Robert Kirkman kind of laterals in his fifth graphic novel starring Mark Grayson, the superhero otherwise known as Invincible. Kirkman pulls together the Angstrom Levy plotlines left dangling from the previous graphic novel, Head of the Class, and pushes forward with Mark’s romance, moving into PG-13 territory based on sexual situations instead of violence.

The Guardians of the Globe plotline continues to spin as well and I know that will continue to pay off as we keep reading. However, one of the biggest surprises is how the Atom Eve subplot is still hanging out there. I have the feeling that Kirkman may eventually bring those two together, but the situation will be incredibly stressed now that Amber knows his secret identity.

But I digress. The lovebirds don’t get together too easily in this graphic novel. In a way, Mark’s frequent departures from criminal activity has smacked really closely of early Superman comics, when Clark has to go hide from Lois so he can change into the supersuit. In the first bit of this graphic novel, Mark bails on Amber during a really sticky situation and has to save her as Invincible. Of course, Amber walks out on Mark.

She doesn’t give up on him, though, because she cares about him. Other writers could have made a whole angsty kind of thing about this, but Kirkman gives his readers soap opera with a nasty chuckle and a dash of current day teen mentality. Amber sets about organizing an intervention for Mark, thinking that maybe he’s on drugs or selling drugs. He does have a beeper (for the federal government, no less) but hasn’t explained why he carries it or why he disappears when it goes off.

I laughed out loud when I read the sequence. Only Kirkman and his skewed view of the world would have played that card. But it was a lot of fun. And when Mark “kind of” explains that he has superpowers, he has to leave and leap through a window to go save the world. Of course, that only leads to makeup romance that culminates in Mark’s first adult relationship.

The lateral transfer in the story comes during the arc featuring Allen the Alien. The story plays into the overall mythos of Invincible, but I just wasn’t really thrilled with it. I can’t say why, but it just took me out of the moment. Even the retro origin issue smacked in the middle of this graphic novel didn’t do that to me.

But the menace of Mark’s father’s side of the family threatening the Earth comes back to roost in this graphic novel, and the menace of Angstrom Levy gets dealt with.

There are also origin stories for several of the secondary characters in the comics. They’re interesting and feature some different artwork. This is a good collection, but I’m eager to see what happens next.

In Invincible: Head of the Class, Robert Kirkman expands Mark Grayson’s world and lets his fans know that their hero’s world is far larger than they might have at first thought. The series also takes a more series tack on Mark’s home life, giving him a lot to worry about.

As if finding out your father was actually an invading force from another planet posing as a superhero wasn’t enough to throw a monkeywrench into a guy’s life.

Mark deals with the fallout from his dad in this graphic novel collection, and the writing and art are up to their usual standards. But a lot of darkness invades his life and makes every day a little harder. The most emotionally draining of everything facing him is his mother’s inability to cope with losing her husband and her faith in their love. Kirkman does an excellent job of showing this loss, and of how it affects Mark. He’s torn between getting on with his life, learning the superhero game, finishing school, and a new love interest. He doesn’t want to be held back, but he can’t abandon his mother either. Even worse, for all the power that he has, he can’t help her.

The death of the previous Guardians of the Globe plays out in this one as well as a new team gets assembled. Mark gets invited to the team, but he opts out because he’s got too many things going on. But the events surrounding the Guardians never quite leaves him. Kirkman also builds up the mysterious menace of Angstrom Levy, and the splash page initially revealing that is awesome.

There are a few other subplots dangling out there that Kirkman will doubtless return to, and he manages to bring in Savage Dragon characters (ones that Kirkman has worked on) as a side plot that’s fun.

Despite all the darkness, there is some fun in this book. Simple, joyous stuff that recalls the lighthearted early comics of the series get reflected in the death of Aquarius plot line. As it turns out, the merpeople demand that Mark marry their princess. Since refusing the demand will result in all out war against the surface world, Mark is stuck between a rock and a hard place. The solution to the problem is a little simple maybe, but it works and keeps the story moving along.

Even funnier, and possibly more menacing, is the babysitter job he gets called on to do for a Mars mission. Invincible is supposed to stay out of sight, just shepherd the team and make sure they’re all right. But that tactic only works up until aliens abduct the astronauts.

I’m really enjoying these graphic novels and recommend them to anyone looking for a superhero romp. Kirkman may have turned a little more serious in the latest offing, but the surprises are still there and the stories are a lot of fun.

Fans of historical fiction will find a lot to love in Arturo Perez-Reverte’s first novel about Captain Alatriste, but a healthy dose of patience and love of background will be needed to get into the story. With the new movie out starring Viggo Mortensen, although it hasn’t released here in the United States, I was expecting a novel of derring-do and fantastic escapes. Those things are there, but they’re sedate and more emotional than adrenaline-charged.

I like the character of Alatriste, who isn’t actually a commissioned captain. Rather, he’s one of very few survivors in a war that left dead soldiers strewn across battlefields. He’s also a man of honor and few words, a man who will do what he says he will do unless he is conflicted by that assignment. And that is what happens in Captain Alatriste.

A simple hired assassination, something that Alatriste doesn’t put himself above if the money is right and he is hard-pressed, turns out to be a matter of honor in the dimly lit alleyway where he and a companion set up. The swordplay there is well done and tense, and I imagined the scene and the choreography easily. I thoroughly enjoyed how Alatriste’s sense of fair play won out and instead of hero he becomes a champion.

But the consequences from that fateful night turn out to be far-reaching, and Alatriste realizes his life is forfeit if one wrong move is made. The tension at this point is great, and I kept waiting for the attacks alongside Alatriste. When they came out of left field, and other stakes were involved, I was as confused as the captain till everything got sorted out.

The narration is uneven, coming both from Alatriste’s young ward, twelve year old Inigo, and from an omniscient viewpoint, though this was doubtless Inigo recreating the events for the reader. I liked Inigo’s narration and descriptions of people and events, and I missed his voice when he wasn’t directly in a scene. Still, I understood completely that he couldn’t be there at all times because Alatriste – and circumstances – wouldn’t have allowed it.

I thought the fight that Inigo was involved in was fantastic, and the moon-swept landscape came alive in my imagination. The crack and thunder of the pistols, the razor song of steel on steel, all punctuated that struggle.

I love a good swashbuckler story. Some of my favorite movies and books are those tales. So far there are five Captain Alatriste tales, and I’m going to read them. I enjoyed the Spain of the 17th century that Perez-Reverte presents on the pages as much as I enjoyed the world he shows to his readers in The Fencing Master. If you haven’t read this author, be patient with him. He’s really good and deserves your attention.

I’m having a blast with the new Batgirl, Stephanie Brown. The first four-issue story arc has concluded, and a new one begins in the latest issue, #5. Bryan Miller has made Stephanie his own, infusing her with a young personality that plays out well against the experienced Barbara Gordon (the original Batgirl for any latecomers) and the whole Bat-universe. She’s college age in the series, and her snarkiness about life and college is at once endearing.

But before I go any further in this review, I have to give accolades to Lee Garbett, the interior artist. Phil Noto knocked himself out on the explosive character, but Garbett definitely keeps the pages turning. His rendition of Gotham City and all the action inherent in the scenes is exquisite. There’s a tremendous amount of detail, and the color put in by Guy Major over Sandra Hope and Oliver Nome’s inks is fantastic. The pages pop with vibrancy action. Artistically speaking, Batgirl is getting to be one of my favorite comics.

In one quick introductory page, Miller launches his readers into the latest adventure of Stephanie’s life. All of this is done through dialogue, but Garbett builds his scenes around the word balloons and they turn almost invisible against the backdrop of impending action.

Diesel is a new villain in the Batworld as far as I know. I haven’t seen him before, and he’s kind of interesting. The danger to Batgirl is immediate, but Stephanie takes it all in with fun aplomb and biting humor. The splash page of her stepping through the flames is amazing, and you’re almost willing to overlook that in the real world her hair would be singed.

The arrival of Batman and Robin, especially with Diesel’s cutting remark, is a hoot. And the art is dynamite. But the miscued teamwork is even funnier. I like Damian as Robin, though I was at first against the idea. Now I think the new team of Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian as Robin is an excellent idea. I like how they grate against each other, and since Stephanie is closer in age to Damian, they make perfect foils for each other.

Miller also lays down multiple plotlines with this issue. Not only is there the menace of Diesel and the ongoing feud with ex-lover Dick Grayson, but her dad is trying to set her up with a new detective on the force. And Stephanie’s college life looks like it’s going to be a part of the series as well, which is a welcome addition to round out her character.

The real kicker in this book is the second confrontation between Stephanie and Damian. I love the animosity and rivalry between them, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out in the series. His drawing in the snow was fantastically funny, and so Damian. Garbett’s choice of poses for Stephanie during this encounter is so much the stuff of teen drama, I had to go back, look at it again, and laugh some more.

The ending is a shocker, and I resent having to wait a whole month to find out what happens next. But if you haven’t gotten caught up with the new Batgirl, you’re missing something impressive.

Merline Lovelace’s new novel, All The Wrong Moves, is a great start to a new mystery series. I enjoyed her fast-paced first-person narrative, and I like United States Air Force Lieutenant Samantha Spade a lot. She’s young, quirky, and hip, the kind of girl you can take home to mom and still depend on to cover your six during a mugging. She shares not only the events of the investigation with her readers, but also her views on life, the opposite sex, and the military in equal doses. She’s quite compelling.

Lovelace is a retired USAF colonel herself, with all kinds of postings in exotic (and not so exotic) hot spots around the globe. She has a great knowledge of the military, technology, and people. All of that shows on the pages of this novel.

I also really love the background Lieutenant Spade is played again. South Texas is near a lot of trouble, so her budding relationship with Border Patrol Agent Jeff Mitchell feels natural. The fact that Fort Bliss is so close, complete with inter-military problem potential, is another facet that I expect will be explored. We get a touch of it here, and it ups the ante for Spade’s investigations.

Most of all, though, I love the fact that Spade is part of a DARPA program that tests new technology designed for military use. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency isn’t quite as hush-hush these days as it has been, but lots of folks are still fascinated by all the technology and cutting-edge science those people play with. Lovelace hangs enough of it out there to whet the appetites of geeks everywhere and send them scrambling for the Internet to find out more.

The story is twisted in several places and I had to pay close attention to who was doing what, which is fair in a mystery novel. Lovelace’s prose makes reading so enjoyable that I was constantly chasing Spade’s narrative out of sheer enjoyment instead of pursuing clues and turning over possible villains. But the author had a lot to set up in this first novel and she does it really well.

The action sequences are well written and exciting, and I loved the way EEEK played a part in pulling everyone’s fat out of the fire at the end. I knew they were lugging that big guy around for a reason, and it was good to see that I wasn’t mistaken.

Lieutenant Samantha Spade is one of those heroines that male and female readers will both love. She’s savvy and individualistic, but still all female. I’m looking forward to further adventures, and Lovelace has already got two more scheduled for publication.

Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet Book One The Stonekeeper is a great new book for juveniles and adults interested in anime/manga style storytelling with Japanese fantasy flavor. I was blown away by the pacing and the art as the tale delivers a wonderfully delicious magical experience.

The overall plot is familiar. Emily and her brother Navin lose their father in a tragic accident, which the reader gets to see and has to endure the heartbreaking turn of events panel by panel. When their mother can no longer financially meet the needs of the family, she moves them to an old house that’s been in the family for centuries.

I wasn’t really excited by the plot. The events pretty much spin themselves out in the fashion that a confirmed fan of juvenile literature would imagine. Emily and Navin help their mom clean the house, then mom gets grabbed by a tentacled monster and taken away to an underground world no one ever knew was there before.

The thing that Kibuishi excels at is the pacing. He knows when to move the story along at a blistering pace, and when to slow things down to build in a major creep factor and dynamic suspense. The panels of seeing the spirit following everyone around was great because I kept expecting it to pounce at any time.

I really enjoyed Miskit and his giant armored suit. You have to be a kid at heart to suspend belief for this, but these kinds of stories always bring out my A game for believing in the fantastic. I also liked the technology that floats throughout the story because it’s realistic to a degree, yet very whimsical.

After Emily receives the Amulet, readers can predict that it will serve as a weapon to help her out of danger. However, it doesn’t always work and that confounds me a little, making me want the sequel a little sooner because I love mysteries. But she goes off on the next leg of her adventure, digging even deeper into the strange world she and her little brother have suddenly found themselves in while trying save their mom.

The art is the primary point of enjoyment in this book. A lesser artist, or one striving for a more complicated finish, would have rendered a more compressed story, but that would have taken away so much of the narrative tension Kibuishi builds into the story. This is a great book for imaginative kids or adults who refuse to completely put away their childhood.

I’m a big fan of Gary Paulsen’s work. The author can turn out heartfelt stories like Tracker and The Cook Camp that resonate emotionally, write adventure that fills the imagination with the outdoors like Hatchet, and he can tickle your funnybone unmercifully. One of his newest books, Mudshark, is the latter variety and kept me glued to the pages.

Lyle Williams is a 12 year old prodigy who’s a keen observer like Sherlock Holmes. He’s also uncannily quick, capable of having a thought and moving at the same time. He has three younger sisters, triplets, and preoccupied parents that often leave him in charge of them, so he’s had to learn how to think on his feet.

Those skills have pushed Mudshark, as he’s become known after a particularly memorable game of Death Ball, into the school’s unofficial detective. When something goes missing (including a brain, a cat, and a brand new car), Mudshark is the one that everyone goes to. Generally he solves everyone’s problems just by being observant, logical, and persistent.

However, when the school librarian brings in a parrot that apparently has psychic powers, Mudshark faces the toughest mystery’s he’s ever encountered in his young career. Is the parrot really psychic? Everyone thinks so, and they start going to the parrot instead of Mudshark. And what’s happening to the school’s erasers and the faculty lounge.

Young readers need to share this book with their parents. It’s meant to be read aloud. I wish I’d held off reading this one to share with my 12 year old, but I passed it off to him as soon as I was finished. This short novel (83 pages) is packed full of good humor and imagination. This is the kind of storytelling a lot of writers have gotten away from. I could imagine Gary Paulsen sitting in front of me, spinning this tale with broad exaggeration and a twinkle in his eye.

The mysteries are well-thought out as well. Alert readers (and their parents) can catch onto clues and solve most of the puzzles themselves, but they won’t always get the motivations behind the culprits. Paulsen outdoes himself by adding an extra depth to that part of his story.

I don’t know if Mudshark is going to spawn any sequels, though there is a hook left at the end of this one, but I’d gladly pick them up if Paulsen writes them. I loved his Hatchet spin-offs, and Mudshark is a character cut from the same dynamic cloth after his own fashion.

After a gentle beginning in the first two Invincible graphic novels, Robert Kirkman changes everything young Mark Grayson knows about himself and his world. When his father, the world’s most powerful superhero, is revealed to be an alien invasion force of one, Mark’s world crumbles.

I’d been enjoying the series through the first couple graphic novels, though the stunner of when Omni-Man (Mark’s dad) flew in and laid waste to the Guardians of the Globe seriously rocked me. I just didn’t see it coming. There was no foreshadowing and no clue. I’m sure that was set up that way so the reader could echo the same sense of betrayal Mark went through.

His dad seemed like such a guy’s guy. Then, when he turned, the guy was like the Terminator on steroids. Before he finds out the truth, Mark is already dealing with a lot. Night patrols are eating up his time and his energy. Classes that he used to cruise through are now teetering toward the brink of chaos.

The fight scenes were really well done, and you can feel Mark’s anguish as he watches his father reveal the real truth to him. I kept waiting for a shape-shifting alien to pop out and yell, “Gotcha!” Or to find out that Omni-Man was under the spell of some magical villain or a rock from his home planet.

What Kirkman really does, though, is set up the ultimate breakdown in father/son relationships. Anyone that’s ever struggled to understand his dad is going to find something that echoes in the story. The dialogue between them at the end, when each of them tries desperately to reach the other and change the other’s perspective is awesome. Even more indicative of Kirkman’s keen insight as a writer is how Mark’s mom actually creates the biggest separation between them.

Ryan Ottely and Bill Crabtree’s art remains fantastic and delivers a lot of visual punch to this emotional story. The panels are broken down for maximum effect, and the bright colors really pop. There’s still that cartoony feel to everything that makes the book all the more endearing.

Although not everyone I know understands the love I have for comics, it’s stories like this that keep me coming back.

Matthew Sturges has written a lot of comic books over the last few years. Along with Bill Willingham, he’s penned the adventures of Jack of Fables, a series steeped in fairy tales and fantasy. Midwinter is his first fantasy novel, and he shows real style and flair for prose.

When the novel starts out, the hero Mauritaine is in prison where he’s been kept for a couple years. He’s been victimized by a highborn lord and lost all his rights. He hasn’t seen his wife in all that time and he knows it’s hard on her. Then he gets an offer he can’t refuse, a secret, suicidal mission that will return him to the life he once knew. If only he can survive desperate foes and dangerous lands.

Sturges plants his readers deeply into the plot within just a few short pages, then kicks the stakes up to life or death. I enjoyed the whirlwind way he plunges the action along and brings some backstory along the way. However, I also have to confess that I got lost along the way every now and again, and I never quite understood what the “Gifts” were. There are supposed to only be twelve of them, and I still couldn’t name them even if I tried because I don’t think they were all mentioned in the story. Then, at the end of the book, we find out there’s a thirteenth Gift after all.

I think the book could have benefitted from more explanation at times, but it might have interrupted the pacing, which is one of the really good things about the novel. Sturges writes action sequences like an old pro, and his dialogue is good.

I liked the conflict that came up between the characters. Despite bouncing around in the heads of the various members of Mauritaine’s party, I couldn’t pick the traitor in his midst.

The overall worldbuilding was pretty good. I got the two factions of the elves fighting each other for control, but I didn’t see how the Real World fit into the story. Sturges dips into the Real World a few times, bringing Mauritaine into conflict with human as well as bringing artifacts to bear that are made of iron. The fae world burns at the touch of iron, and I was hoping Satterly would opt for a weapon made of that. I particularly wanted the Pontiac LeMans to come into greater use than it did. I love muscle cars and this novel seemed like a good place to put the pedal to the metal.

Thankfully, this fantasy novel isn’t the start of some trilogy or series. At least, not a series that demands readers immediately pick up the next novel. Hopefully Sturges will write another. I enjoyed the characters well enough and got to know them, and the world is a place I’d like to explore again.

I’m a big fan of audiobooks. The radio doesn’t work for me during a commute or while running errands anymore. Since I acquired the iPhone, I’ve got even more reason to enjoy audiobooks every day. The connection in the car is great, and all it takes is a set of earbuds to get me mobile.

Over the years, I’ve learned to tell good readers from lesser ones in only a matter of minutes. Sometimes the book suffers from the experience of a weak reader that’s just not capable of doing a good job of keeping all the various characters separate with only one voice.

However, GraphicAudio is a great little company whose slogan guarantees “a movie in your mind.” After listening to Batman: Inferno, I have to agree. They have a full ensemble cast and provide myriad background noises and sounds that pull listeners into a scene the way that Old Time Radio does. They also restructure the story to take advantage of those aural anchors that keep that imaginary world sounding so real. I’m looking forward to more of their books.

But onto the book review. I really enjoyed Alex Irvine’s take on a Batman novel. I thought he kind of overplayed the whole “Batman’s gonna kill the Joker” mantra, but the Joker parts were totally entertaining. They were also a mix of the recent movie Joker played by Heath Ledger and the Clown Prince of Crime from the early Batman issues. The Joker’s really not tied into the real world, and brings real menace to anyone that lives there.

The plot in this book also offers a new villain that I hadn’t before encountered in Batman mythos. His name is Enfer and he’s an ex-fireman turned pyromaniac with delusions of grandeur. As it turns out, he’s one of Dr. Crane’s (Scarecrow) pet projects. With all the psychological “care” he’s given Enfer, the patient becomes dedicated to the destruction of Batman and Gotham City.

The book moves around through the different hero and villain viewpoints. Irvine did an excellent job of making the Joker’s insanity come to life as well as James Gordon’s walk along a knife edge of uncertainty as he serves as Gotham’s most honest cop and Batman’s confidante. It’s those subtle understandings of these characters that pushed this novel into a great read. The plot spins well, and I liked the way Gotham’s deadlier populace was explored.

I cringed when the Joker “accidentally” discovered Batman’s Batcave and decided not to unmask who Batman really was. That somehow didn’t make sense to me no matter how hard the author tried to sell that. I also had to severely suspend disbelief when the Joker stole the Batmobile. Wouldn’t Batman have had it locked up so that only he could start it and drive it? Especially with all the technology he had? Couldn’t he have installed a GPS unit to track the stolen Batmobile? One Lo-Jack and the plot would have cratered regarding the Batmobile’s theft. And barring that, couldn’t Batman have hacked into street cameras and tracked the Batmobile?

Still, there are a lot of good bits in this book. GraphicAudio makes the most of them, and the “read” only lasts about seven hours, so a few long commutes will get you through this one. During that time, you’ll swear you were in Gotham City, hugging the shadows and looking for villains.