Lois Lane: Fallout

By Gwenda Bond

Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis. An Army brat, Lois has lived all over—and seen all kinds of things. (Some of them defy explanation, like the near-disaster she witnessed in Kansas in the middle of one night.) But now her family is putting down roots in the big city, and Lois is determined to fit in. Stay quiet. Fly straight. As soon as she steps into her new high school, though, she can see it won’t be that easy. A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for another girl at school. They’re messing with her mind, somehow, via the high-tech immersive videogame they all play. Not cool. Armed with her wit and her new snazzy job as a reporter, Lois has her sights set on solving this mystery. But sometimes it’s all a bit much. Thank goodness for her maybe-more-than-a-friend, a guy she knows only by his screenname, SmallvilleGuy…

Superhero nerd that I am, I’m always willing to try out a decent sounding incarnation of a comic. I’ve never been a fan of Lois Lane. I was always a little dumbfounded why Superman/Clark Kent fell for such an abrasive and annoying woman. I mean, Superman is a symbol of pure goodness (or is supposed to be). The least annoying (and most accurate) version of Lois Lane to me was Teri Hatcher’s Lois from “Lois and Clark” and even then she felt off. I like to keep an open mind, so when this young adult version of Lois Lane’s origins popped up on my Goodreads account I was more than willing to bite.

Lois as a sixteen-year-old character was done surprisingly well. She’s a girl who has moved twice as many times as she is old, and has had to build up a thick wall of protection, and not just because her Dad is a general and makes sure his daughters know how to look out for themselves. She desperately wants friends, but not just any friends, people who ‘get’ her. She’s driven, ambitious, and she wants the truth. She wants everybody to have a fair shot.

Que a new school and a chance to help a girl who is being bullied, and Lois jumps all over it, even if it goes against her new motto of flying under the radar. The plot gets trippy as we’re introduced to futuristic tech with holograms and games that can literally change neurons in your brain to help it feel more realistic. (which I kinda wanted to play, and kinda hope never happens) Let the mind games begin. Lois, being Lois, is offered a job by none other than Perry White himself at a high school online newspaper called the Scoop, a subsidiary of the Daily Planet. Lois feels like she’s finally found her calling, and is desperately trying to help her new friends, the first friends she’s had since grade school, without them thinking she’s a complete psychopath for believing that there is ‘more out there’. Que her best friend, whom she hasn’t met IRL, and doesn’t actually know his real name: SmallvilleGuy. She meets him on a conspiracy website after witnessing the impossible one night in Kansas with her father. SmallvilleGuy believes in the impossible, and wants to help this girl who is always getting into trouble. Lois is dying to know, who is this guy really?

This was fun to read, I devoured it in about two days. It was action oriented, had a good amount of tension, a little sci-fi, and the beginnings of something *ahem* great. If you like comic books and Superman, you’ll like this modern retelling of a heroine worthy of the most iconic superhero in the world. This is the Lois Lane I can see being with the Man of Steel.

I give it a 3.75 out of 5 (though close to a 4 for the genre) 

The Quantum Prophecy 2: The Gathering

By Michael Carroll

Ten years after every superhuman vanished from the face of the earth, a new generation of heroes has emerged. Endowed with unimaginable powers, these young crime fighters are suiting up and taking on London’s worst. But heroes become targets when the secret identities of Colin, Renata, and Danny are mysteriously leaked to the press. With their names and faces on every TV station and newspaper around the world, the trio takes refuge at a secret military installation that houses and trains a new crop of superhumans. Together, the three friends join the team as a new threat surfaces in America’s heartland—one that will pit the heroes against the innocents they’re trying to protect, and every action will bring Quantum’s dark prophecy closer to fulfillment…

I read the first book in this series a few years back and was patiently waiting for the library to get the next in the series…I lost interest before they were able to acquire the book. So, I’m not sure if it was because I was still a little miffed at the wait, or if I just didn’t like this book as much, but it fell a little flat for me after my initial love for the first book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an entertaining and fun read for any superhero lover. I just wish that it was less dark. I guess my attitude toward superheroes is that they should be light, and help us feel like we too can be heroes and defeat our foes. This was more like, wow, life is horrible, I’m destined to become evil and maybe that’s good, because philosophically, there is no “good” and “evil” so what does it matter? It’s a weird vibe.

After reading this I actually opted not to read the third book because like Sam from Lord of the Rings said, “Sometimes you [don’t] want to know the end, because how can the end be happy?” Who knows, I may read it some day when I feel a little braver.

I give it a 3 out of 5

The Cloak Society

By Jeramey Kraatz

The Cloak Society: An elite organization of supervillains graced with extraordinary powers.

Ten years ago they were defeated by the Rangers of Justice and vanished without a trace. But the villains of Cloak have been biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to resurface. And twelve-year-old Alex Knight wants to be one of them.

Alex is already a junior member, and his entire universe is Cloak’s underground headquarters, hidden beneath an abandoned drive-in theater in Sterling City, Texas. While other kids his age are studying math and history, Alex is mastering his telekinetic powers and learning how to break into bank vaults. His only dream is to follow in his parents’ footsteps as one of the most feared supervillains in the world. Cloak is everything he believes in.

But on the day of his debut mission, Alex does the unthinkable: he saves the life of a young Ranger named Kirbie. Even worse…she becomes his friend. And the more time he spends with her, the more Alex wonders about the world outside of Cloak—and what, exactly, he’s been fighting for.

 

I admit, I’m partial to superhero books because you can potentially get some really awesome character stuff going on, and who doesn’t like a little superpower here and there? I mean, look at Hollywood making their millions on Marvel and DC characters! Well, this book is told from the eyes of young villain-in-training Alex Knight (if that name isn’t a giveaway I don’t know what is) that slowly comes to the realization that he really isn’t villain material, because, well, he saved the life of a hero and they become friends. He’s unwilling at first to listen to her, but becomes uneasy about the way he is treated and the plans that the Cloak has for the future…and the countless people who will die for them to achieve their plans. This is really more a coming-of-age for Alex than a story of good vs. evil, though it is that. What I liked is that, knowing this is a series, the setup was pretty good, and I was interested to see where the plot takes the young group of would-be heroes toward the end in their attempt to save the world. I really can’t give a complete review of this first book without reading the next book, but I think that it will get better as it goes and this book will be fun for kids who enjoy comic book heroes and like to read novels.

 

I give it a 3.5 for potential and fun.

Amazing Spider-man 1-40

By Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

 

Everybody knows who Spider-man is, whether it’s from the latest movie release, or if you’ve been a fan since the beginning in 1962 with the release of Amazing Fantasy. Marvel Masterworks began releasing the original comics from Stan “the man” Lee himself and the innovative art of Steve Ditko.  The first 4 volumes feature the origin story of young Peter Parker, a kid who wasn’t rich, wasn’t popular, and wasn’t without a myriad of regular every-day problems—the very things which made him a phenomenon and help him remain as one of the favorite superheroes of today.
Read along with Peter’s adventures of getting the hang of dealing with Super powers and being a teenager who gets razzed by Flash Thompson, and has to find ways to help pay the mortgage on top of fighting bizarre characters like Doctor Octopus, Molten Man, the Enforcers, and The Lizzard. How can a guy get a date with anyone when he has to worry about keeping evil at bay on a school night?


I cannot tell you how long I have wanted to read the original comic books by Stan Lee about my favorite superhero. I wasn't disappointed. Sure they're out-dated and the lines are definately from the 60's at times, and I don't understand a lot of the specific name references, but holy smokes did I have a blast! I laugh at poor Peter's problems (that was a good alliteration!) with affection and zeal as he masters the everyday problems facing your all too average teenager. All Peter wants is to have fun as Spider-man, get recognized as a hero, and maybe get a date every once in a while without spider-man butting in! Not to mention taking care of his Aunt May and the many bills to pay. I had so much fun reading about little-known villans and getting to see Spidey square off again the Human Torch and see cameos from Dr. Strange, the Fantastic Four, and the Hulk. I was totally captivated by the story I love. Stan, you really are the man! Excelcior! :)

Powerless

By Mathew Cody

When Daniel Corrigan and his family move to Noble's Green, he notices that some of the kids there seem rather odd. After one of them miraculously saves his life, they admit that they have superpowers, but that they come with a price. They will lose them, and all memory of ever having them, when they turn 13. Daniel, being the only one who doesn't have powers, becomes the one (maybe the only one) who can figure out what is happening to the powers of all the superpowered kids of Noble's Green, but what he finds will test them all to the limit.


I've been wanting to read this for ages, so it was the first book I got on my Kindle Fire (which is pretty sweet by the way). Daniel's story isn't just about superpowers, or a tribute to comic books, but it also deals with death, courage, jealousy, and feeling powerless. It's a great read for boys especially I think, perhaps for reluctant readers who like superheroes. The mystery of this story is what keeps you reading at the beginning, but it picks up the pace and then you are reading because you find yourself rooting for the super-kids and Daniel. Admitedly, this book had a fairly predictable villan, who didn't seem as developed as it could have been, but for the age group it's aimed at, it is a very good choice for elementary age kids. I really enjoyed it.

3 out of 5 stars.

Hero

By Mike Lupica

Zach Harriman thought he knew his dad. Knicks fan, ex-Harvard football star, special advisor to the President of the United States. And then Tom Harriman’s plane crashes under mysterious circumstances and everything Zach thought he knew about his father explodes with it. Now the same people who wanted his father dead want Zach very much alive. Why? Because Tom Harriman was no ordinary man. And because Zach is destined to follow in his footsteps. Starting now. As something no one even knows exists….a fourteen-year-old superhero.

This wasn't really what I was expecting, but I've never read one of Mike Lupica's books, which are mostly sport-related. I've heard nothing but good about him, it was just a little hard to get used to his style. I'm starting out negative though! I did really like the book once I got the gist of it; it was fun and an original way to do the classic comic-book superhero-like book. I even was mildly surprised at the ending, which always makes me like a book more. If you like Mike (ha ha, I rhymed!) and like superheroes, then this is a great book for you. Great fun.