Reading List: December

Welcome to the last Reading List of the year! Apparently, I haven’t read too much this month, probably because I was too busy watching DVDs (like the seventh season of Scrubs and the first season of Deadwood) and killing Locust in Gears of War 2. At any rate, December’s books bring the total count to 55 books and 57 graphic novels. That averages a little bit over a book and a graphic novel per week, which I guess is not too bad. This is what I read this month:

Alice on Deadlines, vol. I
A manga by Shiro Ihara, Alice on Deadlines tells the story of Lapan, a retriever of spirits who travels to Earth to catch one of the aforementioned rogues. He is supposed to inhabit a skeleton during his time on Earth, but he ends up in the body of a hottie, Alice, while Alice’s soul ends up trapped in the skeleton that was intended for Lapan. And did I mention Lapan is a pervert? You don’t need me to tell you what happens afterward, and how not in a hurry Lapan is to return to his plane of existence. The book was entertaining and the artwork is good, but I doubt I will continue with the series.

Lorna and Her Robot
This Lorna book by Alfonso Azpiri seems to collect his earliest Lorna adventures, and I found it weaker than the other Lorna books I read this year, both in artwork and story. It was still entertaining, though, but, once again, the person who translated this book into English only thinks he speaks Shakespeare's language.

Hogfather
In this Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, the Hogfather has disappeared, and it’s up to Death to bring toys to children all over the disc this Hogswatch Day. Plus a lot of assorted mayhem. The Death books are not my favorite in the Discworld series, but I did laugh a lot with this one.

The Outlaw Demon Wails
The sixth installment in Kim Harrison’s Hollows series, The Outlaw Demon Wails finds good old Rachel Morgan getting into more and more trouble. There are also some stunning revelations and unexpected events, and the sum of all its parts makes this book the best one in the series so far. I can’t wait for White Witch, Black Curse next year!

Thunderhead
Another fun book by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Thunderhead finds archeologist and recurrent character Nora Kelly looking for a lost Anasazi city in Utah. What begins as an adventure book takes its time to turn into something else, and it makes for a fun read.

Army of Darkness vs. Re-Animator
I reread this book because I was missing an issue that I got over the summer, and it really made me wonder what the hell I was thinking when I bought it. The artwork by Nick Bradshaw and Sanford Greene is good (especially Bradshaw’s issues), but the script is just horrendous, my friends. And the one liners end up feeling lame, forced, and stale. Don’t waste your time reading this book, let alone rereading it!

The Book of Shadows
What started as a fun, intriguing book by James Reese dealing with witches, nuns, and succubi in 19th century France started to drag on and on and on and I ended up losing all interest in the book. The first part of the novel shows you the main character’s life in a convent, and that section of the book is great. Shortly after that, though, Reese interrupts his narrative with a hundred pages devoted to the backstory of certain supporting characters that, while not completely out of place, did destroy the pace of the story, an accident from which the book didn’t recover. Even worse, when the story was becoming interesting again, another extra long backstory for a different character (the infamous Greek supper several Amazon reviewers mention) made sure I couldn’t enjoy the remaining pages of the novel, which only serve to showcase the historical events taking place in France at the time. (Actually, that’s not accurate: it’s yet another flashback to that time, since some characters are sharing their memories of those events.) I doubt I’ll get the other two books in the trilogy.

World of Warcraft, vol. I
I actually read the thirteen issues I had been buying for a year but hadn't read (except for the first two), and I have to say this series is a great read. The script by the legendary Walt Simonson is very entertaining, and I love Ludo Lullabi's artwork. This graphic novel collects Lullabi's issues (0-7), so this is the best looking part of the series. The two guys that came after Lullabi are not bad, but they're merely competent. I wonder if I could get some of Lullabi's original pages somewhere...

Sí, dibujo tebeos. ¿Y qué?
A book by Spanish cartoonist Jesús Martínez del Vas, the author recounts his professional life: how he broke into the business, where he draws inspiration from, and what a pleasure self-publishing is. It's an entertaining read, with some funny and cute parts, and, if nothing else, it made me want to keep drawing.

Kade: Sun of Perdition
I came across this graphic novel by Sean O'Reilly and Stjepan Sejic while looking for something else, and decided to buy it. Big mistake. The pre-Witchblade artwork by Sejic is good, but it's not as good as it got later (understandable). The paintings are good, but the narrative flow is kind of choppy. However, I have a feeling the writer is to blame for Sejic's difficulties to translate the story into pictures, because this book is so poorly written so as to be barely coherent. I had no idea what was going on most of the time because the narrator either didn't explain it well enough, or simply didn't explain it at all. The concept was hazy, the plot non-existent, and the dialogue somewhere between bad and ludicrous. I don't mean to be a smartass, but no wonder he had to create his own studios to publish his book. Avoid this graphic novel at all costs!