Let's Review Comics!

'Spider-Man: India' Review

2014-12-06T10:30:00.003-08:00

So this exists.

I bought these four issues a really long time ago but didn't get around to reading it for a long time. Now I finally know that...I wasn't missing much. Much like the Mangaverse Spider-Man, this one has all the basic Spidey elements that are given cultural twist. But I feel that it's done in much more clumsy way than the mangaverse version.

Peter Parker is now Pativr Prabhakar. Uncle Ben is Uncle Bhim. Aunt May is Aunt Maya. We're in Mumbai. So on and so forth. I did really like that they use a lot of Indian terms in this comic and they have a glossary in the back explaining these slang terms. It's always fun to learn new words while enjoying a comic. I guess the first thing that I noticed about this comic is that the art is really not up to par with Marvel's standards. After doing some reading online, I found out that this was developed by Gotham Entertainment in India and then just published by Marvel over here. The art is just...not quite there yet.

I probably don't need to even explain the plot. It's just basic Spidey plot in India. Really no surprises at all. The Mangaverse Spider-Man at least had the random Hulk cameo, as strange as that was. This one is formulaic every step of the way. I thought it was pretty awesome that instead of playing Football or Basketball, Flash Thompson is a Cricket star. One moment that cracked me up is during a dramatic cricket match, Pativr has just joined the team and he's up to bat. He hits the ball far with his super strength but it goes towards a no run zone so his team loses the game. As soon as they lose, the coach goes "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, PRABHAKAR?! YOU JUST LOST US THE GAME!" Wow, what an asshole. You'd think a school coach might be a little more supportive, especially to a kid that just joined the team.

There was one scene where the writers tried to tie in some Indian mythology about men vs. demons but it really just had no purpose being in the story and made me forget that I was reading a Spidey comic. There's a random Venom reference towards the end that isn't explained on any level and then leaves it wide open for a new story arc. But that never happened so...there ya have it.

I do really like how Spider-Man himself looks in his Indian costume. But that's about as cool as it gets. This comic suffers from the issue covers being much more cool than anything that happens inside. I personally think that only way a person could really love this comic is if you've got personal ties to India and happen to love Spider-Man. If you're really hardcore into Spidey, maybe give this one a try but that's about it.

I wish I could say more about this but there's not much to tell. It's Spider-Man in India. That's it.

Spider-Man: India - 5.6/10

'Marvel Mangaverse: Spider-Man' #1

2014-12-05T06:57:00.001-08:00

Well, this is an interesting beast. The Marvel Mangaverse comics ran from 2000 to 2002 and some of the characters got their own spin-off series, such as Spider-Man. I was a little reluctant about how this would be but I was pleasantly surprised.

Plot Summary: So this is a short and sweet issue 1, it moves quite fast. All of the basic Spider-Man plot elements are there: Peter lives with his aunt and uncle, Mary Jane and Flash and Gwen are all in it, and several other characters from the universe. But everything has been given a Japanese twist. Uncle Ben is Peter's sensei and he is killed by Venom, who is a large...guy in samurai armor. In school, Peter's teacher is Doc Oc, which I thought was kind of funny. Venom takes orders from the Kingpin, who kind of acts as the Yakuza boss stereotype. Now that Peter is the last surviving member of the 'Spider Clan', his life is threatened by the Kingpin. Peter dons his Spider-Man costume and fights Venom and some foot ninjas in a street battle and essentially impresses him quite a bit.

Kaare Andrews did the writing and art for this, which really surprised me. A lot of the panel layout shots are a lot of fun, especially in the action scenes.

There are couple elements that I'm confused about. For starters, how old are these characters? At first, I thought Peter was just a boy, but then when he's in school, it appears to be high school. The art style is great but it makes it a bit confusing as to what age group we're in. There's a moment in the beginning when Peter has a nightmare during class about Uncle Ben's death. When Professor Doc Oc asks him to leave, one kid in the class mutters 'WHATTA FREAK...PROBABLY KILLED HIS SENSEI HIMSELF...' Wow. That was uncalled for. During the final battle, there's a random moment that confuses the hell out of me: Spider-Man knocks down Venom and is about to strike the 'final blow' or what have you. He says 'Any final words, demon?' when suddenly THE HULK comes out of NOWHERE and rips through the entire building...? What? The this isn't a Hulk we're used to, he's literally the size of a building. Why is the Hulk suddenly in this comic with no warning? Why is he tearing through a city? Why is no one REACTING to the Hulk being here? No one even seems to acknowledge it. What the hell. And the final splash page of the comic is Peter deciding to save the city instead of going after Venom, with The Hulk chasing after him and Mary Jane. So the Hulk is evil or something? He doesn't speak. He's just in two panels in the whole comic! I need an explanation or something. I'll have to find issue 2 to figure out what's going on, I guess. Bizarre.

Overall, I thought this was a fun issue and I'd like to read more. Some of the Japanese twists were quite fun. On the cover of the issue, they have MARVEL and the writer's name written in Japanese Katakana, (MAABERU and KAARE ANDORYUUZ) which I thought was a really nice touch.

An interesting addition to the Spider-Man library, give it a read if you can!

Marvel Mangaverse: Spider-Man #1 - 7.9/10

Next up, I'm going to check out SPIDER-MAN: INDIA...

'The New Avengers Volume 3' Review

2013-04-05T05:29:00.002-07:00

Picked up this volume a while back, it collects issues #16-24 of The New Avengers. While it's quite good, it suffers from a problem I have with some volumes like this. Every single issue is illustrated by the same artists...except one. JUST ONE. So this volume starts off with a pretty unusual art style for current Marvel stuff, kind of a fun 70's style, more cartoon-ish flare to it. And that's fine but as soon as you get used to it, the next issue has a COMPLETELY different, very realistic style with lots of hatching and very thin lines. I wouldn't have a problem with this if I were reading single issues but when something is collected into a volume like this you pretty much expect the style to stay the same throughout.

Plot Summary

In this volume, our villain is the one and only Norman Osbourne. Even though he's made comebacks an absurd amount of times for so many years it's ridiculous...he's Norman. He's a villain you can't help but enjoy. So Norman has a bunch of villainous friends on the inside and he's managed to escape from his prison. He starts building a dark army with people from A.I.M., Hydra and the Hand. Eventually things escalate to an all out brawl between The New Avengers and...The New...Dark...Avengers...yeah. Not the most original name but alright, we'll take it. All of the members of The Dark Avengers have their own agendas and you're not sure who's going to turn on who, I really enjoyed that. The final issue has some pretty fun twists as well.

The art is fantastic in this volume, Mike Deodato and Will Conrad set up their panels with great drama. Small events are in small panels and when crazy action scenes show up, they have a great use of one and two page spreads. There's a huge amount of characters packed in this volume and it's really enjoyable seeing all the dynamics between them. I really don't have much to say other than great action, great art, great characters.

The New Avengers Volume 3 - 7.6/10

Couldn't resist posting this...

2013-03-31T19:02:00.002-07:00

Quite accurate, I think. Unfortunately, I can't find the original post or artist to credit, found this on facebook.

'Action Comics - New 52' #13 Review

2013-03-30T23:30:00.001-07:00

I'm a big fan of Action Comics and I haven't reviewed any on here so let's start with this one! It's a random issue I got at a comic store and it's part of the New 52 reboot that DC did. If you're unfamiliar with Action Comics, most issues are kind of their own episodic adventure, so you don't have to worry about missing the previous issue or anything. And in some cases, this one included, one issue will include multiple stories. This issue has two stories in it, both by different writers and artists.

First thing I have to say is, look at this cover. It's really well done but what is with this annoying Arrow ad taking up the top section?! C'mon DC, are we gonna see this a lot now? As if the back cover and pages throughout the comic aren't enough ads, now the front cover is getting taken over. A bit much, I think.

Anyway, the first story is called The Ghost In The Fortress of Solitude. It's kind of a fun Halloween type story, being that it takes place on Halloween. It starts with the story of Doctor Xa-Du on Kypton who his banished to the PHANTOM ZONE by his superiors. Later, we cut to the present in the fortress where Superman encounters Xa-Du still trapped in the Phantom Zone through a mirror he has. After some events,Kal-El becomes trapped in this realm but soon discovers that Krypto the SUPER DOG is also in the Phantom Zone with him. In a nutshell, a battle ensues and in the end Superman is able to pull Krypto out of the zone. While reading this, I was thinking to myself 'how did Krypto even get in there, how long has he been in there, did Superman even know' and so on. Well, this leads me to comic number two!

Far better in my opinion, the 2nd story, A Boy and His Dog, is much shorter and simpler. With very little dialogue, it's a visual story showing Krypto's life from a pup, how he got in the zone and so on. It answered all the questions I had and I found it to be a very touching little story that's only EIGHT PAGES LONG.

The art for both stories is quite good but not consistently good. The first story's artist, Travel Foreman, is really amazing in some panels but completely unimpressive in others. I think that he was trying to go for a really simplified style in some of the Phantom Zone sequences to articulate this bizarre realm that Superman is stuck in. But I felt that it didn't translate as well as it could have. Sometimes a small figure will be super detailed and a very large figure will have hardly any. I honestly thought there were different artists working on different panels but it says there's only one artist...hmm. The 2nd story's art is great all around, the inks by Andrew Hennessy are particularly great.

After glancing at the cover afterwards I noticed that the hand of Xa-Du is clutching the collar of Krypo, a nice touch!

Overall, this comic is an interesting example of how less is more. 'A Boy and His Dog' is more touching and entertaining than 'The Ghost in the Fortress of Solitude' and it does so in less than half the pages used.

Action Comics #13 - 7.4/10

'Slam Dunk' #1 Review

2013-03-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Slam Dunk. Classic. It's awesome. Let's discuss.

Plot Summary:

Hanamachi Sakuragi is a freakishly tall freshman who's constantly being shot down by the ladies. After seeing the beautiful Haruko Akagi in the hallway, Sakuragi is instantly head-over-heels. He discovers that she has a passion for basketball and decides he's gonna become a SPORTS GUY and win her heart. He tries out for the team but basketball ends up becoming a far more intense endeavor than he planned.

This comic is just great. It falls into that fantastic category of manga that starts off quite funny and absurd and slowly builds up the seriousness over time. After a couple volumes in, you'll find yourself deeply caring about these characters and reading some really powerful scenes that bring a tear to the eye.

But I don't want to get into the main story, this is just discussing volume one. This first book has by far the most comedy; the first few chapters are a riot. Takehiko Inoue doesn't focus on instantly throwing out basketball action, he focuses on introducing and developing plenty of characters in this high school. For me, this series reminds me of Hikaru no Go: a sports manga that has a huge amount of characters that are all ridiculously likeable. Once the 'protagonists' of the series are introduced, the other teams in the area, you'll find yourself enjoying those characters just as much.

The relationships and dialogue between everyone is hilarious, Sakuragi's "posse" in particular (on the left) really crack me up. Everyone makes fun of everyone else in this comic.

The art is obviously great. You get to see Inoue's earlier style gradually develop into his fluid, realism. Reading this manga just makes you want to run outside and play some ball, it's really inspirational at times. If you're interested in basketball, comedy, shonen, action, slice of life, any of that good stuff, Slam Dunk is for you.

Slam Dunk #1 - 8.7/10

'Showcase Presents Green Arrow' #1 Review

2012-03-15T22:01:00.005-07:00

Time for a change of pace! Old DC comics. Really old. Showcase Presents Green Arrow features over 500 pages of comics from 1958 to 1969. DC has released these showcases with almost all of their major titles and I wanted to check one out so I picked up Green Arrow. They're all printed in black and white so they could make them much cheaper and it really doesn't take away from the art at all. I think this is really only for intense comic nerds, these issues are old and dated as hell. If you've recently gotten into DC comics and you want to check more out, I suggest something a little more...recent. All of the dialogue in this volume is so ridiculously bad, it's good. Every single character speaks like 'HEY THERE FELLA, THAT'S JUST SWELL, WHAT THE BLUE BLAZES, WATCH IT BUSTER' and so on. I swear almost every issue in here has at least one character yelling GREAT GUNS! The amount of puns and one-liners in this volume will astound you. If you can look past how corny everything is, you might be able to really enjoy it!

Plot Summary

Almost every issue in here is six pages long. Most of them are from World's Finest Comics and Adventure Comics so they're short and sweet. There's so real surprises on the stories, usually some dastardly crook has made some evil play to steal something, Green Arrow and Speedy use their wits and gadgets to save the day. For me, the most enjoyable parts are just the absurd dialogue and situations that occur. There are some cameos in certain comics from Superboy, Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter and so on. About halfway through the volume, there's a full issue of Justice League about Green Arrow joining the team. It was surprisingly good and my personal favorite comic featured in here. The strangest thing for me was that every comic looks and feels very similar except out of NOWHERE the last comic in here is completely different. It's suddenly has the look of 1970's comics and shows the transition from the earlier style. The panels are large and poses more dynamic, there's much more inking work going on with lots of crosshatching, the faces are large and dramatic, Green Arrow suddenly has a goatee. It was a very sudden shift in style and it felt very out of place, even though it was still good!

I couldn't help but notice that early Green Arrow is LITERALLY a copy of Bruce Wayne. Oliver Queen is a millionaire playboy with no actual superpowers. He's a detective who's created all of these wild gadgets to help him fight crime. He has a sidekick who's basically with him at all times. He has an Arrow-mobile, an Arrow-plane, even an Arrow-cave! Sounds pretty familiar...

I've noticed that there are quite of few of these showcase volumes for Batman, Justice League, etc, but Green Arrow only has one?? I'd definitely like to read more where it goes into the 70's and 80's, hopefully DC will put out another one. All in all, cheesy as it gets but an enjoyable read!

"You sure turned the tables on them, Green Arrow!"
"Yes...The Camouflage King and his men will have a tough time camouflaging themselves now - behind bars!"

Showcase Presents Green Arrow #1 - 7/10

'Hot Gimmick' #1 Review

2012-03-15T05:27:00.001-07:00

Here's me attempting to branch out and find good shoujo. I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading volume one of Crimson Hero so I picked up a few volumes of this series. So right off the bat we can assume this series is going to be pretty drama-tastic, hence the name HOT GIMMICK. I liked Crimson Hero because it had a nice sports manga feel to it along with the shoujo, but this series just looked like pure gossip/drama/etc. But I'll give it a shot!

Plot Summary

Our main character Hatsumi is JUST YER AVERAGE TEENAGE GAL. This series has pretty generic shoujo typecast characters. We've got the bad boy Ryoki who might have a softer side to him. Then there's super nice handsome guy Azusa. There's also nerdy otaku Subaru that no one gives a shit about. Poor guy. Hatsumi's sister Akane is only fourteen (two years younger than our protagonist) but she's been getting around town lately and asks Hatsumi to go buy a pregnancy test for her. Bad boy douchebag Ryoki happens to find out that Akane might be pregnant and now has Hatsumi in a bind. If he tells his mother about this, then Hatsumi's family will be shamed by all the other families that live in their company housing area. So Hatsumi reluctantly agrees to be Ryoki's 'slave' if he doesn't spill the beans. Already, this girl has serious self esteem issues. Ryoki basically wants to use Hatsumi as his sex toy etc etc cause this is how all guys are. But we find out that super fabulous model Azusa, who was Hatsumi's childhood chum, has moved back into their complex. He shows that he's going to protect Hatsumi because he's just so darn perfect.

(Check out the above image. SHE'S PRENANT!)

So as far as I can tell this series basically focuses on a love triangle between awkward girl, mr. perfect and douchebag (bordering on psychotic behavior) dude. Like I said, there's an otaku guy that might also jump in the game for winning Hatsumi's heart but he hasn't had much of a role as far as I've read. The most frustrating aspect for me was just that Hatsumi is...kinda dumb. I'm hoping she gets better as it goes on. Nothing really surprising from this series, pretty typical shoujo content going on. I bought the first three volumes really cheap so I'll keep reading and see where it goes. I don't have much to say about the art either, pretty average shoujo style. I do like the cover designs though. I think this series definitely reflects how Japanese behavior is different from American. All the drama in Hot Gimmick starts from Hatsumi not wanting her family to be shamed in any way and I really don't think most Western girls would care much about something like that. Different cultures. Anyway, I might review volume 2 and 3 if it gets any better (or worse)!

Hot Gimmick #1 - 5.2/10

'Naruto' #6 Review

2012-03-05T06:22:00.003-08:00

Oh man, it's been a long time since I've read early Naruto! Found this volume used at a local bookstore and I had to pick it up. I read Naruto weekly and I enjoy the series as a whole but I think the first half of Naruto is better overall. This volume starts off with all the ninja taking the Chunin Exam in the Forest of DEATH. Kishimoto's art is still clearly in it's early stages but it's still great nonetheless! This volume marks the first appearance of Orochimaru and I think the plot of Naruto really starts to develop from that. Sasuke is marked by Orochimaru and he and Naruto are out cold from halfway through the volume. Sakura is forced to protect them and the scrolls with her life and I think it's the first time you see her in a strong, independent way. We get to learn more about Rock Lee and his badass-ness as well as Ino.

This volume is full of intense action. Not a whole lot of dialogue or slow scenes, just ninjas throwing down. A fun bonus I enjoyed about volume six is in between the chapters they had profiles and art showing Masashi Kishimoto's assistants on the manga. This volume is a great showcase of early Naruto and how fun this series can be. I don't necessarily think a person would even need to have read up to this point, it's easy to just jump right in. Interestingly, Naruto doesn't have much of a role in this volume; he's in the beginning but that's about it. Volume six is mainly about the appearance of Orochimaru and Sakura/Rock Lee/Sasuke development. Reading this really made me want to go back and start at the beginning of the series, early Naruto has actually become a little nostalgic for me!

Naruto #6 - 8/10

'Steel Ball Run' #1 and 2 Review

2011-12-28T07:12:00.000-08:00

Alright, this is my comic blog so I've got to do it. I've got to review some of my favorite comic EVER, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I HAVE TO DO THIS. I've been reading Jojo off and on for a few years now and I'm currently on part seven (Steel Ball Run) so I figure I'll review a bit and see how it goes. If you're unfamiliar with this series, each part of Jojo is comprised of a different story with different characters, ranging from five to twenty volumes in length. They're all so unique and interesting, Jojo is basically seven (eight as of recently) completely different manga series in one. In other words: IT KICKS ASS. Since this manga isn't available to American readers (with the exception of part three), I'm reading Steel Ball Run online chapter by chapter. But doing a review of it only by chapter seems too trivial so I'll review it by volume(s).

Plot Summary

Part six of Jojo took place in a prison in 2012 and due to some crazy events at the end, SBR takes place in the wild west in the 1890's. This manga originally started off in Weekly Jump but after about twenty four chapters, it changes into a monthly series. In a nutshell, the story is about a huge race on horseback from San Diego to New York. The two main characters are introduced a good way into the first volume, Gyro Zeppeli (an ancestor of the recurring Zeppeli family) and Johnny Joestar (SBR's JoJo). Johnny is a paraplegic and when he gets touched with Gyro's mysterious steel balls, the strange rotation effect from them causes Johnny's dead legs to actually move. Before starting the race, he decides that he's going to find out the mystery of the steel balls and how they got his legs to move.

We meet some interesting contestants. Diego Brando (known as Dio) and Muhammad Abdul are reincarnations of former Jojo characters. A man known as Poco Loco is a hilariously awesome black guy competing in the race. He's been told by a fortune teller than his luck is one in five billion so he decides to give the SBR race a shot. Another big character is a native American known as Sandman, who is competing in the race ON FOOT. He has a big advantage knowing the regions of the country much better than the other contestants. I don't want to give many spoilers away so I won't go into what happens in the race. The writer/artist Hirohiko Araki is a godlike being in my eyes; his art gets better with every Jojo series and Steel Ball Run is no exception. Art wise, everything is there in this series and it'll only get better as it goes on. I'm excited to see how much the art will improve in the latter part of SBR when it's a monthly title.

These first two volumes are very much in the western type genre and the series doesn't really become bizarre until volume three. I think Araki cleverly made this series seem very different at first and slowly integrated his Jojo style into it over time. SBR is definitely for a crowd older than that of typical Weekly Jump. These two volumes seem like a pretty straightforward manga story but once you get to the the third volume, shit gets BIZARRO. My first impression of reading Jojo a few years ago was that it was really disturbing and frankly, that hasn't changed! No matter how much I read into the series, it never ceases to disturb me in new and interesting ways. I mean this in a very humble and inspirational way.

Unlike the other parts of Jojo, I don't think it's necessary to read everything up to this point. SBR is still a part of the Jojo lore but it's very much its own series and everything is explained thoroughly. But if you're like me and you've read Jojo parts one through six up to this point, then it's just that much sweeter. Other than having to read this manga online, it's a fantastic read. It's got intense action, good comedy and a nice western feel to it.

Read this series.

Steel Ball Run volumes 1 and 2 - 9/10

Poll #3 Results

2011-12-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

The poll for "favorite member of the Justice League" has ended! We didn't have many votes but I'm going to keep posting polls and try to get more hits. The winner is one of my personal favorite heroes in DC comics......GREEN ARROW!

The emerald archer is a badass indeed. I'm currently reading the 500 page DC Showcase Green Arrow, I'll review that when I'm finished. Flash got second place in the voting, also a badass.

Shonen Jump #97 Review

2011-12-14T16:47:00.000-08:00

So I had a subscription to Shonen Jump for quite a long time, I own MANY issues. I figured I'd do a quick review of an issue. It's not very recent but it's one of the last issues I got before my subscription was up. This issue of Jump is not only the first of 2011 but it's also the WILD NEW EVOLVED edition of Jump. Well, the layout is a little different and...that's it. Alright. There's an large image on the side of a Naruto chapter cover but it looks like it's alrighty partway through? It should be the far left of the image but it looks like the middle to me. Oh well. We've got some YUSEI goin' on in the cover. We'll get more into the Yusei business later. As a note, I've read this issue before but I just wanted to review some more Jump on my blog.

Psyren - First up, we've got chapters one and two of Psyren. I'd heard of Psyren many times but this issue was actually my first time reading any of it. I gotta say, it's pretty interesting. Since it's a mystery/thiller, I think it would be a hard series to jump right into from the middle. I've read so little of it overall so a lot of it is still pretty confusing, not much has been answered as far as I've read. It makes it fun to keep reading but definitely difficult for someone starting up at a later chapter. The art is really good, I like the inking a lot. I won't give away any surprises, check it out yourself if you get the chance!

4/5

Naruto - Ahh, Naruto. Such a love/hate relationship. Overall, it's one of my favorite series but sometimes I think a chapter is just awful. These chapters are about Tobi and Kabuto teaming up, their evil secret plans of doom starting to unfold. Naruto goes to a secluded island to train with Killer Bee. Overall, good bunch of chapters. One comment I have is VIZ's HORRIFIC translations of Killer Bee's rapping. Oh my god. I've read a good amount of Naruto scanlations online and the translations the fans make are so much better than what VIZ makes, it's kind of sad, actually. I've caught up with reading Naruto weekly on many different occasions but I can never keep up with it. Most of the time, it's just not good enough to keep me reading EVERY week. Nevertheless, I still have a special place in my heart for Naruto and company.

3.5/5

One Piece - It's One Piece. What else should I say? It's One Piece. I've praised Eichiiro Oda's comic on here before. The chapters featured in this issue of Jump have the death of a certain hugely important character *HINTFIREFISTHINT* One Piece is superb and never disappoints. Honestly, The death of that certain beloved character is one of the saddest things I've ever read. I feel bad for those people who are alienated by Oda's artwork and don't give One Piece a chance; they are missing out on some gold.

5/5

Ultimo - This series has gotten pretty damn awesome. I can't tell if it's going to be a long series or really short. It seems like it could go for years or it could end in a month. Regardless, it's a pretty interesting story with amazing art by Hiroyuki Takei. I don't want to say much about the story because lots of important things happen almost every chapter. In my opinion, it's no Shaman King, but it's still pretty rad.

3.7/5

Bleach - Yeah, I just don't even care. I like looking at Bleach for the art but trying to read it and figure out the story is just pointless to me. Nothing very important ever seems to happen, it's just constant fighting that goes on for chapters. I'm really surprised Bleach is still running, it seems like everyone I talk to who likes it thinks it should have ended a long time ago. Granted, this issue of Jump is still very behind to where Bleach is currently, there's a lot of catching up to do. It seems to me that Kubo doesn't like drawing backgrounds, so much of Bleach is just white surroundings. I guess I can understand not wanting to draw so many backgrounds but it makes me really appreciate series like One Piece that have extreme detail in all the backgrounds. I'm curious to see if Tite Kubo makes another series after Bleach, I could possibly get into that. We'll see!

2/5

Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - The original Yu-Gi-Oh manga (volumes 1-7) is one of my favorite series out there. It's clever and witty and awesome. But since the original I think YGO has just been on a downward spiral. Now we've got 5D's, people are dueling while racing on motorcycles, it really seems like a joke. This manga isn't even related to the actual creator of YGO, Kazuki Takahashi, so I really didn't care about this from the start. Everything about is over the top and corny, YGO just keeps going to new heights of ridiculousness. At the end of this chapter, a massive grim reaper of death shows up to battle Yusei. So now we've got the main character preparing to play a card game with death itself (who is riding a skeleton horse) while racing him on a motorcycle. There you have it.

1.5/5

'Holy Terror' Review

2011-12-09T10:15:00.001-08:00

WHOA! I've never heard of this before! I'm not sure where to start with this one. Holy Terror is a bit of a change of pace from my last review on here (which was shoujo). This comic book is intense. And pretty damn offensive. First off, I'd like to say that I love Frank Miller. As a writer and as an artist, but especially as an artist. Visually, Sin City is one of the most amazing works of art out there. I love 300, The Dark Knight Returns, Spawn/Batman, etc. Holy Terror starts off just as visually breathtaking as anything else by Frank Miller. The wide format Miller uses for his comics now is really interesting. The first six or so pages of the comic are all single page spreads before he starts using panels.

Plot Summary

The comic opens with The Fixer (basically Batman) right on the tail of Natalie Stack (basically Catwoman) as they swing from rooftops of a city. They start a brutal fight which eventually leads to making out. They get caught up in a much bigger deal in the form of a massive explosion across the city. This leads them to basically fighting Al-Queda (as ridiculous as that sounds). The equivilant of The Statue of Liberty gets bombed by these terrorists and this leads to The Fixer going all out against the FIENDS. Natalie Stack eventually finds herself in a massive, underground mosque lair place and having to fight her way out.

This graphic novel is pretty straightforward. Frank Miller wanted to kick some terrorist ass and he really dishes it out in this thing. It's a pretty offensive piece of work and I'm sure that's how he intended it. I wasn't really into the story much; for me, this comic is all the art. My God, it's superb. Typical Miller style whites and blacks with harsh reds. There were two pages where Natalie falls into an underwater area and the only color on both pages is pink EVERYWHERE. It's almost like she's swimming in pepto bismol but it still worked so well. The dramatic use of color really made this comic great for me. I'm surprised how much negative response this thing is getting from the comic world. I mean, yeah, it's really opinionated and offensive. I don't think that constitutes people saying Miller has 'lost his touch' or 'changed too much' or whatever. I'm shocked by how many people are bashing his artwork in Holy Terror. It does have a frantic feel to it but it's not bad at all. How can people say that it isn't good? The faces may be very bizarre looking but it's very intentional. He's still Frank Miller, his writing style and art still look like Frank Miller and this comic is very Frank Miller. It's just a fun and wild ride. I honestly thought this book was a little too short (especially for how expensive the cover price is) but it wasn't a problem. Miller depicts an obsolutely absurd-looking Obama halfway through the comic. His views are pretty clear cut for the reader. Obviously this comic is not for the easily offended. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes beautiful visuals. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. The story is definitely a little too politics/religion heavy for me to fully enjoy but the art completely made up for it.

"There's something under your coat - what is it?" "Paradise."

Holy Terror - 7.8/10

'Crimson Hero' #1 Review

2011-12-07T15:12:00.001-08:00

This manga was a very pleasant surprise! This is pretty much what I was looking for when I picked up Red River the other day; a good shoujo! I love sports manga and this is a good example why. The first thing I noticed about this series is the art is pretty great! I can't stand when shoujo manga ka create a series that looks exactly like every other shoujo. Crimson Hero's art is a lot better than most shoujo series out there, especially the faces and clothes. There's still a heavy use of screen tone, like all shoujo, but not so much that it bothered me while reading it.

Plot Summary

The lead character Nobara Sumiyoshi is a tomboy with serious love for volleyball. Her family owns an old fashion japanese resteraunt (ryotei) and Nobara's mother wants her to become the next hostess. She attends a new high school purely on the fact that it has a popular volleyball team but soon learns that it's the boy's team that's popular and the girl's team has been shut down this year. After being sick of all the crap her mom is giving her, she decides to move out and goes to her aunt's (who is also the school nurse) for help. Her cold but caring aunt sets Nobara up at a boy's volleyball team dorm working as their dorm mother. Now we've got a good shoujo setting: girl surrounded by lots of hot guys.

We've got the asshole hot guy and the quiet hot guy in the main cast so I'm sure there'll be a love triangle happening between them. There wasn't a lot of sports action going on in volume one but I can tell there's going to be a lot coming up. Volume one is all pure set up for the series and I think volume two onward will start to have the plot actually moving forward. There are obviously still a lot of main characters that havn't even come into play yet. This series reminds me of Hikaru no Go in a lot of ways and I'm actually excited to read more! I'm glad I found a shoujo sports manga, I honestly didn't know those existed. I think this is a great series for guys who love sports manga and are intested in shoujo and girls who love shoujo and are interested in sports. IT'S A FUSION. I'm surprised to read that this series is still running and is twenty volumes strong. I'll definitely pick up volume two and read it if I can find it!

Crimson Hero #1 - 8.3/10

'Red River' #1 Review

2011-12-03T14:41:00.000-08:00

Since I've gotten back into this, I've only been reviewing American comics so let's get back into some manga! Like I've mentioned before, I usually get most of what I review on here from the library. I've been seeing this series Red River there for a very long time and they have over twenty-five volumes there! So I figured I'll review the first volume, if it's good then I'll read more and if it sucks then I probably won't. Well...it was alright. I'm pretty neutral about it. Before I go into Red River, I'd like to bring up something that's on the first page of this volume. It's VIZ's super hip layout, they've got a definition of Shoujo, Pulp Fiction style. It says SHOUJO n. 1. Manga appealing to both female and male readers.
...what the hell? I was amazed by this. Are they saying that shonen (or any other type of comic for that matter) isn't appealing to males and females? Like they're being so edgy and radical by having their type of comic appeal to both sexes? For the record, I know a LOT more gals who like Naruto and Bleach than I do guys. Have I ever met a guy who liked any shoujo? No. I'm not saying it's impossible for a guy to like shoujo, there are some out there that I really like! (Absolute Boyfriend, Alice 19th, CLAMP shoujo) I was just really surprised by this whole GUESS WHAT OUR MANGA ACTUALLY APPEALS TO EVERYONE thing they had to say.
Now that I've got that out there, I'd like to say that Red River is most definitely for female readers. I can't see many dudes spending money on this manga.

Also, check out that cover. Our heroin looks like she's about to be stabbed or worse by multiple people. That's pleasant, right? And the with a title like RED RIVER, my mind is automatically thinking blood since we've got knives on the cover. THIS IS SHOUJO?

Plot Summary

So the manga opens with Yuri Suzuki getting her first kiss. Then the guy immediately ditches after kissing her like a jackass. Later than night, Yuri notices water seems to be acting different around her. Cups of water are sloshing and bubbling when she's near them. At school the next day, two arms shoot out of a fishtank and grab her but then disappear. When she takes a bath at night, the arms reappear and drag her under the water. She nearly drowns before her family busts in from all the noise. She decides to stay away from water (so i'm guessing she didn't shower for a while) and later when she's walking with her beloved Satoshi, the water hands strike again!! They emerge from a puddle and drag her all the way in by the feet. She's under the water for a while and manages to break free and reaches the surface. She finds herself in an old bathhouse looking area full of strangely dressed folk. She's been transported BACK IN TIME to what is now TURKEY! She meets up with a super hot, angsty guy while on the run (he's destined to be the main hot guy of this manga) and he saves her from being captured. She runs away from him and gets captured anyway and we meet the antagonist of the tale, this crazy ass magician woman who is also the queen. We find out the super hot guy is one of the princes (there are six and I'm sure they're all super hot). So they're about to sacrifice her because the crazy queen bitch wants her dead when suddenly the hot prince KAIL says that she isn't a virgin and he was unaware she was supposed to be a virgin sacrifice. Yuri goes along with his lie and he takes her to his bachelor pad. Prince Kail tries to have her for real but she freaks and yells SATOSHI! So Kail leaves her alone and we all know she's gonna get with him eventually anyway. She gets a servant guy named Tito (which I thought was hilarious) and he's a cool kid. But the queen hypnotizes him and has Tito try to kill Yuri. The volume ends with her still on the run from the queen with Kail.

I didn't have much of an opinion on volume one. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great. The art style almost reminds of Osamu Tezuka's (Astro Boy) whimsical kind of style. Unfortunately there was one panel in here that was pretty awful looking, it actually scared me. It's just a shot of Yuri's profile view but the placement of her GIANT eye is so low on her head, it's practically below her nose. Pretty terrifying.
I might read volume two if I'm up for it.

Red River #1 - 5.3/10

'Legionnaires' #7 Review

2011-12-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

So I'd like to review this issue for a number of reasons. I picked this up at a local comic store for 50 cents for one reason: Adam Hughes! One of my favorite comic artists, Hughes' art is very recognizable and I had to pick this up. I'd never read a Legionnaires issue before but this is #7, still pretty early in the game. Not only was this issue GREAT, but it's one of the best illustrated comics I've ever seen. Adam Hughes' pencils with Mark Farmer's thick black outlines really makes some phenomenal artwork. Attempting to be something of an artist myself, I find this issue to be very inspirational. Since this adventure takes place underwater and everyone is in very little clothing, this issue is a great study of the human figure. Hughes' facial expressions are very well done and really bring all the characters to life.

Plot Summary

So the Earth has been destroyed (I'm not completely sure how or when) and our heroes are visiting Atlantis, which is very big in tourism. This is basically their vacation getaway and in the Legionnaires are big celebrities to the public. Inferno takes a liking to a local mermaid and hey follow her to her family's Inn and decide to stay there. Meanwhile, local Atlanteans are being randomly slaughtered by some MYSTERY BEASTS. All the Legionnaires start splitting up throughout Atlantis and doing their own thing. Matter-Eater Lad (great name) keeps trying to hit on Shrinking Violet but she keeps shutting him down. Inferno is spending time with the hot mermaid chick when some blaster fire interrupts their good time! A local starts attacking one of the "devil-fish" that's been killing people. Inferno destroys his gun and goes on a mission to figure out what's been happening in Atlantis to cause this. Later the other half of the gang is off having fun when more locals and devil-fish start fighting. The Legionnaires are caught up in the crossfire and Brainiac suddenly interrupts the quarrel speaking the devil-fish language. He explains that he's ordered them to cease their attacks on people and that they're actually intelligent creatures. He explains their history and how the rivalries started and basically patches things up between the two parties. When the Legionnaires are leaving the next day they assume that they don't have to pay anything and the inn owners didn't want to shame themselves by asking for money. Shrinking Violet realizes this was RUDE of them, they talk about it and send Matter-Eater Lad and Inferno back to ask about paying. They find the mermaid girl crying and saying her family's inn has been closed down because they were way behind on payments. The team decides to all chip in for the payments and the issue ends with Shrinking Violet commenting that Tenz (matter-eater lad) is KINDA CUTE. hee hee!

There was one panel where Triad (who is split into three different people) is commenting to herself on a previous "encounter" with Inferno. "Last time we listened to Inferno, we couldn't sit down for a month." "D-Don't bring that up again!" "Hey, the skin grew back, didn't it?"
Disturbing to say the least.

There's not a whole lot going on in the story for this issue but the art makes it a damn good read. The character relationships are pretty interesting on the team and I'd definitely like to read more in the future. It was fun to see how their hair is constantly moving underwater, usually standing straight up. I can't say enough about how great Adam Hughes is, and this issue is a great example!

Legionnaires #7 - 8.4/10

'Batman and Robin' #3 Review

2011-11-29T17:12:00.000-08:00

YEAH. Look at that cover! My favorite one yet, the fluid motion of the capes is amazing. It's a very minor detail but I really like how the artist signed his name on the cover by making out out of Robin's bootlaces. Very clever and cool signature.

Plot Summary

So this issue opens with Damian and Alfred playing a game of chess with all these really cool chess metaphors for what's happening in the comic. Bruce is outside setting up perimeter defenses like a "knight protecting his castle". Alfred shows he's a complete badass by attaching a few homing devices on Damian as he's trying to leave. Alfred is a big character so far and I really like that, rather than just being the butler in the background that says "Yes, Master Bruce." Damian confronts some bad apples in an alley and kicks the shit out of them (he punches an iphone right into a guy's face). He goes a little crazy at the end and you see a little of bit of the beast inside. Morgan appears, gives a little speech and knocks Damian out. THEN Bruce appears and they throw hands! After a pretty brutal fight, Bruce is knocked into the road and hit by an oncoming car, blacking out. Later (how much later it doesn't say) Batman and Robin wake up in an old car sitting in an abandoned drive-in. A countdown on the large screen begins and the issue ends with Morgan's voice on an intercom. "Glad to see everyone's coming around. Make yourselves comfortable. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show." GAHHH I WANT MORE. Seriously intense cliff hanger of an ending.

I caught up now, haven't read any more of the series. I'm excited to buy the next issue. What's gonna happen next?!! THE TENSION'S KILLIN' ME! This issue also has an ad for the new series Red Hood and the Outlaws. It looks SUPERB. I've never heard of this?? I'll definitely keep my eye out for that and do a review if I find it!

Batman and Robin #3 - 8.3/10

'Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane' Review

2011-11-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this! Marvel attempting to make Shoujo. Wow. I've been seeing this thing at the library for months and finally decided to pick it up. It wasn't until I had it checked out that I realized it's actually volume 4 in the series, but it's not hard to follow. Degrassi meets Spider-Man. I can see where the idea of this could sound good. There are so many different characters Peter has had relations with throughout the history of Spider-Man and putting them all in a high school setting sounds interesting. I think this series is very much directed at a target audience and I am not in that audience. They even collect it into a volume like this to make it look like a shoujo series. I mean the color scheme even looks like Fruits Basket!!

Plot Summary

So Peter and MJ aren't together anymore. Now MJ is with Harry and I guess they've also been together in the past but they broke up previously. It seems like every character has dated every other character at some point. Everyone is a whore. Not really. Spider-Man starts hanging out with Firestar and that eventually turns into make out sessions. Liz is having problems with her boyfriend Flash. They actually made Flash out to be a pretty cool guy in this series rather that just the normal Flash Thompson who yells "PARKER!!". MJ and Harry don't want to get serious but they do anyway. This comic is just constantly jumping around between relationships very fast. Warning to all guys thinking about reading this - There is no action. At all. No violence. Nothing. There's one bad guy on one page. Iceman has a random appearance at the end. That's about as Marvel Comics as this thing gets. Felicia Hardy is in it. I don't think she's Black Cat yet? They don't mention it at all. She's just a random whore who wants to screw up everyone else's relationships. She has no heart and wants everyone else's love life to fail. That's what I got out of it. She also speaks in cat metaphors. "Are you feelin' lucky?!" Recurring words like 'catch' 'bad luck' 'thief' 'jinx' and so on. They really lay it on thick. Harry opens up his 'soul' to MJ and admits that he loves her but she still loves Peter deep down. They break up and the comic ends with MJ and Peter on a bench together.

I definitely wouldn't say this series is bad, it's just not that great either...Like a mentioned before, it's all about the target audience. I don't think I'll be reading any more of this series but I'm not horribly disappointed at all. Strangely enough, this was created by two guys. The art style reminds me very much of a female artist, but I suppose the artist might have just been trying to imitate shoujo as best he could. I really didn't like the fact that it's called SPIDERMAN LOVES MARY JANE. I mean, come on, they couldn't think of something better? How about WEB OF ROMANCE? Corny but better, I think. On the back cover it says it's a 'breath of fresh air' and I really can't argue with that. Marvel was definitely branching out and I have to respect that.

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane volume 4 - 5.5/10

'Batman and Robin' #2 Review

2011-11-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

Time for issue number DOS. Right off the bat (GEDDIT) this issue opens with a 2 page spread showing events throughout Damian's life. His intense training that the League of Shadows put him through since birth. They're really trying to get across that Damian is a monster and Bruce has nurture him back to humanity. Unfortunately Bruce has no idea how to be a dad and that's part of what makes this series so damn interesting! *spoilers* Damian doesn't want to disappoint his father so halfway through the issue they're taking care of some thugs doing a weapons deal and Damian shows restraint when taking them down. Bruce notes this as "commendable". They tie up the thugs and leave them hanging from a light post when suddenly our mysterious villain shows up. He sneaks down right on top of the guys and slits their throats but they even know he's there. There's a page showing him standing under the thugs, a shower of blood flowing all around him. It was gruesome and disturbing and FANTASTIC. This comic book doesn't play games, there is some intense violence in this series. In the last scene with Damian, he's walking back to his room from his exercise session when he catches a bat in mid air and crushes it in his hand. Alfred notices as he tosses it away casually. This kid has problems.

The issue ends with Bruce purchasing a great dane and being confronted by a man named Morgan. It's revealed that this guy is a our stealthy killer. Morgan detonates a little explosive nearby to show he's one step ahead of the game and disappears. The tension is building, I'm eager to read more!! The atmosphere of this comic is so dark and it's complimented nicely at the end outside scene with it's bright colors. I'm always happy to discover new artists I like and the penciller Patrick Gleason is really skilled. I'd really like to post some more pictures from this comic but since it's so new I'm having trouble finding any! Just go to your local bookstore and buy an issue of this, you will enjoy it. I hope. You better. I have issue #3 and I'll review that soon!

Batman and Robin #2 - 8.2/10

'Batman and Robin' #1 Review

2011-11-23T09:53:00.000-08:00

Where do I start? It's been a year since I posted anything on here. I've moved around with computers a lot recently and actually forgot my account information on here but I finally got it all sorted out and I'm back.....I don't think anyone missed me. The blog seems to be exactly how I left it..but that's okay! I've been reading a lot of comics lately and I'd like to get some of this out there again. So instead of reviewing random manga from the library, I'm going to review something actually relevent!! If you're a fan of DC comics then you probably (or should) know about DC's new 52 that's happening right now. Fifty two DC titles all rebooting at once! Pretty exciting. I was a little doubtful when I first heard about it but now that I've read quite a few current issues, I'm pretty pleased! I'm going to review my favorite that I've read so far: Batman and Robin!

So Bruce is back. Damian Wayne is now Robin. I picked up issue one because I thought the relationship between father and son would be very interesting for Batman and Robin. And I was right! Normally you've got a brooding Batman and a cheerful Robin. With 2009's Batman and Robin series, you had positive Dick Grayson as Batman and a brooding Robin. Well NOW we've got a brooding Batman and a brooding Robin! DOUBLE BROOD. I thought this might be too much brood for one comic but Alfred balances it out with his awesome self.

This comic is dark. Very dark. My favorite thing about it is probably the atmosphere of it all. Dark colors everywhere. The art is just fantastic and the writing is great. I REALLY like Frank Quitely's art on the previous Batman and Robin but this new guy (Patrick Gleason) is great too. The villain introduced seems really interesting and also quite disturbed. There's some pretty intense violence in this comic, this definitely isn't The Brave and The Bold. A lot happens in this first issue and the end leaves you wanting more! I think if you're new to Batman comics or DC in general, this is a great start. If you're very familiar with Batman, you're gonna love this series. I'm eager to read more!

Batman and Robin #1 - 8.5/10

'Vagabond' #1 Review

2010-11-23T18:55:00.000-08:00

Holy shit. This is good. I'm a fan of Takehiko Inoue, I've read a fair amount of 'Slam Dunk' and 'Real', his art is FANTASTIC. I think in terms of his artwork, Vagabond is even better than his previous series, and that's really saying something. I think Inoue is one of the best manga artists out there. I can't think of many other manga ka out there that have the same degree of realism to their art. Hirohiko Araki's (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) artwork has that same life to it in his current series, Steel Ball Run. Him and Inoue should draw each others characters (NEW FANTASTY OF MINE).

So going from reading lots of Teen Titans to this was pretty odd. These panels are just so HUGE. Right off the bat, I have to say that this series is really violent. I figured as much, but once I started reading I was pretty surprised. There doesn't seem to be any warning anywhere on the volume saying "mature readers" or anything. A little odd. I think if 8 year old Timmy is browsing through the comic book section at Barnes and Noble and starts flipping through this manga, he's gonna have problems. Honestly though, I'm a boy, I love the violence in this manga, it's awesome. It takes me back to the days of being an 8 year old in Barnes and Noble, browsing through the comic section, flipping through the manga Akira and marveling at it's violence. I turned out alright, didn't I? o.O
Moving on.

Plot Summary
Vagabond is the story of the legendary samurai, Miyamoto Musashi. This story is directly based off of Eiji Yoshikawa's famous novel Musashi. The manga begins with two young men, Shinmen Takezo and Hon'iden Matahachi, leaving a battlefield full of corpses. They've been best friends most of their lives and they start traveling together from there. The two meet up with a mother and daughter living as thieves and are given food and board. Takezo is pretty much the definition of a badass, to the point where it's scary. People keep mentioning how he has eyes like a demon, and he really does. Vagabond has bits of romance in it, but violence is definitely the main element I get. This is a Seinen series in every aspect and I loved every page. I'm very eager to read more, it's been running for some time now.

If you have any sort of interest in Japanese history, this series is for you. Also, if you just want to see how far a manga can be taken in degrees of realism, most of the panels look like full on paintings; especially the beginning pages of a chapter which Inoue colors. All I can say is this manga is great. Seeing a volume of Vagabond in a bookstore puts everything else around it to shame just from Inoue's art on the cover. I can't imagine a person reading this first volume and being disappointed.

Vagabond #1 - 9/10

'The New Teen Titans - The Judas Contract' Review

2010-11-23T10:20:00.000-08:00

So if you were born in the early 90's like me, you loved Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Kids WB, etc. You might have gotten into the Teen Titans animated series in 2003. Personally, this show was a little too late for me, I think I could have enjoyed it if I was younger when it first came out, but I never got into it. I am a fan of the Teen Titans in general though, especially 'The New Teen Titans', the comic series by Wolfman and Perez that began in 1980. Even though I generally look down on the Teen Titans animated series for a number of reasons, I do like how they covered the Judas Contract, the most infamous arc of the Titans history.

SPOILER WARNING. After years of buying random issues of The New Teen Titans at my local comic shop, I've finally covered the Judas Contract, and it's quite a doozy. This arc marks some big changes for the Titans. Kid Flash leaving the group, Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing, Jericho joining the group, and obviously the finale leaves the character reeling from the shock of what's happened. This also marked the transition of the title 'New Teen Titans' becoming 'Tales of the Teen Titans'. Terra's death by rock crushing at the end was brutal to say the least. I remember her simply being changed into stone in the animated series.

My favorite aspect of the Judas Contract was simply the character Joseph Wilson, aka Jericho. He was just a BADASS. I really want to start hunting down more Teen Titans with Jericho in the team. He's got some of the coolest powers I've ever seen in a comic book (CONTACT!) and I just love his furious mutton chops. Those really show how dated this comic is, but in a good way! The relationship between Slade and Jericho was really touching at parts. I'm still a little disturbed by the romance between Slade and Terra. I don't blame the animated series for not going into that more, it's pretty weird. I really like how human Slade is in the comics, though. He's such a hardcore mercenary but he's still a father in some aspects. If you ever watched the show, Tara Markov was a shy, timid girl who had trouble controlling her powers. In the comic, she's a loud mouth, trash talking, cig smoking, brat with buck teeth. Slight change there.

In the climax of the last battle, Terra goes completely insane. Wolfman and Perez didn't try to give the character any hope at all, she just flew right off the handle and ultimately caused her own demise. Overall, really intense arc. Lots of drama, lots of emotion. Perez's art is fantastic, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I especially enjoyed Wolfman's writing in the final pages at Terra's funeral.

"But Joseph William Wilson isn't listening to his mother, his thoughts are elsewhere...soaring high on a warm spring wind, floating gently in a a clear, cloudless sky...and borne aloft by tomorrow's hopes and dreams that can still come true."

The Judas Contract: 8.5/10

Awesome JLA Cover

2010-11-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

So far, I've only posted comic reviews on this blog, but I had to share this with someone, and my comic blog seems fitting. I was at my local comic book store a few days ago looking through the huge selection of 3 for a dollar comics, and came upon this gem.

Look at this dialogue ->

WOW. JUST...YES. Jive bunch of turkeys. That just says it all. Welcome to 1979. I always thought Black Lighting was hilarious. Damn. I had a good laugh over it.

That is all.

Update!!

2010-11-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted anything on here! I'm sorry guys!! I really don't know how many people (if any) actually read this blog. I've been very busy with school and art and life in general lately! I really want to pick up reviewing things on here again. It's a lot of work though, all support is GREATLY appreciated!! In other news, my friend and I are starting a web comic, i'm really excited about it so i'll link that to here once we start getting things up. Hopefully i'll get some more reviews up on here soon. Lately i've been reading tons of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and The New Teen Titans! I'll probably post a new poll on here, see if anyone votes on it haha. Super special awesome hugs to anyone who reads this blog!!! :D

-Max

'Chobits' Review

2010-04-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

More manga from Clamp! SHOCKER! I watched the anime quite a few years ago and I've been wanting to pick up the manga for comparison. As per usual, the manga is far better. Only eight volumes in all, Chobits is a great sci-fi/romance.

Plot Summary

Hideki Motosuwa is a guy (in his late teens?) going to cram school in Tokyo. Taking place in the near future, the world has been introduced to persocoms: human-looking androids used as personal computers. On his way home from work one evening, he spots a persocom in the form of a girl laying in a pile of trash outside. He takes the android home and after she has awoken, has no memory of anything. Only being able to say the word 'Chi', Hideki names her Chi and decides to take care of her and teach her as much as he can. Chi's mysterious past is slowly revealed throughout the series and Hideki begins to fall in love with her.

This series has many interesting relationships, a major one being love between a human and a persocom. More examples are a boy who has built a persocom to replace his deceased sister, a woman who is abandoned by her husband after he buys a persocom, and at the end, a developing relationship between two persocoms.

The art is Clamp, so I loved it. It's a very different style compared to other Clamp works. It's very sketchy compared to the art of xxxHolic, which is all smooth, even lines. Also, I noticed the noses of males in Chobits are all just a few sketchy lines on the bridge of the nose. Very different compared to other works by Clamp.

One thing that really bothered me about the Tokyopop (douchebags!) translation was that the amazingly awesome persocom, Sumomo, was given the name Plum. What the hell? Everyone else has their normal Japanese names: Hiromu Shinbo, Minoru Kokobunji, etc. WHOSE IDEA WAS 'PLUM'?!

One thing I'd like to mention about the anime: There was an entire episode dedicated to Chi getting her first pair of underwear. In the manga it was about two pages. Wow.

I noticed in a bookstore recently that Dark Horse started publishing Chobits in massive volume formats. I thought this was pretty awesome. Even though it seems kind of unnecessary, I have a lot more respect for Dark Horse than Tokyopop. Overall, this series is very well put together. Not too long and not too short. Since it's only eight volumes, it moves pretty quickly. Very enjoyable series with good romance and lots of great humor!

Chobits: 8/10