Lenni Reviews: "Where the Body Was" by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips & Jacob Phillips

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In the summer of 1984, a dead body is found on Pelican road, kicking off a series of events that exposes dark secrets in this seemingly idyllic suburban neighborhood. This dramatic mystery has a cheating wife, runaway drug addict, a little girl who believes she's a superhero, and a fake cop all get pulled into orbit when a dead guy turns up on the sidewalk. It reads like a true crime documentary and the art reflects the gritty mess that are people's private lives. It switches perspectives through each character and has some great twists and turns. If you're looking for a crime story that has some unexpected curves, this is pretty good. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Mieruko-chan” Vol. 3, by Tomoki Izumi

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Mieruko has a new teacher, Zen, who is plagued by a particularly horrible and threatening spirit that Mieruko believes is affecting her best friend Hanna in addition to taking a tole on herself. Wanting to protect her friend, Mieruko decides she can’t just ignore this thing any longer.

While this continues to be fucking terrifying in terms of creature design, I am impressed with the character development in this volume. I’m hoping to see more communication between Mieruko and Yuria (who can also see spirits) because not only do they share this secret, it’s getting clearer Mieruko won’t be able to handle much more of this. She’s going to need a better strategy. 5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Luda" by Grant Morrison

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Drag artist, Luci, has been a performer for a long time but when her co-star has a mysterious accident, she begins training a young talented newcomer; Luda. As they work together, Luda’s talent cannot be denied but when other actors also have mysterious accidents, Luci wonders if Luda is involved in much more than onstage transformations.

This is a very wordy book. It’s told as if you’re sitting with Luci over cocktails listening to her dish the tea rather than just her perspective as things happen. She’s great to experience as she’s a fun character but this is so verbose, I found myself skimming chunks of this. It was harder than usual for me to connect with the story. It’s almost like homework to get to the end. I really wanted to like this since I love the imagination and the concept but what a slog. 2 out of 5.

Flame Con 2022

I had the absolute pleasure of attending Flame Con over the weekend!

This is an amazing even featuring fan and creator events with a LGBTQ+ friendly environment. And when I say friendly, I mean it in the purest way. I’ve been to a ton of conventions and Flame Con remains number one in terms of of how helpful, kind, polite, and just overall a delight to deal with not only the volunteers but exhibitors, authors, artists, and singers. Yes, singers. There was an acapella performance that was just stunning.

I bought waaaaay too many books and had a couple of them signed with cute doodles.

The panel I was most interested in was censorship in libraries and they had some amazing ideas I was able to apply them to what I will likely have to deal with at work considering some of the more… Spicy offerings in my library’s collection.

I had a great time at this event and I look forward to next year!

Lenni Reviews: “The Fall” Volume 1, by Jared Muralt

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Amid a mysterious flu outbreak, food shortages, and environmental crisis, a single father of two teenagers struggle to survive.

This was just… Ok. For an apocalyptic drama, this was surprisingly dry and if you’ve read anything in this genre before, this doesn’t bring much new to the table. The art style does its job and the characters left by the end of this volume are people I’d want to continue to follow. Good, but nothing special. 2.9 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 8 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The bulk of this book is devoted to the class trip to Kyoto and Komi is scared to go because she skipped the last one because she had no friends to hang out with. But now, she’s able to muster the courage to go and have a good time.

We also meet a new character, Naruse; a narcissist convinced Komi is in love with him because he thinks everyone adores him. He warps every situation he’s in as “they’re only doing it because I’m so amazing. Thank goodness the trip is most of the book because Naruse is annoying. The rest is just so wholesome and genuine, it put a smile on my face. 5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 7 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

It’s Christmas season for Komi and her friends and also Komi’s birthday. While Komi struggles with gift buying, her friends go through the usual insanity of a “Present Death Game” to find something for Komi. They also have fun in the snow, go ice skating, and various other Winter and family activities.

This is still just the cutest manga and I can’t get enough of it. I’m always disappointed when I get to the end because I want more! It’d be nice if people were this kind all the time. Except for Yamai. She’s a creepy stalker and considering the books I’ve read, I have no problem judging the heck out of. She’s over the top on purpose. and whatever but she’s the worst part of this series. 5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Gunpowder Moon” by David Pedreira

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the year 2072,  in Veteran Caden Dechert is in charge of a US mining operation on the moon. When a bomb goes off and kills a crew member, already strained international relations may turn the moon into a warzone unless Dechart can find the culprit first.

While I like Dechert and his crew and I wanted to find out what happened, this felt like a dry read. Not unenjoyable because Dechert is a relatable guy thrust into a crazy situation and has to figure out what’s really going on but I get the feeling you need to heavily be into space scifi to get into this. The conclusion delivers on some action though to make it all worth it. 3.9 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Mieruko-chan” Vol 1, by Tomoki Izumi

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High schooler Mieruko is cursed with seeing horrible, twisted spirits all around her; but no one else can. She just does her best to ignore them while also protecting her best friend from these things.

This manga is cute but oddly fanservicey with all the up skirt and cleavage shots. It’s really sweet how Mieruko just want to protect the people she cares about as best she can without revealing she can see ghosts. I won’t spoil it but there’s a story about a kitty that sold me on this series. All the stories are quick one shots so I’m wondering how this will progress and if there will be an overarching story line. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 6 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, Komi goes to karaoke with her friends after the Culture Festival, shopping for clothes with her equally quiet father, and we introduce a new character, Katai; who also has trouble talking to others because he looks too much like a stereotypical thug. We also have the appearance of an adorable cat cafe!

Other than the low hanging cute that is the cat cafe, what shines in this book is how patient and kind with Katai even though every other student in the class is scared of him. He’s so gently folded into the growing group of friends, it’s genuinely touching! If I had to complain about something, it would be Yamai and Nukanaka. I understand they want to hog Komi’s attention but they are so fucking creepy about it, I find it hard to like them. 4.9 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale” by Tim Fielder

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel follows warlord AjA Oba, a ruthless ruler cursed with immortality from our past far into the future. 

First off, the art is amazing. It’s like flipping through scenes from a movie with these beautiful panted renditions of the film. The story is smart and very creative. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes speculative science fiction and Afrofuturism.

Also, random thought with a spoiler sprinkle – there’s some random LGBTQ content in here and it’s just dropped in without being made aa big deal of. I’m on the fence as to if it feels shoved in because of how its just glossed over, or it fits because it shouldn’t be a big deal. I’ve read it twice and still haven’t decided…

Other than that, 5 out of 5! Go read this!

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 5 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, Komis is stuck home when a storm closes the schools, she goes out to eat with friends after a half-day, and participates in the school’s cultural festival.

It’s nice to see Komi slowly come out of her shell and talk more. She’s just genuinely learning to enjoy people and try new things. And it’s done so well, I continue to find myself rooting for her! If there wasn’t some of these kinda creepy, pervy classmates, this volume would be perfect. 4.5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 4 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

This volume goes through Komi’s summer vacation, return to school, and the Sports Festival.

If you like slice-of-life manga, that’s the core of this volume. Little things like Komi milling around on a hot day, cooking dinner for her family, and helping her friends with their summer assignments. Then we get the festival with a particularly competitive classmate. It’s all very lighthearted and cute – a breath of fresh air after some of the downers I’ve been reading lately. Only 89 friends to go for Komi! 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” : Vol. 2 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Hitohito Tadano continues to help Shoko Komi with her awkwardness and inadvertently, this earns Komi a rival, Makeru Yadano; who wants to defeat Komi in the health exams. Komi also manages to pick up another friend, Ren Yamai, who has an obvious crush on her. Well, obvious to everyone but Komi.

Remember in the first review when I talked about the horrible dark turn? Well, I thought Yamai was going to be it but although she comes off as a fucking creepy-ass stalker, the manga does keep things light and folds her into the growing group of Komi’s friends. Tadano still seems to be the one who knows her best out of the bunch though. Still loving this series. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Asadora!" vol 2, by Naoki Urasawa

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Jumping in to the future, it is now 1964 and Asadora is now 17, a pilot, and working with Kasuga at their advertising company; while also going to school and raising her younger siblings. A strange man comes around asking questions about the creature they saw destroy their hometown and the likelihood it is still around and a threat.

This is a strange little series so far. I’m totally here for it; I love Asadora, I wanna know more about the creature and what will happen next but whatever expectations I had were completely subverted. Sometimes that can be frustrating but I found it welcome and look forward to seeing how this continues. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Asadora!” Vol. 1, by Naoki Urasawa

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

Taking place in 1959, Asa is one of so many siblings she gets lost among them; frequently mistaken for the others if not forgotten about entirely. When her mother goes into labor during a typhoon, Asa runs out to get the doctor. She ends up kidnapped by Kasuga; a desperate war veteran who needs money.

Well, this book went in unexpected directions. And no, nothing horrible happens to Asa. This is a wholesome read about a random little girl swept up into an adventure and has this positive energy to pull in others along with her. Asa is very sweet and I can’t wait to see what’s next; even if it all comes off as a bit too idealistic But the world id dark enough already. I’ll take it. 4.9 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Daphne Byrne” by Laura Marks & Kelley Jones

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Still mourning the loss of her father, fourteen year old Daphne Byrne doesn’t get along with her rich classmates and sees things others don’t. While her mother continues to see a charlatan medium in a desperate attempt to contact her deceased husband, Daphne’s visions get stronger and even talk back to her.

While the creature design is fantastically horrifying, some of the panels with the human characters are wonky. I get what the shadows are trying to convey in terms of emotion but the end result is blobby and unfinished. Thankfully, this isn’t a lot of the book. The rest of the art is perfect for a Victorian horror. And Daphne’s story is cool but I wanted more. I want to know where her abilities are coming from and the demon world clearly connected to her. I do hope a sequel is in the works for this one. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “The Prey of Gods” by Nicky Drayden

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a futuristic South Africa where everyone has a personal robot and designer drugs are a frequent past time; we have a seemingly unconnected cast of characters slowly drawn into what could be a cataclysmic series of events.

I really can’t say too much more about the plot without spoiling the experience of how a young man named Muzi, his layabout friend, Elkin, a nail technician named Sydney, a superstar singer named Riya, a politician named Sydney, and a young girl named Nomvula are all connected to the end of the human race. You just need to read this. It’s ruthlessly creative, character-driven, thrilling, and almost perfect except for some aspects of the ending I didn’t like; which I won’t spoil. I loved it and highly recommend it if you’d like some futuristic sci-fi in a unique setting. 5 out of 5 and I hope there is more to come.

Lenni Reviews: "The Medium-Sized Book of Zim Scripts: Vol. 1: Pigs ’n’ Waffles" by Rikki Simons, Eric Trueheart & Aaron Alexovich

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* This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a collection of not only scripts but behind the scenes stories. I knew I would love this book from the introduction, which has all the wit and humor once comes to expect from a show like Invader Zim. I'm not even one for digging into the background goings-on of a show I like; tending to just enjoy my chosen media and move on (or watch repeatedly). Despite this, I had a great time with the backstories and inspirations for the plots in the episodes.

This book brings even more fun to the original show and has me wanting to binge the entire thing all over again to see the fruits of such interesting labors. And these side stories are fantastically written. You get the feeling of being there with the emotions expressed and interactions of everybody - especially towards the end with the show's cancellation. It isn't accurate to say I can't know what it would be like to work with these people because this book showed me and I am delighted to have read it. I encourage fans of the show to give this a try.