Comic Book Wrap-Up

    Hello everybody!  I thought for this week I would do something a little different and split up my September wrap-up.  I read a lot of books this month, so I didn't want to overwhelm anyone by creating an enormous wrap-up post next week.  I think splitting it up will be easier and it could definitely be an option that I return to in the future if I overstep my reading goals by a lot, (which I definitely did).  So here are the comic books I read this month and what I thought of each.

(goodreads.com)

    The Wicked and the Divine was the first comic I picked up this month.  I ended up reading both volume one and volume two.  I will say I had high expectations for this going in because of it's reputation in the reading community.  Every 90 years, 12 gods are resurrected as humans for only two years, in which they rule the world as pop-star celebrities.  They have a lot of influence and a lot of power and are governed by an overseer to make sure they stay on track.  Laura, a local fan-girl from London gets wrapped up in this world to escape her own mundane life.  There were things I liked and didn't like about this series.  The first couple issues were confusing to me a little bit and I had a hard time following the course of the panels as they moved throughout the story.  Some of the characters seem a bit too stuck-up for me and the way they talk in riddles is extremely irritating.  There's also a lot of references to sex, drugs, vulgar language and violence, which I'm not bothered by, but it seemed unnecessary here most of the time.  When the gods perform for the masses, it acts as a release for the fans, more or less an orgy or rave.The premise is what kept me interested and the second volume was better than the first.  I will keep going with this series, but I gave the first two volumes 3.5 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    Wayward is amazing!  This comic is right up my alley in terms of genre and premise.  I knew I would like it before I picked it up and I was not disappointed.  I also ended up reading further into this series than I planned, volumes one and two.  It was totally worth it and I can't wait to read the third!  A girl named Rori moves from Ireland, where she lived with her father for most of her life, to Japan, where her mother lives.  Rori is an interesting character in the sense that her heritage makes her an outsider and her relationship with her mother is already strained because they don't see each other that often.  I found Rori to be somewhat relatable, until she started exhibiting magical/psychic abilities.  I'm still not sure what's going on with these kids, whether it's a spiritual kind of power or not, I'm still not sure.  By volume two, the gang is together and we can see a clear picture of this team of theirs and how it operates.  I did think that at times this comic sped things up for the sake of getting to a certain point in the story, mainly in the second volume.  But overall, I found this spin on traditional Japanese mythology rather enjoyable.  I gave volumes one and two 4.5 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    The Woods was also an enjoyable read, but for different reasons.  I was drawn to the plot initially, because the artwork isn't really my style.  I also read volumes one and two of this series.  An entire high school gets transplanted onto a different planet in a foreign galaxy and while the adults stay inside and come up with a plan of action for survival, a group of teenagers venture out into the unknown wild for answers.  I thought the characters were really dynamic and diverse and they were introduced perfectly to the reader.  I also think the small conflicts between characters are genuine and develop the story further.  It's definitely getting weird, so I'm curious to see where it goes from here.  I gave this series 4 out of 5 stars so far.

(goodreads.com)

    East of West was the comic I wasn't exactly too keen on, but I ended up not hating it like I thought I would.  It still isn't really my preferred genre, but I thought I could work around that for the story.  I only read volume one of this series because volume two wasn't available to me, but it still packed a punch.  I was a bit confused at the beginning with the important business people or the believers of the apocalypse or whoever they are meeting and discussing things.  I also don't know if I'm totally invested in the story yet.  The artwork is breathtaking and I was able to follow the panels as they went along, but the story itself was a bit weak for me.  I know it's the beginning, so I'm assuming it gets better from here, but I can't get around the wild-west apocalypse vibe of this series, which I hate.  My favorite part of this entire comic so far was Death reuniting with his Chinese wife.  The volume did end on an interesting cliff hanger, so I will most likely pick up the second volume once it's available.  I gave this series 3 out of 5 stars so far, but I'm hoping it gets better and grows on me in time.

(imagecomics.com)

    Last, but not least, a comic I wasn't planning on reading but I'm so glad I picked up, was Mythic by Phil Hester and John McCrea.  In a world where scientific explanation rules, MYTHIC defies explanation with magic.  Everything we know and understand is a lie.  When magic breaks, the Mythic teams fix it.  This is very much along the lines of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, which I LOVE.  A rag-tag team of misfits fighting monsters is right up my alley, so I'm glad this gorgeous cover art caught my attention.  I love the story so far and the mystery involved, so I'm excited to see where it goes from here.  This is a fairly new series by Image comics, so the fourth issue just came out yesterday and the fifth will be out in the middle of October.  I rarely find a series that I like that's brand new, but I'm intrigued!  I gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

    That's all I read for comics this month.  I have a longer list of comics I want to pick up for next month that are a little different, since I'm sort of following a theme next month for Halloween.  October will be my scary-reads month, where I'll get out of my tiny comfort zone and read some scary things.  I will also be bringing you my wrap-up for the books I read this month next week and I read a total of six books, including the rest of the Throne of Glass series, so be on the lookout for that on Tuesday.  My TBR for October will be Thursdays post, so I'm hoping to set my reading goals higher.  If you have any comic recommendations for me, please leave them in the comments below!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.