Magi: Maharagan

I read Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 9

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

I Reads You Review: CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE MIGHTY AVENGERS #1

CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE MIGHTY AVENGERS #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Al Ewing
ART: Luke Ross
COLORS: Rachelle Rosenberg
LETTERS: VC's Cory Petit
COVER: Luke Ross
VARIANT COVERS: Ryan Benjamin; Ulises Farinas with Ryan Hill; Skottie Young; Mike Grell with Chris Sotomayor
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2015)

Rated “T+”

Captain America created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; The Avengers created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

As part of its “Avenger NOW!” initiative, Marvel Comics is debuting some new titles and relaunching others.  Captain America & The Mighty Avengers is a re-launch of the recent The Mighty Avengers, and it arrived at the same time as All-New Captain America.  Written by Al Ewing (who wrote the previous Mighty Avengers series), drawn by Luke Ross, colored by Rachelle Rosenberg, and lettered by Cory Petit, this series finds the new-look Captain America (Sam Wilson a.k.a. The Falcon) as the leader of The Mighty Avengers.

Captain America & The Mighty Avengers #1 (“We Take Care Of Our Own”) opens with Captain America in action, and he ain't playin' at all, girl.  Meanwhile, the Amazing Spider-Man is trying to make up with the Mighty Avengers for the actions of the Superior Spider-Man, but is Luke Cage buyin' Amazing's story.

I read the first issue of The Mighty Avengers #1 sometime ago, and was not interested enough to read past the first issue.  It was not a bad comic book, but I simply could not find a reason to keep reading, beyond mild curiosity.  And comic books are too expensive, or at least they are too expensive for a “mild curiosity” purchase.

Now, Captain America & The Mighty Avengers #1 opens in the aftermath of Avengers & X-Men: Axis, which saw some personality changes among the super-powered set.  So some of our favorite superheroes, particularly The Avengers, are acting in strange ways or sport darker persona.  The good thing about this new title is that “dark” and “menacing” do not result in a “grim and gritty” comic book.  Captain America & The Mighty Avengers #1 is a fun read.  Heck, I might read more... because fun can make sticker shock go away.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Review: ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM Volume 1

ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Yusei Matsui
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Bryant Turnage
LETTERS: Stephen Dutro
EDITOR: Annette Roman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7607-7; paperback (December 2014); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Assassination Classroom is a shonen manga that made its debut in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan in 2012.  The series is created by Yusei Matsui, who was an assistant to manga artist Yoshio Sawai, the creator of such popular manga as Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo and the long-running JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Assassination Classroom is a humor and sci-fi manga about a classroom full of misfits who take on their teacher who has bizarre powers and super strength.  The teacher, whom the students name “Koro Sensei,” is the alien octopus that destroyed 70% of the moon.  He becomes a teacher at Kunugigaoka Junior High, where he teaches the outcasts of Class 3-E and he promises to destroy the Earth after they graduate.  Now, it's up to these students to kill their teacher to save the world.  They are the “Assassination Classroom.”

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 7; entitled Time for Assassination) finds the students of the Assassination Classroom ready to pop a cap to save the world.  Besides saving the Earth, the other incentive is a 10 million dollar/yen reward, offered by Tadaomi Karasuma of the Ministry of Defense.  It's up to Karasuma to train these students to kill... even if he has to become their new P.E. teacher.  Plus, a juvenile delinquent skilled in battle tactics returns to school.

The Assassination Classroom manga is weird, with its mixture of comedy and menace.  It can be disconcerting to go from poignant teacher-student relationship to classroom violence in the space of a few pages or even a few panels.  At least, it would really be disconcerting if Assassination Classroom were not a shonen manga – a genre or class of manga where comedy and comic violence meld in imaginative and even volatile ways.

I like the science fiction and fantasy sub-genre that brings aliens, humans, and schools together.  I am still a fan of the 1980s animated series, "Galaxy High School," and I have even sampled some of the manga that influenced it, Urusei Yatsura (or Lum).  Assassination Classroom Volume 1 makes me curious to see where this goes.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Read Grumble: Chapter One - Page 11

Page 11 is here: http://www.comicbookbin.com/grumbleone011.html

2014 Diamond Gem Awards Announced - Image Comics Wins Best Publisher Award

Diamond Announces 2014 Gem Awards as Voted by Comic Book Specialty Retailers

(BALTIMORE, MD) – (January 8, 2015)- Diamond Comic Distributors proudly announces the winners of the 2014 Diamond Gem Awards, selected by comic book specialty retailers and recognized within the comic book industry as the pinnacle of sales achievement for comic book artists, writers, publishers, and industry executives who work in one of America's most unique art forms.

Image Comics was voted by retailers as Comic Book Publisher of the Year (Over 4% Market Share) in 2014. Image also took home the Gem Award for Best New Comic Book Series for Outcast by Kirkman and Azaceta.

DC Entertainment took home the most Gem Awards—seven—including Backlist Publisher of the Year and Best Original Graphic Novel of the Year for Batman: Earth One, among others. Marvel Comics earned five Gem Awards including Top Dollar Comic (Amazing Spider-Man #1) and Comic Book of the Year (Under $3.00) (Ms. Marvel #1), among others. Dark Horse was recognized with three Gems, including 2014's Licensed Comic of the Year Serenity: Leaves on the Wind and Best Anthology, Dark Horse Presents. IDW Publishing took top honors for Best All Ages Series for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Gem Awards were also presented to BOOM! Studios (Comic Book Publisher of the Year, Under 4% Market Share); :01 First Second Books for Andre the Giant: Life & Legend GN (Best Indie Graphic Novel of the Year); VIZ Media for Manga Publisher of the Year, and many others.

"We established the Gem Awards to give retailers an opportunity to recognize the suppliers, titles, and products that have been instrumental in helping their businesses grow over the past year," said Diamond President & CEO Steve Geppi. "Our suppliers work diligently to support retailers and the entire industry with top-quality titles and products, and we thank all of the retailers who took time from their busy schedules to vote and acknowledge those efforts."

Nominees for the Diamond Gem Awards were chosen by a panel of Diamond product specialists based on their overall impact on the industry, while comics and related merchandise were chosen on the merits of their sales performance and quality from 2014. Winners were then selected by members of the most critical segment that serves the comic book-buying public — comic book specialty retailers across the United States and worldwide.

2014 Diamond Gem Award Suppliers of the Year 

2014 Comic Book Publisher of the Year Over 4%:  Image Comics

2014 Comic Book Publisher of the year Under 4%: BOOM! Studios

2014 Backlist Publisher of the year: DC Entertainment

2014 Top Dollar Comic Book Publisher of the Year: Marvel Comics

2014 Manga Publisher of the Year: Viz Media

2014 Game Manufacturer of the Year: Wizards of the Coast

2014 Toy Manufacturer of the Year: Funko

2014 Diamond Gem Award Products of the Year 

2014 Comic Book of the Year Under $3.00: Ms. Marvel #1, Marvel Comics

2014 Comic Book of the Year Over $3.00: Thor #1, Marvel Comics

2014 Best New Comic Book Series: Outcast by Kirkman and Azaceta, Image Comics

2014 Top Dollar Comic of the Year: Amazing Spider-Man #1, Marvel Comics

2014 Best All-Ages Comics: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, IDW Publishing

2014 Licensed Comic Book of the Year: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1, Dark Horse Comics

2014 Licensed TP/HC of the Year: Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search Library Ed. HC, Dark Horse Comics

2014 Original GN of the Year: Batman: Earth One TP, DC Comics from DC Entertainment

2014 Reprint TP/HC of the Year: Batman: Death of the Family Book & Joker Mask Set, DC Comics

2014 Indie GN of the Year: Andre the Giant: Life & Legend GN :01 First Second Books

2014 Manga TP of the Year: Attack on Titan: Before the Fall GN Vol. 01, Kodansha Comics

2014 Anthology of the Year: Dark Horse Presents 2014 #1, Dark Horse Comics

2014 Magazine of the Year: MAD Magazine from DC Entertainment

2014 Trade Book of the Year: The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Vol. 44, Gemstone Publishing

2014 Best Free Comic Book Day Book: FCBD 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Comics

2014 Game Product of the Year: Marvel Dice Masters: Uncanny X-Men Starter Set , WizKids/NECA

2014 Toy Product of the Year: DC Comics Super Villains Harley Quinn AF, DC Collectibles from DC Entertainment

2014 Toy Line of the Year: Batman Animated, DC Collectibles from DC Entertainment

2014 Collectable Statue of the Year: Batman Black & White: Harley Quinn 2nd Ed. Statue, DC Collectibles from DC Entertainment

*****

ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD)—Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books, graphic novels, and related pop-culture merchandise, serving thousands of retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.

© 2015 Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. All rights reserved. Diamond, the Diamond logo, and PREVIEWS are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Diamond Comic Distributors in the United States and/or other countries.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective copyright owners.

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.

I Reads You Review: WONDER WOMAN #36

WONDER WOMAN #36
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITERS: Meredith Finch
PENCILS: David Finch
INKS: Richard Friend
COLORS: Sonia Oback
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
COVER/VARIANT COVER: David Finch and Richard Friend with Sonia Oback
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (January 2015)

Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston

“War-Torn” Chapter 1

I have not read a Wonder Woman comic book since I read The New 52 re-launch, Wonder Woman #1, back in the fall of 2011.  There is a new creative team on the monthly Wonder Woman series:  writer Meredith Finch, penciller David Finch, inker Richard Friend, colorist Sonia Oback, and letterer Sal Cipriano.  So I decided to try this team's first issue.

DC Comics is adamant about not providing a synopsis on the first page of each issue of its comic books the way Marvel Comics does.  I think DC refuses to have a first-page synopsis simply because Marvel does it.  Anyway, beware of my synopsis because I had to do some research of my own.

Wonder Woman #36 (“War-Torn” Chapter 1) opens with the depiction of a rural village being destroyed by raging flood waters.  It is apparently just one of many villages destroyed by environmental catastrophes.  This springs Wonder Woman a.k.a. Diana and the rest of the Justice League:  Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg, into action.  Swamp Thing is also investigating these disasters, unbeknownst to the League.

Meanwhile, unrest stirs on Paradise Island (which DC has been calling Themyscira for years), the home of Wonder Woman/Diana and the Amazons.  Apparently, there was some kind of conflict on the island, and males, formerly forbidden, now reside there, which enrages some Amazons.  Diana is now the God of War, and in charge of Paradise Island because her mother, Queen Hippolyta, is now a clay statue (!).  That last thing is now also in a state of flux.

I had planned on reading more than one issue of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's New 52 Wonder Woman and never got a round to it, though I still plan on doing it.  I am intrigued enough by this new Finch and Finch production to read more.  If anything, I love the art by Finch, Friend, and Oback.  It's gorgeous, and Finch's Wonder Woman recalls the pin-up girl art of his former Top Cow Productions stablemate, the late Mike Turner (may he rest in peace drawing nekkid pictures and near-nekkid pictures of the buxom beauties that share Heaven with him).

I think I'll make a harder (clears throat) attempt to follow Wonder Woman now.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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