Art of the Day: Mera

Artwork: Mera by Paulina Ganucheau

Book Review for Comic Book Club for January: Mera: Tide Breaker

Book: Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige and illustrations by Stephen Byrne

Cover Art by Stephen Byrne

Edition: Trade Paperback

Description:

Princess Mera is teenage royalty and heir to the throne of Xebel, a penal colony ruled by the other no-so-lost land under the sea, Atlantis. Her father, his court and the entire kingdom are expecting her to marry and introduce a new king. But Mera is destined to wear a different crown....

When the Xebellian military plots to overthrow Atlantis and break free of its oppressive regime, Mera seizes the opportunity to take control over her own destiny by assassinating Arthur Curry--the long-lost prince and heir to the kingdom of Atlantis. But her mission gets sidetracked when Mera and Arthur unexpectedly fall in love. Will Arthur Curry be the king at Mera's side, or will he die under her blade as she attempts to free her people from persecution?

An astonishing graphic novel that explores duty, love, heroism and freedom, all through the eyes of readers' favorite undersea royalty.

From New York Times best-selling author Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die) and artist Stephen Byrne comes a Mera and Aquaman origin story that explores Mera's first steps on land, and her first steps as a hero or villain, forcing her to choose to follow her heart or her mission to kill.

What are you reading this weekend?

It's the weekend, what books are you reading? I'm going to start reading Mera: Tide Breaker by Danielle Paige and Stephen Byrne. I took a reading break for a few days after I finished reading Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan and now I can't wait to start reading Mera tomorrow. I'm sure it will be an different and hopefully interesting take on the character.

Book: Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige and illustrations by Stephen Byrne

Description:

Princess Mera is teenage royalty and heir to the throne of Xebel, a penal colony ruled by the other no-so-lost land under the sea, Atlantis. Her father, his court and the entire kingdom are expecting her to marry and introduce a new king. But Mera is destined to wear a different crown....

When the Xebellian military plots to overthrow Atlantis and break free of its oppressive regime, Mera seizes the opportunity to take control over her own destiny by assassinating Arthur Curry--the long-lost prince and heir to the kingdom of Atlantis. But her mission gets sidetracked when Mera and Arthur unexpectedly fall in love. Will Arthur Curry be the king at Mera's side, or will he die under her blade as she attempts to free her people from persecution?

An astonishing graphic novel that explores duty, love, heroism and freedom, all through the eyes of readers' favorite undersea royalty.

From New York Times best-selling author Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die) and artist Stephen Byrne comes a Mera and Aquaman origin story that explores Mera's first steps on land, and her first steps as a hero or villain, forcing her to choose to follow her heart or her mission to kill.

Book Club Picks for January: The Sword of Summer, Mera: Tidebreaker and Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived

Happy New Year!

It felt like we just said goodbye to 2020 and now it's 2022. Well, I guess time really does go by fast. With that said, it's a new year, new experiences and new books. I'm happy to say that Book club is back! After taking a rather long break, I'm restarting my three book clubs: The Book Girl's Book Club, Comic Book Club and Star Wars Book Club.

For The Book Girl's Book Club we will be reading The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. I figure it's been a while since I've read any of the mythology based books by the author and thought the first book in the Magnus Chase series would be an interesting read. As for the Comic Book Club, I picked Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige and Stephen Byrne which has a different take on Mera, her life and how she met Arthur Curry (aka Aquaman). Last is the Star Wars Book Club and we will be reading The Old Republic: Deceived by Paul S. Kemp. It's the second book set during the Old Republic.

I can't wait to start reading for the new year and as always, if there's a book you think we should read for book club let me know.


The Book Girl's Book Club

Book: The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard book #1) by Rick Riordan

Description:

Magnus Chase has seen his share of trouble. Ever since that terrible night two years ago when his mother told him to run, he has lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, staying one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, Magnus learns that someone else is trying to track him down—his uncle Randolph, a man his mother had always warned him about. When Magnus tries to outmaneuver his uncle, he falls right into his clutches. Randolph starts rambling about Norse history and Magnus's birthright: a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

The more Randolph talks, the more puzzle pieces fall into place. Stories about the gods of Asgard, wolves, and Doomsday bubble up from Magnus's memory. But he doesn't have time to consider it all before a fire giant attacks the city, forcing him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents. . . .

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die.

Book of Interest: Mera: Tidebreaker

I have mentioned this plenty of times before how terrible the DC Comics' New 52 reboot was. However, the reboot did a good job of centering Aquaman and Mera in good stories as well as showing new (and old) readers why they are awesome characters.

I love that Mera's popularity has continued to grow which is why I can't wait to read this book because it seems like it'll be really interesting. It's safe to say that Mera is not going to kill Arthur but I want to know what will change her mind as well as what will cause her to find a new path to follow. 

Book: Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige and illustrations by Stephen Byrne

Description:

Princess Mera is teenage royalty and heir to the throne of Xebel, a penal colony ruled by the other no-so-lost land under the sea, Atlantis. Her father, his court and the entire kingdom are expecting her to marry and introduce a new king. But Mera is destined to wear a different crown....

When the Xebellian military plots to overthrow Atlantis and break free of its oppressive regime, Mera seizes the opportunity to take control over her own destiny by assassinating Arthur Curry--the long-lost prince and heir to the kingdom of Atlantis. But her mission gets sidetracked when Mera and Arthur unexpectedly fall in love. Will Arthur Curry be the king at Mera's side, or will he die under her blade as she attempts to free her people from persecution?

An astonishing graphic novel that explores duty, love, heroism and freedom, all through the eyes of readers' favorite undersea royalty.

Art of the Day: Aquaman and Queen Mera

Artwork: Arthur and Mera by Kamome Shirahama

Book Review: Aquaman vol #2 (New 52)

Book: Aquaman volume #2: The Others (issues #7-13, 0) by Geoff Johns with illustration by Ivan Reis, ink by Joe Prado and more, with color by Rod Reis

Edition: Single print issues

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Review:

Volume #2 was good but perhaps not as good as the first one. In issues #7-13, Aquaman's past comes to light as him and Black Manta seek revenge against each other. Manta is also going after members of The Others, a team that Aquaman was once a part of. Manta was also seeking the ancient Atlantean artifacts and weapons that The Others use as a way to locate the ultimate Atlantean weapon that is supposed to be even more powerful than Aquaman's trident.

Issue #0 provided more backstory as a way to see what Arthur's life was like following the death of his father and his connection to Atlantis.

I enjoyed reading this, it was fast-paced and well-written but there were times when it felt like the story could have included more. There was a lot of flashbacks in these issues as the reader got a better understanding of who Arthur is. Even Mera didn't quite know Arthur as well as she had previously thought. Even though The Others were featured heavily in the story I felt like there wasn't as much info on them as was provided. I wanted to know more which is probably why the spin off series Aquaman and The Others was probably created. However, that series has since been cancelled with the #11 issue being the last. That is also another group of issues that I have but have not read yet.

Currently Reading: Aquaman vol #2 (New 52)

I really should be a shame of myself for letting all of these comics pile up but with so many options of things to read. I end up pushing a few books to the back burner to read later, case in point Aquaman. Yeah, I have all of the current run (New 52 and DC You) I just need to take some time to get caught up.

Book: Aquaman volume #2: The Others (issues #7-13, 0) by Geoff Johns with illustration by Ivan Reis, ink by Joe Prado and more, with color by Rod Reis

Edition: Single print issues

Description:

Long before the King of the Seven Seas joined the Justice League, Aquaman was a part of another super-team: The Others. These young costumed adventurers traveled the globe, each trying to find their own individual road to redemption.

Six years later after a grisly murder, The Others are reunited. They know only one man could be responsible: Black Manta. Aquaman must lead the charge to stop his arch-nemesis, but will the years have fractured The Others just enough to keep them from bringing this villain to justice?

Art of the Day: Aquaman and Mera

Artwork: Mera and Aquaman by deankotz

Book Review: Aquaman vol #1 (New 52)

Book: Aquaman volume #1: The Trench (issues #1-6) by Geoff Johns with illustrations by Ivan Reis, Ink by Joe Prado and color by Rod Reis

Edition: I read the individual issues

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

I thought the first six issues of Aquaman were a well-written masterpiece. It's hard to believe that Geoff Johns wrote such an amazing group of first issues especially when you think about the fact that he also wrote those horrible mediocre first issues of Justice League. Perhaps, the writers are spread too thin and given too many series to write and maybe it disrupts the creative process, who knows?

Anyway, I loved reading this. As I said the writing was just phenomenal and it's one of the reasons why I have stuck with this series since the beginning of the New 52 while I have long since dropped Justice League.

The first four issues center on The Trench storyline. The first issue opens with an impressive scene of Aquaman stopping some robbers in an armored truck. The funny thing is, Arthur not only doesn't get respect from the crooks but also from the police. But that scene alone proves that Aquaman is not some lame superhero. The story continues with both Aquaman and Mera being contacted by a local Deputy to assist the police down at the docks due to a large group of people having gone missing.

But just when the police pull what looks to be a cocoon out of the water, a massive group of strange and mysterious creatures emerge from out of the water. Aquaman, Mera and the police try to fight off the creatures but ultimately the creatures nearly overwhelmed them before they took off. Some good news, they were able to save a dog who had been placed in one of the cocoons. More on the dog later. 

Before one of the dead creatures could be taken away by the police, Arthur and Mera take it (despite the police protesting against it) to an old associate who's a scientist. After examining the creature he gave them clues to where they could find the creatures. The duo head down to the bottom of the sea and go up against the creatures as well as saving many of the abducted people. The fourth issue ends with the Deputy going back to see Arthur and Mera to try to see if they would like to adopt the dog.

The fifth issue opens with Aquaman crashing into the desert then the story flashback to what took place hours ago. This issue delves a little into the Atlantean world with scientists some how triggering an alarm from a device after they removed it from the wall of one of those cocoons. They contact Aquaman to get his assistance once he arrived to check out the device, a mysterious group of armed people show up to retrieve the device and quickly leave but not without Aquaman tagging along.

After a huge fight and an explosion later, Arthur crashed into the desert. He was able to get the device back as well as gain some rather interesting information about Atlantis. He returned home later thanks to the police only to find Mera gone with a note that she's gone to town to get some dog food.

The sixth issue focused on Mera's adventures in town as she attempts a rather normal task of trying to buy dog food. But no matter where Mera and Arthur go, they always draw attention. In the store Mera was asking for help with figuring out which dog food to buy, and unfortunately the sleazy manager at the grocery store decided to help her. However, things didn't work out too well for him, when he didn't heed Mera's warning to not touch her. He wound up with a broken arm but unfortunately for Mera someone called the police.

There was bit of a showdown between them until she surrendered but that was only so she could accompany them to where a father was holding a gun on his daughter. Even though Mera tried to help, it was not appreciated by the police.

However, someone did appreciate her, it was the young lady who worked at the grocery store. Earlier in the story, the manager had been speaking to her in an inappropriate way. She showed up while Mera was thinking about her past and gave her a bag of dog food and toys. I thought that was really nice because she wanted Mera to know that not all of the humans were bad. This issue ends with Arthur wanting to find out who sunk Atlantis.

These first sixth issues were amazing and I loved the artwork as well. There was nothing bad about this and that really means something when I say it because the New 52 has been plagued with a lot of generic and poorly written books.  Aquaman has always been one of my favorite characters however most comic book fans tend to think he was a lame and useless character. But I'm glad this series has shown fans how awesome he really is.

Fashion Meets Comics: Queen Mera

Queen Mera is every bit as regal as she is tough. I love how confident she is. Green is the color of choice for this Queen and below I found this halter dress that the Queen would dare to wear. You could accessorize this with gold bangles or a gold headband.

Dress: Halter Maxi Dress   $99.99 online exclusive (sale, regular price $118.00)   Ann Taylor