Pantha Volume 1: The Goddess and the Dangerous Game

 

Expected Publication:  May 7th, 2013

Panthaa Volume 1: The Goddess and the Dangerous Game

By: Brandon Jerwa & Pow Rodrix (Illustrations)

Dynamite Entertainment

ISBN-13:  9781606903896

 

Leaping and roaring into the comic world from her debut in the pages of Vampirella, the mysterious crimefighter called Pantha has endured since the 1960s. This feline femme fatale has remained relatively obscure over the years, but she always returns to give horror-action fans something scary (and a little sexy) to sink their fangs into. This new story presents Pantha as the last living avatar of the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet. Commanded by Ra to walk the earth for all eternity as atonement for Sekhmet's transgressions in life, Pantha seeks out evil in all its guises. With the power to transform from a beautiful woman into a feral panther, this is one super-heroine who is much more than just a pretty face. Pantha also wields the Scarab of Atum-Ra; forged from the ancient god's tears, this amulet is an object of great power that many forces would kill to possess. The Scarab can destroy cities, corrupt souls, and open doorways to other dimensions.

 

Review

 

     Pantha is part of a living representation of the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet and is forced to watch life pass her by for eternity, due to all her sins in life.  She is given an ultimate weapon called the Scarab which is made of Ra's tears, can transform into a panther and Pantha is able to open portals to other dimensions.  Can she and her friends from the secret organization she's part of manage to stop the other gods from destroying the world while battling for the immortal god Chaos' throne?  As a straight, slightly conservative woman I felt slightly uncomfortable the entire time I was reading this comic.  Now with that statement out of the way... I did enjoy the storyline.  But sometimes I feel a little bit lost when I go into fantasy comics and the story/characters seem like they've already been completely established.  This was one of those times for me.  I still didn't understand who Mayra was supposed to actually be and why Pantha was so obsessed with finding her before something bad happened.  I think maybe she was one of the incarnations of Sekhmet besides Pantha. but I'm unsure.  After the focus on Chaos and the underhanded machinations of other immortals/gods (goddesses too!), the inclusion of a portal to a different dimension and the battle with the vampire-esque creatures in Vampirella's world seemed out of place and slightly jarring.  It was nice to get a glimpse at the world of Vampirella, where Pantha originated, but it seemed unnecessary to me all the same.  The artwork was very nice and struck a good balance between the extreme colorization of old-school comics and the darker, more serious tones of the modern 'graphic novel.'  Overall it was interesting to read this, but not really my type of comic.  I prefer my scantily clad female comic characters to be actual superheroes like Wonder Woman.  Although, turning into a panther is extremely bad ass too! :)

 

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is May 7th, 2013.*

You Tessered to Me

Published:  October 2nd, 2012
A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel
By: Hope Larson
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ISBN-13:  9780374386153

The world already knows Meg and Charles Wallace Murry, Calvin O'Keefe, and the three Mrs--Who, Whatsit, and Which--the memorable and wonderful characters who fight off a dark force and save our universe in the Newbery award-winning classic A Wrinkle in Time. But in 50 years of publication, the book has never been illustrated. Now, Hope Larson takes the classic story to a new level with her vividly imagined interpretations of tessering and favorite characters like the Happy Medium and Aunt Beast. Perfect for old fans and winning over new ones, this graphic novel adaptation is a must-read.

Review

 

     The story of Meg and Charles Murray Wallace and their friend Calvin O'Keefe is one that many children have known for decades and loved dearly.  Hope Larson puts a spin on things by re-telling that story as a graphic novel.  I went into this one thinking that it wouldn't translate well AT ALL and being completely amazed by what Larson managed to do!  At the heart of things, this is really a book about two kids determined to find their lost Father and bring him home.  Which is probably why I was wrong and it translated so well, even with other planets, galaxies and creatures like 'Aunt Beast' to illustrate.  With the actual illustration to go with the explanation of a tesseract, as a reader I finally understood that concept, wheras before I was totally lost.  Some of my absolute favorite illustrations though, were of Aunt Beast and her kind, when Meg is being taken care of by them.  This was a far more professional effort than a lot of classic retellings via graphic novel, and I wouldn't be at all opposed to reading more of the series done as graphic novels by this artist/author.  I think she did a remarkable job (my only complaint being that Calvin didn't look at all as I pictured him - but that's a personal problem!) and I will be trying to find her other work to read while I'm waiting for her next book.  Overall, gorgeous artwork that keeps to the heart of the original book and I highly recommend it to newcomers and longtime fans of L'Engle's Wrinkle series.

 

VERDICT:  4.5/5 Stars

 

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

 

One of my favorite panels:



The Magic of Not Reading This Book

Published: October 11th, 2011
Tris and Izzie
By: Mette Ivie Harrison
EgmontUSA
ISBN-13: 9781606841730


A modern retelling of the German fairytale "Tristan and Isolde", Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school.

Review

   So, I have read a lot of retellings lately.  Most of them have been worth my time and I love the original story of Tristan and Iseult.  Plus, the movie Tristan and Isolde is awesome in my opinion.  So I figured out that I would give this book a shot even though pretty much every review for it on Goodreads said how bad it is.  They were right.  Izzie (Isolde) is a high school student whose Mother is a witch who uses her powers for healing.  They moved from Curneval, a hidden magical community, when Izzie's Dad died ten years ago.  Now her life is almost perfect.  She has her best friend Branna (who has been acting weird lately) and her boyfriend Mark, hot basketball team captain.  They rule the school and Izzie just has to say the word for Mark to exile anyone she wants from everyone in school.  Izzie thinks that the cute new guy Tristan would be a perfect boyfriend for Branna, so she steals one of her Mom's love potions to give them.  But she ends up taking it herself to avoid Mark taking the rest of it when Tristan's done drinking.  As a result, she finds Mark disgusting and is in love with Tristan instantaneously, seemingly for good.  So with practically no fuss, Mark gets together with Branna and she gets with Tristan.  Isolde is being hunted by some evil serpent from Curneval who killed her Dad and wants her dead.  She has to battle off the monsters with the help of her friends and defeat the serpent to save Curneval.  Izzie is shallow, selfish and dumb as a box of rocks.  Anyone with ears, eyes and a brain figures out within the first twenty pages that Branna wants Mark to herself.  All Izzie thinks about is how things will affect her and she strings both boys along for as long as she possibly can before having to give one up.  The inclusion of magic is so asinine and unnecessary it only underlines the poor character development, lack of plot, and overall atrocious writing.  I wish that I had magic in my life to help me go back in time and prevent me from reading this waste of space.  NOT recommended unless you like stupid books with bubbleheaded characters.

VERDICT: 1/5 Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*



Somebody Mixed My Medicine

Published: October 4th, 2011
The Apothecary
By: Maile Meloy
Putnam Juvenile
ISBN-13: 9780399256271


It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows - a fascinating boy who's not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies - Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.
Together with Ian Schoenherr's breathtaking illustrations, this is a truly stunning package from cover to cover.

Review

   It's 1952 and Janie Scott has great parents, an interesting life in L.A. - she's happy.  All of that changes because of The House of Un-American Activities Committee's interest in Janie's parents who are television writers in Hollywood.  They say they're not Communists but the government is having them followed and is ready to arrest them soon.  So the Scotts flee to England to write for a BBC Robin Hood tv show under assumed names.  Janie is miserable to be leaving all she's ever known and not helping matters is the fact that England isn't as fully recovered from the destruction and rationing of the war as America is.  Plus, Janie starts at a grammar school where she is out of place and made fun of by the other kids, especially popular and rich Sarah Jane Pennington.  But the apothecary around the corner from their apartment is kind to her, giving her a potion for homesickness.  She visits him after school one day and becomes involved in intrigue with his son Benjamin Burrows, who goes to her school.  It turns out that Ben's Father is involved in a covert plot to stop the detonation and/or testing of an atomic bomb by the Russians near Norway.  He plans to help three other scientists using a book called the Pharmocopeia that uses science to perform magical feats like invisibility, truth-telling and transforming into a bird.  Will Janie and Benjamin be able to save Benjamin's father after he's kidnapped by rival spies?  What is their Latin teacher Mr. Danby's connection?  Are their classmate Sergei Shiskin and his father friend or foe, and can they trust the juvenile delinquent Pip?  Also, there is romance brewing between Janie and Benjamin.  This book was extremely well-written and it almost read like an autobiography most of the time.  The Cold War and spies in general normally bore the tar out of me, but Maile Meloy kept me at the edge of my seat for the entire book.  For a young adult debut it is very polished and has wonderful characters that are relatable and you can sympathize with easily.  It is a must read for anyone who likes fish-out-of-water, high flying adventure stories.

VERDICT:  5/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*