A mixed week for me, based on what I’ve already read or heard about. High points include

• the best manga of the week, Princess Knight (Vertical, $13.95), which Ed recommends
• the release of the indy comedy fantasy Princeless (Action Lab Entertainment, $3.99), which I previewed this summer
• KC especially liked the production value of the reprint volume The Simon and Kirby Library: Crime (Titan Publishing, $49.95)
• I found Lily Renee, Escape Artist (Lerner Publishing Group, $7.95) a good entry in the category of inspirational biographies for young readers

The Simon and Kirby Library: Crime

If you don’t recall the odd little meditation on love, faith, and religion Vertigo Resurrected: My Faith in Frankie (DC/Vertigo, $7.99), you’re in for a treat. Mike Carey, Sonny Liew, and Mark Hempel show us the story of a girl with a jealous personal god. Funny and insightful, and finally available again in color. Why this isn’t in a more substantial book format, I don’t know. It should be.

I’m still on the fence about Boom!’s Decision 2012 project. The first comic ships this week, the one for Barack Obama ($3.99), while the Republication challengers are due by the end of the month. According to Boom!’s site, the Obama issue is already sold out (and without even crediting a writer). That makes it hard to get a complete set.

On the other side of the excitement line, I was disappointed by Mangaman (Houghton Mifflin, $19.99), but I look forward to seeing what other people think, since it’s a tricky book to evaluate. It’s trying a lot of different things, some more successful than others.

I was also let down by the second volume of The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, The Mad Scientist / Mummies on Parade (Fantagraphics, $24.99), after enjoying the first book. I don’t know if my tastes in this area have changed abruptly in a year, because the content itself doesn’t seem that different, but I was annoyed by how little Adele actually does, instead following people around and getting kidnapped. What I thought at first was a charming lark now seems like a disjointed lack of planning and coherency.

Ah, well, maybe I’ll just check out the latest issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 (Dark Horse Comics, $2.99). Issue #3 should provide plenty of girl-kicking-butt adventure, at a MUCH more affordable price.