billyjepma's reviews
594 reviews

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski

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adventurous funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump and wanted something light and easy to help me shake myself out of it, and this fit the bill. I enjoy the hell out of these books, even if that enjoyment includes a decent pile of caveats. Sapkowski isn’t the greatest writer, nor is the content of his writing unquestionable (just look at the content warning at the bottom 🙃). But other than that, the actual story and characters represent something pretty damn close to the platonic ideal of fantasy adventure for me. Swashbuckling action, dry humor, lots of lore, a side of politics, and a badass protagonist who is also an idiot—what more could you want?

This is a nice continuation for the series, too, even if it does march in place narratively. There’s very little new ground covered, and you can feel the gap left by the temporary sidelining of Yennefer and Ciri. But the books are also best when Geralt is front and center, as he’s the character Sapkowski’s dry, sarcastic voice is most suited for. It’s nice seeing Geralt develop a little as a leader, as he (very begrudgingly and with plenty of angst) develops camaraderie with some new allies who perfectly fit the vibe of the series. 
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House of X/Powers of X by Tom Muller, Jonathan Hickman, Adriano Di Benedetto

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

For what is quite possibly (probably?) the first X-Men comic I’ve read, this is stellar. A dense, rich, often convoluted, but always compelling exercise in how to properly “reboot” an iconic, long-running series. I read a lot of comics with the expectation that most of them won’t be very good, so it’s always exciting to find myself immersed in a book that isn’t content to coast off its brand and name recognition. Despite my lack of history with the X-Men books, I still knew enough to find my way into Hackman’s story, which would be laudable on its own considering how much ground its lore covers. Chunks of it definitely went over my head—although it seems that was probably the intent, too—but the emotional, thematic, and narrative foundation rarely wavered for me. Not everything comes together since this is, by design, the inception of something larger. But even with the semi-unfinished nature of the series’ conclusion, it still feels satisfying, for the most part. It’s probably not an ideal reading experience for anyone looking for a one-and-done book, but for me, it absolutely worked as intended. I was interested from the start, and by the end, I was wholly immersed and ready to dive into the rest of Hickman’s run with the series. 

The book has a ton of visual heft, too, which gives the environments and other settings a properly epic scale. I don’t always love this kind of style (I’m not educated enough to verbalize it, but it seems like the inks and/or colors are heavier), but this is the best it’s looked, I think. It’s a grand, dramatic book, and Larraz gives it the visuals to match, so even if the style and moments of action aren’t always my favorite, it’s still a winner. 
Batman: The Knight by Chip Zdarsky

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Ironically, this Bruce Wayne story is a better Batman comic than the Batman comic Zdarsky is writing in the main series right now. It’s brooding and angsty, but never to an egregious degree. Zdarsky is playing to his strengths—this feels very in line with his Daredevil work—and leans into the gritty, adjacently-YA nature of a 20-something Bruce Wayne traveling the world to train himself into what he’ll eventually become. I like how talkative this Bruce is, I like how pretentious he can be (especially since Zdarsky is self-aware of that pretension, even if the character isn’t), and really like how well Zdarsky’s voice works for this brasher, more raw incarnation of the character. There’s lots of fun to be had, as the growing cast of supporting characters are all excellent and do a great job drawing out different parts of Bruce’s evolving persona. It’s also surprisingly violent at times, with more bloodshed and grit than I expected going in, which also lends the series an edge that I liked. There’s not anything altogether new or fresh here, admittedly, so anyone hoping for a reinvention of Bruce’s early days will be disappointed. But I love seeing different teams put their little spin on familiar material, so I had a great time. 

It’s Di Giandomenico’s art that elevates this, though. As much as I enjoyed Zdarsky’s writing, the art and coloring (from Ivan Plascencia, who always delivers) draw out the best parts in the script. They give the story its grit, showcasing plenty of impressive physicality in the action and training scenes but also a hefty dose of emotion, too. Those emotions can be exaggerated—the grimaces can occasionally swallow entire faces—but feel aligned with the tone Zdarsky’s shooting for. The whole thing has some anime influences, honestly, which I can see not working for everyone, but it was something I very much vibed with. This is definitely a book I’ll be adding to my shelf.
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The Battle of Jedha by George Mann

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

These audio dramas are getting better and better, I think, although they haven’t quite figured out how to get the writing down. For all of the excitement and surprisingly effective character moments, the exposition is often clunky, which often means the vocal performances are stiff, as a result. Once things get moving, though, this is a fast-paced listen with moments that are probably amongst the best in this phase of The High Republic. Which is good because it’s felt a bit sluggish up to this point, and I’m glad to have the motivation to see it through. 
Star Wars: The High Republic - The Blade by Marco Castiello, Charles Soule, Jethro Morales

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

In a refreshing change of pace, this is a breezy standalone Jedi adventure that has some good artwork (a rarity in the Star Wars comics world, these days!) and solid characters that are easy to get invested in, even though the time we spend with them is short. The ending is a little sudden and not-quite satisfying, but still, as a Jedi-centric tale, it hits on most of the notes I’d want, and gives some additional depth to a memorable supporting character from the High Republic novels. Glad that there’s another one on the way! 
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

A very cute adventure with impeccable “bedtime story” vibes. Can’t say I loved it, but I did enjoy most of it and was captivated by a few choice sequences where the fantasy and whimsy and mystery were all at their peak (Beorn is the homie, Bilbo and Gollum’s riddle duel was amazing, Smaug is a chilling delight). 

It also made it even more clear that Jackson totally whiffed it in his film adaptations. Why anyone would force the grit and heavier tones of the LotR onto a children’s story is beyond me.
Nimona by ND Stevenson

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I loved this. I knew I’d like it, but I didn’t know I’d love it as much as I did. Stevenson has created something that’s darkly insightful while also being a quirky, self-aware, and sometimes cute adventure. The artwork is excellent and is a wonderful example of how personality is the single most important thing a comic’s visuals can have. Character designs are flawless—satirically aware of their tropes, yet zany enough to feel distinct—and the visual gags, character expressions, and general texture of the book are a constant delight. There could’ve been 1,000 pages here, and I still think I’d want more at the end. 


That said, I confess to being slightly let down by the ending, specifically its suddenness and the way it sidesteps some of the repercussions the climax undoubtedly leaves in its wake. I love ambiguity, but for a story that’s so smart with its subversions and commentary, leaving so much of the ending untold felt a touch out-of-character for the book. But that’s ultimately a minor bump in what was otherwise a gleeful adventure with a huge heart and far sharper, toothier thematic work than I expected—in the plot, anyway, as I did find myself wanting a little more from Ambrosius. 


It’s still a total winner, though, and I can see myself revisiting it often whenever I need a properly zany, funny, and strikingly poignant fantasy romp. If there were any justice in the world, they would teach this in schools.
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Nightwing Vol. 3: The Battle for Bludhaven's Heart by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I still don’t think Taylor has done a great job at setting tangible stakes (or even narrative momentum), so it’s a testament to the quality of his character work and Redondo’s ineffable artwork that this series is still a total joy to read. The visuals are vibrant, packed with punches of color, and the dialogue is sharp and snappy with enough terrific personality to go around. Is Taylor’s tone still a little too happy-go-lucky for my tastes? Sure, it does border on that, but his intentions are so good that it has yet to become anything more than a minor moment or cringe. And hey, as on-the-nose as Taylor’s commentary is, it was still pretty rad to see Nightwing beat the shit out of a corrupt police commissioner. It’s not often a mainstream comic will outright cast the police as villains, but this book is—until it isn’t, of course, but I’ll still take the win. 
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Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious slow-paced

5.0

A taut, dramatic, and excruciating dive into the countless horrible acts of violence inflicted by white Americans on the Osage Indian Nation. Grann's research is comprehensive, and his writing here is as sharp as anything I've encountered in my (admittedly meager) dips into non-fiction. His book occupies a fascinating place between hard-hitting investigative journalism—which is thrilling, by the way—and moving, often nauseating retellings of a history I barely knew a thing about. I love how grand the scale of the book is and how it centers the stories of so many people and gives them the respect, grace, and closure history denied them. The final section of the book messes with the propulsive pacing of the first two as they settle into the more traditional structure of a whodunnit, but it's in that section where the most meaningful bits of commentary are found. The FBI might claim to have ended the "Years of Terror," but the truth is far bloodier than that, and the closure the American government provided was a half-measure that dismissed countless unsolved murders into the dark annals of history.

Part of me wanted Grann to lean further into his political leanings, specifically regarding the FBI, as my outrage at the truths the book illuminates made me eager for some scathing rebuttal or judgment. But I'm glad Grann has more restraint than me, as his approach is far more effective and searing than any commentary could be, especially considering how damning the hard facts of the story are. And to his credit, the historical details and quotes he uses in the section documenting the FBI's development speak volumes to his opinion of the thing. Even Tom White, the "hero" of the FBI investigation that resulted in meaningful arrests, is a flawed person who, as Grann smartly and briefly acknowledges at one point, eventually settles into the same lifestyle as the people he's often quoted as detecting. 

I'm incredibly glad I read this (or, rather, listened to the excellent audiobook), and in an ideal world, I would love to assume that it becomes mandatory reading. 
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