My Rating: 5 Stars Once again, a brilliant adaptation of the original into a Manga Classic! It keeps the dramatic atmosphere and the gripping suspense of the most complex classic revenge story. This is the story of a young man that had a bright life ahead of him. He was to become captain of his own ship, marry the love of his life and save his father from poverty. Until, on his wedding day, he's arrested for a crime he didn’t commit and is sent to an isolated prison with no contact with the outside world. After digging into the cell next door, he becomes friends with an old man that helps him discover the truth about his arrest and carefully plans his revenge. Giving invaluable information about a hidden treasure, the old man teaches Edmond everything he knows. As the years' pass, Edmond Dantes is a changed man with a single goal in life: make the people that betrayed him suffer as he did and take everything from them. A masterpiece that still gives me pleasure in reading. It’s a complex story full of betrayals, murder, blackmails and hidden businesses. The story is engaging and the complexity of the plot is addictive. Much like the original, the manga was able to keep the same emotion and suspense that defines this French classic in 400 pages. In end, it motivated me to read the translated version of the original again. The story has been shortened quite a bit but Crystal was able to keep all the important details that keep the story attached and that leave no loose strings. The plot follows the story of the Count and his path to execute his revenge. This is the perfect book for the readers that don’t want to go through the 1000-page original. The style of writing is faithful to the translated copy but the language is simplified in certain scenes. I imagine that it’s for the reader to be able to fully understand the story. There is a big number of characters in the manga and for me, it was easy to recognise who is who. The designs are unique to each character, going from facial expressions to the dressing details. I’ve read the novel before and the drawing of these characters go in line with the way I imagined them. The visuals are captivating and beautifully created. There is a special attention to detail; from the dresses and the suits to the prison itself and Edmond’s home. I could hear the noises in the street and walk around in this world. It definitely pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go until they fall in love with the story and this reality. I highly recommend this adaptation to both readers that already know the original story and those that didn’t read it yet. Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Udon Entertainment, and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.
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My Rating: 4 Stars A great, creepy graphic novel to be fully enjoyed! After the death of his mother, Christian and his father moved to Shell Bay. Christian doesn’t seem to be destined for an easy life. As he starts in a new school, he becomes the target of bullies. When the group of weird kids help him, Christian becomes part of something that he doesn’t fully understand. Unknowingly, he joins them in an occult ritual that gets them possessed by darkness. Soon, they all start developing strange powers and Christian learns right after that it comes at a high price. Faced with horrifying truth, he has to make a choice if he wants to reverse the ritual: kill off the circle before they kill him or let the darkness take over him completely. Will he be able to make his choice before time runs out? Both the story and the art are amazing and they complement each other very nicely. The angle of the drawings and the dark colours only bring out the horror of the story more. The story develops at a steady, suspenseful pace and it ends with a dramatic climax. There isn’t a boring moment with this graphic novel. There aren’t any loose ends left when the story is over and I felt that the story should have a sequel. Damon Clark started and finished the story completely, but I think there’s still space to explore Christian’s life after his horrifying adventure. However, I felt that the deaths and the ultimate feeling of fear weren’t truly there. Everything happens very fast and I couldn’t feel or see the impact of the events on the characters. It would have given more depth to the plot. This graphic novel is all about wrong choices; how bad life can get, especially when one thinks it cannot get any worse. On the contrary, of other graphic novels, the main character doesn’t have a single drop of luck. Every time he tries to make amends, everything just turns ever so darker. I read this novel in one go, I couldn’t put it down. Even though it’s a horror story, I felt nostalgic and a bit like a kid again when I was reading it. I recommend it! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Diamond Book Distributors and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. My Rating: 5 Stars This is the type of comic that never disappoints! Beautiful art mixed with a great story. The tale starts with Lady Mechanika on a journey, trying to put a tragic event behind her. In the small town of Santa Catrina, it’s that time of the year, the celebration of the Dia de Los Muertos. As she learns more and starts enjoying herself, a mutilated boy comes into town before collapsing. He is the latest victim of the Jinetes del Inferno, a group of gods that require sacrifices every year. If they don’t get what they want, they torture children as the warning. This time, they get more than what they bargained for. Lady Mechanika makes it her mission to put a permanent end to them. I read and reviewed the previous volumes of the Lady Mechanika collection and this one can be read as a stand-alone. There is enough background story in the plot to make sure the reader doesn’t feel lost. The storyline is very nice and dramatic. For the readers of the previous volumes, you will know there is nothing new to that. The story is simple, easy to follow and very compelling just as the style of writing. The art is memorable as usual. The excellent graphics, the steampunk mixed with the typical Mexican art is simply amazing. The lines, the colours and the attention to detail blend perfectly with the story and the character of Lady Mechanika. The reader ends up being pulled into her world and her adventures. Another great read, one that I recommend to the fans of the series and of steampunk art. Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Benitez Productions and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. My Rating: 4 Stars Another great story from Lady Mechanika and her adventures, but a bit short. In this volume, it is brought to Lady Mechanika’s attention that some children have gone missing under mysterious circumstances around the mechanical toy shop. She teams up with the Inspector to get to the bottom of the occurrences and, in between witty exchanges and action-packed situations, Lady Mechanika begins to remember her dark, forgotten past. The story-line is very good and interesting and action-packed and the characters are as amazing as in the previous comics. The artwork is gorgeous: from the steampunk machines and setting to the Victorian style of dressing, everything brings together an incredible but very dark and dangerous world. I usually give five stars to this collection but this time I was a bit disappointed to see how short it turned out to be since usually it’s around 120 pages and this one is around 60 pages. Maybe because I’m a fan I wanted to read a more complex story. I’m looking forward to the next comic, hopefully with more pages than this one! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Benitez Productions, and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. My Rating: 4 Stars Great art and a fast-paced story, a nice read. Living in Louisiana with her father, the shy high-schooler Melanie has a pretty uneventful life. She works at the local bookstore with her classmate Zoe and tries to be there for her father when she can. Things change the night she’s walking home from the cemetery. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time, Melanie receives the Wraithbornn, a power destined for a member of the warrior monks called Valin. When she starts seeing spirits at school, Zoe is the only one that believes and helps her. With demons after her gift, Melanie will need all the help she can get if she wants to get out alive. The art of this graphic novel is great: bright colours, details, especially in the fighting scenes and a perfect balance between the drawings and the text. The story is well-balanced since there are moments of action and moments to recover from those moments: the action takes place when demons appear and they fight; and slower moments when both Melanie and Valin are trying to figure what happened. Even so, I didn’t grow bored at all. Melanie is a good main character. Her shyness and the way she reacts to the unfortunate events around her make her very human but at the same time I could see her courage and how she grows along the novel. Zoe is an awesome character and my favourite. She’s a good friend and her powers make her the perfect companion for Melanie that tends to panic. Overall, a good story! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher WildStorm, and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. My Rating: 4 Stars A great reading and a beautiful manga version to look at! The Jungle Book is a collection of stories about Mowgli, the boy raised by animals in the Indian jungle and the stories of several animals in their own unique adventures. I’ve read the original stories many years ago and it was refreshing to go through them again in such a light way. The drawings are magical and the original stories didn’t lose any of their charms or sense. Being a fan of the Disney version of the novel, I could almost hear the songs in my head as the respective characters came to play, such as Mowgli and the elephants. On the contrary of the other manga classics published so far, this graphic novel can also be read to children. The language is easy to understand and the illustrations are very appealing and pleasant to look at. A delight to read, this manga version is a treat! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Udon Entertainment, and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. My Rating: 5 Stars I thought it was impossible to like the second volume more than I did the first one, but apparently it is possible! Terrific art combined with a great adventure story and a lot of old fashioned codes and riddles. Absolutely perfect! Lady Mechanika’s journey starts when a stranger knocks at her door. A daring adventure: to find an old weapon in the heart of Africa while trying to be one step ahead of the secret societies that would love to get their hands on the artefact. But things never run smoothly for the Lady and when she is confronted with a life threatening choice, what will she choose? First of all, the artwork is breathtaking. Even though the story takes place outside the city designed in the first volume, Steampunk is still very much present and still as beautiful as before. Furthermore, the supernatural is also still present and for me it was even more detailed than in the first volume The storyline was very nice to read even though I was a bit disappointed not to see a direct connection to the first graphic novel. I would have enjoyed seeing the development of Lady Mechanika’s search for her maker. Even so, I loved every minute of this reading and I was addicted to it until the very end. I can’t wait to see what surprises the next volume will bring! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Aspen, and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. My Rating: 5 Stars It was love at first sight with this graphic novel and even though you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, I’m very glad I did! It does help that I’m a big fan of Steampunk. This is the story of Lady Mechanika, a half-human half-machine in her search to discover her identity and her maker. As her journey takes her to the city where she was found, the Lady investigates a peculiar death of a young girl much like her at the local train station. Does it have anything to do with her? Was it the same person that transformed her? In a Steampunk world where Man and machine are one, nothing will stand in her way until she gets her answers. There isn’t anything I didn’t like in this graphic novel: the artwork is breathtaking, absolutely brilliant and the colours go perfectly with the dark and industrial setting. It was amazing to see how this world worked and it was impossible not to love the beautiful landscapes. The story-line is very well thought and it’s steady-paced. Details of this world are all around the story, but not enough to be boring. Lady Mechanika is a great character: elegant, graceful, quick with the guns, seemly cold and detached but with a caring heart hidden underneath. She doesn’t care if it’s human, machine or not human at all, if they need help she will give it. However, don’t piss her off. Lady Mechanika doesn’t care about power or hierarchy in society, if anyone stands in her way or even threatens her… well, you have to read it to find out the rest. Loved every minute and I’ll start the second volume very soon! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Aspen, and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. My Rating: 4 Stars The first Rebirth comic that I actually loved! Wow, Harley Quint is definitely my favourite anti-hero and in this comic makes her justice! For the story arcs I just have one phrase for you: Harley Quint, aliens, zombies and her own personal gang. Craziness, humour, action! What’s not to love? The art of the comic is amazing. The colours, the drawings of the characters together with the witty and humours dialogues create the perfect combination for an addictive read. I took my time to appreciate the art though, even in the parts where it gets really bloody. Harley’s character is very well drawn, specially her crazy expressions in particular moments, like in life-risking situations and when she’s hungry (it’s actually pretty funny too). I really like the gang Harley put together. They all get along perfectly and it was surprising to see that they actually get along even if they’re all crazy I their own way. The loyalty amongst them was a pleasure to see and read, specially the seen where Harley gets herself in a pickle and they’re there to back her up even when they stare at death right in the face. The only thing I didn’t like very much is the sexual vibe between Harley and Poison Ivy. Their friendship and bond is unique and powerful but let’s not exaggerate either. I did like to see Harley with Deadwood. I was surprised with the chemistry they have and thinking about, they would make one hell of a couple! Loved every page and I can’t wait for the next volume! Definitely recommend it! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher DC Comics and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. My Rating: 5 Stars A beautiful and unique story that explores a journey of self-discovery. This graphic novel tells the story of a photojournalist that embarks on a sixty-day journey of self-discovery in New York City. As he commits to this period with no human interaction, he will have to rely on memories, numbers and music to keep his sanity and in hopes to get over a painful past and to rediscover the beauty of the world. This story was heart-warming and unique. It gives an unique perspective of life, the world around us and how we miss little moments because we are so focused on ourselves. The setting is great because it shows how even in a big and crowded city we can still feel very much alone. The characters are great and their depth is amazing. The drawings are definitely one of my favourite details of this graphic novel with the style and the colours and how they change and grow with the story line. I definitely recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in putting things into perspective and to remember what is really important in life. Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Magnetic Press and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. |
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