Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, by Whedon+Jeanty+Allie

First of all, I'M BACK!!! Sorry for the little break there, but I promise I will be back to writing more!

As the Buffy series comes to a close, Whedon once again conveys not only the entire point of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the importance and brilliance of Buffy herself to the fans.  It's a sad day, but what a brilliant ending. 

The battle to save humanity comes to a boiling point (literally) in the finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8.  War. It's messy, and Buffy knows it. As the Slayer army crumbles against an endless swarm of demons, Buffy joins forces with the US military to put an end to her greatest enemy to date--the mysterious Twilight, who will see this world end to give birth to another. Spike and Buffy reunite (yay) and take the fight closer to home, where everything and everyone will change.

Joss Whedon, along with writer Scott Allie and series artist Georges Jeanity, brings readers the action-packed conclusion to the series that traverses time and space, Last Gleaming. 

Remember Buffy lovers, "Commitment Through Distance, Virtue Through Sin."  (queue Buffy theme song) Enjoy!

The Stuff of Legend Book 1: The Dark by, Mike Raicht and Brian Smith+ Charles Paul Wilson III

Meet every child's worse nightmare, the Boogeyman.   Rather it's the boogeyman that lives under your bed, in your closet, or lurks through the shadows, The Stuff of Legend makes the nightmare into a fairytale of suspense with the most warmest child-like plot.  The artwork is phenomenal and some of the loveliest artwork I have ever seen in a comic book.  The writing is just as good, and takes you back to a childhood that was innocent and imaginable.  

The year is 1944.  As Allied forces fight the enemy on Europe's war-torn beaches, another battle begins in a child's bedroom in Brooklyn.  When the nightmarish Boogeyman snatches a boy and takes him to the realm of the Dark, the child's playthings, led by the toy soldier known as the Colonel, band together to stage a daring rescue.  On their perilous mission they will confront the boy's bitter and forgotten toys, as well as betrayal in their own ranks.  Can they save the boy from the forces of evil, or will they all perish in the process?  The Stuff of Legend is a haunting and ultimately redemptive tale of loyalty, camaraderie, and perseverance.

 

SIEGE by, Bendis+Coipel

"Asgard does NOT belong on earth and we need to rectify that situation"

Two malevolent minds are ready to make their move against a target, ready for a surprise attack!

On one side, Norman Osborn: the former (and perhaps future) Green Goblin holds the keys to America's security in his pocket and has the awesome arsenal of H.A.M.M.E.R. at this back.  On the other side, Loki: a half-brother to the pride and nobility of Thor, yet his inverse in deciet and wickedness.

Together, they formed the master plan of a madman and a mischief-maker, a Siege designed to reduce the immortal walls of Asgard to ruins and consolidate the city's power to its desecrators.  And now, after all the preparations of their ruthless Cabal, they are ready, and all they need is a spark. 

Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Olivier Coipel ignite a shattering battle between the dark enforcers of tyranny and the world's mightiest heroes.  Witness the scintillating showdowns between Ares and the noble Asgardians, Sentry and Thor, Captain America, and Iron Patriot, and the new Avengers.  It's a fight card that'll keep you in shock and awe until the very end!  But you will just have to check it out to see for yourself.

Batwoman Elegy (Delux Edition), by Greg Rucka + J.H. Williams III

Batwoman.  Batman gave her the inspiration, her father gave her the discipline.  It took years of training to gain her skills, but Kate Kane knows what really gave her the drive to fight crime in Gotham.....Herself.  Discover the story behind Gotham's newest creature of the night in BATWOMAN: ELEGY.  Modern master of suspense, Greg Rucks and the kaleidoscopic art of J.H Williams III, brings you a new world of excitement to Batwoman.  It's a bold new vision of triumph, trauma, and the nature of heroism through one woman....BATWOMAN!

Our story begins when a lethal enemy has come to Gotham City with murder on her mind, and all of Batwoman's abilities will be put to the test.   As she gazes into the evil eyes of the deadliest foe she has ever faced,  what will the reflection reveal through the looking glass? A fighter or a defeated hero?  You will have to check it out to see what happens.

I promised I would do a review on Dark Victory.  As I told you in the other review, Batman: The Long Halloween,  these are one of my favorite Batman stories written.  Jeph Loeb does a great job tying the two novels together, and keeping up the suspense level.  I may go back and re-read these stories again, just because it's great entertainment.

Batman is forced to thinking that he must fight city crime alone.  As in every day Batman, this emotion is not different, but because of the events that Gotham has been faced with--Batman has taken these events to heart and feels that it's his duty to set things right once and for all. The events get deeper and deeper, as a hero is separated from the very people he has promised to protect, and a city is full of freaks that becomes a battlefield against gangsters.  You will get to know more about mafia in this book.  A brutal cop killer whose identity is known only as The Hangman is leaving all the cops on their toes, and worried for their lives.  The Maroni crime family is rebuilding its empire, with help from the daughter Sophia, to make it stronger than ever.  It's a lot to handle for just one bat, but I'm sure you know he can handle it. Or can he?  With Selina Kyle wooing on him by day and his nemesis by night....whose to say that he can handle it? Well maybe there is hope.  Hope as in a young boy, who is orphaned by tragedy just like Bruce, and destined for greater things.  Maybe that's the hope that he needs. 

Each part ties together in these stories.  If you liked The Long Halloween, you will love knowing the finale in Batman: Dark Victory.  You'll just have to check it out for yourself!

Night Fisher. By, R. Kikuo Johnson3732300158228037323001582280

I usually stick to my superheroes, and every now and again I will venture out into other graphic novels.  Not that I oppose these graphic novels, I just like my leading hero/heroines in a cape, glitter, masked, or in tights.  Although when I stumbled on this little find, I was a little impressed.  The story is structural sound and you get caught up in the characters' lives.  The art is in black and white, and really captures the feel of the novel.  That's another thing, black and white comics aren't my fave.  Again, not opposing, I just prefer color..haha. Call me new school, but you really should give this novel a try if you're anything, near, like me.

Loren Foster, our leading man,  was handed an island paradise when he moved to Hawaii with his father six years ago.  But, with the end of high school just around the corner, his best friend, Shane, had grown distant.  Their friendship is put to the test when they get mixed up in a frivolous crime that leads to an arrest.

Kikuo Johnson's debut graphic novella is a compassionate, hard-nosed coming of age story, an unsentimental portrait of that most awkward period between adolescence and adulthood. A mature depiction of immature lives. 

So, I was impressed, and by my dismay I have come to like black and white graphic novels.  Not to say, too quickly, that this is my new favorite thing, but I'm acclamating to this new wonder of mine.  You can find this wonderful graphic novel at your lovely public library.  You'll just have to check it out for yourself!

Batman: The Long Halloween. By, Jeph Loeb + Tim Sale

While at Downtown Comics one day, I stumbled upon this novel.  I will admit I'm a big fan of Batman.  There's something about wearing a bat mask, cape, and fighting Gotham crime at night that just makes me a puppy-eyed girl who falls in love the Bat every single time.  I digress.  I ended up getting The Long Halloween and Jeph Loeb's + Tim Sale's other two books for Christmas.  I immediately read them, and I'm so glad that I did.  This novel and the other two books (Batman: Haunted Knight and Batman: Dark Victory) are one of my favorite Batman stories.  It has the old villains that you love and that good-old comic book feel to it that is just cozy to read. It deals with the retelling of Two-Face and other great rogues, along with a murder mystery that's hard to put down.. These series have made me fall in love with Bats, even more now.

Batman: The Long Halloween deals with your handsome, costumed hero that is learning that he can't trust no one.  Like we didn't already know that he has trust issues! There's a serial killer using the Holidays to mark his handiwork (can anyone guess who this villain is)? 

A crime lord is trying to hold onto a crumbling empire, with a city beset by gangsters that is shortly becoming a haven for freaks.  An honest district attorney is hiding a terrible secret and is afraid of his secret leaking out, but a dark woman tries to tempt the Dark Knight and distract him from his detective work.  Can the Dark Knight save Gotham from all of the crimes and murders that each holiday brings?  Or will he get distracted by this dark, mystery woman?  These are the many pieces of the murder mystery: The Long Halloween.

If you like reading this book so much, you should also check out,  Batman: Haunted Knight and Batman: Dark Victory.  All three do seem to mesh well with one another, but they aren't intended to.  They are a thrilling series that features some of the most deadly and cunning members of Batman's rogues and a dramatic retelling of the origin of the villain, Two-Face.  BUT, you will have to check them out at your local library to find out for yourself.