[BOOK REVIEW] Irredeemable Volume 1 by Mark Waid

Title:  Irredeemable Volume 1

Author: Mark Waid

Artist: Peter Krause

Genre:  Superheroes / Action / Adventure

Year Published:  2009

Year Read: 9/20/2014

Series:  Irredeemable #1

Publisher:  Boom Studios

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 12+ (Mature Themes and Violence)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

Introduction:

I have read many comic books from different companies including Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse, but this was honestly the first time I had read a comic book series from Boom Studios!  This comic book happens to be called “Irredeemable,” which is an Eisner Nominated Comic Book Series that is written by Mark Waid along with artwork by Peter Krause and man, was I in for one heck of a surprise when I started reading this comic book!

What is this story about?

In this volume, the Plutonian was once the World’s greatest superhero, but then one day, he suddenly went insane and started killing many innocent people.  His former teammates then try to come up with a plan to find out about what made the Plutonian snap and try to learn more about who he really is and how to stop him before he destroys the world!

What I loved about this story:

Mark Waid’s writing: Now, I will admit that I have read many comic books where the superheroes go bad (some stories were good and some stories were bad and should have never been printed in the first place), but this was probably one of the most unique takes on the classic “superhero going rogue” story line that I have ever read.  Mark Waid has done a great job at presenting the readers with a premise that would sound preposterous to some superhero fans, but ended up making this story pretty interesting to read!  I liked the way that Mark Waid explored the idea of a superhero going rogue through the Plutonian and the affect it had on his former teammates and his loved ones.  It is like seeing a close friend of yours suddenly going insane and you have no idea how or why your friend is going insane, which really makes this situation pretty personal for anyone who had to go through that in real life.  I also loved the mystery that Mark Waid provided in this story such as trying to figure out why the Plutonian went insane and what could possibly stop his rampage across the world, which I figure might be the main plot of this whole series.

Peter Krause’s artwork:  Peter Krause’s artwork was just amazing in this volume!  I loved how realistic the characters look and I also loved how Peter Krause drew the scenes where the Plutonian caused mass destruction all over the world, which was both chilling and mesmerizing to watch!  I also loved the way that the characters’ faces and bodies are shadowed whenever they are in the dark during the night scenes as they make the images much more effective to look at.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The reason why I took off a star from this book was because while I enjoyed the story about a superhero suddenly going rogue, I would have liked to know more about the Plutonian as a character and about his teammates also.  It felt like they just threw the characters into this situation without really explaining about why this is all happening.  Maybe the plot about finding out more about the Plutonian as a character and why he went on a rampage is a part of the big mystery for this series, but I still would have liked to learn more about the Plutonian in this volume just so I could care more about his character when he did go rogue.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Irredeemable Volume One” is an interesting comic book about what would happen if a superhero goes rogue and the lengths one must take to stop that superhero from destroying the world.  I am definitely going to check out the next volume to see what happens next!

[BOOK REVIEW] Mike Fink by Steven Kellogg

Title:  Mike Fink

Author:  Steven Kellogg

Genre: Tall Tale / Competition /Adventure

Year Published: 1992

Year Read: 2014

Publisher: Morrow Junior Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Fighting Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I have read many tall tale stories from the legendary Steven Kellogg, but this is honestly the first time that I had checked out Steven Kellogg’s work on an unknown tall tale hero, “Mike Fink!”  I must say that this is definitely one tall tale story that you should check out!

Mike Fink was always born for adventure, especially during an incident when he was two days old and he ran away from home to join up with a group of acrobatic frogs!  When Mike got older, he started wrestling with other boys twice his size and he always came out on top!  One day, however when Mike was planning on becoming a Keel Boatman, he meets up with Jack Carpenter, the King of the keel boatmen and he wanted to wrestle with him.  But, Jack proved to be much stronger than Mike and he ends up throwing Mike into the Rocky Mountains, where Mike ends up meeting a group of bears that are constantly shown wrestling each other.  After Mike spends some time practicing wrestling with these bears, he goes back to Jack Carpenter and…

Does Mike end up winning his fight with Jack Carpenter and what other adventures will Mike Fink go on next?

Read this book to find out!

*Now, judging by that summary, you might think that the whole point of this book was Mike’s fight with Jack Carpenter, but oh no.  That is not the end of Mike’s adventures!  Just for the sake of not spoiling too much in this book, I just cut the summary off at Mike’s meeting with Jack Carpenter!*

Wow! I have read many tall tales during my time, but I had never read a tall tale story that stars Mike Fink before.  I have heard of Mike Fink in other tall tales stories like “Davy Crockett” and “Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett,” but I have never read any stories that featured him as a solo character.  Now, I finally got that chance with Steven Kellogg’s rendition of this larger than life tall tale hero!  I honestly enjoyed this retelling of this unknown tall tale hero as before, I did not know much about Mike Fink until I read this book and now that I read this book, I am definitely looking forward to reading more stories about Mike Fink!  I loved the way that Steven Kellogg brings humor and adventure to this tall tale as Mike Fink is constantly being shown taking down opponents that are much larger than him and yet, he is always determined to become the strongest Keel Boatman no matter what kind of odds are stacked against him.  I also loved the exaggerated and hilarious adventures that Mike Fink has throughout his life such as playing around with acrobatic frogs and wrestling with grizzly bears as they bring so much creativity to this story!  Steven Kellogg’s artwork was also beautiful and impressive to look at, especially during the scenes where Mike is doing various stunts that would make you scratch your head in confusion and yet be awed by the awesomeness of those stunts!  I especially loved the artwork of the landscapes in the Rocky Mountains as they look realistic and beautiful and they give the story a sense of beauty while also providing an adventurous tone.

The only thing about this book that sort of rubbed me the wrong way was how the book ended.  I mean, it is sort of a clean cut ending as in the story is wrapped up nicely, but at the same time I expected to see more from the final fight that Mike engages in. I would have loved to see more illustrations that detailed the final fight rather than just leaving it up to the audience’s imagination about what happened after that fight (by the way, I am not telling you what the final fight was all about so that way, I would not spoil too much about this book)! 

Overall, “Mike Fink” is a fantastic story that really details the adventures of one of the lesser known tall tale heroes in a humorous and adventurous way.  Anyone who wants to check out the fun adventures of Mike Fink or find a good book that is all about Mike Fink, you should definitely give this book a whirl!

The Sunday Post Meme (1)

Hey everybody! I am participating in a book meme called the Sunday Post which is being hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer! The goal of this meme is to share news you have on various books and things you've read or received and also talk about what is coming up for your blog!  Book hauls can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books and you can share these finds with other book bloggers!

So for this week, I am going to report the three books I had reviewed last week and they are The Fisherman and his Wife by Eric Metaxas, How the Leopard Got His Spots by Rudyard Kipling and Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales Volume 2: The White Cat and the Fool and the Flying Ship!

 

The Fisherman and his Wife by Eric Metaxas

 

 

 

 

This Rabbit Ears is based off the Brothers Grimm’s classic “The Fisherman and his Wife” and is narrated by Jodie Foster along with music by Van Dyke Parks!  This version of the famous fairy tale also has illustrations by Diana Bryan and it is clearly one of the most intense and creative versions of the classic fairy tale!  This is definitely one book that you should add to your fairy tale collection!

 

 

How the Leopard Got His Spots by Rudyard Kipling

 

 

 

 This Rabbit Ears story is adapted fro Rudyard Kipling’s classic “Just So Stories” series and is narrated by Danny Glover along with music by Ladysmith Black Mambazo!  It also contains artwork by Lori Lohstoeter and is a truly colorful and wonderful rendition of the classic “Just So Story.”  This is easily a classic that should be both watched and read by children for many years!

 

 
Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales Volume 2: The White Cat and the Fool and the Flying Ship

 

 

 

One of Rabbit Ears Treasury’s fantastic audiobook series, this fantastic combination by both Emma Thompson and Robin Williams really made this audiobook worth reading!  Basically, this audiobook contains two stories from the legendary Rabbit Ears series which are “The White Cat” which is a French fairy tale about a prince falling in love with a White Cat Princess that is narrated by Emma Thompson along with music by Joe Jackson and “The Fool and the Flying Ship” which is a Russian folktale about a young fool gathering up a group of friends with strange abilities as they go to the Tsar’s palace to win the princess’ hand in marriage which is narrated by Robin Williams along with music by the Klezmer Conservatory Band.  This is definitely one audiobook you have to check out!

 

 

I am a Rabbit Ears Fan Button!

 

 

Hey everyone! I just created a new button for anyone who is a huge fan of Rabbit Ears and wants to show off their pride for this series!  So please feel free to grab this button and post it on your website, while leaving your name and website in the comments on the “I Am a Rabbit Ears Fan” page, which the link is located up above!

Well, that’s the Sunday News for today and I will have more news for the various books I’ve read in the near future!

Posted on Sunday, September 14, 2014
 

[BOOK REVIEW] How the Leopard Got His Spots by Rudyard Kipling

Title:  How the Leopard Got His Spots

Author:  Rudyard Kipling

Artist:  Lori Lohstoeter


Genre: Africa / Changes / Friendship

Year Published: 1989

Year Read: 1994

Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 8+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

“How the Leopard Got His Spots” is the fourth of the “Just So Stories” to be introduced in the Rabbit Ears Storybook Classics Series. The story features narration from Danny Glover, African music from Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Lori Lohstoeter’s colorful and beautiful illustrations.

Danny Glover narrates the story with an African accent, making this story filled with an African culture feeling to the story. Also, Danny Glover’s narration is full of energy as he seems to be ecstatic about narrating this “Just So” story. Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s African influenced music is mostly filled with the vocal talents of each member and in perfect harmony, they create a soothing and energetic vocal sounding music that greatly enhances the African roots of the story. Lori Lohstoeter’s illustrations are beautiful and colorful as the illustrator masterfully illustrates each animal with vibrant colors, especially when they changed their colors. The illustrations that are the true highlights of this story are the images of the Leopard drawn as an extremely beautiful creature as he is mostly yellow at first and is more beautiful when his skin is full of purple and reddish spots. Also, the Ethiopian is drawn as a calm and chubby man and when he changes his colors, he becomes more vibrant as he gets darker.

The only problem I found with this story is that Danny Glover’s narration is a bit difficult to understand. Danny Glover sounds as if he has a sore throat when narrating this story as his voice tends to give out on him at certain times such as, when he was describing the animals in the High Veldt and you can barely hear the words “Eland” and “Hartebeest” since his voice gets soft at these words.

“How the Leopard Got His Spots” is another classic from the “Just So Stories” collection and is truly a memorizing story about going through changes in life. This story is probably the most energetic and attractive of the four “Just So Stories” introduced on Rabbit Ears and is surely to delight children ages eight and up.