Donut the Destroyer - Sarah Graley

Donut the Destroyer - Sarah Graley

Donut the Destroyer, daughter of famous villain couple the Destroyers, lives in a world in which most people have some kind of power and are either heroes or villains.  Despite her heritage, she wants to go to Lionheart Academy and be a hero.  Her parents and best friend object, and once she attends, she finds suspicion from the instructor.  Luckily, she finds a couple of nerds who take her in, but will they be enough to keep away her scheming villainous ex-friend?  Yes.  This is not a meditation on morality, Watchmen or Irredeemable style.  It's for kids.  Donut's parents love and support her despite her decision.  It's basically a shiny happy story. The sketchy, cartoony art put me off, but the writing is fairly sharp and funny, and I wouldn't mind reading a sequel.  [3.5]

Aster - Thom Pico

Aster - Thom Pico

1. Aster and the Accidental Magic - This adventure for kids is translated from the original French in two volumes (Aubépine: le génie saligaud and Aubépine: le renard furax).  In a world not quite like our own, a couple bring their young daughter, Aster, to live in the countryside to avoid a race of intelligent and angry birds engaging in their annual migration, destroying everything in their path.  Exploring the "boring" countryside on her own, Aster discovers a very naughty genie who grants her three wishes with a monkey's paw style literality.  Also, she befriends an ancient woman who keeps a flock of woolly dogs and her frenemy, a distrustful fox that wants to rule the world.  It's entertaining enough, but a little too wacky and "anything goes" in its world-building; I'm not sure what the birds have to so with anything.  [3.5]
   
2. Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic - Aster is alienating her older brother and her classmates by seemingly ignoring them, but in reality her duties as the magical Queen of Summer take up all her free time. Saving the town from a bureaucratic talking ram and his army of rebellious, albeit inept, sheep requires Aster to let Reed in on her secret, and seek help from her classmates and neighbors. Later, Aster explores a magical realm and continues her epic battle of wits against the valley's trickster spirit.  I thought this one was funnier and more carefully plotted than its predecessor.  I especially like how Aster devises clever, nonviolent solutions.  [4]
   

History Comics - various

History Comics  [First Second] 

The Challenger Disaster: Tragedy In the Skies - Pranas T. Naujokaitis

A thorough, informative look at the 1986 Challenger disaster, from the first plans to start up a shuttle program to the day of the tragedy itself and its aftermath.  The author uses the conceit of setting the story in 2386, on a space station orbiting Mars.  Four children have been tasked with a report on the Challenger disaster on its 400th anniversary.  While they have quirks, the kids are rather two-dimensional (the serious student, the nerd who gets sick at virtual reality, the slacker, etc).  I'm not sure how much the kid characters (or the future setting) add to its readability, but possibly it's a good hook to keep children readers interested.  The art is somewhat more cartoony than I like for something this technical, detailed, and, let's face it, somber.  But the information is good, and presented very clearly.  [3.5]

 

The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery - Chris Schweizer

An entertaining and comprehensive investigation into the famous lost colony. narrated by two historical Native Americans, Manteo, a Croatan, and Wanchese, a Roanoke, who traveled to England and eventually became, respectively, a friend and an enemy to the invaders.  It's absolutely fascinating reading; I didn't know half this stuff, or maybe had forgotten.  Schweizer doesn't spare the reader the atrocities that the English inflicted on the inhabitants, and ends the book with some plausible-sounding theories about what may have happened to the colonists (backed up by some hearsay evidence).  He also includes some rather fanciful theories involving aliens, which I thought was odd until I looked up some of the "sky battles" reported in 1561 and afterwards. He even includes some ideas on why Simon Fernandes may have been a traitor to the expedition, or (Rashomon-style) not.  Great art and superb story-telling.  [5]

The Wild Mustang: Horses of the American West - Chris Duffy

An extremely thorough and well-researched examination of the importance, use, and history of the American wild horse.  Told by a Pueblo-looking horse figure to a couple of Pueblo-looking humanoid figures, it covers an astounding amount of information, from the proto-horses of prehistory, to Apache raids on horses, to Wild Horse Annie's grassroots efforts to save horses,  to modern-day protections of mustangs on public lands.  Duffy is an accomplished writer with a breezy, witty style, and Falynn Koch, the artist, brings his words to life with truly beautiful horses, landscapes, ships, and so on.  A really superb summary that should be on the shelf of anyone interested in American history.  [5]

Garlic And the Vampire - Bree Paulsen

Garlic And the Vampire - Bree Paulsen

A small anthropomorphic garlic lives with a king witch and all her sentient vegetable helpers.  Gralic is kind-hearted but clumsy and unsure of herself.  When a vampire moves into the castle across the valley, she is nominated to go confront him in case he proves to be a threat.  Mustering up all her courage, she goes, despite her fears.  The resolution is rather unexpected and gentle.  Some might dislike the lack of traditional conflict in the plot, but the story is so sweet and silly and gentle, and the drawings are so cute, that I found it a thoroughly charming, quick read.  [4]

The Way of the Hive - Jay Hosler

The Way of the Hive - Jay Hosler

The life of a bee, Nyuki (Swahili for "bee;" all the bee characters are named after words for "bee" in various languages), from larva to her death.  Nyuki is at first afraid to venture outside the hide, preferring to build the hexagon cells.  But after her mentor is fatally wounded, she learns to go forth and adventure.  The author, a biology professor, masterfully blends good science (there is a short bibliography at the en, mostly articles from peer-reviewed journals) with charming drawings, humor, and drama.  With shades of Pogo and Bone influencing his dialogue, he breathes life into the bees, flowers, and other insects while providing a thorough education on how bees life, eat, swarm, defend the colony, and more.  It's rare to see someone who is so talented at two different fields, biology and cartooning, but Hosler does it all in this book.  [4.5]

Gender Queer: A Memoir - Maia Kobabe

Gender Queer: A Memoir - Maia Kobabe 

A memoir of growing up female from birth, but never understanding what it's like to be a girl.  Wanting to be a boy, sort of, but not being romantically inclined.  Asexual, but interested in slash fiction.  Feeling like your body is wrong somehow and not fitting in socially.  Not knowing what to wear and seeing no representation or models of what you think you might be.  Kobabe's elegant lines, evocative of Erika Moen's art, are simple and clean. The panels are arrnaged with a sure and confident hand.  I bought this for two reasons (other than a general interest in both graphic novels and gender studies): one, because it was banned by bigots, and two, because I thought it might be instructive or appealing or my step-daughter, who might have some nonbinary traits.  In any case, this is an honest, poignant story of questioning and learning to carve out your own identity, written and drawn very well.  [4.5]

Amazing Spider-Man - Dan Slott

Amazing Spider-Man - Dan Slott

1.  Big Time: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 - Collects ASM #648-662 of the 2010 series, with a couple of issues by Gage and Van Lente.  I read this after I read the 2014 series with Superior Spider-Ock and what came after, but it was still a delight to read.  Petey gets a real job at last in the high-tech sector; has a girlfriend (who doesn't know his identity, but is a police investigator), goes to pay his respects to the FF (because the Torch is "dead") and gets to join them on an appropriately bizarre cosmic adventure; butts heads with mayor J. Jonah Jameson; and fights enemies old and new, including an emotionless spree killer and a new, improved Scorpion, courtesy of the plotting Spider-Slayer.  Slott is at his best here, with often funny, sometimes poignant, masterfully plotted superhero story.  Slott never forgets that a Spider-Man title is at its core about two principles: no matter how well things may be going in his life, Parker is at core a relatable, lovable nerd, but also the closest thing Marvel has to Superman in terms of his noble heart and soul.  [4.5]
   

 

2. The Parker Luck - Collects #1-6 of the 2014 series.  Finally back in his body after Dr. Octopus sacrificed his being while occupying it as Superior Spider-Man, Parker finds himself regarded as a feared CEO and genius.  He must answer for things that Octavius did, such as kindle a romance, destroy the Black Cat's life, and torture Electro.  Trying to repair the damage, he stumbles upon Silk, a woman who was also bitten by his power-giving spider and has been living in a bunker for a decade.  Wonderful writing, allowing Spidey to be his noble, funny, wisecracking self, with lots of action.  [4.5] 
3. Spider-Verse Prelude - this is all material from the Spiderverse collected addition.
4. Spider-Verse - collects ASM #9-15, all material covered in Spiderverse.
5. Graveyard Shift - Parker tries to rebuild Parker Industries with a bid to create a new supervillain prison, which alarms his coworkers and brings the worst out in his rivals.  The Ghost is hired to destroy the company.  Meanwhile, the Black Cat is back and out for vengeance.  This TPB also includes an annual with some funny stand-alone stories.  [4]

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