Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe: of High Expectations

One link: Robot 6 posts the trailer to a short film that adapts the first issue of Street Angel.  Fun, or so it seems.  I'm fine with the comic staying as a comic, and a lot of Jim Rugg's artistic flourishes probably won't survive the transition, but I bet that would be a fun project to make.  Maybe the entire thing will get Youtubed at some point, and we can see how well they did.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe (volume 5)

By Bryan Lee O'Malley

Something seems a little bit off about this, the penultimate volume in Bryan Lee O'Malley's immensely popular and entertaining series.  But maybe that's by design.  There's the usual mix of slacker humor, relationship moments, goofy fights against evil exes, and videogame references, all rendered in O'Malley's uniquely exaggerated style (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, I strongly urge you to read the first volume and get hooked like the rest of us), but some of the joy seems to be missing, and the volume as a whole is kind of a downer.  That might be a bit of dramatic structure, setting things up for the climactic final volume, but it also seems like maybe the characters are growing up a bit and are unhappy with the lack of focus in their lives.

The volume kicks off with Scott's 24th birthday, and he declares that he will be "the best 24-year-old...ever!"  But what does that mean?  He has moved to a new stage in his relationship with Ramona now that they are living together, he is working at his new job, and his band is recording an album, but he still doesn't seem to be making any personal progress.  At some point in your life, you've got to stop sitting at home playing games on a cell phone all day, and Scott might be starting to realize that.  The band certainly is, since with a lack of actual performing, the fun seems to have gone out of the endeavor.  And Ramona is troubled, thinking that maybe she isn't meant to be with Scott after all.  The latest evil exes, a pair of Japanese twins, only reinforce that feeling, describing her relationship with Scott as a sort of vacation from her "real life".  If he's going to convince her that that's not the case, he needs to really get things together, even more so than in the last volume, and show her that he's better than the evil guys in her past.

The series has been a lot of fun, but O'Malley seems to realize that early-twenties ennui only goes so far.  You can't stay in that zone of semi-maturity forever, as easy as it might seem, so he's pushing them and us to move forward and grow up.  

Not that you can't still have a good time along the way; there's still plenty of good stuff here, it's just lost some of its luster.  In what seemed like an interesting stylistic choice at first, Scott fights several of the twins' killer robots, but mostly in the background while other characters are talking about unrelated topics:  

But that's a smart move; it would get kind of boring to see fights over and over with little variation, so O'Malley not only changes things up humorously, but demonstrates how tedious the same old thing can get.

Not that this is a tedious volume in any way; instead, it's fascinating to see O'Malley continue to develop his characters and make them feel like real people even though they populate such a wacky, fantastical, somewhat metafictional world.  And the storytelling is as tight as ever, using thick lines that disguise an excellent attention to detail; a favorite moment sees Kim Pine give that telltale grimace that comes after taking a swig of alcohol:  

Really, the best bits aren't the wild action (although what we see of those is pretty great), but the character moments, like Ramona yelling at Scott from the bathroom while wrapped in a towel and dripping wet, or Wallace Wells mock-flirting with Scott while wearing a flowery bathrobe, or Scott freaking out when he finds out that Ramona doesn't really like his band.  That kind of human detail is what makes this series worth following, and all the silly jokes in the world don't add up to much without it.

Ultimately, this volume might differ a bit from the high expectations that preceded it, but O'Malley is showing that he won't just continue trudging along the same path for the rest of his career.  He's dedicated to progressing his characters and his world, to the point that he's going to be bringing it to a close with the next installment.  He's definitely building to an exciting climax, from a dramatic and an emotional standpoint.  One hopes that he'll be able to do so satisfactorily, but there's really no reason to doubt.  Like all the other fans out there, I can't wait to see.

Today's post of randomness

No big content to crow about here, just a collection of links and thoughts and whatnot:

Looks like Fantagraphics is running a weekly Blecky Yuckarella strip by Johnny Ryan. Fun!

I mentioned one or two things that were announced at NYCC that interested me, and it looks like there were several others of note, mostly gathered in this post at Robot 6. For one, Dark Horse's Noir anthology of crime comics looks really cool; it seems like crime comics are on the rise, and since that' a genre that I'm coming to enjoy quite a bit, that makes me happy. Announced creators on the series include Brian Azzarello, Ed Brubaker, Rick Geary, Jeff Lemire, Sean Phillips, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, and several others. Coming this September. Awesome.

Also cool from Dark Horse: a miniseries by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson called Beasts of Burden that functions as a sequel to their short stories in the Dark Horse Book Of... series. I think I've only read one of those, but I thought it was great and wanted to read more (did Dark Horse ever release a collection of just those stories? I thought they were going to), so this sounds pretty sweet. Here's an interview with Dorkin at CBR which contains some really nice-looking artwork. Man, I love Jill Thompson. Coming in August.

I'm not sure what to think about a new Alias miniseries from original creators Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos. That series is one that I love (although I should probably try to revisit it and see how well it holds up), but since it ended, Bendis seems to have done his best to destroy everything that made the Jessica Jones character interesting. Even the later issues of The Pulse, which also featured Gaydos on art, were agressively boring; I remember one that featured Jessica talking with Sue Storm about motherhood that nearly made me fall asleep. That, more than anything involving the Avengers or Houses of Ms or Secret Invasions, is where I started to sour on Bendis. I suppose he might have something interesting up his sleeve, but I kind of doubt this new thing will be much more than the usual "hang around with Luke Cage and discuss parenthood" story that Bendis seems to want to do with the character these days. Who knows, I'll see.

Oh, I should also mention that Viz is releasing Taiyo Matsumoto's GoGo Monster. And also Inio Asano's What a Wonderful World! Hells yeah.

And on a completely different note, I watched the movie adaptation of Wanted last night, and holy crap was it dumb. It made me long for the subtlety and nuance of Mark Millar's writing on the original series. And other than a few nifty visual ideas, it was pretty boring, filing all the rough edges off Millar's script to turn a misanthropic story about a world where supervillains won into a lame thing about assassins, because they are more likeable, I guess. James McAvoy was annoying (although I thought he did a pretty good American accent), and the plot was soooo stupid, basing itself on unbelievable convolutions of logic (so they turned him into a super-killer in order to get him to kill his father, and never expected that he might come back and use all his awesome powers on them?). Just...ugh. It did almost redeem itself at points through some cool visuals (I liked a shot in which we saw a train car fall down into a deep gorge and wedge itself between the walls, with the "camera" then swooping down until we could see the car from below; sure, it was all done in computers, but it was a nice bit of virtual camerawork) and ridiculous action ideas like guys shooting each other's bullets out of the air. And a lengthy bit in which McAvoy stormed through a factory shooting guys was pretty cool, even up through a bit in which he shot a guy in the eye, then stuck his gun in the eye-hole and kept shooting out the back of his head. That's the kind of over-the-top action I can get behind. But too much idiocy surrounded it, dragging the movie from "so bad it's good" to "just plain bad". Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Also: googling "Wesley Gibson" brings up no results? I could understand if his name was something made up, like Namchar Harkback, but isn't Wesley Gibson common enough of a name that something would pop up? That's the most unbelievable thing in the movie, which is saying something.

Monster Mash prelude: Pluto rocks my world, along with Osamu Tezuka's

Read more of my ramblings:  I reviewed Comic Book Comics #3 and Incognito #2 over at Comics Bulletin within the last few days.

Also interesting: this online comic that's all about how to do interesting stuff with online comics.  It's fairly entertaining too; kind of like a manga-esque Scott McCloud.

And: was it common knowledge that Faith Erin Hicks (of Zombies Calling and The War at Ellsmere fame) has a webcomic?  She does, it's called Ice, and it can be read here.

Now: manga:

Pluto, volume 1

By Naoki Urasawa

It seems like it might be difficult to follow in Osamu Tezuka's footsteps, until one remembers that he basically built the storytelling foundations of almost all manga that was to follow.  But while his artistic techniques made for some good ideas to copy, actually trying to redo his stories is another matter.  There have been some attempts at adapting his stories to other media, to varied results.  But when it comes to other cartoonists doing different versions of his stories, that's a different matter entirely; who would want to try to follow that act?  

Well, if there's anybody who could give it a go, it's Naoki Urasawa, a creator who seems rightfully confident in his skills.  With Pluto, he jumps on the task with enthusiasm, taking the world that Tezuka defined in his landmark Astro Boy series and filling in the street-level details that lurk in the background.  Startng with the framework of "The Greatest Robot on Earth", which is widely considered to be the best Astro Boy story (and which can be read in the third volume of Dark Horse's translation of the series), Urasawa focuses on minor characters, fleshing them out and making them feel like much more than bit players.  It's engrossing work, showing the same focus on character as Urasawa's Monster.

And that's what makes this such an incredible demonstration of great comics; Urasawa starts with a European detective named Gesicht investigating the death of Mont Blanc, a famous and beloved Swiss robot, along with the murder of a human who was involved in robot affairs, with both crime scenes bearing similar characteristics.  And while the case is interesting and puzzling, surely leading to some exciting revelations in upcoming volumes, the best stuff involves the relationships between robots and humans, and the examination of artificial intelligence.  One scene sees Gesicht reporting the death of a robot patrolman to its wife, and while she looks like something out of The Jetsons, Urasawa manages to make her reaction to the news especially poignant, given her lack of movable facial features:

Other notable bits include a meeting with an imprisoned killer robot that is reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter, and a first-chapter revelation about Gesicht that is masterfully done.  Gesicht is a great character for giving readers a viewpoint into this world, with its tenuous robot-human relations and widespread technology that brings mixed emotions to its residents.  With a killer targeting the seven most advanced robots in the world, events are occurring that bring all these tensions to the fore, and it should be fascinating to watch it play out.

A three-chapter interlude of sorts in the midst of the book displays another of Urasawa's strengths, in which he takes a break from the main narrative to flesh out some tangential characters.  Given just a small amount of space, he defines characters quickly and then plays key moments out before the readers, expertly modulating the tone and pacing for maximum emotional effect.  In this case, a reclusive blind composer named Paul Duncan gets a new robot butler named North no. 2, and they quickly end up at odds, as North, a former war-bot, wants to leave behind his violent past and learn about music, but Duncan, who doesn't trust machines, won't open up to him, treating him as little more than an appliance.  It's perfectly done, putting us inside the heads of both characters and revealing their thoughts and emotions only through their expressions and actions.  It's quite a feat, especially considering that North has a completely inexpressive visage.

And the cartooning is as excellent as Urasawa always is.  I'm especially impressed by his take on Tezuka's character designs.  His Mont Blanc looks like a robot that was designed by Tezuka, but exists in a gritty Urasawa world:

And the design for Paul Duncan seems to be a realistic version of Tezuka's Duke Red character:

Also amusing: a mention of a certain "unlicensed surgeon" who operated on Duncan as a child.  Was this in the original story, or is it a nod by Urasawa to more of Tezuka's ouvre?

It's a great opening volume in what promises to be an excellent series, full of Urasawa's trademark character development and perfectly-paced action.  It should be fascinating to see him continue to flesh out Tezuka's settings and add moments that fill in wonderfully-defined details.  I can't wait to see what happens next.

This week, there is one book which I plan to buy

I'm late linking to this, but I did review Agents of Atlas #1 last week on Comics Bulletin. Also, I contributed to The Factual Opinion's Television of the Weak post, with a review of Fringe, so there's something else to read if you can't get enough of me. Enjoy.

And since I like to link to stuff I found interesting, there are a few announcements from the New York Comic-Con that I though were cool, or at least worth a mention, including several projects from Vertigo and the Vertigo Crime imprint, including a bunch of interesting-sounding graphic novels, like Filthy Rich, by Brian Azzarello and Victor Santos; The Bronx Kill, by Peter Milligan and James Romberger; Cowboys, by Gary Phillips and Brian Hurtt; and Cuba: One Story, by Inverna Lockpez and Dean Haspiel. Then there's some cool new series, like Greek Street by Peter Milligan and David Gianfelice and DayTripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, and a prose Fables novel called Peter and Max, written by Bill Willingham. That's a lot of stuff to look out for. Also of interest, if not necessarily something to look forward to, is the announcement that Jonathan Hickman will be the new writer on Fantastic Four, along with artist Dale Eaglesham. I guess that's...something, but I would definitely prefer to see him work on creator-owned stuff rather than joining the work-for-hire brigade.

Okay, the post:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 2/11/09):

Batman #686

For those who care, this is the first part of Neil Gaiman's "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" storyline, with art by Andy Kubert. I'm somewhat conflicted, since I do like Gaiman, and it could possibly be an interesting story which, judging by the title, will be some sort of riff on Alan Moore's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" On the other hand, I'm bored with Batman and superhero comics in general, I haven't really liked any of Gaiman's comics work in the past five years or so (I haven't really enjoyed anything of his since Endless Nights), and I dislike Andy Kubert's artwork. So, I'm sure I'll see what people have to say, and then maybe read it when it gets collected or something. What a ringing endorsement!

Castle Waiting #14

This is a series that I really do want to try sometime. I need to just bite the bullet and try to get the hardcover of the first volume at the library or something.

DMZ #39

Brian Wood continues the tales of urban warfare. I'll get a chance to get closer to caught up this week (see below)...

Fables #81

More post-war tales of fabledom. New collection, please.

Gravel #9

Ellis and Wolfer with the combat magician tales. Is this any good at all?

Hellboy The Wild Hunt #3

Mignola and Fegredo. I bet this will be a good read. I'll look forward to the eventual collection.

Hexed #2

More of Boom!'s flourescent wizardry. I'm not sure if this is any good either.

Incognito #2

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips continue their supervillain (turned superhero?) story, with some backstory, and lots of promised depravity. I should have a review up tomorrow at Comics Bulletin, but I have to read it first.

Patsy Walker: Hellcat, Agent of Initiative #5

Kathryn Immonen and David LaFuente complete their funky story of Alaskan magic and whatnot. It's been fun, from what I've read, so check this out if you haven't before. By the way, apparently LaFuente is going to be the artist on a new version of Ultimate Spider-Man. What's Stuart Immonen going to do? Hopefully some graphic novels with his wife or something; As decent as Ultimate Spidey is, I'd love to see his work on something I'm actually excited to read.

Scalped #25

I keep meaning to read the first volume or two of this series, because it is reputed to be very good. As with so much that I mention, someday it may happen.

Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen #4

I haven't been too enamored of this adaptation of Stephen Colbert's character (see my review of the previous issue here), but it does have some charms, so don't let me dissuade you too much if you really want to check it out. At the least, it features some nice art by Robbi Rodriguez.

30 Days Of Night TP Juarez

I've never been into the various 30 Days of Night comics (although I saw the movie not too long ago, and I thought it was pretty good), but this one is written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Ben Templesmith, so it might be worth checking out. Does anybody know if it is any good? Do I have to be up on series continuity to understand it? Because I'm sure keeping up with the mythos of arctic vampires (who also apparently hang out in Mexico?) must be difficult.

All Star Superman Vol 2 HC

Ooh, here's the chance to read the excellent finale to a great series, one of the last superhero books that I can fully get behind. Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, beauty. Read it, if you haven't already.

Ashley Woods 96 Nudes HC

Ashley Wood did two individual books of 48 nudes apiece, so here's the collection. I don't think there's much more to it than what the title says. But that's cool, because Wood can sure draw some cute girls. Go fine art!

Batman False Faces TP

I don't know if this is a paperback version of what was originally a hardcover, or if it's just a new printing, but this is the book that collects some early stories by Brian K. Vaughan, if you're interested. I haven't read it, but I wouldn't mind, just out of curiosity.

Batman RIP Deluxe Edition HC

And speaking of Batman (and Grant Morrison), here's the big book collecting his "epic" story about Batman going crazy, reverting to a backup personality, sleeping in the streets, and fighting a bunch of people who plotted to kill him in different ways. It was very controversial, in that people either didn't understand it or thought it was anticlimactic. I managed to read it, and I thought it was okay, but not great, and I might have been disappointed by the ending if I hadn't read all about it beforehand. But mostly, Tony Daniel's art is ugly stuff that really drags the book down. I can't say it would definitely have been better without him, but he certainly didn't help things. Anyway, I guess you can read it if you really want to, but I can't say that I recommend it.

DMZ Vol 6 Blood In The Game TPB

And this is the book I will definitely be purchasing. I really like this series, but waiting for the collected versions to come out is no fun. I'll still do it though. I think this storyline has to do with an election? I'll see when I get to it (which might not be for a while); don't let me down, Brian Wood!

First Time HC

NBM's Eurotica imprint has this collection of porn comics by various creators, including Cyril Pedrosa and Dave McKean. Looks good if you're into that sort of thing. You can see a couple of preview pages here (NSFW).

Marvel Europe TPB

This collects a few of the recent Marvel comics by European creators, including the Wolverine: Saudade one-shot that I reviewed for Comics Bulletin. I dunno if it's worth the price ($15 for basically three stories), but you could take a look if you're interested in some non-traditional takes on Marvel's characters.

Mixtape Vol 3 Food One/Jim Mahfood Art HC Regular Edition

Wow, lots more Jim Mahfood. He's pretty cool; I should try to get these sometime.

MR. T. TPB

Man, this guy just doesn't go away, does he? I guess this is a graphic novel reimagining Mr. T as a superhero bodyguard, or something. The site shows a cover of a story that pits him against Dracula. Sounds silly. If you really want to know more about this, you can download a PDF preview here.

Roberts TPB

I was interested in this series when I saw some information about it at last year's Wizard World, but I never actually read it. But here's the collection! It's about the Boston Strangler and the Zodiac Killer ending up in the same retirement home. Did anybody else read it? Is it good? Maybe I'll give it a try, given the chance.

Supreme Power Vol 1 Contact HC

Is this series still relevant? Or rather, does anybody care about it anymore? Several years ago, it seemed like a big deal, one of those serious, "superheroes in the real world" sort of things. I liked it well enough, although my tastes have changed and I'm not especially interested in that theme anymore. But it seemed to lose its way after around 12 or so issues, getting really slow and not developing, then switching from a "mature readers" title to an "all ages" one, then crossing over with Marvel's Ultimate Universe in a poorly-received miniseries, then getting relaunched in a Howard Chaykin-written miniseries that I think still hasn't finished. But if you want to see what got people interested, here's a fancy collection that you can read! Just know that it never really delivers on its promises and whimpers to a non-ending that leaves nobody satisfied. Ah, comics!

Unloveable HC

Everybody seems to be excited about this new book from Fantagraphics by Esther Pearl Watson that sort of adapts a found teenage girl's diary. Myself, I can't stand Watson's artwork, and think it looks ugly and uninteresting. But I could be wrong, so feel free to either ignore me or scream obscenities at your computer screen.

Welcome To Hoxford Vol 1 TPB

This collects the first four issues of Ben Templesmith's latest series, at a price that, like most IDW books, is too expensive ($20). Still, Templesmith is awesome, and this sounds really cool, about a prison/mental institution that might be supernatural or something (I think; I might have that all wrong). I really want to read it at some point, which may or may not ever come.

Black Lagoon Vol 4 TP

This is the only manga book of note that I saw this week. I didn't like the first volume of this action series very much, but lots of people seem to enjoy it, so I might give it another try. I do have volumes 2 and 3 sitting at home, so that might happen sooner rather than later. And here's the next one, eager to follow its predecessors.

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And that makes the week. One book that I plan to buy, maybe some others of interest. And always lots to read. Stay tuned to see what I think about whatever that might be.

Shojo Beat: Do "sexy" and "good" go together?

Not-so-quickly: I don't know if I'm completely sold on Yoshihiro Tatsumi, but that's coming mostly from a position of ignorance.  Out of his books, I've only read Abandon the Old in Tokyo, and it didn't strike me as essential (in fact, I don't remember much from it, other than a guy having sex with a dog).  But he's got a reputation as a great creator of mature manga, so I feel that I should check out more of his stuff.  So, finally, the point: Drawn & Quarterly is releasing his autobiography, A Drifting Life, this year, and you can read an excerpt from it here, which includes a scene in which he meets Osamu Tezuka.  Now I'm really interested in reading more.

Okay, here's the real post:

Shojo Beat

February 2009

Maybe it's because I have a daughter of my own now, but the caption on the cover bugs me a little bit.  Or maybe it's just my religious upbringing coming to the surface, insisting that sex is dirty, and good girls want nothing to do with it.  Or maybe I'm just grasping desperately for something to say in this introductory paragraph, since there's little of non-manga content in this issue that interests me.  It's the annual music issue, so there's a bunch of content about J-pop and J-rock and other J-genres.  Not that I have anything against music from that side of the Pacific, but I can't even keep up the English-language scene these days.  I'm getting too old.  Okay, here's something that should cheer me up:

Fushigi Yugi

By Yuu Watase

I don't know if Viz doesn't have much in the way of upcoming shojo releases, because this month's preview chapter is for the VIZBIG edition of Yuu Watase's classic (by American standards) manga, and next month's is going to be Hot Gimmick.  But that's cool, because it's pretty good, and it's probably been long enough that a second generation of manga readers can be introduced to the series.  Me, for instance; I like what I've read of Watase's manga, but I have yet to read this one.  This chapter certainly makes it appealing, with a lot of her signature comedy antics.  The story is about schoolgirl Miaka, who is being pushed by her mom to go to a prestigious high school that is probably above her academic level, not to mention being a different school than the one all her friends are attending.  And in the midst of all the pressure, she discovers a magical book in the library that transports her to medieval Japan.  Does this represent an escape from the stresses and pressures of Japanese society through imagination?  I don't know, but the character work is compelling, even in this small sample, and it makes me want to read more.

Vampire Knight

By Matsuri Hino

Matsuri Hino loves to pile on the drama to a near-incapacitating level, and this chapter is no exception.  In fact, it's the opposite of an exception, going in the other direction to the point that the characters themselves are nearly incapacitated by the drama.  Nearly the entire chapter consists of a confrontation between Yuki, Zero, and Kaname, in which Yuki tries to get Kaname to give with whatever secrets about her past and the night her family was killed that he's been hiding.  But he hits her with the "don't you love me?" gambit, making sure to not break the precious equilibrium of the Yuki/Zero/Kaname love triangle.  It ends up being another example of the series propensity for showdowns in which characters face off with each other and issue threats without actually doing anything.  And amusingly, an note by editor Nancy Thistlethwaite in one of those sidebars castigates Yuki for being so insensitive as to bring Zero along as she discusses her love for Kaname.  That's just mean. 

So I dunno, the series is still enjoyable in its over-the-top drama, but actual action would always be preferred over these oh-so-angsty showdowns.  Not that I'm expecting much, but wishes can always be wished.

Honey and Clover

By Chica Umino

I always enjoy when Chica Umino basically tells off her characters by having more minor characters point out when they are acting ridiculously.  It's a nice way of undercutting the perpetual angst and drama that can plague shojo series, and acknowledging that realistic people don't act like this, at least not without making themselves and their loved ones very unhappy.  In this case, it's Yamada, who has been pining after Mayama for the whole series.  To spite him, she took off with Nomiya, an ex-coworker of Mayama's who has a reputation as something of a player, while not intending to do anything.  But Nomiya doesn't let her off the hook so easily, pointing out to her how selfish she is acting:

I love that Umino forces her characters to develop, not content to let them languish in their misery.  In fact, even Morita shows some actual humanity here, stepping up to keep Mayama from causing embarassment to Yamada more than she already has done to herself.  And then later he confronts Yamada about how she worried them.  It's like he's suddenly developed some maturity!  But it works, because since he has returned from his year-long absence in the U.S., he realizes how much his friends mean to him.  But don't worry, he still manages to be his goofy self every chance he gets:

And while this chapter is plenty dramatic, Umino doesn't spare the comedy, as in this scene when Yamada wakes up and remembers some of what transpired the night before:

This month is a darn good example of why this series is so good, and that's even when Umino is only focusing on half her cast.  She better keep it up; I love this manga.

Sand Chronicles

By Hinako Ashihara

And when it comes to good drama that continues to develop its characters and realistically examines the way relationships work, it doesn't get much better than Sand Chronicles.  Last month ended on a cliffhanger, as Ann informed Daigo that she wants to break up.  Now, we learn why, and what comes next.  It wasn't just cheap drama; she's gotten to the point where she feels that she's bringing Daigo down rather than lifting him up.  In one of the most heartbreaking moments, she talks about how she loved his bright smile:

And it's not just that she feels bad about him not smiling; she worries that he's going to fall as far as her mother and meet the same fate.  It speaks to an immaturity in her, since not everybody has to deal with the depression that her mom did, but it comes from a realistic place; that experience affected her so deeply that she is still recovering from it, several years later.  It's sad, but it feels real, and that's what matters.

Of course, she doesn't realize that breaking up with him will hurt him worse than staying together.  We jump forward in time six months and see how both Ann and Daigo are faring outside of the relationship.  Ann is stuck trying to figure out what she wants to do after high school, since she hadn't been considering a future without Daigo.  And Daigo is suffering from a similar problem, but out of a plan to try to better himself and win Ann back, he wants to go to a national university, which seems to be far beyond his academic abilities.  But he won't give up, because we learn that he wants to be a teacher, which his friends all think is hilarious, but seems perfect after we see how great he is with kids while playing some soccer.  It's a nice bit of characterization, and it makes for some interesting possibilities for upcoming stories.  Also interesting: the return of a character who was originally presented as a villain but has matured along with the rest of the cast; if Ann and Daigo have a chance of getting back together, she might add some interesting complications to the continuation of the relationship.

I like that this series continues to progress forward in time, rather than hanging in suspended animation forever.  After a good deal of time spent at age 16, it's on to a new era, and we get to see the next stage of Ann's continuing maturity.  I can't wait to see what's next.

Crimson Hero

By Mitsuba Takanashi

Last month, we got to boo and hiss at our heroes' opponents, Ayu Gakuin, as they tried to target Crimson Field's weak point and pick on a team member with an injury.  The chapter ended as Nobara challenged them, saying "Do you enjoy playing volleyball like this?"  As the Crimson girls work together to come up with a strategy that will allow them to protect their weaknesses, Aigaku starts to fall apart, with the mean Izumi particularly affected.  But a collapse for the opponents and easy win for the protagonists won't make for the best dramatic athletics, so they also manage to get it together, leading to a challenging bit of competition for both teams.  It's excellently done, on both sides of the court.  While I had expressed some reservations about the time spent on the characters from the opposing team, I see now that it was all to add to the effect, and it makes for especially effective drama.  As the chapter ends, both teams are pretty much at full strength, playing at the top of their game, and that's what great athletic drama is all about.  It shows some masterful piece-setting for next month's finale, which I fully expect to be awesome.

And of course, everything is made all the more effective by Takanashi's excellent sports action, which is full of deep digs and high-flying spikes:

I love it; she might not be Takehiko Inoue, but she can deliver the sports with the best of them.  Next month better not disappoint.

Honey Hunt

By Miki Aihara

And finally, we've got a great example of what makes this magazine so enjoyable to read each month.  The focus is on character, and while drama might be the name of the game for most (if not all) of the series, there's nothing better than seeing a character you like face difficult obstacles and resolve them through their own intelligence and spunk.  And that's exactly what happens with Yura this chapter, which is especially good to see, since she had previously seemed like she might suffer from the "doormat syndrome" that can sometimes plague shojo heroines (especially those in Miki Aihara's manga).  The cliffhanger last month involved the costume she was supposed to wear for a photo shoot being ruined, but she manages to come up with a great solution to the problem here, and steps up to exceed everyone's expectations.  And the continuing character development is really nice, as Haruka, Yura's combative costar (and the brother of her love interest, Q-ta) who had previously belittled her, is amazed at her sudden professionalism.  Aihara has definitely begun to turn this into a really interesting, enjoyable series, and I'm excited to see what's coming up.

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And that's it for the month.  Thanks to Viz, who sent me a copy of the issue when I mentioned that I hadn't received my subscription copy in the mail.  Of course, the sub copy showed up about two days after the one they sent me, but I do appreciate the thought.  See you next month!

Slam Dunk: Tight shorts or a bathrobe? Tough decision.

It's-a some links:  Hey, Mike Allred is doing some sort of project at DC, and Neil Gaiman is writing a Metamorpho story for it.  Interesting.  I'm always ready to read more Allred, so I'm looking forward to this one, even though it probably won't show up until 2010, I'm guessing.

And speaking of projects at DC, I'm actually interested in Kyle Baker's upcoming Hawkman thing, of which a couple pages can be seen here.  I have basically zero interest in the character, but I really love Baker's work, and this looks quite beautiful.  Now if only he would finish Special Forces...

Slam Dunk, volume 2

By Takehiko Inoue

Last time around, we ended with a highly intense cliffhanger.  Well, not really; Hanamichi may have quit the basketball team in a huff, but he's obviously not going to be gone for long, or else there wouldn't be much of a series.  And sure enough, a showdown with some thugs convinces him to return.  I'm not sure of the logic of that decision, but whatever, that means more sports comedy!  And so Takehiko Inoue spends a good half of the volume detailing a practice game between the team's newcomers and the upperclassmen.  But unfortunately, the headstrong Hanamichi isn't allowed to play, no matter how much he begs.  But while the action heats up on the court, he makes a comedic spectacle of himself on the sidelines, insulting the coach, yelling at the girls who are there to watch the cute boys, and cheering against Rukawa, his rival for Haruko's heart.  With Inoue's skill at crafting goofy comedy, it's hilarious to watch, and the sports action is exciting too.  And when Hanamichi finally convinces the coach to let him play, the two elements combine for a laugh-out-loud moment that has to be seen to be believed.

And then in the second half, we switch gears to off-court intrigue, as Aota, the captain of the judo team and a longtime rival of Takenori, the basketball team's captain, decides to recruit Hanamichi, sure that a tough guy like him would prefer the impact of martial arts.  This ends up lasting for the rest of the volume, as Aota ends up alternately fighting with Hanamichi and attempting to entice him with pictures of Haruko.  It's a funny sequence, again combining Inoue's flair for comedy with his skill at depicting physical movement.  It does go on a bit long though; I was waiting for the action to get back to the basketball court.  But that's just an impetus to pick up the next volume, for which I will be waiting anxiously.

Even though it's still early in this series, it's easy to see why it was so incredibly popular in Japan; Inoue is putting together a cast that is highly enjoyable to watch, and he plays their strong personalities off each other exquisitely.  It's fun to imagine some of the future developments, as the sports action kicks into high gear with actual games, and Hanamichi learns more about actually playing the game.  At the moment, he's a force of nature, all bluster and only a little skill; eventually, he's going to have to learn about teamwork and put aside any off-court rivalries in favor of actually playing real basketball.  I'm sure Inoue will make this simply delightful to observe, along with all the interpersonal and romantic drama that will surely transpire.

But while we're looking at what we already have, I can't help but point out how well Inoue does what he does.  The near-constant goofiness is perfectly executed, making Hanamichi such a lovable lug that you can't help but want him to succeed, while still feeling some satisfaction when he gets comeuppance for being such a selfish jerk.  It's a great balance, and as with the elements mentioned above, I can't wait to see how Inoue develops the character.  But for now, I can glory in scenes like this one:

Aw, jeez, you know he's going to get in trouble for that attitude (if you hadn't figured it out already, that's the coach he's messing with).  It's also fun to watch him interact with the other characters, and see his tough-guy demeanor melt when he's around Haruko.  And the way he gets flustered when she demonstrates her crush on Rukawa is hilarious:

And on the other front, Inoue's action is unparalleled, filling his layouts with motion that doesn't seem to sit still on the page.  The way he draws limbs as if they are blurred out because they are moving so fast, combined with the excellent use of speed lines that don't overwhelm the image, make for some incredibly eye-catching scenes:

And that's one of the less-dramatic scenes; the moments of really big athletic feats are given full-page or even-double page spreads, freezing characters in isolation on the page as if everything has switched to slow motion:

It's beautiful, and while I love to analyze this sort of thing, Inoue is so good at storytelling that I don't even notice this stuff until I look back at it a second time.  The first time through, I'm flipping pages as he propels me through the story, breathlessly awaiting each new development.  It's glorious; I can't get enough of it.  As I said, it's easy to see how this sold 100 million copies; with this kind of skill, Inoue can drive volumes right off the shelf and into readers' hands through sheer artistic force.  I cannot wait to see what's coming next.

This week is ca-razy with the content

Hopefully it will be around these parts, as well as at comics shops.

But before I start looking at that stuff, I wanted to point out this amazing strip (story?  experience?) by Patrick McEown from Dave Cooper's 1999 comic Weasel #1 that Josiah Leighton posted.  Really cool stuff; I love seeing that sort of experimental thing where artists play with what can be done with the comics medium.

Okay, here's the rundown.  Lots to be excited about here.

New comics this week (Wednesday, 2/4/09):

Adventure Comics #0 

For anybody that cares, here's a reprint of the first appearance of the Legion of Superheroes.  From what people like Chris Sims report, Legion stories could be gloriously insane, but I don't know if this first story was any great shakes, other than introducing the concept of teenagers from the future.  Maybe worth checking out?  And is DC doing a revival of Adventure Comics?  Eh, whatever.

Age of Sentry #5

I guess people are still digging this, although I haven't been too impressed by the issue or two I've sampled.  Maybe I'm just not as into Silver Age wackiness as others, or maybe I hate the Sentry character too much to like him even when he's written by good writers like Jeff Parker, whom I usually like.  But I guess it's not terrible, so go for it, if it's your sort of thing.

Agents of Atlas #1

Speaking of Jeff Parker, here's the new ongoing series starring his revived pre-Silver Age characters.  The miniseries that he and Leonard Kirk did was quite enjoyable, so hopefully this will be good too, although since Kirk is busy with Captain Britain Fights Dracula On The Moon (by the way, I don't especially get why that's supposed to be such an awesome concept, but maybe it's just me), the artist is Carlo Pagulayan, who I believe illustrated some of Parker's Marvel Adventures stuff.  I'm a little hesitant at the annoying tie-in to the current Marvel Purple Reign (ha ha, I love that joke) story, but that doesn't automatically signify suckiness.  Let's hope it turns out good.  Don't let me down, Parker!  Hopefully, I should have a review of this up at Comics Bulletin tomorrow.

Astonishing Tales #1

I guess this is Marvel's latest anthology series, but they might be oversaturating the market here, since they've already got Marvel Comics Presents (unless that got cancelled when I wasn't paying attention (which is often)).  With one exception, this doesn't seem all that worthwhile, featuring "talents" like C.B. Cebulski writing Wolverine/Punisher/Iron Man dreck, but that exception is Jonathan Hickman, who writes and illustrates (along with Nick Pitarra) something about lower-tier X-Men and Mojoworld (a concept I never really understood, mostly for lack of trying).  That could be...interesting?

Bad Dog #1

A new Image series from writer Joe Kelly (along with illustrator Diego Greco) about two bounty hunters, a werewolf and a midget (is that a slur?  maybe "little person" would be better?).  Sounds wacky.  Here's an interview with some preview pages.  The art looks nice.

Bang Tango #1

Speaking of Joe Kelly, he's got another new series here, about an ex-gangster who tries to leave the life behind and become a dancer.  Sounds like the Robert Duvall movie Assassination Tango from a few years back.  This is published by DC, but I can't figure out if it's part of the Vertigo or Wildstorm imprints, or just a DC title that doesn't feature superheroes.  Weird.  Anyway, it might be decent.  Art by Adrian Sibar.

Boys #27

Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson continue their path of mayhem.  I'm ready for this arc to be collected so I can read it already.

Comic Book Comics #3

On a normal week, this would be the title I was most excited about, but see below for something that will eclipse it.  But I'm still ready to run to the comic shop and pick this up, because I really like the way Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey are relating comics history in the style of their awesome Action Philosophers.  And it dovetails nicely with David Hajdu's The Ten-Cent Plague, which I'm also reading right now.  Comics history fascinates me.

Crossed #3

More Garth Ennis, detailing the depths of zombie-ish depravity with artist Jacen Burrows.  I haven't been reading this series, but I might give it a try at some point.  Sometimes it's good to fill one's brain with nastiness.

Dead Irons #1

This new series from Dynamite by James Kuhoric and Jason Shawn Alexander has something to do with supernatural Old West bounty hunters.  Cool?  Sounds pretty crazy, and it features character designs by Jae Lee.  Could be worth a look.  Here's a Newsarama interview with Kuhoric that includes some preview art, and another one with Lee that has some concept sketches.

Eureka #1

From Boom! Studios, it's a tie-in with the Sci-Fi Channel TV show.  Show creators/producers/writers Andrew Cosby and Johanna Stokes do a lot of work for Boom!, so it makes sense that they would do a comics version.  It might even be decent reading.  This issue at least is written by Cosby and Brendan Hay, with art by Diego Barreto.

Franklin Richards Its Dark Reigning Cats & Dogs

I haven't been following these Franklin Richards specials like I used to, but I expect they're still pretty enjoyable.

Haunted Tank #3

More Vertigo war/race satire.  I should check this series out sometime.

Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead #1

From Radical, this is a new (mini-?)series by Warren Ellis and Steve Pugh (although Ellis only gets story credit, with Pugh actually writing the script as well as providing the art), about some sort of futuristic ghost detective.  Sounds interesting.  I received a preview PDF, so I might write something about it if I find it worthwhile.

House of Mystery #10

Vertigo again, with the end of the series' second storyline.  Maybe it'll be collected soon, and I can catch up.  This issue features Kyle Baker art on the backup story.  Cool.

I Am Legion #1

Hey, we might finally get to find out how this series ends!  DC published the first part several years ago, back when they had a deal with European publisher Humanoids, but the rest of the series never made it over here (I don't even know if it was finished by the time the partnership ended).  But now Devil's Due is putting out some of Humanoids' books, so it gets a second chance.  It's by Fabian Nury and John Cassaday, and it's a WWII story about a Nazi program to create unstoppable zombie soldiers.  I remember that first issue being pretty cool, so hopefully the continuation of the series won't disappoint.  One note: the DC version was in "prestige format", at 48 pages (I think).  Devil's Due is apparently splitting the original three volumes/albums into eight issues that will cost $3.50 apiece.  Hopefully that won't impair reading too much, but it will probably also be collected into one volume, so it might be better to wait for the trade.

Immortal Iron Fist #22

I've read a few issues of this series under its new creative team, and it hasn't been terrible, but it hasn't been as good as it was under Fraction, Brubaker, and company either.  But the last issue, about a future, interplanetary Iron Fist, was pretty cool.  Maybe it's getting better.  This issue starts a new storyline, so let's keep an eye on it, I guess.

Invincible Iron Man #10

Speaking of Matt Fraction, here's another installment of his increasingly-tedious Marvel output.  I'm glad I stopped buying this title; it hasn't gotten any better.  Maybe Fraction can turn it around, but I'm just not feeling it.  I hope he gets back to Casanova and that sort of thing soon, because his indentured servitude to the mainstream is killing a great talent.

Jersey Gods #1

A new Image series from writer Glen Brunswick (who didn't exactly wow me on Killing Girl) and artist Dan McDaid about a girl from New Jersey who marries a cosmic, Kirby-esque god of war.  Judging from this preview, the art looks nice and Kirby-esque, but who knows if it will be worth reading as well as looking at.  Also: a Mike Allred cover!

Madman Atomic Comics #13

And speaking of Allred, here's the latest issue of his signature series, which I should probably try to catch up on.  Maybe I'm better off leaving it alone and not being further disappointed by all the arbitrary plot turns and Mormon sermonizing.  But I just dig Allred too much, so I'm sure I'll get it.

Sandman Dream Hunters #4

I think this is the last issue of P. Craig Russell's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's original story.  It's another one that I'll probably try to read someday, but I don't feel the need to own it, since I'm fine with the original.  Still: probably very pretty.

Secret Warriors #1

I can't believe I'm talking about this much Marvel stuff this week.  I don't know whether this will be worth mentioning, but it's a new series about Nick Fury and his band of trainees that Brian Michael Bendis put together at some point during Secret Invasion.  I wouldn't normally care, but the series is being co-written (with Bendis) by Jonathan Hickman (with art by Chris Weston), which might mean some interesting plotting and/or dialogue, or something.  Let's hope Hickman doesn't go the Fraction route, turning to bland work-for-hire over more creative indie stuff.  I might have a review of this issue up tomorrow at Comics Bulletin.  We'll see.

Soul Kiss #1

Another new Image series, this time from Steven T. Seagle (with artist Marco Cinello), about a character who makes one of those bad deals with the devil where they have to collect souls or something.  Might be interesting, even though I'm not all that into Seagle's work.  Here's an interview/preview.

X-Men First Class Finals #1

Another Jeff Parker thing, apparently a sort of send-off for his well-regarded series about the early days of the X-Men.  What little I read of it was decent, if not incredible, but I like Parker, so if this was your sort of thing, read it.  Yeah, I'm all about the backhanded recommendations.

Bill Wards Torchy Vol 1 TP

This is a collection of Golden Age creator Bill Ward(Blackhawk)'s stories featuring a popular "good girl" character that he did for army newspapers.  Neat, although it might be a bit pricey at $25.  Still, it's always cool to have reprints of forgotten classics, especially when they feature the sexy dames.  Here's some more information about the book, if you're interested.

Captain America The Truth HC

Here's a reprint from Marvel's year or two of experimentation in the early oughts.  For anybody who doesn't know, it's a retcon of Captain America's history, revealing that before Steve Rogers became the famed super-soldier, the serum that made him that way was tested on African-American soldiers.  It's sort of a disjointed story, but it's an interesting one, and it features (kind of messy) art by Kyle Baker.  Worth a look, if you haven't read it before, but probably not worth the $25 for a hardcover binding.

Dr. Grave Vol 1 Unholy Twelve TP

I had never heard of this before, but apparently it was a miniseries by creator Ed Clayton that came out back in 2000-01 about an alcoholic, womanizing sorceror who fights Satan.  Sounds interesting and enjoyable.  This volume collects that series, in anticipation of a sequel that is coming out in the spring.  Here's one of those interview/previews.  I like the art.

Garth Ennis Streets Of Glory TP

Ennis again, this time doing a Western with Mike Wolfer for Avatar.  I've heard it wasn't all that good, but maybe I heard wrong.  Whaddya say, internet?  Should I check it out?

Kid Beowulf Vol 1 Kid Beowulf And The Blood-Bound Oath GN

I don't know about this.  It's some sort of cartoony, humorous version of the classic epic poem, but that's probably no sillier that the ridiculous movie.  If it sounds like your thing, here's your chance to buy it at a comic shop, even though it's already been available on Amazon for a while now.  Here's the official site, which has information about the characters and samples and whatnot.  Overall, I say "meh". Meh!  Actually, it doesn't look too shabby; it might be worth checking out.  As with everything I mention these days, maybe I'll read it someday.

Marvel 1985 Prem HC DM ED

Some people who I would consider to be pretty intelligent thought this was a good series, but I found it to be quite stupid.  Mark Millar keeps going back to the well of "what if superheroes were, like, in the real world, duuuude?", and it's not getting any more interesting with each repeated version.  This one sees villains from the Marvel Universe transported into the "real" world in the titular year, and a bunch of dumb shit happens, although it's all about a kid connecting with his dad.  Pointless, and a waste of time for all involved, if you ask me.  It looks pretty nice though; Tommy Lee Edwards really needs to work with Ed Brubaker on a crime series or something, and get away from the superheroics that don't fit his style very well at all.  So say I, Mr. Important Comics Guy!  Why doesn't the industry listen to me more often?

Marvel Masterworks Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 TPB

Since we're all doing so well financially right now, why not drop a bunch of money on a fancy hardcover collecting early Spidey stories?  Actually, at $25, it's not that bad a deal, since it contains the first ten issues of the series, plus Amazing Fantasy #15 and some extras, like the original artwork for that origin story.  Not too shabby.  Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, early Marvel, what's not to like?  Of course, you could always spend even more money on an omnibus version...

Missing The Boat GN

An all-ages graphic novel from Image, about a fictional, lazy species of animal called the Churamane who don't make it onto Noah's ark.  Funny?  Looks cute enough; here's another one of those interview/previews.

Myspace Dark Horse Presents vol 2 TPB

Here's another collection of Dark Horse's webcomics, featuring stuff like a tie-in to Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible, an Umbrella Academy story, stories by Gilbert Hernandez, Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, and Evan Dorkin, and other content which you can also read for free online.  But if you gots to have the dead trees and less money in your pockets, go for it.

Saga Of The Swamp Thing HC Book 1

Alan Moore's run on the series gets the hardcover treatment, and a selling point seems to be that this book includes his first issue, which wrapped up previous storylines before he went off and did his own thing.  Other collections have all started with issue #21, "The Anatomy Lesson".  Eh, whatever.  I've read "The Anatomy Lesson", but that's about all I've experienced of Moore's work with the character, so I should really give it a read sometime.  Not that I'm going to spend the dough on fancy hardcovers, but maybe it will spur me on to actually reading it.  Here's hoping.

Scott Pilgrim Vol 5 The Universe GN

And now we get to the big release of the week, which dwarfs everything else.  Woo!  Scott Pilgrim!  Bryan Lee O'Malley!  I can't wait to read it.  I expect I'll be rushing into the store to buy it, and then I'll enthuse about it here as soon as I've devoured the contents.  Awesome.

Super Teen Topia Invisible Touch TP

But other works still appear.  I don't know if this will be all that interesting, since I tire of the endless attempts to do wring new life out of superheroes, but here's another one.  This one is all about teenagers who want to fight crime, but they're confined by what resources are available to them, so they have to take the bus and stuff like that.  Somehow, I doubt it will be as fresh and new as the creators probably think it is; Stan Lee and Steve Ditko covered that material over 40 years ago.  But who knows, maybe it will be the next big thing.  Here's the official site, with previews and all that jazz.

Tiny Titans Vol 1 Welcome To The Treehouse TP

This series certainly looks cute, but it's rather narrowly-pitched, isn't it?  That is, from what I understand, it's all jokes based on the minutae of DC continuity; nobody outside of hardcore superhero fans is going to get any of it.  Sure, kids probably like the simple, funny drawings, but they usually need more than that to actually make something successful.  Still, people that I respect seem to like it, so maybe there's more there than I think.  Or maybe I just read too many comics-nerd-focused blogs.

Battle Royale Ultimate Edition Vol 5 HC

I feel like I should check this manga out sometime, since I really like the movie, but I've never gotten into it.  This omnibus version of the series looks like a good way to do so though, collecting three volumes at a time under one cover.  This one finishes off the series, so there's the whole thing all at once.  Maybe someday.

Happy Happy Clover Vol 1 TP

This is a new kid-targeted title from Viz, and it's apparently about a cute bunny and its cute friends and all sorts of other assorted cuteness.  I mean, just look at this thing (that's from the anime version, but I'm sure the manga is pretty much the same).  Wow, I've already got a toothache, and I'm used to this sort of thing, since I've got a baby daughter and all.  Handle with care, is my advice.

Legend Of Zelda Majoras Mask GN

Viz has this Zelda manga, assumedly as a follow-up to their Ocarina of Time series.  Dunno if it's any good, but it's worth mentioning, I figure.

Magic Touch Vol 1 TP

Ooh, it's the shojo massage series.  I read the first chapter when it was previewed in Shojo Beat, and it looks like fun.

Otomen Vol 1 GN

Another new shojo series, about a macho guy who is secretly really girly.  This one was previewed at the same time as The Magic Touch, so here's my take.  Looks like a fun series.

Ral Grad Vol 3 TP

Hey, it's more of the "monster boobs" series!  This one was kind of infamous around the blogosphere for a while, but nobody talks about it anymore.  Maybe people are trying to ignore it and hope it goes away.  Myself, I didn't mind it all that much, so I could see myself reading more.  But it's definitely not something that I would beg people to check out or anything.

Slam Dunk Vol 2 GN Viz Edition

And here's another big release for the week.  This Takehiko Inoue series is awesome, full of hilarious comedy and exciting sports action.  I really dug the first volume, and I should hopefully have a review of this one up sometime this week.  Great stuff; this is one that I would beg people to check out.
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Whew!  That is a lot of comics.  I'm already behind on reading and writing, and more stuff keeps coming out.  Guess I better keep it grinding it out; blogging is all I care about, don'tcha know!  So keep reading, and I'll keep writing.  That's the deal.  Later.

The Manga Guide to Statistics: Maybe this will help me understand why the Bears suck

See, you gotta make a football reference when the Super Bowl is on.

Lots of other people have linked to this, but it's cool enough that I also feel the need to do so: you can download the first issue of Filipino artist Gerry Alanguilan's Elmer for free from his site.  It's about sentient, murderous chickens.  There's a selling point for you.

Okay, I'm sure everybody has been waiting for this one:

The Manga Guide to Statistics

"By" Shin Takahashi

"With" Trend-Pro, Co., Ltd. (scenario writer re_akino and illustrator Iroha Inoue)

Oh, those wacky Japanese.  They'll make comics about anything!  Or that's what we've been led to believe in the West; I've never seen these pachinko and mahjong manga that people talk about (not that I have any reason to doubt that they exist).  But with this book, we get a taste of the diversity of the comics that are available in Japan; it's hard to get more esoteric than a comics-format textbook.

And that's basically what this is, even if it does attempt to tell a sort of story amidst its math lessons.  The tale goes: teenage Rui becomes infatuated with a handsome coworker of her dad's named Mr. Igarashi, and after a brief discussion about population samples for survey purposes, she asks her dad to have an employee tutor her in statistics, hoping to spend more time with the handsome fellow.  But wouldn't you know it, instead of Igarashi, the bespectacled nerd Mr. Yamamoto shows up instead.  Ah, misunderstandings; what would comedy be without them?  But even though Rui doesn't get what she wanted, she decides to throw herself into the lessons, in hopes of swaying Igarashi's presumably numbers-obsessed heart.

And so the hilarity ensues, as Rui stumbles toward understanding and Yamamoto reveals himself as a dork who reads shojo manga (ouch!  I better not hit on any Japanese girls) and obsesses over schoolgirl uniforms, and they both learn lots of life lessons.  Well, not really; mostly they just talk about statistics a lot.  And it works pretty well, as a primer for the basics, although the first half is a bit more effective.  Things get more complicated in the later chapters, and try as they might, Rui and Yamamoto just can't quite make things like chi-square distribution, p-values, and hypothesis tests very easy to understand, and even topics like the standard score (a.k.a. "grading on the curve") could have benefited from some notes explaining how this translates to something Americans (especially students, who would be the ideal audience here) would be more familiar with.

But what the book does well works quite nicely.  The art is nicely clean and filled with just the right amount of detail, and the characters are quite expressive and given to funny asides.  I laughed every time Rui made a scared face at a complicated equation: 

And the way she and Yamamoto would whimsically switch to different costumes to illustrate a point (or a reaction to a certain idea, or just to be funny) is pretty enjoyable, livening up what could be a very dry subject:

Overall, it's not really enough to function as a textbook on its own, but as supplemental material for somebody who might be having trouble with a course (or somebody who just wants to know some basics), it works pretty well, especially in the first half, as mentioned above.  The early lessons benefit from some real-life examples, like comparing bowling scores or considering reader response cards from manga volumes.  It's not going to set the world on fire or anything, but it's nice to see something fairly unique in the West that doesn't really fall into any of the established genre categories but still has a Japanese personality.  If you're looking to learn about the harmonic mean and standard deviation, you could do worse.

This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.  If you're interested in more like this, the publisher's website has information about some of their other books, including manga guides to subjects like databases, calculus, physics, and electricity.