Graphic Novel Reviews!

So far in 2015 I have read 6 books out of my goal of 50. That would be impressive, but 4 of those 6 have been graphic novels. That is not bad, I have enjoyed all of the graphic novels, but I hope to read a lot more pages throughout the year. Here I have decided to review those graphic novels, including one from last year: Snowpiercer Vol. 1: The Escape, Miss Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal, Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More, Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon, and Hawkeye Vol. 2: Little Hits.

Snowpiercer, Vol. 1: The Escape by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette

In a harsh, uncompromisingly cold future where Earth has succumbed to treacherously low temperatures, the last remaining members of humanity travel on a train while the outside world remains encased in ice. 

The surviving community are not without a social hierarchy; those that travel at the front of the train live in relative luxury whilst those unfortunate enough to be at the rear remain clustered like cattle in claustrophobic darkness. Yet, things are about to change aboard the train as passengers become disgruntled... 

First of all, the film was my third favorite of the year (behind Only Lovers Left Alive and Interstellar). I didn't want to compare this to the film but of course I found myself doing just that. In the end, I don't think that affected my rating too much.

I love fast paced books and graphic novels, but I think this was almost too fast. It felt like the author skipped a few scenes and because of that I was wondering how we jumped from one place to another. I also didn't care much for the characters.

The film's ending was much better than the graphic novel in my opinion. They were significantly different and I'm not sure I liked this one very much.

This review feels jumbled and sounds like nonsense and that's because I have such mixed feelings. In summary: I loved the art and the plot, but the execution and the characters I did not like. 

My Rating: 3/5 stars

Miss Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona

Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she's suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her new-found powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she's comin' for you, New York! 

This is clearly a very unique and groundbreaking graphic novel. A female superhero, no, a Muslim female superhero. Kamala Khan really is an ordinary teenager who idolizes Carol Danvers (more on her in the next review). She gets powers one day and really has no idea what to do.

What I loved about Kamala Khan was that the didn't really use violence in any way, she just tried to help people and solve problems while not really fighting crime or a huge villain. She kept her personality the same but grew stronger as a person. I enjoyed everything about this story and the art, it was fantastic overall.

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More by Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez

Hero! Pilot! Avenger! Captain Marvel, Earth's Mightiest Hero with an attitude to match, is back and launching headfirst into an all-new ongoing adventure! As Captain Marvel, a.k.a. Carol Danvers, comes to a crossroads with a new life and new romance, she makes a dramatic decision that will alter the course of her life - and the entire Marvel Universe - in the months to come. But as Carol takes on a mission to return an alien girl to her homeworld, she lands in the middle of an uprising against the Galactic Alliance! Investigating the forced resettlement of Rocket Girl's people, Carol discovers that she has a history with the man behind the plot. But when the bad guy tries to blackmail Carol and turn the Avengers against her, it's payback time! Guest-starring the Guardians of the Galaxy!

Let's be honest, I knew nothing about Carol Danvers until I read this. I heard Marvel will be releasing a film with her in 2018 and I figured I should learn a few things about her. I thought this might be a good place to start because this is the newest collection of Captain Marvel, but I think I might have been wrong. 

After reading this, I still don't know much about her other than she lives in the Statue of Liberty, she loves Star Wars, and she loves cats. That's really not enough for me to judge her as a character. I want to know how she got her powers (I do know a little bit about this after doing some research) and I want to know how long she has had them. I will be reading Kelly Sue DeConnick's other Captain Marvel graphic novels as soon as I can get my hands on them.

But let's talk about what was said in this novel. Near the beginning, she teams up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to go on a pretty cool mission. After the Guardians make their exit, I really didn't care about the story anymore. Sure, Carol is a pretty cool person, but I shouldn't be waiting for side characters to come back to make the story better. I hope the next volumes I pick up will be better. 

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon & Vol. 2: Little Hits by Matt Fraction and David Aja 

The breakout star of this summer's blockbuster Avengers film, Clint Barton - aka the self-made hero Hawkeye - fights for justice! With ex-Young Avenger Kate Bishop by his side, he's out to prove himself as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes! SHIELD recruits Clint to intercept a packet of incriminating evidence - before he becomes the most wanted man in the world. You won't believe what is on The Tape! What is the Vagabond Code? Matt Fraction pens a Hawkeye thriller that spans the globe...and the darkest parts of Hawkeye's mind. Barton and Bishop mean double the Hawkeye and double the trouble...and stealing from the rich never looked so good.

Wow. Out of all of the graphic novels in this batch, these two were definitely my favorites. I didn't know much about Hawkeye because he has pretty much no screen time in any of the Marvel movies. He is a great character. He has a very funny attitude and an interesting story outside of the Avengers. I would not be opposed to a Hawkeye movie. 

In these graphic novels, you get to see what Clint Barton does in his "free time", which is really just when he is away from the Avengers. He doesn't have free time, he is always finding some way to get himself in trouble whether it be with the gang that owns his apartment building or a super-villain trying to buy a secret video tape. 

Overall, Clint is a very interesting character with great wit and a big, if sometimes questionable, heart. I wasn't sure if I would like the art when I first flipped through, but I ended up loving it. I will be buying the rest of the novels in this series. I can't wait to read about Hawkeye's next adventure.

My Rating for both: 5/5 stars