Starts off with Castle slaughtering a lot of people in a bar.
Ridiculous subplot about Castle getting aid and shelter from a cantankerous old lady nameStarts off with Castle slaughtering a lot of people in a bar.
Ridiculous subplot about Castle getting aid and shelter from a cantankerous old lady named Ethel.
I think the side plot between Face and Ortiz was actually pretty good and entertaining with some good dialogue. I like Ortiz.
The bad guy has some crazy idea about pitting all his men against Punisher on a ship. I can't really understand it. He wants to kill Punisher. He has the opportunity. He doesn't take it, instead he cuts Castle free and pits him against his men. It's ridiculous, but I can't really blame Cloonan, this is standard comic book fare.
TL;DR It's hard for me to pen reviews of graphic novels. This was fair. Moderately enjoyable. I've been spoiled by Bernthal, unfortunately comics cannot create such a nuanced character. Cloonan tries, to be fair. ...more
I'm going to hand it to Becky Cloonan, she at least attempts to add chara"A rival drug interest?"
"No. This was the work of one man."
"ONE guy? No way."
I'm going to hand it to Becky Cloonan, she at least attempts to add characters and a fleshy plot to The Punisher. This arc deals with a super-soldier serum (typical), a psycho who likes cutting off people's faces and mounting them on the wall (wonder if Birds of Prey ripped this off from here? Or is the idea so old it's impossible to rip off?), and a hard female cop who is smart and out to get the bad guys at any cost.
The basic idea that everyone will be so eager to turn 'dweebs' and 'wimps' into psychotic, doped-up killers due to a drug seems a bit weird and immature to me, however. And the dealers are just going to give this to anyone: gangs, Joe Blow on the street, etc. etc. Makes you wonder what kind of chaotic and meaningless future they have in mind: they certainly haven't thought this out at all. They're idiots. And they deal the stuff, but they're sampling from their own stash, like fucking morons. They don't see the possible downsides of this at all. Because they're stupid.
Collection includes typical Punisher stuff, like people pissing themselves out of fear. An evil man strapping his little daughter into a bomb vest and using her as a weapon. Of course Castle slaughters him and takes the little girl for ice cream. The little girl angle would seem weird, but actually isn't considering some Punisher storylines. I've seen weirder, let's just say. And clumsy, but compared to some other stuff, you might believe it's a daggum work of art. So - ??? I guess how you interpret this will depend on how you ingest your Castle lore and what you expect from his authors.
There's some bullshit in here, like Castle leaving a suitcase with only a rook in it as a 'message' to the cops or some crap... it's weird. Not sure if I'm supposed to have read something before this, but I wasn't buying it.
Castle partnering with the angry female hardass cop and telling her to embrace her feelings of anger upon (view spoiler)[finding her partner's face hacked off and nailed to the wall (hide spoiler)] seems like it might be reasonable, if not predictable. Same could be said for zombie super-soldier failed experiments in the sewer.
Also interesting was the section on Castle working as a Marine while paired with an outside mercenary force (a la Blackwater or Anvil) and dealing with his... um... difficulty in obeying orders from men who don't share his averseness to murdering women and children.
TL;DR All in all, a solid, reasonably well-thought-out comic collection by Cloonan. I find her work more nuanced that Rucka's, but I understand not everyone wants nuanced. I personally have been spoiled by Netflix Marvel's Punisher and surprisingly thoughtful interpretation of Frank Castle, making him the most human I've ever seen him. Some are upset by that, only wanting a Castle who just murders people non-stop and has no human qualities, but of course for me the more human, the better. Perhaps if I had read this before being introduced to Bernthal's version, I would have given it higher marks. As it stands, three stars....more
I found this amazing little book quite by accident. When you open it, you are shocked by the neon pink I don't really have an opening quote for this.*
I found this amazing little book quite by accident. When you open it, you are shocked by the neon pink end pages. Then the story begins.
My name is Edith, but my friends call me Eddie. I'm five-and-a-half years old.
My dad speaks five languages, my mom sings like a bird, my sister is an ice-skating queen, but me - I don't know how to do anything.
Nothing at all. That's what I think, anyway.
We see her waking up, getting dressed, and brushing her teeth.
On the next page we see her in the kitchen, drinking from a huge cup that has crazy bubbles flying out of it.
[image]
This morning I heard my sister say these words: "birthday - Mommy - fuzzy - little - squishy." "Oh, no!" I thought. "She's going to give Mom the most amazing present!"
I had to do something. But what?
Eddie runs through the streets of Paris to find Mr. John, the baker. She knows that with all his wonderful, squishy things he will be able to help her.
[image] Running through the streets of Paris
"Hello, Mr. John! Do you have a FLUFFY SQUISHY?"
"I must say, little Eddie, that sounds completely inedible, but I do have some warm brioches. Take one for the road."
Eddie runs off to see Wendy, the prettiest florist in the whole neighborhood.
She walks into the florist's shop and we see a perfectly ordinary woman with short red hair and glasses.
"A TUFTY FLUFFY? That must be a fuzzy plant," Wendy decided. "Take this clover. It will bring you luck."
Wendy hands Eddie a four-leaf clover.
The fluffiest place Eddie can think of is Mimi's shop - a boutique. She is sure she will find the Wonderful fluffy little squishy there.
[image]
"A FLUFFY FUZZY? Oh, my dear girl, fuzzy isn't fashionable at all! But here, take this. It's very precious," Mimi assured me.
Mimi hands Eddie a mother-of-pearl button.
[image]
Mimi runs off through the streets of Paris to go see the most fashionable person in the whole wide world.
[image]
This is Emmett, the antique dealer. Note: the readers can see he is not the least bit fashionable.
"A PLUMP WHATSIT?" asked Emmett. "Hmmm... I don't have anything quite like that, Eddie. But here is a real treasure for your mother: a stamp from the British Navy. EX-TRE-ME-LY RARE! I'm sure she'll love it."
And he proceeds to hand over a stamp (worth hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars) to a five-and-a-half year old. Or possibly he's just fucking with her and the stamp is practically worthless? Not clear.
Either way, Eddie doesn't appreciate it and is rather disappointed by the stamp.
She takes it and runs through the streets of Paris to Theo's shop. He's the butcher.
The big grump was my last hope.
Theo's butcher shop is laid out in loving detail by Alemagna. Cuts of meat, hog's heads hanging from the ceiling, and pictures on the wall detailing cuts of meat.
"A what? A SILLY SQUISHY?" yelled Theo, pointing his big knife right at my nose. "I don't have time for such foolishness! Go on, get out of here, Eddie!"
We see Theo leaning over Eddie, holding a bloody, dripping knife right over Eddie's upturned face. The blood is about to fall on her nose and forehead.
She runs away.
AAAHHHH! I was so scared that I ran out of there as fast as a jack rabbit.
Darn it all! And now it was snowing. I felt so tired and discouraged that I looked for a place to rest.
It's just as she's given up that she hears some little giggles coming from the roof of a nearby house. She sees it!
It was an adorable little creature! Fluffy, inedible, not stylish, and rare. A true FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHY, at last! My present with a thousand uses!
The thing looks like an extremely fluffy, bright neon pink rat.
Eddie explains and illustrates all its uses: pillow, scarf, decorative plant, amazing hat, personal masseuse, treasure-finder, duster, living sculpture, paintbrush. How about pet? I think it would work best as a pet.
Eddie uses Mr. John's brioche to try and lure the creature down from the roof. But it slips and falls into a garbage can. And Quentin the garbage man has just come round to collect it. Eddie begs him to open the trash bag, but he refuses to do so for such a dirty old rag.
[image]
Eddie, thinking about what rotten luck she's experiencing, goes rooting around in her pocket for the four-leaf clover that Wendy gave her. But when the old Navy stamp falls to the ground, Quentin's eyes widen.
"What's that?" Quentin burst out.
"English navy. EX-TRE-ME-LY RARE!"
Eddie shouts out, imitating Emmett. Quentin exclaims that he doesn't have this one in his collection. He offers to buy it off Eddie. She refuses, but offers it to him in exchange for the bag of trash.
The wonderful fluffy little squishy is now stinky and dirty. Eddie needs to give it a bath! Luckily there is a coin-operated fountain nearby. But Eddie doesn't have any coin! She uses Mimi's mother-of-pearl button, and the fountain miraculously works.
We stood under a waterfall of mist and snow. It was a beautiful sight and all the people applauded.
[image]
Eddie snuggles the wonderful fluffy little squishy and carries it home.
[image]
It was the best day ever! Because nobody before me had ever discovered such a wonder, which meant that I now knew how to do something better than anyone else: how to find FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHIES.
Her mom is delighted with the squishy, putting it on her head as a hat.
[image]
"This FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHY is the best present ever! Did you find it yourself?"
"I did! Me and my WONDERFUL FRIENDS!"
EL FIN
Okay, let's discuss this.
I picked this book up completely on a whim. I had no idea what to expect. It surprised and delighted me, even though I'm still not exactly sure what it was about.
The little girl does not think she is good at anything, but she is such a good person. What I really liked about this book was how she sees her (perfectly ordinary) friends. She thinks Wendy is the prettiest florist in the neighborhood. Wendy is a normal-looking woman with short red hair and glasses. She is not particularly pretty. But to Eddie, she is gorgeous. Eddie describes Emmett as: "the most fashionable person in the whole wide world." But we see Emmett as a chubby guy with glasses wearing a red sweater vest over a striped shirt. He's certainly not fashionable. But Eddie thinks he is.
I love how children see the world and I think Alemagna is doing a great job here. To a five-and-a-half year old, Grandmother may seem impossibly elegant. Mother may seem like the most beautiful woman in existence. The neighbor may seem like the smartest woman on the planet. But to adults, perhaps these people seem ordinary or plain. I love how she has captured a child's loving and exaggerated worldview here. Even as an adult, one can find that love colors your perspective on people. Also, seeing the true goodness in a person can make them 10x more beautiful and attractive to you. So even adults can hold on to this magic through love.
[image] Her wonderful friends
I also like how Eddie runs through her Paris neighborhood. There are no adults with her. Everyone knows her. When they see her, they indulge her by giving her a little something from their shop. I like this community-style life and I like Eddie's freedom and great knowledge of her neighborhood and neighbors here.
I like how the wonderful fluffy little squishy actually exists - it isn't a figment of her imagination, and at the end she can proudly hand it to her mother, who is delighted. I wasn't sure how Alemagna was going to play this, but she goes all the way with this fantasy - the creature is real and Eddie finds one. She doesn't play it off as a rag or a stuffed animal or a hat or a discarded scarf that Eddie's imagination is bringing to life. The squishy is a living, breathing animal that is a shocking neon pink.
Which brings me to the exquisite pictures in this book. I could gush about them all day. Alemagna's brilliant use of colors is only ONE of the things that stands out. The bright day-glo pink of both the wonderful fluffy little squishy AND Eddie's puffy winter coat stand out and offer bright sparks of color for the reader to follow on each page. It's perfect, and spruces up an otherwise dull (purposefully dull) color scheme. This winter coat is EXACTLY the kind of thing a five-year-old girl would love and wear everywhere.
Not only that, but her illustrations are just top-notch. Wonderful. Words can't do them justice.
As I said earlier, the point of this story is rather unclear. The power of friendship? Her friends' generosity certainly makes everything possible for Eddie. Eddie being good at something? The book tries to claim it is finding the wonderful fluffy little squishy, but the reader can easily see that it is her loving, exuberant nature and her ability to love and worship those around her that makes her endearing and beloved by everyone. So she already is 'good at something' - something she is blind to. And it's not really a book about finding a present for your mother, at least not in my opinion.
Tl;dr - Oh, well. Despite it's muddled ideas, this book is a charmer. Stunning illustrations. A sweet heroine who has a lot of energy and friends all over town. A cute little animal kids will love - reminiscent of Coville's purring fluffy alien in his My Teacher Is An Alien series, another favorite of children.
Even though I'm not always a fan of Alemagna - I didn't like A Lion in Paris, for example - she knocks it out of the park with this one. Highly recommended.
*That usually indicates a bad book, but not this time. :D
"That wasn't me at all. I've changed. ... And I don't like the person I'm becoming."
Olive Silverlock is starting her second year at Gotham Academy, af"That wasn't me at all. I've changed. ... And I don't like the person I'm becoming."
Olive Silverlock is starting her second year at Gotham Academy, after a horrible summer that she can't quite remember clearly. She's got a (maybe?) ex-boyfriend to deal with, his cute little sister Maps following her around, and some bullies to deal with.
Oh, and the school may be haunted.
Oh, and she hates Batman and actively tries to kill him.
Just another day at Gotham Academy...
...
Well, of the three graphic novels I read today, this was my favorite. It's actually engaging, accessible, and relatable.
Remember that I have close to zero knowledge in re: superhero comics.
Anyway, I enjoyed this. Olive is feeling glum and depressed in life. At first you have no real idea why, but what is fun about this book is that little bits and pieces get explained as you read it. It's exciting. Also, I found the characters to be interesting and not "too weird." A lot of times superhero comics are just... incomprehensible. Not the case here.
I liked (view spoiler)[that Killer Croc is living in the walls of the school! And that he's very nice and sweet. (hide spoiler)]
I liked that (view spoiler)[Olive's mom is a possibly supernatural psychopath who was interned at Arkham. (hide spoiler)]
I liked that there is a (view spoiler)[mysterious hot boy who is a "foreign exchange student" but really has the ability to turn into a giant bat. I don't mean like Batman... I mean like a big human bat. They call it *checks notes* Langstrom Virus. (hide spoiler)]
I loved the cute Maps character (the little freshman, Kyle's little sister) who follows Olive around everywhere and talks constantly about her adventures playing D&D. Although in this comic they call it *checks notes* Serpents & Spells. She was adorable.
Perhaps one of the reasons I enjoyed this was because of all the tiny love. Teens (aged 15-ish?) who are having their little crushes and doing cute flirting with each other and maybe falling in love for the first time. But, you know... with secret cults and possible ghosts and secret passageways and stuff. <3
And I liked that the school bullies who were giving Olive a hard time (view spoiler)[end up being friends (ish) with her. (hide spoiler)] And not in an unbelievable way, either.
I hated Kyle's (he's Olive's non-boyfriend) stupid hat, though. He wore it in almost every scene and I just wanted to rip the *&^%ing thing off his head. UGH. Ugly.
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