Books

The Young Savages
James Dean Affair (Neil Gulliver and Stevie Marriner Novels (Paperback))
The Winter Queen (Erast Fandorin Mysteries)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Detective Story (Modern Library)
The Dante Club
Rendezvous in Black
Orange Pulp: Stories of Mayhem, Murder and Mystery
Murdered in Jersey
Detecting the Nation: Fictions of Detection and the Imperial Venture (Victorian Critical Interventions)
Detecting the Nation: Fictions of Detection and the Imperial Venture (Victorian Critical Interventions)
A Reader's Guide to the Suspense Novel (Reader's Guides to Mystery Novels)
The Edge (Thorndike Paperback)
G Is for Gumshoe (Thorndike Press Large Print Paperback Series)
C Is for Corpse: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery (G K Hall Large Print Book Series)
Dance Hall of the Dead: A Joe Leaphorn Mystery (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers)
I is for Innocent (G. K. Hall Mystery)
J Is for Judgment (Thorndike Press Large Print Paperback Series)
The Cat Who Came to Breakfast (G K Hall Large Print Book Series)
Deception on All Accounts (Sadie Walela Mystery)
Blood of the Prodigal
Blood of the Prodigal
Broken English: An Ohio Amish Mystery (Mystery S.)
Broken English: An Ohio Amish Mystery
Clouds Without Rain: An Ohio Amish Mystery (Ohio Amish Mystery Series)
Clouds Without Rain: An Ohio Amish Mystery (Ohio Amish Mystery Series)

Average customer rating:

From someone named Mustard i expected a spicier book
The Young Savages
RIVITING HISTORICAL FAMILY SAGA
Fabulous

The Young Savages
Fred Mustard Stewart
Manufacturer: Forge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

The Naked Savages (The Savages)
The Magnificent Savages
The Savages in Love and War (The Savages)
Ellis Island
The Glitter and the Gold

ASIN: 0312864124

Book Description

Twenty years have passed since Justin Savage, the illegitimate son of a shipping magnate, fled to sea to escape his murderous half brother. It's the 1880s in New York and Justin has put behind his riotous youthful escapades and settled into domesticity, privilege, and family life. But the talent for survival and the restless spirit for adventure seem to run in the Savage blood.

Johnny Savage, heir apparent to his father's banking fortune, isn't above playing hooky from Wall Street to go off with his best friend, Teddy Roosevelt, to conquer the West. Julie Savage, a half-Chinese, half-American beauty who is an enigma in New York society, must come to terms with her ancestry and travel almost a world away to find true love. And Rachel Lieberman, the beautiful young daughter of Justin's business partner, will fight against her family's attempts to create a new Jewish dynasty and come close to losing the only man she ever loved--and her life.

Customer Reviews:

From someone named Mustard i expected a spicier book.......2004-08-06

What a hoot! This soap-opera script is too much. I have to admit i had no idea what this book was about when i picked it up from the shelf. Within a few pages, i read:

"Justin [...] smiled at the daughter he had sired with the exotic Chinese pirate Chang-mei, and whose freedom from the rascally Dowager Empress of China he had bought at such great expense".

And i said to myself: "WHAAAAAATTTTT?!?!?!"

I continued reading till page 120 or so, but this style of writing started to grind on me. It's one thing to make Teddy Roosevelt one of your main characters, but to give him such silly dialog is quite another.

Although this book is amusing and useful in picking up ridiculously trivial factoids (did you ever know that Churchill's father contracted syphillis while a student at Oxford?), it is not worth my time when there are so many piles of books around me screaming "Read ME!!!"

The Young Savages.......2002-12-13

'The Young Savages' by Fred Mustard Stewart is well written and very entertaining. It puts you in the nineteenth century into adventure after adventure. You ride a steam locomotive train and experience San Francisco during the Gold Rush. Even Teddy Roosevelt is in this book. You travel from New York to Italy and China. This book has it all. There is a train robbery, cattledrives, romance, murder, greed, espionage, prejudices, kidnapping, and even fencing duels. It is certainly an action-packed book and I recommend it.

RIVITING HISTORICAL FAMILY SAGA.......2002-05-31

This story takes place in the late 1800's in which the Savage family and the Rothschild family are united when Julie Savage marries Felix Rothschild......Johnny Savage, Rachel's brother is a dashing character who goes out to conquer the "wild west" with Teddy Roosevelt......Justin Savage,the father of Julie and Johnny is a very rich bank owner who with his partner, Ben Lieberman are wonderful family men who do everything they can to help their family and friends.....Rachel, Ben's very beautiful daughter faught against her family's attempt to form a Jewish dynasty and therefore almost lost her life and the only man she ever loved.

Fabulous.......1998-02-17

I recently read Stewart's prequel to this book, "The Magnificent Savages" and when I heard the the sequel was coming out I couldn't wait. This book is absolutely wonderful. If you loved his first book you'll enjoy this one too. It is full of history and adventure and love. I hope he continues with this family. They are wonderfully interesting.

Average customer rating:

great stories
Another Winner From The Team of Goyer-Johns-Kirk-Champagne
Solid and consistent!
bad stuff
Travelling Through Time with the JSA

JSA: Savage Times (Vol. 6)
Geoff Johns , and David S. Goyer
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

JSA: Stealing Thunder (Book 5)
JSA: Princes of Darkness (Book 7)
JSA: Fair Play (Book 4)
JSA: Black Reign (Book 8)
JSA: Return of Hawkman (Book 3)

ASIN: 1401202535

Customer Reviews:

great stories.......2006-02-24

I like these heroes because they have glaring faults, inter-society squabbles and families

Another Winner From The Team of Goyer-Johns-Kirk-Champagne.......2005-02-28

We live in times wherein comic book stories come in arcs - and usually comic creators work not on an ongoing book but only on a particular arc. Therein lies the problem with a lot of "greatest hits" style of storytelling in today's comics (e.g. Whedon's "X-Men", Millar's "Spider-Man" and Loeb-Lee's "Batman:Hush"). With JSA however, the writing team of Geoff Johns and David Goyer delivers month after month. In music terms, they feel like the Beatles or Led Zep during their heydays. Every new album is an attempt to top the previous one - while maintaining an obvious intelligence, growth and direction with the constant move forward. This is how I feel everytime I pick up a new TPB collection of JSA. Regular artists Leonard Kirk and Keith Champagne takes over the chores from the previous artists Steve Sadowski and Rags Morales very well - the style is similar and the action is no less blockbusting.

As with ongoing stories, there are times when things are quieter. This volume "Savage Times" is one of those times. It sets up the events to come in the next two epic storylines "Princes of Darkness" and "Black Reign". However, with the JSA, "quieter" doesn't mean uneventful. And this is why I come back again and again to this book - in contrast to the "talking heads" attempts of decompressed-writing over at Marvel (see anything by Brian Bendis for example). This is what comic books should be - action-oriented, fun, melodramatic and above all, superbly entertaining. Here, we get a time-travel story back to 1944 (the Freedom Force and Mr. Terrific appears) and ancient Egypt. This story wraps up a lot of things originally set up previously and successfully sets up new things for the future (the cliffhanger ending of this volume guarantees that you WILL want to get the next volume).

Another reason to get this volume is the focus on Captain Marvel (the "Shazam" guy). This storyarc fleshes him out in many ways and takes him way beyond the "cartoonish" feel that he's always been portrayed. We also get additional light shed on Black Adam (Theo-Adam) never before seen. This adds a lot of meat to his once over-simplified "villain" character and also forces the reader to symphatize with his methods and ideals (a lot of which will result in the explosive "Black Reign" saga to come).

Solid and consistent!.......2004-12-28

JSA is a great underated title. Better than all books with "X" in the title and is great month to month and even better in the trade format. Check it out, you won't be disapointed!

bad stuff.......2004-12-04

really boring, in between steps here.. the art work is okay, no where near as detailed as sadowski. DC seems to give up on its titles after a while, ala JLA. JSA is headed in that direction.

Travelling Through Time with the JSA.......2004-11-09

*Please note, this review is based on individual issues, not the TPB. As per DC Comics (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2376) this TPB is comprised of issues #39-45, so that's what I'm basing this review on.

This collection starts off with a single issue story dedicated to Power Girl. The issue is mostly played for laughs as a bombastic (in more ways than one) villain tries to draw Power Girl's attention. The ensuing fight is enjoyable, if a bit "light" and the issue really tries hard to portray Kara as a self-reliant super heroine. The highlight of the issue is Kara's speech at the end to the JSA's two youngest female heroes as to why she acts the way she does.

The next story appears to be dedicated to Dr. Mid-nite, but Captain Marvel really steals the show, which is a shame. Pieter Cross is one of the more interesting alter-egos out there and while in recent issues Geoff Johns has done a good job of fleshing him out, this issue is really more of a focus on his surgical skills. The issue does start hinting at a Captain Marvel/Stargirl relationship, but it's not fully developed. I kind of felt this issue was more filler than anything else. Once again, the ending of the issue saves it, as it sets the stage for "Black Reign."

Next up is the main storyline in this collection, the 4-Part storyline "JSA, BC."

The first issue features a rather generic fight against an unknown entity, first foreshadowed by Sand a few issues back. Black Barax isn't really fleshed out here and the majority of the issue is spent building up to the battle. While Barax does pull off some interesting moves, especially against Captain Marvel and Black Adam.

All of which leads into the following issue's Mr. Terrific/Mr. Terrific team-up, which is actually quite enjoyable. The concept of a hero who fights for "Fair Play" does seem cheesy, but it plays out rather nicely, as the plan to defeat Barax has one of the Mr. T's playing not so fairly. Another nice bit in this issue is the appearance by the Freedom Fighters, who are among DC's often forgotten Golden Age Past.

The next two issues are the highlight of this storyline, where Mr. Terrific and Hawkgirl travel back to Ancient Egypt to find Captain Marvel. There they find not only the villainous Vandal Savage and his "monster," a precursor to the former Justice Leaguer and Outsider, Metamorpho, but also Nabu, the originator of Dr. Fate, Black Adam (as he was in this time period) and Prince Khufu and Princess Chay-Era, who are fated to be reincarnated as Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

The scenes with Captain Marvel and Black Adam are really nice, as Marvel must confront an earlier, heroic version of the man who will become his most dangerous foe and also uneasy ally in the JSA.

I did feel that they could have done more with Kendra (Hawkgirl) meeting her previous self, especially given the fact that Kendra is in denial about her previous lives.

At the same time, these issues also foreshadow the next arc "Princes of Darkness," with Dr. Fate making a mistake that will unleash one of the JSA's deadliest foes.

Issue #45 sets up "Princes of Darkness" and brings together several previous plot lines that will converge in that arc. I'm kind of surprised that DC added it to this collection and I have to wonder if it was an error on DC's solicitations to note this issue as a part of the "Savage Times" collection.

I'd say buy this TPB for the "Justice Society, B.C." story and make your own decisions on the solo issues featuring Power Girl and Dr. Mid-Nite.

As always, Geoff Johns (joined in this collection by co-writer David Goyer) weaves multiple threads through each story and little of previous stories is "wasted" or forgotten.

The art in these issues (save for the Power Girl one) is by Leonard Kirk, who is tied with Steven Sadowski as my favorite JSA artist. It's clean artwork that's easy to follow and the action is easy to follow.

If you're a current fan of JSA collecting the series through TPBs, I'd say this is a "must have." If you're new to JSA, I'd say your best bet is to start with "JSA: Justice Be Done" and work your way through the series.

Average customer rating:

Zero's first love
Scooby Doo meets The Incredibles
Ridiculous
Coffee-Filtered Punk
Best book of 2002!

Hopeless Savages
Jen Van Meter , Christine Norrie , and Chynna Clugston-Major
Manufacturer: Oni Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Hopeless Savages Volume 3: Too Much Hopeless
Blue Monday, Vol. 1: The Kids Are Alright
Blue Monday, Vol. 2: Absolute Beginners
Blue Monday, Vol. 3: Inbetween Days (Blue Monday)
Hopeless Savages Volume 2: Ground Zero

ASIN: 1929998244

Book Description

Family ties are the earliest ties that bind, setting the tone for the paths we will take in our future. So what if your father is Dirk Hopeless and your mother Nikki Savage, a superstar couple from the days of punk rock? When you're born a rebel, what can you possibly do to make yourself stand apart? For Rat Hopeless-Savage, the answer is to leave home and become a normal citizen with a nine-to-five job!

Customer Reviews:

Zero's first love.......2007-05-29

For some reason all the previous reviews are for Hopless Savages volume 1. So here's a review that's actually about volume 2.

But first, need-to-know backstory: Punk rock singers Dirk Hopeless and Nikki Savage got married and had kids (so the kids actually are the Hopeless-Savages). Their kids are now in their late teens/early twenties. The boys are Rat Bastard and Twitch Strummer, and the girls are Arsenal Fierce and Skank Zero.

This story is mainly about Zero, the youngest, who is now seventeen. Boys are starting to discover her and she's starting to discover that teenage boys tend to have only one thing on their mind. The punk rock attitude she inherited from her parents seems to make the boys think that she's easy which really pisses her off. But then she meets a boy who actually likes her for her, and she finds that she likes him back. So, of course, it seems that the world is conspiring against her.

Meanwhile Zero and the rest of the Hopeless-Savage family are being filmed for a documentary and find their lives disrupted accordingly. Also Zero and her band the Dusted Bunnies need to practice for their gig at Homecoming. And Nikki Savage, rebellious teenager though she was, now finds herself acting like a fascist Mom whether she wants to or not whenever Zero misbehaves.

The story, written by Jen Van Meter is pretty solid, although it bounces through time a bit much (the bulk of the story is being narrated by Zero to a panel of teachers who are ready to expel her from school, then there are flashbacks which take off from the sequences Zero is narrating). The chemistry between Zero and the boy is a lot more real than in a lot of movies I've seen lately. The often quirky family dynamic is well played.

The majority of the artwork is by Bryan Lee O'Malley. He has sort of rough and cartoony style which I'm not normally drawn to (no pun intended), but it works with these characters. The flashback sequences are by a number of different artists. Andi Watson's piece is sort of a rough and simplified version of his work on things like Geisha. Christine Norrie's artwork is pretty solid. Chynna Clugston-Major (Blue Monday) is okay, but I had some trouble telling the characters apart.

Overall I enjoyed this volume. The story is much more accessible than the previous volume, and it really captures the awkwardness and frustrations of being a teenage outcast in love.

Scooby Doo meets The Incredibles.......2006-01-08

The first four issues of the ensemble comic book series are collected here along with a few other tidbits. The light-as-a-feather story is about a pair of British punk parents and their four offspring. Dirk Hopeless and Nikki Savage were punk icons who met, married, and toured off into the sunset, making enough money off their records to settle into a comfy suburban existence and raise four kids. The story starts with three of the four grown and moved out, and the youngest rocking out on guitar. In fact, she rocks out so much that she doesn't hear the skinheads who break in and kidnap her parents...

Punkette Zero wakes up to find the house trashed and starts rallying her siblings to find and rescue her parents. Soon her sexy quasi-goth sister Arsenal and gay neo-mod brother Twitch are on the scene, and they resolve to track down their estranged brother Rat, who years ago abandoned his spiked hair and leather jacket for button down shirts and khakis. It doesn't take them long to find him living the nice corporate life at a Starbucks-like coffee company. For reasons that never really make sense, they feel the need to "deprogram" him (even though he seems to be quite happy in his new life), in order to get his help finding the parents. From here, the plot is kind of Scooby Doo meets The Incredibles, as the foursome follow the obvious clues to track the villain down, rescue their parents, and foil his plot to steal one of their father's pre-punk songs.

It's all kind of cute and fun, but of course has no relation (other than costumes) to punk. The parents seem more like rock stars than punks, and indeed, live like affluent upper-middle class people, complete with private schools for the kids. The whole subplot about "deprogramming" Rat is never justified in any way, and actually, the family's insistence that Rat be "punk" comes off as more fascistic than anything else. Of course it's not supposed to be realistic or anything, just a light entertainment, which is what it is. Kind of amusing for those of us who grew up listening to The Ham, The Clash, Buzzcocks, and other mainstream '70s-'80s Brit stuff. Tacked on at the end are several short stories which introduce characters who play larger roles later in the series.

Ridiculous.......2004-07-05

This book is chocked full of stupid old UK punk cliches, some of them seem to have more in common ground with glam rock than with punk (the Savage parents for instance.) Evil skinheads, the aesthetic mod, some token goth, and the rock star *cough* err punk rock parents. And they are all related by blood. Oh yeah don't forget the brother who sold out and got a job and gave up wearing a leather jacket and spiking his hair up, blah blah...

Just another stupid, cliche glamorization of punk rock "as it used to be". Ultimately this just all dwindles down to bad writing combined with pop sensible art work. It all stinks of the decadence of the Reagan/Thatcher era society that the punk scene was trying to distance itself from.

Ultimately boring and dumb... Maybe if some sense of reality of how things were back then with all the downsides and failings it would have been interesting, but I think that went over the head of the person who wrote this.

Coffee-Filtered Punk.......2004-01-09

Collecting issues #1-4 of the similarly-named comic book series, Jen Van Meter's "Hopeless Savages" is a fun read, if not exactly cerebrally challenging.

Ma & Pa are kidnapped by a vengeful figure from their punk-rockin' past in an attempt to steal away a song secretly written by Dad (Dirk Hopeless). The kids, through whom both aging rockers have been living precariously, have no choice but to rescue them on their own - their whereabouts pinpointed through an unlikely series of events and characters who all but draw a roadmap for the four offspring.

The story is obviously not Pulitzer material, just as it has failed to give any great recognition to the hundreds of likewise-based cartoons and children's fiction previously available. Yet, it is the involved character development and captivating artwork which prove to be the saving graces of "Hopeless Savages."

The book is certainly worth a read or two, especially for those young enough to appreciate the plot details on the level in which they were intended.

Best book of 2002!.......2003-03-26

Jen Van Meter's first creator-owned book tells a story of an in-your-face, punk rock family living in today's society, illustrated by Christine Norrie (CHEAT) with flashback sequences by Chynna Clugston-Major (BLUE MONDAY) and additional artwork by Andi Watson (DUMPED, BREAKFAST AFTER NOON).

The book introduces the reader to Dirk Hopeless and Nikki Savage, two legendary punk rockers from the 1970's, now living in the present day with their youngest daughter Zero. When Zero wakes up one morning to find their house ransacked and her parents allegedly kidnapped, she calls up her older brother and sister Twitch and Arsenal for help. They soon realize they won't be able to find their parents without the help of their older brother Rat, who has given up the punk lifestyle and now lives a life of normalcy working for a premier coffee corporation. Rat, however, wants nothing to do with his estranged family and is convinced he has left the punk rock lifestyle behind, forever. Now its up to Zero, Arsenal and Twitch to revert Rat to his old ways and rescue their parents from their captors.

Jen Van Meter's writing is excellent and by the end of the book you really know these characters. You'll immediately want to pick up the second book, GROUND ZERO which focuses more on Zero.

The book uses flashbacks incorporated into the main story illustrated by Chynna Clugston-Major to give you even more insight into this unique family. The book also includes a bonus 16 page full-color section featuring stories of the Hopeless-Savages kids visiting the Principal's office and how their punk rock father reacts to it (illustrated by Chynna Clugston-Major), the family going to the kid's school's parent/teacher night (illustrated by Christine Norrie), Arsenal's karate match (illustrated by Norrie with Andi Watson), and a look into the Hopeless-Savages family over a span of 20 years through the eyes of their neighbors (illustrated by Norrie).

Before The Osbournes were popular, there was HOPELESS SAVAGES - a hilarious adventure story by four of comics' most promising new writers and artists. The most critically acclaimed book of 2002, it was even nominated for an Eisner Award.

Essential Savage She-Hulk, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials)

Average customer rating:

It's good to have back up copies
She-Hulk: How it All Began
The Jade Giantess and the jaded reviewer.
Big Green Mama

Essential Savage She-Hulk, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials)
Stan Lee , David Anthony Kraft , John Buscema , and Mike Vosberg
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Essential Marvel Team-Up, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials)
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Essential Defenders, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials)

ASIN: 0785123350

Book Description

She's been an FF member, an Avenger and the sharpest attorney in the superhuman halls of justice! Now, see her savage starting point in this complete compilation of her first series! Jennifer Walters takes her first thundering steps into stardom against mobsters, monsters and a super-villain who's his own best team lineup! Featuring the Man-Thing, the Man-Wolf and the Man-Elephant! Guest-starring members of the Defenders! Collects Savage She-Hulk #1-25.

Customer Reviews:

It's good to have back up copies.......2007-02-23

I will just say this. Sure, the concept was half-baked and didn't quite get fully baked enough to shine like many other Marvel legends....and yet, there is that old following rule. When you think no one is a fan of something, there is always a band of geeky rebels out there to keep the lowest of the low alive and popular. I am sure somewhere there is a fan base for all of those Impact comics of the early 90s--heck, even I had interest in The Jaguar(Maria DeGuzman). I did not know that the She Hulk was designed in print in such a hasty way to combat the guys messing with the Hulk TV show. To me, that is a daring and perhaps foolish waste of a potentially great character. The origin issue had promise. And, yes, many of the following issues did not. In fact, it is after issue 12 that she turns on her humanity and takes control of her changes. Right there you lose that emotional uprising/tension that Banner/the Hulk had to face. I was not happy to see her join the Avengers or Fantastic Four(why does she have to wear anyone else's suit to be a member of the team?) nor when she decided to remain as the She Hulk "permanently". It defeated the interest--perhaps a guy thing--in the transformation issues...and if that is what was intended to remain the course, why then do they change the story so she can change once again now? People can't make up their minds, plain and simple. I would like to be behind the recreation of a character like this...if I could get off my shoulder the burden of all the past incarnations/rehashes and start fresh as if this was a new character.

But, when you look at the Sensational series(basically cheezy comedy and pinup art) and the newest incarnation(sort of a Sensational rehash with different artists and even less moral boundaries--sure sleep with a different guy every day, why not...and have a super weird space-age suit made by some hard-to-buy genius to help control body mass and yet look a bit prepackaged worse than the old costume of a torn white slip or a purple unitard), you see a bit of what so many comics are becoming....recycled and reformatted. Comics rebirth themselves so often you feel like you are vomitting stories all mixed up and tasting them again not so nicely. One of these days a new age will have to begin.

Until then, there is still a part of me that feels the connection to some of these older comics. No matter how bad the stories were...the original She Hulk comics were her beginning and I liked the little bit of shadiness they gave the comics. Not the weird and evil stuff they tried in the Sensational series...but just the simple emotional tensions, the Hulk fluctuations and struggles, the concept of a lawyer torn between two forms of justice--but without the comical antics of the later series. The clashing with Iron Man in issue 6(when I learned of this combo, I was ecstatic--I had dreams of these two coming together one way or another), the issues with her father, the mobsters on her trail, the changing in dark alleyways or trapped on a bridge in a car in the heaviest of traffic...THOSE moments--I cannot get enough. I don't know what it is, but even though I own some of the original series and many of the later...I still want a back copy in good condition of the originals, and that is what they make these books for. Thanks to whoever is responsible for this reissue.

She-Hulk: How it All Began.......2006-11-10

This story starts out well done, but quickly drowns in hideous plot writing and ridiculous situations. How they managed to maintain continuity through this is miraculous.

Even so, it is a great way to get a look at how everyone's favorite Jade Giantess came to be.

The Jade Giantess and the jaded reviewer........2006-10-24

The year was 1979. The Incredible Hulk TV series had been a success for two years and the folks at Marvel were clearly enjoying the subsequent boost to comic sales. What they were not enjoying were the rumors of the new plans for the show from producer Kenneth Johnson, a man known for having expressed little attachment for the comic series' established past. The changes that Johnson had already pitched to make the show more "suitable" was the complete omission of any super-villains, giving the protagonist a loving and supportive family, changing his name from Bruce Banner to the less hokey (and perhaps fruity) David Banner, and (allegedly) making the Hulk turn red since that's the color of anger, which thankfully didn't stick. But the latest trip to the rumor mill was the most worrisome: they were going to make an appeal to the Charlie's Angels girl-power crowd by giving Banner's sister Helen the gamma special, turning her into a female Hulk. In an effort to stake their claim on a potentially viable copyright, the brass at Marvel launched a pre-emptive strike by creating the character first, and the inaugural issue of the Savage She-Hulk hit the shelves in early 1980. Well, I've read the new Essential, collecting the series' entire run, and from what I saw, I think I would have rather let Johnson have the honor.

The saga begins when a fugitive Dr. Banner decides to seek refuge with prominent LA lawyer Jennifer Walters, the younger cousin with whom he had shared a strong familial bond as a child. Of course, he had never mentioned her before now, but hey, still waters run deep. Bruce and Jen catch up during a break from her latest case, but all pleasantries end when thugs hired by Nicholas Trask, the mob boss on trial, make an attempt on her life. Banner makes a heroic gamble for the sake of his grievously wounded cousin by transfusing his gamma-irradiated blood to her. By the way, he is capable of performing a blood transfusion solo since he also mentioned for the first time ever his aborted stint in medical school (Probably a passing reference to the TV show, where "David" was a physician and not a physicist). While Jen is recuperating in a hospital room, Trask's gunnies mosey on in to finish the job, but that just makes Jen angry ... and you wouldn't like her when she's angry. I found She-Hulk #1 to be a serviceable but not exceptional origin story, but I should mention that it was written by the one and only Stan "the Man" Lee, and it was one of his last entries in the regular Marvel canon.

In my review for the Essential Spider-Woman, I expressed my pleasure that the heroine managed to greatly distinguish herself from her obvious male counterpart; our heroine here isn't quite so successful in this regard. Ms. Walters is well-educated and cultured, has a slight stature and a meek demeanor, and in moments of great duress transforms into a raging green destructive titan (Hmm, sounds familiar). Her father, Sheriff Morris Walters, is a grizzled hard-nosed old warhorse who wants this new lady Hulk brought into custody at all costs (Shades of Gen. "Thunderbolt" Ross, eh?). Attorney "Buck" Bukowski is Jen's cocky and unctuous personal and professional rival (a la Major Glenn Talbot). Her next-door neighbor, young med student "Zapper" Ridge, can serve as either her plucky sidekick or her willowy love interest, depending on the needs of the story (Yep, he's Rick Jones and Betty Ross rolled up into one). The more modern She-Hulk stories feature Jen being able to change to either forms more or less at will, and she maintains her intelligence and personality (though she's a bit less inhibited) after the transfer. However, the Savage series has far more "Ugh, me mad, She-Hulk smash!" moments than not, and that rung a little too hollow for me.

The story arcs throughout the series fluctuated, putting Jen in many different comic book-style situations, and few of them really worked. The first issues focused on She-Hulk's pursuit of Trask while also becoming a fugitive from the law, hunted by her own father. Then she jetted off to the Citrusville Everglades in Florida, home to the mysterious Man-Thing, where she tangled with the immortal denizens of La Hacienda. After that, she returns at last to the courtroom to defend Morbius, the Living Vampire, from the murder charges he brought on while slaking his un-undead thirst (This is, far and away, my favorite story of the book, and I'll explain why in my conclusion). Later, Jen's future husband John Jameson, the Man-Wolf, stops by with his entourage of sword-wielding barbarians and a wizard with no hands, all of whom revere JJJ's progeny as the Star-God of their Microversal realm (You know, I'm ready to admit there are some holes in my knowledge of Marvel history. When exactly did this happen?). There are two consecutive PSA-like issues that follow. In one, Jen informs a hopeful diabetic singer that she can't sing; in the other, she speaks out against building microwave communication broadcast towers in residential areas. I'm not convinced that a superhero was needed to tell either tale. Towards the end, Shulkie gets back into the crime-fighting groove when she challenges a new mobster and his super-villain army of one (more on them later). Looking back on the progression of the She-Hulk series, it resembles the hodgepodge of disparate themes that's indicative of your usual "Changing Writer Syndrome", even though it only had a single writer after the origin, one David Anthony Kraft. I think, perhaps, this guy was just handed a character hastily pulled out of the ether in order to snub a maverick TV producer, and thus he didn't have sufficient plans for her future and development.

Lastly, I have to touch on Shulkie's rogue's gallery, which I have to say falls flat on most every aspect. When I first met Nicholas Trask, I predicted that he would become a west coast version of Kingpin, a ruthless and realistically rendered gangster that would constantly be a thorn in our heroine's side. That prediction derailed after Nicky was last seen riding a giant metal earthworm towards the planet's molten core (you can't see me, but I'm hanging my head right now). There's the Word, a dictionary editor turned cult leader who's backed up by his tough-as-nails daughter Ultima, the only other female brawler that you'll find here. There's the Man-Elephant, a hydraulics magnate wearing a pachyderm-shaped exoskeleton, complete with grappling hook tusks (There are so many heavy-hitting bad guys dressed like college football mascots in these books. Maybe he, the Rhino, the Grizzly, and the Man-Ape should form a bowling league together or something). There's a guy in a frumpy Mexican luchador's outfit with a quarterstaff and a habit of using the word "leverage" in each of his sentences (Nuff said). There's Beverly Cross, a revenge-minded seductress who sinks her claws into Jen's father (and is either a stout Hispanic woman or a tall and slender Caucasian, depending on where you see her). The aforementioned super-villain army consists of the misshapen Brute, the insectile Seeker, the repulsive Radius, the heat-packing Torque, the animate mountain of dirt known as Earth-Lord, and Kyr, a child that with a glance can wrack people with excruciating pain. In the end, all those players were revealed to have been one person for no other reason except possibly so that they could all be written off in lieu of the series' cancellation. Last and most definitely least, the man most considered to be Shulkie's arch-foe is the Doc, a century-old mad scientist with aims towards world domination (If there was an award for "Most Derivative Comic Book Character", smart money would be on him). I did some research and found out that practically none of the characters introduced in this book, malign or otherwise, ever made an appearance in any other series. Draw your own conclusions from that.

I read the Essential Savage She-Hulk about two months ago; I've spent the intervening time trying to come up with enough positive aspects of this book to give it an average review, and in that I have failed. The guest appearances by Iron Man, Man-Thing, and Hellcat were cool, and our leading lady had many witty and charming moments, but that couldn't make up for the shiftless storylines and serious lack of originality. Perhaps my poor opinion stems from my enjoyment of Dan Slott's current She-Hulk series and its focus on "Superhuman Law". The way I see it, a world crawling with aliens, monsters, and preternaturally powerful costumed vigilantes is rife with difficult interpretations of the law, and I'd like to read more stories that address this (The mundane criminal cases in your average Daredevil comic usually don't cut it either). I think that's why I favored the Trial of Morbius much more than any other issue; the rest suffer from the comparison with Slott's work. Even so, the Savage She-Hulk series contributed very few ideas and characters to the greater Marvel universe, except of course for the titular heroine, and for that I can't recommend this volume to anyone except the most diehard She-Hulk or Essential collectors.

However, the silver lining to this whole thing is that it might provide impetus to make a reprint volume of John Byrne's wildly satirical Sensational She-Hulk series (The cover of the first ish featured Jen telling the consumer "Okay, now. This is your second chance. If you don't buy my book this time, I'm gonna come over to your house and rip up all your X-Men". Ha ha! I can't wait!)

Big Green Mama.......2006-10-05

She-Hulk has always been one of my favorite superheroes. What once was a quick knock off of a popular male superhero is now one of the most sensational of all of Marvel's characters. And it's extra wonderful to see Marvel add her original "Savage" days into its affordable line of black and white "Essential" Trades.

In the days of Civil Wars and Crisis these stories may seem a bit silly, but they are a reminder of the days when comics were just that...simple. The character of She-Hulk has evolved into her own green skin, but "Essential Savage She-Hulk" is a great read for those wanting to relive the character's origin or those new to the mythos!

Readers Digest Condensed Books Summer 1953 Selections Vol. XIV (Our Virgin Island, A Bargain With God, Annapurna, A Good Man, The Intruder., Summer 1953)

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Readers Digest Condensed Books Summer 1953 Selections Vol. XIV (Our Virgin Island, A Bargain With God, Annapurna, A Good Man, The Intruder., Summer 1953)
Thomas Savage, Maurice Herzog, Jefferson Young, Helen Fowler Robb White
Manufacturer: The Reader's Digest Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I04IUU

Product Description

Great Condition! No DJ.Pages Yellowed. light ware on edges of cover. Text is Perfect! Next Day Shipping!

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new twist on very old theme
Beautiful
Under A Different Sky
Hackneyed and lacking in credibility
beautiful

Under a Different Sky
Deborah Savage
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0395773954

Book Description

Ben and Laura don't seem to have anything in common. Born and raised on a farm in rural Pennsylvania, Ben spends his free time-when he's not doing part-time mechanic work-with his horse, Galaxy. Laura is a new student at the exclusive boarding school that borders Ben's family's hardscrabble farm. She has been kicked out of every school that her parents have sent her to. Huntingdon is her last chance, and it doesn't look like she's going to make it. Here is the deeply moving story of two extraordinary teenagers who somehow manage to cross the many boundaries in their worlds to find each other-and themselves.

Customer Reviews:

new twist on very old theme.......2004-12-14

Although at times, the story strained credibility, the first chapter was written so gorgeously and flawlessly, that I stuck with it to the end.

It strongly reminded me of "One On One" by Tabitha King, only that book I would describe as R-rated. Both were similar, however: delinquent, wild child girl with artistic aspirations meets nice sensible boy who's trying to find an escape hatch to progress beyond his humble origins. While I felt the author did a good job with Ben, at times I felt that she didn't have any more of a handle on Lara than the Lara character herself did. Though this may, of course, been intentional.

A few things bothered me: Was it really necessary to make such a point of saying that Ben had no tack? Nothing in the way she presented the riding school people led me to believe that they would care if he simply borrowed some (surely they need it for the riders without their own mounts?) Nitpicking? Perhaps.

Also I wish the writer had bothered to nail down what time period this story took place in. Going on the clothing and speaking style, I assumed it was in the present, and (guess I'm getting really nitpicky) I couldn't figure out why Lara wouldn't use the Internet to track down her birth mother.

Then and again, I think way too much about these things, and I liked the book.

Beautiful.......2004-08-05

This book, the first I have read by Deborah Savage is one of the most beautiful, touching stories I have ever read, and trust me, there have been ALOT of books I have read.
The characters, are lovely and rather enjoyable. Even Lara, who is extremely complicated in so many ways.
My favorite character was Ben, who I think is a lot like me (even though I HATE horses).
Unlike a lot of books these days, Savage ends this story in no way disturbing or questionable. When you finally put it down, you feel refreshed and like you actually KNEW the characters. I love this book. That's exactly why I gave it 5 stars.

Under A Different Sky.......2003-07-10

Is a great book. I felt connected to it oddly enough. Savage writes in with such good description and feeling yet it feels like your always missing one little detail. I felt as if I knew who Lara and Ben were and how they looked, even though the author gave vague descriptions. I have never read a book like this and I think it is truly wonderful

Hackneyed and lacking in credibility.......2001-01-29

My 13-year-old daughter and I often read books aloud. Both horse lovers, we started on this one with pretty high hopes, but disappointment set in before we finished chapter one. The author clearly knows little about real horses and riding. The whole idea that some lad could watch a couple of videos and from them learn competition-level dressage riding, even though he lacks a saddle and proper arena, is utter nonsense. His "being at one" with his stallion hints [badly] at the erotically horrific (but masterly) "Equus" (Peter Schafer)...or maybe it's just very purple prose. The whole idea that boy and horse think in unison seems pretty dodgy. At the end of chapter one, without mentioning my own reservations, I asked my daughter what she thought. "It's pretty over the top and not very realistic is it? Let's read something else." I guess that about sums it up. (We did try chapter 2, but won't go beyond it; the book doesn't get better. That said, some of the early dialogue is fairly well written...)

beautiful.......2000-05-09

I picked up this book on a spontaneous library visit, and I read it in one day. I was completely awed by the character of Lara McGrath... I saw myself in her and everything she did. Ben was noble to fall in love with someone like her, who is so hard to love. But "Under a Different Sky" gave me hope that people like Lara and I aren't in fact hateful creatures. We are people that can be loved.

Hurlbut's Story of the Bible For Young And Old: A continuous narrative of the Scriptures told in one hundred sixty - eight stories

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Hurlbut's Story of the Bible For Young And Old: A continuous narrative of the Scriptures told in one hundred sixty - eight stories
Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Hurlbut's Story of the Bible, Revised Edition

ASIN: B000719Q8Y

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See-Through Sharks (See-Through)
Stephen Savage
Manufacturer: Running Press Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science & Technology | Teens | Subjects | Books

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See-Through Pirates (See-Through)

ASIN: 0762424079
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Book Description

Four double-sided acetate pages put the secret world of sharks front and center. It's a remarkable glimpse into one of nature's most fascinating creatures. Acetate has been used in books before, but never like this. Our approach to the clear pages eliminates backwards or blocked text, making four pages of "see-through" action seem like eight! With these transparent pages, kids can see what's beneath a shark's skin, and how its senses work together to help it find food. They'll learn about types, sizes, and shapes of sharks, their behavior, reproductive habits, what they eat, where they live-even how to avoid a shark attack.

Prison Camps in the Civil War (Untold History of the Civil War)

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Prison Camps in the Civil War (Untold History of the Civil War)
Douglas J. Savage
Manufacturer: Chelsea House Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0791054284

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Hurlbut's Story of the Bible for Young and Old: A Continuous Narrative of the Scriptures Told in One Hundred Sixty-Eight Stories
Jesse Lyman Hurbut
Manufacturer: Holt, Rinehart and Winston
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N907CE

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