Fables Vol 21: Happily Ever After Graphic Novel Review

Fables Vol 21: Happily Ever AfterErica gives this comic one star.Fables Vol 21: Happily Ever After by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges
Art: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, Dan Green, Eric Shanower, Tony Akins, Shawn McManus, Nimit Malavia, Jae Lee, Terry Moore, Russ Braun, and Chrissie Zullo

I thought this was going to be the final chapter of Fables. Nope, they are dragging it out. Issue #150, the final one, will be supersized and all its own trade. It’s great to already feel ripped off before I even buy it. Woohoo!

Currently, the biggest Fables mystery is how Brandish is still alive. I know there’s a magical spell and all that jazz. However, seems like he would be a prime target for everyone wanting to murder him. I know I do.

It’s hard for me not to cheer for Snow White and actually see a way that Rose Red will win this. I very much hate sexist plots that pit women against each other. I do not care if this legend around their mother Lauda has any credit in historical fables. It plays out as a bunch of sexist bullshit pitting women against each other and only having one women “win” in the end. And here we have Bigby being the prize.

Yep, the two sisters are fighting over a man.

(A man who Snow White married and had seven children with. But we can ignore the proceeding 100+ comic books.) Two women fighting over a man, it’s a misogynist dream come true! Continue reading “Fables Vol 21: Happily Ever After Graphic Novel Review”

Fairest: In All the Land Graphic Novel Review

Fairest: In All the LandErica Gives This Comic Four StarsFairest: In All the Land by Bill Willingham
Art: Chrissie Zullo, Karl Kerschl, Renae de Liz, Fiona Meng, Mark Buckingham, Phil Noto, Meghan Hetrick, Russ Braun, Tony Akins, Gene Ha, Tula Lotay, Marley Zarcone, Ming Doyle, Chris Sprouse, Nimit Malavia, Dean Ormston, Kurt Huggins, Adam Hughes, Al Davison, Shawn McManus, Inaki Miranda, and Kevin Maguire

This was perhaps one of the best Fables stories that I’ve read in a long time. It wasn’t interrupted by one of Willingham’s favorite characters that didn’t make sense. Cinderella had the whole narrative from beginning to end, and while she certainly had the help of others, she was the one who figured out the mystery and came up with a solution to the problem.

As much as I was excited to see that many of my favorite artists were working on this book, having the tale jump from artist to artist was a bit distracting. I really loved de Liz’s Cinderella and Hetrick’s Snow White. I was also surprised just how much I enjoyed Doyle’s art, which particularly worked with the ’60s flashback to Briar Rose’s all-girl band.

All that said, I did have a hard time getting into this book. Continue reading “Fairest: In All the Land Graphic Novel Review”

Womanthology Space #4 and #5 Comic Book Reviews

Comic book reviews for Womanthology Space #4 and Womanthology Space #5 by Jody Houser, Sally Thompson, Kathryn Layno, Devin Grayson, Lindsay Walker, Christine Ellis, Elva Wang, Barbara Randall Kesel, Diana Nock, Allison Pang, Chrissie Zullo, Laura Morley, Sara Richard, Cecil Castellucci, Kel McDonald, Kiala Kazebee, and Isabelle Melancon
Average rating: 3/5 stars

Womanthology Space #4 Womanthology Space #5 Continue reading “Womanthology Space #4 and #5 Comic Book Reviews”

Madame Xanadu (Vol 4): Extra-Sensory Graphic Novel Review

Madame Xanadu (Vol 4): Extra-SensoryErica gives this comic five starsMadame Xanadu (Vol 4): Extra-Sensory by Matt Wagner
Art: Marley Zarcone, Laurenn McCubbin, Chrissie Zullo, Celia Calle, Marian Churchland, Amy Reeder, Richard Friend, and Guy Major

I appreciated this as the long form of saying goodbye to the Madame Xanadu comic book and Wagner’s time with her. And I can say that I greatly miss his take on her character, especially given how horrible the reboot has been with the magical characters. (It’s not their powers, but their back-stories that make them interesting.)

I enjoyed that the stories varied in how Madame Xanadu could really help these characters. Some needed her to calm their powers. Others needed her to stop the evil around them. Some accepted her guidance and others rejected her or were forces of evil she needed to banish.

Each story really reflected 1963-1966 and the different facets of culture from that time, depending on who you were or where you were. The variety of art was just gorgeous. In a lot of other stories, I might’ve been throw off by the switching artists. But the choices here just enhanced the book. Continue reading “Madame Xanadu (Vol 4): Extra-Sensory Graphic Novel Review”

The Best and the Worst of 2011 Comic Books

Yes, the time has come to say goodbye to 2011 and ring in 2012. Here’s a look back at the Best and the Worst of 2011* Comic Books.

The Best On-Going Series

Echo #261. Echo by Terry Moore
Average rating: 4.7/5 stars
Reading rating: Teen

Moore’s Echo finished with a bang (or did it?) this year. A story of Julie, the unlikely superhero, and stopping the end of the world, Moore’s work is consistently great and on-point. For those scared of the tome that is Strangers in Paradise, check out this much shorter work.
Read my reviews of Echo.
Purchase Echo.

Punisher #52. Punisher by Greg Rucka, Marco Checchetto, Matthew Clark, and Matthew Southworth
Average rating: 4.3/5 stars
Reading rating: Teen

I never thought I’d like a Punisher book as much as I love this one from Rucka. Dive into the gritty world of Frank Castle, his mission, and the fall-out of villains, reporters, cops, and victims. With some beautiful art to accompany it.
Read my reviews of Punisher.
Purchase Punisher.

Batwoman #23. Batwoman by J.H. Williams, W. Haden Blackman, and Amy Reeder Hadley
Average rating: 4.3/5 stars
Reading rating: Teen

The most anticipated comic (for me) ever. Anyone reading my blog is probably not surprised that I love Batwoman. Kate Kane is probably one of my favorite characters ever, and in combination with Williams’ art, this title has been making me very happy. I only want more.
Read my reviews of Batwoman.
Purchase Batwoman. Continue reading “The Best and the Worst of 2011 Comic Books”

Fables Vol 15: Rose Red Graphic Novel Review

Fables Vol 15: Rose RedErica gives this comic two stars

Fables Vol 15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham
Art: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Inaki Miranda, Andrew Pepoy, Dan Green, Chrissie Zullo, Dave Johnson, Kate McElroy, J.H. Williams III, Joao Ruas, and Adam Hughes

The Story of Frau Totenkinder

I’ve been reading Fables now for a very long time. Fables is not without it’s problems (see the Arabian Fables, see Willingham’s often too transparent politics, see the time I told Willingham how Snow White’s my favorite and he was genuinely shocked). But Fables is a world that has sucked me in. It’s created characters that I love; women characters who’d I’d toss up on that “strong women” characters list from Snow White, Rose Red, and Cinderella to Ozma, Baba Yaga, and the Snow Queen. I cheered the Blue Fairy on in her vendetta against Geppetto as much as I loved to hate Goldilocks. And a character I loved almost as much as Snow White has been Frau Totenkinder, aka Bellflower.

One of the best things about Frau Totenkinder in the entire Fables series has been that she’s an old witch whom everyone is a little frightened of. Even if she’s on their side. Totenkinder is always hiding some knowledge up her sleeve and leading the magical Fables to pull out tricks just when they need them. In the last trade paperback volume, Frau Totenkinder went from being a crone witch to a young witch again, going by her original name Bellflower. There was a smallish outcry against her reverting from crone to mother/maiden in years. In media in general, there’s a distinct lack of older female characters, and with all her power, Totenkinder was powerhouse against both sexism and ageism. Of course, Totenkinder’s story as told in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall points out that Totenkinder chose to let herself age.

Totenkinder’s de-aging back into Bellflower didn’t bother me until this volume, until Ozma Continue reading “Fables Vol 15: Rose Red Graphic Novel Review”

Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love Comic Book Review

Cinderella: From Fabletown with LoveErica gives this comic three starsI’ve always loved what Willingham did with Cinderella, so I was very excited to read Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love by Chris Roberson and Shawn McManus. And this miniseries doesn’t fail to disappoint when it comes to more kick ass Cinderella. She’s still a super spy and all that jazz.

Let me first say that I loved Chrissie Zullo’s covers. They are gorgeous. I want prints of them on my walls. I do think that their beauty helped make this series the success that it was. It’s always a draw.

In this tale, Beast sends Cindy on a mission after there’s a flood of magical objects into the Mundy world. She needs to figure who’s doing it and stop them. The auctions are happening in Dubai. (Which immediately sends me bad feelings about where this story is headed given the downright racism in other tales concerning Arabian fables. But I gave Roberson the benefit of the doubt until I read it.)

Before taking off, Cinderella must check on her shoe store, The Glass Slipper. Her employee Crispin is not pleased with all her globetrotting and how she never likes his designs. Of course, he has no idea that she’s a spy. In fact, he thinks that she’s having an affair with Beast, instead of getting debriefed on secret missions.

Cindy also visits Frau Totenkinder for a magical bracelet and ring. Continue reading “Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love Comic Book Review”