Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 14, 2015

DARK HORSE COMICS

AUG150008     ABE SAPIEN #27     $3.50
JUN150060     ANGEL & FAITH SEASON 10 TP VOL 03 UNITED     $18.99
JUN150036     BIG GUY & RUSTY BOY ROBOT HC SECOND ED     $19.99
JUN150093     CRIME DOES NOT PAY ARCHIVES HC VOL 10     $49.99
AUG150069     EVE VALKYRIE #1     $3.99
AUG150021     GOON IN THEATRE BIZARRE #1     $3.99
JUN150050     GRIMMISS ISLAND TP     $12.99
AUG150029     HARROW COUNTY #6     $3.99
AUG150041     KING TIGER #3     $3.99
JUN150101     LONE WOLF & CUB OMNIBUS TP VOL 10     $19.99
JUN150046     MIKE NORTONS BATTLEPUG HC VOL 04 DEVILS BISCUIT     $14.99
AUG150065     MIRRORS EDGE EXORDIUM #2     $3.99
JUN150087     RAT GOD HC     $19.99
AUG150046     REBELS #7     $3.99
JUN150027     TWO BROTHERS HC     $24.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 14, 2015

IMAGE COMICS

AUG150508     ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE #5 (MR)     $2.99
AUG150593     COMICS ARE FOR EVERYBODY LG MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150598     COMICS ARE FOR EVERYBODY LG WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150592     COMICS ARE FOR EVERYBODY MED MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150597     COMICS ARE FOR EVERYBODY MED WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150591     COMICS ARE FOR EVERYBODY SM MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150596     COMICS ARE FOR EVERYBODY SM WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150594     COMICS ARE FOR EVERYBODY XL MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150599     COMICS ARE FOR EVERYBODY XL WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150595     COMICS ARE FOR EVERYBODY XXL MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150600     COMICS ARE FOR EVERYBODY XXL WOMENS T/S     $24.99
JUL150529     COVENANT #4 CVR A LIEFELD (MR)     $2.99
JUL150530     COVENANT #4 CVR B HORAK (MR)     $2.99
AUG150573     DEADLY CLASS LG MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150578     DEADLY CLASS LG WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150572     DEADLY CLASS MED MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150577     DEADLY CLASS MED WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150571     DEADLY CLASS SM MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150576     DEADLY CLASS SM WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150574     DEADLY CLASS XL MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150579     DEADLY CLASS XL WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150575     DEADLY CLASS XXL MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150580     DEADLY CLASS XXL WOMENS T/S     $24.99
MAR150526     DEATH VIGIL TP VOL 01     $24.99
MAY150536     EAST OF WEST #21     $3.50
AUG150510     FASTER THAN LIGHT #2 (MR)     $2.99
AUG150511     FUSE #15 (MR)     $3.99
AUG150474     I HATE FAIRYLAND #1 (MR)     $3.50
JUL150606     LOW #10 (MR)     $3.50
AUG150583     NAILBITER MURDER STORE LG MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150588     NAILBITER MURDER STORE LG WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150582     NAILBITER MURDER STORE MED MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150587     NAILBITER MURDER STORE MED WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150581     NAILBITER MURDER STORE SM MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150586     NAILBITER MURDER STORE SM WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150584     NAILBITER MURDER STORE XL MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150589     NAILBITER MURDER STORE XL WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150585     NAILBITER MURDER STORE XXL MENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150590     NAILBITER MURDER STORE XXL WOMENS T/S     $24.99
AUG150513     PHONOGRAM THE IMMATERIAL GIRL #3 (MR)     $3.99
JUL150639     ROCHE LIMIT CLANDESTINY #5     $3.50
AUG150514     SATELLITE SAM OMNIBUS DLX HC (MR)     $44.99
AUG150515     SAVIOR #7     $2.99
AUG150494     SECRET IDENTITIES TP VOL 01     $14.99
JUN150555     SEX CRIMINALS #13 (MR)     $3.50
JUN150579     SKULLKICKERS TREASURE TROVE HC VOL 03     $34.99
AUG150506     SWITCH #1 CVR A SEJIC     $3.99
AUG150519     WALKING DEAD #147 (MR)     $2.99
AUG150520     WAYWARD HC BOOK 01     $39.99
AUG150521     WICKED & DIVINE #15 CVR A MCKELVIE & WILSON (MR)     $3.50
AUG150522     WICKED & DIVINE #15 CVR B HANS (MR)     $3.50

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for October 14, 2015

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

AUG150982     ABBADON GN     $12.99
AUG151256     ADVENTURE TIME #45     $3.99
JUN151108     ADVENTURE TIME MATHEMATICAL ED HC VOL 06 (NOTE PRICE)     $24.99
AUG151329     ALICE COOPER VS CHAOS #2 CVR A CHIN     $3.99
AUG151245     AMERICATOWN #3     $3.99
AUG151389     ANNA & FROGA FORE HC     $14.95
AUG150934     ARCHON #3     $3.99
AUG151708     ASSASSINS CREED #1 BLANK SKETCH CVR     $3.99
AUG151704     ASSASSINS CREED #1 REG EDWARDS     $3.99
AUG151705     ASSASSINS CREED #1 SUBSCRIPTION     $3.99
AUG151506     BAD MOON RISING #1     $3.99
AUG151566     BALKANS ARENA HC (MR)     $24.95
AUG151490     BATTLING BOY FALL OF HOUSE OF WEST GN     $9.99
JUL150965     BEST OF ARCHIE COMICS 75 YEARS 75 STORIES TP     $14.99
AUG151627     BLOOD FEUD #1 CVR A     $3.99
JUN151631     BLOODSHOT DLX ED HC VOL 02     $39.99
AUG151567     BOUNCER HC (MR)     $44.95
AUG150992     BROKEN MOON #2 REG CVR JONES     $3.99
MAY150898     CAVEWOMAN SHORTS #1 CVR A MASSEY     $3.99
AUG151178     CLANDESTINO #1 (MR)     $3.99
AUG151110     CRITTER #4 DIRECT MARKET CVR A     $3.99
AUG151111     CRITTER #4 DIRECT MARKET CVR B     $3.99
AUG151161     CROSSED BADLANDS #87 (MR)     $3.99
AUG151164     CROSSED BADLANDS #87 ART DECO CVR (MR)     $9.99
AUG151165     CROSSED BADLANDS #87 C DAY WORLDWIDE CVR (MR)     $3.99
AUG151162     CROSSED BADLANDS #87 TORTURE CVR (MR)     $3.99
AUG151163     CROSSED BADLANDS #87 WRAPAROUND CVR (MR)     $3.99
JUL151030     CROSSED PLUS 100 #10 (MR)     $3.99
JUL151031     CROSSED PLUS 100 #10 AMERICAN HISTORY X WRAP CVR (MR)     $3.99
JUL151032     CROSSED PLUS 100 #10 CROSSED WIRES CVR (MR)     $3.99
JUL151033     CROSSED PLUS 100 #10 DISASTERED CVR (MR)     $3.99
JUL151034     CROSSED PLUS 100 #10 HORRIFIC HOMAGE CVR (MR)     $3.99
JUL151035     CROSSED PLUS 100 #10 WISHFUL FICTION CVR (MR)     $3.99
AUG151145     CROSSED PSYCHOPATH COMPLETE SERIES COLLECTOR BOX SET (MR)     $219.99
APR151220     CURSED PIRATE GIRL SPECIAL ANNUAL 2015 #1     $9.99
MAR151065     DAY MEN #8     $3.99
AUG151236     DAY MEN HC VOL 01 ECCC EXC     $34.99
AUG151794     DEAD DROP TP     $9.99
AUG151322     DEAN KOONTZ FRANKENSTEIN STORM SURGE #1     $3.99
JUN151564     DRAGONS RIDERS OF BERK COLLECTION HC VOL 01     $22.99
AUG151526     EMPIRE OF BLOOD #1 (MR)     $2.99
AUG151306     FRICKIN BUTT KICKIN ZOMBIE ANTS GN VOL 01     $7.95
JUN150896     FUBAR BY THE SWORD GN (MR)     $16.95
AUG151861     GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #115 SWORD STONE A CVR CHEN (MR)     $3.99
AUG151862     GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #115 SWORD STONE B CVR PANTALENA (MR)     $3.99
AUG151863     GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #115 SWORD STONE C CVR DELARA (MR)     $3.99
APR151871     GFT REALM WAR #12 A CVR ORTIZ (AOFD) (MR) (NOTE PRIC     $5.99
APR151872     GFT REALM WAR #12 B CVR CAFARO (AOFD) (MR) (NOTE PRI     $5.99
APR151873     GFT REALM WAR #12 C CVR LUIS (AOFD) (MR) (NOTE PRICE     $5.99
APR151874     GFT REALM WAR #12 D CVR ERRICO (AOFD) (MR) (NOTE PRI     $5.99
AUG151868     GFT ROBYN HOOD ONGOING #15 CRAZY A CVR ORTIZ     $3.99
AUG151869     GFT ROBYN HOOD ONGOING #15 CRAZY B CVR MALSUNI     $3.99
AUG151870     GFT ROBYN HOOD ONGOING #15 CRAZY C CVR HAMMOND     $3.99
AUG151168     GOD IS DEAD #43 (MR)     $3.99
AUG151170     GOD IS DEAD #43 CARNAGE WRAP CVR (MR)     $3.99
AUG151172     GOD IS DEAD #43 ENCHANTING CVR (MR)     $3.99
AUG151171     GOD IS DEAD #43 END OF DAYS CVR (MR)     $3.99
AUG151169     GOD IS DEAD #43 ICONIC CVR (MR)     $3.99
MAY150908     GOLD DIGGER #225     $3.99
JUL150899     GRAVEDIGGER #3 (MR)     $3.99
AUG151630     HELLBREAK #7 (MR)     $3.99
AUG150939     HERO CATS MIDNIGHT OVER STELLAR CITY #1 MAIN CVR     $3.99
AUG150973     HOLY F*CKED #2 (MR)     $3.99
JUL150943     HOUSE OF AX (ONE SHOT)     $3.99
AUG151597     INFINITE ADVENTURES OF JONAS QUANTUM #2     $3.99
AUG151205     ISCARIOT HC     $24.99
JUL150974     JUGHEAD & ARCHIE COMICS DOUBLE DIGEST #16     $4.99
AUG151822     KAMISAMA KISS GN VOL 19     $9.99
JUL150867     KIDS OF THE ROUND TABLE TP     $14.99
AUG151390     KILLING & DYING HC     $22.95
AUG151590     KISS HIM NOT ME GN VOL 01     $10.99
AUG151248     LANTERN CITY #2 SDCC EXC     $9.99
AUG151247     LANTERN CITY #6     $3.99
JUL151200     LUCKY LUKE TP VOL 54 RODEO     $15.95
AUG151204     LUMBERJANES #14 SDCC EXC CVR     $9.99
AUG151202     LUMBERJANES BEYOND BAYLEAF #1 MAIN CVR     $4.99
AUG151167     NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD #1 GRAVE COLLECTOR BOX SET (MR)     $149.99
AUG151772     NINJAK #8 CVR A SUAYAN     $3.99
AUG151773     NINJAK #8 CVR B JOHNSON     $3.99
AUG151592     NORAGAMI STRAY GOD GN VOL 07     $10.99
JUL151095     PEANUTS A TRIBUTE TO CHARLES M SCHULZ HC     $34.99
MAY151563     PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR COLLECTION TP     $14.99
JUL158516     PIPPI LONGSTOCKING STRONGEST IN THE WORLD GN     $19.95
AUG151817     POKEMON POCKET COMICS LEGENDARY POKEMON GN     $9.99
AUG151354     RED SONJA CONAN #3 CVR A BENES     $3.99
AUG151355     RED SONJA CONAN #3 CVR B EXC SUBSCRIPTION CVR     $3.99
AUG158342     RICK & MORTY #1 4TH PTG     $3.99
JUN150912     ROGUES #1 ODD PARENTHOOD (MR)     $3.99
AUG151303     RRH #1 (MR)     $3.95
AUG151532     SADHU BIRTH OF THE WARRIOR #4 (MR)     $2.99
JUN151559     SAMURAI OMNIBUS HC (MR)     $29.99
AUG151357     SHADOW VOL 2 #3     $3.99
AUG151606     SIDEKICKED TP     $14.99
AUG151241     SLEEPY HOLLOW PROVIDENCE #3     $3.99
AUG151187     SPONGEBOB COMICS #49     $2.99
JUL150923     STRAITJACKET #1 (MR)     $3.99
JUN151119     STRANGE FRUIT #2     $3.99
AUG151324     SWORDS OF SORROW #6 CVR A LOTAY     $3.99
AUG151325     SWORDS OF SORROW #6 CVR B LUPPACHINO     $3.99
AUG151326     SWORDS OF SORROW #6 CVR C HACK EXC SUBSCRIPTION CVR     $3.99
JUL150942     TALES FROM THE CREEP #2     $3.99
JUL151185     TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #94 DLX ED (MR)     $19.99
AUG151250     TYSON HESSE DIESEL #2     $3.99
AUG151786     UNITY #23 CVR A EVELY (NEW ARC)     $3.99
AUG151787     UNITY #23 CVR B DOUGHERTY (NEW ARC)     $3.99
AUG151792     UNITY TP VOL 01 (NEW PTG)     $9.99
AUG151676     US JUDGE DREDD DAY OF CHAOS ENDGAME TP     $24.99
AUG151360     VAMPIRELLA ARMY OF DARKNESS #4 CVR A SEELEY     $3.99
AUG151361     VAMPIRELLA ARMY OF DARKNESS #4 CVR B EXC SUBSCRIPTION     $3.99
AUG151134     WAR STORIES #13 (MR)     $3.99
AUG151136     WAR STORIES #13 GOOD GIRL NOSE ART CVR (MR)     $3.99
AUG151135     WAR STORIES #13 WRAP CVR (MR)     $3.99
JUL151119     WELCOME BACK #2     $3.99
AUG151801     WITCHCRAFT WORKS GN VOL 07     $12.95
AUG151783     X-O MANOWAR #41 CVR A SANDOVAL     $3.99
AUG151784     X-O MANOWAR #41 CVR B BERNARD     $3.99
JUL150902     ZOMBIE TRAMP HALLOWEEN SP ONE SHOT (MR)     $3.99
NOV140986     ZOOHUNTERS #3 DIRECT MARKET CVR A     $3.99
NOV140987     ZOOHUNTERS #3 DIRECT MARKET CVR B     $3.99

MAGAZINES
AUG152036     COMIC SHOP NEWS #1478     PI
SEP151893     JUXTAPOZ #178 NOV 2015     $6.99
AUG152062     STAR TREK MAGAZINE #55 NEWSSTAND ED     $9.99
AUG152063     STAR TREK MAGAZINE #55 PX ED     $9.99

BOOKS
MAY151741     ADVENTURE TIME ENCHIRIDION & MARCYS SUPER SECRET SCRAPBOOK     $24.95
JUL151825     ANIMATORS SKETCHBOOK SC     $18.95
AUG151907     BLACK WIDOW YA NOVEL HC FOREVER RED     $17.99
APR151706     BUFFY SLAYER COLLECTION SC VOL 01 WELCOME HELLMOUTH     $19.99
AUG151939     GAME OF THRONES THREE EYED RAVEN W BOOKLET     $12.95
AUG151920     GOOD DINOSAUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE HC     $12.99
MAR151563     JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #50 KIRBY FIVE OH NEW PTG     $24.95
JUL151818     MAD SPY VS SPY AN EXPLOSIVE CELEBRATION     $24.95
AUG151901     MY LITTLE PONY ART OF EQUESTRIA HC     $29.95
AUG151624     PABLO & JANE AND HOT AIR CONTRAPTION HC     $19.95
JUL151824     STEPHEN KING JOYLAND ILLUSTRATED ED     $23.99
AUG152896     WARHAMMER 40K GREY KNIGHTS SONS OF TITAN HC     $28.00

One Piece: Repaying the Debt

I read One Piece, Vol. 75

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review CYBORG #1

CYBORG #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: David F. Walker
PENCILS: Ivan Reis
INKS: Joe Prado
COLORS: Adriano Lucas
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado with Adriano Lucas
VARIANT COVER: Tony Harris
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (September 2015)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

“Unplugged”

Cyborg created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez

Cyborg a.k.a. Victor Stone is a DC Comics superhero, part-man and part-machine. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appeared in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26 (cover dated:  October 1980). Cyborg is best known as a member of the young superhero team, the Teen Titans.  However, in September 2011, DC Comics re-launched the DC Universe, rebooting its continuity.  Cyborg was reestablished as a founding member of the superhero team, the Justice League.

Although he was featured in a few Teen Titans spin offs, Cyborg never had his own comic book title.  With the launch of the “DCYou” initiative, he has one, aptly titled, Cyborg.  It is written by David F. Walker; drawn by Ivan Reis (pencils) and Joe Prado (inks); colored by Adriano Lucas; and lettered by Rob Leigh.

Cyborg #1 (“Unplugged”) opens “somewhere in another galaxy.”  This is the scene of a battle between the bestial “Technosapien” and the armor-wearing “Tekbreakers.”  The scene switches back to Earth, specifically S.T.A.R. Labs in Detroit, Michigan.  Outside, it is a scene of protests; inside, Victor Stone has returned to meet his father, Silas Stone, who is a noted scientist.

Victor hopes that his father can help him understand why the machine that gives him his Cyborg powers is evolving.  The problem is that this machine is also his body, and he needs to know what is causing these changes.

Cyborg #1 is intriguing.  Writer David F. Walker isn't offering anything groundbreaking here.  I expect that Walker will occasionally delve into the toxic relationship of the Family Stone.  There is also Sarah, a woman obviously in love with Victor, and she has spent too much time on the sidelines.  Of course, an alien threat looms on the horizon.

I'm reading Cyborg for a number of reasons.  First, I have been a fan of the character since I started reading New Teen Titans back in the day.  Secondly, he is one of the coolest African-American characters in comics, and one of the few who is both original and very powerful.  Thirdly, this new Cyborg comic book is thus far the only “DCYou” title written by an African-American writer.  In fact, it is the only DC Comics title currently written by a Black man.  So I got to support – good or bad, I want to support this comic book, although I think it will be good.  By the way, so much for the diversity of the “DCYou.”

Also, the art team of Ivan Reis and Joe Prado has once again delivered stellar work.  I think I would buy this comic book just for their art.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Review: NARUTO Volume 72

NARUTO, VOL. 72
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Masashi Kishimoto
TRANSLATION: Mari Morimoto
LETTERS: John Hunt
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8284-9; paperback (October 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
216pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto began as a one-shot manga that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.  Naruto the series began its serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump on September 21, 1999 and ended on November 10, 2014.  The final 10 chapters of Naruto arrive in North America, collected in the graphic novel, Naruto Volume 72.

Naruto focuses on Uzumaki Naruto.  As a young shinobi (ninja), Naruto had an incorrigible knack for mischief and was also the biggest troublemaker at the Ninja Academy in the shinobi Village of Konohagakure.  He was an outcast because there was something special about him.  When he was a baby, Naruto's parents (father Minato and mother Kushina) imprisoned a nine-tailed fox spirit (Kurama) inside his infant body.  In time, he became a ninja with his classmates Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke.  Now, 16-years-old and incorrigible as ever, Naruto has to save the world.

As Naruto, Vol. 72 (entitled Uzumaki Naruto – Chapters 691 to 700) opens, the Fourth Great Ninja War has ended, and its instigators, the Akatsuki, have been vanquished.  Naruto and Sasuke sealed away the rogue Rabbit Goddess Kaguya.  Now, the reunited classmates, fueled by opposing ideals, will fight each other in one final battle in order to determine the future of the world.

I have made no secret that I think Naruto has been one of best comics published in North America over the last decade.  In fact, there were a few years, when I thought that Naruto was the best comic book of the year.  So I'm sad that it has ended.  I didn't see it coming.  I simply believed that the Fourth Great Ninja War would end and that the series would move on to the next world beaters.

Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto has a note at the beginning of Vol. 72 in which he says (basically) that he'd be honored if, in the future, we occasionally recall that there was once a character named Naruto.  Kishimoto-san, because of your work, Naruto will never be a “was.”  There will always be a character named Uzumaki Naruto.

Readers, old and new, looking for the best in shonen battle manga will have 72 volumes of the Shonen Jump title, Naruto (the king of ninja manga), to enjoy.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Book Review: CONSOLE WARS by Blake J. Harris

CONSOLE WARS
HARPCOLLINS/William Morrow/Dey St. – @HarperCollins; @WmMorrowBks

AUTHOR: Blake J. Harris
ISBN: 978-0-06-227670-4; paperback (June 2, 2015)
576pp, B&W, $15.99 U.S., $19.99 CAN

Foreword by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation is a 2014 non-fiction book by tech writer and filmmaker, Blake J. Harris.  Console Wars was originally published in hardcover by It Books, and in June of this year, Dey St. (an imprint of William Morrow) published a trade paperback edition of the book.

Console Wars is a real-life David-and-Goliath tale that recounts how Sega, a scrappy upstart, took on Nintendo, the market leader, for domination of the videogame industry.  In 1990, Sega was merely a faltering arcade company.  Nintendo of America (NOA) was the unmatched industry leader, controlling 90 percent of the videogame market in America.

Enter Tom Kalinske.  He was once the guiding hand of Barbie at Mattel.  In the summer of 1990, Hayao Nakayama, boss of Sega of Japan (SOJ), hired Kalinske to be President and CEO of Sega of America (SOA).  Using bold ideas and out-of-the-box strategies, along with strategic and imaginative hiring practices, Kalinske took SOA from having 5 percent of the American videogame market to 55 percent in less than four years.

However, Kalinske's success created a vicious and bitter rivalry with Nintendo and also an industry war that spread from corporate boardrooms to trade shows; from the airwaves to the living rooms and schoolyards of America; and finally from Congressional chambers to overseas.  However, Kalinske's fiercest battlefront was surprisingly closer to home.

The total time that I have spent playing video games probably amounts to less than two weeks.  However, there is some truth to the notion that the most compelling fiction is non-fiction (although I have read plenty of non-fiction that was non-compelling).  You don't have to play videogames to fall under the spell of the true story that is Blake Harris' Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation.

This is the kind of little-engine-that-could slash underdog slash David vs. Goliath story that has a quality that is both timeless and universal.  I found myself rooting for Sega, even knowing how the story of Tom Kalinske's time at Sega resolves itself.  There is something about the way Nintendo dominated and bullied the videogame market from the mid-1980s to early 1990s that seems so un-American.  On the other hand, there is something about Sega of America's quest to get a fair shot and to perform on a level playing field that is inimitably American.  Kalinske's can-do spirit and his ability to gather of team of true believers slash merry band of idiots around him appeals to the small businessman in all of us.

Console Wars is one of the best non-fiction books that I have ever read, partly because it reads like a summer potboiler.  It is a must-read for people who remember Sega vs. Nintendo, yet it is accessible to people who don't remember, who didn't pay attention, or who weren't around.  This book also has a clever foreword by the Hollywood film-making team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who are producing (with Scott Rudin) a documentary film based on this book.

Fans of video games and lovers of great non-fiction books will want to read Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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