November 24, 2009 Johanna Del Rey Manga Reviews Leave a comment

Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture Volume 1

When I heard that the premise of Moyasimon by Masayuki Ishikawa was a guy who could talk to germs, I expected cute humor. Instead, what I got was a typical coming-of-age story, only with some surprisingly gross moments. Tadayasu is headed off to agricultural college in Tokyo, accompanied by childhood friend Kei. The two young men are ready to start their lives as adults, figuring out what to be and how to chart their future. Tadayasu is a typical guy, […]

November 24, 2009 Johanna DCU Original Animation 2 comments

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Due in February With New Spectre Short

Warner has announced their next DC direct-to-DVD animated movie. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths will be released on February 23, 2010. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, written by Dwayne McDuffie, is an alternate Earth story in which Lex Luthor asks the Justice League to help save his Earth from the Crime Syndicate. The press release continues: “What ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that threatens both planets and, through a diabolical plan […]

November 23, 2009 Johanna Viz Manga Reviews One comment

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Volume 6

I was stunned to realize that this volume didn’t conclude the series, since so many plot points are tied up and conflicts resolved. All the themes of the series are prominently on display: * Robots demonstrating human emotions. Detective Gesicht solves the murders based on a self-described hunch. * The horror of war. Gesicht’s visit to a Persian bazaar seeking clues introduces him to a robot child maimed during the past conflict and reduced to begging. * Trying to survive […]

November 22, 2009 Johanna Viz Manga Reviews Leave a comment

20th Century Boys Volume 5

After the time jump shown in the previous book, I shouldn’t be surprised with the major twist in this volume, but I was still stunned when it happened. Being left shocked and confused, though, just puts me in the same place as many of the characters in this sprawling story by Naoki Urasawa. Kenji and his friends have sent their loved ones away from Tokyo and banded together to battle the evil group of Friends. They’re convinced something will happen […]

November 17, 2009 Johanna Other Manga Publishers One comment

The Lizard Prince Volume 1

The Lizard Prince by Asuka Izumi, a romance in a magical fantasy setting, has enough humor to make it an enjoyable read for the young and young-thinking. As explained in the author’s notes, this book is Asuka Izumi’s first collection, so it follows a typical pattern: The first chapter works as a stand-alone story establishing the premise. That’s so if the concept isn’t popular or picked up, then there’s still a satisfactory ending. But this series was popular enough to […]

November 14, 2009 Johanna Other Publishers 4 comments

Nothing Better 2: Into the Wild

I realized that this webcomic series had put out a new collection purely by serendipity — I found myself wondering what had happened to it and visited the website just in time to see that the second book, Nothing Better 2: Into the Wild, was available. I was thrilled, since the first book was one of my top 10 of 2007. I’d missed reading about odd-couple college roommates Katt (art student and questioning atheist) and Jane (religious but seeking, uncertain […]

November 13, 2009 Johanna Books About Comics One comment

The Manga Artist’s Workbook

What a clever format for a how-to book! The Manga Artist’s Workbook is bound with a top spiral, and the content — repackaged from Christopher Hart’s Manga for the Beginner: Everything You Need to Start Drawing Right Away — is presented in such a way that the reader is encouraged to try the lessons immediately. The wrap-around cover keeps everything neat and together. The whole thing was designed by Melissa Chang, who deserves a lot of praise. When the workbook […]

November 12, 2009 KC Television Reviews Leave a comment

Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960s Volume 2 and 1970s Volume 2

Review by KC Carlson I was very pleased to see another go-round of Warner’s Saturday Morning Cartoons compilations. They make very interesting samplers of what was happening in kid-vid in both the 1960s and 1970s, so they’re prime fare for baby boomers like me. Although you have to keep in mind that it’s not a complete snapshot of the era. Due to licensing restrictions (or possibly availability), the selections are pretty much limited to properties that Warner currently controls, represented […]

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