HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter!!!

[BOOK REVIEW] The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley

Title:  The Duke's Perfect Wife

Author:  Jennifer Ashley

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2012

Number of Pages: 296 pages

Date Read: 3/29/2013

Series: Highland Pleasures #4  

Publisher:  Berkley

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Sex Scenes)

After reading the previous “Highland Pleasures” books “The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie,” “Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage” and “The Many Sins of Lord Cameron,” I was excited to see that Jennifer Ashley had a new book from the “Highland Pleasures” series called “The Duke’s Perfect Wife,” staring Hart Mackenzie and I admit, this book took me quite by surprise!

Lady Eleanor Ramsay was once engaged to the Scottish Duke, Hart Mackenzie and was madly in love with him.  Unfortunately, Eleanor broke off her engagement to Hart Mackenzie after the two of them had a fight and it has been years since she had ever spoken to Hart.  One day however, Eleanor mysteriously receives photographs of Hart posing nude and she decides to go to Hart’s home to help him find the person who has been sending her the mysterious photographs.  But, will she restore her love with Hart and maybe help Hart find himself once again?

As always, Jennifer Ashley has done a great job at telling a truly interesting love story that not only has memorable characters, but mystery and drama to go right along with it!  I loved the way that Jennifer Ashley weaved a mystery plot to the story as I was seriously on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who sent Eleanor the nude photographs of Hart and what the ulterior motive was behind this act was.  But, as always, what I loved the most about this novel(as with Jennifer Ashley’s other romance novels) were of the characters themselves.  Eleanor Ramsay was a truly unique kind of heroine as she might talk a lot, especially whenever she is nervous, but it is that aspect of her character that really made her shine throughout this book!  I also loved the fact that Eleanor is an extremely kind hearted person who is willing to put everyone else’s needs before her own and it was fantastic seeing her help Hart discover more about life besides his political career.   As for Hart Mackenzie, he was a truly fantastic hero as he is much nicer and gentle than he really lets on and I enjoy the scenes where he tries to repair his broken relationship with Eleanor while at the same time, trying to discover that there is more to life than just controlling it for his political ideals.  As for Hart's magnificient body, if you have not seen the cover of this book, then you will know that he is seriously one well built hero as he is constantly being described as having a muscular body that just made me gush over every time I read about it!  While Hart and Eleanor were my favorite couple in this book, the character that really stood out in this book was Ian Mackenzie himself!  I loved the fact that Ian was actually trying to help Hart and Eleanor get back together again and I loved the fact that he was being a good friend towards Eleanor throughout this book. Also, the romantic scenes between Hart and Eleanor were hot and sizzling as Hart may have a difficult time confessing his dark secrets towards Eleanor, but he certainly knows how to romance Eleanor in many different ways!

For anyone who does not like reading sex scenes in any novel, this novel has many sex scenes that are explicit, so it might be best to skim over these scenes.  Also, the reason why I gave this book a four star rating is because I often got a little frustrated with the characters.  For one thing, I was practically screaming towards Hart to just let Eleanor discover the real him and stop keeping so many secrets from her.  I understand that Hart was having a hard time trying to vent out his feelings for Eleanor and to not let her know about his dark past, but I just wished that he made his feelings known early on in the book and actually trusted Eleanor with some of his secrets.  Also, the main problem I have with novels where the plot is focused on the couple trying to get back together after they had broken up is that you can not really experience the new and raw feelings of a blossoming romance since that couple’s romance was started early on and sometimes it was hard for me to really get into Hart and Eleanor’s relationship with each other because they already had a relationship with each other before they tried to get back together again.

Overall, “The Duke’s Perfect Wife” is a great story about Hart and Eleanor and I seriously cannot wait to see more from the “Highland Pleasure” series, especially the next book in the series, “The Seduction of Elliot McBride!”

Here are my favorite “Highland Pleasures” starting with my favorite:

1. The Many Sins of Lord Cameron
2. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
3. Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage
4. The Duke’s Perfect Wife

 

[BOOK REVIEW] Fantastic Four Volume 3 by Jonathan Hickman

Title:  Fantastic Four Volume 3

Author:  Jonathan Hickman

Artist: Neil Edwards


Genre: Superheroes / Action / Adventure

Year Published: 2010

Year Read: 2013

Series: Fantastic Four #3

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 12+ (Fight Scenes)
 

Introduction:

After reading the first two volumes of Jonathan Hickman’s highly acclaimed “Fantastic Four” series, I was a little skeptical about reading more from this series because:

a)      The stories in the first two volumes were confusing to me and I thought that I would never get into the stories no matter how many volumes I have read from this series.

b)      I did not quite enjoy the second volume as much as the first volume, so I was not sure if I was going to enjoy the direction this series was going.

But, I went on to read the third volume of “Fantastic Four” and I actually enjoyed it way more than the second volume!  It seems that the events that happened in the first two volumes are starting to come together and we will start seeing massive changes happening to the Fantastic Four!

What is this story about?

The story starts off with Reed Richards deciding to start a school for young gifted students called the Future Foundation while Susan Storm was off to the Four Cities acting as Earth’s diplomat.  Meanwhile, Johnny Storm takes Franklin to the toy store only to run into an old enemy Arcade while at the same time, Valerie offers a cure to Ben for his rock form!  While all of this is going on, Nathaniel Richards, Reed Richards’ father, time travels to Reed’s past in order to receive his help in defeating a mass murderer while also receiving help from none other than a younger version of Dr. Doom!

What I loved about this story:

Jonathan Hickman’s writing: Once again, Jonathan Hickman had done an excellent job at writing the relationships between the characters and trying to set up a much larger story in the future. I loved seeing the relationship between Johnny Storm and Franklin Richards as they have a love-hate relationship with each other and every time those two are involved in any kind of adventures, you can bet that the adventures will definitely be hilarious!  Probably the story that really caught my interest was about Valerie possibly finding a cure for Ben Grimm as I rarely see a “Fantastic Four” story line where it focuses on Ben Grimm possibly being cured of his rock form and I really cannot wait to see where Jonathan Hickman is going to take this plot in the future volumes.  I also loved the way that Jonathan Hickman portrayed Reed Richards’ character as Reed is shown being intelligent and doing everything in his power to save the world and I am loving the idea about Reed opening up a school for intelligent students, which I cannot wait to see whether or not the students will play a major role in the future “Fantastic Four” stories.

Neil Edwards’ artwork:  Even though I preferred Dale Eaglesham’s artwork from the previous “Fantastic Four” volumes, Neil Edwards had done a great job at detailing the characters’ facial expressions and I loved the shadowing on the characters’ faces whenever they have dark thoughts about the situations at hand.  I also loved the images of the buildings as they look truly realistic and my favorite image of the buildings was when Spider-Man was briefly seen swinging on the buildings!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

One of the main issues I was having with Jonathan Hickman’s run on “Fantastic Four” was that every time I read a volume from this series, there is just too much going on and I get way too confused with what is going on in the story.  I would have preferred it if the volume focused on one storyline and then wrap that singular story arc into the next volume so that way each volume would make much more sense.  Also, the reason why I gave this volume a four star rating was because there are many slow scenes that I slightly bored me and I was waiting to see some kind of action happen to the characters.  Also, there is some violence and language in this volume, although it is not as bad as something you would read out of any Vertigo or Image comic book.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Fantastic Four Volume Three” is a step up from the previous volume as everything is starting to come into place and I cannot wait to see how things will unfold in the future volumes!

 

[BOOK REVIEW] Chew: Flambe Volume 4 by John Layman

Title:  Chew: Flambe Volume 4

Author: John Layman

Artist: Rob Guillory


Genre: Crime / Humor


Year Published: 2011


Year Read: 2013


Series: Chew #4


Publisher: Image Comics

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Gory Violence and Strong Language)

Introduction:

Seriously, will I ever put this series down?  Every time I pick up a volume from John Layman’s Eisner Award and Harvey Award winning series “Chew,” things just keeps getting crazier and more interesting than ever before!  In this volume, “Chew: Flambé,” things get even more crazy for Tony Chu and John Colby as there is a panic going on in the United States when strange alien letterings suddenly show up in the sky!

What is this story about?

In this volume, after a mysterious alien language suddenly pops up in the sky, everyone starts panicking and believes that an alien invasion is about to come to Earth!  So, it is up to the FDA agents Tony Chu and John Colby to find out about this supposed alien conspiracy and what will it mean for Earth?

What I loved about this story:

John Layman’s writing: For the past three volumes, I have always said that John Layman’s writing on the “Chew” series has been nothing but fantastic!  Well, in this volume, John Layman really brought out true surreal humor as Tony Chu and John Colby get into even more crazy adventures than usual!  I loved the way that John Layman made things even more interesting with the mystery surrounding the strange alien language suddenly appearing in the sky and it was great seeing the build up towards solving the mystery of the alien language and what it would mean for Earth.  John Layman’s humorous writing is just as top notch in this volume as it was in the previous three volumes and I really love the moments shared between Tony and his twin sister Antonelle “Toni” Chu as Toni is like the annoying younger sibling towards Tony and I love how she truly cares about him despite annoying him at every chance.  I also love the character “Poyo,” the rooster who for some strange reason is able to do some kung-fu fighting (do not worry; you will see its moves in this volume)! It was also interesting seeing Tony’s daughter (yes, Tony actually has a daughter) Olive Chu as she seems to have resentment towards Tony and it would be interesting to see in future volumes whether or not her relationship with Tony will improve or not.

Rob Guillory’s artwork:  Rob Guillory’s artwork is as usual, extremely hilarious and detailed at the same time as it brought in so much humor and tension to the story.  I loved the way that the characters look bizarre as their bodies are done in exaggerated proportions, making the artwork truly creative to look at.  I also loved the way that Rob Guillory drew the gory scenes during the crime scenes, even though the blood splattering scenes might be a bit too exaggerated, but it just made those situations more humorous to look at than making you cringe in disgust (which I never thought would be possible)!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like gory scenes and strong language, this volume definitely has plenty of strong violence and language.  There are many instances where the characters drop the “s” and “f” bombs throughout the stories and that might offend anyone who does not like reading such strong language in a graphic novel.  Also, there are many violent scenes of characters getting shot and cut up and blood splattering everywhere and that might make anyone uncomfortable if they are not used to gory scenes.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Chew: Flambe” is really setting things up and I definitely cannot wait to see what this mysterious alien language in the sky is going to do to the characters in the future.  I would definitely recommend this volume to any fan of John Layman’s “Chew” series and also check out the other volumes that came before this one:

Chew: Taster’s Choice

Chew: International Flavors

Chew: Just Desserts

[BOOK REVIEW] X-Men: Proteus by Chris Claremont and John Byrne

Title:  X-Men: Proteus

Author: Chris Claremont and John Byrne

Artist: John Byrne


Genre: Superheroes / Action / Adventure


Year Published: 1979


Year Read: 2013


Series: Uncanny X-Men


Publisher: Marvel Comics

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 11+ (Scenes of Fighting and Some Disturbing Imagery)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads
 

Introduction:

When I heard so many good things about one of the most iconic “X-Men” stories, next to “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and “Days of Future Past,” “Proteus,” I just had to give this comic a shot!  Now, I actually first heard about the Proteus storyline through the “X-Men” cartoon series that came out during the 1990s and ever since then, I was interested in seeing how this popular storyline unfolded in the “X-Men” universe and now, I finally got a chance to read it!

What is this story about?

In this story, after the X-Men’s intense battle with Magneto, each of the members believed that the other was dead.  However, when Moira MacTaggert’s mutant son, Proteus, suddenly breaks out of his prison, the X-Men are reunited again and they have to fight this new menace that not only is out to get Moira MacTaggert’s estranged husband, Joe MacTaggert, but Moira herself! Can the X-Men defeat this new foe?

What I loved about this story:

Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s writing: As a long time “X-Men” fan, I was always interested in Chris Claremont’s writing during the early years of the X-Men and this comic was just as interesting as the stories “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and “Days of Future Past” were! I loved the way that Chris Claremont wrote Proteus as being a mysterious and frightening character that has a deep grudge against Moira MacTaggert and her estranged husband Joe MacTaggert as it made his character extremely interesting to read and I was actually scared of Proteus’ ability to warp reality to his will while possessing any body he comes across!  I also loved seeing how the X-Men had to work together to defeat this foe while going through some personal issues to complete this job.  One of the most memorable and intense scenes I had seen in this comic was when Proteus warps Wolverine’s mind and Wolverine ends up being terrified of Proteus.  This moment stood out to me because Wolverine is usually shown as being a “tough as nails” character and to see a villain actually break down Wolverine emotionally was terrifying to see.  I also liked the fact that this story was not as lengthy as Chris Claremont’s work in “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and “Days of Future Past” as we still get a really effective story while the story was extremely short enough to explain the characters’ personal feelings on this situation.  I also loved seeing Havok, Polaris and Multiple Man (Jamie Madrox) appear in this story and actually help the X-Men out with Proteus, since

John Byrne’s artwork:  John Byrne’s artwork in this comic is truly beautiful and it really captures the spirit of all the characters.  I especially loved the images of the X-Men themselves, especially of Jean Grey whenever she goes into Phoenix mode and you can see the powerful aura surround Jean Grey as it shows how powerful she is in her Phoenix form.  I also loved the images of Proteus using his reality warping powers against the X-Men as the images look so surreal and distorted and it really gives off the creepy feel of Proteus’ powers.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

Not much was really wrong this story, but anyone who does not like seeing surreal imagery used in a disturbing way might feel uncomfortable of the scenes where Proteus warps Wolverine and Nightcrawler’s minds.  The imagery during these scenes is extremely distorted and that might frightened anyone who does not like surreal imagery.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “X-Men: Proteus” is a truly fantastic story that all “X-Men” fans should check out!  Also, in the edition I got, there are three extra stories in this volume that are just as interesting as the main story and they are called “Shreds of Humanity,” “So Good it Hurts,” written by Ann Nocenti along with artwork by John Bolton and “Outside In.”

[BOOK REVIEW] Sector 7 by David Wiesner

Title:  Sector 7

Author:  David Wiesner

Genre:  Fantasy

Year Published: 1999


Year Read:  2010

Publisher:  Clarion Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

“Sector 7” is a Caldecott Honor book from the creative mind of David Wiesner and it is about how a young boy meets a mischievous little cloud during his class field trip to see the Empire State Building and when they separated from the boy’s class, the cloud and the boy ended up having wild adventures together in Sector 7!  “Sector 7” is truly one of the most memorable wordless picture books ever created that children will love for many years!

Is there nothing more grand that David Wiesner can not do with wordless picture books?  Well, “Sector 7” has certainly proven the master illustrating skills that David Wiesner possess and is well known for!  David Wiesner’s illustrations alone tell the story of the adventures that the boy and the mischievous little cloud have together at Sector 7.  I love the way that David Wiesner illustrates the boy in having a brown waistcoat and a red hat with a red scarf, which sort of makes him look like Little Pete from “The Adventures of Pete and Pete” (I am a huge Nickelodeon fanatic which is why I usually love to compare various characters from certain books with Nickelodeon characters!). 

I also love the way that David Wiesner brings a strong fantasy element to the story as Sector 7 is located in the sky and supports itself on small windmills on each side of the factory which makes it look like the castle in “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

The images that truly stood out the most for me were the images of the clouds themselves, both the humanized clouds and the real clouds in the sky.  I truly love the scene where the boy and the little cloud are flying through the air and the clouds are slightly light brown and look so stretched out and gorgeous that you can actually feel yourself flying through the air yourself!  I also loved the interior of Sector 7 as it looks likes the inside of a train station as there is a large bulletin board at the top of the station that tells the arrivals and departures of different types of clouds.  I also loved the idea that David Wiesner makes the story take place in New York City, since I have been to New York City myself, but I have not really been to the Empire State Building, so it was truly interesting to see the Empire State Building in David Wiesner’s magical world!

All in all, “Sector 7” is definitely a book that every child should read, especially for children who cannot read yet, but love looking at illustrations of many different children’s books.  This book is truly one of the most memorable wordless picture books ever made next to Raymond Brigg’s classic “The Snowman” and I definitely think that many children will enjoy this book since the illustrations are truly beautiful and engaging to look at!  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book that would cause parents concern.

* 1999 New York City Book Award for Children's Book
* 2000 An ALA Notable Children's Book for Younger Readers
* 2000 Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book for Children
* 2000 Caldecott Honor

[BOOK REVIEW] Flotsam by David Wiesner

Title:  Flotsam

Author: David Wiesner

Genre: Fantasy / Animal / Beaches

Year Published: 2006

Year Read:  2009

Publisher:  Clarion Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 3+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

 

 “Flotsam” is a 2007 Caldecott Award winning book by David Wiesner, author of the popular books, “Tuesday” and “The Three Pigs.”  In this story, a young boy discovers a mysterious camera from the sea that eventually shows him another world under the sea.  “Flotsam” is surely one classic that cannot be beat.

David Wiesner’s illustrations are once again beautiful as he draws each character in a realistic way, especially of the images of the fishes doing human activities under the sea.  The image that probably stood out the most was the image of the family of squids sitting around in their living room as the living room is set up like an underwater version of a living room as there are fish lamps all over the room.  David Wiesner’s illustrations take control of telling this story, as there are no words to tell the story, just the images.  David Wiesner’s story of a young boy discovering an underwater world is interesting and creative at the same time as the reader gets to see the human world from a fish’s perspective, as seashells take over as houses and turtles are used as transportations.

“Flotsam” is an imaginative children’s book about learning about the discoveries of new places and in this case, new worlds.  Also, this book seems to aim for the theme of sharing your discoveries with other people, so that they could experience the same magic that you have experience also.  I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book and the format will be easy for them to read.

* 2007 Caldecott Medal
* 2008 Vermont's Picture Book Awards: Red Clover

[BOOK REVIEW] Tuesday by David Wiesner

Title:  Tuesday

Author:  David Wiesner

Genre: Fantasy / Magic

Year Published: 1991

Year Read:  2009

Publisher:  HMH Books for Young Readers

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 3+  (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

 “Tuesday” is a Caldecott Award winning book from the creative mind of David Wiesner and is about how some seemingly ordinary frogs from a pond go on a magical adventure throughout the city.  David Wiesner’s story of a magic along with his beautiful illustrations makes “Tuesday” a mesmerizing book for children.

David Wiesner has done it again with creating a wordless book that tells its story through his illustrations.  David Wiesner’s story is interesting as the only words that he uses in this book are the short sentences that tell the reader what time the magical event is taking place. It is David Wiesner’s illustrations that take center stage here as they are magnificent and creative, especially of the images of the frogs flying through the air on their lily pads.  The image that probably stood out the most for me was the image of the dog being chased by a whole horde of frogs riding on lily pads as the left page is flooded by images of frogs riding on their lily pads chasing the dog while the dog runs away in terror.

“Tuesday” is an excellent book about the power of using one’s imagination as magic is the main theme here and this book will surely be an instant treat to children who love books dealing with adventure and imagination.  I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since the majority of the book is wordless and young children will easily enjoy the illustrations.

* 1992 Caldecott Medal
* 1993 Kentucky Bluegrass Award for K-3
* 1993 Young Hoosier Book Award for K-3

[BOOK REVIEW] Batman: Hush Volume 2 by Jeph Loeb

Title:  Batman: Hush Volume 2

Author: Jeph Loeb

Artist: Jim Lee


Genre: Superheroes / Action / Adventure


Year Published: 2003


Year Read: 2013


Series: Batman


Publisher: DC Comics

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating: Ages 15+ (Some Language and Gory Violence)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository
 

Introduction:

After reading the first volume of the well-acclaimed “Batman” story, “Batman: Hush,” I just had to check out the second volume that would conclude this fantastic storyline!  Now, that I had just finished reading “Batman: Hush Volume Two,” I can clearly say that this storyline definitely rates along my most favorite “Batman” storylines next to “Batman: The Killing Joke” and “Batman: The Long Halloween!”

What is this story about?

Continuing from the last volume, the story begins when Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle are attacked by Harley Quinn at the opera!  Harley Quinn’s attack was not just coincidence as she is then connected to the Joker, who happens to have shot a close friend of Batman’s, who then leads to the Riddler planning a bank robbery and the story goes on until it reaches its shocking conclusion!

What I loved about this story:

Jeph Loeb’s writing: Oh my goodness!  Can I just say that this volume had really put me at the edge of my seat?  Yes I can, as Jeph Loeb has once again written a truly amazing mystery story that not only introduced Batman’s greatest foes (Killer Croc, the Riddler, the Joker, Harley Quinn, the Scarecrow, Ra’s al Ghul and Two-Face) all into one story, but managed to get all of the characters wrapped up into one shocking and twisted scheme that was cleverly thought up by a truly evil mastermind!  I really enjoyed the way that Jeph Loeb weaved all the characters’ storylines into one story and it was exciting seeing how Batman would solve the case about who is behind his foes’ activities and who caused the death of one of his most beloved friends.  I also loved seeing the developing relationship between Catwoman and Batman as Jeph Loeb truly showed Batman struggling with trying to trust Catwoman and how Batman has to learn to start trusting people despite what happened to his parents when he was a child.  I especially loved seeing the appearances of Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Tim Drake (the new Robin) as they were truly fantastic characters and this was basically the first “Batman” comic I had read that featured both Dick Grayson as Nightwing and Tim Drake as the new Robin! I loved Nightwing the best as he has a bright and hilarious personality and is usually there to comfort Batman whenever he was at his most vulnerable.

Jim Lee’s artwork:  Jim Lee’s artwork once again was just as beautiful as it was in the first volume!  I just loved the way that Jim Lee illustrated the lightning sequences in this volume as the lightning looks truly realistic and it really captured the intense mood of the scenes where Batman is fighting during the nighttime.  Probably my most favorite images in this volume was of the fight scenes between the Joker and Batman as the panels suddenly go red as we see Batman beating up the Joker brutally and it really shows how intense this scene really was.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like hearing language in comic books, this volume does have a bit of language, even though it is not as strong as something you would read out of a Vertigo comic.  Also, there is some violence in this volume, especially with characters getting shot and blood spurting out of the wounds.

.Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Batman: Hush Volume Two” was just as good as the first volume and this storyline definitely deserved to be regarded as one of the best “Batman” stories ever as the mystery and the drama was so well built up!  This volume has also gotten me interested in Dick Grayson as Nightwing and I am open to any recommendations about some good titles starring Dick Grayson as Nightwing!

[BOOK REVIEW] Batman: Hush Volume 1 by Jeph Loeb

Title: Batman:  Hush Volume 1

Author: Jeph Loeb

Artist: Jim Lee


Genre: Superheroes / Action / Adventure


Year Published: 2003


Year Read: 2013


Series: Batman


Publisher: DC Comics

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating: Ages 14+ (Some Language and Violence)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

Introduction:

I have been reading many “Batman” comics for awhile now and after searching for some really good “Batman” stories that were recommended to me by other fellow comic book readers, I keep hearing good things about “Batman: Hush” and I finally picked it up!  “Batman: Hush Volume One” is apart of an alternative universe in DC Comics called “Elsewhere,” like where “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” also came from and I have to admit, I really enjoyed this volume!

What is this story about?

The story starts off with Batman trying to rescue a young heir to the Lamont chemical fortune named Edward Lamont IV from Killer Croc and after Batman rescues the young heir, he discovers that Killer Croc was trying to steal a case of money, which was stolen in the middle of the fight.  Batman then realizes that Catwoman stole the money, but is not sure why she stole the money and it is revealed that Poison Ivy might be the ringleader in this entire scheme.

Or is she?

Also, Batman makes a trip to Metropolis to learn more about Poison Ivy’s whereabouts and guess who he runs into?

What I loved about this story:

Jeph Loeb’s writing: Wow! Jeph Loeb’s writing for the “Batman” series just continues to amaze me as the stories are fantastic and the characters are extremely well-written!  This volume definitely does not disappoint me as the story and the characters were extremely interesting to me.  I especially loved the way that Jeph Loeb portrayed Catwoman and Batman’s relationship with each other as their relationship felt a bit awkward, but in a good way as the sexual tension between Batman and Catwoman was interesting and clever at the same time. It was interesting seeing Batman having trouble with sorting out his feelings for Catwoman since we normally do not see Batman react so strongly to a situation he does not understand.  I also loved the way that Jeph Loeb builds up the plot surrounding the mystery of the stolen money and how Poison Ivy is tied into this whole situation.  I was practically trying to figure out the mystery of this criminal plan throughout the entire volume as it was cleverly woven into the lives all of the characters involved especially Batman, Catwoman and Poison Ivy.  The storyline was clearly intense and dramatic and I was practically sitting in the edge of my seat trying to see the true motive of Poison Ivy’s plans and how it would affect Batman.

Jim Lee’s artwork:  After seeing Jim Lee’s artwork in the “X-Men” comics, I was interested in seeing more of his work!  Well, Jim Lee’s artwork in this volume was absolutely brilliant as the characters look truly realistic and the colorings really brought out the surroundings.  I loved the dark colorings done on Gotham City as it really sets the dark mood for the story.  I also loved the image of Killer Croc himself as he truly looked monstrous and I loved his green scaly skin as looks truly frightening.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The only problem with this volume is that there is some language and violence that might make readers who are not used to violence and language in books uncomfortable.  The language is not as strong here as it would be in other comic books and the violence is probably more problematic as there are scenes of characters being punched and having blood spilling from them.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Batman: Hush Volume One” is a truly fantastic series so far and I cannot wait to see how Batman will uncover this huge mystery in the next volume!  “Batman” fans will definitely be impressed with series for many years to come!