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gxcons's reviews
267 reviews
Hawkman: Endless Flight by James Robinson, Bill Oakley, Michael Bair, John Kalisz, Geoff Johns, Rags Morales
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
Batman: Dark Knight, Dark City by Peter Milligan
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
This collection contains the titular story, as well as some other small stories from a Batman run in the early 90s.
-Dark Knight, Dark City: very eery. Much more bloodthirsty take on the Riddler. Seeing mystical elements in Batman was interesting. Always enjoy when Gotham is rendered as an otherworldly, almost living entity.
-Hungry Grass: another mystical storyline. Interesting moral/ethical questions asked.
-And the Executioner Wore Stiletto Heels: another look at state punishment, in particular the death penalty. Not much else.
Skipped over the Golem of Gotham- did not want to see if it aged well or not. My attention had waned so I also skipped over Identity Crisis.
The main storyline had me plugged in. The larger ethical questions and solemn tone throughout worked well for me. Also enjoyed the individual cover art.
*read as a part of Comic Book Herald's Dark Knights: Metal reading order*
-Dark Knight, Dark City: very eery. Much more bloodthirsty take on the Riddler. Seeing mystical elements in Batman was interesting. Always enjoy when Gotham is rendered as an otherworldly, almost living entity.
-Hungry Grass: another mystical storyline. Interesting moral/ethical questions asked.
-And the Executioner Wore Stiletto Heels: another look at state punishment, in particular the death penalty. Not much else.
Skipped over the Golem of Gotham- did not want to see if it aged well or not. My attention had waned so I also skipped over Identity Crisis.
The main storyline had me plugged in. The larger ethical questions and solemn tone throughout worked well for me. Also enjoyed the individual cover art.
*read as a part of Comic Book Herald's Dark Knights: Metal reading order*
The Siren by Katherine St. John
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ithaca by Claire North
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A retelling of Greek mythology revolving around Penelope, probably the least paid attention to of the three Greek queens during the time of the Trojan war.
What worked for me:
-Goddess Hera as narrator provides 3rd person omniscience with a dash of personality.
-The introduction of the house of Atreus (Elektra, Orestes, Clytemnestra) picks up the pacing of events and feels within the realm of possibility (timeline of mythological events).
-The handling of familial relationships (Penelope and Telemachus, the house of Atreus, absent fathers of the Trojan war) was nuanced and the most compelling piece of the book for me, by far.
What didn't hit:
-The very outright obvious "this is a feminist retelling" tone throughout. The focus on women and women's stories on Ithaka makes sense, accounting for the Trojan war and Odysseus's prolonged absence, but the constant "this is women's lot" became repetitive and exhausting.
-Related to that last point, the voice of many women, including Hera, felt imbalanced between sticking to higher, vaguely regal language and modern, 21st century snark. The snark and sarcasm date the book to a very particular (modern) time period; for me, the mid-2010s though this is a recent pub. Early on in the book it occurred to me that Hera reads like Regina from ABC's Once Upon A Time, and I couldn't shake it.
-Repetitive phrasing and jumping around to various character POVs and events
-Although I do appreciate the large cast of characters, it didn't read as Penelope's story with background characters, but rather an ensemble.
-Pacing of events outside of the house of Atreus drama was very slow, which, to be fair, is to be expected considering how long Penelope entertains and fends off suitors.
I didn't entirely acclimate to the tone and language of the book, and there were sections I started skimming over (descriptions of Ithaka, slow plotting). If I had known this was part of a series, I would have been less off-put by the ending. I'll pick up book #2, though, and in the meantime will seek out the two ancient Elektra plays and the Oresteia.
NB: I wouldn't recommend this book to those not familiar with the finer points of the mythology surrounding the Trojan war, but to each their own.
What worked for me:
-Goddess Hera as narrator provides 3rd person omniscience with a dash of personality.
-The introduction of the house of Atreus (Elektra, Orestes, Clytemnestra) picks up the pacing of events and feels within the realm of possibility (timeline of mythological events).
-The handling of familial relationships (Penelope and Telemachus, the house of Atreus, absent fathers of the Trojan war) was nuanced and the most compelling piece of the book for me, by far.
What didn't hit:
-The very outright obvious "this is a feminist retelling" tone throughout. The focus on women and women's stories on Ithaka makes sense, accounting for the Trojan war and Odysseus's prolonged absence, but the constant "this is women's lot" became repetitive and exhausting.
-Related to that last point, the voice of many women, including Hera, felt imbalanced between sticking to higher, vaguely regal language and modern, 21st century snark. The snark and sarcasm date the book to a very particular (modern) time period; for me, the mid-2010s though this is a recent pub. Early on in the book it occurred to me that Hera reads like Regina from ABC's Once Upon A Time, and I couldn't shake it.
-Repetitive phrasing and jumping around to various character POVs and events
-Although I do appreciate the large cast of characters, it didn't read as Penelope's story with background characters, but rather an ensemble.
-Pacing of events outside of the house of Atreus drama was very slow, which, to be fair, is to be expected considering how long Penelope entertains and fends off suitors.
I didn't entirely acclimate to the tone and language of the book, and there were sections I started skimming over (descriptions of Ithaka, slow plotting). If I had known this was part of a series, I would have been less off-put by the ending. I'll pick up book #2, though, and in the meantime will seek out the two ancient Elektra plays and the Oresteia.
NB: I wouldn't recommend this book to those not familiar with the finer points of the mythology surrounding the Trojan war, but to each their own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75