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#TheStarsMyDestination by Alfred Bester The Stars My Destination starts with an interesting concept. What if teleportation was real and common enough it became the standard mode of transportation. Alfred Bester goes on to give a good account of how that would change the world both positively and negatively. That starting concept is where I have to stop being purely positive about this book though. From there the story gets rather harder to deal with. A lot of that is down to the protagonist Gully Foyle. Gully Foyle is not a good person. He’s not even a villain who’s the hero of his own story. Driven only by rage, revenge and greed, he’s just a villain. And he’s not alone either, very few of the characters in this story are what I would consider likeable. It’s not a bad story. It’s certainly interesting. Personally I think I’m just a little unsatisfied with much of what passes for resolution in the story. And the late chapter addition of time travel definitely didn’t help matters.

#Lazarus X+66 It feels a little odd to admit since this is essentially a collection of one shots that take place away from the main thrust of the Lazarus series (which is predominantly Forever Carlyle’s story), but this may actually be my favorite run of issues in the series so far. The lore nerd in me just loves learning what’s going on in everyone else’s story around that of the protagonist. In this case we spend time with Casey Solomon as she goes through Dagger training, Michael Barrett’s parents as there new lot in life sends them done a dangerous path, Sere Cooper as she chases a story that could have a huge impact on the Carlyle family and with the Lazari of the Nkosi and Meyers-Qasimi families as they take on a mission together. We also get a much closer look at the lives and histories of the Lazari of the Morray and Vassalovka families. While there are no bad issues here, if I’m picking favorites, it’s easily the first and last. For the former, I’m just a fan of Casey to begin with so seeing her claw her way up with the best of he best in the Carlyle military is very satisfying. For the latter, we’ll, the Zmey’s story is too haunting and uncomfortable not to have made an impression on me. Sure, you probably don’t need to read this volume to keep up with he main storyline of the series, but if you’re already enjoying Lazarus to begin with, I can’t imagine you being disappointed with this entry.

#StarWars Vol. 7: The Ashes Of Jedha It’s been awhile since I’ve read this series so it’s been awhile since I’ve had to harp on this, but this art style, or rather this mash up of styles is always going to bother me. Here’s the thing, the aim at photo realism in the movie characters faces, it can look great. A book fully in that style, time consuming as it’d likely be to produce, would probably look amazing. It’s just the faces though. Everything else is still a more traditional comic style, so the majority of the time it comes off looking like a photo slapped on a drawing and painted a bit to try and blend the two. That being the case though, I will say this volume did a better job pulling it off than has been the case in the past. That’s my only gripe here though. Story-wise I loved pretty much everything about this volume. It might be the best arc in the new canon comics for the original trilogy characters outside the first Vader series. Luke, Leia and Han are all on point here, but I particularly enjoyed everything that linked Luke to #RogueOne (not in a “he was there you just didn’t see him” sense, don’t worry) and to Jedha especially.

#StarWars #JoinTheResistance by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker Yes, it’s another Star Wars book series aimed at younger readers and no, it’s probably not going to have a deep impact on the overall canon, but that’s okay. Personally I love stepping away from the major characters and seeing what’s going on with the lesser known or completely new ones, so wig Admiral Ackbar being the only significant character featured in more than name only (and in only two scenes) there’s a definite appeal to me here on that basis alone. As for content, I can definitely get into the idea of following a group of kids dealing with a multitude of issues with themselves, each other and adapting to their new lives as members of the Resistance. As much as I enjoyed reading this I do have one nagging logic problem with it. The main incident that sends our core characters towards the books climax sees one portion of that group working against the other and results in a dangerous situation being created at the base they are training at. For this they are punished and sent off on a mission to essentially be garbage collectors, with Ackbar noting they need to learn to work together. In hindsight I can see the idea where he’s coming from but still, the larger portion of the group being punished were very much working together in the moments leading to their punishment, even putting the completion of their self-assigned mission above the personal consequences they’d face afterwards, so it just bothers me, minor as it is. It’s a bit odd to compare this series to the #AdventuresInWildSpace series, being several books deep in it and only starting this one, but, be it the larger group of main characters or their more direct (though still indirect) role in galactic events, there’s just something here that appeals to me a bit more than the Graf kids misadventures.

#AttackOnTitan #BeforeTheFall Vol. 7 Alright, this makes no sense to me, but I have to ask, does Kuklo have powers? Logically I know he shouldn’t, but he just seems more adept at certain things than someone who spent most his life locked in a cell probably should be. Prime examples from this volume: Kuklo immediately is better with the maneuver gear than Cardina even though the latter has had at least some military training and the former, again, has spent most his life in a cell; also, Kuklo can sense the number, size and distance of approaching Titans based on the sound of their footsteps? How? He’s encountered one at this point. One. And don’t say it’s because he was born inside a dead Titan after his pregnant mom was swallowed. That’s nonsense, even for this franchise. Obvious “protagonist syndrome” aside this was a fun volume, though it did feel a bit weird that this is volume seven of ten and we’re just doing the first test of the gear that will become military standard by the time of the main series. I guess we just had a lot of establishing to do to get this this point.

#PrettyDeadly Vol. 2: The Bear This is a difficult one. I hesitate to even comment. Not because it’s bad or because I don’t like it. It’s not and I do. Pretty Deadly is just so surreal and full of symbolism it’s difficult to even describe. That said, there is a certain deep ness and beauty to both the narrative and the art in this volume. As the story moves from an old west setting in the first volume to World War I here, war, fear and courage are big themes that play through the 5 issues. The biggest though, unsurprisingly considering the name of the series, is death, particularly how family and friends deal with the pending death of a loved one and its inevitable arrival. The biggest negative I can think of with this volume at the moment is on me, not the creators. I definitely feel like the wide gulf of time between my reading each volume meant I didn’t appreciate this one as much as I could have. At some point I’ll have to sit down with all 10 issues and read them together. Pretty Deadly definitely is not for everyone, but, if you’re looking for something different, it’s probably a good choice. At least in my experience it’s one of the more out there series on the market.

#DungeonsAndDragons #LegendsOfBaldursGate Look, I’m not saying that these stories CAN’T be dark. Obviously it’s a medieval fantasy setting, it’s pretty easy to take that to a dark place. If I’m being honest, when I pick D&D material, this is exactly the type of fun adventure I’m looking for. I love this crew of characters. Minsc alone is enough entertainment to make this a worthwhile read for me. Every time he speaks I think of All Might from #MyHeroAcademia and that is definitely a positive comparison. If I have one complaint here it’s that the main conflict comes down to a jealous brother story. Sure it’s classic and it works out well enough here, but as character motivations go it’s just not a very interesting one to me at this point. If you’re looking for a fun read in a D&D setting, this is the best comic I’ve read to date to fill that bill. Personally, I’m happy that as best I can tell, outside the Drizzt adaptations, this crew of characters are the stars of all the modern D&D comics I’ve yet to read. I’m definitely looking forward to them.

#JamesBond Vol. 2: Eidolon First, I’m absolutely loving this series and I loved this volume, though I would probably rank it slightly lower than volume one, if only because does have a very slight “rinse and repeat” feel to it. I feel like that’s a rather common issue with Bond material though. If I were to complain about anything here (which I don’t really want to because it was a thoroughly enjoyable read) I’d say that the idea of a multi-organizational conspiracy against MI6 was resolved too quickly and easily. I get that things need to move quickly given the limited narrative space available for a six issue comic run. Honestly, this is really as simple as, if you’re a fan of the James Bond character or even the general archetype of the suave spy then odds are you’ll enjoy this and should give it a look.

#MassEffect #Discovery Despite the dubious distinction of being attached to the most poorly received game in the Mass Effect franchise, I think Discovery is actually both the most compelling comic the series has produced and my personal favorite. Sure, taking place in the same galaxy as the original trilogy of games allows for a familiarity that helps move things along, but more importantly it’s just very easy to get behind protagonist Tiran Kandros’ actions and motivations. Plus, the characters he encounters, such as the Salarian antagonist Agent Zeta/Olan Kooth and the Quarian they are both searching for for much of the series Shio’Leth Vas Novarra have compelling stories of their own to tell, both of which is like to know more of. Admittedly, I never finished Mass Effect: Andromeda, but from what I did experience, Discovery is instantly more interesting. It even almost makes me want to go back and finish Andromeda. Almost. Unfortunately now I wish Tiran (preferably with his cousin Nyreen with him) was the protagonist of the game instead of (insert name here) Ryder.

#StarWars #JediOfTheRepublic #MaceWindu It took a few years to get here in the new canon, but the best known Jedi of the prequel era (who doesn’t appear in the original trilogy in any form) finally gets the spotlight. Unfortunately for Mace Windu though, while he’s cool as ever and we do get some insight into his time as a Padawan, even in his own book he’s not the standout character. That distinction goes to Jedi Knight Rissa Mano (with the adversarial mercenary droid AD-W4 coming a close second almost on design alone). While the other half of Mace’s Jedi team, Masters Kit Fisto and Prosset Dibs provide dry wit and eye puns respectively, the real humor of the book comes from Rissa who is running just shy of being a Jedi Harley Quinn (she’s named and talks to her lightsaber). There may not be anything galaxy changing in this limited series, but it’s an entertaining journey and Windu fans aren’t likely to be disappointed.

#BlueExorcist Vol. 13 Well, things aren’t really going that great for our heroes at this point huh. The main thrust of this volume is Izumo trying to escape her return to captivity (as we finish her backstory) while her friends try to rescue her from the outside. Obviously Izumo’s backstory is terrible and heartbreaking, and the danger everyone finds themselves in is exciting, but the most intriguing thing here for me is Renzo. Yes he’s gone dark. Yes he’s a punk and in need of having his face punched in. I still feel like he’s going to come around though. We don’t really have his story yet (unless I’m forgetting something) and there are definite moments where it seems like he doesn’t like what he’s doing or the situation he’s put Izumo in. This series is still a fun ride 13 volumes in (which is no easy task) and it’s nice to see other characters getting built out other than the primary protagonist and his closest circle. Looking to what comes next.

#StarWarsAdventures Vol. 2: Unexpected Detour Alright this volume feels more like it’s probably going to be the standard format for this series and as such I’m starting to get a better feel for things. Firstly, it’s definitely aimed a younger readers, which I already knew, but the fact 1 of the 2 long stories and 2 of the 3 short stories centered on cute creatures (porgs, young wookies and and unknown) pretty well confirmed it. While it’s not typically the kind of material I’m looking for when I pick up #StarWars reading so far the series has been enjoyable and it makes for a nice break from the more serious (as serious as stories from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away tend to get) comics and novels I usually give my attention.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut I’m not going to say this is the weirdest book I’ve ever read (that prize probably goes to Rant by Chuck Palahniuk) but Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is certainly up there. It’s not even the content itself that’s weird, though there are some, creative, passages. Rather it’s the structure of the book that really threw me off when I started reading it. The bulk of the narrative is told through a collection of out of order and many times seemingly random scenes. Adding to the oddities is that the first chapter and a chunk of the last focuses on the in-story author of the book itself which unless I misunderstood isn’t either the protagonist or Vonnegut himself. While there are interesting ideas here, all this makes for a fairly disjointed experience. All in all I’m not sure I can say I enjoyed or even particularly liked this book, at the very least it does make for an intriguing read. So it goes.

#StarWars #AdventuresInWildSpace #TheCold by Tom Huddleston Another quick, fun adventure with Lina and Milo Graf. As the penultimate entry into this series, this episode (because these books really do feel like TV episodes) has one very important job, prepping the story for the home stretch. On the plus side, while feeling oddly different from how I remember previous entries, either because Milo and Crater spend almost the entire book on the Whisper Bird, because Lina and Milo are separated for about half the book, or both, it manages that one job very well, seemingly wrapping up a previous thorn in the kids side before introducing a much bigger and final threat. On the negative side, not a whole lot. The one glaring example for me is that this and the previous book end in much the same way, with the kids discovering a new location their parents are supposed to be. If it wasn’t my understanding that the next book was the last then this would be a much harder point to swallow. As it is though I’m looking forward to seeing the presumably happy (it is a Star Wars book aimed at younger readers) way in which the Graf kids adventures wrap up.

#AttackOnTitan #BeforeTheFall Vol. 6 3 chapters and 2 side stories and honestly nothing particularly major happens in this volume. That’s not to say nothing happens, or that what does isn’t important, only that they are on the more minor side of things. Two bits of world building to help fill out how the world gets to where it is in the main story and one narrative beat that will certainly have implications for the rest of this story. We get Jorge tales of the first two Titan kills for the Survey Corps and that knowledge puts us roughly the same point as the main series as far as knowing how to kill Titans goes. We also get Kulklo and Cardina testing out the prototype maneuver gear. It’s definitely not where the gear were more familiar with is yet, but it’s interesting to see the process of it getting there. And then there’s Xavi, who reappears in this volume and is fast tracked into the Military Police. Obviously there’s more going on here than has been revealed to this point. Being that he’s Kuklo’s main antagonist it’s nice to see things progressing with him. I am beginning to suspect though that Kuklo may not be the one to take him out in the end. His own ambitions and attitudes are seeming like they may be his downfall, and I’m not sure how I’ll feel if Kuklo only plays a minor or non-existent role in his defeat. That’s purely my own speculation though, it probably actually will be Kuklo or Sharle who does the deed in the end.

#Lazarus Vol. 5: Cull Not that things have ever been particularly calm or easygoing, and certainly not “normal” in Greg Rucka’s variation on what is essentially a post-apocalyptic setting (though with perhaps with more structure than most), but with the latest volume of Lazarus things are really starting to go insane. The are two major factors in this. First, for much of the series the Carlyle family and their Lazarus have been our windows onto the world but as focus shifts to the Carlyle-Hock War other families and their Lazari are becoming more and more prominent. Really this started in the previous “Conclave” arc but is very evident here with Sonja Bittner taking on a bigger role. Second, and more importantly, our main character Forever, as she learns more of the truth about herself, she becomes more disillusioned with her family, shifting her from loyal soldier to a burgeoning counteragent. With Johanna at her side (for now, I don’t trust that woman’s growth of a conscience at all) the chaos is very likely only getting started.

#DungeonsAndDragons #Cutter Ah yes, this is a much enjoyable trip to Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms than my last visit. Cutter is a much more focused story really only featuring three characters of note for the majority of its length, half-Drow Doum’weille and her parents, four if you want to count the sentient sword Khazid’hea (Cutter) as well. The story does well in doling out the classic fantasy fare of the ancient evil artifact endeavoring to corrupt the innocent soul that carries it. Asides to Doum’weille’s parents and their search for their daughter (who ran away after the story’s inciting incident) are all that keep this from being a one character show about a girl and her sword. If I have a complaint about this story which I thoroughly enjoyed, it would be that it does feel a bit incomplete to me. There is a very minimalist nature to the dialogue and narration and it feels to me as if that left the explanation of certain characters motivations on the cutting room floor.

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