Review – Kill the Minotaur by Chris Pasetto & Christian Cantamessa

Kill the Minotaur
By: Chris Pasetto; Christian Cantamessa
Illustrator: Lukas Ketner; Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Release Date: February 6, 2018
Publisher: Image Comics
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Mythology is something I have long been fascinated by, an interest that formed when I was a child and stuck. While I sit on the fence most of the time with retellings of popular fairy tales or legends, I decided to give this one a try. Kill the Minotaur is written by Chris Pasetto and Christain Cantamessa with art by Lukas Ketner and Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and is a unique retelling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.

Review – Killing Gravity by Corey J. White

Killing Gravity
By: Corey J. White
Release Date: May 9, 2017
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: Voidwitch Saga #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


You know what I like? Space adventures. You know what I also like? All powerful magical type characters. So, obviously, when a surprise copy Killing Gravity fell into my lap I made sure to read it immediately. Killing Gravity by Corey J. White is a fast paced, fun story about an all-powerful voidwitch.

Review – City Vol. 1 by Keiichi Arawi

City Vol. 1
By: Keiichi Arawi
Translator: Jenny McKeon
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Series: City
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


It might not be readily apparent since I read such a large volume of fantasy and science fiction, but I’ve always really enjoyed a good slice of life manga or anime. I was extremely excited to pick up just such a manga from the creator of Nichijou. City Vol. 1 by Keiichi Arawi is a slice of life manga with surreal humor and great characters.

Review – Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona
By: Noelle Stevenson
Release Date: May 12, 2015
Publisher: Harper Collins
Award: National Book Award Nominee for Young People’s Literature (2015); Odyssey Award Nominee (2017); Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee (2017); Evergreen Teen Book Award Nominee (2018); Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2016); Lincoln Award Nominee (2018); Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best Graphic Album-Reprint and Nominated for Best Digital/Web Comic (2015)(2016); Children’s Literature Council of Southern California Award for Peggy Miller Award for Young Adult Literature (2016); Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Graphic Novels & Comics (2015); The Magnolia Award Nominee for 9-12 (2017)
Rating:


I had wanted to read Nimona for quite some time. It was a graphic novel I’d heard a huge amount of praise for, but one that I’d simply never picked up. When I came across a copy in the library, I checked it out immediately and read it the very same day. And man, I was not disappointed. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson is an absolutely wonderful story about a villain, his side kick, friendship, and how far someone is willing to go for love.

Review – The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis

The Guns Above: A Signal Airship Novel
By: Robyn Bennis
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Publisher: Tor Books
Series: Signal Airship
Rating:


The Guns Above is the story of Josette Dupris, the first female captain of an airship in Garnia’s military. Usually, women in the military don’t make captain and aren’t allowed in battle. But the country is in the middle of a long war, and the death of Josette’s former captain mid-battle forced her hand. Now armed with her own ship, Josette has to navigate her first captain post, test out a brand new type of airship during airtime. Not everyone is happy with this new appointment, though. When a prominent general sends his nephew aboard to report back on Josette’s flaws in order to dismiss her from her new post, what will happen?

Review – Inuyashiki Volume 1 by Hiroya Oku

Inuyashiki Vol 1
By: Hiroya Oku
Translator: Stephen Paul
Release Date: August 25, 2015; (Original) January 1, 2014
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Series: Inuyashiki
Rating:


Sometimes we’re behind the curve. Sometimes we don’t read a certain manga or watch a certain anime when everyone else is talking about it. But sometimes we finally catch up and actually read the series we’ve been aiming to for years! Inuyashiki Vol. 1 by Hiroya Oku is a science fiction story set in the near future.

Review – Outbreak Company: Volume 1 by Ichiro Sakaki

Outbreak Company: Volume 1
By: Ichiro Sakaki
Illustrator: Yugen
Translator: Kevin Steinbach
Release Date: November 17, 2017; (Original) December 2, 2011
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Series: Outbreak Company #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


I am always on the hunt for new isekai (that’s ‘trapped in another world’ for those who don’t know) light novels. Somehow I’d missed the anime Outbreak Company when it first aired, so I jumped at the chance to read the light novel. Outbreak Company Vol. 1 by Ichiro Sakaki, author of Chaika: The Coffin Princess among others, is a light novel that is both fun, but unafraid to delve into the more serious aspects of politics and the issues that arise when transporting pop culture to another world.

Review – Ararat by Christopher Golden

Ararat
By: Christopher Golden
Release Date: April 17, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Award: Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel (2017)
Rating:


Sometimes a book lands on the to read list and sits there. Despite passing by Ararat each time I went to the library I didn’t borrow it. There was always a different book I’d come in for, or my stack was already piled four or five books high. However, this time was different. I finally read Ararat by Christopher Golden.

Why TokyoPop Still Disappoints

When I was young TokyoPop was one of the top publishers of manga in the US. They ate up IPs for manga. They published a huge variety of genres. They even published light novels, something that many other publishers, even those who did publish manga, largely didn’t touch. A great many TokyoPop titles still grace my shelves. My local library still has dozens of TokyoPop releases in their manga section. By all regards TokyoPop was extremely important in getting manga into the hands of my generations.

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Review – Sumo by Thien Pham

Sumo
By: Thien Pham
Release Date: December 11, 2012
Publisher: First Second
Rating:


I was completely unfamiliar with Sumo before stumbling across it when browsing shelves in the library. The cover was bold, with an amazing image of a sumo wrestler seemingly parting water, and I picked it up immediately without bothering to read any sort of synopsis. Sumo by Thien Pham is a quiet, beautiful story about a young sumo wrestler.