This a prose novel which is part of the “Goosebumps: Horrorland” book series.
HARD TO RATE
It was hard for me to rate thNot so maniac after all!
This a prose novel which is part of the “Goosebumps: Horrorland” book series.
HARD TO RATE
It was hard for me to rate this book, since the development wasn’t that entertaining, since technically isn’t a horror story but more superhero (or supervillain, actually) action but it’s not that inspired, that honestly, after reading Attack of the Mutant (from original Goosebumps book series) I was expecting an improvement, a revision of the theme, and therefore a better story, that sadly wasn’t the case…
…BUT…
…I found quite interesting that the story uses a narrative style quite similar to Gone Girl, but FOUR years before of the publication of Gone Girl!!! I am not saying that R.L. Stine invented the narrative style with this book, since it may be like The Blair Witch Project which it didn’t invent the “found footage” format, there had been several movies before, but certainly The Blair Witch Project made world popular the format impulsing a lot of new movies like it later. So, Gone Girl made world popular a style that later several authors wrote their own versions, and I found quite interesting that this humble book by R.L. Stine uses a narrative style that basically makes the same kind of impact to the reader, but four years before (without discarding that it could be other examples before).
So, if R.L. Stine was pioneer with a Gone Girl narrative style, why I couldn’t rate better this book? Easy. I hated the Gone Girl narrative style (you can look for my review about it), since I felt ripped off or deceived, like I wasted three weeks of reading. I have to mention that when I watched later the movie adaptation with Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, I liked a lot the film, not because the story was any improved, it’s basically a faithfull adaptation giving the same surprises, but for me, it’s different to be deceived or surprised only investing a couple of hours, than three weeks or more.
I won’t get into detail since I don’t want to spoil any of the two books.
COMIC STRIPS OR COMIC BOOKS?
Robby Schwartz has a hobbie of making comic strips (but it’s not clear if they’re really comic strips or actually comic books, which is a different format of the general genre of comics and/or graphic novels) but instead of superheroes, Robby prefers supervillains and all his comics (strips or books?) are about supervillains (I found this quite odd, since Robby complains at some point why he didn’t invent any superhero, since I don’t quite catch what kind of struggle can have those supervillains if there aren’t any superheroes to make a real challenge for them, anyway), and his main supervillain is…
…DR. MANIAC!!!
But there is at least a couple of other villains, The Purple Rage (like some kind of antagonist) and the Scarlet Starlet (some kind of companion), and soon enough it seems that they get into the real world.
Robby has two sibblings, Sam (brother) and Taylor (sister) and a good friend, Brooke, but soon enough they will be targets of his own creations.
The book has a fairly good pacing, but I found the action scenes not much inspired, but I have to give the the names of the superpowered characters are better thought that those used in Attack of the Mutant (but story in the first book was a lot better).
HORRORLAND CROSSOVER
The only thing kinda odd, is that the book is part of a marketing strategy where, after you read the main story, you’ll find a second story where the main characters of each previous book in the Horrorland series are appearing together, trapped in the Horrorland theme park, and while the text tells you what happened so far, if you haven’t read the entire series of Horrorland in order, you won’t get much reading this, if you read the books of this series in random order, like me....more
This a prose novel which is part of the original “Goosebumps” book series
COMIC BOOK WORLD AND REAL LIFE COLLIDING!
SincSurprisingly good story!
This a prose novel which is part of the original “Goosebumps” book series
COMIC BOOK WORLD AND REAL LIFE COLLIDING!
Since I am a comic book collector myself, I found this Goosebumps story quite appealing and even I was surprised that I liked it even more than I’d expected at first.
Bradley “Skipper” Matthews is a comic book collector and even he keeps several of his comic books totally sealed without reading them to avoid losing value (I keep them in protective bas alright but definitely I read them at least once), however the comic book of “The Masked Mutant” is a title that Skipper just can’t not reading it, therefore, each time that the comic book goes out, he read it entirely.
But “The Masked Mutant” is a different comic book since while he is the protagonist of the story, The Masked Mutant (which can manipulate his own molecular structure) isn’t a superhero but actually a supervillain, facing a entire team of superheroes known as “The League of Good Guys” (I have to admit that R.L. Stine could think a little further to come out with cooler names for them) where its leader is The Galloping Gazelle (a Flash-like wannabe).
Skipper has a little sister, Mitzi (that as usual in many R.L. Stine’s stories, she is always pesting his big brother), a friend, Wilson Clark (whom has the unusual hobbie of collecting rubber stamps) and soon enough he meets Libby Zacks (who collects comic books but a different kind of the ones that Skipper usually likes).
Everything is normal in the small town of Riverview Falls, until…
…Skipper finds the secret headquarters of The Masked Mutant, right in the middle of town!
Comic books elements are starting to become part of reality, and while it could a dream come true for any comic book collector, Skipper will discover soon enough that it will become a real nightmare!
I liked a lot the book, having several surprises and twists, where even when you think that the story already ended, that crafty R.L. Stine shocks you one more final time. Maybe my only complain is that there isn't any reason explaining why it's happening this merging between comic books and real life but definitely one of the best Goosebumps books that I’ve read so far (not the best, but definitely between the top list of those that I’ve been able to read so far).
This is the first volume of “Le Petit Spiroy” comic book series. Originally appearing in 1987 for the first time in Watch out for Le Petit Spirou!
This is the first volume of “Le Petit Spiroy” comic book series. Originally appearing in 1987 for the first time in Dupuis Publishing.
This first volume is known as “Say Hello to the Lady”
Creative Team:
Creators, Writer & Illustrator: Tome & Janry
FRANCO-BELGIAN COMICS
The collaboration between France and Belgium in the genre of comic strips & comic books is monumental, figuring many of the most iconic examples of the genre, not only Asterix, but also The Smurfs, Tin Tin, Lucky Luke, Le Petit Spirou, and many, many, MANY others…
…generating their own inner genre named, obviously, Franco-Belgian comics, considered along with United States & Great Britain comics and Japanese manga, as one of the three most influential and relevant examples of the comic book field.
(I plan to read in the future other titles of this genre, therefore, in the first volume of each title, it will be normal to find this same general introduction.)
PICARESQUE BUT CHARMING
While this is quite recent, taking in account that other iconic Franco-Belgian comics were created in the 40’s, 50’s and so on, this is an 80s product and it shows in its picaresque tone that maybe in previous decades wouldn’t work out. This is a child version of the adult Spirou character (which I haven’t read anything) and it seems that while the adult version is proper and serious, the creators decided to give it a double-meaning and picaresque tone to the series but keeping it charming and kinda innocent due that many of the main characters are kids. One good thing is that due the creative team were already seasoned artists, the comic book begins already with the expected look of the characters, not like Tintin or Lucky Luke that you will have to wait for following volumes to find the expected recognizable look of the characters.
Spirou or Le Petit Spirou is a schoolboy wearing his trademark Bellboy outfit (I think to make him recognizable as a younger version of the character) whom is always getting in troubles due being interested in the opposite sex.
The volume started with a short story about a collection of photos left by a deceased photographer capturing indiscreet moments of many people in the town. The rest of the volume are one page gags, were you are introduced to several characters like Vert (his best friend), Suzette (his kinda girlfriend), Mr Mégot (school’s gym teacher), Abott Langelusse (main religious figure in town), Sister Mary Angelique (a beautiful nun), Pepé Spirou (his grandfather) and Mrs. Spirou (his mother), and even you get the introductory gag about Jean-Henri Masseur (which in French is language joke sounding a lot like “your sister” and used by Suzette as a misleading prank since she has a very sexy sister).
Other iconic characters still not appearing in this very first volume, but certainly the book begins with good artwork and charming gags quite hilarious.
I bought this in its printed version but I didn’t find that edition here on GR, so I had to use this Kindle edition that I found
This Doom endures!
I bought this in its printed version but I didn’t find that edition here on GR, so I had to use this Kindle edition that I found
This is a Giant-sized (64 pages) one-shot comic book.
Creative Team:
Plot, Script & Art: Sanford Greene & Jonathan Hickman
Colors: Rachelle Rosenberg with Sanford Greene
Lettering: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Art: Sanford Greene & Matthew Wilson
DOOM VS GALACTUS…’NUFF SAID!
I didn’t choose to buy this comic book but actually the guy in charge of comic books in the geek local store where I buy comics, he was the one who chose it for me, he told me that I need that comic and well…
...he was right!...
…in fact the comic book became in demand getting more value, which I don’t complain at all.
The first thing that got me off guard, it was that it’s not the Earth-616 Doctor Doom, since some Doctor Doom in the multiverse, where in his Earth, all heroes and villains faced Galactus…
…and they lost!...
…even space characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Nova Corps, the Shiar Imperial Guard, everybody lost too!...
…only surviving Doctor Doom and Valeria Richards (that’s why it’s impossible to think about this Doom as the one from Earth-616.
Aaah! But Doctor Doom doesn’t survive…
…Doctor Doom endures! (his words, not mine!)
Galactus is on a frenzy hunger and everything in the universe is in peril…
…and obviously the only hope to stop Galactus is Doctor Doom, whom lost the first round but he is still alive (barely thanks to his magic knowledge), but Valeria Richards looks foor him and everything is set for second round!
Something that I found kinda unfair, it's that I noticed that this comic book got so many attention due the involment of Jonathan Hickman (which obviously is one of the best comic book writers in the industry, in special about Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom) and certainly I'm sure that he indeed collaborated in the project, but I think that the real "father" of this comic book was Sanford Greene, since you can notice that he was involved in all departments to make this comic book.
This comic book is highly recommended to any fan of Fantastic Four, in special of Doctor Doom, Valeria Richards and/or Galactus. Also, I have no doubt that this one-shot was published to start to make current boost to the characters of Doctor Doom and Galactus that both are expected to be relevant in the incoming phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This is the first volume of “Lucky Luke” comic book series in its “The Complete Collection” American edition. Originally appHere comes Lucky Luke!
This is the first volume of “Lucky Luke” comic book series in its “The Complete Collection” American edition. Originally appearing in 1949 for the first time in Dupuis Publishing.
In this collected American edition are printed seven different stories: “Arizona 1880”, “Dick Digger’s Gold Mine”, “Lucky Luke’s Double”, “Rodeo”, “Desperado City”, “The Buffalo Creek gold rush” and “Lucky Luke versus Cigarette Cesar”.
Creative Team:
Creator, Writer & Illustrator: Morris
FRANCO-BELGIAN COMICS
The collaboration between France and Belgium in the genre of comic strips & comic books is monumental, figuring many of the most iconic examples of the genre, not only Asterix, but also The Smurfs, Tin Tin, Lucky Luke, Le Petit Spirou, and many, many, MANY others…
…generating their own inner genre named, obviously, Franco-Belgian comics, considered along with United States & Great Britain comics and Japanese manga, as one of the three most influential and relevant examples of the comic book field.
(I plan to read in the future other titles of this genre, therefore, in the first volume of each title, it will be normal to find this same general introduction.)
NOTHING LIKE AMERICAN WESTERN…FROM EUROPE!
It’s curious how the American Western is a genre that sometimes is better portraited outside of United States like the Italian “Spaguetti Western” and this Franco-Belgian comic book of Lucky Luke becoming easily the best known and popular “american” cowboy in comics.
I can understand that nowadays is not recommended to promote smocking (but I wonder why drinking alcohol doesn’t have the same kind of witch hunt) but it’s kinda absurd that Morris, its creator, were critized for having Lucky Luke smocking in its classic run since if he was an adult in the old American west, it’s only logical that he would smoking (and drinking alcohol) due in that era of history was normal that, you can’t (or you shouldn’t) re-write history, bad or good, history should be told or portraited like it happened.
In this gorgeous first volumen of the american edition known as “The Complete Collection”, you won’t have the most characteristic look of Lucky Luke (in fact you can appreciate how the look of the face of Lucky Luke is evolutioning during the run of this first seven tales but without still reaching his most recognizable look) but unlike the first story of Tin Tin where the artwork is just awful, here you will find gorgeous artwork in characters and scenarios. Jolly Jumper, his white horse, the “smartest horse in the west”, is without a doubt smart and even sometimes you hear him talk (like Scooby-Doo) but later you can read his thoughts.
Also, you will find an extensive information about Morris, his personal life, his inspirations for this comic book and the impact of the series.
Arizona 1880 (4 stars)
It’s the very first Lucky Luke story with a very cartoonish look in Lucky Luke and while the story is quite simple, it’s quite entertaining and a worthy beginning, where Lucky Luke without much background of his personal past, he reaches Nugget City and having to deal with an insidious criminal and his pair of minions.
Dick Digger’s Gold Mine (5 stars)
Dick Digger is an old man that he can’t just keep his mouth shut about having found a gold mine and the same pair of minions (but just them, the boss is still in jail I guess) are starting to look for the mine without realizing that they already have the map in a bottle of Dick Digger.
Lucky Luke’s Double (4 stars)
Lucky Luke arrives to another town and he finds out that there is a criminal in prison looking just like him (even the same wardrobe!) and the band of that criminal kidnaps Lucky Luke to interchange him in the Town’s Jail.
Rodeo (4 stars)
Lucky Luke in participating in a rodeo event, when a nefarious participant steals the money of the rodeo grand prize.
Desperado City (5 stars)
Lucky Luke arrives to Desperado City which is a very dirty and sinful town, where he soon enough will have to “clean” the town. Easily the best written tale in this first collection.
The Buffalo Creek gold mine (5 stars)
A very funny tale where people starting to think that there is gold in Buffalo Creek which is only a creek but suddenly you have train and a whole town emerging due the bunch of people arriving there to look for the gold. Easily the funniest tale (showing a true old cartoon style of narrative) of this first collection.
Lucky Luke versus Cigarette Cesar (3 stars)
The title explains much of what happens, where indeed Lucky Luke meets this character known as Cigarette Cesar and he has to face him to bring him to justice. It’s not a bad story but easily is the weakest of the collected tales in this first collection.
This a self-contained prose novel which is part of the “Nightmare Room” book series
ANOTHER BOOK LINE
I already read quitA fair entertained book
This a self-contained prose novel which is part of the “Nightmare Room” book series
ANOTHER BOOK LINE
I already read quite a bit of books written by R.L. Stine, but usually they had been from Goosebumps or Fear Street, but this is my first book from Nightmare Room, where it seems that it’s a line oriented for kids but even it looks more family friendly (with zero body count) than your regular Goosebumps novel, and something curious is that when you finish the book, you find a section telling in a general way about the supernatural phenomena that it was developed in the story, and you got a feeling that this Nightmare Room is like an attempt of doing a Twilight Zone for kids.
I BET YOU DON’T HAVE A DIARY LIKE THIS ONE!
Alex Smith is young boy with a terrible vice of betting, therefore he tries to do bets against his schoolmates about anything around them with the goal of winning some money and his current objective is buying a guitar to use with his music band formed by his close friends, Chip and Shawn.
Alex has a noisy classmate named Tessa Wayne, that while they are usually antagonist with each other, it’s clear that both have some mutual romantic interest.
Miss Gold, one of his teachers, gave them to Alex (along with the rest of the class but only Tessa shown real interest about it) of making a personal diary to get some extra points in their grades.
Fate gives the “perfect diary” to Alex coming inside of an old desk that his mom gave him, but this diary is not your regular one, since each night after dinner, written with even his own handwriting, Alex finds a page telling him details about what will happen the next day.
First, he thought that it was perfect to place bets and make money, but…
…with each diary entry, more and more dangerous things are predicted and Alex can’t avoid to happen even knowing ahead about it.
While there isn’t any body count in the story, and there is quite mild the tone of horror developed here, the book is quite entertained to read, maybe my major issue with it could be the quite abrupt and odd way to end the story at its climax (nope, I won’t spoil it) but certainly it wasn’t up to the expectations and therefore I couldn’t give it a better rating.
But, certainly I don’t complain about reading the book, since it was entertained and engaging to read.
This is a stand-alone prose novel, situated right after “Chain of Command” Parts One & Two episodes from ST-TBrilliant idea for a Star Trek novel!
This is a stand-alone prose novel, situated right after “Chain of Command” Parts One & Two episodes from ST-TNG and before “Emissary” from ST-DS9.
Captain’s Log:
The USS Enterprise-D is assigned to arbitrate the negotiations between the Cardassian Union and the Bajoran Provisional Government, after the unexpected annoucement by the Cardassian Civilian Detapa Council ordering to release the planet Bajor and all its population in that world and any other world in the Cardassian Union, along with retiring all military personnel. The diplomatic talks are celebrated at Terok Nor, an uridium ore processing space station orbiting Bajor.
The USS Oceanside, a California-class starship, is assigned to support assistance to the Enterprise-D in the additional mission of giving maintenance to the Terok Nor station and bringing medical help to the Bajoran population at the surface.
Senior Staff:
Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Commanding Officer) Cmdr. William T. Riker (First Officer) Lt. Cmdr. Data (Operations Manager & Second Officer) Lt. Cmdr. Deanna Troi (Ship’s Counselor) Lt. Worf (Chief Security Officer) Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (Chief Engineering Officer) Dr. Beverly Crusher (Chief Medical Officer)
Capt. Tamiko Hayashio (Commanding Officer) Dr. Tropp (Chief Medical Officer) Cmdr. Sarah McDougall (Chief Engineering Officer)
Guest Stars:
Constable Odo (Terok Nor Chief Security Officer) Kira Nerys Garak
LOST CHAPTER
This is indeed a “lost chapter” since this prose novel gives a link between ST-TNG and the beginning of ST-DS9 since it’s situated right after Capt. Jean-Luc Picard was tortured by Gul Madred during the events of Chain of Command and before that Terok Nor would become a Starfleet administered station and be called Deep Space Nine, which I think it’s a great idea for a prose novel in the Star Trek universe.
Where you have the introductions of known characters of Deep Space Nine before of taking their roles, along with reading about the decision of Chief O’Brien of leaving the Enterprise-D but also old minor characters of The Next Generation will return doing priceless cameos, and even character from the “future” of expanded universe prose novels.
PEACE SOMETIMES IS MORE COMPLICATED THAN WAR
After the debacle at Minos Korva where a Cardassian fleet was stopped by the strategy of Capt. Edward Jellico (at that moment in command of the Enterprise-D) the Civilian Detapa Council in Cardassian gives a totally unexpected order of retiring all military presence of the Cardassian Union in the Bajoran system and liberating all Bajoran population in any other Cardassian sector…
…however that order isn’t comply as smooth as you could hope, since the Cardassian Central Command gives indications of damaging all possible Bajoran resources and any Cardassian technology left behind…
…but the worse is that there are secret labour camps in other planetary systems where the liberation order will be changed to extermination process.
It’s up to the Enterprise-D and Oceanside crews to do their best in repairing Terok Nor station, finding the source of a provoked decease in Bajor’s surface, but also finding out about one of those secret camps where an old friend of Ro Laren is kept captive along with many other Bajorans.
Capt. Picard will have his hands full not only dealing with Gul Dukat but also with the now Legate Madred, a very uncomfortable reunion right after their previous torturing meeting. I would wish to have more presence in the story by Ro Laren, and while she does pivotal things in the novel, still I’d love to have her in a more relevant role.
Also, while Garak is on the cover along with Picard, they didn't share any scene and Garak isn't doing really much in the story. (I'd prefer a photo art cover instead of this artistic representation that I guess they don't need to pay to the actors to use them in the cover)
This is a The Next Generation novel but you will have the birth of Deep Space Nine too. Highly recommended for fans of both spin-offs of Star Trek....more
This a self-contained prose novel which is part of the “Fear Street Relaunch” book series
AWESOME COVER
It’sAnother great success by R.L. Stine!
This a self-contained prose novel which is part of the “Fear Street Relaunch” book series
AWESOME COVER
It’s said that you can’t judge a book for its cover but certainly this novel has an awesome cover that matches with its awesome story.
Usually the books by R.L. Stine have cool covers appealing to read them, but I think that this one can be one of the coolest covers that I’ve seen in the library of R.L. Stine.
In fact, this is my second book in the line of Fear Street Relaunch where the first one, Gimme a K-I-L-L is one of my favorite books by R.L. Stine, and since I had such a blast with this other book of that book series, it seems that Fear Street Relaunch while it took some elements of previous books of the original Fear Street, certainly R.L. Stine make very good improvements, making them a good choice to read.
TRUST NO ONE!
Lisa Brooks is new on Shadyside, her family moved from Shaker Heights, but soon the tragedy hits her when her dad dies in a car accident where her entire family including herself were onboard, she was left with mental trauma and now she is suffering nightmares and scary hallucinations.
As a form of therapy, Dr. Shein, her psychiatrist recommends her as babysitter for Mrs. Brenda Hart, to take care of her sweet kid named Harry, everything seems good, but…
…the Hart Family lives on FEAR STREET!!!
So, obviously something wrong will be happening, especially when Mrs. Hart gives a pivotal instruction to Lisa that Harry can be still awake after 8pm…
…he can’t STAY UP LATE.
Her boyfriend Nate Goodman, and her best friends Saralynn O’Brien and Isaac Brenner are there for her, but…
…can she trust them? Especially when Summer Lawson (former girlfriend of Nate) is appearing eveywhere giving some warnings about Nate.
Does she can trust in anybody in Shadyside?
Since soon enough gruesome murders will start to happen in the front door where Lisa is babysitting, and the worse of all is that the Shadyside Police thinks that Lisa is totally wacko since she is watching horrible monsters walking around but nobody else is watching them.
This hardcover edition is a companion guide and artbook to “Invincible” Season 1 animated series” event.
CreaAwesome item to any fan of the series!
This hardcover edition is a companion guide and artbook to “Invincible” Season 1 animated series” event.
Creative Team:
Writer: Marc Sumerak
Foreword: Robert Kirkman (Creator of Invincible comic book and producer of TV animated adaptation)
ONE OF THE TOP 10 BEST AMERICAN ANIMATED SERIES
While the official title of the book is “The Art of…” and therefore you may think that it’s only a visual item to the series and while it isn’t a proper companion guide, certainly this gorgeous hardcover edition, large format, printed in prestige paper in full color, is quite more than just an artbook since it contains a lot of behind-the-scenes information about the whole Season One of the animated adaptation of Invincible.
You have separated sections dedicated to each episode of Season One, with inside comments about what they wanted to accomplish on each of those episodes including color boards…
…along with separated sections with spolights on each of the main characters of the season like Mark Grayson (Invincible), Nolan Grayson (Omni-man), Debbie Grayson, Atom Eve, Cecil, The Guardians of thee Globe, etc… moreover sections about the whole production process of the animated adaptation. Also, separating each major section, you’ll have beautiful landscapes used in the animation.
Of course, in the same way that the animated series is “R-Rated”, you may say that this book is too, since you’ll have here and there, drawings of gore moments of the action used in the season.
But, definitely, this is a priceless collector’s item (and quite useful too!) to any fan of the animated adaptation of the bestseller comic book series.
This is a prose novel from the “Point Horror” book series
I KNOW WHAT YOU WROTE SEVEN YEARS BEFORE, BUT WAIT!
OK, theJust an innocent prank…not!
This is a prose novel from the “Point Horror” book series
I KNOW WHAT YOU WROTE SEVEN YEARS BEFORE, BUT WAIT!
OK, they’re not the same stories in their developments, but it’s impossible when you read this, and not remembering the film I Know What You Did Last Summer, and while this book was written seven years before…
…the film was based on a novel from 1973!
So, I won’t bother to think who copy who, since as I told you, both are different stories in their developments, while both share the premise of a group of teenager causing a car accident and keeping quite about it.
I Know What You Did Last Summer is quite a lot better, since you have slashing and several deaths, and here you only get some creepy pranks, a car chase, but only one death, and not exactly who you’d like to die.
A cool thing is that the author, Richie Tankersley Cusick, is an “old acquaintance”, since I had read some stuff by her several years ago, her work on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer prose novels line. Therefore, that was a cool thing since I didn’t realize until I was already reading this book.
NOT SO INNOCENT PRANKS
Belinda, Hildy and Franks are teenager coming back from a party, and they’re drunk and driving a car, terrible combination, ending in a car accident and they didn’t check out what really happened.
A couple of weeks later, Belinda, one of the only two nice characters, is really stressed out about the accident, and she is hired to be tutor of a creepy kid named Adam, there she meets the Butler (the other nice character), along with the awful Mrs. Thorne (Adam’s stepmother) and Noel (Adam’s brother).
Hildy and Frank are really awful and they are just joking and not a little bit preocupied about who may injured in the car accident, and you’d wish that they could meet some justice about it, but you’re not so lucky.
And while the story lacks of some more blood, still is an engaging reading since the things aren’t what you may think, there are a lot more than meets the eye, and it’s not so easy to pick culprits.
This is the first volume of “Tintin” comic book series. Originally published, between 1929 and 1930, in the “Le Petit Vingtième”, Rocky beginning!
This is the first volume of “Tintin” comic book series. Originally published, between 1929 and 1930, in the “Le Petit Vingtième”, a children’s supplement part of “Le Vingtième Siècle” a Belgian newspaper.
Creative Team:
Creator, Writer & Illustrator: Hergé
FRANCO-BELGIAN COMICS
The collaboration between France and Belgium in the genre of comic strips & comic books is monumental, figuring many of the most iconic examples of the genre, not only Asterix, but also The Smurfs, Tin Tin, Lucky Luke, Le Petit Spirou, and many, many, MANY others…
…generating their own inner genre named, obviously, Franco-Belgian comics, considered along with United States & Great Britain comics and Japanese manga, as one of the three most influential and relevant examples of the comic book field.
(I plan to read in the future other titles of this genre, therefore, in the first volume of each title, it will be normal to find this same general introduction.)
STILL FAR FROM GREATNESS
This is the very first comic book of Tintin but it’s not recommended only if you are truly interested about reading Hergé’s full work, since this volume is too crude in its artwork, almost without a proper plotline and not well written at all falling in cliché cartoonish jokes.
Hergé did it as a commision to do an anti-communist satire, and certainly you get that, but Tintin is barely recognizable since Hergé’s artwork here is too amateur in every sense, characters’ designs, scenarios, etc…
Also, Hergé only read a single book, written by a former Belgian ambassador at Russia, as his only info reference to make this story, and while it’s intentionally a satire, it’s obviously not properly researched to portrait a believable view (negative or positive) about the Soviet Union at the moment.
It was odd that Milou (Tintin’s dog) was able to read his thoughts, but I understand that was normal in Hergé’s first publications, eventually Milou began to behave as a more normal dog.
Tintin is a Belgian reporter commisioned to visit Moscow and he traveled along with his dog, Milou, and they have troubles all the way, beginning in East Germany, and later in Russian territory, where Tintin is assaulted by East Berlin Police and the Soviet OGPU (Secret Police), along the way, Tintin is witness of Communist government acts of opression or deceat but all this is portraited in a too childish comedy style so instead of having a smart critique, you are left with a crude satire lack of imagination.
It’s obvious that was Hergé’s first work and done under paid commision but still this is something that you may choose not to read and you won’t miss anything important about Tintin legacy....more
I bought this in its single comic book issues, but I’ve chosen this TPB edition to be able of making a better ovThe Ultimate Universe lives again!
I bought this in its single comic book issues, but I’ve chosen this TPB edition to be able of making a better overall review.
This TPB edition contains “Ultimate Invasion” #1-4 plus one-shot “Ultimate Universe” #1.” event.
Creative Team:
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Illustrator: Bryan Hitch
ULTIMATE BRAVE NEW WORLD
The original Ultimate Marvel Universe, back at the beginning of the millenium was one of the best events ever made by Marvel, and even in the whole comic book industry, becoming best-selling titles and even the model for the eventual Marvel Cinematic Universe, like the thing that Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury was before in the comic of The Ultimates.
But as all things, the original Ultimate Marvel Universe came to an end, dying that universe, erasing everything there…
…BUT…
…two characters were able to escape to the destruction of the original Ultimate Marvel Universe…
…one hero…
…one hero turned villain…
…Miles Morales…
…and Reed Richards, and it’s this last one who now known as The Maker, one of the most dangerous villains in the whole Marvel multiverse, was confined in a prison, but he ha done goal in mind…
…getting back the Ultimate Universe, but shaping it at his own desire!
The original Ultimate Marvel Universe was the Earth-1610 but it was no more, therefore, The Maker after making an ingenious escape from his prison (and even inviting Miles Morales to go with him, but that one refused), he travelled to the Earth-6160 to make crafty manipulations here and there, to avoid many heroes to born (like Peter Parker isn’t bitten by a radioactive spider)…
…but even the Maker wasn’t able to stop certain events like Bruce Banner becoming The Hulk, and he doesn’t know where is the frozen body of Captain America…
…however the Tony Stark from there (he wasn’t Iron Man but his dad), discover The Maker’s plans and tried to stop him, but only to be considered as a terrorist by the general population.
And that’s only the prologue! And certainly I didn't spoil all the stuff, plenty more to read!
Because the new Ultimate Marvel Universe is just beginning!
Essential reading if you want to engage into the new Ultimate titles like Ultimate Spider-Man (I am reading this one!), Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Black Panther, so far, but I am sure that they’ll be more.
In my country, Costa Rica, (as in many others too) when the Anime TV series of Heidi was shown, cause a social impactIconic tale!
ANIME VS BOOK
In my country, Costa Rica, (as in many others too) when the Anime TV series of Heidi was shown, cause a social impact without parallel, where still today is considered one of the most beloved adaptations of the original book.
One of the best things about the anime is that it adapts quite faithfully the whole prose novel, just adding extra moments, but the book is there, just expanded, and the main events ocurred as in the book.
One of the cool things in the book is that you find extra information about Heidi’s Grandfather backstory, how he had a brother that ruined the family money with gambling and drinking, and Heidi’s Granfather was a soldier in Naples, from where he returned with Heidi’s dad still a baby. The book also explained how Heidi’s dad met Heidi’s mom, and how they both died.
The book also has a Christianity elements absent from the Anime, like Heidi at Frankfurt she learned to read and pray with a Religious stories collected in a book that Clara’s Grandmother gave to Heidi, and also thanks to this book i show Heidi accomplished to take her grandfather again to believe in God, since he had lost faith due his son’s death.
The book is excellent, and certainly is a great choice to read to any fan of Heidi but certainly the 1974’s Anime TV series (that came to Costa Rica in the early 80s) is still the best option to experience a timeless great story.
…or this novel is one of the most visionary sci-fi stories ever written…
…OR…
…Farfetched Sci-Fi Thriller!
GENETIC MANIPULATION
One of two things…
…or this novel is one of the most visionary sci-fi stories ever written…
…OR…
…is the one most farfetched ever written.
The topic is really good and clever elected. It’s the way that it’s developed that I had serious troubles to assimilate, since some stuff is like resolved too easily or just too quick. One injection and immediate results. Maybe those things could be overwatched in a comic book where science is quite quick to happen, but in a prose sci-fi thriller novel, I don’t know, I just could accept it so easily.
Also, there is a whole lot of legal themes that since I’m not lawyer, I don’t know if those are able to happen in US Legal Courts.
There is a company BioGen, and they are after the genes of Frank Burnet that it seems that he was able to get healthy from an aggressive form of leukemia, and most of the book, he is on the run avoiding to be captured by BioGen. No problem with that.
Where I have problems is about a chimpanzee and a parrot that they are genetically manipulated and suddenly they can think and talk, even the chimpanzee is able to go to school and people truly believed that he is a human with some false genetic disease!
And those are like the main cases, since another problem with the novel is that there are just too many micro-stories, truly disturbing being able to appreciate the main story.
It’s well written since it has a good narrative form, but I think that the sci-fi elements are too quick and too farfetched presented, along with some questionable legal issues (that maybe are real and possible, but I had serious issues to accept).
It wasn't easy for me, giving so low rating, since Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors, but honestly I just couldn't assimilate this story.
This is the first volume of “Asterix” comic strip series. Originally published in French language, in the “Pilote” magazineThese Romans are crazy!
This is the first volume of “Asterix” comic strip series. Originally published in French language, in the “Pilote” magazine, comprising issues #1-34.
Creative Team:
Creator & Writer: René Goscinny
Creator & Illustrator: Albert Uderzo
FRANCO-BELGIAN COMICS
The collaboration between France and Belgium in the genre of comic strips & comic books is monumental, figuring many of the most iconic examples of the genre, not only Asterix, but also The Smurfs, Tin Tin, Lucky Luke, Le Petit Spirou, and many, many, MANY others…
…generating their own inner genre named, obviously, Franco-Belgian comics, considered along with United States & Great Britain comics and Japanese manga, as one of the three most influential and relevant examples of the comic book field.
(I plan to read in the future other titles of this genre, therefore, in the first volume of each title, it will be normal to find this same general introduction.)
A LEGEND IS BORN
In this first volume, it’s introduced the basic plot of Asterix, set in the 50 B.C., during the Gallic Wars, where it’s about a small Gaulish village, that it’s the last bastion not conquered by the Roman Empire, thanks to the help of a secret potion that it makes the Gaulish warriors to possess for a limited time with super-strength, in that way to keep at bay the Roman Legions, making impossible any attempt of invading that small village.
Here, you met Asterix, the lead character, which is a petite man, quite cunning to design clever plans to fool the Roman legions, along with the help of the secret super-strength potion...
...Also you have his best friend Obelix (introduced here but with surprising small role in this first adventure) that he’s a massive tall man that fell into the secret potion cauldron when he was a baby, resulting that he doesn’t need to drink the potion and having super-strenght all the time...
...Panoramix (in English it’s usually renamed as Getafix) is a druid sorcerer and the keeper of the formula of the secret potion and the only one able to make more...
...In smaller roles, you also have Vitalstatistix, the village Chief, and also Cacophonixm, the village bard.
In this first adventure, one of the several Roman forts, Compendium, is trying to discover the secret of the super-strength of the Gaulish village, the Roman Centurion (commander of Compendium) Crismus Bonus sends Caligula Minus (a small Roman Legionnaire) disguised as gaul to infiltrate the village.
I won’t spoil the fun but I just can say that while they discovered about the existence of the super-strength potion, it won’t be that easy to know how to make it, and Asterix and Panoramix will have a blast with those poor crazy Romans!
Julius Caesar himself appears here!
It’s not that ambitious story, but quite enough to understand the basics of the general series.
This is a prose novel from the “Fear Street” original book series AND a sequel to the first book “The Wrong NumbeOperator! The line is dead AGAIN!
This is a prose novel from the “Fear Street” original book series AND a sequel to the first book “The Wrong Number”
FAIR SEQUEL ON FEAR STREET
Since I read The Wrong Number just a few weeks ago and I enjoyed it so much, I thought that it was appropiate to engage reading the sequel, and while it isn’t that good as the first novel, it’s still a fair good reading and it was cool to visit again the characters.
Deena Martinson is still in Shadyside High School, along with her best friend Jade Smith (even there is an extremely cool cameo of Corky Corcoran (heroine of the Fear Street Cheerleaders saga) during a basketball game, she is cheerleading the event), while Deena’s half-brother Chuck is on college…
…but soon that it will change since Chuck isn’t doing that great on college and he’s looking for making a trip to Los Angeles and trying to get into the movie business.
However, Deena and Jade will start to receive mysterious phone calls, threatening their lives, mysterious car chasing them, but…
…that’s not the real problem…
…but that the criminal from the first book is pulling some legal issue on the conviction to get release and be free again!!!
Deena, Jade and Chuck lives are in danger again…
…and they will visit again…
…FEAR STREET…
…for doing a treasure hunt about a large amount of money that it will mess even worse the scenario for our young heroes.
It was an entertaining reading, it was cool to visit again the character from the first book, but there were fewer prank calls, and no murders at all...
...but I have to admit that there is quite a bunch of twists...
...therefore, this isn’t as good as the first book (that I think it was truly great) but if you enjoyed the first novel, you will find engaging to read this sequel....more
Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors and I’ve read quite a bunch of his novels, specially the firFun and entertained
BENNY, HARPER & SPIKE
Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors and I’ve read quite a bunch of his novels, specially the first ones, but lately I haven’t engaged much, for no reason in special, I just didn’t, I read the premise of this novel and I felt compelled to read it, since the idea of some monster taking care of the character avoiding that he suffered any harm was cool.
Certainly I received that, but since it’s Dean Koontz, I was expecting a horror story, and I didn’t feel that it was the case (I clicked the tag “horror” for this book because I think it was marketed in that way, but honestly I didn’t feel to be reading a horror story).
Benny Catspaw is really, really, REALLLY, nice guy, but one bad day started to suffer very bad things, losing his job, losing his girlfriend, etc…
Benny received a really, really, REALLY odd heritance in the form a giant humanoid (not quite human but enough for passing as one in the street), named Spike the Craggle (craggle is the name of his species) and they are inmortal beings dedicated to guard a particular person for the entire lifetime of that person and later, he is passed to guard another person (usually a family member chosen by the late person that had the craggle).
Spike is the “bad weather friend” since he explains that anybody can be friend when you have good weather but a real friend is there for you when there is bad weather.
Maybe something key that avoided to feel this as a horror story, it’s that Spike doesn’t kill (he can intimidate, even break several bones, but no killing) and nothing that Spike met was any difficult to deal, so there aren’t real threats to worry about, since you realize that nobody can beat Spike, and Spike is reallly loyal to Benny (since I thought that at some point Spike would get out of control and Benny would need to escape from him, BUT it wasn’t the case either).
Therefore, the novel is about Benny, Spike (that he doesn’t appear until the novel is almost reaching the half of it) and Harper (a smart & gorgeous waitress (romantic interest for Benny), all three in a trip to get payback from all people that harmed Benny in some way.
I enjoyed A LOT MORE the novel, also by Koontz, Life Expectancy (actually it’s my second favorite novel by Koontz, right below of Phantoms) which it’s quite similar in the style of humor, but quite more compelling in the area of horror, since there is a homicidal psycho clown (you can’t compete with killer clowns) right behind the main couple in that book.
So, this novel at hand, it’s fun and entertained, but hardly what you’d consider a typical horror novel.
This is a prose novel from the “Fear Street” original book series
PRANKS & MURDERS
This is a really good book by R.L.Operator! The line is dead!
This is a prose novel from the “Fear Street” original book series
PRANKS & MURDERS
This is a really good book by R.L. Stine, and I have to say that it’s one of the best that I’ve read written by him, not only from the Fear Street series but from his work in general.
Deena Martinson has a special phone (not, it’s a smart phone since this was written in the good ol’ days of 1990) with memory buttons and stuff, a gift from his dad that works in the Phone Company of Shadyside. First, she is teased by her good friend Jade Smith to make innocent pranks making anonymous sexy calls to cute boys, but when her half-brother, Chuck finds out about the prank calls, the level of pranks escalates to a risky one, making a dumb call doing a fake bomb threat…
…still it wasn’t anything to put them in real hazzard…
…until Chuck (that he was living in another city until some days ago) didn’t respect the danger of messing with…
…FEAR STREET!!!…
…Chuck makes a random call to a number of a house in the infamous Fear Street with such bad luck that he, her sister, Deena and her friend Jade, get involved in a murder!
They didn’t do it, but nobody believes them, and soon enough Chuck will be arrested and it’s up to Deena and Jade to find clues of what really happened…
…but…
…the real murderer is after them!
There are several things that I did see them coming quite sooner than the character were able to deduce, but still it was a gripping reading, entertained, intense and fast paced, that I enjoyed a lot.
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