Episode 127 - Deadpool is the new Wolverine

This ep we talk about the upcoming Deadpool Corp, Dark Reign, Alan Moore, the Umbrella Academy, trades and more!

Episode 127 -Deadpool is the new Wolverine

Manga Reviews: Akira, Bloody Kiss, Ode to Kirihito, Tsubasa

Akira Vol. 1
Story & Art: Katsuhiro Otomo
Translation: Yoko Umezawa
Adaptation: Linda M. York & Jo Duffy
Publisher: Kodansha Comics

How do I go about reviewing the very book that got me into manga over 20 years ago? How do I review the pinnacle of story-telling that changed the way I looked at comics forever? How long can I keep asking questions? It’s true; Katsuhiro Otomo’s masterpiece was my very first manga. Of course back then it was released in comic format by Epic Comics (Marvel) and in color by Steve Oliff. 10 years later it was reprinted in its original Black and White format by Dark Horse Comics with a new translation. This new version is brought to us by Kodansha Comics (the same publisher that has been in the game for 100 years. To be honest, other than the new introduction by Otomo himself I think that this version is identical to the sold out Dark Horse version.

The story takes place in Neo-Tokyo in the year 2030, which is also thirty-eight years after World War Three began when a new type of bomb exploded over Japan. While riding at night through Old Tokyo where the bomb exploded, a group of bikers led by Kaneda, suddenly come upon a small boy standing in the middle of the road. Before Tetsuo, who is riding at the head of the pack, can swerve out of the way, his motorcycle explodes. The small boy disappears as the military shows up and starts asking questions and then leaves without offering any aid to the injured Tetsuo. Kaneda’s life turns upside down when he encounters a woman named Kei who belongs to an underground revolutionary movement that is fighting against a covert government agency that studies humans with paranormal abilities. It turns out that one of these humans is the little boy that Kaneda's gang ran across that night in Old Tokyo. However, Tetsuo is also one of these superhumans, but he is far more dangerous than the others because his powers are just developing and he doesn't know how to control them. Things go to hell when Tetsuo tries to become the head honcho and ends up killing one of his old friends, Yamagata. There are also rumors and whispers of a small powerful force named Akira.

What can I say? Other than I loved this story and it still holds up after all these years. Otomo is a great storyteller. His artwork is very clean but also detailed and the action sequences were easy to follow. The artwork is top notch, but in the first book the style is quite different than the later installment. The characters look fairly rough to begin with, Kei and the Colonel in particular, though they fall into their usual forms fairly quick. Otomo's astounding attention to detail shines through from the very first panel, however, and the cityscapes are simply breathtaking. The artwork is flipped to accommodate English readers, and it's sometimes a little weird as the flow gets interrupted in spots. The translation is also pretty accurate. The dialogue isn't the greatest prose ever written or anything, but it's a far better translation than one might expect. No book collection is complete without Akira, I’m not talking manga or comics I’m talking books! A+

Bloody Kiss vol. 2
Story & Art: Kasuko Furumiya
Translation: Monica Seya Chin
Adaptation: Magda Erik-Soussi
Publisher: Tokyopop

It seems that the vampire craze has been sweeping the nation because of Twilight. But I guess vampires were always a part of our culture. We’ve had titles in manga like Trinity Blood, Chibi Vampire, and of course Vampire Hunter D (yes, I know that it’s a novel, but there is a manga out there). The premise of this book is pretty simple: After Kiyo inherits her late grandmother's run-down mansion and decides to temporarily move in as she prepares to become a lawyer. The catch is she also inherts two kind, handsome vampires, Kuroboshi and his servant Alshu, that have been living for years with her grandmother. Things turn for the worse when both vampires decide that they need to enroll in school to check out the female student body…well Alshu pretends to be a school nurse. It seems that Kiyo’s feelings for Kuroboshi are stronger than she first thought and is willing to keep him at school by playing a tennis match against Fujiwara. There is also another vampire story called Wishing on a Vampire at the end of the book. The story was interesting although sort of predictable, and is gets pretty repetitive. The idea of the story isn't new and I found it similar to Fruits basket in some aspects. Sometimes the art looked awkward and it got confusing to follow, but it really does fit the book, specially the chibi style used in parts of it. B

Ode To Kirihito
Story & Art: Osamu Tezuka
Translation: Camellia Nieh
Publisher: Vertical

As much of a fan that I am of Tezuka it’s amazing that I never heard of this book until I started looking at Vertical’s back log of manga they have on their website. The plot of this book is pretty simple at first, but turns into a beautiful complex story. It starts with a young doctor named Kirihito Osanai and his efforts to cure a strange disease that deforms its victims so that they look like dog people. He eventually becomes infected with the disease himself and is led on a wild odyssey around the world as he is kidnapped and treated like a fool by many people. During his journey he meets strange allies and stranger foes. Many of the characters are portrayed as neither outright good nor bad. The series also includes a number of references to Christianity; and that is somewhat unusual in Japanese manga. This really just summarizes the plot, but there is a great deal more going on here; with many subplots, a raft of well-developed characters, and actions and reactions that feel completely realistic. Tezuka has created a wonderfully detailed world here, and the truly amazing thing about Ode to Kirihito is that, like all truly well-crafted graphic novels, it feels like we just don't spend enough time in that world. Osamu is simply brilliant and is a master story teller weaving all human emotions in this superbly crafted book. His brilliance lies in developing each character and handling it in such a way that left you gasping and wondering how keen an observer Osamu was. Eight hundred pages just don’t seem enough to read about. I could follow Kirihito’s life for more volumes. The cover is which features a slider that, when moved to the left, reveals Kirihito's face after he has contracted Monmow's disease. The only drawback to the book is that the last 350 pages started dragging the plot down because the pace slowed down dramatically. I had to push myself to get pass some of those pages. But the overall product is still an amazing story. A-

Tsubasa vols. 23 & 24
Story & Art: CLAMP
Translation: William Flanagan
Lettering: Dana Hayward
Publisher: Del Rey

I have been completely out of the loop in Tsubasa. After reading 17 volumes back to back I found it difficult to skip to volume 23 and 24, because it seems like I missed a full chunk of story. I guess if you aren’t familiar with Tsubasa you can check out our huge review of the books. Here is a quick catch-you-up just in case you didn’t want to read all that: Sakura is the princess of Clow and Syaoran is a young archaeologist passionate about the past and about Sakura. Before she can tell him that she, too, loves him, she is drawn into ancient ruins, where her memories, in the form of feathers, are scattered across multiple worlds. Syaoran goes with the dying Sakura to Yuko, the time-space witch, who grants him, along with Kurogane and Fai D. Flowright, the ability to travel across worlds to seek out the feathers. It’s been one hell of a ride with so many cameos by other CLAMP characters. It seems that volume 23 wraps up the story with Syoaran clone. They crammed so much into one volume with Syaoran's battle to stop the clone's rampage, protect Sakura, and salvage Fai's last chance at a life without physical dependency on Kurogane. The line that really got to me was when Sakura asked Syaoran if she could call him Syaoran. This shows that she has grown close to him and wants to express how much she cares about him without using honorifics. Volume 24 is the beginning of the final Tsubasa story arc (it ended in Japan with volume 28 just this month). The flashback sequences were really nice to see in this volume. This series has been epic so far and I can’t wait to see how it ends. A

SPOOKY COMIC ORIENTED GOARD!!!

Carved myself a Venom Pumpkin today. I'm pretty proud of it considering it took about an hour and a half, start to finish. Now I'm posting it on here because you're my only real friends and it's 1 in the morning, who else would look at this crap?

My Pumpkin wants to eat your brain...

At The Movies With About Heroes West Coast! (Episode 16)

In this episode, grab your barf bags and get ready to watch some gore, because the West Coast Crew are watching Peter Jackson's Zombie Epic, Dead Alive (or Brain Dead, depending on where you live)!!!! Pop in your copy and grab your lawn mowers, this one's gonna be messy...

West
Coast About Heroes - Episode 16

We have a twitter account! For more frequent comic-oriented updates, follow us: TWEET. Also, feel free to email us: aboutheroes 'AT' gmail.com.

The Umbrella Academy Dallas TPB Review

Writer: Gerard Way
Artist: Gabriel Ba
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letters: Nate Piekos
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

If I were ever to create a comic it would be released just like Umbrella Academy. I love the way that instead of having one ongoing title like Avengers or Justice League; Way just releases "seasons" whenever he feels a new idea coming on. But how would this work? Because the first book was a well told tale that had a beginning and a definitive ending. How could they keep going with the story of the seven gifted brothers and sisters? I mean they had already done what they had set out to do. Save the world from their all too powerful and crazy sister. How could they top that story? Well, how about we throw time traveling, President Kennedy, and tons of missiles in there!!!?

The story of Umbrella Academy is much like X-men or Doom Patrol, if I had to compare it to other comic books. The Professor X or Doc Niles of the book is Sir Reginald Hargreeves (The Monocle) and he adopts seven infants that will grow up to save the world. They are a dysfunctional group of superheroes who try to live as a dysfunctional family. As kids they just referred to each other by numbers, but as adults they each have their own code name which include; Spaceboy, Rumor, Kraken, Séance, Future, White Violin, and Horror (who didn't live long enough to get a decent codename). Turns that they had to save the world from their sister The White Violin.

This volume takes place after the apocalyptic battle with their sister. It really feels like that even though they saved the world, none of the siblings are out celebrating except for The Séance, who has become a celebrity. Spaceboy has become indolent and does nothing but watch TV, Kraken's working with the police to investigate his mysterious time-travelling brother No.5, The White Violin can't move and doesn't remember anything, The Rumor is dealing with the loss of her voice and is using a notepad to write down what she thinks, and of course the Horror is still six feet under. This is a really depressing start. After the first volume I figure they would be all together and teaming up against alien invaders or something. Without giving to much away things do get better when No. 5 shows back up and together they must stop Temps Aeternalis, which is an organization that has time traveling capabilities that has a plot to kill JFK. Did I mention that there are two time traveling psychos that make things harder for the team?

With his use of eccentric dialogue, nicely paced foreshadowing, and secret histories Way really had me hooked from beginning to end. Normally I grow tired of time traveling stories that feature JFK's assassination, but the reasons given at the end of the book really made me believe all of this was possible. I really didn't think I was going to enjoy this book as much as I did the first volume, because I really underestimated Apocalypse Suite. But, the book had a strong story from the beginning, with just the right amounts of insanity, dark humor, suspense, heart, darkness, and hope to keep me reading it in one sitting and rereading it again before I wrote this review. By the end of the volume, I not only became a believer that Gerard Way could tell a hell of a story using his own characters, but he could write stories featuring the X-men or the JSA or Doom Patrol and make them just as good.

What is a solid story without a prime artist to carry out the visuals? That talent came in the form of the expressive and vivid artwork by Gabriel Ba; whose artwork reminded me of a cross of Mike Mignola, Michael Oeming, Tim Sale, and Guy Davis, but with more of fluidity to his shapes and forms. His layouts are dynamic and can carry the unscripted story by themselves. I enjoyed his art in the first book, but this is a whole new level. His facial expressions were cute and creepy as if Tim Burton or Edward Gorey had design the characters. Ba does a fantastic job of grounding the insane stuff, giving enough attention to details like the two time traveling assassins Hazel and Cha-Cha wearing the cartoon masks. How can something that looks so adorable look menacing at the same time? The colors by Stewart only make the comic stand out from most new books on the market. Those vivid colors sure helped out during the brain splattering scenes.

If you aren't a fan of My Chemical Romance or just refuse to read this book based on its cult following, at least check out the intro by Neil Gaiman praising this book. If you like Hellboy, BPRD, the Goon, and X-men, Scryed, Doom Patrol you'll most likely LOVE Umbrella Academy. If you like weird, fun, and well plotted, paced story buy this book. And of course if you like My Chemical Romance, I'm sure you have already bought this book. It was a real treat to read. I think of UA Dallas in the same terms that I do of Terminator 2 or Aliens; sequels that surpass the original story. I think the one thing that I missed having in this collection is James Jean doing the covers. I'm a huge fan of his and it was a little disappointing not to have him come back again and do the covers. A small gripe really, but you know I will be first in line if these guys put together a third series. A

Manga Reviews: TGIF!

Bakugan Battle Brawlers vol. 3
Adaptation: Elizabeth Hurchalla
Letterer: Tomas Montalvo-Lagos
Publisher: Del Rey

Years ago before anime made such a huge impact in America, Viz released a set of ani-manga books called Dirty Pair. Now the Dirty Pair OAVs were only available in Japan or via horrible bootleg copies so these books were a blessing. Fast forward 17 years later and ani-manga is still coming out here. I have seen many Inu-Yasha and Naruto, but I had no clue that there were so many available. In case you don’t know, ani-manga is a manga that takes its panels from the actual show by using stills. Then someone goes in and letters those pictures. Anyway, Bakugan to me seems like the Pokémon formula that has been recycled over and over. However, this book seems to be a little more than just capturing a new monster and keep trying to catch them all eventually. This book introduces Masquerade and his Bakugan Rikimaru and its up to Dan Kuso and Drago to put a stop this new menace. With images taken from the Nelvana production, Battle Brawlers is a great introduction to the world of Bakugan. The images are well chosen, and the resulting book is easy to follow and understand. I can see why kids get into this series and to be perfectly honest part of me really got into the monster battle. C

Fairy Tail vol.8
Story & Art: Hiro Mashima
Translations: William Flanagan
Lettering: North Market Street Graphics
Publisher: Del Rey

I remember reading the first three volumes of Fairy Tail back to back when they first launched in America. I was already a huge fan of Rave Master so I didn’t have to get my arms twisted to read this book. The first thing that pops up about his artwork is that is looking more and more like Eiichiro Oda and this is not a bad thing. Of course their artwork could look alike because they shared the same studio at one time. Celestial wizard Lucy has always wanted to be in the wizard guild Fairy Tail, and she thinks she's got an in when she

teams up with Natsu, and his bobble-headed cat Happy, Erza, and Gray! While the art work is great, I have to say that the fight scenes are getting dull and repetitive. At times the angles and the way the characters are drawn make the fighting really hard to follow. Nothing is really standing out now, except for Ezra’s armor and weapon ability. What I do like about the book is the fast paced straightforward story. It is definitely filled with comic relief, mostly of the belly-laugh variety, lots of strange antics, and fun dialogue. Add in lots of mass mayhem when the wizards start brawling and it still a good read. B+

Mikansei NO. 1 vol.1
Story & Art: Majiko
Translation: Ray Yoshimoto
Adaptation: Hope Donovan
Publisher: Tokyopop

I’m assuming that when it states that this book is from the artist of Code Geass it means the manga, not the anime. Anyway, Mikansei has an interesting twist on time travel (no, not interesting like Time Crimes). For some reason Neo Takigawa wants to travel to the 21st century from the 23rd to be a pop star of all things. Somehow, because I’m still not sure how, she finds a bottle with weird mist inside and once it cracks open she appears in the year 200X. As soon as she appears in 200X she starts singing a duo with Saya Kudou and the two must get along if they are to make their dreams of becoming a pop sensation come true. Of course it’s not going to be easy when Neo gets on Sayaya’s nerves and she gets put in trashcans because the competition is rough. I can’t describe how fast this book moved. This book was made for people with ADD, because there is no time for anything. In one page Neo is the 23rd century and two pages later she is singing with Saya and for some reason no one wonders where she popped out of. It got aggravating to follow at times, but it took no time to read. I have to say that the art is the best thing about the book. It’s an appealing style that gives certain cuteness to the characters. The sequential art is easy to follow, but it really doesn’t help the story that seems to be everywhere. C

Papillon vol. 4
Story & Art: Miwa Ueda
Translation: Elina Ishikawa
Lettering: North Market Street Graphics
Publisher: Del Rey

Before you read this review I want you to know that unlike Omar, I am not biased at all when it comes to judging people based on their previous work lol. Just messin with ya! Anyway, I love and I really need to stress how much I loveeeee Peach Girl. It was a manga that seemed to me ahead of its time and the artwork was unique back then. I had never heard of Papillon so I decided to play catch up and read the first three books last week. It’s about a girl named Ageha trying to steal the guy she likes from her twin sister Hana. Hana seems to be the pretty and popular one of the twins. It’s amazing how much just happens in four volumes because now Ageha is confident and dating her guidance counselor Kyu, who is all about positive thinking. Now Hana wants to get Kyu’s attention. The characters in the book are very likable and the heroine is easy to relate to if you're a shy or mousy person who wants to stand out, or if you’ve ever been in love with someone from a distance. Ageha's attitude and confidence changes dramatically through a smooth transaction which takes place in the previous three volumes, so it feels like we are growing with her. Although it moves kinda slowly and nothing big happens, the characters deliver it well and Ueda's artwork skillfully captures the expressions of love and heartache. The only bad thing about this book is that it seems to share the same formula that Peach Girl had with all the twist and surprises. I really hope they don’t keep doing that in this book, because it got old in Peach Girl. Overall I’m hooked on the series and can’t wait to find out what happens with all the characters specially Ryusei. Check it out if you love all that teen drama we’ve all been through. A

WCAH Episode 15: Catching Up With The WC Crew...

In this episode, the West Coast crew read some listener hate mail and catch up with each other telling various nerd stories. Josh talks about his proud moment of his girlfriend's first 'nerd rage' episode, Chris K talks about seeing Paranormal Activity, We address claims that we're homophobes, We talk a little about comics, it's a good one, kiddies!

West
Coast About Heroes - Episode 15

Uggo 'Sexy' Captain America Outfit:

Also, check out the paranormal activity where Chris H and Josh P can be seen @ 1:05!

Screen-caps from around the web:

We have a twitter account! For more frequent comic-oriented updates, follow us: TWEET. Also, feel free to email us: aboutheroes 'AT' gmail.com.

Manga Reviews: Kamichama Karin Chu, Mad Love Chase, Minima, Trigun Maximum

Kamichama Karin Chu vol. 6
Story & Art: Koge-Donbo
Translations: Althea Nibley
Adaptation: Athena Nibley
Publisher: Del Rey

If the name Koge-Donbo or Kokoro Koharuno ring a bell, it’s because you have heard that name before. Not from the predecessor of this title, but from a small title called Digi Charat. One look at the character’s eyes and you’ll see it was pretty obvious. Anyway, Kamichama Karin Chu is a sequel to Kamichama Karin that was originally published by Tokyopop. Karin is a reincarnation of the goddess Aphrodite and can transform using a ring left to her by her parents. Nya-Ke is her pet cat/goddess, but every magical girl has to have a pet-sidekick. Kazune and Himeka are some kind of reincarnated versions of her husband and daughter who also posses powers and are now living with her. At this point Karin has lost her memory and the baddies are taking advantage of this. The only way to get it back if for Jin to use Professor Karasuma’s power. After reading this volume I think I found my main problem with this book. I don’t know if it’s the translation team or the actual dialogue, but the story is written very amateurish. The explanation of the ability to use magic just doesn’t make any sense and the repetitive dialogue started getting annoying. The art, much like Digi Charat is very cute and that is the main focus, every character keeps getting cuter and cuter, except for the villains (they get no love). And when I mean cute, I mean cute; soo cute your stomach won’t be able to stand it. The story did improve over the last few volumes. The tensions are getting bigger between friends and having Karin lose her memory really threw a wrench in the repetitive plot, but something is still not clicking with this series. However, if you were a fan of the first series or are completely into magical girl stories you are going to love this book. C+

Mad Love Chase vol.1
Story & Art: Kasuza Takashima
Translations: Katherine Schilling
Lettering: Star Print Brokers
Publisher: Tokyopop

I have never read Wild Rock or Man’s Best Friend, so I’m going into this book with an open mind. I guess I’m one of the reviewers that sometimes let’s someone’s previous work influence the way I grade their next book. I guess we all have our faults. Anyway, this book is about Prince Kaito of the Demon World who escaped to the human world so he could avoid an arranged marriage. For some reason he changed to a high school student named Kujou Yamato and his cat Rebun became the school nurse, Haga. Things get complicated when Kaito’s father sends three demons after his son. You have the brains of the outfit, one who becomes Kujou’s best friend, and the third demon is just worried about hooking up with Haga (who don’t forget is really just a cat). Of course it can’t end there, because when these three fail to bring back Kaito, it’s up to his fiancée to go to the human world and get her man. She becomes the guidance counselor Sugita. The art is completely gorgeous. Not only fan service with all the pretty boys, Takashima does great goofy faces and exaggerated body language, that suits the slapstick storytelling very well. It’s not that deep of a story, but the characters and the stupid situations they get into really made it easy to enjoy this book. The only downside I have to point out is that it seems fairly short. I could do with less ads and character sketches as long as I got more story. B+

Minima! Vol.4
Story & Art: Machiko Sakurai
Translation: Athena Nibley
Adaptation: Alethea Nibley
Publisher: Del Rey

I remember in my first review mentioning that I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to grow up without a favorite stuffed animal. Yes, I am admitting that my toy rabbit was my buddy when I was a kid and I would have given anything for him to come to life. Well that’s exactly what happens to Ame Oikawa. She is a shy schoolgirl that happens to be in love with the cutest guy in the school Sasaki; she also finds a stuffed animal that is already alive. Nicori is a little meerkat doll (I still think he looks like a mouse) that has a mind of his own and he lets people know exactly what is on his mind all the time. . Nicori decides to stick around and help Ame win Sasaki’s love. But when he sees that he is causing more problems than fixing them, he decides to leave. He leaves because he loves Ame and he seems to think that everything going bad is his fault. When he leaves this time it was really heart wrenching, because the little guy turns back into a doll. Watching Ame tell him she loves him and the last scene where she is crying and holding his now stuffed animal body was depressing. It really hit me and reminded me of the final scene in the Winnie the Pooh (the books not the Disney series) story. While the artwork is not remarkable, it does manage to tell this story clearly and simply. I’m not sure why this series grew on me, but I’m glad I kept reading it because in the end I would recommend it to not just kids, but adults that are still kids at heart. Which goes to show you sometimes it’s hard to judge manga by one volume, specially the first. A-

Trigun Maximum vols. 12-14
Story & Art: Yashiro Nightow
Translation: Mathew Johnson
Lettering: Replibooks
Publisher: Dark Horse

It’s kind of ironic that my first manga I ever reviewed was Trigun volume 1 for komikwerks.com all those years ago. Alright, it wasn’t that long ago, just six years ago when Omar and I started reviewing manga together. I find it suiting that I review the last volumes of this wonderful series that has taken me six years to read. Not because I’m a slow reader, just because it takes that long to get these out. Before I finished the series I reread the entire Trigun run to refresh my memory and let me tell you, I’m glad I did.

This is it boys and girls! The ride has come to an end. Wolfwood is dead, Livio is having visions of Wolfwood while fighting Elendria, and Vash has his final confrontation with Legato and Knives. And what a hell of a fight between Vash and Legato it is. Brutal, morbid, and bloody to the bitter end even though Vash had to kill Legato to keep save Livio’s life, he still kept in character with his no-kill rule. But he had to because Legato gave him no choice, I guess this is why I have always loved Vash, he tries to find other ways to solve a problem than just shoot someone in the head. For a guy with three guns, he is such a pacifist. The Earth Defense Force can’t think of a way to destroy Knives without killing everyone on the planet. The final fight between Vash and Knives is short and sweet, by the end, I knew how it was going to play out since Vash could never kill Knives and as twisted as Knives is he could never kill Vash. The outcome of the fight is what really made the series for me. Knives taking his brother to get help after he what seems to be mortally wounded and the silly aftermath that takes back the series full circle. The book ends on a lovely 2-page color spread of Vash the Stampede, which I did not expect. To see that 2 page image and the cover of Vash giving a Love and Peace sign really brought joy to this series.

My quick and only gripe about is the untranslated sound effects. Sometimes I can overlook it, but at other times, such as in Trigun, translations could really come in handy. The more the series progresses, the more the story relies on the artwork because it’s so actiony. I still love the series and will continue to love it, because believe it or not after 12 volumes it does get easier to understand. Vash is fighting Knives, who is absorbing plants to annihilate the human race, and Livio fighting Elendria while having flashback and the little details as to how all this comes about is lost due to sound effects remaining untranslated! The only words that can be found for pages at a time are the sound effects, and I need every little hint I can get as to what’s happening in the story. But the more you read, the more you get used to it and you can even start making your own sound effects. Just a small gripe for an otherwise fantastic ride. So long Vash and the rest of the gang! And as always: LOVE AND PEACE!!!! A

Manga Reviews: Second Week in a row!

Black Jack vols. 6 & 7
Story & Art: Osamu Tezuka
Translation: Camellia Nieh
Publisher: Vertical
Sometimes I find it difficult to review Tezuka’s work because after all the man is the God of comics and how do you criticize perfection? I remember being so excited when Viz first released these stories in their short-lived manga Anthology Manga Vizion. It was upsetting that they didn’t continue publishing the adventures of the tortured renegade Doctor. Along came Vertical to the rescue and this translation is far superior to its predecessor. Like the previous five books, these volumes are oversized with 14 different stand alone stories per volume. Black Jack is a complex individual; he is a man who professes to care only about money but who is deeply concerned for the well-being of all his patients. He is a man with no limits in the medical field and even though he works miracles, not everyone has a happy ending. The stories are a fantastic mix of sci-fi, romance, horror, and of the human will to survive. One of my favorite things about Tezuka’s art is that he never recycles any of his character designs (unless they make a cameo) and the secondary characters all stand out in their own unique way…I think I developed a soft spot for Pinoko after reading The Two Pinokos story. Camelliah Nieh does a stupendous job with the translations making the characters sound so real and as true to the Japanese as possible. I literally read the book from cover to cover twice and have passed it around to other friends to get them to read comics. If you are a fan of House, Grey’s Anatomy, ER, or even Scrubs you are missing out on such a great series if you aren’t reading this book.A

Karakuri Odette vol.1
Story & Art: Julietta Suzuki
Translation: Aimi Tokutake
Adaptation: Peter Ahlstrom
Publisher: Tokypop

There are certain things I’m a sucker for in life: Giant robots, two chicks and one cup, X-men, and for some reason robot girls trying to become human. Sure we have seen this kind of story since the days of Pinocchio, but it’s always a nice twist when the thing trying to become human is a cute girl any guy would fall for. It would have been really easy for Suzuki to turn Odette into an annoying Bimbo (yes, they do exist), but for some reason she comes across as a naïve, gentle, and caring android that you end up cheering for in the end. While the first few chapters get a little repetitive, I still found myself wondering what she was going to come home and ask for next. Kind of like Arale in Doctor Slump, but not funny. When she asked for weaker arms, because she didn’t want to stand out during gym class I wasn’t expecting her to get stuck in a well with her friend. During the Christmas season Professor Yoshisawa leaves Odette alone, she finds herself in company of Chris Number Seven, yep another android that ends up playing the game of Life with her. The art in this book is your typical shojo art. But it is refreshing to see that you won’t find any kind of fan service in this robot chick story. A -

NG Life volume 1
Story & Art: Mizohu Kusanagi
Translation: Nan Rymer
Publisher: Tokyopop

Kind of funny that the day after I watch the episode of Doctor Who entitled The Fires of Pompeii, I end up reading this book Now stay with me cause the plot can get a little confusing, well just the players can get confusing. In the city of Pompeii Sirix was becoming a champion in the gladiator arena. His best friend, who was always at his side, was named Loleus. His love interest was the lovely Serena. All this came to an abrupt end when Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the city. Of course nobody survived the disaster, but it seems that their souls are occupying bodies in modern-day Japan. Sirix is a high school student named Keidai Saeki, his best friend is now a girl named Mii Serizawa, his sister is his mother, and his arch nemesis is his father. The biggest twist of fate comes in the reincarnated body of Serena, who turns out to be his new neighbor named Yuuma, and happens to be a boy. Not only is Keidai the only person who remembers everyone’s past lives, but he’s managed to creep out Yuuma, who I still think looks like a girl. While this is all some great ingredients for a confusing love story, it is really overshadowed by the unfunny comedy that is all over this book. It seems that in every other page Keidai is freaking out about something and over reacts with jaw dropping faces. The art's a little rough on the edges, but it has a warm feel and brings out the characters' personalities, but like I mentioned before, sometimes a little too much. Plenty of clichés in the story, but I still have hope that after the play something happens to the other characters to make them remember. C+

Oh My Goddess! vols. 9-12
Story & Art: Kosuke Fujishima
Translation & Adaptation: Dana Lewis & Toren Smith
Publisher: Dark Horse

How could I only put one exclamation mark when I write Oh My Goddess? I believe three exclamation marks wouldn’t do the book justice. Okay, in case you don’t know what Oh My Goddess! is about, here is a real real quick recap: Keiichi Morisato accidently dials a goddess hotline and ends up with three goddesses. These three Goddesses are Belldandy, who Keiichi is madly in love with, her older sister Urd, and her younger sister Skuld. These four volumes have so much story pact in them it’s insane. From Keiichi turning into a girl a storyline that takes a turn for the darker as Urd's evil half is exploited by the demonic Mara, partly as another scheme to drive Belldandy back to Heaven but also simply to return to the friendly relationship she enjoyed with Urd when they were kids. Mara being Mara once again fails to fully consider all ramifications of her plan... and the resulting two Urds may both die before the story is over. By far the greatest OMG story comes from these volumes. The sad story about Keiichi’s dog literally brought tears to my eyes, as I’m sure any animal lover would get teary eyed too.

What are the odds of someone making the same mistake twice? Well, leave it to Keiichi to beat the odds when he manages to dial up Peorth, a beautiful goddess who happens to know what Keiichi's secret desires are, and wants to grant him his fantasy.
Peorth will stop at nothing to get Keiichi to admit his desire for intimacy. Showing up nude in the bath to scrub his back? Getting into his bed in black lingerie? Trying to get him to drown so she can perform mouth-to-mouth? She'll do it. Things only get worse when Peorth meddles with Urd's love potions, accidentally creating one that makes ANY woman Keiichi looks at fall in love with him. And wouldn't you know it, his sister Megumi is visiting for the day! Keiichi and Belldandy's love for each other is put through trial after trial, as Peorth attempts not only to seduce Keiichi, but to make Belldandy remember an insult she gave Peorth long ago. Fujishima's characters and their relationships continue to evolve in these volumes with Belldandy and Keiichi taking a backseat for the first two volumes while Mara, Urd, and Skuld step into the spotlight. The art is, as always, the gorgeous mix of cartoon-like style and realism that Fujishima becomes increasingly adept at. It seems that in these volumes Fujishima is finally comfortable with his characters and it is just plain gorgeous. Do yourself a favor and buy these books! A+

Reservoir Chronicle Tsubasa: Character Guide 2
Translation: Satsuki Yamashita
Adaptation: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
Publisher: Del Rey

Since CLAMP has done so much work over the years, sometimes I wish I knew what character came from what manga in the Tsubasa books. Over 20 volumes deserves a character and world guide. Put out by the Shonen Magazine Editorial Department it is a bit like the Clamp No Kiseki, with a little more information in a more manga-style format as opposed to the magazine/art book type. There are a lot of fun tidbits other than just a guide to the characters. Pre-production character sketches, the original color art, and artist contributions are probably some of my favorite parts of this guide. There are other things that seem to just take up room to fill in the book like an advice column by Fai and the personality test. The new manga in the back is very short and doesn’t affect the continuing story in any way. The mini interview did peek my interest. Reading about how CLAMP is tailoring their traditional shojo style of art and storytelling to fit into a shonen magazine was something I didn’t know. They’re very conscious of the different expectations shonen readers have, both in art and storytelling. Ohkawa has a good sense of humor and makes the interview an enjoyable read and I love how she draws herself. I think that as long as you've read the manga, this book provides no information about the stories or characters that you don't already know. But if you are a completist, like me, you know you are going to purchase this book. C

It's a good thing Superman has Lois keeping him happy in the sack...

I mean, he's the only one who can do that stuff, how can we really tell him HOW he should do it!?