The Walking Dead Hardcover Ruled Journals

Based on AMC’s hit original series, The Walking Dead ruled journals embody the thrills and excitement of The Walking Dead. Each journal is themed around a popular character, including Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon and Michonne, and the Walkers who threaten the survivors’ existence. Along with debossed covers, the journal interiors also feature full-color photography from The Walking Dead. 

Along time ago before people put their thoughts on social media. There was something we did in the 90's and and years before that. We used something that is rarely used today and that's journals. Insight Editions is bringing back the journals in a big way with The Walking Dead. The cover and material is amazing in great detail. I got the Darryl Dixon journal which comes with pics of the character and  great design of his signature logo on his vest. The journal has a pages to make you're own story book. At a fair price of 18.00 dollars this is a great gift for kids, family and friends. Great things you can do with a journal. Practice creative writing, put your innermost thoughts instead on social media, even use as a data entry log. With The Walking Dead you can even think of making your own fan fiction. This is a great journal to pick up. 

Frozen: The Poster Collection Review

The heartwarming story of two sisters who save their kingdom through their love for each other, Frozen has gained unparalleled popularity and acclaim worldwide. Based on the award-winning animated film, Insight Editions in collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios proudly presents Frozen: The Poster Collection (Insight Editions / $24.99 /2015).

Fans of Frozen this is a great collectible for you. Frozen: Poster Collection is a collection of movie posters, character posters and key scenes from the movie. The book contains 40 pages of removable posters filled with epic scenes, characters and artwork. My favorite one has to be the original poster with the three main leads in the front. The poster size are 12 x 16 which is great if you want to frame it for the house or office. With 40 posters to choose from you can definitely get enough for the price of $24.99. This is a great deal for Frozen fans and people who want good artwork.  Check out some of the posters below.

Frozen: The Poster Collection

Reprinted from Frozen: The Poster Collection published by Insight Editions. Copyright © 2015 Disney Publishing Worldwide. All rights reserved.

Final Grade A-/9.5

Lenni Reviews - "Lisa Simpson's Guide to Geek Chic"

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These adorable little books are kinda hard to review. They're not a full story or anything but they make good collectibles or coffee table books for an avid Simpsons enthusiast. There are pullouts, quizzes, and some amusing geek facts as told by our favorite geek girl, Lisa Simpson. There's even a little pocket in the back so you can write your future geek self a letter and see how far you've come with your geek lessons and compare them to your past self. 

If you're like me and are super scared to so much as scratch a page in a book with your fingernail much less write all over it, this book is still a worthwhile purchase if you love Lisa. It even includes vegetarian recipes you can try. It seems a little pricey to me for such a small book at $24.99, but I'm sure if you're a fan, it's worth every cent.

(For more of Lenni's writing, click here)

The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition Review

It’s been 7 years since the last edition and a lot has changed in Japanese Animation since then. Bandai pulled out of the American DVD market; Aniplex went to court over Kiba; Anime Sols and Daisuki tried to move the locus of power away from America and back to Japan; piracy and torrenting became hot-button issues; anime experimented with stereoscopic vision (Cyborg 009), crowd-funding (Kick-Heart), cellphone distribution (Today’s Aska Show) and “4D” cinema events (Hatsune Miku Live Party). Meanwhile, anime's sense of its own history continued not only to reframe the past, with the rediscovery of A Mole’s Adventure, but also to fret about the future, with the retirement of Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli).

If you ever wanted to know a lot of about anime series, ova and films this is the book for you. Often called The Anime Bible, The Anime Encyclopedia has seen it's 3rd revision. The revision updates from the very beginning of anime to the year 2013. Yes otakus your favorite shows like Sword Art Online and Highschool of The Dead are included in this revision. This entry not only gives the full synopsis and details of anime ranging from A to Z. It also gives you thematic entries covering various genre's from Hentai to sports anime and more. This section is great because it gives a history on each genre and how it started in anime. In addition each anime hyperlinks for those with tablets to get more information on the animation. I found this encyclopedia very useful when it came to old school anime. If you're like me and love the old school anime it's a great tool to look up titles you may have missed. The book is insightful, very detail and packs a punch. 

Final Grade A+/9.5

Lenni Reviews: Soda Pop Soldier by Nick Cole

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In this dystopian future, companies hire gamers to battle it out for the rights to advertising space. After my initial hesitation and brief fit of hysteriucal laughter at the thought of eHarmony, Match.com, Christian Mingle, and Farmers Only battling out in a cage match for the right to inundate us with their insipid nonsense (Three-way battle between Papa Johns, Little Caesars, and Dominos? Would CiCi's buffet be an unexpected challenger? Man, I laughed for DAYS!), I started this book with a bit of guilt that I'm not a huge gamer and a healthy load of disbelief this concept would be pulled off in an enjoyable way.

The book is written well. You follow professional gamer PerfectQuestion as he struggles to win for his company, broke, cheating girlfriend, drinking a lot, and at the end of his rope; willing to join an illegal online gaming universe referred to as the Black. Things get out of hand and the online battle for his life spreads into the real world.

By no means is this a 'bad book.' Nick Cole has the writing chops to pull off the gaming action and PerfectQuestion's desperation, so the reading is nice and smooth. Cole's work reminds me of Jeff Somers' work (but Cole is MUCH less depressing). My only complaint perhaps would be it's 100+ pages in before PerfectQuestion is directly threatened. It was cool and all to see PerfectQuestion in action and get to know how his job works and how sick and twisted the Black is, but it seemed to me our protagonist should have met with the main conflict sooner.

Although, I certainly wasn't bored. I was pulled right into the world and loved every second. My hands were twiching for controller buttons and the descriptions left me fiending for some playtime with my consoles. I truly cared about PerfectQuestion, even without knowing his name. I clicked instantly with what Cole is saying about what the anonymity of being online does to people's behavior and how easily the consequences of that behavior can leak into your offline life. I had fun reading this; it was an unexpectedly enjoyable romp. If you're into tech heavy scifi, first person shooters, and the trials of just a normal guy trying to survive, I think you'll enjoy this book.

Can't get enough of Lenni's writing? See more here.

Make Comic Books Like The Pros By Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente (Book Review)

"Make Comic Books Like The Pros" is a guide for any inspiring writer, wanting to learn how to write the style of comic books. Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente give enough information in this 84 pages to get you started. The book has a total of six chapters which covers basic story structure, putting your ideals on panels, building a team and even how to pitch your comic book.

One thing I found the most useful is the proper way to write a script. There is many ways to write a script but Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente give a very easy breakdown on how to write one. Everything is discussed from adding sound effects, formating the actual page and a breakdown of terminology. I also found helpful that the book takes time to describe to each job and role. Did you ever want to know the role of the inker, colorist and what it takes? It is explain in this book. The book is easy to read and the pacing of the writing keeps you reading till the end. One more honorable mention is the book explains a breakdown of cost for an indie publisher. The steps it might cost to get the book made, publish and even staff inquiry. In addition the amount of money you might make from sales is very helpful. Overall if you're looking for a guide to write comic books this book does very well. It's a quick read but it hits all the important points and information.

Final Grade: B+/8.5