Reviews - The Graphic Library

Dune: tales from arrakeen by Brian Herbert & Kevin j anderson

5/25/2023

Cover of Dune: Tales from Arrakeen. A man stands in front of a pile of sticks that seems to be on fire. Inside its smoke, we can see a sliver of Caladan.

This volume collects two short stories: Blood of the Sardaukar and Whispers of a Caladan Sea.

In the first sorry, we follow along with a commander of the Sardaukar forces the night they were deployed against House Atreides. We discover that he originally had a deep hatred for Duke Paulus, who spoke up and eventually went to battle agains the commander’s father, who was the noble of the planet of Borhees. The House Atreides seized the planet, while the children of the noble family were conscripted into becoming deadly Sardaukar.

In the second story, we come upon a group of Atreides soldiers who were ordered into the caves to protect the stores of supplies hidden inside. They become trapped during the battle of Arrakeen and know there is no survival. The men ask Vitt to tell them a tale and distract them from their impending doom. Vitt is of an ancient line of Jungleurs, storytellers with powers like the Bene Gesserit, power to make their words come alive and entrance their listeners. Vitt bids the group to remember the sea on Caladan, and all the treasures it held, as their oxygen slowly runs out.

Moon knight vols 1-2 by Max bemis

5/23/2023

Vol 1: Crazy Runs in the Family and Vol 2: Phases, illustrated by Jacen Burrows, Paul Davidson, Ty Templeton, Jeff Lemire, Bill Sienkiewicz, inked by Guillermo Ortego colored by Matt Milla, Mat Lopes, Keiren Smith, lettered by Cory Petit

We open yet again in a mental institution, this time in the company of a different patient than our familiar hero with dissociative identity disorder. Dr. Emmet tries to work out the key to her next patient, hoping that her previous patient might be used as a road map, but instead unleashes the villain, Sun King, champion of Ra and enemy of Khonshu. Sun King discovers something Marc has even hidden from himself - that he has a daughter and the potential for a normal life - but never count out Marc, Jake, and Steven when they’re backed into a corner! Marc also relives some of his childhood trauma and the reason he created Jake in the first place. A figure close with his family turns out to be a sadistic serial killer, and he's back in Marc's adult life hoping to recruit Moon Knight into his ranks of sadomasochistic supervillains. The cult goes after Moon Knight and his friends hoping to break his spirit, but Marc is already fractured enough!

Cover of Moon Knight Vol 1 by Max Bemis. Moon Knight is scaling a water tank while looking at the side of a building. It's burning in the shape of Ra's eye.

Cover of Moon Knight vol 2 by Ma Bemis. Moon knight's glowing white eyes are slits underneath his white cowl. He's holding one of his moon boomerangs. Behind him is what looks to be a maze.

Solo leveling vol 6 by chugong

5/19/2023

Cover of Solo Leveling volume 6. In a beast form, a hunter is roaring rearing his head back. His eyes glow yellow.

Jinwoo is making his way through the demon castle inside a very difficult dungeon. He comes across a demon who can speak, and it turns out she’s a daughter of a powerful demon family that has been placed in the dungeon to protect it. She barters for her life by promising to help Jinwoo get magic items that will allow him to advance to the next floors. Jinwoo wipes out every powerful family on floors above hers, effectively leaving her clan in charge until the dungeon resets. But most importantly, Jinwoo can finally craft the Elixir of Life and see if it cures his mother. In another part of the world, giant evolving ant beasts have wiped out an entire Japanese island and are threatening the mainland of Korea and other islands of Japan. Several S-Rank hunters from Japan concoct a plan to launch an attack on the island, with the help of S-Rank Korean hunters.

The adventure Zone vol 5 by the mcelroys

5/17/2023

Cover of The Adventure Zone volume 5. The three adventurers are surrounded by a glowing blue clock face. Outside of the clock face is glowing orange flames.

Vol 5: The Eleventh Hour

Magnus, Taako, and Merle are dispatched yet again for another Grand Relic. This next one is inside a small Western-style town in the desert that is currently protected by a bubble that keeps it separated from the rest of time. The relic they seek is a chalice that allows the wielded to control time itself. The three manage to pieces their way through the bubble and are immediately apprehended by a deputy, who is a suit of armor and a small talking bird. They are just becoming acquainted with the town when they are sent back to the beginning again, and they realize they’re stuck in a time loop!

The faraway paladin vol 3 by KANATA YANAGINO

5/16/2023

Cover of The Faraway Paladin volume 3. William walks in front of two other men. he is in a dark blue tunic that seems to have the stars in it. He also has a long, white, flowing cape. Behind him is the lord of Whitesales in a red tunic with his hads resting on a tall sword. On the other side is the Bishop of Whitesails in a black priest robe.

Adapted by Mutsumi Okubashi

Williams slays a wyvern and manages to become a Paladin as a reward. Since the lord of Whitesails has no men or resources to help the people of Beast Woods, William uses his money and influence to put together a band of mercenaries and trades folk who can fight back the beasts but also establish the villages as trading outposts. William becomes an unofficial lord of Beast Woods. On one of their quests, they run into a formidable chimera who lures them into a trap and decimates the group, even with William’s strength and skill. Will spirals into doubt and panic as he believes he is leading people into situations that are too dangerous.

The Least we can do vol 1 by iolanda zanfardino

4/26/2023

Cover of The Least We Can Do volume 1. Uriel is holding out her hands and her Justice Stone is floating above them bathing everything in a gold light. Her curly blonde hair frames her face. Behind her is a menacing person with red eyes glaring at us.

Illustrated by Elisa Romboli

In a United Kingdom that has already been ravaged by war, soldiers have magical Medium Stones that augment their deadly fighting skills. Uriel is dissatisfied with the powerful Eden Army, which uses their Medium to oppress and exploit others. She steals a Justice Light, a powerful type of medium, and absconds to join the Eclipse Rebels in the fight to bring Eden down. Uriel also has a mind for inventions and hopes her inside knowledge and creativity can bring more solutions to the Eclipse as they face a foe much larger and much more powerful than they. Along the way, Uriel has to prove herself to the rebels by not only providing them with valuable information but attuning with a stone that already has a master.

The house of el vol 3 by claudia gray

4/7/2023

Cover of House of El volume 3. Sera and Zahn hold hands and stare off into a pile of rubble that was a city on Krypton.

Vol 3: The Treacherous Hope, illustrated by Eric Zawadzki

The culminating fight between Midnight and the military is here, and Sera knows there's something fishy going on. There's also world-shattering quakes happening, and thanks to the data solid, Sera and Zahn know this is spelling the end of their world. Regardless, Sera desperately tries to stop Midnight from attacking the city's structures. She is determined to make the last days of Krypton peaceful and happy, rather than filled with violence and bloodshed. Zod has other thoughts, as he leads the military against the very rebel organization he built up. He's convinced that Krypton needs new leaders, ones who might save the planet, and he has no idea how close their demise is. Meanwhile, Lara and Jor-El welcome their baby boy into the dying world and see him away on his spacecraft.

HeLck vol 1 by Nanaki Nanao

4/5/2023

Cover of Helck volume 1. Lady Vermillion is sitting in a chair with her legs crossed. She's wearing long brown boots, a white tunic, and a large white hat on her long, flowing red hair. There are a few demons around her. She's crossing her arms and looking slightly annoyed.

Recently, a demon lord was slain by a human hero. Now, the Elite Demons are hosting a tournament to see who will claim the title of the new Demon Lord. There are some very strong candidates, but none a strong as Helck, a human warrior who claims to hate humans! Lady Vermillion and her sidekick try to put Helck through challenges where he is sure to lose, but Helck proves time and again that he is better than what they think. They can't stand the idea of a human ruling as a Demon Lord, and they don't trust that Helck really hates all humans. Try as they might, Helck can do nearly anything, and he's loved by he audience, so how are they going to get him out of this tournament?

go go loser ranger vol 1 by Negi Haruba

4/3/2023

Cover of Go Go Loser Ranger Volume 1. A solider in full battle get up with a pink helmet is smiling at us with his hands on his weapon. There's a large X drawn through him.

Some time in the future, a ship of aliens parks above Japan and wages war against the human race. But, humans have the Rangers, a powerful fighting force who wields weapons of considerable power. The Rangers don’t obliterate the monsters. Instead, they work out a business deal where the evil guys will come up with a new monster for the Rangers to fight every Sunday, and the Rangers will put on a good show for a crowd that grows with every passing week. This arrangement irritates Soldier D, who thinks they could be stronger and work harder than the Rangers and could take over the world. He decides to act on his own and impersonate the Rangers and their soldiers in order to wreck havoc on the whole organization and bring it down from the inside.

adventureman vol 2 by Matt Fraction

3/31/2023

Cover of Adventureman Volume 2. Claire and Chris are standing next to each other in action poses. Claire looks ready to fight, Chris has his gun drawn. Behind them is a ghost cowboy on a horse, and the Adventureman tower.

Vol 2: A Fairy Tale of New York, illustrated by Terry and Rachel Dodson

Claire and her family adjust to her life as the modern-day Adventureman incarnation, and that means getting sucked into dastardly plots. Claire meets a Chris, Central Park buggy driver who a descendant of the Crossdraw Kid. The Kid is a title passed down from generation to generation, and Chris' grandpa was one of Adventureman's former allies. The two try to figure out why the ghosts of New York Past have been way more active and violent. Just as these ghosts kick up their ghastly ways, Claire is running out of the serum that gives her the Adventureman powers, so it's up to her family to discover the formula while still making it in time for son Tommy's opening night of A Christmas Carol.