User Profile

Reading about nearly anything in comic form is more enjoyable for me, but this comic book cookbook felt like it could have used the medium to greater effect. It would be a fine cookbook for some, but I was definitely put off by the heavy use of animal products throughout. A bit more about the history and context of ramen in Japan and other countries would have made for a more enjoyable read for me.

Just before I started reading Galaphile, Terry Brooks announced he would be passing on writing the remaining books in the trilogy to another writer. If this will end up being his last Shannara novel, he ended on a strong note. This has all the hallmarks of his best work, with gripping adventure and well-realized characters. It definitely carried an Arthurian flavour, and I could see the ending twist coming from early on, but that heightened a feeling of being overwhelmed that mirrored Galaphile's circumstances.

There are some problematic parts of this novel, but I was happy to finally read a story I've experienced throughout my life in TV adaptations and through visiting Prince Edward Island. It's easy to get swept up in Anne and her world, and I'm looking forward to seeking out some of the adaptations of this story I haven't read or watched yet.

What If? employs Munroe's signature humour and rigor, famous in his XKCD comics, and delivers them in prose. It's a fun, quick read that I've enjoyed revisiting.

Ostertag created an emotionally resonant comic with layers of meaning only possible in the best speculative fiction. Relationships, identity, tragedy, shame and acceptance all bundle together in this story to make for an experience equal parts heavy and hopeful.