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JessicaRobyn

Reading Robyn

I am a lover of libraries, a reader of everything, a girl easily swayed by pretty pictures, and overall just your average, nerdy fairy princess.

 

2013 is the year I'm finally keeping up a regular reading blog Reading Robyn! There I post extended versions of my GR reviews so be sure to check that out!

 

I always seem to be on the move having lived in seven cities and counting in my nineteen years. I'm not on the run from the law as many have assumed (at least I don't think so), but moving around has given me an appreciation for how places make stories and people make memories. While change is inevitable, books are the friends that I take with me from place to place. They comforted me when I was sick, they push me to continue to learn and grow into myself, and most importantly they opened me up to the possibilities of living in thousands of places all at once.

 

I primarily read YA fiction, as well as a lot of graphic novels and manga. However, I tend to be this combination of odd reads, so expect the unexpected!

 

Cheesy Life Quote: "In this world through which I travel, I am endlessly creating myself." - Frantz Fanon

Love and Capes Vol. 1: Do You Want To Know A Secret? - Thomas F. Zahler This first volume of Love and Capes did not disappoint. Having just stumbled upon this on the library shelf I was instantly drawn in by the cartoon art style and promising concept. Granted, it's a idea we're all probably a little too familiar with, woven into every superhero comic known to mankind, the story of the love interest. The reality of leading a double life, one in tights and one in love. In this book however the POP! BANG! POW! action takes a major backseat and the growing relationship between the Crusader (aka Mark) and Abby, a local independent bookseller, is right at the forefront.Upon checking out the what's-what about Love and Capes, I was surprise to learn that this entire series can be read online. http://loveandcapes.com/lnc/?p=3 brings you straight to page one. Although personally, I would recommend the physical books if they're available to you. The images are just so crisp and the pages so glossy, it really does look fabulous in print. Whereas the digital version does leave a little something to be desired. The actual art of Love and Capes is probably some of my favourite I've seen in a while. I just haven't come across much done in this classic bold cartoon style. It makes me think of everything fun and innocent about superheros, reminding me of the fun of watching morning cartoons or The Incredibles. The colouring is varied and dynamic which draws you into each page. But I have to say my favourite thing about the art is most definitely the character designs. Sure, everything here concept wise can be traced back to the standard superheros we all know and love, but the designs set these characters apart, from the Crusader, to Abby, to Amazonia. They're ideas that we can all recognize, but there look and more so their personalities set them apart. So many of the superhero parody I've seen in pop culture forget to take the characters they're creating and make them truly interesting people in their own right. It's the major difference between exploiting the archetypes of superheros and just being a copy-cat for the hell of making a quick n' easy joke. Which I was happy to see this avoid. The characters here each have their own thing going for them. The Crusader is a superman familiar but he's forever an accountant with a bubbling sense of humor. Abby is the smart superhero girlfriend, with an honest attitude and an interesting life of books and theatre outside her boyfriends constant heroics. Even the side characters have some sort of back story going for them and each is well throughout.This is just pure light and fun. Nothing was particularly laugh out loud for my tastes, but it was always super playful and had me smiling the whole way through. The story lines also had great flow and were very easy to indulge in. When I finally finished up I was reading the section from the author at the back of the book (with his process of creating Love and Capes) and that's when it all clicked. The writing style and dialog is just so comfortable throughout the story and I kept thinking how natural it all felt, almost a little familiar, but a good sort of familiar. That's when he said it. Sports Night. The sitcom comedy that focused on dialog and simple arcs, I could see the feel Zahler was going for with Love and Capes having cited that show. This guy is one of my kind and everything about Love and Capes made me feel all happy and mushy inside. With any luck I'll be reading volume two very soon!