The Reading Rush ended yesterday for me. I had such a great time doing The Reading Rush this past week. It was really fun doing twitter sprints, collecting badges, reading all those comics, and just overall connecting more with the bookish community through this readathon.
I wanted to do a wrap up for what I read and accomplished during the readathon. I’ll start with the Reading Rush challenges and then go into what I actually read. I completed :
2/7 bookstagram challenges
Now into my wrap-up of the week. I did switch around my tbr for the readathon because f the time crunch (which I expected because of my ambitious 12 book tbr) ad just went with ones that were more convenient for me to finish.
three out of five stars. I love raven, she has been my favorite of the bunch ever since I watched teen titans as a kid. I just loved her backstory and that her character had depth in the show and how she was always protective of her friends. this was a good graphic novel, but because I went into this thinking I was going to get hardcore raven, it was kind of a let down. if I had gone into it remembering that this was a toned down version for young readers getting into books and superheroes, I probably would’ve enjoyed it more than I did. it was still enjoyable. I especially loved the monotone color palette that the colorist used with the art, it added to the tone of the story. anyway, still excited for the beast boy graphic novel that’s coming out next year. garth speaks to my soul.
two out of five stars. the only reason I picked up this comic was because one of the artists I follow on instagram worked with them on it. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, didn’t get the magical world, didn’t get where the insta love came from??? it just seemed like it was all over the place. it did get interesting around issue 4 or 5 but.... just generally wasn’t for me. the art is fuckin gorgeous tho.
five out of five stars. I fuckin loved this comic guys!! it was such a blast to read. it’s set in the 60s in Florida following our 16 year old POC mc Goldie Vance who works at hotel as a valet, but on her down time likes to help with the hotel’s detective services. the art is so aesthetic and pretty, the characters are awesome. it just felt like a good ‘ol time. it gave me old fun detective cartoon vibes like scooby-doo or detective conan. loved it so much and can’ wait to read more.
4. The Backstagers Vol.1: Rebels Without Applause
three stars out of five. the story started kinda slow and weird with no context at all, but grew on me around the third issue. the characters were adorable; my faves were beckett and sasha. such cuties!! not crazy about the comic, but would continue for good ‘ol soft, fun, laugh times.
three out of five stars. picked up this one because roller derby has always been a topic of interest to me. the sport that is or seems dominated by females, females who are aggressive. anyway, the art was really vibrant and cool. the story was cute and sorta relatable. two friends trying to make time for each other around busy lives; that I related too. that was the part of the comic I really liked. but I wanted to see more of the community side of things, the team, the found family. will probably end up continuing this comic.
three and a half out of five stars. female lead cast in a ‘goonies’-esque treasure hunt story?? yes. hell yes. I enjoyed this comic. the art was beautiful, the characters were funny and some relatable. I thought the premise of the town being a film site for ‘the gloomies’ was an interesting backstory. it was a light, fun, comic with awesome females friends at the center of it. the only thing, sometimes the dialogue was a little bland. some jokes were bad and made me cringe.
four out of five stars. I have been meaning to read this one for a while. finally got around to it, and am I so glad I did. fencing is another non-mainstream sport that I have some interest in. first, art (as always) was fuckin great, just like, the movement of the fencers in the illustrations, I loved. the cast of characters were great. my favorite was bobby, he’s just such a sweetheart so i will kill that other character i forget his name if he breaks him. idk why but the conflict between the main characters reminded me of naruto/sasuke or hinata/kageyama dynamic. one is the arrogant ace who looks down on just about everyone and is surprised when someone catches them off-guard, the other is the underdog/newbie who has passion and effort and something to prove. and they hate each other... for now. i seriously screamed ‘and they were roommates’ when i finished issue one. just read it, it’s good.
8. Moonstruck Vol. 1: Magic to Brew
two out of five stars. the world’s full of magical creatures and magic. which sounds cool and all, i guess but the whole story just wasn’t for me. i did’t really connect or sympathize with any of the characters, except for cass and chet. which is also why their my favorite characters. especially chet. a non-binary, sassy, and over all awesome friend. yes yes yes. thank you. i loved them. probably the only reason i would continue the series is chet.
9. Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom
five out of five stars. again, this is me and my love for mystery, crime-solving teens. like, seriously: nancy drew, kim possible, conan, scooby-doo, tintin, and so many more i can’t think of right now. it was full of lovely friendship dynamics and lots of mystery and suspense.
four and a half out of five stars. batman’s origin story. hell yeah. this was a reread. this is one the only comic that i own and i love it dearly. the atmosphere that the art adds to gotham city and bruce’s journey into batman is just *chef’s kiss*. there were a few things, that i don’t remember when i first read, that bothered me. there was a line in there somewhere when jim is baiting batman, and batman says something like “she knows how to walk in heels. it’s practically a lost art. it’s a shame.” which off course is the most ridiculous line in the graphic novel, and of course comes from a rich white boy playing dress-up... other than that, i really really love this as a batman comic. all the characters in it are incredibly flawed and yet they are some of my favorites. and will continue to be.
I think that’s the end of the wrap-up. wow. it’s nine o’clock already. I’m probably just gonna sit in bed, eat my cheetos and watch some shows. or booktube. eh who knows. I’m definitely going to be in bed tho. goodnight folks.