Review: NISEKOI: False Love Volume 25

NISEKOI: FALSE LOVE, VOL. 25
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Naoshi Komi
TRANSLATION: Camellia Nieh
LETTERS: Stephen Dutro
EDITORS: John Bae; Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9515-3; paperback (January 2018), Rated “T” for “Teen”
264pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S. $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Nisekoi is a shonen manga from creator Naoshi Komi (Double Arts).  The manga was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, from 2011 to 2016.  VIZ Media published an English-language adaptation of the manga as a graphic novel series, Nisekoi: False Love, beginning in January 2014.  VIZ released the twenty-fifth and final volume of the series this past January.

Nisekoi: False Love focuses on high school students, Raku Ichijo and Chitoge Kirisaki.  Not only are the two enemies, but their fathers are also the heads of rival yakuza syndicates.  In order to keep a gang war from starting, Raku (Shuei-Gumi) and Kirisaki (Beehive) act as if they are a teen couple in love.  In fact, Raku is also searching for his childhood sweetheart, and wears a pendant lock around his neck, a memento of the promise he made to a mystery girl 10 years ago.  Chitoge is one of four young ladies who could be the mystery girl.

As Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 25 (subtitled False Love – Chapters 218 to 228 to “final story”) opens, the search for the missing Chitoge stops at Tenku Highland.  Through a series of flashbacks and recovered memories, the girl to whom Raku Ichijo pledged marriage will be revealed.

The Nisekoi: False Love manga has come to a conclusion.  Some characters had already been forced to deal with the fact that they were part of a love triangle.  Now, some will have to accept that they are not the chosen one.

Nisekoi: False Love Graphic Novel Volume 25 is a bit melancholy.  A fun manga has come to an end.  After all, this series could have run on for a long time, simply spotlighting supporting characters and both romantic and non-romantic story lines.

The fact that the hero, Raku, has finally had to choose one of two excellent heroines is testament to the wonderful characters created by series creator, Naoshi Komi.  I will not offer spoilers, but while the finale promises wedding bells, and the story has a couple ready for marriage...  So Nisekoi: False Love is worthy of being read by new manga readers for years to come.

9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You'


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: ELEKTRA #1

ELEKTRA No. 1 (2017)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Matt Owens
ART: Juann Cabal
COLORS: Antonio Fabela and Marcio Menyz
LETTERS: VC's Cory Petit
COVER: Elizabeth Torque
VARIANT COVERS: Marco Checchetto; Pasqual Ferry with Chris Sotomayor; Bill Sienkiewicz; Skottie Young
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2017)

Rated T+

Elektra created by Frank Miller

“Always Bet on Red: Part 1”

Elektra (full name Elektra Natchios) is a Marvel Comics character.  Created by Frank Miller, Elektra first appeared in Daredevil #168 (cover dated:  January 1981).  She is a highly trained assassin and anti-hero who wields a pair of bladed sai, which are her trademark weapons.

The best Elektra stories are those written by Miller, which culminated in the death of Elektra in Daredevil #181 (cover dated:  April 1982).  Miller resurrected his most famous original character-creation in Daredevil #190 (cover dated:  January 1983) and also used the character in the long-in-gestation original graphic novel, Elektra Lives Again, which was finally published in 1990.

Frank Miller has long claimed that Marvel Comics promised not to use the character without his permission.  Beginning in 1994, however, Elektra began to make appearances in comic books not written by Miller, including starring in her own miniseries and ongoing series.  The latest is the ongoing comic book, Elektra.  It is written Matt Owens; drawn by Juann Cabal, colored by Antonio Febela and Marcio Menyz; and lettered by Cory Petit.

Elektra #1 finds the titular assassin in Las Vegas, staying at the Midway Casino.  This casino and hotel is secretly a place of debauchery and violence, if you can pay for it.  Elektra is ready to shed some blood of her own, but even she does not know the secret at the heart of this evil.

The art – compositions by Juann Cabal and colors by Antonio Fabela and Marcio Menyz – is quite pretty.  Cabal's precision pencil work – with its Frank Quitely quality – turns out to be perfect, at least for Matt Owen's take on Elektra.  Speaking of Owens, well, I can't hate on him.  I am actually intrigued by this first issue.  I hope the second issue hasn't sold out already.  I want to give this another try.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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I Reads You Review: SCOOBY-DOO, Where Are You? #90

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? No. 90
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Sholly Fisch; John Rozum
PENCILS: Walter Carzon; Don Perlin
INKS: Horacio Ottolini; Scott McRea
COLORS: Silvana Brys; Paul Becton
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte; John Costanza
COVER: Walter Carzon and Horacio Ottolini with Silvana Brys
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (April 2018)

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

Let's keep enjoying the fruits of the renewal of my subscription to the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series.  I recently received the fifth issue of that renewed subscription.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #90 opens with “Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble” (written by Sholly Fisch and drawn by Walter Carzon and Horacio Ottolini).  Mystery Inc.:  Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma have stopped by “Scrub 'n' Rub Laundromat” to do their laundry.  It is quite a contentious place, as the manager is arguing with a customer and customers are arguing with each other.  Everything comes to a halt, however, when a purple-garbed phantom appears out of the soap and suds and demands that everyone “Get Out!”

The second story is “The Creeping Horror” (written by John Rozum and drawn by Don Perlin and Scott McRea).  [The story was originally published in Scooby-Doo #33 (cover dated: April 2000).]  Once again, the Mystery Machine has had a breakdown in a remote and creepy location.  The Mystery Inc. gang has a flat tire and a spare tire in even worse condition.  Luckily, the “Thingamajig Technologies Inc.” factory is nearby, but instead of finding sanctuary, they a place that is besieged by “The Creeping Horror.”

Some of my favorite Scooby-Doo “ghosts” are the shroud-covered phantoms, creepy ghoulies that are like sheet-cover ghosts on steroids.  You may remember them as the “Giggling Green Ghosts” from the Season One episode, “A Night of Fright is No Delight”.  “Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble” brings that type of phantom back and has him haunting a laundromat.  I thought the story was kinda cute, but the resolution was classic “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?”

“The Creeping Horror” has a classic start, but the body of the story is kind of modern Scooby-Doo movie.  I was not enjoying it at first, but I liked it by the end.  I liked the art team of Don Perlin (pencils) and Scott McRea (inks), whose graphic approach is a bit different.  Of course, John Costanza, who should be a legend of comic book lettering if he is not already, brings his A-game.  His spry fonts and electric word balloons give this story the charge it needs.

And it happens again, as always.  Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #90 makes me excited about the next issue.  I recommend this title to Scooby-Doo fans that want to read Scooby comic books.

A-
7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: SIMPSONS COMICS Game On

SIMPSONS COMICS GAME ON! (TPB)
HARPERCOLLINS/Harper Design – @HarperCollins @harperdesignbks @TheSimpsons

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Ian Boothby; Jesse Leon McCann; Tony Digerolamo; Tom Peyer; Mary Trainor; Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Phil Ortiz; John Costanza; Jason Ho; Carlos Valenti
INKS: Mike DeCarlo; Phyllis Novin; Jason Ho; Andrew Pepoy
COLORS: Art Villanueva; Terry Delegeane
LETTERS: Karen Bates
COVER: Matt Groening
ISBN: 978-0-06-269251-1; paperback (February 6, 2018)
128pp, Color, $16.99 U.S., $21.00 CAN

“The Simpsons” is an American animated television sitcom, produced first run for the Fox Broadcasting Company.  Created by cartoonist Matt Groening, “The Simpsons” began in 1987 as a series of animated shorts that were eventually developed into a half-hour animated TV series.  “The Simpson” debuted on Fox in December of the 1989-90 television season and continues today with new episodes, with Fox having renewed the series through 2019.

“The Simpsons” present a satirical depiction of a working class family which consists of Homer Simpson (the father), Marge Simpson (the mother), Bart (the oldest child and only son), Lisa (the precocious and brilliant elder daughter), and Maggie (a baby girl).  “The Simpsons” also parodies American culture, pop culture, society, politics, media, etc. via the denizens of The Simpsons home town, Springfield.

In 1993, Matt Groening, Bill Morrison, and Steve and Cindy Vance founded Bongo Comics Group (or simply Bongo Comics).  Over the course of a quarter-century, Bongo Comics has published numerous comic book series and single-issue publications based on “The Simpsons.”  The comic books have starred and featured all the characters that are part of this franchise, from the Simpsons clan to the various supporting characters, including Ralph Wiggum and his father, Chief Wiggum; Ned Flanders; Krusty the Clown, Sideshow Bob, and Mr. Burns and Smithers, to name a few.

Harper Design, an imprint of HarperCollins, has been publishing a line of full-color, original trade paperbacks that reprint select stories from Bongo Comics' Simpsons comic books.  The new trade paperback original is Simpsons Comics Game On!, which reprints Simpsons Comics, issues #121 to 125.  Simpsons Comics is Bongo Comics' long-running flagship Simpsons comic book series.

Simpsons Comics Game On! opens with “The Town That Time Forgot.”  Lazy Homer Simpson seems incapable of being on time for anything, so rather than learn to be punctual, Homer has a better idea.  Why not let people set their own time... with disastrous results.  And Sideshow Bob is back... or maybe not in”Bobbing for Vengeance.”

In “'Till Ned Do Us Part,” Marge Simpson invites a lonely Ned Flanders into the Simpsons home for a stay while Ned's son, Rod and Todd, are away at “Old Testament Survival Camp.”  In “two shakes of a lamb's tail,” the Simpsons find themselves facing an onslaught of hackneyed expressions, cliché sayings, and a guest who does not want to leave because he is “casting pearls before swine.”

Finally, return to yesteryear with “Springfield's Typical Teen-Ager,” Homie in “One Plus Two Equals Zero.”  Springfield High School student Homie Simpson has two tickets to not-paradise and dates with two girls, each one to a different campus event that will take place at the same time.  Can Homie pull off the ultimate high school double date?!

Harper Design has been sending me review copies of its recent Simpsons trade paperback originals, and while I have enjoyed them, I am shocked by how much more I like Simpsons Comics Game On!  For me, this comic book captures the essence of “The Simpsons'” rowdy first decade on television:  the razor sharp satire, blunt spoofs, dead-on parodies, and delightful pop culture references.  Speaking of references, “One Plus Two Equals Zero” is a winning Simpsons spin on Archie Comics' classic Archie-Betty-Veronica love triangle, with a few guest cameos sprinkled throughout the story.

“'Til Ned Do Us Part” is one of the best humorous comic book stories that I have ever read, and it is also a surprisingly effective little morality tale.  Plus, according to an editor's note, the story contains over 150 clichés – in their original form or mangled – and there are several mixed metaphors.  The delightful and dream-like “Maggie's Little Helper” recalls the vintage newspaper comic, Little Nemo.  “Bake Love, Not War” perfectly captures the dynamic between Marge Simpson and her well-meaning, but dumb and patience-testing husband, Homer.

You don't have to be a fan of “The Simpsons” to like Simpsons Comics Game On!, but it helps.  This volume has so many stories that are inventive and well-executed in their storytelling that fans of humor comics can find at least one story to like.

9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: AMERICAN GODS #1

AMERICAN GODS No. 1
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Neil Gaiman
SCRIPT: P. Craig Russell
LAYOUTS: P. Craig Russell
ART: Scott Hampton; P. Craig Russell
COLORS: Scott Hampton; P. Craig Russell
LETTERS: Rick Parker; Lovern Kindzierski
COVER: Glenn Fabry
VARIANT COVERS: David Mack; Dave McKean
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2017)

American Gods is a 2001 novel from author Neil Gaiman.  The novel won several fantasy-literary awards and is currently the subject of a television adaptation by Starz Media.  This fantasy novel blends ancient and modern mythology with Americana to tell the tale a man caught in a war between the gods of the Old World and the new American gods.

American Gods is also a comic book thanks to an adaptation by frequent Gaiman collaborator, P. Craig Russell.  Russell wrote the script adaptation of Gaiman's novel and provided the layouts for the art.  American Gods the comic book is drawn and colored by Scott Hampton and lettered by Rick Parker.  The first issue of American Gods also includes a four-page back story that is an adaptation of particular sequence (involving the succubus, Bilquis) from American Gods that is written, drawn, and colored by Russell and lettered by Lovern Kindzierski.

American Gods #1 opens in an unnamed prison where we meet the protagonist, Shadow Moon.  Shadow is in the third year of his six-year prison sentence and is nearing parole.  Being so close to getting out of prison has made Shadow anxious, and he feels that something bad is coming towards him.  Everyday he thinks of returning to Eagle Point, Indiana and his wife, Laura.  However, the world of the supernatural is what actually awaits Shadow... and a man calling himself Mr. Wednesday.

I did not read American Gods upon its original release in 2001, but five years ago, I did read the tenth anniversary edition which featured a longer text – the author's preferred edition.  I loved it; well, I don't think “love” is a strong enough word.  I consider that edition of American Gods to be life-changing in terms of my life as a writer.

I was happy to hear that Dark Horse Comics would be publishing a comic book adaptation, because I believed that, as they have always done, the people of Dark Horse take their comic book adaptations of other media seriously (Alien, Predator, and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to name a few).  They always seem determined to produce something of high quality, and I knew they would not want to fuck up Neil Gaiman's storytelling.

So far, I like P. Craig Russell and Scott Hampton's American Gods because it feels true to Neil Gaiman's storytelling and text.  The only thing that I don't like is waiting a month for the next issue.  It's that simple:  Russell and Hampton done good.  Plus, I have to say I wondered if anyone could visualize the part of the novel in which Gaiman introduces Bilquis, and Russell, one of the great visualists in the history of comic books, pulls that off.  [By the way, David Mack's variant cover for the first issue is also quite visually striking.]

So set aside your four bucks for each issue.  We have in American Gods a comics adaptation of a novel that may end up being on the short list of great comic book adaptations of a prose novel.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 7, 2018

DC COMICS

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 7, 2018

MARVEL COMICS

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