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Hugh Likes Comics: The Drops of God

January 6, 2025

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The Drops of God Vol. 1

Written by Tadashi Agi

Drawn by Shu Okimoto

Translation by Vertical, Inc.

Published by Kodansha Comics

The Skinny: A Martial Arts Manga about Wine Tasting.

When legendary wine critic Yutaka Kanzaki dies, he leaves only his estranged son Shizuku to inherit his estate and his priceless cellars. Due to his demanding upbringing, Shizuku has no interest in wine, and still resents that his father spent years training him. In fact, he has never even drank wine, out of resentment to his father. But shortly after his death, a second heir appears.
A week before his death, Kanzaki formally adopts young, talented wine critic Issei Tomine and creates a new will. The two will have to compete in tasting a dozen different wines, as well as identify one mythical bottle, the so-called ‘Drops of God’ in a winner-take-all competition for Kanzaki’s estate and collection.
Even with his latent skills developed by his father’s rigorous training, Shizuku will need help to figure out a path to gain control of his father’s estate. His only hope is apprentice sommelier Miyabi, who agrees to help him beat the unstoppable critic.
With drama like a martial-arts manga, The Drops of God is a unique comic that mixes the aesthetics and over-the-top posture of manga and anime with a deep understanding of wine making and tasting. It is a more grown-up taste for fans that have grown up on One Piece and Dragonball. This risky mix that doesn’t always work, but the terroir of serious adult drama and stakes with shonen sensibility is a delightful romp. Watching our heroic couple (even if they don’t know it yet) hunt through Ginza for a hidden wine that can match a hundred-thousand dollar vintage is a delight. Meanwhile his nefarious rival completes trains by tasting row after row of wine, and pours strange, black-hued vintages down the naked back of a corporate executive who looks like the model from the cover of Duran Duran’s Rio.
The characters are both archetypal and over-the-top and also grounded in a way that is interesting. The art is clear and solid, with more grown-up visual style, although cuter aesthetic touches surface here and there.
The Drops of God is a mature vintage of manga for a discerning palate. It is available in print and digitally from online and other retailers.

Hugh Likes Comics: Star Trek Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way

December 18, 2024

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Star Trek Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way

Written by Ryan North

Drawn by Chris Fenoglio

Colored by Charlie Kerchoff

Lettered by Jeff Eckleberry

Published by IDW

The Skinny: A Choosable Path Adventure that feels like a great stand-alone episode of Star Trek.

Star Trek Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way is a ‘choosable path adventure’ set somewhere in the continuity of Star Trek: Lower Decks, by the creative team that has been killing it recently with a recent ongoing series, delightful one-shots, and surprising minis. While I have read a little of their previous work, I haven’t seen more than the first couple of episodes of the show. But I greatly enjoyed this graphic novel as a bit of a taste of what the show is like, written by a writer squarely in his wheelhouse and drawn by an artist who knows exactly what they are doing.
North is no stranger to ‘Choosable Path’ stories, having writing the wonderful and surprising To Be or Not To Be and Romeo and/or Juliet, a pair of prose Shakespeare choosable path adventures that are somewhat a bit more complex than this entry, but share a similar tone and excitement for the genre. The graphic novel format has its own advantages in conveying the compact information more quickly, and drawing the eye in ways that a prose page cannot. North and Fegoglio also captures the magic of Star Trek’s more daring and experimental episodes, directly referencing some of the highlights of the franchise as well including some wilder easter eggs. Depending on the choices the reader makes, series main character Mariner and the crew of the Cerritos could fight off an invasion by Borg, a hostile attack from Khan himself, or a visit from a hard-partying space god. But as each story branch reaches its conclusion, readers will notice a pattern emerging.  This is the point where the book goes from referential game to something much more interesting and special.
North has a gift for understanding and manipulating the structure of media he’s working in. Warp Your Own Way isn’t simply a riff on the “Choose Your Own Adventure” novel format with a Star Trek: Lower Decks license. North and Fenoglio understand the assignment on a deeper level, and use the structure of a graphic novel and choosable path format to tell a Star Trek story in a way that only they could pull off.
My favorite episodes of Star Trek are the ones where they break away from the usual structures and plots and do something strange and different; like the Star Trek: TNG episode “Cause and Effect,” which was essentially a repeat of the same period of time due to the ship being caught in a time loop. This book ultimately has some of that energy.
Fenoglio’s art is pleasing and easy to follow, which works well in a few sequences that break not only the story structure but the page itself in a fun way. Kerchoff’s colors are bright and eye-catching and just what you expect for a book like this. It matches what I’ve seen of the show, but I’m not an expert there.
If there is a flaw it is that this book feels somewhat detached from the source material of Lower Decks itself. There are some sequences that establish the characters, but there is a broadness to the story that feels like it could be pulled from any Star Trek series, swapping the crew of the Cerritos for the Enterprise or Voyager and still come through relatively unchanged. Having seen very little of Lower Decks, I can’t really be sure here, and this wasn’t a detriment to me as a new reader coming in. New readers won’t have to catch up to enjoy the story.
Star Trek Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way is available now in print from Your Local Comics Shop or digitally wherever you buy books or comics.

Hugh Likes Fiction: The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles

November 6, 2024

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The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles

Written by Malka Older

Published by Tor

The Skinny: You seem like you might need something cozy right now.

The second novella in Malka Older’s ongoing series, The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles is a delightfully cozy mystery set in the post-Earth colonized world of Giant, née Jupiter. Pleity is Classical Scholar, who studies ancient texts to gather data about the lost biomes of Earth in an attempt to someday recreate them. Mossa is an investigator as well as her once and current romantic partner. They were thrown together again when Mossa’s investigations led her to Pleity’s University in search of a missing and presumed dead scholar in the first book in the series, The Mimicking of Known Successes.
The sequel finds Mossa once again calling on Pleity’s help,some time after their initial investigation, as she attempts to locate a missing student. They find no less than seventeen people have gone missing from the University across a number of different fields. Meanwhile, the previous investigation has shake Pleity’s faith in the organization and its methods. The pair travel not just the many linked artificial platforms orbiting Jupiter, but also to the moon of Io, Mossa’s home and the site of the first controversial Jovian settlement.
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles is as enchanting a novella as the first in the series with clever, deep world-building, a cast of lovable space communists, and just enough danger to keep things interesting. Fans will find much to love in this one, and while it spoils the ending of the first book, the opening serves to get new readers up to speed quickly.
Like the first book, the story is over too quickly. I would have loved a meatier, less straightforward mystery for them to solve, but everything clicks nicely into place with a satisfying ending.
Books three and four in the series are scheduled for future releases, so I can’t wait for the further adventures of these two pseudo-Victorian space goofs. You can find The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles in print from your local bookshop, or in ebook or audiobook from your preferred online retailer.

Hugh Likes Video Games: Animal Well

October 18, 2024

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Animal Well

Developed by: Shared Memory

Published by: Bigmode

Played on Nintendo Switch

The Skinny: You know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby! You’re gonna DIE!

With its throwback graphics and simple character blob, one could be forgiven for thinking that Animal Well is a simple exploration game. But the deeper a player ventures into the labyrinthine screens of the well, the more complex and layered the game becomes.


With graphics reminiscent of a 80s console, Animal Well tasks the payer with retrieving the flames of four lamps, scattered throughout a huge maze of single-screen rooms full of puzzles and secrets. Like in any Metroidvania, the player will gain tools and weapons along the way, but the tiny blob of the player’s character can’t do much fighting, and is better off running away from the menagerie of animals found inside the well, most of which will try and make a meal out of the protagonist. The tools you discover on the way are all interesting riffs on children’s toys, such as the Slink, the Bubble Wand and the Throwing Disk. Impeccably designed, each tool has multiple uses. For example, the Disk can be used to hit switches, be ridden to distant places, or thrown to distract dogs who would otherwise chase you. Learning the different uses for every item is key to solving the mysteries of the Well. 


In addition to your main objectives, there are eggs to collect, a host of different animals to interact with and a truly staggering amount of secrets to uncover. Even after rolling credits on the game, there will still be puzzles and mysteries to uncover, with an old-school expectation that you will solve them without hints, and even an ARG-like component to puzzles that require multiple players in different instances. Truly, there is no end to the depth of this Well.
Animal Well’s graphics and sound design are also deceptively simple, but their masterful implementation shows hidden depth. Each of the single screens is full of clever lighting and animation effects that surprise and delight, elevating the Atari-style graphics. Much like with modern pixel art styles, it creates the feel of how you remember old-school graphics rather than the graphics themselves. The sound design evokes the hidden world of the Well with dripping water, off-screen effects, animal calls, and other mysterious sounds.


Animal Well is a rich, complex exploration game filled with hard as nails enemy encounters, fiendishly tricky puzzles, and tantalizing mysteries. It is available on PC and all major consoles.

Hugh Likes Non-Fiction: Cocktails and Consoles

October 9, 2024

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Cocktails and Consoles

Written by Elias Eells

Illustrated by Solji Lee

Published by Running Press

The Skinny: A guide for gamers looking to expand their palates and mixologists looking for new inspiration.

Cocktails and Consoles is neither a definitive guide to mixology nor gaming, but it is a mixture of the two hobbies into a whole that is both satisfying and enjoyable, embracing whimsey from both ends of the spectrum. Written by Elias Eells, host of Youtube Channel Bar Cart Book Shelf, this collection of seventy-five cocktails and mocktails inspired by video games of all different vintages and genres shows a passionate love for both the shaker and the controller.
But what is notable about this collection is the love of craft that is evident in its creation. An assembly of cocktail recipes inspired by video games could on its surface be a slam-dunk low effort product, quickly churned out and just as quickly forgotten. But Eells’ passion for mixology and gaming shines through, and he takes the reader through the subject with thoughtfulness and care, taking nothing for granted about the reader’s level of comfort for either drink or gaming. 
The recipes in the book vary from simple to complex, with a section at the front detailing the tools you’ll need as well as some of the more exotic ingredients. It even comes with recipes to makes some of the more complex mixers, from simple syrup all the way to your own orgeat.
Each recipe is inspired by a different game, from Pong all the way up to 2023’s Elden Ring. There is a single paragraph for each game, and a few illustrations and side bars provide context for the recipes. The drinks match well with the games, either with color and style, as with the Mariogarita, or by being based on in-game drinks, such as the Final Fantasy XIV ether.
Souji Lee’s illustrations and designs are eye-catching and iconic. They add color and a little extra something to the page. The layouts are colorful and flow easily, from the description of the game, to the drink, the the recipe, with extra boxes scattered for additional tips and information.
But the book itself is only half of the equation. With Cockails and Consoles as my guide I visited my local liquor and specialty grocery and stocked up on tools and supplies to make some of the drinks from the book.
I started with the Mariogarita, which was a tart and bright delightful take on the margarita. The campari added something that did more than just give the drink Mario’s signature bright red color. The Ring Drop, inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog, was bright blue from curaçao, and with two ounces of vodka, definitely goes fast.
Cocktails and Consoles is a welcome edition to the library for the gamer or armchair mixologist, and makes a great gift. You can find it wherever you buy books. And also follow Ellis Eells’ YouTube channel, Bar Cart Bookshelf, where he pairs cocktails with reviews of new Fantasy and Science Fiction books.

Hugh Likes Comics: Marvel 85th Anniversary Special #1

September 3, 2024

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Marvel 85th Anniversary Special

Written by: Ryan North and Various Writers

Drawn by: Joshua Cassara and Various Artists

Colored by: Dean White & Various Artists

Lettered by: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Published by Marvel Comics

The Skinny: A great little sampler of stories, including a new Alan Davis Excalibur story!

If there is one thing the ‘Big Two’ comics publishers love to do, it is celebrate themselves, and oversized anniversary issues are no exception. This particular entry is a good one though, with a clever connecting story which just so happens to call back to a hugely successful recent blockbuster film. Written by Ryan North with art by Joshua Cassara and Dean White, it’s a fun little story set in a space station museum dedicated to superheroes. Each item in the collection prompts a different twelve page story about a hero, skipping back and forth through Marvel’s timeline, giving a variety of ‘What-if’ stories set in the future or the past, and brining some beloved creators back to tell more stories.
I will be honest, the selling point to me for this book was the new Excalibur story written and drawn by Alan Davis, and I was not disappointed. I would’ve paid $8 for that story by itself. With colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, it’s an untold story about the early days of the team, and it features all the hijinks, whimsey, and inter-dimensional shenanigans that make ’80s Excalibur such a joy to read. There’s also Spider-Man story about what happened to the infamous Spider-Buggy that would capture the classic Amazing Spider-Man vibe if everyone in it didn’t have cell phones. There’s also a very strong Ms. Marvel story written by Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani and Sabir Pirzada with art by Stephen Byrne. Set in the future, a grown-up Kamala puts on her suit one last time to become a Herald of Galactus!? It’s full of heart and charm, with exceptional art by Byrne. Kalama using her scarf as a version of the Silver Surfer’s board is an incredible visual.
There is also a Moon Knight story set in WWII Japan with gorgeous art by Manga-ka Yuji Kaku, and a ‘Contest of Champions’ story set in the far future that I am honestly shocked that Disney let them get away with. The connecting story wraps up in an enjoyable way that feels very classic Marvel.
Overall, this is an excellent little collection of comics that doesn’t rely on much comics lore knowledge. There is a lot here for dedicated fans, but if you’re curious about comics this is a fun and entertaining book to pick up for a start.
You can find the Marvel 85th Anniversary Special at your local comics shop, or digitally through Amazon or the Marvel App. I give it a big recommendation for new and old fans.

Hugh Likes Fiction: The Mimicking of Known Successes

July 31, 2024

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The Mimicking of Known Successes

Written by: Malka Older

Audiobook Read by: Lindsey Dorcus

Published by: Blackstone Audio

The Skinny: An atmospheric Sapphic mystery set in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere.

In the far future, humanity has conquered Jupiter, living in cities on platforms orbiting the upper atmosphere connected by rings that serve as train lines. After a man disappears from a small and remote platform, Talented by idiosyncratic Investigator Mossa is brought in to solve the crime. But the case leads her to the University platform of Valdegelde, home of her ex-lover, the scholar Pleiti. The pair will have to work together, and work through their differences, to solve the case which threatens Pleiti’s work researching the lost ecosystems of Earth, and the eventual resettlement project.
Older’s delightful science fiction novella is more of a vibe than a mystery, with taking the reader from fog-shrouded platform cities to experimental habitats for cloned wildlife in the comfort of well-appointed rail cars circling Jupiter. But the two leads are so delightful that you’ll be swept up in their Holmes and Watson dynamic as the chase for clues while braving just enough peril to be in danger of missing teatime. The mystery itself is a bit on the slight side, but this story is as cozy as curling up beside a warm hearth and watching the swirling gas giant out your window. Older devotes most of the book to world building, along with kindling the embers of the remaining sparks between the two leads. But I find that I didn’t mind the thinness of the story. This story is all about atmosphere, and the short length means that it doesn’t outstay its welcome.
I listened to the audiobook, and narrator Lindsey Dorcus’s performance is spot on: Neat as a pin and evocative of the Neo-Victorian charm of the setting. Her fussy, idealistic Pleiti and gruff, analytical Mossa are both excellent, It can be hard to sell a romance with one actor, but she does a great job with both characters, and her performance is enthralling.
The novella’s short length does make the central mystery feel a bit simpler and safer than I would have normally gone for, but this was a wonderfully cozy listen. You can find The Mimicking of Known Successes in print and ebook from wherever you buy books, and the audiobook from Audible and other retailers. I highly recommend it.

Hugh Likes Comics: The Big Burn #1

July 29, 2024

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The Big Burn #1
Written by: Joe Henderson

Drawn by: Lee Garbett

Colored by: Lee Loughridge

Lettered by: Simon Bowland

Published by DSTLRY

The Skinny:  The Perdition Job

A great heist or crime story relies on making your antiheroes just a little bit less bad than the people they’re stealing from. The original Italian Job cast of patriotic criminals and the remake’s crew of professionals out for revenge work because the audience is rooting for them to succeed despite the nefariousness of their plans.
The Big Burn #1’s pair of down on their luck bank robbers bring the reader onboard in just a few pages with a whirlwind of gutsy heists played against an equally turbulent romance. It’s fun and exciting right up until they’re caught. And that’s when the Devil himself shows up. When down-on-their-luck thieves Carlie and Owen sell their soul to escape jail, they’re free to resume their high-octane romantic crime spree. But the thrill is gone, both in crime and love. The only option left is to steal their souls back.
Henderson’s writing is sharp and quick here, dropping the reader into the story quickly and getting the reader on the main characters’ side from practically the first page. They also do a great trick of just laying out the stakes and making it seem very natural through the use of character. By the time Owen has is near-death experience and the Devil gives him a tour of Hell, while explaining directly to his face that he likes to set people up to fail at the very last second, We already know what Owen is going to do, because we know that he isn’t going to be able to resist rolling the dice on the chance of pulling off the heist of his afterlife.
Garbett’s art and Loughridge’s colors are also putting in great work. The bright, fast-moving montage of ballsy bank robberies and daring jewel heists draws the eye, right up to where it hits a brick wall. And right when things are at their darkest (with a palate to match) that’s when the Devil oozes his way into the page, all black mist and red highlights. And Garbett’s Devil is nothing if not equal parts chilling and seductive, made up of all red highlights with impeccably coiffed long black hair and dressed to the nines with not a single thread out of place. He dominates the page in the exact way that a character of his import should. The biggest bad that our hard luck protagonists could take on, without a prayer of coming out on top. But if it were easy, it wouldn’t be a heist, would it?
The Big Burn #1 is out in print in deluxe format from DSTLRY. You can find it at your local comics shop or order online at DSTRLRY.co. This first issue has me hooked, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

The Way of the Buffalo – July 6, 2024

July 6, 2024

hughjodonnell In Case You Missed It, Review, Self-Promotion, The Way of the Buffalo, Uncategorized, Writing , , , , Leave a comment

Hello Readers!
It’s finally summer, so I hope you’re staying cool wherever you are! It has been a minute, but this is the (allegedly) weekly update of what I’ve been up to and what’s coming up.

News!

Safety Guidelines
My short poem Safety Guidelines was recently published in the poetry zine Dreams and Nightmares! The issue is a bit difficult to order, but click the link to find out more about the magazine.

Reviews!

Hugh Likes Comics: Zatanna: Bringing Down the House
I was snared by Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodriguez’s new take on DC Comics’ magical heroine Zatanna, which puts a Noe-Noir spin on the character, starting her out as a Vegas stage performer haunted by trauma. This is the first issue of the story, and it’s a great jumping on point, with no canon knowledge necessary.

Hugh Likes Fiction:  The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
This dark fairytale novella is a short but brutal examination of the rules of power, how to bend them, and how they break you. A sort of inverted retelling of Hansel and Gretel, it’s the story of a woman sent into a magical forest to rescue the two young children of the Tyrant who conquered her village. Tense and thrilling.

Podcasting!

Nostalgia Pilots Episode 95: This Deathtrap Could’ve Been an Email
Episode 95 of Nostalgia Pilots is live! Jason, Jurd, Spence and Myself discuss Mobile Fighter G Gundam Episode 32 – “Dangerous Trap! Neros Gundam Strikes Back,” in which the Shuffle Alliance survive some half-assed assassination attempts while Wong and Master Asia continues to scheme. Also, Domon fights a transforming bird robot piloted by first episode antagonist Michelo Chariot.

Outro!

It’s the summer, and not too much is going on that I’m ready to talk about yet, but I can announce that I will be appearing at the Better Off Read Festival at Artpartk on August 31st! I’ll be selling books and other goodies, so please stop by and say hello!
My very short story collection, The Mountain’s Shadow, is still available from amazon or your preferred online book retailer.

Stay cool, and I’ll see you next week!

Hugh Likes Fiction: The Butcher of the Forest

July 5, 2024

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The Butcher of the Forest
Written by Premee Mohamed
Published by Tordotcom

The Skinny: A dark fairytale about the rules of power: how to bend them, and how they break you.

The villagers stay away from the North Woods. They raise their children on the stories of the things that live in the forest and the strange, magical realm in its heart. They memorize the rules they will need to survive should they wander too far into the trees. But while the knowledge was passed on, it never reached the Tyrant, who conquered the village and established his castle on the outskirts. Nor did it reach his two children.
So when Veris is roused before dawn and brought before the Tyrant, she knows what he will demand before he tells her: His two children are missing, and as the only living person to venture into the North Woods and the Elmever that lies within its boundaries, she will bring them back.
In this dark fairy tale reversal over Hansel and Gretel, everything resolves around power, and the rules it follows. Contrasting the typical rules of entering a fairyland (don’t eat anything, don’t give your real name, don’t try and negotiate) with life under a dictatorial regime is a brutal and brilliant choice. Fascists are as capricious and dangerous as the fey. Their rules are no less byzantine, and the penalties for breaking them are no less deadly.
Mohamed’s writing is spare and sharp as a knife, compressing the story into a single day. This is a quick but by no means easy read. The story is gripping, and the characters have depths that peek in just at the edges of their dialog and the narration. This book will get its hooks in you until the final, brutal reveal. I highly recommend it. The Butcher of the Forest is available in print from your local independent book store, or in digital formats from the usual online storefronts.

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