Book Review: Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight 100-Page Super Spectacular #5

Book: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 100-Page Super Spectacular #5 cover by Cully Hamner

Edition: Paperback

Description:

In “Hell’s Bells,” Batman’s latest altercation with the Gotham City Police Department forces him to improvise, when they converge on a suspect – and the police try to take him out instead. Plus two other stories featuring the Dark Knight Detective!

Book Review: Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight 100-Page Super Spectacular #4

Book: Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight 100-Page Super Spectacular #4 cover art by Aaron Lopresti

Edition: Paperback

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

There are three very well-written stories with artwork that compliments each one that has Batman going up against a gruesome version of himself to trying to stop The Riddler.

Book Review: Batman: Streets of Gotham vol #2: Leviathan

Book: Batman: Streets of Gotham volume #2: Leviathan (issues #5-11) by Chris Yost (issues #5-6), Paul Dini (issues #7, 10-11) and Mike Benson (issues #8-9)

Illustrations by Dustin Nguyen, ink by Derek Fridolfs, color by John Kalisz and letters by Sal Cipriano (issues #5 and #8), Steve Wands (issues #6, #9-11) and John J. Hill (issue #7)

Edition: Trade Paperback

Description:

GOTHAM CITY CAN BE A BEAST.

Batman's home town is a monster, and its veins flow with crime -- including a rampaging Man-Bat, the murderous Mr. Zsasz and a twisted "Santa Claus", among many others.

But the world's most dangerous city is not without hope, thanks to the Dark Knight Detective and his network of operatives -- Robin, Huntress, Oracle and Abuse, the new vigilante with a startling secret identity -- whose tireless work keeps the population safe.

But when Robin and Abuse get caught up in the web of Mr. Zsaz's attack on Gotham's children, will Batman be able to save them -- or will they end up being swallowed whole by the concrete and steel monster he has sworn to protect?

Book Review: Batman: Heart of Hush

Book: Batman: Heart of Hush (issues Detective Comics #846-850) by Paul Dini

Illustrations and cover by Dustin Nguyen, ink by Derek Fridolfs and color by John Kalisz

Letters by Travis Lanham, Steve Wands, John J. Hill and Jared K. Fletcher


Edition: Paperback Trade

Description:

Revenge is a dish best served warm -- and still beating!

The man once known as Tommy Elliot has thirsted for vengeance against Bruce Wayne for nearly his entire life. Calling himself Hush, this brilliant archvillian has twice brought the Dark Knight to the edge of destruction using schemes as tangled and twisted as the bandages that hide his face.

Now, with Batman reeling under the mysterious Black Glove's campaign of terror, Hush has returned to strike the killing blow he feels is rightfully his to deliver. But this time only complete eradication of everyone and everything close to Bruce Wayne will satisfy his hunger for revenge.

Can Batman and his allies -- including Selina Kyle, the one woman who has come closest to winning his heart -- unravel Hush's deadliest plot yet? And once the bandages are peeled back, will Batman and Catwoman have the strength to face what is revealed?



Rating: 5 stars

Review:

I would consider Batman: Hush to be a modern classic, it's an excellent read. I read it some time ago but for some reason I never got around to reading Batman: Heart of Hush until now. In this continuation, Hush a.k.a. Tommy Elliot is still trying to seek his revenge on his old friend Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman.

Even as little boys, Tommy resented Bruce and as he got older it manifested into Bruce being the cause of all his troubles. In Batman: Hush, Tommy tried to use some of Batman's villains to destroy him but that plan didn't work out the way he had hoped. So in this story, Tommy set in place a new and more diabolical plan to go after Bruce/Batman and his love ones.

This was a very well-written story and an interesting follow up to Batman: Hush. I like how everything unfolds and it gives the reader even more backstory for Tommy. This is a story that's smart and full of action and drama and suspense as you see what's lurking beneath Hush's insanity in his desire to seek revenge against Bruce. You see incidents that helped fuel his delusions towards Bruce as well as seeing Tommy's anger towards his parents. I think Hush maybe one of Bruce's most dangerous villains because he knows so much about him including his secret identity. And that makes it easier to create a plan that strikes at his weaknesses and the people who mean the most to him with Catwoman possibly paying the ultimate price in Hush's revenge.

I don't think Paul Dini gets enough credit for having such a good grasp of these characters. He knows how to write these characters so they don't appear one dimensional instead there's plenty of facets and emotions shown. There are some interesting cameos in this which also includes Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Robin (Tim Drake) and Alfred Pennyworth. The story also introduces a new character Colin Wilkes who will later be known as the hero Abuse (for more on Colin see series: Batman: Streets of Gotham and Batman: Li'l Gotham).

There are so many things I enjoyed about this and one of them was seeing Bruce realizing how much Selina meant to him. While another was seeing Batman and the Batfamily going up against Hush. A wonderfully written story with revenge as the focus highlighted by Dustin Nguyen's delightfully animated artwork and great color by John Kalisz.

Book Review: Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight 100-Page Super Spectacular #3

Book: Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight 100 page Super Spectacular #3 cover art by Jason Shawn Alexander

(This book can also be found in the trade edition Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight volume #4)

Edition: Print

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

I enjoyed reading this, there are four very different yet interesting stories in this book. Although these stories were dark and sometimes grime, the third story Elements of Crime had a bit of humor injected into it.


Story #1: "The Beautiful Ugly" by Derek Fridolfs and Kenneth Elliott Jones, illustrations by Jason Shawn Alexander, colors by Sherard Jackson and letters by Deron Bennett

This story is three parts chaos with one part heartbreak with Gotham City in chaos over the latest incident of someone gassing subway stations. In the middle of all that, Two-Face has taken it upon himself to bring to "trial" a thief who he would have gotten convicted when he was still District Attorney Harvey Dent. This is a story that will leave you wondering if people really can change. However, what about the crimes they once committed in the past, how should they and their crimes be dealt with?



Story #2: "Break the Mold” by Shane Davis and Brandon Montclare, illustrations by Shane Davis, inks by Sandra Hope with Michelle Delecki (on one page), colors by Wendy Broome and letters by Saida Temofonte

Time seems to be running out for Batman as he tries to track down Clayface but are things what they appear to be in this story. I noticed that as Batman goes from one lead to another his tactics and approach became more violent. It didn't really seem like his usual style which is why I found the twist to this story be very interesting.



Story #3: "Elements of Crime” by Mike W. Barr, illustrations by Tom Lyle, colors by Sebastien Lamirand and letters by Saida Temofonte

Batman and Robin (Tim Drake) go up against their newest villain, Element Queen and she's way more deadlier than their old foe Element King. As the dynamic duo try to stop the new villain can they piece together her plan before it's too late.

This story had the feel of the old 1960s Batman TV series with the way Batman and Robin were written but with a more intense yet at times humorous story.   



Story #4: "The Echo of Pearls” by Jim Krueger, illustrations by Tom Raney, color by Wendy Broome and letters by Saida Temofonte

Okay this last story, is told from a very different and unique point of view, believe it or not it's told from the cave that would eventually become the Bat Cave. Yeah, I know but stay with me, the story begins with Bruce as a child falling threw a hole into a cave. At that moment the cave seemed to have come alive as it saw both the excitement and curiosity that Bruce expressed.

He was in awe of his new discovery unfortunately his experience was cut short with him leaving which left the cave with the distinct feeling of being disappointed by his departure. Bruce did return, however, his second visit to the cave was not a happy occasion, it was right after his parents were murdered. The traumatic experience coupled with the cave setting put into place for Bruce to one day become the person who will protect Gotham City. But that wasn't the end of the cave's involvement, it gave Bruce that one last push which helped him find a symbol and image important to his cause.

You would think this would be a strange read but the cave narrating the story surprisingly worked well.


I like reading these Legend of The Dark Knight 100-Page Super Spectaculars because you get a wide range of stories that expand the Batman universe that don't necessary fit into the main continuity.

Book Review: Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight 100 page Super Spectacular #2

Book: Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight 100 page Super Spectacular #2 cover art by Ed Benes

(This book can also be found in the trade edition Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight volume #4)

Edition: Print

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

If you're looking for a good group of Batman stories then I think you might enjoy reading this. I found the stories and the writing to be rather exceptional. This book contains five stories with the last three connecting. I thought this was even better than Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight 100 page Super Spectacular #1. 


Story #1: "I Hate It When He Does That." by Joshua Williamson with illustrations by Wes Craig and color by Lee Loughridge and letters by Saida Temofonte

Even though I enjoyed all the stories in this book, this first story may be my favorite. In this story, a museum robbery has Batman reflecting on his time when young Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth were traveling in Thailand. That experience allowed him to meet a new friend and learn a new skill as they evaded a crooked police force. I really like this story it had the perfect blend of drama, humor and action with a touch of mystery. I love that you see Alfred's point of view and how it pertains to everything that both he and Bruce are going through.

Reading this story made me really wish there was a series that followed young Bruce and Alfred as they traveled around the world. Most of the stories that focus on Bruce's travels overseas is when he's a little older and traveling on his own. 



Story #2: "Riddler In The Dark" by Charles Soule with illustrations and color by Dennis Calero and letters by Deron Bennett

Oh, this was a very interesting story, The Riddler showed up at the police station and stabbed one of his henchmen in the leg. And of course he was immediately arrested. But what was his purpose in doing all of that? Well, that's what Batman intended to find out. A riddle sent him chasing down clues until he could piece together the mystery. Nightwing made an unexpected appearance in this story.

There was something about Batman's look that I couldn't place at first. But it dawned on me that he was drawn very retro inspired, his appearance is some what similar to when he was first introduced in Detective Comics #27 (see image below).

Story #3: "The Pain Cellar" by Frank Hannah with illustrations by Marco Turini and color by Leo Paciarotti and letters by Saida Temofonte

In this story, Bruce's excruciating back pain sent him to a very unique specialist, Mei Zhen. Mei was able to remove the pain but also brought out a memory Bruce had long forgotten about. In a backstory that took place some time before Bruce's parents were killed, Bruce remembered a friend who had gone missing and tried to find him. It was a nerve-racking ordeal for Bruce while searching for his friend especially when he did everything he could to find him.



Story #4: "Arm-Candy" by Frank Hannah with illustrations by Drew Edward Johnson and color by Kathryn Lano and letters by Saida Temofonte

This story follows Bruce as he tried to track down who murdered someone close to him. The clues led Batman back to someone he never thought could have committed the crime. Instead of Batman confronting the villain, Bruce went because he needed to try to make some kind of sense out of this horrific crime.



Story #5: "Reporter's Notebook" by Frank Hannah with illustrations and color by Dexter Soy and letters by Saida Temofonte

In this last story, Bruce allowed a reporter to follow a day in his life for a story. But it certainly wasn't for the publicity, no there was something that the reporter knew and it connected all three of these last stories. Selina Kyle has a nice cameo in this story.


These were a very well-written group of stories with a lot of drama and suspense. The writers did a good job showcasing how moments in Bruce's past help shape things in the present. I'm not in favor of a Batman who is ultra violent, I prefer when he uses his brain and his advanced detective skills. There is a reason why he's considered the World's Greatest Detective and these stories show that.

Book Review: Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight 100 page Super Spectacular #1

Book: Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight 100 page Super Spectacular #1 cover art by David Williams

(This book can also be found in the trade edition Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight volume #3.)

Edition: Print

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Review:

There were two very well-written stories in this book:

Story #1: Without Sin by Dan Mishkin with illustrations by Tom Mandrake and color by Wendy Broome

In this first story, a priest was found murdered at the site where new apartment buildings were going to be built. Evidence pointed towards Two-Face but Batman had his doubts and his investigation had him looking at both the church and the politicians. If the project continues, it would put the residents out of their homes and leave them unable to afford the newly built apartments.

He received help from Father Paul Tenney, who may hold more insight to what is going on. Is Batman barking up the wrong tree or is Two-Face who has become more unstable the one really responsible for the murder? Will Batman be able to find the murderer and the motive behind the killing?

What I found interesting about this story was that Batman doesn't consider himself to be a religious person but I think delving into that world may have given him at least a new perspective.



Story #2: Dr. Quinn's Diagnosis by Jim Zubkavich with illustrations by Neil Googe and color by Kathryn Layno

This second story had Batman looking for Harley Quinn in hopes of her leading him to the Joker. However, Harley won't help him unless he subjects himself to her psychiatric diagnosis. But can he really trust that Harley Quinn will keep her word? 

I thought Harley Quinn was as wacky as ever in this story which has a very funny and interesting twist at the end. This was fun to read.


I enjoyed reading both stories, the first felt like one of those old mysteries. It had a very dark and serious tone while the second was zany and crazy. This has been sitting on my shelf for almost three years, I really must start reading my books sooner. Because other wise I'm simply missing out on reading really good stories.

Book Review: Batman: Streets of Gotham vol #1: Hush Money

Book: Batman: Streets of Gotham volume #1: Hush Money (Detective Comics #852, Batman #685 and Batman: Streets of Gotham issues #1-4) by Paul Dini

Illustrations by Dustin Nguyen, inks by Derek Fridolfs and color by John Kalisz and Guy Major

Edition: Trade Paperback

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

The Streets of Gotham series takes place during a time when Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman was presumed dead following the aftermath of the Final Crisis. With Batman gone Dick Grayson eventually took over as Batman and made Damian Wayne his new Robin.

The book opens with Detective Comics issue #852 and Batman issue #685 focusing on Dr. Tommy Elliot a.k.a. Hush gambling on his newly surgical appearance of looking like his former good friend Bruce Wayne (who he also knows is Batman) getting him back on his feet. His new look follows his defeat from Batman as well as having all his money stolen by Catwoman.

After being rescued by a couple of fishermen and finding his way to an exclusive club which Bruce is a member of, it didn't take him long to get back to his old ways of murder and mayhem. Keeping a low profile following the murder of a rich socialite, he took advantage of his resemblance to Bruce by getting money from some of Bruce's businesses. One con attempt in Vietnam had him being snared in a trap by none other than Catwoman.

Selina knowing he's not Bruce, enjoyed a little bit of pleasure in seeing Tommy slightly tortured. However his capture by Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne who were in disguise (and part of Catwoman's plan) really caught him by surprise.

Now back in Gotham, Dick and Damian not sure what to do with Tommy, have him locked up in the penthouse in Wayne Tower. Being imprisoned will not keep Tommy from thinking of a way to escape which leads to the first four issues of Streets of Gotham.

As Commissioner Gordon was heading to a hostage situation you get a good sense that the city is still in turmoil with many of the worst criminals roaming free after the destruction of Arkham Asylum. Rumors about Batman are floating around from whether he's gone or that the Bat just seems different. Once Gordon shows up you find out the hostage situation was a total misunderstanding, Harley Quinn had only gone into the store for some legitimate shopping and was in no way robbing the place. Harley unlike many of the other criminals running free had actually been released from Arkham. Poor Harley after dealing with the police then she had to deal with Batman and Robin.

Black Mask was trying to take over the city and doling out money to his minions to let them try out their worst fantasies but Firefly has other plans. The fire bug no longer wants to play by Black Mask's rules and has set in motion a plan that has mysteriously caused people to spontaneously catch fire. While Batman and Robin try to stop Firefly, they were getting some unwanted help from Abuse, a vigilante stopping criminals throughout the city and leaving his calling card upon his targets.

With Dick and Damian away, Alfred Pennyworth was left with the responsibility of monitoring Hush who unfortunately tricked Pennyworth into setting him free. After Black Mask was double crossed and nearly killed by Firefly, he took on a new associate Zsasz.

Now that Hush had escaped, the Batfamily was left wondering what he would do next. But they didn't have to wait long because Hush posing as Bruce was making a huge announcement to the press. He planned to help restore the city by making large monetary donations around the city. His plan was to bankrupt Bruce but the Batfamily had other plans for him. Although they did like the idea of helping the city, they were not going to stand by and let Hush destroy everything Bruce had built. To drive this point home, Dick called in some help from the Justice League. They were going to help keep an eye on Hush and make sure he only gives out approved amounts of money.

Meanwhile, Black Mask was giving Zsasz the money to take his chance at bringing chaos to the city. Not to be overshadowed, there is someone preying on runaways. The last part of this story focused on The Broker, an underground realtor who helps villains find their perfect lair. He had never had a problem doing business with criminals before but his meeting with Zsasz caused a shift to his conscience. So when Batman stopped by for a "little chat" he had no problem handing over his information.

What I love about this book is the writing, the author blends the right amount of dark and gritty with all the drama and suspense coupled with humor and action. I also love how the characters are shown and it doesn't hurt that you have an author who actually understands what motivates them. 

There were a lot of interesting cameos in this and you can see that Batman and Robin will have a lot to do in trying to get Gotham back from this state of chaos. I can't wait to read the second volume, Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) will be in it.

Currently Reading: Batman: Streets of Gotham vol #1: Hush Money

I can't believe all three volumes of the Batman: Streets of Gotham series had been sitting on my shelf for four years. This was a short lived series that had Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne as the dynamic duo. 

Reading all the issues of Batman and Detective Comic where Dick and Damian were Batman and Robin was fun. I had ordered all three volumes of Streets of Gotham a few years back and I'm just now getting around to reading the first volume.


Book: Batman: Streets of Gotham volume #1: Hush Money (Detective Comics #852, Batman #685 and Batman: Streets of Gotham issues #1-4) by Paul Dini

Illustrations by Dustin Nguyen, inks by Derek Fridolfs and color by John Kalisz and Guy Major

Edition: Trade Paperback

Description:

Though the original Dark Knight has fallen, Gotham City is not undefended. Bruce Wayne's first partner and adopted son and his long-lost son -- Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne -- have taken over as the new Batman and Robin.

But while these freshly minted Caped Crusaders know that Bruce is dead, the rest of the world does not -- and that provides a terrible opportunity for Dr. Tommy Elliot, also known as the villain Hush. Thanks to plastic surgery, Hush has become the spitting image of Bruce Wayne -- and now the identity of Gotham City's most famous bachelor playboy is his for the taking.

Hush will go to any lengths to destroy Bruce Wayne's legacy. the question is, how far will Gotham's new protectors go to stop him?

Book Review: Batman: Arkham Knights vol #1

Book: Batman: Arkham Knight volume #1 (issues #1-6) by Peter J. Tomasi with illustrations and color by various artists

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

This was better than I hoped it would be. With the Joker dead you would think that Gotham would start to quiet down but then again it is Gotham city and there will always be a good amount of villains up to something.

Now that Arkham City is closed, Bruce, encouraged by Alfred, has decided to create a new program to help rebuild the embattled Gotham city. He is asking some of the most influential residents of Gotham to not only pledge their finances but their time as well to get the city back on track.

Bruce's days are spent trying to help reassess the city while his nights as Batman are filled with nothing but trouble.

Harley's out of prison, well, that's thanks to Batman (long story short he needed to find an antidote for Commissioner Gordon and Harley was the only one who knew where to find it) and now she's working with The Penguin (who is also trying to find The Scarecrow) to try to stop Bruce Wayne's plans to "take over" the city. Meanwhile, there is this masked man (whose mask resembles Batman) going around killing villains but his main agenda is to get rid of Batman. However, a couple of dimwits on the police force seem to think Batman is the one responsible for all the killings.

There is so much chaos throughout the city both day and night that it's probably not the best time for Bruce and Lucius Fox to head to Germany. Bruce is going there under the guise of talking to potential investors for Gotham City but Batman will be there to work with one of best car designers to get a new Batmobile.

This was a fast paced action packed story and the way it's written one doesn't need to have played any of the Batman Arkham games to figure out what's going on. I like that Oracle was included even though it was just her voice, perhaps in the second volume she will actually be shown. Tim Drake got a small cameo but it was still nice to see the character. Alfred Pennyworth and Lucius Fox surprisingly was shown quite a bit.

Currently Reading: Batman: Arkham Knight vol #1 and Teen Titans vol #3

Two of my favorites, Batman and the Teen Titans. I haven't played the Batman: Arkham Knight video game but that's mainly because I refuse to buy another Xbox system (I have the 360) as well as the game just to be able to play it. Anyway, at least I can read the comic book, hopefully it will be a good read.

Now for Teen Titans, I'm trying to catch up on reading some of the older series. I've had this trade edition sitting on my shelf for quite a while and with one of my goals to stop waiting forever to read my books, I figured why not read it now.

Book: Batman: Arkham Knight volume #1 (issues #1-6) by Peter J. Tomasi with illustrations and color by various artists

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

The prequel to the best-selling game BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT!

The Joker is dead. Arkham City is closed. As a new day begins, Bruce Wayne finds himself in devastating pain, recovering from his injuries and questioning whether his role as Batman is still necessary to the city's survival. But as the sun rises in Gotham City, dangerous new threats emerge from the shadows...and the Arkham Knight is just beginning. Don't miss this in-continuity prequel comic set prior to the events of the brand-new video game Batman: Arkham Knight!

Book: Teen Titans volume #3: Beast Boys & Girls (issues: Beast Boy #1-4, Teen Titans #13-15)

Beast Boy issues by Ben Raab and Geoff Johns with illustration by Justiniano and color by Jason Wright

Teen Titans issues by Geoff Johns with illustrations by Tom Grummett with color by Jeromy Cox


Edition: Trade

Description:

BEAST BOY UNLEASHED!

On his own, Gar Logan returns to Hollywood to resurrect his acting career. What he doesn't expect is to find himself behind bars, framed for a crime he didn't commit. Worse, his only hope for acquittal rest with the somewhat scatterbrained wannabe Titan Flamebird.


BEAST BOY CURED?

In a separate adventure, Gar is suddenly normal, no longer able to assume animal shapes. When the children of San Francisco begin exhibiting his abilities, the Titans have to calm an angry and frightened populace and figure out what happened. And when they do, Gar's world is rocked.

Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon book 3 Review: Batman: Gates of Gotham

Book: Batman: Gates of Gotham (issues #1-5 and includes a Batman, Inc. story Nightrunner by Kyle Higgins and Trevor McCarthy)

story by Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins,
dialogue by Kyle Higgins and Ryan Parrott
art by Trevor McCarthy, Graham Nolan, Dustin Nguyen and Derec Donovan 
colors by Guy Major

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Surprisingly enough, I bought this trade edition two years ago because I had missed one of the single print issues. And I'm now just getting around to reading it.

I guess you could say Gates of Gotham is a precursor to the Court of Owls story line. In this story, a mad bomber is setting off bombs throughout Gotham City as a way to get back at those he holds responsible for his family's demise. This story weaves the history of Gotham with the present.

Batman (Dick Grayson), Robin (Damian Wayne), Red Robin (Tim Drake) had help from Black Bat (Cassandra Cain) with trying to stop the bomber and figure out the motive behind all the bombings.

This was a thrilling fast paced adventure with an interesting story because you get to see the makings of Gotham as well as seeing Dick as Batman for one of the last times. I also like that Cass was in the story, she doesn't get enough attention in the Bat books.

I don't know why I waited so long to read this. It was really good and I also really enjoyed the second story Nightrunner with the Batman of Paris (Bilal Asselah) getting started. You get to see the side of Paris that's not always shown.

Bruce Wayne does make a cameo in both stories but I like that the story let Dick and rest of the Gotham crew lead as well as Bilal tell his story.

Book Review: Batman: Black and White vol #3

Book: Batman: Black and White volume #3 by various writers and artists

Source: Library

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Review:

For the last volume in the series, I thought this featured a good group of stories. There were maybe a few that were either dull or not the best. With so many interesting stories it's hard to pick a favorite one.

I really liked the Batgirl and Poison Ivy story as well as the story that had Superman helping Batman following a shooting. I also really like the story where a photographer was trying to get a book of unique buildings in Gotham published but no one would publish it. And there were so many more stories that I like.

If I had not taken a chance with reading volumes #2 and #3 after I found volume #1 to be really bad I would have missed out a two really good books.

Currently Reading: Batman: Black and White vol #3 and Gloria Steinem: Her Passions, Politics and Mystique

I'm going to postpone reading The Mark of Athena until I finish reading the last few library books that I have.

So here are two books I will be reading.

Book: Batman: Black and White volume #3 by various writers and artists

Source: Library

Description:

This third and final volume (of the original series) of the Eisner Award-winning Batman: Black and White series collects thirty-three adventures of the Dark Knight by some of the hottest names in the industry.

Book: Gloria Steinem: Her Passions, Politics, and Mystique by Sydney Ladensohn Stern

Source: Library

Description:

GIoria Steinem is America's most famous feminist. An icon of modern feminism, Steinem is known to the world as a celebrity, leader, and writer. When her name appears in the media, no explanation is necessary -- the name is the message.

For this first truly revelatory account of Gloria Steinem, Sydney Ladensohn Stern spent fifty hours interviewing Steinem, in addition to conducting interviews with friends, lovers, and associates from both her past and present.

After joining the women's movement, Steinem cofounded Ms. magazine, the Ms. Foundation, the National Women's Political Caucus, and Voters for Choice. She has written innumerable articles and four books, including several major bestsellers; made hundreds of speeches every year; campaigned; organized; and raised money for an endless stream of organizations, causes, candidates, and individuals.
Yet inside the celebrity, symbol, and leader is a complex woman, a fascinating combination of contradiction -- courageous yet vulnerable, beautiful but insecure, generous and ambitious, highly intelligent yet at times willfully blind. She truly embodies the conflict between the traditional female role of "being" (pretty, charming, supportive) and the male role of "doing" (achieving success in the world).

While Steinem always wanted to be more than just another "pretty girl", she was not beyond using her looks, considerable charm, and sex appeal to both attract men and advance professionally. Her lovers include director Mike Nichols; screenwriter Robert Benton; speechwriter Ted Sorerison; and Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson.

By the time she discovered feminism in 1969 at the age of thirty-five, she had graduated from Smith Collegemagna cure laude; traveled in India; worked for a ClA front organization; gone undercover as a Bunny in New York's Playboy Club to write an expose; written a book, numerous articles, and a television satire; helped found New York magazine, for which she wrote a political column; and worked in the inner circles of political campaigns. Even then she was a celebrity, profiled everywhere, for her intriguing combination of glamour, intelligence, prominent lovers, and journalistic coups.

The fascination continues today, from her gossiped-about affair with real-estate magnate and publisher Mort Zuckerman to her power as the world's most influential feminist. Gloria Steinem: Her Passions, Politics, and Mystique examines this prominent woman in all her many and varied roles.

Book Review: Batman: Black and White vol #2

Book: Batman: Black and White volume #2 by various writers and artists

Source: Library

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Okay, the second volume was so much better than the first volume because it suffered from a large number of dull stories that were poorly written.

Now for this second volume, I found the stories to be of a higher quality and were well written and ranged from humorous to serious.

These were fun stories and love that the stories showed Batman solving a lot of different cases. There was also this really interesting story about the Joker that showed that he may be more calculating than crazy and I really like the story with Batman and Catwoman.

I enjoyed reading this, I think I'm going to add it to my wish list to buy later.

Currently Reading: Mambo in Chinatown, Batman: Black and White vol #2 and Killer Ambition

I'm nearly finished reading Marilyn: Norma Jeane and will post my review soon. I didn't read anything today, decided to take a reading break.

These are a few books that I will be starting sometime tomorrow. I'm really glad that I found Mambo in Chinatown at the library because I can't wait to start reading it.

And as for the other two book, with Batman I'm hoping this second volume will be so much better than the first because that one was truly mediocre. And I figure I would just continue on with reading the third book in the Rachel Knight series.

Book: Mambo in Chinatown by Jean Kwok

Source: Library

Description:

From the bestselling author of Girl in Translation, a novel about a young woman torn between her family duties in Chinatown and her escape into the world of ballroom dancing.

Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Wong grew up in New York’s Chinatown, the older daughter of a Beijing ballerina and a noodle maker. Though an ABC (America-born Chinese), Charlie’s entire world has been limited to this small area. Now grown, she lives in the same tiny apartment with her widower father and her eleven-year-old sister, and works—miserably—as a dishwasher.

But when she lands a job as a receptionist at a ballroom dance studio, Charlie gains access to a world she hardly knew existed, and everything she once took to be certain turns upside down. Gradually, at the dance studio, awkward Charlie’s natural talents begin to emerge. With them, her perspective, expectations, and sense of self are transformed—something she must take great pains to hide from her father and his suspicion of all things Western. As Charlie blossoms, though, her sister becomes chronically ill. As Pa insists on treating his ailing child exclusively with Eastern practices to no avail, Charlie is forced to try to reconcile her two selves and her two worlds—Eastern and Western, old world and new—to rescue her little sister without sacrificing her newfound confidence and identity.

Book: Batman: Black and White volume #2 by various writers and artists

Source: Library

Description:

THE WORLD IS SIMPLE.
THERE'S GOOD.
THERE'S EVIL.

AND THERE'S BATMAN BLACK AND WHITE.

This sequel to the Eisner Award-winning Batman Black and White collects the black-and-white Batman adventures from Batman: Gotham Knights #1-16 as well as five new, never-before-seen stories.

Book: Killer Ambition (Rachel Knight book #3) by Marcia Clark

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

When the daughter of a billionaire Hollywood director is found murdered after what appears to be a kidnapping gone wrong, Los Angeles Special Trials prosecutor Rachel Knight and Detective Bailey Keller find themselves at the epicenter of a combustible and high-profile court case. Then a prime suspect is revealed to be one of Hollywood's most popular and powerful talent managers—and best friend to the victim's father. With the director vouching for the manager's innocence, the Hollywood media machine commences an all-out war designed to discredit both Rachel and her case.

Book Review: Trinity: Batman * Superman * Wonder Woman

Book: Trinity: Batman * Superman * Wonder Woman (issues #1-3) written and illustrated by Matt Wagner with color by Dave Stewart and letter by Sean Konot

Source: Library

Rating: 2 stars

Review:

This was torturous to read. The writing and the story were very boring and poorly executed with most of the dialogue being very stiff and robotic. I found the thought boxes to be confusing because sometimes I couldn't really tell whose thoughts they were. Perhaps they should have used a specific color or a symbol so readers could distinguish whose thoughts they were.

What stopped me from giving this a 1 star rating was that there were a few scenes that were actually good like the one with Aquaman or the one where Clark was at the Daily Planet and Lois walks in. I also thought the author did a great job with writing Clark, who was the only well written character in this book. Batman was written as if he's psychotic and Wonder Woman despite being strong was shown as being weak and a damsel in distress most of the time. Even the villains were poorly written.

It's hard to imagine the big three meeting in such an astonishingly boring way. The story follows Ra's al Ghul's insane plan to restore the balance of the world by nearly destroying it. Helping him is Bizarro and a teenage Amazon Artemis.

Batman and Superman meet up to figure out how to stop Ra's and are joined by the not so amazing Wonder Woman.

Something I don't understand, why was Wonder Woman having such a hard time fighting Ra's. This is Wonder Woman, she should not have any problems dealing with him. And in this book I think Batman should be sitting in Arkham Asylum because he's as crazy and unstable as the villains he normally goes up against.

As a huge fan of the big three, it's sad to say how awful this was. This was not a good read at all.

Book Review: Batman: Blind Justice

Book: Batman: Blind Justice (issues: Detective Comics #598-600) by Sam Hamm with illustration by Denys Cowan and color by Adrienne Roy

Source: Library

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Well, this was my second time reading this story, the first was from reading the single issues. I guess I just saw the cover sitting on the shelf at the library and I didn't realize that this was something that I already have and read until I started to read it.

But I figured I would go ahead and give it a second read. And you know what? I still think this story is a good read. It had a great mystery that had Batman trying to figure out who was behind a string of robberies and how is it connected to Bruce Wayne being accused of being a spy.

The story also focused on a young woman who traveled to Gotham looking for her missing brother. Her brother also seems to have a connection to WayneTech. Is there something going on at Bruce's company? It turns out that the young lady's missing brother lead Bruce to some illegal activity going on at WayneTech.

When Bruce starts to investigate, he finds out who's behind what's going on but they plan to use some information to get him to comply with their demands. Not planning on letting anyone take over his company Bruce refused. To get him out of the way, the organization framed Bruce to make it appear that he was a traitor among other things.

Even though this is from the late 80's, it's still interesting to read.

Currently Reading: Batman: Blind Justice, Ballet Shoes and Identity Crisis

What can I say, I'm a total bookaholic and I love to read. And right now I'm on a comic book kick and despite having plenty at home to read, the library has made it possible to read even more of them.
Which is why I love going to the library, I always find something interesting to read.

Book: Batman: Blind Justice (issues: Detective Comics #598-600) by Sam Hamm with illustration by Denys Cowan and color by Adrienne Roy

Source: Library

Description:

Bruce Wayne -- Traitor?

When Bruce Wayne refuses to allow illegal mind-control experiments to continue at Wayne Technology, he finds himself charged with being a traitor. During the police investigation, Wayne is forced to confront memories of the various people who trained him to become the feared Dark Knight - Batman. Wayne not only must clear  himself, but also protect his secret and save his company from ruin.

Book: Ballet Shoes (Shoes book #1) by Noel Streatfeild with illustration by Diane Goode

Description:

Fame, Fortune, and Fun!

When three orphans -- Pauline, Petrova, and Posy -- vow to make a name for themselves, they have no idea that it's going to be such hard work! With the help of a kindly benefactress, they launch themselves into the world of show business, complete with working papers, the glare of the footlights...practice, practice, practice.

Each girl quickly finds her own special talent. Pauline -- with a flair for the dramatic -- seems destined for the movies. Posy is a born dancer. Practical Petrova, however, discovers she'd rather pilot a plane than do a pirouette...

Book: Identity Crisis (issues #1-7) by Brad Meltzer with illustration by Rags Morales and color by Alex Sinclair

Source: Library

Description:

When the spouse of a JLA member is brutally murdered, the entire super-hero community searches for the killer, fearing their own loved ones may be the next targets! But before the mystery is fully solved, a number of long-buried secrets rise to the surface, threatening to tear apart and divide the heroes before they can bring the mysterious killer to justice.

Bonus features include extended commentary by Meltzer and Morales, the rest of the creative team talking about their favorite moments, a look at Morales's sketchbook and more!

Currently Reading: American Vampire and Trinity

The library has been a great resource because I have been able to read so many comic books from my wishlist and also comics that are hard to find.

Book: American Vampire volume #1 (issues #1-5) by Scott Snyder and Stephen King with Illustration by Rafael Albuquerque with color by Dave McCaig

Source: Library

Description:

A New Vampire For A New Century.

Cunning, ruthless, and rattlesnake mean, Skinner Sweet has a reputation for cussedness as long as he is ornery. As the first vampire conceived on American soil,  however, he's not your usual creature of the night. Stronger, fiercer and powered by the sun, Sweet is the first of a new breed of bloodsucker: the American Vampire.

Forty-five years after rising from his grave, Sweet finds himself in 1920s Los Angeles, where the young and beautiful are drawn like moths to the burning lights of Hollywood. Something beyond simple human greed is at work here, however, as struggling young actress Pearl Jones is about to discover. When her movie-star dreams are transformed into a bloody nightmare, Sweet provides her only chance for survival as well as the power to take revenge.

Book: Trinity: Batman * Superman * Wonder Woman (issues #1-3) written and illustrated by Matt Wagner with color by Dave Stewart and letter by Sean Konot

Source: Library

Description:

For the first time ever, the tale of the Dark Knight and Man of Steel's first meeting with the Amazon Princess is told!

Billionaire eco-terrorist Ra's al Ghul is on a mad quest to remake the world in his own image. With the juggernaut clone of Superman known as Bizarro and a deadly rogue Amazon by his side, this troika of terror casts an ominous shadow over the very future of mankind!

Witness the birth of a legendary alliance, as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman join forces to defend Earth against an apocalyptic fate!

TRINITY is an awe-inspiring glimpse into the formative years of three true legends.