New Book Review - Do or Die by Josh Reynolds

Book - Do or Die 

Writer - Josh Reynolds 

Series - A Zombicide Novel

Published By - Aconyte Books

First things first, I got this book from NetGalley, so thank you NetGalley and Aconyte Books for this opportunity.

I started reading this one having previously enjoyed the 2nd book in the series and with a bit of certainty that I would enjoy the further adventures of these interesting characters despite the overall familiar setting. Reynolds tries to spice up the adventure by setting up the story in the Everglades in Florida and adding some even more horrific monsters and equally dangerous humans. 

Westlake, Ramirez and company travel to the Everglades in search of more hidden caches of resources and friendly survivors, but things are way different than before as Westlake is falling apart both physically and mentally due to his transformation and there are strange animals and humans around to make their plight very difficult. The incoming hurricane and the issues between some new members and the usual gang makes matters even more edgy. 

The prose is depicted through various viewpoint characters, and the jumping of perspective was a bit much at times. It was really fun to return to the favorites like Westlake, Clavera and Kahwhita while the new characters and antagonists gave their own perspective to the ongoing struggle. I just really wish it had more chapters from the viewpoint of Westlake and Calavera.

From the get go it was apparent that some of these characters will not survive till the end, yet it was hard to say goodbye when the time came. The pace was as blistering as expected with no time for respite and the author did the action bits quite brilliantly.  The ending was also better than the last book despite being a bit predictable from the last one third of the story. 

I would really love to read more about this character although I am quite certain this will be the final adventure of this gang. It was definitely fun while it lasted. 

4 out of 5 stars from me. 

Graphic Novel Review - All Against All

Name: All Against All Vol. 1

Published by: Image Comics

Writer: Alex Paknadel

Artist: Casper Wijngaard

Colorist: Hasan Otsmane-Elhaou

This was a fun mini-series with a unique science fiction concept detailing the story of a group of parasitic aliens trying to delve into the mystery of the destructive nature of humanity on the backdrop of their own ongoing war. 

Alex Paknadel isn't an author that I was familiar with so I came into this without expecting anything, but his style was quite enjoyable. I liked his use of different viewpoint characters while trying to establish the world building through their perspectives rather than info dump. The story was an interesting one with some messages regarding the consequence of violence and war. 

The artist Caspar Wijngaard is also someone new for me, and I am definitely going to be on the lookout for his work in the future after my first exposure. His unique and unorthodox character and background designs, and masterful depiction of the action sequences were really able to drive home the visceral nature of the story. 

Interesting concept, fresh storytelling and vividly imaginative drawing kept me turning the pages rather quickly on this one as I kept intrigued about the twist to come. 4 out of 5 stars from me. 

New Comic Review - Alligator Loki #1

Name: Alligator Loki #1

Published by: Marvel Comics

Writer: Alyssa Wong

Artist: Bob Quinn

Colorist: Pete Pantazis

Well, who didn't like Alligator Loki when he was introduced in the Loki tv series. I sure did, and when I saw his infinity comic being published I was waiting for to check it out when it was to be collected as a normal issue. And, it really delivers on its promises quite commendably. 

The short strip like dialogue less stories featuring the notorious Alligator features cameos from characters from all over the Marvel universe with its mischievous fun and homages to popular memes are really something to be experienced. 

Bob Quinn does an excellent job with his exuberant art which compliments Wongs wonderful sense of humor quite nicely. As I found out this is only the compilation of season one of the series. I for one will be eagerly waiting for future adventures of this unorthodox and wicked god of mischief. 

4 out of 5 stars from me. 

New Comic Review - Six 001 - The Tanque Verde Massacre

Name: Six 001 - The Tanque Verde Massacre

Published by: Europe Comics

Writer: Philippe Pelaez

Artist: Javier Casado

Translator: Dan Christensen

Editing: Christopher Bradley

Letterer: Cromatik Ltd. 

My first experience with Europe Comics was quite an enjoyable one. This issue of western comics made me nostalgic about my childhood of reading translated westerns, often barely understanding some of the terminology but thoroughly enjoying the machismo, action and most of all the atmosphere. This one might be very generic to serious readers of western, to a casual reader of the genre like me, this hits all the sweet spots and kept me wanting more. 

The first issue mostly introduces the Six characters mentioned in the name of the story. We get information regarding some of the characters, while a few remain without much back story. We get introduced to the different factions of villains and also learn about the quest of the group while they begin their journey. 

Despite being quite generic, the characters are quite likeable and almost felt like getting reacquainted with old friends to me and I am already dreading the fact that some of the six will eventually die by the end. I really liked the dynamic between the deserter and the Indian quite a lot. The mysterious narrator of the story also adds another layer of intrigue for readers. 

The art is detailed, has appropriate facial expressions and creates the atmosphere quite nicely. The translation is also flawless never hampering the enjoyment at all. 

I really got immersed in this one despite understanding this might be generic for readers of the genre, but what more can be asked of a good old fashioned western tale?

I will give this one 4 out of 5 stars from me. 

Graphic Novel Review - Planet of the Apes Archive Vol. 1

Name: Planet of the Apes Archive Vol. 1: Terror on the Planet of the Apes

Published by: BOOM! Studios 

Writer: Doug Moench

Artists: Mike Ploog, Frank Chiaramonte, Tom Sutton, Herb Trimpe, Virgil Redondo

Let me start by saying that I am a relatively new Apes fan. Despite watching the original movie as a kid and the reboot as a teenager I was never much invested previously, which might have been due to the fact that I wasn't never really aware of the racial and political issues that this franchise tried to focus upon. But after quite recently rewatching the first movie and following up with watching (for the first time!) the next four I became quite enamoured. 

As I began to gradually delve deeper into the tie-in stuff, I decided to check out the various comics from different publishers. And these archives published by BOOM! Studios seemed a great way to read the older Marvel stuff in an organized way. 

The first volume of this archive series contains an original storyline set in the Planet of the apes depicting an action packed tale of two friends, a human and an ape going through almost limitless obstacles while re-exploring their friendship. Despite losing momentum towards the end and not having a proper ending, 'Terror on the Planet of the Apes' is an action packed journey that manages to combine the epic tone of the planet of the apes with the weirdness inherent to the comics as a medium. 

The story has many interesting and varied characters. Although the protagonist Jason and his friend Alex and the main antagonist Brutus might seem rather one dimensional caricatures; the likes of Gunsmith Julius, Steely Dan, Saraband, Lightsmith and a myriad of interesting villains  steal the show with their uniqueness. 

Doug Moench really knows how to spin a tale to keep his readers guessing what new perils might come next for our heroes and what new fascinating bits of weird and unorthodox locale or creatures we might experience next. And especially during the first half each chapter adds further layers of world-building to keep readers excited to keep on turning the pages. 

The first nine chapters are drawn by Mike Ploog, and his drawing is just something that is a pure joy to experience. The level of detail in his black and white pages kept me engrossed and returning for stuff I might have missed. The last six chapters are also well drawn and eye catching, but lack Ploogs artistic brilliance and pales a bit in comparison. 

Overall, the merits far outweigh the minor lacks in this story and the introduction and ending by the Apes expert 'Rich Handley' also add a sense of perspective to this historic piece of work. 

This gets 4.5 out of 5 stars from me. 

New Book Review - Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkwell

Name - Wastelanders: Star-Lord

Series - Marvel’s Wastelanders 

Written by - Sarah Cawkwell

Adapted from - The scripted podcast by Benjamin Percy

Published by - Aconyte Books 

First things first, I got this book from NetGalley, so thank you NetGalley and Aconyte Books for this opportunity.

I wanna start with a little confession, I initially requested the ARC for this one due to interest in the Wastelands setting but totally forgot about it. I only remembered the book after watching 'Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3' and starting to miss Quill, Rocket and the gang. I am quite glad that I did start reading it, as I loved the book and finished it in only a few days despite my busy work schedule. 

The book is set in an alternate universe where things have taken a very bad turn for both the Guardians and planet earth some 30 years into the future. The much older duo of Star-Lord and Rocket returns to earth to complete a job for the Collector, but things are not as it used to be on the planet which they realise in a matter of moments after their crash landing. Soon, the duo with their robot companion Cora gets embroiled in an adventure that will introduce the readers to a very different western influenced post-apocalyptic Marvel universe. 

Quill and Rocket are the main stars as to be expected, and their banter will keep the readers chuckling despite being very emotional at times. Quill behaves just as optimistic as always and keeps on jumping into no win situations headlong. Rocket Raccoon is also on character, acting all gruff with a much softer interior. Another character that steals the show at times is Cora with her dialogues and mannerisms. The character of Red Crotter is also really well fleshed out. 

As this is based on a podcast, the dialogue is the main driving force rather than action most of the time. And the dialogue is very skillfully written, one can get so engrossed in the oftentimes humorous banter it could really drain time. The chemistry between Quill and Rocket has always been one of the main reasons why I love the Guardians movies, so I rather enjoyed their banter. 

The ending could have been a bit more action oriented if you asked me, but you have to consider the original source material. It has to be said, all through the book there is not a single boring page and this is mostly due to the excellent characters and the dialogues. This is a definite recommendation for any fan of superheroes or post-apocalyptic fiction. 

I will give this 4 out of 5 stars. 

Hashtags - #Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL

Graphic Novel Review - Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures Vol. 2

Name: Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Vol. 2

Published by: Dark Horse Comics

Writer: Haden Blackman, Welles Hartley 

Artists: The Fillbach Brothers, Welles Hartley 

Colorist: Wil Glass, Sno Cone Studios

Letterer: Michael David Thomas 

The second volume continues with the style established by the animated series and the first volume, focusing on specific characters in separate events of the ongoing war. 

'Skywalker' is the first story featuring Obi-Wan telling Luke a tell of the heroics of his father during the height of the clone wars. Anakin does some pretty cool force hijinks and it as a cool ending foreshadowing the future. 

'Hide in plain sight' follows the duo of Luminara and Bariss, as the attempt to stop an invading force of General Grievous's army while also trying to save the civilians. There are some interesting messages and a short little cameo by Grievous. 

The third story is 'Run Mace run', which is a story of the one and only Mace Windu and has another cameo, this time featuring Count Dooku. Windu's drop ship gets destroyed, and he is the only survivor and has to fight through an army of droids to destroy a powerful weapon. Nice little story with an interesting concept. 

This one might be slightly better than the first volume but gets 4 out of 5 stars from me like the first one.