Magi: Fanaris Girl Not Interrupted

I read Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Marching to I Reads You

It's March 2014.  Welcome to I Reads You, a ComicBookBin web and sister publication (www.comicbookbin.com).  We write about the things we read:  mostly comic books, comics, and related books.  Sometimes, we’ll write about or link to other topics:  typically books, politics, and entertainment.

Will The Sandman: Overture #2 finally come out and play with us?

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

Voice Over: Camp Rock a Prince Voice

I read Voice Over!: Seiyu Academy, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

I Reads You Review: SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1

SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITER: Scott Snyder
PENCILS: Jim Lee, Dustin Nguyen
INKS: Scott Williams
COLORS: Alex Sinclair, John Kalisz
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
COVER: Jim Lee and Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVERS: Jim Lee, Bruce Timm, Dave Johnson, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Neal Adams, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens, Lee Bermejo, Brett Booth
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2013)

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Last year, DC Comics unleashed a new ongoing Superman comic book series to coincide with the release of Man of Steel, the 2013 relaunch of the Superman film franchise.  Superman Unchained is from burning-hot writer Scott Snyder and superstar-for-over-two-decades artist Jim Lee with his longtime inker, Scott Williams.

Superman Unchained #1 (“The Leap”) opens with a brief (kind of) prologue that takes place in Nagasaki, Japan on April 9th, 1945.  We move to the present (which seems like a near-future) and find Superman trying to stop a space station called the Lighthouse from causing an epic catastrophe when it crashes to Earth.

Superman has suspects for the Lighthouse event, which include Lex Luthor (on his way to prison) and a cyber terrorist group known as Ascension.  The Man of Steel is probably wrong on his suspects, and there is a lot that he doesn’t know.  But Superman doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.

Superman Unchained #1 is one busy comic book.  Scott Snyder, obviously in love with his dialogue, packs this first issue with so much talk and exposition.  This first issue is like a box of “Raisin Bran” (or one of its knock-offs) infested with raisins – just too much of a good thing.  The story is a slick piece of sci-fi-lite, complete with digital displays and shiny tech.  The story, however, doesn’t really get hot until the last page of “The Leap.”  Of note, there is also a two-page epilogue drawn by Dustin Nguyen.

Speaking of busy, that’s Jim Lee’s pencils.  Lee draws so much anemic line work and so many scritchy-scratch lines that we should be thankful for Scott Williams ability to rein in Lee’s excesses and eccentricities.  As usual, Alex Sinclair’s colors turn the art into comic book eye candy.  I have to admit that I’ll be back for future issues.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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

Manga Review: TIGER AND BUNNY Volume 4

TIGER & BUNNY, VOL. 4
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Mizuki Sakakibara
PLANNING/STORY: Sunrise
ORIGINAL SCRIPT: Masafumi Nishida
ORIGINAL CHARACTER DESIGN: Masakazu Katsura
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Labaamen and John Werry, HC Language Solutions
LETTERS: Stephen Dutro
ISBN: 978-1-4215-6235-3; paperback (February 2014); Rated “T” for “Teen”
180pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Produced by Sunrise, Tiger & Bunny is a science fiction and superhero anime series.  It ran for 25 episodes in 2011 and yielded a one-shot manga during its original television run in Japan.  Shortly afterwards, manga and comic book artist Mizuki Sakakibara began producing a regular manga series based on anime, also entitled Tiger & Bunny.

Tiger & Bunny takes place in a world where 45 years earlier, super-powered humans, known as NEXT, started appearing.  Some of them fight crime as superheroes in Stern Bild (a re-imagined version of New York City).  They promote their corporate sponsors while appearing on the hit television show, Hero TV (or HERO TV).  The story focuses on veteran superhero, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (Wild Tiger), and the newest NEXT sensation, Barnaby Brooks, Jr., the “Super Rookie,” whom Tiger calls “Bunny.”

As Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 4 (Chapters 14 to 17) opens, the heroes take on the deranged NEXT killer, Lunatic.  Lunatic’s vigilante activities against murderers and other violent criminals has unsettled the public, and that makes the NEXT less popular.  In a bid to make things better, Apollon Media launches the “Believe in Heroes Campaign.”

That begins with a lecture at the Hero Academy, which trains the NEXT to be heroes.  Kotetsu and Barnaby are the lecturers, and Origami Cyclone joins them.  This return to the academy, however, brings up a tragic incident involving Origami and a fellow student.  Also, the heroes play babysitters to a special child.

It’s a bird.  It’s a plane.  It’s the Tiger & Bunny manga, probably the best superhero comic book not being published by DC Comics or Marvel Comics.  And it is just as good as many of DC and Marvel’s best titles.

As I warned you before, dear readers, you should probably take my reviews of Tiger & Bunny with that proverbial grain of salt (or any of other seasoning), because I am a big fan of this series.  Instead of mocking superheroes, Tiger & Bunny is a comedy about superheroes with convincing “superhero-fantasy action violence.”

Tiger & Bunny Volume 4 offers more of what Tiger & Bunny mangaka, Mizuki Sakakibara, does best – adapt the anime into a comic book with heart and humor.  Readers will feel the heartrending story of Origami and his friend, but they will laugh at the inept babysitters.  Tune in tomorrow – I’m ready for more now.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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

Happy Marriage: Consumation

I read Happy Marriage?!, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 26 2014

DC COMICS

NOV130268 100 BULLETS BROTHER LONO #8 (MR) $2.99
DEC130286 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #10 $3.99
DEC130279 ALL STAR WESTERN #28 $3.99
DEC130220 AQUAMAN #28 $2.99
DEC130229 BATMAN SUPERMAN #8 $3.99
DEC130231 BATMAN SUPERMAN #8 COMBO PACK $4.99
DEC130266 BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #28 $2.99
DEC130323 BEWARE THE BATMAN #5 $2.99
DEC130258 CATWOMAN #28 (GOTHTOPIA) $2.99
NOV130230 DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS TP VOL 03 BLACK LIGHTNING BLUE DEVIL $14.99
OCT130229 DC UNIVERSE VS MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #5 $2.99
DEC130336 DEAD BOY DETECTIVES #3 $2.99
DEC130222 FLASH #28 $2.99
DEC130208 FOREVER EVIL ARGUS #5 $2.99
DEC130217 JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #28 (EVIL) $3.99
DEC130278 LARFLEEZE #8 $2.99
DEC130325 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #42 $2.99
DEC130245 SUPERMAN #28 $2.99
DEC130248 SUPERMAN LOIS LANE #1 $4.99
DEC130271 TALON #16 $2.99
DEC130284 TEEN TITANS #28 $2.99
NOV130236 THRESHOLD TP VOL 01 THE HUNTED (N52) $19.99
NOV130277 UNKNOWN SOLDIER TP NEW ED (MR) $14.99
DEC130347 WAKE #6 (MR) $2.99
DEC130232 WORLDS FINEST #20 $2.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

OCT130304 BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS SER 2 ANARKY AF $24.95
OCT130303 BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS SER 2 DEADSHOT AF $24.95
OCT130305 BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS SER 2 DEATHSTROKE AF $24.95
OCT130302 BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS SER 2 FIREFLY AF $24.95
SEP138282 BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS SER 2 KILLER CROC DLX AF $24.95