Saint
by Gene Luen Yang

In Gene Luen Yang’s “Saints,” the second volume of his “Boxers & Saints,” he parallels the first story by focusing on the fourth daughter of a family who desperately seeks her family’s approval and love. Dubbed “Four Girl,” she believes herself to be a devil and contorts her face accordingly in public. Her family takes her to an acupuncturist where she first becomes aware of Christianity, eventually converting and taking the name Vibiana. Her work in the church shows her a different side of the changes occurring in China as a result of colonial interests. They bring her into conflict with Bao’s group. Yang ends this volume with an epilogue for both. Like the previous volume, he uses magical realism to show how the Boxer Rebellion was a clash between belief systems and how easily a movement can become subject to its most extreme members. “Saints” is a great introduction to the topic for newcomers and Yang includes a guide to further reading in the back, though it should be read alongside its companion book, “Boxers”.
 
 

Boxers
by Gene Luen Yang

Gene Luen Yang’s “Boxers,” the first volume of his “Boxers & Saints,” tells the story of Little Bao from Shan-tung at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. He sees missionaries from Europe disrespect his people’s ways, destroying their local god and encouraging them to adopt Christianity with the threat of violence. Having grown up on operas about his people’s history and legends, Bao loved his culture and viewed the local god as a familiar, comforting presence. Feeling adrift and lost following floods, Bao learns kung-fu from a traveling merchant and channels his energy to help others. He begins to lead a movement across the country against Europeans and missionaries, initially sparing local Chinese that had converted to the new religion. With time, Bao and his followers become more fanatical and kill even those who follow the missionaries’ teachings, eventually burning down Hanlin Academy library in order to clear a path to the foreigners’ compound. Yang uses magical realism to show how the Boxer Rebellion was a clash between belief systems and how easily a movement can become subject to its most extreme members. He similarly demonstrates the plurality of Chinese culture at the time through the Kansu Braves, a Chinese Muslim group that was loyal to the Qing. “Boxers” is a great introduction to the topic for newcomers and Yang includes a guide to further reading in the back.
 
 

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Omnibus, Vol. 2
by Alyssa Wong

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.
 
 

American Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang

In “American Born Chinese,” Gene Luen Yang alternates between a fictionalized account of his youth, the story of the Monkey King from Wu Cheng’en’s “Journey to the West,” and a satirical account of Chin-Kee, who represents the unkind way that Anglo-Americans view Chinese and Asian immigrants as well as personifying the identity that Chinese-Americans seek to repudiate in order to be seen as more than their ethnicity. His use of humor and dynamic character designs will help this story reach all audiences and give them a greater understanding of the immigrant and first-generation experience, though filtered through Yang’s unique perspective. Disney+ recently adapted this series, but they left out Chin-Kee. Even though the character fulfills a valuable narrative purpose, such an overtly racist caricature would not work well for a corporate streaming service’s production.
 
 

Wolverine Origin
by Paul Jenkins

Paul Jenkins’ “Wolverine: Origin” collects issues #1-6 of the comic of the same name written by Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada with pencils by Andy Kubert, digital paint by Richard Isanove, and letters by John Roshell, Wes Abbott, Oscar Gongorra, and Saida Temofonte. Prior to publication, bits and pieces of Wolverine’s history had been revealed in Chris Claremont’s tenure on “Uncanny X-Men” and beyond, with Weapon X, Department H, Logan’s time in Japan, and some adventures in World War II being the most well-known. Jenkins, Jemas, and Quesada take Wolverine all the way back to the beginning, revealing that he was born James Howlett, the son of a wealthy Canadian family in early-nineteenth-century Albert. His family haunted by tragedy, James’ powers awaken the night his family dies with his claws appearing and his wounds healing quicker than normal in the following days. Taking the name Logan as he flees with his companion, a redhaired Irish girl named Rose, Jenkins, Jemas, and Quesada imply that his memory issues partly result from the early trauma of his powers manifesting in addition to whatever Weapon X and Department H did decades later. In addition to his powers and the name of Logan, his experiences on the run with Rose also gives him his nom de guerre of Wolverine as he digs in the mountains and mines of British Columbia’s northern frontier (part V). The story ends with more questions than answers, but it was bold in exploring Wolverine’s earliest years when previous writers had embraced the ambiguity of his past, casting him in a similar mold to the Man with No Name from Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy. The success of this story coupled with Wolverine’s continuing popularity led to a spin-off, “Origin II,” and an ongoing series, “Wolverine: Origins.” The story itself is well-crafted and Kuberts pencils with Isanove’s colors perfectly evoke nineteenth-century images like those that accompanied Mark Twain’s writing, Mathew Brady’s photography, or the images in Harper’s Weekly. “Origin” is essential reading for any Wolverine fan and elements of the story even made it into the opening sequence of Gavin Hood’s 2009 film, “X-Men: Origins – Wolverine.” This edition also includes afterwords by Jenkins, Jemas, and Quesada, story and scripting discussions, and art breakdowns by Isanove.
 
 

What Is The Story Of Captain Picard?
by David Stabler

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.
 
 

Dark Night: A True Batman Story
by Paul Dini

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.
 
 

The Pharaoh Key
by Douglas Preston

In “The Pharaoh Key,” Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child pick up with Gideon Crew who learns that his medical condition and its associated death sentence continue to hang over his head. Meanwhile, his former employer – Eli Glinn, of Effective Engineering Solutions – has shut down the company following their most recent mission. Gideon and his coworker, Manuel Garza, are given the chance to clear out the remainder of their property from the office. Garza fumes over the unceremonious end to their jobs while Gideon feels apathetic. They learn that a computer program recently decrypted the Phaistos Disc, an ancient object with unknown writing and symbols. Thinking that it holds the secret to a treasure and wanting some last measure of security, Garza and Gideon heist the translation and plan an expedition to recover and sell whatever treasure the disc leads them to. They travel to a remote region of Egypt and find more and more complications, from disasters surrounding their means of travel to a compelling Lara Croft-type character named Imogen Blackburn to the discovery of an extant Coptic village in a mist valley cut off from the outside world. The story is a great adventure story from Preston & Child, masters of the thriller. They instantly drop the reader in the adventure, making them care about these characters while they take them from cliffhanger to cliffhanger. The story has a great MacGuffin that works well as a main subject for the quest while Imogen Blackburn nicely balances out the Gideon-Garza dynamic. Even as the twists and turns resemble an adventure serial, Preston & Child keep the reader involved and pay off their MacGuffin in a satisfying way. David W. Collins does an admirable job reading the story, creating distinct voices for each character with particular emphasis on Garza’s NYC accent. The story will appeal to fans of Gideon Crew and to Preston & Child’s writing.
 
 

True Confessions From A Serial Killer
by Cheryl Nagy

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

Mighty Morphin/Power Rangers: Book Two – Deluxe Edition
by Ryan Parrott

Ryan Parrott’s “Mighty Morphin/Power Rangers: Book Two – Deluxe Edition” collects “Mighty Morphin” #9-16, “Power Rangers” #9-16, and “Power Rangers Unlimited: Countdown to Ruin” #1 written by Parrott and Rachel Wagner; illustrated by Marco Renna, Dan Mora, Francesco Mortarino, Christian Prunesti, and Moisés Hidalgo; colored by Walter Baiamonte, Katia Ranalli, Sara Antonellini, Sharon Marino, Raúl Angulo, Jose Enrique Fernández; and lettered by Ed Dukeshire. The series continues with the team strained as the Omega Rangers and Drakkon seek out the Yellow Emissary in order to defeat the Empyreals. Meanwhile, Zordon exiles Billy after learning that Billy helped Grace to steal the green power coin and create a new Green Ranger. Flashbacks continue to tell Zordon’s backstory with the Eltarians, detailing the rise of Lord Zedd and how the Eltarians have lost their way. Zordon learns just how far they’ve fallen when he learns the truth of Zedd’s identity and what the Eltarians have been doing with worlds they judge not ready to join them. Unfortunately, the Rangers and Zordon do not act fast enough and the Earth falls to the Eltarians while Zordon’s tube is destroyed. Now in exile, the Rangers plan their response while Billy, Yale, and the Blue Emissary try to figure out how to recover Zordon from his quantum state after the shattering of his tube. The volume concludes with a major battle in which new alliances are forged to save the Earth and all life throughout the universe. Parrot’s story continues to forge a compelling master narrative for Boom! Studios’ “Power Rangers” comics that successfully balances a strong story with plenty of fan service. This deluxe edition will look nice on collectors’ bookshelves alongside other volumes and concludes with a gorgeous cover gallery like the previous deluxe editions.