My Best Girl

I read We Were There, Vol. 10

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which now has an iPhone app).

Into the Dark

I read The Stuff of Legend: Book 1: The Dark

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.  This is book from Villard/Del Rey Books collecting the indie comic book series.

I Reads You Review: ANIMAL ACADEMY, VOL. 4

Creators: Moyamu Fujino with Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane (English adaptation) and Katherine Schilling (translation)
Publishing Information: TOKYOPOP, B&W, paperback, 192 pages, $10.99 (US), $13.99 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4278-1098-4 (ISBN-13)

Neko Fukuta was not accepted to any high schools because she is a horrible student, or so she believes. Then, Neko learns that she is enrolled at the mysterious high school, Morimori Academy. That turns out to be a secret school for animal-human shapeshifters, so Neko pretends to be able to transform into a cat, like her roommate, Miiko Suzuhara, who gives Neko the nickname, Fune. Will Fune be able to keep her humanity a secret from everyone?

In Animal Academy: Hakobune Hakusho, Vol. 4, Fune and her classmates continue to struggle with the disappearance of Yuichi Takuma, another human student at Morimori. Confused and uncertain about both her future and status at the school, Fune decides to return home. Fune doesn’t realize that she’s been followed, and one of the followers is the fox/boy, Kotaro Araki.

A sweet-natured, juvenile fantasy, Animal Academy offers the delights similar to that of another series set at a magical boarding school, the Harry Potter. Animal Academy is also like the X-Men comics (another kind of boarding school fantasy) because it is also a story about paranormal humans learning how to fit into normal human society while bonding with those like them and learning to appreciate their uniqueness. Like Harry Potter and the X-Men, Animal Academy offers stories built around magic, intrigue, and strong friendship.

Stories set in fictional locales can activate imaginations, both young and mature. When these stories take issues relevant to young readers: fitting in (especially in new environments), being accepted, self-discovery, first loves and crushes, they make for engaging reads, and mature readers can certainly recall when those issues meant something to them. Animal Academy is an engaging read because of all these things, as embodied with a winning cast of characters. It’s not just about the magic; it’s also about the bonds and friendships and the rivalries and clubs, which makes the lives and activities of these characters are worth following.

The lovely art by creator Moyamu Fujino may remind some of the films of Hayao Miyazaki. The superb figure drawing, especially on the portrait-worthy faces of the characters, is attractive. The lush forest backdrops perfectly capture the enchanted aura of a paranormal school. This is an excellent kodomo manga (comics for children) and, most importantly, a really good comic book.

A-

Buy Animal Academy: Hakobune Hakusho Volume 4

Moonstone Books Announces Second Issue of "The Spider: The Iron Man War"

MOONSTONE July ’10 Release

The SPIDER: The Iron Man War #2 (of 3)
Story: Norvell W. Page, Howard Hopkins
Art: J. Anthony Kosar
32pgs, b/w, $3.99

A continued HISTORIC UNVEILING!

Read the story that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster used for the 1940 SUPERMAN Sunday comic strip adventure “Bandit Robots of Metropolis” and Stan Lee/Larry Lieber used for the 1963 story in TALES OF SUSPENSE #39!!

THE SPIDER—cloaked, fanged nightmare in black—delivers swift justice with a pair of .45 automatics. Midnight shadows cast doom over exclusive Sutton Place—under attack by new evil in terror warfare—a sinister criminal mastermind in power armor named The Iron Man!

Destructive giant armored men have the city held in a grip of terror, and only one man made of just flesh and blood stands in their path: THE SPIDER!

Cinematic NOIR painted art by J. Anthony Kosar!

Second of a three-part Wide-Vision comic book mini-series based on the novel published in the THE SPIDER magazine.

Vietnam Zombie Epic, "68" Returns

WELCOME TO 1968...AND THE END OF THE WORLD

Kidwell, Jones and Fotos invite you to forget what you "think" you know about 1968...

After February 13th, 1968, everything changed. The Beatles did not soar to Billboard's #1 spot with "HEY JUDE." Steve McQueen would not lay claim to the greatest car chase in cinema history with BULLITT. McDonald's would never offer a Big Mac, and hundreds of thousands of children who dreamt of reaching the stars would never get any closer to a space capsule than a glass of Tang. And amid the deadly steaming jungles of Vietnam, the violent clash of democracy against the creeping threat of communism stalls as the war-torn People's Republic gives up its hungry dead.

The zombies are back in the razor wire...

Mark Kidwell, Nat Jones and Jay Fotos, creators of the cult hit one-shot comic '68, announce the continuation of their horrific Vietnam/Zombie epic. The '68 miniseries picks up right where the original tale left off and broadens its scope, encompassing not only the gore-soaked horrors of the war in the east, but fixing a bloodshot eye on the politically torn USA as the dead rise, heralding the apocalypse and devouring anything with a pulse.

"Nat, Jay and I have wanted to expand on the story in '68 for years," Kidwell shares, "but other commitments and projects just kept getting in the way. All the roadblocks are down now, and we're revving full-tilt boogie back into the jungle."

"This is what we do," Jones explains. "We are Horror guys, and jumping back into the world of '68 really gets our creative juices going! We have a lot more story to tell and more importantly, we are having a lot of grisly fun with it!"

On top of all of the '68 zombie action, the new series will also feature a bloody backup story! These 4-5 page side stories tie directly into the main plot line, fleshing out the violent world of '68. Illustrated by Tim Vigil (FAUST, BUMP), expect some dark business in these bonus pages.

"How cool is that!" Fotos exclaims. "Having Vigil come in to draw zombie filled stories for every issue! I'm so amped to get these books out!"

'68 #1 (of 4), a full-color 32-page comic book, will be available from Image Comics in Fall/Winter 2010.

To celebrate the continuation of '68, Kidwell, Jones and Fotos will be attending the 2010 Phoenix Comicon, May 27-30, 2010. The creators are proud to present an exclusive, limited edition print -- a gruesome, full-color 11" x 17" depiction of Napalm Charlie -- signed by Kidwell, Jones and Fotos. Find out more at www.phoenixcomicon.com.

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

New Morning Glories Teaser - Hunter

April 2010 Welcoming

Welcome to I Reads You, my blog about the things I read (mostly comic books, comics, and related books) and about the things I come across worth reading (mostly about comic books, politics, and entertainment). Sometimes I’ll comment on “real” books and the mass media.

I’m Leroy Douresseaux, and I also have another blog, http://www.negromancer.com/. I also write for the Comic Book Bin, which has its own iPhone app.

All images appearing on this blog are copyright © and/or trademark their respective owners.