Review: Cryptid Club

Cryptid Club by Sarah Andersen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you're familiar with Sarah Andersen's work even in the slightest, the comedic and art style should instantly appeal to you. The creatures in this book are mostly characterized with the small little anxieties we all have and that, somehow, makes them relatable and lovable. This is a cute well drawn book that is easy to pick up but hard to put down as you'll reread your favorite parts over and over.

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Review: Secret Wars

Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Certainly one of the better Marvel crossover events. It has plenty of the familiar trappings of such crossovers but it still maintains telling a good story. Hickman is on point with characters he should be more than familiar with by now. The writing serves the comic well on levels in terms of pacing, plot, dialogue, and how to direct the panels. It's an easy recommendation. Read further to find out everything that's wrong with it.

Its biggest issue is that it can't be read in a vacuum. Not only is this the mega event to end all mega events (literally), but it also serves as the closing chapter to Hickman's work in both Classic and Ultimate Marvel. Sure, you can read it as a standalone, but much of the weight of it will probably be lost on you. Though, even without that weight, it's still a worthy read. Just not Thor-level worthy.

Another problem is the inherent lack of scope. Setting the world in a nearly pure fantasy realm allows for some awesome creativity and no-holds-barred characters. But, it also means that nothing really matters. Everyone is just fighting until something blows up and the comic world can be reset. It's fun while it lasts though.

The art is great. I think anyone with eyes can see that. It's lush and detailed. I couldn't find a single panel I had a problem with.

Another plus is how Hickman writes Namor and T'Challa. I don't think anyone has written these characters better. What makes their scenes great is that they're together and easily bounce off each other. With their conflict-ridden history and divergent personalities, interlaced with how they're also similar in many ways, the stuff pretty much writes itself.

I'm, admittedly, a fanboy for Hickman's work. But even I can say that this isn't his best work. It's still great, which speaks volumes of how good his work is overall. And, it serves as a great closing volume if you've read his work up to this point. It just should be a crime to read on its own.

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Review: Auberon

Auberon by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Auberon is certainly one of the more interesting pieces of short fiction coming out of the Expanse. The pacing, prose, and general themes of the novella are all fairly well conceived and executed. It even has an added bonus of including a side character we haven't seen in a while, but, to be fair, most have probably mostly forgotten about. Creating a perfect "Oh yeah, that guy" moment when it finally dawns on you.

It's, of course, not really important to the main series and might as well not exist aside from being a good piece of short fiction. Honestly, it could even be read outside the Expanse without much issue. There are enough common threads that even a decent reader could piece together much of it. The containment of its plot and scope is its blessing but, in some ways, a curse as well.

I'll get more into the last bit when I review the short collection as a whole later on. I have thoughts.

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Review: Tiamat's Wrath

Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This volume of the series almost seems deliberately written to challenge its own constructs. Holden isn't the throughline and barely does much of anything beyond his best impression of Princess Peach. And, knowing it's the penultimate volume, there's an air of doing both of wrapping certain things up while setting up what will happen in the final book. Clearing up things that aren't needed to make room for the bigger plot points. This causes some balance issues, but I'll get to that in a minute.

First off, I liked Teresa. She's a fleshed-out character that is different enough from previous characters to feel fresh and interesting. That's always the goal with new characters in long-running series, especially towards the end. I welcome her and was always excited to read a chapter from her perspective.

Second, some legacy characters felt dated. This is very true of Bobbie. Since Persepolis Rising, she just didn't feel like her old badass self. She has plenty to do in both the last book and this one, but her actions felt more like she was merely doing her part to push forward the plot. The Corey team also has a certain way of doing things and it creates telltale signs. What I mean is that a similar event happens to another legacy character and I knew it was a fake-out because they didn't handle it the same way. Anyone who has or is reading the book can probably understand my meaning.

The uneven nature of this book was perhaps more noticeable than in other volumes. When something exciting is happening, I couldn't put it down. But, when it was waiting for the next shoe to drop or balloon to go up, reading felt like a painful slog. Nothing about the book felt unnecessary but also felt like it was pushing for a word count quota.

I've made it this far and have one book left to go. While this volume has its issues, I'm honestly excited. It's been a long ass road and we're almost at the end. I suppose if this book got me excited for the next one than i suppose it has done its job.

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