A niche market

A niche [nee-sh]: an area or position that is exactly suitable for a small group of the same type. This book is definitely in its own niche. The Ultimate guide to the Avengers from Marvels comic books! I’m about to make you mad: I don’t read comics. I know, I know. I just need them to be in a bind up to enjoy them (they’re too short otherwise) and I can’t really afford to read them!

I picked this book up from The Works (a discount shop in the UK) because I really love the MCU and I wanted to learn more about the world in the comics because I know it is so different. Whilst this isn’t going to be my new favourite book, I am really glad that I picked it up. I learnt quite a bit about both old and new (to me of course) characters and I found that I recognised a surprising number of them! Sadly for comic lovers, I recognise them from the Lego game on the PS4…. Sorry?

Overall, this could be a great gift for a young or old fan of Marvel comics and as someone who was interested in learning a little more about the background that the MCU was based on I did find it really interesting. I would love to read the comics one day, but it’s just not a big priority for me right now.

Little Moments of Love, should you get it?

My lovely boyfriend got me this little collection of comics for Christmas 2018. I sat down and read it that evening, and although I had seen many of the comics before I really enjoyed it! It’s by Catana Comics (click here to go to her website) and we enjoy sharing the comics with each other when they’re released on social media and I follow her on various platforms, including Instagram. This cute little 100 page(ish) collection covers different funny moments between partners and are so incredibly realistic and always elicit a giggle from me. Me and my boyfriend like to determine who is who in the scenarios and it’s just really fun with an adorable, simplistic big-eyed, art style that I enjoy.

Now, the question with a product such as this is should you buy it? Of course, you can see these comics online for free, that’s one of the benefits of the internet. However, this was such a lovely gift to get from my boyfriend due to us sharing the comic strips with each other. Your loved one, if you guys enjoy these strips, will find it to be such a cute and enjoyable present! You can also just buy it for yourself! It is a really lovely hardback and is such a cute addition to your shelf. However, if you’re never going to go through and read it, or if you’re going to just re-look at the comics online, then I don’t recommend getting it. It does really depend on the reason you would be wanting it for, if it’s a gift or you’re a big fan of the artist and want to have physical copies of her art then go for it!

Whether you’re wanting to get this book or not, I really think you should go check out her website and have a look at her art as it’s fun and cute!

December Wrap Up| 2018

I set my tbr as four books this month, and as per I deviated pretty early on. So let’s get into what I actually read in December! If you’d rather watch this in video format (with closed captions) then click here to go to my YouTube channel.

Five Go Gluten Free by Bruno Vincent -> 3/5*

This parody of Blyton’s well-loved Famous Five was a fun and quick little romp. I adored the original books as a child and it’s fun to see the group brought into the modern day and dealing with the most random of problems.

Five Give Up the Booze by Bruno Vincent -> 2/5*

Seeing as I read the book above so quickly I thought I’d get through this one as well. I did have a bit of a problem with one section, which is why it dropped a star, however, it’s also a fun little parody and I look forward to reading more from this mini-series.

Other Words for Smoke (sampler) by Sarah Maria Griffing -> 4.5/5*

25 pages and I’m hooked! I am so excited for the full book to be released so I can become fully immersed within this amazing world. Thank you Titan Books for the sampler!

The Devouring Gray (sampler) by Christine Lynn Herman -> 4/5*

Another sampler I was very kindly sent by Titan Books, another 25 pages and another book I am super excited for in 2019! This is also going on my tbr!

 

Enemy of the State, pt. 2 of 6 by Millar, Romita Jr., and Janson -> 2/5*

Honestly, I wasn’t that keen on this. I think I just don’t like comics as they’re too short and I don’t get enough of the story in one go. I don’t have any more comics in my tbr that I own so this is the last one.

Game of Thrones by George RR Martin -> 4/5*

I finally read it!! Finally!! This is a chunker of a book at over 800 pages, and I’ll be honest, when I tried to read this book before watching the show I just couldn’t get into it. There was too much for my little brain. But now that I’m completely up to date with the show (and in love with it) it was much easier to get through this book and I ended up really enjoying it.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens -> 5/5*

Starting Christmas Eve, and finishing Christmas Day, I read this little classic novella from Dickens. This was such an entertaining little book that I really enjoyed and I’m glad I’ve finally read the original after seeing various adaptations over the years. It was also a lovely way to spend Christmas Day.

Little Moments of Love by Catana Chetwynd -> 4/5*

My lovely boyfriend gifted me with this book for Christmas, and I read it on Christmas day! We always send Catana’s comics to each other and this was such a sweet and thoughtful gift from him.

Legend by Marie Lu -> 3.5/5*

It took me a while, but once I got into this book I flew through it! I was tempted to give it 4*s but it doesn’t quite match up to other books I’ve given that rating. But, overall I massively enjoyed it, I even enjoyed the romance! And I look forward to carrying on with this trilogy in the future.

And that’s it! I should have read The Mime Order, and who knows. Maybe by some magic, I’ll read it tonight, but being realistic I won’t finish it this year. Ah well! That’s my last wrap up of 2018! It’s been a helluva year and I’m looking forward to 2019!

My first ever comic experience: Punisher, a review

This was my first ever foray into the comic genre! It ended up being both a good and bad experience, so let’s get into that.

Firstly the good, I liked the art style. I personally think that it really fits the genre of the book, with dark colouring and harsh lines. It adds another dimension to the atmosphere of the plot. I also enjoyed the plotline, even though this is the second comic in this story (I know, I know, but I couldn’t find the first one!) I didn’t feel too lost and was able to catch myself up pretty quickly, as well as being interested in what was going on.

The “bad” is more my fault than anything else, I hadn’t been expecting there to be so little story contained in one issue. I’m used to a whole story contained within one book, or in graphic novels, there is at least one arc of the story in one collection. However, there was barely any of the story within this tiny little comic and it felt like it ended very abruptly. Like I said this is my fault, I’m not familiar with comics so I didn’t know what to expect and it felt very odd to have so little of the story. I think if I was to continue with these I would have to try and find a bind up of the comics all together so that I can get a larger amount of the plot at once.

Basically, don’t go in as blind as I did! Comics are really great and the artwork is beautiful, but you’re not going to get a lot of story in one go so if that’s what you’re looking for then maybe head for a bind up or a graphic novel.