Xi Force series, Book 4 Triptych / S. C. Mitchell / 262 pages

Fourth book in the Xi Force series.  Maggie O'Donnell dreamed of becoming an astronaut, and instead she ends up flying the Xi Force super jet shuttling their superheroes around when needed. But when her grandmother passes away and she inherits the powers of the Irish goddess Morrigan from her, she is able to split herself in three to become the three aspects of Morrigan, the healer, the warrior, and the sorceress.  But she also inherited her ancestor’s enemy. Whenever the power is passed on the prison holding The Fae Queen Genevieve weakens and she can escape to cause havoc. As Maggie steps into an even bigger role with the super team Xi Force she also has to deal with her family’s ancient enemy who's out to destroy her and anyone close to her. Paul Tompkins is leader of Pike's rangers, the Xi Force support team. He’s required to keep Maggie in the friend zone because of his job, but her new position in Xi Force suddenly changes everything now that she’s a civilian contract and not part of the rangers. If all that’s isn’t enough when an earthquake causes cracks and crevices in the Xi Force base’s foundation it reveals that there’s some weird spaceship with aliens inside under the base. Narrated by Larry Gorman 7h 20min.

Xi Force Series, Book 3 Wylde / S. C. Mitchell / 250 pages

When Jonathan Wylde was a child his father experimented on him grafting wolf DNA into his own and treating him like an animal.  When he eventually escaped he made the wild forests his home and joined a wolf pack. Eventually he is captured again and most of his pack killed and Kayla Armstong’s stolen science for self repairing fabric is used on him. Now as the only survivor of that experiment he has super healing powers.  When Joel Weisberg tries to recruit him, he reluctantly becomes a member of the Xi Force super team and keeps to himself unless his talents are needed. Dove Locklear is a childhood friend of Jonathan’s and after being brought into Xi Force to act as a veterinarian to check over Jonathan’s pack, they reconnect.  But returning home from work one night Dove is kidnapped by an agent of Red Guard, the group Jonathan’s monster of a father is a part of, and is also responsible for his new healing powers, and she is whisked away to the secret Russian facility Jonathan was held for most of his formative years. They want her knowledge of her own father’s research as well as to help Mr. Wylde with his unethical research into splicing human and animal DNA.  If Wylde wants to save her he is going to have to go back to his worst nightmare and confront the father who experimented on him. Narrated by: Larry Gorman 7h 12min.

Xi Force Series, Book 2 Phaze / S. C. Mitchell / 254 pages

When Kayla Armstrong stayed late at the Xi Force lab one night working on herself repairing fabric project, she is attacked by an intruder intent on stealing her research to use it on humans.  In the commotion a cart of chemicals spills onto her and when the intruder points his gun at her intending to kill her she suddenly finds herself naked on Joel Weisberg’s bed. She phased through not just the floor of her lab but also her clothes.  Joel Weisberg is the leader of Xi Force a government funded organization created to keep up with advancing science and technology and especially when it has been used on humans to give them abilities. Joel likes to joke about creating his own group of superheroes and trying to find more for his team and he thinks that Kayla would be a perfect new member when she falls into his lap.  However an old enemy that killed Joel and got him brought back as a Z-bot, a human with tiny nanobot machines injected into the blood to heal and repair a person, bringing them back from the dead, affectionately called the zombie bot program until it was discontinued, comes back with new powers. She was suppose to be in prison until she escaped and the things she did to Joel and made Joel do under her control gives him nightmares, and then she kidnaps him and is holding him prisoner again and it’s up to Kayla to try to find and rescue him before he is murdered again.  Narrated by: Larry Gorman 7h 30min.

Xi Force Series, Book 1 Z-Bot / S. C. Mitchell / 254 pages

Chris Johnson never really lived until he was dead. When he decided to get his turn around and stop being such a shut-in with his programmer job and playing video games, he also decides that when he dies he wants to donate his body to science, since he has no family, little money, and few friends. He meet’s Heather Logan signs up to donate his body to her scientific research in the event of his death, he didn’t think he would to murdered less than a week later, he had really want to go out on a date with Heather.  Heather Logan’s newest research is a project she created to use nanobots to reanimate a corpse. Half robot and half something raised from the dead. She had had every intention of calling Chris back and then she finds out that he’s dead and her project brings him back, he is her first successful resuscitation. It was only intended to reanimate and create a living robot with the nanobot controlling him, she had no idea that he would actually come back from the dead and remain the same Chris. Is he truly alive, a machine, or some kind of zombie-hybrid?  And then there are people who want to steal her secret process and take her out of the picture permanently. Chris, with his new superpowers, is the only thing standing between Heather and an assassin's bullet. Narrated by: Larry Gorman 7h 20min.

My Hero Academia Volume 16 - Red Riot / Kohei Horikoshi (Japanese author) / 192 pages / Color in the title

This volume was my personal favorite in the series so far, and not just because it had the most action either.

The professional heroes figure out the missing girl's location is at Shie Hassaikai Compound, so they, along with the four 1A students, go on a mission to rescue her.  The problem: Overhaul, his crew, and the League of Villains have been expecting them, and they've prepared to attack and use a Quirk-removing drug the moment they arrive.

The story at this point mainly focuses on Kirishima and Tamaki's battles, as well as their backstories.  The latter was always socially awkward around his peers since grade school, and with the help of Togata, he became more confident with himself; since he had been hit with the Quirk-removing drug before, he has to work to get it back but faints after defeating three henchmen.  As for the former, I could go on a whole discussion on his backstory.

First of all, I've heard about how, out of all the 1A students, manga readers loved Kirishima's backstory the most, which says a lot since there are loads of backstories for loads of characters, major and minor.  Although it wasn't what I expected, I wasn't disappointed either; in fact, it's pretty relatable.  Kirishima got underestimated by "friends" and enemies alike in middle school due to having a "lame" Quirk, yet he was still determined to get in the top school, U.A..  It’s when there was a life-or-death situation that made him doubt himself.  When he watched an interview with a role model hero, the role model talks about how even he has been afraid and wasn’t able to save people he could’ve, but it was remembering those people and moving forward that made him become a better hero.  And Kirishima took inspiration from that.
His actions during a fight with a duo of villains were so admirable, they were willing to let him heal, so they could fight again.

My Hero Academia Volume 15 - Fighting Fate / Kohei Horikoshi (Japanese author) / 192 pages / Color in the title

Besides Midoriya getting third-year student Togata as his new mentor, three other 1A students are chosen by the other two third-years: Uraraka and Tsuyu Asui by Nejire Hado, and Eijiro Kirishima by Tamaki Amajiki.  Both groups experience fighting villains or dangerous criminals.  In the latter group, Kirishima, who was treated as useless since Vol. 5, proves himself to be extremely powerful even for a hero, let alone a new sidekick.

When Midoriya and Togata go out in the city on patrol, on the other hand, they run into a child sprinting out of an alley; Overhaul appears out of the alley behind her and claims that he is her father.  Seeing the terror in her face and the bandages covering her arms, Midoriya refuses to give the girl to him, and Togata insists Midoriya not to act so suspicious around Overhaul.  In the end, Overhaul persuades the frightened girl to come with him.

And in case that wasn't bad enough, Midoriya gets news that All Might will die between now and a year due to a mix of severe injuries and using up all his power.

Later on, the professional heroes and seven teens meet together to discuss the girl Midoriya and Togata failed to save earlier, telling them about the evidence they found that could lead to her location and thus save her.

Super Awesome, as always.

My Hero Academia Volume 14 - Overhaul / Kohei Horikoshi (Japanese author) / 205 pages / Color in the title

So much has gone on between Volumes 3 and 13 (sorry), So I'm just going to cut to the chase:

Midoriya and Bakugo fight and reveal their thoughts of each other as they do-- the former looks up to the latter for his determination, and the latter is insecure of the former for being approved by All Might more.  They're soon caught, and they both get punished and must miss class time to do "odd jobs" around the school dorms; Midoriya for three days, and Bakugo for four days (since he started the fight).  Each boy gives the other some advice on his Quirk during their punishment.

After Midoriya's punishment ends, not only does he need to catch up in school, but the class also has special guests-- three third-year students who've had personal experience in the professional hero world.  At least one of them, Mirio Togata, proves it in their first drill fight, where none of the first-years, not even Midoriya, were able to beat him-- at least, not without feeling like he or she got pummeled in the gut.  Nevertheless, Togata, originally All Might's to-be successor, becomes curious of Midoriya due to his quick analyzing of opponents as well as why he was chosen as the successor instead.     

                                                         

Meanwhile, the League of Villains invite a criminal who goes by "Overhaul" (the plague doctor guy on the cover) to join them; however, Overhaul declines, pointing out that their never having a structured plan before sending any hit man out on a mission is a major flaw in their system.  He leaves, but he also keeps an opportunity in coming back open while he goes at his own pace on wreaking havoc.

First off, I haven't been able to watch Season 3 the anime adaptation, and I hear this book was the equivalent to the season finale, so now I feel a little more ahead in the story.

Second off, YAY!  MIRIO TOGATA!  I hear so much about this guy from memes-- anyone who has a kid that plays a lot of Fallout would be reminded of its mascot when one sees him-- and he was as plucky and memorable as I thought he would be, but also a lot scarier than I expected.

My Hero Academia Volume 2 - Rage, You D**n Nerd / Kohei Horikoshi / 208 pages

After Midoriya's class, Class 1-A, goes through one or two lessons, they begin an activity not unlike "Capture the Flag", where they are split into ten teams of two at random, and two of each team has to play as "heroes" and "villains" (like, Team A-- Midoriya and his new friend Ochaco Uraraka-- is the "Hero" team, while Team D-- Midoriya's other friend Tenya Iida and rival/childhood "friend" Katsuki Bakugo—is the "Villain" team).  This is to exercise each student's ability to face off villains using their Quirks, or even stepping in the shoes of a villain to know them better for future reference.  Most of the students cooperate with each other as team members and team rivals... except for Bakugo, who only uses this activity as an opportunity to take his anger out on Midoriya by attacking him head-on (but with Midoriya’s new Quirk, that doesn’t go well for him!).

Later on, the class goes on a field trip only to be ambushed by a  gang of villains calling themselves "The League of Villains."  The kids and two teachers get separated all over the place and have to fight whichever villains are closest to them.  Only Iida escapes, and he reports to All Might (who is teaching at U.A.) and the other U.A. teachers what's happening with the class.

Sorry, I forgot to do a review on the last volume, so I'll tie it in with this one too:

Both books were really refreshing considering I have yet to re-watch the anime episodes.  I notice that they, unlike the anime, were a lot faster paced than I had remembered, but that was okay (for me, at least).  They were also both humorous and optimistic while still having plenty of action and even suspense.  The short bios and trivia Horikoshi gives of a character at the end of each chapter are interesting to read-- one would get to hear of his insights and development of them.

I'm aware that this series is not for everyone, but if I could recommend it to anyone anyway, I would.

My Hero Academia Volume 1 - Izuku Midoriya: Origin / Kohei Horikoshi / 192 pages

In this world, 80% of the population has superpowers known as "Quirks", so heroes and villains are battling everywhere!  Izuku Midoriya wants to get into the honorable U.A. High School for young heroes to become just like his role model, All Might-- the greatest superhero of all time.  The only problem with that is that Midoriya is one of the 20% born ordinary, or "Quirkless".  This, along with his determination to reach his dream, leads to a lot of doubt from authority figures and a lot of bullying from his peers.  However, when Midoriya finds himself coming in face-to-face contact with All Might, and then attempts to save a hostage from a public villain when no one else would, All Might is inspired by Midoriya's act and asks him if he would like to have his Quirk, "One for All", passed down to him.  Midoriya accepts but is given the Quirk after 10 months of muscle training with All Might first.  When he is ready for the new year, he and thousands of other kids must first take a test that determines who can be official students at U.A.: fight a giant robot and/or help your peers-- only 1 in 300 would be able to pass.  Saving another peer trapped under a broken piece of robot gives Midoriya enough points to pass; therefore, he gets to be a first-year student at U.A.

Deadpool: Soul Hunter / Gerry Duggan & Brian Posehn / 136 pages

"First: Flash back to Deadpool’s adventures of yesteryear with Iron Man! Then: A demon hires Deadpool to reclaim damned souls! And just in case you didn’t think he could get any stranger, Wade gets in touch with his feminine side! Plus: Deadpool targets a man with aquatic powers, and then teams up with your Superior Neighborhood Spider-Man! And we promise he kills one of those two! Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn’s hilarious, nonstop reinvention of the Merc With a Mouth continues here!"

I have a complicated relationship with Deadpool in the sense that I really want to like him but usually don’t. Soul Hunter is the second volume in Duggan's and Posehn's run with the character, a series about Deadpool that perfectly exemplifies my feelings toward him. There are a range of actions from mildly disgusting to despicable in this comic that disturb me about as much as the antihero's friends seem to be disturbed by him. And the first volume was just weird. But I’m curious to see where the overarching storyline goes. The authors are developing his character emotionally more than has been done in the past. Also, the art in this second volume is very good! So, I’ll continue reading the series and see where it goes!

Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 1 / Grant Morrison / 144 pgs

I have to admit that I don't read a lot of superhero graphic novels. There are a precious few that I consider to be the best and I tend to reread them a lot, like Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke" or Marvel's "Civil War" series. For the ReadHarder challenge this year, I just read "Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 1" which I am guessing is a retelling of the Wonder Woman origin story with very heavy Greek mythology overtones. My very limited knowledge tells me that the big reveal of how Princess Diana/Wonder Woman was conceived is a departure from previous iterations of Wonder Woman.

It was an interesting take, making Diana's sexual orientation quite overt, changing Steve Trevor to a modern-day African-American pilot, and piling on the Amazons' disgust of "man's world." I mean, seriously, there's a LOT of repetition there. If I read one more time how horrible "man's world" is, even going so far as taking an obese woman and blaming "man's world" on making her body "grotesque," I would have screamed.

*You know, I had the rating at 3 stars but I just dropped it down to 2 stars because as I'm writing my review, I'm getting more and more upset about how normal, everyday women are portrayed in this graphic novel*

Anyways, if anything saves "Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 1" is that the graphics are gorgeous. Paradise Island is lush and colorful. The outfits worn by the Amazons, and even the ones worn by the regular folk in "man's world," are detailed and rich. The writing may have been poor, but the artistry was not.

Superman, Wonderwoman (vol. 1) : Power Couple / Charles Soule / 192 pgs

Volume 1 of a new series that explores the question, "what if Superman and Wonder woman were in a relationship?".

I'm not sure how I feel about this comic; as it just throws the whole Clark Kent/Lois Lane relationship right out the window, pretending that it never happened.  I mean that's a pretty classic pairing, and to mess with it kind of makes this not a "superman" story.

But, I digress; IF Lois Land and Superman were never in a relationship and Superman hooks up with Wonder Woman, then this is actually a pretty interesting story line.  I like that in volume one, Wonder Woman deals with the same relationship problems as any other normal human goes through.  She doubts Superman's feelings, she wonders if he wants her to change her lifestyle for him, she hopes they can have a "normal" relationship even though they are famous superheroes.

There are a few superhero fighting sequences, but I was reading this for the relationship story-line.

All New X-Men (vol. 2): Here to Stay / Brian Bendis / 136 pgs

The original five X-men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel & Beast) have been time warped from the past and brought into the present.  This series focuses on how these young, idealist fledglings react to their future selves and possible outcomes, which may not be the futures they had dreamed for themselves. 

Yeah, this outfit is
TOTALLY, not
Ridiculous!!!

I did not realize that this was volume 2 in the series so I was a little lost as to how the five had been transported to the future and why.  I also don't normally read superhero comics so I don't have much background information on the storylines and characters.  Therefore, I felt like I was probably missing out on some in-jokes or plotlines that I should already know.  Even still, this was an enjoyable read with plenty of interesting characters to fill several graphic novels with side stories.  My only complaint with the artwork is that once again the women are all wearing skin tight suits that look like they are painted on, and some of the outfits are so bizarrely cut that either a) they were designed and drawn by men who do not understand the laws of physics or b) I can only assume that the outfit is being held up by very fake shelf-like boobs.  ...and you wonder why women hate comics. 

Teen Titans: Prime of Life / J.T. Krul, Nicola Scott, Jose Luis, Eduardo Pansica / 200 pgs.

Cassie aka "Supergirl" gets a distress call from her mother and she takes her team of superhero pals called the "Teen Titans" to Pakistan to investigate.  Supergirl's mom is an archaeologist and a few of her workers has mysteriously disappeared from the site they have been digging in.  While searching the archaeological site the Titans are transported to a demonic realm where they face off against Rankor the demon from the Hindu legend the Ramayana.

It was nice that some background to the story of the Ramayana was included.  I had heard of the story, but know nothing about it.  So, I really enjoyed the fact that a pop culture title like "Teen Titans" would include something that many American kids would not normally know about.  I am more than sure that this book is only loosely using the Hindu legend, but then again, this is a superhero story, so we are not really looking for facts and accuracy.  Hopefully, this will spark the interest of some teens and they will want to research and read more about the Ramayana.  I know I do.
 

Thor: The Mighty Avenger vol. 1/Roger Langridge/128 pages

I read this because it was listed as one of YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens (Top Ten - 2012) and a Top Ten Graphic Novel for Youth (Booklist) (2012).  In general, I am not a big fan of graphic novels or comics, but am attempting to broaden my reader's advisory of this genre.  The first graphic novel I read thusly did not endear me to the genre, but I think I might change my mind after reading Thor.   Having seen the recent movies, it was quite an entertaining read.  It tells of a re-imagined beginning for the hero Thor and Jane that parallels the main events from the movie, Thor.  The artwork was very good as well as the storyline.  An addition at the end of the graphic novel is the original 2 stories from the 1960s.  I got quite a giggle to see how far comics and graphic novels have come in the past 50 years.  Happy to say it was a big improvement.  It also made me think that I might be judging my like/dislike of the genre base on what was available when I was younger.  If that is the case, I am more than happy to give graphic novels another try.

Marvel Her-oes (vol. 1) / Grace Randolph / 110 pgs.

This is another superhero spin-off comic that I can get into.  This short series (only 4 issues) focuses on three teen girls, Janet Van Dyne (aka The Wasp), Jenny Walters (The She-Hulk), and Namora (An Atlantean).  They are living in a normal, small town going to a regular high school, but are coming into their superpowers and are pressured by their families to keep it a secret.  There are other "angsty" teen superhero series out there like Teen Titans, Spider-man loves Mary Jane, Hero High, and others; but this one features female characters!!  Personally, I think there needs to be more comics that focus on the female superheros (other than Birds of Prey).  Sadly, it looks like this was it for this series; because I could not find anything on the Net that indicated that there would be more issues published.  *Boo!!!*