Vision In Blue

Fans get to ask their favourite heroes... Does Superman make mistakes? Does Hawkgirl eat small mammals like actual hawks do? All the important questions that you've always wondered about. This is the first title I've seen from DC Zoom, DC's newly launched imprint for middle grade graphic novels, and I have to say my first impression is that I can't wait for more. Dear Justice League is written by Michael Northrop, author or the Tombquest series, and illustrated by Gustavo Duarte. Sadly I only got a 36 page sampler of this one but it was more than enough to work out that it's a super title. Even as an experienced comic book and graphic novel reader I still have trouble following some of the complex page layouts, so I'm pleased to see how well this was laid out. Every spread is a simple left to right progression that is natural to follow and flows well with the inclusion of more "advanced" cross page boxes and illustration between pieces. It ...

This one was a bit out of the blue, searching through new titles for our February catalogue I came across this cute looking cover and when I was Googling for more information I discovered it was on Netgalley... so of course that was going to get read straight away! Kim Reaper: Grim Beginnings by Sarah Graley Kim is like any other university student trying to get by, she's found herself a part-time job to help make the rent. But it's not quite that simple. When she leaves a lecture the only things she needs to do to get to work is get out her scythe and open a portal there. Kim is a part-time grim reaper. Becka has noticed Kim in class, the beautiful gothic angel has caught her eye and she's hatching a plan to meet her properly. That plan goes slightly awry when she chases after her and ends up in Kim's portal to work. This little mishap leads to all sorts of chaos, one not quite dead cat, one fully dead cat-dad, some vengeful zombies, and a bunch of grim re...

Super Sons Volume 1: When I Grow Up by Peter J. Tomasi. Published by DC Comics. Out 17th October 2017! Synopsis: Superboy (AKA Jonathan Kent) and Robin (AKA Damian Wayne) make their debut in this new graphic novel that collects Super Sons issues 1–5. The two boys long to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. But when the Bat tells Robin he can’t join him on a mission he goes in search of his own, and he’s taking Superboy with him. With Robin’s intel, the dynamic duo go in search of security footage that will help them track down their very own villain… but all doesn’t go quite to plan. At least, I’m fairly sure that flinging Superboy off the side of a building wasn’t quite what the plan entailed. Even so, they manage to secure the footage and find their next clue. Even with the bickering the pair manage to stick together and find the lair of Kid Amazo. Infected with the Amazo virus created by Lex Luthor, Kid Amazo has lost the hero values that his family had… now he wants so...

Open scene on me pootling to Cineworld after work to see a 3D screening of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. After a kerfuffle when I was supposed to see this on Tuesday I switched tack, for my sanity, and went for a different showing. This was going to be a fairly niche film, it's not quite Avatar enough to be super popular, but after seeing the trailers I would think it would entice a few sci-fi fans to take a trip to see it. So I was a little surprised at how empty the screen was considering it was its second day on release. Here's my advice to you all... and I'm going to underline this for effect...  do  not  watch this film in 3D ... Generally I would only see films in 2D, unless it was an epic blockbuster extravaganza, but as this showing coincided with me getting out of work, and with 3D tickets now not costing me any money, I decided to see it. The story of Valerian is a good one. We open on Mül, a idyllic place of peace and a simple l...

I love picking up things like this on Netgalley, it really cheers me up. I've kind of given away what I think about the book haven't I? Never mind, carry on and listen to my waffle anyway. While I'm a fan of comic books, I'm by no means an expert. I tend to opt for single character titles with a set number of issues. If that says anything about me, it's that I'm impatient. But when I see things that say they're "volume 1" or are stand alone set of team ups, then I do quite like giving them a go. So, Justice League Vs Suicide Squad... I'm going to copy and paste this next bit straight from Netgalley as I don't want to miss any of the talented people... Written by rising star Josh Williamson ( The Flash ) with art from acclaimed illustrators Jason Fabok ( Justice League: Darkseid War ), Tony S. Daniel ( Batman ), Fernando Pasarin ( Justice League ), Howard Porter ( JLA ), and more. What the official blurb tells us... It's the fi...

Bud Fiske is sent to do a profile of Hector Lassiter, larger-than-life crime writer. In a cantina, the pair find themselves face to face with history... literally. On the table between them is the head of Pancho Villa, and the prospect of a deal worth eighty grand. It sounds like easy money... take the head to a guy. But such a legendary piece of history is never going to be traded that easily. Gun, girls and car chases ensue "on the road to hell with a trunk full of skulls". --- I saw this on Netgalley, I'm always looking for new graphic novels, and the description of this one jumped out at me. That being said, I don't think this was what I expected it to be from the description. Noir, pulp fiction, whatever you want to call it, this book falls squarely in that genre. This is the first time I've ever read anything in that area, which is surprising considering I love crime fiction in general. But I have watched a lot of it... does that count?! ...

An old favourite reimagined is always a complicated beast. Some are good (Danger Mouse), some are bad (Wombles, I'm looking at you... and any of the other CGId shows). So, to Scooby Apocalypse Volume 1 ... Our team of meddling kids come together to fight a very real monster apocalypse. And so far these monsters don't appear to be creepy caretakers in costumes. The idea in this first collection of issues is that the gang come together when Velma realises she needs to blow the whistle on what the company she works for is trying to do. She can't go to the big media outlets, there are too many watchful eyes, but down on her luck reporter, Daphne and her camera man Fred might be her answer. They might not have the ratings anymore, but Daphne is determined, and always after the truth. Meanwhile Shaggy has got a job at Velma's company to train dogs in their smart dog program. Scooby Doo, the original smart dog, isn't up to the same standards and the new intake, a...

I know I'm slightly late off the mark as we're over half way through January, but I've just been looking at the first quarter's new publishing and thought I'd do a run down of the top picks. They might not be the best, they might not be the publishers wannabe bestsellers, but they're the ones that intrigued me. So here we go... blurb first, my waffle second! All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders 9781785650550 Patricia is a witch who can communicate with animals. Laurence is a mad scientist and inventor of the two-second time machine. As teenagers they gravitate towards one another, sharing in the horrors of growing up weird, but their lives take different paths... When they meet again as adults, Laurence is an engineering genius trying to save the world and live up to his reputation in near-future San Francisco. Meanwhile, Patricia is a graduate of Eltisley Maze, the hidden academy for the magically gifted, working hard to prove herself to he...

I always enjoy a good fairy tale. There are some fantastic adaptations out there and it never ceases to amaze me how many new twists people are able to come up with. Far Out Fairy Tales is a great example of that. The series is due to be published in April 2016 in paperback format, five books at £4.99 each. Let's take a quick look at each story... Ninja-rella has honed her skills, kept her mind sharp with chess and her body sharp with swordsmanship. As with the traditional tale of Cinderella she is cast into service for her step-mother and step-sisters, but when the ball comes around Ninja-rella wishes  to go so she can show off her skills and become the prince's bodyguard. Red Riding Hood - Superhero . Granny works hard as the President of the United States, and takes  Ruby on a trip to Area 54. There she meets an alien who accidentally leaves his cloak behind when he flees. The cloak comes in handy when she has to face Professor Grimm, the mad scientist who...

Ms Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona The new Ms Marvel is Marvel's first Muslim character to head their own series. She is a Pakistani-American from New Jersey with shape-shifting powers, and she embodies all the angst that is appropriate for her role. Kamala Khan [Marvel never miss a good alliterative name!] is an ordinary teenager who is desperate to try something different. From the very beginning we see her wanting to step outside her cultural boundaries at the mere smell of a BLT. Zoe Zimmer [there it is again!], the not so culturally informed teenager leads Kamala on to what will be her origin story. The Khan family cover all aspects of a family, an overbearing mother, concerned yet easy going father, devout son and the questioning... soon to be super-powered daughter. When she thinks there's no way to talk sense into her family she descends the tree outside her window and goes to the party that all the cool alliterative kids are going to. But her e...

So I am having a reading success story this week, I read the graphic novel version of An Inspector Calls [quick text edition] for work. It was never something I studied in school so I was going into it blind. On first glance I like the style of this series. You also get a biography of JB Priestley at the end and a piece on page creation that gives you great insight into how a graphic novel is produced. There's a small piece of comparison between this quick text version and the original text version. At the beginning of the book you have the character list that you would find at the beginning of a normal play script, but with the addition of sketches. The colouring of the illustrations is very earthy, browns, reds, purples, greens. While I like the illustration, some of the faces seem a little obscured by the thick shading and dark colours. You can sense family tension right from the beginning of the book. Arthur Birling is very power crazed and you can tell that he thinks ...