Gangsta: Long-Lost

I read Gangsta., Vol. 6

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Terra Formars: Play Ball

I read Terra Formars, Vol. 6

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Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire - B.S.A.A. on Site

I read Resident Evil, Vol. 4: The Marhawa Desire

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#IReadsYou Review: BLACK LAGOON Volume 10

BLACK LAGOON, VOL. 10
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Rei Hiroe
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Joe Yamazaki
LETTERS: John Hunt, Primary Graphix
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7772-2; paperback (April 2015); Rated “M” for “Mature”
192pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 U.K.

The baddest mercenaries on the high seas of Southeast Asia sail aboard the “Black Lagoon,” a modified, World War II torpedo boat.  Prowling the waters off the coast of Southeast Asia is a small crew of four.  There is Vietnam vet, Dutch the Boss, and Benny the Mechanic, who handles the boat’s complicated high tech electronics.  Revy Two Hand is the ultra-lethal, gunslinger, and Rock, the corporate crony formerly known as Rokuro Okajima, just ended up part of the crew.  Through Dutch’s company, Lagoon Traders, this quartet operates a maritime courier service out of Roanapur, Thailand, a dangerous city rotten with military, ex-military, gangsters, drug dealers, etc.

Black Lagoon, Vol. 10 has a singular focus on Chapter 77: The Wired Red Wild Card.  Benny's lascivious girlfriend, Jane, arrives in town with naughty plans to make love to Benny... and sometimes to rape him.  The tech-savvy Jane, who leads an international counterfeiting group, however, has even darker plans for her latest recruit, Feng Yifei, a Chinese spy.

The plan is for Feng to hack into Reinbach A.G., a German electronics manufacturer, in order to steal the avionics data the company is developing.  Jane's real motive is to blackmail the Chinese government, an act which leaves, Feng, who is enlisted in the Chinese military, as the scapegoat.  Now, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has hired men to kill Feng.  Some of the crew of the Black Lagoon are sympathetic, but they would rather not bring Feng's trouble on themselves.  What will she do?

I think the last time the Black Lagoon manga was published in North America was in 2010, when VIZ Media published Vol. 9.  In an afterword published in Black Lagoon Volume 10, series creator, Rei Hiroe, seems determined to make his readers understand two things.  He has been working on the series during the five years between Vols. 9 and 10, and he was not on hiatus, no matter how many people say he was.

He doesn't need to explain anything to me, at least.  I did miss Black Lagoon and often wondered what happened to the series.  I love it.  It's the comic book that The Punisher should be like, although DC Comic's recently launched Deathstroke series (2014) reminds me of Black Lagoon.  While Vol. 9 was a shoot 'em up fest, Vol. 10 is short on the kind of explosive gun battles that have come to define this series, although there are a few ballets of bullets.

In this chapter, Hiroe takes a deeper look at the personalities and philosophies of Revy and Rock, particularly from the standpoint of how each views getting involved in other people's affairs.  I think this is a way of encouraging the readers to be invested in the crew of the Black Lagoon, and it worked on me.  I suddenly find myself drawn to Revy as an intriguing mystery girl and not simply as a cool bitch with two smoking guns.

A-
7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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

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Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire - Secrets of a Hooded Woman

I read Resident Evil, Vol. 3: The Marhawa Desire

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter and at Grumble.

Terra Formars: Spine-Tailed Swift

I read Terra Formars, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter and at Grumble.

Gangsta: Striker

I read Gangsta., Vol. 5

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.

Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire - A Hooded Lady

I read Resident Evil, Vol. 2: The Marhawa Desire

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.

Terra Formars: The Grasshopper and the Diving Beetle

I read Terra Formars, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter and at Grumble.

Dogs: Bullets & Carnage - Dog Soldiers

I read Dogs, Vol. 9: Bullets & Carnage

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Review: MASTER KEATON Volume 1

MASTER KEATON, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Naoki Urasawa
STORY: Hokusei Katsushika and Takashi Nagasaki
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Pookie Rolf
LETTERS: Steve Dutro
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7589-6; paperback (December 2014); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
322pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN, £12.99 U.K.

Master Keaton is a seinen manga of various genres (mystery, suspense, family drama-comedy, etc.) from award-winning mangaka (creator) Naoki Urasawa.  First published in 1988, Master Keaton was created and drawn by Urasawa, who co-produced the story with Hokusei Katsushika and Takashi Nagasaki.  The series had never been released in English until recently.

Now, VIZ Media is publishing Master Keaton as a 12-volume manga in a deluxe graphic novel format, with each volume including a few pages of full-color material to go along with the black and white comics.  VIZ Media's first volume of Master Keaton was published this past December (2014), and future volumes will be published quarterly under the company’s VIZ Signature imprint and will be rated “‘T+’ for Older Teens.”  Each volume of Master Keaton will carry an MSRP of $19.99 in the United States, $22.99 in Canada, and £12.99 in the United Kingdom.

Master Keaton focuses on 30-something Taichi Hiraga Keaton.  The son of a Japanese zoologist and English noblewoman and mathematician, Keaton is an archeology professor at Kotozawa University.  Most of the series' action focuses on Keaton's other job.  He is a part-time insurance investigator known for his successful and unorthodox methods of investigation.  His abilities are based on the fact that he is Oxford-educated in archeology and that he is also a former member of the British elite special forces, the SAS (Special Air Service).  Master Keaton uses his knowledge and combat training to uncover buried secrets, thwart would-be villains, pursue the truth, and sometimes lend a helping hand.

Master Keaton, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 12) opens with the death of Leon Pappas near the village of Isidoros, on the Dodecanese Islands in Greece.  Pappas had an insurance policy worth one million pounds with Lloyd's of London.  In Essex, England, Lord David Marques, the policy's underwriter, is suspicious both of the circumstances of Pappas' death and of his insurance policy's beneficiary, Ochs Fine Art Ltd.

Enter Mister Keaton, part-time insurance investigator.  Lord Marques wants him to investigate everything dubious surrounding Pappas, his death, and his connection to a mysterious art dealer.  Pappas was an amateur archeologist and that angle piques Keaton's interest, so he accepts the assignment and heads to the Dodecanese Islands.  But danger and the threat of death await him.

Anyone who reads my reviews on a regular basis knows that I am a huge admirer of Naoki Urasawa, some might even say raving fan boy.  He is one of my favorite mangaka, and I think that he has been one of the best and most intriguing comics creators over the last four decades.

I like Master Keaton.  It is not as obsessively connected, in terms of plot, characters, and settings as such Urasawa classics as 20th Century Boys and Monster.  Keaton does have a revolving set of characters, such as his father, his daughter, and his agent.  His SAS training frequently plays a part in the stories, as does his positions as an academic and an archeologist.

The stories in Master Keaton are episodic.  In Master Keaton Volume 1, almost every chapter offers either a new case which Keaton must tackle or a glimpse at Keaton's personal life.  There is one story that runs over two chapters (about a joint Japanese-British archeological dig in a Uyghur region of China).  Vol. 1 ends with a three-chapter story of a former SAS officer coming to the end of a complicated and dangerous plot for revenge.

I enjoyed just about every story in Vol. 1, but I have to admit that I was shocked by the episodic nature of this series.  I was disappointed when the tale of Leon Pappas, which opens this graphic novel, was wrapped up in one chapter.  Once I adjusted to how Urasawa and his writers present the adventures of Mister Keaton, I found myself fascinated by this thoroughly fascinating character.  I would say that Master Keaton is another Urasawa series that is a must-read.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Gangsta: Raid on a Cristiano Safe House

I read Gangsta., Vol. 4

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.

Terra Formars: Emergency Plan Delta

I read Terra Formars, Vol. 3

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Review: RESIDENT EVIL: The Marhawa Desire Volume 1

RESIDENT EVIL: THE MARHAWA DESIRE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Naoki Serizawa
CONCEPT: Capcom
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERERS: John Clark
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7372-4; paperback (November 2014); Rated “M” for “Mature”
176pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire is a manga that serves as a prequel to the storyline of CAPCOM’s bestselling Resident Evil® 6 video game.  This manga was originally published in Japan in 2012 by Akita Publishing Co., Inc.; now, VIZ Media is publishing the manga in North America as a 5-volume graphic novel series.

Resident Evil 6 introduces the highly virulent C-virus, but where did this new outbreak begin?   Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 6) opens at Bennett University in Singapore.  There, Doug Wright is a professor in the Department of Sciences and Engineering, and he specializes in bacteriology.  He receives a letter from Marhawa Academy, Asia's largest and most prestigious school.  The letter is written by Marhawa's Headmaster, Mother Gracia.

The fact that she had some kind of relationship with Wright in the past is probably the reason that Wright rushes to the school, which is located deep in the jungle, a giant, self-contained and self-sufficient complex.  Wright takes his nephew, 20-year-old Ricky Tozawa, with him because he is failing at Bennett and could use some extra credit work.  Prof. Wright and Ricky find themselves caught in a deadly and growing tragedy and perhaps, epidemic.  Meanwhile, Chris Redfield and his B.S.A.A. ( Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) is looking for Prof. Wright.

First, I have never played any Resident Evil video games.  I did not read the Resident Evil comics produced by Marvel and Wildstorm a long time ago.  I am a big fan of the Resident Evil live-action film franchise that began back in 2002.  When I received a press release announcing the Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire manga, I was excited by that news.  When my VIZ Media rep sent me a copy of Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire Volume 1 for review, I was thrilled.

I like this manga.   Naoki Serizawa, the writer and artist behind Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire, offers one of those horror stories that starts as a mystery about a conspiracy that a group of people are protecting.  Of course, this eventually leads to a horror bigger and worse than anyone realized.  I tore through this manga in one sitting.

I think Professor Doug Wright and his nephew Ricky Tozawa are good characters.  The reason is because they are two-things necessary in mystery and even horror fiction – open to the mystery, adventurous, and fearless enough/foolish enough to run into the belly of the beast that will eat them or turn them into zombies.  I am surprised that this story can be contained in five volumes.  Once again, I will admit my love of the Resident Evil movies, as I heartily recommend the VIZ Signature title, Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire, to you, dear readers.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Terra Formars: Annex 1

I read Terra Formars, Vol. 2

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter.

Gangsta: Boyhood

I read Gangsta., Vol. 3

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Gangsta: Hidden History

I read Gangsta., Vol. 3

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Ikigami: The Final Volume

I read Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit, Vol. 10

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Review: MONSTER: The Perfect Edition Volume 1

MONSTER: THE PERFECT EDITION, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Naoki Urasawa with Takashi Nagasaki
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Camellia Nieh
LETTERS: Steve Dutro
ISBN: 978-1-4215-6906-2; paperback (July 2014); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
432pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN, £12.99 UK

Monster is a seinen manga (comics for adult men) written and drawn by Naoki Urasawa.  It was originally serialized in Japan in the manga magazine, Big Comic Original (published by Shogakukan), from December 1994 to December 2001.  From February 2006 to December 2008, VIZ Media published Monster in 18 paperback graphic novel editions (known as tankōbon in Japan).  Now, VIZ Media is collecting the series in a new “Perfect Edition” format in which two graphic novels are gathered in each oversized paperback volume.

Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 16) reprints Monster Volume 1 and Volume 2.  This edition is print-only and is published under the VIZ Signature imprint and it is rated “‘T+’ for Older Teens.”  The series carries an MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) of $19.99 U.S. and $22.99 CAN.  Monster: The Perfect Edition features a new English translation of Monster, re-mastered pages, and many pages of full-color content.  After Vol. 1, future volumes of Monster: The Perfect Edition will be released four times a year in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand for a total of nine volumes covering the entire series.

Naoki Urasawa’s Monster focuses on a young and very talented doctor who discovers that no good deed goes unpunished.  Dr. Kenzo Tenma moved from Japan to Germany to find success as a brain surgeon.  As the go-to-surgeon at Eisler Memorial Hospital in Düsseldorf, Tenma is the hospital’s golden boy.  However, it comes at a cost.  Tenma writes the medical papers that hospital director, Dr. Heinemann, presents as his own work.  Kenzo dates Heinemann’s daughter, Eva, but she is a spoiled daddy’s girl who cares more about appearances and material wealth than other people.  Then, Tenma makes a decision that leads to his fall from grace with Heinemann.

Tenma is determined to prove that he made the right decision.  So when two children come into the emergency room at Eisler one night, Tenma operates on Johan Liebert, the brother who has been shot in the head.  Johan’s sister, Anna, is in shock, but Tenma is determined to protect them both.  Tenma does not realize that his decision will force him to confront questions of good and evil.  Years later, he discovers a bizarre series of serial murders, and Tenma realizes that he may have saved a monster.

The Monster manga by Naoki Urasawa is one of the best comics published in the last decade of the 20th century.  Urasawa’s acclaimed manga may even be the best.

Monster can best be described as a psychological thriller, in which the central conspiracy expands ever outward.  Although the hero, Dr. Tenma, initially believes that all he has to do is find a serial killer, he gradually discovers that he must investigate history as well as track a killer.  Of course, Monster is a murder mystery, and there is plenty of political intrigue, some of it involving workplace politics. 

Whatever genres and styles upon which it touches, Monster is a riveting, absorbing read.  It is a chilling story in which the monsters are not of supernatural origins, but instead come from the dark recesses of the human mind.  Monster is such an engrossing, page-turner that it is unforgettable.  I never forgot it, and I am ready to read it again – thanks to Monster: The Perfect Edition.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Review: BATTLE ROYALE Ultimate Edition Volume 1

BATTLE ROYALE ULTIMATE EDITON, VOL. 1
TOKYOPOP

WRITERS: Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi
ARTIST: Masayuki Taguchi
TRANSLATION: Tomo Iwo with Emily Shoji
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Keith Giffen
ISBN: 978-1-4278-0753-3; hardcover (October 2007); Action; Rated “M” for “Mature-Ages 18+”
632pp, B&W, $24.99 U.S.

The Battle Royale media franchise began life as the novel, Battle Royale.  It was written by Konshun Takami and published in Japan in 1999 by publisher, Ohta Shuppan.  Some audiences know Battle Royale for the controversial 2000 Japanese film adaptation that has gained cult status in the United States.

Japanese comics creator (mangaka) Masayuki Taguchi adapted the novel into manga.  TOKYOPOP published the Battle Royale manga in English as 15 graphic novels from 2003 to 2006.  In late 2007, TOKYOPOP began collecting those graphic novels into five omnibus editions, with each omnibus reprinting three graphic novel volumes of the Battle Royale manga in one hardcover book.

In the TOKYOPOP adaptation of the original magna, Battle Royale is set in an alternate timeline in which Japan is a police state.  There, the government sanctions a television game or reality show called “The Program.”  This show pits school students against one another in a kill or be killed scenario.  And only one student can survive and win!

Battle Royale Ultimate Edition, Vol. 1 (reprinting Battle Royale Vols. 1-3) introduces readers to Class B-9th Grade at Shiroiwa Junior High School.  These 42 students (21 boys and 21 girls) are gassed during a bus trip.  They awake to find themselves marooned on an island and forced to kill one another until only one survives – the winner.  They are goaded and warned of the extreme rules of “The Program” by its ruthless and mysterious game master, Yonemi Kamon.  Collars rigged with explosives around their necks will keep the students honest.

Weapons are handed out and each student is sent out into the island alone; before long many students are turning against each other and committing the most brutal acts of murder.  Amidst the carnage, however, established friendships and love relationships take hold, while new bonds are forged.  Out of the chaos, seven figures take center stage.  The righteous Shuuya Nanahara and the gentle and caring Noriko Nakagawa join a hardened veteran of a previous stint on “The Program,” Shogo Kawada.  Hacker Shinji Mimura takes the battle against the captors to cyberspace.  Some seek an alliance with the kind-hearted kung fu master Hiroki Sugimura, while the troubled bad girl, Mitsuko Souma, and the cold, merciless Kazuo Kiriyama kill at will.

I saw the Battle Royale film before I ever read the manga, and though the film’s violence is alternately bracing and cathartic and sickening and troubling, it’s not the most disturbing film I’ve ever seen (De Palma’s Scarface, Ken Russell’s The Devils, and Larry Clark’s Kids, among others).  Still, the Battle Royale movie didn’t prepare me for how shockingly and brutally violent the Battle Royale manga is.

Film critics often attack horror movies for not having good characters; their reasoning is that if the viewers care about the characters, then, the horror of their violent murders will affect the viewers that much more.  In his adaptation of Battle Royale, manga-ka Masayuki Taguchi is exceptionally good at getting you to take these characters into your minds (if not hearts), and then making you suffer their often gruesome fates.  The idea of placing humans in situations outside of civil society and civilization and watching them turn to murderers is not new, even when the characters are all children.  But there’s nothing quite like the horror of the teen-on-teen murder (and occasional explicit sex and sexual assault) of Battle Royale.

Battle Royale Ultimate Edition Volume 1 is like a comic book version of a DVD.  It contains essays and new and previously unseen art.  This book has a weapons dossier written by Eliot R. Brown, who wrote the specifications for weapons, armor, and equipment that appeared in titles published by Marvel Comics.  Readers will like this added material as nice extras to go with the excellent manga.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.