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Audiobook Review: Kingdom Come

Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross has long been one of my favorite – if not absolute favorite – graphic novels. Alex Ross’ rendition is one of the first – if not the first – comic book posters I remember buying. Last month I purchased the Audible edition of Kingdom Come. I am pleased to say that the audio version does the book justice.

The book is relatively short – only a few hours start to finish. But it had me feeling like a kid reading a comic again within the first chapter. The audiobook version stays true to the original. The voice acting is top notch. The exposition is not offensive, and the book switches to narration by Norman McCay when needed. Yes, sometimes it feels a touch forced, but it is after all, an audiobook.

In several seems, I could see Alex Ross’ beautifully drawn art in my head, whether it was Superman working in “Kansas,” Billy Batson in a tuxedo, or the Flash patrolling Keystone City, I could see it again, and it brought a smile – sometimes almost a tear – to my face.

If you are a fan of Kingdom Come and want a new way to revisit it, I highly recommend the audiobook version. 👍

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An Affordable Robot Vacuum That Won’t Try to Kill Itself or Your Wallet

A few weeks ago I purchased a new robot vacuum. Its full name is “Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo,5000Pa Robotic Vacuum Cleaner,180mins Runtime Vacuum Robot with App/Remote/Alexa Control, Ideal for Hard Floor/Carpet/Pet Hair, Self-Charge,Schedule Clean(UR1).”

My hot take? It’s absolutely worth it. 👍 I picked mine up for $99 on sale at Amazon. (It’s $109 at the time I’m writing this.) It features a combo sweep/mop function, similar to my iRobot Roomba j5+. Note: I have never used the mopping function on either yet.

Beyond the price as a differentiator, we have the “cliff detection” feature. In my experience, the Roomba will happily throw itself off a or down a flight of stairs. I’ve seen it do this on multiple occasions! As if it knew I was writing about it, my j5+ decided to act up today. After purchasing replacement brushes (because the old ones broke while trying to eat a bolt it gobbled up on the floor) the j5+ now just spins around in circles and throws error codes. I have a call in to iRobot support on this, but it’s just the latest in a string of problems with these things. No bueno.

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Wireless CarPlay is a Simple and Huge Quality of Life Upgrade (Review)

Okay, so this is clearly an Amazon product name. Where else would you expect to find something named 2026 Wireless CarPlay Adapter for iPhone – No Audio Lag, 5s Auto-Connect- Convert Factory Wired to Wireless CarPlay – Bluetooth 5.3 & 5GHz Wi-Fi – Plug & Play (Includes USB A/C)? Prior to buying this unit this weekend, I have been using wired CarPlay with my Kia EV6. I love CarPlay! (I don’t care for the occasional failure of my phone and car to connect, which – thankfully – hasn’t happened for a while.) But I don’t like having to plug the phone in every time I get into the car, or disconnecting the cable when I get out. This is especially annoying in the winter when the car hasn’t warmed up and I have thick gloves on. Not a great experience.

Enter the… here we go again… 2026 Wireless CarPlay Adapter for iPhone – No Audio Lag, 5s Auto-Connect- Convert Factory Wired to Wireless CarPlay – Bluetooth 5.3 & 5GHz Wi-Fi – Plug & Play (Includes USB A/C)! What is it? A small – thumb-drive sized – USB/Bluetooth adapter. Instead of plugging the phone in via cable, I just plug this in to the CarPlay/Android Auto USB port and… voila! My phone is connected. It really is that simple.

Setup took about a minute. Simply pair the adapter like you would any new Bluetooth device and go. As for performance, I could not tell any difference between wired and wireless. No perceptible lag time.

The only drawback is now I need to use a separate USB port to charge the phone via its MagSafe adapter. Fortunately the EV6 has 4 charging ports under the media/climate controls cluster, so it’s not a problem finding a spare.

This is a worthwhile lifestyle upgrade. It’s so nice to get in to the car and be able to just drive with no fiddling with cables or phones. If you like CarPlay, you’ll LOVE wireless CarPlay!

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Review: Marvel’s The Ultimates: The Tomorrow Men

I devoured yet another Marvel Comics audiobook adaptation from GraphicAudio – The Ultimates: Tomorrow Men. Yet another well done work with stellar voice acting. The actors portraying Tony Stark and Bruce Banner sound especially similar to Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo, so if you’re a fan of the MCU, they’ll help make you feel right at home.

No spoilers, but in this adventure, five mysterious visitors arrive, purporting to be from the future and here (now?) to save this timeline from the disastrous future that it will become. How will the Ultimates respond? Are they really good guys, or do they have an ulterior motive? And of course, will the Ultimates’ own internal conflicts tear them apart before they can even get to that? Pick up your unabridged copy today and find out.

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Review: Civil War

I just finished Civil War – the audiobook adaptation of the epic Marvel Comics storyline which pit Iron Man and Captain America – and their associated allies – against each other in an epic confrontation that shook the Marvel Universe. This series also was the basis for the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Captain America: Civil War, but note that the movie takes significant turns from the comic series (which is to be expected given the big screen adaptations they have to make).

The narrator omits the need for character exposition I’ve heard in other audiobook adaptations. Several of the same Graphic Audio voice actors who portray characters in other novels reappear in Civil War, most notably James Keegan as Captain America, Richard Cutting as Iron Man. The voice actors really bring the story to life, and bring the full spectrum of emotions to the performance.

Note that there are some changes from the comics – it is not a 1:1 reading of the comics like a script, so you may be in for a pleasant surprise by this adaptation if you have read the originals. Maybe needless to say, there are also very significant differences from the movie adaptation, as it differed greatly from the comics.

If you like comics, like audiobooks, and – like me – don’t always have the time to sit down and page through them, I highly recommend this adaptation of Civil War!

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Review: The Ultimates: Against All Enemies

Last weekend I finished The Ultimates: Against All Enemies. Produced by Graphic Audio, this is a high-quality production read by talented voice actors. They really bring the characters to life (especially Tony Stark/Iron Man)!

I won’t go to deeply into the plot, but in summary, the Chitauri suffered a defeat at the hands of the Ultimates, but they’re not gone! Reminiscent of other recent Marvel storielines adapted from comics, they have infiltrated the highest levels of government, and the AvengersUltimates have to work with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. to root out and vanquish the threat.

The only complaint I have is that Bruce Banner appears in only a couple of scenes, and doesn’t turn into the Hulk. But Hank Pym as Giant Man fills the role of belligerent jerk hero.

If you like the AvengersUltimates, and appreciate high quality voice acting – not just a good narrator reading a book – you’ll enjoy The Ultimates: Against All Enemies.