I Reads You Review: BUTTERFLY, VOL. 1

Creator: Yu Aikawa with Stephen Paul (translation and English adaptation)

Publishing Information: TOKYOPOP, B&W, paperback, 208 pages, $10.99 (US), $13.99 CAN

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4278-1852-2

 

Fantasy/Horror; Rated “T” for “Teen 13+”

 

Butterfly is shonen manga from creator Yu Aikawa. It is about a pair of ghost busters, but the story always seems to ask this question: what are the protagonists really busting?

In Butterfly, Vol. 1, readers meet Ginji Ishikawa, a young man who despises all things related to the occult. This hatred causes him to do something careless and stupid, which puts him deep in debt. Enter a boy named Ageha who pays off Ginji’s debt, but to repay Ageha, Ginji will have to partner with the child in a ghost-busting business.

As one would expect of a comic book series built around ghosts, Butterfly does have a creepy edge. However, this series, at least at this early point in the story, seems intent on hunting and busting the ghosts of the characters’ pasts. This kind of ghost is more metaphysical and family-related than it is supernatural. It makes for an intriguing read.

As I read Butterfly, I kept hoping that it would get scarier. I was also drawn into the mysterious of the characters’ pasts and into the seemingly odd relationships these characters have with one another. While the art is not spectacular, it does serve Butterfly’s vibe, style, and character-heavy drama quite well.

I won’t give Butterfly a grade, yet, but I very much look forward to reading the next volume of this peculiar tale of strange ghost busters. I like this kind of haunting.

Latest Arina Tanemura Series Arrives in April

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF NEW MANGA SERIES SAKURA HIME: THE LEGEND OF PRINCESS SAKURA

Latest Fantasy Series By Visionary Shojo Creator Arina Tanemura Launches In April

San Francisco, CA, March 29, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will delight shojo readers and fans of creator Arina Tanemura with the North American premiere of her current manga (graphic novel) series – SAKURA HIME: THE LEGEND OF PRINCESS SAKURA – on April 5th. The new title launches under the company’s Shojo Beat imprint, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

Sakura is the granddaughter of a mysterious moon princess who slew demons with her Blood Cherry Blossom sword. All her life Sakura has been forbidden to look at the full moon without knowing why. Then one night, unhappy over her impending marriage, Sakura gazes up at the moon, only to see a demon attacking her...

“Arina Tanemura returns to fantasy in her latest series, SAKURA HIME,” says Nancy Thistlethwaite, Editor. “The story takes place during the Heian period of Japan and interweaves the myth of the moon princess with magical shojo and the supernatural. Wanting to escape a life arranged by others, Princess Sakura runs away from an impending arranged marriage to a man she’s never met, only to find she’s caught up to her true destiny as a descendant of the moon princess. This manga features the beautiful artwork and emotional impact that has given Tanemura a worldwide following.”

Arina Tanemura began her manga career in 1996 when her short stories debuted in Ribon magazine. She gained fame with the 1997 publication of I•O•N (published by VIZ Media), and ever since her debut Tanemura has continued to be a major force in shojo manga with popular series such as TIME STRANGER KYOKO, SHORT TEMPERED MELANCHOLIC, FULL MOON, and The Gentlemen’s Alliance † (all published in North America by VIZ Media) as well as Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne. Both Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne and FULL MOON have been adapted into popular animated TV series.

For more information on SAKURA HIME or other works by Arina Tanemura, please visit http://www.shojobeat.com/.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 30 2011

DC COMICS

JAN110287 ACTION COMICS #899 $2.99

JUL100283 ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN MINI STATUE $80.00

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JAN110315 ZATANNA #11 $2.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 30 2011

MARVEL COMICS

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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for March 30 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

JAN110544 BEST OF DICK TRACY TP VOL 01 (RES) (NOTE PRICE) $19.99

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DEC100426 X-9 SECRET AGENT CORRIGAN HC VOL 02 $49.99

Dark Horse from Diamond Distributors for March 30 2011

DARK HORSE COMICS

JAN110077 DOLLHOUSE EPITAPHS ONE SHOT PHIL NOTO CVR $3.50

JAN110108 KING CONAN SCARLET CITADEL #2 $3.50

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JAN110112 STAR WARS DARTH VADER & LOST COMMAND #3 (OF 5) $3.50

JAN110110 STAR WARS LEGACY WAR #4 (OF 6) $3.50

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 30 2011

IMAGE COMICS

JAN110547 BUTCHER BAKER RIGHTEOUS MAKER #1 (MR) $2.99

JAN110568 DEAD AT 17 TP VOL 06 WITCH QUEEN $12.99

JAN110548 ELEPHANTMEN MAN AND ELEPHANTMAN #1 $3.99

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JAN110632 WALKING DEAD #83 (MR) $2.99

JAN110631 WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #13 (MR) $2.99

Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for March 30 2011

PREVIEWS PUBLICATIONS

FEB110001 PREVIEWS #271 APRIL 2011 PI

COMICS
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OCT101097 AFTER DARK #3 (OF 3) $4.99

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JAN111021 AMORY WARS KEEPING SECRETS OF SILENT EARTH 3 #9 (OF 12) $3.99

JAN110939 ARCHIE #619 $2.99

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JAN110982 CALIGULA #1 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99

JAN110983 CALIGULA #1 (OF 6) WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

JAN111080 CHIMO GN (MR) $17.00

DEC100963 COMPLETE PEANUTS HC VOL 15 1979-1980 $28.99

FEB110795 CROSSED PSYCHOPATH #1 (OF 6) CHASE VAR (MR) $5.99

SEP100965 DEAN KOONTZ FRANKENSTEIN PRODIGAL SON VOL 2 #5 $3.99

FEB110839 DRACULA THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS TP VOL 01 (O/A) $12.99

FEB111244 EMEK THINKING MANS POSTER ARTIST COLLECTED WORKS HC $39.95

DEC100724 FAIL O/T LIVING DEAD ONE-SHOT $3.50

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JAN111399 GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #3 A CVR MEDINA $2.99

JAN111400 GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #3 B CVR RIO $2.99

JAN111393 GOSSIP GIRL MANGA GN VOL 02 $12.99

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NOV101039 GUARDIAN HEARTS GN VOL 03 (OF 4) (RES) (MR) $19.99

SEP100754 HOW TO DRAW & DEFEAT STREETFIGHTING WARRIORS SUPERSIZE TP $19.99

JAN111319 ICONS DC & WILDSTORM ART OF JIM LEE NYCC EXCL HC (RES) PI

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FEB110886 KIDNAPPED CAMPFIRE GN $9.99

FEB110887 KING SOLOMONS MINES CAMPFIRE GN $9.99

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JUL100944 LA BANKS VAMPIRE HUNTRESS #3 THE HIDDEN DARKNESS $3.99

FEB110876 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #0 AUXILIARY $3.99

AUG100744 LAST ZOMBIE #5 (OF 5) $3.99

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FEB111065 LUIS ROYO SUBVERSIVE BEAUTY REG ED HC (O/A) (MR) $19.95

JAN111295 MEAN MACHINE REAL MEAN TP $19.99

JAN111395 MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA GN VOL 08 $11.99

NOV100920 MOME GN VOL 21 $14.99

JAN111396 NABARI NO OU TP VOL 06 $11.99

FEB110781 NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD #1 (OF 5) ZOMBIEGATE (MR) $5.99

FEB110782 NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD #3 (OF 5) AUXILIARY (MR) $3.99

JAN111001 PINPOINT #1 (OF 3) (MR) $3.99

OCT100756 POCKET GOD #4 $3.95

OCT100846 POLITICAL POWER NIXON $3.99

JAN111195 RIP HC BEST OF 1985 2004 $28.99

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FEB111073 SAM AND FRIENDS MYSTERY GN VOL 02 LAKE MONSTER MIX UP $7.95

JAN111151 SHERLOCK HOLMES YEAR ONE #3 $3.99

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JAN111071 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #67 (MR) $2.95

FEB111115 TENKEN GN $16.95

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AUG100065 VANGUARD FRAZETTA CLASSICS HC VOL 02 WHITE INDIAN $49.95

FEB110890 WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ CAMPFIRE GN $9.99

FEB111072 YEHUDA MOON & KICKSTAND CYCLERY TP VOL 01 $14.95

MAGAZINES
DEC101170 AMAZING FIGURE MODELER #49 $8.00
DEC101134 CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #143 RADIOACTIVE MAN $12.00
DEC101136 CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG SPECIAL BLOB $38.00
DEC101143 DC BLACKEST NIGHT FIG COLL MAG #3 LARFLEEZE $14.00
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NOV101180 STAR WARS FIG COLL MAG #20 BOBA FETT $14.00
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JAN111927 WHITE DWARF #375 PI

Sakura Hime is Under the (Blood) Cherry (Blossom Sword) Moon

I read Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura, Vol. 1

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Shiki Tsukai 32nd to 41st Season

I read Shiki Tsukai 7/8

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).  This is a mini-omnibus that collects Shiki Tsukai Volumes 7 and 8.

Nura Rise of the Yokai Clan: Rikuo vs. Gyuki

I read Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 2

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Leroy Douresseaux on AFTER DARK #3

AFTER DARK #3

RADICAL PUBLISHING

 

CREATORS: Antoine Fuqua and Wesley Snipes

WRITER: Peter Milligan
ARTIST: Leonardo Manco
PAINTS: Kinsun Loh, Jerry Choo, Sansan Saw
LETTERS: Clayton Cowles
COVER: Tae Young Choi
56pp, Color, $4.99

His legal troubles did not stop movie producer and actor Wesley Snipes, best known for the Blade film franchise, from helping to create a comic book. With director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), Snipes created After Dark, a science fiction comic book miniseries from Radical Publishing. Hellblazer alums Peter Milligan and Leonardo Manco actually produce the comic book, with Milligan the scriptwriter and Manco the artist.

Set in the future, After Dark takes place on an Earth that exists in a state of near-perpetual darkness. Civilization is mostly confined to domed cities, with Solar City being the most populated. The populace either lives in a drug-addled stupor or engages in rioting because of boredom. The rulers of Solar City decide that Angel, a messianic figure who hasn’t been seen in decades, can tame the populace. They enlist Omar, a Bedouin drifter, to guide a rag-tag team composed of specialists and known criminals into the wilds outside Solar City to find Angel.

As After Dark #3 opens, words gets out that Angel has been found and that she is coming to Solar City. That means a happy ending, right? It’s not that simple and neither is Angel, and friends become enemies.

I give credit to the creators for making this last issue of After Dark so… dark. It’s gritty, violent, tragic, and even for a few, small moments, poignant. At 150 pages of narrative, one would think that this story is long enough. It’s not. After Dark isn’t a miniseries so much as it is an epic, and there needed to be much more room in the story for the characters. It is almost as if Peter Milligan’s storytelling is too big for this miniseries. Still, After Dark is an interesting, darker-than-usual, dystopian fiction that offers a large, rich assortment of attention-grabbing ideas and elements.

B+

Shonen Jump Website to Profile its Stars

VIZ MEDIA’S SHONEN JUMP WEBSITE OFFERS EXCLUSIVE NEW CONTENT AND CELEBRATES “SJ HEROES WEEK” ONLINE
 
SHONEN JUMP Pays Homage To All The Great Manga Heroes That Have Appeared In VIZ Media Graphic Novels And The Magazine
 
VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that its SHONEN JUMP website will feature a special week-long “SJ Heroes Week,” during which it will publish a different manga (graphic novel) hero profile online every day from March 27th to April 1st.
 
The SJ Heroes Week coincides with the new commemorative 100th issue of SHONEN JUMP magazine, which is on sale now. Fans and subscribers can log on to the SHONEN JUMP website at www.ShonenJump.com for fresh daily updates of all-time favorite manga heroes. A second round of SHONEN JUMP Heroes, to be featured in the upcoming May 2011 print edition (on sale April 5th), will post on the website during the second half of April with expanded entries for each manga character. This content further extends the magazine’s new subscriber initiatives featured on the SHONEN JUMP website.

SHONEN JUMP’s print and website redesign for 2011 welcomed the new decade with a fresh, contemporary look and notably expanded content. These new features complement several digital subscriber-only premiums, as well as the online debut of a brand new manga series, NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN (rated ‘T’ for Teens). This is SHONEN JUMP’s first title to be serialized digitally on ShonenJump.com. The redesigned site offers fresh content updated daily that includes special Manga Spotlight Features, Manga Profile Features, Anime Episode Updates, Weekly Fan Art submissions, Trading Card Game Tips, Video Game Features and much more!

“SHONEN JUMP magazine is the most popular manga magazine today, with over a million readers in its original language version in Japan, as well as hundreds of thousands of fans in the U.S.,” says Joel Enos, SHONEN JUMP Senior Editor. “And now SHONEN JUMP is expanding its online coverage with new daily updates to give readers more of what they want – features on manga, anime, card games and video games, plus exclusive online manga content for subscribers. During the next two months, we’ll also profile SHONEN JUMP heroes from a variety of SHONEN JUMP’s most loved manga series. From international sensations like NARUTO and ONE PIECE to beloved classics like DRAGON BALL, we will spotlight every SJ hero that ever came out in the U.S. in either graphic novel format or in the magazine!”

For more information on SHONEN JUMP Magazine and other Shonen Jump titles, please visit http://www.shonenjump.com/.

Leroy Douresseaux on FINDER: VOICE

FINDER: VOICE

DARK HORSE BOOKS

 

CARTOONIST: Carla Speed McNeil

ISBN: 978-1-59582-651-0; paperback
216pp, B&W, $19.99 U.S., $21.99 CAN

I knew Carla Speed McNeil for a few years back in college, when we both worked for the student newspaper. She was a cartoonist and also contributed a comic strip (entitled “Sane as it Ever Was,” I think). I thought then that she was quite talented. When she showed me a sketchbook filled with pencil figure drawings of humans and animals, I knew that she was going to do fantastic work in comics, if she chose to pursue that.

She was humble and thought I might be exaggerating. I was right. She was wrong. I’m a prophet. Welcome to the Church of Leroy!

Carla Speed McNeil has been producing her comic book (now webcomic), Finder, which she describes as “aboriginal science fiction,” since 1996. McNeil self-published the Finder comic book series through her company, Lightspeed Press, for 38 issues. Finder the webcomic is available on the publisher’s website.

Dark Horse has just published the most recent Finder graphic novel/story arc in a trade paperback entitled Finder: Voice. Finder takes place in the far distant future, on a vastly depopulated Earth. The series is set primarily in domed city-states that are dominated by wealthy clans. In the lands outside the domes, various hunter-gatherer cultures thrive.

Voice is set in the domed city of Anvard, where society is dominated by an intricate network of clans, including the flamboyant Llaverac. Rachel Grosvenor is Llaverac on her mother’s side and Medawar (another clan) on her father’s side. Now, Rachel is in the midst of the 557th Annual Llaverac Clan Confirmation Competition. Winning or finishing near the very top means that Rachel will be formally welcomed into the clan, which will secure her and her family’s future. A mugging and the theft of a priceless and indispensable family heirloom wrecks her chances. Rachel’s hunt for the heirloom sends her spiraling into Anvard’s dark underbelly (the other side of the tracks, so to speak), and a legendary Finder may hold the key to her future. But can Rachel find the Finder?

There are many things that stand out about Carla Speed McNeil’s work on Finder: the deft handling of a huge ensemble cast, the intricate character relationships, the complex internal mythology, etc. What always stands out to me is how expressive her art is. Comics are a visual storytelling medium, of course, but that is a rather simplistic way of looking at the medium. Comics use graphics that include drawings, sound effects, word balloons, captions, lettering, etc. to not only tell a story, but to also convey a range of emotions, as well as establish settings, moods, and time periods.

As a whole, McNeil’s graphic storytelling is lush and highly-detailed. It is a meticulous graphical symphony of sights, sounds, smells, and sensations, if not tastes. A reader can break down the composition of each panel and see that every line is a conveyance. The flowing drapery informs the readers of the opulence and importance of the clan confirmation competition. Heavy word balloons carry the weight of angry words. Swaying brush strokes suggest the wild and fevered rhythm of Ascian dance. Grassy cross-hatching unveils the lavish, stately home that marks Rachel’s victory.

Finder is the little independent, self-published comic book that is a great, big old science fiction comic book. Through her vivid, expressive storytelling, Carla Speed McNeil presents a world that is at once familiar and old, but also brand new. Finder is a ticket to adventure through a mesmerizing, new science fiction world.

A

http://www.lightspeedpress.com/

Review: BLUE EXORCIST: Volume 1

BLUE EXORCIST, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Kazue Kato
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: John Werry
LETTERS: John Hunt, Primary Graphix
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4032-0; paperback; Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
202pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Rin Okumura was raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, but a fateful argument with the Father reveals the terrible secret of Rin’s origin.  The Demon Lord Satan is Rin’s father.  Now, Rin is determined to reject his demonic blood line and enrolls in True Cross Academy Private High School, where he will train to be an exorcist!

In Blue Exorcist, Vol. 1, daddy comes a calling.  Satan arrives to claim his son, Rin, but Rin has other plans.  Plus, Rin learns a shocking secret about his younger, fraternal twin brother, Yukio, who hasn’t inherited the demonic bloodline.

THE LOWDOWN:  Sometimes, I read the first volume of a manga series, and it so impresses me that I am ready to give it a high grade right from the beginning.  Or it does not impress me, and I give it a low mark.  A Shonen Jump manga, Blue Exorcist has potential, but I’m not ready to grade it, yet.

Created by Kazue Kato, Blue Exorcist is an action/fantasy with comedic elements.  Thus far, the stories are told in episodes that are built around the larger story arc and internal mythology.  I like the comedy and the bickering between characters.  I think that regardless of the imaginatively designed characters and inventive fantasy, Blue Exorcist’s strength will be in the characters, and right now, the series seems strong.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Teen readers will like the action and comedy of the “Shonen Jump Advanced” title, Blue Exorcist.

Revised and Posted on I Reads You blog:  Thursday, October 29, 2020

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The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Dragon Ball Z Debuts on iPad

MARCH MANGA MADNESS CONTINUES WITH DEBUT OF DRAGON BALL Z FOR THE VIZ MANGA APP FOR iPad

March Manga Madness is fully underway as VIZ Media continues to offer readers special promotions and new manga (graphic novel) titles available exclusively for the VIZ MANGA APP for the Apple® iPad™ mobile device. The latest round of updates features debut of the classic action manga DRAGON BALL Z, as well as new updates for 8 other acclaimed manga titles currently available.

Fans should also stay tuned for an exciting digital manga first as BAKUMAN。Volume 4 prepares to debut on the VIZ Manga App on March 28th, ahead of the print edition’s national release on April 5th.

As part of the March Manga Madness promotion, all Volume 1 manga titles are available this month for only $0.99 each (instead of $4.99). After shopping, fans are invited also enter to win a $50 iTunes gift card by taking the VIZ Manga App survey. By the end of March the VIZ Manga App will feature more than 100 manga volumes available for download.

Creator Akira Toriyama’s much-loved manga classic, DRAGON BALL Z (Rated ‘A’ for All Ages), debuts on today with Volume 2 to be available before the end of the month. After years of training and adventure, Goku has become Earth's ultimate warrior. And his son, Gohan, shows even greater promise. But the stakes are increasing as even deadlier enemies threaten the planet. DRAGON BALL Z is the ultimate science fiction-martial arts manga.

The VIZ MANGA APP is available for free through the iTunes Store and all manga volumes are generally available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada within the application for $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) per volume.

Additional new manga volumes available this week include:

DEATH NOTE Vol. 9
MERUPURI Vol. 3
NARUTO Vol. 18
NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS Vol. 2
ONE PIECE Vol. 18
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE Vol. 2
RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 9
TORIKO Vol. 3

The VIZ MANGA APP is the leading application to read Japanese manga on the iPad, with a downloadable library of the most popular manga series in the world. Readers are encouraged to check the app regularly, as new additions to the store and free Chapter 1 previews of other forthcoming manga series for the iPad are featured.

For more information on the VIZ MANGA APP, please visit www.VIZ.com/apps/.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 23 2011

DC COMICS

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 23 2011

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IDW Publishing for Diamond Distributors for March 23 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

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Dark Horse from Diamond Distributors for March 23 2011

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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 23 2011

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Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for March 23 2011

COMICS

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Eensy Weensy Monster and the Little Devil

I read Eensy Weensy Monster Volume 2

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

I Reads You Review: EENSY WEENSY MONSTER, VOL. 1

Creator: Masami Tsuda with Clint Bickham (English adaptation) and Noi Sasaki (translation)

Publishing Information: TOKYOPOP, B&W, paperback, 208 pages, $10.99 (US), $13.99 CAN

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4278-1651-1

Comedy/Romance; Rated “T” for “Older Teen 13+”

High school student Nanoha Satsuki is a plain Jane. She happily lives in the shadow of her two pals, blonde bombshell Nobara Ryuzaki and brilliant student Renge Mido. The one thing that irritates Nanoha is the new student, a guy named Hazuki Tokiwa. Known as “Prince,” Hazuki has a snobbish, arrogant demeanor that infuriates Nanoha. The little monster that lives in all of us lives in Nanoha, and it wants her to attack Hazuki.

In Eensy Weensy Monster, Vol. 1, Nanoha unleashes a mini-tirade at Hazuki, and it makes him a changed man. Now, the Prince just wants to be pals with Nanoha. Maybe Nanoha’s tantrum also made her a changed young woman, but Prince’s many admirers don’t like change and plan on doing something about it.

Eensy Weensy Monster is strange, not in its concept. After all, this is the umpteenth shojo manga about boy and girl high school students who despise each other before falling in and out and in and out of love. What is strange is how interior this story is. So much of the narrative and dialogue happens behind Nanoha and Hazuki’s expressive eyes. Creator Masami Tsuda presents a surprising reading experience in which the reader is constantly sharing the leads’ innermost thoughts. Quite frankly, it is a delight to see how close Nanoha and Hazuki are to each other, yet also how far apart they are.

I would say that this intimate look at the leads, however, comes at the expense of a supporting cast with a lot of potential. Hopefully, we get more of them, but in the meantime, shojo fans should try this beautifully drawn comic drama of the minds.

A-