So first up on my Read
Harder Challenge, I tackled:
- Read a debut novel.
- Read an all-ages comic.
- Read a superhero comic with a female lead.
I started with a debut
novel, Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster. Although I
originally intended to read A Man Called Ove, a debut novel by
Fredrik Backman, I stumbled across Kiss of Steel purely by
accident and discovered it was just what I needed to complete this challenge.
First book in the London Steampunk series, Kiss of Steel tells
the story of an alternative Victorian age in which verwulfen (werewolves),
vampires, automatons, humans, and more live side-by-side in a steam-fueled
world.
Honoria Todd fled to the
rookeries in a desperate attempt to escape the Echelon, the blue-blood (i.e.
vampire) aristocracy of London who rule over the city with an iron fist.
But when Blade, de facto master of the rookeries, discovers her living at
the fringes of his little kingdom, he becomes embroiled in a series of
unexpected mysteries. Soon, a vampire--a blue-blood who has crossed the
Fade, who has completely succumbed to blood lust--is terrorizing the rookeries
and it's up to Honoria and Blade to stop it--and the Echelon--before it's too
late.
I actually enjoyed
reading Kiss of Steel. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I
wouldn't say that's a bad thing. Granted, it was a bit explicit,
hyper-violent, and incredibly grisly; however, McMaster's debut novel was a
mixture of action, romance, science-fiction and paranormal fantasy that I found
thrilling. Overall, while I did like Kiss of Steel, I do
think it could have been better. I would have loved to have delved deeper
into the alternative history and discovered more about the people--and
creatures--that inhabited this world.
Next, I read Moon
Girl and Devil Dinosaur: BFF (Volume 1) by Brandon Montclare and
Amy Reeder, which was a fun and amusing comic featuring Lunella and, of
course, the indomitable Devil Dinosaur. First in the series, Moon
Girl and Devil Dinosaur: BFF is a great comic from kids of all
ages--and it's simultaneously amusing for adults.
It starts out with
Lunella, who is 9-years-old and quite unlike other girls her age. She's
an unexpectedly talented inventor and she's also an Inhuman--and the Terrigen
Mist that's creeping through the city, the amorphous haze that will activate
her Inhuman DNA, terrifies her. Desperate to keep her Inhuman DNA
dormant, Lunella sets out to discover alien technology that will help her stop
the Terrigen Mist and keep herself human. That is, if Devil Dinosaur, who
was transported to the future with the same alien technology, doesn't destroy
everything first.
I loved reading Moon
Girl and Devil Dinosaur. I admit, I was a little hesitant to read it
at first. I'd seen single issues in the local comic book store and, for some
reason, I couldn't imagine myself reading them--and then I discovered the
collected volume at the library. I immediately fell in love. Moon
Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a lot of fun to read. Although it
takes place in the Marvel Universe, readers don't really need a whole lot of
background about the Kree and the Inhumans and the Terrigen Mist to enjoy the
story. It has a dynamic, intelligent character, and it's a crazy, fun
adventure that will lead you across time and the city of New York.
Last, I checked
out Wonder Woman: Blood (Volume 1) by Brian Azzarello,
Cliff Chiang, and Tony Akins. I have long been a fan of comic books.
I love Batman and Superman and even Aquaman, and I've found a recent
favorite in Squirrel Girl, Daredevil, and Hawkeye; however, I've not read much
of Wonder Woman. She's an interesting character to be sure, but I've just
never found myself compelled to read about her until now.
In Wonder Woman:
Blood, first in the New 52 series, Wonder Woman finds herself caught in the
middle of a battle for supremacy between the Greek gods of myth. Diana
has long abstained from the more complicated dealings between these capricious
gods, but Zeus has gone missing--and Hera is on the war path to destroy the
child he left behind. Now, the remaining gods, including Apollo, Hades,
and Poseidon, are in a war for the king of gods' throne, while Hera cuts a
bloody swath across Paradise Island to rectify the injustices done to her.
Let me say, I like Greek
mythology. I've always been intrigued by it and I've gone out of my way
to discover more about it than what I learned in school, but I wasn't really
impressed with their appearance in Wonder Woman. Honestly, I wasn't
really all that impressed with the story in genera. I was a little
disappointed, especially since I went into this comic with such high
expectations. I'm a fan of powerful, self-sufficient women, and I love
the idea of Wonder Woman, who is a warrior first and foremost; however, I'm not
so sure I like her in practice.
It's difficult to
describe, but let me put it this way: I like Batman, because he is human
and he is deeply flawed. I like Superman, because he is an alien who grew
up in Kansas and he is good to the best of his ability. Likewise, I like
Aquaman, because he is half-human/half-Atlantean and he struggles daily with
his dueling identities. And all these characters have one thing in
common: they were raised, in my opinion, in a recognizable place and way.
Diana, on the other hand, was raised on Paradise Island with a different
set of beliefs and a completely different set of rules, which makes it
difficult to relate to her on a personal level. More to the point, it
made Wonder Woman: Blood (Volume 1) less than enjoyable
to read.
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