The Avengers Initiative
Fred Van Lente and Ron Lim
Genre(s): Graphic Novels, Comics, Superheroes
Published: October 10th 2012
Pages: 88
Rating: 4 stars
“The perfect introduction to Marvel's The Avengers movie! All your favorite characters from the film packed into one digest! Meet the incredible cast of the Avengers Initiative: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye! The perfect introduction to Marvel's The Avengers movie! All your favorite characters from the film packed into one digest! Meet the incredible cast of the Avengers Initiative: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye! Collecting MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS: THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE, CAPTAIN AMERICA & THOR!: AVENGERS”
The Avengers Initiative was a good, quick, and fun graphic novel that focuses heavily on the Avengers from the film. I really enjoyed this take on them, as I saw the film prior to reading any Marvel comics, and so my versions of the characters and ideas about the Avengers were those of the ones in the cinematic universe, which do not necessarily match those in the comic universe.
The artwork in this instalment are sharp and crisp, realistic and boldly coloured, and very good cartoon interpretations of the actors from the film. I especially liked the way Black Widow was drawn, this is probably my favourite version of her. I also really enjoyed how in Captain America's issue in this, his comrades look just like the ones he was with in his film, Captain America: The First Avenger.
I found this to be a very nice introduction to the Marvel comics, and I wish I'd found it before I read any other graphic novels, as the continuity from film to comic was excellent, even if the stories did not follow the events of the film. As a prequel to it, though, it works nicely. I did find myself wondering a little about how everyone was recruited before Avengers and what they got up to before, and this sheds a little light on those situations.
Overall, a very enjoyable read. Perhaps a little on the short side; it would have been nice to have issues for all of the individual Avengers, not just Cap and Thor. The inclusion of Tales of Suspense #64 was really the only thing that pulled the rating down to four stars. Definitely give this a go if you're a fan of the film and want to get involved with the comics, though.
The Gospel of Loki
Joanne Harris
Genre(s): Fantasy, Mythology, Retelling
Published: February 20th 2014
Pages: 302
Rating: 3 stars
“Loki, that’s me.
Loki, the Light-Bringer, the misunderstood, the elusive, the handsome and modest hero of this particular tissue of lies. Take it with a pinch of salt, but it’s at least as true as the official version, and, dare I say it, more entertaining.
So far, history, such as it is, has cast me in a rather unflattering role.
Now it’s my turn to take the stage.
With his notorious reputation for trickery and deception, and an ability to cause as many problems as he solves, Loki is a Norse god like no other. Demon-born, he is viewed with deepest suspicion by his fellow gods who will never accept him as one of their own and for this he vows to take his revenge.
From his recruitment by Odin from the realm of Chaos, through his years as the go-to man of Asgard, to his fall from grace in the build-up to Ragnarok, this is the unofficial history of the world’s ultimate trickster.”
The Gospel of Loki was an interesting take on the Norse myths. I only had a very basic knowledge of the gods and goddesses and their stories (a lot of which came from the Marvel films and comics), so I didn't really know what to expect, other than I probably wouldn't end up reading information that conflicted with what I already knew.
While I did enjoy the tone of Loki's narration, I was not a fan of the way he and the other gods spoke and the words they used. I felt that it came across as very modern and similar to the way we speak now. I understand it was Loki's retelling of things that happened in the past, but the modern feel to things threw me off a bit, and I felt it took away a certain authenticity to what the characters had to say because, chances are, they wouldn't have spoken like that at the time the events first happened. I think I would have preferred it to read more like a historical fiction, but that's just personal preference.
The writing is another thing that I take issue with. While it was simple, I did find it a bit choppy in places and there were a few times where I had to re-read sentences to fully understand them or get my head around word choice and structure. Some of the dialogue felt a bit forced, but perhaps that was due to the nature of the story telling and not the dialogue itself. The inside cover of this book clearly states that it is an adult epic fantasy novel, but I personally found it to have little difference to a young adult novel. I feel that the adult part is more meant in the way of content, as there were a few brief mentions of sex and other 'adult' topics, but nothing I thought a mature reader couldn't handle.
That being said, the concept of seeing things through Loki's eyes was very interesting. I often found myself feeling sorry for him and hating the other gods (but I do feel this was more because of how they were developed - or rather, how they weren't. But then I feel because the book is from Loki's perspective, we would only get to see all their bad points anyway.) so good job to the author for making me like her narrator.
Overall, despite the few things that did bug me, I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting, easy introduction to Norse mythology, and it has definitely peaked my interest in the subject.
Ultimate Comics Wolverine: Legacies
Cullen Bunn and David Messina
Genre(s): Graphic Novels, Comics, Superheroes
Published: June 26th 2013
Pages: 96
Rating: 3 stars
“When the legendary mutant Wolverine died at the hands of Magneto, he left behind an incredible legacy for his biological son, Jimmy Hudson.
Hidden deep within an encrypted holographic recording of his father, Jimmy discovers a long-dormant black ops program, codenamed Project: Mothervine. With fellow mutant Black Box at his side, he must set out on a quest to uncover the devastating truth behind its existence. But it seems other factions, including the disgraced mutant speedstar Quicksilver, have their own nefarious plans for his deadly inheritance.
Mother is calling her children home - who will answer the call?”
While I found the title of this to be a little misleading, I did still enjoy this graphic novel. I expected more of the focus to be on Wolverine himself, but then, I guess Jimmy is his legacy and it makes sense to focus the story on him and his fellow mutants. While this wasn't necessarily what I was expecting, I wasn't disappointed by it.
I did enjoy the introduction of new characters (to me, at least) such as Jimmy and Blackbox, and it was nice to see Quicksilver make an appearance and I really liked the background behind him and how he was connected with Jimmy. I did feel, however, that Jimmy lacked a personality. Quicksilver I found to be quite sly and tricky, using a bit of manipulation to get what he wanted, and Black Box I found to be quite fun in how he talked about technology being ancient.
Although I did quite enjoy the story and plot of this, and I didn't mind the jumps in time, as they were clearly labelled and featured different characters, I am a little confused about 'Mothervine'. Whether that's just because I haven't read any other comics involving it, I don't know. I do know that I would have liked a little more explanation.
That being said, what really bothered me the most was the art. Usually, I like Marvel artwork, but there was something about it in this graphic novel that I just didn't really enjoy. It was a bit too cartoony and almost childlike for me. I prefer more realistic, less over-exaggerated figures with more shading and harsh lines.
Other than that, I did like this. A nice, quick read.
Last weekend, I hopped on a train down to London to visit the Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) at London Film and Comic Con - and to also meet my best friend there as well, but that's a whole other story. Obviously, while I was there, I bought some books. And then I bought some more books when we were at the train station waiting to come home. And now here I am, sharing them with you.
Overall, it was a good weekend for books - I even got Rock War: The Audition and The Young World for free. I got this copy of Fangirl, as well as my original copy, signed by Rainbow Rowell (she's really nice, too!) and they gave out free tote bags with Cath on them, which I thought was a really nice thing to do, seeing as we'd been queueing for about two hours. At the Foyles shop in St Pancras I found Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight and I just had to snatch them up because I adored them when I borrowed them from the library. I've also read Rock War: The Audition, We Were Liars - which didn't really live up too all the hype surrounding it. It was good, don't get me wrong, but not great - and Lyra's Oxford and I can't wait to work my way through the rest of these.
Let me know if you've read any of these books and what you thought about them, or if you plan on reading them soon!
Wolverine: Season One
Ben Acker, Ben Blacker and Salvador Espin
Genre(s): Graphic Novels, Comics, Superheroes
Published: June 25th 2013
Pages: 136
Rating: 4 stars
“Discovered as a feral mutant prowling the wilds! Recruited as a covert operative by a secretive government agency! Destined to pursue a dream of peaceful coexistence between man and mutant! Witness the birth of the Wolverine as the man called Logan makes his journey from animalistic wildling to beloved X-Man. Including Logan's first blockbuster battle with the Hulk, as well as pivotal appearances by Sabretooth and Wendigo, this blood-splattered tale features a contemporary retelling of the Clawed Canuck's formative years!”
I wasn't sure what I'd be getting into with Wolverine: Season One. Thankfully, I know about Wolverine and his mutation, and how he came to be 'Wolverine' and his involvement with the X-Men (in the films, at least) etc. I feel without a lot of that knowledge I'd have been left stranding, as this graphic novel wastes no time in jumping straight into things.
The story was interesting and I did like the majority of the characters. I didn't really care for the Hulk in this, but then I generally have no interest in him anyway. I did, however, like the Wendigo and how the fight with it led Wolverine to James and Heather.
The art was okay. I liked the colouring of things but I wasn't keen on how Wolverine himself was drawn. I understand that he was starting out more animal than man in this volume and I felt that the way he was drawn reflected that, but I didn't like the style, personally. Overall, though, there was talent in the art so I can't complain too much, and it didn't detract or put me off from the story.
That being said, I did like Wolverine as a character and the way he acted. I found it realistic, given the situation, and I just generally like him as a character anyway.
All in all, I did enjoy this first volume and will carry on with any more that follow it.
Gambit: Once a Thief
James Asmus, Clay Mann and Diogenes Neves
Genre(s): Graphic Novels, Comics, Superheroes
Published: April 2nd 2013
Pages: 152
Rating: 4 stars
“When Marvel's premiere thief sets his sights on his biggest score yet, he may just end up over his head.
Desperately searching for a means to destroy the pilfered artifact that's cursed him, Gambit journeys deep into the Guatemalan jungles in search of a lost temple - but finds an ancient god-monster accidentally loosed on Earth! It's going to take more than just playing cards and southern charm to get out of this one!
Then, coerced by a criminal mastermind, Gambit is sent to the United Kingdom to heist the greatest weapon in the history of man: Excalibur! How will Marvel's premiere thief manage to dupe his extortionist while also escaping with a clear name? Be here as the X-Men's ragin' cajun kicks off his all-new solo career!”
After marathoning all of the X-Men films, I really wanted to jump into some of the comics. Once A Thief seemed like a good place to start, as not only is it from the Marvel NOW! line of comics, it also collects the first seven issues of Gambit's comics, a character I have very limited knowledge of. I often find that comic collections are confusing and offer little to know prior information of characters, so the fact that this starts from the very beginning of his story line had me very excited to pick it up.
For starters, I really like the artwork. Just having a quick flip through it showed me that it was crisp and clean, with lots of lovely colour schemes in the panels. Marvel really does some to know what it's doing when to comes to artists, and I really cannot fault the talent of all the pencilers and inkers involved.
I did like Gambit as a character, and I was interested to read about him and his abilities. He seemed very well prepared and equipped for everything, and not just because of his mutation. He seemed to give off that kind of 'I know what I'm doing' vibe, and his costume was really cool. I also really liked his mysterious partner in crime. She was independent and headstrong and I was interested to see what she was up to. The way she and Gambit interacted and worked together, even though she didn't want his help, was nice too.
I did like the plot, it was fun, even if it was a bit of a typical thief plot. But then again, the title of this volume is Once a Thief, so I shouldn't really have expected anything different.
Overall, I did really enjoy this graphic novel, and I think I'll definitely be carrying on with the series.
