Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
The final tournament, begun in the last book, concludes here, as does the series. Given that this book ends the series, published here since 2004, I expected more of a punch. Instead, this read like just another installment. There’s something to be said for consistency, I suppose, and the ending message, all about how Go has a future, feels very Japanese in approach and emphasis. It just seemed odd to me that I felt as though I could read another […]
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Rin begins school in this volume, as her adoptive dad Daikichi continues to struggle with the day-to-day needs of parenting. (For more on this unusual family, see my reviews of volume 1 and volume 2.) The first chapter presents the concept of a memorial tree, a growing thing planted to mark a particular key point in a child’s life. As the kid grows, so does the tree, giving the family a living marker of connection. Daikichi intends to plant a […]
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A very important manga — historically, Sailor Moon broke open the U.S. market for manga in bookstores and among girls — is returning to print from Kodansha USA. Here’s an excerpt from their press release: Brand new deluxe editions of the acclaimed series will be released by Kodansha USA’s Kodansha Comics imprint in September 2011. Out of print for six years, SAILOR MOON re-launches along with Takeuchi’s two-volume prequel series CODENAME: SAILOR V, in print in the US for the […]
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The first Possessions book, Unclean Getaway, was a pleasant surprise for me last year. I didn’t expect to like a kids’ book about a demon possessing a little girl and its ghostly friends, but the story was told with such energy and humor by Ray Fawkes that I was charmed. Where the previous book was done in black, white, and “sickly green”, The Ghost Table is highlighted in bluish turquoise. The demon Gurgazon is an inhabitant of the House for […]
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The earlier Guild miniseries got me watching the web series, so you’d think I’d be interested in the followup one-shots that explore various characters. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, since I’ve found the two so far to be slightly disappointing. They don’t tell me much new about the characters, and since the characters tend to be unpleasant verging-on-stereotypes anyway (especially without the mitigating charm of the actors’ performances), I regret spending more time with them in print. Even though The […]
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It’s been almost a year and a half since the previous issue (Nov 2009), but when you see how much is packed into this “All-Lawsuit Issue”, you’ll understand the wait. I imagine that the research for this installment was particularly important to get right, given the litigious topic. (While we’re on the subject, I know that publishers that run notices of this sort are only trying to protect themselves from bigger, sometimes mean companies — “Goofy & Mickey Mouse are […]
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Review by KC Carlson “Batman’s rich history allows him to be interpreted in a multitude of ways. To be sure, this is a lighter incarnation, but it’s certainly no less valid and true to the character’s roots than the tortured avenger crying out for mommy and daddy.” — Bat-Mite (2009) Yay! Another (half-)season of Batman: The Brave and the Bold on DVD (no Blu-Ray yet)! Since Warners has split the season into two parts, I will follow suit and declare […]
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From a few years’ perspective, Ivy’s struggles are heartbreaking. I alternated between wanting to shake some sense into her, to listen and hug her, and wishing this was a Choose Your Own Adventure book so I could show her how alternate decisions would have been so much better. Ivy is a teen artist, struggling with the uncertainties of high school friendships and where to go to college and how to separate from her single mother. She’s one of the most […]
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