Graphic Novels Galore!

Fangs by Sarah Andersen

I love Sarah's Scribbles comics, so when i saw this e-galley available, I said, sure, why not? I thought the premise of vampire + werewolf romance was a bit cliche, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I liked how it poked fun at the cliches, but also presented a unique plot of its own. A fun little read for fans of funny comics. Definitely a better love story than Twilight.

112 pages



New Kid by Jerry Craft

I've seen this title pop up on so many book lists lately, I thought I'd check it out. Although this graphic novel is written for the middle grades, there are so many themes and issues relevant to adult readers. When his parents enroll him in a private school, Jordan has to adapt to a school where he is one of the few students of color. He has to learn how to make new friends while faced with racist microaggressions from his classmates and teachers. I would highly recommend this title for anyone and everyone.

249 pages




The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill

Greta, an apprentice blacksmith, discovers a new passion when she rescues a small dragon from a chaotic marketplace. She then discovers the world of the tea dragons, whose horns sprout tiny leaves harvested for tea by their caretakers. This story is so sweet, and the artwork is beautiful. A lovely fantasy tale of traditions, love, and friendship.

60 pages




Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

I read this novel when it came out, but it's been a few years. When this popped up on a recommended list I thought, sure, why not? I remembered enjoying the novel, but didn't remember enough of the plot to make a reread too boring. Yet, this was so boring. The story was still exciting and upbeat, but the art was just... bleh. I'm not a fan of the blue-grey color scheme. It was nice to get a visual for some of the characters, but honestly? Just read the novel.

206 pages




Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed by Laurie Halse Andersen, and Leila Del Duca (ill.)

Now this is Wonder Woman done right. Andersen is a powerful writer, and Del Duca makes the story pop with color. Diana's origin story is updated to reflect our current world, as she encounters refugees, activists, homelessness, corporate greed, human trafficking and other social issues. I love how many diverse wonder woman comics we've been getting lately, and I'd say this is one of the best ones I've read.

207 pages




Zatanna and the House of Secrets by Matthew Cody, and Yoshi Yoshitani (ill.)

We don't get a lot of Zatanna-featured comics, so seeing this one written for the younger crowd was a pleasant surprise. This book was a lot of fun! Zatanna is a normal girl living in a slightly abnormal house dealing with tricky middle school friendship troubles. Then, the son of a witch queen steals her pet rabbit's key collar and the magic house comes alive. Zatanna has to navigate the twists, turns, and terrors to rescue her father and discover her true inheritance. This book is a lot of fun!

146 pages

Diana, Princess of the Amazons by Shannon Hale

Awww, this comic is so cute! Little Diana is lonely because she is the only kid on the island, so she makes her own friend out of clay. But her new friend may not be the best influence on her... I love new twists on the Wonder Woman story, especially ones set on Themyscira.

A fun Wonder Woman comic for younger readers.

159 pages

Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Just War by G. Willow Wilson

I love Wonder Woman. She fights for truth, justice, and those who cannot defend themselves. In this volume, Ares decides he wants to try to do the same... but he's not very good at it. Still, the return of Ares feels more like classic Wonder Woman (the past few runs have veered way off this path). I think Wilson does a good job blending the classic mythos with current world issues-immigration, proxy wars, biased news media. I'll be looking forward to the next volume.

Classic Wonder Woman for the modern era.

192 pages

Wonder Woman Vol. 9: The Enemy of Both Sides by Steve Orlando

What a mish-mash of mythologies here. Diana has her Lasso of Hestia, Artemis her Bow of Ra, and both are fighting alongside Aztek against Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec deity of darkness and destruction, to rescue Atalanta, an acolyte of Maat. Even for a Wonder Woman comic, it's a little crazy. It's fun though, and it also collects a lot of the shorter stories from specials, which bring in some fun artwork. I loved the one where Diana has to stop a man in "Idea" (Ikea) rampaging because he's missing a piece to his furniture set.

Not the best Wonder Woman comic I've read, but still fun for a lazy afternoon.

224 pages

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was even better than I thought it would be, not than I expected something less than incredible from Leigh Bardugo. She's one of my favorites, but there are so many superhero remakes, that it often worries me.

I guess I feel like sometimes there's a limit when it comes to superhero stories, a point at which they start to seem repetitive or like there's too much of the same, which is why I liked this so much. This entire story is pre-Wonder Woman. It's just about Diana when she's young, and it includes some fascinating characters and enjoyable friendships.

There's plenty of intrigue and action scenes to keep things exciting, and the side characters are quirky, diverse, and lovable. The villain is well-developed. I listened to the audiobook, which was very good and narrated by Mozhan Marno.

This story only increased my fascination with Wonder Woman, and I continue to feel very sorry for myself that I can't live on Themyscira.

Pages: 384

Wonder Woman: Ends of the Earth by Gail Simone

Wonder Woman: Ends of the Earth was amazing! It definitely had some of my favorite Wonder Woman moments ever in it. Tom Tresser, aka Nemesis, also makes an appearance on Themyscira to meet Hippolyta, Diana's mother. It has a great "boyfriend meets the parents for the first time" amusement to it. 

This graphic novel combines 4 different stories, which is both awesome and confusing. Wonder Woman faces off against the devil and the Queen of Fables. She also visits Hollywood to review the set of a Wonder Woman movie in the making - which is a clever disguise by the evil Queen of Fables. The movie set scenes are hilarious with Diana's reactions to the way certain moments from her life are portrayed. 

Definitely a must-read for any Wonder Woman fan.

142 pages