Chris Marrinan

Wonder Woman by George Pérez Omnibus Vol. 2 collects Wonder Woman issues 25 through 45 and the second annual from Winter 1988 - June 1990. Pérez's writing and Chris Marrinan's crisp pencils define the modern Wonder Woman and her surrounding cast, including Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, Hermes, the Amazons, and Julia and Vanessa Kapatelis. The manner in which Pérez handles all of these characters' stories while making them relevant to the plot resembles the plotting of a well-crafted television series and remains superior to some comics published in the last twenty years. The stories in this volume involve Wonder Woman antagonists Cheetah, the splinter Amazon group living in Egypt, and the Silver Swan. Most of the stories occupy several issues so that they can fully develop. In addition, Pérez continues to weave elements of Greek mythology into the mix as well as his own version of the Amazon mythology. This volume ends on something of a cliffhanger, with portents of a great struggle to come, so I look forward to a third George Pérez omnibus.… (meer)

Read on http://biguniverse.com, this online graphic novel (with textbook elements in the end) provides a history of pre-Columbian exploration by the vikings. It is unfortunate that the native cultures of the lands they explored and inhabited is not acknowledged. However, the violence with which Vikings took over lands is mentioned and some violence is depicted, making this book a poor choice for young children but more accurate than most portrayals of pirates.

Useful for educating middle readers old enough to view some violent images about the history of pirates, vikings, Scandinavia, and conquest, in Europe and the Americas.… (meer)