Ethen Beavers

This Little Golden Book introduces young readers to the original Star Trek with a simple narrative that essentially identifies most of the main characters [but not Chekov or Nurse Chapel] and tells about their responsibilities on the Enterprise. The book’s title is misleading in that it is not Captain Kirk’s story; rather, the Star Trek mission is the focus of the narrative.

On the plus side, the illustrations depict many scenes from the original series. The artwork is colorful and many show more reviewers seem to appreciate it, but some fans of the series are likely to find the drawings more closely resemble unflattering caricatures, especially since the characters in the illustrations often look angry. Unfortunately, the artwork is also careless; uniform braid is inconsistent; uniform badges are frequently incorrect. That may seem petty, especially in a book written for toddlers, but the parents who purchase this book are most likely to be devoted fans of the show who will expect the book to have correctly-portrayed illustrations for both the character and the series.

Parents who want to share their love of Star Trek with their young readers may enjoy this opportunity, especially since the narrative itself is true to the spirit of the original series. Future books in the series, however, would benefit with some attention to the artwork. show less

Full review [with gifs] posted originally on my blog, Dee's Reads

I received a copy of this graphic novel from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Samurai Jack is just one of those amazing things that you come across in life. Hopefully you know who Samurai Jack is…If you don't, you need to go do a google search asap after reading this review Samurai Jack was an amazing cartoon on Cartoon Network created by Genndy Tartarvoksy (which I maybe spelled wrong). Since the cartoon show more ended fans like me have been stuck watching reruns on Netflix.

When the graphic novels came out I was definitely interested. For whatever reason though, I never got a chance to pick up a volume until this one. I was a little worried because I was jumping in at Volume 3, but I had no reason to fear. I felt like I picked up the story right away and honestly wouldn't have known it was volume 3 if it wasn't on the cover. So for those of you worried about that—don't be! In fact, this volume had a LOT of action and kept me on edge. I read it so fast, too. Which is amazing because it takes me so long to read a novel these days. Which is why I have lately been turning to so many graphic novels. They keep me interested and I can finish one fast because I often only have 10 minutes to read at a time.

Some basic things you'll find in Samurai Jack:

-His kick ass samurai sword.

-Villians...or should I say villain…Aku. The baddest and most hilarious villain of all time.

-Tons of action and sword fights! Jack is badass..



So I hope these gifs give you a taste of what you can visually expect in the graphic novel. Because, let's be honest, that's the best part of graphic novels. The graphics can make or break them! In this case the story and the graphics were equally amazing. I loved that.

I recommend this graphic novel to lovers of Samurai Jack.
I also recommend this graphic novel to those who love action, adventure, excellent graphics, and amazing storytelling. show less

This Little Golden Book introduces young readers to the character of Mr. Spock from the original Star Trek series. A simple narrative recounts Mr. Spock’s background and highlights several of his adventures with the Enterprise crew.

Although the colorful illustrations continue to depict the characters in unappealing caricature-like drawings, at least the incorrect uniform braid and insignia badge issues from the previous book [“I Am Captain Kirk”] are no longer present. However, many show more readers are likely to find that the artwork, described as a “unique retro style,” is not particularly captivating.

Parents who want to share their love of Star Trek with their young readers are likely to take advantage of this opportunity, especially since the narrative itself is true to the spirit of the original series. show less

Jack has finally collected all of the Threads of Time in an attempt to return to the past. But the attempt failed. He’s now sought a new way to get back to his own time and to prevent the future that has occurred. And that way maybe through his magical blade, which has the power to open a portal to the past. But if that attempt fails, if the blade’s soul is lost, nothing will stand in the way of Aku and his armies. Jack will have to use all of his strength and all of his knowledge to show more face battles like never before.

Samurai Jack began life as a cartoon on Cartoon Network, and one of the best cartoons around in my opinion. Jack is one of those shows that on the surface appeared to be just another fighting warrior type show that kids would like. But Jack and the show had a depth to them that attracted a much wider audience. Some of that depth is because unlike hundreds of other characters on TV, Jack has a sense of honor and doing what is right...even at a cost to himself. And Jim captures that sense of the character very well. Jack is still familiar as are the ways in which he navigates the challenges and the people he faces on his journey.

Andy’s artwork is gorgeous and captures the sense and essence of the cartoon well. The cartoon was ahead of its time with its animation style, and while it is replicated often today, it is difficult to capture the feel of it well. Andy does that though and like the writing, I only wish there were more of it in the stories.

If you’re a fan of the series then you’ll love this book. If you’ve never watched it before, do yourself a favor and go pick up a few of the DVDs. Then come back and read the book. You won’t regret it in the least. 5 out of 5 stars.

ARC provided by NetGalley show less