tiedyedude's reviews
1070 reviews

Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ninth Assassin by Stephen Thompson, Mark Irwin, Tim Siedell, Dave Marshall, Denis Freitas, Ivan Fernandez

3.25

 Vader is sent to track an extremist group after an attack on the Emperor, while an assassin is on his heels. Lots of good action and crazy force powers. 

Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows by Tim Siedell

3.5

 It seems a common theme of these Dark Horse Vader comics is people believing there is any wiggle room in Vader's resolve. He is a tool of the Emperor, period. In this one, a clone survives a battle but is left for dead. He survives and finds inspiration in Vader, but as he rises through the ranks, he gets more than he bargained for when he finally gets the Sith lord's attention. 

Star Wars: Vader's Quest TPB by Darko Macan

2.5

Considering the involvement of Dave Gibbons, I expected something more, but this is a pretty average offering. 

Killadelphia, Volume 2 by Rodney Barnes

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

3.75

There was plenty to like here, but the story kind of stagnated as they introduced new players, explored some backstory, and laid the groundwork for moving forward.

Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture by Sherronda J. Brown

challenging informative inspiring slow-paced

4.25

This is a book that will stick with me for a while. I was introduced to several new-to-me concepts that are interesting to consider:
-Terms like chrononormativity, infantilizaion, and frigidity
-That asexuals are often assumed homosexual (if you're not in a hetero relationship, you must be hiding a same-sex one), because lack of desire is not valid. This thinking has been applied posthumously to both Langston Hughes and Octavia E. Butler, among others (I've experienced this myself). 
-That left-handers are 2.5 more likely to identify as asexual; this chapter made some interesting correlations between left-handed demonization and LGBT persecution (I'm also left-handed). 
-The ways that a (white) cisheteronormative society is threatened by asexual acknowledgement. 
It is not a book for beginners; it is pretty dense and borderline academic. There were a few chapters in the middle that I had trouble fitting with the theme of the book (the author even comments a couple times that they are getting off course, but feels the points they are ultimately making are important). Still, it is a powerful examination of the struggles of ace individuals through a black lens.

Star Wars - Darth Vader and the Lost Command by W. Haden Blackman

2.75

 Vader is dispatched to an uncharted region to search for Moff Tarkin's son, but the local leadership attempt to use his hunt to further their political ambitions. It doesn't go well for them. 

Our Encounters with Evil & Other Stories by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, Mike Mignola

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

3.0

 This was such an odd little series. I read the first story as a stand-alone before discovering the collected edition. The tone is off-beat; the hunters are successful more by luck and circumstance than skill, even though they are advertised as “monster hunters extraordinaire.“ It almost has a comical sense to it, until the final story, which is bleak and tragic. The art was unique, but not something I particularly enjoyed. 

Killadelphia Volume 1: Sins of the Father by Rodney Barnes

dark mysterious tense medium-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? No

4.25

Brutal, bloody, and thrilling, the first volume of Killadelphia tears down the city of brotherly love and leaves it beaten, with a small glimmer of hope. President John Adams has spent three hundred years planning the rise of the vampire. Will he succeed?

Squire & Knight, Volume 1 by Scott Chantler

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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? No

4.25

A fun, irreverent middle grade graphic novel about a squire who must use logic to solve a town's dragon problem when the knight's attempt amounts to little more than bluff and bluster. A full cast of loveable characters.

Monica by Daniel Clowes

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.5

I didn't realize this was the same author who did Ghost World. I wasn't a fan of that book, and this didn't really do it for me either. It follows the life of Monica and her steps to uncover the truth about her youth. The art was decent. The story was up and down for me; I didn't love the side stories between chapters. The ending was also unsatisfying; it apparently meant to tie back to the first chapter, but that definitely went over my head.