Week ending October 7, 2016

Aaron, Jason (text) & John Cassaday & others (illus.). Star Wars. Vol. 1. Marvel. Sept. 2016. 296p. ISBN 9781302900984. $34.99. Rated: T. SF

The Death Star has been destroyed, and the Empire is attempting to strike back at the dastardly Rebellion. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo are making a surprise attack on a massive munitions plant on Cymoon 1. The invasion goes poorly, and soon all are fleeing an angry Darth Vader. Afterward, Luke goes off on his own to find out more about the Jedi, while Han and Leia meet a fellow smuggler from Han’s past—a friend he certainly does not wish to encounter. Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO, Mon Mothma, and others join in the fun as the greatest space adventure continues. Halfway through this volume there’s a surprising tale from Obi-Wan Kenobi during his time on Tattoine as he watched a young Luke grow into a man. The artwork is stunning, as writer Aaron (Thor: God of Thunder) and artists Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men), Simone Bianchi (Thanos Rising), and Stuart Immonen (Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.) work to create a seamless story line.

Verdict With a cast of universally known and loved characters, this volume, collecting the first 12 Star Wars single issues, will fly off the shelves faster than the starship Millennium Falcon can outrun Imperial Star Destroyers.—Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI

Breathed, Berkeley. Bloom County Episode XI: A New Hope. IDW. Sept. 2016. 143p. ISBN 9781631406997. $17.99. COMICS

Illustrator, writer, and Pulitzer Prize–winning editorial cartoonist Breathed returns to Bloom County after a 26-year hiatus. The glorious revisiting of the comic’s old visual and sardonic stomping grounds, first seen from 1980 to 1989, is infused with a delightful freshness. Familiar characters such as Opus the penguin and Bill the cat are still mainstays, but guest appearances by political luminaries and lots of Star Wars “walk-on” celebrities are also featured. A few snippets comprise traditional four-panel gags, while others present serial pages of related themes. All are quite amusing.

Verdict The inked line work alone is funny. The style, though much aligned with the original strip, has a lively, new, energized vitality. Mixing black-and-white pages with spots of color moves this comic into the field of artistic design. Bloom County fans will love this collection, which will be a cherished tome of smart alecks everywhere.—Russell Miller, Prescott P.L., AZ

de Jongh, Aimée. The Return of the Honey Buzzard. SelfMadeHero. Oct. 2016. 159p. ISBN 9781910593165. $22.95. LITERARY/GRAPHIC NOVELS

Simon is the third-generation owner of an independent bookstore that is closing its doors. As he and his wife argue about their future, Simon retreats to the store’s storage facility and into himself more and more. Driving home one night, he sees a woman walk out onto the train tracks in an act of suicide. This moment recalls others in his life, and Simon is haunted by the choices he has made. When he meets Regina, he begins to move toward understanding, and we are left to piece together the meaning of her role. Magical realism done well can powerfully take readers outside of themselves. Not done well, it can feel convoluted. Unfortunately, this work falls in the latter group. The artwork, however, makes this novel worth picking up. The black-and-white palette, masterly pacing, and evocative compositions create a spare, precise, and emotive masterpiece of artistic control.

Verdict Debut graphic novelist de Jongh has produced a visual gem that sadly suffers under the weight of its plot.—E.W. Genovese, Andrew Bayne Memorial Lib., Pittsburgh

Goetzinger, Annie & Rodolphe. Marie Antoinette, Phantom Queen. NBM. Aug. 2016. 68p. ISBN 9781681120294. $18.99. BIOG

Englishwoman Maud de Brunhoe, an accomplished 1930s painter, encounters a peculiar sensation while in the French royal gardens of Trianon composing her newest landscape. Quick to dismiss the feeling, Maud thinks nothing of it until days later, at a party séance, where she channels the spirit of Queen Marie Antoinette (1755–93). Unbeknownst to Maud, Marie has been trying to communicate with her. Maud has been entrusted to help the queen find her burial remains, which, according to Marie, are not at Saint-Denis Basilica but in a mass grave near the Madeleine Cemetery, where a chapel now stands. The queen must be moved to Trianon in order for her finally to be at peace. Rodolphe (Kenya) and Goetzinger (Girl in Dior) have created an elegantly illustrated biographical ghost story that transports readers between 1930s England and late 1700s France. Each panel is a work of art, which adds to the decadence of the piece.

Verdict Readers will delight in this account but may feel a sense of being left short. There are many threads that could have been expanded yet went unexplored, leaving readers with unanswered questions. Overall, enjoyable for all audiences; short and sweet.—Laura McKinley, Huntington P.L., NY

Greenberg, Isabel. The One Hundred Nights of Hero. Little, Brown. Dec. 2016. 224p. ISBN 9780316259170. $25; ebk. ISBN 9780316259163. F

Beautiful and imaginative, One Hundred Nights of Hero begins, as all good stories do, with a creation myth. The young goddess Kiddo devises a world and delights in watching over its simple yet happy occupants from afar. Her father, the arrogant god BirdMan, doesn’t see the point of building a society if it doesn’t mean being worshipped for it. He blights Kiddo’s universe with a tyrannical BirdMan-centric religion, which promptly leads to miseries we recognize from our own reality. In this troubled realm, a man named Jerome makes a bet with Manfred that Jerome’s wife, Cherry, will remain true for 100 nights. If Cherry falters in her virtue, Manfred can keep Jerome’s castle and Cherry herself. Fortunately, Cherry’s lover/maid Hero is a member of the shadowy League of Secret Story Tellers. Every night, before Manfred makes his attempts on Cherry, Hero transfixes him with a tale. As with any talented Scheherazade, Hero ends each evening on a cliff-hanger. Before Manfred knows it, weeks have passed, and he’s gotten nowhere.

Verdict Greenberg (The Encyclopedia of Early Earth) is a staunch believer in the power of stories, and, like Manfred, readers get sucked into each one she tells. Highly recommended for adult readers, especially those who enjoy mythology and fable.—Ingrid Bohnenkamp, Springfield-Greene Cty. Lib. Dist., MO