Alisa KwitneyReviews

I was SO PUMPED to see Rogue: Untouched as a book. I am a nerdy comic book fan who can't get enough, so obviously I was going to jump on the bandwagon and pick up a few Marvel superhero books when I get the chance.

Rogue: Untouched was a mysteriously epic novel that re-introduces Rogue - a very famous X-Men member who is also incredibly dangerous. She drains people she touches, so she's one to watch out for. I would argue she's one of the more underrated X-Men (at least in popular culture). I'm glad she got her own book to explore her more! She was always one of my personal faves.

This felt like a New Adult novel, but it still worked wonderfully. It had it's dark and gritty moments and it had it's goofy, smiling moments. I really enjoyed Alisa Kwitney's writing as well - it fit the narrative incredibly.

If you don't know much about Marvel or the X-Men then you may not totally enjoy it as a reader. It's still easy to jump into and you don't need the background knowledge, but I can easily see fans of Marvel and the X-Men getting more giddy over it.

Overall, this is a great fantasy/superhero read.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I bought this at a library sale years ago and it was the best reading experience I've had this year. This sits much more firmly in "chicklit" territory than romance since it's mostly about a 41 year old woman going through a rough transition for the sake of her child while the romance plot slowly simmers in the background.

This was much more diverse than I was expecting even though it's casually mentioned on the cover. It features an Iranian Jewish heroine, lesbian side characters, and a hero who has these moments of bi-curiosity. The heroine is 10 years older than the hero and says she has like 30 lbs on him too and I live. Beyond that though, there are intellectual, class, and lifestyle differences throughout and it makes the small town this is set in feel so pleasant, a place you'd want to live.

The hero / heroine felt like they were specifically written to my taste because I loved them both so much. Mack is a sweet and aimless army vet who's figuring his life out with the aide of stolen poetry books and the occasional brawl. Zoe is an uptight, multilingual, intellectual journalist who reads trashy romance novels, likes rough sex and is working on learning how to go with the flow. And they're perfect for each other in this moment. Loved them both, love them together.

This graphic novel is part of the Minx collection, which is a group of graphic novels that are supposedly all featuring strong female characters ... or something like that. I usually find them pretty mediocre - they're not especially bad, but they are rather bland and I find the characters stereotypical. The only one of the Minx books I really liked a lot was called The Regifters - it's about martial arts, and was a lot more exciting than the others.

Felt like a sandman book to me.

Rogue: Untouched by Alisa Kwitney is, a comic following a known X-Men character. I would give Rogue: Untouched by Alisa Kwitney a 4 star review because, while it doesn't really follow the canon for x-men this book is a lot of fun. I would def recommend.

***why a maybe***
Rogue was always one of my favourite characters of the X-Men. Maybe because my introduction to her was via the 90s cartoon but I adored everything about her. I still remember my mum saying: "What about Storm?". The reason she asked that was because of representation and I get it. Still Rogue was just as powerful as Storm but also so tragic! She just wanted to be loved. I still have feelings.

I'm not a purist when it comes to continuity in comics. I think because I read so much fanfiction? It's always interesting to what an author or artist does with an character.

But man... Books written for teenagers. Sidenote: I refuse to say Young Adult. Until they have the responsibilities of adults they are teenagers. And I hope they won't have adult responsiblies at such a young age. That's one of the good things of living in these modern times I think. But marketing things as YA feels like it is done for the adults who like this stuff to make it more palatable. Also my rage that YA in a thing in my country's bookstores enrages me to no end. It is so lazy to not come up with something in our own language. contemporaries annoy me much less because then I can empathize more how it was at that age but teenagers in fantasy? Half the time I feel like my great grandmother who kept muttering under her breath what an awful job my mum was doing. I'm turning into her! But I'm muttering at fictional characters. These kinds of stories don't always work for me. And going into a book I probably won't enjoy feels wrong. On the other hand it does have good reviews. I think I'll wait until some more are written.

No matter how many non-fiction books I read about the Sandman series, I always find something new in their pages. In this book the best bits are in the pictures, specifically the rather large collection of Sandman-inspired art from elsewhere than the series. Many of the pictures are by artists who worked on the Sandman comics, but since ther eis very little standalone art in the books (and the normal resting place for standalone art - the covers - are all done by Dave McKean) this book gives these extraordinary pieces a home. Honestly, I would have liked to see even more independant art in place of the comic exerpts, but Kwitney did choose the pages carefully to create a nice flow between discussion and illustration-as-example.

My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtxm95w0u68

Enjoy!

This slim volume features a selection of cover, trading card, and gallery art from DC Comics' now discontinued Vertigo imprint. A few of the series featured are ones I've read, albeit a very long time ago: Sandman, The Books of Magic, Black Orchid, Swamp Thing, Sandman Mystery Theatre. Most are series I've never heard of before, or heard of but never looked into enough to find out what they were about. I've been meaning to try Animal Man for ages, for example, but it still hasn't happened.

When I was in high school, I'd occasionally use my lunch period to go to a nearby comics shop and buy a few things. The store was arranged by publisher, with imprints getting their own subsections, and an odd "miscellaneous" section to catch anything by smaller publishers. I spent most of my time in the Marvel and "miscellaneous" sections (yay, Elfquest!), but my love of Neil Gaiman's Sandman prompted me to spend time in the Vertigo section as well. Although I never bought many Vertigo titles - I didn't have much money and didn't know which series I might like, and the store owner was so unwelcoming that I didn't dare ask him for recommendations - I loved the covers. They looked so different from the Marvel and other DC stuff.

I spotted this book during a shopping trip years ago and bought it with the intention of using it as artistic inspiration. Nothing ever came of that, but it was still nice looking at all the artwork and huge variety of styles. Each section has a little bit of text, normally something about the history of a particular series. Most of the artwork just has captions with the title and issue number if applicable, date, and artist, but a few include tidbits of info about the artists' style and, very occasionally, something about their technique or the medium used.

All in all, this is a nice collection of artwork. I wish there had been more text focused on particular pieces, though, and interviews with some of the artists would have been great.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

The Dreaming: Beyond the Shores of Night collects The Dreaming nos. 1-8 from 1996-1997, with the stories “The Goldie Factor,” “The Lost Boy,” and “His Brother’s Keeper.” They were written by Terry LaBan, Peter Hogan, and Alisa Kwitney with art by Peter Snejbjerg, Steve Parkhouse, Michael Zulli, and Dick Giordano. Dave McKean provided the covers while Neil Gaiman acted as a consultant. The stories are set within the Dreaming, the realm of Morpheus the Lord of Dream from Gaiman’s Sandman comic series.

In “The Goldie Factor,” Abel’s golden gargoyle wanders off after seeing the abuse Cain constantly inflicts upon Abel. The two brothers go searching for Goldie and find the meaning of origin stories. “The Lost Boy” focuses on a man who finds himself transported forty years into the future and must figure out his place in the world. It also features Johanna Constantine, Made Hettie, Destiny, and Cain from The Sandman. Finally, “His Brother’s Keeper” further explores the relationship between Cain and Abel as well as their extended family: mother Eve, brother Seth, and sister Aclima.

Interesting as these stories are, both Gaiman’s Endless Nights anthology and DC’s reboot of The Dreaming under their 2018 Sandman Universe banner ignored all of the events and characters from this version of the title. As satisfying as series contributor Caitlin R. Kiernan found the work, she felt it suffered from the expectation that it live up to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman rather than exist as its own, loosely-related work. For fans of Gaiman’s The Sandman, this still has plenty to offer even if later stories removed it from canon.

Cadaver and Queen was a lot of fun! I was engrossed throughout the entire story, beginning from page one. It’s a very unique and unusual story. Character development and world-building were consistent, and the story flowed very well. I could actually play it out like a movie in my mind. I will read the sequel very soon. I recommend this to any YA reader who likes a fast paced and consuming read.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first one, Cadaver and Queen. I found myself just jumping right into this book. That is because the back story and introductions of the characters from the first book were over. Therefore, for this reason I do suggest you start with the first book to get the better reading experience with this book.

In the prior novel, Aggie was not as prominent. Yet, in this book, she was one of the main lead characters. I really liked her. The other person that also made a good impression on me was Artful Dodger. He plays the role of "Oliver Twist" in this spin off of that classic story. Yet, he had more attitude and spunk.

I criticized the first book because I felt that the bio-mechanical aspect was not that strong. However, in this book it was more prominent. Thus, I was happy. This is a good series with a fun twist on classics, Frankenstein and Oliver Twist.

I had seen this series a while ago and had this book on my wish list for some time. I finally got the chance to pick up a copy to read. What drew me to this book besides the pretty book cover was the bio-mechanical aspect. I am always on the hunt to read more steampunk or bio-mechanical based books.

While, I did not feel like the bio-mechanical aspect was the strongest, it was still present and good. There were enough elements of bio-mechanical to make me pleased. Yet, I hope to see it featured more in the second book. Regarding the characters; Lizzie was strong. There is nothing wrong with strong women characters. Additionally, there is a romantic spark but I am not sure yet how I feel about it.

Overall, the story while interesting was slow to pick up any speed. It did the further I got into the story but it still stayed steady until the end. Again, here is hoping that book two moves faster. This book will appeal to the younger adult audience.

A fun story with a fake death involving russian mafia.
I don't have much written in my book journal about this book and I don't think I would enjoy it today.

Three story arcs collected in one volume. The Goldie Factor in which Abel's gargoyle is lead astray by the Serpent who is trying to undo the Fall and then discovers her identity and destiny; The Lost Boy in which an encounter with the Fay and with Mad Hetty causes a man to lose his way in time but participate in the fate of the US as a nation; and His Brother's Keeper, in which Seth learns more about his brothers. Each is interesting in its own way.

This book had me going all the way until the very end...I am giving it four stars because 90% of this book was AMAZING! The concept - a Frankenstein retelling - was exceptionally intriguing...the elements for an amazing book, and potential series, was ALL there until the ending that was wrapped up very quickly, all neat and tidy, but leaving me with more questions than answers. :/

I am definitely disappointed in the ending, but the majority of the book was awesome.

#overdrive #audiobook #punkrocklibrarian

Liked this just because it was different and fast paced.
Elizabeth Lavenza is the first female medical student at Ingold Academy of Medicine and Bio-Mechanical Sciences , a college in England whose professors are not overly welcoming and especially not to Elizabeth.
She comes across a Bio-Mechanical, a human who has been reanimated, and he seems quite different from the others like him. After spending quite a lot of time with him and using a magnetometer of her own design on him, he develops coherent speech and she starts to find out information that can put both of their lives in serious danger.
Intriguing ideas and lots of action make for one very enjoyable read. I think it will be flying off my classroom shelf.

SPOILERS! Since the reader, moi, is very confused.

Plotlines:

*A woman in a field dominated by men in the Victorian era. Was also mechanical genius. Wanted to be taken seriously. Resolved by blackmail and change of venue.

*A star pupil murdered turned into mechanical zombie. Or supposed to be. But somehow retained high cognitive function as well as emotional switch. Can't figure out how. Even to the end.

*Since bio-mechanicals were supposed to be little more than mindless bodies but still have biological functions.

*How did Victor then become that cognizant? Is it possible that Victor may have been cardiac-dead but not brain-dead when they performed the bio-mechanical procedure?

*Sinister school heads out to control the empire by making Queen Victoria a brainless bio-mechanical under their control. Good plot-story but the weaving with the other arcs were kind of this is going to go this way... oh, wait, stop... this needs to happen and it goes this way... turn its head around...

*Reader is confused but the narrative is still good, if you know what I mean.

*But, you might also be confused on why I am confused and had a lot of not-good things to say but still liked the story somewhat.½

Beautiful Vertigo reprint of some of the finest moments from The House of Mystery, DC's flagship horror title from 1968 until its cancellation in 1983. These ten tales elicited real shudders from me when I was a kid, and they've held up extremely well over the years. There's "Nightmare" (story: Jack Oleck / pencils: Neal Adams), about a statue that comes to life to provide company for a lonely little girl; the quite literally chilling "Sno' Fun!" (story: Sergio Aragones / pencils: Wally Wood), about an explorer who discovers a race of grotesque underground men in Antarctica; and arguably the single greatest story ever to appear in HoM, "The Demon Within" (story: Joe Orlando and John Albano / pencils: Jim Aparo), about a harmless-looking boy with a dreadful power. In the right hands, three or four of these tales could form the basis for a terrific film in the tradition of the old Amicus horror anthologies.

A new (1998) cover--featuring Cain, Abel and Gregory--by the late, great Bernie Wrightson, as well as a new wraparound story written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by Aragones. Essential for fans.

I'll review this book by responding to the negative reviews and just say that you can't have kick-ass heroines all the time.

I liked this book precisely because Abra was NOT. The foundation of this paranormal romance (and, yes, it IS a paranormal romance) of subjugated female really intrigued me because, 1. it's fairly unusual in PNR fiction and therefore refreshing, and 2. it resonates with an all too frequent scenario (without the paranormal elements) in real life, which makes it relatable. How often does that happen in PNR?

Abra DID escape that seemingly never-ending cycle and found her perfect soul mate and lover in Red.

And, well, Red isn't exactly your archetypal alpha male either, is he? His affinity with animals (OK, I'm a bit biased: I love owls) was heartening and the fact that although he was pretty damn hot, he wasn't perfect. I loved the way he cared about Abra without all the he-man baggage.

I'm really looking forward to being back with Abra and Red, and to further explore the fascinating Northside, in Moon Burn.

First appearing in Weird Mystery Tales #1 from 1972, Destiny predates Neil Gaiman's work with the Endless in the Sandman series and, like Death, is able to work as the driving force of a short story of his own if not a continuing series. Alisa Kwitney's Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold shows Destiny as the cause of the Plague of Justinian (541–542) after creating Pestilence, who brings the plague through time, causing the later Black Death during the 1300s, the Eyam plague outbreak in 1665, and a 21st century recurrence of the bubonic plague. Kwitney uses these parallel narratives to explore Destiny's role in the DC/Vertigo universe with art by Kent Williams, Michael Zulli, Scott Hampton, and Rebecca Guay to give each time period its own unique aesthetic. This story could be read as a companion to Gaiman's Sandman series or as a continuance of Destiny's older incarnation, as Kwitney only mentions the other Endless in a passing manner and none of them make an appearance. The open ending could either set up a future standalone Destiny story or feed back into the Sandman series or DC Universe at large.

I really enjoyed GraphicAudio’s production of Marvels’ Civil War. Though the adaptation necessarily differed from the original graphic novel event, it still captured the spirit. New Avengers: Breakout is the same.

The graphic novel could bank on readers already knowing about Disassembled/House of M, and all the fallout from Scarlet Witch’s mental breakdown. A book doesn’t have that luxury, so this is written/performed as though people know & are familiar with the characters and their personalities, but may be encountering them for the first time outside of movies. For instance, Black Widow is introduced as a KGB spy who has just defected from her handlers. The Avengers know of her by her bad reputation, but she’s not a member of the team (yet). I’ve been reading every event, and most of the solo series since Disassembled so I am very familiar with these characters and their history. But this still worked just fine, and was actually refreshing.

Iron Man disbanded the Avengers after Disassembled. In the aftermath, someone orchestrates a massive prison break from The Raft where all the supervillains are incarcerated. There are no Avengers anymore, but several superheroes show up (or were already on site) to try and contain the situation: Captain America, Spider-Woman, Luke Cage (Power Man), Spider-Man, and Hawkeye. Other familiar characters pop up in the story such as Nick Fury and Maria Hill has a sizable supporting role. This hodgepodge group needs to stop the breakout, track down the escapees and discover who masterminded the whole thing. And together, a new team will form.

I loved the story, but the production made it even that much better. The voice actors were well chosen – Tony’s suave tones, Clint’s witty one liners, Natasha’s Russian accent – and bring the characters to life. It was easy to follow who was talking. The sound effects and music add a lot to the story. It’s not quite a movie in your mind, but it’s damn entertaining. Overall, it was an excellent way to pass a long car ride and I’ve already ordered several more from GraphicAudio (which are sadly not available on Amazon). Highly recommended.

A story that's not even in the realm of believability, but with engaging characters and a bit of drama. Enjoyed it, as I have others from this author.½

Amazon preorder

"...First off, I rather enjoyed The Better To Hold You, and likewise, I also enjoyed Moonburn. I think I enjoyed the former just a little bit better overall, though, if I had to pick one over the other. Don't get me wrong, this one is certainly not lacking for action of any kind, but it was sometimes almost a little too much. But I also have a tendency to gag myself and roll my eyes at any tale of The Beautiful Girl Who Doesn't Realize That She's Beautiful Even When Every Boy Wants Her And Is Embarrassingly Obvious About It. I do like Abra, though. She's not typical as far as heroines of urban fantasy novels go - she doesn't really kick that much ass, and more often than not, she has a tendency to want to shy away. That makes her feel more like a real person to me, since let's face it - not everyone is some leather-clad, ass-kicking dynamo who seems to live for the moments when danger dares to present itself to her. Some of us will do what we have to, but would really rather be home in our pajamas doing a whole lot of nothing. The latter is more Abra's style. She is a pretty simple lady (you know, apart from the whole werewolf thing) and I can relate to that..."

For full review, please visit me at Here Be Bookwyrms on Blogger:

http://herebebookwyrms.blogspot.com/2012/04/moonburn.html