Meg Cabot’s “Black Canary: Ignite” features art by Cara McGee, colors by Caitlin Quirk, and letters by Clayton Cowles. The story focuses on a middle-school-aged Dinah Lance who plays in a band with her friends Kat Van Dorn and Vee Ramirez. Dinah wants to eventually become a police officer like her father, but he worries about her as she begins showing signs of having powers when she can break things with her voice. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure lurks nearby observing her as a villain from Dinah’s mother’s past returns. Cabot delightfully introduces the Black Canary to a new generation of readers in this reimagining of the character. The story resembles the magical girl genre of manga, though with elements of punk rock akin to Marvel’s “Spider-Gwen.” McGee’s illustrations and Quirk’s colors perfectly match the energy of the story. This would be a fun book for DC fans to give to their younger children as well as to read themselves.

“Star Wars: Vader Down” collects the titular one-shot issue, “Star Wars” #13-14, and “Darth Vader” #13-15 written by Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen with art by Mike Deodato and Salvador Larroca, colors by Frank Martin Jr. and Edgar Delgado, letters by Joe Caramagna and Chris Eliopoulos, and cover art by Mark Brooks. The story begins with Darth Vader in pursuit of Luke Skywalker following the destruction of the Death Star. Having learned from Doctor Aphra that Luke is on Vrogas Vas, Vader stumbles across three Rebel X-Wing squadrons at a secret refueling base with Luke among them. He destroys two squadrons only for Luke to commence a kamikaze run at Vader’s TIE Fighter, downing the Dark Lord of the Sith on the planet’s surface. While the Rebels work to take Vader down, Aphra works to ensure Vader gets Luke Skywalker as his prize in order to prove herself to Vader. Meanwhile, Han Solo seeks to save Luke while Princess Leia supports the Rebels troops in the field. All find themselves in a trap when Mon Calamari cyborg Karbin reveals himself as the architect of the conflict in a bid to usurp Vader’s place in the Empire. The story proves Darth Vader’s prowess in a way that few have, showcasing him defeating an entire Rebel base single-handedly. Meanwhile, the plot focused on Luke Skywalker helps fill in elements of his early Force instruction between “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” Leia continues to prove herself a leader as Han demonstrates that, for all his swagger, he remains loyal to his friends above all. Finally, Dr. Aphra steals the show as a secondary character continuing to build her own narrative. The result is a solid story within the larger narrative of the “Star Wars” comics set between Episodes IV and V. A great treat for fans.

Mark Waid’s “Star Wars: Princess Leia” collects issues #1-5 of the titular series written by Waid, illustrated by Terry Dodson, inked by Rachel Dodson, colored by Jordie Bellaire, lettered by Joe Caramagna, and with cover art by the Dodsons. The story begins mere minutes after the end of “A New Hope,” with Princess Leia finding herself seeking a purpose in the wake of Alderaan’s destruction. She recruits fellow Alderaanian pilot Evaan Verlaine for her personal mission as the last surviving member of the Alderaanian Royal Family to seek out and rescue any surviving Alderaanians before the Empire can eliminate them in retaliation for the Death Star’s destruction. Leia’s travels first take her to Naboo, offering a chance for her to encounter a Force-vision of her mother, the late Queen Amidala. Similarly, Artoo-deetoo has a homecoming, though without the fanfare. From there, they travel to Sullust, where Leia finds a group of particularly paranoid Alderaanians. She wins their loyalty, but needs their skills to find a spy in her midst. Evaan also helps introduce Nien Nunb to Princess Leia. Once Leia learns the identity of the spy, she demonstrates her willingness to risk her own life to preserve every remaining Alderaanian life. Meanwhile, her emissary to a different Alderaanian enclave encounters difficulty due to the fact that the Alderaanians have married and had children with the local population. Some want to accept anyone with Alderaanian heritage in order to keep any trace of their people alive while others reveal their racism. The story is a great Leia-centric “Star Wars” adventure, taking place shortly after the original film. The connections with Nien Nunb help connect to Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry’s novel, “Moving Target,” while the setting neatly parallels Marvel’s relaunch of the “Star Wars” comics. Further, Leia’s brief glimpse of a Force-vision of her mother is a moving scene. Both Luke’s wardrobe as well as that of Evaan help to establish a style that appeared in Kevin Hearne’s novel, “Heir to the Jedi.” Waid is an able storyteller and uses Leia’s quest to rescue Alderaanian survivors as an introduction to explore Leia’s character. The Dodson’s art works particularly well with Waid’s writing, capturing character likenesses and imbuing scenes with a dynamism befitting “Star Wars” storytelling.

Devin Grayson’s “X-Men: Evolution – Volume 1” collects the first four issues of the comic featuring artwork and colors by Udon with Long Vo, Charles Park & Saka with letters by Randy Gentile. The issues serve as a prequel to the series of the same name that aired on Kids’ WB from 2000-2003. The series, based on the early “X-Men” comics, features a younger version of the team set in contemporary times that debuted shortly after “X-Men: The Movie.” The stories focus on Charles Xavier forming his school and recruiting other mutants to the cause of peaceful co-existence with humanity, beginning with Ororo Munroe, Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Kurt Wagner. Each issue focuses on a specific character. It also briefly showcases the ideological split between Magneto and Professor X. It’s a fun companion to the animated series for fans of the show and works well as a prelude to the series episodes.

Alyssa Wong’s “Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Omnibus, Vol. 2” collects “Doctor Aphra” (2020) #1-25 written by Wong with pencils by Marika Cresta, Ray-Anthony Height, Robert Gill, Minkya Jung, Federica Sabbatini, and Natacha Bustos; inks by Victor Olazaba; colors by Rachelle Rosenberg; letters by Joe Caramagna; and cover art by Valentina Remenar, Leinil Francis Yu, Sunny Gho, Joshua “Sway” Swaby, Sara Pichelli, Nolan Woodard, and W. Scott Forbes. The story continues the saga of the “Star Wars” galaxy’s favorite rogue archaeologist, Chelli Aphra, following the events of “The Empire Strikes Back” as the Rebel Alliance is on the run and Darth Vader holds a grudge against Aphra for the fallout from their partnership. Meanwhile, she’s put together a new team consisting of herself, Black Krrsantan, Detta Yao, Doctor Eustacia Okka, Just Lucky, and TA-418 while they try to evade Ronen Tagge, a member of the wealthy Tagge family who seeks out rare, one-of-a-kind pieces just so that he can be the last to hold them before destroying them in the ultimate display of privilege. Dealing with these artifacts eventually brings Aphra into conflict with Domina Tagge, whose family business threads a narrow path in the Empire in order to enrich itself and maintain a political status quo beneficial to their plans. Aphra’s emplyment with Tagge leads her to missions involving Crimson Dawn and malevolent Ascendant artifacts. This volume concludes with an Ascendant artifact taking possession of Aphra, leading her associates to unite in order to free her from its grip. Wong’s writing advances Dr. Aphra’s narrative while expanding the scope of the “Star Wars” galaxy to include more groups paralleling the Jedi and Sith in the ancient past. Cresta, Height, Gill, Jung, Sabbatini, and Bustos’ art all brings Wong’s story to dynamic action while Rosenberg’s colors pop. A great collection for fans of Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, though less than half as long as the first omnibus.

David Bushman and Ken Deep’s edited collection “The Companions of Doctor Who” features essays exploring the importance of the Doctor’s companions throughout the sixty-plus years of “Doctor Who.” They structure the book in reverse-chronological order beginning with Donna and Wilf as they appeared in the sixtieth anniversary specials, though those episodes had not yet aired when essayists Shaun Lyon and Joseph Dougherty wrote so they mostly focus on their time with the Tenth Doctor, alluding to the Fourteenth Doctor in their conclusions. From there, Mackenzie Flohr examines Yaz and the Thirteenth Doctor; Amanda-Rae Prescott looks at Bill Potts and the Twelfth Doctor; Scott Ryan examines the role of Clara Oswald; David Bushman takes a look at Amy Pond and the Eleventh Doctor; Dr. Gina Rosich explores the complicated legacy of Martha Jones and the Tenth Doctor; Joshua Lou Friedman takes a look at Rose’s time with the Ninth and Tenth Doctors as the first companion after Doctor Who’s revival in 2005. This first half of the book covers the revived “Doctor Who” while the second half begins with Yee Jee Tso looking back on his own character, Chang Lee, in the 1996 “Doctor Who” movie. Following Tso, Joshua Lou Friedman and Sophie Aldred write about Aldred’s character Ace and her time with the Seventh Doctor; Paul J. Salamoff examines Sarah Jane Smith, who traveled with the Third and Fourth Doctors before appearing in special episodes, spin-offs, the second series of the revived “Doctor Who,” and even her own show; Charlie Ross, Lucy Chase Williams, and Amy Krell all give insiders’ insight into Ian Marter, who portrayed Harry Sullivan alongside the Fourth doctor; Edwin Thrower writes about Jo Grant, who traveled with the Third Doctor before reappearing in the “Sarah Jane Adventures” and “Tales of the TARDIS”; Ken Deep discusses Jamie McCrimmon’s time with the Second Doctor; Barnaby Edwards writes about Ian Chesterton’s travels with the First Doctor as the model for other male companions, who are often outliers when many of the most well-known companions are women; and Ken Deep closes out the book with an interview with Carole An Ford, who played Susan Foreman alongside the First Doctor. The book is a nice companion to the franchise and a good introduction for newcomers who might feel overwhelmed by the Doctor’s long history and numerous companions. Each author brings their own insights and clearly writes about their favorites, so the chapters are a joy to read. A lovely volume for Whovians to purchase for themselves or as a gift for fellow fans.

Literally the worst book. The plot was all over the place with spelling and grammar issues throughout.

Paul Michael Peters’ “Mist and Moonbeams: Stories from the Great Lakes Edge” features five novelettes set around Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Peters organizes the stories based on the mnemonic “H.O.M.E.S.,” with that sense of home running through each novelette. The Huron story, “You Can’t Start a Fire with Moonlight,” focuses on a forbidden love and the pain of its loss. Turning to Ontario, “A Hummingbird in Winter” takes place in the twenty-second century with human connections driving the narrative as main character Dash finds his world changed after a chance encounter. As Peters reaches Michigan, “Confessions of an Efficient Cause” takes on a noir tone as the dark winter of 1992 parallels a threat to students in Chicago and the detective who seeks justice on their behalf. On Erie – the shallowest of the lakes that empties the quickest – “Careful, Icarus” is a heist story in Cleveland featuring a character who hopes one big score can change his life for good. Finally, Peters closes out with Superior and his story “Love in Her Big Two-Hearted,” which follows recent widow Sonny as she seeks out a new adventure through a canoe trip in order to quench her sense of unfulfilled dreams. The stories are entertaining in their own way with their brevity often working to their strength. The book will appeal to those looking to try something new and would find a good home at any library or rental cabin along the Great Lakes. In fact, I was struck while reading this by how perfectly this book would fit in hotels or private rentals along the lakes for vacationers to have something to read after a day exploring the sights. The variety and brevity of the stories are perfectly suited to this type of reading while the local settings would entertain readers as a diversion while they visit the Great Lakes Region.

David Stabler’s “What Is the Story of Captain Picard?” explores the fictional biography of the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D as well as the making of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and its place in the “Star Trek” franchise, past and future. Stabler notes how Gene Roddenberry and the “TNG” writers chose Picard’s name in honor of brothers Jean Felix and Auguste Piccard, Swiss chemists and balloonists, while basing Picard’s personality on C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower. He explores the development of the other main characters on “TNG,” notable adversaries, and some of Picard’s greatest adventures. Pointing the way forward, Stabler discusses the character’s legacy and how it influenced spin-off series “Star Trek: Picard” in 2020, the second season of which was in production at the time Stabler wrote. He concludes, “Today, it is impossible to imagine ‘Star Trek’ without Picard” (p. 106). This book will appeal to young Trekkers looking for a convenient reference work as they learn more about “Star Trek” or to parents who want to introduce their children to the franchise. It also nicely compliments the non-fiction biographies in this series and would go well alongside books on science and aviation pioneers like “Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?”, “Who Was Neil Armstrong?”, “Who Was Jacques Cousteau?”, “Who Were The Wright Brothers?”, and “Who Was Galileo?” or titles focused on entertainers like “Who Was Chuck Jones?”, “Who Was Lucille Ball?”, “Who Is Stan Lee?”, and “Who Is George Lucas?”. Another book in the “What Is the Story” series focuses on Captain Kirk.

Paul Dini’s “Dark Night: A True Batman Story” tells an autobiographical account of Dini’s childhood love of stories that influenced his later work on “Batman: The Animated Series” and that helped him deal with the traumatic aftermath of his mugging in 1993 in which he was nearly killed. The experience crystallizes his years of self-doubt and self-hatred and makes him question his life. Through it all, he processes the experience with the animation that inspired so much of his life. Eduardo Risso beautifully illustrates the work, alternating between styles depending on the scene or to capture the mood of Dini’s memory. Russo blends illustration styles in a way that captures the multilayered narrative with familiar characters appearing recognizable while also having the malleability that people bring to their interpretations and favored portrayals of the characters that dominate popular consciousness. Todd Klein’s lettering helps to bring Dini’s words to life in an accessible format that emphasizes the key points. “Dark Night” will particularly interest fans of “Batman: The Animated Series” who want to know more about the creators and the world of WB Animation at that time. It also shows the power of graphic novels to tell deeply personal stories.