Book Review: Manfried the Man by Caitlin Major

Wait, till you see my comic of tiny to normal size woman doing dog like things. Wait...Nevermind.

Manfried is a stray taken in by Steve Catson, a slacker with a dead-end job and nonexistent love life. Soon Manfried becomes the Garfield to Steve’s Jon Arbuckle: lazy, selfish, and sometimes maddening in his weird human behavior. Yet the pair depends on each other to get through life’s troubles. When Manfried runs away, Steve musters his meager resources to find his best man-friend and bring him home safe. Ultimately, both Steve and Manfried realize they’re capable of so much more than they thought.


You've probably seen that comic with the mansize cat and the mansize cat sitting on the key board. This is a whole graphic novel with that concept. I was intigued to see what they would do with a full novel of this idea.

The concept is interesting, but not much after that. There's just a not a lot of comical room for cat like creature doing cat things. Attempt is made to do more than just goofy gags.

The plot is quite standard to most Webcomics. Lovable misfit that needs to figure out his life, while friends are more together and judge him, with a cookie twist to get your attention. For those sort of things, this does it well enough. Steve's affection towards Manfried does play a major plot points, mostly him scared he will be a crazy man person.

Some funny moments and gags, mixed in with relatable life stuff.

The art style is nice and the colouring is done well to match scenes. It is a bit disturbing at first to look at tiny penises all the time, and none of the cats wear clothes, their balls are ignore though.

This world has left me with questions. Like they are no tiny female humans so how do they reproduce. It doesn't really matter, but it just a thought in my head. Especially as there are packs of them. I have questions, but I don't think there actual answers to them. I want to see the dogs which exist in this universe but the men are hybrid of both cats and dogs with what they do and how they behaviour. They're lazy, fight like cats but you can train them to do tricks.

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars for canned hamburgers. I like this well enough, but I don't think I'm invested enough to pick up the sequel. I think it more we're not the right matches for each other, as they nothing I can point to say what wrong with it. If you're interested by the idea, I would say pick up  and give it a chance you're self. Maybe not the sequel to this, but I would check out more works by Caitlin Major.

I got this book for Review off Netgalley and it is being published by Quirk Books 1 May 2018.

Book Review: Bob's Burgers: Medium Rare by Various

Most Dangerous time travel method yet.

While Bob and Linda Belcher have their hands full running the family business, their kids Tina, Gene, and Louise have adventures that you won't believe! The producers, writers, and animators of the hit animated show Bob's Burgers proudly present all-original comic book stories, including hilarious installments of "Louise's Unsolved Mysteries & Curious Curiosities", "Tina's Erotic Friend Fiction", and "Gene's Rhymey Rhymes That Could One Day Be Songs." Whether it's Tina's daydreams of cloning back-up dancers or jungle misadventures, Louise's explorations of underground tunnels and time-stopping Wonder Wharf rides, Gene's lyrics that reimagine boring Aunt Gayle visits as epic journeys to fantasy worlds, the Belcher family hijinx are guaranteed to make you laugh!

I enjoy the show Bob's Burgers (I would enjoy it more if they had stuck with the cannibalism thing, but that's most likely just me). This contains the first 4 issues of the comic. Each issue has a segment from each of the Belcher kids that match their personality and talents with the tiny thing from Bob and Linda once in a while (just a singe page).

There is the art style of the show, but there is also different ones. Some make sense with what story being told like "Gene's Rhymey Rhymes That Could One Day Be Songs." The others were bit jarring because they were different but there were good. There also tons of alternative cover images for the comics which similar to the better fan art you find online. So some of it was amazing, others were good.

 The stories were good. They basically made up by the characters and not likely to have actually to have happened. They are lot references, such Casablanca and Narnia. Either Gene's version of Cinderella or  Louise's The Ride (the art is sickly cute). Tina's stories were just too much butts, which are her but it not as charming on paper than it is on scene.

Overall, I gave this 3 out of 5 stars for pineapples. If you're caving more of Bob's Burgers then this worth a read, but it's not quite the same magic as the show.

A Day and Half without Power

I am now a graduate, no not the type with a degree or diploma. But I have so many certificates. Most of them useless, but hey I have them god damn it. Basically, this my complicated way of saying that I finished that Prince's Trust Course with a Presentation night that they like to call Graduation. It felt as meaningfully and as important as Nursery school Graduation was. Though, now I can no longer say that everything went down hill after Graduation (I have specifies it now). We all got Alphabet books which they no longer use to teach the Alphabet. I'm such a positive person, that must really show on this blog, doesn't it?

You can tell that I'm really inspired by this course to do great things with my life. Frankly, I'm not. Though, I now know what I'm hopefully doing next year if I get into the course, of course. I still have to write a Personal Statement thing and it's in high demand. So you know worrisome. I also might be a little over qualified for it. It basically to do more Highers so I can finally get an A. I plan to do 3 more next year. Should be hilarious next to the other five.

The presentation thing went fine we took pictures, people cried for some reason. We got terrible take-way. I order a large doner kebab, however, I received a tray of meat with a single, tiny pita bread, which I work out that pita bread cost a pound. So in summary, Fuck you Dante's in Dumfries, even if I lived in Dumfries I would never fucking go to you again. I get very worked out about my food. I mean the Kebab meat was still nice, but still I didn't order a tray of it. I knew I should have just order Pizza. I didn't understand why we didn't get Chinese or Indian, anyway.

We also had the opportunity to get our Hair and Make-up done by Students studying such thing. I took this opportunity by having my hair curled and make-up applied. I did now however touch my make-up with more colour.

We had went shopping on Thursday where we had got £50 off this other Trust to buy clothes for our Graduation/Interview wear. The boys all brought suits, the other girls brought party dresses/cat suits that there's no way you would go to a interview in. Though, in truth none of the stores in town really had anything at all. I mean if I had wanted to go down the party dress line, I saw nothing. I did get lucky with buying real leather brogue shoes for £6. There said were half price at £12. My family have it in their head that I have incredibly lucky just because I cleared out a School charity raffle thing one year. I think it more if you put yourself out there, you bound to eventually win.

Look at me Speaking.

I also won books (and minty biscuits) on Tuesday. I've been doing the British Book Challenge this year and there is a monthly draw of reviews entered which is of course a book prizes. I won November's which I was quite chuffed with considering that I didn't enter at all in October. Tuesday hadn't really been a good day, just little stuff that did it, though winning books turn it around some what. I was actually so depressed that I had actually already purchased four books before I had found out my winnings. I'm not really excited about the books I won, but that mainly to do with the fact that I never check out them out and I figure I just leave them till they arrived to see what they're about. However, any books make me happily, especially when they free to keep.

It strange I won this month as I've decided that December will be the month of reviews. I mean I'm planning to catch up on the books that I need to read/write reviews on. You know just getting all unfinished business over before the end of the year. These upcoming Wednesdays will have several books and you should enjoy that. I'm working on two right now and know what the one after them will be. also need to finish tidying my room.

The other major event of this week, was the fact that my house was without power for two days. Though, I only experienced a day and half of it as I had just left when power disappeared. I mean we had power issues before then. The power had cut out in the midnight of the night, I know this because I woke at 5.40ish to darkness. My TV was off and my alarm had reset so it was good thing I woke up when I did or I would have ended up missing the bus. Well, I would have been lucky if the bus had show up at 7.15am like it was meant to. However, it never showed due to the same reason we lost power and now have a fallen tree in a garden. I'm sort of going to miss that tree but it's a lost cause. You probably know that the wind was windy as hell and took down several trees/branches causing hazards on and blocking the roads in South of Scotland/something about the North of England. The power also briefly went off right before I left at house at 8.30am and apparently went off straight after I finally left for College. It then didn't come on till Midnight on Saturday. We had been told it would come on at 10pm on Thursday, then 6pm on Friday, then 11pm.

In the meantime, we had a lot of fun with fire and takeaways. We had MacDonalds, KFC and chip shop. We try to warm up the left over KFC by the Gas-fire (which was the only heating we had, really miss the Rayburn at times like that). I read Batman comics by Candle light and attempt to write a review by candle light before losing patience with the idea of work. BATMAN SPOILERALERT!(Though, I'm sure most Batman fans have heard about this already), I read the Death of Damian Wayne by Candle light, I'm just hating (not in the crap sense, more emotional pain of it) the whole of arc of Bruce grieving. It just so terrible. I mean Damian had start to grow on me but its the Bruce's suffering that really getting to me. It just so sad. I don't like and it the tiny stuff as well. Like cat Alfred sitting on his grave and stuff. SPOILERALERT! OVER!

I've made quite leeway with my pile of comics. I've Batman:The Dark Knight (which turns out is being rebooted as Asylum next year). I've got four comics left to read in Batman ones and then it Justice League and Superman action left. Well, before this month actual comic arrive. Though, I'm sort of annoyed with Titan as last month Superman has yet to arrived. I'm going to contract them about it because it sort of ridiculous how late some of the comics come. The last Dark Knight comic came a day early but that doesn't make up a Superman and Justice league one was sort of late too.

I also had to sleep downstairs on the couch due to the power cut as my mum has a thing about candles being upstairs. I suppose my mum has point considering how many books I have in my room that I would hate to see burn. Also all my other stuff is important I guess.

This week has actually been that eventfully. Next week probably won't be, but it certainly will be busy as I have Panto rehearse every night week and then the actual thing so I shall be rather tired by Saturday(a.k.a Opening night). Type to you then.

Book Review: Mind MGMT Volume 1 by Matt Kindt

Its the cover that gets you.

I bring to you my thoughts on collection of 6 comics that is Mind MGMT volume 1. Yeah, I just generally see more comic/graphic novel stuff as it been a while.

 Reporting on a commercial flight where everyone aboard lost their memories, a young journalist stumbles onto a much bigger story, the top-secret Mind Management program. Her ensuing journey involves weaponized psychics, hypnotic advertising, talking dolphins, and seemingly immortal pursuers, as she attempts to find the flight’s missing passenger, the man who was MIND MGMT’s greatest success—and its most devastating failure. But in a world where people can rewrite reality itself, can she trust anything she sees?

It basically about this true crime writer trying to find material for her next book and basically her last chance before agent gives up on her. She investigating a plane fight where all the passengers lost their all memories.

The investigation leads into people with strange abilities and strange weird going ons.

I don't feel any strong feelings towards this graphic novel. I wasn't really that motivated by the plot or really at all cared about the main character (maybe its because she a Ginger). I'm not completely certain why.

I didn't perpendicular like the art,this might have been a factor, but it kinda grows on you after awhile. The colouring was just really wrong to me.

My favourite parts was the narration that goes on throughout the book, especially the times where you have no idea who the narrator is.  Also I quiet liked the case files, where you told the background of certain characters.

ALSO FORESHADOWING, who doesn't love foreshadowing (and random capitalisation).

It didn't leave me up all night wondering, however its good read and think the right person might love it. I'm just not its soul reader.  I gave it out 3/5 star and recommend it to people who like conspiracy side to mystery. 

The world we live in

I suppose this is a post similar to a lot of Comic and Film Fanatic (is that bad choice of words?), that are saying that the Aurora Batman theatre shootings has very little to do with Batman, because frankly it doesn't. When I saw the news about it on Twitter waking up, it must have actually been mere hours after it happen, my first thoughts were please don't let this effect Batman or the Dark Knight Rises. Not sure if that insensitive to the victims and their families. 

It's just I'm a strong believer that media of any forms does not truly influence people to do horrible things since these horrible things have been happening since history started. There may be different weapons or ways of attack, but there all unjustified. I'm not talking about "Acts of War", I referring to the terrible things that people have always done to their neighbours and fellow humans. In this century and the last, it has became common practice to blame the media for our problems, including real violence.

I'm not saying that media is never linked to these acts of violence, I'm just saying that a non-stable person who is prone to violence, will always be prone to it whether or not they subjected to violence in the media. From the perspective of a Batman fan, before hearing anything about James Holmes claiming to be the Joker, I honestly thought doesn't he have the wrong movie, random shooting is more the Joker's thing than Bane's. So I saw the link there. Even with that, The Dark Knight or any thing involving Batman is never meant to make the Joker appear desirable. He has to be one of the saddest Batman characters. Batman has always been about facing fears and standing against the common evil of the world.
 
I've got to say the saddest thing about the Theatre shooting is that it not shocking. From a non-American point of view, we heard about random shooting happing in America all the time, that in a lot of ways its one of America's Stereotypes. That they're gun wielding manic acts and those who ain't are all fine about it. Obviously, that isn't true and random shooting have happen in Britain but I only really know of one that is similar to this one and it happened decades ago. 

Sometimes it just becomes more apparent what a horrific world we live in, we can only do our best to prevent and purished these acts, but most improtantly continue to live through them. 

I'll still be going to see "The Dark Knight Rises", though my excitement for it has been tainted.