My last post.

This is my last post. D on’t expect any more after this. I will keep the website up for anyone curious enough to look at it, but I’m done. Thanks to anyone who read this blog, and I hope you continue to read.

Peanuts: The Comic of Childhood.

Today I am reviewing Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It is a comic strip about a group of kids in a neighborhood, particularly one unfortunate kid named Charlie Brown.

On the cover we see, from bottom left to right: Franklin, Lucy, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Sally. On top: Woodstock, Snoopy and Charlie Brown.

Peanuts has lasted so long, until Charles M. Schulz was taken away from us, that it is impossible to list all plot lines, threads, running jokes, and personalties of all the characters like I try to do with other books. The Wikipedia page on Snoopy, just 1 character, is longer than the whole Calvin and Hobbes page, and about the same size as the Watchmen page, one of the most complex comics ever made. A way to think of it is a comic of your childhood. You can’t tell someone all of it by once, but you can tell it a little. Day, by day, by day. Ironically, that is exactly what it is about. Childhood. My favorite character, like many, is Snoopy, the beagle. I enjoy how he pretends to be the Red Baron, his simple views on the way of life, the way he sets out to do things.

Even though this is definitely not the best comic of all time, it has a quality to it. It reminds everyone of their childhood. I dare you do read through a collection, and not stop once and say, “That happened to me when I was a little kid.” It gives off a nostalgic quality, is very funny, simple, elegant, and many other qualities not found in many comics today. Sometimes the punch lines of the strips are cheesy, which is the only knock against it, and other times make you roll on the floor laughing. This comic is wonderful. That is really all I can say about it.

This comic gets a 9 out of 10

Bone: Funny and Epic

Today I am reviewing Bone. This is considered by many to be the best fantasy graphic novel and one of the best comics of all time. Written by Jeff Smith, it is the story of three small creatures in a new and strange land, discovering many unusual and new animals and a war as old as time itself.

On the cover, we see our protagonist, Fone Bone, being ambushed by a rat creature.

Bone is the story of three brothers. Fone Bone, the rational one is like a normal human. While annoyed with his brothers at times, he still loves them and stands by them. Smiley Bone, the well-meaning one. He is the comedy relief in the story. Although he only wants the best of his fellow beings, he is not bright, and is often influenced by his brothers. Phoney Bone, the smartest, and greediest one. He often causes most of the problems, out of his love for wealth, but still feels a sense of loyalty to his brother. They are chased out of their own home town due to Phoney Bone’s scams into a new land. Here things aren’t quite the same. Here, there be dragons, and a war is about to occur that could destroy the world itself.

This is amazing. It’s hard to say anything bad about this. Art is superb, characters are all likable. The villain is scary, and never fully seen. Plot is suspenseful, and all characters change and develop through the course of the story. It is possibly one of the greatest books I have read. This book is great for everyone, of all ages. Lovers of romances, sci-fi, war, politics, rebellion stories will love this. I am not giving this book nearly enough credit, but I don’t know any words to adequately describe this. This deserves, and should get better, than my rating.

This book gets a 10 out of 10

Tintin reports a good rating.

Today I will be reviewing Tintin, by the artist and author, Herge. This one of the first graphic novels i read, and it was a great one to start on. The story, (or stories, as there are multiple issues) focuses on a young reporter, Tintin, solving  mysteries with his dog, Snowy.

On the last cover of the series, we see the dog, Snowy, and from left to right, Tintin, Professor Calculus, and Captain Haddock running away from an unseen force.

The series The Adventures of Tintin are usually focused on Tintin solving various mysteries. Sometimes these mysteries span issues, other times they are contained in a single issue. Midway in the series, we are also introduced to two characters: Professor Calculus, a hard-of-hearing genius, and Captain Haddock, a good-at-heart captain with a drinking problem. Together they go to solve anything, from trivial mysteries, like finding a jewel, to vitally assisting a revolution over a merciless dictator.

I love this series. There is not much depth to the story, like Maus, or Lord of the Rings, but it is one of the most fun books I have ever read.  Every single character is likable, including the villains. The art is amazing. The characters looks are simple, elegant, and you can tell what s/he is feeling. The background, by contrast, is amazingly detailed. If not for the simple colors popular at the time this comic was made, it would have looked incredibly real. In fact, it does so already. The mysteries are dark, complex, and do have some basis on reality. The solutions always make sense, but they are unexpected. People might wonder why I’m not giving this a 10 out of 10. I would, except for the fact that there was some racism in the book. Sometimes, especially in early issues, it was blatantly obvious. However, like I said, every character was likable, so the series still remained popular. Still, it left a stain on the book that was hard to remove. Other than that, this series was wonderful.

This book is great for all ages, especially those looking for a book on a lazy sunday.

This book gets a 9 out of 10

Sorry about the Delay.

I am tremendously sorry about the ridiculously long  delay. I hope it won’t happen again. It happenned due to many personal reasons. Graphic Novel Week will continue on, and I hope to try to do one review per day again.

Sincerely,

A friend.

A deadly game of Cat and Maus.

Happy Graphic Novel Week! The first comic that I am reviewing is my personal favorite. I am reviewing Maus, written and illustrated by Art Spiegelman. It is about how a jewish person survived the Halocaust. It is also about how it emotionally scarred him and how it affected his relationship with his son.

On the cover is the main character, Vladek, and his wife, Anja. Behind them is the infamous swastiska.

 

       Maus is the story of the author’s father, Vladek Spiegelman. It is the story of how he survived the events leading up to and during World War 2. It is the story of how he stuck together with his wife Anja through the horrible anti-semitism and the unspeakable work camps. It is also the story of how his son, the author, has to deal with his father’s emotional scars from the work camps. It is a story of survival and family.

     Maus is one of the greatest books I have read. It has excellent symbolism,( the Nazis are cats, and the Jews are mice.) It also has excellent art, and wonderful characters. The plot is very exciting, and it is very hard to put down until the very last page. The best part, however, is the perspective. Most stories we hear about the work camps are about large groups of these very unfortunate people. This book tells the story of the individual, the survivor, the emotionally scarred. It is an amazing book. I urge everyone reading this to get it from the libary or buy it. You will want to read this over and over again. This book is for all ages, and all lovers of comics, and anyone even remotely intrested in Nazi Germany. 

 I rate this book a 10 out of 10

This week is Graphic Novel week.

During my absence from the book blog, I have found a new kind of genre that is often disregarded. I am talking about comics. A lot of them are just sold to be sold. But there are some comics that are very,very good. So from January 2nd to January 7th will be graphic novel week. I will review Maus, Bone, Watchmen, The Killing Joke, Calvin and Hobbes, Tintin, and Peanuts. All of these books will at least get a 9 out of 10. See you soon!

(Warning: Watchmen is inappropiate for some children. Parents, please read Watchmen before you let your children read it.)

Half Magic gets a half rating.

Before I begin my review, I just want to say sorry for not posting any reviews for a few months. School has kept me very, very busy. Thanks to Sophie and to all my other fans for keeping posted. I should be doing daily reviews from now on. Today I am going to review Half Magic, written by Edward Eager. It is not one of the better books that I have read, but it is okay, and my rating might be influenced by personal tastes.

 

 

On the cover are the four kids, witnessing the power of half magic.

       Half Magic is the story of when four kids, Mark, Katherine, Jane, and Martha find a magic coin that grants wishes, but with just one catch. It only grants half of your wish. For example, if you were at a horrible party and wished you were home, you would find yourself halfway home. This book talks about the adventures of a wish for Mark, Katherine, Jane, and Martha, and the children’s mother. Unfortunately, that’s it.

     This book isn’t really that bad. The characters are developed okay, and idea is creative. The descriptions are good enough, and has a pretty good ending. Ordinarly, this book would recieve a 7 out of 10. However, there is just so much potential for this book. For example, instead of just doing a few adequate short stories, the author could have done one story about one wish gone wrong and make it a grand adventure. Even with the same style of writing, it would have been better for this kind of story. But unfortunately, it is only shows short stories. That is the reason Half Magic is getting a Half Rating.

Half Magic gets a 5 out of 10

On the other side of The Wall, there is a place beyond your wildest dreams.

Today I am reviewing Stardust, the story of a young man who journeys into the mythical land of Faerie to retrieve a falling star. I have reviewed a book by this author, Neil Gaiman, with Coraline. Stardust has gotten great reviews from several newspapers and magazines, and even got a good review from Stephen King.

 

 

On the cover is The Wall, which borders our world from Faerie, and the shooting star that Tristan has to get.

 

Tristan Thorn is in love with a beautiful young woman named Victoria. But in order to win her heart, he journeys across The Wall, into the land of Faerie to retrieve a fallen star. It would seem easy, but two others are also searching for the star, one for power, and one for life. And in Faerie, nothing, even a fallen star, is what it seems.

 

This is an outstanding book. Great characters, great plot, great setting, great descriptions. This is a great book for any teen or adult who enjoys fantasy. Unfortunately, young kids cannot read this book, due to sensual themes that happen sometimes in the book. But anyone else will love this book.

 

I rate this book a 10 out of 10

One kid who ran away from home will impact the town of Two Mills forever.

Today I am reviewing Maniac Magee, a story about a boy who ran away from home and changed the lives of several people in the town of Two Mills. This story, written by Jerry Spinnelli, won the Newbery Award in 1991.

 

On the cover is Jeffery Lionel "Maniac" Magee

Maniac Magee’s parents died when he was only 3 years old, and he was put in the foster care of a husband and wife who hate each other. When Maniac was 11 years old, he got sick of it and ran away. A year later, he arrives in the town of Two Mills. At Two Mills, he affects some lives forever, such as a smart girl named Amanda, an out of his luck minor league pitcher named Grayson, and a tough kid named Mars Bar.

 

This book is great. Nice plot, great setting. The strength is the characters. You can feel the emotions of everyone. The only weakness is descriptions. They are, sometimes, not the best. However this a great book for anyone, anytime. I like to read it on a rainy day.

 

I rate this book a 9 out of 10