Manga Classics: Romeo and Juliet by Stacy King

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm a fan of the Manga Classics that's why I'm already aware that the publisher, Udon Entertainment, always use the original text from the book they were adapting. I know Romeo and Juliet but I still haven't read the book either watch any stage play or movie adaptation, hence, I'm eager to check out this manga adaptation.

This is the first time that I've rated a Manga Classics low because of it's not that easy to comprehend what the characters are saying because they are in Early Modern English. Just like what I've mentioned, I'm fully aware that the publisher never makes any alterations to the dialogues because they use the original format. I could understand some of the conversations in the story however, I fail to grasp several parts. Thankfully, I still got to follow the story through the illustrations.

If there would be any future plans of Udon Entertainment to adapt other works of William Shakespeare, hopefully, they will try to make the dialogues easy to understand because I'm positive that it will be more marketable even to middle-graders.

Sheets by Brenna Thummler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The story of Marjorie Glatt and Wendell in this graphic novel is quite entertaining to read. While reading this, Wendell reminds me of the famous Casper not only because they are both young ghosts but also for their personality and the way they try to help as much as they can. However, I was torn on the rating between 4 and 5 stars; I am hoping that there would be a second volume because I like how there was a panel that shows that Marjorie and Wendell might have met already when he was still alive.

The story of grief, loneliness, depression, moving on and remembering our departed loved ones were all tackled in this fast-paced story. The colorful illustrations are also highly appealing that makes the story charming and delightful to read. A must-read if you are looking for something that is a light-read yet still captivating.

Hotel Transylvania Graphic Novel Vol. 3: Motel Transylvania by Stefan Petrucha

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second time that I was given an opportunity to receive a reading copy of the Hotel Transylvania Graphic Novel from the publisher. The 50-page comic book is another amusing installment in the story of Drac and his family. I like how Jonathan, Drac's son-in-law, wants to help his in-law on trying to make it easy for everyone to enjoy the exact pleasure that Hotel Transylvania provides by setting up motels near people.

However, it is not easy to expand a business just like what Jonathan has planned. They faced a lot of troubles trying to provide a good service because of some creatures who always create mischief in the motel. Jonathan may be silly but his unwavering perseverance makes him a good person. There are several funny portions in the story, especially in the latter part of this issue.

The Lion and the Bride #1 by Mika Sakurano

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I've requested a reading copy of this manga from the publisher, I knew that the plot might be a just like some romcom TV series. But I what I didn't expect is that even though that it's like that, reading has taken me by surprised me because of how entertained I was on reading the banters between Yua and her stepson/classmate Subaru.

As for me, I think Yua's hasty decision of accepting Ryo's marriage proposal is a big no-no. And I bet that there's no love involved when Yua decided to get married. Meanwhile, Subaru mentioned that Ryo, his father, only pity Yua because she's already an orphan and that no one's there to take care of her. A bit harsh but I think I agree with Subaru's opinion.

In addition, it's quite predictable that there would be a love triangle in Ryo, Yua, and Subaru's setup. But what's not foreseeable is whether Yua and Ryo will divorce in the end because Yua chose Subaru, or Yua will stay with Ryo. And I reckon that is what readers are anticipating in the succeeding volumes to be released in this manga series.

In general, if you like reading the romantic-comedy genre, The Lion and the Bride is a great manga and good for light-reading.

Black Women Who Dared by Naomi M. Moyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kudos to Second Story Press for coming up with kind of book that lists down some of the notable Black women and groups that made a mark as feminists and fighting bigotry, slavery, as well as improving the society. Ten of these remarkable Black women and groups are The Coloured Women's Club in Montreal, Quebec; Nashville-born musician Jackie Shane; Sylvia Estes Stark; The Hour-a-Day- Study Club that was formed by 15-Black mothers in Windsor, Ontario; the first Black woman who established a business in Vancouver; Jamaica-born Sherona Hall; the Black Cross Nurses in 1920; Mary Miles Bibbs; Chloe Cooley; and the group Blockorama.

This marvelous and colorful 10-page collection is both written and illustrated by Naomi M. Moyer. The book may appeal more to middle graders who are aged 10 to 12, and young adults because of its serious content and that it could also set as an inspiration to them. It would be great if there is any plan for the second volume of this book because I believe that kids should be inspired more by the story of other noteworthy feminist personalities.

The Forbidden Harbour V1 by Teresa Radic

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Forbidden Harbour was first published in Italy in 2015 and is divided into four parts. Europe Comics has finally made it possible for a lot of readers to understand it by releasing the English version of the graphic novel. It is about the story of a teen boy, Abel, who was rescued in the ocean one night after the disappearance of Captain Stevenson from the navy ship, Explorer.

When Abel was saved, he can't remember anything aside from his name. William Roberts, the first officer of the ship, took him under his care by making him a cabin boy. When they returned to England, Abel saw the so-called Forbidden Harbour. One of the crew told him that not everyone could see it and that only a few could see and enter it.

When they got in the town, William introduced Abel to the three daughters left by the missing Captain, who also owns the Albatross Inn. Abel stayed in that family lodge and look for jobs to pay to for his accommodation. The second daughter of the Captain, Heather, introduced Abel to Rebecca, the one who manages the brothel in town. Later, he does some errands for Rebecca such as buying supplies in the market and reading her poems. It is Rebecca who told Abel what is happening to him and that they are in the same situation. She slowly makes Abel aware that he has some tasks to do and it's up to him to know what he should do.

I like the story of Forbidden Harbour, however, the poems in the story is a bit hard to comprehend and that it could be much better if the penciled illustrations were colored to make them livelier. The ending of this first part is a huge cliffhanger also which is a great dismay to me. Overall, I'm giving this a 3-star rating, but I'm still hopeful that the second installment would be much better and is action-packed.

The Wormworld Saga Vol. 2: Shelter of Hope by Daniel Lieske

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love the first installment of this graphic novel series so I was hoping that this second volume is on a par with its predecessor. Janaka Jiiva's vision and Jonas' mission were explained here, thus there are too many dialogues or exchange of conversations between the characters. I was even looking forward to more of the adventure or fight scenes, but I guess that would be available in the succeeding volumes.

There are two chapters in this installment, but I love more the additional chapter entitled, "A Premature Adventure," because it shows the origin of the painting that was created by Jonas' great-grandfather. Jonas' grandmother, Laura, was included in the story, therefore, it shows that she is aware that there's a magical world behind that painting.

Hope that the third volume will show more exciting adventures of Jonas and Raya. I will still be following this series because I want to know how the story will conclude.

Wormworld Saga Vol 1: The Journey Begins by Daniel Lieske

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first volume of The Wormworld Saga compiles the first chapters of the comic series. The story starts on the last day of Jonas from elementary school. He has 6 weeks vacation at his grandmother's in the countryside and he plans to spend it by playing in the forest and the fields. However, he failed his Math so he was given homework for the rest of his vacation.

Three years before, Jonas found a secret hatch in the bedroom he occupies in his grandma's house going to the attic and it became his secret hideaway. Jonas also likes to draw but one afternoon, the sketch of the bug he drew came to life and it made a portal in the attic and it leads to a monstrous and magical forest. And that's where his adventure to the magical Great Forest began.

I enjoyed reading the story and the illustrations drawn by Daniel Lieske. I also like that there's a part in the ending where it tells how the author was able to come up with this graphic novel. There are also snippets of his sketches and a fan art gallery that will delight readers.

The Photographer of Mauthausen by Salva Rubio

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great World War II-related material that narrates about the crimes of the Nazi German. The story is about the Spanish photographer, Francisco Boix, who is a prisoner of war by the Germans in Mauthausen. He was first assigned in the quarry as a way to exterminate him just like the others. Luckily, he was later moved to the identification department of the camp.

Being a photographer for the German Army means developing photos of the soldiers and their families, which will be sent back home to their loved ones. Another task for them is to photograph and identify the prisoners when they arrived. Some photos also capture fake condition of the prisoners such as that they are healthy, well fed, and happy. These photos were used as a propaganda to deceive people that the camps were safe and that the prisoners lived well. The pictures were also used in the brochures to be sent to factories and quarries because the prisoners were offered as slave laborers.

When a prisoner died, a photo was taken and preserved in the Nazi Archives. As for illegal executions, another photo was taken in the art form to elevate death and that was what Francisco found out while being in the aforementioned department in the camp.

All the atrocities that the Nazi German's did such as throwing prisoners off the cliff; escape attempts when in reality they were pushed or forced themselves into the electrified fences; prisoners beaten to death, shot in the back of the head, hanging themselves; and experimentation by the doctors pushed Francisco that he wants the whole world to know what's is really happening.

After reading this graphic novel, I searched for Francisco Boix's photographs and looking at them are remarkably shocking and terrifying, most particularly the photo of the man that was hanged using a belt. Reading the cruel acts performed during the WWII was already horrifying, what more if people could see the photos that captured them.

The Photographer of Mauthausen is a must-read for those who are into reading anything about the WWII. The story of Francisco Boix and his perseverance and bravery is truly admirable and that should be set as an example to all.

Little Mama by Halim

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brenda was named Little Mama by her own mom because she performed on the role of the mother. She was the one who took care of her sibling, Kevin, as well as doing the chores at home. Brenda matured at a very young age because of the setup in their family. When her mom and its boyfriend, Vincent, finally decided to live together, Brenda's situation became worse because Vincent always scolds and hurt her physically.


The story of Little Mama will make readers feel a lot of emotions while reading this gripping and compelling graphic novel. Readers will undoubtedly pity Brenda's condition and fury against her mom and Vincent for making a living hell on her life. Brenda's tale educates everyone about abuse and that we should help those who think are suffering from this ordeal, and that forgiving is a key for moving on.

SOTA'S KNIFE Vol. 1 by Kei Honjo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This first volume of Sota's Knife compiles the first 11 chapters of the manga and it is about the 20-year old Sota Kitaoka from Hokkaido who became a kitchen-helper in Tomikyu, a fine dining restaurant in Tokyo. He was hired by Kyu Goro Tomita, one of the top 5 chefs in Tokyo and now he works for six months already in the said restaurant. Sota is eager to learn a lot so he trains alone after the store closed at night. His only dream is to get his family-owned restaurant back on track.

Kei Honjo beautifully illustrated each comic panel because how detailed his drawings are. So far, I consider this as the best-illustrated manga I've seen because I saw how elaborate and how much time Kei Honjo spent in drawing this — there are texture, shadows, and highlights and that shows how skillful he is in his craft. He didn't draw the illustrations hastily because anyone can see the huge effort he did especially in drawing those settings, and of the images of food.

I also learned a lot from how much the Japanese chefs exert a lot in order to prepare each dish — giving the best quality of food to the customers. Sota's humility and passion to learn is admirable also, and the camaraderie in Tomikyu will touch anyone. There are a lot of Japanese manga that turns into either anime or real live film or TV adaptation, and I wonder if there would future plans for this. Hopefully, producers would give this an opportunity but hopefully, Kei Honjo would still be part of the illustrators if it would be an anime adaptation.

Lady Mechanika, Vol. 4: Clockwork Assassin by Joe Benítez

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was able to read a free copy of the first installment of the Lady Mechanika: La Dama de la Muerte before. I was really amazed by how great that issue is and I promised that someday I would try to check the other stories in the Lady Mechanika series.

And now, I saw that there's another free reading copy of the incredible this comic book. I was ecstatic to get my hands on this digital copy, and I'm really happy and amazed at how great the tandem of Benitez and Chen in coming up with this another awesome story.

I'm looking forward to reading the other upcoming adventures of Lady Mechanika. This, in particular, is a worthy-read and really recommendable.