Paycheck Friday: It’s not too late to tackle your summer reading list

Welcome to another edition of Paycheck Friday, a round-up of some of Hero Complex’s favorite toys, games, books and more.

With July soon coming to a close, now is a perfect time to focus on getting through your summer reading list. Didn’t make a list before summer started? No worries. Here are a few titles to get you started.

First on the list is sci-fi classic “Childhood’s End” by Arthur C. Clarke.

In contrast to some of the more violent depictions of extraterrestrial encounters, “Childhood’s End” follows a peaceful alien invasion of Earth. The arrival of the aliens begins decades of apparent utopia through the peaceful relation that humanity maintains with the alien Overlords.

If you need an incentive to read the novel, a miniseries adapted from the book is set to premiere in December (you can check out the trailer here).

For those of you looking for more comic books to add to your reading list, consider “Outcast” by Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta.

A supernatural horror series, “Outcast” follows Kyle Barnes, a man whose entire life has been plagued by demonic possession, embarking on a journey to find answers and regain normalcy. The first six issues have been collected in a volume that was published earlier this year.

Like Kirkman’s other series, “The Walking Dead,” a TV adaptation of “Outcast” is in production, and the series is set to premiere sometime in 2016.

If fantasy novels geared for more younger readers are your preference for beach reads (and there is nothing wrong with that), consider “The Isle of the Lost” by Melissa de la Cruz.

This book answers the question “What would life be like on a hereditary prison island for Disney villains?”

Yes, this story is set on the Isle of the Lost, where all Disney villains were exiled when King Beast took the throne of a unified Disney kingdom. It been years, and now all your favorite Disney villains (Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar and Cruella De Vil) have kids.

The book serves as a prequel for Disney’s TV movie “The Descendants.”

For a more seasonal pick, consider “This One Summer,” written and illustrated by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, respectively. The graphic novel is about a summer friendship between two girls whose families have vacationed in Awago Beach together for years.

Family issues and adolescence mean this year’s experience is a little different for the pair. If you didn’t get around to reading this last summer, now is a good time to pick it up.

Finally, for those who’d like to catch up on some Marvel comics, consider trying out a subscription to Marvel Unlimited, which is offering a special in which your first month is a penny.

What are you reading this summer? Let me know on Twitter: @tracycbrown