[Kinda Book Review] X-Factor Essential Vol 3

It should be no surprise by now that I hold a special place in my heart for the xmen and the originals... After reading the first two volumes of the X-Factor, I could not wait to get the third volume. Now go through the Inferno from their perspective. Inferno hit well enough.

The issue came with the follow-up. Now with a big cast of characters that all just... hang around. The story meanders as beast turns beastial, Archangel deals with his new persona, and Scott and Jean continue their romance. That was... fine.

However, where it falls apart is the next "mega-series", the Judgment Wars... pfff... Move to another planet, deal with some mutant world gone wild... I guess my biggest gripe is that it went on for 6 issues when it could have been resolved in 3. There was no build up as X-Factor just... Got taken to this rando-location. The number of throwaway characters is staggering and frankly... I didn't really care for most of them. Too long is my biggest criticism of it.

Also, when compared to the Lee/Kirby style (see this post), where the pencilling tells most of the story by itself. Here, the storytelling of Louise Simonson felt exposition-heavy, especially during the Judgment Wars. There was just too much worldbuilding to do for the action to make sense.

As for a rating? I'll settle with a 2.5 which must round out to 3... It was "fine" but not great.

[Kinda Book Report] Fantastic Four Vol 3

The Fantastic Four have always been a mystery to me as to why they always had some of the cooler adventures when their powers were so... Basic..

This volume of their early adventures all done by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby really created and expanded the Marvel universe. Here, we discover Galactus, the Silver Surfer, Doctor Doom with the power of the Surfer... the  Negative Zone with Blastaar. And finally Johnny gets a serious girlfriend, the Inhuman Crystal.

I had a blast reading this volume. Lee is in full form and Kirby just rocks... the stories move quickly and aren't bogged down by too much dialog and exposition (wait for review of xfactor 3).

While not the biggest fan of the FF, this was a delight to read. Exciting and fast paced. Just what I like in my comic.

So... I think this earns a 3.5 out of five. Rounded up to 4.

[Kinda Book Report] Callirhoe

For Christmas, I received this ancient classic work of fiction. Two novels - as we would say today - in one book. This review will cover both since they are similar in theme and structure. And events...

Callirhoe is the tale of a beautiful girl who meets a beautiful boy. They fall in love. Get married. Then jealous eole make him jealous. He kicks her in the chest and she is knocked out for so long that they build her a tomb and have a funeral. Then she wakes u...

Yeah.

irates take her away. And then, she meets other men who fall in love with her in a series of ever unbelievable events. Even the king of ersia falls for her.&nbs;

Finally... they reunite and all is well.

This story is... not great overall. However, what ket me interested was the mode of storytelling. It is clear the writer told the story and wrote it down. As he soke. So we have a lot of side stories and "while that was going on..."

The other tale, An Ehesian Story, is retty much the same. The style of this second one is more direct with less embellishments.&nbs;

To me, the value of these stories lay not in the quality of their rose, but in exosing HOW the ancient Greeks relayed these stories. The action is constant and the characters have whirlwind travels through the Greek World. It is sometimes unbelievable but it's a work of fiction... better be entertained than bored.

So. What do I score this? It's a difficult one. The tales themselves are the equivalent of any modern soa oera. Of which I am not a huge fan of. And I don't think these will ever become bestsellers. Today.

However that I am able to read the words of a fellow man from over two millenia ago, and find the stories are still relevant today: boy and girl in love, have adventures. That tells me that the stories hold truths deeer and eternal.&nbs;

I will rate this a 2/5 for the casual reader, but a 3/5 for those with interest in ancient Greek literature.&nbs;

s: I could not sto giggling when I called her Cally-hoe... I'm still giggling right now. I am so easily entertained...