Another theme month ends

And so we come to the end of February.  We have covered quite a few different comics this month, some with a Valentines theme and some that tie in to LGBT History Month.

For all you old romantics we've featured a nostalgic look at the romantic past of Marvel hero Daredevil, an American High School comedy (without the rose tinted glasses) in the guise of Blue Monday, more superheroics from DC's premier supercouple in Superman: Unconventional Warfare, and lastly, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, reinterpreted into a manga comic.

For those of you interested in books with LGBT characters, we've covered a cooking manga in Antique Bakery, a webcomic called Fans where a university sci-fi club has the know how to survive in a new sci-fi world, a chapter of Neil Gaiman's long running Sandman series, and finally, our first non-webcomic book with a trans character - Halo Jones.

Remember if you want to see what other themed books we've covered, please look at the labels below this post, or click here for romance books and here for LGBT books.

Thank you all for reading, and please leave comments if you've got any feedback!

LGBT History Month presents The Ballad Of Halo Jones

written by Alan Moore
art by Ian Gibson
Publisher: Rebellion

What's It About?
“Where did she go? Out. What did she do? Everything...” That Alan Moore, he knows how to write a tagline, I'll give him that. Also billed as 2000AD's “classic feminist space opera” this book follows the adventures of one Halo Jones from the depths of the Hoop, a ghetto for the unemployed of a future Earth, and out into space. As is pointed out more than once she's no one special but on her travels she'll become involved in spectacular events and a war that defies the laws of physics.

This book collects all three serials of Alan Moore and Ian Gibson's The Ballad Of Halo Jones.

LGBT History Month presents The Sandman: A Game Of You

written by Neil Gaiman
pencils and inks by Shawn McManus
additional art by Colleen Doran and Bryan Talbot
additional inks by George Pratt, Stan Woch and Dick Giordano
colours by Danny Vozzo

What's It About?
Recently divorced, Barbie has moved to New York and now lives in a small, rundown apartment building. There she is part of a Tales Of The City-esque community of fellow renters: her best friend Wanda, secretive Thessaly, troubled couple Hazel and Foxglove and the downright creepy George. Broke and single, Barbie drifts with no particular direction in life. Its a simple life, if a trifle dull.

As a child she had a series of recurring dreams, a story that unfolded night after night. The dreams ended years ago but now they're back: the characters of her dreams have come to New York to find her. She has a world to save and there are forces out to stop her, even kill her. But is this other world real? And can you die in your dreams?

LGBT History Month presents: Fans

“We didn't ask the sky to open. We didn't ask time and space and magic to warp and crack and spit out unknown enemies... But while you were calling these enemies “impossible” and “unimaginable”, we were ready. Because we had imagined. And we can tell you now, now that you'll believe us, that the weird is real.

The future is here. The wide world yonder is capable of things you won't believe.

But don't worry. So are we.”
from Book Six: Magical Thinking

series written by T. Campbell
drawn by Jason Waltrip

The Fallen Angel Omnibus volume 0

written by Peter David
pencils by David Lopez
inks Fernando Blanco
colours by Nathan Eyring
Publisher: IDW

What's It About?
In the dark and terrible city of Bete Noire, in a booth at the back of Dolf's bar sits a woman dressed all in red, a woman people call the Fallen Angel. People come to the bar to talk to her, to tell her their problems. Sometimes she helps them, sometimes she tells them to go to hell and sometimes they wish she hadn't agreed to help them. Surrounded by a city of criminals and moral corruption the Fallen Angel is still finding her place in the world.

Fallen Angel was a series launched by DC Comics as part of an initiative to create new comics with female leads. The series was praised as inventive, creative and unpredictable... by the critics. Sadly the readers at the time weren't as willing to try something new as DC hoped and after twenty issues the series was cancelled. Years later Peter David was invited to continue the series with a new company, IDW, who have now published the full DC run for the first time ever in a handsome omnibus edition.

Valentine Reviews - Manga Shakespeare: Twelfth Night

based upon the play by William Shakespeare
adaptation by Richard Appignanesi
art by Nana Li
textual consultant Nick de Somogyi
Aublisher: Amulet Books

What's It About?
Off the coast of Illyria two twins, Viola and Sebastian, are separated following a violent shipwreck. Believing her brother dead Viola washes up on the shores of Illyria penniless and alone. Disguising herself as a boy she enters the service of the Count Orsino who proceeds to use “him” to ferry messages of love to the Countess Olivia. The countess promptly falls in love with Viola, now known as Cesario.

So, Orsino loves Olivia. Olivia, who is also being courted by Sir Andrew Aguecheek, loves Viola, believing her to be a boy. Viola loves Orsino, who also believes her to be a boy. To add spice to the situation, Olivia's servants have convinced her pompous butler the Countess is in love with him. And then Sebastian, looking identical to his disguised sister, turns up and the fun really begins...

Valentines reviews - Superman: Unconventional Warfare

Writer: Greg Rucka

Penciller: Matthew Clark, Renato Guedes, Paul Pelletier
Inker: Nelson, Edde Wagner, Andy Lanning, Rick Magyar
Colours: The Hories
Letters: Comicraft, Rob Leigh, Jared K Fletcher, Nick J. Napolitano

Publisher: DC 

What’s it about?

This book really focuses on Lois and Clark/Superman’s careers and the way in which their careers impact on their relationship.  It’s a love story between people who have the deepest respect for and devotion to each other, but who also have lives outside of each other.