Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
Warren Ellis’ latest triumph is Fell: Feral City, tight little tales of freaks in a creepy city called Snowtown. It’s a new-style detective comic, one featuring short, satisfyingly dense stories with a distinctive look courtesy of Ben Templesmith. The use of a strict nine-panel grid packs plenty of plot into a small space. It also gives the comic the feel of one of the procedural TV shows, one where the events matter more than the staging or set design. The […]
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Over my vacation last week, I was able to finish watching Kimi Wa Petto, the 10-episode live-action adaptation of one of my favorite manga series, Tramps Like Us. I loved it! I got caught up in seeing live people go through these scenes; it made the situation much more real and emotional for me. Plus, the actors were well-chosen. Sumire was tall and lovely, capable of realistically being called a masked doll but still clearly dealing with her feelings. Momo […]
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Re-Gifters is an involving coming-of-age story with a distinct sense of place. Writer Mike Carey introduces the elements of his story quickly, beginning with a sparring match. Dik Seong Jen — better known as “Dixie” — is a promising hapkido student preparing for an upcoming tournament, but she’s distracted by her crush on classmate Adam, which leads her to make stupid decisions, both financially and emotionally. The art is by Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel. With Carey, the three previously […]
Read moreAs reported here last month, Archie Comics will be replacing Archie & Friends with a new anthology in second quarter 2008. They allowed readers to vote on the new title, and the winner, receiving 51% of the votes, was Archie All-Stars. Archie Fun House, my favorite, came in second, at 10%.
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Jane’s World Volume 7 is something of a departure for Paige Braddock. Previous volumes in the series have been reworked collections of comic strips, with emphasis on soap opera and daily life observations of the title character. This is the first lengthy storyline developed as such from the beginning, and it incorporates more drama and suspense. Jane, who’s usually unlucky in love, is currently being pursued by two women. As the story begins, the three of them are finishing up […]
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The big battle set up in the previous volume here occurs as promised. In Agatha Heterodyne and the Golden Trilobite, the Baron’s preparing to attack the town where Agatha was taken prisoner. Even though the town’s prince is dead, his son Tarvek is carrying on in his stead, plotting to control the area. Most importantly, the long-lost Lucrezia Mongfish, a woman fabled just as much as the Heterodyne Boys (and an old acquaintance of the Baron’s), has returned, as a […]
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As promised in the previous book, Kim, the former dog-hater, gets a Shiba puppy. As he learns how to care for his new pet, so does the reader, with insert text from a pretend guide called “The Day the Puppy Comes”. This volume would make an excellent read for a young new pet owner, because it covers subtleties the owner should be aware of, like the need to not spend too much time fussing over the new puppy. The book-within-the-book […]
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InQuest Gamer magazine, published by Wizard Entertainment, will cease publication next month. The magazine was aimed at collectible card gamers, including a price guide for such cards. The publication website (no longer available) has a short notice that states After many years of producing InQuest Gamer magazine, we have decided to discontinue its publication effective September 2007. We will continue to support gaming in our industry leading magazines, online, and at our conventions. We thank our dedicated staff for all […]
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