Comic Book Review: Supergirl (Reign Of The Cyborg Supermen)

About the comic book

Title: Reign Of The Cyborg Supermen
Series: Supergirl (2016 - #)
Author: Steve Orlando
Artist: Brian Ching and others
Genres: Comics, DC Comics, Superheroes
Publication: April 4th, 2017
Pages: 166
Read: February 2021

My Copy

Publisher: DC Comics
Edition: Kindle
Purchase Location: Netgalley
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

Supergirl moves to National City! As Kara Danvers, average American teenager and high school student, Supergirl must balance her life as a superhero with her new life on Earth. But some demons from her Kryptonian past are coming back to haunt her, and Kara will find herself face-to-face with her father: the sinister Cyborg Superman! Critically acclaimed writer Steve Orlando (Midnighter) comes a new beginning for Kara Zor-El in Supergirl, Volume 1, Reign Of The Cyborg Super-Men a new series that is sure to appeal to fans of the TV series! (Collecting: Supergirl 1-6, Rebirth)

My Spoiler Free Review

So back in 2017 I was very actively reviewing and reading a lot of comics and books. Back then I was also active on NetGalley and sadly after I started University, I fell into a blogging hiatus, that just wouldn’t stop. Now I’m in my last semester of my bachelor’s and I finally found the motivation again to spend more time on reading and reviewing books (and graphic novels). I found out that I still had a couple of ARCs on my NetGalley account that I never reviewed, so I’m gonna try to battle that specific TBR pile.

I actually had already read Supergirl back in 2017, but never got around to reviewing it, so I decided to start with this volume and reread it today! I honestly couldn’t remember much of the story anyways. And rightfully so, it’s a bit confusing, even for the Rebirth series. Supergirl once again battles the Cyborg Superman, who she battled in the New 52 area already. But now he appears to be her father? And he’s obsessed with bringing Argo back to life and basically “revived” the entire population with Brainiac’s technology. But for them to actually come alive they need the people of earth’s life force and attack Earth in order to kill National City’s citizens in Zor-El’s personal vendetta against Supergirl. It seems very strange to me that in such a massive alien/robot attack, no other superhero from Earth tries to save the city. It’s all left to Supergirl, the D.E.O. and CatCo to save the citizens. I feel like this would have been a scenario where the Justice League should have been involved?

But, there’s also good in this volume. I really liked the Artwork! However, I now am surer than ever, I don’t particularly like Steve Orlando’s writing (also after having read his Wonder Woman stories). I had bigger hopes for this volume, as I’m a big fan of the TV show!

I'd like to know

Is anybody else still on NetGalley? How are you keeping up with your reviews? And have you read Supergirl or watched the TV shows? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

---

Book Review: Flame in the Mist

About the book

Title: Flame in the Mist
Author: Renee Ahdieh
Series: Flame in the Mist #1
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings
Publication: May 16th, 2017
Pages: 416
Read: August 2017

My Copy

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Edition: Ebook
Purchase Location: NetGalley
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace. Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she's quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she's ever known.

My Spoiler Free Review

When I tried to get a copy of this book everybody was talking about it. The cover looks absolutely stunning so my interest was caught right away. And the summary sounded pretty decent, too. I LOVE Mulan and it’s one of my favourite Disney stories so I had some expectations for this book to meet. It still took me a few weeks to finally start reading this after receiving a copy (due to the stressful time I had been going through with Uni and my results and stuff).

From the beginning on I was quite confused and had some difficulties remembering who was who and which characters were supposed to be the good guys / bad guys. I also didn’t really appreciate all the instant changes of point of views. I barely had enough time to register one character when we were already reading from somebody else’s view. Those povs were kind of tumbling in on themselves.

And the probably most important reason that made it so hard for me to enjoy reading Flame in the Mist: I do not like the protagonist. I find Mariko annoying and quite unreliable and she just simply did not make it easy for me to like her. (More about this in the spoilery part.)

I know that I’m one of the very few who did not really enjoy this book and I hope that all of you who still have it on their tbr will love it! It just didn’t have the wow-effect on me that I wish it had. Me not liking this book can definitely be blamed on the rough time I went through when I read it. I do plan on continuing with the series when the sequel gets out because I think it’s an interesting plot, it just didn’t fit me at the time and I hope I’ll enjoy it better if I re-read it one day.

My favourite quote from the book is very inspiring and I love it!

Okami: “I deny being a slave to any one thing. In any situation we can choose who we are and choose who we want to be.” - p.265

The Part That Might Contain Spoilers

Back to the part where I don’t like Mariko. I questioned every single decision she made starting with the very first (and probably most irrational) one; to follow the Black Clan although she thought of them as dangerous murderers. Let’s face it, if they were exactly how she imagined them, she wouldn’t have survived 5 minutes with them.

And I couldn’t take it seriously that NOBODY noticed she wasn’t a boy. If I remember correctly she should be around 17 years old and at that age you can see a woman’s feature very accentuated in a girl’s face , so why didn’t any of the guys look at her close enough? But I decided to let it be and find myself at peace with this because Mulan also managed to hide that (and it’s also kind of bothering me there so…).

Also I kind of feel like there were not enough character developments in the story..? Basically the only ones that really “changed” were Mariko, her brother and Okami. All the others just had hidden background stories that came to light to mark who they were, but they didn’t evolve throughout the pages...

In the sequel I would very much like to see more of the bromance between Takeda Ranmaru and Okami because that’s true friendship right there. And I want to know more about their history. Although this might seem like a very negative review (and I apologise if it really does come across like that), I hope to see the sequel perform better and that Ahdieh digs a little deeper into the characters’ feelings. This is my first time reading a book by her and I’m not sure how this makes me feel about The Wrath and the Dawn series that’s still on my tbr…

I'd like to know

Have you read Flame in the Mist? I’d love to hear what you think about the book! Or do you know any of Renee Ahdieh’s other works? This actually reminds me that I really need to rewatch Mulan again! Anybody with me?

Comic Reviews: Superman (Path of Doom) & Suicide Squad (The Black Vault)

Hey guys! It's been a while. Sorry for being absent for a while, but Uni is really taking up all of my free time (more on this in a future post). Today I've got two comic reviews of two awesome DC stories and I hope you'll enjoy them. I've been holding back quite some reviews, so I'm going to post a few next week, too and hope you don't mind too much. I've got some book reviews in store too, but I don't know when I'll be able to finally finalize and post them. Without anymore excuses, you shall continue with reading the reviews now if you please :)

About the comic

Title: Superman: Path of Doom

Edition: Action Comics, Volume 1
Author: Dan Jurgens

Genres: Graphic Novels, DC Comics, Superheroes

Published: February 17th, 2017

Read: March 2017

My Copy

Publisher: DC Comics

Edition: Kindle

Purchase Location: NetGalley
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

Superman returns to Metropolis just in time to meet the city of tomorrow's newest protector: Lex Luthor. But it's not long before these dueling titans meet someone unexpected -- the new Clark Kent! The two arch-enemies must put aside their differences and face the common threat of Doomsday, as Jimmy Olsen and the Planet staff try to uncover the truth: who is the man claiming to be Clark Kent? Writer Dan Jurgens (The Death of Superman) returns to the Man of Steel along with illustrators Tyler Kirkham (Deathstroke) and Patrick Zircher (Green Arrow) for the next great Superman chapter in Superman: Action Comics, Volume 1: Path of Doom! (Collecting: Action Comics 957-962)

My Review

Superman is and always will be my Number One superhero. I grew up with so many stories of Superman and Clark Kent was probably one of my first TV crushes ever (in Smallville). I still haven’t brought it over myself to read the last few issues of the New 52 era surrounding Superman’s happenings… Although I wasn’t able to keep all the spoilers out of my life (the internet made that pretty impossible). So now having to adjust to new kinds of Supermen (and Superwomen of course) is kind of … well, unnerving.

But this “new” (do I actually call this new or is it rather “continuing”?) Action Comics story arc did a pretty good job at catching my attention. I’ve never been a Lex Luthor fan, in fact I despise this character. Having to see him pretend to be the new Superman and not having any bad intentions whatsoever does not go well for me. He’s basically the Dan Scott in the superhero world compared to One Tree Hill. And then there is another Clark Kent running around, claiming not to know anything about himself actually being Superman and not showing any traces of super-abilities, what’s that about?

I can’t wait to see where this goes and I’ll definitely be following the next part of the story!

---

About the comic Title: Suicide Squad: The Black Vault Edition: Volume 1 (Rebirth) Author: Rob Williams Genres: Graphic Novels, DC Comics, Superheroes Published: February 28th, 2017 Read: March 2017 My Copy Publisher: DC Comics Edition: Kindle Purchase Location: NetGalley I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

The government has once again handpicked the worst of the worst for its Task Force X. Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Katana and Killer Croc. All deadly criminals sent on the most dangerous missions possible by a governement that wants them killed. But their newest challenge? A teammate so powerful that even this group of murderers and thieves can't control. Behind the pencils of Jim Lee and Philip Tan, as well as the pen of writer Rob Williams comes Suicide Squad, Volume 1: The Black Vault! (Collecting: Suicide Squad 1-4, Rebirth)

My Review

At first I didn’t really understand where the Suicide Squad came from. Then, last year, I went to the movies and saw the movie (which was okay, but not the best DC has to offer) and I got a little more curious about the background stories. So I decided I wanted to start reading the comics, and what better way then to start with the Rebirth series?

When I picked this volume up I didn’t know what I was getting into and didn’t have very high hopes. But the story actually turned out to be very interesting. Especially, I enjoyed reading those reintroductions of the characters so well known as the Suicide Squad! Except for Harley Quinn, I didn’t really know any of these characters very well so it was nice to get to know them a little better.

This volume had a lot of humour to offer and that sorted it all out, in my opinion. I’m interested in where this is going and hope that I’ll like it better with time.

I'd like to know

I'll be back on Monday with the next couple of reviews. In the meantime I'd like to know: Do you read Graphic Novels or comics in general? If so, what do you like to read? Are you Team Batman or Team Superman? Or have you read any other Rebirth series? I would LOVE to talk to you more about comics in the comments! :)

Comic Review: Scooby Apocalypse Vol. 1

About the comic

Title: Scooby Apocalypse

Edition: Volume 1
Author: Keith Giffen

Genres: Graphic Novels, DC Comics, Apocalypse

Published: February 7th, 2017

Read: January 2017

My Copy

Publisher: DC Comics

Edition: Kindle

Purchase Location: NetGalley
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

Fred. Daphne. Velma. Shaggy. Scooby-Doo. Roaming the globe in their lime-green Mystery Machine, they've solved countless crimes and debunked dozens of sketchy supernatural shenanigans. But what if the horror was real? Something terrible has transformed our world, turning millions of people into mindless zombie hordes. And only five people--well, four people and one mangy mutt--have the smarts, the skills and the sheer crazy courage to stare down doomsday. Can these pesky kids and their canine companion--using every incredible contraption in their arsenal--defeat the evil that has overwhelmed planet Earth? We've got only one thing to say about that: ZOINKS! (Collecting #1-6)

My Review

As a child I used to love to watch the Scooby Doo tv series on Cartoon Network. Okay, who am I kidding, I still love to watch that series and when I find it on whilst zapping through the channels, I immediately stop and cherish whatever episode’s just running. So when I saw this new comic I just had to request it. And luckily, I got accepted.

Sadly, I didn’t quite enjoy it ass much as I’d hoped to. I guess I’m just too stuck on my favourite Monster Inc gang from the television that I’m used to. This story by Keith Giffen takes the characters I adore so much and gives them new personalities and a new story. It’s quite inventive and it was really good thought-through. But I like my versions that I’ve known for so long already of Shaggy, Daphne, Velma, Fred and Scoob a little better.

The best part of the series for me used to be the ending when the “monsters” would reveal themselves as whichever human crazy-head had a reason to haunt his victims. This story takes on real monsters instead. Some kind of zombies slash vampire monster thingies that try to eat everyone. The Monster Inc gang which doesn’t use this name, though, tries to find a way to save the world and although they’re not really friends, they save each other.

The story is fast-paced, has great artwork and has a lot of plot twists, some that I never saw coming. The Mystery Machine got a serious upgrade and Scooby Doo is revealed to be a human experiment on dogs to enhance them for military purposes. (Say whaaaat? :P)

All in all, I’d say if you love the Scooby Doo series, you should pick up this new “revival” and check it out for yourself! Everybody has their own opinions and I’m going to rewatch some episodes right now because this comic made me miss the TV series so much (in a good way!).

I'd like to know

Did you watch the Scooby Doo tv series, too? Do you have in mind picking up this comic? What's your favourite childhood cartoon series? I'd love to talk about this more with you in the comments! :))

Book Review: Hidden Universe Travel Guides

About the book

Title: Hidden Universe Travel Guides: The Complete Marvel Cosmos

Special: With Notes by the Guardians of the Galaxy
Author: Marc Sumerak

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Marvel

Published: October 25th, 2016

Read: January 2017

My Copy

Publisher: Insight Editions

Edition: Kindle

Purchase Location: NetGalley
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

The ultimate guidebook to Earth, the Nine Realms, and other dimensions from Marvel Comics, as told by Peter Quill, Rocket, Groot, and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Ever since Super Heroes like Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy started stomping around planet Earth, we’ve had to open our horizons a little and embrace the wider reaches of space. If you’re thinking of journeying to one of the many new realms for a little R’n’R, then don’t leave home without Hidden Universe’s guide to the cosmos. Whether you’re looking to enjoy the divine splendor of Asgard or soak up the multicultural atmosphere of intergalactic waypoint Knowhere, this is the book for you. It even provides some tips on surviving excursions to Planet Moord and Chitauri Prime, if you like your vacations to be on the extreme side.

My Review

Looking back at my reading updates on Goodreads, I would say it’s clear that I enjoyed this book. Thanks to a glitch in my app it seems like I’m overexcited on page 41. What better way to express your feelings, right?

But I actually really did enjoy reading this book. I like to read travel guides in my freetime anyway, and what better travel guide than one explaining the entire Galaxy? (At least how it exists in the Marvel world…) With really great artwork and a brilliant layout you can easily spot what you want to read, and get all the tips you need if you ever plan to visit Planet Moord, Halfworld, Ego or Knowhere (most of which I’d actually advise you not to visit…).

The description of the different planets and worlds didn’t bore me at all, but after a while I had to concentrate on not slipping away with my thoughts. Thankfully, there were the (comical) comments by the Guardians of the Galaxy team to lighten up the mood.

This can be a fun read which you definitely don’t have to read in one sitting and can leave and pick up again anytime you want. If you’re interested in the Marvel Cosmos, I recommend you to have a look at this fun travel guide. It might even help you explain some of the different power sources of our beloved superheroes and villains.

Spoiler Alert! Proceed with caution.

At one point in the book I spent five minutes singing “Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain”. If you read The Complete Marvel Cosmos and have seen Dr. Strange then you will probably too. (If you haven’t seen the movie then I demand you drop everything you’re doing right now and watch it!)

This is me staring at you until you watch the movie!

At another point Rocket used a rather colourful vocabulary to question the author’s thoughts behind putting a place like Cancerverse in a travel guide (my thoughts exactly when I read about that place. I definitely would NOT recommend you going there for a vacation..).

I was thrilled at the appearance and mentions of some superheroes that I knew, like Captain Marvel, the X-Men and Spiderman (described as one of Earth’s legendary superheroes!). And I really enjoyed reading more about the Kree’s background and their planet.

I'd like to know

First of all: Have you seen Dr. Strange?? ;) Second, what are your thoughts on this intergallactiv travel guide? Will you pick it up? Are you a Marvel fan, like me? And who is your favourite superhero by Marvel? (I know, stupid question because I can't even answer it myself.. Probably right at the top would be Spiderman and Captain America (Steve), but there are SO MANY I adore!

Book Review: Rebel Belle

Title: Rebel Belle
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Rebel Belle #1
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Supernatural, Paranormal, Romance, Mythology
Published: March 3rd 2015
Read: February 2016
Rating: 3.5 ★

My Copy

Publisher: Speak
Cover: Paperback
Purchase Location: Kinokunyia, Singapore

Goodreads Summary: Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts. Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him--and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth. With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y'all beg for more.

Other books in the series:

 

Miss Mayhem (#2) & Lady Renegades (#3)

---

My Review

First of: this book was fun to read. It was fast-paced, interesting and you don't have to think a lot about possible plot twists because they'll happen without any foreshadowing. You get sucked directly into the plot from page one and it doesn't leave you any choice in the matter. Action from the very beginning and no end in sight. 

So this beauty queen gets involved in a life-and-death situation. Naturally she would scream, cry about her broken nails and run away, right? False. The protagonist Harper Price totally took me by surprise in acting very maturally in such a situation. Now this is the part I had the most problem comprehending. When you see your school janitor die in the girls bathroom and somehow manage to kill your history teacher in a matter of seconds, would you just go on with your life and think: Well, I guess I'm a superhero now. Gotta go and safe the world. Would you? I think not. But that's exactly what Harper did. Her whole coping with the situation seems very unbelievable about the story and bothered me throughout the entire book. Not even dystopian heroes think of themselves that highly and they have to worry about a lot worse enemies than another teenage girl with magic. 

This first book reminded me a lot of Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. Although it has nothing to do with Angels the female protagonist becomes the protector of a young boy and doesn't know what she has to do or what lies ahead in her path. And of course she falls in love with the wrong boy (but I have to admit I'm still not sure about which guy I prefer).

Now I'm a big fan of conspiracy theories and I couldn't stop myself thinking that maybe Harper's boyfriend was the bad guy (back when you didn't know who belonged to the good side and who to the bad). I even started suspecting Mary Beth, Harper's best friend. But luckily, the author didn't have that much of a deceitful treacherous touch in mind. The worst case scenario at the end of the first book though makes me wonder why I didn't see it coming. And then again I wasn't that surprised. 

The biggest reason why I gave this novel such a 'low' rating was Harper's reaction to the whole thing. I was just bothered to much by the whole I'm-going-to-save-the-world-because-I've-been-a-superhero-for-five-minutes-now attitude. Otherwhise I quite enjoyed reading this book and definitely recommend it if you want some light-female-butt-kicking-action.