Gun Blaze West: Manga gunslinging = good times

Looks like I'm really getting into the shonen manga here:

Gun Blaze West, volume 1
By Nobuhiro Watsuki



So, from what I understand, there's a pretty standard formula when it comes to shonen manga:

1. A young, enthusiastically optimistic protagonist has a dream to be the best there is at something.
2. As he pursues his dream, he encounters others who share the same dream, but end up opposing him. He invariably defeats them and persuades them to join him on his quest.
3. Repeat number 2 indefinitely, until either merchandising ceases to be profitable, readers get sick of the whole thing, or the creator convinces his bosses to finally let him end the damn thing.

I really haven't read many shonen series, but Gun Blaze West certainly holds up to that formula (except maybe the second part of number 3, but that was just facetiousness related to the intimidating length of so many series). We first meet its hero, Viu Bannes, as a nine-year-old denizen of a strangely mountainous part of southern Illinois who is enthusiastic about gunslinging, planning to make his fortune in the West. After winning an awesome gun belt in an arm-wrestling contest, he meets up with the sleepy-eyed, Muppet-faced Marcus Homer, a disgraced gunslinger who has left the West in shame. But Viu's optimism (and a crush on Cissy, Viu's protective older sister) gives him encouragement to give it another try, so they decide to train together to gain the strength to go west and eventually reach the fabled Gun Blaze West, some sort of utopian place where worthy gunslingers all hang out together. Yeah, I don't get it either, but it makes for a good nebulous goal for Viu's quest.

All this would probably be boring stuff to slog through, but Nobuhiro Watsuki (who, by the way, also did Rurouni Kenshin, which I might have to read now) really designs some appealing characters and dynamic layouts, making it a fun romp that encourages lots of page-turning. Even though Viu is pretty generic personality-wise, he's so expressive and enthusiastic that I can't help but get on his side:



And the action is pretty incredible, full of wild viewing angles and exploding speed lines:



And I love this neat vibrational effect he uses to capture the moment of impact of a punch or shot:



I hadn't seen that effect before, but I like it a lot. Watsuki varies it a bit; in that example, it's limited to Viu's foot, but sometimes he increases the amount of the "vibration" or expands it to fill whole panels or pages. You can see some examples of that in the images below.

I'm also surprised by the level of violence. I'm glad that Watsuki didn't pretend that gunfighting wasn't dangerous, but it's still weird to see a little kid getting involved in shootings and fist-fights. Seeing stuff like this is just offputting:



Of course, most of the action is so over-the-top, it doesn't seem real anyway. When you've got crazy scenes like this, you don't really worry about the characters actually getting hurt:





But Watsuki doesn't back down from the consequences of the violence. A confrontation with the devious Kenbrown gang leads to a climactic faceoff with dire consequences (I'm trying not to spoil anything here), and Viu's reaction is so genuine and emotional, you can't help but root for him from that point on (if you weren't already). It's some damn effective storytelling.

After that climax, we jump forward five years to see Viu finally set out on his quest. In another example of Watsuki's skill, he does a great job of making Viu look a few years older:



His eyes and mouth are smaller, he has an actual nose, his head is more oval-shaped, and his arms and legs are a bit longer, but it's nothing so drastic that he seems like a different character. Instead, it's a subtle progression, and a nice, realistic touch to such a goofy, cartoonish series.

Anyway, this is when the real shonen formula kicks in, as we see Viu travel to St. Louis and meet another boy who dreams of traveling west. He's got a specialty in lassos, which should probably lead to some cool action when the two of them team up in the future. But right now they're busy tussling with some local toughs, which will surely lead to some enjoyable action in the next volume. I'll definitely try to read it.

So, yeah, I certainly enjoyed this book, even though it's aimed at a lower age level than the stuff I usually read. There's plenty of bodily-emission humor, and the characters are pretty broad and simplistic, but it's just so well done I can't help but like it. Maybe I just need to read more shonen manga; I've mostly ignored the genre since the formula just didn't seem appealing to me, but I'm starting to understand why it's so popular. Crap, now I've got another whole area of comics to try to catch up on.

This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

This week, I put something witty in the title of the post

Well, I accomplished that literally, if not by definition. Anyway, I've got a review of the first issue of The Damned: Prodigal Sons up at Comics Bulletin as part of their Sunday Slugfest. I loved the first miniseries, and this sequel is shaping up to be pretty awesome as well. And here's some other stuff to buy:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 4/16/08):

Amazing Spider-Man #557

Well, looks like I'm stuck buying this for now, just for the art. Not that the story has been bad or anything, but Chris Bachalo is just incredible. Hopefully I won't regret it later. And I think I'll be getting the next arc as well, since that one features the stylings of Marcos Martin. And here I was supposed to be trying not to spend too much money...

Atomic Robo #1 3rd Print
Atomic Robo #2 2nd Print
Atomic Robo #3 2nd Print
Atomic Robo #4 2nd Print
Atomic Robo #5 2nd Print

Well, here's another chance to pick up this series if you haven't been following it. I highly recommend it, so get it while you can. Or wait for the collection...

Damned Prodigal Sons #1

Did I mention that this is pretty damned good? (see what I did there?) Really, read this series. Well, read the first part first, but then read this one. It's awesome.

Infinite Horizon #3

Hmmm, I had been following this modern-day retelling of The Odyssey, but I think I might drop it, if only because it's late, and I've barely noticed. Phil Noto's art has been nice, and the story seemed interesting, but I expect I can save the money and not feel like I'm missing much.

Pigeons from Hell #1

I pre-ordered this series just for the awesome art of Nathan Fox. It's written by Joe R. Lansdale, and it's based on a story by Robert E. Howard. I hope it doesn't suck or anything. Here's a three-page preview.

Powers Annual 2008

I've switched to waiting for the trade on Powers (which means I'll get to pick up where I left off in a year or two, the way the book's schedule is going), but I did get to read a pre-release PDF of this issue, and I must say, if you like the series, you'll most likely dig it. I should have a full review up on Comics Bulletin tomorrow, I think.

Programme #10

We're getting close to the end of this weird "warring superheroes" series from Peter Milligan, and I'm not sure it's completely been worth the ride, but I don't regret reading it. Unless it ends horribly or something. From what I recall, this issue sees Max fight Senator Joe in order to stop a race war. But he should really get back to fighting those crazy, murderous Russians.

War is Hell First Flight Phantom Eagle Max #2

Man, I totally dug the first issue of this miniseries. Give me any war comics that Garth Ennis decides to write. Let's keep up the energy on this one, fellas!

Adventures Of Johnny Bunko The Last Career Guide Youll Ever Need GN

I don't know much about this book, but it appears to be a self-help-type book, told in manga format. That's pretty crazy, but it seems like a cool idea, for those who might want to read that sort of thing. I'll have to keep an eye out for it in bookstores so I can take a look.

American Flagg HC

Apparently, this collects the first nine issues of Howard Chaykin's series in some sort of special collectors' set. The bad news is that it's $79. Whoa. Or am I wrong, and this is a different book? I always hear that this was a great comic, so I'd love to read it someday, but that's a lot of money to spend. Well, I can always look for it at a library.

Faker TPB

This Vertigo miniseries from Mike Carey and Jock looked interesting, but it got some middling reviews. I might try to read it sometime, but I don't know if I'll be snapping it up off the shelves this week.

Hellboy Vol. 1 Library Edition

This looks to be a fancy hardcover collection of the first two Hellboy stories, "Seed of Destruction" and "Wake the Devil". It's $50, but I bet it's nice-looking. Myself, I need to get these stories sometime, but I'll go for a cheaper format.

Howard the Duck Media Duckling TPB

This collects the recent miniseries by Ty Templeton and Juan Bobillo, which I considered getting, but decided to save my money and pick up the trade if I heard it was good. Well, I didn't hear any such thing (of course, I didn't hear that it was bad either, so maybe it's just mediocre), so I probably won't get it. Interestingly, it also contains the first issue of Steve Gerber's original series from 1976, probably out of some sort of tribute to the recently-deceased writer. That would be nice to read, but I would rather get the Essential collection and read a whole bunch of the series. Or that big Omnibus that's supposed to come out sometime...

Invincible Iron Man Omnibus Vol. 1

Speaking of Omnibuses, here's your chance to read tons and tons of Iron Man stories from back in the days when he wore that clunky grey suit. Would be worth checking out just for the Jack Kirby artwork, and Stan Lee's 60s writing is always fun. Not that I'm planning to drop a Benjamin on it or anything (not when I don't own the Fantastic Four Omnibuses).

Nixons Pals GN

It's a graphic novel from Joe Casey and Chris Burnham about a super-powered detective, or something. I usually give Casey the benefit of the doubt, so I'll be getting it. Here, have a preview.

Stupid Comics Phoenix Edition GN

A collection of Jim Mahfood's strips for a Phoenix alternative weekly newspaper. I dig Mahfood, but I probably won't spend the money on it, at least not right now.

Drifting Classroom Vol 11 TP

Oh, man, I'm still three volumes behind, and here's the final volume of the series. I love Kazuo Umezu's insane energy, so I know I'll get this as soon as I can, but I don't know when that will be. I might have to go buy them all at once and burn my mind out on a weekend binge of juvenile violence. Sounds like fun.

Naoki Urasawas Monster Vol 14 TP

And here's another manga I'm hopelessly behind on, but I do plan to catch up someday. Really!

Shojo Beat Vol 4 #5 May 08

I have this already though, and I really need to do my monthly write-up. Watch for it!
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And that appears to be everything! We'll see how much I end up spending this week; hopefully my wife won't get mad at me. Anyway, I'll hopefully have another review of some sort up tonight, so stay tuned!

Ral Ω Grad: Contains breasts and monsters (and even monster breasts)

Hmmm, I'll probably have something or other up at Comics Bulletin today or tomorrow. But not right now. And more reviews coming after this one, so stay tuned.

Ral Ω Grad, volume 1
Written by Tsuneo Takano
Art by Takeshi Obata



Internet buzz on this title indicates that it's got a bizarre obsession with boobies. Well, I can report that that is quite true. The main character of the books is fixated on them (and he uses that exact term quite often) and spends just about the entire time trying to get some groping action in on any female he meets. It's pretty distracting, and it makes for another case of a comic that's kid-targeted in the more permissive Japan but gets slapped with a "Parental Advisory" label in the U.S. It makes for a strange experience, seeing the kiddie shonen plots spiced up with the ol' inappropriate touching.

But let's back up a second. Although any indication of such is oddly absent anywhere in the book, this series is a spinoff of the XBox 360 game Blue Dragon. It seems like a missed opportunity for corporate synergy, but judging by the description on game's Wikipedia page, the manga is not very similar to the game, either in story or art style (the game's characters were designed by Akira Toriyama). So maybe Viz figured it would be better to have it stand on its own.

The plot certainly feels like a role-playing video game though, with characters sporting different abilities banding together to go on a quest and defeat a great evil. Of course, that's also the formula for a shonen manga, so it works pretty well. The story goes like this: shadow-based monsters called (wait for it) "shadows" are attacking a medieval world. They're parasites, and a powerful shadow bonded with a young boy, so he was locked away in a lightless cell for fifteen years, since the shadows are powerless without light. Ral, the boy, was educated in the ways of the world by his tutor, a topheavy girl named Mio, and he also spent the time forming a bond with Grad, his dragon-shaped shadow. So when the situation is looking hopeless, Mio convinces the authorities to release Ral so he can defend the castle. Plenty of dragon-on-shadow action ensues, but not before Ral gets some motivation when he notices that girls are shaped somewhat differently from boys:





And that's the genesis of most all the humor in the book. Be prepared for plenty of scenes like this one:



But, eh, while it's pretty juvenile, it's not too offensive. And while there are plenty of scenes of near-nudity (lots of servant girls throw themselves at Ral, offering to bathe him and let him squeeze their boobies), Ral is actually naked himself for most of the book. And his obsession does give him some personality apart from the usual overly-optimistic, "gotta be number one!" shonen heroes. He even gets some chances to expound on his boobie-loving philosophy, stating that he's just expressing what everyone else represses.

And then there's the creepy sexual element to the "big bad", a tentacled shadow queen who consumes human women in order to absorb their beauty before tossing them to her minions to abuse. It's a weird counterpoint to Ral's oversexed nature, and it's pretty damn disturbing:



But if the whole series was just boobie-groping and other sexual shenanigans, there wouldn't be much point to the book. Fortunately, we also get plenty of action, and it's pretty dynamic and exciting. There's a bit more discussion of the various forms of shadows and fighting techniques and whatnot than I would prefer, and some of the battles rely a bit too much on characters discussing how they've out-strategized each other before actually fighting, but when they get down to business, it's pretty awesome. Takeshi Obata, the artist on Death Note (and also Hikaru No Go, but I haven't read that series so I can't compare it with this series), gets to really go nuts with the freaky monster designs that he only dabbled in on the previous series. His design for Grad seems pretty Evangelion-influenced:



And there are plenty of other crazy designs and wild action, like this scene in which Ral and Grad test another shadow to see if they want to join forces:



Or this bit in which Grad looms menacingly over a castle in preparation to attack an evil monster within:



And I like the character work Obata does too, giving Ral a very expressive face:



It's definitely a nice-looking book, and while it's not going to change anybody's life or anything, it's a fun read, as long as you can handle some of that specifically Japanese brand of sexual openness. I would certainly be open to reading the next volume.

This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

North World: I failed to note the appearance of any robotic Yul Brynners

Oh, man, I'm giddy with the anticipation of getting caught up on my reviews! Or maybe it's just too much caffeine, since I've been downing a lot of coffee lately to make up for the lack of sleep. Anyway:

North World, volume 1
By Lars Brown



It almost seems unfair to compare Lars Brown's North World with the somewhat similar Scott Pilgrim, but since Bryan Lee O'Malley's popular series seems like an obvious influence, it's probably pretty apt. Brown's book details a world that seems pretty modern, except for the fantasy elements, like magic, giant animals, demons, and warriors engaging in epic quests. It's an interesting idea, but it's not quite as successful as Scott Pilgrim, mostly because the odd incongruities stand out and become distracting. O'Malley's technique works because it's basically a non sequitur; fantasy, martial arts, and video game elements show up out of nowhere, and the characters just accept them as if they are normal. But Brown doesn't pull it off so effortlessly; the swords stand out against the backdrop of cars, power lines, and storefronts.

Of course, Scott Pilgrim also has the advantage of being a comedy; the absurdity of the fantastical elements (and the characters' blase reactions to them) only adds to the humor of the book. North World, on the other hand, seems to start out as a comedy/adventure book, with a Kevin Smith-style scene of questing warriors complaining about the annoyances of trying to make a name for yourself as a hero and then a goofy fight with a bear:



But the book soon settles into a more dramatic mode, with hero Conrad being sent on a quest to his hometown to defeat a demon summoner. We learn that he left town abruptly seven years ago to pursue his dreams as a warrior, and now he's got to go back and face his family and ex-girlfriend, who, in a further emotional complication, is getting married. This makes for a pretty abrupt tonal shift, as Conrad ends up getting back in touch with friends and dredging up old memories as he searches the town to find the identity of the demon summoner. But it works pretty well; we get a feel for Conrad's desire to follow his dreams, but also his guilt about leaving, especially something involving a yet-to-be-explained incident which may or may not have ended in the death of his mother. Most emotional of all, he has to face his father, who doesn't approve of his choices and wants him to settle down and become an accountant. So, despite the genre trappings, Brown is going for some universal themes here, and he does it pretty effectively.

What makes it work is the characters. Conrad is very well-defined, and even though he's not especially open with his feelings, we get a real feel for what's going on in his head through his interactions with others. He's kind of hotheaded and obnoxious (he refuses to help a friend with a giant rats infestation, because "Giant rats are for newbs and retards"), but he's also good-hearted and thoughtful toward friends and family, and he definitely shows some growth over the course of the book. I especially liked his relationship with his ex and her husband-to-be, who ask him to be their best man. And a scene in which he has dinner with a friend's family and observes how happy and close they all are is revelatory, for him and us. Brown does a great job of getting us interested in him and wanting to come back for the next volume.

And the art is pretty nice as well. At the beginning of the book, the style is kind of "webcomicky", featuring the cartoony, thick-lined look of a lot of online comics (although it doesn't seem to be especially manga-influenced). In fact, the series began as a webcomic, and at least some of it (along with other stories taking place in the same "universe") is available to read on Brown's website. Later in the book though, the art gets more elegant, with thinner lines and more detail, almost a Tintin-esque, "Clear Line" look:



But even early on, the art is richly-detailed, full of nice background imagery and expressive characters:



So I would say that it exceeded my expectations and ended up being much deeper and more interesting than I thought it would be. And while the Scott Pilgrim comparisons are probably unavoidable, Brown is good enough that the work stands on its own. Sure, he indulges in some goofy genre silliness, but even if you find that distasteful, the nicely-developed characters make the story worth reading. The wait for the next volume promises to be tiring.

This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

"The 'Cosmic Carousel!" These young people are as colorful with their language--as with their dress!"

So says the Guardian, a bright-blue-and-yellow-clad guy with weird helmet and giant shield. But that's not the main focus of today's Fourth World Panel, from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #144:



No, instead it's the crazy Kirbytech instruments this band is playing as the entertainment in the Cosmic Carousel, a disco that Superman and Guardian get invited to hang out in. Apparently, it's some sort of trap, and the band and instruments are an Apokaliptian menace, but we barely get to see any of it. Instead, we focus on the main plot, which sees Jimmy and the Newsboy Legion face another ridiculous assassination attempt by Morgan Edge when he sends them to Scotland to investigate the monster in "Loch Trevor", then has some bad guys try to shoot them (couldn't he have just done that in Metropolis?). Weird. But at least it gives Kirby a chance to draw a cool Fin Fang Foom-esque monster:



So, yeah, these Jimmy Olsen stories are starting to grate on me, but maybe this one will pick up in the second part. In the meantime, the next issue (in the order of printing) sees the introduction of Funky Flashman! Yeah, let's see Kirby put the screws to Stan Lee!

Nana: I'm like a teenage fangirl for this series

Jeez, how embarrassing. It's worth it though. I should mention that I have a review of Anna Mercury #1 up at Comics Bulletin, as part of their Sunday Slugfest from the other day. I was slacking though; I didn't get it in until Monday. That kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? Anyway:

Nana, volume 9
By Ai Yazawa

It’s hard to know what to talk about for this volume of Nana, because it’s more of the same excellence we’ve come to expect from the series. Ai Yazawa continues to craft compelling drama, and it’s so good, you feel every emotion right alongside the fascinating characters. I love that she refuses to back down from the big, series-changing twist of the previous volume; we don’t get a cheerful “Nana, now featuring a cute baby!” (you can highlight that previous sentence to reveal some spoiler-laden inviso-text; I don’t want to ruin the series for anyone who hasn’t read through volume 8 yet). Instead, the characters’ actions have real, devastating results, and it’s hard to watch after Yazawa gave us so much time getting to know and love them.

So: this volume kicks off with the announcement that Hachi and Takumi are getting married, which drives a wedge between Nana and Hachi. Oddly, Hachi seems to be acting subservient to Takumi’s wishes, almost giving up her will to him. It’s unclear why she’s doing this, since she doesn’t seem to like him too much, but she also enjoys playing the part of a wife, and maybe she is sacrificing her ideas of love in order to (inviso-text alert!) provide for her child (end inviso-annoyance). I’m a little bothered by her near-complete submission (especially when it comes to sex), but from what I understand, that’s part of Japanese culture, where wives are expected to submit to their husbands, and a submissive woman is considered sexy (if I’ve misrepresented this, I’m sorry. You know I love you, Japan!).

Takumi kind of comes off as the bad guy here, since he’s ruining Hachi’s dreams of love with Nobu, and he also tells Nana to stop spending so much time with Ren to avoid an inter-band scandal. He seems to want to put his band Trapnest (quick aside: I don’t find the name of their band so ridiculous as David Welsh does; this is Japanese music we’re talking about. Don’t they have bands with ridiculous names like L’Arc-En-Ciel or SMAP?) above everything else. But then he ignores his own advice when he fails to realize that his impending nuptials will send their singer, Reira (who, in a bit I found amusing, we discover is named after the Japanese pronunciation of Eric Clapton’s “Layla”) into a spiral of depression. And when he is given the chance to reach out to Reira and comfort her, he chooses to send Reira’s assistant instead. But while he seems focused on his success, he still seems to have real feelings for Hachi, wanting her to be happy. It’s not a black-and-white situation, with Nobu being the heroic love interest and Takumi being the villain who she leaves at the altar in the climactic scene of every romantic comedy movie. Yazawa is putting together something much deeper and more interesting here.

Also interesting (and heartbreaking) is the plot about the relationship between the two Nanas. Each chapter sees them drift farther apart, feeling like they can’t communicate, and it’s so hard to watch. It’s like seeing two friends having a falling out, and even though you know they should just talk to each other, you can’t do anything but watch helplessly. And then there’s Nana’s increasingly distressing mental health issues; it seems like she might be bipolar, or at least struggling with depression. That’s hard to watch too, to the point where I’m almost yelling at the pages for her to get help.

Another highlight of this volume is a 50-page bonus story that flashes back to show the “secret origin” of Trapnest. Yazawa does a great job of showing us the highlights of the formative years of those characters (I especially like her depiction of Ren as a young teen; he’s so cute!) and explaining the tangled relationships of Ren, Takumi, Naoki, Yasu, and Reira. It’s nicely done, throwing a light on the past in order to help us understand their present and future actions and personalities.

So who knows where this is going next, but as you can see, I’ve become very passionate about the characters and their story. That’s the mark of a really good writer (and I haven’t even mentioned the excellent artwork, which continues to shine in this volume as it has in the past); Yazawa has talent to spare, and I can’t wait to read the next volume (and the one after that, and etc.).

Kirby Is Glorious

Well, I was right to be excited to read New Gods #6, the famous "Glory Boat" issue. It's definitely one of the best Kirby stories ever, with enough material to write a thesis. You've got big monsters, huge conflicts, clashing ideologies, crazy organic technology (I especially love the contrast between the grotesque, monstrous creations of Apokalips and the shiny, complicated machines of New Genesis), and best of all, the effect of the war between the gods on humanity, stripping them to their base emotions and revealing their true nature, just as large events were doing to people at the time. It's a fascinating look at World War II-vet Kirby's reaction to the Vietnam-era world. And after a huge, glorious conflict, we're left with a devastating final panel, which I've chosen as today's Fourth World panel:



There's plenty of other awesomeness in the issue, including two incredible consecutive splash pages, one of which I've seen several times as an example of Kirby's dynamism. But I'll leave it at this, and urge anyone who digs Kirby to read this story, even if you've read it before. Seriously, it's super-awesome.

This week: a few singles, and lots of the ol' GNs. Also, the continued monkey on my back of stuff to write about

Sorry, I haven't been posting much lately, but my mom's visiting to see her granddaughter, so I haven't had much time to write anything. But I also haven't had much time to read, so I'm not getting any farther behind! Anyway, here's the weekly new comics thing:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 4/9/08):

Amazing Spider-Man #556

Well, I ended up buying last week's issue, so it looks like I'm on board for this arc (and probably the next one, which features art by Marcos Martin). I'm slightly lost by some of the ongoing plots, but the main thing about a blizzard, Dr. Strange, and weird killer ninjas is interesting enough. Let's see some awesome action, Bachalo!

Batman Death Mask #1

Perhaps in a bid to divert attention from Chip Kidd's upcoming book about Batman in Japan, DC is releasing this Batman "manga" of their own. It's a two-issue series by Yoshinori Natsume, creator of the series Togari, which I haven't read. But this seems like an interesting project, so it might be worth checking out.

Criminal Vol. 2 #2

Man, the last issue of this relaunched series was really good. This is almost certainly the best book Marvel is publishing right now, and each new issue just keeps bringing the awesome. But it's a different kind of awesome than, say, Atomic Robo; this awesome is all about character and great noir storytelling. I love it.

Doktor Sleepless #6

Is this issue late? I barely even remember what was happening last. Something about which of the Doktors (see, I don't even remember his name) was the real one. It's still been interesting, so I'm not planning to drop it anytime soon, but this does seem to indicate that timeliness will keep my interest up, at least.

Goon #23

This book seems to be coming out like clockwork though, and I'm loving it. The last one introduced a good wrinkle to the ongoing conflict, and I can't wait to see where Eric Powell goes with it. He's been doing a great job of combining humor, horror, action, and mystery, so I hope he can keep the schedule going strong for quite a while.

Groo Hell on Earth #4

Speaking of late books, this finale to the fun miniseries is finally showing up. It's been good to read some new Groo, even if it's not the greatest stories of the character's existence. Still, fun!

Resurrection #4

I reviewed an early copy of the first issue of this series a while back, and thought it was interesting, but didn't actually keep buying it. But Oni recently sent me the first three issues (which I will try to write something about soon), and it seems like it's turning into a pretty interesting story, one that I feel like I should keep following. Although, I do think it might read a bit better in a collected version, so if I end up spending any money on it, I think I'll wait for the trade.

Soleil Sampler - FREE

I've been interested in Marvel's editions of the books from French publisher Soleil, so here's a good way to check out what they'll look like. Will it be uncensored? Or limited to non-naughty scenes? We'll see!

Wasteland #16

Here's another book that I should be writing about, since I'm really digging it. Last issue, we spent some time with the Sand-eaters, and it was fascinating to see how their culture (especially their creation/apocalypse myth) compared with the one(s) we've come to know previously. Now I expect we'll get to see more of the battle for Newbegin, from both sides. Sweet. Keep up the good work, boys!

Another Dirt Sandwich GN

This looks to be a kid-oriented book about a couple of cowboy birds. As I often say, hey, why not? I like the cartoony designs, but I don't know if the humor is my cup of tea. But it might be fun for kids. Here's the official site, which has previews and information and whatnot.

Aqua Leung GN Vol. 1

I've been pretty excited about this graphic novel from Mark Andrew Smith (The Amazing Joy Buzzards) and Paul Maybury, about the prince of Atlantis having undersea adventures. It looks really unique and crazy, with a simplistic/detailed/grotesque art style and lots of bright colors. Mr. Smith actually sent me a preview PDF, but I've only glanced at it so far, because I'm definitely planning on buying the book. Oh, and here's some preview art.

Blue Monday Vol 2 Absolute Beginners GN New Printing

Looks like a new version of the Chynna Clugston (-Major?) series. It's lots of fun, although I think the first volume (in which main character Bleu meets Adam Ant) is a bit better. I really need to pick up the volumes beyond this one, along with Scooter Girl, since I dig Clugston's work.

ChickenHare Vol. 2 Fire in the Hole

I never read the first volume of this series, but it looks pretty nice, with Jeff Smith-style art and a fantasy story about furry creatures going on a quest or something. I might have to check it out. You can read previews of both volumes at creator Chris Grine's site.

Education of Hopey Glass HC

Ooh, the new Jaime Hernandez graphic novel. Is this all-new, or does it contain previously-published material? I'm not sure if I should read it yet, since I'm not caught up on his various "Locas" stories. But I definitely want to get to it someday, since I love most everything by Los Bros Hernandez. On a personal note, I've informed my wife that since our new daughter, Magnolia, will have a nickname of Maggie, if we have a second daughter, she'll have to be named Hopey (or Esperanza, or Letitia, or some variant). She didn't think too highly of that idea.

I Never Liked You SC New Printing

This seems to be the week for "new printings". Here's a Chester Brown graphic novel that I haven't read. Maybe I should.

Its A Good Life If You Dont Weaken TP New Printing

I should probably also get around to reading this Seth book someday. I hear it's good.

Kaput And Zosky GN

This looks like a fun book from First Second. It's by Lewis Trondheim, and it's about a couple of bumbling intergalactic criminals. It's kind of kid-oriented, but Trondheim is such a good cartoonist, it's worth reading for all ages.

Three Shadows GN

Here's another book from First Second, and it looks really good. It's by Cyril Pedrosa, and it won awards at Angouleme, the prestigious French comics festival. I've read some good reviews, and I can't wait to check it out. Here's a preview.

Treasury Of Victorian Murder Vol 2 Jack The Ripper SC New Ptg

Another "new printing" of a volume of Rick Geary's cool historical series. I've read a few of these, and they were good enough that I want to check them all out. Public library, here I come!

Whatever GN

From Alternative Comics, this is a collection of stories by Xeric and Ignatz award winner Karl Stevens. I might have to check it out, his art looks pretty incredible. You can see some samples in this interview on Comic Book Galaxy.

Willie & Joe The WWII Years HC

Here's the pricey book of the week, collecting Bill Mauldin's cartoons for the U.S. Army newspaper. From the samples I've seen (which I linked to almost a year ago), it's amazing, dark stuff, capturing the view of war from the front lines. I would love to read this, and while it's expensive, it's not too unreasonable (especially if you order it on Amazon for $40.95), considering its 650-page length. If I had the money to burn, I would snap it up in a heartbeat.

Presents Vol 3 TP

And here's the only manga of note this week. I haven't read any of the series yet, but it looks gleefully insane. I've got John Jakala to thank for really getting me interested, after he posted scans of a killer Santa terrorizing naughty children. Good times!
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And that's it for the week. I doubt I'll have anything else today, but hopefully I'll get to some sort of content soon. Stay tuned!