This book was everything its back cover promised. Unfortunately, for me, that wasn't necessarily a good thing.
The "merc with a mouth" remains his usual irreverent, violent, smart-mouthed self, and I laughed at a number of his lines. However, the fun of zombie presidents and bad puns was overshadowed by a ridiculous amount of gratuitous, graphic violence. I get that Deadpool can heal from almost any injury, but that doesn't mean I want to see his guts spilling out every couple of pages.
I'm not usually too bothered by violence, but the depictions in this volume were really violent and, what's more, relentless. If you're not bothered by any of that and are looking for a non-traditional hero, you'll probably like this story. For me, unless they start showing more of the merc's mouth and less of his intestines, I'll be skipping future installments.
Over the past few months, I've seen an unusually large number of articles about Samantha Shannon, the college-aged debut author with a seven-book deal whom some have touted as "the next J.K. Rowling." After reading it, I have to say, I think the hype was premature and unwarranted.
Shannon obviously has some interesting ideas and I've no doubt many will want to see where she takes her story. However, her characters never felt fleshed out, her plot (and plot holes) was messy at best (with more than one "too convenient" twist), and the writing/presentation structure read like a rough draft.
Overall, I think this book was okay, but it wanted the liberal use of an editor's red pen, and, quite frankly, I'm shocked by some of the rookie errors I saw: wasted narration bogging down the first chapter that was later proved redundant, an abundance of telling instead of showing, and Twilight-esqe fanfiction moments to name a few (not to mention the typos). (I'm also still a tad ticked that she took the only nice character in the whole lot and decided he was gay out of nowhere (no mention/hints before or after), seemingly for the sole purpose of keeping the main character unattached (from the guy she liked) so she'd be free to make out with the ancient alien later.)
I would hope that the author's craft improves as she continues the series, but I don't know that I care enough about her characters or world to stick around for the ride.
I was a little thrown by the introduction of Irish/banshee magic in what has otherwise been a very scientific read (especially when it didn't seem to go anywhere), but the chapter at the end revealing more about Kara's parents and how she came to Earth made up for it. I love the memories and scenes from Krypton and how they are slowly creating a bigger picture of several conspiracies converging. I've also enjoyed, thus far, the limited role of other superheroes/comic story lines intruding on Kara's story. She has her own stuff going on and I don't feel the need to read three or four other titles to figure out what's up. Works for me. :)
I haven't done much comics reading of late, but I'm glad I gave this series a chance. It's a fresh start, so no prior knowledge needed, and I enjoyed the opposite perspective of the classic Superman story; instead of an Earth boy slowly discovering his alien roots and abilities, this book presents a thoroughly alien girl who must quickly adapt to superpowers and a new planet, all while piecing together answers to the mysteries of her planet and family.
Also, who can say no to watching Superman get wailed on by a teenage girl? ;)
Curiouser and curiouser. I felt a little like Alice reading this book. It never seemed to go quite where expected and sort of meandered about. Still, it kept me curious enough to continue, despite not really caring about any of the characters.
I grew particularly tired of Adam's "loner" mentality. For a smart kid, he was exasperatingly dumb. It's not about being owned; it's about being practical and, if necessary, manipulative ... which was why his rant against Gansey after his unfortunate injury irked me, because everything he said was true. It was his own bloomin' fault. Blue was decent enough, and Noah faded to the background too much to bother, but Gansey and Ronan also came across as a tad two-dimensional.
Still, generally enjoyed the story and curious enough to check out the next book, but hoping it meanders less and doesn't dive from somewhat everyday life into a sudden, magical ending. Also hoping for more answers. :)