Kireth
A lot of things have happened in the Marvel Universe pre and during 2019... Like wow this book had a few “*” text boxes that linked what a character said to a recent issue or series explaining those events. This was a wild ride that overall told a cohesive story - Thanos has died, but in a little post-death event he's threatened a plan to come back using someone else's body - and basically every cosmic hero is threatened or affected by the search for this Thanos-surrogate. The theme of death is just constant in this comic, with some really engaging personalities and side-changes. The art was great, with a few awesome moments, and the character interactions were short but pleasing. The new Guardians line-up is actually really interesting, and I'm keen to read further about how they handle the cosmic vacuum and threats left in Thanos's wake - but there's a lot of books on my reading list haha. Overall a fun read, just catch up on your recent Marvel Comics history first.
WHY: Continuing my Clone Wars TV show full chronological experience and coming off the back of [b:Dark Disciple 23277298 Dark Disciple (Star Wars) Christie Golden https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1419965425l/23277298.SY75.jpg 44980862], Son of Dathomir is the final stop before the much-hyped Siege of Mandalore ending arc.STORY: Whilst it initially seemed intriguing to follow Lord Maul's perspective at a critical gap in his timeline (between his S5 capture by Palpatine and S7 return to power with the Shadow Collective), the graphic novel instead contained leaps from action set-piece to action set-piece. With Maul's Mandalorian forces quickly freeing him and Dooku giving chase, the plot unfolded to become a tactical game between the incorporeal Mother Talzin and Darth Sidious fighting for revenge and dominance of Separatist forces. Grevious, crime bosses and Jedi masters Obi-Wan, Tuplee, Windu and Secura all make brief appearances as well. ART & WRITING: The art was great, with tight and expansive action panels covering space battles and saber duels. Some faces were a bit rough, but for the most part there was enough detail on the page. The writing really did feel like a compressed 4-episode TV show arc, with stripped dialogue and a focus on action. The typical comic book stylistic features of speech bubbles and sound effects worked well here.WHO: Again, this companion piece is really for the die-hard Clone Wars fans. Although it is more accessible than any of the other accompanying material simply due to its format, it doesn't make much sense if you haven't watched the show all the way through and fails to deliver any new insight on the character of Maul or the Clone Wars conflict.
Felt a strong drop compared to the first volume, perhaps due to the time gap between my reading of them. The fascinating worldbuilding, including multiple perspectives from the powers of this fantasy world, was subdued here for a more Maika-centric, personal tale. Whilst I appreciated the character building of Halfwolf, the Monster, fox, cat and motley pirate crew, I felt detached from the stakes of the world as it suddenly became a personal quest for matriarchal details. When the plot wasn't confusing, the art held up well and there was a lot of blue as the cast journeyed to the isle of the dead god. Will definitely finish up the series, hopefully closing the gap between volumes.
4/5
Another amazing collection by Ted Chiang. My mind is blown and soul is turbulent.
Read here for my full thoughts.
Sparse in its prose, unrelenting in its personal depth. No quotation marks was initially frustrating but quickly lent itself to a smooth reading process. Years pass as each chapter announces a shift in weeks and months, and readers are carried through the thoughts of our two leads and many of the romance-related events in their lives.
I found myself deeply moved by passages, with lines and moments touching my own personal experiences, even though a large portion of the novel remains faded and toneless. The settings, background people and even the way the characters themselves look aren't Rooney's concern. Instead, she covers facets of being in a deep relationship - social signals, the intermingling and sometimes indistinguishableness between submission and vulnerability, growth, change, worthiness, darkness, care, obliviousness and confusion.
I was taken aback by the starkness in the depiction of more adult subjects, but it was fitting for the book's visually unvaried language. The inner dialogue reveals potent ties to mental health from broken homes and single mothers, depression, anxiety, and self-worth. This is all intermingled with discussions on class, 2010s youth social media and typical European university student experiences such as dinners, parties and exchanges.
A personally profound read and one where I became rapidly attached to these two characters circling each other throughout their changing adolescent lives.