Graphic Novel Review: Fever Moon by Karen Marie Moning

Fever Moon: The Fear Dorcha

by Karen Marie Moning

Al Rio (Artist), David Lawrence (Scripter), Cliff Richards (Illustrations)
 ★★★★
An all-new Mac & Barrons story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning, marvelously adapted into a full-color graphic novel by writer David Lawrence and illustrator Al Rio

In Fever Moon, we meet the most ancient and deadly Unseelie ever created, the Fear Dorcha. For eons, he’s traveled worlds with the Unseelie king, leaving behind him a path of mutilation and destruction. Now he’s hunting Dublin, and no one Mac loves is safe.

Dublin is a war zone. The walls between humans and Fae are down. A third of the world’s population is dead and chaos reigns. Imprisoned over half a million years ago, the Unseelie are free and each one Mac meets is worse than the last. Human weapons don’t stand a chance against them.

With a blood moon hanging low over the city, something dark and sinister begins to hunt the streets of Temple Bar, choosing its victims by targeting those closest to Mac. Armed only with the Spear of Destiny and Jericho Barrons, she must face her most terrifying enemy yet.

REVIEW:

I am a huge fan of Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series, I mean just look at my avi. She's wearing a Mac Halo. But when I heard about Fever Moon being a graphic novel I was a little on the fence about reading it. Why? Because I didn’t want a face to Jericho Barrons. I knew that no matter how good the artwork would be that he would not fit my picture. And I was right.

Yes the artwork is awesome but is it how I pictured Mac, JZB or even Danni… NO. I had to get over that and just dig into the story itself.

Fever Moon is not my 1st graphic novel. I’ve read a few Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Anita Blake and I liked them. But if you have never read one before you might be a little put off. But if you are a Fever fan you should at least take a look at it in your local bookstore. Would you miss anything by not reading it? No I don’t believe so but it was a nice side story to Shadowfever. It gave me the JZB fix was I looking for and it’s made me want to re-read the whole series all over again.

Part of:

Graphic Novel REVIEW: Wolves at the Gate

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 #3)
by Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty
Paperback, 136 pages
Published November 15th 2008 by Dark Horse
RATING:
Vampires that, at will, can transform into wolves, panthers, insects, or fog invade the Slayer base of operations in northern Scotland, and not only walk away unscathed, but in possession of Buffy's scythe, the symbol of Slayer power worldwide. Buffy and the Slayer-legion travel to Tokyo in order to learn more about their dangerous new foes, as Xander journeys to Transylvania to solicit the only person they've ever known to possess such power - Dracula!



REVIEW:

Blah.

Much like the TV show every once in a while there is a stinker in the pile and this volume wasn't as good as the others.

We get to see another side to Buffy's love life in this one and that might have a little to do with why I didn't care too much for it. When I told my husband that I was ready to drop this series he said stay with it (he has read them all already) that it's really good.

Dracula is back in this one. For those of you that has seen the show you know about how Dracula turned Xander into his Redfield. Apparently after the end of season 7 (the actual end of the TV show) Xander spent a little time with Dracula and they became buddies.

I'll read another one or two volumes before I drop this series. They are written as season 8 of the show but it just doesn't have the same feel to me.

BUY:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Graphic Novel REVIEW: The Laughing Corpse Vol. 1

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse, Volume 1: Animator
by Laurell K. Hamilton, Ron Lim (Illustrator)
Buy: Amazon / B&N / Book Depo
Rating:
Anita Blake is back in the second volume of Marvel's comic adaptation of Laurell K. Hamilton's bestselling series of novels! What would you do for a million dollars? Would you resurrect a two-and-one-half-century old corpse? Harold Gaynor poses just that question to Animator and part-time vampire hunter, Anita Blake... Plus, some crime scenes are even too horrible for a vampire slayer, and the worse they are, the more questions they raise. Collects Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse - Book One #1-5.

REVIEW:


I really enjoyed the early Anita Blake novels so I'm reliving them through the graphic novels. The story is the same as the book for The Laughing Corpse but the artwork makes the characters come to live in a new way for me.

While reading the books I never really pictured the gory scenes in great detail so the way the artists bring to scenes to life in the graphic novel is really glory and I feel as though I'm watching a horror movie.
By Hamilton's description of Jean Claude in books, I never thought of him as sexy looking but seeing him drawn.....S E X Y. In the books I always thought of a French drag queen with all the leather and lace. But it works in this media.

I love revisiting the kiss ass Anita of the early books through the graphic novels. Here's hoping that we get to see more of her in the future books.

I recommend The Laughing Corpse to all Anita fans and fans of graphic novels that has a little gore in it. With Halloween around the corner it's perfect quick read. I've already requested that Volume 2 & 3 be ordered through my public library.



NOVEL:

If you have not read the novel the comic is based on here are a few popular covers and a summary.

                    

The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series #2)
by Laurell K. Hamilton
The novels of New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton take readers into the dangerous life of Anita Blake, animator and vampire hunter—a woman as good at raising the dead as she is at slaying the undead. Now, a creature from beyond the grave is tearing a swath of murder through St. Louis. And Anita will learn that there are some secrets better left buried—and some people better off dead...

REVIEW: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures Ultimate Collection

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures Ultimate Collection
by Laurell K. Hamilton, Jessica Ruffner, Ron Lim (Illustrator)
Pub. Date: October 2011
Publisher: Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
BUY: Amazon / B&N 
MY COPY: Library Copy
RATING:

The first novel in Laurell K. Hamilton's bestselling Anita Blake series, complete in one volume! Before there was a Buffy camping it up, before there was a Bella waiting for her savior - there was Anita Blake: a vampire-hunting heroine built to stand up to an undead threat centuries in the making. During the seventeen years since her debut, Anita's tough, no-nonsese approach has won her millions of fans and racked up tens of millions of sales in bookstores around the world! In Guilty Pleasures, you'll meet the iconic character behind Laurell K. Hamilton's series of novels that pioneered the wildly popular genre of contemporary vampire drama. An expert adaptation of Hamilton's New York Times bestselling novel ,Guilty Pleasures introduces you to Hamilton's endlessly inventive world of St. Louis, the Midwestern city that is home to a world of undead - enjoying life, liberty and the pursuit of hapiness...and protected by law! Sleek, sexy, sarcastic and with a semi-automatic full of silver slugs, Anita Blake is sometimes the only thing standing between the human populace and their undead neighbors.

REVIEW:


I've read all of the Anita Blake series (I have Hit List on my shelf but I've not gotten to it). And I've been mourning the early Anita and wanted to do a re-read of the early books. I love the artwork in the graphic novels so I decided to mix the two; artwork and the early Anita by reading Guilty Pleasures graphic novel.

The graphic novel follows the story line in the book version of Guilty Pleasures but the amazing artwork makes it even better this time around. The vampires are much scarier in the graphic novel than the book. After experiencing Anita in this media I will defiantly check out the others in the series.

I give the story a rating of 3 stars but the artwork gets 5 stars. If you are an Anita fan you should try reading her in this format.

                            
                               







I plan to request Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The First Death next at my local library.

Her fans have been asking for it - now, Laurell K. Hamilton delivers a look into Anita Blake's past! Written by Laurell K. Hamilton herself, along with Jonathon Green, The First Death takes place almost a year before the events being chronicled in Guilty Pleasures. Witness the first meeting of Anita and Jean-Claude, Anita's first time inside Guilty Pleasures, her first serial-killer case, and an early encounter with Edward. Prepare to be thrilled by this original story produced especially for comics!

REVIEW: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future For You

No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 #2)
by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, Georges Jeanty
YA: Graphic Novel
BUY: Amazon / B&N / The Book Depository
My copy: purchased used
RATING: 

Eisner award-winning writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) tackles Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight with "No Future for You." When a rogue debutant Slayer begins to use her power for evil, Giles is forced to recruit the rebellious Faith, who isn't exactly known for her good deeds. Giles offers Faith a clean slate if she can stop this snooty Slayer from wreaking total havoc - that is, if Buffy doesn't beat her to it. Georges Jeanty (The American Way) remains at the top of his game as series artist, and Whedon stays on as "Executive Producer" in this direct follow-up to Season Seven of the smash-hit TV series.

REVIEW:

No Future For You was 5 by 5.

Faith is back in this one to help Giles with a rouge slayer; something is she knows a thing or two about.

While Faith goes undercover the story line from Volume 1 continues. We get more info on Dawn's current problem.

No much to say without giving away too much. Any Buffy fan will want to check out the 8th season in this Graphic Novel series.

Next up in the series is Wolves at the Gate.

REVIEW: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Road Home

The Long Road Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 #1)
by Joss Whedon, Andy Owens, Georges Jeanty
Paperback: Graphic Novel, 136 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics (December 1, 2010)
Age Range: Young Adult
BUY: Amazon / B&N
My Copy: Borrowed from the hubby (bought at local B&N)
RATING:

Since the destruction of the Hellmouth, the Slayers - newly legion - have gotten organized and are kicking some serious undead butt. But not everything's fun and firearms, as an old enemy reappears and Dawn experiences some serious growing pains. Meanwhile, one of the "Buffy" decoy slayers is going through major pain of her own. Buffy creator Joss Whedon brings Buffy back to Dark Horse in this direct follow-up to season seven of the smash-hit TV series. The bestselling and critically acclaimed issues #1-5 are collected here for the first time, as are their covers by Jo Chen and Georges Jeanty.

REVIEW:

I love Buffy and have all the seasons on DVD. I got my husband hooked on the show back in 2001. So I was not surprised when he brought home the Graphic Novel, The Long Road Home. It took me a few weeks to sit down and read it and I'm glad I did.

The Long Road Home picks up after the end of Season 7 (tears up). We get to see all the main characters of the Scooby Gang, Willow, Xander, Giles and of course Buffy.

****SPOILER if you have not seen all the last season of Buffy ****

If you are a Buffy fan then you know that in the last couple of episodes, Willow works her voodoo and activates all the potential slayers. There are around 1500+ slayers and about 500 working with Buffy and the gang.

As the story unfolds we meet some old Sunnydale citizens that are long thought moved on or dead.

If you also watched Angel (Buffy spin-off) then you will remember the mention of Buffy living it up in Rome. We get the real story on that in this Volume 1 of Season 8.

The characters and story are just like watching the show. If you love Whedon's snarky kind of humor you will love this Graphic Novel.

My husband as ordered all the volumes and most of them have come in the mail by now. So we will be fighting each other on who gets to read Volume 2 first.

I highly recommend The Long Way Home to any Buffy fan. I am sure you will love it, like I did. Stay tuned for more reviews in the series.



Next Volume in the series:


No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 #2)
by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, Georges Jeanty


Eisner award-winning writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) tackles Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight with "No Future for You." When a rogue debutant Slayer begins to use her power for evil, Giles is forced to recruit the rebellious Faith, who isn't exactly known for her good deeds. Giles offers Faith a clean slate if she can stop this snooty Slayer from wreaking total havoc - that is, if Buffy doesn't beat her to it. Georges Jeanty (The American Way) remains at the top of his game as series artist, and Whedon stays on as "Executive Producer" in this direct follow-up to Season Seven of the smash-hit TV series.