else's fancam, it was weapon which I'm now disappointed in myself for not recognizing and especially for not recording a snippet of.

So, the show itself ended after about an hour and a half, around 10:00pm I think, and the crowd was guided out of the venue. Looking at the time now, I definitely could've risked hiding my car at the mall as perhaps either the band or the venue ensured the show would end before the towing started. Treking my way back down the street, my hand found it's way into my pocket (come on, it's been a good night) but ultimately I decided not to break my roughly three-year cigarette-free lifestyle. Also, I'd like to add, despite being unmasked, I did end up testing negative later that week. I'd like to think this is less about vaccine effectiveness, crowd control, and good building ventilation but more so thanks to my "avoid-the-public" nature that even in a crowded room - filled with folks singing, screaming, shouting - I can still find a way to avoid people enough to dodge what should be COVIDs prime spreading grounds.

 

Okay, so a month after the actual event isn't too bad considering how little I've been writing lately. While I don't typically write about real-life events (besides my reading list but that's just to have something consistent, and my vacations but that's because I'm terrible at taking pictures) I figure I can make an exception for this just to help get back into the writing habit. Then we'll be back to our irregularly scheduled bullshit.

Books of 2023: Quarter 2

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

Kinch Na Shannack owes a large debt to the Taker's Guild for training him in all manner of thievery and even a small amount of magic. Leaving his debt unpaid for too long though has very disastrous consequences, which is how Kinch finds himself robbing travelers for petty cash along a lonely road. When their small gang comes against a lone but very dangerous woman, they get more than they bargained for, and Kinch makes a mistake that changes the course of his life. Knowing the importance of the mysterious woman's quest, the Guild tasks Kinch with accompanying her on the journey, or fall further into the debt still owed. The quest will take Kinch outside his comforts of small-time pick-pocketing and burglary to forests where bandits lie in wait, to cities and towns still reeling from their war against goblins, to encounters with creatures long-believed driven from the realms of mankind.

A perfect rogue's journey! Now that Skynet (aka "the algorithm") knows I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons, I've been getting book recommendations like "The Top __ Books for Each D&D Character" and other lists like that, and that's probably how I found this book. Staying with the D&D reference, my favorite thing about this book is the pacing as each chapter felt like its own session of D&D (or, well, a session of D&D played by folks who know what they're doing and not simply stopping because I'm too old to be staying up this late anymore). Each chapter would start with a little quip or story, just something to give the reader a taste of the particular flavor of this chapter, and would end pretty neatly - not in a final way but more like the way a TV episode ends - which also drives the reader into the next chapter.

Kinch, being more of a roguish character than your traditional hero-fighter archtype, makes the action sequences less about pure brawn strength than you'd find in the Jack Reacher novels I've been obsessed with. He's sneakier and more likely to shoot the enemy with a bow from far off, or stab them in the back with a dagger, than engage in your standard swordplay. That said, fights and battles are inevitable in these High Fantasy stories, so luckily he's joined by a couple of individuals that know their way around a blade.

Magic, another staple of High Fantasy, is also prevalent, operating more like the traditional D&D magic system that readers are probably more familiar with. Not everyone has access to spells, and those that do are treated with a bit more reverence. No crazy new magic systems for the reader to learn, just a standard "mutter a few magic words," or "combine a particular set of ingredients." Perhaps most exotic and interesting were the magical tattoos which can hold a spell for the person upon which the tattoo is placed to use at a later time.

The Terminal List by Jack Carr

His most recent mission ends in disaster with the deaths of everyone in his entire. Returning home, Lt. Commander James Reece finds his good friend dead, his family murdered, and a mysterious tumor growing inside his head. As the tragedies add-up, Reece realizes he's being targeted not by foreign operatives he's spent a career as a Navy SEAL hunting abroad, but by a larger conspiracy right here at home in the United States of America. With skills honed through years of combat and nothing left to lose, Reece begins a one-man war against greedy businessmen, corrupt and overly-ambitious politicians, and even his own command. The hunted becomes the hunter in this fast-placed thriller.

So, yeah, I finally got around to this one after watching Amazon's "The Terminal List" show based on this book. Having loved the show (and also being obsessed with the Jack Reacher book series Amazon based the "Reacher" tv show off of), I was excited to read this story. Right off the bat, I'm going to say, I liked the show more than the book. Gunfights are much more thrilling visually than when put into words on a page - that's just a fact. Besides, give any finished story back to its writer and I'm sure they'll find something to tweak to make the new product better than the original. Plot-wise, the thing the show did better than the book was to make the bad guys ... well, a threat. Yes, I understand that they're just supposed to be these entitled suits who've found a way to rig the system in their favor. Obviously, they shouldn't be as strong or combat-honed as Reece, but they could still be a threat with their smarts, which the show does better to build tension. The book counterparts, meanwhile, are simply fellows who use their money and status to get what they want, while seemingly possessing no real skills.

 The story is quite simply a straight-forward revenge thriller. Once Reece finds his direction and purpose, his mission for revenge begins. Maybe more to the credit of Reece's effectiveness and training as a student-of-war, I felt Reece's hunt in the book lacks the same kind of tension that it did in the TV show version. Without much difficulty, Reece takes down everyone involved in the conspiracy and eliminates them efficiently. With perhaps one small hiccup and a twist which (if you've seen the show) you already know what it is, Reece's revenge proceeds as planned as he's aided by a few friends, his years of training and real-world combat experience, and the over-confidence of his targets. The pages are easily devourable as I practically sprinted through Reece's spree. That's really not a joke. My computer at work crashed so while I waited a few hours for the IT folks to fix the issue I must've run though over a hundred pages. It's captivating to watch Reece eliminate each target one by one as he makes his way through the list. As Reece is depicted as vastly superior to his targets in the context of eliminating another human being (because, well, just because he is), and so the story sailed smoothly once he finds his targets.

One thing I do want to note is the story itself leans right-of-center politically. If you're easily triggered by those kinds of things well either grow-up and accept that other folks have different points-of-view, or just don't read this book. Carr, being a former SEAL, uses Reece as a mouthpiece to express his own views of the state of American government and society, which, while not being constantly in your face, at least makes itself known here and there.

14 by Peter Clines

Nate Tucker doesn't have a lot going for him - he hates his boring, mindless minimum-wage job, he's having poor luck with women, and now he's in search of a new affordable place to live in Los Angeles. Luckily for him, he finds a new place not only with a shorter commute but where the rent is actually very low, too - as long as he's willing to not ask a lot of questions. Unfortunately for Nate, curiosity gets the better of him when he starts to notice small oddities with his apartment, and his neighbor's apartment, and other tenants' apartments through the rest of the building. As he and other tenants unravel the building's secrets, they find that the answers have consequences that threaten the entire world.

Such a great supernatural-mystery story. The back cover teases it as a "Lost"-style mystery, and though I've never seen the show, I'd like to think I understand enough about the show to agree. As Nate and the group find clue after clue, each one leads to another mystery until it transforms into an otherworldly, Lovecraftian-horror story. And, for just a small bit of personal reading history, surprisingly this book, I think, was my first encounter with an eldritch, Cthulhu-like being. I think I'd heard the term before but this would be the first time reading it in print. Another great aspect is the variety in the characters living in the building itself. Obviously, like in any apartment complex, no two tenants are going to be the same, and Clines does a good job giving enough information about each that they are all not only unique but the reader can distinguish each character in the scene from just a small bit of detail.

While on the topic of characters, Nate Tucker even after all these years, still feels relatable. Lost, bored, and disconnected, Nate is just looking for his place in the world, and when he gets a hold of this mystery he latches on tight to the excitement and intrigue it brings into this life. I don't know if that's just revealing more of myself or maybe a testament to how timeless the character archtype is (as I read ... somewhere, happy and content people don't go on quests).

On an even more personal note, I've actually had this book for a while, a long while, I think even before I read Clines' superhero/zombie "Ex-Heroes" series. This though might be my first time re-reading it (or at least for a long time). One of the reasons for finally digging it out from under my bed (one day I'll get a bookshelf, maybe) was that it's finally time to accept I wasn't going to re-read it as often, so best to pass it along ... you know, to make room for more books. Also, I'm not sure if it's because of the publishing company choices or just the time I bought it, but the book isn't in what I consider "mass-market paperback"-type so it is a little cumbersome to carry around if you're reading on the go.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

 Humanity has conquered disease, famine, hunger - even death itself. An advanced AI known simply as the Thunderhead unites the entire human population under one government where it is able to effectively and benevolently respond to their needs. Though humans are now able to live indefinitely as well as revert their bodies back to a younger age, the need for population control still exists - a task humanity decided should still lie in the hands of humans. From this need, Scythes were established: humans tasked to kill a certain quota of the population each year. Though neither were aspiring to the life-long profession, Citra and Rowan are taken on as apprentice Scythes. During their training, the two teenagers learn not only the various and plentiful methods of taking a life, but also the philosophy of why it must be done and the manner with which it should be conducted. Though appearing all-powerful and celebrity-like in a world of near-immortals, the apprentices will also uncover a growing corruption within the ranks of the Scythes, and will need to use all their training to survive falling victim to it.

Though I like to think it should fall secondary to the characters in the story, this futuristic setting was really captivating. The story sets itself in a future where technology is able to satisfy almost all of humanity's needs, from basic medicine to food production to transportation. People no longer become ill, and if they decide to grow old, they can simply revert themselves back to a younger age when the mood strikes. Though people may still die, as some characters choose to do - over and over again - they can easily be revived usually in no less than a week. It's amazing and (to my 21st century brain) a little unnerving. If everything is provided for you, is there any reason for you to work, or do anything for that matter? Can society truly function in that type of environment? The setting of the story alone is worth analyzing, gaining insight into a possible future that may come to pass.

Citra and Rowan serve as the main protagonists of the story. Though neither of the two aspired to Scythehood, they'll become pieces in a larger game between factions amongst the Scythes themselves as they vie for control of the whole organization. During their apprenticeship, they'll learn not only the methods with which a Scythe may "glean" a person but also the philosophy behind ending a person's life. Citra's headstrong nature will be tempered by the patient and meticulous training, while Rowan's analytical nature will be tested by his training and the charisma of his mentor. The story also pushes different philosophies behind the gleaning through the different Scythes introduced in the story - from Scythe Faraday's meticulously researched method, to Scythe Currie's almost random technique for picking targets, to the mass slaughters carried out by Scythe Goddard.

Of course, the most interesting thing about the story (written as concisely as possible on the back cover) is the idea that those main characters will need to kill people - "Thou Shalt Kill." That those kids are being trained (and it has to be kids as the other apprentices do not appear to be older than twenty or so) to end life - not to protect people or land or establishments but to simply end the lives of people over and over and over again, until they themselves decide to die (as no one else may end the life of a Scythe). The moral dilemma addressed constantly through the story had me questioning if this book really should be marketed toward Young Adults. Jeez, it's just so heavy and ALL sides present valid arguments for their methods - yeah, I even felt at times swayed by Scythe Goddard's arguments toward gleaning (I mean, why shouldn't people enjoy their jobs?). Then there are even the common people just going about their lives in a world where not only are all of their basic necessities met, but everyone is also nearly immortal while being able to rest their bodies to a more desirable age. At that point, when humanity has reached its peak, what is it you are supposed to do? Is work even necessary? There's also questions about the way the Scythedom functions above the law, as Scythes are accountable to no one except their own people in regards to their gleaning choices and methods; the absence of religion and belief caused by everyone's nigh immortality; the surveillance state placed on the global population by the Thunderhead; and so many more.. As I said, Jeez, I still can't believe this is marketed as a Young Adult novel. 

I forgot where I first heard about this book and it's plot but I immediately liked it for its concept of human beings inhabiting the role of Death (kind of like Piers Anthony's "On a Pale Horse"), though it is marketed for Young Adults. So, I put it on a "To Read" list (an ever-growing list). Then, after having sold off a bunch of books to Book-Off, I spent all my gains at once (a whole $7!) for a used copy I found wandering the aisles. Though there are two more books in the trilogy, I'm not sure when I'll get to them as I'm already sitting on a couple other unread books. Despite its ending promising a sequel, I felt pretty satisfied with the ending which also keeps me from rushing out to purchase the next book.

Strange Academy Vol. 1: First Class (Issues 1-6) by Skottie Young

To assist and train these youngsters to harness their talents and abilities, Dr. Stephen Strange and other seasoned magic users of the Marvel Universe have opened The Strange Academy. Emily Bright is one such student, her emerging powers showing great potential also making her a target to other supernatural entities. At the Academy, she'll meet other students gifted with magic, not only from Earth but across the universe including a couple of Asgardians and even the Dark Dimension. And though the class will advance quickly in their studies, they'll still find themselves outclassed against the threats outside the school grounds.

Strange Academy Vol. 2: Bright Side (Issues 7-12) by Skottie Young

Following the class's encounter with a dangerous magic-wielding cult in the swamps of New Orleans, Headmaster Dr. Strange as well as Emily Bright both risk a part of themselves to save their fellow students. The class more or less back together, it is back to the daily school grind of lectures, studying, and tests. To break the monotony of the school days, the Academy hosts a Parent's Day on campus much to the chagrin of Doyle, son of Dormamu of the Dark Dimension, and Calvin Morse, whose last set of foster parents barely qualified as "decent" (they are assholes). The class also attends a field trip to Asgard, where a secret is uncovered and teenage romance blooms. Finally, one of their own is mysteriously killed and the teachers bring in a detective to discover if any of the kids are to blame.

Strange Academy Vol. 3: Wish-Craft (Issues 13-18) by Skottie Young

As one dark force is put down, others begin to pop-up amongst the Strange Academy class. The students decide to spend a night out roaming the streets of New Orleans only to discover Zoe's family secret sitting in a graveyard. As the school year progresses and Calvin falls further behind his peers now that his jacket is gone, he'll turn to a dangerous wishmaster to get his powers back. An erroneous trip with time magic lets Doyle see a possible future war amongst the students. And, of course, what school year would be complete without a school dance, and the resulting chaos after words are said and feelings are hurt.

I've said before that I typically avoid the Big 2 comics (Marvel and DC) because of how much backstory one needs before jumping into the story. Though I don't know a lot about the Marvel Universe and its characters, these kids feel like they're brand new characters and the teachers are ones I'm at least familiar with. Definitely a positive since I don't have to do a bunch of research I'd rather not do in the middle of reading. Side note: I did some research and it looks like, for the most part, all of the students at least are brand new characters to the Marvel Universe so this provides a nice entry point for anyone not familiar with the material. Plus, I mean, it's a story about a magic academy, of course my Harry Potter-brainwashed self is going to be interested in that.

Like a lot of magic school stories, there's the weird, occult classes, assignments, and even games; individuals who come from other worlds and realms, and travel to other lands and times - as well as your typical coming-of-age moments: school crushes, first kisses, and discovering more about yourself. Although not all the characters may play a big role in every chapter, we receive nice, little adventures with the characters we do follow, all while the story alludes to a darker future. We watch as the students search for connections amongst themselves as well as seek to distinguish themselves from not only their classmates but their own history, while those without those bonds seek for forge new ones with their classmates. As we get further into the series, and the kids have gotten a taste of the pain that can result when magic isn't used properly, Young's gloves come off when it comes to seeing how much more he can put the children through. Toward the end, we'll see a darker side to the students manifest itself as Calvin struggles with fitting-in amongst his peers, Doyle reveals just how strong he actually is, and Emily's pride drives her to take drastic actions.

Why pick-up this series in the first-place though? I know I mentioned before that I tend to avoid Marvel and DC comics because I don't like how much I feel I already have to know before jumping in. One of those things is that a lot of the characters were created specifically for this series, so you know, not a lot of backstory to be found. Another thing was seeing Skottie Young's name on the cover. If you're a reader of this blog (you're not so I'm still not sure why you're even here), you know how much I love the "I Hate Fairyland" series. Any downsides though? Well, that would be the price as each collected volume costs about $14 while individual issues can range from $4-6 each, which is a bit more expensive than my typical mass-market paperbacks. Luckily, I found Volume 1 used at Skull-Face, a new bookstore in downtown. It was pretty fun, too, wandering around a new bookstore. I really didn't mean to buy Volumes 2 and 3 so soon but I was looking to pad my comic purchase one week (it felt weird only buying one or two issues that day) so I bought them. And yes, I know there are a bunch of other books still tucked away to be read but I really liked this story. Once Strange Academy: Finals releases a collected volume, that should conclude this story.

Nemesis: Reloaded (Issues 1 - 5 *completed) by Mark Millar

Matthew Anderson's, aka Nemesis, crusade of terror against the city of Los Angeles and the LAPD comes to an end as the city's mayor sits strapped to a nuclear bomb. At the same time, Anderson also discovers the truth behind the US president everyone forgot existed.

Issue 5 finishes up this arc of "Nemesis: Reloaded" as well as sets the stage of Millar's ambitious Millarworld crossover event, "Big Game." Keeping with the last four issues, the story climaxes with a big, revealing twist and unabashed violence the story has been known for. His revenge now complete, Anderson answers the question of the forgotten US president posed by his mysterious master who is revealed to be none other than Wesley Gibson, the protagonist of Millar's "Wanted" and now one of the secret masters of The Fraternity. Though it is yet unclear what Gibson's and The Fraternity's motives are, seeing Nemesis accept an invitation to join the group sets up an exciting start to the event.

Hell to Pay (#1 - 6 *completed)  by Charles Soule

Maia Stone sets out to find her kidnapped husband, Sebastian, and recover the last of the qurrakh for the Shrouded College to free the two of them from their bonds.

Concluding the first volume of the "Hell to Pay" series, The Poor Man as finally gathered enough cursed qurrakh coins to call upon the Devil himself, of course only to find that his wish of overthrowing capitalism isn't as simple as he thought (I mean, if you really think about it, why else could Hell operate on a gold coin system?). Though their debt to the Shrouded College is paid, the Stones make another bargain due to the trauma sustained, and it's hinted they may make appearances in future issues. Surprisingly (especially coming from not one of the Big Two comic publishers), the creators already have an entire seven arcs planned for the series, each focusing on a deadly sin (this first one being Greed). Surprising, because I can't see a smaller press agreeing to that type of advance, especially if this first arc didn't sell well. This first arc was really enjoyable though to me as I guess I'm a sucker for stories about magic and good vs evil and deals with the devil and characters with debts to pay.

Carnage Reigns (6 issue crossover event *completed)

Cletus Kasady, aka Carnage, is on the loose again and deadlier than ever seeing as he has armed himself with not only a symbiote but Stark technology. While Marvel's most infamous serial killer stalks the streets of New York City once again, it'll be up to Mile Morales to end the mad-man's killing spree.

It's fucking Carnage! So yes, I decided to simply jump into this event without reading any of the prior "Carnage" comic issues, mostly because I heard that the series doesn't necessarily focus on Cletus Kasady but the symbiote instead. Kasady, I would argue, is the best part of Carnage - not the symbiote but the irredeemable serial killer it had bonded with. So when I read that this event would star Kasady, I jumped into it - and it didn't disappoint. As violent as ever, Kasady starts his rampage murdering a diner full of patrons before impersonating all of them using the symbiote. He's stronger and more cunning than I remember from the "Maximum Carnage" collection where he faced off against Spiderman/Peter Parker I read years and years ago. The story introduces some familiar faces in the Marvel universe, enough that I don't feel too far out of my depth while reading it. I don't quite understand what Kasady has bonded with to make him so dangerous, but that doesn't really matter as long as he is as terrifying as he should be. The only disappointment I had with the short event is that it didn't put Morales in the same dilemma I remember Parker facing when he stopped Carnage, which was deciding if it was right to stop Carnage by killing him (because Spiderman doesn't kill). It was mentioned that Morales previously faced Carnage and the symbiote got into his head and traumatized him, so I guess Morales has already faced that kind of psychological horror and the writers didn't want to reuse that plot.

Quested (Issues #1 - 6 *completed) by Michael Calero and Thomas Parson

 
The son of a famous hero, Jinx spends his days trying to emulate his father's heroics - or at least pretends to. Along with his two sidekicks, the trio scam unsuspecting kingdoms through fake kidnapping schemes and collect the treasure of the realm as payment. That is, until an actual quest presents itself to Jinx and he has no choice but to accept.

According to the reviews I read, it looks like Issues 1-6 wrap up the first arc of the story with the next part hopefully in the making (I've never heard of Whatnot Publishing). As an introduction goes, the story definitely does a good job introducing who all the characters are and what they are about. I'm not sure if it was because I let too much time pass before reading each issue, but I felt like I was lost toward the middle issues in terms of storyline (I had thought we were going in the direction of the Big Bad but then we shifted to a side quest and then there was a sort-of timeskip). The protagonist, Jinx, is really what kept me wanting to read the comic (more on that later). Many of these types of stories are supposed to feature a strong-willed warrior set on a path of righteousness. Though Jinx is a skilled fighter, his main feature is that he's a con-man, living off the name of his father to further his own ends which is simply to get rich.

Though the story features quests and wizards and monsters and swordplay, I'd hesitate to call it High Fantasy. Perhaps, more accurately, it may be a parody of the genre. The story itself it definitely a take on video games like "The Legend of Zelda" and Dungeons and Dragons (there's even a magical D20!). That particular element added to the comedic side of the story, although, to be hones, the whole story was pretty funny throughout.

I guess I'd also like to talk about how I got these issues in the first place. By the time I heard of this series, they had already released the first two issues and issue three just came out. At the time, Otherrealms had sold out of the first two issues, so I figured there wasn't a point to picking up issue 3. Then, I found another comic shop, and they had a larger back-stock of comics, including those first two issues. So, I picked up those two but by the time I got back to Otherrealms, they'd sold out of issue 3. Whatnot Publishing (which I'd never heard of until then) surprisingly does allow ordering of individual issues as other publishers I've looked into only give you a list of comic book sellers in the area or downloads for an eReader (which, yes, I should probably look into). So, I held out until issue 5 (to make the shipping costs worth it) and then ordered 3, 4, and 5 all at the same time as I bought issue 6 from the store. No, I still don't know why more publishers don't offer this (maybe because comics can be a collector's item) but I do admit, for me anyways, it might just take away the thrill of going to a shop and hoping they have something for you.

Godfell (#1 - 4 *ongoing) by Chris Sebela

Zanzi is a soldier, fighting her way across the continent for her kingdom, excelling at the brutality with which she dispatches her enemies and dreaming of the day she may return home. When she realizes her superiors' conquests will never end, she deserts the army and begins her journey home. The trek home across foreign lands becomes even more treacherous when the corpse of a man - miles upon miles long - falls from the sky and lands right in the middle of Zanzi's path. Unwilling to make the trek around the body, Zanzi decides to carve a path through, finding that other factions and nations have also decided to lay their own claims to sections of the dead god as well. Along the way, she'll partner with a mysterious companion, and together they'll navigate through the giant corpse claimed by murderous death cults and hedonistic fanatics.

Teaming a fighter and a rogue together on a fantastic journey may not seem like a new idea (I mean, I literally just read a book like that earlier this year) but what is interesting is the journey they take in this story. The story itself is set inside what appears to be simply the body of a very, very large man (although theories have been put forth about what it truly is - a god, a monster, or both). As they'll seek out an exit on the other side of the body, they'll encounter a variety of others that have also entered the body - some mere travelers like themselves, others seeking to claim the entirety of the body for their own, and others simply deciding to migrate to a particular section they decree holy They'll also encounter new species native to the body itself, still surviving although its host has died. Although the two protagonists may start off at odds with each other, they'll soon find what the other is trying to hide, even from themselves.

The Ambassadors (#1 - 6 *completed) by Mark Millar

Choon-He Chung has cracked the code on superheroes, and is now looking for just the right people to give those powers to and make them Ambassadors for good. Unfortunately, choosing the "right" person isn't so simple as she and her team scour through the entire population to find them. At the same time, hiding in the shadows, another group with superpowers is looking to topple her global experiment.

Dammit! Yeah, by now you probably realize I'm something of a Mark Millar fanboy. I don't know, but he just does such a good job with superhero stories. After cracking the code to give people abilities, Chung sets out to find the best people from each country to act as Ambassadors and protect the planet. Sort of a Willy Wonka - like story, each issue until the last focuses upon an individual chosen to be part of Chung's team. Of course, in the last issue, we're given a big, superpowered brawl between Chung's Ambassadors and her ex-husband's group of wealthy ... assholes able to buy their powers from him. And, since the story falls into Millarworld, we can probably expect to be seeing them in Millar's "Big Game" crossover event (spoiler: yeah, they're in there).

Let's talk about the powers first. Initially, each Ambassador receives a physical upgrade so their bodies can utilize their new abilities. Most of the powers featured so far are your standard fare - super-strength, super-speed, etc. What's really cool is the way The Ambassadors access their powers from a shared bank of superpowers, each character able to hold up to three abilities at a time with only a limited number to be shared amongst the group. 

Each issue of "The Ambassadors" looks into the backstory of one of the characters, what sets them apart from the other applicants and makes them worthy of becoming a superhero. Of course, there are the usual heroic actions like self-sacrifice, but some of them are simply good people or are striving to become better people. Seeing as how most superheroes seem to be either born from a tragedy or just hurled into the gig, this Willy-Wonka style selection process makes the choices a lot more interesting, not to mention focuses the story more on the people behind the powers rather than the powers themselves.

Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones (#1 - 5 *completed) by Emily Kim

School. Work. Band practice. Super-heroics. Gwen Stacy has enough to deal with on a daily basis. Then, mysterious clones begin popping up around the city, each one a combination of herself and one of her evil villains. Ghost-Spider soon discovers each clone is being controlled by a hidden mastermind with plans far bigger than simply destroying her in this universe.

I know, I've said that I try to avoid getting into the established Big Two (DC and Marvel) because of the time it takes to get to know who the characters are and what may have happened in previous story lines. Luckily, Spider-Gwen (from a reality where Gwen Stacy was bitten by a radioactive spider and her best friend Peter Parker was killed) is a relatively new character to the Marvel Universe, and I'm sorta familiar with a lot of the Spiderman lore so it wasn't too hard to jump into. Plus, the first issue comes with a little "all you need to know" set-up making it even easier to read.

Um, it's a comic book. If you're looking for superhero action, then this has what you're looking for. Evil clones are nothing new but I guess merging them with the hero's enemies is a sort of new concept which doesn't get played with too much as most clones appear to be taken off the board rather quickly. Personally, I guess because of the popular multi-verse thing happening now, I was hoping these would be Gwen Stacys from other realities who become these villains instead of Ghost-Spider (or, you know, just ending up dead). Also, (because I'm lazy) the last issue was released in July so I'll just add that in to complete the set.

Torrent (#1 - 5 *completed) by Marc Guggenheim

 Crackerjack is just another superhero focused on stopping criminals and keeping her city and its citizens safe. Then, her secret identity is discovered. After an attack on her home injures her son and kills her husband, Crackerjack breaks. Setting aside her mission as a superhero, Michelle Metcalf focuses all of her abilities and skills on revenge. Her path won't be so straight-forward though with the obstacles set between her and her target, not to mention the justice system and her own superpowered allies.

A great action comic with a concept I haven't seen in comics (or at least I'm unfamiliar if it has been done) but I'm pretty familiar with since it used to pop-up on R/Writing Prompts at least once a week. Though it may be read like a simple straight-action comic like a mid-level TV show you can follow while still completing tasks around the house, the story does present some interesting issues and situations I'd like to see handled within the bigger Marvel or DC universes. I don't know if that's really how law enforcement works, but because Michelle is a vigilante, she can't technically report a crime as she would need to file the report under her real identity. With the amount of superheroes within the Marvel and DC universes that work under false names, are thy also beholden to that rule? If so, then how are criminals prosecuted in those universes? The universe "Torrent" is se tin also appears to lack anyone as powerful as a Superman or ... Thor (I don't know the equivalent in Marvel) to deter Metcalf from her revenge. If this happened in one of those universes, how would this situation be handled? And or course, besides this, it's still entertaining to read a superpowered ... maybe closer to Liam Neeson's "Taken" character than Keanu Reeves' "John Wick" character get her revenge.

The Mighty Barbarians (#1 - 3 *ongoing) by 

 A great evil has set itself upon not just one realm but all of them, spreading and killing like a plague. To combat this horror, Morgan LaFay will need a team of strong warriors pulled from different worlds. Initially reluctant to work together, the group sets aside their differences and harness their own individual strengths to defeat the evil before it can conquer all their lands.

So, I probably wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for my new interest in Dungeons and Dragons (and yes, the Barbarian class as well). Sometimes it's hard to read High Fantasy books (they just take me so much longer to read for some reason), so I figured I could get a fix through comic books which wouldn't take as long to read. to sum up the first three issues so far, it's kind of like an old-school hack-and-slash type story as the Barbarians set about their quest. One of the tag lines is something along the lines of "Before there were superheroes, there were Barbarians," so I'm guessing that each of the characters may be not only a hero but an established literary figure as well (I'm just too lazy to go and look).

The Harrower (Issues 1 - 4 *completed) by Justin Jordan

In this small town, a supernatural stalker known simply as "The Harrower" appears once a year to cull the impure though many believe it to be just a town legend or urban myth. In an act of teenage defiance, the high schoolers mockingly throw a "Harrower Party," only for an unexpected guest to arrive. Will the kids survive the night? Will secrets of this small town be revealed by one that knows too much? It's a diffrent type of horror story with a surprise twist.

A short, slasher/horror comic set in a small town where, once a year, a killer is set to terrorize the teenagers and cull the impure from their ranks. Meh, it was okay. I was excited for it at the end of the first issue, when it is revealed that some in the town consider The Harrower a savior-type figure. The brutality and ingenuity of The Harrower to hunt down and terrorize its victims was on par with your standard "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" movies. Like other slasher movies from that time, the protagonists felt a little bland, very much your standard teenager, horror-movie cast of characters. Though it billed itself as a "unique" horror story, the twist at the end made it feel more like an extremer version of "Hot Fuzz" - not only do the adults of the town know the truth, they are the ones encouraging and perpetuating the killings. The last twist though, seeing one of the hunted take on the mantle of The Harrower, that is the part of the story I'm more interested in exploring. Will she continue the killings? Will she strike down the ones who carried them out for decades under the belief that it could bring good fortune to their town? That feels like a story I'd be more interested in, especially with the cults confirmation that most current Harrowers are drugged and brainwashed to make them more effective killers.

Deadboy Detectives (Issues 1 - 6 *completed)

Edwin and Charles solve the case, discover the man conducting the ritual, set free a bound witch, and restore the world as it was, sort of.

To be honest, part way through this series, I kinda stopped caring about the case. I just started to feel like this wasn't a story I was interested in. I knew it was going to be a short run (maybe just ten issues max) so I kept buying them until this arc concluded. I don't know, I like Neil Gaiman's work on "The Sandman" but this one was just kind of "meh" to me. Maybe I just didn't invest enough into the story? After finishing it though, it does feel like I should've learned some sort of lesson on when to stop reading a story, especially considering how expensive comics can get if I simply keep buying them every week with no regard as to what I'm buying.