Orange

Title
Orange


Library Link
Orange / Benjamin. . Los Angeles, Calif. ; London : Tokyopop, 2009.

10 Second Review
From the library summary:
"Her name is Orange, she's a young girl in high school, coming of age in the heart of the city. And she has decided she has nothing to live for. Not her shallow friends. Not her parents. Not school. Not even the empty promise of love. Her head filled with morbid fantasies of suicide, Orange finds herself standing at the edge of her rooftop when the drunken, enigmatic young man, Dashu, enters her world, changing it forever"

An angst ridden story sure to appeal to teens.
The main reason to read this is for the exceptional art.
While the interior lacks the details of the cover images, the art remains unique and stunning.

Notes
Author/artist of Remember

Reading Order
n/a

Mighty Avengers Siege

Title
Mighty Avengers Siege

Library Link
Siege. Mighty Avengers / Christos N. Gage ; artist, Khoi Pham Gage, Christos.


10 Second Comics
Hank's team gets outdone by Osborn's team of Avengers.
Later, the gang captures Loki, breaks up and then gets back together.
Hank gains confidence, US Agents acts like a tool and Quicksilver joins the team...briefly.

With only a couple of pages about the Siege, this is a fairly weak book.
There are some great concepts but they are resolved too quickly.
You can skip this book and not miss anything.

Notes
Hercules dies in this story line but the details are omitted.

Reading Order
Chronological

Gear School 2

Title
Gear School 2


Library LinkGear school. Vol. 2 / writer, Adam Gallardo ; artist, Nuria Peris, Sergio Sandoval, Estudio Fenix

Gallardo, Adam.

10 Second Review
This sequel continues the story of students at a futuristic military training school.
A girl is doing well in school and decides to help out less confident classmates.

Well, less confident classmates that she has a crush on.
Her decisions lead to unintended consequences.

Not much story here but the art, a Western/manga hybrid, is excellent.
A good book for those new to comics

Notes
check out http://www.gearschool.net/

Reading Order
Chronological

You Can Draw Star Wars

Title
You Can Draw Star Wars


Library Link
You can draw Star Wars / by Bonnie Burton ; illustrated by Matt Busch and Tom Hodges Burton, Bonnie, 1972-

10 Second Review
This book covers drawing a wide variety of characters from the Star Wars universe.
Includes instructions for pencils, ink and coloring.

This is an excellent, colorful book with lots of examples.

While the pace is probably too much for beginners, it includes some nice extras like using tracing paper and steps for inking your work.

Notes
Includes stencils for comic ‘speech bubbles’

Learning Curve
Moderate

X-men Second Coming

Title
X-men Second Coming


Library Link
X-men : second coming / Mike Carey ... [et al.] ; artitists, Stuart Immonen ... [et al.]



10 Second Review
The X-men send the only mutant born in the last year into the future for protection.
She returns to the present only to run into Bastion.
Bastion is a robot from the future determined to destroy her.
The X-men sacrifice everything to keep her alive.

Scott Summers, as the leader of the X-men, makes some decisions that do not sit well with the rest of the team.

Excellence story and art.

Fans will spot some familiar developments.
Notes
Not all of the Xmen survive

Learning Curve
Low to Moderate: Readers will need some understanding of the X-men

Birds of prey : sensei & student

Title
Birds of prey : sensei & student

Library Link
Birds of prey : sensei & student / [Gail Simone, writer ; Ed Benes ... [et al.], pencillers ; Alex Lei ... [et al.], inkers ; Hi-Fi, colorist ; Jared K. Fletcher, Rob Leigh, Nick Napolitano, letterers] Simone, Gail.

10 Second Review
Oracle's unhackable computer systems gets hacked while Black Canary visits her dying mentor.
His death forces Canary to team up with some old enemies.
Meanwhile, Oracle and Huntress cause trouble for a corrupt senator.

Good story and art but the book is printed on 'pulp' paper.
Should appeal to fans or those looking for another perspective on the DC universe.

Notes
Savant cuts the ladies some slack

Learning Curve
Low to Moderate: Should be fairly easy for new readers but there is a fairly large cast

Reading Order
Chronological

Thirteen Days to Midnight

Title
Thirteen Days to Midnight

Library Link
Thirteen days to midnight / Patrick Carman
Carman, Patrick.

10 Second Review
A high school student discovers he is immune to harm.
And he can transfer that power to other people at will.

The catch? Every life he saves comes at a terrible price.

An excellent book that is easy to read. A rare glimmer of originality in the world of supernatural books. Should have wide appeal from vampire fans to comic fans.

Notes
Author of the book Atherton

Learning Curve
Low: Good for new readers

The Death of Captain America

Title
The Death of Captain America Vol 3

Library Link
The death of Captain America. Vol. 3, The man who bought America / writer, Ed Brubaker ; penciler, Steve Epting (issues #37-38 & #40-42) with Luke Ross (issue #42) ; inkers, Steve Epting ... [et al.] (#37-38 & #40-42) ; artist, Robert De La Torre (issue #39) ; colorist, Frank D'Armata ; letterer, Joe Caramagna.



10 Second Review
The Red Skull plots to have his man elected into office with the help of Faustus.
Bucky, the new Captain America, struggles to uncover the deception.
He is thwarted by a third Captain that is not Steve.

A complicated but enjoyable read.
Good for those looking for the transitional period between Captain America's.

Notes
Dr. Zola plays a role.

Learning Curve
Moderate: Some knowledge of Captain America would be helpful

Reading Order
After Civil War

The Insider’s Guide to Creating Comics and Graphic Novels

Title

The Insider’s Guide to Creating Comics and Graphic Novels

Library Link
The insider's guide to creating comics and graphic novels / Andy Schmidt
Schmidt, Andy, 1976-

10 Second Review
From Amazon.com:
“Written for upcoming creative stars and comic book enthusiasts, The Insider's Guide to Comics and Graphic Novels covers the entire creative process from beginning to end, from fine-tuning a script to the nuances of camera angles, costume design and lettering.”

Better then most how-to-make-comics books, this book covers many overlooked topics.
However, those topics are only briefly discussed and the examples might intimidate the developing artist.
Notes
A good reference source

Learning Curve
Moderate to High: This book is probably best for more advanced artist.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz comic

Title
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz comic

Library Link
The wonderful Wizard of Oz / adapted from the novel by L. Frank Baum ; writer, Eric Shanower ; artist, Skottie Young Shanower, Eric.

10 Second Review
A retelling of the familiar tale in comic form.

This comic follows the original book much more closely then the classic movie.
A good alternative to reading the original book which might overwhelm young readers.

The art is excellent and appropriate for the story.
A good introduction for those new to comics.

Notes
Published by Marvel.

Learning Curve
Low: Good for new readers

The complete idiot's guide to street magic

Title
Street Magic

Library Link
The complete idiot's guide to street magic / Tom Ogden ; [edited by] Randy Ladenheim-Gil, Lynn Northrup, Megan Douglass Ogden, Tom.

10 Second Review

From the libraries summary:

“People starting out in magic today want something edgier, grittier, quick, visual, and maybe a little dangerous. This guide will teach you how to do it! It includes: 75 to 100 tricks 200 illustrations, from how-to shots to photos of street magicians at work”

Ok, this is a pretty cool book. Ever wonder how David Blaine manages to levitate?
This book will tell you. Lots of cool tricks and techniques you can learn.

Notes
Good for low budget crowd

Learning Curve
Moderate: Some tricks might be too much for younger teens.

The New Avengers: Powerloss

Title

The New Avengers: Powerloss

Library Link
The new Avengers. vol. 12. Powerloss / [writter: Brian Michael Bendis ; penciler, Stuart Immonen]
Bendis, Brian Michael. New York : Marvel ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.


10 Second Review
The Hood loses his powers and his control over his army of henchmen.
While the Hood seeks a new power source, his henchmen seek out a new boss.
With the accidently help of the New Avengers, the henchmen find a way to get Norman Osborn’s attention: by defeating Sentry.

Notes
Luke Cage is hospitalized

Learning Curve
Moderate: Some knowledge of the Dark Reign story line would be helpful

Reading Order
Chronological

Dark Avengers Molecule Man

Title

Dark Avengers Molecule Man

Library Link
Dark Avengers. Molecule Man, n Vol. 2 / writer, Brian Michael Bendis ; artist, Mike Deodato ; color art, Rain Beredo ; painted pages, Greg Horn ; letterer, Cory Petit Bendis, Brian Michael. New York, NY : Marvel Publishing, 2010.

10 Second Review
Norman Osborn (aka The Goblin) has formed a new team of Avengers.
They mainly consist of reformed (?) criminals and their abilities are tested when the go up against the Molecule Man.

Molecule Man is old school Marvel and is one of the toughest adversaries.

It’s fun to see the Dark Avengers face a really tough opponent.
Great art and fun story

Notes
Sentry learns something important about himself

Learning Curve
Low: If read in order

Reading Order
Chronological