Review: DEMON LOVE SPELL, Volume 1

DEMON LOVE SPELL, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Mayu Shinjo
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Tetsuchiro Miyaki
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4945-3; paperback, Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S. $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Mayu Shinjo, the creator of the manga series, Ai Ore!, has another series being published in North America. It is a shojo manga entitled Demon Love Spell. This supernatural romantic comedy focuses on Miko Tsubaki, a young shrine maiden who is trying to follow in her father’s footsteps. Gyotoku Tsubaki is the head priest of the Otsubaki Shrine and is a master at banishing demons and other assorted spirits. Miko is not good at seeing or banishing spirits.

As Demon Love Spell, Vol. 1 opens, Miko learns that her friend, Shino, has been spurned by Kagura, a teen lothario. Miko believes that any boy who loves and then rejects so many young women must be possessed. One spell later and Miko learns that Kagura is not possessed by a demon, he is a demon – specifically an incubus who needs female contact to gain power. Now, the size of mouse, Kagura is demanding that Miko, who forgot the spell she used on him, return him to normal size. Plus, he’s in love with her.

Girls in love with otherworldly boys seem to be a staple of shojo manga. The Demon Love Spell manga is a mixture of paranormal romance and supernatural comedy, and creator Mayu Shinjo does both quite well. There is much sexual tension between Miko and Kagura. She desires him, but fights her desire to the point of confusing herself. He wants her, but is he in love? Who can ever trust the motivations of a demon whose very life depends on the sexual/amorous energy he gets from the teen girls he woos?

Shinjo mines everything for comedy. There are scaredy-cat friends, exasperated demons, ill-timed bickering, goofy parents, and young lust. Because of Fawn Lau’s excellent design work on the book, Demon Love Spell Volume 1 looks like it is going to deliver a lot of good stuff. It does, and I hope the series will remain a good one.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Book Review: WAYNE OF GOTHAM

WAYNE OF GOTHAM
IT BOOKS/HarperCollins – @ItBooks

AUTHOR: Tracy Hickman
COVER: Ryan Sook
ISBN: 978-0-06-221986-2; paperback (December 4, 2012)
304pp, B&W, $15.99 U.S.

Tracy Hickman is a fantasy author and game designer, noted for his work on Dragonlance, including writing Dragonlance novels with Margaret Weis. Wayne of Gotham is a Batman prose novel written by Hickman and originally published in hardcover (June 2012). It Books recently released the novel in paperback.

Wayne of Gotham, which does not follow the Batman continuity currently used by DC Comics, finds Batman/Bruce Wayne embroiled in a case that ties into the murder of his parents and that also reveals a terrible secret from his father’s past. Wayne of Gotham is as good (if not better) than the Batman comic books being published today. As far as I’m concerned, it’s certainly more entertaining than the recent film, The Dark Knight Rises.

It begins when Batman finds himself confronted by a rash of vigilante attacks in which ordinary citizens take on criminals. The Dark Knight discovers that these citizens are not exactly in their right minds, and this includes Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon. Then, the clues and hints come, and Batman discovers that someone is leaving a breadcrumb trail of tantalizing hints about Wayne Empire.

This new mystery returns Bruce to the brutal murder of his father, Dr. Thomas Alan Wayne, and, his mother, Martha Kane Wayne. Now, Bruce is forced to learn things about his father’s life he never would have expected. There are ties to the Moxon crime family, including a friendship with, Lewis Moxon, the son of boss Julius Moxon. There is also a relationship with Ernst Richter, a controversial doctor at Gotham University.

While he tries to discover his true family history, Batman must face down the dark legacy of Wayne family history. He must battle old foes (like The Joker and Harley Quinn) and confront the man who is practically the only family he has left, Alfred Pennyworth. Even worse, Batman must uncover the secrets of the terrible thing born in the bowels of Arkham Asylum, a force called the Apocalypse.

Batman is usually the most interesting aspect of Batman stories and fiction, unless he is outshone by a villain, as the Joker did in two films, Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008). In Wayne of Gotham, not only does Batman the costumed hero shine, but also Bruce Wayne the man, Alfred Pennyworth the family secret keeper, and Thomas Wayne the father. This is essentially an ensemble piece in which Batman may save the day, but when it comes to being intriguing, he doesn’t get “most” in front of his name. Hickman works the father-son conflict dynamic so well that Wayne of Gotham really is as much about the Wayne men as it is about Batman.

Hickman re-imagines Batman and Bruce Wayne’s history in a way that allows him to connect Thomas Wayne’s activities to the birth of Batman. Hickman doesn’t change much; he simply gives reason, motivation, and rationale to everything Batman and to everyone related to the Dark Knight.

This novel is brilliant, witty, and mad. This is a story that grabs the reader by the collar and drags him on an adventure across two time periods, the present and 1958. Along the way, readers get to see a version of Harley Quinn that is creepy and unsettling and a Joker that is as witty as he is murderous (sort of a mixture of Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the character with the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series).

There are so many twists, turns, and surprises that Wayne of Gotham is like a paperback thrill machine. In Tracy Hickman’s hands, the Dark Knight does indeed rise.

A

http://youritlist.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Albert Avilla Reviews: Batman #13

Batman #13
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Scott Snyder
Pencils: Greg Capullo
Inks: Jonathan Glapion

Knock Knock (Spoilers)
Death of the Family begins with a very spine-chilling return of the Joker. This is more horror film than superhero story. Keep away from small children. I know two grown men that got chills from reading this.

The story begins with omens heralding the return of the Joker. The Gotham River reverses course, and a two-headed lion cub is born. This is a story where the story is intertwined with the art in telling the narrative; so, pay attention to the details. It will make for a more enjoyable read.

The scene in which the Joker takes out the power in the GCPD and kills officers while threatening Gordon is terrifying, made even more so when you see the look on Gordon's face. Now, Joker is not the same as he was before; he's meaner. Tell me when murder is not mean. Oh, he is killing me and my whole family, but at least he's nice about it.

The Joker is up to his old tricks, outsmarting Batman at every turn. The murders that he commits are reminiscent of his first murders in Gotham. He threatens to kill the mayor. Batman makes sure that the mayor is protected, and the Joker does not kill the mayor; he kills every man who is protecting him. Instead of dying with grins on their faces, they die with frowns. Joker leads Batman to Ace Chemical where he became the Joker. Harley is dressed as the Red Hood, distracting Batman from the Joker's true destination, Wayne Manor. Batman is trapped in a chemical tank that is filling, and Joker is running wild. We also get a six-page Joker and Harley Quinn story just to make sure that we don't sleep well.

The stage is set. Joker is causing chaos and mayhem as only he can. Batman and the crew are determined to stop him. Commissioner Gordon is pissing in his pants. This story definitely stirs fear in the reader; do not read this if you have a heart condition. When a comic book story can do this, we need to sit back and enjoy the chills as they run up our spines. Snyder's talent is on display in a major way.

The art is an important instrument in the storyteller's work. It does just as much as the text to strike fear in our hearts. This is a most fearful collaboration of talent.

I rate Batman 13 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on Al-O-Meter Ranking

Albert Avilla Reviews: Thor God of Thunder #1

Thor God of Thunder #1
Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Esad Ribic
Covers: Daniel Acuna
Variant Covers: Skottie Young; Joe Quesada, Danny Miki & Richard Isanove

A World Without Gods (Spoilers!)
Thor is the definition of awesome when he is handled well, and we have an excellent example here. How are they going to top this? I'll be pleased if they can maintain this level of storytelling.

We see Thor go from being a protector of a Norse village to the savior of a planet to the last defender at the gates of heaven. We don't get to see the villain of this piece, but by his handy work, we know he will be more than a formidable foe for Thor. This is the beginning of an epic battle between Thor and Gorr the god butcher. It is fascinating to see Thor's growth within these few pages. In his youth, he is a bold adventurer who cares little how his actions affect others. In the present, he is a mature god working for the welfare of others. In the future, we see a worn-down, elder god, the last Asgardian, fighting for the honor of his lost race.

I couldn't ask for a more wonderful read, even from a bestselling fantasy novel. The beauty of Thor stories is that you can go from superhero fantasy to sword and sorcery with single character. This is a fantastic beginning to the new Thor series.

The art is worthy of the great story. This journey through time and space is made more fabulous by this magnificent art. Thor's godliness pulsates throughout each panel.

I rate Thor God of Thunder #1 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on Al-O-Meter Ranking.

A Devil and Her Love Song: What a (Fake) Friend Knows

I read A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 6

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

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