Life Sucks ~ Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria and Warren Pleece

Well, I seem to be on a bit of a graphic novel kick at the moment, so much so that I think I should probably sign up for the Graphic Novel Challenge!

Came across this one late last week, when I checked in at my local bookshop to reserve a copy of Breaking Dawn, which wasn’t getting released until Monday here in the UK and ended up with this also, well it had vampires in it as well you see… (It’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!)

And what a great & fun purchase it turned out to be!

So what’s it about? Well it has vampires, so of course a little romance is involved. The story revolves around Dave, and his sucky (sic) life as a night manager of The Last Stop convenience store. His boss and Vampire master is Radu or Lord Arisztidecu as he prefers to be called, is rarely off Dave’s case. Either for his work ethic of for the fact, Dave was in his normal life a vegan, and refuses to kill to drink fresh blood. Living on plasma alone, means Dave misses out some vamp super-powers, and as such is considered a bit of a wimp by himself and the local vampire crowd, especially Surfer-Dude Wes, the night stops previous night manager and who was also created by Radu

The only bright spot each night (other that rotating the hot-dogs that is) is when the nearby juice bar shuts down and the local goth crowd call in, amongst the Goths is Rosa and her vampire-poseur boyfriend.

Dave soon falls for the gracefull and gorgeous, Rosa, and couldn’t be happier when she and the pouser split, and then he and Rosa start to become closer. Only thing is, life is never that kind to Dave, and when Rosa also starts to take a shine to Wes and a lack of understanding for Dave’s dislike of Wes. Their friendship starts to falter.

Even though, Dave knows that Wes is only interested in adding to his vampire bride collection to annoy Dave, there is little he can do to convince Rosa, and then when she starts to muse what it would be like to be a vampire and if they really exist, things start to get really complicated!

This is a light hearted and fun tale crafted by Abel and Soria and wonderfully illustrated by Pleece, that thankfully never takes itself too seriously.

I heartily recommend you grab a copy to read, you won’t disappointed.

Rating:

Buy, Life Sucks from Amazon.

[You can still enter my Sky Burial giveaway until Saturday 9th August]

Sunday Salon: Clearing the Decks

Welcome, once again to all Sunday Saloners!

For once, I’ve not been working on a Sunday, which means I’ve got a load of reading done, right?

Err… No…

Been catching up on everything else that needed doing However all is done now, and I can concentrate on bookish things!

Before I get on to what I’m reading this Sunday, a little update on the week just gone.

• The July Book Blowout Challenge, came to a close and I managed to just beat my target of 9 books, and have all but one of them reviewed! [Click Here]
• I’ve, also been catching up on my Weekly Geek #12 reviews. [Fool Moon] & [Floodland]
• I’ve also, posted a round up of my favourite discovery/series of the year, The Tomorrow Series by John Marsden. [Click Here]

So, on to my Sunday reading.

First up is graphic novel, Life Sucks.

Life sucks for Dave Marshall.

The girl he’s in love with doesn’t know he exists, he hates his job, and ever since his boss turned him into a vampire, he can’t go out in daylight without starting to charbroil.

Undead life in its uncoolest incarnation yet is on display in this cinematic, supernatural drama told with gallons of humor and hemoglobin.  In striking, colorful, B-movie sty;e artwork and light-hearted, intelligent writing by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria, and Warren Pleece, Dave Marshall’s story comes alive – in a vampiric kind of way.

And then, next is, Looking for Alaska, by John Green. I’ve seen almost nothing but praise for John Green’s books so I decided to snag a copy of this one, and I’m hoping it lives up to the praise.

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words - and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.” Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

Why clearing the decks, well the UK is about 48 hours behind the US in getting, Breaking Dawn and I’m picking my copy tomorrow, and yes, before you ask, I am male, and not a teenage girl and that puts me in to a minority of the fans, what can I say?

Bite Me!

See you next week.