batman: war crimes

batman: war crimes
writers:
andersen gabrych, devin grayson, bill willingham, bruce jones, will pfeifer
artists:
giuseppe camuncoli, pete woods, eddy barrows, ron randall, thomas derenick
graphics/crime
dc comics
published 2005

*****WARNING - CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BATMAN: WAR GAMES*****

Stephanie Brown wanted to be the Batman's newest partner.  She failed.  She died.  And now, amid widespread accusations that he was at fault, the Dark Knight begins an investigation into her murder that ultimately leads to Gotham City's undisputed mob boss, the Black Mask.

But as rumors of a violent, almost crazed Batman spread through the city streets, many wonder if the Dark Knight has been pushed over the edge.

Will the sudden arrival of his deadliest opponent, the Joker, coupled with the return of another old foe, long believed dead, make a volatile situation even worse?  And who will survive when Batman at last confronts Stephanie's true killer?

Ok so this is going to be a short review because this is actually a pretty short collection meant to wrap up the events in War Games.  Here's what I liked:  

I liked the wrap up.  After what happened to Stephanie it would have been a bummer not to find out what the aftermath was like.  I liked the closure concerning the media as well.  Just desserts, right?

Here's what I didn't like:

Stephanie's actual killer made no sense.  I mean, they explained it and all, but really?  Meh.  And also, the return of the Joker just seemed like a 'we want to sell issues' kind of move.  He was really not necessary to the plot at all and it seemed weird that he would miss the three days of chaos that just happened only to come back after everything is settled.

It's worth the read if you read War Games, but if you were to just pick this one up you'd definitely feel cheated!

batman: war games volumes 1-3

batman: war games, act 1 - outbreak
batman: war games, act 2 - tides
batman: war games, act 3 - end game
graphics/crime
writers:
ed brubaker, adersen gabrych, devin grayson, dylan horrocks, aj. lieberman, bill willingham
artists:
ramon bachs, al barrionuevo, giuseppe camuncoli, paul gulacy, kinsun, mike lilly, sean phillips, brad walker, pete woods, jon proctor, thomas derenick, mike huddleston
dc comics
published 2004

Gotham City's underworld families respond to a mysterious summons for a summit.  Fear, suspicion and paranoia get the better of them and bullets fly fast and furious.  As familiar warlords fall, a new wave of chaos engulfs the city.  Batman must use every available asset - Oracle, Batgirl, Nightwing, Orpheus, Onyx and Tarantula - to preserve life and contain the trouble, while determining who is the mastermind behind the conflagration.

It's hard to review stuff like this without giving away key plot points that make the story is great as it is.  There are moments here where I thought 'oh crap, didn't see that coming!' and I don't know if it's because I'm not as immersed in this era of Batman or if it really was an 'oh crap, didn't see that coming!' moment for others who read it as well.

I'm not so versed when it comes to Orpheus or Onyx and I didn't even really remember there was ever another Batgirl besides Barbara Gordon so there was a lot of new material for me to digest.  There is a lot of drama in this collection and this was one of those collections where I felt like I should have read the issues before these, but that's a lot of backstory and until I can get my hands on all 630 Batman issues before this one I'm probably always going to be behind.

Nonetheless, this was an engaging, gripping series.  There were a few times when I was a little lost as to who was speaking, but that was usually cleared up pretty fast.  I would surely recommend this one to anyone who was looking to get into the Batman world.  It's got some pretty big moments...

batman: the long halloween

batman: the long halloween
jeph loeb & tim sale
graphics/crime
dc comics
published 2011

Taking place during Batman's early days of crime fighting, this new edition of the classic mystery tells the story of a mysterious killer who murders his prey only on holidays.  Working with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant James Gordon, Batman races against the calendar as he tries to discover who Holiday is before he claims his next victim each month.

The title was appropriate.  This was the longest Batman book I've ever read.  Not in length per se, but it how long in felt.  I didn't care for the story, didn't care for the art (which is odd since I have enjoyed Tim Sale's art before) and I really didn't care for this Batman.  Mostly, the Mother's Day period.  I mean, I understand that would be a difficult holiday for Bruce/Batman, but he lost his freaking marbles there and it didn't portray vulnerability (which I think Loeb was going for), but I was just embarrassed for Batman.

I will say this, loved the twist....thought that was worth reading the whole book just for that twist.  So yes, I'd recommend it, but I will say that I didn't think we had to have an entire year of a killer to make it an interesting story.

saga, volumes 1 & 2

saga, volume 1
saga, volume 2
brian k. vaughn & fiona staples
graphics/fantasy
image comics
published 2012

When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.

This is one of those books that I've seen a million times, heard about a million times, read about a million times, but never really felt like picking it up.  Maybe it's because it's written by Brian K. Vaughn and while I did enjoy Y: The Last Man, I didn't completely fall in love with it.  Plus, this sort of fantasy stuff isn't usually my go to.

But I started going through lists geek girls were writing about graphics you just have to read and across the board Saga is one of them.  I happened to be at the library (shocker, I know) one day and they had these two volumes sitting there so I figured, why the hell not?

And I'm so glad I did.  I enjoyed Saga much more than I ever expected.  There's strangely everything in this book.  Love, war, aliens, monsters, robots, villains, heroes, anti-heroes, betrayal, revenge.....you name it, it's in here.

Alana and Marko just want to find a peaceful way out of a war to raise a child that shouldn't exist.  The warring factions send out assassins to kill them because they represent a unity that the rulers just can't let people know is possible.  It's hard not to fall completely in love with Alana and Marko so it seems odd that I found myself sympathetic to almost every character introduced.  Everyone is just trying to make it through this war and amidst all the fighting what seems to be the unifying theme is family.  However you want to define that.

The dialogue is witty and sharp and the characters are vastly different across the board.  The art is flawless and moments jump out and either delight or disgust you.  Either way it's brilliant.

batman: hush, volumes 1 & 2

batman: hush, vol. 1
batman: hush, vol. 2
jeph loeb, jim lee & scott williams
graphic novels/mystery/crime
dc comics
published 2003

Batman: Hush is a thrilling mystery in which Batman sets out to discover the identity of a mysterious mastermind using The Joker, The Riddler, Ra's al Ghul and the Dark Knight's other enemies - and allies - as pawns in a plan to wreak havoc.

I've got to say that some of my favorite Batman books have to be when multiple heroes & villains make an appearance.  I was not disappointed there!  Catwoman, The Huntress, Nightwing, Robin....so many peoples!  Then it just seemed like an endless parade of all the major villains stopped by to give the Bats a hard time in some way or another.

And the art, dang.  I loved the watercolory flashback scenes best and I'm always a sucker for full color books.

I read these two much faster than it's taken me to read The Long Halloween (which I'm still not finished with).  The story was much faster paced and it kept me pretty hooked!

cover reveal: drawing amanda

Stephanie Feuer's new novel, Drawing Amanda is the winner of Hipso Media's Next Big YA Book competition.  I'm currently in LOVE with this cover and was so excited when I was asked to participate in the cover reveal!  S. Y. Lee's illustration for the cover caught me and I can't wait to see how her illustrations will be incorporated into the eBooks!

From Hipso Media:
DRAWING AMANDA is set in the under-parented, high-expectation world of a Manhattan international prep school.  Fourteen-year-old Inky Kahn, smarting from the death of his father, only wants to have his artwork seen and appreciated.  When he submits a drawing of his secret crush - Amanda - to an Internet game developer, Inky inadvertently draws her into a cyber-stalker's lair.  Now Inky must use his art to save his muse and trap the creep before he ensnares anyone else.

I don't come across too many books written from the male POV and written by a female so I'm pretty intrigued to start reading.  I'll let you know what I think of it, but for now feast your eyes on this:

a catered murder

a catered murder
a mystery with recipes
isis crawford
fiction/mystery
kensington books
published 2004

Bernadette Simmons wasn't sure what to expect when she left L.A. - and her no-good, cheating boyfriend - to move back in with her family in New York.  And her sister Libby had no idea what she was in for when she hired Bernie to work for her catering business.  But in between cutting up canapes and dishing up desserts, the two find themselves in the midst of a mystery they can really sink their teeth into.

It's only been a few days since Bernie and Libby started working together at A Little Taste of Heaven, and already they've got their hands full - baking cookies and slicing rare beef tenderloin to serve at a high school reunion.  The dinner has a "Dracula" these and a very strange guest of honor: Laird Wrenn, a New York Times bestselling author of vampire novels.  Libby and Bernie know this will be an evening unlike any other.  And they're proven right when Laird pours a glass of water, takes a long sip - and drops stone-cold dead.

Now with murder on the menu and Libby under suspicion, the sisters will have to put their heads together to figure out whodunit - in a mystery that promises to be deadly to the very last bite.

Exploring the 'cozies' type of mystery I came across this series.  Recipes and mysteries?!  Sounds awesome!  Now, I haven't tried the recipes yet, but I did finish the book and I have to say, I didn't love it.  I think that reading Pure used up all my good book karma this past week.  Out of the last 5 books I've read I loved Pure, A Fatal Grace was okay, hated Evernight and Killer and this one were just meh.

But it happens, right?

**slight spoilers ahead**



The killer ultimately was a surprise because they weren't even offered up as a suspect and there was no backstory given on them.  When revealed though, it didn't really feel like a 'wow' twist.  It felt like a 'what the heck?' out of left field kind of twist.  I like to be able to have a chance to figure out the mystery and wonder how they pulled it off.

And the killer's motive was an interesting one so it's kind of sad it wasn't elaborated much.

I also didn't care for Libby much.  Control yourself a bit woman!  Food, her emotions, nothing.  She would just blurt out the absolute wrong thing to say all the time.  Then there were things like Bernie saying to herself how she truly believes people can change.  Then 5 pages later Libby is asking Bernie if she thinks people can change and she says 'absolutely not'.  Huh?

I will read the second book because there was enough her, enough about Libby, Bernie and their father for me to be interesting in finding out more.  And the book wasn't horrible it was just okay.  Maybe it will get better?  Plus, I got the second book for free and that's why I had to find this one at the library.

So I reserve judgement on the series until I finish at least the next one.  Stay tuned....