Scott's Take: Superman Unchained: Deluxe Edition by Scott Snyder

Superman Unchained: Deluxe Edition by author Scott Synder and various artists is a cool hardback book. A “deluxe edition” is oversized so it is bigger than the normal comic book with larger than normal pages. It also has additional bonus or new material. That extra material is usually sketches, writer script (where a writer plans his story in just words without the pictures), and more. This is true in this case.

This story is one of the better Superman stories that came out during the “New 52” which is the organized effort to reboot all the heroes. In Superman Unchained: Deluxe Edition, Superman faces off with various threats such as General Lane, Lex Luthor, a new terrorist group called Ascension, and a government super soldier from out of space called Wrath. Wrath claims to be a good guy, but, come on, he has a bad guy name. Luckily for Superman, he is not alone in facing these threats across the globe as he has friends. Allies and friends Batman, Wonder Woman, Lois Lane, and others all help out to save the day.

I liked this lot because of the author depiction of Superman. Many writers typically forget that Superman is a scientist. He is the son of a scientist and has access to a lot of advanced technology and information. Superman has to use his brain in this novel to defeat his foes and handle the various situations he faces. Whether it is outsmarting a stronger foe or stopping an international space station from falling to earth and saving the astronauts onboard, it isn’t just about what he can do physically.

Through the course of the book, the author draws a strong contrast between Wrath and Superman. Wrath works for the US Army and in the system while Superman fights outside of the system. Wrath fights for America only while Superman fights for the world. Why Superman does not work within the system is explained and debated throughout the book in interesting ways.

Lex Luthor is scary in this novel. He is a deranged genius that can do almost anything if he puts his mind to it. While Superman uses his smarts for good and to help folks, Lex Luthor takes the opposite tack. While Lex Luthor is not the main villain in this story, he has some of the most memorable moments in this novel. For example, he continues to read a book calmly while people are being murdered around him based on his orders.

Batman, Lois Lane and Wonder Woman have some cool moments that would be hard to discuss without heavy spoilers. Obviously, I won’t be talking about that as I don’t want to ruin the read with spoilers.

The action is awesome in Superman Unchained: Deluxe Edition as is the artwork. The heroes have epic moments and the villains are terrifying and think they are right no matter how horrible their actions are. Superman has some great lines. The book dives deep into the mind of Superman and why he is the way he is. Superman is one of my favorite characters when he is written right, but he is very hard for many to write right. This story is one of the best that featured the New 52 banner. Though it is really good, with the way they took things after “Superman Reborn” I think most of this is no longer part of the canon.

Superman wins, of course, but not easily. This story requires him to use his full intelligence, resources, and his friends to win. I highly recommend this story for Superman fans or for those just interested in the glory of Superman.

Superman Unchained: Deluxe Edition

Scott Snyder

Various Artists

DC Comics

http://www.dccomics.com

December 2014

ISBN# 978-1-4012-4522-1

Hardback (also available in paperback and eBook formats)

352 Pages

$29.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System

Scott A. Tipple ©2019

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: CREPE EXPECTATIONS BY SARAH FOX

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: CREPE EXPECTATIONS BY SARAH FOX: Don't miss the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of this post! Crepe Expectations The Pancake House Mysteries #5 by Sar...

TP&WD: Game Warden Field Notes for 5/31/19

TP&WD: Game Warden Field Notes for 5/31/19

Do Some Damage: Remembering Sandra Seamans by Albert Tucher

Do Some Damage: Remembering Sandra Seamans: By Albert Tucher Sandra Seamans, one of the anchors of the crime fiction community, passed away in her home in Clifford PA on May 23. ...

FFB Review: The Splintered Paddle by Mark Troy

For this really and absolute final Friday in May 2019, I remind you of The Splintered Paddle by Mark Troy. I first told you about this one five years ago in the review below. I remind you of this excellent book today. I also suggest you check out the full list of reading suggestions over at Todd Mason’s blog.

Private Investigator Ava Rome has no idea in the beginning that she is being hunted. She has no idea at all a man from her distant past is in the islands watching her every move. Fantasizing over and over again what he is going to do to her once he finally gets her alone. His name is Norman Traxler and he is coming for her--- after he eliminates whatever she cares about a chess piece at a time.

Ava's latest client, sent by Moon Ito, is a young woman named Jenny Mordan. Battered an assaulted by a corrupt cop named Ron Nevez she wants and needs Ava's help. The fact that Jenny is a freelancer in the world's oldest profession is not a factor for Ava Rome. Jenny is defenseless and Ava's business is to protect the defenseless as it was under Kamehameha the Great before the annexation of the islands by the United States in 1898.  That first law of King Kamehameha, the law of the splintered paddle, is still ingrained in the islands and its people and serves as the very personal mandate of what Ava Rome does each and every day. The defenseless will be guaranteed from harm--period.  Using your badge as a weapon is considered official suppression and Ava's isn't about to put up with that.

That issue isn't the only thing she isn't about to put up with in this complicated mystery featuring multiple story lines. Written by Texas author Mark Troy who spent a number of years in Hawaii before moving to Texas, this new series features an intense take no prisoners heroine committed to solving mysteries from the past and present despite the many complications involved with both. Ethical and principled, willing to go it alone if and when she has to, Ava Rome always advances and never retreats. That might be something that comes from her family and the way she was raised.

Featuring a strong and interesting cast of supporting characters, this complex read features four separate and distinct story lines that gradually interweave as readers are slowly filled in on Ava's often difficult past. A past that has driven many of her choices through her life. Choices that have created at least some of the increasingly dangerous situations she now finds herself in today.

Second place finisher at the 2012 Claymore Awards at Killer Nashville, The Splintered Paddle: An Ava Rome Mystery is one of those rare books that pulls you deep inside a world far from home right from the beginning. It isn't all sundrenched beaches, cool waters, and happy days in paradise. Ava, also seen in the very good novella The Rules, knows something about the dark undercurrents at work in the 50^th state in the union and is more than ready to protect the defenseless.

The Splintered Paddle

Mark Troy

http://marktroymysterywriter.com/

Five Star Publishing (division of Cengage)

http://www.cengage.com

June 18, 2014

ISBN# 978-1-4328-2859-2

Hardback

304 Pages

$25.95

ARC supplied by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014, 2019

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Sensitive Crimes, Travelling Cat, Komma...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Sensitive Crimes, Travelling Cat, Komma...: Reported by Lauren                 This week’s Nevermore group was small but mighty. And really into books about life-or-death situa...

Mystery Fanfare: Cartoon of the Day: Required Summer Reading

Mystery Fanfare: Cartoon of the Day: Required Summer Reading

Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Pie Town series by Kirsten Weiss

Treadmill Books: Pie Town series by Kirsten Weiss

After her mother’s death and the end of her engagement, Valentine Harris’ dream of opening her own pie shop is the only thing keeping her going.  Her retro-look shop and delicious pies are starting to draw customers, but when one of the regulars keels over it looks as if Pie Town may  have to close before Grand Opening balloons deflate. Joe, the late customer in question, owned the nearby comic book store but, as it turns out, was a member of a group of amateur sleuths who tried to solve local mysteries.  Could one of the investigations have gotten him killed?

That’s the set-up in The Quiche and the Dead, the first in the Pie Town series. Val is a newbie business owner, but has a pretty sound head on her shoulders—which is more than can be said for Charlene, her 70-something crust maker who has an allegedly deaf emotional support cat and who lives and breathes conspiracy theories.  I’ll admit at first I found her annoying but since there’s a hint or two that Charlene may not believe in theories as much as she believes in yanking people’s chains, I not only warmed up to her, but she became my favorite character.

And it’s a good thing too because there’s already Heidi who owns the new health and fitness studio near Pie Town and promotes healthy living.  Really healthy living, as in putting up a huge sign that says “SUGAR KILLS” right after Joe drops dead.  She’s also dating Val’s former fiancé (who of course is a total slimebag) and exists mainly to cause Val trouble. It’s a character type I have little patience with, honestly, but they show up often in modern cozies.

The tone is gently over the top, with Charlene dragging a reluctant Val into all sorts of improbable situations, and can be very funny.  As the series progresses, more supporting characters are added, including the standard issue cop love interest, but there’s enough that’s fun and fresh to make this an enjoyable series.  Recipes are included.

In fact, I am going to check out some of Weiss’ other series, particularly the Paranormal Museum Mystery book.

The titles in the Pie Town series are: The Quiche and the Dead, Bleeding Tarts, and Pie Hard.

Unlawful Acts: Small Crimes: Tuesday Reads

Unlawful Acts: Small Crimes: Tuesday Reads

The First Two Pages: Borrowed Time by Tracy Clark

The First Two Pages: Borrowed Time by Tracy Clark

Bronzeville Books: A Headdress Where It Doesn’t Belong

Bronzeville Books: A Headdress Where It Doesn’t Belong

Review: A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames

A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary is the eighth book in this long running and very good series. This time Chief of Police for Jarret, Texas, Samuel Craddock becomes increasingly concerned about the disappearance of his neighbor and friend, Loretta Singletary. Until he really sat back and thought about it, he hadn’t paid much attention to the fact that in recent weeks Loretta started dressing different and had a new hair style. Loretta Samuel Craddock was used to how she was, her routines such as the one that included her walking over from her house early in the morning bringing home made cinnamon rolls warm from her oven, and the fact that she kept her life fairly private. She is not one to talk about her personal business or share a lot of confidences so he wasn’t paying much attention to the changes she was doing in recent weeks.

Then she upset the routine by going missing and can’t be found anywhere. The easy explanations of Loretta taking a trip to visit family, shopping with a friend, don’t fit. Loretta is gone and no one has a clue where she has gone. By poking around a bit in her home and asking a lot of questions of everyone in her life, Samuel Craddock begins to piece together the idea that she has signed up for one of those dating sites. In her case, one that caters to seniors and folks that live in small towns. A little research also convinces him that such sites are dangerous for anyone and that is especially true for the older folks.

When another woman in a nearby town is killed, Chief of Police Samuel Craddock’s fear almost becomes flat out panic. The other woman’s personal circumstances mirrored Loretta’s and she used the same dating site. If the local church going folks would quit arguing over the long tradition of the goat rodeo, Chief Craddock would sure appreciate it as there is far more important matters at stake.

A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary by Terry Shames is another excellent entry in the long running series. The author skillfully weaves together a complicated tale of increasing suspense and mystery as the pages go by. Along the way there is plenty of background detail in two secondary storylines regarding life in Small Town Texas and how everyone knows your business. Those secondary storylines work to relieve the suspense a bit and provide a dash of humor here and there while not slowing down the overall pace of the book.

Make sure you take the time to return to the world of Samuel Craddock and Jarrett, Texas. You will be glad you did. 

A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary: A Samuel Craddock Mystery

Terry Shames

http://www.terryshames.com

Seventh Street Books

http://www.seventhstreetbooks.com

April 2019

ISBN# 978-1-63388-490-8

Paperback (also available in eBook format)

272 Pages

$15.95

Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2019

The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers for 5/27/19

The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers for 5/27/19

Bronzeville Bee: Cultural Appropriation: Tomorrow’s Introduction & Today’s Confession

Bronzeville Bee: Cultural Appropriation: Tomorrow’s Introduction & Today’s Confession

Unlawful Acts: Incident Report No. 78

Unlawful Acts: Incident Report No. 78

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid: Reviewed by Ambrea Superman fights for truth and justice—but why?  What drives a farmboy from Kansas to become one of the mighties...

Bronzeville Bee: Do #OwnVoices, ‘Write Your Truth’ and Concerns About Cultural Appropriation Mean Writers are Limited to Writing What They Know?

Bronzeville Bee: Do #OwnVoices, ‘Write Your Truth’ and Concerns About Cultural Appropriation Mean Writers are Limited to Writing What They Know?

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 5/27/19

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 5/27/19

Monday Markets and Jobs for Writers for 5/27/19

Monday Markets and Jobs for Writers for 5/27/19

TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: Texas Literary Calendar May 27-Jun...

TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: Texas Literary Calendar May 27-Jun...: Bookish goings-on in Texas for the week of May 27-June 2, 2019 compiled exclusively for  Lone Star Literary Life  by Texas Book Lover. ...