I’ve been reading some graphic novels recently and I thought it would be great to do some more mini reviews for them. While I love reading graphic novels and I like to talk about them, I usually don’t have enough to say for a normal sized review. So I like to do it this way! Today I’ll be talking about 2 eARC’s and one graphic novel I owned myself. Let’s jump in!
Riverdale: The Ties That Bind – Micol Ostow
Archie's second original graphic novel features the world of CW's Riverdale! Four interconnected stories trap each of our main characters in a unique high-stakes conflict over the course of a few pressure-cooker hours!
Jughead's locked in and left behind with Moose at Stonewall Prep, Veronica is trapped with Cheryl at a nearby suburban shopping mall, Betty and Polly are stalked by a possible madman when a girls' night goes horribly awry and Archie is held hostage by a 'long lost relative' of Fred's who's come to town seeking payback of any and every kind.
Will Archie and company even make it to sunrise? If they do, will they ever be the same again?
Riverdale: The Ties That Bind by Micol Ostow, Thomas Pitilli
Published by Archie Blue Ribbon on 10/11/2020
Pages: 144
Source: Edelweiss
Goodreads
I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
As you might know, I love Riverdale. And while some of the content, either in the show or the novels and graphic novels that accompany the show, disappoint me a lot I still want to try almost everything. So when I saw this one on Edelweiss I was quite excited. Micol Ostow wrote a couple of Riverdale novels and I have to say they weren’t exactly what I was hoping for, but this graphic novel was a lot better!
I really liked the art work, apart from Veronica everyone looked like their tv show counterparts. And let’s be honest, if you’re picking up this graphic novel it’s probably because you like the tv show haha. This takes place somewhere around the first half of the fourth season. You might recognise some of the storylines but in general this takes place besides the show. It contains it’s own storyline and really added something.
You could say we got four separate storylines that are connected on a higher level. I would definitely love to get another volume because we don’t really get answers to the overall arc of the story. This graphic novel definitely exceeded my expectations and was very enjoyable.
Monstress vol. 3: Haven – Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
Maika Halfwolf has begun to unlock the mysteries of her past - but the challenges of the present are only growing. In this third volume of MONSTRESS, collecting issues 13-18, Maika's journey takes her to the neutral city of Pontus, where she hopes to find temporary refuge from her pursuers. Unfortunately, Pontus may not be as safe as Maika and her allies had hoped.
As the impending war between humans and Arcanics creeps ever closer, and powerful players fight for the chance to control her future, Maika finds she must work with Zinn, the Monstrum that lives inside her, in order to ensure their mutual survival. But even that alliance might not be enough to prepare Maika for the horrors to come.
Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven by Marjorie M. Liu, Sana Takeda
Published by Image Comics on 11/09/2018
Pages: 168
Goodreads
When I picked up Monstress vol 3: Haven I was convinced I hadn’t read it yet. While reading I realised I remembered some parts and thought I read only part of it. When I was done I realised I read all of it haha. Luckily this is a pretty big story and it’s nice to have it a bit firmer in my mind before picking up the next volume (that I thought I owned but apparently I don’t haha).
As with the other 2 volumes, the art in this graphic novel is absolutely gorgeous! I love looking at all the details, it is so nicely done. You can tell this world is very well build, there is so much history and you keep on learning more about the world and it’s habitants throughout the story. The only downpoint overall is the fact that I have some trouble distinguishing between some of the characters every know and then. Some of the females look quite a like to me.
The story is very exciting and is developing more and more. I really enjoyed this volume and where the story is going. You just don’t know who you can trust and what everyone’s motives are, although you start to learn a bit more about that. There is so much going on, which is why I don’t mind rereading it haha, so it’s not a super fast read for me. I would highly recommend this series though! And I can’t wait to read the next volumes.
Quincredible vol. 1: Quest to be the Best – Rodney Barnes
"This is woke comics at its very best." — The Beat
Invulnerability is a pretty useless superpower if you’ve only got a one-hundred pound frame to back it up. That’s what Quinton West’s life became when he went from small guy who got beat up to small guy who can’t get hurt after the meteor shower dubbed “The Event” gifted him the power of invulnerability but no other powers to compliment it.
But there’s more to Quin than meets the eye, and after some encouragement from his new mentor—a local New Orleans–based superhero named Glow—Quin realizes that he can use his quirky hobby of creating Rube Goldberg devices to outsmart the opposition. But being a hero paints a target on your back, and Quin’s got to risk it all to join the ranks of the superheroes he looks up to. It’s a good thing he can take a punch.
Quincredible Vol. 1: Quest to Be the Best! by Rodney Barnes, Selina Espiritu, Kelly Fitzpatrick
Published by Oni Press on 04/06/2019
Pages: 144
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I didn’t know Quincredible was a part of a larger comics world but I have to say that did not prevent me from enjoying this. The story explains everything you absolutely need to know and the rest I just went along with haha. Since I didn’t realise it was part of a bigger world until I added the book to Goodreads says enough in that regard haha. I don’t plan on reading everything in this universe, simply because that’s just going to be too much haha.
The art in this one was quite nice and I loved the range of black people we got. Our main character is black and a lot of side characters are as well. Throughout the story we also get a look at some of the struggles black people have to deal with and that story really hit me in the heart.
I loved the superhero storylines and just thought this one was really well done. To be honest, I don’t have a lot to say about it haha. I just really want everyone to read this! The story was great and I flew through it. But I especially loved the real world struggles that are woven into this superhero story. It was so well done! Highly recommend this one!
These were 3 of the recent graphic novels I read and they were all pretty good. I had a really good time reading them and I can’t wait to pick up some more. We got a nice mix of fantasy and mystery this time around. Have you read any of these graphic novels? Let me know down below!
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