The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones

OK, I'm a fan girl. I can admit it.

This was a cute book. It made me laugh with the inside jokes and I could appreciate how it was put together. It includes snippets from all four movies, the television show and even some of the novels, comics and video games. In short, if Indy did it, it's here. I like how it was put together as an actual journal, fake leather cover and elastic complete. The pages are all "hand written", sometimes with typed notes by the "Russians" and the pictures are clipped and "taped" in. It was a fun read.

Mirror Mirror

I liked Wicked, I even liked Son of a Witch. Then I started moving into Gregory Maguire's fairy tales. I liked Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister but Mirror Mirror? Not so much.

First, I'm not a big fan of historical fiction. I like stories written as if they were historical fiction, I just don't like being expected to know any actual history. It's not one of my subjects. So when Mirror Mirror drapes itself around events of 16th century Italy I have no clue what's going on. I know something of the Borgias (in that I recognise the name) but I couldn't tell you what they meant to the politico-social environment of Italy. I would have had to do research to read this book. Maybe I'll pass it on to my husband. He's a history buff.

Second, the fantastical makes a much greater appearance here than it did in Maguire's other works. Mirror Mirror is the story of Snow White so we're expecting to see dwarves and poison apples and maybe a prince. The dwarves were much more mythological than I was expecting. It was sort of interesting but I think they fell flat in that they had no real personality. They were just something that happened and not a part of the story. They were Maguire's deux ex machina when he'd written himself into a corner.

The search for the Apple from the Tree of Knowledge was an unnecessary subplot. Why go to the trouble of setting up Lucrezia as a poisoner when she was going to poison a mystical Apple? Why set up the Apple as mystical if Lucrezia was just going to poison one?

This one was a disappointment. I'm giving it a 2.

Empowered Volume 5

This volume of Empowered was sort of all over the place. I would have thought that with the end of Volume 4 that Emp would have a little more confidence and a little more backbone. Nope. She's back to being very needy. This volume focuses more on the supporting cast than it does on Empowered herself but the only story I really liked was the last one.

The last story in the volume was very powerful and I'd like to see more of this in future volumes. It was touching and funny and cool. Sure, the Caged Demonwolf is always amusing but Emp overcoming is a better story.

I'll give it a 3.

Vampire Knight Volume 2

Yuki's supposed to be cool right? I mean, she's leaping off buildings and standing up to vampires on school grounds but then when she's actually confronted it's up to Kaname or Zero to save her. I hope that Hino decides where she'd like her heroine to fall before too long. It's hard to like a character that comes across so helpless when she's not supposed to be.

There's a couple of scenes in this one that were a little... well, creepy. Kaname's possession of Yuki when she and Zero visit the Moon Dormitory and the scene between Zero and Yuki where she offers to help him. Both illustrate the relationship that Yuki has with these two characters and both show what she is willing to give of herself.

This one gets a 3.

Vampire Knight Volume 1

So I've been reading Bleach and Naruto. My husband has been trying to get me to read Vampire Knight. It's not at all what I expected. It's a bit more... girly?

I did enjoy the first volume though. I'm not fond of the repetition of the set up. Yes, it's a private academy where the Day Class needs to be separated from the Night Class. Yes, the Night Class is made up of vampires and it's Yuki's job to keep their secret. After the first couple of times I got the concept.

The art is amazingly detailed, although I do find it hard to tell some of the characters apart. Some of the guys look all the same in their beauty. I like Zero, I hope he "wins" and I feel for Kain, no one should have to put up with Aido.

I'll give it a 5.

Naruto Volume 5: The Challengers

How do you follow the massive battle sequence that was Volume 4? With a test of ninja skills obviously! A written test of ninja skills is a little less expected. I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy this volume as much as I actually did but Kishimoto was able to build up the narrative into a satisfying pay off. Naruto's speech about question 10 had me laughing out loud. Now I can't wait to see how they'll fare in the second part of the exam.

I'm giving it a 4.

Naruto Volume 4: The Next Level

Massive fight scence. Massive. The end move Kakashi attempts was just brutal.

Naruto's strength is not that he's the best ninja ever, and I'm not convinced he'll ever be a ninja master, his strength is in what he'll do for his friends. When he puts others before himself he can tap into some raw power. He was willing to do what was needed to avenge Sasuke, even though he doesn't really like him. I think if the three of them (Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura) can actually work together as a team they'd be quite the force.

I'll give it a 4.

Bleach Volume 6: The Death Triology Overature

This is what happens when teenage boys are given awesome cosmic powers. They have to have some kind of big contest to determine who is the better fighter and all that happens is that the fabric of the universe starts to unravel. Pretty typical really. I did like how Ichigo tried to settle future interactions.

I'm giving it a 4.

Bleach Volume 5: Right Arm of the Giant

Apparently, there are a lot of people in the Bleach universe with paranormal abilities. Chad' is kind of interesting, Orihime's is kind of odd and Karin's is sort of expected. I like that the supporting characters are getting a chance to do something more than support Ichigo but I'm not sure if there should be this many characters running around with special abilities. I'm still enjoying the story though so I'll give it a 4.

Hordes: Metamorphosis

Hordes: Metamorphosis is the latest expansion of Privateer Press' Hordes line of miniature battle. The story progresses (although I wish Circle's role was a little more than the faction to get beat around) and I'm intrigued as to where it's headed. I understand what Kreuger was thinking when he went to see Blighterghast but I don't think he really thought out the consequences.

Skorne was the big winner in Metamorphosis. Pretty much everything they got was full of win. The other factions got nifty stuff too, but Skorne got the best.

The Minion warlocks are an interesting idea. I like the variety and that they can't command their own faction. I think it maintains the flavour of Hordes.

The only real complaint I have about Metamorphosis is that it came out too close to Mark II. Morraig, Circle's dragoon, will be out for all of a month before he undergoes rule changes with the field test. I'm excited for the changes that Mark II will bring. I just wish I had more time to play with him before he changes.

I'll give this one a 3.

Nightwing: Love and War

I wanted to like this one, I really did. Marv Wolfman created Nightwing he should know how to write him, but he missed. While I liked the running commentary from the hero, I liked seeing into his mind, it's Nightwing's nature that his mouth and his brain are in motion as much as his body, I didn't like way the story was handled.

Nightwing is still a vigilante trained by Batman. I found that too much of the story took place in daylight, or that Nightwing spent time with the people he helped. I don't mind that he continued helping them. I mind that he did it in costume, in broad daylight.

It was an OK mystery story, with an OK ending, but there were big holes in the narrative where something was just missing. The second story in the volume had little connection to the first. The first hadn't really been concluded when Wolfman moved onto the second.

Bruce Wayne was only part of the story for a few panels but was done poorly while he was there. He would never had a Batman/Nightwing conversation as Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson, and certainly not in the middle of a party. He had a Batman conversation as Bruce Wayne, saying things as he would when he's playing the billionaire playboy.

All in all, I was disappointed. I can only give it a 2.

Manga Sutra Volume 3: Intercourse

There's a lot of humour in the Manga Sutra, really, it's a sex guide written as manga. Beyond that the relationship between the main characters just seems real. I think that's what makes it so much fun to read; these are people with whom the reader can identify. The supporting cast gets to be the caricatures that are so commonly seen in manga, but Makoto and Yura have a lot of reality in them.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Time of Your Life

I've read Fray, and I've wondered how Joss Whedon might rationalise going from a universe where all Slayer potentials were activated to one where there's not been a Slayer for centuries. I thought it was probably going to be one of those things that could be chalked up to inconsistent universe but it looks like he might actually thought of how he might reconcile the two.

I wasn't expecting time travel from Buffy. Time travel is always a tricky story. At least in Time of Your Life it's presented in a halfway believable fashion in that it happens because it's already happened.

The big reveal was supposed to be a big surprise, but I wasn't. I thought the story line was rushed along a little and I probably should have reread Fray before reading this one. It was good, but still just OK. It's a 3 for me.

Naruto Volume 3: Bridge of Courage

This has been my favourite so far. The training sequence, the strengths and weakness of the junior ninjas of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura and, of course, the battle and where it brings Naruto. I especially liked that Kishimoto actually gave something to Sakura. In the first two volumes she's simply the cute girl that has a crush on Sasuke and who Naruto has a crush on but in Bridge of Courage she gets to be better than the boys at something and is given a more active role.

My only complaint is that it ends on a cliff hanger.

I'm giving this one a 5.

Naruto Volume 2: The Worst Client

I enjoyed the first Naruto volume to pick up the second. I'm glad I did. The Worst Client is an improvement over the first volume. The background is becoming more fleshed out and it's beginning to feel like a "real" world. Kishimoto is slowly building a mythology and I'm interested to see where it's going.

I'll give this one a 4.

Bleach Volume 4: Quincy Archer Hates You

There seem to be a lot of people in the Bleach universe that can see ghosts. I'm not sure if I like that. I did like the character of the medium, Don Kanonji, he made me laugh. And I enjoyed the discussion of what a hero is and what a hero does. Ichigo is growing into being a hero.

I'm giving this one a 4.