omnombailey's reviews
95 reviews

Absolutely amazing. The first volume hooked me in hard and this volume kept drawing me into the abyss. Both the art and story are amazing and I can't wait to sink into more.

Iceman, Vol. 2: Absolute Zero by Sina Grace, Various

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Didn't touch as close to home as the first one, but still a thoroughly enjoyable read. Plenty of laughs to be had along with heartfelt moments.

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a book I wouldn't have chosen on my own. My mom had given this to me as a Christmas present and it turned out to be a rather inspiring read. It's based on a true legend, following two elderly ladies who are left behind by their tribe. There's a lot this little book covers in so few words, ranging from societal expectations based on gender to commentary on not judging one's potential based on their age. I really liked the camaraderie the two ladies demonstrated, intent on at least trying before they die. That alone made this a worthwhile read.

Unfortunately, this was also, at times, more of a chore to read. Not that the prose is difficult by any means, but the prose can be same-y and there's a lot "This happened. Then this happened. Also this happened. This is how they did that thing. And also this thing." Very rarely were there introspective moments - there's actually one in the middle of the book where these two just talked and it's super sentimental... and then proceeds to jump back into IKEA instructions of what happens in the wilderness and their survival strategies. I get that it's supposed to evoke actual verbal storytelling, especially with the pacing (which makes these feel like segments of a bedtime story, truth be told, and that's pretty awesome), but it doesn't always do the story favors or justice when it has to be conveyed in written form.

Regardless, this was an enjoyable, quick read.

Content Warnings

Iceman, Vol. 1: Thawing Out by Sina Grace, Alessandro Vitti, Edgar Salazar

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challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Why You Should Stop Everything You're Doing And Read Iceman Vol. 1:

Bobby Drake is witty, fabulous, gay, and very front and center about all of that.
It's written by An Actual Gay Man.
It finally gives Iceman the respect he deserves as a character and seriously elevates him from the class clown status I remember him being in earlier iterations of X-Men.
The puns. So many puns.
As a queer person, I've gotten immensely nauseated by how most queer stories are coming out stories with a thick coating of homophobia (internal and external). It's even worse when you can see between the cracks and tell these very real scenarios are just a Straight Person trying to juggle someone else's shit... and fails miserably. This story addresses these real scenarios so beautifully to the point I had to stop halfway reading to look up the writer to confirm if he was gay, because no Straight Person could write this so fucking accurately. So again, as a queer person, who is jaded as fuck by this, I cried every chapter because I knew everything Bobby was going through and everything I ever said and wanted to say was what he said. It's genuine and raw and touches close to home. And yes, trust me, there's a huge difference when An Actual Gay Man writes about A Fictional Gay Man.
Jumping off of that, A) of course Bobby has awesome, supportive friends; Johnny Storm's remark had me in stitches and B) this all highlighted what I have loved and still love about X-Men all these years: the experience of feeling Othered in a world where people hate and don't accept you. There's little room differentiating being a mutant and being gay - and then Bobby has to live with both of that.
The art is lovely and I admire how the artist didn't try to romanticize Bobby's older parents. They had wrinkles and sagging skin galore and it was really nice to see.

But seriously, I have now found something to adore and squee over now that I've the original run of Ms. Marvel, and that alone is worth praise.

Vision, Volume 2: Little Better Than a Beast by Tom King

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

The Vision, Volume 1: Little Worse Than A Man by Tom King

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

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omnombailey's reviews 95 reviews

omnombailey's reviews
95 reviews