Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Author: Brad Hawley

Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell

Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell by Paul Dini (author) and Joe Quinones (artist)

Paul Dini’s Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell is a stand-alone graphic novel that tells a single tale of their working together; however, Dini also works in some flashbacks that flesh out the history of Canary’s and Zatanna’s relationship, my favorite parts of the book. Overall the story is a good one, but it’s not exceptional. And as a story about two strong women, it fails in a few ways that are disappointing considering the story was published in 2014.

June 12th, 2014. Brad Hawley´s rating: 2 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

The Secret Sharer and Other Stories: Silverberg achieves greatness

The Secret Sharer and Other Stories by Robert Silverberg

The Secret Sharer and Other Stories by Robert Silverberg is available on Audible and offers a top-notch performance by Robertson Dean. The title is a little misleading, I think. There are only three selections included, and only one is a short story. The other two seem to be novellas. However, based on the way Silverberg’s works have been repackaged and republished over the years, even those distinctions are difficult to make: For example, We Are for the Dark is included in both his collected short stories volume seven,

Ben 10: Fun for younger kids who like the TV show

Ben 10 by Jason Henderson (author) and Gordon Purcell (artist)

Ben 10 by Jason Henderson is a fun comic book for younger kids who like the TV show, but it’s not for older kids or adults, and I don’t think it would be that interesting to any children who aren’t already familiar with the show. This particular story takes place in the summer, while Ben and his fellow Plumbers are on a cruise ship for a vacation. The Plumbers, in case you don’t know, are a group that defends the earth.

June 9th, 2014. Brad Hawley´s rating: 2 | Children, Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Coffin Hill: Forest of the Night by Caitlin Kittredge & Inaki Misanda

Coffin Hill (Vol. 1): Forest of the Night by Caitlin Kittredge and Inaki Misanda

Coffin Hill is a great new horror comic that is worth checking out in this first trade collection. It is part of the new wave of titles being put out by Vertigo, DC’s line of mature comics for adult readers. I tried reading Caitlin Kittredge’s Coffin Hill when it came out on a monthly basis, but it didn’t hold my interest, so, after two issues, I decided to wait until it was published as a trade.

Andre the Giant: Life and Legend by Box Brown

Andre the Giant: Life and Legend by Box Brown

Who doesn’t love The Princess Bride? And who doesn’t have a soft spot for Andre, that sweet, kindly giant, when he rhymes, “Does anybody want a peanut” and when he catches the lovely Princess? If you feel as I do, you’ll want to read Box Brown’s fascinating biography of Andre the Giant: Life and Legend.

Brown’s biography comes from someone who grew up with a great love for professional wrestling,

June 6th, 2014. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Batgirl (Vol. 4): Wanted (New 52)

Batgirl (Vol. 4): Wanted (New 52) by Gail Simone

I have enjoyed the first few volumes of Batgirl in the New 52. It hasn’t been my favorite title, but I’m a fan of Gail Simone’s work so I’m usually willing to give her work a try. So far in the New 52, Simone has taken Barbara Gordon to some dark places, and doing so has worked well. However, I did not like the beginning of this particular collection, primarily because I found the main villain — the Ventriloquist — to be just too creepy and disgusting for my tastes.

June 5th, 2014. Brad Hawley´s rating: 3.5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

Planet of Death: Action-packed, light on theme

Planet of Death by Robert Silverberg

Planet of Death by Robert Silverberg is an enjoyable read, but it was the first story/novel I’ve read of his that was this light on theme, which for me is central to good literature. I know that exploring complex themes is also of primary concern for Silverberg because he emphasizes theme in almost all of the forty-plus stories he included in his short story collections covering the period of time before his writing Planet of Death in 1960.

June 3rd, 2014. Brad Hawley´s rating: 2.5 | Robert Silverberg | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Hellboy in Hell (Vol. 1): The Descent by Mike Mignola

Hellboy in Hell (Vol. 1): The Descent by Mike Mignola

I’m a huge fan of Hellboy. I love all the books and both movies. I think the character is funny and endearing and perfect in every way. I really like Mike Mignola’s art, too. So it was with great pleasure that I read Hellboy in Hell: The Descent, which is the first Hellboy book in many years both written and drawn by Mike Mignola. Though he’s continued to write many if not most of the Hellboy tales,

Mandala by Stuart Moore and Bruce Zick

Mandala by Stuart Moore (script) and Bruce Zick (art)

Mandala is the story of Michael Patrick Murphy who has the potential to be a mythic hero, Morningstar, savior of all mankind, but often he is just Michael, a confused man, or even worse, he turns into his lower, demonic self. Borrowing a page from Michael Moorcock, author Stuart Moore has Morningstar drift from one reality to another, trying in each new plane of existence to fight the serpents and evil gods who control all humans in a post-apocalyptic world.

May 30th, 2014. Brad Hawley´s rating: 2.5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

The 13th Immortal: One of Silverberg’s earliest novels

The 13th Immortal by Robert Silverberg

The 13th Immortal is one of Robert Silverberg’s earliest novels, and though it’s not considered one of his great works, I certainly enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend it to those who like short science fiction novels from the 1950s. It’s a post-apocalyptic story about twelve immortals who have divided most of the world among themselves into separate Empires, leaving a few other places to whoever claims them. Those few key other spaces include a mutant city, a computerized city with no human inhabitants,

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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