REVIEW: HORTON HALFPOTT

I picked up a ARC of this book and got it signed while at ALAN this year. I really wanted to get something signed by the writer since I really enjoyed his book The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. Been reading Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger as my before bed read every since ALAN; which meant it took me way longer than usual to finish the books because I hardly ever go to bed on time and spend most of my nights writing. But every time I picked up this book and read a chapter I really loved what I read. 


I have heard comparisons for this book to  Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and though I see that in some fashion I never think comparisons are fair and look at each book as what it is, it's own story. But if you want to compare it to the Lemony Snicket books to find readers for this book then go for it. I think anyone who enjoyed those books will enjoy Horton Halfpott.


This book has a great cast of characters given all the attention they need and no more, giving each scene all the attention it needs and no more, and gives the whole race of the story all the attention it needs and no more. Those things and more are way I really loved this story. The writer had a story to tell, he told it, and at no point in this tale did he waste the readers time on yelling "Hey, I'm a writer." but he is that. And also a very good writer. Very creative and tapping into a scene in a different way that I'm not reading in any other writing at the moment and that's what every writer in my view should strive for.

4 out of 5 stars

and here are a few star only reviews:

ENEMIES & ALLIES: THE DARK KNIGHT MEETS THE MAN OF STEEL

1 out of 5 stars

BIG BANG THEORY: SEASON THREE

5 out of 5 stars

THE MIGHTY AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST

3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: HORTON HALFPOTT

REVIEW: SUPERMAN: NEW KRYPTON VOLUME TWO

The New Krypton storyline was hurt by not getting the focus it needed. I don't have as as many problems with big crossovers as I do Marvel and DC rushing some events that should get a more wide focused approach to them. Now it seems like its not just one big event but one big one with several small ones and then followed by next big one.

Marvel seems to have had a more focused approach to their crossovers than DC when it comes to mulitpale book storylines but they also looks now like they are also falling into the same fast track trap DC itself into a lot. Example Shadowland.

New Krypton had the weight to be on the same scale and have the same focus as Blackest Night but just as with Amazons Attack DC dropped the ball. But dropped the ball with the symbol of the company. Now I know most people like Batman more but Superman is the symbol of DC Comics. Hell, he's the symbol of American comics period.

As to Superman: New Krypton Volume 2 I enjoyed it but I was distracted by how good I thought it could have been. Besides a bunch of cameos and one battle this story only lightly touched the overall DC Universe. This is what would have happen if they had tried to keep Blackest Night in only the Green Lantern books. The artwork is spot on but I so wish this story had went company wide on a large scale.

2 out of 5 stars

and here are a few star only reviews:

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: DALLAS

3 out of 5 stars

BIRDS OF PREY: BOOK ONE

2 out of 5 stars

FLIGHT: VOLUME ONE

2 out of 5 stars

FAHRENHEIT 451

Graphic Novel

3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: SUPERMAN: NEW KRYPTON VOLUME TWO

REVIEW: BLACKEST NIGHT

Writer: Geoff Johns

Penciller: Ivan Reis

Inkers: Oclair Albert, Rob Hunter, Julio Ferreira; Joe Prado

Colorist: Alex Sinclair

Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano

Cover: Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert with Alex Sinclair

PUBLISHED BY: DC Comics

During the big crossovers company even era we live in, the only DC crossovers I have liked have been the Batman line events and 52. 

Being such a huge Green Lantern fan (though I hate Hal Jordan) I really wanted Blackest Night to be a great read. Right here is usually when someone adds a but... But I'm not going to, I loved Blackest Night.

Even though it was about zombies.

Oh, I guess I did use a but there.

Barry Allen drives this story forward or runs it forward. His return, his friendship; and how he reacts to the Black Lanterns are the heart of what makes this a good read. I don't want  to give away too much because I know a couple people who are just now making their way through the Green Lantern trades from the past few years. I've been a good pusher getting as many people as I can interested in the current run of Green Lantern stories. 4 out of 5 stars

BRIGHTEST DAY: VOLUME ONE

3 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed this story which follows on from Blackest Night but it seemed like a lot of what they told in one whole volume could have happen in maybe two issues. I will check out the second volume because I enjoyed this but I hope the story gets going because volume one was one big setup.

and here are a couple star only reviews:

ROBIN: WANTED

3 out of 5 stars

JEEVES & WOOSTER: SERIES 1

2 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: BLACKEST NIGHT

REVIEW Batman: Under The Red Hood

Mar's library got this DVD in and we watched it last night. I had been really wanting to see this ever since it was announced and bugging her all the time about when they were going to get it.

The highlight  of the story was The Joker but when written strong that character will dominate just about any story he's in. I've heard some complaints about Bruce Greenwood as Batman but I think those complaints are blind to the good job he actually does voicing a cities defender. I think it helped that his voice didn't stand out because the voices that needed that were The Joker and Red Hood.

I liked the comic story this is based on but I actually ended up enjoying this version even more. If you are a Batman fan I say pick this up. The action is great, The Joker is the highlight as stated earlier, and you even get an off hand mention of The Killing Joke. Though the last bit may not be a good thing considering most people either blindly love or hate The Killing Joke; which is sort of how most people feel about these DC direct to DVD animated stories.

As a bonus which is coming standard now on these DVD releases you get a DC Universe animated short film. On this DVD you get Jonah Hex. (though I think the shorts only come on the double disc sets?) After watching the movie recently I have to say this short is so much better and catches the rough hard edged nature of the character. If you haven't went through the torture but were thinking about watching the Jonah Hex live action movie, don't, just watch the short.

3 out of 5 stars: Batman: Under The Red Hood

4 out of 5 stars for the Jonah Hex short

And here are a few quick stars only reviews:

SUPERMAN: THE THIRD KRYPTONIAN!

2 out of 5 stars

HOUSE OF M: THE INCREDIBLE HULK

2 out of 5 stars

NEW AVENGERS: THE REUNION

3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW Batman: Under The Red Hood

REVIEW: STAR WARS: DARK LORD- THE RISE OF DARTH VADER

STAR WARS: DARK LORD- THE RISE OF DARTH VADER was a book I had checked out of the library several times but something always jumped ahead of it to read. I started this book thinking it would be something I would read slowly while reading other books, maybe a when out at the beach read, but it got a hold on me and I just raced through it. I’m a pretty slow reader, it usually takes me a week or two to read a book with my attention span but I finished this in a few days.

I have to say off the bat that the vehicle and ship name dropping in description can get a bit were it slows down the story at times but if you are a fan of Star Wars you will probably get into that part of the story. Heaven knows Star Wars has a universe where every space ship and toothbrush has a name.

As it is always with tie-in books the writer has to be a slave to two masters, one the hardcore fans and the other causal fans. If you are not a fan at all let’s just face it, and I really think tie-in books are underrated, but let’s face it, they are not open to readers who have no idea about the subject matter. That’s not their monkey.

You will get plenty of mentions of places and characters and a few appearances to keep your Star Wars geek heart going. I myself really loved the first meeting in the book between Darth Vader and a character from Star Wars: New Hope who was portrayed by one of my all time favorite actors in the movie.

The highlight of the book and what maintained me reading early on was the insights you get into Darth Vader right after the actions of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. I think it was a nice touch for the writer to talk to someone who wore the costume to get a little insight into what it maybe like for Darth Vader in the first days of wearing his new armor.

This book has weak spots. I’ve always found Jedi in books or movies rather boring but this books strength is in how it explores the new life of Darth Vader and how his relationship with Darth Sidious was turning him completely into the strong arm of the Empire.

In the end after finishing this book, even though it has many drop points of interest, mainly when it focused on the Jedi, it left me really wanting to read another book in the Star Wars universe; so the book got a hold on me there. The next book in timeline would be Jedi Twilight but my library system does not have it so I’m skipping ahead to The Force Unleashed books. 

3 out of 5 stars

And here are a few quick stars only reviews:

NIGHTWING: A KNIGHT IN BLUDHAVEN

4 out of 5 stars

CATWOMAN: CRIME PAYS

2 out of 5 stars

IRON MAN-DIRECTOR OF S.H.I.E.L.D: HAUNTED

3 out of 5 stars

Reviews by, Brian C. Williams

REVIEW: STAR WARS: DARK LORD- THE RISE OF DARTH VADER