Batman, Manhattan Projects, Plume – Graphic Novel Review Roundup

Posted in Reading/Books by Bizarre Brunette

I have been in a reading slump when it comes to books; however, I have been reading a lot of comics and graphic novels. Comics and graphic novels are easy because it has become a Saturday morning routine where I drink my coffee and read comics. I wanted to do a graphic novel roundup and write short reviews on the most recent graphic novels I finished reading: Plume, Batman: Year One, and Manhattan Projects Vol. #3

Plume Volume #1 by K. Lynn Smith

Plume originally started as a webcomic series by K. Lynn Smith. With the success of Plume, K. Lynn turned the series into published physical graphic novels. Plume follows Vesper Grey, a woman who aspires to be like her archeologist father. Vesper has a life-threatening accident and is saved by a golden man who pops out of the necklace Vesper wears around her neck. Corrick is imprisoned in the necklace, bound to protect anyone who wears it. Vesper’s father invites Vesper and Corrick on an adventure where things go awry. Vesper and Corrick have to learn to work together to survive out in the Wild West.

I like the friendship between Vesper and Corrick. I hope Vesper finds a way to free Corrick from the necklace. The first volume has a lot of buildups, which can be a bit lackluster to read. However, I think there’s enough story where I’m intrigued to continue reading the series. I rated Plume five stars on Goodreads.

Batman: Year One by Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli, Richmond Lewis, Todd Klein, and Dennis O’Neil

Matt Reeves, the director of The Batman, cited Batman: Year One as inspiration for the film. I had Batman: Year One on my graphic novel TBR for way too long, so this was the perfect excuse to finally read it.

Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after a twelve-year hiatus. Bruce knows he’s going to avenge Gotham as it’s grown into a grittier city. Harvey Dent is still an attorney, Jim Gordon just got a job at the GCPD, and corruption is at an all-time high. This feels like an origin story for Batman, but also for other notable figures in Gotham.

I liked how this isn’t an origin story, but shows Bruce Wayne/Batman’s inexperience. In this novel, Bruce is seen injured and close to being caught while he’s Batman. Besides Batman, Jim Gordon is shown standing up to corrupt cops, and how Jim is a flawed human being, even though he doesn’t take money from mobsters. Selina is just starting out and has her first run-in with Batman. Reading through this graphic novel was like re-watching The Batman. I rated Batman: Year One 4.5 stars on Goodreads.

Manhattan Projects Volume #3 by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra

Manhattan Projects is a series by Hickman and Pitarra that serves as a retelling of the Manhattan Projects. Instead of being 100% historically accurate, there are science fiction elements thrown in throughout each volume. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was an A.I, Harry S Truman led a cult, and Werner Von Braun has a rocket gun as an arm.

I like how Manhattan Projects are based on real events. For example, Harry Daghlian was a scientist who worked on the Manhattan Projects and was unfortunately killed in an accident. In this series, he’s reimagined as someone who is still alive, except his brain is enclosed in a spacesuit of radioactivity.

The only downside to the Manhattan Projects is how convoluted the story gets. It seems like there are so many side plots to keep track of. It probably doesn’t help that I go two years between reading each volume. I rated Manhattan Projects volume #3 three stars on Goodreads.

Let me know what comics or graphic novels you have read lately in the comments section down below!

28Apr2022

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – First Thoughts

Posted in Gaming by Bizarre Brunette

I had my eye on LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga since the game was announced. I’m a fan of LEGO games as I think they are relaxing to play in between something more intense. I wish I had pre-ordered this game. As it turns out, it was difficult to find a copy. I lucked out because I was able to find a last-minute copy at Best Buy on the PS4. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is an extravagant rendition of a nostalgic game.

The first thing that jumped out at me was how open-world this game is! I’m on episode #2, Attack of the Clones, and I like that I can explore Coruscant in great detail. There are bricks to collect, side missions, and characters to unlock. It seems every Star Wars planet will get this same overhaul. This goes beyond being a LEGO game. My husband walked in while I was playing through this game and laughed when he realized I was simply walking around collecting bricks and not advancing the story. I love that there is so much to do.

Speaking of collectibles, there are at least 1,000+ blue bricks to collect throughout the game. I’m a completionist, which means I like collecting everything and unlocking every single trophy. It’s going to take me forever to unlock everything, but it’s a challenge that I have accepted.

I wanted to keep this post short and sweet. Once I complete the game, I will write a more in-depth review. My first impression of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is that it’s a game well worth the money and perfect for any Star Wars fan of any age.

25Apr2022

Peepin at the Peeps Exhibit – Year #2

Posted in Life Lately by Bizarre Brunette

For Easter, I go to my husband’s family outside of Milwaukee. One of our traditions is to go see the Peeps Exhibit at the RAM (Racine Art Museum). The first year we went, my husband thought it wouldn’t be that great, but he was pleasantly surprised. This will probably be a tradition for us as each year brings new art submissions. I wanted to share a few photos from this year’s Peeps submissions.

Image is a photo of a PEEP display of Prince. There's a purple PEEP dressed as the musician, Prince. The PEEP is dressed in the purple jacket and white shirt.

Image is a photo of PEEPs painted as Spider-Men on these paper skyscraper towers. It's an art display.

Image is a photo of a PEEP dragon. Blue peeps were mashed together to form this dragon. There are pink and yellow peeps formed as scales on the dragons.

Image is a photo of the United States, but the states are PEEPs.

After completing the exhibit, you can vote for your favorite submission. The winner wins the “Golden Peep.” I voted for the Prince-inspired art while my brother-in-law voted for the Godzilla-like dragon. This exhibit is always a blast, and I can’t wait to go again next year.

19Apr2022

Obi-Wan Kenobi – Star Wars Content

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by Bizarre Brunette

May 4th 2022, is almost a month out. Every May, I like to devote the entire month to Star Wars as a way to celebrate May 4th. I only watch Star Wars content, play Star Wars video games, and read Star Wars books and comics. I haven’t fully planned out this year’s Star Wars game plan, although I still wanted to share some Star Wars media or content that I’m most hyped about.

Obi-Wan Kenobi – May 27th 2022

As a big fan of the prequels, I’m absolutely pumped for this to drop on Disney+. This series will reunite Hayden Christiansen and Ewan McGregor as the opposite ends of the force. I watched this trailer and shivered because it brought back memories of the prequels. I’m ecstatic!

Star Wars Andor – Release Date Unknown

Image is a promo image for the show, Star Wars Andor. In the O for Andor, it's the symbol for the rebel alliance.

Rogue One is another Star Wars film that I adore. It shows the tragedy of war, sacrifice, and fighting for the greater good. Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna) is a character who has suffered, and I think there’s more to him that’s worth revealing. I’m excited for this series to premiere. This is a series that has been a long time coming.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

I decided last minute that I was going to play this game. I wish I had pre-ordered it. The Deluxe copy was sold out everywhere, so I had to settle on the standard copy, which included the game only. I played LEGO Star Wars last year on my PC, and I ended up not finishing it as I don’t have a gaming computer, so I felt the game lagged at times. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga includes the new Star Wars films, but also makes this game more open-world. There are a ton of missions, collectibles, and characters to unlock. I was going to wait until May to play this, but I couldn’t resist playing it now.

I’m looking forward to next month! In a week or two, I plan on scouring through my Goodreads TBR for Star Wars books I still have left to read, along with taking a trip to my local comic book store for Star Wars comics. May the 4th be with you!

16Apr2022

Donuts and Sinkholes – Donut Country

Posted in Gaming by Bizarre Brunette

Xbox Game Pass is so worth the money. I mentioned Xbox Game Pass before, and I will keep reiterating how much I love it. There are so many games to choose from, and I like being able to try a game to see if I like it. During the week, I like playing relaxing games such as Animal Crossing or visual novel games like Coffee Talk. I don’t want to have to concentrate on something, as work at times leaves me feeling drained. One game I decided to try was Donut Country.

Donut Country is a puzzle physics game in which players play as a sinkhole that will suck up various buildings, animals, and people in this town. The story follows Mira, who, along with her raccoon friend, BK, works at the local donut shop. BK started doing donut deliveries to save for a remote-controlled helicopter. Mira learns that instead of donut deliveries, sinkholes have been dispatched and are sinking various residents. BK realizes that something is amiss as he doesn’t want to sink the town; he only wants his helicopter. How will Mira and BK revert the town to the way it was before the sinkholes?

The gameplay in Donut Country is where the game thrives. I had a lot of fun maneuvering this sinkhole around. Since some of the objects are larger, the sinkhole has to be appropriately placed to complete a level and capture the objects. Some levels have a puzzle component where certain levers have to be pulled, and objects are catapulted out of the sinkhole to complete the level. I liked the puzzle aspect of the game as I think it added a layer of complexity to the levels. Besides the puzzle aspect, I liked the graphics. They were cute, colorful, and had their own memorable art style. The town takes inspiration from LA. The boss level is similar to the Griffith Observatory which I have been to before! I thought it was a nice touch to see where the game draws its inspiration from.

The only downside I can think of to the game is the story. The story at times felt a bit convoluted. I’m still not sure where the sinkholes came from. It’s revealed who summons the sinkholes, but I’m not following how they randomly popped up. I think the point of the game is to be unrealistic, so I think it’s worth suspending some disbelief while playing Donut Country.

Donut Country was an entertaining and relaxing game to play. I probably wouldn’t have played this game had it not been on Xbox Game Pass. Donut Country is available on Xbox Game Pass.

13Apr2022

Southern Charm – Charleston and Savannah

Posted in Life Lately by Bizarre Brunette

In the last post of my Virginia/Carolinas road trip, I’m going to focus on Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. Charleston was our main destination and where we spent the majority of our trip. Savannah was our last stop since Savannah is only a two-hour drive from Charleston. This part of the US is stunning. Both cities strike the perfect balance, featuring Southern charm rich with history.

Image is a photo of a park in Charleston South Carolina. There's a dirt path and in the middle of the path is a black lantern. As characterized by the south, there are those weeping willows with branches hanging low to the ground. — Downtown Charleston – an beautiful park area.

Our first day in Charleston was spent walking around downtown. Charleston has so many parks. Each park seems to have a historic statue, and the hanging moss trees are often seen in the South. I could have easily brought my book and read for hours in a park. One of the tourist areas, called The Battery, is a seawall that lines the coast. Without The Battery, Charleston would be underwater, as the city is below sea level. Strolling along The Battery is the best way to see all the architecture. The houses are colorful and historically restored. My favorite part about Charleston was staying downtown, walking the parks, and eating a lot of great food.

Image is a photo of The Battery. The Battery is a stone walk way. Off to the right are brightly colored homes in bright pink, yellow with white balconies overlooking the sea. — The Battery.

Charleston is a historic city in the US. One of the historical sites my husband and I toured was Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter was attacked, which led to the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. It was a thirty-minute ferry ride, and we only had an hour on the Fort. It felt rushed as there was so much reading. I felt I had to skim a lot of it. There’s also Fort Moultrie, which played a big part in the Revolutionary War. I love going to a museum while on vacation, and Charleston has plenty.

Image is a photo of Fort Sumter from our ferry. It shows a wooden barrier and a US flag on top of Fort Sumter. It was a cloudy day that day. — Fort Sumter

After spending three days in Charleston, we drove to Savannah. Savannah is a city right along the river. Savannah is a city that has the best shopping. There were several blocks of shops with red brick sidewalks and a Gazebo in the center. There was music playing, restaurants lined the sidewalks, and various tourist activities. The first thing I wanted to do was visit the Prohibition Museum. The Prohibition Museum is downtown, and it’s one of the few museums in the US solely devoted to Prohibition.

Display of a protest against alcohol: “Bread not Beer.” “Liquor is a Curse.”

Part of the significance of the Prohibition Museum being in Savannah was that Savannah was one of the last Georgia cities resisting Prohibition. The museum featured several displays, old articles, and a video on how to make Moonshine. Included in our museum tickets was a cocktail at the Speakeasy located inside. We felt so bad because there was a huge line with only one bartender. He was awesome, and I was able to Venmo a tip. I had a Gin cocktail which was so strong! I didn’t mind because I like Gin. My husband had a Gin cocktail with champagne, so it tasted sweeter.

After the Prohibition museum, my husband and I stopped at a brewery, along with visiting a comic book store called Nerdheim. I spent about $150 on comics, and I have no shame. After comic book shopping, we strolled along the Savannah riverfront, stopping for a beer or two. Finally, we ended our day by grabbing dinner before going to bed early to begin our drive back home.

This was an amazing road trip. Driving through the Virginias and the Carolinas was one of the most scenic road trips I have ever taken. Both my husband and I want to go back to visit Charleston, West Virginia, Asheville, North Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, as we felt we could have spent more time there. For future trips, I mentioned a potential Arizona Memorial Weekend trip; however, I decided against this. My husband wants to start house hunting soon, and I want to save for a trip to Seattle for Emerald City Comic Con in August.

Have you traveled anywhere recently? Let me know in the comments below.

10Apr2022

My Road Trip Book Haul

Posted in Reading/Books by Bizarre Brunette

My favorite souvenirs I buy on vacation are postcards and books. Postcards are inexpensive, and I like to tape them into my travel journal. It reminds me of the trip and the places I visited. Besides postcards, I like to buy books. This could be at a local bookstore or at a museum. During my road trip, I bought a few books, so I wanted to share what I bought.

The Mothman Prophecies by John A. Keel

The Mothman Prophecies is a non-fiction book in which author John Keel investigates strange sightings. In 1966 and 1967, there were apparent sightings of a winged creature nicknamed Mothman. Keel writes about various supernatural theories and phenomena as to what could have contributed to the sightings.

I knew Mothman existed, but I didn’t know much else. I’m looking forward to reading this, as I think supernatural sightings are fascinating to me.

March Volume #1 by John Lewis

March by John Lewis is a graphic novel re-telling of U.S. Congressman John Lewis’s story of participating in the Civil Rights movement.

I’m happy to see more non-fiction graphic novels being published. It’s a great medium for those who aren’t big readers or are intimidated by longer books.

Last Call by Daniel O’Krent

Last Call is a non-fiction book detailing the Prohibition era in the US. Prohibition lasted from 1920 to 1933 before being repealed. Is it sad to say that I didn’t realize Prohibition lasted so long? My US history is a bit rusty, and I truly thought that it was only a year or two. Clearly, my knowledge of Prohibition isn’t high, so I’m excited to learn more about this time in history.

I’m growing more fond of reading non-fiction. I’m not sure when I will get around to tackling my growing non-fiction TBR. I’m thinking that sometime this summer, I will start fitting these books into my reading schedule.

7Apr2022

Doctor Who Fluxx

Posted in Gaming by Bizarre Brunette

I haven’t played board games in such a long time! I used to play board games regularly, whether with friends or family. Thankfully, I was able to join a family board game night last weekend. As we discussed what we should play, it was decided to give Doctor Who Fluxx a shot. I have never played a Fluxx game before trying out Doctor Who Fluxx. Doctor Who Fluxx was easy to learn and quick to play.

Image is the box for Doctor Who Fluxx. Behind the game's title is outer space in a dark purple and pink color with stars. In the front is a TARDIS which is a blue telephone booth that flies.

To win a game of Fluxx, a player must meet the goal. Different goal cards can be drawn and played, and sometimes the goal changes. Besides goal cards, there are rule cards that change the rules of that particular round. This can include increasing or decreasing maximum hand size, altering the number of cards drawn per turn, and changing the number of cards that can be played on one turn. There are keeper cards that are played in front of the table, along with action cards, which allow for shenanigans to occur.

Image is a bird's eye view of three cards from the game. From left to right the cards are - Keeper - Captain Jack Harkness, Goal I Miss Her Too Granddad, and Keeper - The 13th Doctor.

Since this was Doctor Who Fluxx, the cards are characters and themes from Doctor Who. The keeper cards could be the various doctors or companions. My personal favorite was the Ponds, as I ended up winning one round by having a Tardis and the Ponds as keepers on my board. As I was playing through Doctor Who Fluxx, it reminded me that I’m due for a Doctor Who re-watch soon.

Doctor Who Fluxx is the perfect brewery or picnic table game. It’s easy to teach someone else how to play; it’s quick, and it doesn’t take up the whole table. I’m tempted to order my copy to have on hand. Doctor Who Fluxx can be purchased at your local game store or anywhere where games are sold.

4Apr2022

Sweet Caroline – Virginia + North Carolina

Posted in Life Lately by Bizarre Brunette

Last week, I talked about West Virginia, primarily focused on the Mothman statue. I’m still in awe of how beautiful West Virginia was. For my second recap post about our road trip, I’m going to focus on Virginia and Asheville, North Carolina.

Image is a photo of an old fashioned theater called Barter Theater. On the main banner it says "The State Theater of Virginia" The building is a red brick building. There are flags at the top of the building. — Barter Theatre

Starting in Charleston, West Virginia, my husband and I began our drive the following day. When I reviewed our route, I found a small town in Virginia that I wanted to stop in. Abingdon, Virginia, is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western Virginia. I looked at pictures online, and it looked stunning. Abingdon was on the way to Asheville, North Carolina, and I knew we needed to make a few stops along the way to keep the drive from feeling long.

Image is another photo of the theater except from across the street. In the front is a statue with a fountain that's turned off, the theater is off to the right.

As we drove through Abingdon, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I needed my sunglasses because I couldn’t escape the sun. It was the best feeling. As we pulled into Abingdon, I was amazed. One of the highlights of Abingdon is the Barter Theatre. It’s a historic theatre that’s been historically preserved. There are classic plays and various festivals throughout the year. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to see a play, so we could only walk around and take pictures. There’s a small park right across the street from the theatre that we walked through. After stopping for lunch, we got back into the car to head to Asheville.

Image is a photo taken of a road from the passenger seat of a car. It shows a highway with the speed limit of 55. There is a car ahead of ours. Ahead of us are green mountains with trees on the mountains. — The picture doesn’t do North Carolina justice. It was beautiful and had lots of mountains and hills.

Asheville is in the western half of North Carolina. Asheville is known for being in the mountains and for being an artsy town. As I was looking online at what we had time to do, I saw numerous art museums, galleries, and hiking trails. As we approached Asheville, it was busy! People were walking everywhere. We thought that there was some event happening the day we stopped in Asheville. We ended up settling on an outdoor brewery where we had a pint and could enjoy the sun.

Image is a photo of me smiling at the camera. I'm wearing my sunglasses and I'm holding a pint of beer.

Asheville was another city we stopped in, where we wouldn’t hesitate to come back. It’s one of the negative parts of a road trip, as we weren’t able to spend as much time as we wanted in some of the cities we stopped in. On a positive note, I know that if I were able to make it back to Asheville, I know I would love it.

After Asheville, it was another few hours of driving time before we made it to Charleston, South Carolina. In next week’s post, I’m going to finish up my road trip blog post series with a detailed rundown of Charleston and Savannah, GA.

1Apr2022

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Crosby

Posted in Reading/Books by Bizarre Brunette

CW: violence against LGBTQIA+ folks, graphic violence, mistreatment of women

While on vacation, I make it a point to finish at least one book. I’m the type of person on vacation who enjoys downtime. If a vacation feels jam-packed, I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation. The book I chose to read was Razorblade Tears by S.A. Crosby. I heard about Razorblade Tears as it was one of the books included in the Book of the Month book box. While I’m glad I read Razorblade Tears, I’m having a hard time giving this book a rating.

Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee Jenkins are grieving. Their sons, Isiah and Derek, were brutally murdered. The police don’t seem to care, or in Ike and Buddy Lee’s eyes, they aren’t doing enough. Ike and Buddy Lee want to redeem themselves since they didn’t accept Isiah and Derek’s relationship and marriage. Their quest leads to corruption and a big reveal of irony in the South.

Razorblade Tears is a tough book to read in part because Ike and Buddy Lee are homophobic, and this book centers around their journey for revenge and acceptance. It’s difficult to see this through their eyes. While Ike and Buddy Lee were born and raised in the South, I find it difficult that they couldn’t look past their bias and accept their sons. I didn’t realize Ike and Buddy Lee would be as homophobic as this book points out. I went into this thinking that Ike and Buddy Lee had relationships with their sons, when clearly that wasn’t the case.

Despite the emotionally heavy content of the book, I think there’s a lot of interesting dialogue between Ike and Buddy Lee. Buddy Lee is a poor white man who lives in a beat-up trailer. He makes comments to Ike about how he wishes he could trade places with him. Ike is a working-class black man who points out to Buddy Lee that he is able to exist in the world differently because of the color of his skin. It’s a pull of race and class privilege and how this can impact relationships or political opinions.

Per the content warning, there is a lot of graphic violence. As mentioned, this book is centered around Isiah and Derek’s deaths. In my opinion, I think the author went into WAY too much detail about their deaths. I don’t see why that was needed. Women are also mistreated by several male characters.

While this was an emotional read, I’m glad I read this. I would heed the content warnings, as this book is tough to get through. I’m going to leave this book unrated, which is a first for me.