Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! The meme is hosted by Reading Reality.
Read More »As I wrote last week, I’ve decided to stop buying new comics from books that I am not caught up on. So, my focus has now turned to working on reading a variety of books from my backlog. In today’s post, I’ve decided to highlight the five comic book volumes at the top of my TBR, in no particular order. These are books I’ve wanted to get caught up on and plan to spend some time with over the coming months.
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I’ve been a fan of Spider-Man for a very long time. I loved the animated cartoon from the 90’s and enjoyed all of the movies. I’ve always enjoyed his wit and humor and related to the nerdy teenage boy turned super hero story. However, I didn’t start reading Spider-Man comics until much more recently. I started picking it up towards the end of the last run in 2017. So, Spencer’s time writing the book is really all I know.
This event, Last Remains, was the culmination of a slow burn story seeded way back in 2018 with The Amazing Spider-Man (2018) #1. That issue, and many more since, hinted at a major villain pulling the strings of the things happening to Peter. I was surprised by the reveal of Kindred’s identity and am still somewhat confused on exactly how it is possible. I’m not sure if the confusion comes from something I missed about this character from previous comics or if the answers just haven’t come yet. I guess time will tell.
I enjoyed the darkness of the arc. It is not something I associate with Spider-Man when I think of the cartoons or movies. However, the things that happen to Peter in this story are terrible. It explores the idea of collateral damage from being a superhero very well. I never really stopped to think of the death and tragedy that has surrounded this character, but it seems there has been a lot, and Peter had to face it all here.
The art was really great. There are some very hair-raising scenes, and I found Kindred to be a super creepy villain. A couple scenes, in particular, have stuck with me since reading it, but talking about them would mean spoilers.
Overall, this arc was a good crescendo to the story told in this run of Spider-Man so far while also setting things up for the story of Kindred to continue. My main complaint would be the abrupt ending of the showdown between Kindred and the good guys. There was so much build-up and then it was over fairly quickly. However, I get the sense that may have been on purpose so that Kindred could move on to the next phase of his plan.
I rate this arc 4 out of 5 stars. Have you read Last Remains yet? What did you think? Are there any other Spider-Man runs that you think would help inform the events of this one? If so, let me know, and I’ll add them to my TBR.
I liked the first arc of this comic book and enjoyed the two previous iterations immensely. This arc was a bit hit or miss. It tries to provide context to some aspects of the sequel trilogy, but in doing so, it created even more questions and potentially created even larger plot holes. Although, I’m not sure whether the comic itself or the sequel trilogy is to blame for these problems; the comic largely just fills in part of the story that was implied by events in The Rise of Skywalker. While I didn’t hate the movie, it definitely left some holes in the larger story of the saga, which become even clearer after reading this comic.
In this story, the Emperor was angry with Darth Vader for the events of the previous arc and punished him by stripping away much of the machinery keeping him alive. Darth Vader had to fight for his life, and during this fight he learned some of the Emperor’s biggest secrets. The story felt somewhat like a rehash because the previous Darth Vader comics also had arcs devoted to the Emperor testing Darth Vader. At some point, repeating this story-line begins to undermine the relationship seen between the Emperor and Vader in the original trilogy. And I think this arc comes very close to crossing that line.
Despite its shortcomings, there were things to like about this story, as well. It, once again, gave an incredible look into Darth Vader’s power. I enjoyed seeing him overcome all the odds and rebuild himself from scraps. The artwork really made his struggle and his power come to life in a beautiful way. I also liked how they included some ideas from the sequel trilogy that didn’t make it into the movies.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the arc but was disappointed with how it filled in the holes left by The Rise of Skywalker. It has left me with even more questions, but I am interested to see how Darth Vader’s story moves forward from the trials he faced in these issues. Therefore, I rate this arc 3 out of 5 stars.
Have you read the Into the Fire arc? What did you think?
This month has been an absolute whirlwind. I can’t believe it is already over! The months of this year seem to be flying by quickly. Luckily, I’ve been able to find a lot of great books to enjoy this month. I’ve made significant progress toward my reading goal for this year and am on track to beat it if I can manage to keep up this same pace. We’ll see if life continues to allow it to happen. Regardless, I am excited to reflect on my reading journey from this month. So, without further ado… Here is my wrap-up for March 2021!
Master Thief/Lesser Evils by Sophie Iles/Simon Guerrier ⭐⭐⭐
These Doctor Who short audio dramas follow the Master during two of his adventures, which are tangentially connected to other outings in the Time Lord Victorious multimedia project. They are both interesting, straightforward stories that I found fun to listen to.
He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not by Carrie Thompson ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is another audio drama from the Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious crossover event. It follows the 8th Doctor as he discovers a world that is different than it should be. The theme of the story is Western, and it is a fun introduction to Brian the Ood.
Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Rising by Nick Spencer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This collection of Spider-Man comics pits the web crawler against a resurrected Sin Eater. I enjoyed reading it and found the parallels with violence extremists to be interesting.
Amazing Spider-Man: Green Goblin Returns by Nick Spencer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
These comics make up the conclusion to the Sins Rising story line. In them, Spider-Man must decide whether he is willing to let Norman Osborn be cleansed to prevent him from committing future evil acts. It is an interesting moral dilemma that is fairly well executed.
Into the Dark by Claudia Gray ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The first YA entry in the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia event was a lot of fun to read. It follows the adventures of several Jedi as they get stranded on an ancient space station after the hyperspace disaster. See the full review!
Solaris Seethes by Janet McNulty ⭐⭐
This book had the potential to be a great story. It had an interesting premise and was filled with fun adventures. It followed a group of people determined to find six crystals before they could be merged into a galaxy-dominating super-weapon. Unfortunately, the writing style was quite annoying and difficult to read. See the full review!
The Enemy of My Enemy by Tracy Ann Barnes ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This next story in the Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious event follows the 8th Doctor as he helps the Daleks broker a peace treaty with a race of people who shouldn’t exist. It was a fun story in which the Daleks were incredibly smart and ruthless. See the full review!
Doctor Who Annual 2021 by Paul Laing ⭐⭐⭐
I bought this book for the Time Lord Victorious background information, but it also has diary entries from the characters of Series 12 of Doctor Who that describe each of the episodes. It is a quick, informative read. See the full review!
Incursion by Mitchell Hogan ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved this book. It is an interesting fantasy novel with a unique magic system and great characters. It follows a young man as he attempts to pass his trials to become a Knight while grappling with the darkness rising within him. See the full review!
The Knight, The Fool, & The Dead by Steve Cole ⭐⭐⭐
The first novel in the Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious event is a fun read that follows the 10th Doctor as he faces off against the Kotturuh. Can the Doctor defeat Death? Or, more importantly, should he? See the full review!
Monstrous Beauty by Scott Gray ⭐⭐
This comic follows the 9th Doctor and Rose as they explore the Dark Times. The story is a bit rushed, and I was confused about certain aspects of the story and overall timeline. However, it does provide some background info for other parts of Time Lord Victorious. See the full review!
Genex of Halcyon by Joshua Stelling ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is a beautifully written look into the potential future of mankind. While the story lacks a clear plot and is confusing at times, the world-building and exploration of deep themes is exceptional. See the full review!
Thurmond’s Saga by Robert John MacKenzie ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thurmond is the most unlikely of heroes, but he dreams of becoming a professional adventurer. After being approached by a stranger to complete some odd tasks, he finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime. This is a fun fantasy story that I highly recommend. See the full review!
Shadow Fall by Alexander Freed ⭐⭐⭐
This second book in the Star Wars Alphabet Squadron trilogy is an improvement on the first novel. It delves deeper into the psyches of the characters and explores the impacts that war can have on a person. Full review is coming soon!
All Flesh Is Grass by Una McCormack ⭐⭐⭐
This book is the climax of the Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious event. It is filled with vampires, Daleks, and a fast-paced adventure. Full review is coming soon!
The House In the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I cannot emphasize enough how much I love this book. It follows case worker Linus Baker as he investigates an orphanage that houses children who just happen to also be magical creatures. The character work, pacing, and emotional tone of this book are all fantastic. Full review is coming soon!
Minds of Magnox by Darren Jones (Narrated by Jacob Dudman) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious audiobook follows the 10th Doctor and Brian the Ood when they land on Magnox to find answers to an important question. The Doctor thinks the Minds of Magnox can give him answers, but, as usual, things don’t go the way the doctor has planned. This audiobook is a fun adventure that provides interesting background information on Brian. Full review is coming soon!
Jairus’s Girl by L.R. Hay ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tammie is a young girl living in Israel during the time period of the life of Jesus. This book was written for children to provide a window into Jesus’s life, and it follows Tammie as she witnesses events firsthand. Full review is coming soon!
I can’t believe I read 18 books this month! I usually don’t even read that much in a year. I enjoyed a lot of good books, especially a great number of Doctor Who stories. I hope to finish Time Lord Victorious in the coming month or two. Check back tomorrow to see my reading goal for April 2021!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Leave a comment and let me know!
