*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
A young boy moves in with his grandmother and starts seeing scary things in her old house.
The art is beautiful but it’s exactly what it says on the tin: a picture book. So other than how lovely it is and how amusingly unhelpful the grandmother is,
there isnt much to say about the plot or the characters. Its unsettling but not really scary. 3 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Ureshino asks Gero for help with her company, which reveals a terrifying enemy: The Puppet Master, someone Gero already knows.
The business part takes up a lot of time, but it sets up the reveal of this nightmare:
Who also gives us some kid Gero flashbacks. The last couple of volumes have really gone in heavy on a grander mystery behind all the marriage talk, and while I don’t need this series to get super serious, it’s interesting. And if it keeps being this good, I have no problem going with the flow. 3.9 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
After guarding Aoi on a school trip, Yodaka joins an infiltration mission and faces the fugitive ninjas Ban and Kawasemi.
I’m glad this is mostly action. The teen drama stuff is fun, but lingering in the background is why Aoi would need such protection in the first place. And, like Marriage Toxin, this series doesn’t let you forget that these people are dangerous. It’s not all fun and games. The dichotomy keeps things interesting. 4 out of 5.
Fukumaru tries to get Kanda to understand that the reason why he desperately needs to go outside is that he’d spotted his long-lost brother.
A good chunk of this is Kobayashi getting his grumpy father-in-law to warm up to him by just refusing to be anything other than cheerful and friendly. What’s great about this series is it stays upbeat and cozy, even when it broaches darker subjects; meaning that it’s inevitable that the father-in-law will face the immutable fact of this universe: a cat will find you and it will make you love it. 4 out of 5.
The reindeer exams end, and as our trio awaits the results, they go on break, and Miharu visits his mother.
Each volume is slowly building things up to some interesting lore that’s deeply connected to Miharu and his family. The abilities being handed out to the workers are intriguing, and I wonder how they’re going to function with the actual process of making and delivering toys for children. I am enjoying the backstories and the fun side story of Miharu’s mother deciding she wants to visit her son’s fancy new job. And Benjamin is such a silly goober. He provides some great humor. 4 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Law student Jude Aquilar returns to Lazaro after his mother’s death. While he does expect to take over his mother’s law practice, he does not anticipate how deep the corruption goes or how deeply they are connected to him.
I love the twists and turns in this book. Even if the cases weren’t all supernatural in nature, it would still have the familiar concepts of entrenched corruption, classism, and classic small-town gothic mysteries. The colors are moody and beautiful, hitting that perfect level to enhance the tone of the story. Unfortunately, this is another book that suffers from not having enough time. This could easily be 2-5 volumes of cases Jude unravels as he uncovers the town’s secrets, but as it is, it feels as if it ends before it’s even begun. This makes the ending less impactful than I think it hoped to be. 3.9 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
In the year 2526, on a mining settlement on Jupiter’s moon Callisto, Detective Becca Ramos and her partner, Rusty, investigate a series of kidnappings and murders that cause them to run afoul of a cult.
I’m not gonna sit here and say I know how to write a good mystery. Hell, I don’t even really read them because they make me feel stupid for not puzzling out the solution before it’s told to me. This time, I figured it out, and I was still fucking confused. The art is confusing, the plot is confusing, and the whole damn thing left me with the feeling of one big shrug. Which sucks because there are elements I like: scifi and tech and religion all colliding in a tech noir type of story… Right up my alley! I enjoyed Becca, but I can’t say I enjoyed this book overall. 2 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Mathematician Harris Pax is still traveling through realities searching for a way to save humanity.
This volume really takes advantage of the shifting art styles to show the distortion and existential struggle within the mind. It’s also interesting to see Buttons relying on this decaying vessel but – mild spoilers – I wish they didn’t have Harris and Buttons get involved romantically. Partly because it’s predictable and partly because I can’t get over the fact that he’d be kissing a decaying corpse “she’s” wearing as a shell. Characters keep remarking on how the body isn’t looking too good, so I can’t imagine that it smells or tastes very good. If there was ever a time to keep a relationship platonic, it would be between a living human and an otherworldly being puppeting a dead body. Ew… Other than that, I highly recommend this. It’s so cool. 5 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
In Bombay, 1896, a plague ravages a concentration camp where medical experiments are inflicted on the prisoners, causing unforeseen mutations. William Wallace Hooper is sent to photograph the victims, one of whom is Izna, who hears a mysterious voice.
While this is beautiful, it’s a rough read. Given the time period, it’s filled with the typical racism. It isn’t subtle in the themes of exploring identity and the empowerment that comes with it, even after being altered so severely. Still, it’s worth a gander just for the art, even if I wish I had more length to explore the world and add more details. 3.9 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
In the summer of 1992, a group of teenagers plays the game Creatures and Corridors, unintentionally releasing a real curse that forces them to play for their lives.
I had more fun reading this than I thought I would. It has excitement, humor, and just the right amount of chaotic energy. It’s not afraid to get violent and bloody. Think more dark fantasy mixed in with the horror. I was never a tabletop person, so it misses a bit of the nostalgic element for me, and I know it was trying to go for that. And – no spoilers – I give it credit for not holding back when it came time to up the peril by killing characters. 4 out of 5.
