Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes by Karin Slaughter Review

While it’s listed as a short story, Karin Slaughter’s Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes is more of a prologue to her latest novel, Pretty Girls. It’s just sold separately for some reason (coughmoneycough!). 

Set in 1991, Julia’s a pretty 19 year old college student studying journalism. There’s been a spate of attractive young women being abducted in the area and it’s worrying everyone. Guess what happens to Julia at the end of this story? 

Astonishing X-Men, Volume 10: Northstar Review (Marjorie Liu, Mike Perkins)

How about that - gay marriage is legal in America! Well done, Supreme Court, fuck you hateful religious nutters! (Gets down from imaginary soapbox)

In celebration of the occasion I wanted to read some comics with gay marriage featured - and came up short! There are a few out there though and Astonishing X-Men, Volume 10: Northstar is one of them (from no less than 3 years ago too) - good on you, Marvel! 

Catwoman, Volume 3: Death of the Family Review (Ann Nocenti, Rafa Sandoval)

When you’re out of beer, or whatever your drug of choice is, and just gotta lose some brain cells, DC’s got you covered: look for anything with Ann Nocenti’s name on the cover. It’ll do the job but good!

Marvel Star Wars: Princess Leia Review (Mark Waid, Terry Dodson)

Princess Leia is the third release from Marvel’s new 2015 Star Wars line - and it’s also the worst so far! 

Like the other two books, this series is set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Leia’s home planet Alderaan has been blowed up by the Death Star so she decides to fly off with Artoo and a female Alderaanian pilot called Evaan, and collect as many surviving Alderaanians from the rest of the galaxy to… uh... and then the books ends after five issues! 

Chew, Volume 10: Blood Puddin' Review (John Layman, Rob Guillory)

I think I’m done with Chew. 

It’s been fun but we’re now onto Volume 10 (with at least two more volumes to go) and shit’s become formulaic, boring, and messy in contrast to the fresh and exciting earlier books. 

Zombie Kid Diaries, Volume 1: Playing Dead Review (Fred Perry, David Hutchison)

So I got this off Netgalley thinking it was a comic - and it’s not. It’s a kid’s book for the 6-10 year old crowd who probably love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and want to read that but with zombies. But I said I’d review it so I read the darn thing and here’s what I think: boo! As if I was going to love this - I’m a sophisticated grown-up reader on the prowl for free superhero comics galleys to read in my Batman pjs! 

King #1 Review (Joshua Hale Fialkov, Bernard Chang)

Set some 300 years in a destroyed Los Angeles, King is the last man alive searching for the Life Seed to restart the fallen world, or something! Hindering his quest are hyper-intelligent dinosaurs, humanoid animals called CrossFreaks, and robotic karate bears. 

The Private Eye, Volume 2 Review (Brian K Vaughan, Marcos Martin)

We head one last time into Brian K Vaughan, Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente’s oddly un-futuristic future world of The Private Eye in this second and final volume. 

60 years ago at the start of the 21st century, The Cloud burst, giving away everybody’s private information and internet was subsequently outlawed. Privacy became a primary concern, so much so that people wear Halloween masks all the time in public to keep their identities secret. 

Masks, Volume 1 Review (Chris Roberson, Alex Ross)

Long-forgotten Golden Age “superheroes” remind you why they were forgotten in the first place in Masks! When the Justice party, a thinly veiled facsimile of the Nazis, somehow takes power in America, it’s up to these heroes to battle them in the streets, miraculously never getting shot despite fighting hand-to-hand most of the time and many of them not possessing any powers to protect them! Also, they’re all based in one city but they’re fighting for the whole of America, or something! 

Airboy #2 Review (James Robinson, Greg Hinkle)

My latest review for Need to Consume was James Robinson and Greg Hinkle's Airboy #2. Read the full piece here: http://www.needtoconsume.com/comics/airboy-2-review/

Ugli Studios Presents #3 Review (Jason Lenox, Joseph Freistuhler)

After nearly two years since their last publication, Jason Lenox and Joseph Freistuhler are back with Ugli Studios Presents #3. This comic is a collection of four stories of varying length with fantasy and horror themes. 

The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin Review

The Testament of Mary is presented as a missing part of the Bible told in the first person by Mary, Jesus’ mother. Missing (or suppressed) because Colm Toibin’s Mary is a sceptic of the Christian faith who relates memories of her son that question the foundation of the other testaments that paved the way to the world’s most popular religion. 

Sacrifice Review (Sam Humphries, Dalton Rose)

Hector is an epileptic who checks himself out of a psychiatric hospital and has a seizure in a fast food parking lot. Suddenly he’s transported 500 years into the past to the time of the Aztecs, just before Cortes arrives to begin their extermination. Hector decides he will save the Aztecs! 

We Stand on Guard #1 Review (Brian K. Vaughan, Steve Skroce)

What better way to celebrate Canada Day than to hoist a mug of maple syrup in your favourite hockey jersey along with a copy of Brian K. Vaughan and Steve Skroce’s We Stand on Guard #1? 

2112: the White House has been bombed - blame Canada! 

12 years later…