Review of MAKE COMICS LIKE THE PROS by Greg Pek and Fred Van Lente

I've always been a fan of comics and comic book heroes. Comics are a great way of telling a story because of the visual nature. The Killing Joke by Alan Moore is probably one of my favorite graphic novels ever because of how well the story is communicated using images and dialogue. I'm a storyteller, and I've always wanted to try my hand at some point in creating a story through a comic book.

MAKE COMICS LIKE THE PROS is a great introductory guide that walks you through the process comic book creators go through to produce a comic book. The authors, Greg Pek and Fred Van Lente, share their experience working on some of the most loved comic book characters in history. You'll learn the whole process from pitching to writing to drawing, inking, and lettering, all the way to publishing. They cover how to find and keep an audience without minimizing the difficulty of breaking in to the comic book industry.

It's a fun book with some very helpful insight for those who want to work in the comic book industry.

Review copy provided by Blogging for Books

Review of FOUNDATIONS IN COMIC BOOK ART by John Paul Lowe

FOUNDATIONS IN COMIC BOOK ART by John Paul Lowe is a not only a book about drawing comic book characters; it's a great introduction to drawing in general. The book is very helpful in showing the budding artist how to notice the shapes and forms in the things that they want to draw. Really helpful for me was the instruction on drawing perspective because that's always been a sticking point for me as an artist.

Because this is a book about drawing for comic books, after the basics are covered, the reader is introduced to the concepts that will help them to draw comic book figures. The book doesn't stop with the drawing process, however. For comic book art, there is also inking, and Lowe introduces the reader to inking techniques as well.

I found this to be a very helpful book as someone who wants to draw well and be a visual artist.

Review copy provided by Blogging for Books

Review of THE RULE OF THOUGHTS by James Dashner

In The Eye of Minds, James Dashner's first book in his groundbreaking new series The Mortality Doctrine, Michael discovered something about himself that he never realized, and everything changed for him. The Rule of Thoughts picks up where the first book left off, and Michael now faces new challenges as he tries to stop Kaine from implementing his plan to take over the world of the wake. People are being taken over all over the world. Michael, Bryson, and Sarah become wanted, and they are tasked with facing Kaine whose motivations aren't quite clear.

Dashner created a unique and fun story world with the first book. This is a great book for gamers because of the world of the narrative. Michael, the main character, is literally one of the most complex characters I've ever read. And his friends create a nice mini-community that creates a feeling of warmth even in the midst of the insane circumstances they find themselves in.

Dashner blew me away with the first book, especially the end. This book has only continued to cement Dashner as one of the most innovative storytellers around in my mind. Kaine is a truly compelling villain, and the narrative force of the story kept me reading until the end. As the second book in a trilogy, this book creates plenty of hunger for what Dashner has in mind for book 3.

Review copy provided by Delacorte Press