Reviews - The Graphic Library

Canto vol 3 by David M Booher

6/22/2022

Cover of Canto volume 3: Lionhearted. Canto stands in the foreground with his axe up, ready to swing. Behind him is another warrior with sword up, read to swing. Both look off in opposite directions. Behind them is the clock and gear work that has been prevalent on the other three covers.

Vol 3: Lionhearted, illustrated by Drew Zucker, colored by Vittorio Astone

The big battle is coming, and all inhabitants of the Unnamed World will be swept up by it. Canto and Aulaura set out to find the Vikus, the former slavers of Canto’s race, to hopefully win then to their side before The Shrouded Man can, but it’s an unpopular decision amongst Canto’s friends. Several of them set out to the Emerald Tower to try and take on The Shrouded Man in a surprise attack, but this ends poorly for them. Canto is forced to choose between saving his friends or protecting his people, but hopefully some of his new allies can be counted on.

Canto vol 2 by David M. Booher

4/21/2021

Cover of Canto II The Hollow Men

Vol 2: The Hollow Men, illustrated by Drew Zucker, illustrated by Vittorio Astone

At the end of the first book, Canto’s people leave Arcana to make a New Arcana. The first chapter is a short side-story where Canto frees some fairies from being tortured by an evil witch. Then, we go into New Arcana and see Canto and his friends in their new home. The Shrouded Man hasn’t come after them, but that’s probably because he has cursed their clocks to slowly wind down. Canto and a few friends decide to travel back to the Tower and confront the Shrouded Man, hoping to beat their clocks and get the curse reversed. Along the way, they are attacked by The Furies, and Canto realizes that not all of his friends can come with him. He reaches his destination and hopes he has found a magic that can take down the Shrouded Man. Canto’s journey is definitely not over here, and the nice cliffhanger will have fans scrambling for the next volume.

Locke & Key Vol 6 by Joe Hill

6/30/2020

Vol 6, Alpha and Omega: illustrated by Gabríel Rodriguez

Everything comes to a head on Prom Night with a post-dance Cave Rave for all of Lovecraft Academy. Ty doesn’t have a tux or a date to the prom, so he and Uncle Duncan work on restoring a classic Charger instead. That is, until Dunk gives him a "classy" tuxedo shirt that is sure to have the ladies swooning. Ty is intercepted by his ex-girlfriend Jordan, and the two don't make it to the Prom Kinsey is also present at the Prom, which means she and her friends find their way to the Cave Rave. Using the Crown of Shadows, Dodge plans to lure the unsuspecting teens to the Black Door to create a new world with him at the helm.

Locke & Key Vol 5 by Joe Hill

6/25/2020

Cover of Locke & Key vol 5: Clockworks

Vol 5, Clockworks: illustrated by Gabríel Rodriguez

Dodge is continuing his dangerous quest to find the Omega key, and a skirmish leads to Tyler and Kinsey discovering another - the Timeshift Key. This key can be used to time travel, although in Tyler and Lindsey's case, it can only go backwards because they can't program it past 1999. The two decide to go back and learn the grim history of the keys, made possibly by a detailed list inside the grandfather clock's casing that contains dates and crude drawings of each key. They "meet" Ben Locke and his sister, who had to watch their parents hanged by the British, and see Ben discovering the Black door and forging the first of the keys from a dangerous metal. They also go back to watch their dad and see how the keys played out in his lifetime. From this travel, we finally learn the dark and tragic past of Dodge.

Locke & Key Vol 4 by Joe Hill

6/12/2020

Cover of Locke & Key Vol 4: Keys to the Kingdom

Vol 4, Keys to the Kingdom, illustrated by Gabríel Rodriguez

Thanks to this volume, now there are even MORE keys that do amazing things. There's the Animal Key, which lets you turn into your inner animal as you walk through the door. Bode's inner animal, as it turns out, is a small bird. In bird form, he helps save his siblings from an attack from another human-turned animal. Zack/Dodge is becoming increasingly more aggressive in trying to get the key to the Black Door, and Tyler becomes suspicious of his friend. Nina starts to get her act back together with Tyler’s help. The action of this volume is concluded with a shocking twist.

Redbone by Christian Staebler

5/21/2020

Cover of Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band

Illustrated by Sonia Paoloni and Thibault Balahy

Delve into the formation of the first all American Indian Rock Band: Redbone, as told from Pat Vegas’ perspective. Before they were a full band, Lolly and Pat Vegas played clubs in LA and jammed with some of the greats - Jimmy Hendrix before he was Jimi, Sonny and Cher, and more. They start to collect other talented musicians who were also passing as Hispanic Americans, and formed a band that then went on to proudly use elements of Native American instruments and musicality in their songs and display their Native American heritage. While they weren't always a commercial success, and their ancestry brought them discrimination and missed gigs, the members of Redbone felt it was necessary to continue their musical careers as noble Native Americans who would not bend to the pressure of their record label or the music industry.

Locke & Key Vol 2 by Joe Hill

5/13/2020

Cover of Locke & Key Vol 2: Head Games

Vol 2, Head Games: illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez

Bode uncovers another key while fishing in a pool on the property, but he can’t figure out what it opens. At school, the drama teacher recognizes Ty's friend Zack as Luke, who was Rendell's friend from so many years ago, and Zack can’t have that. As Uncle Duncan says goodbye to go back home for a while, Bode sees a keyhole at the base of his skull and starts to wonder if that’s what his new key opens. He shows Kinsey and Ty, and they find they can look inside Bode's head and see his thoughts and memories. They take out the lady in the well house, and Bode instantly forgets her. When they put her back in, he remembers her again. Ty theorizes that they can add things to their brains by stuffing it in their open skulls, so he experiments with his English homework by shoving novels in his brain. Ty wants to share this discovery with his friends, including Zack. Kinsey uses the key to remove her fear and sadness.

Canto Vol 1 by David M Booher

3/13/2020

Cover of Canto vol 1: If I only had a heart

Vol 1, If I Only Had a Heart: illustrated by Drew Zucker, colored by Vittorio Astone

Canto is a charming fantasy that is 1 part Labyrinth, 1 part Wizard of Oz, and 2 parts entertaining hero's journey. In this story, Canto is part of a race of beings enslaved by another race to continuously chop down fuel for the mighty furnaces. Canto's people are bereft of their hearts as babies so that they cannot feel. In their place, they are given a clock that winds down to their inevitable deaths. However, Canto finds himself falling in love with another of his kind. She gets injured, and the only way to save her is to undertake a journey to recover her stolen heart. Canto makes friends on his journey who help him come face to face with the Shrouded Man, the being at the center of the enslavement of the world.