Showing posts with label humour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humour. Show all posts

Thursday 21 April 2016

Comics Wrap Up - This Ain't a Scene

Film Trailers


So many the teaser trailers for Captain America: Civil War this week guys! SO. MANY. THE TRAILERS.








OK, the people in the next one with the punching and the kicking and the weapons?

STOP HURTING MY BUCKY BEAR!!!!!






Graphic Novels
This week I reviewed Blood Stain, Vol 1 (UK - US) by Linda Šejić.

Dudes, I cannot explain fully in this brief wrap-up the degree of the rockitude of this graphic novel. You'll have to go read my review.

And Linda Šejić? A very cool person, who was totally classy when I accidentally shared the wrong link to Twitter. (I should not be permitted online before coffee. It just doesn't end well.)










I also read and reviewed Echoes (UK - US) by Joshua Hale Fialkov. Creepy, cool, and black-and-white, you can check out my review here.



I read Luna the Vampire, Volume 1: Grumpy Space (UK - US) by Yasmin Sheikh - an uber-wacky set of adventures about a vampire who lives in space. As you do.
My review for Luna the Vampire will probably be up within the next week or so.


Other Stuff
Came across this weird little faux-documentary trailer thingummy as promo for X-Men: Age of Apocalypse:





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AND GERARD WAY HAS A DC IMPRINT!!!!!

THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!

Gerard Way's DC imprint is Young Animal. And it looks pretty damned cool.




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This week I also spent far too long watching spoofs of superhero movie trailers.

Here're two of my favourites from ArtSpear Entertainment (adult humour, gore, swearing, etc...)









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Wednesday 2 March 2016

Review (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen

Adulthood is a Myth Sarah AndersenTitle: Adulthood is a Myth: A Sarah's Scribbles Collection.

Author: Sarah Andersen.

Genre: Graphic Novel, Humour.

Release Date: 8 March 2016.

Amazon: UK - USA.



A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

I thought that I didn't know anything about 'Sarah's Scribbles' - but then I started to read Adulthood is a Myth (UK - USA), and realised I had seen so many of these cartoons before!


Premise:

A collection of 'Sarah's Scribbles' cartoons showing the funny side of modern life and that adulthood is, in fact, a myth.

Best bits:

I related to so much in this collection that it actually started to worry me. This sums up the life of a female millennial - from problems with bra-straps to the thoughts of introverts, and the comfort of books and pets.

I guarantee that if you spend much time on Pinterest, Tumblr, or Facebook, you will have seen more than a few of these cartoons - and laughed. I'm pretty sure you'll laugh even harder on the re-reading.

The drawing style is cute and slightly derpy in that internet-y meme-ish way (that sentence was close to English... but I'm not entirely sure it counts.) It's endearing, but manages to avoid creeping into the 'annoying' zone.


Not so great bits:

Maybe this could've been made better by arranging it thematically...? It just felt a little jumpy, and as a lot of the cartoons were on the same themes and topics, it just felt a bit silly that they weren't grouped together.


Verdict:

This book made me literally laugh out loud. Relatable, fun, wry, and oh-so true, anyone who feels that adulthood is a mystery will love it.






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Tuesday 9 February 2016

Review (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Grumpy Cat Volume 1

Grumpy Cat vol 1 coverTitle: Grumpy Cat Volume 1.

Author: Ben McCool, Royal McGraw, Elliott Serrano, Ben Fisher.
Contributors: Steve Uy, Ken Haeser, Tavis Maiden, Agnes Garbowska.

Genre: Graphic Novels, Kids, Humour, Media Tie-In.

Series: The Misadventures of Grumpy Cat and Pokey! (#1-3.)

Release Date: 16 Feb 2016.

Amazon: UK - USA




A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.
It's Grumpy Cat! When I had the opportunity to review this, I just had to. I love kitties, and I love Grumpy Cat with her cute little face.
This is a comic compilation of The Misadventures of Grumpy Cat and Pokey (#1-3) which have several stories in each issue.


Premise:

Grumpy Cat just wants the chance to sleep, eat, and scratch things. Pokey and the dog insist she do something else with her day!


Best bits:

The artwork here is really cute - and the stories are the correct blend of cute, sarcastic, and funny.
The characterisation reminds me a lot of Garfield - which is by no means a bad thing, far from it.
I also love that the dog just wanders around saying, 'Good Dog!'


Not so great bits:

Some of the stories were just a little forced - no more so than many other kid-friendly comics, but I noticed it in one or two.
It probably goes without saying, but if you don't like Grumpy Cat, this isn't the book for you.


Verdict:

A cute and fun compendium that made me smile more than once and is suitable for kids. I love Grumpy.






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Wednesday 30 December 2015

Review! (Woohoo!) - The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams

the boy in the dress book coverTitle: The Boy in the Dress.

Author: David Walliams .

Genre: Kids, Humour.

A few starting notes:

I saw the BBC adaptation of the Boy in the Dress last year, so took my chance to borrow the eBook from the Welsh libraries service.
 
This is suitable for ages 9 or 10 up, maybe a little younger, or a little older, depending on what kid is actually doing the reading.
 
Premise:

Dennis is your normal 12-year-old boy living a normal, boring, life. Except, inside, Dennis is a bit different. But who's going to accept a 12-year-old boy in a dress?

Best bits:

I'm not entirely sure this could be more British unless the cover featured a bulldog drinking tea. This is just amazingly British - particularly in terms of humour - not surprising, I suppose, when it comes to David Walliams.
 
In the tradition of the legend of children's writing, Roald Dahl, Walliams doesn't speak down to kids and/or readers. He's along for the ride, down to taking a moment to look up details of football (soccer to the Yanks.)
 
The kids are going to love the gross bits - all the snot and the farting is like catnip to 10-year-olds. And Walliams manages to keep the balance and not go too far with the icky stuff.
 
Of course, mention must be made of the fantastic pencil-scratch-style illustrations of Quentin Blake, who was Roald Dahl's primary illustrator for many years.

Not so great bits:

There's very little to argue against with this book - although I can see how more conservative readers may be put off by the premise of a boy in a dress.
 
There's occasional use of the slightly-homophobic slang insult 'woofter,' which may insult some people.
 
Verdict:

I really did love this book; it was fun, entertaining, engaging, and genuinely good-hearted and well-written. I would recommend this to pretty much anyone.


Friday 16 October 2015

Friday Fics Fix! - In Which the Avengers are Exposed to Crack (Not the Drug)

fanfiction
A couple of funny Avengers fics for you this week my lovely people. This is what is commonly referred to as crack fic (as in, 'What the hell? How did you think of that? You must've been on crack when you thought that up!') although sometimes it's just referred to as humour (for example, by site admins, who rarely use the demented slang that fangirls/boys come up with.) Enjoy the randomness.

Captain America Popsicles by TheMajesticLoki - this is where Tony finds out that they sell Captain America Popsicles (which I think are ice lollies... why must America rename everything?) or, as Tony likes to call them, Capsicles. This is worth the read just for the off-colour adult humour (no under-18s, don't do drugs, stay in school, etc....)

Baby diapers and Captain America dolls by HazelRose555 - this is domestic-bliss Superhusbands/Stony (in which Tony Stark and Captain America are together in a very romantic capacity) with a little Clintasha (Hawkeye and Black Widow) thrown in on the side. There's the usual mix of spelling and grammar issues here, but the sheer randomness (and Steve Rogers' whining) makes this worth the while.

Thursday 20 August 2015

Reviewing the Evidence - Diary of a Wimpy Vampire: Prince of Dorkness

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Vampire: Prince of Dorkness (US Link)
Author: Tim Collins
Genre: humour, paranormal, vampire, ya
Series: Wimpy Vampire (#2)

A few starting notes:

This is the sequel to the funny and entertaining 'Diary of a Wimpy Vampire' - since I enjoyed the last one, I decided to give the second book a go. As it's a sequel I'll go by my general rule of thumb for reviewing sequels - the blurb dictates the level of spoilerage for previous books. This means that the only plot details for previous books that I divulge are of the same nature as those found in the blurb for this book - it just seems fair to me.

Premise:

Nigel Mullett, the wimpy vampire, records a second year of life as the undead. Things are never plain-sailing when it comes to being stuck at the awkward age of 15; no matter how long you've been in school for, it all comes around again. And there's his barmy family, girls, and weird school-mates to deal with - nothing is ever easy.

Best bits:

This has the same tongue-in-cheek humour as the first book, focussing on the melodramas of teenage life, which don't go away simply because you're undead. The tone is great because Nigel is so grimly serious about the most ridiculous of things.

I personally really liked the addition, in this book, of the topic of vampire romances - which Nigel even tries his hand it! It's that sly, satirical humour that Brits do so very well, and made me smile.

The book is quick and readable, with funny cartoon-like illustrations and a diary format that splits the entire thing into short sections. Again, if you have one of those bizarre creatures, a tween or teenage boy, to force books into, it might be worth sticking the wimpy vampire series under their nose nonchalantly - might work, you never know.

Not so great bits:

I did find some parts - relating to new school-mate Jason in particular - quite predictable, but then I live on a constant diet of paranormal novels, so might have warped my brain to the point where nothing really surprises me anymore.

I can't help but feel like there's more potential for hilarity in Nigel's family, and his long past, than Mr Collins has unlocked. An opportunity missed perhaps.

Verdict:

This is fun and funny - a light-hearted take on the vampire craze that made me smile at more than one off-hand comment. Might even tempt the reluctant reader.

Tuesday 23 June 2015

Reviewing the Evidence Time! - Diary of a Wimpy Vampire

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Vampire (US Link)
Author: Tim Collins
Genre: ya, paranormal, humour, vampire
Series: Wimpy Vampire

A few starting notes:

This looked fairly entertaining, and I'm a sucker for vampires (pun only slightly intended.) So I figured, why not give it a try? It's very much aimed at the teenage/ya market.

Premise:

Nigel is a vampire. Vampire's are always romantic and sexy and all that cool stuff - but not Nigel. Nigel had the misfortune of being turned at the awkward age of 15, just in time for an eternity of homework, acne, school politics, and being awkward around girls. So, will Nigel ever reach his target of getting his first ever girlfriend before his 100th birthday?

Best bits:

This book is fun. Like fun. Think of all the diary-form teenage books there have been over the years. Then add an awkward teenage vampire - see? Fun.

The pictures are actually a really fun touch - like something that a teenager would actually use to try and illustrate their hyperbolically serious diary. And I love Nigel's parents; they are, quite awesomely, mental.

The tone and pace of this book is quick and light, making it perfect for reluctant readers (you may even be able to trick the dreaded challenge of the teenage boy into reading it - though I can't guarantee it.)

Not so great bits:

Sometimes the plot has a slight tendency to feel on the thin-side. This isn't too much of a problem because the tone is so light, but it can occasionally get irritating.

There are some light references to issues that might affect teenagers - poverty, self-harm, suicide, anorexia, bullying - but these aren't laid on too thickly so the majority of young readers will be able to cope.

Verdict:

A fun and quick read with an awesome and quirky premise. Perfect for reluctant readers, or just those who like something different every now and then.