Barbara Kesel

The ground-level areas of the planet Demetria are toxic, so most people live on floating islands, each of which is governed by a Minister and specializes in a particular industry or type of work. Meridian, whose people specialize in building airships, is one such island. Meridian's Minister is Turos, and teenage Sephie is his heir. Turos' brother, Ilahn, is the Minister of Cadador.

A pair of gods (or something) decide to shake things up on Demetria by imbuing a pair of siblings with great show more powers: one with the power of destruction and one with the power of creation. They pick Turos and Ilahn, but the strain is too much for Turos and his heart gives out. Upon his death, his power is passed on to Sephie.

Ilahn has always been jealous of Turos and sees this as the perfect opportunity to take over Meridian and remake it as he sees fit. Sephie is initially naive and trusting but eventually realizes that she'll have to stand against her uncle if her people are to survive.

I found this and the second volume in a used bookstore and bought it primarily for the nostalgia aspect. I read it years ago, and all I could remember was thinking that the colors were pretty.

The colors were indeed pretty, but this was exhausting to read, and I ended up stalling partway through. Weeks later, I finally pushed myself to finish it. Although it did grow on me a little, eventually, I wouldn't be continuing on if it weren't for the fact that I already own the second volume.

There was a lot going on here: details about the world and its politics, a bunch of different characters and their relationships, the gods (or whatever they were) adding their own complications for their own reasons, the old lady who was maybe connected to those gods, etc. I'd have liked it a little more of it hadn't been for the "all-seeing gods imbuing unsuspecting humans with powers" aspect - grand-scale stuff like that kind of annoys me - but I'd still have had issues with how hard it occasionally was to follow what was going on. The characters weren't always drawn quite on model (the biggest offenders: Jad, who looked like every brown-haired guy ever, and his father, who looked like Ilahn), and different issues had different pencilers and inkers, so I had to put extra effort into keeping track of who everyone was.

Here's hoping volume 2 makes for more enjoyable reading.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

At the end of the previous volume, Sephie was enslaved and forced to work with the orphaned children trying to earn the right to stay in Akasia, and Jad found out that Sephie fell from her ship and assumed the fall must have killed her.

Sephie gradually gains more control over her powers and begins to understand their limitations. She's able to free herself and heads out in search of people who can help her. Although she's more careful after her experience at Akasia, she does manage to come show more across a few surprises, including a few people who knew her parents from before she was born. Meanwhile, Meridian's refugees find a new floating island to call home, and Ilhan deals with his new apprentice and a man who seems to have special knowledge of his and Sephie's new powers.

This was better than the first volume - it didn't jump around quite so much and felt a little more focused. Still, I found that the more I learned about the premise (the beings that granted Ilahn and Sephie their powers appear to be part of a larger Crossgen universe), the more annoyed and less interested I was in it all. I have no idea which of the god-like/superhero characters were people that fans of Crossgen's other titles would know, and the bits with Muse, Ghetan, and Ilahn's trip to Elysia felt like being a Marvel or DC newbie and suddenly getting dumped into something that was clearly a larger story thread intended for longtime fans.

Most of the volume followed Sephie and her journey to get others to join her in standing up against her uncle. The flashback to when her mother and father first met was okay, I guess, but we already knew most of it. Granted, it was interesting to find out that Sephie's mother was 30 when Turos and Ilahn fell for her - the woman in these types of stories (two guys in love with the same woman, one turns villainous when he can't have her) tends to be younger.

I'm not a fan of the romantic complications Kesel is setting up. There were hints, even in the first volume, that one of Sephie's friends was secretly in love with Jad. Apparently Jad and Sephie were interested in each other but hadn't really talked about it. When Jad thought Sephie died, Sephie's friend spotted an opportunity. Meanwhile, Sephie was introduced to a young botanist who'd practically been betrothed to her when he was a child and she was a fetus. I imagine this will all become a lot messier when Jad discovers that Sephie is still alive.

The art was okay, and since the story didn't jump around quite so much, I didn't have as many difficulties with remembering and/or figuring out who everyone was. I'm still not a fan of how often the artists change, though. Certain characters looked like completely different people depending on who drew them - Jad's father was unrecognizable in his wedding scene, for example, and the flashback in the "Chronicles" featured three characters with brown hair (Turos, Ilahn, and Jon) who were only recognizable in context.

Well, that's all the volumes I own, and at this point I don't plan to seek the rest out via library checkouts. I did somehow get my hands on a couple DVDs (interactive comics?) that I still need to look at, though.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

Gelflings Lahr and Neffi have lost everything and everyone they loved when their two villiages were raided by the Garthim working for the Skeksis. This is a prequel to the film The Dark Crystal and set before the crystal shard is out back into the main crystal. In this manga the Skeksis have only just found out that they are able to use the crystals power to drain gelfling essence giving them immortality.

Lahr is a shepherd and Neffi a weaver and together they realise they can turn their show more peaceful skills to more violent, defensive uses when pushed. Taking Lahr's dog Whouf, they set off to warn other gelfling villages of the new threat to their lives. They need to convince others of their kind to leave behind their passive musical ways and prepare for war.

It is beautifully drawn and I really enjoyed the story, I can't wait for the next installment in the series. As it is set before the film it doesn't take anything away from the classic, merely adds to the backstory. I would have liked to see how the Skeksis discovered they could harvest gelfling essence, was it an accident or a planned experiment as the two used to co-exist peacefully. There is a really good guest artwork and blurbs section at the back of the manga which will help introduce me to new authors and artists in the future. I can't wally say enough good things about this manga, definitely one for people who haven't tried this genre to give a go. show less

Annja Creed is a part-time archeologist, part-time tv host of Chasing History's Monsters, and full-time adventurer.

When Annja visits an old friend in the former mining town of Virginia City, she is asked to assist with a dig involving Samuel Clemens' work. There is a rumor that the Clemens may have stolen a story from another man. But there are some who are against their exposing what could be an incredible discovery. And soon, Annja and her friend Rashmi find themselves fighting for their show more lives.

With plenty of danger, mystery, and betrayal, Annja should be used to it all by now. But when her friend Rashmi gets involved over her head, Annja takes it personal. Wonderfully rendered, with creative visuals and a fun story, I hope Rogue Angel continues in this comic format. IDW Publishing delivers a fantastic new media form for Rogue Angel, with a great balance of visual and story.

Complete with early concept art and the stunning Tim Bradstreet cover art, Rogue Angel and comic fans alike should pick up this exciting graphic novel. show less