Review: Karate Prom

April 17, 2024

By Dustin Cabeal

Having been a fan of Kyle Stark since Sex Castle an original graphic novel published by Image Comics; I have loosely followed about anything Kyle Starks has made. Style and humor are something that resonates with me as a reader and the places Starks takes stories to be original, interesting, and always very humorous. It is hard to find consistent writers in comics that are funny and that produce consistently funny works. That is not to say that they can never do anything other than comedic writing, but finding someone who is willing and does produce consistently funny things is a creative catch. It is something that makes you want to follow that creator more.

Seeing the words “karate” and “prom,” by Kyle Starks instantly filled me with anticipation and joy for this new graphic novel, from First Second. At its core it is shooting for a younger audience. This is not a book that is necessarily reaching out and grabbing 40-year-olds and saying read me you will find infinite amount of humor and relatable references. Instead, it is more of a story/graphic novel for tweens and teenagers. Young readers. That is the prime demographic of First Second.

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Review: Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules

August 1, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

Delilah Dirk is hands down my favorite graphic novel series. I’m always a little surprised when it returns because it just seems like a publisher would throw a mountain of cash at Tony Cliff and pull him away from this story. Thankfully, either that hasn’t happened, or more than likely Mr. Cliff would rather be working on Delilah Dirk.

I will never forget the first volume of Delilah Dirk. It was incredibly powerful in its writing, but more so in its visual storytelling. Cliff makes the writing and artwork so seamlessly that it’s easy to appreciate both. The second volume had a different tone and a different journey. It was personal, but different for our main characters. It too resonated with beauty that I struggle to find anywhere else in the world of comics. Don’t get me wrong; there are so many talented illustrators out there with varying styles and amazing talents. It’s just that seeing a setting that Cliff has illustrated is like falling in love for the first time. It moves you, hell, it makes you want to move. After reading a volume of Delilah Dirk, I’m filled with the need for adventure. To make a flying ship and set out upon the world. Cliff’s artwork calls to you in a way that no other artist I’ve found does. To say he’s masterful seems like only the beginning. He’s a once in a generation talent.

Review: Speak: The Graphic Novel

August 1, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

Never have I felt more underqualified to review a story than with Speak: The Graphic Novel. A title that leads me to believe that there’s a novel version of this story as well. I don’t know because I don’t research anything before reading it. That probably comes off as a strange thing for a reviewer to do, but its actually the best thing in the world because it’s the only way to be surprised by a story. I never read the synopsis for Speak, and I’m glad I didn’t. In fact, I would even tell you wholeheartedly not to finish this review and instead go get a copy for yourself and go in blind. It makes for a powerful reading experience.

Review: Animus

July 31, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

Where has Animus been all year? Hands down this is one of the best stories I’ve read all damn year. This is also going to be one of those reviews where I don’t tell you much about it because you should just be reading it or pre-ordering it if it’s not released by the time of this review.

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Review: The Nameless City: The Divided Earth

July 31, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

The Divided Earth is a strong finish to Faith Erin Hicks’ The Nameless City trilogy. A series that has worn its influences on its sleeve while blazing its own path. I’m sure some have looked at the story and thought, “This should be an animated series!” Maybe they’re right, but this trilogy will always feel more at home in the pages of a comic.

Review: The City on the Other Side

July 30, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

The City on the Other Side is difficult for me to review. I bring with me on every review of every story I’ve read. Which is and isn’t fair for everything I review. The City on the Other Side has a lot of similarities to other stories I’ve read. It pulls from a lot of fantasy elements to make a world that’s familiar. On the other side of things, pun intended, if this were someone’s first foray into fantasy stories, it would be interesting and exciting.

Review: All Summer Long

July 30, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

All Summer Long is not one of those slice of life, coming of age stories that anyone can pick up and enjoy. It is exclusively written for seventh and eighth graders that are entering their tween years of life. When I say exclusively, I mean it. For an adult, this book lacked a lot of emotional depth, but I didn’t hate what it was doing because somewhere, there’s a tween that’s going to read this and relate to it… not deeply or for very long, but for a fleeting moment it will resonate with them.

Review: Wires and Nerve vol. 2 – Gone Rogue

July 30, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

It took me a while to remember this series. I had to read my own review to remember what it was about and when I did… oh boy, did I question if I had actually picked this book for review. When I did remember the first volume, I took a look at the thickness of volume two and released a heavy sigh. It is almost twice the length of the first volume. I thought, “Maybe this will help the story,” but deep down, I knew it was unlikely.

Review: The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins

April 12, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

I’m not going to lie; I have a lot of envy and jealousy for this book. I originally passed on it because I was unfamiliar with the podcast that it was based on and have been burned by podcast adapted comics too many times to try again. As fate would have it though it arrived in the mail for me to read and I figured, what the hell… let’s give this a go.

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Review: Cici’s Journal: The Adventures of a Writer-in-Training

March 21, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

Once upon a time seems like a good place to start. That is who Cici’s Journal begins, and I have admittedly been staring at the screen trying to find an opening for this review. Usually, when I start a review I know the tone, be it positive or negative, I know where I stand. The only time this is a struggle is when there are numerous pluses and minuses of the work being reviewed. It leaves you trying to find a starting point because once the review gets started you trust that you’ll figure it all out. At least, that’s how I review, but I’m probably a terrible example.

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Review: Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths

March 21, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

Peter & Ernesto is exactly what you want from an all-ages story in that it can be enjoyed by a lot of people coming from different moments in their life. For someone like myself, I read almost everything, but I’m also curating my child’s reading experience at the same time. Even though my son is only two and still a bit too young for this story, it’s one that I’m looking forward to sharing with him when he’s older.

Review: Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter

March 21, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

When I saw Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter announced, my gut said I should pass on it. I didn’t because I still like to challenge myself to read things I’m not particularly drawn to or that I’ve judged without reading. Sometimes though, your gut knows you best. Because when I read the titles, looked at the cover and finished with the synopsis, my only thought was, “Sounds generic.”

Review: Star Scouts: The League of Lasers

March 21, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

I wasn’t particularly a big fan of the first volume of Star Scouts. I’m always willing to give something I don’t like a second chance because with comics you never know what can happen. I have inadvertently fallen in love with a series as I continued to read it. I have also fallen out of love with a series while being excited about it.

Review: Demon vol. 4

March 14, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

While the story of Demon has been an enjoyable one, as it went on there were less and less moments of humor. After the second volume, you can easily become numb to the violence and the gags, but the overall story is mapped so brilliantly that it's worth staying until the end. That and at its core there is a message to this story, and it’s quite unexpected.

Review: Mighty Jack and the Goblin King

July 27, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

Mighty Jack was one of the best graphic novels I read last year. I wasn’t surprised in the least that Ben Hatke already had a follow up to the series this year because he’s a machine and produces so many great stories and comics each year. It is impressive considering he writes and illustrates it all himself and the story and art never take a dip.

Review: Spinning

July 26, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

Spinning is not what I expected. I expected to get lost in the world of figure skating and to be taken back to fond memories of watching the Olympics with my mom. Either way, I expected to dive deep into the world of figure skating, and in many different ways, that’s exactly what Spinning did. Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t like to read what the book is about before reading the book. I just don’t work that way. I’ve never picked up a book, read the cover, then read the book and been like, “Jeez, I’m sure glad I read the damn cover first!”

Review: Secret Coders vol. 4 – Robots & Repeats

July 26, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

This is a hard review to write because I think what this book is ultimately trying to accomplish is great. Teaching kids about coding while also giving them an adventure is fantastic. It’s just that it’s not quite working.

Review: Cast No Shadow

July 26, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

Cast No Shadow surprised me in many ways. It wasn’t until nearly the end that I figured out where the story was going and even then, I was left with some unanswered questions, that may never be answered.

Review: Shattered Warrior

July 10, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

Shattered Warrior was a pleasant surprise to read. On the one hand, it’s fairly predictable with its story, but on the other hand… I couldn’t put it down. What Shattered Warrior does best is creating a believable world, but one with a deep history. At first glance, the story seems like it’s taking place on earth after it’s been colonized by aliens. These aliens are ruthless, and while they haven’t quite enslaved the entire planet, they have taken all their liberties and changed the social landscape of the entire planet.

Review: Spill Zone

May 2, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

Call me strange, but this book smells great. It’s why I’ll always be a print guy, I love the smell of ink and paper and let me tell you, Spill Zone smells great. I don't have anything else to follow that, but yeah... take it all in.