Following in your father’s footsteps, or at least showing that you are as strong as or stronger than your father is what every young man dreams about.  Nothing means more to a young man as he battles through his youth to come out triumphant and show his father that he has made a man of himself as well.  With all of the challenges that have been placed in front of young men, it is sometimes hard to show that they are ready for their next rite of passage.

Thomas Wayne was well on his way to becoming a fantastic doctor, but his father wanted so much more for his son.  Trying to teach young Thomas how to hold a gun and defend his future family was much more important than a framed certificate hanging on his wall.  If you are not able to defend what you believe in and love, how will you ever be able to survive the streets?  Patrick Wayne wanted nothing but the best for his son, but more importantly, he wanted Thomas to be strong in every way.

Thomas took this to the next level in his young schooling.  Being paired up with Doctor Richter during his time in med school, Thomas found out there was much to be discovered that could improve the mental health of many.  Trying to take this knowledge to the next level, Thomas started to work at the Arkham Asylum, working on his treatments and trying to make those who were bad into the next heroes of Gotham.  Little known to him, there is a fine between heroes and villains and by creating someone with super abilities, you cannot change what is hidden inside of them.   

Bruce Wayne is working on cleaning up the city of Gotham as best as his persona Batman will allow it.  Bruce Wayne has turned into an almost fictional character around the streets as he is never seen anymore.  On his latest task, Batman finds that everyone in the city seems to be brainwashed, with Commissioner Gordon trying to kill him for what happened to his daughter, to himself being tormented by the wooden doll of Scarface.  Something is changing in the city and it is up to the aging Batman to figure out what it is.  Not knowing who he can trust as his trusted butler Alfred is keeping some vital information hidden away, Wayne is challenged with putting his faith in a stranger that seems to know more about the Wayne family than he does.

Wayne of Gotham follows the progression of the Wayne family as they flourish in the city of Gotham.  Patrick Wayne has no trust for anyone in the city, besides his family, but that is being put to the test as his son has trust in some of the local crime lords.  Thomas Wayne is only looking for a way to make the criminals of the city disappear and create a crime fighting unit out of them.  With all of his research and experiments, the next step is needed to make the city the most crime free area in the country.  Bruce is no on the scene, battling his father’s demons as a woman that calls herself Richter comes back, beckoning for an audience with him.  Bruce needs to know more about the woman and what she really knows before lowering his defenses, but with his closest friend not being very forthcoming about the situation, Bruce has to face this battle on his own. 

An intriguing read to say the least.  Loving the recent Batman saga, I would not be able to find a way to avoid this novel.  Tracy Hickman makes sure to include all of the basics of the Batman storyline, along with adding a touch of her own.  With making the butlers more essential to the story telling is more gutsy than what most writers would try to do, she pulls it off. I would recommend this book to anyone that really loves the genre, you do not get to miss out on any of the regular villains as Harley Quinn and the Joker are there as staples.  The novel does bounce around quite a bit as you see the situations through Thomas’ and Bruce’s eyes as the story persists.  Just stay with the story, as you find out who really created the menace that Batman has to fight on a nightly basis and you will not be disappointed.  

We've been fans of the awesome comic LeyLines since Girls of Geek was born and with the Kickstarter for Volume 3 heading into the home stretch, we thought it would be a good idea to take a little time and speak with the creator of the series, Robin Childs and learn more about this rich and imaginative series.  

Girls of Geek: What led to the creation of LeyLines?  
Robin Childs: LeyLines is my second project.  The first was an 800 page comic called "Shades of Grey" which I started when I was 15 or 16 as a personal project to keep me sane through high school and college.  When I finished it, I thought I was done with storytelling, but after a few weeks I realized that creating stories was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life, not just a single project.  I immediately started brainstorming and world-building, which after months of work yielded the LeyLines tale.

Girls of Geek: For folks that may not be familiar with your comic, what is LeyLines all about?
Robin Childs: The Empress of Itsuri has mysteriously died, bringing her three children together for the first time in years.  When a goddess of dreams entrusts them with a mission, their bonds and their future are threatened by a dream-eating god, a band of assassins, and their own tangled relationships.

Girls of Geek: LeyLines is nearing it's third year anniversary, what do you think has given it such lasting power?
Robin Childs: A lot of love goes into this story, and the fans have been very dedicated in return.  People enjoy how much depth I've given the story and characters, and they appreciate how unique it is.  Readers have told me they've never seen anything like it in content or in style.  As a result, when it speaks to a person, they tend to stay.  So the story has a small fan base, but it's full of people that are incredibly kind, generous, and supportive.  We have a lot of really incredible discussions on the site, and I'm so fortunate to be able to connect with these exceptional people.  

Girls of Geek: What are you most proud of when it comes to this comic? 
Robin Childs: I'm proud of how it continually gets better.  That may be a little strange to say, but I'm always excited to work on the next chapter, because the writing and artwork is my best work every time.  I'm always challenging myself, and at the end of every chapter we have a Feedback Day where readers can critique as well.  I'm never satisfied. I always want to improve my skills.

Girls of Geek: What kinds of stories influenced you to get into creating this series?  
Robin Childs: Growing up, a lot of fantastic independent creators had a big impact on me.  In particular, ElfQuest by Wendy and Richard Pini and Finder by Carla Speed McNeil.  Recently, the Full Metal Alchemist manga series and Avatar: The Last Airbender animation both impressed me with their involved stories and worlds.  

Girls of Geek: As a writer, is there any particular story that you are dying to tell but haven't had the chance to yet?  
Robin Childs: Usually when there's a story idea that pops up in my head, I just write it.  Whether that's into the story I'm working on, or into another project.  Cory and I are currently working on a second comic series that we'll be releasing in 2014 or 2015.  We also run several storytelling competitions, where we present a premise and environment for people to develop their own stories within.  It gives both of us an opportunity to explore any extra ideas that don't fit into whatever projects we're currently working on.

Girls of Geek: What's next for you and LeyLines?  
Robin Childs: Cory and I are very excited to be expanding our business this coming year.  We'll be traveling to more conventions, including Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington and Phoenix Comic Con in Arizona.  I'll also be starting a Storytelling Coaching service in 2014.  For the LeyLines story itself, I can't wait to share the next few chapters.  We'll be uncovering the agenda of a dark god, Mizha will finally harness her Dreamer abilities, and we'll be exploring one of my favorite cities in the LeyLines world, a place "fondly" known as Pirate Town!  It's going to be a lot of fun and I hope that I can surprise my readers more than a few times in the process.


To learn more about this amazing comic and to donate to Volume Three, check out these links:

LeyLines Volume Three Kickstarter:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2088273372/leylines-volume-three?ref=card
LeyLines Homepage: http://leylinescomic.com/

Teamwork is one of the key things you need in life when you are trying to get something accomplished.  Having trust in that team is the only thing you should be focused on no matter what the situation is, if it is to meet a deadline, get everyone helped, or trying to win the big game.  No matter what happens, win or lose, your team is the only thing that will be able to get you to that result and they should always have your back, no matter what.

When Clint Barton and Jessica Drew are sitting in the depths of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s helicarrier working on paper work, Clint gets a bit distracted.  A stunning redhead is running around outside of their post and Clint is curious to what she is doing, but more importantly he wants to know who she is.  Chasing after the one he calls ‘RED’, he is stunned to find out that she is someone as deadly as he is, the Black Widow.  Natasha Romanov is one of the best trained from the Soviets Black Widow program and she has shown it by being able to sneak aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.’s mobile command craft. 

Upon her capture, Commander Hill orders the immediate transfer to the Raft detention facility under the East River to get answers from the intruder.  When arriving to the Raft, Clint and Jessica meet up with Luke Cage, a.k.a., Power Man, to help escort Romanov to her cell.  What the group finds when they reach the inner workings is more than they expected as a prison break was underway.  Captain America, along with young Spiderman were on the outside looking in as energy blasts exited the facility, but with some of the most dangerous individuals making their way to the surface, no one knew who to trust.

Iron Man joined the fight to detain as many as possible, but it was not enough when over forty of the inmates escaped.  Trying to figure out a way to recapture the worst of the worst, the group came up with a plan to reactivate the Avengers.  With Clint being the only one without superpowers being added to the mix was something out of the ordinary, but he was up for the challenge and Jessica Drew (Spider Woman) starting to see her powers come back was great for her and her new teammates. When pinpointing the reason for the breakout, the group traveled to the Savage Land to find and detain Doctor Karl Lykos. But what they find on the island was far worse than they ever expected. 

New Avengers: Breakout follows the Avengers group as they add new members and try to stop evil from taking over.  When Clint Barton (Hawkeye) joins the group of superheroes, he is more than happy, but chasing after the Black Widow has his motives in more than a bind.  Jessica Drew (Spider Woman) gets more than she bargains for as she has affections for Clint, but has to keep her true purpose secret to the group as they encounter some of the most dangerous villains on the planet.  The outsider Peter Parker (Spiderman) has a hard time fitting in with the group as well, being a loner, he has to try to learn to trust others that are in the same situation that he is in.  With S.H.I.E.L.D. overseeing every aspect of the operation, or so they think they are, the New Avengers are faced with the problem of who they can and should really trust…

With my love for the movie The Avengers, I knew that I would not be disappointed with New Avengers: Breakout.  Following how the movie flows along with the comic series, this novel is a hit in my mind.  What author Alisa Kwitney has brought to the page is magical as she is able to take you a bit deeper into what happens between the characters.  Having Clint Barton being torn between his love for the job and a woman that could be his future is for a lesser term marvelous.  With the Avengers getting back together, outside of the regulations sanctioned by S.H.I.E.L.D. is one of the best ways to discover the true intentions of the group.  Having enough faith in those who are leading you is a fine way to work, but having that little bit of distrust in their leadership is the only way to survive.  Happy Reading.