tiedyedude's reviews
1065 reviews

The Stand: The Graphic Novel Omnibus by Mike Perkins, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

adventurous dark tense

4.0

While any abridged adaptation is necessarily going to come with its share of deviations, I think the team at Marvel did an excellent job at adapting this epic story. They even included a cheeky King cameo, with “Rich Bachman“, drawn to resemble King, as one of Flagg's lieutenants. 
I read another comic recently with art by Mike Perkins, and I'm not particularly fond of his style, which includes a lot of thick shadows. He's not a bad artist, he is solid and consistent throughout the run, and there are some great scenes, it's just not my favorite look.
In general, the Colorado crew got much more attention than the Vegas group.  Specifically, I think the character of the Trashcan Man was underdeveloped; however, there was enough to get the story across. I wonder how it would be as a reader's first exposure to the material. As someone who read the novel before, it served as a nice revisit of the story, but also a reminder of how much more there is in the novel. 
Now, having read both the original edit and this adaptation, it'll be interesting to one day read the “complete and uncut“ version. 

Lady Mechanika Volume 6: Sangre by M. M. Chen, Joe Benitez

4.0

 Creator Joe Benitez only illustrated the prologue for each chapter in this series, while main art duties were delegated to guest artist Brian Ching. It was an interesting change-up; it wasn't bad, just felt a little... lesser. Solid story. Lady Mechanika is flying solo, going up against vampires as she again crosses paths with La Dama de la Muerta. 

The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

3.0

 An interesting story. There are four different storylines in 100 pages. While they all converged and concluded well, it felt like too much. Just when I got invested in one story, it switched to another. I don't think it would have benefitted from being longer (it told the story it wanted to), but it would have been better if it was more focused on fewer characters or connected the characters more directly. 

Batman Forever by Peter David

2.25

Was not a fan of the narrator, especially his Riddler voice. There are some "deleted scenes" that were interesting, but, maybe due to the narrator, I just wasn't too invested in listening closely and sussing out the differences. 

Recursion by Blake Crouch

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

For a book that was not on my radar at all, I thoroughly enjoyed this dark sci-fi about using memory to time travel. The concept is brilliantly executed and solidly consistent. The perspective changes are not overwhelming and the characters are easy to root for. I'm just so impressed at how readable this was, considering how easily it could have become convoluted and unnecessarily complex.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Car accident

Lady Mechanika Volume 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci by M. M. Chen, Joe Benitez

4.75

 This may be my favorite volume yet. More hints of Mechanika's past, but interrupted by Mr. Lewis's unexpected nuptials. It'll be interesting to see how their relationship moves forward after her interference. 

The Department of Truth Volume 5 by James Tynion IV

3.25

 I am conflicted about continuing the series after each volume, but the concept is just so intriguing and relevant to the times. This volume serves as a convoluted and possibly altered origin story for Lee Harvey Oswald, and includes a tragic interpretation of Marilyn Monroe. I wish there was a way to tell this story without so many scene of men sitting in rooms or walking down hallways talking. 

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A bloody trans horror book that was "written in a fit of rage." Benji is a trans male who escapes a religious cult where he is injected with a virus that will transform him into a seraph that will bring about end times. He finds a teen LGBT center that accepts and protects him as he and his new friend try to survive in the post-apocalyptic world.

Very powerful symbolism. VERY bloody/gory. I can see it being an affirming book for queer teens.

The Bat-Man: First Knight by Dan Jurgens

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.25

 This was a pretty decent early adventure for Batman, in the style of the original 1939 comic debut, with increased violence, gory, and profanity, as implied by the Black Label designation. I felt the “adult“ aspects weren't really necessary, and the story seemed to struggle to fill all three issues. There were some excellent panels, but overall the art was overly dark and not very appealing. 

Night Shift by Stephen King

3.5

Most of the stories in this collection were good. I found an old copy of the audio version with John Glover narrating. He was enthusiastic and talented but had a limited number of voices. Several cautionary tales about signing deals, a couple Salem's Lot stories, several rats, and more. A fun sampling of early King.