And so we come to a close for Wood's run on X-Men. It's a shame because it felt like he could have went on another few arcs. This is the boiling point. Jean wants the mutants to unite on Tian. Her little world in the sky. She believes mutants must come to her, that she's right, and basically she becomes the villain of the series. Kitty decides to step down and take the fight to Jean. The lines are drawn and non-violence is out the window!

What I liked: The build up is great. Jean trying to move her pieces to get Kitty to fight back was great. Loved watching Kitty fight back with both her fist and intelligence. The ending kind of hits a bit hard for Kitty because realize that the whole thing about Mutants is humans don't really care about them. They can all be wiped out and it would be nothing to the government. How fucked up is that?

What I didn't like: The change in Jean's character was evident through the run but she just felt a bit too "Evil" for the sake of being a "big bad" instead of earned it. I also hated the fallout with her, felt lifeless and waaaay to glossed over.

This was another solid book but not great. I still think Wood's best is volume 1, with volume 2 and 3 still solid but not as good. I really think if Wood had a few years to flush this out he could have made one of the BEST X-Men comics of all time. As it stands it's GOOD but not GREAT but sometimes that's the best we could get.

One major advancement for comics after the 90's is writers decided to write characters like actual people. Before that we had a lot of "My Golly G we gotta stop the bad guys!" and "Holy Molley geez what we gonna do?" Instead of them actually SPEAKING like NORMAL people. This "Death of Superman" arc is known as one of the biggest things DC ever done. This wasn't the first time they killed off a main character, they just knew killing off SUPERMAN would bring in headlines.

So what's it about? Well you got Doomsday landing on earth and hitting trees and trucks. Then the JLA comes over and is like "Hey, buddy, we gonna stop you!" not actual dialog, but pretty close. Then they each get beat to a pulp while Superman is doing a interview on TV. So you got Superman just chilling, talking about how he'll always protect us, while his friends are getting their shit wrecked. It's kind of funny. THEN Superman hears of the events and goes charging over. The brawl begins and Superman vs Doomsday come down to a fight of their lives!!!

What I liked: Doomsday slapping around the JLA is pretty fun actually. Just watching all the heroes getting beat to the ground while trying their best is kind of terrifying and fun to watch. Kind of fucked up for me to say huh? Owell.

What I didn't like: So yeah. Pretty much everything in this feels rushed along. Doomsday comes down to earth, beats people up, kills superman. The end. That's the whole plot. Over 150 pages and that's the best they came up with. Also the dialog is HORRIBLE. No fucking joke it's some of the worst I've ever read. Also Superman is kind of a dick in this and his ideas and mindset aren't what I'd consider superman worthy.

Overall this is a big old meh. I read this when I was young and remembered not enjoying it. Figured maybe when I'm older and read more Superman I'd enjoy it more. Nope. THis was pretttttty bad. Worth reading through to get his death but nothing worth mentioning.

Well Giant Days continues to be one of the most enjoyable reads. It's not mind blowing. It doesn't change my life. It doesn't make me go "WHOA" every time I read it. You know what it does do though? Make me smile the whole time. It has this charm about it, with quirky characters, and wonderful pacing. Giant Days volume 3 continues the story of our three female leads. We actually get a bit more time with the boys even in this one.

The story gives a more indepth look on Ed and you begin to see why he's a cool guy. His unlucky events of basically messing up in bed are funny and sad. Then we get to see Susan breakdown and her world turning upside down. We get to go into the "Night World" which is both scary and funny. Ester to the rescue! We finish up the volume on a saddish note but with some hope.

What I liked: The charm of this series is still there. The plots are all interesting and letting smaller characters get some splotlight really help flush out the characters. The dialog is still sharp and makes me laugh multiple times. The pacing is near perfect and I'm never bored once reading it. Also, the art is still top notch.

What I didn't like: The nightworld gets trippy and little weird at points. Sometimes becoming a tad confusing and the only issue I didn't love.

Overall Giant Days should be bought. That goes without saying. It's good for both comic fans and non-readers alike. My wife LOVES them and I really dig them. They're worth reading right now to just enjoy reading something lighthearted and fun!

This was...good. This is kind of a odd book because it's pretty uplifting most of it. Yes, it's a retelling of Matt's origins or first few months as Daredevil but a lot...happier? Basically after pops is killed Matt decides to become Daredevil. Odd enough he's much older in this version when his father dies and he seeks out vengeance through stopping crime.

This volume really focuses on Matt as a character. He seems more sure of himself, he seems happier (which is weird if you know Matt), and his love interest, Karen, comes off way more...nice? Or happy? It's just a very odd retelling. Almost to try to get a new audience in. Someone who is not familiar with Daredevil.

What I liked: I thought the pacing was pretty good. Broken up enough that you get there's time skips but not huge ones. I also enjoyed the cute interaction between Karen and Matt. I thought the fights were fairly entertaining too and the art was all pretty nice.

What I didn't like: The tone felt off. I get Matt and his pretty shitty life could be tough to read through with Frank, Bendis, and then Ed's run. But man...it's so fucking good. This just fails to live up to those. Also the unneeded change to Karen and Matt's upbringing felt odd. People could still respect and like Karen without her being that way or Matt losing his father as a child. It kind of ruined the history that Frank set up.

Overall it's a decent book to read. you'll enjoy it more I feel if you don't like the darker side of Daredevil or never read him. However, this would not be my number one suggestion for DD. Just a short visit and it'll probably be forgotten.

Man this volume felt SO uneven. So the first half of this book is basically Jimmy: The Story Of somebody Nobody Cares About. Jimmy goes after a hidden figure, and soon is hunted down, and honestly...Jimmy is just...ugh we'll get to that later. On the second half of this story Clark goes to his new Krypton which is right near his icey palace.

Superman is trying to figure out what to do. Now there's a ton of people on Earth similar to him in power and powers. People flip out and are scared as fuck. Then got Doomsday just showing up out of nowhere and we have all the Kryptions just beat the living fuck out of him to show how strong they are united.

What I liked: The fights were decent. I really liked the idea of Superman basically being the leader of his people and trying to fit them in. I also liked that not EVERYONE is following their lead. Also the ending was a surprise and a odd teamup that I NEVER heard of.

What I didn't like: The whole first half was so fucking boring. Jimmy is a pretty bland character. Giving him THAT much spotlight? NOT A GOOD IDEA. Also why the hell did Doomsday just fly down to start shit? Like wut? Also the art is 50/50. Some of it is great, the other half is odd facial expressions that threw me off.

Overall the second half is around a 3, first half is around a 1, so together around a 2-2.5. It's okay but could have been great. I'll try another volume.

The darker side of DC. For a lot of comic fans this is a "no no" for some odd reason. Which I can understand. Some people like to go to comics to escape the horrors of the world. I mean, we have fucking Nazi's on our streets chanting now so...I can def understand. Anyway, enough with the political side of Goodreads, let's talk about Rise and Fall.

Well, this takes place right after cry for justice. So Green Arrow has KILLED! DUM DUM DUM! So the first half of this book deals with that. Him getting tracked down by the heroes, his escape, his unmasking, his trial of murdering someone. Then the second half is all about Roy. About hm dealing with his daughter's death and his loss of his arm. The two make sense to go together yet it doesn't go together as well as I hoped.

What I liked: The green arrow side of this book is actually really good IMO. Ollie is always a interesting character to me. A bleeding liberal people call him. The guy who always cares too much. Yet, what makes him special, is he has killed before and he will again. He even says "He banked on the fact I'm a hero. He forgot I'm a hunter" and that's so true. Push him too far and he will murder. He has a moral code but it's not as strong as say Batman. So watching him deal with his murder and not just accepting it but not calling it "awful" was nice. I also thought the art was really solid and some fights looked amazing.

What I didn't like: Roy's side of the book was a bunch of good ideas, not well made though. I didn't like the whole "see a person when taking drugs" thing that's been done so many times (and way better). I also thought Roy was acting way hot headed. I get it, that's who he is, and he's on drugs. Still, it seemed over the top. If he was always like this he should have been a villain. He sure as hell acted like one. I felt they got this character completely wrong.

Overall, it was entertaining but flawed. Roy was not who I wanted him to be, but Ollie was fantastic IMO. So it's a bit of a mix bag as far as a collection. Where I'd give the first half a 4 out of 5, Roy's is a 2 out of 5 so I figured I'd go with a solid 3.

I'll go on the record saying I love Clark and Lois together. However, this isn't the Clark we know. This is New52 Clark, who is more of a assholeish young kid who has almost no game, so he never gets this universe Lois. So instead we get Clark hooking up with Wonder Woman! The power couple! The Gods be thumping and bumping!

The story basically revolves around them first dating. Trying to figure out their relationship like any other couple. Then the news gets out that they're dating and people are freaking out! Then Zod comes to earth and wants to open up the Phantom Zone! And then Doomsday is here! Kind of...And yeah, a whole lot of shit happens in 8 issues.

What I liked: The art is reallllllly solid. Everything looks great and the fights flow really well. I like Clark and Diana together. They a bit off beat but it works for who they are. Plus they fight just like real people! Oh and I also thought the moment Superman beat down a God was cool. The 2 on 2 fight was great!

What I didn't like: Doomsday is getting tiring. Why is he always the big bad? Also the ending seemed to be missing huge chunks of the story and got a bit confusing. I think the pacing in general is just off. Like it's missing moments?

Overall this was fun and enjoyable. Similar to Batman/superman it has a lot of fun ideas, some even great, but it feels uneven. Maybe because they tie it to the main universe and that holds it down. I'd love to see a separate universe for both of them to have freedom. But overall it's good stuff and I'll check out more!

This was a surprise. Maybe because I borrowed it from the Library without knowing what it was. When I started reading it I was like "What the heck? Is this about a real person" and it is! Paul Dini to be exact. Who's that? Oh, you know, the guy who basically made Batman the animated series what it was.

I'll be honest. I was never a huge fan of Batman the animated series. Nothing against it. I'm not a huge fan of american animation. Especially cartoons. Just not my style of watching. However, I knew of Paul Dini. Never heard he was nearly beaten to DEATH. I was in shock reading this even though most people knew this had happened I did not. It was shocking to me and I felt so sad reading about this poor, innocent, and seemingly nice guy going through such a dark part in his life.

What I liked: Holy hell emotions hit high time in this one. It's really hard to read and anyone who's been through shit can relate. The art is fantastic and having so many cameos from different things was wonderful. I really enjoyed the imagination scenes because I can relate when I write. Also, the ending was perfect and the hopeful boost you need in life.

What I didn't like: The love relationship kind of drags. That hurts the pacing just a tad bit. It's really the only negative to this book but it's enough to drag it down just a bit (but only a little!)

Overall, this was great. Fantastic inside look to a man who went through a tragic event but came back swinging. It was sad, happy, and powerful all in one package and glad Paul was willing to share these darker moments in his life.

This was shockingly mehish. I remember watching the movie years back and finding it pretty entertaining. Now I was a teen, so rewatching it now could make me think it sucked. Anyway, I figured I'd try the comic series. Got all 3 books in the series for 8 bucks. Now I can kind of see why I got them so cheap.

The story is about a bunch of mercs going off the grid, presumed dead, but then they are not, and then there's a whole lot of backstabbing and revealing the true bad guys and then...nothing? Like it just ends on a real odd note that feels like it wasn't sure how to wrap up. Just a lot of "Oh no he's the bad guy, but duh, no duh, well oh shit, yeah he dead...no he's not" lot of twist and turns without any fucks to give.

What I liked: Some funny character moments and cool ideas. Like the idea of this story is pretty solid and the characters COULD have been great.

What I didn't like: I didn't remember a single name, the art is really fucking ugly and hard to follow, and the storyline...dumb? Like ones that try to be really hard to follow but fail and they come off as try hard? That's this. Also the characters are so bland I can't remember their name or anything.

This was pretty bad. Awful even. I had to force myself to get through this. Maybe I should just watch the movie again instead. A 1.5 out of 5. I'll give it a 2 just because I'm being nice.

Eh this was pretty weak. So attack on titan is a fast paced action packed series about titans eating people and humans trying to survive. Before the Fall is about one titan eating people, spitting back a baby, and people believing he is the son of a titan. Right off the bat it sounds off but hell, let's go with it okay?

The two main leads are a titanboy and the daughter of the person who bought him from a prison only to shackle him up once more. One day the girl decides it's time to split from this place and they decide together they will leave.

What I liked: The idea of learning more about the titans is interesting. I also like the contrast between AoT BIG cast and this very small cast.

What I didn't like: The art is really bad sometimes. As in I can't tell what in the fucking world is happening. I also had issue with a lot of the dialog, for it's super stilted, more so than usual in manga. The two main leads are kind of lifeless and boring and the plot really felt cliche and not well told.

This could be, or should be, a lot better. I'll try a few more volumes to see if it improves but if the rest are anything like this I'm in trouble. I don't expect action every page but damn, if you want me to care about these characters, give me something more than cliche shit that you present here. A 1.5-2 out of 5.