Aphrodite IX

This is a title that has been on my books to read list for close to a decade ever since I saw a copy of it sitting on the shelf at Borders.  By looking at the cover you can tell this is a throwback to the 90's with the blatant objectification of women through the art.  This is a story that is very similar to that of Philip K. Dick novels.  Aphrodite IX is a nice little gem of a story I mean who doesn't like a gorgeous woman with green hair.  Unfortunately it falls short because the end of the book feels like the middle of a larger story.  But this isn't a bad thing since Image Comics is now publishing a new volume of stories which will continue the story from the loose ends left from this volume. 

Ivanhoe

This is one of my favorite classic stories, since I was a child & saw the Wishbone adaptation of this classic tale.  I have previously read abridged versions of this tale but now I have finally read the full tale from cover to cover.  This is the one of the great medieval stories it is a tale that I would recommend for anyone who is interested in Lord of the Rings, A Game of Thrones, or any stories about Robin Hood or King Arthur.  One of the things I love about this story is how compact it is but there is a depth created by connecting it to the history of the crusades, the tale of Robin Hood.  This depth gives the reader a sense that they have been transported to another place if not just another time.  The character of Wilfred of Ivanhoe is one of the classic archetypes to come out of medieval literature.  You can see its everlasting influence in everything from movies like Knights Tale & Monty Python & the Holy Grail to other literary characters like Eddard Stark & Aragorn.  One of the things that really struck me this time while I was reading was the theme of antisemitism that flowed throughout each of the acts of the book leading to the rescue in the finale.  For a book that was written in the early 19th century it is still surprisingly relevant to the world today adding another reason to pick this up & give it a shot.  

The Massive Vol. 1: Black Pacific

The first volume of The Massive is a lot like the first vol. of The Walking Dead for me.  It is fresh & new that I couldn't put it down.  If you like movies like Day after Tomorrow or 2012 then this title is definitely up your ally.  A group of pacifist have formed an environmentalist group that patrols the seas in a post apocalyptic world.  One of the things I really love about this series aside from the art is the rich back story that Brian Wood has begun to develop for each of his characters in this series.  This is really the first book I have read by Wood & if the rest of his work is this good he may just give Brian K. Vaughan a run for his money.