Comics - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Volume 1 & 2, Issues 39-47

 

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - The turtles are living in New York and falling into one dangerous event after another. Mysteries from feudal Japan and scientific troubles fill their days, putting them and their friends Casey, April, Angel, and more in situations where they have to fight back. While each character deals with their own personal issues, they come together as a time to protect their home and each other.

Creators - Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz

Publisher - IDW Publishing

Age Group - 16 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Bloody fights and some swearing. Reincarnation. Abusive father situation early in the series and conflict because of it continues to cause tension. World domination later in the comics. Staying true to family and what you believe in. Following a code and protecting friends.

Personal Opinion - The turtles are fighting crime against old and new enemies while making friends and discovering their past. A lot of things have changed in the story with this new publication yet nodes to and brings in elements of the original tales and parts to the TV shows and movies. It all blends together seamlessly and continues being a tale of family, right and wrong, and fighting for what you believe in. Each month, a continuation of their adventure is released so readers only have to go a short time before a new story is published (by the time this post will publish, I will have read at least one new comic in the series). The art work is great too. There is some content that I could do without, swearing for one, it is still a great story and not as bad as it could be. It is pretty violent and bloody so not for young readers. If you are a turtles fan, start picking this comic up at your local comic shop and enjoy a new phase of the story. (If you are picking up in the middle of this series, there are books with the past comics available for purchase that have about four comics to a book. I am using these to catch up so I have questions that I hope will be answered from where it began to where it is now. Example: the art has changed a little.)

Also, check out the Casey and April comics which is a brief side story for only a few months.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History

 

 Bookworm's Ranking - 4.5 Worms

About - In the early 1980s, two men shared comic drawings of a turtle with  a pair of nunchaku as a joke between friends which grew into one of the most popular team of ninja warriors. From comic books to an animated series to the silver screen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been battling crime and their arch foe the Shredder for several decades and are still loved by many. If you are a new or old fan of the turtles, this book contains the beginning and growth of the Turtles to current day, learning all about how they changed, affected the people who worked on them, and influences a couple of generations of fans.

Author - Andrew Farago

Publisher - Insight Editions

Age Group - 15 and up

Personal Opinion - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History is a great source not only to learn how the Turtles began and changed over the years but also to get the stories of those who worked on them. Each chapter was fun and I loved the pictures and inserts (except a couple of times I was afraid I might pull one out by mistake). All through the book, everyone told their stories and journeys with the Turtles and I liked how no one was villainized when things and relationships changed between the people (I don't know why they would but it just seems to happen in some books). The book comes with a poster and a copy of the original comic. I was first introduced to the Turtles by TV Teddy and the 1980's series episode where Leo thinks he is a Musketeer. Years later, I looked into them again and found the 4Kids version running on TV and really got to know them and loved the adventures. After reading the original comic, I was surprised how dark it originally was and wonder if I would have continued to have an interest in them if I had read that first (I honestly don't see the difference between vengeance and revenge which is a big part of the first comic). But, I think I will continue my interest in the turtles and will read the comics. One thing I wish had been done differently (and this is just a personal opinion) was the chapter on the 4Kids TV Series. I would have liked to have known more about the creation of that series and the work behind it and I would have preferred the images been taken from seasons 1-6 instead of the last season's. This is my preference because it is the version where I really got to know the Turtles so it is kinda important to me. Beautiful, colorful, and detailed book on the history and growth of the Turtles and I am looking forward to where they are headed next.  

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Failstate: Legends and GIVEAWAY

"A Young Superhero.

A Legend Reborn.

And a Whole Mess of Zombies."

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

 

Storyline - Rob/Failstate finally has his vigilante license and can help the citizens of New Chayton. But things instantly fall apart with meeting zombies. Literally, yet no one believes him. As Rob works to bring down the zombies, he has to deal with the VOC, other heroes, no one believing he can do the job, and girls. But when a legendary hero returns, it is up to Failstate to discover where he stands as well as discover how to stop the zombies.

Author - John Otte

Publisher - Marcher Lord Press

Age Group - 16 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Several fights between good guys and bad guys. Rob tries his best to do what is right and help others. At one point, he and another hero go to a night club where there is some promiscuous dancing but not detailed. Drugs are also brought up as well as another serious topic, again, not detailed. The heroes are willing to sacrifice themselves to save others.

Personal Opinion - It was fun reading about Failstate again and meeting more heroes. I especially liked Dr. Olympus (she was so funny). I also liked Etal'el, who had some great advice. Failstate learning more about is powers was a treat because I had been wondering if more would be discovered. I also liked how the story brought in "history" of the heroes, which was creative and added to the world of the superheros. The story was a bit more grown up (maybe even a little dark) in one spot, such as stopping drug lords who also did other crimes. Even though the story was good, I felt  it was a bit slow at times and that some of the side stories could have been mixed a little more with the main story. A couple of times it seemed like to big a break between events with the zombies. But, the story was interesting and I think Failstate, as well as some of his friends, learned some good lessons.

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Other Reviews for this Author - Failstate, Book 1

Disclaimer - In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free from the author.

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Marvel Essentials: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3

Bookworm's Ranking - 4.5 Worms

Storyline - Peter Parker juggles home work, caring for his Aunt May, hanging with his friends, and getting pictures for the Daily Bugle as best he can. But add to that being a super hero named Spider-Man battling crazy criminals and it is almost more than he can bare. Despite his best efforts to protect people, many citizens hate him and think he is the cause for their troubles. But Peter only wants to help others through it might become to difficult to continue and he struggles to keep his identity hidden from his friends. How long can the amazing Spider-Man keep fighting the criminals and keep his identity hidden from those he loves?

Author - Stan Lee

Publisher - Marvel Comics

Age Group - 14 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Lots of battles between good and evil. Peter works on thwarting the bad guys who want to steal, control mankind, and other crimes. Taunting the bad guys with fighting them, Spider-Man does his best to thwart them and then hands them over to the police. He lies to his friends and family because he doesn't know how else to protect them.

Personal Opinion - This was so fun. I have never read a comic book before (the closest ever being the funnies in the paper) but I wanted to give them a try so didn't pass this up when I was it at my library say a couple weeks ago. And I've been glued to the thing ever since. I liked seeing Spider-Man's original story. I also liked seeing his inner story from a new perspective, his feelings and concerns of trying to be Spider-Man yet struggling to be a student, good nephew, and spend time with friends. The only thing strange about it was how the characters described what they were doing before or during the time they did it. But that is probably because there are pictures instead of descriptions which I am more use to. Also, the names Peter's friends called each other was strange to me but the comic was published in the 60s so that is just a culture/time difference. Will be getting the next volume of The Amazing Spider-Man! Just hoping my new interest in comic books doesn't detract from my Bookworm standing. :)

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Failstate

Bookworm's Ranking - 5 Worms

Storyline - While participating in America's Next Super Hero reality TV show, Failstate, aka Robin, competes against his brother, Gauntlet, aka Ben, as well as other powerful hero hopefuls for a chance to earn a vigilante licence to help the world by using their superpowers. But when one contestant gets murdered, Failstate will have to discover who did it and why while tring to control his powers from wreaking havoc. But it is not easy as his brother teases him and they both vi for the same girl. Will Failstate be able to over come past mistakes, control his powers, find who killed a fellow hero, and put his trust in God before it is too late?

Author - John Otte

Publisher - Marcher Lord Press

Age Group - 15 and up

Content - *May Contain Secrets* Failstate tries to do the right thing and looks to God for help. Struggling with anger towards his brother, Failstate tries to hurt him when his brother teases him or makes him feel less then a hero when Ben tries to steal lime light from Robin. Ben is also egotistical but changes by the end. Failstate is willing to fight for friends, even when that puts himself in danger.

Personal Opinion - Holy Cow, what a book! Okay, there have only been a few books that pull me in as this one did to the point of ignoring those around me. I started reading this one day and read close to 300 pages, planned to stay up all night and finish it I was so enthralled. But had  to go to bed and read the last 100 pages the next day. It is also really cool the author lives in the same state as me. :)
Fabulous storyline, characters, adventure, and sci-fi. Failstate's inner journey as well as the physical fight he had to face was amazing and I believed every minute of the book. Even the competition reminded me of reality TV shows we have today. The writer is talented for creating such rounded out characters and intricate story lines that all come together and make sense in the end. I'm glad I heard there are two more books coming out because I want more time with these characters and another fabulous story. So awesome.

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Special Notes - Heard there will be two more books in the series. Yay!

Disclaimer - In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free from the publisher/author through Team Novel Teen.

Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about Failstate by John Otte by clicking on the links above, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.

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