Comic Review: Faith: Dreamside

 I have known about the Faith comic books for a while, however, I had never read one.  I remember there was a lot of buzz surrounding the books when they first debuted in 2016, but I was too wrapped up in Valiant’s XO Manowar, Britannia, various Archie Horror and Marvel comics.  Even though I had never read a Faith book, I had no problems jumping right in to Faith: Dreamside.  Boy, is it a trip!

Faith Herbert, AKA Zephyr, is a superhero on the run.  While hiding in plain sight from the authorities, Faith is summoned by Animalia, a superhero ally, to help fight an evil enemy who only occurs in dreams.  With help from Doctor Mirage, a famous parapsychologist, Faith must travel into the Dreamside to rescue Animalia.  What Faith doesn’t expect is that in the process, she will have to face her own fears to defeat the evil entity taking over our dreams.

Faith: Dreamside is a 4-book omnibus with a unique storyline by Jody Houser and wonderfully creepy artwork by MJ Kim.  I knew that Faith was already an established series and that there may be a few holes in my understanding of what was happening in Dreamside.  However, there were plenty of clues throughout the story that helped me figure things out.  The characters are well developed and Faith is such a relatable character.  I love her passion for being a superhero and her loyalty to her friends, despite her fears.  I really enjoyed reading Faith: Dreamside and look forward to reading more in the series!

Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors, Valiant Entertainment, and NetGalley for this eARC!  All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Merci Suarez Changes Gears

11-year-old Merci Suarez has a lot on her plate: navigating life as a newly minted 6^th grader, saving up for a new bike, helping her Lolo & Papi’s painting business on the weekends, having to babysit her twin cousins after school (without pay!), preparing for the school soccer team try-outs, and worst of all, being a Sunshine Buddy to a new student named Michael Clark.  Her family is changing and so is her life.  Soon Merci will find out that growing up is hard.  But when things get really tough, it’s time to change gears and hang on tight! 

There was so much to love about this book!  Meg Medina touches on so many social issues a typical 11-year-old would go through.  From worrying about fitting in to watching her classmates develop crushes, Merci’s character is totally relatable.  Age 11 is also about the same time a young person starts noticing change.  Merci sees that her Lolo is becoming forgetful and short tempered and her brother, Roli, spends all of his time on college applications.  Change is happening all around her and there is nothing she can do about it. 

I also love that the author carefully highlights the differences between Merci and her other schoolmates.  For example, the fact that Merci and Roli attend their private school “on scholarship” or how her whole family lives on a lot with multiple houses on it.  Merci knows that most kids do not live the way she does, but her differences do not hinder her from being who she is.

A great read with a lot of heart, Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina would be a great book for ages 9-12 or grades 4-7. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this E-ARC.  All opinions are my own.

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Book Review: How to Properly Dispose of the Planet Earth

 How to Properly Dispose of Planet Earth by Paul Noth is an enjoyable book about 11-year-old Happy "Hap" Conklin navigating the ups and downs of middle school, while saving Earth from destruction.  When Hap accidentally opens up a black hole from our world to another, he and his sister must find a way to prevent Earth from being sucked into it.  But when Hap is transported through the black hole and lands in a different, futuristic world, he finds out that his Grandma has been hiding out and is plotting to take over the galaxy.

The book is a sequel to How to Sell Your Family to the Aliens, which I didn't read, but I just went with it.  If I had read the previous book, it may have helped me understand the characters a little better.  The entertaining illustrations, also by Paul Noth, help tell the story which readers should enjoy.

All in all, I think this book was good.  There is a lot of humor, action and suspense, but just when things get really interesting, it ends with a dissatisfying cliffhanger.  I will be interested in reading the next book to see how things pan out!  I would recommend this series to grades 3-5 and to fans Stick Dog by Tom Watson or Timmy Failure by Stephan Pastis. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books for this E-ARC. Opinions are entirely my own.

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Comic Review: X-O Manowar: Volume 6

 The first time I had read a Valiant comic was two summers ago when Matt picked up a couple of issues of  X-O Manowar and Britannia.  The first thing that struck me was the amazing artwork, but the storytelling in XO-Manowar by Matt Kindt was what really grabbed me.

X-O Manowar: Volume 6 is an omnibus of issues 19 – 22 of Matt Kindt’s 2017 story arc.  Here we follow Aric of Dacia, back on Earth, where Colonel Jamie Capshaw recruits him to help investigate a strange and hostile threat.  What Aric didn’t expect was that he would soon be involved in a battle he has little interest in, but will do it to help Colonel Capshaw.  Aric, armed with his suit of bio-armor called Shanhara, will once again become X-O Manowar to fight for what he believes is right and just. 

I was so excited to see that X-O Manowar: Volume 6 was being offered on NetGalley! Although it had been several issues since I had read an X-O Manowar book, having had a little background to Aric’s story, I was able to pick up this volume and get right into it.  As with many Valiant books, the artwork by Juan Jose Ryp is amazing.  The colors as well as the fine details help tell the story panel after panel.  Matt Kindt has brought this story to life where you can understand that Aric has come back to Earth with little to no purpose, until Colonel Capshaw asks him for this favor.  The story is set up and then it’s right back into battle, where we readers love to see X-O Manowar dominate. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and Valiant Entertainment for this E-ARC.  All opinions are my own.