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kbrown78 · 5 years

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Monthly Wrap Up: December

Last month of the year! This was the month where I tried to tackle all the books that I had set aside that I wanted to read before the end of the year, and I actually managed to read all but one of them, so that was good. Unfortunately it wasn't a great reading month. There was one book that I really loved, but the rest of the books were just mediocre or bad. 2 of those books I gave 1 stars to and 1 of them was the last full length novel I read this year, which was a huge disappointment. The very last book I read this year was a collection of short stories that I had already read and while it wasn't bad, it wasn't as good as I remember it being. So it's sad that I ended this reading year not with a bang but with a fizzle. I do plan on posting a yearly wrap up and some best and worst of the year lists, but I can't say when that will come out because I imagine they will take awhile. Happy New Years to everyone and I hope you have a good 2019.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant: I was intrigued by the premise of The Red Tent, with it being biblical fiction novel that focuses on the females, specifically Jacob's wives and his daughter who is only mentioned once in the Bible. I was in the mood for a historical fiction and for a female driven narrative, so I picked this one up. I would recommend this book if your looking for a light historical fiction novel, with little action, and don't mind the fact that the story is based on stories from the Bible. The first half was decent when it focused on Jacob's four wives: Leah, Rachel, Zilaph, and Bilah. I liked reading about their stories and I thought their relationships were well done, with it's ups and down. Then when things shifted to Dinah, I started to lose interest in the story. I was never attached to Dinah like I was her mothers, and I felt she and all relationships she was in were fairly underdeveloped. By the end of the book I was just skimming through the story because nothing changed or progressed. In general I would say this book has pacing issues because everything felt fairly quick but nothing was really happening. I didn't feel like this was the female driven narrative I was looking for because Dinah was underdeveloped even though it was her story and for the a book titled the red tent, which was strictly a woman's domain, the story spent very little time in the red tent. The book was mediocre, with the only really bad aspect of it being Dinah's romances, but as both as historical fiction novel and one that focuses on the women, I found this book to be a little disappointing.

Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins: This was a book I was so eagerly anticipating, like I went out and got it the day it finally came out in paperback. I understood that it would focus on 5 sisters going on a quest to save their father from a curse, so I thought I was getting a good sisterly narrative. I also went into this book thinking it was a standalone, and I've really been in the mood for some good adult fantasy standalones. Whatever expectations I had going into this book were quickly ruined. The plot was simple, find the cure for a dying king, but it was too simple of a plot for a book that just dragged on. Maybe it picks up more in the second half, I wouldn't know because I DNFed this book half way in (because of that this will be my full spoiler review). I was bored with the story and the world building had very little development. In fact the only thing the only piece of world building that had any development was the new religion gaining popularity, which is both clearly based on Christianity and will clearly be used against the sisters because it doesn't want women in charge. While those aspects were bad, they weren't what caused me to quit the book. Despite this being an epic fantasy, plot is pushed aside to make the story more character driven, and that was the problem. I really hated the characters, with a burning passion. I admit I struggle with unlikeable characters, but if you're going to write unlikeable characters I at least want them to be sympathetic the majority of the time. I don't have to like what they're doing but I do believe they are doing it for good reasons. Of all the POV characters there was only one that I found sympathetic, even though she had her faults, and that was Rose. She's trapped in a loveless marriage to broker peace and had a child with her husband's nephew. My only issue with her is that she doesn't try to be sneaky with her romance when no one wants it to happen and she doesn't see her husband as a threat because he doesn't like women in power, even though he clearly is. All other characters were horrendous. Will is a prince who turns into a crazy killer once he gets the notion of power inside his head. I could say he was sympathetic because he did want to protect his mother, but I just get crazy vibes from him. He does get killed in this book, so I'm not sure if he was even that relevant of a character. Willow is a zealot of the new faith (whose name I cannot remember, tri-something), who does shady things just cause angels are telling her to (my guess is that she's got a mental disorder which is causing that). Ivy is a brat who complains about doing any work and is only interest in men, who she thinks she's in love based on one glance. Her maturity level doesn't improve and I think she's the one that tells Rose's husband about the affair in the hopes that her and the king's nephew will end up together (which all backfires in the worst way possible). I think she's also killed in this one, but I'm not sure. Ash was the one I was hoping to like, but she was just brooding (which I hate) and really wishy-washy, not having much of a spine. She tries to talk to people about her magic, but no one will take her seriously because of how young she is, and in the end she goes into self exile because she doesn't want to hurt her sisters, which I didn't really like because it solidified me not caring about her. Now we get to the worst one, the sister that I actively wanted to die in this book and honestly the main reason I put this book down. Bluebell was the absolute worst. She had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Where do I even begin the her. She's the oldest sister and heir to the throne, but she absolutely abuses her power. In fact I'll just copy everything I wrote about her in a recent Top 5 Wednesday post explaining why I hated her. She only likes people if they are blindly obedient to her and is very mean and insulting to her sister Rose because Rose won't do this (in fact she makes it clear that she only views Rose as whore to be sold off), seems to think she's a great leader but shows very few qualities of being a great leader, sees everyone as either an underling that must follow her without question or an enemy that must be slaughtered with no in between. Her worst offense is that she thinks everything she does is the absolute right thing and won't entertain the possibility of being wrong. She is very cruel to her step mother, despite everyone telling her to stop, and as a result the step mother accidentally curses the father because she is terrified of what Bluebell will do to her when she comes into power. When Bluebell discovers this, she doesn't see the error of her ways, she's determined to kill the woman and only stops because her father (the only person I believe she cares about) told her to stop because it would look bad. I hated her with a passion throughout the first half of the entire book and hoped that she would change in some way by the end but nope. She is just as self righteous as she was at the start and is unsympathetic of Rose's suffering. She's just a stupid bully who wants an army of sycophants. Yeah, I hated her, she might be my least favorite female character of the year. At halfway into this book I skipped ahead to see if anything gets redeemed or solved, and nothing does, so needless to say I won't be reading the next book. I almost thought this was a debut novel because of how poorly it was written, but turns out it wasn't. I do applaud any one able to successful produce a non toxic novel, because it's a long challenge, but as an author with multiple novels already out these basic storytelling mistakes shouldn't be happening (this was the same problem I had with V.E Schwab). This book was one of the biggest disappointments of the year and I'm glad I waited to get it in paperback because I will probably be unhauling it.

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine: This was an interesting case because I thought I would be saving this book for January but I ended up deciding to read this book and see if it was as good as I remember and I am so glad I did. It's a Snow White retelling that has a more modern feel to it. If you liked Snow White's back story in the first season of Once Upon a Time you will probably like this one. It has several nods to the original story but adds it's own twist to them, and I really loved that. Lorelai is a great protagonist because she's very mature and takes her responsibilities seriously and wants the best for everyone. She also has magic which is really cool and makes her a worthy opponent to Irina, the evil queen. Irina was a fantastic villain, like she would arguably make my top 5 list of best villains for this year. You get that shred of humanity within her and bits of her back story which makes it clear why she is the way she is. Unlike the original version, Irina isn't obsessed with beauty, she's obsessed with power and loyalty, which makes her both dangerous and a little crazy. Kol is the prince who was made king at the beginning of the book, and I also really liked him. He's similar to Lorelai in many ways because he's willing to make some significant sacrifices to ensure the safety of his people and loves his friends and family. Lorelai and Kol's relationship was so good because they talk and push themselves to be better for the other. There's a bit of Insta Love but because the time length it took for them to get serious and the fact that it's contained within just this story makes it easy to forgive. All in all I thought the story was great, the characters were great, the relationships were great, and even the magic was great and I'm so glad this book was as good as I remember it being. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because of some miscommunication stuff and stupid character choices. The Shadow Queen received 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Registry by Shannon Stoker: I got the next book in the trilogy this year, and for awhile I was debating if I should reread this book or not. I didn't need to reread it but there was a part of me that wanted to, so I did and I'm glad I did. This is a fairly underrated dystopian, about a future America where women are married off to the highest bidder in a system called the registry. The protagonist, Mia, has an awakening shortly before she's has her debut, and she makes a quick decision to run for Mexico with her best friend and a farm hand, as her psychopathic fiance works to prevent her from crossing the border. One reason I liked this one was because it's not like a stereotypical YA dystopian. It isn't about one girl trying to take down a system, or about romance (although that does come up), it was a display of frighteningly realistic dystopian environment and a straight forward chase narrative that is definitely suspenseful. I liked Mia, I thought she was a fairly well rounded individual, and while Grant (Mia's fiance) was a disgusting character and was pretty realistic and served his purpose well. The rest of the characters I didn't like so much: Andrew (the farm hand) was a bit flat and brooding, Carter was a bit entitled, and Whitney (Mia's best friend) was so whiny and naive. I get that she serves as a bit of foil for Mia, but I would have liked them to have a stronger relationship. The only thing I really disliked about this book was the romance. This book does have a love triangle in it, and unfortunately it's not one of the better done ones. Andrew and Mia's romance felt a bit forced and Andrew wasn't nice to Mia the majority of the trip. Carter, on the other hand, is more positive and outgoing with Mia, but there's a scene where he just kisses her and only afterwards asks for her consent. Both seem to struggle with grasping the severity of her situation and treating her like and normal person, but for different reasons. If this book didn't have any romance in it, it would have had a much higher rating but because of the romance and a few other things I couldn't give it over 4 stars. The Registry received 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Collection by Shannon Stoker: After finishing the Registry I moved right on to the Collection, which takes place immediately after the end of the previous book. Mia, Andrew, and Carter crash land in Mexico where Carter and Andrew are taken and forced to become a part of this militia group and Mia has to save them. That is what the first half of the book is, and I definitely preferred the first half to the second half of this book. It had a clear story line and conflict and made room for character growth. Mia is a good protagonist who has evolved from sheltered girl to determined survivor to trained operative who is willing to put her self at risk to protect those she cares about. It was great to watch her transformation, but it was too rushed in this book and she succeeded too easily. Like all of her training takes place over just a few chapters which has a 3 week time period, and when she single handedly goes on her mission to save the boys from this militia group, she succeeds on the first try with no consequences. That felt both unrealistic and very rushed because I think if proper time and been given this could have been a really good story. I still don't really care about Andrew. I don't know what it is, maybe it's because I find him boring and a bit stupid at times. I think his experience with the militia was a frightening one that could have been an interesting narrative, but I think he was the wrong character to show that through and again it was just to little for me to work with. I won't say what happens in the second half, since the synopsis didn't really go into that, but the narrative takes a completely different turn. It becomes much more of stereotypical YA dystopian and there's a lot of filler and things that didn't make sense, which I didn't like. I will say that I love the headers that are put at the beginning of each chapter because it really gives insight about how the world few America and how America censors itself. I do think Mia and Andrew's relationship did develop, especially with them wanting to be open with each other and talking about their future together, but I still don't feel any pull for them and I don't really get why they are so attached to each other. The one thing I've saved til the end is Grant because his story stays the same throughout the whole novel, and I really like reading from his POV. While I still think he's a horrible, horrible person it's interesting getting into his mind. He is such a snob and considers everyone beneath him and violence is his solution to everything. We also learn a little bit about his past, which doesn't do anything to make him more sympathetic but it puts somethings into perspective. I like that his fatal flaw is definitely showing in this book and you know it's going to come back and bite him in the end. While there were parts of this book that I thought were good, I had a lot more issues with this book than I did the previous one and definitely felt like it had a bit of a slump going on. The Collection, sadly, received 2.5 out 5 stars.

The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan: Oh what a disappoint this one was. Not as bad as Daughters of the Storm, but it was definitely one of the worst books I read this year. I used to read this one around Christmas, since it's about Santa Claus' daughter, but then I stopped doing that for a few years. With doing all the rereads this year I thought this one would be great to save for Christmas, so I did and while it definitely delivers on all the Christmas feels, it fails as a story. Basic premise is Santa has a daughter with “the most pure heart” but then this evil wizard, Herrikan, seals her heart in ice so that he can posses her heart one day and be free and sets a curse upon the Land of Immortals. Eventually Holly grows up and goes to New York to defeat Herrikan. The plot of this book makes little sense honestly. I liked the start with a child giving Santa a wish which allows him to have Holly, but it was fast downhill from there. I don't understand why Holly's heart was frozen. Was it to preserve it's purity? Was it to make it easier for her to die? I honestly don't know. Then there's the curse upon the Land of Immortals, where Santa rules, that prevents anyone from leaving. I've stated that I struggle with unlikeable characters, but here you have the exact opposite with a character that is just so perfectly pure that she comes off as annoying and stupid. I can't say I disliked Holly because she was put in a sympathetic situation, being isolated from everyone, but there were times I just wanted to smack her on the head she was being so obnoxious. Also during Holly's childhood she isolated because everyone was afraid of her even though they were explicitly told several times the curse lingers because of their fear. For immortal beings I can't say anyone was smart or even wise. Herrikan sucked as a villain, he was just so flat. The romance was one of the worst cases of Insta Love I have ever seen because it literally happens over one night. The ending was a total cop out, like everything is just magically perfect again. And this book made me dislike Santa Claus because he was such a smothering parent! Like how dare you make me dislike Santa! I think the ultimate message of the book was a good one and there were pretty picture in the book, but those were the only positive thing I can say about this book. The Legend of Holly Claus gets the dishonorable title of being one of the few books this year that I gave a 1 star to without DNFing.

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo:

I'll be slowly rereading all of the Grishaverse books to get ready for reading King of Scars, and I decided to start with this one since it's a cute filler book that has fairy tales set in the world of the grisha. All of the stories in this book are clearly inspired by several fairy tales that many people would be familiar with. I have to admit I didn't love this as much as I had when I first read it. Part of it was because there were stories that I didn't like, but part of it was also because I had a bad experience at a book signing I went to and I couldn't shake that feeling off. My favorite story was When Water Sang Fire, which is also the longest, but I also liked Little Knife, which is the shortest, because both display that Bardugo can produce a good complete story and have the pretty writing. My least favorites were the Solider Prince and the Witch of Duva. The Solider Prince was inspired by 2 great stories, but they just didn't mesh together well in this case. I'll get into more of the reasons I didn't like the Witch of Duva in my full review because there's a lot I have to say about that one. There's also a constant theme through out all of these stories, which is make the original villain sympathetic and make the typically most innocent person in the story the villain. That worked but only to an extent. I know Bardugo likes writing morally gray characters and sympathetic villains, but that doesn't always have to be the case. You can have a well written villain who is just bad. The Language of Thorns received 3.5 out 5 stars.

Thank You Everyone

Keep Calm and Keep Reading

#monthly wrap up #books #december #the red tent #anita diamant #daughters of the storm #kim wilkins #the registry #the collection #shannon stoker #the legend of holly claus #the language of thorns #grishaverse #leigh bardugo

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losreviews · 6 years

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A Wandering Best Comics of 2017 List

Well hello! It’s this blog, the thing I put on hiatus in order to focus on my degree and then did not check into all year!

If you don’t follow me on any other social media, I have some good news: I have, in fact, finished my library degree! Goal accomplished! I’m in this funny place right now where I was working hard and was completely burned out, and then suddenly wasn’t working, and now I’m enjoying relaxing but also realizing I need to get back to a place where I can work on things again. Write things again. Be focused and productive and not on a mental vacation. Oof.

First, before getting to the fun stuff, I am going to officially announce that I won’t be formally returning to this blog. I may use it as a space to write reviews that are more serious than a quick goodreads review and not serious enough to fit with Women Write About Comics or another venue, but I’m not going to follow a this-many-a-month goal. I want to focus on other projects, so while this blog has served me well, I think I’ve found other ways to discover, support, and signal-boost diverse media that require I step aside from LOS Reviews.

That aside - year end lists! They can be fun! Last year I wrote about comics I love in which ladies smooch other ladies, but this year I am going to do something much more disorganized. A consequence of focusing heavily on school is that my to-read pile has become wild and unruly. As I let things I wanted to read pile up over the year, I did read a few things that were just too good or too exciting - or that I could easily access during a break. My #1 favorite thing that I read this year was Soolagna Majumdar’s Marge Simpson Anime zine, which I wrote about for WWAC’s Small Press Faves of 2017 list. In addition, here are some random titles that helped me stay afloat through a grueling final year of graduate school.

Print Comics

Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez

This big, gorgeous comic released by Nobrow Press contains some of the best art I was privileged to ogle in 2017. Sandy, a young artist, has the unique ability to bring the lush fantasy world of her mind to life. Or, perhaps, she can take aspects of her own imagination and gift them to existing magic within the world, and build a warm, vibrant, safe fantasy space. When the new girl at school takes dangerous interest in Sandy’s abilities, she must learn to own and harness her inner power. If, like me, you are feeling very burdened by work, know that this is a quick read meant for middle or elementary-aged readers. It’s sort of like coming across a stunningly delicious appetizer at a fancy party; it’s brief, but so good that you immediately want to eat another (or read it all over again.)

Space Battle Lunchtime Volume Two: A Recipe for Disaster by Natalie Riess

I reviewed volume one last year so I won’t spend much time giving you plot synopsis etc., but volume two came out this year and wraps up the story. I LOVE these comics; Riess creates a very pretty, kooky alien world in which each creature’s species-specific traits and personality feels immediately well-developed. Riess’ skillful use of visuals to give her characters - human and alien alike - unique personas appeals to me because I quickly feel exhausted when reading lengthy high fantasy that spends ages detailing all the aspects of a culture or society. This is really how I prefer to learn about an entirely made-up world: as quickly and efficiently as possible, with all emphasis on character development. These comics are light hearted, queer, action-filled and fun, Riess just knows how to press all my buttons!

The Lunch Witch by Deb Lucke

I read the first two (only two? no idea) volumes of this series this year, and IT IS SO FREAKING GREAT! The comics follow the spooky exploits of Grunhilda, an older witch who finds herself in need of a job, and ends up working as a lunch lady at a nearby elementary school. Grunhilda is NOT a good witch, or at least doesn’t intend to be, and she doesn’t really like children. The books are fairly dark for a middle grade series, excitingly creative - there’s a page that is actually burned and missing 1/4 of itself - and tackle morality and the value of helping others out of a sense of compassion and desire for companionship versus seeking selfish reward. They are fun, surprisingly deep, and supported by a really cool website that has things like recipes for Engorged-Tick Scones and a Bad Advice column! Love love love it.

So Pretty/So Very Rotten by Jane Mai and An Nguyen

I was lucky to randomly pick up the preview zine for this book at CAKE last year, and as a huge fan of Jane Mai’s comics - I maybe wrote an article about her that feels somewhat like an embarrassing love confessional - I was super excited for this book to come out! So Pretty/So Very Rotten is a mix of comics, essays and interviews about Lolita subculture, from the perspective of two Asian-North American cartoonists (I’m pretty sure Nguyen is Canadian? Correct me if I’m wrong, I have been known to not realize people were Canadian. See: Ellen Page) who either have been or still are very much participating in and deeply connected to Lolita. It is well-researched, accessible and totally engrossing. I am not a femme person and have been on a sort of slow burn, low-key journey in which I try to de-couple gender from clothing in order to feel more comfortable in how I present, and this book hit me at just the right moment. Through interviews and essays, Nguyen and Mai dive into how many view Lolita as a genderless (or perhaps gender-full?) exploration of the feelings the clothing can create both for individuals and communities. The comics get quite dark and often lean into the rottenness Lolita allows; in some ways, that rottenness feels like an opportunity to let the truth of the darkness of ourselves out, or to reveal how tough and ferocious those who dare to dawn frills truly are. I cannot recommend it enough.

Wuvable Oaf Volume 1 by Ed Luce

I purchase-requested this baby from the library and was deeply pleased when they bought it and when, recently, I saw that the cover was beat up a bit, indicating that I truly am not the only one who wanted it! Huzzah! I’ve been meaning to read Luce’s comic since I bought a Divine poster from him a couple CAKE’s ago, and it did not disappoint. This giant tome tells the story of Oaf, a hairy, scary-looking ex-wrestler who is in fact quite squishy, loves cats, and wants romance. It’s a gay subculture-y comic that is strange enough to border on being fantasy (Oaf can do some wild shit with his hair, and one of the cats SEES THINGS) and loaded full with comics/pop culture Easter eggs. The wrestling flashbacks are maybe the best bits, so I’m excited to get my hands on volume two, which looks more focused on the wrestling.

The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ & Amal + Five Years Ago and Three Thousand Miles Away by EK Weaver

OK confession: I read the webcomic and this was actually a reread prompted by my inability to walk past the big, gorgeous softcover collection on the Iron Circus table at C2E2. “I think it’s time I buy TJ & Amal” is I think exactly what I said to Spike Trotman, whose response was something like “of course it is!” (Shout out to Sheika Lugtu who was walking the floor with me and also was like, um yes, buy it, dummy.) I had not read the follow-up short comic previously, in which Weaver posits three possible endings for the boys, two of which keep them together, one in which they break up. It was a perfect, bittersweet tease/companion to a beautiful book about two queer men who kind of fall in love over the course of an emotionally tumultuous road trip. Weaver digs so deeply into her characters, exposing all their weaknesses, failings and fears, and watching these two boys who are strangers at the beginning of the story be completely vulnerable with each other is a gift. I often longingly look at the softcover on my bookshelf and consider rereading it, only to remind myself that no, I need to finish that paper! Except I don’t now, because I did finish school... hmm...

Tabula Idem: A Queer Tarot Comic Anthology edited by Iris Jay and Hye M

I’ve been working through some kickstarter rewards I haven’t yet had time to read, so because I’ve got this big pile I’ve of course had some mediocre reading experiences and some surprisingly stunning ones. This anthology falls into the latter category; while I was interested in it enough to fund the kickstarter, I didn’t expect to love it so deeply upon reading. I only just became interested in tarot this year and there’s so much to learn, but Tabula Idem felt like a perfect way to start considering how to interpret cards on my own, and how to go beyond what might be traditional readings and factor in aspects that account for being a queer person. Each story in the anthology focuses on one aspect of a Major Arcana tarot card, and they range across genres with queer and trans characters of all kinds of identities. I read a lot of anthologies and sometimes they can feel tedious, but this one slowed me down and made me savor each tale, wanting to experience the affect each artist pulled out of each card.

Girls’ Last Tour by Tsukumizu

I’m pretty sure this manga series was recommended to me by the inimitable Claire Napier, and I did not expect to love it as deeply as I do. In this time of high-energy, high-action, sometimes trashy but generally fun dystopian literature, Tsukumizu offers a slow, gay, philosophical exploration of a post-apocalyptic world in which mammoth city structures vastly outnumber humans. The young girl protagonists initially are unsure if they are the only humans left in their world, and slowly make their way through a strange, towering, layered city largely in search of food so that they can continue to survive. They contemplate the value of being alive and sometimes ask big questions, but also generally enjoy each other’s company, get excited about rare opportunities to take warm baths, and recall distant memories or known concepts from the pre-apocalyptic world. It’s definitely not a series for everyone as the pacing is so slow, but Tsukumizu’s rendering of the very tall, very brutalistically designed city is engrossing and makes the pacing worth it. Really, it’s a story about two girls asking deep questions and pondering them over an unlimited amount of time, and that feels just right.

Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura

I think I started reading this series last year but really got into it this year; I binged volumes 4, 5, and 6 in a single night, and 7 is currently waiting for me in my backpack. It’s kind of the antithesis of Girls’ Last Tour in that the tone is always frantic and wild, in accordance with the high energy of the otaku girls the series celebrates. I love that Higashimura offers up a variety of characters who are obsessed with different things - I always think of mega nerdy people as being into things like games and comics, but of course Tsukimi is a jellyfish otaku. Kuranosuke’s character development has been particularly interesting, as he becomes a sort of emotional-connection otaku, obsessed both with pursuing a fashion career that allows him to submerge himself in the feminine clothing that connects him to his mother and won his heart at a young age, and with being emotionally tied to a group of friends who are actually passionate about things. (We get some glimpses of Kuranosuke’s other friends and they all seem pretty shallow.) The series is very fun, and I love Higashimura’s autobio author comics in which she basically exposes lots of embarrassing things about herself and how nerdy she is.

Webcomics

I read a LOT of webcomics and several ongoing series that I’ve been reading for eons have been faithful comforts this year, including Strong Female Protagonist, Gunnerkrigg Court, Questionable Content and Monster Pulse. I wanted to talk about some comics I don’t think I’ve ever plugged before, so these in theory are all things I started reading this year.

Manners’ Magical Monster School by Jessica and Jacinta Wibowo

This cute comic follows Wilbur, the lone human at a magic school for monsters, and his roommate, Amira, who’s big secret is that she is a demon. The pair are a sort of odd-couple; Wilbur is a sweet, chubby kid who got bullied before the frankly terrifying Amira became his best bud, while Amira is an over-confident punk who isn’t super great at having feeeeeelings. I first discovered Jes n Cin via their webcomic Tales from the Well, which is also very good, but is a bit more serious in tone. I particularly like the coloring - it’s all this warm, sort of watercolor-ish wash (I have no idea what materials they actually use, sorry!) and always look forward to the next update.

Barbarous by Yuko Ota and Ananth Hirsh

I am fairly certain I’ve raved about how much I love the Johnny Wander autobio comics before, but Yuko and Ananth’s forays into fiction are always fantastic and I am especially in love with Barbarous. The series’ protagonist is Percy, a magic-user who was studying magic but maybe dropped out of school (there was some kind of mysterious incident that pushed her to start couch-surfing around) and is sort of OK at using it but also still has a lot to learn. She is hired to do maintenance work by mysterious but classy landlord Cecillia, and her immediate supervisor, Leeds, is a sort of blunt but kind... giant dinosaur? He’s very cute. Anyway, Yuko and Ananth are building a cool magical world that is close to our own but also includes lots of really great, modern fashion/costuming. Percy and Leeds’ friendship is like a baby goat or a calf; its legs are not strong and it stumbles a lot, but it’s really cute. I love it.

Quiet Brain! by Samantha Davies

This isn’t so much a comic as it is a series of illustrations of adorable, sort of anthropomorphic animals saying inspiring, sometimes kinda brutally honest and deep shit. I read nearly all of them in one go on a long train ride and while I’m normally not the kind of person who is into like, inspirational feminist cross stitches and shit like that, something about this struck a chord. Davies has a panel-less comic called Stutterhug that is all about movement, emotion and moments of connection between (anthropomorphic animal) creatures. Quiet Brain! emphasizes how skilled the artist is at communicating emotion through facial expressions; it’s a simple thing that I didn’t know I needed until I read it.

Ascent by Kevin Lam

I’ve been reading this series since probably before 2017, but I found this year that I particularly looked forward to the new comics. Ascent is, simply, the story of a diver lost in the sea, making a mostly lonely journey to the surface. Given an endless amount of time to contemplate general concepts about life, the diver does so. They consider the purpose of making a journey that may never yield a successful end, the point of accepting a friend that literally attaches themself to you - it’s a very cute baby squid - and the merit of just giving into exhaustion. Retrospectively, I think this comic really embedded itself into my psyche this year because my graduate school journey felt similar. I climbed up several difficult hills which were small enough that I could see the top, but knew another hill awaited me. Recently there have been some spooky happenings in the comic, and I’m excited to see where Lam takes the diver next.

Girls Have a Blog by Sarah Bollinger and Tara Kurtzhals

I don’t actually read this creator pair’s main comic, but I’ve really enjoyed this autobio dive into their post-art school life, trying to make comics as a career work. They go through many ups and downs but perhaps uniquely do much of it together, and the act of processing both with each other and via comic is very satisfying. I especially enjoyed the arc where Tara found herself unable (emotionally) to attend a school reunion, because I found myself in the same position when my five year college reunion happened last summer. Often relatable but perhaps foremost a look into how making life work as a freelance cartoonist is TOUGH, this is some really enjoyable autobio! I’m excited for season two to start in 2018.

Everything Shing Yin Khor makes

OK so Shing has some webcomic short stories and projects going on, but I wanted to do kind of a blanket shout-out because I’ve enjoyed everything she’s shared this year, from her delightful watercolor comics to her installation work. I first encountered Shing when I picked up the Blood Root horror anthologies she produced out of Sawdust Press, and reviewed the third issue in one of my first ever pieces for WWAC. This year I was surprisingly and suddenly blessed to briefly attend the American Library Association conference, and the highlight was meeting Shing in person. She was there promoting her graphic memoir The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 which Zest Books will release in February 2018, and it was such a delightful meeting that I re-engaged with her other work. Whether it’s building art installations and twitter bots that use oracles and fortune telling to explore kindness, or watercoloring stunning sci fi/fantasy worlds that contemplate workplace dynamics, immigration and travel, everything Shing creates takes on a journey that tilts your perspective, makes you gasp in wonder, and gives you a hug. If I were to make a list of creators whose work I’m super excited about in the coming years - it would be a very long list, and honestly I’m sort of constantly making that list through my critical/review work - Shing would be at the top. Funding her patreon will ensure you keep up with all her incredible creations.

2017 was certainly a year but there is always great art coming of the indie self-pub world. I will do my best to keep you informed about all of it.

#Webcomic review #comic review #best of 2017

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techouspeaks · 7 years

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Precuruary: Mahou Tsukai Precure

Finally, I review the series that seems to be the most hated Precure series, even more so than Doki Doki and Happiness Charge! I also reveal why I actually kinda like it....

“Asahina Mirai, a soon-to-be student in junior high, witnesses an object fall from the sky one night during spring break. Excitedly exclaiming that it could be a witch, Mirai sets off the next morning with her beloved toy teddy bear Mofurun to search the park. At the park, Mirai witnesses a girl soaring through the air on a broom. Excited and curious, Mirai barrages the girl with questions. The young witch introduces herself as Riko and explains that she's come to the "No Magic" World to search for certain objects. The two girls notice that they're wearing similar pendants. Meanwhile, Batty, a companion of Dokurokushe the Wizard of Darkness, appears in front of Mirai and Riko! Batty demands that Riko hand over the "Linkle Stone Emerald", which Riko herself had been looking for. To make things worse, Batty uses dark magic to create a monster known as a Yokubaru! Mirai, Riko, and Mofurun join hands. With the magic words "Cure Up RaPaPa!", their pendants shines a magical light over them! The legendary witches "Pretty Cure" are born!”

So, why does everyone seem to despise this series so much? Well, the main issue with this series is it’s writing and execution. The plot tends to throw some immature or just plain weird scenes at random and it seems like the writers just didn’t know what to do, so they just put whatever they thought was a good idea at the time. The plot is also a bit rushed and sadly, the characters suffer a lack of proper development. Put it short, the plot and the development is just a big mess. I heard it was because the writer and director kept clashing, like one wanted to something real dark and epic like Go! Princess and the other wanted it to stay cutesy and safe. I really wished they had stuck with the more darker route. I mean it’s a series about witches.Dark and witches go hand in hand together. The cutesy parts can get a little boring too for some folks, I didn’t mind it too much.

So, despite all that, why do I actually like it and even get a little defensive for it? Shouldn’t I hate it like I do Doki Doki and Happiness Charge? Well I’ll list my reasons in so is to be consistent, unlike the plot of Maho Tsukai.

1.) Kinda likable characters.

I will admit, while they’re not the most deepest or complex of characters, most of the MTP characters are pretty likable.

(Well okay, I said MOST, not all.)

I really do like Riko. Yeah, she can be snobby but this melts away rather fast and the way she does it, is very appropriate for her age. She’s a kid that wants to be more grown up, so she tries to look impressive. She’s has a lot of insecurities that come natural for someone her age and she acts a lot like how I expect a kid would act.

Which speaking of which, I feel like the three main trio are actually suppose to be in Elementary School, but they felt they needed to have them be in junior high. They don’t even look 13! They look more so 10 years old at the oldest but decided to changed it to 13 so is to fit with the other precure franchise. Come on, Toei! This franchise is aimed at elementary school kids anyway, we wouldn’t mind if you made them younger. Look at Cardcaptor Sakura and some of the older magical girls series. Some of the main cast in those are 10!

Anyway, I also like Ha-chan. Yes, she can be annoying at times, but I thought she was pretty cute and I really like her design as Cure Felice. She’s absolutely gorgeous in this form.

I also really enjoy some of the kids, teachers and staff members at the Magic School, especially Kochou. At long last we get a handsome male supporting character that is both useful, interesting, likable and not look like a creeper (Such as Joe from Doki Doki)! His relationship with Kushy is very sweet. Some question whether or not it’s gay. I kinda wonder myself. I would be lying if I said I didn’t see this, that’s for sure. It could be just a real firm friendship but well, you ship who you want.

Bad ass design too! Though I really question on why he’s wearing a lampshade for a hat....

Mofurun can be a little unsettling to me at times and get a little annoying with that baby like voice, but they did grew on me. (Yes, I see Mofurun as non binary because well, teddy bears don’t have reproduction organs) I like how Mofurun is useful in many other ways besides being the transformation device. Most fairies that aid with transformation, tend to fall flat when it comes to being useful in other ways. Mofurun can sense linkle stones and was willing to risk their life to protect the stones from getting in the wrong hands. That’s pretty solid for me. Go teddy!

Not to mention, but Mofurun as Cure Mofurun is just adorable! I wish that Mofurun was actually a witch doll with Cure Mofurun’s design. It would have been way cuter and well...None of the Cure Mofurun plushies would be over 40 bucks! (US dollars). Speaking of which...

2.) The Relationship Between Mirai and Mofurun

As someone that was really close to her stuffed animals, I kinda understand Mirai’s feelings towards Mofurun. In fact, I think most kids get the connection. It’s common for kids to love their toys, especially a toy given to them by someone really close to them. The belief of it gaining a personality is also a common thing kids like to do and also a belief in Japanese culture. The belief goes if you love something such as a toy or even an accessory so much, that object will gain a soul and that soul will protect you for loving it so much. (Same if you treat an object badly and the object hates you). It’s kinda silly but this is a nice touch to the culture and to childhood. Well Mirai is certainly not my favorite, she’s really bland on her own, the relationship with Mofurun is pretty cute and again, I can see a young kid having a close bond with their stuffed animal. When I was a kid, I use to pretend my stuffed animals had personalities too and especially loved this tiger plush, given to me by my grandma.

3.) This is short but the nods to old Precure series and designs.

The whole holding hands and use of attacks, even the speeches before the power up, are actually nods to old Precure series that also did this. It’s kinda nice of them contributing to older series.

The designs of the outfits, especially Sapphire and Over the Rainbow are really well done and the transformations are fun to watch. The animation can be a little mediocre but beautiful in the transformations and I’m glad they decided to just do mostly 2D animation this time, with only resorting to 3D in the endings.

4.) The Witch World and How They Convey Witches As A Whole.

This is what I think MTP does a lot better than Ojamajo Doremi. How they convey witches. Well they use the same similar tropes such as the pointy hats and the broom flying, the way they convey witches is kinda surprising and kinda respectful. Believe it or not, witches do exist in a way. They don’t fly on brooms and the magic isn’t as instant as shown in this series. I’m mainly talking about witches and connection towards nature, as well as some of the lore tied in.

In the Magical World, nature seems to be a major key element to the magic of witches, which is true to actual witch beliefs. From their wands coming from trees, to taking care of mystical animals and right down to how the Magical World is made, is direct tie in with the belief of witches.

In some lore, mainly Wiccan, there is a belief that there is a Goddess and horned king in charge of taking care of the world. Mother Rapapa and the Deustmas generals kinda seem to be a representation of that belief. I dunno if that was their main intention, but kudo points for adding in anyway, especially if it was.

I also like how witches in this world are just ordinary people that just happen to use magic as a passionate subject. That’s what I found inconsistent in Ojamajo Doremi. In Doremi, it seems like witches are not human. There’s not even wizards in their world. They’re in another one. They’re like some sort of weird creature not connected with people at all, since they can’t be found out by humans thus turn into frogs. Yet, somehow humans can become witches when given these magic jelly bean looking things.

Plus the designs of the witches in Doremi I found disrespectful and lazy! At least in Mahou Tsukai, witches and wizards are treated like their own person, with their own style. Yeah, they have the typical hats and such but they at least try to make them interesting. I also didn’t like how magic was given so easily in Doremi. With Mirai, she had to kinda prove herself that she was willing to put in effort to do magic. Yeah, it consisted of saying the magic words over and over, but at least it just wasn’t given to her like “Here some magic jelly bean things. Now you can do magic!” Part of the belief in witches is putting spiritual effort into the thing you desire. Doremi it seemed more like the magic was coming from the seeds, then themselves. As for Reiko, well, she comes from a line of strong witches so magic is born in her and she doesn’t get good in her magic until later.

5.) Deusmast Villains

Oh, come on, you knew this was coming! Deustmast generals are the best in the series. There the ones that caused some people to come back and watch this series again, especially Orba! They’re threatening, they’re smarter and they have great designs!

Fun fact is not only are these guys really cool but also may have from different beliefs, including from witches. Not only can they presumably be based on the horned king of Wiccan and possibly (though more obvious) the Muslim belief of Jin/genies, but also the belief that help create Halloween. In ancient times before people started really getting into religious beliefs, people turned to witches to help fight off monsters and demons that were said to appear mostly during Halloween. The witches would dress kids up in costumes, to confuse the monsters into thinking the kids are one of their own demon brethren. They would also use spells and incantations to fight them off.

I heard they were too scary for kids. Too scary my butt! DysDark villains were far from “cute” and went all out dastardly at times! If Precure starts getting lame villains because of that notion, it will be forever before we have a good series like Go! Princess! Threatening villains help create intensity, making you feel there’s more at stake for our heroes!

Either way, the Deusmast generals were certainly a lot better than the Idiot Trio. No, I refuse to call them “Dark Magicians”. That’s an insult to Dark Magician from Yugioh and I refuse to stoop that level!

Plus, come on. Orba is like the hottest character to come out of a magical girl series! He’s a package! He’s a book worm, he’s a hot without his glasses and when he powers up, he’s a hunk! It’s like 3 hot dudes in one! Who knew you could get such in a show aimed at kids! Plus, it’s said he’s based on the one wing angel and fallen angels. I believe that because he certainly looks like one. I always said his face is angelic and it is!

So, yeah, there’s a bit to like and appreciate from this series. Some people may disagree and if you’re one of them that’s fine. I can understand it. I’m a big fan of anything witch related as you can probably tell, so I’m usually forgiving. The only witch series I don’t like is The Familiar of Zero, mainly because I hated the main character and to some extend Doremi. I do like the idea of musical witches and they did convey what childhood is like real well, but the characters were annoying to me and again, I just didn’t like how the witches are represented in that series.

So, I do like Mahou Tsukai a bit actually. In fact, it’s become my second favorite series. I like it not as a good series but as a guilty pleasure. I appreciate what it was trying to do, quite a few characters are likable, just a bit under developed and the ideas put in it, is pretty interesting. Sadly, I have to judge this as a whole so I’m gonna have to rate it a bit low.

I give Mahou Tsukai Precure 4 and a half stars out of 10. My recommendation is for anyone that can enjoy a series that’s cute, with some nice ideas thrown in there and don’t mind that the plot can be a bit messy. Put it short, if you like cute guilty pleasures, you’ll like this fine. Some of the bad moments can be laughable especially some of the dialog. Just whatever you do, don’t watch episode 50. It’s pointless and this is coming from a fan. I rather like to believe that episode just didn’t exist.

If you’re looking for a series that is intense with a good story line, you’re better off skipping this whole series, but I do recommend it more than Doki Doki or Happiness Charge. At least it tries to stand out with some interesting characters and ideas. Those two series are just horrible and the only good idea of Happiness Charge was different precure from other countries.

**** /

Level: “It’s okay.”

#Mahou Tsukai Precure #precure #Futari wa Pretty Cure #pretty cure

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