The Vegetable Garderner's Bible

So I have a backyard that's too small to play in but too big to lay vacant. With the prices of everything going up, combined with fond memories of my grandmother, I thought I might start a vegetable garden. After reading Edward Smith's The Vegetable Gardener's Bible I decided that I maybe don't have the best spot after all. I'll certainly check it out in the spring but if I decide to plant anything this year it'll probably just be a few berry bushes in the front garden.

That was the great thing about this book though. It laid out everything you need to know to start a garden from scratch, an extensive index of vegetables and what you need to do to be successful with them and a writing style that makes you believe that you can do it. Even when you live in a northern climate with a shortened growing season. I'll give this one a 4, even if I won't have a garden this Spring.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wolves at the Gate

Buffy Season Eight continues. Wolves at the Gate one had an interesting idea: vampires in Japan have taken Dracula's powers and use them to steal the Slayer scythe. Interesting, but it didn't really live up to the potential. The bits with Xander and Dracula were awesome but the bits with Buffy "experimenting" felt out of place. I could have done with more of one and less of the other. The one story that Josh Wheadon contributed was the way I expected Buffy to handle situation.

I'll give it a 3.

Batman: Dark Victory

I have a confession to make. While I love Batman, I may just like Robin more. I blame Superfriends. Or maybe the 1960s Batman that I happily watched in reruns on Sunday mornings. In Superfriends, raised himself above the level of "sidekick" and became a full-fledged member of the team. In Batman, (watch it and tell me I'm wrong) whenever there was a riddle to solve, Robin would solve it. Sure, Batman always replied, "Precisely, chum!" but I got the feeling he was covering.

Anyway, so when I saw the cover of Dark Victory I was pleased to see it would include the origin of Robin. It's a bit more than that though. It's the story of Batman pulling away and then being pulled back. It's the story of the freaks of Gotham getting rid of the mobsters (something that Batman, Gordon and Dent had been unable to do) and it's the story of Two-Face. In a lot of ways it's the direct sequel to The Long Halloween.

Oh, and Robin is the one to solve the puzzle. I'm giving it a 5.

Batman: The Long Halloween

Batman and mobsters. There's something that goes together very well. Batman has a great Rogues' Gallery but he also has a great street level presence. In The Long Halloween Loeb and Sale let Batman be the detective that he is. The detective that often gets lost in the big picture of capes and heroics.

The freaks are still there. The Long Halloween is as much about mobsters and detecting as it is about Batman losing Harvey Dent and gaining Two-Face. The story is the thing that makes it work though. Dent, Batman and James Gordon have a relationship that starts as business and turns to friendship. The creation of Two-Face changes that relationship.

Again, the art is awesome. Sale's Catwoman / Selena Kyle is very sensuous. I'm not sure why Batman didn't realise that they were one in the same but I don't think he likes to think ill of his friends. Probably because he has so few. I think it's what led him to being wrong.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It's getting a 5.

Haunted Knight

Batman is one of my favourite heroes. He's just out there with his wits and his training and his obsession with righting wrongs. In Haunted Knight Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale tell three stories of Halloween early in Batman's career.

The first is "Fears" and, appropriate for Halloween, the Scarecrow takes centre stage. It's more about what Batman gets out of being Batman though. What he has to give up and why it makes him very much like his father.

The second story is "Madness" and was my favourite of the trilogy. Loeb's Mad Hatter is truly mad and putting Gordon's niece Babs in danger really made it feel personal. Where "Fears" was about the loss of Thomas Wayne, "Madness" becomes about the loss of Martha Wayne. The final panel of the story has made it into my favourite moments of Batman. It shows him as the child that lost his parents and how that's hurt him as deeply as it has. The window with the single figure reading was very evocative.

Finally was "Ghosts" where Loeb tries to tell a Dickens' Christmas Story but with Bat-villains on Halloween. I didn't really like it. It was OK but still, after the first two it was a bit of a let down. Batman choosing to stay home for the evening to hand out candy to the children just seemed a bit forced. Plus, Wayne Manor is way the hell out in the middle of nowhere. There's not one kid who would be showing up on that doorstep.

I'd really like to praise Tim Sale's art. Batman is huge. Batman is a very real presence in these stories and it had to do with where Sale's chooses to put him in the scenes. He also remembers that Batman is a man and will do things like give him the 5 o'clock stubble to represent that he's been up all night and perhaps isn't as fresh as he was when he started.

This one gets a 4.

Empowered Volume 4

In Empowered Volume 4 Adam Warren sets out to tell a story that's a little more mature than what he's done before. Emp is gaining confidence and it's making better stories than her costume being torn to rags and used to tie her up. Even things that happened earlier in the volume had bearing on what happened later. A story is emerging. I'm honestly surprised considered where the character has come from. I'll give it a 4.

The Boys Volume 3: Good for the Soul

With Good for the Soul Garth Ennis fleshes out some of the supporting characters in The Boys. Of the team the Frenchman probably gets the best treatment but I'm very curious where he's taking Mother's Milk and the Female. Sometimes I find The Boys a little too explicit and there were a few points in the first arc that were a little much for me.

I did like Hughie's speech over the Blarney Cock and I liked the relationship between the Female and the Frenchman. I like how Hughie's relationship with Annie/Starbright is progressing and I can't wait to see his reaction when he finds out she's a cape.

In my opinion the second arc was the stronger of the two in the volume. I know that the Legend is obviously based on Stan Lee so when he tells Hughie the whole origin story of what's what in the world I don't know how much I believe. I know that Garth Ennis hates superheroes so it's probably closer to the truth than not. I'll give this volume a 4.

Hellsing Volume 9

Still in the middle of a fight scene. The art in Hellsing is, of course, stunning but this fight for London has been going on for a while now. I've sort of lost track of who's fighting whom and why. I'm going to miss Walter though.

I thought the scene where Integra had already happened. She'd already commanded Alucard to do whatever it took to defeat the Zombie Nazi menace so I was a little confused that it happened again.

Now that all the normal soldiers have been killed, and we're starting to work on the super soldiers, I'm hoping that London will be either won or lost soon. I liked the earlier stories from Hellsing better. Little bit of dialogue, little bit of awesome over-the-top action and on to a new story. I'm losing track here. It gets a 3.

Chibi Vampire Volume 11

Another strong outing for Yuna Kagesaki.

Volume 11 focuses on Anju and what it means to awaken as a vampire. I really connected with the youngest Maaka for the first time in this volume. I found it really interesting to see Karin transform from the one who needs protecting to the one doing the protecting. Her relationship with Kenta still seems to be going well and I think that's giving her more confidence in her own abilities. I'm curious to see how she'll react to being alone during the daylight.

Anju's blood preference for loneliness was an inspired choice. It gives some insight into what fuels the blood preferences of the other members of her family. I think this volume answered a lot of questions about how Kagesaki sees the vampire myths in her creation.

I'm going to give it a 5.

Chibi Vampire Volume 10

Wow! A lot more happened in this volume than I expected. In Volume 10 there was not the back step in Kenta and Karin's relationship that I was expecting, it moved forward! Karin's grandmother awakes again and this time nothing is hidden from her. The back story explains Elda too so even with the unresolved bit with Caldera it was a very satisfying read.

I'll give it a 4.

The Graveyard Book

I admit I'm a Neil Gaiman fan. I love the way he's able to use words that invoke. Not just tell a story, but invoke it. I was drawn into The Graveyard Book from the first sentence, "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." Adding in the illustration of just a pitch black page with the hand holding the knife immediately put me into the story.

The story is about Bod, who comes to the graveyard a baby and leaves a young man. Each chapter nearly stands alone as a short story where the conflict is appropriate to the age of the hero. I really enjoyed "The Witch's Headstone", "Danse Macabre" and "Nobody Owens' School Days" (although I do feel Bod learned the same "lesson" in both "The Witch's Headstone" and "Nobody Owens' School Days"). I liked how the ghosts had personalities in tune with the age in which they died and I liked how Gaiman lets his readers deduce what other horrors exist in the world without spelling it out. The hints are very broad, but they're still hints.

I got lost in The Graveyard Book. That's where I like to be when reading. The last chapter had me in tears from beginning to end because I, like Bod, wanted things to stay the same even when I knew they had to change.

I read Neil Gaiman's journal so it was interesting to see the book develop as he was writing it. He's said that Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book was an inspiration for this work. I've not read it, and now I feel I should. All in all, I give this book a 5.

Lore of the Forsaken

I was a big fan of Werewolf: the Apocalypse but now that's changed to Werewolf: the Forsaken I'm having a harder time figuring out what would make a good character or a good story. I picked up Lore of the Forsaken because it promised to delve into what it means to be a werewolf by focusing on their spirituality.

Werewolf has always been a game about spirits but what Lore tries to do is to take the nature of spirits and turn it into a kind of religion. There are four chapters detailing totems, auspices, gifts and rites and loci and fetishes. I think the first two chapters were the strongest. I especially enjoyed reading about the roles auspices play in what is expected of the werewolf. Too often it's easy to simply skim the surface of the auspice traits and create a character that is a caricature. The last two chapters had some helpful suggestions but devolved into a list of "items" you could give a character, some of which struck me as game breaking.

I judge a rules supplement on whether it gives me ideas. This one started off idea rich but fizzled out about halfway through. I'm giving it a 3.

Ultimate Power

This book made me wish that Brian Michael Bendis was writing the Ultimate Fantastic Four as well as Spider-Man. Ultimate Power has some great pacing. He knows when to write it quick and when to let the characters have a moment. The exchange between Nick Fury and Spider-Man alone as to how to deal with what happened to Reed was enough by itself to make me like this book.

Unfortunately, as I have no idea who these Powers people are, I would have liked a little more information up front. Maybe a quick introduction before the massive fight scene. The massive fight scene was a bit problematic as it was easy to lose who was who and what was going on. Finally, if this is where Nick Fury has disappeared to in Ultimates 2 then Spider-Man ought to have had a better idea where he was in the later volumes of the Ultimate Spider-Man. Perhaps there'll be more information whenever Ultimates 3 comes out.

I'll give it a 4.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Volume 6 Frightful

I don't like the idea of making superheroes. I do think that the first story in Frightful was a good example of what could happen (though one wonders how Thor becomes president as he's not a natural born US citizen). And I did like the resolution but ultimately this volume is about the conclusion of the Zombie crisis.

It takes a round about way to get there: infecting Johnny with an alien parasite, traveling to Latveria to ask Doctor Doom for help. Huh, it seems that Doctor Doom has mystical powers for some reason. What? Mind switching? And then...? That makes no sense. So really, what was a very promising story line turned into kind of a mess. It's too bad. I guess I'll give it a 2.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Volume 5 Crossover

OK, I get it. Sue's hot. I don't understand why she can't wear a shirt that covers her midriff. It seem impractical that every thing she owns exposes her abs. Actually, with a new artist every member of the team looks great. Except when he tries to show surprise. With surprise they sort of look like a blow up doll.

Once again, Crossover contains two (relatively unrelated) stories. I think these volumes would be a lot better if Miller used more space to tell his tale. The Zombie storyline could certainly have used two more issues to resolve so there didn't seem to be so many leaps in the action and the Namor story could have been jettisoned almost entirely. He's just another guy that'll hit on Sue and end up in a big fight when I'd think the zombies in the basement were a more pressing situation than exploring Atlantis.

The zombies were great and Namor was OK so I'll give this one a 3.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Volume 4 Inhuman

What a shame that Inhuman followed N-Zone because this one was just terrible. The Ultimate series was supposed to be a way for new readers (like me) to get involved with long running series without having to know the huge back history of some of these characters. Inhuman takes that concept and completely throws it out the window.

There are two stories in this volume, one about an old acquaintance of Reed's who now wants to kill him and one about Johnny meeting a girl who's essentially a goddess. I guess. If the second story hadn't been so terrible the first might have passed as OK but together they're just a mess.

The Thinker had no set up. None. They just kind of threw her at them. Her motivations made no sense and the story felt like it was missing pages. It seemed like it needed more time to tell the story it was trying to tell.

The Inhuman story was even worse. First, just how old is Johnny supposed to be? Reed, Sue and Ben are all 18-19 and Johnny is Sue's younger brother. So really, 16, maybe 17? How is he getting into bars? Sure, he's one of the beautiful people but it'd be nice to see the bouncer wave him in or for him to try flashing a fake ID, or something to acknowledge that these characters are supposed to be in their youth. Then to want to follow this girl home because he loved her? I was expecting to find out that Crystal's powers involved some kind emotional manipulation because it seemed so out of character.

This one was terrible, it's a 1.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Volume 3 N-Zone

Awesome.

That's all that really needs to be said about N-Zone. Just awesome. This has been my favourite so far (obviously) but the reason is that it's just written so well for super-high science fiction.

I really liked the way Reed was using his powers outside of the box. Being stretchy is about so much more than being able to tie oneself in knots. I didn't like what they did with Johnny in the N-Zone. To me, his exotropic powers seemed to be reacting to the endotropic universe and it made sense. Instead, he was shedding his skin like some kind of snake?

There was great tension built up with the escape and while it ended with the obligatory fight scene I still really liked it. I'm giving it a 5.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Volume 2 Doom

Warren Ellis takes over the writing duties in Doom to introduce the Fantastic Four's greatest villain, Doctor Doom. The finale of the The Fantastic had them all wondering what had happened to Victor after the accident that turned them into superheroes but here we find out that he's been teleported to Denmark, grown a skin of metal and is insane. It's the insane part that really sets things up.

I really liked some of the dialogue in this volume. Especially the reveal of the fantasti-car. Ellis got the pater of teens down with just the right touch and the result is really funny and very real. I'm giving it a 4.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Volume 1 The Fantastic

Everything I know about the Fantastic Four I know from the movie so I was intrigued to visit the ultimates version of the team.

The Fantastic is the origin story for the new team. They're younger than the classic tale so Bendis and Miller have to massage things some for them to be where they're supposed to be. Reed and Sue are easy. They're both geniuses so it makes sense that they'd be together at a special school. Johnny (my favourite by the way) is Sue's brother so he'd be with them because he has to stay with his dad who's also at the special school. Ben? Ben's a bit different and I didn't really believe that they'd let him attend the test of Reed's machine but I'll go with it.

I liked seeing Reed grow up and I liked how the authors chose to give their version their powers. I also felt very stupid for never noticing that the team is essentially the four elements. Fire and Air are easy (Johnny and Sue) but I never really thought of Ben as Earth because he never really looked as if he were stone before and Reed elasticity is certainly akin to Water.

I enjoyed the story. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume so I'll give it a 4.

The Ultimates 2 Volume 2 Grand Theft America

America gets invaded! Don't worry the Ultimates will save the day.

Grand Theft America is over the top. Completely. I was truly surprised with what they did to some characters, not just with but actually to them. Things get very, very, very dark in this one. Unfortunately, it was too much. I lost the sense that it was happening. I was able to figure out who the traitor was before it was revealed because it made the most sense in a fantasy world. I kept expecting to find out that it was all some terrible trick by Loki and that none of this was actually happening. That maybe he was just toying with Thor and his team mates to craft this ludicrous tale.

I understood the story that Miller was trying to tell but I didn't believe it. I can only give it a 2. Though I have to say I've never read a graphic novel that the splash page actually had to be folded out to get the full impact before. The art was much better than the story with this one.

The Ultimates 2 Volume 1 Gods and Monsters

Gods and Monsters sort of says it all. This first volume focuses on Thor and the question of his sanity and on the Hulk and his trial for the death of 800 New Yorkers.

The Ultimates is a dark series. I like the ambiguity of Thor's divinity. Is he a Norse god or is he insane? That was some of my favourite writing in the series. I liked the way Bruce Banner was handling his trial for his actions as the Hulk. While I didn't like the way Nick Fury handled the verdict, I liked that it was how I expected him to handle it. It's good writing when the characters do what you expect them to do even if you don't want them to.

What I didn't like was the creation of more and more super soldiers. I agree that's probably what world governments would do if the technology existed. It's an arms race and if the newest technology is super powers then that's what they'd go for. I just didn't like it. I'm giving this volume a 4.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 20 Ultimate Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends

This is the one that got me started on re-reading the series. I wanted to be fresh so read something that reminded me of my childhood.

I was not disappointed. Ultimate Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends really focuses on what I feel is the strongest part of the series. It's not the action (though that is great) it's the way people react to each other. From the opening monologues where each character reflects on why he or she feels his or her life sucks to the revelation that Kenny is not as stupid as you might think he is to the awesome tale of the Shocker.

While the actual team-up of Ice Man, Spider-Man and "Firestar" that was inspired by the 80s cartoon was short and more about high school students who happen to have super powers the true strength of this volume is the final story. For most of the run the Shocker has been a running gag. He's the villain whose grand plans get foiled with little to no effort from our hero but in this one he's pushed just a bit too far. And that pushing makes for a great tale. I'm giving it a 5.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 19 Death of a Goblin

Death of a Goblin made me cry. It's not really a hard thing for books to do to me but I wasn't expecting it from this one. The beginning of this is so strong. The interaction between characters just works. People say what you expect them to say in the way you expect them to say it. The only complaint I have is that the death of which goblin was sort of telegraphed.

Still, it's a good story and it's told well so I'll give it a 4.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 18 Ultimate Knights

Yet another team-up for Spider-Man in Ultimate Knights. I'm almost wondering if Spidey is capable of taking on the big guys by himself. Nevertheless, I did really enjoy this one because it really showed what kind of person that Peter is. The Kingpin has been causing him no end of trouble over the past year (maybe less, Bendis does move this story slowly) but when it comes right down to it, Peter still knows what makes a man a hero. And can stand up to Daredevil to prove it.

The final chapter of this story is the talk between Aunt May and Peter. I mention it because it's a truly awesome story. It captures everything that needs to be said between these two with the revelation that Spider-Man is also part of their lives. Bendis is very skilled at making heroes people too. The whole volume gets a 5 from me.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 17 Clone Saga

Apparently the original run of Spider-Man had a whole clone thing. I'm not aware of that. I do know that I enjoyed Clone Saga from the Ultimate Spider-Man , even though it felt like a giant excuse to get Peter and Mary Jane back together after their earlier break up.

By far, the most interesting clone was Spider-Woman. I'd like to see more of her. The Scorpion clone, not so much. The thing I really like about Brian Michael Bendis is his ability to give real emotion to his characters. The scene where Peter finally tells Aunt May his secret is really moving. His reaction to her subsequent heart attack just feels real. I'm giving this one a 5.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 16 Deadpool

What happens when superheroes date? According to Deadpool they get kidnapped and forced to star in reality television.

There's actually a lot of team-ups in Ultimate Spider-Man. This one has him with the X-men, Moebius (the vampire) and Daredevil. Some of them are treading the same ground, especially the Daredevil/Punisher/Moon Knight story but the X-Men arc that starts the volume is fun. I sort of wish Bendis spent more time writing Peter and Kitty dating rather than Spider-Man and Shadowcat fighting bad guys but he gives hints that there is something going on behind the scenes. Because there could have been so much more I'm only giving it a 3.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 15 Silver Sable

I'm not really sure why this is called Silver Sable as she doesn't really take up that much of the story. It actually kind of jumps around a bit with the loose association of the stuff that was made to get Roxxon. It does introduce Kitty Pride of the X-Men as a love interest for Peter (like) and then spends some time introducing various villains for Spider-Man to fight.

The actual Silver Sable story line was interesting. I liked the kidnapping of Flash Thompson and what it turned in to. I'm intrigued by Silver Sable and what she actually does but I was a little let down by the conclusion to the story. Once again, it's Nick Fury and the Ultimates to the rescue (behind the scenes this time).

All in all, I'll give it a 3.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 14 Warriors

When Spider-Man has to fight something that's a little less obvious I find the story a lot more intriguing. In Warriors the foe isn't some crazed genetic experiment like Carnage or the Green Goblin, or a maniac like Doctor Octopus, it's organised crime. And trying to figure out where the side of good lies.

I liked the introduction of the Moon Knight. There was enough information given to make me want to find out more but not too much to remove the sense of the mysterious. The Black Cat and her various reactions to the situation was fun and Spider-Man just getting tired of trying to figure out which side was the right one and instead deciding to web the whole lot of them was great. I'll give it a 4.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 13 Hobgoblin

Hobgoblin was another one I didn't really get. It felt like a really convoluted way to get Peter to break up with Mary Jane. Not that I completely disagree with Peter's reasoning. She did get into the middle of trouble with ease but he could have told her a bit more to give her a better idea of why she should stay away. And, oh yeah, Harry used to date her and that's why she was in big danger when he turned into the Hobgoblin. Didn't really capture me. I'm giving it a 3.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 12 Superstars

Superstars is another team-up book. It takes place more in the continuity than Ultimate Marvel Team-Up so it's not quite so confusing to read but it still feels slightly apart from the rest of the series.

Still, it has one of the funniest stories in the series. That of Wolverine and Peter switching bodies. I really liked the introduction of the Ultimate Human Torch. It makes him more human and more of a teen. The Ultimates and Doctor Strange are just kind of meh but the beginning of the volume is just so strong that I'll give it a 4.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 11 Carnage

I don't know what to think of this one. Carnage just seemed a bit rushed. From the introduction of Carnage and what he was to the death of Gwen Stacy to the ultimate battle between Spider-Man and the genetic experiment gone awry to Peter quitting Spider-Man (yet again). It just seemed like it had to cover too much ground in not enough space. I kind of get the feeling that Brian Michael Bendis was just not that into telling this part of the Spider-Man story. It felt like there were certain points that he felt had to be made, and that they might as well be made here but they weren't really story elements that he was all that interested in. It was OK, I guess. It's a 3.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 10 Hollywood

This one's just great. From Peter's disbelief that they can make a movie about Spider-Man without his actual consent to the fight that starts in New York and ends in Brazil. Hollywood is just full of great little moments. It's high action with a heart as Gwen Stacy finds out the truth near the end of this volume. I'm giving it a 5.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 9 Ultimate 6

I can see why it was recommended to read Ultimates before reading Ultimate 6. It reads more like The Ultimates than it does Spider-Man.

The five major villains that Spider-Man has fought so far (Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin, Sandman, Kraven and Electro) are being held by S.H.I.E.L.D and manage to escape. They take Peter with them because Norman is convinced that he's part of them for some reason that really never made sense to me. I guess it's because he's insane but it never really came across very well.

Even the art takes a shift towards the Ultimates. While it works in that series, it just doesn't seem to fit in this one. I can only give this one a 2.

The Ultimate Volume 2 Homeland Security

Alien Invasion! Now with Nazis!

That's pretty much what Homeland Security boils down to. It's one big fight against aliens that have masqueraded as Nazis so that Captain America can get some kind of closure. I do very much like the taunting of Bruce Banner. It makes me giggle every time I read it.

I'm giving this one a 3.

The Ultimates Volume 1 Super-Human

Again, not really a fan of Marvel. I couldn't tell you who was actually in the Avengers to save my life. I could probably come up with a few but not the whole team. The Ultimates is apparently the Ultimate universe version of the Avengers. With a Captain America back from the dead (well, back from the frozen ice), a hippie Thor, and Giant Man, the Wasp and the Hulk exhibiting terrible personal problems. I think Iron Man is pretty much the same.

It's the terrible personal problems that really surprised me. When I was first recommended this book it was to catch up on what's going on in the world of the Ultimate Spider-Man. I was told that I should probably read the first two volumes of the Ultimates before getting beyond Volume 10 of Spider-Man. So I did, expecting to find more of the same. It's not the same. It's a lot more adult. There's still a tonne of complaining going on, but it's less like the teenage angst of Spider-Man and more like the marital problems of unhinged people.

I like the dark turn, probably because I don't know any of the characters though. Even so, I'll give it a 4.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 8 Cats and Kings

Cats and Kings has one of my favourite covers of the volumes. It just evokes the feeling that he's had enough of these people.

In this volume Peter asks the questions that no one wants to hear. There's a bit less teenage moping and more moping about the fact that the Kingpin can do what he wants because he has money and power. It's a tough pill for Spider-Man to swallow because he thinks it should be more black and white than it actually is. Throw in a little subplot about female temptation in the form of the Black Cat and it's another outing of Spider-Man wondering why it seems like the whole city is against him.

There's some nice story telling and some nice visuals but the whole is just OK so it gets a 3.

Ultimate Marvel Team-Up

Trying to stick to the Ultimate Spider-Man theme going on here I found a place to force in the Ultimate Marvel Team-Up. It was tough, as although all the stories in the team-up were written by Brian Michael Bendis, they don't exactly fit into the continuity.

Some of the stories are great: like the Spider-Man/X-Men story or the Spider-Man/Shang-Chi stories. Some of them are terrible: like the Spider-Man/Iron Man story. The Spider-Man/ Daredevil/Punisher story was interesting but seemed more like an excuse to write a Daredevil/Punisher story.

The quality of writing and the quality of art is all over the place with this one and I can't really recommend it as much as the series itself. There are some neat things in it and it does put Peter squarely in the Marvel universe but it could have been a lot better. I guess it gets a 2.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 7 Irresponsible

Irresponsible strikes me as something of a transitions story. There's no real arc after the Venom story it's just stuff that happened to Peter between villains. It's mostly teen age drama with him moping about Mary Jane and then getting back together with her. The introduction of the Ultimate X-Men (while a fun story) doesn't really seem to fit with the other stories Bendis has been telling. It does make Spider-Man more a part of the world and brings in the whole mutant-phobia stuff that is the back bone of Marvel comics.

Probably the best thing about this volume is that Bendis makes Aunt May a person. Every incarnation of Aunt May previous to Bendis' portrayal shows Aunt May as a constant: always there with a hug or a cup of hot cocoa or just something that Peter needed. She was someone that he had to hide from and someone that occasionally would need to be rescued by Spider-Man. She had no character. In this issue Bendis does something different. He sends Aunt May to a therapist. He lets the reader see how Ben's death and Peter's changing lifestyle have really affected her. It's an excellent piece of story telling and really rounds out an iconic figure.

Still, it's the only really interesting story in Irresponsible so I'll give this volume a 3.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 6 Venom

This one is interesting because Peter isn't in the classic Spider-Man outfit for most of the story. In fact, in Venom, he appears more often in a stolen pair of pants and a hoody.

Venom is another character that I'm not that familiar with. I like that in the Ultimate universe Bendis made Eddie a friend rather than a rival and connects the story to Peter's father and his work as a scientist. The art in this one really lent a lot to the story as so much of it takes place in the rain and at night.

I guess I was expecting the Venom storyline to be told over a few more issues. It's one of the few instances in this Ultimate Spider-Man where I can say I found the pace a little fast. Most of the time Bendis lays down the pieces over a long time but here Peter's in and out of the Venom suit in an evening. Gwen and Mary Jane are just in the story to remind us that they're still in Peter's life.

I think this is the first stumble. I give it a 3.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 5 Public Scrutiny

This is one of my favourite books so far with the Ultimate Spider-Man series. It feels kind of sadistic to say that though because Public Scrutiny is the one where everything goes wrong. Peter should be feeling pretty good about his super-hero career but with someone pretending to be Spider-Man going on a crime spree, the triangle forming between him, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson and the epic break up just rounds out to a terrible few days for our hero.

I have to admit I'm on Peter's side when it comes to Mary Jane. She does have a point that he could ask about her and what's going on in her life for a change but he is absolutely devoted to her and there's nothing going on between him and Gwen. He can't control who his aunt invites to stay with them.

Plus, Aunt May is awesome. I admit, I joke about her from the old cartoon Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and I still think of her as an old weathered spinster. But the depiction she gets in the Ultimate Spider-Man makes her a saint among women.

So, as a favourite, I'm giving this one a 5.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 4 Legacy

The Green Goblin. I admit, most of what I know about this character is from the movie. Legacy was a great story but sort of relied pretty heavily on the teen angst between confrontations. I sort of like that about this series though. Bendis really tries to make Peter human. He tries to write him like a typical (but brainy) teen. He tries to have the people around him react to him like he's a teen. Grounding a super-hero is something that really doesn't happen in a lot of other comics.

Quick reads, but good reads. I'll give it another 4.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 3 Double Trouble

In Double Trouble Brian Michael Bendis tells the stories of two of Spider-Man's villains. In my memory both of them were ridiculous. Doctor Octopus - 4 metal arms attached to a band around his waist, green jumpsuit, and goggles. Really? That isn't silly? And Kraven the Hunter - um... What does he do exactly? Bendis makes one of them menacing and the other retains his silliness.

The re imagining of Doc Oc is great. He becomes scary and nasty and an actual threat to a new hero. Yet, at the same time, there's some empathy for the poor guy. He didn't ask to be grafted to his body but actually killing people takes it a bit too far.

Kraven the Hunter could have been played solely for laughs. It was pretty close to that but Peter was concerned that he was just trying to do the right thing and there's this guy that wants to hunt him down like an animal. Still the whole one-punch confrontation was amusing.

I'm still enjoying these books. I'll give it a 4.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 2 Learning Curve

I like a book where they're not afraid to show the hero can make mistakes.

That's exactly what happens when Brian Michael Bendis writes Spider-Man. In Learning Curve Spider-Man continues to try and figure out the ins and outs of being a superhero. How to make a little cash on the side, what not to do when facing a criminal organisation and how to talk to Mary-Jane.

One of the things I really like with this rendition of Spider-Man is the relationship between Peter and Mary-Jane. Bendis has a feel for surly teenager and teens in love. I like the way conversations happen in school and how Aunt May deals with a teenage boy in her house.

This is one is as much about the relationships as it is about the super-heroics. I'll give it a 4.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1 Power and Responsibility

I've never been a big Spider-Man fan. I was more into the DC universe because it seemed to have the idea that heroes became heroes because it was the right thing to do while in Marvel they became heroes because they were rejected by the rest of society. Spider-Man's always been a little different in that but I had gotten tired of the plot and his reasons for doing things. Brian Michael Bendis turns that around with The Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1 Power and Responsibility.

This version of Spider-Man is supposed to be new for the 21st century. I wasn't familiar with early Spider-Man stories except his origin (who doesn't know his origin?) but I really like what Bendis did to acknowledge what has come before and to make the material his own. The pacing in the first volume is really interesting. It's practically a day by day account of Peter's life the day before he's bitten by the spider to the moment he fights his first super-villain.

The dialogue is snappy and I really like the use of the narration box to actually give Peter a voice. It could have been done with all thought balloons but the box makes it tidier. The art isn't bad. The hardest thing in comics is to give a feeling of motion and Mark Bagley does an OK job of convincing the reader that Peter can do the things he can.

This is my second time through these books so I'm giving it a 4.

How to Get Your Kid to Eat... But Not Too Much

As I said when I finished Food Chaining, I have a picky eater. He's not as picky in as the children in that book but I think he may be pickier than the children in How to Get Your Kids to Eat... But Not Too Much by Ellyn Satter. I found the advice in Food Chaining too extreme and I find the advice in this one not extreme enough.

Basically, Satter's premise comes down to this: "It's my job to give him healthy meals and snacks but it's his job to eat it." It sounds simple enough and maybe by reading these two books I've decided that my son's eating really isn't so much of a problem. I'm learning to let him do his thing and since I've done that he's started putting different foods in his diet and he's starting to eat a bit more. It's making meal times less stressful so I'll give it that.

The other thing I took out of this book is scheduled snack times. Maybe he's just not hungry when he comes to the table. I'm trying to work snacks into a schedule but I don't want to be too quick to do so. I'd rather he not notice that there seems to be something changing.

I'm hoping that the book has helped me to be a better parent with food. I know it's an issue for me and I don't want it to be an issue for my boys too. I'll give it a 3.

Manga Sutra Volume 2

Like Volume 1, the Manga Sutra is more of a manual than a story. Aki has worked to make his characters involving but it's difficult to see it as a narrative when fun facts are interspersed throughout the story.

I found this one interesting because I felt it gave a peek into the Japanese culture. The love hotels are a foreign concept to me and the idea that hormonal birth control wasn't available until 1999 was a bit of an eye opener.

The way some of the fantasies were introduced made it a fun read so I'll give it a 3.

Manga Sutra Volume 1

The Manga Sutra Volume 1 by Katsu Aki advertises itself as a sex manual. And it is. Makoto and Yura are clueless when it comes to relationships and as a newly married couple has to start from square one. It's amusing and informative at the same time. Although Makoto's brother is a jerk. I'll give it a 3.

The Sneaky Chef

As I've mentioned before I have a very picky eater. I really want him to eat better. I'm investigating methods to help him overcome his pickiness but in the meantime I'd still like to get some nutrients into him. And that's why I picked up The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine.

I'm not adverse to lying to my kids to help them get through something. I've told them about the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. I've stretched the truth about something they wouldn't understand. I've done what I can to help them, or to make their childhood magical. Sneaking vegetables into their diet is nothing.

One of the things that I liked about this book is that it not only sneaks in vegetables, it also sneaks in whole grains and sneaks out sugar and fats. It's about much more than the vegetable purees. Some of the recipes look really good too.

I haven't tried to make anything yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll give it a 4.

Cooking Rocks! 30 Minute Meals for Kids

One of the things I thought I'd try to help my son overcome his limited diet was to cook with him. What I really needed was a cookbook aimed at kids, with quick recipes and the ability to lay flat on the counter. Rachael Ray's Cooking Rocks! just might be that book.

The recipes look tasty but I think we'll have to start with some of the sweeter stuff to get him interested. I do wish that more pictures of the finished product had been included so that he'd be able to pick the recipe from what it looked like rather than how it sounded.

I'm excited anyway. I'll give it a 3 pending an actual trial of a recipe.

Chibi Vampire Volume 9

Another installment of Yuna Kagesaki's Chibi Vampire. After the last volume I was a little concerned that there was the beginning of a love triangle. Usui and Karin's relationship was complex enough without adding another wrinkle. Thankfully, that didn't happen and introduced something that might actually help them in the long run.

A nice fun read, I look forward to the next volume. I'll give it a 3.

Food Chaining

My 5 year old son is a picky eater. He's not as picky as the children in Food Chaining: The Proven 6-Step Plan to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems, and Expand Your Child's Diet by Cheryl Fraker, Mark Fishbein, Sibyl Cox and Laura Walbert. There were a few things that I can take from this book. I can certainly think about better scheduling of his meals and snack times. I can get a better feel for the types of foods he likes and use that to expand his choices but that's about it.

I found myself skipping large portions of the book because it didn't apply to our situation. There's a lot of focus on underlying problems causing some kind of problem but my child doesn't have any of those issues. Even narrowing it down to a specific type of food isn't that helpful because he's got foods that he'll eat at his grandmother's house but won't touch here and vice versa.

There's also a lot of focus on babies and toddlers. My son was an excellent eater until he was about 3. Then he just started deciding he didn't like things. His diet had dropped down to just whole wheat bread and water but we were able to work it back up to be better balanced. When he started dropping out foods again I thought I'd try to find a way to stop the behaviour before he dropped too many. This book won't help me do that.

I also didn't like the focus on junk food. I don't want to introduce him to unhealthy food to get him to eat healthy food. I was hoping there'd be better advice on how to get fruits, vegetables and meats into his diet but he doesn't like McDonald's Chicken McNuggets and I'm fine with that.

I would've liked more food chain examples for more varieties of food. A better description of their food "types" so that I could figure out if it's a taste thing with him or something else. All in all I'm a little disappointed and can only really give this one a 2.

The Amber Spyglass - His Dark Materials Book III

So I've completed Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy by finishing The Amber Spyglass. And I have to say that I'm disappointed.

One of the things that I really liked about the previous two books was the relationship between Pan and Lyra. I really liked Pan and Pullman decided to remove him from most of the book. Although I have to give him credit for the scene of the children parting from their daemons. It was great and actually had me in tears. I suspect he did it to focus more on the relationship between Will and Lyra but I felt that their story was kind of meh.

The parts dealing with Mary among the mulefa were nearly physically painful for me. They weren't that interesting to me and Mary's view of evolution was flitting awfully close to intelligent design for a book that supports reason as a worthy end goal.

I felt Pullman was a little heavy handed in his completion of the trilogy. I thought he was a little heavy handed in the beginning of the trilogy as well so I can't say I'm surprised. In a world (or worlds) that exhibit the supernatural it's hard to be the champion of the natural. Lyra's story is about accepting free will and actually using it. I liked that message. I think it's an important one. However, one should have to pull down everything to accept one thing. I'm giving this one a 2.

The Subtle Knife - His Dark Materials - Book II

I enjoyed The Subtle Knife more than I liked The Golden Compass. I think part of that is because I liked Will more than I liked Lyra. Where Lyra, ultimately, triumphs because she's clever in a dishonest way; Will is the sort of person who gets labeled "hero" because he is. He does things because he feels they are right. He's just a good person and that comes through. I also liked that through Lyra's association with Will she was becoming more mature and less selfish and more of an actual person.

Pullman redeems himself to me by portraying some adults as actually having virtues which was something I felt lacking the The Golden Compass. He even allows Lee Scoresby to become a more rounded character and I enjoyed that.

I did not enjoy the ending. I'm not expecting everything to be "happily ever after" but I felt that it was not the ending that Will's quest for his father should have come to. Still, I liked the book and couldn't put it down so I'll give it a 4.

The Golden Compass - His Dark Materials - Book I

I have to admit I picked up Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy because of the controversy surrounding the movie. I still don't understand why people were condemning the movie without having seen it but after reading The Golden Compass I can see where some might object.

The first thing I have to say is that the book is not anti-Christian. It is anti-Church but I don't think that's the same thing. The people that represent the Magisterium are honestly trying to do the right thing. They think what they're doing is for the best. Unfortunately, it's also evil but that's saying more about human nature than about God. I don't think anyone can deny that organised religion has done some pretty awful things in the name of their God. True believers claim that those actions don't represent their religion, just the people in it. I believe that Pullman is making the same point. The Magisterium is evil, but that doesn't represent God, it represents the people in charge.

I think I might have enjoyed this book more if I'd read it maybe 20 years ago when I was more of a teen to a young adult. Some of the violence in it is more than I like in a children's book but it's definitely written for a younger audience. It's not badly written, I liked it enough to be curious about what happens next. I guess I was just hoping for something a bit closer to C.S. Lewis or J.R. Rowling. I don't think has the same adult appeal.

As I mentioned in my review of The Red Tent, I don't like it when authors villanise one group over all others. In this book the villains are adults. It seems like the only true heroes are children. Mrs. Coulter is evil. The Scholars are Jordan College are lying, backstabbing men just trying to get ahead. Even Lee Scoresby is just a mercenary when Lyra really needs help. The only adult that really stands out to be admired is Iorek Byrnison and he's a bear! It's just a 3 for me.

* EDIT *

I decided to rent the movie to see how they compared and I was completely disappointed. While I thought the book was kind of violent for a younger audience the movie did it's best to bring as little violence as possible to the screen. The plot felt forced and merely touched on most of the themes of the book rather than examining anything in any detal. The film is beautiful and well-cast but that's about it. Especially since they left off the ending.

Bloodsucking Fiends

I'd heard good things about Christopher Moore so when my husband offered to buy me a book at a spur of the moment book buying binge he was having I headed to the M section of the book store. I was going to pick up a different novel by Moore but my husband was on a vampire kick (see the slew of vampire manga and graphic novels that have landed in my blog to get an idea) and suggested I pick up Bloodsucking Fiends.

The story follows a newly-made vampire on her search to find out what's happened to her and the boy she co-opts to help her figure it out. When I first started reading I was a little unsure of the "purple prose" that Moore uses to set his scenes but once the characters started interacting I enjoyed the book alot more. There were parts that made me laugh out loud and there aren't that many books that do that to me. If Douglas Adams had been American and writing vampire novels they might have sounded something like this one.

It's not a perfect book. I was a little confused on how many vampires there might have been running around the city and, as I mentioned, the dialogue is much stronger than the parts that aren't dialogue but I enjoyed this for the most part. I'm giving it a 4 and I'm adding it to my husband's pile of books to read.

Chibi Vampire Volume 8

Chibi Vampire Volume 8 reads like a transitional story. Maki gets a bigger role trying to set Karin and Kenta up as a couple and a romantic rival is introduced (though there doesn't seem to be as much connected romantically to Kenta). I suspect that Yuriya is more interested in vampires (and the Maaka family in particular) than in Kenta. It doesn't come to a conclusion in this volume but the cliffhanger is not as extreme as previous volumes.

It was mostly just OK so I'll give it a 3.

Chibi Vampire Volume 7

Wow, resolution! Well some resolution anyway. And some of the best kind of resolution too. The resolution that opens new problems. Chibi Vampire Volume 7 treats the reader to one of the most intense visuals it has so far. The images of Karin biting Kenta were really, really evocative. I enjoyed the book for those images alone.

Plus, Kumio's subplot with Kenta's father was resolved. It might come back in the future but for the time being it seems that the story can focus on the romance of Kenta and Karin.

I'll give it a 4.

Chibi Vampire Volume 6

Now Kenta nearly has a clue! Chibi Vampire Volume 6 continues with another strong showing that delves deeply into Fumio's past to disclose the reason she and Kenta are living in such poverty. It really brings conflict to the vampire/human mix as her parents work with Kenta to get what they want.

I can't wait until I get to read the next volume. With a great cliffhanger I'll give it another 5.

Chibi Vampire Volume 5

The addition of Karin's grandmother makes this one of the best of the series so far. It was funny and even a little sad. The bonus story was great too and I hope to learn more of James in future volumes.

Chibi Vampire Volume 5 was just an absolute romp. It gets a full 5 from me.

Chibi Vampire Volume 4

I really like the push and pull between Karin's vampire family and her felling for humans. Seeing what was expected of Ren (and what will be expected of Anju) really shows how different Karin is and how difficult it must be for her. Also, having her finally figure out that she just might have feelings for Kenta is a relief.

So, for pushing the plot forward and for showing Ren's graduation, I'm going to give Volume 4 a 4.

Chibi Vampire Volume 3

In the third volume of Yuna Kagesaki's Chibi Vampire the romantic dithering is starting to get annoying but I did enjoy getting more background on Fumio and her troubles. I was hoping for a bit more, but isn't that always the way?

I was hoping for more forward motion with the plot so I'll give it a 3.

Chibi Vampire Volume 2

Karin's troubles continue in the second volume. I found it stronger than the first outing since all the characters had been introduced and Kagesaki could focus more on where she was sending them than on who they were. I'm enjoying the little "footnotes" to what the characters are thinking or feeling. I think it's cute and funny and allows more expression to be thrown at them than can be done with dialogue and art. I'm giving it a 4.

Chibi Vampire Volume 1

A tale of a misfit vampire, and not in the way you think. I thought it was a good set up for the rest of the series. It has the classic plot elements of girl meets boy and is strangely attracted to him but the addition of the weirdness of Karin and her family make the classic fun. Yuna Kagesaki was able to do enough in the first volume of Chibi Vampire to encourage me to keep reading. I'll give it a 3.

Life Sucks

If anything Life Sucks, by Jessica Abel with art by Gabe Soria and Warren Pleece, reminded me most of Clerks. Which is kind of weird as I just finished reading Kevin Smith's journal book.

I thought this book was great. The idea of a vampire night manager at a convienience store was just alot of fun. The romance plot started off kind of slow and I was much interested in Dave's unlife than I was in his love life but it ended satisfactorily for me. The art was real and deep and added to the telling of the story. I hope Abel decides to write more with these characters.

Because I could read this again and still want more I'm going to give it a 5.

Wormwood Gentleman Corpse: Calamari Rising

Ben Templesmith's Wormwood is just crazy. Someone at work asked what I was reading and I could only tell her that it was about a god-like worm that lived in the right eye socket of a corpse. It's not quite a conversation stopper, but it's close.

In Calamari Rising, Wormwood must once again save the Earth from something that's come looking for him. The only reason he saves the Earth is because he likes the drink and the women. He's kind of self-centred that way. I found this novel alot tighter than the last one (It Only Hurts When I Pee) it seemed to know where it was going, even if it did involve sort of a deus ex machina device it made sense because Wormwood is something of a god.

I enjoyed this one, it went quickly but I wasn't disappointed. I'll give it a 4.

My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith

The title kind of says it all. My Boring-Ass Life by Kevin Smith is boring. And, like the subtitle, is uncomfortably candid. He talks about everything: his love for his wife and family, how often he likes to have sex with his wife, how he likes to have sex with her, his morning bathroom ritual and how going on an all liquid diet changes that and basically every move he makes for about a year. Someone on his web site asked him what he did all day and he told them.

It did inspire me to go out and rend Catch and Release because he seemed to have such a fun time making it. It wasn't as good as he thought it was. In fact, alot of the movies and TV shows that Smith really likes (and he watches alot of TV) are not ones that I would recommend, or at least not recommend as glowingly as Smith. I made me wonder why I like his movies and why I was even reading his book.

Then I hit the middle section. He'd started making Clerks II, which gave him more to talk about and less time to talk so the blog entries had filler and space. This is where the book started picking up for me (although the anal fissure story was very funny) but the part that really made the book worth it in the end was the story of his relationship with Jason Mewes and Mewes relationship with drugs. The story of his friend's addiction and battle to beat that addiction was both toughing and funny and reminded me that I like Kevin Smith's work because he does know how to put words together.

This book is slow going because it's basically a blog on paper but the pay off happens in the second half. I'm giving it a 3.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future for You

I like Faith. I always felt she was a really interesting character that had more to her than just being the bad girl. The second volume of "Buffy Season 8", No Future for You is a Faith arc written by Brian K. Vaughan, with art by Georges Jeanty and Andy Owens. It lets out a little more of Faith's past and why she feels she needs to act as tough as she does and it catches up with what Giles is doing as, essentially, the last Watcher.

While it requires a little faith that the reader can hear a passable English accent coming from Faith I felt it was a really good story. I liked seeing more of Faith through her own eyes. I liked seeing Giles through her eyes and acting in ways that he wouldn't if Buffy could see him. I also liked the idea that Buffy is never really going to totally trust Faith. I'm curious to see how Faith is going to change from loner Slayer to outreach Slayer. I think she's uniquely suited to that role and I think she and Giles work well together but I doubt it will be something that Buffy will like.

The final story was a little one-off written by Joss Whedon with art by Cliff Richards called, "Anywhere but Here". It continues, in the fine tradition of Buffy, the pattern of something being resolved for the better (Faith and Giles teaming up) with something being broken down. In this case it breaks down the lies the gang all tell one another. Granted, they lie because they think they're protecting someone or something but they're still lying. While the story focuses on Buffy, Willow and Dawn it does come right after a story where Giles goes behind Buffy's back to work with Faith.

The volume didn't exactly advance the plot of Twilight introduced in the first volume but I really didn't expect it to. Buffy was never a show where each and every episode was about the Big Bad but most episodes did advance the plot in some way. No Future for You is the same. The plot moves even if it isn't the main focus of the story. I thought these stories were great, I just devoured the colume, so I'm giving it a 5.

Soon I Will be Invincible

I had high hopes for Soon I Will be Invincible by Austin Grossman. I thought it could be fun to read a story written from the supervillain's point of view and it was highly recommended by my husband. It was written in first person and alternated between the villain and the hero points of view. I had trouble deciding if it was meant to be a parody or if it just fell short of its objective.

First, the superhero names were terrible. There were a few good ones but they were just bad on the whole. I know from watching the commentary on The Incredibles that coming up with a superhero name that is both cool and that hasn't been used before is tough but Fatale as the name of a cyborg is just bad. Damsel is not good, Blackwolf isn't bad and CoreFire would be better if it conformed to the rules of grammar. At least Doctor Impossible was passable as a supervillain moniker.

Second, Doctor Impossible. He's supposed to be a super genius. If you're a super genius it's probably not easy to speak as one which is why I feel that Grossman should have stayed away from the first person narrative he chose. The speech patterns of Doctor Impossible and Fatale (the other half of the narrative) were really much too similar. Also, as a super genius, that's his power. Being super-strong and super-tough just seemed unnecessary. The strength of the Superman/Lex Luthor nemesis pairing is that Luthor can't take a punch from Superman and has to find other ways to protect himself from the hero and find other ways to hurt him. The same couldn't really be said for the Doctor Impossible/CoreFire nemesis pairing. Doctor Impossible couldn't stand toe-to-toe in a fight with CoreFire but he could take a punch. I think a more talented writer could have done alot more with the story by having Doctor Impossible be more fragile. I will give him this though, Doctor Impossible knows how to monologue.

Third, the abandoned ideas. Grossman laid out ideas all over the place, some of them he tried to follow through to the end but most were just tossed out and left there. Fatale's origin was not satisfactorily resolved in my mind. There were other more interesting possibilities that could have made the story stronger and solved the super-genius problem of Doctor Impossible for me. There were two points in the story that I thought that a superhero gone bad would have led to a really interesting climax. There was the problem of Lily and the problem of Elphin.

Finally, the climax really just didn't do it for me. It was sort of a deus ex machina x 2. Sure, it's a superhero book and there will be god-like beings. That doesn't mean that they have to be used like gods.

In the end, while it was an enjoyable read for the most part, I have to say I was disappointed with Soon I Will be Invincible and can only give it a 3.

Book of Spirits

One of the things I look for in a rules supplement is if it actually gives me ideas for the game. White Wolf's Book of Spirits did just that. Nearly every entry was another story idea for me and it just made me wish we were actually playing.

I originally bought the book to get a better idea of the Spirit realm. The universe has changed quite a bit from when I was running Werewolf and I was having trouble coming to grips with what went on in the Shadow. Unfortunately, this book didn't really cover it either. The information on the spirits, how a mortal might enter the Shadow and why spirits care about the other plane were all really interesting though. The final section with different types of antagonists was excellent.

The between chapter fiction did a really good job of setting the tone as well. The World of Darkness is supposed to be dark but it's sometimes hard to think of that personal horror. The examples provided helped me think of ways that I could draw in the people I normally Storytell. The number of ideas it gave me rates the book a 4, if it had done what I was looking for I might have rated it higher.

Fell Volume 1: Feral City

I like Warren Ellis' writing and I like Ben Templesmith's art so when my husband added Fell Volume 1: Feral City to my pile (that doesn't actually seem to be shrinking thanks to books he thinks I need to read right now) I figured I'd enjoy it. I was actually a little disappointed. Ellis seemed to be falling into something of a stereotypical cop story.

The stereotypes may be a little bit augmented by the weird but they're still stereotypes. Fell is a broken down detective who's too perceptive for his own good, Mayko is the sardonic barkeep that he tells all his troubles to, the lieutenant is just trying to make it to retirement and the secretary's husband has just left her. Sure, Fell doesn't exactly go into why he can't cross the bridge out of Snowtown, Mayko cuts herself, the lieutenant's on anti-depressants and the secretary's husband left her for the dog but it's not the sort of weirdness I expect from Ellis and Templesmith.

I will say that the story got better as it went along. Fell and Mayko are getting better developed and there's actually some long term story telling at work. The actual cases that Fell works were interesting to me (law and order junkie that I am) and the final story was the strongest. It let the pictures do the work as it was told through photos that Fell had taken of his night's work.

If Jason picks up the next volume, I'll probably read it but for me it was mostly just OK, so I'm going to give it a 3.

The Twilight Watch

The third in the Watch trilogy, The Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko moves beyond the morals between Light and Dark and into the morals of individual characters.

I've read both The Night Watch and The Day Watch so when I discovered that there was a third I was anxious to read it. Unfortunately I don't feel that it really stood as well the other two. Mostly, what we learn is that everything just works out well for Anton. In the first book he was able to save the world without sacrificing himself, in the second he's able to keep the woman he loves because she gets reduced in power and here in the third he gets an increase in power so that they're matched. It feels a little forced. Even the way he manages to come out on top in this one feels contrived.

Still, I enjoy seeing the glimpse at the way Russians see themselves and their country. I'm disappointed with the deus ex machina but I'm still giving this one a 3.

The Boys Volume 2: Get Some

Garth Ennis continues his series with a second volume containing two stories. The Boys Volume 2: Get Some, with art by Darick Robertson, continues the skewering of the superhero genre with "Get Some" and then turns the Boys into almost heroes with "The Glorious Five Year Plan".

With "Get Some" Ennis turns to all those jokes about Batman and his young ward. Using Tek Knight, his side kick Laddio, and his former side kick Swingwing to stand in for the non-powered playboy billionaire and his ward the story sets the Boys to investigating the death of a young, gay man. It's an interesting idea to explore comic books in a world where super heroes exist but once again Ennis assumes the worst. The epilogue took the story over the top and really didn't need to be written.

In "The Glorious Five Year Plan" they travel to Russia to be CIA operatives. It was a much different story than what had been being told up to this point. They're not really just spying on the heroes to get the dirt on them and then maybe have a bit of a dust up. They're being secret agents. Again, in Ennis style some things were way over the top, but Love Sausage? Really?

This one gets a 4 because it made me laugh. It might be a lower 4 but I've given myself a scale without too few gradations.

The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game

Garth Ennis hates superheroes. It's pretty obvious in most stuff he writes but with The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game (with art by Darick Robertson) it's prevalent as they're affiliated with the CIA and their whole purpose is to keep the capes in line. As a superhero fan myself I like trying to figure out who Ennis is using as source material for his "heroes". I find it gives them a bit of depth because I already have a vision of them in mind. There's a layer to them that Ennis doesn't have to try to add through exposition.

The Boys wouldn't work as well without Wee Hughie, the common man who's the counterpoint to the super man. I felt it was interesting to give Hugh the face of Simon Pegg. It immediately gave him a voice and a timing in delivery that gave him the same sort of caricature that the heroes would have.

I'm giving this one a 4 out of 5. Only because I'm a Pollyanna and believe that if superheroes were real there would be more than a few good ones.

Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse It Only Hurts When I Pee

Another outing into the craziness that is Wormwood by Ben Templesmith. Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse It Only Hurts When I Pee is a collection of two Wormwood stories. The main story is "It Only Hurts When I Pee" and the after thought is "Segue to Destruction". Of the two I preferred "Segue".

In "It Only Hurts When I Pee" Wormwood and his gang travel to the dimension of the Leprechauns and it becomes a twisted road trip. There's not much plot, just alot of violence, weird sex and a cross-dressing Leprechaun Queen. "Segue to Destruction" is a much better dark comedy. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are more bent on enjoying themselves than on bringing about the end of the world. Thanks to Wormwood of course. The scene with Death (or Mr. D as he's known) with the Emos is priceless.

All in all, the main story sort of takes something away from this collection. It's much more over the top than I'm really comfortable so I have to drop the rating to 3 out of 5. Reluctantly.

Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse Birds, Bees, Blood & Beer

Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse Birds, Bees, Blood and Beer by Ben Templesmith is freaky. Freaky and messed up. An intelligent maggot, inhabiting the eye socket of a corpse, with an automaton drinking buddy that has no bits, saves the world. Twice. To really enjoy this book, I'd say you that had to be open to dark comedy. There's some pretty sick things that happen and it's meant to get a laugh, or at least a chuckle.

The art is amazing. It's so rich and layered. I think Templesmith must have refined his style since 30 Days of Nights because I liked it much better here than I did in the other graphic novel. Maybe it's just that he's illustrating his own work. I like it enough to give it 4 out of 5.

Empowered Volume 3

I can't believe I read these books.

I can't believe I like these books.

But I do. Empowered Volume 3 by Adam Warren is more of the same superhero comedy craziness of a girl who wants to be a better hero but whose fragile supersuit, and fragile self esteem, keep her to the D-list. Even though it's really an excuse to draw a pretty girl all tied up, Warren does make the effort to have a story and to move it along. He reveals Emp's alter ego, what's up with Ninjette (her real name as well) and more of Thug Boy's past as a witless minion. I think one has to be familiar with the superhero genre to really get some of the humour but it does make me laugh. It gets a 4 from me.

Nightwing: The Lost Year

I admit it. I'm a Nightwing fan. I like that he's a hero that has evolved within the DC Universe from a sidekick to a leader to a hero in his own right. I can put myself in his place at times wondering what it would be like to have seen my parents' deaths and then be raised by Batman. How would that screw a person up?

Nightwing: The Lost Year by Marv Wolfman, with art by Jamal Igle and Jon Bosco, is a collection of some stories from the series that deal with the time between Dick being a true sidekick to Batman and becoming his own person.

"Hero's Journey" was sweet and funny and nostalgic for the "Dynamite Duo" days of Robin and Batgirl. It was nice to see the two characters just reminiscing of their teen years when they could have, almost, had a relationship. And what stopped it from happening.

"321 Days" was closer to the New Teen Titans days that were all about teen angst. This story really went into some of the reasons that Dick decided to put aside his Robin persona and re-invent himself as Nightwing. He knows that he can handle it, he's been with Batman for years and he's led the Titans but his mentor, his father figure, seems to want to hold him back. It was a nice coming of age story.

I enjoyed this story immensely. I'm giving it the full 5 out of 5.

Changeling: The Lost

This one felt like it took forever but I find that's the nature of game manuals for me. There's alot of information packed into those 340-odd pages!

Changeling: The Lost by White Wolf is a book I picked up because I like White Wolf's World of Darkness campaign setting. I'm more drawn to Werewolf than I am to the other products in the line but with the re imaging of the World I was curious what they'd do with Changeling.

Changeling: The Dreaming was sort of the weak sister of the previous World of Darkness. Vampire had the personal horror of being a blood-sucking fiend. Werewolf had the personal horror of having to deal with your own personal Rage that could destroy you and your loved ones. Vampire was a story of nightly survival. Werewolf was a story of environmental warriors. Changeling was well... Cute. There was no sense of the horrific. There was no sense that there was any sort of fight for survival. You just were these sort of cutesy fae creatures that were in the World of Darkness. Changeling: The Lost has found the horror.

The best thing that White Wolf has done with the new Changeling is realise that their games are dark. They looked for the dark in Faerie and came back with the old tales. The tales that didn't always have the happy ending. They really encourage the players to think of the old Brothers Grimm, not the sanitised, Disney-fied fairy tales. When their source material includes the works of Neil Gaiman and Pan's Labyrinth it's a good bet that they were really thinking about dark fairy tales.

Your character has been kidnapped into Arcadia where the True Fae rule. Capricious, cruel, and completely inhuman you were their slave, or their lover, or for whatever else they might have wanted a human pet. Your only hope was to try to remember what your life as a human was like and then pull yourself back through the Hedge to your memories. You might have spent years in Arcadia but have only been gone a few moments. You might have been gone for a few moments to return to years passed. The Fae might have replaced you with a creature called a fetch that your friends and family are convinced is you. Whatever the outcome, spending time in Faerie makes your character not human anymore. You can't just step back into your life and pretend like nothing happened. You see the world differently now. And there's always the threat that the True Fae will find you again and take you back.

When I first started reading I got several different ideas for characters but had no clue how to construct a story. I got ideas about what some of my friends might create given the chance. It wasn't until I was nearly to the end of the book that I started to get a feel as to how I might run a game. That was much different than my Werewolf: The Forsaken experience where I'm still not convinced I have a character idea but have several plots I'd like to try. I don't know if I'd ever get the chance anyway. I seem to be the only one in the group with even a little interest in playing a Changeling game. I think the original probably turned people off this title. This is a solid game book though. It's in depth and gives alot of ideas to get you started. I'm going to give it a 4 out of 5.

Crossing Midnight: A Map of Midnight

Crossing Midnight: A Map of Midnight (by Mike Carey, Jim Fern, Eric Nguyen and Mark Pennigton) picks up where Cut Here leaves off so it was great to be able to sit down and essentially read them together. I actually liked this volume a bit more. There was less exposition to wade through because that was all set up in the first volume so this one could get down to the story that Carey wants to tell. And it's a great story.

The twins get pulled further into their respective courts and further from each other. The world was better merged than in the first volume. There was more of a feeling that the real world and the world of myth and legend existed not just beside each other but with aspects dipping in. I really want to learn more about what's expected of Toshi and just what is expected of Kai.

The gifts of the twins are starting to become more defined and there seems to some kind of destiny attatched to them. With their birth status, one on either side of midnight, I'd expect there was something tied to that. I found the end of Toshi's story in this volume a little predictable, it makes sense that she'd be set against her brother, but I was intrigued by the direction that Kai seems to be taking. I thought he'd just be her protector but it seems as if someone has plans for him too.

For just being tighter and more focused (the art seems to be settling down as well) I'm giving it a 5.

Crossing Midnight: Cut Here

Crossing Midnight: Cut Here (written by Mike Carey, penciled by Jim Fern and inked by Mark Pennigton) was kind of a surprise addition to my pile of books. I say it's open to stuff to rise to the top if it's something someone just wants me to read and this one jumped to the top pretty quick.

I really like the concept of this one: boy/girl twins born on either side of midnight and marked by the forces of the Japanese parthenon. I'm a fan of legend and mythology, although I don't know much about the Japanese tradtions. It took a little time for me to wrap my brain around what was happening because I'm not that familiar with that world but once I learned the "language" of the story I really enjoyed it.

The are was kind of hit and miss for me. It seemed like Fern was really going for a Japanese style but couldn't always keep to the style he was aiming for. The Afterword by Carey was helpful in filling in the holes in what I'd figured out about the difference between the two courts the twins were dealing with. The only real complaint I had was with the story dealing with Toshi going for the gun. It didn't seem to fit in as well. That could have been the point as modern methods of dealing with the problem are not going to save them. I'm giving it a 4.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards was a tough one for me. My mother recommended it as one of those books that I'm supposed to read to get in touch with my feminine/motherly side. I have that side; it doesn't really need to be touched. I expected to not like the book. And I didn't like it when I first started because I didn't like David Henry for te choice he made.

I can't imagine looking at my newborn and deciding that the rest of the family would be better off not knowing she ever existed. Maybe it's because I grew up in a different time. Maybe it's because I've known people with Down Syndrome. I don't know, it just seemed like a stupid decision. I wanted to keep reading to find out the consequences of his decision but I kept finding more stupid decisions.

The prose typifies what I consider "chick lit". It speaks in way too many metaphors. Something always relates to something else and nothing is simply what it appears to be. Everything has layers. That's fine in moderation but not everything is an onion.

In the end, none of the characters were really likable, the climax was kind of anti-climatic and I wish Phoebe had been explored more. She was central to what everyone was going through but Edwards never tried to show things from her perspective. It's possible that she didn't feel her talents were up to writing something from the perspective of someone with Down Syndrome but I was hoping for at least one chapter where she at least tried. Without that I didn't see Phoebe so much as a person but as a plot device.

The book was OK, not great and I don't think it lived up to the hype that I've heard surrounding it. I can understand the fears of both David Henry, who gave Phoebe up, and Caroline Gill, who fought for Phoebe's life but I don't feel like I really got to know anyone any better than when I started the book. I'm giving it a 3.

The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World

What a fun read! The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World (gotta love the subtitle) by A.J. Jacobs is just a plain, funny read. It's about following the quest - the reading the the Encyclopaedia Britanica from A to Z.

The book is written sort of like an encyclopaedia itself, little ancedotes arranged in alphabetical order. Some are about the section he just read, some are about what people thought of him, his quest, or how he brought the section out into his life and some are just how that particular section related to his life. If the book had just been bon mots about what he had been reading then it would have been pretty boring but adding in the trials that he and his wife Julie were having trying to conceive thier first child and the relationship he had with his brother-in-law Jacobs makes a narrative out of reading the encyclopaedia.

I liked that he was trying to find outlets for the knowledge he was accumulating. He tried to get on Jeopardy but, because he'd interviewed Alex Trebeck, ended up on Who Wants to be a Millionaire instead. I liked that he often failed. There were points in the book that I wondered if things happened the way he wrote them or if he gave a spin on them to meet the characters he was trying to develop. I half expected that I'd get to the listing for pregnancy and find that his wife was expecting. I'm glad he wasn't that obvious if he shifted the events around to better follow his A to Z structure.

Being an admitted knowledge geek myself and having contemplated reading the entire encyclopaedia I really related to Jacobs. I found the book funny, entertaining and interesting. I really enjoyed it so I'm giving it a 5.

The Day Watch

The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko is the sequel to The Night Watch that I read earlier this year. Like the other, it's three stories in one book and is the story of the struggle between the Light and the Dark in Moscow. This time the focus is on the Dark Others.

That's sort of the problem with this book. It's hard to have empathy for characters that you know are evil. This is most evident in the first story. The witch Alisa appeared in the The Night Watch as a villian. Telling the story from her perspective and trying to be drawn into her story was a little more difficult because she just wasn't a nice person. I didn't want her to have what she wanted because I didn't like the way she went about getting it. I got the feeling that Lukyaneko was going for a kind of Romeo and Juliet tale with the first story. A Dark Other falls hopelessly in love with a Light Other and it ends badly for all involved. Except it didn't quite make it there.

There was more success in the next two stories. The characters were more empathetic as they weren't really EVIL, but they were selfish. The characters were drawn such that I could see their motivations for what they chose to do, or to not do.

I'm looking forward to the third in the series as this one had movement to a final chapter. There's definately some kind of climax building that will change this world. Even the title of the final book, The Twilight Watch, signals something different because that's something that hasn't been introduced before. I'm going to give this one a 4. It was better than OK and it did make me want to keep reading.