Brad Hawley | Fantasy Literature: Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews

Lady Killer: Very funny, dark, hard to stop reading

Lady Killer (Vols. 1 & 2) by Jamie S. Rich & Joelle Jones

Lady Killer is a very funny, though dark, story about the troubles a woman faces when she works out of the home, balancing job and family, in the early 1960s. The twist, however, is that Josie Schuller’s work is that of a contract killer in heels. The humor comes in because her family — husband, two daughters, and live-in mother-in-law — are all clueless. Well, except maybe for the mother-in-law who is beginning to suspect something is not quite right with her all-too-perfect looking daughter-in-law.

May 26th, 2018. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4.5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Thoughtful Thursday: Free Comic Book Day 2018 (Giveaway!)

Free Comic Book Day — FCBD — is always the first Saturday of May. To get your free comics on May 5, you’ll need to locate a local comic bookstore and, if in doubt, give them a call to see if they are participating. Chances are, if it’s an independent comic book store, they are offering free comics, because FCBD is designed to celebrate comics, to introduce comic books to new readers, to celebrate the unique independent comic book stores that sell them, and to support comic book stores by bringing in new customers in addition to the regular patrons.

April 26th, 2018. Brad Hawley | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 10 comments |

Jupiter’s Circle: An excellent retelling and critique of the golden age of superheroes

Jupiter’s Circle (Volumes 1 & 2) by Mark Millar, Frank Quitely, Wilfredo Torres

Jupiter’s Circle (Volumes 1 & 2) by Mark Millar, a prequel to Jupiter’s Legacy, is an excellent retelling and critique of the golden age of superheroes. There’s plenty of action, but it is sidelined for the primary purpose of telling the private lives of the heroes. Their trials and tribulations behind the scenes are what make this comic so good. We see what the public in the comic does not,

Demo: A stunning collection that I have read and taught for years

Demo by Brian Wood & Becky Cloonan

Demo is a collection of eighteen coming-of-age short stories about young people. It’s a giant collection of close to five hundred pages. Usually, but not always, one of the characters has a “super power,” but none of the stories is a superhero story. None of these characters tries to be “super” in any way — characters do not run — or fly — around saving others from villains, nor are there any global threats that need attending. In most instances, these stories deal with everyday issues,

April 14th, 2018. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Jupiter’s Legacy (vols. 1 & 2): Worth seeking out

Jupiter’s Legacy (vols. 1 & 2) by Mark Millar & Frank Quitely

Jupiter’s Legacy (vols. 1 & 2) by Mark Millar, with art by the incredible Frank Quitely, tells the origin story of a new group of superheroes. It is told quickly and succinctly, switching between the early days and the present, years after the race of superheroes began. In the present, we meet the next generation of superheroes, and they have many problems dealing with superhero parents. Having a therapist seems to be expected when you are the child of a superhero.

Chrononauts: A wild ride!

Chrononauts by Mark Millar & Sean Murphy

How else can I describe Chrononauts but as a wild ride? Mark Millar, the master of the blockbuster comic book, increases the action beyond his usual by cramming more events than you can possibly imagine into a four-issue mini-series. He collaborated on the idea with artist Sean Murphy, and the result is a buddy adventure story across time and place.

Dr. Quinn first creates an unmanned time machine — more of a satellite — that allows the world to observe events in the past on live television.

Tokyo Ghoul: Hauntingly beautiful

In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today, I am proud to present a review by Ed Lin:

Ed Lin is a junior at Emory University and is currently pursuing a degree in finance.

November 25th, 2017. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

The Manhattan Projects: The artwork is amazing

In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today, I am proud to present a review by Josh Mikos:

Josh Mikos, 18, is a native of Georgia.

November 11th, 2017. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4 | Comics | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Chew (Vol. 1): A fantastic piece of literature

In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today, I am proud to present a review by Arden Godfrey:

Arden Godfrey is a freshman at Oxford College of Emory University and is pursuing a double major in Psychology and German Studies with the intent to go to medical school for the Genetic Counseling program.

October 28th, 2017. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4.5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book One: The figures seem to jump out of the pages

In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today, I am proud to present a review by Jacob Brummeler:

Jacob Brummeler is a sophomore at Oxford College of Emory University and is pursuing a double major in Playwriting and Media Studies.

Author: Brad Hawley

Lady Killer: Very funny, dark, hard to stop reading

Thoughtful Thursday: Free Comic Book Day 2018 (Giveaway!)

Jupiter’s Circle: An excellent retelling and critique of the golden age of superheroes

Demo: A stunning collection that I have read and taught for years

Jupiter’s Legacy (vols. 1 & 2): Worth seeking out

Chrononauts: A wild ride!

Tokyo Ghoul: Hauntingly beautiful

The Manhattan Projects: The artwork is amazing

Chew (Vol. 1): A fantastic piece of literature

Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book One: The figures seem to jump out of the pages

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