Greg WeismanCritiques

In Gargoyles: Here in Manhattan, writer and Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman continues the story he began in the 1994-1997 Disney animated series Gargoyles. Only the first two seasons and first episode of the third season are considered canon. Further, this references Weisman’s earlier 2007-2008 comics continuation from SLG, “Clan-Building” volumes one and two as well as “Bad Guys: Redemption,” in which Brooklyn traveled through time and started a family of his own. This volume collects the first six issues of the current series from Dynamite Comics illustrated by George Kambadais with colors by Kambadais, Guilia Giacomino, Giovanna La Pietra, Andrea Izzo, and Josh Rodriguez; letters by Jeff Eckleberry; and the hardcover collection cover by Amanda Conner.

As the story begins, the public are aware of the Gargoyles’ existence following the events of the season 3 opener and “Clan-Building.” Meanwhile, the various New York gangs are preparing to go to war. Further complicating matters, Thailog, the evil clone of Goliath, makes plans with Sevarius to kidnap Maggie and Talon’s child. Goliath and NYPD Detective Elisa Maza find themselves under added scrutiny due to their working and personal relationships and connection to Talon. Meanwhile, Brooklyn and the other Gargoyles adapt to Brooklyn’s added experience from when he was timedancing. He finds himself thrust into the position of leadership after the gang war lands Goliath in prison. These events set up the public’s acceptance of the Gargoyles in subsequent issues, part of the larger narrative that Weisman is building in this sequel series and the prequel series, Dark Ages.

Having Conner illustrate the hardcover collection is an especially nice touch given her work on the 1990s Marvel comics, which are fun even if they’re not considered canon (Weisman himself acknowledges this in his introduction to this volume). They don’t contradict the show, so they may as well be enjoyed just the same as the first two seasons. Further, Conner’s style is perfect for people and Gargoyles alike. The story works as a reintroduction for fans as more than a decade passed since the last official Gargoyles continuation. It reminds them of what made the series such a source of joy while pointing the way towards a future.

I'm a late comer to Rebels but it's quickly coming one of my fav Star Wars shows. This comic gives us the background of how Kanan survived Order 66 and was pursued by two clone troopers who used to be loyal to the Jedi. It's a little basic - Kanan becomes a smuggler to hide his identity but it's very endearing.

After reading the first book I said to myself, might as well read the second one, it can't be any worse! And... actually, it couldn't. This book is better than the first one. But that doesn't mean it's good...

The predecessor was nigh unreadable due to the neverending avalanche of dull exposition and repetitiveness, problems which are fixed this time around as this follows immediately upon the first and thankfully assumes that the reader knows all relevant backstory by this point.

Unfortunately, this is the only thing that is fixed. The writing is still very bad. This time, we visit several different worlds and meet some new characters (thankfully not as many as in the first book), but the barren prose comes with almost no descriptions. If you hadn't seen these worlds and people on playing cards, would you get a feel for how Kaladesh looks different from Ravnica? Or Esper? Or how any of the characters look?

The book has eighty (!) chapters. It follows three main arcs plus a couple of side-plots, through super-short snippets of chapters, each one jumping to (ostensibly) another character's perspective. It's an obviously moviefied way of writing, that perhaps some authors can make work, but here it's needlessly hard to follow. "Wait, what is it this character was doing again?" Also, again, if you want the reader to feel like a movie is playing in their head while reading, you have to describe how stuff looks!

This novel focuses on slightly fewer characters from the last so you might think we could get some better characterization and development. But baffling plot twists, out-of-character, or plain dumb actions, and author-imposed spokes in their wheels make the characters suffer, and me with them. Shaggy dog stories where bad things happen to people can be valid, even great, but I don't get why this book about heroes in a teenagers' card game has to be such a downer and screw over most characters? Even to the point of regressing some characters back through years of previous character development.

And, as the last book in a (short) series, does it at least provide closure? Some plot threads are tied together, largely unsatisfactorily, some simply... dissolve, as if the author forgot them, and several new threads are created, many of which will probably never have their continuation see the light of day. Sigh.

So, it's not excruciating. Things happen in the book. It has, by certain definitions, characters and plot in it. It is possible to sit through this book. You shouldn't. But it is possible.

1226

Spring 2020 (March Live Read):

And flashbacks while in a bacta-tank || I kind of really love Billaba in this series, and her glibness. || The 'don't call me kid’ and ‘never mind’ thing is way overdone at this point. || Her art is just so on point.

These things really like to end their story on the 5th of their 6th issue. Whhhat are you saving to last.

Oh, duces. This last issue references [b:A New Dawn|20262705|A New Dawn (Star Wars)|John Jackson Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516016790l/20262705._SY75_.jpg|41325215], too. I'm going to finish this issue, but I'll have to come back and re-read it after finishing S3-S4 of Revels & reading New Dawn. But at least it did help me place wherein The Rebels timeline this all takes place.

Spring 2020 (March);

From Live-read:

Yeessss, continuing my favorite theme of the first trilogy reading set. Billaba talking about she thinks it's a mistake the Jedi ever took on military ranks. || OMG NO. They were so happy in this second right before Order 66. || This baby. || Also, this baby is so cute and his artwork is, too,

OMGOSH. That last splash page, with Baby!Padawn him, SpacePirate!Kid him, and grown up Rebels!Him. That's a lovely crossshot of the three. | I'm so glad #6 slides us back into current time, with reference to first storytime, too. Flashbacks, but, also, MOAR REBELS FAMILY. I love you, JediSmugglerSpaceDad, stop trying to die.

This was really fun. I enjoyed the characters and adventure. However, the ending is kind of unsatisfying, prompting a sequel. Still, there was some resolution/explanations.

Dramatic, although as expected. Also lol @ Liliana's Beefslab. For all the total drama queens Planeswalkers can be, this was an ok introduction to the characters. If you already play Mt:G, you're really not actually missing much if you skip the book.

My main gripes are mostly from a writing standpoint: I wanted more Rat (she had more character development than any of the main characters....), and wow, ok, really pushing Gideon as a mythic here. The problem I have is that the 'rarity of the card' is...not relevant in the novelization. We get plenty of scenes that show how powerful Gideon is already.

Aside from that, it was an ok novel.
Seriously, though, most of that was expected. Not nearly as many deaths as the card set led me to believe. Looking forward to the email chapters.

If you took the last 45 minutes of Avengers: Endgame and made it into a book substituting characters from the Magic the Gathering universe, you would have this book. Seeing as this was my first Magic the Gathering novel (other than a short story), it was kind of like watching that last part of Endgame without seeing the other movies. There were a million characters, all from past novels, and many of them had a history with each other.

I read this because I'm running a D&D campaign in the Ravnica setting so I thought it would help me add flavor. Not sure it really did that. It wasn't horrible, but really it just felt like one long battle scene. It did make me curious about some of the other characters though, so I may be reading more MTG novels in the future.

I liked this book. it was fun and engaging, it brought the characters to life and made me want to play more magic, but that's probably the entire point.

that being said, what's with the reviews on here full of spoilers but not tagged as such? that really sucks, goodreads. I knew a major character death was coming before it happened, but I was still so into it that I still cried.

so yes, only 4 stars. I didnt love it enough to want to come back and pick it up again. my one major complaint is that there were lots of planeswalkers. I mean LOTS. too many different viewpoints who essentially all sounded the same. while the snark works really well for characters like Chandra and Ral, it doesnt work so much for Jace and Gideon. I really just wanted to read an entire novel about Ral and Tomik, but that's another story.

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Yes, particularly for those who enjoy the game World of Warcraft
Level: Middle Grade

Traveler follows the story of Aramar Thorne, the son of the captain Greydon Thorne, and their sailing adventures. It is set in the world of Azeroth and many of the races and characters unique to World of Warcraft are described and incorporated into the story. Sketch-type illustrations are sprinkled throughout the novel that add depth and make reading more enjoyable.

Kanan spends a lot of this graphic novel in a bacta tank and remembering his past as a Jedi Padawan.

Kanan Jarrus is the leader of a band of Rebels in the post-Order 66 Star Wars universe. But in the past he was named Caleb Dume, a Jedi Padawan (apprentice) to an unorthodox master. They fought together in the Clone Wars until the Emperor's Order 66 brought an end to all Jedi. Both Dume and his master Depa Billaba bonded with their clone troopers so their betrayal was all the more painful for Dume. Alone, he had to make his way in the universe. The story is well-paced and gives depth to the characters. It even makes the thin plot of 'Revenge of the Sith' look better by humanising the Jedi, Clones and separatists.

A nice little primer for Star Wars Rebels. Who doesn't love reading about Padawans and Knights training together. I love reading about the weird quirky Jedi Masters from the before time. The writing is great. The art is pretty ok, a little shiny for my taste but that's what sells these days. Still there are some great landscape panels and some neat one page layouts with diagonal panels of moons depicting the passage of time. Overall, a decent addition to the new cannon. I will gladly pick up the next volume.

Good ending. A little choppy throughout, but an interesting look into Kanan's past, contextualised by his (and the Ghost's crew's) current predicament.

It's Kanan's fast-paced origin story.

Spider-Man: The Gauntlet, Vol. 3 - Vulture & Morbius features stories written by Tom Preyer, Fred Van Lente, Greg Weisman, Mark Waid, and Joe Kelly with illustrations by Javier Rodriguez, Joe Quinones, Luke Ross, Paul Azaceta, Max Fiumara, and Francis Portela. This volume collects material original published in Amazing Spider-Man issues 622-625 and Web of Spider-Man numbers 2 and 6. The stories focus on J. Jonah Jameson's tenure as NYC mayor, Flash Thompson dealing with his war injuries, Spider-Man working to get a stolen sample of his blood back from Morbius, the new Vulture, the old Vulture, and a battle between the new and old Rhinos. Weisman and Van Lente's Flash Thompson story, Kelly's Rhino story, and Van Lente's old Vulture story are the most engaging, though the Rhino story is best, striking the right balance between action and pathos.½

I received a copy from Netgalley.

After trying to several times I'm just not getting into this book at all so have come to the conclusion its not for me. Not rating because I've not read enough to really give it a star rating, I think it has the potential to be a fun middle grade adventure book, but personality, just not for me. So I am DFNing and moving on.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity, even though its not to my taste.

Seeing the recently departed is not always a joyous occasion, even when you live on an Island named after the dead. Those that have passed on are meant to move on to another plane of existence, where they can choose another life path to follow. They are not meant to linger, but instead move up to embrace the next level of life. This book is about a girl named Rain that lives on an Island called Prospero Keys or Ghost Keys by the locals. It is here that an undiscovered World War II tragedy occurred. Rain is a young teenage girl that is very close to her grandfather, who is a WWII veteran. During the summer her grandfather dies suddenly. Before his death he gives her a bracelet that has been handed down in the family for many generations. Once worn Rain begins to see the ghosts of WWII soldiers. How is it that these soldiers are coming to haunt Rain and why are they asking her for help? How is it that the bracelet that her grandfather gave her is magical? What is the secret that her grandfather has kept for over 40 years?

This book was an interesting read. My grandfather was also in WWII so I could relate to the story. I enjoyed the plot of the story and how the author gave a little history with his book. It is not every day that an author has young adult female character in a B-17 bomber. I thought that was a hoot! The whole book was very new and refreshing for me. I honestly can say that I have never read another book like this one in the young adult section. I strongly recommend this for all readers. I don’t see why it has to be limited to just young adults. I honestly think anyone can enjoy a book like this. Great job author.

If you were a fan of the show, and you've read the first volume in this series, you'll find much to interest you. Unlike the previous entry, this is all new material. Initially the structure of the story can be rather confusing, skipping around in time as it does. But the story in this first half is quite rewarding. As for the second half, we are treated to a heavily rushed version of what we could have gotten, had Gargoyles never been canceled. The richness of the story, the clear plans that the author had to develop it over the course of years, are tantalizingly apparent.

There are plenty of satisfying moments, but the end does nothing but make me want more. I look forward to the day, which may never come, in which I get to experience the rest of this story as it was intended to be delivered.½

Thirteen-year-old Rain Cacique lives on an island in the Prospero Keys or, as the locals call them, the Ghost Keys. When she’s not helping out at her family’s inn, she spends much of her time biking around the island with her best friend Charlie trying to avoid tourists.

When her beloved grandfather, Sebastian Bohique dies, he leaves her an armband. When she puts it on, she can see ghosts, most specifically, eight men in WWII bomber jackets, who tell her that they want to go home. Soon, she and Charlie find themselves caught up in an exciting adventure concerning a dangerous thief, a decades old plane crash, a violent deity, and a mysterious cave.

Rain of the Ghosts is the first in a new paranormal series aimed at middle-graders. It’s told by a dog (I think) named Opie who, with his seemingly harmless old master (?), may be much more than he appears. The story begins rather slowly and much of the book seems to be a setup for future stories. Still, once the tale picked up, it was a lot of fun. Nice start to what looks to be an interesting series for readers ten and up.

I came to this graphic novel having just completed a rewatch of the original series... ending, of course, with "The Journey," the last canonical episode. I was initially frustrated that the first third of this book replicated almost scene-for-scene that episode, but I quickly got past the retread and onto new material.

Although I feel those first two issues were intended to open up the readership to new members, make no mistake--this is a comic for the fans of the show. We start with mountains of backstory and development already in place, and with only a few missteps, we get the first few episodes of the Season 3 that should have been. The artwork was serviceable, with more emphasis on characterization than action. I generally prefer that in my artwork, but the action scenes were a little too muddy for my tastes.

Recommended for fans of the show. Those new to the mythos should buy the DVDs, and hope that (eventually) the 2nd half of the 2nd season gets the release it deserves.½

Greg Weisman, creator of the Gargoyles animated series, has been waiting for over a decade to expand on his vision. With this graphic novel (a collection of more-or-less monthly comics) he threw away Season 3 of the series, picking up where Season 2 left off. The Clan is back at the castle, and humans know they exist. Alliances have shifted. Enemies, such as the Xanatos family, have become protectors, and the Illuminati is up to something, as usual. Throw in the standard Gargoyles mix of Magic, Mythology, and Mad Science, and the reader is thrown into Weisman's deeply-layered universe. No, seriously, this was a kids' show! But it ages well. Enjoy.

http://reviewingwhatever.blogspot.com/2009/08/assorted-graphic-novels.html

A wonderful way to continue the series. I hope volume 2 comes out soon because I'm not having much luck collecting the comics individually. Now if only we can get the PTB to release season 2, part 2 on DVD...