Review: Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dorkin presents an intense and compelling mashup of Lady and the Tramp and Dawn of the Dead. These dogs and cats are not always cute and cuddly; the good ones have joined forces to fight supernatural crime, and the bad ones are as bad as any bad guys can be. There is plenty of blood and gore to be found here, but also strength, loyalty and bravery. Fans of Jill Thompson's watercolors (Scary Godmother) will appreciate this more mature offering.



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Review: Copper

Copper by Kazu Kibuishi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Calvin and Hobbes for existentialists. Really, no, I'm not kidding. It's that cool. Go read it.



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Review: Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 2: Research

Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 2: Research by Tom Siddell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Quirky, creepy and absolutely addicting, this second volume of Tom Siddell's excellent webcomic continues to reveal the layers of secrets at the magical boarding school, Gunnerkrigg Court. From Antimony, to her mother, to the tricky Reynardine, to the ghosts, robots and other creatures who haunt the halls of the Court, nothing is quite as it seems. Siddell never takes himself too seriously, and we find ourself falling hard for his characters. A worthy heir to Buffy.



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Review: The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang

The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang by Amy Ignatow




This hybrid middle-grade novel tells the story of two friends who make a project of understanding popularity. I appreciated Julie's two dads, who were present in the story but didn't cause much of a stir. I thought all the characters were realistic and multi-dimensional, even the popular ones. The discussion of what's actually important about friendship and popularity seemed very true-to-life. Light and engaging.



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Review: Zeus

Zeus by George O'Connor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Fans of Percy Jackson will welcome this intense, satisfying tale of the battle between Zeus and the Titans. Muddy, brooding inks perfectly complement crisp outlines in O'Connor's drawings. He presents a nice combination of contemporary storyplot and original mythological source material. I read this out of order with Athena, the second in the series, but it didn't matter at all. Highly recommended, ages 10+.



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Review: The Drained Brains Caper

The Drained Brains Caper by Trina Robbins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This brief mystery graphic novel reminded me of a tamer, sillier version of Brain Camp. The faces are oddly Muppet-like and have the same expression on each panel. The dog is a high point - I look forward to seeing more of him in future volumes.



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Review: Mercury

Mercury by Hope Larson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It's hard to talk about this novel without giving things away. Suffice it to say Larson brings together aspects from multiple genre -- historical fiction, realistic fiction and fantasy -- to create a remarkable graphic novel. Not to be missed.



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