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billyjepma's reviews
594 reviews
Rogues by Joshua Williamson
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I think Catwoman: Lonely City spoiled me a bit, because it and Rogues have a lot in common, and I think Chiang just did it better. Still, the impressive art and fun, creative heist format make this a great read. I was left underwhelmed by the characters—I like the templates Williamson uses a lot, but felt like he didn’t go anywhere with them—but in a relatively straightforward caper like this, it didn’t hurt my enjoyment too much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Blood, Cursing, Mental illness, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Kidnapping
Batman Vol. 1: Failsafe by Chip Zdarsky
adventurous
tense
fast-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
3.25
A very enjoyable 3-star book. I don’t think I’ll come across an in-canon Batman book that really gives me what I want, which is disappointing, but as far as exciting blockbuster reads go, this fits the bill better than most. Jimenez’s art is as bombastic as ever, and I’m so glad he stayed on. His work is excellent; sharp and aggressive and sleek all at once, exactly how a Batman book should be. And Morey’s colors only make it better by bringing out the momentum of Jimenez’s propulsive action. I could’ve gone from more choreography in the action, but the brawler approach Jimenez uses works.
Zdarsky’s scripts are also good but in a forgettable, popcorn-movie sorta way. You can tell he gets Batman, but his storytelling here is too big for my tastes and even crosses over into anime territory in terms of how elevated it becomes. And it’s fun, definitely, but its attempts at interrogating who Batman is are mostly lukewarm attempts at novelty, so they end up feeling more shallow than not. Still, I’m interested to see where Zdarsky takes things from here, and his track record is strong enough that he might even surprise me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Blood and Death
Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
There’s some compelling stuff here, backed up by solid characterizations that feel authentic despite the YA cliches they also embody. The writing is also good, and the primary protagonists all have unique voices and perspectives I mostly enjoyed, even if the cultist angle the story takes is one I’m not usually fond of. But the final stretch left me feeling like I just spent 300+ pages reading something meant to support another story instead of operating on its own terms. A lot of shocking things happen in the final chapters, and I honestly admire how grim a few of its twists were. The sudden twists gave the plot the momentum it had lacked previously, but the way key characters reacted was jarring for me. It’s like the whole book was going in one direction just to pivot the other way in the final pages. We’ll see if the follow-up books fill in some of the gaps for me, but right now, my feelings are mixed.
Part of my mixed reaction is probably due to my continued apprehension about the prequel approach that this phase of The High Republic has adopted. It seems driven by plot, not character, which is rarely something that works for me in the ways I want. And, so far, my early forays into this phase have left me intellectually interested but emotionally cold. My investment isn’t there yet, and it really should be. I’m obviously going to keep going because I’m in too deep to do anything else, but whatever comes next will need to do some heavy lifting if they want to get anywhere close to where the first phase of THR was.
Part of my mixed reaction is probably due to my continued apprehension about the prequel approach that this phase of The High Republic has adopted. It seems driven by plot, not character, which is rarely something that works for me in the ways I want. And, so far, my early forays into this phase have left me intellectually interested but emotionally cold. My investment isn’t there yet, and it really should be. I’m obviously going to keep going because I’m in too deep to do anything else, but whatever comes next will need to do some heavy lifting if they want to get anywhere close to where the first phase of THR was.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Body horror
Minor: Blood
Suicide Squad: Bad Blood by Tom Taylor
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Fun read! I still feel like Taylor is too nice to write a book like this—I feel similarly about his Black Label Hellblazer—but he quickly establishes this as not your typical Suicide Squad book and the differentiation is enough to make it work. The emotional beats needed more time to breathe and settle, and the politics—as correct and cathartic as they are—don’t actually have many teeth, which is a missed opportunity. But in a mainstream comic book, I’m happy to see how much Taylor got into this. A diverse cast of characters, some satisfying comeuppances, and vibrant artwork make this a very enjoyable, surprisingly breezy read. Again, it’s far lighter than a Suicide Squad series probably should be, but if you have the right expectations, it’s hard not to have a good time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Torture
Minor: War
The Human Target Vol. 2 by Tom King
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
"Falling for the disguise isn't about falling for the mask. It's about falling for the lie."
This is a decent end to a great series. King doesn't deviate from the trajectory he set in motion in the first half, which works for and against him here. I like how simple the ending is, how comfortably inevitable it is, and how easily it slides into classic noir tropes like a well-loved piece of clothing. But I also wanted more oomph, something that pricked my emotions more. The series is so good at letting scenes play out at a steady, thoughtful cadence that I expected it to lead to a crescendo that hit me harder, and that's not what this is, ultimately. It's still a satisfying conclusion, even if the plot itself more-or-less resolves itself around issue 9 or 10, with the final outings acting as an epilogue. King runs in place a little too long, narratively, I think, but he stills manages to tie up Christopher Chance's arc with a neat, dramatic bow that worked well enough for me. I don't mind that the story wasn't ultimately interested in being something more than it was, even if I wish it had deviated more from its inspirations.
I have zero issues with Smallwood's art, which continues to make this series the banger it is. If King's writing is familiar territory for him and the genre he's playing in, Smallwood's art is the iterative quality that makes the familiar into something novel. His coloring is especially striking, maybe even more so here than in the first half. Any emotions I didn't find in the script were very present in the art, which Smallwood uses to convey rich and intimate breadths of interiority in the characters. Facial expressions that house a lifetime of longing, shadows slicing across someone's face, a sunset so perfect it can only live in memory—Smallwood makes the book feel like a dream you feel more than remember. The series won't land on my all-time favorites list, but I will eagerly await the inevitable deluxe hardcover collection. This is absolutely a book I want within to have within reaching distance for the next time I'm in the mood for a nostalgic, dreamy book about loving and dying and the futile lies we tell ourselves to keep those things at arm's length.
This is a decent end to a great series. King doesn't deviate from the trajectory he set in motion in the first half, which works for and against him here. I like how simple the ending is, how comfortably inevitable it is, and how easily it slides into classic noir tropes like a well-loved piece of clothing. But I also wanted more oomph, something that pricked my emotions more. The series is so good at letting scenes play out at a steady, thoughtful cadence that I expected it to lead to a crescendo that hit me harder, and that's not what this is, ultimately. It's still a satisfying conclusion, even if the plot itself more-or-less resolves itself around issue 9 or 10, with the final outings acting as an epilogue. King runs in place a little too long, narratively, I think, but he stills manages to tie up Christopher Chance's arc with a neat, dramatic bow that worked well enough for me. I don't mind that the story wasn't ultimately interested in being something more than it was, even if I wish it had deviated more from its inspirations.
I have zero issues with Smallwood's art, which continues to make this series the banger it is. If King's writing is familiar territory for him and the genre he's playing in, Smallwood's art is the iterative quality that makes the familiar into something novel. His coloring is especially striking, maybe even more so here than in the first half. Any emotions I didn't find in the script were very present in the art, which Smallwood uses to convey rich and intimate breadths of interiority in the characters. Facial expressions that house a lifetime of longing, shadows slicing across someone's face, a sunset so perfect it can only live in memory—Smallwood makes the book feel like a dream you feel more than remember. The series won't land on my all-time favorites list, but I will eagerly await the inevitable deluxe hardcover collection. This is absolutely a book I want within to have within reaching distance for the next time I'm in the mood for a nostalgic, dreamy book about loving and dying and the futile lies we tell ourselves to keep those things at arm's length.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Alcohol, and Cursing
Minor: Death of parent, Torture, Vomit, and Stalking
The Night Ship by Jess Kidd
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
3.0
There’s a lot to like here—striking prose, sharp characterizations, vibes so potent you can feel them sticking on your skin—but it ultimately didn’t work for me as much as I wanted. It’s a very cruel book, for one, with more violence than I expected (that’s on me for going into this without knowing anything about it), which I can usually stomach without a problem. But the cruelty didn’t have the teeth it needed to leave a mark—it’s all blunt and brutal and lacks the intentionality I look for. What’s the violence saying? How does it frame or reframe the themes and characters? I kept looking for a moment to make everything click into place, but I never found it. I’m sure it’s there somewhere, but for whatever reason, it never materialized for me.
The dual storylines have potential, and the structure of the chapters does an admirable job of bouncing between the two timelines. Some moments had me by the throat and used the back-and-forth pacing to keep me reading longer than planned. Those moments are the exception, though, as I usually gravitated toward the 1989 story, where Kidd’s characterizations are the strongest, and the narrative has the most momentum and stakes. I kept waiting for the two stories to converge, but they didn’t, at least not in a way that satisfied me. They share themes, sure, but when the themes are this broad and, honestly, kind of basic, it left me cold. There’s enough good here that I can’t go lower than a three-star rating, but suffice it to say, this one wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Stalking, Animal death, Violence, Bullying, Classism, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Cannibalism
Behold, Behemoth by Tate Brombal
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This gets off to an ~incredible start~, with one of the best first issues I’ve read in a minute and an equally strong follow-up full of fascinating lore and big, lofty ideas. From there, though, the story starts to slip into a more derivative territory and loses the intrigue amongst larger world-building and the introduction of some generic antagonistic forces. If this were an ongoing series, I’d be far more willing to accept those extra pieces, but as the five-issue miniseries it currently is, it’s harder to ignore. Brombal’s dialogue is good, but he goes too big for the space he has to work in. The fact that the last issue sprints toward a conclusion doesn’t help things, as the story ends on a sudden and semi-unearned note. There’s potential for more to come, and I hope there is, because I do love a lot of what the comic is doing, and it would be unfortunate if this is where and how things end. There’s too much potential here for it to be a one-and-done miniseries, especially considering its potential to become a proper series in the vein of something Robert Kirkman would put out.
Now, with all that said, this still gets my enthusiastic recommendation for the quality of the artwork alone. Robles’ illustrations are stunning—impressive colors, fantastic scale, memorable designs, and haunting imagery that will stick with me. Some of the action can get a little hard to track, but I also appreciate the approach he takes with it, as it gives you a few snapshots of what’s happening and lets you fill in the rest. It’s not my favorite approach to comic book action, but it works here, especially considering how much ground every page has to cover. I’m giving this a solid 3.5 stars, and I’ll round up to a 4 because I really hope we get a follow-up.
Now, with all that said, this still gets my enthusiastic recommendation for the quality of the artwork alone. Robles’ illustrations are stunning—impressive colors, fantastic scale, memorable designs, and haunting imagery that will stick with me. Some of the action can get a little hard to track, but I also appreciate the approach he takes with it, as it gives you a few snapshots of what’s happening and lets you fill in the rest. It’s not my favorite approach to comic book action, but it works here, especially considering how much ground every page has to cover. I’m giving this a solid 3.5 stars, and I’ll round up to a 4 because I really hope we get a follow-up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death and Animal death
The Human Target Vol. 1 by Tom King
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Alright, this is great. I’m predisposed to like King’s writing—although some of his recent output has been middle-of-the-road for me—but what makes this one sing is Smallwood. His art is just so distinct it feels revelatory, the kind of pairing between story and artists where the former couldn’t exist without the latter. King’s scripts capture the noir vibes and sex appeal immaculately, and then Smallwood comes in, takes all the familiar elements, and makes them feel like it’s your first time encountering them. What a gorgeous, gorgeous book.
I can’t say I’m incredibly invested in the payoff to the central mystery itself, but to King’s credit, the answers aren’t the point. I like the romance (I love it when comics get to be horny), I like the twists we’ve seen so far, and I really like the vibes King and Smallwood have developed. It’s a little nihilistic, a little lovely, finds pleasure in the pitiful machinations we ensnare ourselves in, and it all rules.
I can’t say I’m incredibly invested in the payoff to the central mystery itself, but to King’s credit, the answers aren’t the point. I like the romance (I love it when comics get to be horny), I like the twists we’ve seen so far, and I really like the vibes King and Smallwood have developed. It’s a little nihilistic, a little lovely, finds pleasure in the pitiful machinations we ensnare ourselves in, and it all rules.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Alcohol, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Blood
Know Your Station by Sarah Gailey, Liana Kangas
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This started great but fizzles out right before the finishing line to end on a weirdly anticlimactic, almost rushed note. The ride getting there was worth it, though—the irreverent tone and total lack of subtlety with its “fuck the rich and fuck capitalism” messaging are blunt, a little juvenile, and mostly very fun. But there’s not much depth to any of it, which, while certainly not necessary for a dark comedy/satire like this, limits its reach as a narrative. Characters are interesting, yet don’t develop that much during the story. I enjoyed my time with the cast, and the ultimate reveal at the end is clever—the story just needed more time in the oven. Even one more issue might’ve been enough to let the characters, motivations, and themes become something more memorable and distinct.
The art is a consistent delight, though. Bright colors, unique layouts, surprising bursts of gore—it’s a fun comic to look at, front to back. Kangas’ illustrations are expressive and breathe a lot of life into the space station setting, while Nalty’s coloring functions as the series’ secret weapon, injecting lots of personality and playful vibrancy into the pages that highlight and elevate the writing and illustrations. I still wish the storytelling had more going in beneath the surface. I couldn’t help but be disappointed at how quickly the mystery wrapped up, as it skirts over any potential moral dilemmas or interrogations. I even support the thematic slant the comic ends on, but I wanted more from it. Still, this is a breezy, worthwhile read if the pitch appeals to you at all—it does what it says on the cover, so as long as you don’t expect more than that, you’ll have a good time.
The art is a consistent delight, though. Bright colors, unique layouts, surprising bursts of gore—it’s a fun comic to look at, front to back. Kangas’ illustrations are expressive and breathe a lot of life into the space station setting, while Nalty’s coloring functions as the series’ secret weapon, injecting lots of personality and playful vibrancy into the pages that highlight and elevate the writing and illustrations. I still wish the storytelling had more going in beneath the surface. I couldn’t help but be disappointed at how quickly the mystery wrapped up, as it skirts over any potential moral dilemmas or interrogations. I even support the thematic slant the comic ends on, but I wanted more from it. Still, this is a breezy, worthwhile read if the pitch appeals to you at all—it does what it says on the cover, so as long as you don’t expect more than that, you’ll have a good time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Cursing, Addiction, Classism, Drug use, Murder, Death, and Drug abuse
Darth Plagueis by James Luceno
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.5
I loved this way more this time than when I first read it upon release. Maybe I’m older now and have grown even fonder of Star Wars’ political escapades, or maybe this particular story’s portrayal of how corruption interjects into politics is more prescient than ever. Whatever the reason, listening to the new version of the audiobook was a top-notch experience. Luceno’s writing is sometimes a little too dense for its own good—I think he enjoys the Star Wars lore a little too much, as the volume of references, names, and dates thrown around is more disorienting than immersive. But for most of the title, I was totally immersed. The recent Star Wars audiobooks have excellent production value, and the sound effects and music cues they add alongside the narration make it feel like a properly cinematic experience. It is a book for harder core Prequel fans, though, and essentially demands a willingness, if not enthusiasm, to engage with that era’s political jargon and slow-burn machinations. It’s not for everyone, but is definitely for me, a big ol’ nerd.
Daniel Davis’ narration is phenomenal, too. His impression of Palpatine is frighteningly good—some of his enunciations sound like they came from Ian McDiarmid’s mouth—and he does a great job of giving the broader cast enough differentiating characteristics so you can tell who’s speaking. I’ll never cease to be impressed by how talented voice actors and audiobook narrators are.
The book itself isn’t perfect—Plagueis takes a backseat about halfway in, and I wish we got more of how he trained Palpatine—and it has some minor pacing issues. But for a novel that covers a significant length of time, Luceno’s emphasis on critical moments works in the story’s favor, as it highlights the decisions and events that formed Palpatine into the initially charismatic and eventually manipulative dictator we know from the films. Naming the book after Plagueis is somewhat misleading, but we still get enough of him to make him into someone of substance. His depth is lacking when compared to Palpatine, at least a little, but again, this is ultimately Palpatine’s story, and on those terms, it functions as well as anyone could hope for.
I’m definitely going to count this as one of the better Star Wars novels, even though it’s no longer strictly canonical. It engages with the Prequel trilogy in fascinating ways. It all makes me want to rewatch the films and The Clone Wars animated series with the additional perspective into Palpatine this book provides. Good stuff.
Daniel Davis’ narration is phenomenal, too. His impression of Palpatine is frighteningly good—some of his enunciations sound like they came from Ian McDiarmid’s mouth—and he does a great job of giving the broader cast enough differentiating characteristics so you can tell who’s speaking. I’ll never cease to be impressed by how talented voice actors and audiobook narrators are.
The book itself isn’t perfect—Plagueis takes a backseat about halfway in, and I wish we got more of how he trained Palpatine—and it has some minor pacing issues. But for a novel that covers a significant length of time, Luceno’s emphasis on critical moments works in the story’s favor, as it highlights the decisions and events that formed Palpatine into the initially charismatic and eventually manipulative dictator we know from the films. Naming the book after Plagueis is somewhat misleading, but we still get enough of him to make him into someone of substance. His depth is lacking when compared to Palpatine, at least a little, but again, this is ultimately Palpatine’s story, and on those terms, it functions as well as anyone could hope for.
I’m definitely going to count this as one of the better Star Wars novels, even though it’s no longer strictly canonical. It engages with the Prequel trilogy in fascinating ways. It all makes me want to rewatch the films and The Clone Wars animated series with the additional perspective into Palpatine this book provides. Good stuff.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, and War