The Art of The Avengers – Infinity Saga
This massive book was published by Titan Books. It’s loaded with fantastic concept art; including story boards, character bios, commentary, and more. If you’re a fan of The Avengers, you’ll love this book.
Batman Resurrection Book Review
Batman Resurrection was written by bestselling author, John Jackson Miller. The book was published by Random House Worlds, October 15, 2024. This Novel is a direct sequel to Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film.
This novel is hard to summarize while keeping it spoiler free… Yet, I’ve gotta say, I did a pretty fine job keeping this review spoiler free. There is so much I’d like to talk about, but I really want you all to experience this book for yourselves.
SUMMARY
Months after the Joker’s death, the streets of Gotham are still in recovery after Smylex, the solution the Joker and his goons used to terrorize the city, was unleashed. Many were killed by the chemical concoction that deformed faces, twisting cheeks upward into a heinous smile, and forced victims to laugh themselves to death. A man named Auslander, may hold the key to curing many victims.
Bruce Wayne is loosing sleep over his last encounter with The Joker. Something the Joker said to Batman before his fall from the Gotham City Cathedral is eating away at Bruce’s mind. It seems that more and more questions arise as he recalls specific details leading up to the final fight.
A resurrection stuns Gotham City and Batman! The Joker’s reign of terror continues, but how? Batman is pushed to his limit while fighting crime and doing his best to solve a great mystery that plagues the city and his own mind! Who will have the last laugh in Gotham City?!
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Batman Resurrection is an absolute blast of a sequel story that ties up loose ends! The book is a satisfying read from start to finish! I recommend this novel for anyone who was a fan of the 1989 film, Batman. John Jackson Miller does a fine job keeping the tone of the story consistent with the vision of Tim Burton’s heroic vigilante. This tale is dark and mysterious, yet fun and heroic.
I love that characters from the original film are present in this book. The author did such a good job keeping them true to how they were represented in the film, nailing their personalities and dialogue nearly perfectly. The new characters that are introduced are also very well written and move the story along in a thrilling direction.
Batman Resurrection is fun, fast paced, packed with action, and full of mystery! This novel is a must read for anyone who calls themselves a Batman fan, especially a fan of the Batman 1989 film! I highly – highly recommend this book.
I’ve never been excited to read a super hero novel, but because Batman (1989) is my favorite hero film… I got excited for Batman Resurrection. I was thrilled to get direct sequel novel to that story. John Jackson Miller delivered an excellent Batman tale that had me burning through the pages. I’m also thrilled that this expanded material is not the last of Tim Burton/John Jackson Miller Batman “canon,” as there is more to come soon!
I’ve mentioned the characters already, but I can’t stress enough just how well John Jackson Miller wrote these characters. Bruce Wayne is a wealthy man, he’s got many toys for Batman, and it’s cool that we get to see him test out his new equipment on street thugs. For a 400 plus page book, it felt like 200.
Some may say this review is hyping the book up way too much… but I don’t think so, this book didn’t focus on some real world political agenda or squeeze in any sort of “woke” nonsense. It’s just good old fashion fun with the greatest caped hero of all time, who drives the coolest vehicle to ever grace the big screen (second to Ghostbusters Ecto 1).
RATING
Batman Resurrection by John Jackson Miller earns a solid A+ rating.
Pitch Dark Book Review
Pitch Dark, a novel written by best selling author Paul Doiron.
Pitch Dark is a cool read for a hot summer day! Paul Doiron writes a great story full of mystery, investigation, and humor sprinkled throughout. I read this story not knowing that it’s part of a long running series for the main character, Mike Bowditch.
Doiron does a great job being descriptive and setting the atmosphere. The characters are written very well, tempting me to find and read all of the other Bowditch books!
If you’re looking for an entertaining mystery with great characters and setting, Pitch Dark should be your next read.
Ghostbusters: The Return Book Review
Ghostbusters: The Return, was written by Sholly Fisch. This unofficial/non-canon novel was published in 2004 by ibooks. This story takes place after the events of the film, Ghostbusters 2.
SUMMARY
The Ghostbusters return in, Ghostbusters: The Return! The city faces a rise in the supernatural once again. Xanthador! The ghostly creep releases his minions to bring terror in the streets, fueling his energy for a potential take over of the living realm.
Peter Venkman has become the face of the Ghostbusters, he’s a crows pleaser. The current Mayor of New York uses the Ghostbusters who are popular amongst the people, as part of his campaign. Elections are coming up soon and he want’s the Ghostbusters to be present at one of his speeches.
Meanwhile, members of an Independent party need a candidate to take the Mayor’s seat. With the Ghostbusters popularity and recent event that put them in the news, the party calls on Peter Venkman to be their man. It takes a little convincing, but Peter, thinking the job would be easy-peasy, accepts, and chooses Winston Zeddemore to be his Deputy Mayor.
As Xanthador ramps up his hauntings and two Ghostbusters are busy with politics, Ray and Egon struggle to keep the streets clean. Hauntings that resemble familiar Urban Legends are terrorizing the people of New York.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I had absolutely no idea what to expect with this novel. The original film is my favorite film – of all time. I don’t expect anything to be as good as that first Ghostbusters movie, especially tie-in media. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ghostbusters 2 and The Real Ghostbusters cartoon series, but they pale in comparison to the first film. So my expectations for this novel were set low, if there’s anything that the Disney Star Wars canon has taught me, it’s to tame my expectations. That said, this book wasn’t too bad!
At times, the characters read as though they were the very characters from the films; and sometimes they resembled the cartoon versions. We have Slimer in this story, and he is very much the Slimer from The Real Ghostbusters. I’d say Janine is a mix between Ghostbusters to and the cartoon. The inconsistency of characterization for the main Ghostbusters does bother me a bit, however, I do like that Slimer hangs around just like in the cartoon, with an angry Peter discrediting the little spud. There’s a moment involving Slimer that made me laugh out loud…
Ray and Slimer give each other a secret handshake. Peter walks in and says, “I mean, how are supposed to maintain any sort of credibility with the public if people come in here and find this… ectoplasmic reject kicking back with a beer?”
The use of the word “spud” is used too much. It was funny in Ghostbusters when Slimer was referred to as “an ugly little spud.” This book uses it a few in a different context. Louis is a bumbling idiot that acts like he’s got zero brains. Yes, in GB2 we had some silly stuff with him in the courtroom, but he wasn’t a complete goofball.
This book isn’t bad at all. The tone of the story was just a bit confusing. It would shift from sequel movie material to a cartoon episode. I don’t know if that was intentional, to maybe bring in the nostalgia to all Ghostbusters fans? A strange tale, but I’m happy I finally read it.
I like that this story didn’t just focus on the Ghostbusters taking on a new big villain. It got into the relationship between Dana and Peter, we get plenty of Louis and Janine, and we see two characters take on a new challenge – politics. I love that they made Peter and Winston an independent party. I also love the fact that the book didn’t get “real-world” political! There were not secret motives, no pathetic agenda’s being pushed. It was clean, it was silly, it was fun, and I love the way the story ended.
Do I recommend you read this book? Yes, it was a fun, yet unusual story that did not discredit the material that came before it.
For the rating of Ghostbusters: The Return, I give this story a B.
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone Book Review
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone, was written by bestselling author, J.K Rowling. The Sorcerer’s Stone is the first book in the Harry Potter series.
SUMMARY
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone is about a boy that learns there’s so much more to life than what his abusive family had led him to believe. This is a story of adventure and friendship. The magical, Wizarding-World or witches and wizards is hidden to the eyes of muggles, us normal folk. Select children are invited to enter the hidden world to attend the school of Hogwarts. Unknown to Harry Potter, he’s famous in this realm. Harry desires to know more of his past, who his parents were, and why/how they were killed.
In this young reader novel, Harry and his friends will uncover secrets of Hogwarts and reveal that a dark lord has risen from the shadows.
CHARACTER
Harry Potter is a young boy who’s mistreated by his blood relatives. He lives with his Aunt and Uncle, he has since he was just a baby. He was left on their front porch after the horrific death of his parents, James and Lily Potter. Harry’s parents were involved in magic, and were killed by the one who must not be named… Voldemort. Voldemort attempted to kill the infant Harry, but by the love of his mother, it deflected the deathly magic that Voldemort used, killing Lily, and only putting a scar on Harry’s forehead. As Harry Potter grows, he is treated like a dog by his family. One one fateful day, he’s rescued, taken to the Wizarding-World, and the magical school, Hogwarts.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This book, is a quick, simple read that focuses on friendship, curiosity, and overcoming fear. The Sorcerer’s Stone moves along at a solid pace, shifting from point A to Z without slowing down much. With the book moving at such a fast pace, Rowling still gives us a great amount of character introduction (there’s a lot) and superb world building (it’s big). Rowling doesn’t waste any time with overly expressed details or pointless misdirection. The story unfolds naturally, and brings up new questions about Harry’s past as well as the history of Hogwarts.
The friendship built up by the first year Gryffindor trio – Harry, Hermione, and Ron is fantastic. Ron and Hermione have a bit of tension between them – that young immature boy vs. girl attitude. It’s a comical fault of Ron, he’s the primary instigator. Overall the gang gets along pretty well, each of them posses something that the other doesn’t. Ron is poor, Harry has a cache of gold left by his parents, Hermione’s parents are dentists, so they’re well off. Harry is an Orphan, and desires what Hermione and Ron have, family. Hermione is a muggle, which means she isn’t a witch by blood, while Ron and Harry do have the “magical gene” passed on to them. Their friendship truly feels authentic and they work so well together as a team. Hermione follows the rules a bit more tightly than Ron and Harry, who are usually just asking for trouble. They all share a pretty heavy dislike for the bully in the first year class, Draco Malfoy, who’s in the house of Slytherin. Slytherin has a rough history, as it’s where the primary antagonist spent his years at Hogwarts.
This story is fun and heart warming. The treatment of Harry by his family, was heartbreaking. I was pleased by the events that unfolded that lead to Harry’s escape of the abuse, to see a whole new world. I truly am impressed with the way Rowling told this first story, and leaving it wide open for more to be told.
RATING: I will give Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone, an A.
Ghost Eaters Book Review
Ghost Eaters, was written by Clay McLeod Chapman. Author of Whisper Down the Lane and The Remaking. Ghost Eaters is published by Quirk Books (thanks for sending a copy for review).
Chapman delivers once again! His previous novel, Whisper Down the Lane was a real treat that tingled the spine and raised anxiety levels. This is the third novel I’ve read from the author. Chapman has quickly become one of my favorite writers.
Ghost Eaters is a fun, unique, and trippy ghost story. The horror of losing control of life is one of the themes. Some of the elements in this story have actually haunted my dreams for years, and to see the main character experience these things, is just horrible (in the best way of course).
The friendship dynamic is spot on with reality. There’s conflict, love, awkwardness – the evolution/devolution of where one stands in a friendship when there’s a loss. Erin, the main character, is our vessel in experiencing the trippiest ghost story I’ve experienced. The other supporting characters also feel like real people, not just ink mannequins or tools of dialogue on the pages.
Chapman’s writing style is fantastic and continues to impress. He gives us great characters, wonderful dialogue, and horrific situations. I think horror fans will get a kick out of this story!
Rating: I give Ghost Eaters 4 out 5 stars!