Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (issue 3 and 4) by Jhoneen Vasquez

Random Comic Review

The series focuses on the 20-something year old anti-hero Johnny C, also known as "NNY" (pronounced 'knee'). He is a deranged serial killer, mass murderer, and spree killer who interacts with various other characters, generally by murdering them. He elaborately kills anyone who even slightly irritates him, then drains their blood and paints one of the walls in his house with it. Johnny is also willing to murder "innocent" people who, in his twisted mind, deserve their fate for some reason or another. The number of Johnny’s victims is in the dozens, if not hundreds — or perhaps even thousands. Authorities are unable to capture Johnny and seem unaware of his existence, even though his crimes are often witnessed in public and reported by the few who manage to survive.(from Goodreads)

I'm not sure this falls under random seeing as I've previously reviewed issues one and two, but let's not pay too much attention to this and more attention to the comics. I won't get to detailed into the structure of the comics, because I did that in the first review. I'm  just going to highlight some of the good/bad aspects of the comics. It's an awesome comic either way. 

Issue 3  A Transient Smile 

A little note from the author.

" My mind grows heavy at the burden of my dark life......and it is deeper that I.....oh.....why must I...OH FORGET IT!...".....

I always enjoy reading the authors introduction or note (again I'm not sure what to call it). They're always dark, depressing but not insignificant. In this case confusing, Vasquez goes on about something about emotions and how "blind certainty is repellent...". Have to agree on the latter. The font used in the introduction/note is unpleasant . The text which, as in the previous issues, is cropt together, too close together and the use of inverted E's is confusing. This really makes it difficult to make out some of the words.

What's Johnny been up to in issue 3: he  visits Cafe Le Prick then goes on a killing rampage. Which was pretty entertaining. He also rescues the poor kid from issue one from a child molester by knocking him out......then johnny proceeds to cut off the guy's hands and takes his brains out. All this gory insanity in front of the poor kid, who runs away screaming.

Meanwhile...which is also the highlight of this issue because of the absurdity. There's a sketch of a guy being abducted by aliens. Now these (not very intelligent aliens) have abducted Rob to study human sexual behavior.  Rob suggests  voyeurism  but of course the aliens must do this in a controlled environment in which Rob must engage in sexual activity with a human female.  However according to the aliens a human female is a chicken. An actual chicken. Now what happens when aliens force you to copulate with a chicken...........................I don't wanna talk about this anymore.

Of course, there's always other favorites : Wobbly Headed Bob and Johnny' s failed suicide attempt.  The Aliens were really fun, drawing wise and then there's (my) the  least favorite , Happy Noodle Boy. The one thing I liked about HNB is that somebody kills him at the end of each sketch...he's still alive by the end of the comic.....

Grade: 

Issue 4  Another Tiresome Descent

A little note from the author.

This time sort of handwritten again not very legible but still fun. Also a lot of cursing. must of had a bad day...

What's Johnny been up to in issue 4: well he's trying to figure out what he was like before (he became homicidal) and why he changed.  It's noticeable from all the sketches that Johnny seems to be getting worse and more psychotic. The kid from Issue one and the girl Johnny dated then tried to kill are featured.

Successful suicide attempt?

Again Johnny tries to kill himself and has apparently succeeded...but he can't be dead!

Also features Wobbly Headed Bob and Happy Noodle Boy (who is again still alive!)

Both issues feature a new sketch called "Public Service Announcement" the first one is about teen pregnancies (which I only now understand) and the one in issue 4 is about using drugs. 

Remember ...."" KIDS, drugs won't help things. They'll only turn you into a hideous little freak troll-baby with exploding eyeballs.""

This comic is pretty dark, gory at times, insane. Johnny is not the kind of person you'd wanna meet but his frustration is understandable.  I think anybody can relate to some of the things he says about society. Also I'd recommend getting the real comics, a physical copy. E-copies aren't as fun. Vasquez likes writing things along the margins of the sketch-boxes, horizontally,vertically. and there are hidden texts everywhere. Fun things to discover. 

Grade:

The Emerald Tablet ( Legends of Amun Ra # 1) by Joshua Silverman

Leoros doesn't have many friends. The son of a scientist and archeologist, he is constantly on the move. But when his parents make a startling discovery in Egypt, Leoros' world is turned upside down.

Description

Do you wish you could have the power of a god? Would you use it for good…or for evil?

When an archeologist discovers the mythic Emerald Tablet buried beneath Egypt’s desert, her son decodes the ancient text leading him to a distant world.

On that world, a slave girl begins a journey towards a destiny she cannot imagine. But when an ancient foe rises from the ashes, they will be brought together
by forces neither understands.

Leoros, who dreams of being like the heroes in the comic books, must fight to unlock the secrets of the universe to save a people he never knew existed.

Atlantia, whose bloody visions wake her in the night, senses the darkness coming.

Together they will face an enemy with the power of dark energy, lose a mentor to the assassin’s blade, and be betrayed by someone they trust. Their fight for the future is just beginning, and before it is over, a final sacrifice must be made. When the darkness comes, will they stand and fight or will they join it?

There is darkness in everyone.GOODREADS

_______________________________________

I expected this was another story about a kid ending up in another world and having an adventure. Like that movie Warriors of Virtue or Alice in Wonderland. Although I suppose with all the Star Wars references it should be more like Luke saving a planet story. However my Star Wars savvy is limited to some popular phrases and yoda-talk. So I won't go there, everything I expected from this book was blown out of the window starting from chapter one.

The first chapter starts of with a disturbing and unpleasant scene. A girl being strangled by her father. The scene is very detailed, describing what the girl is feeling and how she blacks out. The father while he strangles her keeps asking her if she has ever felt hate. Eventually the girl escapes by unlocking an innate ability, she uses energy and throws her father away. That' was the whole point of the "exercise". The father,King Ankar, is the villain of this story. A man who wants to use his children and get vengeance.

The narration isn't that great. At times it sounds like an old wise science teacher or philosopher or like an enthusiastic kid playing with toy soldier, the latter comes out especially in the scene where captain Axios is introduced. Also the narrator switches from one character to several together and describes what they're thinking and a bit of each characters background. 

This is a book with a very good characterization. Every character has an interesting background but they have unpleasant personalities. But this can just be me and it's only at the start of the book. So bad first impressions. The characters are dynamic as well so they become more bearable in the second half of the book. Leoros was too accepting, he's 13, very young, goes through a portal meets an Amun Priest that says he's a kid from some prophecy and Leoros's reaction to this is "cool, teach me your ways". The other apprentices have unpleasant and shallow personalities. Again this changes later, while  some change for the better others not so much. The one character that changed and I liked more was Dio, I think her character grew a lot and I suppose Leoros as well. Then there's Kam's character  one of the apprentices that goes and joins Ankars army. The one character that just kept going down hill while developing some romantic attachment to a magical rod, I expected him to start calling it "my precious " at some point. 

The odd and unfortunate thing is I liked Leoros parents, Alex and Camilla. Those were the characters I liked the most. They had clashing personalities, Alex believes in what he sees while Cam is more open-minded. The narration also switches from what's happening in Potara and with Leoros's parents trying to activate the pillar to get him back. This was an unfortunate choice in favorite characters because they died.

This is science-fiction, kind of. Leoros ends up in a futuristic kind of Egyptian planet, potara. There's a disconnection at times between the narration or the story. Sometimes you're focused on one scene or event then suddenly they're on advanced aircraft's. 
It's still a good story, it has that old school feeling of diving into a new and interesting  world and not just some glossy young adult novel. Also a good integration of Egyptian and Creek mythology.

I'm not happy with the ending. The ending was unexpected. It felt like the scene in John Carter when Carter gets tricked and sent back to earth...only the movie didn't end there. Objectively it's a good ending, subjectively.........

I'd definitely recommend this book. if you're a sci-fi fan, or Star Wars fan, or a comic book fan then there's definitely something for you in this book. If you're looking for something new, this book has that too. 

I liked what Leoros learned about Duality , how it's about perspective and finding a balance between two things. Is this really a good book or a bad one, I guess you'll just have to read it yourself.


Grade:

**T0 review this book I was asked

GIVEAWAY

Win this Book,

blurb:

[Accompany Eugene Uttley on a mythological "hero's journey" to another world and back again, and join him as he articulates the prize that he won there -- The  Ultimate Boon.

Through his struggles in coping with schizophrenia, Uttley has come to know what he wants. Now he just needs to figure out how to get it.

This experimental open letter includes original and appropriated prose, poetry, song, prayer... memoir, travelogue, sketches of Uttley's present-day life, and literary exegesis. Its many sources and topics are ranging, but circle always back to the overarching theme of recovery from mental illness through better knowledge of self and becoming more whole, a complex process both mental and spiritual, which entails increasing awareness of connectedness to the greater whole, the infinite.]

I was asked by the author to help with the giveaway. This is my first time doing this . Hope you guys take part in it, you have nothing to lose and the potential of winning 15 bucks.

Who'd say no to that?

Participating sites: 

Oh, Chrys!

D.S. White
Marat M'saev Daan
Man of la Book
Fly High
Brooke Blogs
A Grumpy Young Woman
Delia Bourne
R. Tsoumbakos
BooksRUsOnline
Mary's Cup of Tea
Girl-Who-Reads
Uttley's Take

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Good Gladys ( Embrace the Dead ) by Martin Renaud

A murder mystery with a psychic twist. 

News reports that the famous psychic Good Gladys is missing coincide with the brutal stabbing of her business manager. Gladys's daughter Dara asks an old friend, private investigator Byrne Aase, to help find the murderer. She claims that the man the police have in custody is innocent. In fact, she believes that the accused is her mother, having been transformed into a man during a seance gone awry.GOODREADS




"She has no shame, " thought Sauce......... 

Sauce? yes, that is our protagonists name. It just seems like a really odd name. I think it was mentioned somewhere why he has that nickname but I didn't get it. or is it only because he drinks a lot. First impressions aside: you will love Sauce a.k.a Byrne Aase. 

The story is told from Sauce's POV. This whole book reminds me of one of those old school detective shows or are they games. There's a bunch of people in a house, there's a mystery and they have to solve it. I love those mysteries even if I have a tendency to blame the butler. Good Gladys reminds me of those kind of mysteries  because of the way the characters talked, the way Sauce investigated things and the overall development of the mystery. Together with the protagonist the reader finds clues and tries to figure things out. And when there's a random element thrown in the game like being brought to the governors house, and hearing said governor share his utmost conviction in a psychic who claims to be punished by God and sent back to do a selfless act. You as a reader are as shocked as Sauce. Although it felt like this in the beginning the mood suddenly changes halfway through the book and becomes more suspenseful and bloody.

I'd already chosen sides when I had read chapter one, when I got over the weird name thing. Sauce is this good guy, naive and gullible. He's like a puppy you find on the street, you just know you can't leave it there. That's how easily I got attached to Sauce. Then Dara, his ex shows up asking for his help. Dara is manipulative. In romance novels when the guy forces the girl to go shopping it's romantic but when Dara forces Sauce to go shopping, remodels his whole house. It's aggravating. Sauce's skepticism about the whole psychic thing seeps though the pages or maybe my skepticism  seeps into the book combines with Sauce's skepticism which makes it a really engaging read. Sauce gets curious about the case and gets involved. I had hoped he wouldn't, I had hoped he just wouldn't do what Dara wanted but then there wouldn't be a story.

The way the story unfolds is entertaining. It started to get really interesting when Sauce gets abducted by this crazy family of psychopaths.  Their kids were just excited when they were told they'd get to break Sauces fingers. Of course Sauce gets rescued and when he wakes up the mystery is just about solved.

The last chapters were ridiculous and unbelievable. You know Gladys is a fraud but there are all these people who believe in her ,who willingly allow themselves to be manipulated. Good Gladys the psychic claims on a talk-show to have met Adam and Eve. Claims to have been punished by God and that's why she's in a man's body. and the audience believes her. Sheep, they're all sheep. The one psychic who came back from the other side. Gladys is arrogant, annoying an manipulative. oh and she's also Dara. Turns out the real Gladys died and Dara has been impersonating her to keep the enterprise going.

This is different  from anything else I've read. It's a unique story and a entertaining one. The characters are funny and fascinating  next to Sauce I like the former secret agent, BT who helped Sauce on the investigation and Sauce's cop friend Hammi. I hated Dara because she was so manipulative and overbearing as was Gladys. Gladys sometimes reminded me of those religious people that come to your house. Although I disliked these characters they made the story moving (by this I mean I was annoyed and pissed at what they were doing. Those are emotions as well). 

I enjoyed this book and would love to read more about Sauce. The characterization is great, the writing is awesome. The mystery wasn't complicated and the revelation didn't surprise me. Although getting to know how Gladys tricked everybody was interesting, like finding out how a magician does his tricks. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good old mystery book.

Grade: 

** I was asked to review this book by the author. He said it was a suspenseful, witty,fun and engaging book which it definitely is.

Think Out Loud #8

Think Out Loud.

This is a weekly meme used for bloggers

to post something they would normally not post.

So, post whatever YOU want!

My literary highlights and downsides of 2012

It's already 2013?! Well that went by fast. So here's a random  unstructured post where I review all things related to books and this reviewing page during the year 2012. 

I started reviewing in October 2011 and I'm still going strong today. How about that? this is the most committed relationship I've ever been in. I'm not sure I should have said that.....

Although I am kind of disappointed . This year I didn't finish my Goodreads challenge  which is ironic because my Goodreads challenge for 2011 was 100 books which I completed by 110. This year I reduced it to 75 books which  I didn't complete by 25 (only read 50). It really bugs me ! Of course one shouldn't dwell on the amount of books one reads but the quality right, there's a phrase for that, I can't remember it. 

The best of the 50 books I've read:

#1 Highlight is discovering the ASOIAF saga by GRRM. I'm still not finished with a Dance with Dragons. I'm going slow on purpose . Who knows when GRRM will finish the other two books and S3 of a Game of Thrones isn't coming out for a long time yet.  My reviews of the first four books are my favorite reviews I've written so far. Although they do border on rants. especially a Storm of Swords, which coincidentally is the longest book I've read this year (according to Goodreads)    

#2 Discovering  new authors . James Patterson, I had always seen his name or heard him mentioned along with other authors  I'm ashamed to admit I intentionally didn't pick his book up sometimes. We all have regular authors we read. and although we all know "you should never judge a book by it's cover" we still do! either way Patterson is an awesome writer,  the characters he creates are amazing and talented and human. It's just really easy to connect with them.It's annoying. Neil Geiman, after reading his poem instructions on a fellow reviewers page I was sold. Instructions is a poem about what to do if you find yourself in a fairy tale.  It's an awesome poem and listening to this guy read is like going to a really mellow rock party. I also got the chance to read his comic  The Sandman vol.1 . 

#3 Finishing The Hunger Games. I had hoped for a happy ending when I had finished book one. can't say it was met tho. The ending was bittersweet.  The Hunger Games , The Confession and The Lost Symbol are the most substantial books I read this year.

- The Night Circus is easily the most imaginative book.

- The Silent Girl was the most thrilling

- The funniest now this one's hard: the Scott Pilgrim comics were pretty funny and absurd, so was the manga Yotsuba  and I got to read my first Jane Evanovitch book, Lean Mean Thirteen. I'm impressed by her humor and will definitely be picking up more of her books.

-The twisted, psychological  reads: This is gonna be a tie. but the #1 goes to Red Dragon #2 goes to Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. The title is pretty accurate. Although Johnny is psycho the comic is pretty funny in  a twisted way and has a morbid perception of social life and people. My favorite  sketch will always be Wobbly Headed Bob.

#4 books I bought over the year;

I currently own all four books from the ASOIAF saga and I got the box set for The Hunger Games . I also caved and bought the ASOIAF 2013 calendar. I bought my first mangas, Bleach vol .36 and 37 ( The Pendulum arc) and another Tess Geritsen book, The Silent Girl. Roro @ Roro Is Reading gave me Lothaire (IAD #12)  as a present and I bought the last book in the Lords of the Underworld series #9, The Darkest Seduction. That's two out of the six books I wanted to read in 2012. 

#6 finally picking out a background image for the page . 

#7 garnered some new followers. but My #1 comment-er will always be Kah Cherub @Not Just Nonsense  . and my #2 spot goes to my faithful or maybe occasional readers Mark and Maayra. Who make my day.

#8 this year I received my first autographed book! By none other then one of my friends who won a writing competition and got one of his short stories published  He's well one his way. He's also started reviewing so stop by his page @ Zera's Comic Shelf 
#
#9 I wrote my first review on request which was  for a Bizarro book, A Hollow Cube is a lonely Space. Bizarro fiction is a genre that uses satire and a lot of other crazy stuff to  make weird ,crazy, disgusting stories. A Hollow Cube is a Lonely Space is pretty decent compared to the other titles I saw from this genre. Although it's the only book from this genre I've read so  I can't say that, can I. but I saw some really weird titles. So you've been warned.

#10 I got my second request  to review Good Gladys by Martin Renaud two months ago. finished it yesterday. Review pending.

#11 downside : Helena said Sherlock Holmes had no personality and the plot was obvious .I know everybody is allowed an opinion and I should.. let this go. but really...? no personality..really

#13 the best covers 2012: 

#1 Angelfall by Susan Ee. Awesome book , unpredictable hero and ridiculous but feisty heroin.


#2 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 

#3 Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

My long term relationship with certain books keep increasing while new ones bloom. According to Goodreads I've been reading Grimm's Fairy Tales since May 2010 and It by Stephen king since June 2010. There are in total 17 books I haven't finished reading. but I do read them on and off, for 2 and a half years apparently . I mean come on, It is a pretty lengthy book and not easy to read. I think the last  thing I read was where this guy was talking to something through the sink. a scary demonic voice that said it was Legion. I'm sorry, but that's the cue to stop reading and run! NOT that I was scared or anything

Then there's a bunch of books I've burrowed but haven't read . and the ever increasing TBR list. But there's still time , there's this new whole year in front of me to read and finish reading books, so come at me 2013.

Think Out Loud #7

Think Out Loud.

This is a weekly meme used for bloggers

to post something they would normally not post.

So, post whatever YOU want!

Demand fashion without pollution 

DETOX

1st To Die ( Women's Murder Club #1 ) by James Patterson

Inspector Lindsay Boxer of the San Francisco Police Department suddenly finds herself in the middle of two horrifying situations: The first is that she s just learned she has an often-fatal blood disease. The second is a double homicide case she s now heading up that involves the murder of newlyweds on their wedding night. Burdened with Chris Raleigh, a new partner reassigned from the mayor s office, Lindsay finds that she has too much to deal with and turns to her best friend, Claire, the head ME on the case. Claire offers helpful advice and human, friendly contact amid a job filled with violence, cruelty, and fear.

Soon a fledgling newspaper reporter, Cindy, makes contact with Lindsay looking for a career-making story. Although Lindsay can t officially comment on the case, the two women form a rapport, and Cindy joins Lindsay and Claire for their weekly meeting. When a second pair of newlyweds is murdered, and later a third, the investigation leads to a prominent crime writer, Nicholas Jenks, who has a history of spousal abuse and a predilection for kinky, dangerous sex games. With the help of an understanding assistant D.A., Jill Bernhardt, Lindsay tries to make a case against Jenks, who even had an affair with one of the slain women. Eventually Jill joins the Murder Club, and the four ladies share private interdepartmental information in an effort to track and stop the killer before he strikes again.GOODREADS

__________

Terrific …a great thriller… what’s not to love about a “club’ formed by four women to catch a psycho killing newlywed couples? - Providence Sunday journal

Well, I don’t know, maybe the “psycho killing newlywed couples” part but I can see how that makes this a great thriller. This is my second Patterson book and the guy is winning me over book by book. 1^st To Die is also the first book in the Women’s Murder Club where we meet the first member, Lindsay boxer.

The book starts with a prologue where we meet Boxer in not the best of state. Starting the book like this was engrossing. Boxer’s on the verge of shooting herself in the head, she’s on the balcony with her gun to her temple. Reasoning with herself how easy it would be to pull the trigger or call her friends. They’d say all the right things but she’d still be where she is next week or month. This draws my attention because "what's the benefit of talking out your problems when you already know what people will advise you to do". Although I don't think this is what Patterson is saying because in the end Boxer talks about her troubles and asks for help which leads to a somewhat happy ending. I gradually began to like Boxer a lot. She’s not what I expected. She’s a female working in a profession where the majority is formed by men yet she can still hold her own. Much like one of my favorite characters Jane Rizzoli (from Rizzoli & Isles series) only that’s where the similarities end. Boxer’s an inspector but she’s also very feminine as well whereas Jane’s a bit more of a tomboy. This was new and surprising. I prefer Rizzoli because she’s stronger but still Boxer’s a individual character as well who’s definitely in my book of great, independent female leads.

Boxer gets diagnosed with Negli ,a typed of blood disorder, which she is told can be fatal. Patterson builds on this , Boxers emotional state and how she uses negli to motivate her to catch the killer. Because of negli Boxer is made somewhat vulnerable and yet she’s determined to catch the killer. So she decides on an unorthodox way to find leads. She forms the Women’s Murder Club with Clair (medical examiner) and Cindy (reporter) ,the first two members.

“We could reassemble whatever clues came out of the official investigation, share what we had, cut through the political cover-you-ass and the bureaucracy. Three women, who would get a kick out of showing up the male orthodoxy, more important, we shared a heartfelt empathy for he victims” pg 140-141

The Women’s Murder Club was born

This is indeed a terrific book. The plot is great, the different pov’s  makes the reading process very dynamic, in the way that we can follow what’s happening and the clues from different people, we also get into the killers mind. And there are twists and turns and more twists. The chapters are also short and end with little cliffhangers, before you know it the books done.

The fourth member in the club, is Jill Bernhardt (DA). Half way through the book I realized there was still more pages left but they had already found (who they thought was) the killer. So of course they’d need a lawyer in the club. They are all independent, hard working women.

So you must be wondering who the killer is? All the leads pointed to Nicholas Jenks, a famous author. Later there’s a lot of incriminating evidence found at his house. The rings from the murder victims, cloths stained with the victim’s blood. And a book Jenks wrote in the beginning of his career about an Author who killed newlywed couples to really experiences it and write the story called Always a Bridesmaid. So every story has to have a villain right. So let me described Jenks for you: he’s a douchebag. He likes dominance, he’s a narcissist, has an ex wife he dumped after she practically supported him during he’s writing career, has an abusive history with current wife and the last one. He's arrogant and thinks all women want him. Later he screams he's not the killer and somebodies trying to frame him. Refusing to believe it could be his ex-wife because he's under the impression she still loves him and he's too awesome . The most unbelievable and ridiculous thing to happen in this book, well one of them, is Jenks escapes custody! because of an earthquake  I know this is fiction and Jenks could escape, but it would have been ridiculous but the earthquake, using that as instrument for his escape makes it plausible and more believable. Although it's still a "what the hell" twist. 

The first unbelievable and ridiculous thing : I'm really starting to fear that Patterson is turning me into an abusive bookworm. I again wanted to punch this book. Like with Roses Are Red, the same thing's done here. Patterson builds characters so well I end up liking them so much that when they DIE or something bad happens, the injustice is felt! In 1st To Die Boxer has a life threatening disease to deal with and she gets saddled with another partner  Chris Raleigh. This leads to a romance. It was so lovely. Even I started to wonder if Chris had soft hands. Boxer and Chris were so good together, they loved each other. Of course I was suspicious . It was to good to be true. Something bad is going to happen. and it did but it was too abrupt! too unfair! why?!

The climax happens when Jenks escapes and is kidnapped and brought to the place he married his second wife. oh and he's also being held at gun point by said wife. she turns out to be the real killer. Boxer ends up having to kill her. However this is not the important event here for me) . Chris dies! he gets shot and I know what to expect , he's going to die of course:

"I got her , Chris. Chessy Jenks was the killer"

He managed to nod his head. "That's my girl," he whispered.

Then Chris smiled faintly and he died on me.

 No! smile and die?! really?! not only is that annoying , the irony of this. Boxer's the one diagnosed with a life threatening disease. She later gets told that the treatment is working, she'll live and then Chris dies! Although Moved by violent emotions I did not punch this book.

Epilogue: Chessy Jenks was the killer? oh no, Nicholas Jenks after the terrible ordeal has published his book, has sold millions. He doesn't have to share his money with his ex wife or possibly lose any if he were to get divorced because both women are dead. Jenks visits Boxer at her apartment and confesses to orchestrating the whole thing, the brains behind the whole thing and tries to kill Boxer. Boxer kills him and the last words he hears are "burn in hell".

Another wonderful book by Patterson with a satisfying ending all the same  and a great new series to check out.

Grade: