A quick post, relating to my Nana obsession

I just read this post on Manga Xanadu, and I felt like I had to point it out and offer my own commentary. If you're interested in Nana, I suggest reading the post (unless you haven't read the eighth volume yet; it's got spoilers!), since it brings up an issue that I never really considered: namely, that the series was probably dropped from Shojo Beat due to possibly controversial subject matter rather than sexual content. While there was a pretty risque scene (which I excerpted in my review of the volume), it wasn't really any worse than previous sex scenes. Instead, the issues raised by the direction of the plot may have been considered too "adult" for the teenage audience, at least to the point where the editors probably worried about parental complaints. However, as "manga mom" Lori Henderson mentions in her post, this was exactly the wrong moment to stop teenagers from reading; it's the point when the series breaks from its lighthearted tale of girly soap operatics and starts considering the consequences of a sexually promiscuous lifestyle. I hadn't even considered this idea, but I think I'm in total agreement; if you're going to show teen (or young adult) sexuality, it's better to show the consequences instead of hiding them behind a protective (shrink-wrapped) barrier. I guess it's another example of the weird attitude toward sexual matters in the United States. Ah well, it doesn't affect me too much (I'll still be reading the series!), but it's an interesting issue. Make of it what you will.

Suppli: It doesn't exaclty supply the adult content promised

Get it? Eh? Eh? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, etc., etc. Okay, enough of that nonsense. Here's a book I've been meaning to talk about:

Suppli, volume 1
By Mari Okazaki



At first, I just didn't think this manga was for me. Its tale of a career woman who realizes that she has no friends or social life outside of her job after breaking up with her boyfriend simply wasn't connecting with me. I thought maybe as a josei manga that was aimed toward adult women, it was too far out of my range of experience, and I just couldn't relate to the travails of a Japanese woman trying to balance love and work. Or maybe it was a poor translation, and various cultural jokes and references just weren't making the transfer from Japanese to English. Bits like this one kind of supported that theory:



But as the volume went on, I found these thoughts disappearing. After a few chapters, Mari Okazaki starts to develop the cast, focusing on main character Minami's interactions with her coworkers. There's a bit of romantic intrigue, with a couple of other love interests introduced, but just as much of it is about Minami connecting with other women in the office and trying to make friends. And there's also an emphasis on her job; we see that she is very driven and hard-working, wanting to make a real impact in her career as an advertising executive. It's a well-rounded portrait of a character, showing us her goals, troubles, habits, and flaws.

And on top of the good story, Okazaki delivers some really nice artwork. Her characters are expressive and relatable, sometimes morphing into cartoony drawings and performing silly antics:



But they're also often drawn in really nice portrait views:



Okazaki also fills the pages with some beautiful design work. In one chapter, Minami and a coworker (and possible love interest) make a business trip via train, and Okazaki fills the margins of a double-page spread with intertwining train tracks:



She uses the same effect later in a scene involving cherry blossoms:



The overall effect is like a more sophisticated, grown-up version of shojo manga, which makes sense, since that's exactly what josei manga is (as I understand it).

So while I started out wondering if I was not in the book's target audience (actually, I guess I'm still not), it quickly drew me in with its nicely-done character drama. I'll definitely seek out future volumes.

One one final note, I did find it odd that the book was shrink-wrapped and labeled with "parental advisory - explicit content" sticker, since there's nothing objectionable here, other than maybe some alcohol consumption or mild swearing. Maybe it gets more explicit in future volumes, and Tokyopop decided to just label the whole series as "Mature". But it still seemed odd to encounter zero salacious content. Maybe next time.

This week, I see that comics will be published

Man, I haven't been writing much, have I? I might be burning out or something, or I might just be preparing for an upcoming lack of content due to decreased discretionary funds. But I'll try to get something up here soon, since I do have several things I want to talk about. Also, I'll point out Warren Ellis's new webcomic, Freak Angels, is now running, so go check that out. And on to:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 2/20/08):

Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death

So, I don't plan to get this, since I'm hoping it will end up in one of the trades, but I bet it'll be good. Gotta love the crazy kung-fu (gun-fu?) adventures that Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction have been dreaming up.

Iron Man #26

And speaking of Matt Fraction, I'll take this opportunity to say that I'm fairly excited about his new Iron Man comic. I bet he'll be able to do some awesome stuff with the character.

The Order #8

And then there's another one, which I feel really bad about, since I was waiting for the trade. Sorry, everybody, it's my fault this book got canceled. I do still plan to get the collection(s), the first of which is also coming out this week. Oddly, it collects the first seven issues, leaving the final three kind of hanging in the wind. Will Marvel bother to collect those last three? If not, they're total bastards. Hey, they already were for canceling it, right? Bastards!

Programme #8

I have been getting this odd little book though. We finally got some super-fights last issue, so I expect the rest of the series to be balls-to-the-wall action. Yeah, somehow I doubt that will happen. But it should still be interesting.

Runaways #29

Oh yeah, for anybody who forgot this was still coming out, it looks like the team is still involved in time-travel shenanigans. Enjoy, if you can remember anything about it.

Spirit #14

And we finally get to the new creative team. I'm quite curious to see what Aragones, Evanier, and Ploog have in store; I bet it will be fun.

Umbrella Academy Apocalypse Suite #6

Ooh, and here's an exciting conclusion to this miniseries. Gory violence and familial angst will be the order of the day, I expect. Also, really cool art. Bring on the next miniseries, please!

Angst Best Of Norwegian Comics TP

I don't know if I'll ever see this, but it does look interesting. Jason is featured, but it also features plenty of other talent. Maybe I'll get to read it someday.

Atheist vol. 1

I didn't read this series from Phil Hester and John McCrea, but it did look interesting, possibly along the lines of Hesters work with Mike Huddleston. It might be worth checking out.

The Boys vol. 2

Here's more of Garth Ennis's superhero satire. Most everybody seems to either be on board for it or not, so you probably know where you stand. If it's your thing, enjoy!

Fablewood Vol 1 GN

I've actually read an advance PDF of this fantasy-themed anthology from APE Entertainment. I should probably get around to writing a review (for Comics Bulletin). Unfortunately, it won't be especially positive; some of the stories have decent art, but I didn't find most of them to be worth my time. I'll let you know whenever that review goes up...

Maakies With The Wrinkled Knees HC

I always mean to pick up Tony Millionaire's books, but I never seem to. If it weren't for my current lack of funds, I would love to get this. It's always really funny, and Millionaire's art is beautiful. So I'll go ahead and recommend it, sight unseen. Yeah, I'm very professional.

One Thousand Years Of Manga HC

I've read about this book here and there; it looks pretty cool and informative. Might be a good library checkout, if I run across it.

Sam and Max Surfin the Highway

Hey, this is back in print! I've actually never read it, but I would love to. I saw a couple episodes of the cartoon back in the day, and I played a little of the computer game. Great stuff. So I should really try to read the original material, shouldn't I? Well, the money is always an issue, but it's one of the hundreds of comics that I can keep my eye on...

Death Note Another Note Los Angeles BB Murder Cases Novel HC

And now the manga section of the releases. This appears to be a spinoff to the manga series, in novel form. Could be cool, could be lame and fan-fictiony. I doubt I'll ever get to it, but it's worth noting.

Death Note How to Read 13 TP

And here's another one I'll probably skip, a volume of DVD extra-style bonus material. But if you're obsessed with the series, it's something to devour. Me, I'm fine stopping after volume 12.

Drifting Classroom Vol 10 TP

Man, just when I thought I was catching up with this series (I recently picked up volumes 6 and 7, but I haven't read them yet), another volume comes out. Luckily, it ends at volume 12 volume 11, so it'll stop outpacing me at some point.

Golgo 13 Vol 13 Flagburner GN

I still haven't read a single volume of this series (it's another one for the "someday" list), but I believe this volume (the final installment of this current series) is notable because it features an infamous story in which the titular assassin gets involved in the Bush/Gore 2000 Florida election dustup. That sounds awesome.

Naoki Urasawas Monster Vol 13 TP

And here's another of the "trying to catch up" series. I've got volume 6 sitting at home, but now I'll still be less than halfway through the series even after I read it. Damn. I'll keep plugging away at it though.

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service vol. 6

And finally, another volume of a series that I'll probably continue to fall behind on. It's one I never see at stores, so I always have to order volumes online, which is troublesome even when I have the money to spend. Like a broken record, I'll just say that I hope to read the rest of the series someday.
-----

Okay, that's it for the week. Hopefully I'll be able to buckle down and do some writing. I gotta believe!

Blue Pills: In the book, they're black and white

It's a day later than promised, but here's the review I said I would have. And I've also got that look at Fantastic Four: The Lost Adventure up over at Comics Bulletin. Plus, I wanted to point out that the new "issue" of MySpace Dark Horse Presents is up, and it features a new story by Gilbert Hernandez, along with a fun story by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba. Check it out.

Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story
By Frederik Peeters



Blue Pills, being an autobiographical story about the author's relationship with a woman infected with HIV, sounds at first like it would fit in the dubious genre of "cancer comics", the sometimes-loathed type of artsy comics that seek acclaim due to their serious subject matter (it also has elements of the "Shy Schlumpfs in Specs Comics", making it doubly unlikable to the stereotypical comics fan), but it turns out to be a different sort of animal. Rather than wallowing in the depressing sorts of stories that one would expect, the book is more of a love story, with a bit of a twist. There is a fair amount of material dealing with the disease, but Peeters goes with more of an internal focus, detailing his thoughts and feelings and relating how he feels about his life and his relationship with his not-exactly-ailing partner. It's more of a celebration of love and life, instead of a grief-laden depress-o-fest.

Peeters makes an interesting lead, spending most of the book philosophizing about life and love. He doesn't get into the other characters' heads too much, instead focusing on how he relates to them and endlessly working it out. Being an author, he is also obsessed with what type of story he is playing a role in. For some, this might be excruciating, but I found it charming; they're the kind of musings that everybody takes part in at a certain point in their life, wondering where you fit in the "big picture".

But even so, it's good that the entire book doesn't take place in Fred's head. There's an overarching plot involving his relationship with Cati, a beautiful young woman that he falls for. It's nice to see a real-life depiction of the struggle with the disease. She's not consumed by it; it's just a nuisance to be dealt with. The real problems have to do with her son, who also is infected. That's where the guilt and worry take over, and I love the way that Fred helps her with that burden, providing a place of comfort and strength.

Peeters does a great job with the graphic storytelling, beautifully illustrating the conversations and flights of fancy. He uses a lot of thick lines that might seem scratchy or messy at first, but actually are very well-placed, telling the story clearly. He does a great job of detailing environments:



Along with the subtleties of conversation:



That sample is actually from an extended sequence in which Fred and Cati lay in bed discussing their relationship, and it's beautifully done. Rather than keeping the same static view of the pair, Peeters switches their positions back and forth in sync with the rhythms of the conversation, occasionally pulling out to see their entire bodies and making the bedspread seem to continue forever, like they're the only people in the world. It's a lovely scene, and there are many more like it in the book, including a fun penultimate chapter in which Fred discusses his life with an imaginary mammoth. The mammoth, being an extinct species, makes a good symbol of death, and a nice foil for Fred's anxieties about love, death, society, and everything else.



Another excellent bit occurs when Fred and Cati have a scare, thinking that he might have been accidentally infected. It's tense and emotional, especially on Cati's part. We worry for her along with Fred, since she's already so guilty about her son; how could she bear the fact that she also infected her lover? But then the tension deflates when they visit the doctor (another wonderful, realistic character), who tries to reassure them with an odd analogy, saying that Fred has "as much chance of catching AIDS as you have of running into a white rhinoceros on your way out!" All the couple can do is stare blankly and ask if the circus is in town. It's a funny moment, and one that seems all too real.

On a slightly negative note, I do find Peeters' depiction of women (limited to Cati, for the most part) kind of offputting. Cati has a strange face that doesn't quite look right, perhaps because of her huge, manga-esque eyes. But her head is also oddly-shaped, with a large cranium and narrow jawline. This might be a subtle way of making her look kind of thin, like she's losing weight because of the disease. Or maybe it's just a stylistic choice that I don't especially like. It's unfortunate, because everyone else is masterfully realized, even incidental characters like these:




But that's really a minor complaint, and one of taste. The only other thing I would gripe about is the lettering, which is all upper case except for 'i's and 't's, for some reason. It seems a bit odd at first, but you get used to it. Minor grievances are easy to ignore in a story this good. Peeters really weaves a fascinating, moving tale here, one of hope in the face of death and love (of the real-world sort, not the stuff of fairy tales) conquering human problems. It makes me hope for a follow-up, so I can see what has happened to Fred and Cati in recent years. That's the real testament to the book: it makes me feel like I've gained a friend.
-----

God, I hope that ending wasn't too corny. Oh well. More content tomorrow. Maybe?

This week, there are few new comics of interest

I don't think I have anything else to point out here, so let's get to business:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 2/13/08):

76 #2

I missed the first issue of this crime series from Image, but this second one should probably remind me to try to catch up. It looks pretty decent. Hmmm, I also need to remember to get Wasteland #14...

Bat Lash #3

More western adventures and whatnot. I enjoyed the first two issues, so I expect I'll stick it out through the six-issue miniseries.

Atomic Robo #5

All right, more robotic mayhem! Imaginary science? Practical jokes from scientific geniuses? Rampaging pyramids? Yes, please!

Cory Doctorow’s Futuristic Tales Here & Now #5

This issue adapts "I, Robot", which is a pretty good story. I hope it turns out nice. If nothing else, it's got a sweet Ashley Wood cover!

Fantastic Four #554

Ah, the beginning of the much-vaunted Millar/Hitch run on the series. I actually got to read an advance PDF of the issue, and it's pretty decent, if not mindblowing or anything. It's a nice enough beginning to the run; if the creators can manage to keep an actual schedule, it will probably be pretty satisfying. When he puts his mind to it, Millar can write some highly entertaining stories full of neat ideas. Hopefully he won't try to be controversial or anything. And Hitch is a hell of an artist; he pulls off some really cool visuals here. So, check it out, if it seems like your kind of thing. Or if you're wary of ever getting to read the whole thing, you can always wait for a collection, which might show up sometime within the decade.

Fantastic Four The Lost Adventure

In other FF comics, this is an interesting project, completing the "lost" final issue of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's legendary run on the series. I've got a PDF of this one, too, but I haven't read it yet. I should have a review up at Comics Bulletin tomorrow, I believe. It looks like good old classic Fantastic Four comics though, so get it if you're jonesing for some Kirby. I know I always am.

Goon #21

Whoa, it's weird to be getting a new issue of this series so soon after the last one. Not that I'm complaining. Go Eric Powell!

Next Issue Project #1

I thought this was supposed to show up in December or something, but it's finally coming out now. This is the Erik Larsen-led revival of various golden age characters, presenting the "next issue" of comics that ended 70 years ago. This one is Fantastic Comics #24, and features contributors like Mike Allred, Ashley Wood, Jim Rugg, Andy Kuhn, Tom Scioli, Joe Casey, and Fred Hembeck. I'll be watching for Allred's new Stardust story, featuring Fletcher Hanks' infamous (as of late) creation, but there's tons of other talent involved that I can't wait to see.

Dokkoida Vol 1 TP

On the manga front, here's a new series from DC/CMX, with a wacky superhero-esque premise. Could be fun, although who knows when/if I'll ever get to it.

Translucent vol. 3

I read good things about the first volume of this series. I still have yet to pick it up, but maybe I'll get to this one someday.

Uzumaki Vol 3 GN 2nd Edition

And then there's this Junji Ito series that I keep meaning to get. Eh, whenever.
-----

So that's it for new stuff this week. Not too much of note, for my tastes. That's fine; I've always got lots to get to. Stay tuned for a review of some sort tonight. Probably.

Beyond Palomar: Quite a ways beyond it, actually

Hey, I've been quiet this week! Sorry, I had trouble getting motivated. Now I'm way behind again. Maybe that's my problem; I've got to be way behind to feel like I need to catch up or something. Well, sorry to anybody who was waiting for my not-so-wise words. In addition to the piece below, I've also got a (pretty negative) review of Madman Atomic Comics #6 up at Comics Bulletin. Man, I hope that series gets better soon. And then there's this:

Beyond Palomar
By Gilbert Hernandez



It's probably just me and my feeble brain, but I didn't get into this volume of Gilbert Hernandez's Love and Rockets material as much as I did the two previous collections. Not that it's not full of excellent storytelling, but it just didn't grab me like the other volumes did. Maybe it's because of the extended length of the stories; rather than a whole bunch of interrelated tales, this volume consists of two lengthy graphic novels: the "secret origin of Luba" tale "Poison River" and "Love and Rockets X", a story about Southern California rockers. Or perhaps it's the deemphasis on the regular Palomar cast; Gilbert really built up an interesting and entertaining cast of characters in all his previous stories, but he leaves them behind here, for the most part. Or maybe I'm just having trouble keeping up; the storytelling gets especially complex and hard-to-follow at times, especially in the middle parts of "Poison River".

It's actually quite fascinating to see what Gilbert is doing here. At times, he is telling stories with a huge cast of characters, shifting from scene to scene with little warning. It takes a lot of effort just to keep up; sometimes I just had to go with it and work out the details later (if at all). It all mostly makes sense once you get through it, and you also realize the massive scope of Gilbert's storytelling, but it's a really daunting task; maybe my mind just isn't up for it.

Still, "Poison River" is a fascinating story, relating the events of Luba's life from birth all the way until she came to Palomar. But there's plenty of other stuff going on at the same time; huge portions of the story almost ignore her and focus on what's going on with her husband, Peter, the gangsters he works for, his band, his ex-wife, his father, and other various political factions. Like I said, it's tough to keep it all straight, and Gilbert doesn't always make it easy. For example, here's a page in which every panel depicts a different scene, with little in the way of segues or indication as to changes it time, setting, etc.:



Eventually, it all works out to be a sort of "collage", and we learn how all the characters and scenes relate to each other, like a Robert Altman movie or something. But it's still pretty disorienting, even at one point looping back in time to spend a few chapters filling in details about some of the characters' pasts. It's amazingly complex, but pretty rewarding, given the effort.

I don't know; I could probably go over a lot of the plot points and try to work out my feelings about them, but I think I'm still processing them. Give me ten years or so, and I'll get back to you on that. But in the meantime, I can point out some things that I really liked, mostly about the art. I did mention one nifty aspect a few weeks ago, and that's only a minor piece of Gilbert's artistic excellence. There's also his chapter title pages, which each feature a certain character at different points in their life:



In fact, there's a major revelation about one character (Isobel, for those who have read the story) that gets "spoiled" on one of these title pages, and I completely missed it; when I looked back later, I felt pretty stupid. I also love Gilbert's stylistic choices, like his depiction of music here:



And here's a nice bit of storytelling that I picked up on: early on, when Luba is still a young child, she's living with her cousin Ofelia's family, and Ofelia always gets stuck babysitting her. So she uses the ol' threat of violence to keep Luba in line:



But later, there's a really dramatic, dangerous moment (which I won't spoil), and Ofelia is put in a position where she's helpless to do anything to stop it, and the only way she can keep Luba safe is to give her that same gesture. It's a powerful bit of storytelling; what was once an expression of exasperation becomes a gesture of protectiveness. Amusingly, well over 100 pages later, the grown-up Luba is reunited with Ofelia, and Ofelia does the same thing to try to win an argument, but Luba, on the track to becoming the strong-willed, no-nonsense lady we all know and love, will have none of it:





It's a great reversal, letting us (and the characters, for that matter) know that the dynamic of power in their relationship has shifted.

So those are my thoughts on "Poison River". The other part of the book, "Love and Rockets X", is an enjoyable tale of crazy California personalities, and it's a bit easier to follow, if only because it's about 60 pages, as opposed to "Poison River"'s 180 or so. The main focus of the story is a garage band who are a sort of spoof of the British group that stole the name of the comic. But Gilbert gives them all interesting personalities, along with all the various characters surrounding them, including Luba's daughter Maricela and her lover Riri, who left Palomar during the "Human Diastrophism" storyline. I think I enjoyed seeing her development the most (along with the brief glimpse that we get of the other Palomar denizens); it lessens the jarring jump from naive teen to assured adult that we had previously seen.

So overall, while it's not my favorite Love and Rockets volume, there's still some damn good storytelling here, and some amazing art. Gilbert has created a complex universe so full of distinct personalities and fascinating events, I feel like I'll never get a complete grasp of it. But I'll sure enjoy trying.

Random artistry talk

Hey, I'm supposed to do reviews and stuff here, right? Well, I might have something up tonight, but I just discovered an artist and project that I wanted to talk about, so I'm spending a post mentioning it. In Rich Johnston's column this week, he posted the cover to an upcoming series written by Joe Casey, Charlatan Ball. I don't believe I had heard of this series previously, so I googled it and came across the blog of the artist, Andy Suriano. And now I'm quite excited to check out this series. That cover made me think it looked similar to another series Casey writes, Godland, which is a Jack Kirby-inspired cosmic adventure series. But Suriano's posts and art samples, while still pretty Kirby-influenced, seem to me to be similar to Frank Espinosa's work on Rocketo. This is especially true in the images from a post about using a limited color palette:







Just look at those streaks of color! That's beautiful stuff. So yeah, color me excited (get it? Ugh.) about this series. I don't even know what it's about, but since I usually dig Joe Casey's writing, and this art looks incredible (hopefully it won't change too much in the final product, which will be colored by a different colorist), I'm all over it.

And since I already did the search, here's another bit info that I found: a Newsarama interview with Joe Casey about the series (and another upcoming book, Nixon's Pals). Enjoy!

Some new comics this week. Yes.

Also, I contributed to a Sunday Slugfest of the final issue of Y: The Last Man at Comics Bulletin. I might do another post of some sort about the series here on the blog as well, since that was one of my favorite series of all time. I'm sad to see it go, but it was great while it lasted. So now let's see something new and exciting, BKV!

New comics this week (Wednesday, 2/6/08):

Boys #15

I'm still enjoying this book. After a four-issue excursion to Russia, it looks like the guys will be back to their usual shenanigans. I expect sex jokes.

Countdown Special OMAC

Here's a sampler if you're curious about why Chris Sims is always so excited about this character. Unfortunately, it only contains the first issue of Jack Kirby's series, and then some other specials that probably tried to tie him into the DC universe in some lame fashion. It'll probably be better to wait for that omnibus that's coming out soon.

Doktor Sleepless #5

Um, more Warren Ellis technofetishism. I expect violence and computer-talk.

Maintenance #8

Hey, this is coming out pretty soon after the last issue. Is it going to be more than bimonthly now? If so, great! This issue, our heroes go to space to fight aliens. I predict that hilarity will ensue.

Northlanders #3

Brian Wood's viking story continues. I predict that I will read it.

Ubu Bubu #1

This sounds silly. Apparently, it's about an alien invader trapped in the body of a cute kitty. Here's a one-page preview. Due to my embarrassing affection for cats, I may be powerless to resist.

Wasteland #14

Ah, here's the point where I can jump on to the monthly series. This one is another one-shot (which I expect will turn out to be essential reading) about Michael's past, illustrated by Joe Infurnari. Don't make me regret my decision, Antony! Oh, and anybody who wants to see what I'm talking about, you can read my review of the second volume of the series here.

Amulet vol. 1

This has been out for a few weeks in bookstores already, but it looks like it's finally going make its way to comics stores. Here's my review; it's pretty good (the book, I mean; the quality of my writing is up for discussion).

Bakers, Babies & Kittens HC

Hey, this is kind of late coming out, isn't it? It's Kyle Baker's new book about the cute antics of his family. I love Baker's stuff, but I don't know if I want to spend $18.99 on it. We'll see; maybe I'll wait for a cheaper softcover version or something.

Batman False Faces HC

I probably won't get this, but it's notable for collecting some of Brian K. Vaughan's early stories. Myself, I don't especially like most of his pre-Y work, but if you're curious about his roots, here you go.

Contraband GN

I've been getting press releases about this book in my email for the last week or two, so I guess that ensures I'll at least take a look at this book if I see it. It's from Slave Labor, and it has to do with covert cell-phone-camera journalism, or something.

Gyakushu Vol 2 GN

Even though this is from Tokyopop, I don't consider it manga, per se. It's cool martial arts action from Dan Hipp, co-creator of The Amazing Joy Buzzards. Here's my review of the first volume; I'm pretty excited to read this one.

Hotwire Comics Vol 2 GN

Fantagraphics' anthology of transgressive comics, or something like that. It looks interesting, so I suppose I could check it out. A bit expensive for my tastes though. Here's a good review of the volume, by my man Jog.

Incognegro HC

Vertigo's big offering of the week, a graphic novel about a light-skinned black journalist in the early 20th century who goes undercover as a white man to investigate his brother's arrest. It sounds like it could be really good, but I think I'll read a few reviews before I shell out cash for it.

Jumper: Jumpscars

This is a tie-in to the upcoming movie starring Hayden Christensen about a teleporting teenager (which looks pretty good, in my opinion). I wouldn't normally be too interested, but it's illustrated by Brian Hurtt, the artist on books like Hard Time and The Damned. I haven't decided if I'll buy it, but his presence definitely makes it worth a look for me.

Krazy & Ignatz 1941-1942 Ragout of Raspberries

I haven't read much Krazy Kat, but I did get two volumes of this series for Christmas. Who knows, after I get around to reading them, maybe I'll be frantically searching out the rest of them. If so, I'm sure I'll be all over this one.

Scalped vol. 2

I haven't even read the first volume of this series yet; I'm getting behind. I do hear good things though, so I'm sure I'll get to this one eventually.

Smoke And Mirrors TP PS Edition

Not comics! This is a new version of the Neil Gaiman short story collection. For some reason, I've never read it, so I guess this is my chance to pick it up. He's pretty good with the short stories, if you ask me.

Super Villain team-Up Modok's 11

I was interested in this book, but I didn't know if I wanted to spend money on it. Well, I managed to read it without paying for it, and it was okay, but not all that amazing or anything. Maybe if I was still primarily into superhero comics, but since my interests now lie elsewhere, this isn't really my thing anymore. But if you love MODOK, go for it.

Aqua Vol 2 GN

Ah, another volume of a manga that I wouldn't mind checking out someday! I'm behind, of course. Maybe I'll get to it at some point. Maybe.

Blood Plus Vol 1 TP

Here's one I'm not sure about. I've watched a tiny bit of the cartoon, and I liked the original "movie" it was based on. I don't know if this will be worth reading though. Probably not, what with all the other manga out there I'm more interested in, but I guess it's there if I ever really want to read it.

Dark Wars The Tale Of Meiji Dracula TP

What is this? Dracula seems like a strange combination with medieval Japan. The title alone grabs my interest. So I guess they succeeded there. Dunno if I'll ever even see it in a store, but they did occupy a few of my brain cells for a brief amount of time.

King Of Thorn Vol 3 GN

Hey, here's one I'm sure I'll get though; I dug the first two volumes(reviews here and here). I'll be on the lookout for this one.

Swan Vol 12 TP

And here's another series I would like to check out at some point. 70's ballet-based shojo manga; why not? But for now I'm perpetually behind.

Train Plus Train Vol 5 GN

And finally, another series that I've heard is good, but haven't read. Each week, there are more manga series released that I might someday read. It's an age of riches!
-----

And that's it for the week. Looks like it could be an expensive one, depending on what I end up getting. Damn. Oh well, I should have some sort of content up sometime in the future, so keep an eye out. Bye!