Marvel’s Secret Reverse

This is a spoiler free review.

Marvel’s Secret Reverse was an interesting comic book / anime / Yu-Gi-Oh amalgamation.  Thank you Viz Media, Marvel Comics, and NetGalley for a digital ARC copy to review.

I love Spider-man comics and Yu-Gi-Oh cartoons but I had a hard time with this book.  The story was awesome and I was engaged to see what would happen next.  Also, the usage of a card game giving people power as the crux of the story was awesome.  I really enjoyed the similarities to Yu-Gi-Oh.  The character designs and their powers reminded me of anime cartoons and Yu-Gi-Oh.

The artwork was where I had issues.  I found it hard to follow what was going on.  There was so much going on in every panel that it was hard to follow.  I think I would have enjoyed the story more had the illustrations been in full color in the ARC I was reading.  The artwork would have been easier to understand in full color rather than in black and white.

After I finished reading Marvel’s Secret Reverse Kazuki Takashi passed away.  That sad news was an awful way to finish reading his last book.  I was hoping Kazuki Takashi would try this again with more Marvel characters and see if a second try at this mash up would be better.

RIP Kazuki Takashi.  I’m glad I got to read your Spider-man / Yu-Gi-Oh comic book.

If you like Yu-Gi-Oh anime cartoons then you should give Marvel’s Secret Reverse a try.  You’ll enjoy the story and maybe like the artwork more than I did.

Stay awesome and keep reading.

Marvel’s Secret Reverse

Creative team:

Written and Illustrated Kazuki Takashi

Tuki: Fight for Fire and Tuki: Fight for Family

This is a spoiler free review.

Tuki: Fight for Fire and Tuki: Fight for Family are two terrific graphic novels.  Thank you NetGalley, Kathleen Glosan, and Jeff Smith for the advanced reader copies of both books.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading them!  The artwork and awesome stories compliment each other very well.  I was hooked from the start of Book One.

The Tuki graphic novels are very different from other Jeff Smith comics series such as Bone.  The Tuki books are much more serious and have moments of violence but Tuki has so much heart and some beautiful poignant scenes.  Reading the Tuki graphic novels felt like I was reading a story that would make a great movie or cartoon series.  Some of the scenes felt like perfect storyboards or silent segments with very little to no dialogue which I really enjoy.  The art told the story and the readers could imagine their own sounds for the scene.  It’s like watching a silent film.

Tuki is the hero of these journey quest stories.  His tale begins at the dawn of humanity.  Where food and water are both scarce.  He’s a cross between Tarzan and an unlikely hero type or a ronin who roams the jungle and plains in search of the mother herd of all buffalo.

During his journey he meets various species of humans.  During this prehistoric time there are several human species who try to coexist with one another.  In the Tuki graphic novels there are at least four species of humans and Tuki interacts with each of them during his journey.  Tuki is a part of the species of humans who use fire and walk on two feet, but another species is the Habiline.  They hate fire and attack and kill anyone who uses fire or cooks their food.  The Habiline think it is an abomination of life to cook your food.  Tuki meets an older Habiline, the Old One, a Seer who tries to warn Tuki how much the Habiline hate his kind.

The Old One and Tuki also meet other human species during this fantasy prehistoric story.  They meet three children who bond with all of them. The children are the glue that holds them all together.  Both Tuki and the old Habiline care for the kids in their own way.  The children help Tuki and the other species to put aside their differences as they battle animal Gods, other human species, and long tooths. 

The Tuki graphic novels remind me so much of Tarzan films and the Disney cartoon especially when Tuki goes sliding across tree branches and swings on vines as he ventures through the jungle.  I also see similarities to Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal.  Two stories about humans during the dawn of man as they each battle prehistoric monsters.

I highly recommend reading both Tuki: Fight for Fire and Tuki: Fight for Family.  These are two very entertaining graphic novels that feature great stories and amazing artwork.  Make sure you read to the end of each book.  There is so much great information and bonus material on what Tuki is based on, storyboards with artist edition notes, Jeff Smith stories, and more.

Stay awesome keep reading!

Tuki: Fight for Fire and Tuki: Fight for Family

Creative Team:

Written and Illustrated by Jeff Smith

TIN MAN

This is a spoiler free review.

Tin Man is a deeply emotional story about friendship and getting through tough times together.  It is darker in tone than expected, but I really enjoyed reading it.  There are so many themes in this terrific graphic novel including friendship, coping with death, bullying, being different, sibling bonding, and more.  This story truly has a lot of heart.

In Tin Man we get to see two siblings, Solar and her younger brother, Fenn, bond with a tin man named, Campbell.  The tin man from the Wizard of Oz has a name, a family, and a very relatable back story in this unique graphic novel.  Plus we might finally get to see what it would be like, if I only had a heart!

Tin Man has a pair of siblings as the main characters of the story.  Solar is a senior in High School.  She’s dealing with a death in the family which has affected all aspects of her life.  She’s given up on her dreams and pushed her family away.  She’s especially pushed away her younger brother, Fenn.  Fenn is a bit of loner at school.  He’s more interested in reading comics and dreaming about the stars than school or anything else.  Before the death in the family Solar and Fenn were really close.  They were building a spaceship in their garage / tool shed.  Now, Solar has given up on working on the space rocket which has deeply hurt Fenn.

At a time when both Solar and Fenn need to get out of their respective funks, they both find hope and friendship with Campbell, the tin man from the Tin Forest.  Campbell forms special bonds with both kids.  During the story we really see how much heart Campbell has and how his mechanical heart helps inspire both siblings.

Tin Man is a fun story that makes reference to the original L. Frank Baum The Wizard of Oz stories and the Judy Garland film.  There is a storm, a tornado, a tin man who has an oil can he needs to use quite often, and much more. As you read Tin Man keep your eyes out for easter eggs in the artwork and in the story.

The illustrations in Tin Man are beautiful.  The copy of Tin Man I was given is an ARC that’s entirely in black and white.  I read the final version of this graphic novel will include artwork in full color.  I like the black and white artwork in this version of the book, I thought the illustrations complimented the story so well.  The stark black and white art reminds me so much of the beginning of The Wizard of Oz movie.  As I read Tin Man I thought for sure at some point the illustrations would transform into bright full color.  To see the art gradually change from black and white to color would have been the perfect homage to the film.

If you enjoy The Wizard of Oz series of novels or the film you will love this wonderful graphic novel that has a lot of heart, emotion, and grief.  Tin Man also reminds me so much of The Iron Giant, two stories about kids who befriend metal men who have more heart than some human characters.

Stay awesome and keep reading!

Tin Man

Creative Team:

Written and Illustrated by Justin Madson