Early Book Review: The Stone Heart (Nameless City) by Faith Erin Hicks

The Stone Heart is the second graphic novel in the Nameless City series by Faith Erin Hicks. It is currently scheduled for release on April 4 2017. Kaidu and Rat have only just recovered from the assassination attempt on the General of All Blades when more chaos breaks loose in the Nameless City: deep conflicts within the Dao nation are making it impossible to find a political solution for the disputed territory of the City itself. To complicate things further, Kaidu is fairly certain he's stumbled on a formula for the lost weapon of the mysterious founders of the City. But sharing it with the Dao military would be a complete betrayal of his friendship with Rat. Can Kai find the right solution before the Dao find themselves at war?

The Stone Heart is another great graphic novel from Hicks. The Nameless City is in upheaval. Kaidu's father is trying to broker lasting peace for the city, while some of the soldiers, the Dao in particular, are not exactly supporting the possible change. Murder, mayhem, and past hurts are active motivators in the story. I like that readers get more of a look at what happened when the Dao came to the city, and some of the undercurrents between different factions and groups shaped everything. I like the continued character development of our main and secondary characters as we see a little more of the lives of those that live in the city. As usual, I love the artwork and find the details and facial expressions to add both emotion and information into the story, which would be missed with out that careful attention to detail.

The Stone Heart is a good continuation of the original story. My only complaint is that I was left hanging at the end, and am now far too eager for the next installment so I can see where we go from here. Too many unanswered questions and far too much that I need addressed NOW!

Early Book Review: Star Scouts by Mike Lawrence

Star Scouts is a children's graphic novel by Mike Lawrence, and is currently scheduled for release on March 21 2017. Avani is the new kid in town, and she’s not happy about it. Everyone in school thinks she’s weird, especially the girls in her Flower Scouts troop. Is it so weird to think scouting should be about fun and adventure, not about makeovers and boys, boys, boys? But everything changes when Avani is “accidentally” abducted by a spunky alien named Mabel. Mabel is a scout too, a Star Scout. Collecting alien specimens (like Avani) goes with the territory, along with teleportation and jetpack racing. Avani might be weird, but in the Star Scouts she fits right in. If she can just survive Camp Andromeda, and keep her dad from discovering that she’s left planet Earth, she’s in for the adventure of a lifetime.

Star Scouts is a wonderful graphic novel about a young girl named Avani. She is not into boys and the popular music, she is different and stuck in the rut of wallowing in her unhappiness, so much so that she does not notice other peoples unhappiness. Then she meets Mabel and her group of Star Scouts she finds a great group of friends, and a fellow outsider in Mabel. They face challenges, including the classic battle with a bully in a fresh form, and find out a lot about themselves and friendship on the way. I think readers of all ages can empathize with Avani and Mabel, with the way they feel left out or not good enough. Even adults still face these feelings, and seeing others going through it in books and movies helps us all feel a little less odd. I also enjoyed the artwork very much. I think readers that will identify with the characters, and even those that feel more confident and comfortable in their own skin, can get a lot out of that part of the story. Oh, the adventure and danger portions of the story was awesome to, but I just identified so much with the emotional aspect that it is what stayed with me the longest. It was bright and colorful, and very detailed. 

Star Scouts is a well drawn comic about adventure, finding yourself, and friendship. I really enjoyed the book and think that it will hit the sweet spot with many readers. 

Book Review: DC SuperHero Girls Hits and Myths: by Shea Fontana, Yancey Labat

DC SuperHero Girls: Hits and Myths is a children’s graphic novel written by Shea Fontana and illustrated by Yancey Labat. It is the second volume of the series. The first volume was Final Crisis, which I did not read. “Intro to Epics” is one of Wonder Woman’s favorite classes at DC Super Hero High, but even for an overachiever, balancing high school literature assignments with learning to be a superhero can be tough. But you know what they say about learning, experience is the best teacher! So when Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Bumblebee, Poison Ivy, Katana, and Harley Quinn fight a cyclops, a witch, and a bevy of sirens, they’re sure to learn a thing or two about The Odyssey, if they survive their epic battle in the underworld! 

Hits and Myths is a fun story that does a good job of introducing a variety of DC Comic characters to young readers. I am a little confused with why some of the characters are heroes or villains- since in the stories I know some are switched- but that could be as simple as using information from story arcs that I have missed over the years. I like the humor and adventure, and found myself wishing I saw more of some fringe characters, like those from Teen Titans, but there is no way they could get every character in a single story. The story line was broken down into chapters- each a individual part of the adventure, and with a different portion of the characters. I think some readers might be a little confused here, but the breaks were clear enough that it should not be a big problem. I really liked the comradery and the message of not having to do absolutely everything yourself. Delegating tasks, working as a team, and trusting your friends are major parts of the story and are things even adults need to be reminded of.

Hits and Myths is a nice introduction to the DC universe and its characters for young readers. The writing is well done, and the strong female (and male)  characters are important in works for readers of all ages.