Review - X-Men Misfits 1

Review - X-Men Misfits 1
Written by Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman
Illustrated by Anzu
Del Rey Manga

I'm not sure how the relationship came about, but Del Rey is repackaging Marvel characters into a manga style book. They did it for Wolverine book a couple month ago. And they have done another retelling, this time of Kitty Pryde and her first year at the Xavier Academy.

The story and personalities of the characters are completely different than the actual Marvel Universe. The book tells the story of Kitty Pride being recruited by Magneto, who is a professor at the academy. Once she shows up in Westchester, where the school is located, she is informed that she is the only female student. (Storm and Jean Grey are professors) So Kitty then becomes the center of attention by all the shonen-ai style male students and is very quickly compelled to join the Hellfire Club. This club is the on campus A list, popular students. Kitty also strikes up a romance with Hellfire Club member John (Pyro), but she finds herself being intrigued by the cold and aloof Bobby (Iceman).

There are side stories and characterizations that make this fun for X-Men readers. Fred (The Blob) is a nice, gentle guy who hangs out with Scott (Cyclops) who is an angry vegan. Warren (Angel) is the head of the Hellfire Club along with members Forge, Quicksilver, Longshot and Havoc. And while eating lunch in their special dining room, their servant Sabertooth is bringing them their food. This book is filled with little inside winks and nods that fans would find fun to chuckle at.

The artwork is very good for its recreation of the manga style. Characters go chibi at the appropriate times. The typical visual queues are present and anyone who has read any shojo books would know exactly whats happening. One fun think is where Kitty, when she goes chibi, has cat ears and a tale. I'm currently working my way through Fruits Basket and this X-Men book uses the same style where a simple icon at times represents the character.

This book will reside in the teen area with the other manga books. It has been rated for ages 13+, but there is nothing too objectionable in here. There is the romance story and some mutant destructive hijinks, but nothing I don't think even the most sensitive parent would object to. I just hope that I remember to pick up the next volumes when the come out.

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.