Current Reads (Tory Edition)
I am a pretty big an of Jen's "Current reads" page so I wanted to take a page out of her book and share with you what I have been reading.
2/5 I really wanted to read an Aquaman comic because I was hyped for the movie, but I was pretty unimpressed in this line. There were parts that were interesting, but I felt myself being more interested in side characters rather than Arthur. I was interested enough to read to the end, but I wouldn't personally buy volume 2 without a huge sale discount. It tried a little too hard to dispel the Aquaman memes by addressing them directly in the comic which I wasn't really all that into.
4/5 Boom! Studios and their various divisions has really blown me away lately. Boom! Studios has rapidly become one of the most minority inclusive companies in existence. The amount of LGBTQ+ and ethnic minority comics that come out of this company blows my mind. I think what gets me is that not only are they inclusive, but they are authentic too. The Backstagers is no exception to what Boom! has been putting out. I really enjoyed volume 1 and 2 (three is coming out soon). The Backstagers has a touch of magical realism embedded in a story that revolves around a double minority lead character (gay & black). The end of volume 2 does throw a pretty hard curve ball so brace yourself emotionally. I strongly recommend this for anyone that enjoys theater or was in drama club.
1/5 I really disliked volume two of Black Bolt. Too be fair, I didn't love the first volume either. I grabbed this one because Medusa (she shows up in 1 flash back in it) is on the cover, and it was on sale. I was not a fan of the art at all, and given the events of volume 1 I was expecting this one to do more. I wasn't a fan of the writing either. It set these almost interesting arcs up only to not do anything with them, or have them resolved pretty quickly. I will not be continuing with this series.
3.5/5 Better than the Logan movie. The only reason I didn't give this a higher score is because it is pretty short (which is why Fox had to staple the X-23 arc to the movie). I enjoyed the premise of it, and I liked that some older characters that I haven't personally seen in a while showed up. I thought that Logan (the character) was written pretty well, and I liked that he talked about wanting to die because he is tired of outliving everyone he cares about. I liked the art in this as well. It is on the short side, and it does end pretty suddenly.
4/5 So I have been out of the X-Men loop for a few years now. I enjoyed Death of X way more than I though I would. It is the precursor to Inhumans vs. X-Men. There is some serious Emma Frost shade in here, and you get some pretty great moments with Medusa. As someone that likes the Inhumans and the X-Men, I felt like this arc was guiding me to side with the X-Men pretty heavily. If you like Emma Frost and a good scandal, then this is for you.
5/5 Boom! does it again! I honestly can't even with how good this series is. If you're a fan of Yuri on Ice then you need to read this! As per usual with Boom! the comic is very LGBTQ+ and ethnic minority inclusive. I'm 98% sure one of the characters is transgender as well, but I don't think the character is aware of it/out yet. The story arc is pretty simple and typical of what you'd expect out of a sports comic/manga/anime, but features minority characters front and center. One thing Boom! does really well is that they have background and side characters reflect the real world. This means that there are multiple people of color and LGBTQ+ people (sometimes both). I am literally dying waiting for the next volume. Go but this now! I'm a teacher, you have to listen to me(kidding. . . or am I?).
4.5/5 I really enjoyed House of M. I actually want to add it to my syllabus eventually. I like that it talks about trigger issues through the comic medium. The avengers literally host a discussion on if they should kill Wanda or not because she's gone too cookoobanana. There are some really great moments in here between various characters. I specifically like that Polaris isn't pushed out by the twins as far as family matters are concerned. I also really enjoyed the implications of "what do you do when we have a mentally unstable mutant with reality warping powers."
3.5/5 I have a lot of thoughts on this. Look for a separate blog post. I want to really parse this one out.
4/5 I'm not sure how much of this was good writing versus it literally being a cross over of my two favorite things. It was really fun, and I was happy to see the Rangers pair up with the Justice League. I think Higgins writes the Power Rangers a lot better than they are written here, but they were still written well. There are some amazing cross over variant covers in here as well. I've had the Wonder Woman and Pink Ranger variant as my Discord profile picture for like 6 months. Also, the Big Bads cross over team up too.
4.5/5 Boom! does it yet again. I want to start off by saying that I am not Chinese. However, this is one of the most accurate Chinese-"American" stories I have ever experienced as a non-Chinese person. I really liked the attention to having an immigrant parent that speaks limited English. I teach Amy Tan frequently in my classes, and Yu fits right in with her experience. Mech Cadet Yu is targeted at a younger audience, but this does not stop Pak from showing his audience the prejudice immigrants face in life, school, and the work force. One of the things I liked he most is: at the end of Volume 1 we are given the rough draft of the first issue and character models. As an English teacher that preaches the drafting process all day I really enjoyed this touch. I specifically enjoyed that that major bully was changed from a boy to a girl. I like this as an example of radical revision.
5/5 I've read volumes 1-5 and the Pink spin off. Kyle Higgins is probably the BEST Power Rangers writer we have ever had. He truly understands each character and plays to their strengths and weaknesses. Higgins is so good at writing the Power Rangers that I have honestly come to like his series better than the original show. I enjoyed reading this so much that while i was binge reading I was often dreaming about it! This line does assume that you have some familiarity with the original Power Ranger T.V. series. You don't need to have knowledge of every episode, just the Green Ranger's past with Rita. If you lack that background, don't worry! The story will self explain everything eventually, but you might be slightly confused at first if you have had zero exposure to them. I have volume 6 downloaded and ready to go!
4/5 Monstress Volume 2 was interesting. It was less heavy than the first, but still pretty violent and dark. Sana Takeda continues to not disappoint on the art. It is honestly stunning... like jaw dropping stunning. It is one of the few comics that I would honestly buy if it were just a series of pictures with no sequential plot. We got to see some creepy mermaids in this volume which was fun. I got volume 3 as a Christmas gift! I'm genuinely excited to see where this goes. I taught volume 1 in my class last semester, and we equated the monster to mental illness. We had some great discussions.
3.5/5 This one was cute, but it took a while for the plot to go anywhere. I think this is in part due tot he fact that Lunella is so young. I liked that it puts black girls in STEM on the map, and doesn't shy away from issues like "being too smart" or a "nerd" in school. I look forward to continuing this series eventually. I think it would make for fun reading with younger kids and yourself.
3/5 This one was OK. I enjoyed reading it, but the plot was meh. I think my favorite part of this comic was explaining the plot to Jen. I had said something to the extent of "Spoilers spoilers spoilers, FINE! dead" and broke her. I like how the phoenix force is basically trying to pester Jean into becoming the phoenix again. If you like Jean and the phoenix force I'd say grab it.
4/5 I liked volume 2 a little less than volume 1, but I still really enjoyed it. I think my favorite scene is the truck scene with Damien and Jon. It's honestly adorable. I've really enjoyed the comprehensive story so far. This one had a semi-long arc that I wasn't all that into personally, but it was great other than that. I have volume 3 downloaded!
5/5 I grabbed this comic on Brenda's recommendation. I really enjoyed it. The art is playful, and I really like that Orlando plays up Kara's ESL and struggle with assimilation. She truly fits the refugee mold. I enjoyed that they kept that aspect of her. Even though I adore Super Girl on CW, I really wish that CW played up her ESL and refugee identity the way this comic does.
The Queue:
All-New Wolverine: The Four Sisters
American Vampire 2
Avengers Vs. X-Men
Birds of Prey (New 52)
Devils' Line
Gotham City Sirens
Inhumans Vs. X-Men
Injustice 2 and 3
Mech Cadet Yu 2
Midnighter 1 and 2
Midnighter and Apollo
Power Rangers 6
Monstress 3
Ms. Marvel 2-9
Rogue:Tthe Complete Collection
Sonic the Hedgehog Vol. 1: Fallout
Super Sons 3
Super Girl volume 1 (new 52)
Valerian
Zatanna
4/5 Boom! Studios and their various divisions has really blown me away lately. Boom! Studios has rapidly become one of the most minority inclusive companies in existence. The amount of LGBTQ+ and ethnic minority comics that come out of this company blows my mind. I think what gets me is that not only are they inclusive, but they are authentic too. The Backstagers is no exception to what Boom! has been putting out. I really enjoyed volume 1 and 2 (three is coming out soon). The Backstagers has a touch of magical realism embedded in a story that revolves around a double minority lead character (gay & black). The end of volume 2 does throw a pretty hard curve ball so brace yourself emotionally. I strongly recommend this for anyone that enjoys theater or was in drama club.
1/5 I really disliked volume two of Black Bolt. Too be fair, I didn't love the first volume either. I grabbed this one because Medusa (she shows up in 1 flash back in it) is on the cover, and it was on sale. I was not a fan of the art at all, and given the events of volume 1 I was expecting this one to do more. I wasn't a fan of the writing either. It set these almost interesting arcs up only to not do anything with them, or have them resolved pretty quickly. I will not be continuing with this series.
5/5 Boom! does it again! I honestly can't even with how good this series is. If you're a fan of Yuri on Ice then you need to read this! As per usual with Boom! the comic is very LGBTQ+ and ethnic minority inclusive. I'm 98% sure one of the characters is transgender as well, but I don't think the character is aware of it/out yet. The story arc is pretty simple and typical of what you'd expect out of a sports comic/manga/anime, but features minority characters front and center. One thing Boom! does really well is that they have background and side characters reflect the real world. This means that there are multiple people of color and LGBTQ+ people (sometimes both). I am literally dying waiting for the next volume. Go but this now! I'm a teacher, you have to listen to me(kidding. . . or am I?).
4.5/5 I really enjoyed House of M. I actually want to add it to my syllabus eventually. I like that it talks about trigger issues through the comic medium. The avengers literally host a discussion on if they should kill Wanda or not because she's gone too cookoobanana. There are some really great moments in here between various characters. I specifically like that Polaris isn't pushed out by the twins as far as family matters are concerned. I also really enjoyed the implications of "what do you do when we have a mentally unstable mutant with reality warping powers."
4.5/5 Boom! does it yet again. I want to start off by saying that I am not Chinese. However, this is one of the most accurate Chinese-"American" stories I have ever experienced as a non-Chinese person. I really liked the attention to having an immigrant parent that speaks limited English. I teach Amy Tan frequently in my classes, and Yu fits right in with her experience. Mech Cadet Yu is targeted at a younger audience, but this does not stop Pak from showing his audience the prejudice immigrants face in life, school, and the work force. One of the things I liked he most is: at the end of Volume 1 we are given the rough draft of the first issue and character models. As an English teacher that preaches the drafting process all day I really enjoyed this touch. I specifically enjoyed that that major bully was changed from a boy to a girl. I like this as an example of radical revision.
5/5 I've read volumes 1-5 and the Pink spin off. Kyle Higgins is probably the BEST Power Rangers writer we have ever had. He truly understands each character and plays to their strengths and weaknesses. Higgins is so good at writing the Power Rangers that I have honestly come to like his series better than the original show. I enjoyed reading this so much that while i was binge reading I was often dreaming about it! This line does assume that you have some familiarity with the original Power Ranger T.V. series. You don't need to have knowledge of every episode, just the Green Ranger's past with Rita. If you lack that background, don't worry! The story will self explain everything eventually, but you might be slightly confused at first if you have had zero exposure to them. I have volume 6 downloaded and ready to go!
3.5/5 This one was cute, but it took a while for the plot to go anywhere. I think this is in part due tot he fact that Lunella is so young. I liked that it puts black girls in STEM on the map, and doesn't shy away from issues like "being too smart" or a "nerd" in school. I look forward to continuing this series eventually. I think it would make for fun reading with younger kids and yourself.
3/5 This one was OK. I enjoyed reading it, but the plot was meh. I think my favorite part of this comic was explaining the plot to Jen. I had said something to the extent of "Spoilers spoilers spoilers, FINE! dead" and broke her. I like how the phoenix force is basically trying to pester Jean into becoming the phoenix again. If you like Jean and the phoenix force I'd say grab it.
5/5 I grabbed this comic on Brenda's recommendation. I really enjoyed it. The art is playful, and I really like that Orlando plays up Kara's ESL and struggle with assimilation. She truly fits the refugee mold. I enjoyed that they kept that aspect of her. Even though I adore Super Girl on CW, I really wish that CW played up her ESL and refugee identity the way this comic does.
The Queue:
All-New Wolverine: The Four Sisters
American Vampire 2
Avengers Vs. X-Men
Birds of Prey (New 52)
Devils' Line
Gotham City Sirens
Inhumans Vs. X-Men
Injustice 2 and 3
Mech Cadet Yu 2
Midnighter 1 and 2
Midnighter and Apollo
Power Rangers 6
Monstress 3
Ms. Marvel 2-9
Rogue:Tthe Complete Collection
Sonic the Hedgehog Vol. 1: Fallout
Super Sons 3
Super Girl volume 1 (new 52)
Valerian
Zatanna
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