Gotham City Sirens #8
Victorian Undead #3
Irredeemable #10
Chew #8
Batman and Robin #7
Wonder Woman #40
Wolverine: Origins #44
Madame Xanadu #19
Detective Comics #861
Demonic #1
G.I. Joe: Cobra II #1
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Review - Rin-ne
Rin-ne
by Rumiko Takahashi
Viz Media
I have to admit, though I watched some Inuyasha anime, I haven't read much manga from Rumiko Takahashi. But since a new series from her is coming out I decided to pick up the first volume for the library.
Rin-ne is a story of a high school girl. Sakura Mamiya. who after being spirited away as a child can now see ghosts. And one day a mysterious redheaded boy, Rinne Rokudo, shows up who seems to have ghost like abilities. As the story progresses, Sakura finds out that Rinne is a "part time shinigami". We don't find out till the end of the book what that really means.
The chapters are made up of a spirit or ghost bothering someone at the school. Rinne will help, but only if an offering of food and money is made to the Legendary Weather Hutch. Once collected, Rinne uses his tools to send the spirit on his way to the afterlife.
Full of Japanese mystical folklore, we learn about shinigamis, the Wheel of Reincarnation, spirits and ghosts as part of the story telling. Also, the characters remind me greatly of the characters in Inuyasha. Sakura is curious and strong willed like Kagome. Rinne has a stubborn streak like Inuyasha. But hopefully Takahashi will bring out other personality traits and not rely on the same type of characters she has used before.
The artwork is very good. The characters designs are cute and easily recognizable and the visual narrative is easy to follow. However, there isn't much in the way of background art, the setting is pretty clear. And this sparseness makes the characters more pronounced.
This books is rated for older teens, but so far in the story there is nothing that would be considered to risque. Adding it to a teen graphic novel or manga collection should be acceptable. But with many long running manga series there might be some future storylines that might be culturally problematic for teen audiences.
by Rumiko Takahashi
Viz Media
I have to admit, though I watched some Inuyasha anime, I haven't read much manga from Rumiko Takahashi. But since a new series from her is coming out I decided to pick up the first volume for the library.
Rin-ne is a story of a high school girl. Sakura Mamiya. who after being spirited away as a child can now see ghosts. And one day a mysterious redheaded boy, Rinne Rokudo, shows up who seems to have ghost like abilities. As the story progresses, Sakura finds out that Rinne is a "part time shinigami". We don't find out till the end of the book what that really means.
The chapters are made up of a spirit or ghost bothering someone at the school. Rinne will help, but only if an offering of food and money is made to the Legendary Weather Hutch. Once collected, Rinne uses his tools to send the spirit on his way to the afterlife.
Full of Japanese mystical folklore, we learn about shinigamis, the Wheel of Reincarnation, spirits and ghosts as part of the story telling. Also, the characters remind me greatly of the characters in Inuyasha. Sakura is curious and strong willed like Kagome. Rinne has a stubborn streak like Inuyasha. But hopefully Takahashi will bring out other personality traits and not rely on the same type of characters she has used before.
The artwork is very good. The characters designs are cute and easily recognizable and the visual narrative is easy to follow. However, there isn't much in the way of background art, the setting is pretty clear. And this sparseness makes the characters more pronounced.
This books is rated for older teens, but so far in the story there is nothing that would be considered to risque. Adding it to a teen graphic novel or manga collection should be acceptable. But with many long running manga series there might be some future storylines that might be culturally problematic for teen audiences.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Comics for the week of January 2, 2010
Joe the Barbarian #1
The Marvels Project #5
Nation X #2
Power Girl #8
Nova #33
Spider-Woman #5
Fables #92
Echo #18
Anna Mercury 2 #3
Mighty Avengers #33
RASL #6
Dark Wolverine #82
Uncanny X-Men #520
Batman #695
Battlefields: Happy Valley #2
The Marvels Project #5
Nation X #2
Power Girl #8
Nova #33
Spider-Woman #5
Fables #92
Echo #18
Anna Mercury 2 #3
Mighty Avengers #33
RASL #6
Dark Wolverine #82
Uncanny X-Men #520
Batman #695
Battlefields: Happy Valley #2
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Review - Britten and Brülightly
Britten and Brülightly
by Hannah Berry
Metropolitan Books
Like the graphic novel Stitches, I didn't order this book for the library. It was on some best of 2009 reading list that my colleague saw and acquired for the library. And its a good thing she did.
Britten and Brülightly is a noir style detective story. Fernández Britten has a reputation as a private investigator who uncovers cheating spouses. But after burning out from years of causing emotional pain to his clients, he resigns himself only to work on murder cases. And as a young woman enters his office asking for help finding who killed her fiance, Britten is interested enough to take the case. The crime was written off by the police as a suicide. But as Britten digs deeper, he uncovers skeletons that people will do anything to keep hidden.
As with good noir stories, the suspects all have hidden secrets. And sometimes the action gets a little convoluted as the narration gets a little long winded. But its pretty standard for the genre. All the good points are touched upon. The contacts and snitches. The double crosses and false leads. All make for an entertaining mystery.
But the best part of this book is the art. This is the first graphic novel Hannah Berry has done, and the art style is perfect for this type of story. Dark, muted colors of greens/greys/blues show the gloomy nature of the story. Often washed showing the rain. And much like movies from the heyday of Warner Bros., the camera angles (especially in the action sections) are very dynamic and display movement.
This book is great for the library. Yes, the subject matter of murder and family strife is a little mature so I opted to put this book in the adult non-fiction collection. But it could easily be added to an older teen graphic novel collection.
by Hannah Berry
Metropolitan Books
Britten and Brülightly is a noir style detective story. Fernández Britten has a reputation as a private investigator who uncovers cheating spouses. But after burning out from years of causing emotional pain to his clients, he resigns himself only to work on murder cases. And as a young woman enters his office asking for help finding who killed her fiance, Britten is interested enough to take the case. The crime was written off by the police as a suicide. But as Britten digs deeper, he uncovers skeletons that people will do anything to keep hidden.
As with good noir stories, the suspects all have hidden secrets. And sometimes the action gets a little convoluted as the narration gets a little long winded. But its pretty standard for the genre. All the good points are touched upon. The contacts and snitches. The double crosses and false leads. All make for an entertaining mystery.
But the best part of this book is the art. This is the first graphic novel Hannah Berry has done, and the art style is perfect for this type of story. Dark, muted colors of greens/greys/blues show the gloomy nature of the story. Often washed showing the rain. And much like movies from the heyday of Warner Bros., the camera angles (especially in the action sections) are very dynamic and display movement.
This book is great for the library. Yes, the subject matter of murder and family strife is a little mature so I opted to put this book in the adult non-fiction collection. But it could easily be added to an older teen graphic novel collection.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Vampires Everywhere (it seems)
Everything seems to be vampires these days, not that there is anything wrong with that. And here are some quick thoughts on three vampire type books I've read recently.
Pinnochio: Vampire Slayer
SLG Publishing
This book by Dusty Higgins and Van Jensen tells the story of Pinnochio after the original book by Carlo Collodi left off. Pinnochio is out for revenge on all undead creatures after a group of vampires kills Geppetto. Teaming up with Master Cherry and a grandmotherly Blue Fairy (characters from the original book), the three protect a their unconcerned town from slaughter.
This is a fun little book. There are puns that kept me smiling and the buildup in the suspense kept me interested. The black and white artwork is comical but dark. Often with dark, thick lines, the sequential art sets the tone for a humorous horror story.
Though not very deep, this book is a fun read and would be appropriate for teen sections in the library.
Daffodil #1
Marvel
Part of the Soliel line of European comics from marvel, the first issue of Daffodil relates the story of 3 female vampires who are Parliament Agents. Its kind of like if Charlie's Angels were vampires. There is Globuline the ditsy one, Achilles the aggressive one, and Daffodil the leader. The three are sent off to destroy a rogue vampire name Nosferatu. Much like Ponnochio, this series has its silly moments. The three of them inadvertently kidnap two brothers (one is still nursing), and though the boys think its a great adventure, Achilles considers them lunch.
The artwork is very cartoony. In a manga like style the eyes of the girls are very large and the expressions they make are exaggerated. However, they are very cute vampires. But like other comics in the Soliel line, the boxes on the page tend to be small. And for old eyes like mine sometimes the action in the smaller panels gets lost.
This first book of a three issue limited series and though comical does have some very violent images and nudity. However, I would still consider it for a public library collection, but I would be very hesitant to place it in the teen area.
FVZA #1 and #2
Radical Comics
The final book in my little vampire trilogy here is FVZA which is an acronym for the Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency. Its origin is from a web site (http://www.fvza.org/) which has created an alternate history where vampires and zombies do exist. The main characters are a brother and sister who are trained by their grandfather, a retired director of the FVZA, on combat techniques on how to eliminate vampires and zombies. And recently, vampires are using a virus to turn normal people into zombies as a terror weapon.
I think this book is pretty cool and definitely worth picking up. The pencil art by Roy Allan Martinez and the finished painting by Kinsuh Loh and Jerry Choo, this is a fantastic book to look at. And there are interesting side characters that make the story move along. And the background "history" of vampires and zombies in American history with an actual Federal Agency designed to eliminate this threat, it's an intriguing concept for a comic book to use.
Of all three books here, I would be most hesitant to add this one to a public library collection. Not that it is any more gory and violent the Daffodil, but the artwork is more realistic. There is also a sex scene in each issue which might raise some concerns among parents. But if I were to add this collection, it would definitely go into the adult non-fiction area.
Pinnochio: Vampire Slayer
SLG Publishing
This is a fun little book. There are puns that kept me smiling and the buildup in the suspense kept me interested. The black and white artwork is comical but dark. Often with dark, thick lines, the sequential art sets the tone for a humorous horror story.
Though not very deep, this book is a fun read and would be appropriate for teen sections in the library.
Daffodil #1
Marvel
The artwork is very cartoony. In a manga like style the eyes of the girls are very large and the expressions they make are exaggerated. However, they are very cute vampires. But like other comics in the Soliel line, the boxes on the page tend to be small. And for old eyes like mine sometimes the action in the smaller panels gets lost.
This first book of a three issue limited series and though comical does have some very violent images and nudity. However, I would still consider it for a public library collection, but I would be very hesitant to place it in the teen area.
FVZA #1 and #2
Radical Comics
I think this book is pretty cool and definitely worth picking up. The pencil art by Roy Allan Martinez and the finished painting by Kinsuh Loh and Jerry Choo, this is a fantastic book to look at. And there are interesting side characters that make the story move along. And the background "history" of vampires and zombies in American history with an actual Federal Agency designed to eliminate this threat, it's an intriguing concept for a comic book to use.
Of all three books here, I would be most hesitant to add this one to a public library collection. Not that it is any more gory and violent the Daffodil, but the artwork is more realistic. There is also a sex scene in each issue which might raise some concerns among parents. But if I were to add this collection, it would definitely go into the adult non-fiction area.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Review - Romeo x Juliet: The Romeo Collection
Romeo x Juliet: The Romeo Collection
FUNimation
290 Minute
Though my anime watching has decreased a little since the library canceled its anime club, I still like to watch whats being released and occasionally buy some that seem worth while. I recently picked up Romeo x Juliet from FUNimation and was pleasantly surprised. When an anime retells a classic story from Western literature, its always interesting to see how the plot changes from the original to the retelling. So it might something like The Count of Monte Cristo as a space vampire or Moby Dick where a space captain Ahab is obsessed with his hunt of a white space ship. And with Romeo x Juliet, though not set in space, it is an alternate world called Neo Verona which looks a lot like a Renaissance Italian city with the exception of the flying horses.
The story starts off with massacre of the Capulet family by the Montague. The only surviving member of the Capulet family is the 2 year old Juliet, who is whisked away to hide among her few supporters and is made to dress like a boy for a disguise. The story flashes ahead 14 years to a day before Juliet's 16th birthday when her noble past is revealed. We find out that she is hiding with her confederates among a theater troupe run by William Shakespeare, and she often goes out to fight injustice on the streets of Neo Verona in the guise of The Red Whirlwind. While Romeo, the only son and heir of the treacherous Montague is unaware of his families murderous rise to power. And the anime is kind of like the original play. At the end of the first episode Romeo and Juliet have a chance meeting and fall in love at a grand masked ball. But instead of Romeo crashing the party with his friends, Juliet is the one attending the party uninvited. From the end of the first episode, the fates and family histories conspire against having these two united.
The story progresses as Juliet realizes the very important lot fate has given her as the sole heir and figurehead to a revolutionary movement against the oppressive Capulet. Romeo, like in the original play, isn't too smart and only follows where his heart guides him - towards Juliet - despite all the pressures and duties of being placed upon him by his father to be the next to rule Neo Verona.
Full of action and with pretty good animation, I really enjoyed the first half of the series. The character design was pleasing with the stylized clothing from the Italian Renaissance, there is always something interesting on the screen to look at. As the story progresses, the tension builds as Romeo's father becomes more brutal on the subjects of Neo Verona. And as we realize the depths of his evil it becomes more imperative that Juliet and her band of followers try and reclaim the city.
Usually I watch the dub soundtrack when available, and with this show was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the dialog and acting. But after about 2 or 3 episodes, I realized they were talking in Shakespeare with all the Olde English language often lifting quotes from his plays. I wondered in the original Japanese had the same dialog, but when I looked at the subtitles it seems the writers took some liberties in the script, which I'm ok with. After all, one might as well use the greatest writer of English as a model for the dialog.
This DVD set is definitely something a public library should concider. Rated for ages 13+, which I think is due mostly due to violent content. I would not put add this to the children's collection. But it would certainly be appropriate for a teen or adult video collection.
FUNimation
290 Minute
The story starts off with massacre of the Capulet family by the Montague. The only surviving member of the Capulet family is the 2 year old Juliet, who is whisked away to hide among her few supporters and is made to dress like a boy for a disguise. The story flashes ahead 14 years to a day before Juliet's 16th birthday when her noble past is revealed. We find out that she is hiding with her confederates among a theater troupe run by William Shakespeare, and she often goes out to fight injustice on the streets of Neo Verona in the guise of The Red Whirlwind. While Romeo, the only son and heir of the treacherous Montague is unaware of his families murderous rise to power. And the anime is kind of like the original play. At the end of the first episode Romeo and Juliet have a chance meeting and fall in love at a grand masked ball. But instead of Romeo crashing the party with his friends, Juliet is the one attending the party uninvited. From the end of the first episode, the fates and family histories conspire against having these two united.
The story progresses as Juliet realizes the very important lot fate has given her as the sole heir and figurehead to a revolutionary movement against the oppressive Capulet. Romeo, like in the original play, isn't too smart and only follows where his heart guides him - towards Juliet - despite all the pressures and duties of being placed upon him by his father to be the next to rule Neo Verona.
Full of action and with pretty good animation, I really enjoyed the first half of the series. The character design was pleasing with the stylized clothing from the Italian Renaissance, there is always something interesting on the screen to look at. As the story progresses, the tension builds as Romeo's father becomes more brutal on the subjects of Neo Verona. And as we realize the depths of his evil it becomes more imperative that Juliet and her band of followers try and reclaim the city.
Usually I watch the dub soundtrack when available, and with this show was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the dialog and acting. But after about 2 or 3 episodes, I realized they were talking in Shakespeare with all the Olde English language often lifting quotes from his plays. I wondered in the original Japanese had the same dialog, but when I looked at the subtitles it seems the writers took some liberties in the script, which I'm ok with. After all, one might as well use the greatest writer of English as a model for the dialog.
This DVD set is definitely something a public library should concider. Rated for ages 13+, which I think is due mostly due to violent content. I would not put add this to the children's collection. But it would certainly be appropriate for a teen or adult video collection.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Review - Stitches
Stitches
by David Small
published by W.W. Norton
Stitches is an autobiographical tale by David Small. Starting when he was six by describing his family, an emotionally distant and dower group consisting of his emotionally stunted and hateful mother, an unsympathetic and mean older brother, and an apathetic and distant father. The family on the surface seems to be a typical 1950's suburban, Ozzie and Harriet image. The father works as a radiologist at the hospital and the mother hosts bridge parties for the neighbors. But underneath the pretense David shows that there was a dysfunctional relationship between every member of the family. When David is 14, he is taken in for surgery to remove a tumor from his neck. As a result of the procedure is the loss of his voice and a large scar. From that point in the book story is almost wordless relying on the artwork to carry on the story.
This graphic novel is a view into a very dark personal reflection of childhood. Not all the answers are presented completely and not until the end when David has grown up do we see inside the minds of the mother and father. Prior to these revelations, David is stuck with his lot in life without any explanation why his family is so messed up. We are carried along with David through terrible events like when he spends a summer with his insane grandmother, or when the neighborhood boys try to beat him up. Eventually, towards the end of the book David is an adult and relates how his life got better once away from his family.
The art work in this book is very strong in its presentation. Ink lines and grey shading is all that is used. The way he is able to show the contempt in the characters faces is almost visceral and as David shows himself getting more angry with his situation. I wasn't the one to purchase this for the library. Instead, Gayle saw it on one of the "best of 2009" reading lists and acquired it for our collection. And similarto Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Shane White's North Country, it is a grim recollection of a incomprehensible childhood. It certainly isn't a teen graphic novel, but it also doesn't belong in the 741.5 non-fiction area. I'll ask to have it cataloged in the adult biography area.
by David Small
published by W.W. Norton
This graphic novel is a view into a very dark personal reflection of childhood. Not all the answers are presented completely and not until the end when David has grown up do we see inside the minds of the mother and father. Prior to these revelations, David is stuck with his lot in life without any explanation why his family is so messed up. We are carried along with David through terrible events like when he spends a summer with his insane grandmother, or when the neighborhood boys try to beat him up. Eventually, towards the end of the book David is an adult and relates how his life got better once away from his family.
The art work in this book is very strong in its presentation. Ink lines and grey shading is all that is used. The way he is able to show the contempt in the characters faces is almost visceral and as David shows himself getting more angry with his situation. I wasn't the one to purchase this for the library. Instead, Gayle saw it on one of the "best of 2009" reading lists and acquired it for our collection. And similarto Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Shane White's North Country, it is a grim recollection of a incomprehensible childhood. It certainly isn't a teen graphic novel, but it also doesn't belong in the 741.5 non-fiction area. I'll ask to have it cataloged in the adult biography area.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Slice of Life Anime
There is a genre of anime that I find really interesting. Sometimes called "slice of life" or "daily life", these shows are meant to display the normal day to day events of regular people. The first slice of life show that I watched was called Piano, which I picked up thinking it might be something we could watch at the library anime club.
Piano: The Melody of a Young Girl's Heart is about a girl named Miu who goes to school and then to her piano lessons after class. Prior to this, my anime viewing was mostly sci-fi/fantasy/action shows with lots of fighting and explosions. So I kept on waiting for something really dramatic to happen to Miu. For her to get sucked into another world with elves and dragons or having an alien robot to drop in wanting to be her boyfriend or something. But the most tense moment was whether to invite a boy she kind of likes to one of her piano recitals. There were times when she felt she didn't practice enough, and other instances when she wanted back out on inviting the boy. But for 10 half hour episodes, that was the main story for Piano. But when I finished watching it, I found I kind of liked that it was slow paced and simple.
The next slice of life show I found was when I discovered fansubbed bittorrents could be found on the Internet. The show I found was titled Kokoro Library piqued my interest because it was a show about a library tucked away in the mountain that was run by three sisters, the youngest being named Kokoro. Again, like Piano, nothing universe shaking happens. There is an episode where the city contemplates shutting down the library due to its lack of use and budget issues, but the sisters rally the people and the save the library from closing. Another episode has a patron looking for a book, but it's checked out and overdue. So Kokoro goes out, in the rain, to retrieve to book from the patron who has it out. Unfortunately, this show has not been licenced by anyone in the US, so fansubbed versions is the only way to watch this little gem.
A newer slice of life show I'm watching on the Anime Network and is called Aria. There are two seasons and not much happens in either of them. Set on an artificially terraformed planet to resemble Venice, Akari is training to be a gondolier. Each episode has Akari discovering something new about the city and the people who live there. Though set in some future scifi world, all of the conflict comes from the characters and how they deal with each other and their surroundings.
Other slice of life anime include:
Strawberry Marshmallow - A comedy about 4 elementary school girls and an older sister.
Kamichu! - A fantasy tale about a middle school student who becomes a god in the pantheon of Japanese deities.
Azumanga Daioh - Another comedy about high school girls and their daily routines.
Clannad - A school drama about a bored boy who meets a strange girl that catches his interest.
There are many slice of life anime, and for the most part are suitable for libraries to own. But if someone checks them out expecting to see space battles, they might be disappointed.
Piano: The Melody of a Young Girl's Heart is about a girl named Miu who goes to school and then to her piano lessons after class. Prior to this, my anime viewing was mostly sci-fi/fantasy/action shows with lots of fighting and explosions. So I kept on waiting for something really dramatic to happen to Miu. For her to get sucked into another world with elves and dragons or having an alien robot to drop in wanting to be her boyfriend or something. But the most tense moment was whether to invite a boy she kind of likes to one of her piano recitals. There were times when she felt she didn't practice enough, and other instances when she wanted back out on inviting the boy. But for 10 half hour episodes, that was the main story for Piano. But when I finished watching it, I found I kind of liked that it was slow paced and simple.
Other slice of life anime include:
Strawberry Marshmallow - A comedy about 4 elementary school girls and an older sister.
Kamichu! - A fantasy tale about a middle school student who becomes a god in the pantheon of Japanese deities.
Azumanga Daioh - Another comedy about high school girls and their daily routines.
Clannad - A school drama about a bored boy who meets a strange girl that catches his interest.
There are many slice of life anime, and for the most part are suitable for libraries to own. But if someone checks them out expecting to see space battles, they might be disappointed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)