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Thundercats (2024): Omens Review
For lovers of action, sci-fi and furries, welcome to the world of Thundera and its Thundercats!
Dynamite Comics takes this popular IP and reintroduces the world to newcomers while leaving plenty of Easter Eggs for fans of the original series. Yes, including that glorious 80s rock-star hair.
In this universe, Lion-O is the young heir to Thundera but when the planet is invaded, he and a small, loyal crew rocket out like Superman to land on the Third Earth. During this flight, Lion-O’s icy containment pod glitches and he rapidly ages into adult form. Now he has the bod of a warrior but feels just as immature and inexperienced as an adolescent. Difficulties times are definately ahead when he is thrust into the role as leader, trying to cement his authority but again, not really knowing what to do.
But Lion-O will have to learn fast as the Third Earth has plenty of troubles. Not only as a hostile, unknown territory but their mortal enemies, the Mutants of Plund-err are close on their heels. But worst of all, Mumm-Ra has awakened.
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July Books
Bloomability by Sharon Creech
I’ve always liked the cover of this book but I never actually read it. Until this month that is. It’s about a young girl, Domenica aka Dinnie who’s been kidnapped to Switzerland. Well, not really kidnapped. Her family is having lots of dysfunction that the eleven year old doesn’t comprehend so her mother leaves her with her aunt and uncle who run an international boarding school.
Man, if I knew that before I might have reead it sooner, I love travel stories and Creech does an excellent job in having Dinnie gradually develop by learning about her fellow classmates and how similar they are despite their cultural/language differences. After all, they’re in the same boat navigating a new country, homesickness, coming of age, and come to have a tight bond because of it.
Not that it is all close friendships as Dinnie hs to deal with the fellow ugly American in the form of her sort of friend, Lila who is a true annoyance despite her home life. With her, Creech is able to demonstrate the tumultuous feeling of adolescent friendships with everyone changing and Dinnie deciding what kind of person she wants to be.
It can be meandering some of the time. Since Dinnie is only eleven she is unable to comprehend the bigger events happening around her (Lila’s father’s neglect, her sister’s teen pregnancy, her brother’s delinquent tendencies), I, as an older reader wish these events could have been explored more but it wouldn’t make sense for her age.
Still it’s a thoughtful slice of life book for kids.
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Book of the Month: The Duke and I
After my friend’s sister insisted she choose this book for book club with the “It’s like a modern Jane Austen,” we finished and my friend’s expectations fell short. Very short. As she kept saying when we finished “This isn’t like Jane Austen at all. Jane Austen didn’t write about horny people. I mean, they probably were but they weren’t getting caught in the gardens. She didn’t write that. The only thing like Jane Austen is the romance and the time period.”
So maybe comparing Bridgerton to Jane Austen set the wrong expectations. She admits it’s not bad but comparing it to Austen lessened her enjoyment.
As for me, I already read it and saw the show so I think my enjoyment was mitigated by how I already knew everything that was going to happen. But on second read I appreciate the familial aspect a little more. Sibling relationships fall to the wayside in romance so it was nice to see how close the Bridgertons are and their funny banter even though Anthony’s dual against Simon was so extra.
My friend appreciated that the siblings were in alphabetical order so it was easy to remember who was the oldest and youngest. We both agreed that what Daphne did was super messed up still, it really doesn’t change how wrong it is. But Daphne got off pretty easy cuz if a man did that he would have been beaten up probably. At least it would be satisfying if he was.
So yeah, not much to expand on this time. Maybe I’ll have more for our August book, Lessons in Chemistry.
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Rose & Thorn Review
Rose and Thorn is a pretty obscure Superman villain. Well, technically Thorn is the villainous alter ego of Rose, and when I first saw her on the cover of a Superman comic, I thought she was a discount Poison Ivy. Fun fact, she actually appeared first. Obviously didn’t get as popular but still.
However, when I saw on wiki that Gail Simone wrote a mini-series for the character, and I had enjoyed her work on Birds of Prey, I decided to check it out.
She starts off strong by introducing us to Rosalyn Forrest being restrained by four guards as she threatens to kill them all.
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Creepella Von Cacklefur
So I thought I was finished with my mouse-tastic nostalgia trip but I decided eh, why not, let’s hit the Creepella books too which was going to be even more interesting since I hadn’t read three of the books in the series. I don’t think the last three ever released in the states. Thankfully, there’s the internet.
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Finding Famous Review
For the 1st of July and more importantly, the 700th post, we’re getting a first look at the opulent world of the Mashads!
*I received this free ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
Josie is pretty happy as she reaches her 18th birthday. All she wants is for her longtime crush, Isaac, to acknowledge her (and perhaps profess a secret, undying love) and not die from her first inadverdent sip of alcohol.
She is a bit of a worrier and awkward freak, but those concerns are nothing to the birthday bombshell. A letter from her biological father who turns out to be the late Ali Mashad aka “America’s father” and dead patriarch of the biggest reality tv family in the world.
His dying wish is for Josie to bond with his other daughters, her sisters, and be a real family. And in the Mashad family, bonding as a real family means filming a season of their reality show.
While Josie feels uncertain of meeting the ultra-rich family Ali apparently chose over supporting her and her mother, the money that would come from filming is too good to pass up. Josie is realistic that it’s unlikely that she’ll ever fit into their crazy rich Iranians lifestyle, but is surprised that she may fit into their family after all.
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June Books
Pillow Talk by Stephanie Cooke. Illustrated by Mel Valentina Vargas
You know those sexy male gaze trope of women having pillow fights in their lingerie. Well that fantasy gets upended by the Pillow Fight Championship. It’s a real thing where girls get dressed up as wreastlers to pillow fight their rivals into submission. It’s a surprising niche sport and I saw a video. Those pillows do not look like they’re softening the blows at all.
Grace aka Cinderhella has a lot of self-esteem issues but when she fights in that ring, she feels fierce and strong. Unfortunately, with the viral fame of her first bout brings trolls that threaten to oust her from the ring.
It was a cute book that reminded me a bit of Whip It with the pillow fight girls representating mentors and older sister characters to Grace, proving the sport sisterhood is the strongest bond. There’s even one who seems like a Queen B whom Grace earns a grudging respect. Just like in that movie.
The only weird part is where they have a whole discussion about the importance of voting. Don’t get me wrong, it’s importance, but it felt like an awkward insert. Like the story screeched to a halt to talk about voting for three page before resuming the plot.
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Thea Sisters
Technically it’s the Thea Stilton series but since she only figures about a 1/4th of page time than her proteges, I’m just calling it the Thea Sisters series of which has spawned as many spin-offs as the Geronimo series. Seriously, there’s like 4 spin-off series ontop of the original one which is still going so it’s no wonder it took me six months to get through it all.
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Book of the Month: Spy x Family
Honestly, not much to delve into her as I reread the first volume of Spy x Family for book club.
Okay, there was a little as hindsight allows me to appreciate Twilight’s mission all the more. First, reading it you think he is like any other heroic archtype in his intense devotion to his country and a good person, not wanting others to suffer. But after reading volume 11, you understand the depths of his feelings because he has experienced the losses and violence of this war. He doesn’t want more to suffer because he knows it all to well.
Also I was surprised to see how little happens in the first volume. I mean, obviously a bunch of stuff happens in setting up the family and letting readers in on their double identities but we don’t get introduced to the plethora of characters and arcs that will take up the focus of the book. No Yuri, no Desmond, no Becky, no Bond. It took all I had not to spoil it for my friend.
Honestly, she had a much more confusing time as it was her first time reading manga and so she kept getting the left to right confused, but she enjoyed it in the end.
Next up, TBD.
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Summer Comics
Well so far, let’s face it, I’m going to be reading a lot more over the next few months but here are the new ones I read.
Go with the Flow and Look on the Bright Side by Lily Williams and Karen Scheeman
Williams and Scheeman deliver two wonderful graphic novels dealing with a very real yet underrated problem. Tampons and periods. As you might guess from the firts title, this foursome of BFFs are determined to bring a period revolution by petitioning their school to stock up on menstrual products for free but the football team needs new uniforms more. Because of course, they do. ‘
Honestly, the revolution is primarily motivated by Abby who’s big-hearted care and impatience prompt her to do reckless protest in order to get heard and get on everyone’s nerves. Even though the novel deals with important information on endometriosis and frank discussion of menstrual problems, it is also about friendship and learning to accept and recognize boundaries and apologize.
The second novel is more romance-centric as each of the girls deal with their own budding problems. Christine is unsure of admitting her feelings for Abby to Abby because of her own confused feelings about her identity and not wanting to ruin their friendship. Brit gets her own Pride and Prejudice (I love how closely her story parallels P&P down to her little sister named Lydia and the charming cheater bumping against the moody good guy) and Sasha is falling further behind on schoolwork, hiding her insecurities behind the fantasy her boyfriend gives her.
They can be seen as slice of life stories when put separately but Scheeman and Williams have a truly authentic teen voice. Even when they’re discussing the topical issue (like periods shouldn’t be stigmatized) sounds like how I talk (tbh complain) with my friends about it instead of trying to pound a message into your head. Plus they’re all so wholesome, I’d love to be friends with them too.
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