Review: Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Slayer, Interrupted

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Slayer, Interrupted by Scott Lobdell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've already read the first Buffy Omnibus series book that features these comics volumes; however, I wanted to read this collection to focus on the part of Buffy's narrative in which she goes to the mental hospital after her (mis)adventures with Pike and Dawn reading her diary. To me, these volumes made interesting statements about the power of imagination and metaphor as shown in the Buffyverse. (Ex: blood = family, vampires = peers, high school = Hell, slaying = ending youth). I was also fascinated by the Alice in Wonderland scene, as I haven't seen the film in years but remember it well. I'll leave it there for now, as I have writing ideas about this volume, but I found it fascinating.

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Review: Ms. Marvel, Vol. 7: Damage Per Second

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 7: Damage Per Second by G. Willow Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kamala Khan is facing the aftermath of tragic events in New Jersey and trying to reconnect after her time in Pakistan with extended family. In this volume, she is trying to encourage more people to go out and vote, in hopes that more people will choose the less high profile, but more qualified candidate, rather than the two frontrunners who lack integrity. In the meantime, a cyberbully has infiltrated Ms. Marvel's Battlecraft universe, and she must stop it, before this cyberbully hurts those close to her or forces Ms. Marvel into an act that goes against her principles. In the meantime, we get a glimpse of Bruno's new life in Wakanda, as he tries to make new friends and gain confidence after his severe accident. I was so excited about the next volume that came out today, I went ahead and ordered it with the Amazon gift certificate my parents got me for Christmas! The new Ms. Marvel continues to thrive as the character continues to grow, and as Brene Brown would say, brave her own wilderness.

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Review: Angel & Faith: Daddy Issues

Angel & Faith: Daddy Issues by Christos Gage
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was definitely a fun read, and it's interesting to see how Angel's and Faith's friendship evolves over time. Initially, Faith came on board to help Angel, but he ends up helping her as well. There are times when I'd like to see Faith stand her ground more with Angel, but nonetheless, she proves to be a steady and level-headed force in his life. I love how Faith realizes that even though she has unresolved issues with her father, she now has a choice in how she writes her own life story.
Spoiler alert: I loved seeing another side of Dru in this volume, and Willow, one of my very favorite Buffyverse characters, makes an appearance at the end! I therefore look forward to see how Willow's appearance will play a part in the narrative.

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Review: Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 1/2 stars really. I loved the storyline, and I could relate to both Aza and her best friend Daisy, for different reasons. This book is about a teenage girl who struggles with anxiety and OCD, and I think in many ways, she's a female version of the author himself, based on hearing him speak several times. The part of the book I most connected with is the friendship between Aza and Daisy. These two women have tension between them, just like any relationship where the investment level is high. But they have staying power when their romantic/dating relationships don't work out, and they stick by each other. I loved how Daisy uses fanfic to both convey her love for Star Wars and to cope with challenging aspects of her life. I love how Aza realizes that although her anxiety and issues are not her fault, she needs to learn to be more in tuned to people, including her best friend.
I could definitely relate to the romantic chemistry between Davis, although I do think this is the part of the book that could have been developed more. Davis's poetry and blogs helped me to understand him better, but I wanted more, in terms of their feelings for each other and why they connected. That said, I appreciated his patience with Aza and also his dedication to his younger brother. The mystery element behind Davis's father's disappearance added an intriguing conspiracy theory aspect to the novel.
Overall, to be honest, this was not my favorite of John Green's novels, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I appreciated the laugh out loud humor, as always, and Aza's quest for self-understanding.

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Review: Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I definitely loved this book! I read it for personal reasons, but I also found myself engaged in it as a qualitative researcher who is passionate about ethnography. The idea of "collective assembly" (p. 130) I believe is so indicative of why I and many of my friends are drawn to fandom. During CONS and other fandom events, people of all walks of life are able to put political and other differences aside and come together to celebrate a book, television show, novel, or other form of media that we all love so much. In a sense, we are bonding over this collective joy. I can't help wondering if we talked more about our beloved fandoms, both in person and online, and less about politics, then would our country be less politically divided? Perhaps the answer to this question is both yes and no, but it's one I want to continue to explore.
All of that said, I loved the reminder to both seek out community and stay true to oneself. Standing one's ground can be hard when one belongs to many different groups and subcultures of people, including ones that, on a surface level, seem to contradict one another. I think I have that in common with Brene Brown, among other things. I am a Unitarian Spiritualist, politically liberal feminist scholar, writer, and teacher, and I believe those sides of my identity overlap pretty well. Yet I am also a southerner who loves tailgating on UGA football Saturdays, who prays, who has two fairly visible tattoos, who is active in fandom communities, who reads comics and Young Adult Literature novels, who plays with her baby nephew, who loves going to Star Wars movies, who plays Harry Potter trivia on occasion, and who teaches English at an academically rigorous private school affiliated with the PCUSA church. All of these aspects of who I am shape me, and I'm proud of them.
People who don't know me as well probably don't see how those sides of myself overlap. But I've realized that the people who really know me get that I am passionate about community building and family as well as literacy practices and the arts, and that's why all of these aspects of who I am overlap, even though some are seemingly contradictory. Some people don't understand me because of these different sides of myself, but Brene has helped me to see that it's okay, because being authentic is important, although hard at times. Yet so long as our decisions are based in love, in the long run, we will be accepted by ourselves and for those who love us the most.

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Review: Angel: Season Six, Volume 1

Angel: Season Six, Volume 1 by Joss Whedon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Spoiler Alert: Please only read if you've watched the show!
Overall, I was impressed with this book. The art work was amazing, and it was nice to see the return of some of my favorites from the show, whether in human or supernatural form: Angel, Spike, Cordelia, Connor, Gunn, and Wesley, specifically. I thought some characters could have been either fleshed out a little bit more or just left out, such as the female werewolf who was Angel's former love interest. But I liked how the beginning of the Volume gave accounts of LA being taken over by Hell from the following accounts: civilians, Connor, Spike, Wesley, and Gunn. It made reading Spike: After the Fall Volumes 1-4 and Angel: After the Fall Volumes 1-13 less confusing. Spike: After the Fall gave me more insight into Spike and helped me appreciate his character more, as I've always been "Team Angel." I always thought Connor's end to the show was a bit abrupt, so I was glad to see him come back and his relationship with Angel rekindled. Gunn becoming a Vamp was unexpected, but I can see why the writers took it in that direction. It seems like interesting retribution after the role he played in Fred's death/disappearance, even though he didn't mean to. I liked Wesley as a ghost, although I think they could have dug deeper into that one. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with great artwork and compelling internal dialogue. I look forward to the Angel: Season 7 comic.

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