Category: Graphic Novel

Title: Harley Quinn, Volume 3: Kiss Kiss Bang Stab
Author: Amanda Conner
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Purchased
Release Date: December 15, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

NOW HIRING: ASSISTANT HARLEYS!

What with working full time as a psychiatrist, managing an apartment building full of needy tenants and rambunctious pets, skating in the roller derby and trying to start up a new romance, Harley Quinn has precious little time left over for her mission of do-gooding. Time to expand her operation with her very own team of assistants!

But only the best can trusted to spread Harley’s values of honor, trustworthiness and insubordination. The hiring process will be competitive…and bloody!

And that’s not all! In this volume, Harley also breaks into Arkham Asylum to save her bestie Poison Ivy, falls hard for dashing millionaire Bruce Wayne and spreads her own unique brand of holiday cheer.

Review:

This is another entertaining story featuring my favourite villain, Harley Quinn.

As you can tell from the cover, Harley encounters Bruce Wayne aka Batman in this story. Harley enters an auction to purchase a date with the millionaire. Of course, he knows that she’s Harley Quinn, but she doesn’t know that he is Batman, and the nemesis of her ex-boyfriend, the Joker. That made a very funny and one-sided situation.

Like other Harley Quinn comics, this one refers to the artists of the graphic novels. Sometimes, Harley had daydreams which are illustrated by different artists. She says it’s to give the artists a break so they can continue to draw the rest of the story. I love these funny comments on the creation of the graphic novel.

At the end of the story, Harley has recruited some personal assistants who will become her gang of Harleys. I look forward to seeing these new characters in the next graphic novels!

Title: Harley Quinn, Vol. 2: Power Outage
Author: Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Purchased
Release Date: April 14, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The first rule of Skate Club is…you do not mess with the Mistress of Mayhem! Harley stumbles across an underground fight club where big money winds with a body count. She’s in…and she’s making Sy Borgman her agent for the fights. And wha would happen if the demented Clown Princess of Crime visited the most popular comic con out there? Find out when Harley Quinn invades Comic-Con!!

Review:

This is another fabulous graphic novel featuring Harley!

In this graphic novel, we learn more about Harley’s past, such as how she got her pet beaver.

There was so much that happened in this collection. I wish I had read this series before reading the current Rebirth series, because there is so much background given on Harley in these graphic novels that carry on to the current series.

I love it when Harley ventures into the real world. She wants to have her own comics published so she goes after DC artists and executives at Comic-Con. And as you can imagine, Harley causes chaos!

I loved this graphic novel! I have the next ones in the series, so I will be reviewing them soon.

Title: Batman/Shadow: The Murder Geniuses
Author: Steve Orlando, Scott Snyder
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: November 28, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the incredible minds of iconic authors Scott Snyder and Steve Orlando comes the resurgence of a classic noir character. The Shadow was a major influence of the Batman himself and now appears in this incredible six issue crossover event.

While investigating the murde of a Gothamite, Batman identifies his prime suspect as Lamont Cranston… but there are two problems with that. One, Batman is not aware Lamont’s alter ego is the master detective known as the Shadow. Two, and more importantly, Cranston seems to have died over half a century ago!

Collects BATMAN/THE SHADOW #1-6 and stories from BATMAN ANNUAL #1.

Review:

This is the first Batman comic I’ve read and I really enjoyed it.

The graphics looked older, so it looks like a classic Batman comic. This is great for such an iconic character, like Batman.

I liked the way the story arc was completed through the whole graphic novel. It was a great mystery that left a cliffhanger at the end of each issue. This made me want to keep reading.

Though I know of the Batman characters, I’ve never read a Batman comic before, but I really enjoyed this one. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. This is a great graphic novel!

Title: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie
Author: Anthony Del Col, Werther Dell’edera
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: November 28, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery unlike any other you’ve ever read! When the teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy are accused of the murder of their father – a detective in the small resort town of Bayport – they must team up with Nancy Drew to prove their innocence (and find the real guilty party in the process) in a twisting noir tale, complete with double-crosses, deceit, and dames. Writer Anthony Del Col (Assassin’s Creed, Kill Shakespeare) and artist Werther Dell’Edera (Batman: Detective Comics, House of Mystery) bring the iconic teen detectives into the modern age, and redefine noir for a new generation of readers!

Review:

I was so excited for this book! I’ve loved Nancy Drew my whole life, from the books to the video games to the movies.

I was pleased with this graphic novel. It’s a more adult story for older fans of Nancy and the Hardy Boys. Their friends the Bobsey Twins even made a little cameo. However, two people who were noticeably missing were Bess and George! I really missed them in the story! You can’t really have Nancy without her two sidekicks. I hope they will make an appearance in the next volume.

The graphics were quite simple. They could have been more elaborate and detailed. Since the story is very noir, the pictures were dark. The use of shadows was great at times for building tension but they sometimes made it difficult to distinguish between characters. Maybe this would be fixed in the final copy, since mine was an e-ARC of the book.

I enjoyed the mystery. The main story was that Joe and Frank were accused of murdering their father, which just seems crazy to me that they are suspected of murder. There is a lot of corruption in Bayport, which explains why the brothers were accused.

There was a major twist at the end of the story which got me so excited for the next one! I can’t wait to read more from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys (and hopefully Bess and George too!).

Title: Batwoman, Volume 1: The Many Arms of Death
Author: Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: November 21, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Batwoman returns with her own series in BATWOMAN VOL. 1, as a part of DC Rebirth!

The newest chapter of Batwoman’s life begins here! Monster Venom is the hottest new bioweapon on the market…and to break up the syndicate spreading it around the world, Batwoman’s going to have to return to the place where she spent some of her darkest hours!

With writing from Marguerite Bennett (DC BOMBSHELLS) and James Tynion IV (DETECTIVE COMICS), as well as spectacular art from Steve Epting (CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER) and Ben Oliver (THE MULTIVERSITY), this new series spins directly out of the smash hit DETECTIVE COMICS series!

BATWOMAN VOL. 1 collects issues #1-6 and the one-shot special BATWOMAN: REBIRTH #1.

Review:

I loved this graphic novel!

I had never read a Batwoman comic before, and this one is a great introduction. There was a lot of background given through flashbacks, so I felt like I knew her whole history. The main conflict in the story dealt with people from Batwoman’s past returning to her life, so it kept returning to her younger years.

There was a lot of diversity in this graphic novel. There were characters of different races. Batwoman also had girlfriends in the story. This is a modern take on a classic character.

The art was also fabulous! My favourite was the comic entitled “Blinding.” The graphics looked like it was painted with water colours. It was a flashback comic, so the soft colours gave it a dreamlike quality.

This was a great graphic novel! I’ll definitely look for more from Batwoman.

Title: Wonder Woman, Vol. 4: Godwatch
Author: Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: November 21, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

NEW YORK TIMES best-selling writer Greg Rucka continues his celebrated return to the Amazon Warrior in WONDER WOMAN VOL. 4: GODWATCH!

Since the moment Wonder Woman arrived in our world, Godwatch has been waiting. But who are they, and what do they want? Diana’s journey to the truth that she’s been seeking since WONDER WOMAN VOL. 1 continues here, with the origin of what may prove to be her greatest enemies.

Teaming with up-and-coming artist Bilquis Evely, Greg Rucka’s critically acclaimed run on one of Rebirth’s most successful titles continues here in WONDER WOMAN VOL. 4: GODWATCH! Collects WONDER WOMAN #16, #18, #20, #22 and #24.

Review:

This is the fourth installment in the new Wonder Woman series.

Like the other graphic novels in this series, the timeline jumps around in this one. However, it was more linear than some of them have been.

A lot of background was given on Veronica Cale, so I understood the story about her daughter much better. This continued from the previous volume, where there was a major plot twist with her daughter.

This volume focused more on the secondary characters, such as Barbara Ann and Veronica than Wonder Woman, but I still enjoyed it. It was much more cohesive in the way that it gave some background and some new, current events.

I enjoyed this graphic novel and I look forward to reading the next one!

Title: Rapunel’s Revenge
Author: Shannon Hale, Nathan Hale
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Source: Purchased
Release Date: August 5, 2008
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother . . . or the woman she thought was her mother.

Every day, when the little girl played in her pretty garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the garden wall . . . a rather enormous garden wall.

And every year, as she grew older, things seemed weirder and weirder, until the day she finally climbed to the top of the wall and looked over into the mines and desert beyond.

Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale teams up with husband Dean Hale and brilliant artist Nathan Hale (no relation) to bring readers a swashbuckling and hilarious twist on the classic story as you’ve never seen it before. Watch as Rapunzel and her amazing hair team up with Jack (of beanstalk fame) to gallop around the wild and western landscape, changing lives, righting wrongs, and bringing joy to every soul they encounter.

Review:

Here is another fairytale retelling, this time in graphic novel format!

This is a cute and unique version of the Rapunzel story. She doesn’t stay trapped in her tower (a tree in this case) for long in the story. She takes her life in her own hands and escapes. She meets the dumb prince who is supposed to save her and sends him on his way.

I really liked that Rapunzel is a fighter in this story. This Rapunzel isn’t the typical damsel in distress. She was also clueless sometimes, like when she gets changed out of her dirty clothes, and wears long underwear for most of their journey. She was quite entertaining!

This is a great story for young readers and adults!

Title: Wonder Woman, Volume 3: The Truth
Author: Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Purchased
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A part of DC Universe Rebirth!

New York Times best-selling writer Greg Rucka continues his return to WONDER WOMAN! Rucka is joined by fan favorite artist Liam Sharp as Diana’s life is unraveling around her. Diana’s search for the truth about herself, her history, and her home Themyscira, takes her on a journey into darkness. But the price of understanding may be one sacrifice too many for Wonder Woman.

Review:

This is another great Wonder Woman graphic novel.

This one is a continuation from the first volume, where Wonder Woman was seeing things that weren’t there. Now, Diana has been put into a hospital, where she speaks to a worm/snake in her arm (yes, it’s that strange).

Each comic in this volume created a great story arc. Diana enters the hospital at the beginning, and is there for most of the story. Steve, Etta, and Barbara Ann work together to get Diana out, but they end up on opposite sides of the conflict in the end. There are also glimpses of her mother in Themyscira in this story.

I liked this graphic novel, and I look forward to the next one. The fourth volume in this series is coming out in a couple of weeks, so I will be reviewing it then!

Title: Wonder Woman, Volume 2: Year One
Author: Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Purchased
Release Date: May 9, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A part of DC Universe: Rebirth!

New York Times best-selling writer Greg Rucka continues his return to Wonder Woman! The team of Rucka and artist Nicola Scott weave the definitive and shocking tale of Diana’s first year as Earth’s protector.

Paradise has been breached, Ares stirs, and the Amazons must answer with a champion of their own…one who is willing to sacrifice her home amongst her sisters to save a world she has never seen. Wonder Woman’s journey begins in this epic origin story!

Review:

I really enjoyed this graphic novel!

I liked it much more than the first in this series. It gave a great introduction to Wonder Woman and her background. 

The first volume was very mysterious, and it was hard to tell what was real most of the time. This one gave the origin story for Wonder Woman. I wish this one was the first volume instead. It would have made much more sense. 

The graphics in this series are beautiful. They are very realistic. I love the natural settings. It’s a beautiful graphic novel. 

I’ll be reviewing the third volume before the fourth is released later this month!