Jason Cavallaro's Best and Worst Books of August

BEST: Earth One by J Michael Straczynski/Shane Davis (graphic novel)

I love graphic novels, but it's rare that I will give one the coveted "best of the month." It has only happened two other times: The wacky Troma-ish, Auteur, by Rick Spears and the viking epic, Northlanders: The Plague Widow, by Brian Wood.

Earth One is a coming-of-age story for Superman. It deals with the years that aren't discussed much in Superman lore, late teens and early 20s. Superman does face villains and does do Superman things, but the strength of the story is Straczynski's focus on Superman's human qualities: doubt, indecisiveness, sexuality, responsibility, etc. There are a few pages in volume 2 (forgot to mention that. There are two volumes) that move me to tears. I'm not sure where Earth One ranks with the Superman fandom, but for me, it's all the way at the top.

WORST: Santa Muerte Claus by RJ Benetti

This what extreme horror/splatterpunk writers should try to avoid. This was supposed to be a splat comedy, but it was only marginally effective at being funny OR shocking. If Santa-themed splatterpunk is your thing, I'd suggest the vastly superior Santa Steps Out by Robert Devereaux.

The rest:

Just After Sunset by Stephen King (collection). Varied quality. Grade: C
Nightmare Seasons by Charles Grant. Perfect example of good writing that bored me. Grade: D
All Flesh is Grass by Clifford Simak. The better version of SK's Under the Dome. Grade: B
Nation by Terry Pratchett. Been hearing this raved about for years. Not for me. Grade: D
Paper Girls by Brian K Vaughn (graphic novel). Stranger Things, but with all-girl cast. Grade: B
Empire Falls by Richard Russo. Small town drama. Great writing. Grade: B
The Light at the End, by John Skipp and Craig Spector. Finally getting around to this one. Underwhelmed. Grade: C
Starship and Haiku by SP Somtow. Definitely not as good as Forgetting Places. Grade: C
Some of Your Blood by Theodore Sturgeon. Super unique vampire tale. Grade: B
The Pet by Charles Grant. I decided to give Grant another go. Really liked this one. Grade: B
Dead Souls by David Barnett (collection). Splatterpunk collection. Grade: C
The Howling of the Dead by Stephanie Jenson. Extreme horror novella, from a newcomer. Grade: D
Judge Dredd: America by John Wagner/Garth Ennis (graphic novel). Excellent socio-political commentary. Grade: B

that's it!

Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn