The Story of Saiunkoku: Shurei the Cheater?

I read The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 7

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

Negromancer Reviews "The Avengers"

Over at my movie review blog, Negromancer, I reviewed the record-setting The Avengers.

Here's the link: http://www.negromancer.com/2012/05/avengers-movie-review.html

Stephen King: Tax Me, for F_ _ k's Sake!

Stephen King at The Daily Beast:

Tough shit for you guys, because I'm not tired of talking about it. I've known rich people, and why not, since I'm one of them? The majority would rather douse their dicks with lighter fluid, strike a match, and dance around singing "Disco Inferno" than pay one more cent in taxes to Uncle Sugar. It's true that some rich folks put at least some of their tax savings into charitable contributions. My wife and I give away roughly $4 million a year to libraries, local fire departments that need updated lifesaving equipment (Jaws of Life tools are always a popular request), schools, and a scattering of organizations that underwrite the arts. Warren Buffett does the same; so does Bill Gates; so does Steven Spielberg; so do the Koch brothers; so did the late Steve Jobs. All fine as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough.

Read more here.

VIZ Media Manga Mondays in May

VIZ MEDIA OFFERS 40% OFF ON SELECT VOLUME 1 DIGITAL MANGA TITLES EVERY MONDAY IN MAY ON VIZMANGA.COM AND VIZ MANGA APP FOR iPAD, iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH

Latest Digital Update For The First-Half Of May Also Features The Launch Of HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT, MISTRESS FORTUNE, SEIHO BOYS HIGH SCHOOL And EXCEL SAGA

Manga publisher VIZ Media encourages fans across North America to visit VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch every Monday throughout the first-half of May to take advantage of a special 40% off discount on select Volume 1 digital titles (Reg. MSRP: $4.99, Sale Price: $2.99). Five different opening volumes from various manga series will be offered each week, from the hit debuts of BLEACH and BAKUMAN｡, to the non-stop action of DRAGON BALL Z and psychological tension of DEATH NOTE, to the romance of BLACK BIRD and DENGEKI DAISY.

Discount Manga Titles for May 7th Include:

BAKUMAN｡ Vol. 1 • Rated ‘T’ for Teens

DEATH NOTE Vol. 1 • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

DRAGON BALL Z Vol. 1 • Rated ‘A’ for All Ages

ROSARIO + VAMPIRE II Vol. 1 • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

TORIKO Vol. 1 • Rated ‘T’ for Teens

Discount Manga Titles for May 14th Include:

ABSOLUTE BOYFRIEND Vol. 1 • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

ARATA: THE LEGEND Vol. 1 • Rated ‘T’ for Teens

BLACK BIRD Vol. 1 • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

DENGEKI DAISY Vol. 1 • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

HYDE & CLOSER Vol. 1 • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

VIZ Media also delivers a substantial digital manga update during the first-half of May with the announcement of the launch of 4 new series. The new series include the romantic shojo fun of MISTRESS FORTUNE, HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT, and SEIHO BOYS HIGH SCHOOL, as well as the zany sci-fi comedy action of EXCEL SAGA.

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. More than 55 series and 500+ volumes are currently available for download.

MISTRESS FORTUNE • by Arina Tanemura • Rated ‘T’ for Teens • Available May 7th
Fourteen-year-old Kisaki Tachibana has psychic powers. She works for PSI, a secret government agency that fights aliens. She's in love with her partner Giniro, but PSI won't allow operatives to get involved. Just when Kisaki thinks she may be getting closer to Giniro, she finds out she's going to be transferred to California!

HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT Vol. 1 • by Kazune Kawahara • Rated ‘T’ for Teens • Available May 14th
Hapless Haruna needs help finding a boyfriend! After failing to win the eye of any guy in high school, Haruna enlists the help of cute upperclassman Yoh to coach her on how to make herself more appealing to the male species. Yoh agrees, with one catch: Haruna had better not fall for him!

SEIHO BOYS HIGH SCHOOL Vol. 1 • by Kaeneyoshi Izumi • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens • Available May 14th
Remote, lonely and surrounded by the ocean – this isn't Alcatraz we're talking about – it's Seiho Boys' High School, where the student body is rife with sexually frustrated hunks! How can these young men get girlfriends when they're stuck in the middle of nowhere? These are the stories of the students of Seiho High and the trouble they get into as they awkwardly pursue all girls who cross their paths.

EXCEL SAGA Vol. 1 • by Rikdo Koshi • Rated ‘T’ for Teens • Available May 14th
Question: What happens when you try to act like an anime character in real life? Answer: EXCEL SAGA. Two groups of neighbors in an apartment building lead secret lives. One thinks they're trying to take over the city of Fukuoka. The other thinks they're trying to defend it. Only their bosses, would-be conqueror Lord Il Palazzo and obsessed bureaucrat Dr. Kabapu, know the truth behind this increasingly dangerous private game. Too bad neither lets their underlings in on it!

VIZ Media’s multiple digital manga platforms allow for universal access to read manga from an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and now, on VIZManga.com for desktop/laptop PC-enabled computers as well as Android-powered devices with built-in web browsers. The free VIZ Manga App is the top application for reading manga and features a rapidly growing library of the most popular manga series in the world. For more information, please visit VIZManga.com or www.VIZ.com/apps.

ComiXology to Offer New and Classic Valiant Comics

VALIANT AND COMIXOLOGY ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

All-New Upcoming Valiant Titles To Be Available Same Day As Print

Get X-0 Manowar #1 Digitally Today At ComiXology.com

Classic Valiant Titles Also Available Today!

Valiant Entertainment is proud to announce that it has reached an exclusive digital comics distribution agreement with comiXology, the world's largest digital comics platform available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and the Web with over 60 million comic and graphic novel downloads to date.

Beginning May 2nd with the release of the all-new X-O Manowar #1 by New York Times best-selling author Robert Venditti (The Surrogates) and Eisner Award-winning artist Cary Nord (Conan), comiXology will offer same-day as print digital releases for all of Valiant's upcoming titles. Additionally, Valiant's expansive back catalog of classic content will also be exclusively available via comiXology.

"There's tremendous excitement around Valiant's return, and they're bringing with them one of the greatest libraries of comic characters and stories in comics," said comiXology CEO and co-Founder David Steinberger. "We couldn't be more proud to partner with Valiant in the digital marketplace. We're sure to see the original Valiant fans energized by making these great comics available across the globe, while also bringing in a whole new generation of readers."

Set for a much anticipated summer 2012 relaunch, Valiant will soon return with four new series, all of which will debut as same-day as print digital releases on comiXology - X-O Manowar #1 on sale today, Harbinger #1 on June 6th, Bloodshot #1 on July 11th, and Archer & Armstrong #1 on August 8th.

Moreover, in conjunction with the today's release of X-O Manowar #1, comiXology is adding the first-ever digital editions of three classic storylines from Valiant's vast archive of best-selling comics to comiXology's library of more than 20,000 issues:

X-O Manowar (1992) #0-6 by Jim Shooter, Bob Layton, Barry Windsor-Smith & Joe Quesada


Harbinger (1992) #0-6 by Jim Shooter & David Lapham


Bloodshot (1993) #0-4 by Kevin VanHook & Don Perlin

"For the first time, through comiXology's platform, Valiant Comics will be available anywhere in the world," said Valiant CEO Jason Kothari. "With Valiant's return now in full effect with today's release of X-O Manowar #1, the timing couldn't be better to remind people once again of the incredible characters and stories that made Valiant a household name."

As part of the exclusive agreement, Valiant Entertainment titles will also be available through comiXology's Digital Retailer Storefront program. This enables retailers to sell Valiant's digital comics through their own website while comic book fans can purchase digital comics from their local comic store's digital storefront with a portion of each purchase going directly to the retailer.

Future digital releases on comiXology will delve deeper into the Valiant catalog, and feature classic series including Archer & Armstrong, Rai, Ninjak, Shadowman, Eternal Warrior, and Quantum & Woody.

In the meantime, today fans everywhere can now add all-new Valiant material to their digital comics libraries with X-O Manowar #1, from writer Robert Venditti and artist Cary Nord, available now on the Comics by comiXology platform - available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and the Web.


About Valiant Entertainment
Valiant Entertainment is a character-based publishing and licensing company that owns and controls some of the most cherished comic characters ever created across all media worldwide. Since their creation in 1989, Valiant characters have sold 80 million comic books and have been the basis of a number of successful video game franchises. Valiant's extensive library includes over 1,500 characters, such as X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, and Ninjak. Visit www.valiantentertainment.com.

About comiXology
Founded in 2007 with the mission of bringing comics to people everywhere, comiXology - in just five short years - has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel world. From creating the industry leading platform for digital comics to tools and services for brick and mortar retailers, comiXology has lead the charge in exposing new audiences to the rich history and culture of comic books. With the development of the Comics by comiXology digital comics platform - available across iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and the Web - comiXology provides the easiest way worldwide for people to enjoy comics at just the click of a button! Regularly ranking as the top grossing iPad app in the entire iTunes App Store, Comics by comiXology was recently selected as a preloaded app on Amazon's Kindle Fire. Providing digital comics across multiple platforms, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the earth has been turned into a comic book fan.

Psyren: Melzez Door

I read Psyren, Vol. 4: Melzez's Door

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

I Reads You Review: JUSTICE LEAGUE #6

"The Jim Lee Project"
JUSTICE LEAGUE #6
DC COMICS

WRITER: Geoff Johns
PENCILS: Jim Lee
INKS: Scott Williams with Sandra Hope, Batt, and Mark Irwin
COLORS: Alex Sinclair with Tony Avina and Hi-Fi
LETTERS: Patrick Brosseau
COVER: Jim Lee and Scott Williams, with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVER: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado with Rod Reis
40pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

So two months after I read the fifth issue, I finally read Justice League #6 (entitled “Part Six” or Justice League Part Six”). This new Justice League comic book series, launched the last week of August 2011, is essentially the flagship title of “The New 52,” DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero comic book line, which also began the last week of August 2011.

As the issue begins, seven superheroes: Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Cyborg, who are not part of a team and who are not all friends, have gathered to stop an alien invasion of Earth. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Cyborg, in a united front, try to takedown the leader of this invasion, Darkseid. Meanwhile, on Darkseid’s world, Batman attempts to rescue Superman, who is being tortured by Desaad.

For this opening story arc of the new Justice League, writer Geoff John’s offers what is simply just one big battle that allows him to introduce his new version of the Justice League team lineup. It’s a fairly good story, but, it is also really a single-issue (at most, two-issue) story stretched to six issues i.e. trade paperback size.

To be honest with you, dear reader, I am following this series for Jim Lee’s art. When I review issues not drawn by Lee, you better believe that I got those as freebies. Back to Lee’s art: what glorious art it is! Lee summons his inner Jack Kirby by delivering pencil art full of super powers on display and super-beings in motion. Lee brings out the Kirby bat on such delicious splash pages and spreads as the one featuring Wonder Woman stabbing Darkseid in the eye, Superman flying into Darkseid’s midsection, and the Cyborg boom tube explosion. Ahhh, I think I need a cigarette.

A-

There is a Pandora back-up by Geoff Johns (writer), Carlos D’Anda (artist), Gabe Eltaeb (colors), and Sal Cipriano (letters).