Rose Wallace's family have been going to Awago Beach every summer since, in Rose's words "like forever." I'm going to be honest, this beautiful graphic novel had me hooked as soon as I saw the illustrated Tim Horton's coffee cup nestled snugly in the cup holder of Rose's father's car. I had no idea this was about a Canadian holiday, luckily, I had no idea what this story was about before reading it, which is, I think, the best way to approach it. Due to the aforementioned Tim Horton's cup, This One Summer caused a deluge of memories for me: Visiting my grandparent's cottage on the lake in southwestern Nova Scotia, canoeing to the tiny sandy beaches sprinkled around the lake like smears of whip cream against the dark green backdrop of the woods beyond them. Making campfires, roasting s'mores, accidentally putting a fish hook straight through my friend Cory's finger and watching him faint from the sight of it and my brother and I having to literally carry him the half mile back to the - wait, I'm going off on a tangent here, back to This One Summer. Every summer, Rose meets her friend Wendy, who stays in a nearby cottage. This particular summer, Rose and Wendy decide to plough through as many horror movies as they can, rented from the local convenience store, which also sells a barrage of candy and of course, turkey jerky. Rose is also struck by the boy who works at the store, even though he's much older, 18 to her 13? 14? We're never really told how old Rose is but it doesn't matter, her experience throughout this story can cover the entire tween to early teen experience. The summer isn't spent in idyllic bliss, however. Rose must deal with her parent's constant bickering, which surrounds a family secret that I won't spoil here, you'll just have to read it. Family secret aside, Rose's mother refuses to allow herself to enjoy one second of her time at Awago Beach, something that only deepens the rift between her and Rose's father. So much so, that her dad leaves one night, telling Rose that he has to go back to the city to catch up on work. There's also a side plot running just under the family secret one. It surrounds the boy who works at the convenience store and an unplanned pregnancy and somehow Rose, Wendy and their parents get more involved then they want to. This One Summer might not be an obvious choice for someone like me, who loves dungeon-crawling video games and graphic novels & books like "Sleeper" and "Post Office," but this one hit me hard with its gorgeous illustrations and coming of age story with a punch. Recommended to anyone with a beating heart.
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To say that I read Broxo would be misleading. I devoured it. Not only is it beautifully illustrated and chalk-full of characters you want to box up and take home with you to show your friends, the action comes on faster than a machine gun on crank. Did I mention there was a Wampa-esque ice creature and zombies? Oh yes, lots and lots of zombies, and of course the chopping-up of said zombies. The story opens upon a charred and desolate mountaintop. Giallongo is so effective in depicting the bleakness of his world that you can almost feel the cold seeping from the pages into your fingers. It is here we meet barbarian princess Zora, who has abandoned her family in search of another clan. Why has she left her family to embark on this quest, you ask? None of your business! Sorry, I mean, you’ll simply have to read the book to find out! What I can tell you is that instead of finding the people she was looking for, she comes across Broxo, an uncouth, smelly boy who lives alone save for the aforementioned faithful ice creature. Broxo introduces Zora to the local culinary delights and attractions which include charred lizard and slicing the noggins off of the hoards of undead that roam the mountainside. The dialogue between the two teenagers is sharp, funny and endearing. Broxo possesses street smarts, a "when in doubt always use a sword" kind of attitude which is paired effectively with Zora's refined yet guarded approach to life's situations. The undead aren’t their only problem, though. There’s Gloth, a cowardly yet savage wolf that has the ability to talk through his seemingly endless rows of razor sharp teeth. Gloth patrols the land, looking for easy prey. He and Broxo have a history, and as you might expect, their paths are destined to meet again very soon. Then there’s Ulith, a mysterious witch who has the ability to observe Zora & Broxo from afar with the help of her animal servants. Giallongo does a good job keeping the reader guessing what Ulith’s relationship to Broxo and her role in Zora’s quest is until nearer the end, with satisfying results. Broxo is a graphic novel that sticks in your brain, it’s like snorting super glue. Actually, it’s nothing like snorting glue. In fact, do NOT snort super glue, ever. What I’m trying to say is that Broxo is awesome, Giallongo has created a rich, loveable cast of characters in a world you want to spend a lot more time in, even if the food is bad. I’d recommend this graphic novel to anyone aged twelve and up. "Much nonsense has been written about the Knights Templar over the years," writes Jordan Mechner, creator of the awesome graphic novel, "Templar." He's right, there has been a lot of nonsense written about them. One of my favourites is that they stole un-published works of Shakespeare and hid them on Oak Island, Nova Scotia. Then there's the myth that they were all arrested on a Friday the 13th, forever marking it as an unlucky day, a day that would spawn countless terrible campfire stories and movies. I'm looking at you, Jason Takes Manhattan. There's no nonsense in Mechner's Templar. He uses actual speeches from the Templar's leaders, members and detractors. Mechner re-creates 14th century Paris as meticulously as he can. We see both sides of the human experience, the gold-lined palaces, the poor wretches living in their own filth and the people who are just trying their best to survive. This is probably what I loved the most from this book, Mechner doesn't gloss over anything, but he doesn't exaggerate either. Don't get me wrong, the book gets pretty dark at times, especially when depicting the Siege of Acre and the resulting massacre of the prisoners. The through-line of Templar follows Martin and his friends. Martin returns to Paris after a long excursion around Europe only to find out that the woman he loves hasn't waited around for him. While he finds solace at the bottom of several pints of ale, the king orders the mass-arrest of the Templars, taking their treasure in the process and hiding it in the city. Forced into hiding for months on end, Martin and his friends eventually discover that their treasure is still in Paris. He then recruits people that are sympathetic to his cause, including his jilted ex-lover, to help rescue the treasure and return it to the remaining Templars that have escaped persecution. Templar is a deep story filled with smaller yet still interesting side-stories as well as fast paced action, Indiana Jones style puzzles and a well thought out romantic thread. At 480 pages, it's not a quick read, but that's fine because I didn't want it to end. The good news: Scientists have discovered a way to travel inter-dimensionally, forever changing science and the world that we know. The bad news: Most of the things that live in those other dimensions want us all dead. That is the conundrum facing Grant McKay and his team of researchers, who get stranded "Lost in Space" style within multiple dimensions, most of them extremely dangerous. McKay is a broken man, struggling with the fact that he's put his family in danger, he's cheating on his wife, and yes, he probably takes too many drugs. He has to put all of that behind him, however, if he's going to get them all home alive. Most of the dialogue is through Mckay's inner thoughts, and it is here that we experience his fears, his hopes and his brilliant mind. It is an effective way to keep the reader confused yet ravenously interested in figuring out what's going on. The action in Black Science #1 is non-stop, Scalera has achieved greatness in his ability to disturb and entrance readers at the same time. The desperation that courses through McKay and his team is palpable, the people that inhabit the other dimensions are frightening and the monsters, well, they're absolutely terrifying. I can't really say enough about the artwork in Black Science, it's unlike anything I've ever come across. It is so vivid and real and crackling with energy that I defy anyone to say that they don't feel like they are in these worlds, living out this unbelievable nightmare. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next volume of this mind-bending action-adventure. I highly recommend it. Marcus Lopez is going to assassinate the President of the United States. That's the plan, at least. In the meantime, he's on the run from a home for wayward teenagers, has no money, no family and no friends. It's safe to say that Marcus has a lot of issues. Why is he on the run, you ask? Let's just say it involves a lot of pent-up anger, a nail bomb and the aforementioned plan to off the commander in chief. It's San Francisco, 1987, and Marcus has indirectly lost his parents to Ronald Reagan's cuts to national mental health funding. Consumed with a desire for revenge, Marcus lives under bridges, freeways and anywhere he can in order to hide from the authorities while he tries to figure out a way to make his assassination plan come to life. Marcus' seemingly complete lack of empathy, razor-thin sanity and suicidal nature make him the ideal candidate for the "Kings Dominion School of the Deadly Arts" - an academy that trains the youth of 1987 to be the best assassins in the world. It's like if Saved By the Bell had an episode where they cut the brake lines to Mr. Belding's car. He's recruited to join the school while simultaneously about to commit suicide and while being chased by government officials - tough day. Classes at "The School" range from learning how to properly behead someone to understanding the psychological framework of a killer. Things don't get truly interesting, though, until Marcus and a handful of his new friends sneak off of school grounds to go on a road trip. As expected, things get way out of hand, people get hurt and Marcus' past comes hurtling back to devour him. Visually, this graphic novel can be compared to Frank Miller's Sin City, it's clean and bold at the same time. They have packed a lot of story into this volume, and its conclusion leaves us realizing that there is still a ton that needs to be told, and that's a great thing. In "No Feelings," the Sex Pistols sing I look around your house, you got nothing to steal / I kick you in the brains when you get down to kneel. I can't help but feel the aimlessness, melancholy and violence embodied in these lyrics screaming off of the pages in Deadly Class. Great stuff. |
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