Recent Comics Reactions

I picked up an assortment of comics today at a shop near Houston, and wanted to share some quick reactions to them.


Green Lantern Secret Files 2005

Geoff Johns and Darwyn Cooke manage to surprise me by telling a story crossing the time from Hal's days as a kid to his time now as an adult hero who has just returned. It showcases how Hal has gone from a starry eyed kid filled with dreams, to cocky flyboy, to now wiser mentor in a way that is fun and heartwhelming as well.

Good for DC to put the Wizard GL:Rebirth exclusive story in here as well, so readers who don't want to support Wizard could read it as well.


Green Lantern #1

As much as the Secret Files story was a surprise, the start of the new series has to go down as a shocker. Having never been a fan of Hal Jordan, I was surprised by how much I was pulled into Hal's journey to find a place for himself in the world.

It is good to see that Johns doesn't want to just rehash the past, by not going the easy route of sticking him back at Ferris Aircraft with Carol and Tom. Instead he has set Hal up with an entirely new supporting cast, as he seeks to rejoin the US Air Force.

I really like the new potential female love interest's "explosive" entrance, and the idea behind Coast City's return as an empty city the government is trying to repopulate is intriguing.

I was a bit annoyed that after all this new stuff, that the bad guy is such an older one who has been way too overused. Yet perhaps Johns will put a new spin on it, and as of now I'm on board for at least another issue if it keeps being this fresh a book.


DC SPECIAL: THE RETURN OF DONNA TROY #1

While Green Lantern brings a hero back from the past in intriguing, fresh new ways that has a directness to it. This book while trying for similar goals falls flat on its collective face.

For one the book made it feel like I needed a PHD in Greek Mythology to understand any nuance of the story, which has Donna Troy as part of a race of the Titans of myth trying to conquer planets for supposedly peaceful reasons.

The book is a bore both narratively and artistically. Storywise it reads a lot like fan fiction with characters standing around discussing their motives, but not actually doing a heck of a lot.

Visually I was really looking forward to the artistic collaboration of José Luís García-López and George Pérez. Yet with most of the story being either a far off battle scenes with no sense of focus or long conversation scenes which provided no movement or sense of place. It doesn't use either's talent in any meaningful way, and just seems such a waste.

I like Donna Troy, but there has to be something a bit more cohesive of a story and something a bit more human for a reader to latch onto. In order to make this miniseries work, and I'm not sure what I've seen here promises to have any of that happen.

More later...

Gail Simone Makes TV Guide

This has probably been talked about elsewhere but I've been too busy to notice. Yet it was neat to see a short article in the newest TV Guide giving props to Gail's upcoming scripted episode of the Justice League Unlimited episode. Which will feature both Black Canary and the Huntress, and has me stoked to see it.

Time & Experience Gives New Perspective

I was listening to an older CD today that I hadn't listened to since I was much younger than I am now. The thing that stuck out to me most was how different I reacted to the songs.

The fast songs were still as fun as they were back then. Yet the slow melodies, especially ones about broken hearts and the like, really surprised me by how different they seemed.

Back in my younger days I could appreciate the beauty of the song, but the emotional impact wasn't there because I hadn't really know love or loss. Yet now I was startled at how much deeper they were to me, as I knew more about what they were talking about.

Which made me wonder if there were comics I could go back to now and have a deeper understanding of. Not negative ones either, as I did that a few years ago when an old favorite G.l. Joe returned and found that memory was much better than reality.

I'm not quite sure which ones to try, though I am tempted to look at The Watchmen for one. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or had similar experiences?

My Order

It has come time once again to make out my pre-order for comics from Discount Comic Book Service.

While I was tempted by a number of single comics from the big publishers, like the new Defenders series from the same creators as the wonderful Formerly Known As The Justice League series. Or All Star Batman #1 Frank Miller, who first got me interested in Batman after a very wrong headed impression made by the old TV show.

Yet I decided to wait for the trades on those and go with:

BUMPERBOY LOSES HIS MARBLES - Just sounds very neat, and I learned after Egg Story to trust Johanna on these type of books.

GURU GURU PON CHAN VOL 1 - The creator behind the wonderful OTHELLO series prior work about a dog who gets turned into a young girl sounds bizarrely fun.

NODAME CANTIABILE VOL 2 - I enjoyed the first volume about young musical students a lot.


Tramps Like Us VOL 6- Interesting that this has an of 10 listing, which is a nice change from the seeming never ending runs of other series. That should still leave plenty of room for this series about a young woman in the business world and her "pet boy" Momo.

Wahoo Morris #1 - I just have the feeling that I'll never see this comic in print though because the orders will be so low. I wonder if it might be wiser for them to just do a big GN each year instead.

Yet I'm going to do my part by preordering this great series about young people who have put together a band.

Dead Boy Detectives Digest - Hopefully Jill Thompson doesn't try to ape manga art conventions as much as she did in Death's Door. Because I thought she only captured the surface, but missed the true heart of that style.

Tuxedo Gin Book 3 - I really enjoyed the second volume of this series about a young guy reborn as penguin who still seeks to protect his love. With such light month, it was a good time to get another volume.

Catching Up

It has been a hectic week here with long hours at work, and trying to squeeze in quality time with a new love. A trend that looks like it will continue for the next several weeks at least, so updates are going to be sporadic at best here.

I was sent a PDF of the upcoming AP COMICS MR.T #1 comic. I was curious about the series from being a fan of Mr.T as kid and writer Chris Bunting's obvious enthusiasm for the project as seen in his brief interview.

Yet while the art team of Neil Edwards, Randy Emberlin and Don Mackinnon turn in a very professional and visually enticing work. Writer Chris Bunting's scripting could use work, especially the dialogue that sounded fake and impractical through out most of this issue.

Also the storyline of a former hero who has cut himself off from others because of a loss of faith. Is handled in far too generic and as such predictable a fashion. Which left me feeling like I'd already read this story many times before.

I debated with myself about writing the above commentary because they seem like a great bunch of people from my dealings with them. Yet they did ask for my honest opinion, and did spend the time to send me all of this info. So it would seem a waste to completely ignore it.

I do wish them well in their future endeavors, and hope that one of them will work better for me.



In other news, I probably will eventually go see the newest Star Wars movie. Yes I know many reviews for it have hammered it, and that after seeing the first two prequels I'm just as likely to hate it myself.

Yet I'm very weird in the way that I like to at least try and keep aware of what's popular in our culture. I've sit through aweful movies, CDs and TV shows, just to be aware of what is sort of hip or popular.

I wonder if anyone else does this, or is this a singular idocity of my own making?

Foul Play! : The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics!
Author: Grant Geissman
Publisher: Harper Design; $29.95, 272 pages

I was very hesitant about approaching this book. I knew absolutely nothing about the EC Comics line beyond a vague sense of them being well thought of, and that they were at the center of the Wertham comics controversy of the past. So I wondered whether a book highlighting the creators would allow me any point of interest.

Yet when I did finally get around to trying the book, I was amazed at how engrossed I became with it.

First off the design sense is wonderful, with lots of images and artwork dispersed on nearly every page. That not only played well off what was being talked about in the articles, but instilled a compelling interest in me as a reader to want to seek these books out.

The book breaks itself down into individual chapters on the creators who worked for EC during the time. While there are a lot of facts they aren't done in the coldly distilled way of other bio pieces in other such books.

These give light to the work being done, the period they were working in and especially important, who the people were behind the work were. These aren't fluff pieces either, as the negative sides of these personalities are discussed with just as equal attention as the positives.

Which showed me a side of creators of the past that I hadn't saw before.

Be it Ingels's battle with alcohol and his later almost paranoia sounding need to isolate himself from his past. Or Kurtzman's prima donna sounding demands and seeking of power, whether justified or not because of his obvious talent. It gave me new insights into creators behavior in the past and today, and shows that some things never really change.

Most impressive about the book though, were the sample stories after most of the key creators work. These gave a new reader like myself a sense of what the individual's work was like, and brought home the points made in the articles in ways that the words alone couldn't have done.

Not all of the stories won me over, the horror stories especially, were nasty things happen to people are just not my cup of tea. Yet the talent behind them stands out clearly, showing a seriousness and approach that was miles ahead of many of their contemporaries at the time.

This volume is a definite must for fans of the EC Comics line. Yet even the most casual comic fan can pick this up, enjoy and likely even become a fan of that era of comics themselves. I know I myself will be tracking down some of the collections to learn more about and enjoy these treasures of the past.

MR. T COMIC BOOK INTERVIEW

When I first got an e-mail asking if I'd be interested in trying a new Mr. T comic. My first thought was to wonder why and how they would bring back a property from so long ago.

So I sent back some questions to MR. T's writer Chris Bunting and got these answers back:


I, as I'm sure many were, was a huge fan of Mr. T growing up. I never missed an episode of the A-Team and even watched his short lived animated series. Yet I have to wonder how the idea of doing a new Mr. T comic came about now 2 decades later?

CHRIS BUNTING: The easy answer is that I’m both a comic writer and I’m a huge fan of Mr.T and his work. So what could be a cooler idea than a Mr.T comic book?

The deeper answer would be that the time is right for this iconic character to return. His character has relevance now more than ever. Why? We live in an age where people more often than not turn the other way when they see – whether that’s literally or metaphorically – a fellow human being in trouble, rather than get involved. The stories in Mr.T – about a non-super powered man who will take a stand, who will champion the weak, the vulnerable … a guy who does care – have incredible relevance, and I believe readers will genuinely respond to that.



What is the new series going to be about?

CHRIS BUNTING: The opening issue of Mr.T is a mystery thriller that takes place in a very street level setting. A lot of strange stuff is going on, including a dangerous new drug. The neighborhood’s really falling into ruin because of it. Someone needs to pull it out and put things right … but the only person who can do that is nowhere to be seen.

As for what the Mr.T comic is about, it’s going to be a comic with a real entertainment factor. It’ll be contemporary and will be layered with action, adventure, humor and intrigue. It’ll also have depth and substance. And, hey, it’s got a huge star of course!


How much input into the stories and art does Mr. T have?

CHRIS BUNTING: Mr.T’s closely involved every step of the way as Creative Supervisor. He makes sure it meets his approval and that it’s not just good quality … it’s the best! The reaction from him has been terrific, very supportive: Mr.T knows that we want to give readers nothing but the very best with this comic, and he’s as excited about it as we are!


What is it like to fictionalize a real person, rather than writing entirely fictional characters?

CHRIS BUNTING: The Mr.T in the comic is still a fictional character although based on the real-life living legend. While he has no super powers, maybe we have him performing stunts no real person ever could … you get the idea. But the template for the comic book Mr.T is of course the real Mr.T. It just makes the entire process all the more interesting, all the more fun.


Do you have any concerns as to how to balance this for both the people like myself who were fans as kids, and those new readers who perhaps weren't even born when Mr. T was such a huge draw?

CHRIS BUNTING: Not concerns particularly, as a writer it’s more of a creative challenge, and I love challenges.

Many comic book readers and Mr.T fans are adult, and I’ll more than make sure that they’re catered for. The Mr.T comic carries an “all ages” tag, but that’s not any sort of stigma. The majority of current mainstream titles could in truth carry the exact same tag. And think of some of your favourite comic books of all time? I bet most would, in all honesty, be all age reading. I know most of mine are. The trick with this is to handle it in such a way that it’s enjoyable for readers of every age group. This is often the way it’s been done in some of the finest runs of comicdom, such as Peter David’s Incredible Hulk, Chris Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men, Mark Gruenwald’s Captain America. I hope the same will be said of the Mr.T comic too.

Established fans and new fans will be far from disappointed come May 21 2005, when Mr.T #1 blasts into the shops!


A big thank you goes out to Chris for taking the time to answer my questions.

EXTRA INFO:


• MR.T: 22-PAGE / FULL COLOR COMIC SERIES
  
• MR.T PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY APCOMICS
  
  
• WRITER: CHRIS BUNTING
  
  
• ARTIST: NEIL EDWARDS
  
  
• INKER: RANDY EMBERLIN
  
  
• COLORIST: DON MACKINNON
  
  
• CREATIVE SUPERVISOR: MR.T
  
  
• MR.T #1: RELEASED WORLDWIDE 21 MAY 2005 (to coincide with Mr.T’s birthday)
  
  
• APC DEDICATED MR.T PAGE
  
  
• CHRIS BUNTING’S PERSONAL WEBSITE

Happy Mother's Day!

I just wanted to send good wishes and thanks to all of the mothers out there.

Especially to my mom who despite never really understanding my interest in comics, supported and even encouraged me in my pursuit of them. Not many moms would likely have made the weekly trip for me to the shop while I was in school or sick. Or taken a wish list into the shop for birthday and Christmas time shopping.

Thanks mom!

Wow...

From a Newsarama interview with George Perez:

Pérez has at least one project he’d love to tackle. “It seems inconceivable in my thirty-plus years in this industry that I’ve never drawn a Legion of Super-Heroes story, and that’s a wrong that needs to be addressed. I’ve called that to Mark Waid’s attention, in fact, and he agrees with me. Legion was one of my favorite books as a child, and I’ve never drawn them except when they appeared in Crisis. I think there may be a market for a standalone Waid-Pérez Legion of Super-Heroes story…


I would SO be all over this project, and do find it strange (given George's penchant for big teams) that he's never drawn the team outside of Crisis.

Manga Ramble

I had today off so went looking around to see if there was anything out I needed to pick up. The only book I picked up was Sgt. Frog #8, which is my favorite comedic title right now.

I was surprised to note two things though. One is about a series I used to follow called BOYS OVER FLOWERS, which I enjoyed when I read it but only to a certain point. Then a friend told me how many more volumes there was in the series (over 20) and it changed the way I looked at the series.

With series like Sgt. Frog or Hot Gimmick I don't care how long the series are, because I enjoy them so much that I want more. With BOF I enjoyed the books I read, but the themes were something that had only a particular length of interest for me. While I might have enough interest to read that story in 10 or 11 volumes, when I started considering 20 to 25 volumes worth of it the appeal lessoned.

The other item I noticed was how the book store chains in my area are apparently doing a manga title turnover. Series I have been following, or planned to pick up more volumes are disappearing in favor of new series.

While I'm all in favor of opening up shelves to new projects, I'm personally find it all very annoying. Since series I want to read more of, like Kindiachi Case Files, Tuxedo Gin and just recently Maison Ikkoku all gone. Meaning that I'll have to hunt them up in other areas or online.

Still it is a wonderful time to be a fan, with so much out there that I want to read. That I have forced myself to be a little more selective since the number of series I'm following is incredibly large.

Comics In Other Media Comments

I spent the night catching up on some of the comic book tie in shows I had TIVO'd during the week, and was surprised at the number of them.

Cartoon Network's Krypto The Superdog show continues to be a real hoot to watch. With the highlights being episodes like the ultra serious Ace the Bathound having to team with the silly Streaky the Supercat when Krypto is off on a mission with Superman. Plus a hilarious episode where Metallo Cat turns the Space Canine Patrol into puppies, thinking they would be easier to handle.

This series is just a lot of fun, that offers innocent and fun adventure for viewers of all ages who enjoy to laugh.

Meanwhile, Marvel's Man-Thing movie was just atrocious, and one of the worst comic book movies I've ever seen. From stiff acting that never seemed like more than anyone reading a bad script, to a story that was older than dirt and boring to boot.

Add in that the movie barely even shows its title star, and when it does he mainly just stands around. Makes this movie fail in all ways, from a stand alone movie to even just something to make readers wonder about the source material.

Finally I've been tuning in to the new Batman animated series that has been coming on CN Saturday evenings. This series follows a fairly younger Batman than the Dini & Timm series did, who is in his first year or two as a hero.

It is fun to see a Batman who isn't ultra serious, and that can actually laugh at himself at times. Not that he isn't driven, but he is heroically inclined to help people first not scare and intimidate them into doing what he wants.

Plus his relationships are much better explored, from the "father and son" connection he has with Alfred. That even when they bicker still shows a connection that has love from both sides.

Even more surprising is the glimpses that show that Bruce has had a bit of a life outside of his Batman persona. Such as his long time friendship with one of the pair of police officers who have been assigned to arrest Batman.

On the other hand the villains haven't been that interesting at all though. Probably because the show trends towards a younger audience, so the villains all have to be clearly bad and unsympathetic.

This was made especially obvious in last night's episode where Mr. Freeze went from a scientist whose drive was out of tragedy that happened to his wife. To now being just a thief who had an accident involving cryogenics when being pursued by Batman.

I'm curious to see how they handle Catwoman's appearance next week, to see if they have the attraction between the two or not.

It is an enjoyable show that offers a take on Batman that I wish we could see more of in the comics themselves. And with Krypto and the Justice League Unlimited show offers a good time from fans of comics to see their heroes in other media.

New Del Rey Books

Nodame Cantabile 1

This is a fun series following a young man who desperately wants to be a music conductor, but an event when he was young makes him too afraid to travel abroad to learn. So he finds himself learning various types of musical instruments at home in Japan, all he masters quickly because of his innate genius.

This has made him a bit smug though, and feeling so apart from everyone that he is alone a lot. Until he meets Nodame, a sort of clumsy girl who has astonishing musical ability, but whose genius only really comes out when she plays from the heart not technically sound.

The two start off a bit strained, but quickly begin teaching each other things about music and life. I thought it very interesting to see the correlation between musical partnerships and romantic ones. How both are there to offer support in moments of weakness, and to blend with each other to come together in harmony for a greater whole.

It is a strong start to the series, that leaves me anxious to see what happens next.


Genshiken 1 : The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

While Nodame is a strong start, this entry is a bit more shaky. It mainly follows the Genshiken club, who is a group of young men with a great interest in manga, anime, video games and cos play.

The group has all the usual fan stereo types, with a too self important leader who doesn't know as much as he thinks, a want to be artist who never put forth the effort required to become more, an over weight guy who loves dressing in costumes, and a fairly normal guy who fits in but finds himself a little out of sorts because he isn't used to knowing others who share his hobby.

Plus a type of fan I haven't seen much in stories, a good looking guy who others think isn't really a fan because he doesn't look the part. He also has a girlfriend who doesn't quite understand his hobby and would like him to spend more time with her. So there is a bit of a struggle there, with her wanting to be with him, but not understanding him.

He and the relatively normal one were the ones that really intrigued me, since they don't fall into the stereo typical behavior quite so much. I even found it sort of intriguing to see a sort of bias against "good looking people" that seemed to be a bit self loathing.

I wonder if the Japanese are a bit more open to laughing at themselves than American comic fans. Since so much of this book was laughing at some of the stranger sides of fandom, like obsession with girls as objects, porn and continuity minutiae. When similar things are done to certain weird sides of American fandom, it usually leads to anger and resentment.

The art itself was very detailed, but quite hard to follow in places. With panel flows going from the traditional side to side flow, to a jarring up to down in the blink of an eye flow.

With so much reliance of fandom fallacies, I was sort of luke warm about the series for a large portion of the book. Yet near the end a new element was addeded, that is sure to spice things up in future volumes especially. A girl from America joins the club, who happens to loves the stuff as much as the guys. Which startles them and also challenges the cute guy's girlfriend perspective on her boyfriend's hobby.

So I'll look forward to seeing #2 of it as well.

Another Cool Manga Series

Tuxedo Gin Book 2


I'd dismissed this series somewhat after a first volume that was okay, but seemed to come to a resolution that I didn't think needed to go any further. Yet volume 2 shows that there are plenty more paths for it to walk before it reaches its conclusion.

The series follows 17 year old boxer Ginji Kusanagi whose life was going perfectly. He'd just made his successful debut as a professional boxer, and met the girl of his dreams in the lovely Minako. Only to be killed in a an apparent accident, and then to his horror be reborn as a penguin.

He doesn't let that get the better of him though as he and the other penguins escape the zoo. Afterwards, he manages to become Minako's pet so he can watch over her and make sure no one hurts her.

In this volume we see how his disappearance has changed things for others in his life. From his former boxing coach, to a young boxer who idealized him. Seeing how much of an effect he's had on others really lets him start seeing a bigger picture.

This series is just so charming. The choice a penguin as the lead is wonderful as they are very cute and active creatures. I was quite impressed by how the artist was able to individualize all of the various penguins visually, while still having them be penguins.

Ginji is such a likeable character with a good heart and strong determination that helps him achieve whatever he sets out to do. Yet the most enduring thing is that everything he does, from keeping close to Minako to what he does for his friends. Is all done out his concern for them, not what he himself can get out of it in return.

Thus making him an engaging hero that is easy to root for.

Cool Stuff This Week

ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS

Sabrina #66 - Tania Del Rio is doing one of the best monthly series in comics with this title. Which seems to have kept a lot of the classic elements of the past, but with a more modern and fun spin, while forging new paths for the characters as well.

DC COMICS

Legion of Super-Heroes #5 - It is so cool to have a Legion comic that is so much fun to read again. It is my favorite book at DC again, and is the only book from the big two that I go out of my way to get each and every month.

TOKYOPOP

Sgt. Frog Vol. 8 - My favorite comedic manga series continues. I can't wait to see what those free-loading alien invaders are up to this month.

VIZ

Case Closed Vol 5 - I wasn't too keen on the first volume, but as it has gone on the mysteries have gotten more intriguing and the interaction between Conan and his fellow students is priceless.

Blogday Thought

Today marks the one year anniversary of my blog. In part to celebrate that, but more to just spend some time with a new friend, I went shopping and got some cool stuff.


Showing my superhero fanboy nature I got:


Crisis on Infinite Earths

The one "everyone dies!" or "everything you know is changing!" crossover event that I actually enjoyed. I'm curious to see what this novelization of the story will be like given how it can't rely on the fantastic artwork of George Perez to bring things together.


Green Lantern Hero's Quest

As a fan of the Kyle Rayner GL, I'm looking forward to this tale that may be the last Kyle focused GL project for a very long time with the return of Hal Jordan in Green Lantern Rebirth miniseries.

Yet of course the main focus for me were the manga series:


Maison Ikkoku Book 3

I wasn't that impressed with volume 1 of this series, so it took me the better part of a year before I gave volume 2 a try. I'm glad I did, as the slow setup of the first volume was gone and the characters were from being apathetic dweebs to more realized characters. I hope for even better things with Volume 3.


Tuxedo Gin Book 2

I enjoyed volume 1 of this series about a young guy who is killed, but is brought back as a penguin so he can look out for the love of his life. Yet at the end of the book I didn't feel like there was much else left to do with the series.

I've finally decided, since this is a light time in terms of new volumes coming out in series I follow regularly, to give volume 2 a look to see if there was anything more to say or not.

Then I decided to take a bit of a risk on two new manga volumes from the Del Rey line:


Nodame Cantabile 1

The son of a famous pianist, rediscovers his love for music with the help of a young girl and fellow music student.


Genshiken 1 : The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

Which follows a young couple, the boy is an anime fan who wants to join a club that will allow him to share his love of comics and anime with others like him. While the girl would like her boyfriend to act more "normal," but in her pursuit to change him learns things about his interests that she wasn't aware of.

Both of these volumes look and sound promising, and I find it sort of cool that I apparently got them early. (Amazon says they aren't due until April 26) I am a bit concerned by the binding though, as I can actually see the glue quite clearly on the edges of the spine.

Which makes me worry whether the books will hold together or not.

Still quite a productive day, now to just find the time to read and write about them. A resolution I'm going to try and make myself keep, as I go into the second year of the blog.

Stressful Week

There likely won't be many updates here during the week, as I'm learning a new computer system at work. After time in a classroom, I got out to take tests that are 45 minutes in length each time, and I must make 98 or above or I must retake the entire test.

Which makes for a stressful time, as they are looking for me to be done with the 10 tests by Friday. I've done 4 so far, so I'm ahead of the curve but with the toughest ones still to come.

If I can manage to get by a comic shop this week I hope to get the following stuff to try and relax a little with:


Adam Strange #7

I've cooled a little on this series over the past couple of issues, but it is still one of DC's best put together titles.


JLA Classified #6

With the way DC has been putting these characters through hell, it is sort of appropriate that Giffen and Co. send them there this issue.


Livewires #3

The plotless, but still entertaining fun series about cool teenage androids continues. This is one of the freshest things Marvel's done in years.


Runaways #3

I'm sort of surprised that they list the Excelsior team as "fan favorites," but I am curious to see how they and the Runaways deal with each other this issue.


Young Avengers #3

I've really dug the mystery of who these kids are so far, and find them a bit of fresh air counter to the whole "Oh how life sucks!" approach to superhero books lately.

CSI Dominos

This series from IDW is the best adaption of another media into comics that I've ever read. The art by Gabriel Rodriguez gets the likenesses close enough that you know who you are looking at, without the awkward stiffness that such efforts usually provide.

Meanwhile, whether Max Allen Collins in previous volumes or Kris Oprisko in this one, the character sound like they do on TV, leaving this feeling like a solid episode from the latest season.

In this volume, a mob hit has gone wrong and now someone is killing everyone connected to one of Vegas's biggest mobsters. It is up to Grissom and company to put together the clues to not only find the identity of the killer, but also try to find the next victim before he does.

It is a very exciting story, that had me caught up with the tension the team were feeling as they always seemed two steps behind the killer. I did sort of miss artist Ashley Wood's detailed flashback pieces, though Steve Perkins serves the story well.

I hope the next trade arrives soon.

Is

Ichitaka has a problem, he has a huge crush on his classmate Iori but doesn't know how to tell her. Especially since she'd just been tricked into posing for some provocative swimsuit photos for a teen magazine. So he worries that he'll look just like any number of the other sleazy guys who are hitting on her because of that.

And so starts the first(I've read anyway) guy targeted romantic manga series, that feels like the story is about something other than how often it can get its female leads nude. (though it does have a couple of fan service moments)

I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Ichitaka, as he is a good guy, but has no idea how to express his feelings. Not only because he doesn't understand women, but he doesn't understand himself.

He judges everything on how he thinks others will act, rather than how they actually do. Which gets him into trouble, but is an honest look at how many young(and some not so young) boys act when it comes to girls.

The art is very detailed, with individualized faces and body styles for all of the characters. And the story is fun and interesting, with characters I both felt compassion and annoyance at.

Meaning that there is yet one more series I'll have to follow now.

Eyeshield 21 Volume 1

Whether you are a football fan or not, there should be something for everyone in this latest coming of age/slap stick comedy series from Shonen Jump.

I was amazed by how the art portrays the sport of football visually. From the vicious blocks to the sense of movement, as the lead spins and turns his way past the defense. It is a truly inventive way to show the sport in a medium that one would think it wouldn't be a good transfer to.

Yet even if you're not a fan of the sport, the story of a young Sena who is starting his first year at high school. Is enjoyable as you watch him try to find his place in such a bigger world. With his only real connection being his childhood friend Mamori, a cute and very enthusiastic young woman.

She's apparently slightly older than he is, so sort of plays the role of big sister by advising him and coming to his aid when she thinks he needs it. She's a very nifty character that I liked as soon as I saw her given her strong sense of self, and will likely play the role of romantic lead later.

With fun lead characters, and art that is very inventive in style, I can't wait to read future volumes.

Odds and Ends Linkblogging

Ian Brill has an interesting post today about how he's breaking the weekly comic habit. I did something similar a year or so back and have found myself much happier with what I do read.

Oh I still drop by a shop about once a month or so, but it is on my time and money not theirs. Plus it is usually just a bored browse, because anything I MUST have I get from DCBS or Amazon at far better prices. Plus it adds surprises like today when I got DC's Bizarro World HC and The Legend of Grimjack TPB.

Thanks DC! For offering a summary of everything happening in your comics. So I don't have to read them, and yet can still know if something I might want to read ever happens.

DC Ditches Humanoids & 2000AD Lines I was curious about these books, but never saw enough info about what books I might be interested in offered. In these days of less time and a lot of stuff I know I'll want to read, working to find more isn't for me.