Welcome to September! How is it this late in the year?! Schools in full swing, leaves are turning… oh, wait that’s only in Alaska but you get where I’m going.
This month I review nothing but graphic novels. I’ve been excited to share all of these with you and hope you find something you love in this month’s collection. OH! And everyone of these are available on Hoopla, a free service through your library. EVEN BETTER, right?
Let’s jump in with some hobo’s looking for a mythic land and end in Fairyland.
ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN Vol. 1
By Kyle Starks and Chris Schweitzer
Jackson and Hollywood Slim (but he lived in Pomona) are hobos. Slim because he has had nothing but bad luck in his life and Jackson because he’s trying to find Rock Candy Mountain. “From the song?” Yes. Hobos are NOT to be confused with tramps as tramps, “travel but don’t work” and give hobos a bad name. Riding the rails is hard work especially when the devil is after you, you make enemies with a rich hobo, and you just want to see your family.
RCM is filled with gut laughs, heart, and intrigue. Why is Jackson risking his life to get to a place in a song? Why is the devil after him? Why is he gathering up help along the way? Why is Slim such a baby?
I’m definitely finishing this series out. The art is fun and quirky as well. All of this adds up to awesome in my book.
A HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND 5/5.
Amazon.com: Rock Candy Mountain Volume 1: 9781534303171: Starks, Kyle, Starks, Kyle, Schweizer, Chris: Books
ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN Vol. 2
By Kyle Starks and Chris Schweitzer
We continue riding the rails and this time we learn a bit more about the characters and their need to experience life a bit more. Jackson’s story is one of the saddest ones and it will stay with you for a long time to come.
While this one is less humor filled, the heart is amped up 10x. And honestly, I liked that. Sucker me in with laughs and keep me for the connection to the characters. Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of giggle worthy moments but it is so much more.
Overall, this is a definite win. Starks is so clever with his writing, and I’m obsessed.
A HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND for the whole series. 5/5.
Amazon.com: Rock Candy Mountain Vol. 2 eBook : Starks, Kyle, Starks, Kyle, Starks, Kyle: Kindle Store
I HATE FAIRYLAND BOOK 1
By Skottie Young
Gertrude is an adorable, green haired seven-year-old who wishes she could go somewhere else. Well, does she ever. She drops into Fairyland and is given a quest to find the key to get her back to her real life. The problem is, she sucks at finding the key.
Twenty-seven years later, she and her sidekick, Larringon Wentsworth III, a fly of sorts, they are still searching. She has to battle monsters including Claudia, the Queen of Fairyland, when she allows another human to search for the key, too.
I HATE FAIRYLAND is absolutely amazing. The artistry is bright, engaging, and bloody as hell. If Gertrude isn’t killing, she’s traveling to kill something or someone. This may be one of the more violent graphic novels I have read but also one of the more belly laugh filled.
I’m moving on to Book 2 with the hopes that Gertrude finally makes her way back to reality but with her luck, I’m not holding my breath.
A HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND 5/5.
Amazon.com: I Hate Fairyland: Book One eBook : Young, Skottie, Young, Skottie, Young, Skottie: Kindle Store
I HATE FAIRYLAND BOOK 2
By Skottie Young
Continuing the quest for the key, things get a bit more… bloody and deadly in this ten-issue collection. We learn about Larringon’s past, what Hell would be like as Gertrude, and more with Duncan the Dragon. Everything culminates when an old foe of Gertie’s is resurrected by Horribella, the witch. Things only go from bad to worse.
The second and last book of the series really ties up the loose ends while keeping the pace of the first book. While much less bloody (I say that lightly because there is still a shit ton of blood), the story takes so many twists and turns the reader is on a rollercoaster of epic proportions.
The entire series is stellar and so well done. I’m finding myself a Skottie Young fan and I’m not upset about it.
This and the full series is a HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND 5/5.
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