Cassie's Library Presents... DISNEY WEEK!

So, I have realized I might have an unhealthy obsession with the world of DISNEY. 

I have previously reviewed two of the manga sets that NetGalley offered

(Magical Dance Volume 1 and Disney Faeries: Vidia and the Fairy Crown). 

Then I noticed that this week I was going to be reviewing two more Disney related books (starting to see a pattern here yet?). So I decided that I would simply try to get it out of my system by doing an entire week related to nothing but DISNEY related books! That being said though I am starting with a Q & A over Disney and myself. You can see some of my Disney love in the following questions. Enjoy! 

Why Do I Love Disney?

Most of my life I have been forced into being an adult, even as a child (i.e. before I should have been). I didn't get to watch many of the Disney features as a child. I didn't get to enjoy them and have those nostalgic memories of them as most children have. The memories that I have of Disney primarily as an adult. The fancy and carefree nature of many of the stories. The crisp clear lines. The stories of love conquering so much hate. This type of story, no matter how cliched you may think it is, is important for people that have been through horrendous things, like myself. To have an entire company that you can guarantee is going to have positive messages in the vast majority of the films they create and present to the world is vital for someone looking for that type of storytelling. Also many aspects of Disney and their related franchises are simplistic. They do not require someone to be overly intelligent or to engage with super deep meanings, though often there are some deep meanings if you are wanting to hunt for them. You, however, can enjoy Disney and their properties on a surface, mindless level and never come away feeling disappointed. This is why I hug tight to the different Disney franchises. 

Favorite Disney Princess?

My favorite Disney Princess is:

Yes, I love Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). Her aesthetic (look) is beautiful to me, but also I have always enjoyed the fact that her story involves a Princess saving her. What can I say? I like the cliche of a damsel in distress needing saving. While I know she is not represented as the "strongest" Princess. I mean duh Mulan has a lot more "strength" if we were judging solely on that. I just enjoy the classic story of "Sleeping Beauty" and enjoy this representation of her. I enjoy her so much that I literally had my birthday cake this year as her.  

Favorite Disney Animated Movie?

I can't just choose one. This is so hard for me to do! Okay fine... It is a little known Disney film, but it relates back to one of my favorite book series as well.

I love "The Black Cauldron" movie that Disney made. It is based on the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. At some point I will probably reread these books and review them because I love them so much. This movie though is not widely popular as a Disney film, but it holds a dear place in my heart. The characters are similar to their representation in the book series. The animation is also on par for normal Disney films. Every single time I watch this my heart soars and yes I have watched it way too many times for one person. Perhaps I am trying to make up for those of you that probably have never seen it?

Favorite Disney Live-Action Film?

This one was super easy for me. There was no contest. This has been my favorite Live-Action Disney film since forever (I snuck watching this as a child) and it will never be replaced. I still sing this song from it: 

 

Yes, my favorite live-action Disney film is Pete's Dragon. This film is about a boy and his imaginary friend, Elliott (who is a dragon). He is an orphan and it is a magical musical romp of an adventure. I know they recently remade this, but I have not forced myself to watch it because I do not want it to alter my memories of this particular film. 

 So these are just a few of my favorite Disney related things. This week you will also get the opportunity to see my opinions on different books that are Disney related! 

(All images and videos are property of the Disney company and are used here for blogging and review purposes. All rights are still theirs and theirs alone.)

Comic Book Wednesday- Lady Mechanika: La Dama De La Muerte

I received this book to review for free from NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions shared are my own and are my honest feelings regarding this book. If you know me I am not one to mix my words simply because something was free. These are my feelings on the book, both the good and the bad. So lets begin!!!

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Lady Mechanika: La Dama De La Muerte

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Created by Joe Benitez

Story by: 

Joe Benitez and M.M. Chen

Pencils by:

Joe Benitez and Martin Montiel

Colors by: 

Peter Steigerwald, Beth Sotelo and Mike Garcia

Letters by: 

Michael Heisler

Collects Mini-Series of Same Name

Synopsis:

The story surrounds Lady Mechanika going to a town called "Santa Catrina" in Mexico to try to get over the recent passing of a fellow comrade in arms, but little does she know that she is going during their festival for the dead. She is faced, full-force, with the realities of her loss. 

When the town is attacked during its festivities by the Jinetes Del Infierno (The Demon Riders), Lady Mechanika realizes she must take matters into her own hands to protect this town. Through many trials and tribulations, Lady Mechnika fights through hell and back to redeem herself from her own past, but in the process she suffers more loss and this is when vengeance has no wrath like Lady Mechanika as "La Dama De La Muerte." 

Central Theme:

The central theme of this particular graphic novel should be self-evident, but just in case you need a clue: DEATH! I mean come on, her friend died, she is at the festival for the dead, Demon Riders, DEATH DEATH DEATH. ;) It also is about coming to terms with loss, coming to terms with parts of your own life, and ultimately about making sure evil people get what the heck is coming to them. 

My Feelings:

I had heard of "Lady Mechanika" in passing because I used to love to read comic books. When I saw this as a "read now" on NetGalley I was like, "Oh, This could be fun." It wasn't fun, IT WAS GOOD! No, let me be more clear: This was a great graphic novel. The artwork was superb. Don't believe me? You doubt my reviewing skills on this artwork? BE SCHOOLED:

Still doubting this artwork is superb? Saying "Cassie, but that is a cover." 

BAM! Artwork: The Sequel - (Interior Edition)

Every single page is this detailed, this thought out. Every nuance, every shape, every line serves a purpose to keep you within the world created by Joe Benitez. The craft of storytelling through artwork is done so masterfully here that you forget that you are reading a graphic novel and momentarily will believe you are watching a film before your eyes. This is coming from someone that is pretty jaded on comic books due to the big two (they pretty much killed off every single one of my favorite characters and brought them back as weird versions that I do not recognize: DONNA TROY was a horrible villain anyone?) This made me remember that there are projects out there that are well-done that are not published by these big two publishers. There are labors of love, like this one, that are projects comic book geeks (I include myself here) should be supporting. We should be supporting projects that encompass superb artwork and masterful storytelling. We, however, seem to continue to pull from the same place over and over again. We need to stop doing that, but that is a conversation for another time and another place. Simply put, WE NEED TO SUPPORT THIS BOOK! 

Okay, so you are saying "I get it we need to support this book, but you haven't even told us why the storytelling is good, outside of it being masterful. That is a cliched word, just saying." Yes, I am not the freaking Ernest Hemingway of reviews here, so sorry I use cliched words like masterful, beautiful, and superb a lot more than I should, sorry (not really). The reason that this has really good storytelling is that from the moment that Lady Mechanika steps off the train in Mexico the story flows. Each moment we understand. We move forward in logical sequences. There is no jarring, "What is happening?" element to the overall storytelling that is sometimes apparent in less "mainstream" comic book publishing. Also the character's motivation does not come out of nowhere. She is dealing with the recent death of a loved one, so her actions within this story make sense. She is also grappling with her own inner demons over her past mistakes, so every moment feels reflective of that character point. It drives her forward to a conclusion that feels like fireworks because we understand where she has been. We understand her pain and in that conclusive moment we are one with Lady Mechanika and the decision she makes. 

Who I Would & Wouldn't Recommend This To:

I wouldn't recommend this book to people that are only into the "superhero" genre because this is not that. This is a well-done story involving a character with depth and emotional baggage. It is more than just "who is the big bad that (insert superhero name) has to fight this time around?" This is about a character that is flawed, deeply, that has to come to terms with that aspect of themselves and how it has influenced her past decisions. If you are not into that, then move along. You may also not enjoy this if you are into more "subversive" styles of comic storytelling. The artwork is very "mainstream" oriented, even if it is an indie publication. This does not try to reinvent any wheels here (in other volumes it may, but not here). 

I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone that enjoy a good story and enjoys well-done artwork (duh, since I mentioned those above). I would also recommend this to anyone that is dealing with their own sense of loss in their life. Seeing the process that Lady Mechanika has to go through may help you deal with your own issue, whatever loss you are dealing with. I would also recommend this to anyone that respects the "Day of the Dead" festivities in the Hispanic culture. It shows it in a positive light and showcases why they celebrate their deceased. If you are not aware of this aspect of that culture it will help you to. I was one of those that kinda knew about the festivities, but not enough to say I was versed in it (I am still not, but this helped me to understand it significantly better). 

Things to Consider: 

Since obviously Lady Mechanika is dealing with the death of a friend, a comrade, or at least someone in her life... This means that there have been other tales with this character that have come before this. 

Three volumes to be precise: 

and it turns out that a current series is being published with the sub-heading:
The Clockwork Assassin

so if you read this volume and enjoy it, there are plenty of other offerings with the character and you can also get the backstory of how she got to this particular point in her life. 

Lady Mechanika: La Dama De La Muerte will be published on September 26, 2017. 

You can pre-order it here: 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Half Price Books- Not Currently Available

Book Depository

Call D.W. or "Lets Get Dangerous"- Darkwing Duck Volume 1 Graphic Novel

How many of you remember Disney's Darkwing Duck? It was a "spin-off" of their popular cartoon series "Duck Tales"! If you don't remember it perhaps this will help jog your memory:

"Darkwing Duck" was a series that I did not get to watch a lot of episodes of during my childhood. I often had to watch television after 8 pm and often it would be shows that my grandmother wanted to watch. This did not leave a lot of time for cartoons. This made me wonder what the hub-bub was about. I did, however, knew who many of the main villains and core cast were from the very few episodes that I had watched. It also helped that someone talked about this series a lot (see below).

A few weeks ago I was perusing the graphic novel shelves at the local library when I came across this cover:

This is the first volume cover for the graphic novel collections that were published by Boom! Studios. This edition is plotted by Aaron Sparrow, written by Ian Brill, and illustrated by James Silvani. This edition collects issues 1-4 of the series.

I decided that since I had not had such a deep relationship with the show, but I had known an old friend that had (she talked a LOT about it!), I would give it a shot. I went in without a lot of the nostalgia that most people would have and I still have to say that I enjoyed the book. The characters I knew were all there and the plot made sense in terms of why there had been a lapse between the series and the comic book. This made me feel that a fan, such as the friend, would greatly enjoy the series. 

From a non-fan perspective, I have to say that the story is still enjoyable. You are given the opportunity to catch up on the "action" of the series and get acquainted with the main core cast over this first volume. There is no moment where I was scratching my head going, "Who in the world is this?" or "What the heck is going on? Did I miss something from not watching the cartoon?", which is nice when you are coming in a little blind to a series. My favorite character, even in the few episodes I had seen, will always be:

Gosalyn Mallard

This character always seems to be about getting into mischief, but she also bring a heart to the episodes I have seen and this graphic novel collection. She always is the one reminds Darkwing why he is a superhero and that he has a place in the world. She also always has a great sense of humor, which is another reason I like her as a character. 

The artwork, as you can see in the above picture, also is done very well. In comparison to the cartoon, I have to say it is pretty spot-on. Nothing feels out of place or jarringly off from what one would remember it as. It also does not suffer from becoming hyper-stylized, which some updates can suffer from. It feels like you are just stepping into an episode of the show that you missed, which was nice for me, since that was partially the reason for reading the collection. It gave me the opportunity to feel like I was just rejoining a show that was still running instead of feeling like I missed out. It was a nice feeling, especially as I start this process of going through things that I have missed or not got the pleasure of enjoying because of my past. This was a step in the correct direction, in my opinion.

WHO I RECOMMEND TO: Disney Fans, Darkwing Duck Fans, Cartoon Lovers, Children, Nostalgic Adults, and Comic Book Geeks!

WHO I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS TO: "high brow" readers, written word enthusiasts, live-action television fans, and Disney haters!

Darkwing Duck: Volume 1 may be purchased:

Amazon

Half Price Books

Barnes and Noble

(If you have a preferred place to purchase books online let me know and I will add it to the regular list of places mentioned to purchase books!)

You can find me on GOODREADS at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59000535-cassandra-winters

Cassie's Library Opens on September 22nd