Let's see if writing my reading list/review post once a month is a bit more manageable - both to write and to read
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
"We are the shepherds. The time for that was done. Better to be a rattler. Better to be a jackal."
My second read-through of Ninth House. In an effort to do less work (and, you know, general laziness) here's the write-up from the last time I read the book in 2023. Though the paperback copy of Hell Bent (book two of the series) was released in January 2024, it still took me until late 2024 to pick it up, then several more months to crack it open. After a page or two though, I realized I had NO CLUE who these characters were anymore, so I put it aside and dug Ninth House out from its shoebox to once again familiarize myself with Alex Stern's world.
Besides still agreeing with everything I said the last time I read this through (the perfect time skips back and forth, the dark magic academic setting) I found I also really liked the pacing of the story. Despite its nearly 600 pages, Ninth House definitely didn't feel like I was reading that long of a book. An overarching, unsolved mystery, three antagonists for Stern to contend with, two main characters, and an entirely new, hidden world to introduce. I seriously thought the story was not only worth its 600 page count, but also expected it would take me much longer to get through so much material. Thanks to Bardugo's writing style, pacing, and plotting however, it wasn't too bad to digest the information while still remaining entertained and coming back for more. In fact, the story held my attention so well that I ... not sprinted, but more like steadily jogged through it in roughly two weeks which is pretty good compared to how long it has taken me to finishing other books.
Absolute Wonder Woman #1 - 5: The Last Amazon and #6 - 7: The Lady or the Tiger by Kelly Thompson
"Once upon a time there was a princess. And the princess had all the gifts any princess could hope to have. Beauty. Grace. Compassion. Kindness. Wisdom. And the ability to outrun a hellhound and conjure the darkest of magicks. Things every princess needs ... when she was raised in hell."
When monsters arise from the depths of the ocean to threaten Gateway City, it is up to Diana of Themyscira to save its citizens from certain death. But this isn't the same Wonder Woman raised by Amazonians to be humanity's protector. Her people banished by Zeus, Diana is instead raised in the Underworld by the witch Circe who trains her in dark magicks as well as forging Diana's natural Amazonian physique. Will this new Wonder Woman be enough to stop a swarm of foes, including one such behemoth who kills with just a touch? Then, a retelling of just how Diana managed to escape the Underworld despite Hades' trickery.
The second series in DC Comics' Absolute series, I picked this one up more out of curiosity than as a Wonder Woman fan. Part of me plans to collect at least the first set of issues of each of the Absolute debuts just out of curiosity - you know, as long as the first issue is intriguing enough. Originally I was gonna grab the first five issues until I found out the collected trade paperback would include issues one through seven, so I figured I'd also pick-up issues six and seven, too, which is why this review didn't appear on last quarter's list.
Absolute Wonder Woman reimagines the hero without the Amazonian's guidance and training. Instead, she is raised in the Underworld, trained to survive in a harsh, cruel environment surrounded by monsters. She is much more brutal in her dealings with monsters, her main weapon a giant cleaver she uses to cut clean through her enemies. Even her signature lasso has changed, now equipped with three unique ones with their own powers such as The Nemesis which burns its target equal to the sin in their heart. Even her attitude is changed, less stoic and stern and more sharp-tongued as she challenges monsters and gods alike. It's a new Wonder Woman raised to save a world preyed upon by monsters with no others to protect humanity.
It was an interesting choice to set the first five issues in just one day, one battle with flashbacks delving into Diana's backstory. The story does a good job stepping away from the present to revisit Diana's past when the current tension is resolved as not to interrupt the story's pacing or action. And, there's a lot of backstory to look into, from Diana's childhood to her growth and training until her eventual meeting with Steve Trevor. With so much to cover in the past, it is best if the present day stays constant with a single event.
Absolute Superman #1 - 6: Last Dust of Krypton by Jason Aaron
"'He sees all children in cages. Families clinging to rafts. Grown men weeping on the factory floor. As you say, he is afraid. But not afraid of you. The Superman fears the day Lazarus will drive him to such anger ... he cannot help but save the world ... by killing you all. I pray for this. We all pray for such a thing. In every language, in every slum across the world.'"
Across the globe, the Lazarus Corporation exploits laborers in mines, factories, and farms while it polices its holdings with their army of Peacemakers and their futuristic Braniac AI program. A mysterious man travels from country to country, continent to continent, wherever the Lazarus Corporation holds power, to fight against the injustices and bring hope to the abused. Kal-El, the sole-survivor of Krypton, a planet destroyed by its people's greed, sets out to save his new home, but can he stop the same events from playing out once again?
The third series from DC Comics' Absolute series reimagines a young Kal-El, orphan of Krypton, stranded on Earth without the love and guidance of the Kent family. Growing up on Krypton in a rigorous and corrupt caste system, he arrives on Earth as a young man only to see the same type of injustices and environmental exploitation as the home he was forced to flee lest he die along with it and its population. Entirely alone in this new, alien world, Kal-El sets out across the globe to help those in need and fight against the corporations exploiting their labor, namely The Lazarus Corporation. Like with the other two series, he'll meet some other familiar faces from the DC Universe including "Superman" staples like Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, as well as Braniac (in the form of an AI algorithm) and the leader of the Lazarus Corporation, Ra's al Ghul. It's okay so far, though I am curious to see just how far a Superman raised in a corrupt society, alone on an alien world, and missing the love, support, and nurturing of The Kents will go to bring peace and justice.
Absolute Superman absolutely shoves in the reader's face some of the very real trials of our modern society. Government corruption and greed along with environmental mismanagement lead to Krypton's destruction and loss of its civilization as the Science League, Krypton's highest ranking caste, assures its people they can continue to take and take knowing the eventual destruction their actions will bring. Kal-El, a boy who watches all of this happen, sees the same story written on Earth as corporations prey on those too desperate to do anything but what is asked of them. On Krypton, children are indoctrinated at a young age not to question, instead forced to rely only on information provided by those in power. To maintain the current narrative, the Lazarus Corporation (and presumably other as well) utilize an advanced AI to twist and spin facts in official reports and documents to stop anyone from questioning their actions. Mirroring the challenges we face in our own society, Absolute Superman paints a bleak future for us if we continue down the path we've set ourselves. It's a very heavy-handed way to get a point across, but perhaps in today's day and age, it is the only way to show a new Superman still fighting for truth and justice.
Solo-Leveling #1 - 55 by Chugong
"This is what The System needs. A strong Sung Jin-Woo. It's not going to make me strong. I saw that it wanted me to be strong. The System uses me, and I use The System
Mysterious portals leading to monster-filled dungeons open across the globe. To fight these creatures and prevent them from entering our world, random people awaken abilities exceeding those of normal humans. Of these Hunters, Sung Jin-woo is known as the weakest of them all, barely surviving every dungeon he enters. After an encounter with a boss monster strong enough to kill with a single blow and the deaths of nearly everyone in his raiding party, Jin-woo is "re-awakened," his abilities magnifying but, more importantly, he is granted access to "The System." With its invisible guidance, Jin-woo begins to level-up, secretly growing stronger and stronger with each task completed and monster killed. How long can Jin-woo hide his new gift before others find out his secret? And how much stronger can he become on his new path?
Starting up a new online comic (webtoon? is that what they're called now?) after finishing "The World God Only Knows," I picked this one to read due to how popular the anime is, and thanks to a couple of recommendations from friends (i needed something else to read on my phone). First off, I had no idea this series was as short as it is at only 200 chapters. I'm still used to the "Naruto"'s and "Bleach"'s running for years. Though I'm over a quarter of the way through, I'm still getting used to scrolling up-and-down through panels rather than reading several panels per page before "turning" to the next page like a traditional manga or comic book. It's definitely optimized for phone-reading, each detailed panel filling the screen, the action moving from top to bottom. It's pretty neat to see the artist make full-use of this reading medium (or maybe I'm just an old man playing with new technology).
If you're interested in a simple, power-fantasy comic, then give "Solo-Leveling" a read. Once known as the weakest Hunter, Jin-woo begins getting stronger, or "leveling-up" after his near-death experience, an ability no one else in the world has obtained. With this, he'll fight stronger and stronger monsters (including other humans) and grow more powerful with each victory. I also like that the story also takes into account how this new phenomenon affects the world itself - economies, government regulations, emerging resource management, etc - to make the story more immersive and believable. A quarter of the way through the 200 chapters, the story provided a couple of interesting story arcs so far - and one really, really dumb one (why didn't he just lie about the prisoners, or bribe the other Hunters? So stupid!) - to make this modern power-fantasy entertaining so far.
Though I'm only a quarter of the way through, Jin-woo is definitely giving-off the same sort of cynicism as Wesley Gibson from "Wanted" (the comic book, not the movie). Seeing himself betrayed due to his weakness as those stronger use him for their own survival or greed, it is easy to see how he could follow the same path to becoming a murderous sociopath as Gibson was revealed to be after taking over The Fraternity at the start of Mark Millar's "Big Game" crossover. By this point in the story, it's apparent Jin-woo isn't just concerned with surviving the dungeons anymore, and is actively searching for a way to become stronger, gain more power. At the end of "Wanted," Gibson sides with The Fraternity, the group which hardened him to a world which had crushed his soul. It turns out, though, having already been beaten down, this new power instead turned Wesley into a monster, starting wars for no other reason than entertainment and, once again, leading The Fraternity to eradicate the newly-emerging superheroes. Will Jin-woo eventually become so strong that he doesn't even consider himself to be human anymore?
Feral vol. 2: Cat Lady by Tony Fleecs
The rabies outbreak continues to spread amongst the wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. After sheltering through the winter, Elsie and her new companions are driven from safety back into the world. The mysterious Lady rescues the wayward group, taking them to her home where they find Lord living comfortably with a pack of other cats. But what secret is the Lady hiding in her basement? And what will become of an infected Patch, wandering the wilderness alone?
The second story arc in the Feral story, Cat Lady finds Elsie and her newfound group brought to a twisted sense of safety. Spoiler: If you've watched "The Walking Dead" it is exactly how The Farm story arc ends. I'm still interested in this dark, "Homeward Bound" tale, but not enough to buy (and collect) the individual issues, so I waited for the trade paperback version.
The story continues to combine cute cartoon cats with gruesome horror as the rabies outbreak turns the animals "bad." This arc introduces a new element in "The Lady," a presumed symbol of good and safety who Elsie soon discovers hides an underlying infection of her own. Briefly touching on the "Cat Lady" label, a different kind of terror is seen through the cats' eyes. Infected with rabies, Patch's brief journey tugs at the heart as we watch him simply trying to get back to his family, knowing he can never return home. The sadness in his plight is made worse as we watch his transformation into a monster.
The Devilers by Joshua Hale Fialkov
When demons begin to run amok on Earth, the Vatican calls together the world's most powerful exorcists to stand against the horde. Armed with unique and fearsome abilities, it is up to the Devilers to send Hell's denizens back home. Will they be able to trust their abilities, and each other, long enough to stem the flow of evil?
Collecting the seven-issue series, The Devilers is a standard, action-horror story of a group of individuals pulled together to fight against the ultimate evil. Picked up on a whim and because of a pre-order discount (yes, I know I really, really need to cut back on those kinds of purchases), I was interested in the idea the story presented. It's okay for a short, contained story but it definitely could've used more - a deeper look into each of the characters' past, more fights between The Devilers and other ranks of demons, philosophical and religious debates especially between each of the different religions each character represents, etc. Besides the short-lived debate toward the end of the book between an atheist and Lucifer, the story itself kinda fell flat for me (I gotta stop buying these books just to read once and sell off).
