Thursday, June 4, 2015

Mini Reviews: Trade Paperback Edition #1!

Title: Taster's Choice
Author/Artist: John Layman, Rob Guillory
Series: Chew Vol. 1

Summary: Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he's a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn't mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. He's been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases. 

Why I read it: Needed another graphic novel for the Bout of Books 13 read-a-thon, and I've heard so many great things about this series!

Thoughts: This was SO GROSS and SO GREAT.

I mean, seriously. So disgusting. The things that Tony has to eat for his job? Oh, man. Blech. But the story is fascinating. A lot of this volume is set up for the rest of the series, so sometimes it was a little all over the place. One issue introduced a food journalist whose descriptions of food can make you taste it just by reading it, while another had Tony and his new colleague traveling to a remote observatory. But I never felt bored, and the underlying storyline was always there, simmering under the surface even when not the sole focus. And the art! I love the art style, and the character design especially.

And that ending? I DEFINITELY did not see that coming. I was totally taken by surprise, so I'm full of curiosity as to what happens next! There are several volumes of this out already, so I'm definitely going to start collecting them. I feel like the series can just get better and better from here, so I can't wait.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Title: Kids of the Black Hole
Author/Artist/Colorist: Rick Remender/Wesley Craig/Lee Loughridge
Series: Deadly Class Vol. 2

Why I read it: I loved the first volume, and I needed some graphic novels for the Bout of Books 13 read-a-thon!

Thoughts: Just like the first volume, this one was so great. The story picks up pretty much directly from the end of the first volume, and the action really never lets up. We also finally got more of Marcus's backstory at the orphanage, and it informs the present action so much. I still love all the characters, especially Saya. She's fantastic, and I enjoyed getting a bit of her POV in this volume. Not much more to say other than, I loved it. I can't wait for the next volume, because I constantly want to know what's going to happen next.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Title: Dark Days
Author/Artist: Steve Niles/Ben Templesmith
Series: 30 Days of Night Vol. 2

Why I read it: It was May 31st, so I decided to pick up another graphic novel to round out my reading total for May to 10 books!

Thoughts: Much like the first volume of 30 Days of Night, I enjoyed this, but it is far from perfect.

The story here is much more complete than the first volume, with Stella trying to bring awareness to the world of the existence of vampires. There is more plot, and I enjoyed this story. The characters are more developed, as well. The most surprising of which is a new character, Dane. I really liked him, so I'm disappointed that it looks like he doesn't return to the series. Such a shame. My real problem with this series is that each volume tells a complete story, but it never feels like enough time to really flesh it out, so I end up feeling apathetic towards the fate of certain characters. Simply because we don't know them well enough. And the art is not my favorite; it's very messy, and sometimes it's hard to figure out what's going on in a panel. But even so, I do really enjoy this series, and I'll be picking up the next volume at some point!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read these graphic novels yet? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!


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