Tag Archives: graphic novel review

Lenni Reviews: “The Black Bull of Norroway” by Cat Seaton & Kit Seaton

10 Monday Dec 2018

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Sibylla is given a prophecy as a young girl that she will marry a monster named The Black Bull and despite dreaming of a life of adventure, she goes willingly when the beast appears at her door years later. They embark on a quest to break his curse but no one will tell Sibylla why this curse exists or if it should be worth her life to end it.

This is an impressive and interesting start to a young adult series with very strong characterization for such a short volume. Sibylla is a strong woman obviously out of her depth with all the mystical things suddenly surrounding her but she strives to learn as much as she can. I enjoyed following her through this journey and I look forward to the next one! 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Abara: Complete Deluxe Edition” by Tsutomu Nihei

26 Monday Nov 2018

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

*This review has been cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

In a dystopian landscape, creatures known as White Gauna have awakened, threatening to devour the city’s populace and destroy everything. The Observation Bureau enlists the help of Denji Kudou, a Black Gauna. But as more and more White Guana appear, Kudo may not be enough to save the city from destruction.

While the story is interesting and the art amazing – brutally awesome and detailed – you are tossed into this story without much guidance. How are these creatures bonded to people? What’s the technology level of a world full of all these cybernetics and how did they learn to use them on these beings? What’s the deal with the talking skeleton bird? You will not get much in the way of clear answers here.

That being said, Nihei tells a great story here. It reminds me of Battle Angel Alita with the impressive creature design and ultra-violence. This edition also includes some full-color art, pull out pages with larger art, and a side story “Digimortal.” This would make a great gift or a worthy addition for a collector. 3.9 out of 5.

This book will be released December 18th, 2018.

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Lenni Reviews: “Perdy” Volume 1 by Kickliy

20 Tuesday Nov 2018

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After 15 years in prison, Perdy is anxious to get back to her life of crime, despite her love of sex and bank robbery landing her behind bard in the first place. She’s on the prowl for one last big score and everyone better get out of her way.

I admire the art style; reminding me of old comic strips like The Adventures of Tintin and much like those old comics, don’t expect a lot of political correctness. Perdy is unapologetically vulgar, fucks who she wants, brawls when she wants, and fuck you for even saying one word about it. She’s even down to steal her daughter’s suitor if she feels like it.

This book is just rip-roaring fun if you can check your prudishness at the door and I wouldn’t mind seeing what happens next! 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Watersnakes” by Tony Sandoval

15 Thursday Nov 2018

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers

*This review is cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

While Mila is out playing, she meets a strange but beautiful girl named Agnes who believes ghosts live in her teeth. As they spend more time together, Mila realizes Agnes is far from a normal girl as otherworldly forces spill into Mila’s life.

This is what I was expecting from Likely Stories; a trippy, thrilling, scary, bloody, fantastic fantasy story that’s beautiful to look at. The art takes some getting used to but if you can appreciate the likes of Roman Dirge or Dave McKean, this will be a treat to read through. If you like dark fantasy where fairy tale nightmares bleed into real life, this is a cool book to read and I’d like to see more from this creator. 4.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Alice: From Dream to Dream” by Giulio Macaione, Giulia Adragna, Giulia Adragna, & Jim Campbell

10 Saturday Nov 2018

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Alice has the unique ability to share dreams with whomever she’s sleeping next to. Not a good situation when her family has recently moved and she must share a room with her older brother. She can’t get a good night’s sleep, can’t tell her parents, and Alice is bullied mercilessly at school. Her one saving grace is her best friend Jamie. But when he’s left in a coma after a car accident, Alice must use her abilities to bring Jamie back, unearthing family secrets in the process.

This is a cute riff on the Alice in Wonderland theme. Alice herself is a bit of a doormat to the point where it is not just gratifying to see her standing up for herself, it’s a relief! The art is perfect for this story, nailing the mundane and the otherworldly in a story that’s surprisingly compelling given its short length. It was easy to read this more than once and still enjoy it and the conclusion is satisfying. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Neil Gaiman’s Likely Stories” by Neil Gaiman, Mark Buckingham, & Chris Blythe

09 Friday Nov 2018

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In this collection of macabre tales, Gaiman is on show with his usual creativity and great storytelling, however, there’s something missing. They all feel too short as if they’re clipped off at the end without a real ending. The art is the best aspect of this collection but the rest just wasn’t up to Gaiman’s usual fantastic standards. 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Brother’s Husband” Volume 2 by Gengoroh Tagame

10 Monday Sep 2018

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In the final volume of this series, Yaichi slowly comes to terms with his late brother’s sexuality and as the last few days of Mike’s visit draw to a close, Yaichi and his daughter, Kana, realize the man has truly become family.

It’s bittersweet to see Yaichi only embrace who his brother was so long after his death. As far as slice of life manga goes, this left a smile on my face. All the character development is believable and touching, leaving a hopeful feeling for a more positive future. I only wish there was more! 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Ice Cream Man Vol. 1: Rainbow Sprinkles” by W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo

05 Wednesday Sep 2018

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This comic is a horror anthology based around our title character who is obviously a demon of some sort. It’s trippy and surreal but sometimes I got this feeling the book is trying too hard. I want to like this more than I do but after finishing it, I didn’t feel anything. I wasn’t creeped out, disturbed, or scared in the slightest. The only reason I would continue this series is to find out what happens to the demon in the long run. Overall, it’s just meh. 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zojaqan” by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Nathan C. Gooden & Vittorio Astone.

04 Tuesday Sep 2018

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this time jumping tale, grieving mother Shannon arrives unexplained in another world after the sudden death of her son. When she arrives in this strange world over and over, she has unforeseen impacts on the alien culture developing there.

While this book looks really pretty and interesting, it all felt incomplete and ultimately unsatisfying. I was intrigued by the concept but I didn’t feel like Shannon was learning anything as the book went on. It tries to be deep but maybe with more length, this book would have achieved what it was going for; a mother forced to deal with her child’s death through her journey in this developing world.

Mild spoilers: It was also infuriating how she kept fucking up this species. It all left me more frustrated than entertained. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Days of Hate Act One” by Ales Kot & Danijel Zezelj

02 Thursday Aug 2018

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review

Set in the USA in the year 2022, America is now a police state and teeters on the edge of civil war. Divorcees Huian and Amanda are on opposite sides; with Amanda in an extremist terrorist group and Huian and her family under surveillance due to her prior association with Amanda.

This graphic novel is a hard read, and not because it’s particularly disturbing, it’s a little too on the nose. Touching on rampant alt-right conservatism and equally extreme leftist terrorists using violence to combat them, this book feels like it’s trying to be V for Vendetta but coming off too preachy. While still sinister and foreboding, there’s this lack of depth that keeps it from being perfect. I do want to read more, however, to see how everything shakes out. 3.7 out of 5.

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