It's Olay to Not Be Super!

 

Batman: Not Super by 

Stuart Gibbs, Berat Pekmezci (Artist), Taylor Esposito (Letterer)

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0 stars

My Review on Goodreads

This was a very fun, cute and age-appropriate introduction to Bruce Wayne, who grows up to become Batman. While it takes some liberties with the storyline in service to the story, it works. Bruce gets into a school for supers (although he has no powers) because his parents endowed the school. All the usual suspects from Gotham (and Batman's gallery of rogues) and Superman as well, attend the school, and they use their powers for their own benefit instead of for the good of others.

Bruce has decided to fight to protect others in the memory of his parents, who were murdered. He isn't sure how to go about it, but he's on the path to figuring it out.

It's so cute to see Bruce as a young boy and not in a super dark way like on the Gotham show (although I enjoyed the show). This story allows for levity and a sense of hope that is often missing in the Bruce Wayne/Batman origin story. It was refreshing to see Bruce as an awkward boy. While I am a Batman/Bruce Wayne superfan, he is often shown as unfallible and someone who doesn't make mistakes. Logically, we know that Bruce had to become Batman and that took a lot of very focused training, educating and evolution. One of the things I love about Bruce is that he is a self-made hero. His super power is that he doesn't give up. I saw this in the young version of Bruce in this story. He has some hijinks that play well for physical comedy in the panels.

I also enjoyed seeing the young characters from the DC verse with their unique quirks, heroes and villains. There were a few characters that I didn't catch, but most I did. I chuckled at them all going to the same school.

The art was really good. Berat Pekmezci is an illustrator to watch for and I would like to check out more of his work. I'm not sure if this is an ongoing series, but I'd definitely keep reading it. I'd loved to see one for Selina Kyle (Catwoman).

I read this pretty fast (while recovering from a bad illness) and it made me smile and kept my spirits up.

Overall Rating: 4.25/5.0 stars.

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Restless Dead

 

Ghostlore Vol. 1 by Cullen Bunn, Various Artists

My Rating: Three out of Five Stars

My Review on Goodreads

Ghostlore is a dark story of a family that is separated by a rift between differing ideologies. The oldest child is Harmony, a teenager who rejects the faith that her father preaches in a dying congregation. But when a car accident leads to the loss of the rest of the family, they are the only ones left, both with the ability to see and talk to the dead, and vulnerable to evil undead forces.

This story is more vibes than actual plotting. The characters of Harmony and Lucas are well-developed and their actions make sense through the visual narrative. The artwork is vivid and nightmarish, but doesn’t clarify the story. I felt like things ended with my level of confusion very high. I didn’t like the feelings I had when I read this story. I enjoy horror and the feeling of being unsettled, but this was more of a yucky and unpleasant feeling. Along with the lack of resolution, even knowing this is an ongoing story, I don’t feel inspired to continue this series. I have questions, but I don’t want to hang in long enough to get answers.