The Lone Ranger Rides Again!

Expected Publication:  July 9th, 2013
The Lone Ranger Omnibus, Volume 1
By: Brett Matthews (Story), Sergio Cariello (Illustrator) and Paul Pope (Illustrator)
Dynamite Entertainment
ISBN-13:  9781606903520

Dynamite's The Lone Ranger series - written by Brett Matthews and expertly rendered by Sergio Cariello and Paul Pope, with incredible covers by the amazing John Cassaday - is a must-read for long-time fans of America's favorite hero of the Wild West! Now for the first time ever, all 25 issues, plus The Lone Ranger: Creed #0 FCBD story, are available in one-amazing collection! The Lone Ranger Omnibus Volume 1 features 632-pages of this classic Eisner Nominated series, as well as a complete cover gallery! Read the entire story of how John Reid was transformed into The Lone Ranger, and, along with his partner Tonto, set a new standard of justice in the Old West!

Review

 

     I have heard of Lone Ranger before and know about the T.V. show from the 50s, the comic books and even the racist stereotypes of the character Tonto, his Native American companion.  Never have I experience any of these things firsthand before now.  What the hell took me so long???  Seeing as this was a review copy, only the first hundred pages or so was collected in it, instead of the 600 and some in the full volume that will be released in July.  But the first hundred pages held more than enough adventure, tragic backstory and hero origins to make any comic book proud.  I loved the balance between dark and light in the artwork.  It had splashes of major color, like the real Old West but also represented the darkness in Lone Ranger's life and it's evolution while dealing with the massacre of his family, all the while not trivializing it or making it into 'statement' art like so many graphic novels become.  I loved the depiction of Tonto as his friend, equal and mentor in revenge, avoiding stereotypes for the most part except for a depiction of him carrying come scalps, but to say that no Native American ever scalped anyone would be PC rewriting history, so it didn't bother me all that much as a reader.  This comic managed to represent copious amounts of violence without becoming an exercise in unnecessary gore like another I read fairly recently, a retelling of Sleepy Hollow which could have taken lessons in tasteful violence from the newest incarnation of the Ranger.  As a fan of Westerns such as Young Guns, The Angel and the Badman, Dances With Wolves, Lonesome Dove (book and film), and the miniseries Into The West, this had an apprehensive start for me.  I knew I would enjoy it in some capacity, but was unsure quite how much - I was rewarded for my faith with a comic that I really loved.   My copy left off with a cliffhanger and I want to know if the Lone Ranger ever has a showdown with Butch Cavendish, the main villain of this rebooted series! :)  I guess I will have to get my hands on a full copy when it's published.  All I can say is that this comic managed to avoid some of the traps that comics trying TOO hard often fall into - lurid or sparse artwork, too much text, clichéd action sequences - and it definitely impressed me as a reader.  I don't know if I'll be seeing the upcoming film, but I'm a definite fan of the upcoming graphic novel!  Recommended for fans of Western novels and films, who like the tragic hero stories and have a thirst for justice.  I don't know how fans of the original comics will feel, but I'd like to think they'll enjoy it.

 

VERDICT:  5/5  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 July 9th, 2013.*

Oh, Sweet Child Of Mine

Published: April 17th, 2012
The Springsweet (The Vespertine # 2)
By: Saundra Mitchell
Harcourt Children's Books
ISBN-13: 9780547608426

Heartbroken over the tragic death of her fiancé, seventeen-year-old Zora Stewart leaves Baltimore for the frontier town of West Glory, Oklahoma, to help her young widowed aunt keep her homestead going. There she discovers that she possesses the astonishing ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a "springsweet” to advise other settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land. Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living.

Review

   Zora Stewart stops caring about life after her fiance Thomas and her cousin Amelia both die.  With her Mother determined to shove her back into her old life, Zora takes drastic measures.  After almost publicly ruining herself, her Mother finally agrees to send her to live with her widowed Aunt Birdie(not much older than her) and her cousin Louella in West Glory, Oklahoma.  Once she gets there, Zora finds out that she is a springsweet, able to sense water underneath the parched surface of the Earth.  This is a really valuable talent on the dry frontier land, so her Aunt Birdie starts hiring her out to the neighbors.  Meanwhile Zora is resisting the attentions of Theo De La Croix, the man from back home that she used in scheme to get sent away.  She is undeniably attracted to Emerson Birch, a man regarded as trashy and a problem waiting to happen by the other townspeople.  Can Zora make a decision that will allow her to follow her heart or will she be unable to let go of the past?  I honestly was iffy about reading this book after being disappointed by the mediocrity of The Vespertine.  But I was pleasantly surprised.  I really liked Zora in the first book and watching her grow as a person, become even stronger and move past the heartbreak she'd suffered was wonderful.  I honestly didn't particularly care for Aunt Birdie all that much.  I felt like she was too pushy and not a deep enough character.  While I liked Theo, I felt that Emerson was definitely the right match for Zora.  Theo was too much like her old life, while Emerson was part of the frontier world Zora joined.  The supernatural abilities that Zora and Emerson possess were unique.  I've never read of anything like Zora's water sense before in YA.  My major complaint is that this book was far too short.  I would have liked another 50-100 pages to allow the story more time to develop and the characters more time to get into my heart.  All the same, this book stands alone pretty well but the ending would be a little confusing without the backstory of The Vespertine.  Other than that, I'd say skip the first one and dive right into this interesting and fun novel.

VERDICT:  4.25/5  Stars

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