Review - The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite

The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Written by Gerald Way
Art by Gabriel Bá
Dark Horse Comics
 
Published by Dark Horse, The Umbrella Academy garnered some buzz when it first came out because it was written by a guy named Gerard Way. What makes him special is that he is a musician in the rock band My Chemical Romance. But I picked up the trade paperback which contains 6 comic issues based on the good words I was hearing about the book from various sources.

The story starts with with a bit where at the exact same instant in time, 47 babies were unexpectedly born. Of all of these special babies, seven of them were adopted by millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves. With these children he created The Umbrella Academy is a group of 7 children who all (except for number 00.07) have extraordinary powers. And when asked why he adopted these special children, his response was "to save the world." From this point, the story jumps to the future where Hargreeves has died and the children get together for his funeral. It turn out that the children grow up to form a dysfunctional family of super heroes. And that's where the fun of the story lies.

It's been a decade or so since I read the Grant Morrison run on Doom Patrol, but I get the same type of vibe. I mentioned in the review for Seaguy (also by Grant Morrison) that strange is good, and this makes a valiant attempt to reach that surreal level of strangeness. Quirky things just appear in the story without any explanation. For instance, there are talking chimpanzees living and working alongside humans. But it all works in the continuity of the story. The artist Gabriel Bá has a blocky hard style in this book which also fits well with the narrative. The character designs are most striking and the backgrounds are full of detail of this unique world they have created.

I would recommend this book for any library. There is some graphic violence and some mature themes. But again, nothing more that one can see on a primetime drama show on television. This book is best placed in the teen areas of libraries, but could easily be of interest an older audience.

Comic Books by "Real" Authors

Recently, several authors who are more noted to writing novels have written comic books. Sometimes its their own works that get turned into a graphic format, or they write a comic storyline with an already established character. Whenever this happens, there is a little buzz in the comic book world that a new, previously untapped audience might be reached. And usually, I try and get these works for the library.

Wonder Woman: Love and Murder by bookclub favorite author Jodi Picoult
Identity Crisis by best selling suspense writer Brad Meltzer.
Welcome to Lovecraft by horror writer Joe Hill.
Ultimate Iron Man by Orson Scott Card, the scifi writer of all the Enders books.
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter by paranormal fantasy author Laurell K. Hamilton.
In Odd We Trust by all time best seller Dean Koontz.

And yesterday, I picked up for myself a new John Constantine graphic novel called Dark Entries by Ian Rankin who is famous for writing the Rebus mysteries. I'll get it for the library if the budget allows...

Comic Con Odds and Ends - Part 4

There is a section on the exhibit floor of the Comic Con called artists alley. This is where artists can rent a table and setup shop to sell sketches, books or whatever. When I wandered this area I saw a book that I have reviewed previously and liked a lot titles The Eternal Smile. So I went over and met Derek Kirk Kim. I told him how much I liked the book and how I picked it up for the library and try to get people to check it out all the time. He seemed flatted and humble with my fanboy ramblings. I bought his comic Lowbright #1 and read it that evening when I got home from the Con.

Lowbright is a collection of Dereks comic strips and sketches that he has made over the last couple years. It was a small comic book that was self published. (Looks like it was color photocopied) The book is mostly one page comic gags about his virginity and how he can't meet the right girl. But the first story is about 5 pages long and its about the 10 reasons he has not had sex yet. It made me laugh out loud, but also made me feel for him. This was an unexpected gem that I found at the Comic Con this year.

Comic for the week of August 26, 2009

Thick week. Too many book...

Detective Comics 856
Wolverine Origins 39
Deadpool 14
Wonder Woman 35
Batman and Robin 3
Dark Wolverine 77
Batgirl 1
Madame Xanadu 14
New Mutants 4
Deadpool: Suicide Kings 5
Guardians of the Galaxy 17
Doktor Sleepless 13
Power Girl 4
Gotham City Sirens 3
Mighty Avengers 28

Review - Satsuma Gishiden 1-3

Satsuma Gishiden Vols 1-3

Created by Hiroshi Hirata

Dark Horse Comics

I wish I had time to read more manga. Usually there is 30 or 40 volumes to the story lines and it's hard enough to keep up with everything else. I don't know how some of the kids can read a manga book in about 15 minutes. But there is some manga I pick up because it looks interesting or I really liked the anime. And when there was a Dark Horse manga sale on, I picked up the 3 volumes of a period samurai saga called Satsuma Gishiden.

These amazing books tell the tale of a samurai clan who during peace time has to lower themselves and do common labor. Eventually, the clan called upon by the shogun to work on a huge undertaking of making levies on three rivers to protect the surrounding villages. However, the clan feels this is an indirect attack on them which will keep the warriors away for years and bankrupt their savings. But due to the samurai code, the must obey the shogun and go on the journey.

Instead of following a single character, Satsuma Gishiden tells stories which focus on the ethics and principles of samurai, usually with someone committing hara-kiri at the end. The tension in the books arises when samurai who live by a strict code of honor with the reality of lowering themselves to do the shoguns bidding. The main theme of the stories relate to how a highly rigid society has to deal with a forced change.

The art is for the most part is astonishing in these books. The black ink work looks like a storyboard for a good black and white samurai movie. The action is very strong and the blood and guts are all over. One interesting thing that I haven't seen before is that some of the dialog is written in a more artistic calligraphy, and the editors did not remove this. Instead they put the translations next to the balloon with the original calligraphy.

I'm not sure if this set is necessary for libraries to own. Though the themes of honor and change are certainly not a problem, the level of violence might be a concern for some readers. Dark Horse has rated these books for ages 18+, which I think that's a little too excessive. But having these manga volumes in the adult area shouldn't raise any issues.

Autobiographies in Graphic Format

I mentioned earlier that Maus was one of the best graphic novels produced. And it is a biographical look at the authors fathers experiences. But there is much of the work that is autobiographical. Art Spiegleman examines his relationship with his father in view of the horrendous experiences his father had prior to moving the the United States. Other works are autobiographical and touch on extremely sensitive issues. Here are some others that are worth reading that are in the library:

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison

Bechdel

Alison comes to terms with her family life as she confronts her own sexuality. By discussing her father's closeted gay life and suicide and her growing up in what appears on the surface a traditional family.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

Growing up in Iran, Marjane was a child when the Islamic Revolution kicked the Shah out of power. Moving from a war torn country to Europe by herself in her early teens, this story combines both the political events of Iran with the individual struggles of a young woman.

The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert

Set during the Soviet invasion, Didier Lefevre is a photographer hired by Doctors Without Borders and tells his story of a single expedition into the mountains of Afghanistan to provide medical help the mujahadeen. Told with his photographs and drawings by Emmanuel Guibert, the reader is given an on the ground view of the conflict.

French Milk by Lucy Knisley

Lucy moves to France with her mother for a month for her 22nd birthday. This is her journal/sketchbook of here observations about and experiences in Paris.

Must Read Graphic Novels in my Library

If you're new to graphic novels and comic books, the library has many highly regarded works that have been around for years. These are some of the best, most acclaimed titles to read if your not familiar with the graphic novel format.

Maus by Art Spiegelman
Published in two volumes, this work was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize. It tell the story of the artists father who was a Polish Jew both before and after the Nazi invasion of his home land. Very personal storytelling makes this one of the best graphic novels created.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Lynn Varley
Frank Miller created this four issue re-imagining of Batman in 1986 where Bruce Wayne comes out of a ten year retirement to clean up Gotham City. Batman was redefined completely with this book and Frank Millers dark vision of Batman is still used today for the current comics and movies. But at the time in the mid 1980s, this type of portrayal of any iconic hero was brand new to comic book readers.

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Released the same year as The Dark Knight Returns this work is a brand new vision of the psychology of super heroes. With the recent movie, this comic series has checked out a bit more than usual. I've had a copy of the Watchmen in the library since it opened.

Sandman by Neil Gaiman and tons of fantastic artists
There are 10 volumes and is one of the first long form comic books produced. Not to say that other superhero books haven't been out longer, but Gaiman had a clear story arc in mind and ended the series after 75 issues. Reprinted in 10 volumes, the library has all of these for you to enjoy. (except someone lost the first volume that I'll have to replace soon)

Bone by Jeff Smith
This is a fantasy book about a white blob looking critters who were transported to a world of dragons, princesses and other fun monsters. Originally released as comic books and eventually picked up by the huge children's book publisher Scholastic, there are nine volumes to the series.

Black Jack by Osamu Tezuka
I've put this on the list because Tezuka is considered the father of Japanese comics (or as it is commonly know manga), and Black Jack is one of his better known characters. Black Jack is the greatest surgeon in the world and is ask to cure the most dificult medical problems, but often the price is more than the patient expects to pay. Though the library has only a single volume of Black Jack, there is tons more that's currently being released.

Comic for the week of August 19, 2009

Echo 14
Daredevil 500
Fables 87
Jack of Fables 37
Justice League of America 36

Comic Con Odds and Ends - Part 3

Sometimes something just catches your eye and you have to stop and look. While walking by the Arcana booth, I saw a comic cover that was mostly black with a little white and just a splash of red. I thought it looked like some Frank Miller Sin City thing. And then I noticed the title, Helen Killer, and I knew I had to pick it up.

Helen Killer 1-4

Written by Andrew Kreisber

Art by Matthew JLD Rice

Arcana Comics

Helen Keller was tough by Anne Sullivan at the age of 6 how to communicate feeling sign language. But who knew that later on, Alexander Graham Bell created special glasses called the omnicle, which when used give Helen both sight and hearing. But there is also a couple side effects. Helen can see the aura of people, and the more evil they are, the blacker the aura. She gains super strength and agility. But also, the more she uses the omnicle, the greater the feelings of rage and murder well up inside her. Neat invention, huh?

Helen is approached by the secret service to protect President McKinley at the 1901 Pan American Exposition. But true to history, the assassin Leon Czolgosz is successful in shooting the President in a receiving line, despite Helen's best efforts. But there is a more mysterious plot in the works by Alexander Grahams Bells arch rival.

This comic is a fun romp through history. Kreisber uses many real historical figures to tell this story. But once you realize that it's pretty cool to see Helen Keller break into some sweet ninja action kicking henchmen ass, the realization that there is not much else to the characters becomes clear. Anne Sullivan just seems to complain that Helen shouldn't be out on missions. Alexander Graham Bell is like a melding of M and Q from the James Bond stories. Like any historical work of historical fiction, the writer needs to add more depth to the characters to make them interesting. Otherwise, the story just isn't interesting after a while.

The Sunny Side of the Street

I was thinking about the the content of my site and realized that there is a flaw. I'm hoping to provide guidance to readers on comics and graphic novels and what is good and bad. But I'm limited to what I either buy for myself or for the library, and I don't want to waste money on purchasing crummy comics. So all the reviews I most likely will do will be positive in some manner. As a result, if you read my blog and see that I like everything, that means I'm spending my and the libraries money for good reading. But I'll definitely let you know when I get the stinker.

Comic Con Odds and Ends - Part 2

The Bean - Riddles and Shrooms by Travis Hanson

As I was walking along a less crowded aisle, a guy asks me if I want to have a sketch. Dumbfounded, I said "sure" but had no idea what I wanted him to draw. After fumbling around a little, I said "how about a dragon?". After about a minute, he hands me a really cool line drawing of a dragon. wow.

With this marketing strategy, I had to buy his book, the Bean. It's a story about a boy named Bean who has been left as payment to the Silver Dagger Inn as payment by his apparently deadbeat dad. Bean is then made to do all the grunt work by the ogre owner Gort. But the other workers in the inn treat Bean with compassion and look out for his well being. Bean is sent out to get some more shrooms and goldenberries by the cook Groggle (who is also an ogre) and is told not to dawdle.

This book has great potential. It was basically the introduction of all the characters and the action ramps up at the end leaving the reader waiting for the next issue. The art is very clean and the style, while cartoon like, suits the story well. Some of the pages have very detailed backgrounds that sometimes seems a little too much for a black and white comic, but the character designs and facial expressions are strong enough not to get lost. But it is clear that Travis is a very talented cartoonist and artists.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series to see what happens to poor Bean and his workmates at the inn.

Comic Con Odds and Ends - Part 1

I attended the San Diego Comic Con last month and had a ball walking around the small presses and self published books and picking up some of the works they were selling. Here is the first posting of some of the books and my thoughts on them.

North Country by Shane White

This autobiographical graphic novel is told in a series of flash backs as an adult Shane returns home for a visit. Starting with his "first life" as a bird who dies when he falls out of his nest, the rest of the story are is told in snippets of mostly bad memories from his dysfunctional family life. The abusive, alcoholic father is the focal point of the book as Shane relates stories on how he tried to win his approval ultimately come to terms within himself of understanding, accepting and perhaps even loving his family.

The art in this book is really interesting. Shane changes styles for each memory vignette he relates. This gives the book a dreamlike quality that works well. When young Shane is given a Superman cape, the art is changed to look like old comic book newsprint. The color palettes change as good and bad memories often using more muted, less vibrant colors to emphasize the drama of the situations.

When I met Shane at the Comic Con, he was working in his sketchbook at the NBM Publishers booth. He was promoting an upcoming book he did called Things Undone. Its about a young man who slowly changes into a zombie. And he says, like North County it is also autobiographical. I'll be sure to pick it up in the near future.

Comic for the week of August 12, 2009

Batman 689

Chew 3

Dominic Fortune 1

Uncanny X-Men 514

Deadpool 13

Marvel Divas 2

The Marvels Project 1

Sourge of the Gods: The Fall 1

Sourge of the Gods: The Fall 2

Review - Tyrese Gibson's Mayhem! #1

Tyrese Gibson's Mayhem! #1
Written by Tyrese Gibson, Mike Le and William Wilson
Art by Tone Rodriguez
Image Comics

Have I read this before? A masked vigilante is out to exact revenge against an unreachable mob boss named Big X. The book starts out in a Chinese restaurant, straight out of a John Woo film, where the hero charges in with the help of his accomplice and slashes, gashes, shoots and deep fries bad guys to find out where the shipment is to be dropped off. Next we find the hero (going by the name of Dante) praying that he can exact his revenge on Big X and not, as the priest suggests, for his own forgiveness. The final part of the book is where Dante breaks up the shipment and we finally see Big X who tells his henchmen "first one to bring me his bleeding head gets ten million."

I don't really know who Tyrese Gibson is. I did look him up on IMDB and saw that he appeared in a bunch of movies. But I think that someone should have gave him some comic books to read before letting him write one. The plot is so standard and uninspired that the twist/cliffhanger at the end is not that surprising. But it reads like a standard action film that I loved to watch in the 1980s.

The art by Tone Rodriguez is ok. There is nothing hugely striking as being fantastic with a uniquely visible style. Nor is there any panel that shouts out as being done in a half assed manner. There is violence, but it doesn't make me wince. There are explosions, but I didn't really feel the force of them. Competent but not spectacular.

So if you pass on this title on the shelf, don't worry about it. There are many better books out there for us to read.

Review - House of Mystery vol. 2

House of Mystery : Love Stories for Dead People
Written by Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham
Art by Luca Rossi, Tony Akins, David Petersen, Henry Flint, Bernie Wrightson and Kyle Baker
Cover by Esao Andrews
Vertigo

This is the second volume of the Vertigo fantasy/horror series consisting of issues 6 though 10 of the ongoing comic series. This story continues where the main character, named Fig, and her companions of the house, looking for an escape from the house, go into the basement to see if they can find a way out. More mysteries are discovered and more stories are told as the reader tries to figure out exactly what might be going on.

This book borrows from the Sandman story lines by using Able (the original owner of the House of Mystery) as part of the back story for this series. The house also doubles as a bar where beings meet and tell stories (kind of like the Inn at Worlds End, also from Sandman) And there is a forward motion to the convoluted main plot line. Fig learns a little about her background and we learn a little more about the other members of the house.

I find this series interesting because it really doesn't answer all the questions it raises. There are many things left unanswered that actually bother me that its left hanging without any resolution or explanation. Hopefully, as the story progresses, all these loose ends will be addressed, but somehow I don't think that's what the creators were thinking of with this series. After all, it is The House of Mystery.

As for the art, what's really cool about this series is the side stories that are interjected periodically in the main story line. Usually these are stories within stories that a patron of the tavern tells to pay their tab. These stories are done by a different artist. And with a a completely different art style, these little gems interspersed through the story break up the strangeness. And with phenomenal talents like Bernie Wrightson, and Kyle Baker, these little interludes are a great way to break up the story.

I purchased this for the library but it will not go into the Teen area. There is some profanity and sexual situations that might be off putting for more sensitive parents. I would not let the mature nature of the title deter any library from selecting this book, but if money is a little tight in the budget this book is certainly not a necessary classic for a well stocked library collection.

Comic for the week of August 5, 2009

Here's this weeks list ranked by the order I'll most likely read them...

Detective Comics 855
Irredeemable 5
Wolverine Origins 38
Madame Xanadu 13
Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth 2
Wonder Woman 34
Captain Britain and MI13 15
Dark Wolverine 76
Power Girl 3
North 40 2
Guardians of the Galaxy 16
Deadpool Suicide Kings 4
Wolverine Noir 4

Review - Negima!? Season 1 and 2

This is an older review I wrote July 15th, 2009.

Title: Negima!?
Volume: 1 and 2
Running time: 650 min
Distributor: FUNimation

Professor Negi is a young wizard sent to a girls school where he must, for part of his training, teach a class of 31 girls. This is the second version of Negima that has been animated, and though I only read the first 4 volumes of the manga, it veers away from the original story. But the art and design of the animation is far more stylish than the first animated series.

The story is pretty good, where Negi must keep his magic identity hidden from everyone, and fails miserably. And to keep from being reprimanded from the Magic Council, he needs to make a pact with the girl who discovers his secret. And of course, to form the pact, the two must kiss (which is the most dramatic thing anyone could ever do in any anime story). The first part of the series (13 episodes) is mostly Negi making pacts with the entire class. The second part of the story happens when the class is transported to another parallel realm and must try to find their way home. And through the series, the running gags keep cropping up. Chupacabras. Bad ramen. Failure (in a good way)...

The story moves along and a pretty quick pace, with many quick cuts to unrelated jokes. After a couple episodes, I was surprised with the similarities to the other anime series Pani Poni Dash. Or for the more Anglo minded, like the way Family Guy cuts away to a non sequitur jokes throughout their episodes. However the jokes in Negima aren't as off color. Also, each girl has a character which is basically a one joke note. But there are 31 of them, so the tune doesn't get too stale.

I had fun with this series. I didn't have to think too deeply to understand the story. And the animation in this second series is far better than the first series. If you're into the girls school/magic thing, it's definitely worth watching. But if you're looking for something serious, try elsewhere.

Review - GI Joe: Cobra 1 - 4

This is an older review I wrote June 29th, 2009.

story by Christos Gage and Mike Costa
art by Antonio Fuso
covers by Howard Chaykin
IDW

I never was into the new GI Joe as a kid. It was a little after my time. Instead I had the old school tall talking beaded supercool GI Joe as a boy. But there were two main reasons I picked up this limited series from IDW. First off, IDW will be attending the library readers festival in September and also the covers were done by Howard Chaykin.

Now that I've finished reading all four issues, I thought they were well done. The story involves a malcontent GI Joe soldier, with the code name Chuckles, who is taken out of regular training and sent into deep cover to try to infiltrate Cobra. Unlike the GI Joe that I remember, there is no camp or super improbable technology in this story. Something must of happened to the "Yo! Joe!" early 1990s version to today because this story, by Christos Gage and Mike Costa was a gritty spy story with blood and sex that would make any espionage fan happy. But if you're familiar with any of the deep undercover types stories, many of the same tropes are used. How to maintain cover. That point where the agent decides to do something rash to go deeper. And ultimately, how to get out. And this story has all these elements.

The artwork by Antonio Fuso is good. Dark and thick, its almost expressionistic, and portrays the dark story well. The characters are easy to recognize and the action is easy to follow. There is a starkness to the frames that, though doesn't distract from the story, is different than the "marvel" style of everyone flexing. And the backgrounds a muted and clean, without too much added detail to distract from the action. The only drawback is that seems to be little movement in the figures.

So this GI Joe book I picked up because I felt I should, I actually enjoyed. The espionage and intrigue was well done and there was no hint of any of the old, cheesy Joe I remember as a kid. I might need to look at the other GI Joe titles when I have a chance.

Review - Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye 1-3

This is an older review I wrote June 9th, 2009.

Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Cameron Stewart
Vertigo

"Oh, for weirdness' sakes, Junior! Why all the blubberin'?" is how issue #3 of Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye starts. And I can sympathise with Junior.

This is the second Seaguy series, and though I picked up the first one when it came out, I could not remember anything about it other than it being very strange. And a handful of years later, Grant Morrison has hit us with the next chapter of Seaguy. And after I started reading it, most of the characters came back to me. Seaguys love interest, She-Beard. His mentor Seadog. His (dead) best friend Chubby the Tuna. And even The Gondolier, who Seaguy, when he has the time, wagers his life by playing chess.

This story is a surreal dystopian tale about a society run by Mickey Eye. Mickey Eye has pleasure zone amusement parks, cartoons on television and toys for everyone to buy. But Seaguy, who really has shown no exceptional abilities, craves adventure of a superhero and despite Mickey Eye and his followers, sets out to end the tyrannical rule of Mickey.

The art work by Cameron Stewart is surprisingly normal for such a strange story. His lines and colors are clean and bold. There is no problems following the story through the art. She-Beard actually looks pretty hot (though she would kick anyones ass who says so) and there are some exceptional work done on the autosaur skeletons.

I can't recommend this book to everyone. A person must have a sense of the absurd to appreciate this. Often, as I was reading, I would just have to suspend any thought and just say "ok, that's how things are done in the world of Seaguy." Not that there is anything wrong with that. After all, if there is no logic in the world of comic books, what do we have?

Review - The Eternal Smile

This is an older review I wrote June 2nd, 2009.

The Eternal Smile : Three Stories
by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
First Second

This is a book I ordered for the library since I really enjoyed American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. (which the library also owns) The Eternal Smile is actually three stories, each with their own style. But each of the stories are related thematically, about awareness and acceptance of your surroundings and yourself. I know. This describes just about every story ever written, but these stories are different enough where the reader is basically led to the same feeling, but by very different paths.

The first story, "Duncan's Kingdom", is about a young man who must kill the monster to marry the princess. But the lines are blurred between reality and imagination. The second story was my favorite. Basically set in the world of Disney's Uncle Scrooge, but with frogs instead of ducks. Entitled "Gran'pa Greenbax and The Eternal Smile", this story is a parody of the Carl Barks Duckville stories. But as Gran'pa Greenbax tries to make more money, he realizes that there is more than just the town he lives in and his money pond. The final story, called "Urgent Request" is about a shy, lonely office worker who asks for a raise. After being rejected, she finds solace emailing a Nigerian prince. She dreams of being swept away to Africa and becoming a princess.

After reading this book, it wasn't obvious to me that there were thematic elements consistent between the three stories. But as I pondered them while sitting on the reference desk, I realized that all of them had placed the characters into positions where they were forced to ask the deep questions concerning their identity and their need to use imagination to go beyond their lives. And the different art styles help convey the feelings of each story. With the fantasy, almost manga, style of "Duncan's Kingdom" and the practically monochrome, cartoon look of "Urgent Request", the artists have integrated the art into the feelings of the stories in a dramatic manner.

So, this graphic novel is one of the better ones the library received and is a definite read for everyone.

Review - Stinky

This is an older review I wrote May 19th, 2009.

Stinky : A Toon Book
by Eleanor Davis
Toon Books

Our children's librarian Nancy handed me this book yesterday thinking I'd be interested in it, since it was a graphic novel written for first or second graders. (I hope it was not because of my hygiene.) And as I read the book, I found it to be a charming tale of a monster living in his swamp. Stinky was a Geisel Award honor book for 2009, so I knew that someone thought it was worthwile.

The story opens by introducing the monster Stinky, who is purple and has horns. He loves his frog Wartbelly and likes dirty, stinky things. He eats picked onions and likes bats and opossums. But he never wanders into town because there are kids there. Kids take baths, and eat apples. All the things Stinky hates. But one day, a boy wanders into Stiny's swamp and builds a treehouse. Stinky then comes up with some plans to drive the boy away.

As I mentioned, I found this story charming with the usuall theme in children's books of acceptance of differences and not judging too quickly things you might not know. And the artwork was very good. With bold colors and think lines, there is a clarity to the work that is easy to follow. And the pannel layouts are logical for children (and parents) who might not be familiar with comic books.

Nancy says there is a whole series of these titles and I hope she pickes them up for the library. I think children will find these stories as fun as I did.

Review - Tiny Titians vol. 1

This is an older review I wrote May 18th, 2009.

Tiny Titians : Welcome to the Treehouse
by Art Baltazar and Franco
DC Comics

There was a Tiny Titan comic available during last years Free Comic Book Day which I picked up and thought was pretty funny. Tiny Titans is a humorous comic where all the Teen Titans are drawn in a cartoony manner and usually telling a joke in a page or two. So when the first volume of the graphic novel came across my library selection list, I knew it would be a nice grab for our collection.

When it came in, I gave it a read through which only took about 15 minutes. The jokes were funny and insightful to the DC Universe. One joke is where they make fun of Robin since he doesn't have any super powers, until Batman shows up in the batmobile to pick him up after school. Then they all want to be non-superpowered sidekicks. Another funny bit is where Trigon shows up as the substitute teacher for their class and dotes all over Raven.

There are many inside jokes and references to whats happened in the "real" DC continuum. But anyone with a passing knowledge of the Teen Titans (Beast Boy can change into animals, Starfire has a thing for Robin, and the whole Terra thing) would have a fun time reading this.

Its not very deep, but like most kiddy ridres, lots of fun. I'm glad I picked it up for the library and hope it checks out often.

Review - Yōkaiden Vol. 1

This is an older review I wrote May 13th, 2009.

Yōkaiden
by Nina Matsumoto
Del Rey Manga

I pretty sure I'm the one who ordered this book for the library. Back when we were flush with funds for our book budget, I tried to pick up a volume or two a month of a manga title. And then, more importantly continue to get them. So Yokaiden must of come across my Baker & Taylor list.

When it came in, I told the catalogers to put it in the Young Adult area. And indeed, that is where this book is best.

Yokaiden is a story set in ancient Japan, where all the mythological creatures called Yokai appear regularly to humans. And one boy, Hamachi is trying to write a book about them cataloging all the different kinds of Yokai in the world. However, most people consider Yokai pests and often try to kill them (like our Casta Del Sol bunnies). Living alone with his grandmother, Hamachi is considered a strange kid and gets picked on. But when he rescues a Kappa from a trap, which was set by his grandmother, Hamachi starts on a path which will take him to the Yokai realm and meet all the creepy spirits.

When I first saw the book, I was surprised to see that it read like a normal book from left to right. Most manga reads in the Japanese style from right to left. But then, after I finished reading it and doing an internet search, I saw that she was a Canadian manga-ka who seems to have an immense knowledge of Japanese folklore. Her artwork is very good and has many of the normal Japanese styles of super-deformed chibi and little parenthetical statements thrown about. It is like a normal manga, but all the sound effects are in English.

Definitely worth a read if you like anime shows like xxxHolic, Ayakashi - Samurai Horror Tales, or Mushishi. Japanese folklore and spirits are always interesting to read about, and this book is full of them. It looks like the next volume will be out in November, so unfortunately, if there is only one volume a year, I hope I'll remember to order it for the library.

Review - Reign in Hell - #1-8

This is an older review I wrote May 1st, 2009.

WRITER: Keith Giffen
ART: Tom Derenick, Bill Sienkiewicz, Justiniano and Chad Hardin
COVER BY: Justiniano

Hell is being attacked and nobody really knows what to do.

I have always been a sucker for these huge stories that have all the different characters in a single book trying to save the world/galaxy/universe/multiverse. I usually wait until all the issues come in for a limited series before I read it, just so I can keep the flow of the story. And I've always liked Keith Giffens work, especially his Annihilation story he did for Marvel a couple years ago.

Satanus, the ruler of Purgatory along with his sister Blaze launches an invasion against Neron and his hosts to take Hell. Using dirty tricks, like hope, Satanus initially takes the advantage in the war. But after the initial attack, Neron calls back all the demons on Earth back to Hell to fight. This is when the magical heroes try and figure out whats happening.

Admittedly, I didn't know all the characters in this book, but I knew enough to keep up with the plot. Most all the major demonic/magical characters are there. Etrigan, Zatanna, Dr. Fate, Blue Devil, Doctor Occult, and some lesser known characters like Sargon, Ibis, and Black Alice, who were unknown to me were all part of the story. Also, there are now different areas of Hell, each with their own function. So it took me 2 or 3 issues to get into the swing of the story.

Another reason I picked up this series was the name Bill Sienkiewicz. With his distinct expressionistic style, I love just about anything he works on. As an inker, it seems he actually stayed "within the lines". And with Tom Derenick, I found the art to be very detailed and appropriate for a story set in Hell.

All in all, I thought this story was ok. Not great, but worthy of a read. For people not in the know of all the DC magic, they might get confused. But there is enough going on with all the different plotlines to keep the reader engaged.

Review - Ramen Fighter Miki

This is an older review I wrote April 26th, 2009.

Title: Ramen Fighter Miki - Collection
Volume: DVD 1-3
Running time: 300
Distributor: Media Blasters

I watched this series on the recommendation from Ray, my fellow Anime Club host and friend. He summed up the action by saying "its a ramen delivery girl who has fights on the way to her stops." And, of course, he is right. But there is more to the 13 episodes than only the fights. There are only a half dozen characters each with their back stories on how they want to fight Miki, and each episode is broken into two mini vignettes. It's not very deep and there really is no point to the show, but it made me laugh out loud several times.

Miki works in a ramen shop with her mother, and is sent out to deliver food. Miki's mother is the only person stronger than Miki, but there are many other people in the neighborhood who want to beat Miki because she has bullied them. Included in this group is Megumi, who works at the bakery across from the ramen shop and Kankuro, who was beat up in elementary school by Miki. And then there is her most vicious foe, Toshiyuki, who is the freakiest looking dog ever animated. But he can fight.

One of the better episodes is when a young girl has the mistaken idea that Kankuro is actually in love with Miki and works with him to woo Miki. Of course, he thinks the girl is actually putting him through training to beat up Miki. And like all the other episodes, it never really works out like he planned. So after a romantic movie, dinner, and a trip to the amusement park, the inevitable conclusion comes as no surprise to anyone. Like Ah! My Buddha and Girl's High, Media Blasters did not dub Ramen Fighter Miki. But with the hyper-action comedy of the show, I'm not sure it would be as funny in English as it is in Japanese. The animation is not super detailed, but kinetic enough in the fights to make me laugh, and the character design is good.

I would not hesitate to buy this for the library. There is no fan service of gratuitous jiggleing to warrant any red flags for parents. The violence level is pretty high, but it is all cartoony with no blood at all. And the final episodes shows what happens when the 20 year old Miki gets drunk (so there is underage animated drinking). But with the single joke of Miki beating everyone up, I thought this was a fun series and definitely worth my time.

Review - Universal War One 1 - 3

This is an older review I wrote April 12th, 2009.

By: Denis Bajram

I've been interested in European comics for a while. I've read Tin Tin and Astrix, but never really got into them. But back in the day, I picked up the Mobius graphic novels from Epic and I became a fan. And later on from Humanoids Publishing (which I guess DC killed), I really dug the Metabarons and Metal Hurliant. And of course, I just had to pick up the Milo Minara graphic novels for their artistic merits.

And now Marvel is publishing European comics under an imprint called Soliel. So far, they have released a couple series, among them are Sky Doll, Scourge of the Gods, and Y'Thaq, which I've picked up. But here I'll talk about the first story arc of the series Universal War One.

Consisting of three issues, Universal War One is set about 100 years in the future and tells the story of the Purgatory Squadron. A group of felons who are in the midst of a rebellion between Earth and the colonial areas in the outer solar system. All the members of Purgatory have their strengths and flaws, and all of them find out they need each other to not only succeed in battle, but in their life as well.

All the press that I read about this series says that it's a huge European hit, and I guess I can see how it could be. The artwork is very strong and dark. The space images are beautiful. There is a bit near the beginning where an explosion is set off within the rings of Saturn, putting a big hole in the structure, which is then visible throughout the rest of the series. And the designs of the space ships and new technology is pretty cool.

They plot line is a little convoluted, but not too difficult to understand with a little re-reading. It's a typical rebellion war story, with the moral ambiguity where no one side is truly good or evil. Also, the time travel logic seems pretty sound (as far as sci-fi time travel stories go), and the potential to have civilization wide consequences. And that is one of the fun things with this story. The members of Purgatory Squadron are the misfits of the entire army, but I foresee that the entire human race will rest on their shoulders before the end.

So if you're a sci-fi fan, this is definitely worth looking at. Its a solid space opera with some likable characters, strong story, and great art.

Review - Ah My Buddha - Vol. 1

This is an older review I wrote April 6th, 2009.

Ah My Buddha - The Aroused One Vol. #1
Volume: DVD 1 / 6
Running time: 100
Distributor: Media Blasters

I first experienced this series a couple years ago when I downloaded from bittorrent this show but never got around to watch it on my computer. I heard it was rather ecchi so I wanted to check it out.

This is the story about a temple where all the disciples are girls, except for Ikkou, the grandson of the master. Ikkou is a typical male lead in these harem type stories, not too bright, clumsy, and slightly pervy. But he has one hidden talent - when he sees one of his classmates naked, he becomes a super-priest, reciting sutras like the most enlightened monk ever.

Ah My Buddha is not one of the most profound anime produced. It's not even great for it's genre of ecchi comedy. But I found it enjoyable and will continue to pick up the rest of the volumes (when they are on sale.) The character design is clean and the girls all have their typical personalities and body types. Ikkou get the crap beat out of him a couple times each episode for doing stupid things. And there is an underlying story concerning the temple which is hinted at throughout the first episodes which I'm sure will be brought out more as the series progresses.

This show is hard to recommend, unless you like these types of shows. On one hand, there are better harem comedies out there with more fan service. But on the other hand, if you like the harem comedy, this hits all the cliche plot point we all expect. However much I might personally enjoy shows like this, I would never pick it up for the library. With too many nosebleeds and extreme jiggling, if any angry parent challenged this, I would be hard pressed to justify it's artistic merits.

Review - The Immortal Iron Fist #24

This is an older review I wrote April 3rd, 2009.

Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Pencils: Kano
Inks: Kano
Color: Jose Angel Cano Lopez
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Cover: Patrick Zircher

Danny Rand, the current Immortal Iron Fist, is being held prisoner in the 8th Capital City of Heaven, forced to do battle along with the other Immortal Weapons. But if you're not up with what Fat Cobra, Bride of Nine Spiders or guys are up to, you don't have to worry about it for this issue.

This issue is a stand alone story of an Iron Fist from the past. Young disciple Park Li isn't up for all the excessive training, sparring and workouts that is required. Instead he would rather spend his day imagining. A pacifist, Li never really understood why he had to fight. But as the story continues, we find out that he is training with his brother following their fathers wishes. But a plague hits the city and while everyone is sick, the 10 year cycle for the selection of a new Iron Fist is about to start with Li being the only person healthy enough to try.

As I mentioned, this is an interlude to an ongoing story arc, that looks into the past of the Iron Fist stories and I found it to be a wonderful read. The art work by Kano is bold with strong lines. There is an energy in the figures that can be felt by the reader. Also, the fantasies by the character Li are well done. By showing a clear change in style from the "real" world Li lives in.

And the story by Swierczynski is a tightly self-contained tale. With Li using his gifts of imagination and is conviction towards pacifism to save both a viliage on Earth and his home, the mystical city of K'un-Lun.

Review - TSUBASA : RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE

This is an older review I wrote March 30th, 2009.

TSUBASA : RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
52 Episodes
FUNimation

I don't necessarrily consider myself a CLAMP fan, but I'm finding I do like their work. And TSUBASA has something for everyone, CLAMP fan or not.

The story starts in the Kingdom of Clow with Princess Sakura and her best friend Syaoran. After an accident, Sakuras memories are scattered across many dimensions as feathers and it is up to Syaoran to locate each of them. Hence the story begins.

With the body of Sakura, Syaoran is sent to the Dimensional Witch Yuko (from xxxHolic fame) and with two other seekers, the four of them along with White Mokona to find Sakuras feathers. Syaorans companions are magician Fay is one of the travelers who is on the run from a powerful magician which is trapped in his home world and warrior Kurogane has been banished by his Queen (lover?) to travel through different worlds to learn humility. Each man must give to Yuko their most precious item. For Kurogane, it is his sword. Fay gives up the magical tattoo on his back. And Syaoran allows for Sakuras memory to be wiped of all memories they shared together.

The story is broken up episodically as the group travels to each world looking for the feathers. This keeps the story flowing with the group traveling to different worlds which could be from any time setting. One interesting aspect of this series is many of the minor characters are from other CLAMP series and often reappear on other worlds with different roles to play.

So not only do the travelers go to unique worlds, each world has their own challenges. One world might have an evil king who hordes the feather while another the group must win the race to receive the feather as a prize. I personally liked the worlds were more mysterious to achieve the goal than more action oriented. When the group had to solve the riddle or complete the puzzle instead of beating up the adversary.

There is a larger story arc concerning a battle of wits between Yuko and a mysterious man named Fei Wong Reed, who has some clone/twin of Syaoran. But I found this a little confusing and hoped that it would be explained a little in the series.

Each of the main characters are pretty likable, however Syaoran and Sakura are the only ones who grow along their journey. Fay and Kurogane are fully formed mentors/companions/protectors for Syaoran and Sakura. While Syaoran gets stronger as a fighter and protector, Sakura must regrow her feelings for Syaoran. But if she starts to remember too much of her past with Syaoran, she gets a mental purge and her memories are knocked back.

I believe that public libraries would be ok in picking up this series. There is no gratuitous sex or nudity. And the violence, while ubiquitous, is of a fantasy nature. So, for my library, this show would not go into the children's area, I would feel very comfortable putting it in the SciFi/Fantasy area.

Graphic Novels in Libraries

So, why does there need to be another library schlub reviewing graphic novels online? Other than the obvious "because I can", I believe that there is a renaissance currently happening in graphic stories which there another voice added to the conversation can not be a bad thing. I've been collecting and reading comics pretty much all my life and have found them to be very literate and artistic. And coming to library land after being a comic nerd, I feel I have a little different attitude than other reviewers who discovered comics after becoming a teen librarian somewhere.

I'm an adult services librarian at the Mission Viejo Library in Orange County California and have been working here for over 10 years. I've been the "comic book guy" on staff and though my colleagues mentally understand that graphic novels are just another genre of books for the library to own, I still sense that they consider them less that "real" novels. Even though I mention all the awards and "real" authors who are doing comics. The graphic novels are mostly relegated to teen area of the library and I want to change that.

With this blog starting out, the format will evolve as I try different things. I think I'll list all of my weekly comic buys and list the order in which I read them (meaning the more interesting ones will be on top). Also, since our library budget has been cut by 80% this fiscal year, we won't be picking up too many graphic novels for the library. But I will definitely report what we do get and I'll write a library type review on the worthiness of the book. So hopefully I'll be able to produce a useful and insightful resource for readers and librarians as a selection tool beyond just the children's and teen areas.