Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for November 14, 2018

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

AUG182152    13TH FLOOR TP    $22.99
AUG182540    ABSOLUTE DUO GN VOL 04    $12.99
AUG182463    ANNE HAPPY GN VOL 08 UNHAPPY GO LUCKY    $13.00
AUG182464    AOHARU X MACHINEGUN GN VOL 13    $13.00
SEP181832    APAMA THE UNDISCOVERED ANIMAL #5    $3.99
SEP181833    APAMA THE UNDISCOVERED ANIMAL #5 HARRISON VARIANT CVR    $3.99
AUG182542    ARIFUTA COMMONPLACE TO WORLDS STRONGEST GN VOL 03    $12.99
SEP181513    ARTIFACT ONE #2 CVR A MORANELLI    $3.99
SEP181514    ARTIFACT ONE #2 CVR B MAVINGA    $3.99
JUN181899    BAD MACHINERY POCKET ED GN VOL 06 CASE UNWELCOME VISITOR    $12.99
SEP181505    BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #268    $6.99
SEP181496    BETTY & VERONICA VIXENS TP VOL 02    $14.99
AUG182151    BLACK MAX TP VOL 01    $16.99
SEP182076    BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #1 CVR A MASSAFERA    $3.99
SEP182077    BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #1 CVR B MACK    $3.99
SEP182078    BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #1 CVR C BLANK COVER    $3.99
SEP182081    BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #1 CVR F 1-8 PRE-ORDER BUNDLE ED LAS    $3.99
JUL182173    BROTHER NASH TP (MR)    $19.99
SEP181404    BROTHERS DRACUL TP VOL 01    $14.99
SEP181679    CALIBER PRESENTS GN VOL 04 OBSERVATORY    $12.99
SEP181405    CAPTAIN GINGER #2    $3.99
AUG182544    CAPTAIN HARLOCK DIMENSIONAL VOYAGE GN VOL 06    $12.99
SEP181877    CATALYST PRIME ACCELL #15    $3.99
SEP181879    CATALYST PRIME ASTONISHER #12    $3.99
AUG182462    CERTAIN MAGICAL INDEX GN VOL 15    $13.00
SEP181934    CHE REVOLUTIONARY LIFE GN    $35.00
AUG182206    COMICS COMICS QUARTERLY #1    $4.99
JUL181538    CROAK TP (MR)    $9.95
AUG182490    CRUSH HC    $24.00
JUL181430    CRYPT OF HORROR #37    $29.95
AUG182198    DAISY BLACKWOOD PILOT FOR HIRE TP VOL 01 CURSED ISLAND    $12.99
SEP181395    DARK ARK #11 CVR A DOE    $3.99
SEP181396    DARK ARK #11 CVR B ROOTH    $3.99
AUG182465    DEATH MARCH PARALLEL WORLD RHAPSODY GN VOL 05    $13.00
SEP182214    DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON GN VOL 06    $15.00
SEP181515    DELLEC VOL 2 #3 CVR A GUNNELL    $3.99
SEP181516    DELLEC VOL 2 #3 CVR B BARRIOS    $3.99
AUG182466    DEMONIZER ZILCH GN VOL 05 (MR)    $13.00
AUG182327    DEUCE OF HEARTS TP    $19.99
AUG182467    DEVIL IS PART TIMER GN VOL 12    $13.00
JUL182453    DEVILMAN VS HADES GN VOL 03 (MR)    $12.99
AUG181884    DF ACTION COMICS #1000 HAESER LTD PINK REMARKED    $99.99
SEP181741    DF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 GREG LAND EXC    $29.99
SEP181744    DF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 HUGHES ART FADE PLUS ONE    $39.99
SEP181737    DF BATMAN #50 B&W JAE LEE EXC    $39.99
AUG181883    DF BATMAN #50 JAE LEE EXC    $29.99
SEP181753    DF DC NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER THANKSGIVING PACK    $29.99
AUG181886    DF HARLEY QUINN #1 HAESER LTD PINK REMARKED SGN    $79.99
JUL181788    DF HEROES IN CRISIS #1 TOM KING SGN    $49.99
AUG181853    DF HUNT FOR WOLVERINE #1 HAESER REMARKD    $89.99
APR181519    DF JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 SGN SNYDER    $44.99
MAR181586    DF JUSTICE LEAGUE NO JUSTICE #1 SGN SCOTT SNYDER    $39.99
SEP181754    DF MARVEL NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER THANKSGIVING PACK    $29.99
SEP181755    DF MULTI PUB NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER THANKSGIVING PK    $29.99
SEP181757    DF SANDMAN UNIVERSE SPECIAL #1 HIDALGO SKETCH SGN    $89.99
SEP181742    DF SILK #1 GREG LAND EXC    $29.99
SEP181740    DF SPIDER-GWEN #1 GREG LAND EXC    $29.99
SEP181866    DINOSAUCERS #4    $3.99
SEP181785    DISNEY ROSA DUCK LIBRARY HC BOX SET VOL 09 & 10    $49.99
SEP181782    DISNEY ROSA DUCK LIBRARY HC VOL 10 CASTLES OTHER SECRET    $29.99
AUG181484    DOPPELGANGER TP (MR)    $9.95
AUG182468    DURARARA RE DOLLARS ARC GN VOL 03    $13.00
SEP181973    FAMILY GRAVES #3 (OF 4) (MR)    $3.99
SEP182216    FORBIDDEN SCROLLERY GN VOL 05    $13.00
SEP182268    FRAU FAUST GN VOL 05    $12.99
AUG188976    FRIENDO #1 2ND PTG    $3.99
JUL182287    FRIENDO #2 CVR A SIMMONDS (MR)    $3.99
JUL182288    FRIENDO #2 CVR B MCLEAN (MR)    $3.99
SEP182217    FRUITS BASKET ANOTHER GN VOL 02    $15.00
AUG182401    FUTARIBEYA MANGA GN VOL 02 ROOM FOR TWO    $12.99
AUG182469    GABRIEL DROPOUT GN VOL 05    $13.00
AUG182122    GERONIMO STILTON 3IN1 GN VOL 02    $14.99
SEP181582    GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST ONE-SHOT    $5.99
AUG182470    HAKUMEI & MIKOCHI GN VOL 02    $15.00
SEP181837    HEDY LAMARR AN INCREDIBLE LIFE GN (MR)    $19.95
AUG182548    HIGH SCHOOL LIFE OF FUDANSHI GN VOL 04 (MR)    $12.99
AUG182461    HIGH SCHOOL PRODIGIES HAVE IT EASY ANOTHER WORLD GN VOL 01 (    $13.00
SEP181943    HOPE TP    $9.99
SEP182205    INTERSPECIES REVIEWERS GN VOL 01 (MR)    $13.00
AUG182472    IS WRONG PICK UP GIRLS DUNGEON SWORD ORATORIA GN VOL 05    $13.00
AUG182549    JUANA & DRAGONEWTS SEVEN KINGDOMS GN VOL 03    $12.99
AUG182473    KAKEGURUI COMPULSIVE GAMBLER GN VOL 07    $15.00
AUG182474    KISS & WHITE LILY FOR MY DEAREST GIRL GN VOL 07    $13.00
SEP182273    LDK GN VOL 12 (RES)    $10.99
SEP181998    LIFE IS STRANGE #1 CVR A LEONARDI    $3.99
SEP181999    LIFE IS STRANGE #1 CVR B SCHANK    $3.99
SEP182000    LIFE IS STRANGE #1 CVR C MAX GAME ART    $3.99
SEP182001    LIFE IS STRANGE #1 CVR D CHLOE GAME ART    $3.99
SEP182002    LIFE IS STRANGE #1 CVR E CHLOE T-SHIRT VAR    $3.99
SEP182003    LIFE IS STRANGE #1 CVR F BLANK SKETCH VAR    $3.99
SEP182225    LOVE AT FOURTEEN GN VOL 08    $15.00
SEP181936    MANDELA & GENERAL GN    $19.95
AUG182150    MAZEWORLD COLLECTORS ED TP    $29.99
MAY182043    MILLENNIUM TRILOGY BOX SET    $59.99
SEP182004    MINIONS VIVA LE BOSS #1 CVR A COLLIN    $3.99
SEP182005    MINIONS VIVA LE BOSS #1 CVR B COLLIN    $3.99
SEP182328    MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING GLORY OF THE LOSERS GN VOL 09    $12.95
AUG182475    MORTAL INSTRUMENTS GN VOL 02    $13.00
JUL181541    MR CRYPT TP    $9.95
AUG182476    MURCIELAGO GN VOL 08 (MR)    $13.00
AUG182017    MY NEW YORK MARATHON GN    $19.95
AUG182477    NAPPING PRINCESS GN VOL 02 STORY UNKNOWN ME    $13.00
SEP182142    NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS ZEROS JOURNEY #5    $3.99
SEP182095    NINJA-K #13 CVR A KANO    $3.99
SEP182096    NINJA-K #13 CVR B KALVACHEV    $3.99
SEP188193    NINJA-K #13 CVR D PRE-ORDER BUNDLE ED    $3.99
AUG182553    NIRVANA GN VOL 03    $12.99
SEP181391    NORMALS TP VOL 01    $17.99
SEP181981    ODDWELL #4    $3.99
MAY181908    ONLY LIVING BOY OMNIBUS GN    $24.99
MAY181909    ONLY LIVING BOY OMNIBUS HC    $34.99
SEP181680    ORLAK A PERFECT 10 GN VOL 01    $12.99
SEP182105    P CRAIG RUSSELL SALOME & OTHER STORIES FINE ART ED    $125.00
SEP181398    PATIENCE CONVICTION REVENGE #3    $3.99
SEP182176    POKEMON HORIZON SUN & MOON GN VOL 02    $9.99
SEP182172    POKEMON POCKET COMICS CLASSIC GN    $10.99
JUN182017    PRISONER TP VOL 01 UNCERTAINTY MACHINE    $16.99
SEP182170    RADIANT GN VOL 02    $9.99
SEP182230    RE ZERO SLIAW CHAPTER 3 TRUTH ZERO GN VOL 05    $13.00
SEP182178    RECORD OF GRANCREST WAR GN VOL 01 (MR)    $9.99
SEP182191    REQUIEM OF THE ROSE KING GN VOL 09    $9.99
SEP181561    RETROGRADE ORBIT GN    $16.99
SEP182192    RIN-NE GN VOL 28    $9.99
SEP182135    RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT #2    $5.99
SEP182018    ROBOTECH #14 CVR A STOKOE    $3.99
SEP182019    ROBOTECH #14 CVR B ACTION FIGURE VAR    $3.99
SEP182020    ROBOTECH #14 CVR C G    $3.99
JUN182027    ROBOTECH ARCHIVES MACROSS SAGA TP VOL 03 (OF 3)    $24.99
AUG182479    SACRIFICIAL PRINCESS & KING BEASTS GN VOL 03    $13.00
AUG182480    SAGA OF TANYA EVIL GN VOL 04    $13.00
SEP182280    SAILOR MOON ETERNAL ED VOL 02 (RES)    $27.99
AUG182149    SCREAM & MISTY HALLOWEEN SPECIAL 2018    $7.99
AUG182483    SEKIREI GN VOL 06 (MR)    $24.00
SEP182027    SHADES OF MAGIC #2 (OF 4) STEEL PRINCE CVR A SIMECKOVA    $3.99
SEP182028    SHADES OF MAGIC #2 (OF 4) STEEL PRINCE CVR B IANNICEILLO    $3.99
SEP181905    SHADOW ROADS #5    $3.99
AUG182484    SHIBUYA GOLDFISH GN VOL 02    $15.00
AUG182555    SHOMIN SAMPLE ABDUCTED BY ELITE ALL GIRLS SCHOOL GN VOL 09 (    $12.99
AUG182485    SILVER SPOON GN VOL 05    $15.00
AUG182481    SO IM A SPIDER SO WHAT GN VOL 04    $13.00
FEB181705    SPECIALLY PRICED SMURFS RETURN OF SMURFETTE GN    $3.99
JUL181566    STARGATE ATLANTIS TP VOL 02    $19.99
SEP182141    STRANGE & MYSTIFYING STORY GN VOL 05 (MR)    $12.99
AUG182487    TABOO TATTOO GN VOL 12    $13.00
SEP182233    TALES OF WEDDING RINGS GN VOL 04    $15.00
SEP181834    TAP DANCE KILLER #3    $3.99
SEP181835    TAP DANCE KILLER #3 PUNCHLINE VARIANT A    $3.99
AUG182399    TAROT CAFE MANGA COLLECTION GN VOL 03    $17.99
AUG182488    TEASING MASTER TAKAGI SAN GN VOL 02    $13.00
JUL181572    TREE THAT GREW ON MY WALL    $9.99
AUG182482    TRIAGE X GN VOL 16 (MR)    $14.00
AUG182489    VAL X LOVE GN VOL 04 (MR)    $13.00
SEP181681    VIETNAM JOURNAL SERIES 2 TP VOL 02 JOURNEY INTO HELL    $16.99
SEP181840    VIETNAMESE MEMORIES GN VOL 02 LITTLE SAIGON (MR)    $24.95
SEP181869    VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER VOL 3 #5 CVR A YAMASHIN    $3.99
SEP181870    VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER VOL 3 #5 CVR B DI NICUOLO & BAIAM    $3.99
SEP182286    WAITING FOR SPRING GN VOL 09    $10.99
JUL181573    WELCOME HOME ONE-SHOT    $9.95
JUL182056    WET MOON GN VOL 07 (MR)    $19.99
AUG182559    WONDERLAND GN VOL 01    $12.99
AUG189232    WRONG EARTH #2 2ND PTG    $3.99
AUG182568    YUUNA & HAUNTED HOT SPRINGS GN VOL 04 (MR)    $12.99
AUG182492    ZO ZO ZOMBIE GN VOL 01    $12.00

MAGAZINES
AUG182147    2000 AD PACK OCTOBER 2018    $27.00
AUG182295    BACK ISSUE #109    $8.95
SEP181694    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1639 (Net)    $PI
AUG182117    DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE #531    $11.99
JUL181747    G FAN #121    $6.95
AUG182148    JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #401    $16.00
SEP181883    LOCUS #694    $7.50
SEP182056    STAR TREK MAGAZINE #69 NEWSSTAND ED    $9.99
SEP182057    STAR TREK MAGAZINE #69 PX    $9.99

BOOKS
JUL182033    AVENGER DOUBLE FEATURE SC    $11.99
AUG182560    CLOCKWORK PLANET LIGHT NOVEL VOL 03    $13.99
SEP182169    COMPLETE ART OF FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST HC    $34.99
AUG182561    DIDNT I SAY MAKE ABILITIES AVERAGE NOVEL SC VOL 04 (MR)    $13.99
AUG182034    DIE HARD ULTIMATE VISUAL HISTORY HC    $50.00
AUG182005    DOCTOR WHO COMP HIST HC VOL 82 12TH DOCTOR STORIES 264-265 (    $18.99
AUG182459    EMPTY BOX & ZEROTH MARIA LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 04    $14.00
AUG182452    FINAL FANTASY VII 7 ON WAY TO SMILE NOVEL SC VOL 01    $14.00
AUG182453    GOBLIN SLAYER SIDE STORY YEAR ONE LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 01    $14.00
SEP181935    GROW ART OF KOYAMORI SC    $29.95
AUG182052    HI FRUCTOSE COLLECTED HC BOX SET 04    $75.00
AUG182562    I WANT TO EAT YOUR PANCREAS LIGHT NOVEL SC (MR)    $14.99
AUG182456    IS WRONG PICK GIRLS DUNGEON SWORD ORATORIA NOVEL SC VOL 07 (    $14.00
AUG182455    IS WRONG PICK UP GIRLS DUNGEON NOVEL SC VOL 12    $14.00
FEB181976    ISOLATOR LIGHT NOVEL HC VOL 04    $20.00
SEP181823    KRAZY BLACK & WHITE WORLD OF GEORGE HERRIMAN SC    $19.99
SEP182187    MAKE ANIMALS FELT ARTS FROM JAPAN SC CRAFT    $16.99
SEP182160    MEGA MAN X OFFICIAL COMPLETE WORKS HC    $39.99
JUL182002    NEVERLASTING MIRACLES ART OF TODD SCHORR HC (MR)    $75.00
SEP181814    OVERSTREET PRICE GUIDE TO STAR WARS COLLECTIBLES SC    $30.00
AUG182460    RE ZERO SLIAW LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 08    $14.00
AUG182457    SPICE AND WOLF LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 20 SPRING LOG III    $14.00
SEP181831    STAR TREK ENCYCLOPEDIA STARFLEET STARSHIPS 2294 TO FUTURE (C    $29.95
SEP181711    STAR WARS LEIA PRINCESS OF ALDERAAN SC    $9.99
AUG182563    TORADORA LIGHT NOVEL VOL 03    $13.99
AUG182458    WOLF & PARCHMENT LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 03 NEW THEORY    $14.00

Review: DASTARDLY & MUTTLEY #1

DASTARDLY & MUTTLEY No. 1 (OF 6)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Garth Ennis
ART: Mauricet
COLORS: John Kalisz
LETTERS: Rob Steen
COVER: Mauricet
VARIANT COVER: Liam Sharp
32pp, Color, $1.99 U.S. (November 2017)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

Chapter 1: “And I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues”

“Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines” was a Saturday morning cartoon series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for CBS.  The series originally aired from September 13, 1969 to January 3, 1970.  “Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines” focused on Dick Dastardly, a pilot and a villain, and his canine sidekick, Muttley, who were part of the Vulture Squadron.  Each episode depicted an attempt by Dastardly and the squadron to catch Yankee Doodle Pigeon, a carrier pigeon who carried secret messages.

DC Comics has been reinventing and re-imagining classic Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoons in new comic book series since early 2016, which has yielded The Flintstones with an edgy twist and “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” with an apocalyptic twist, Scooby Apocalypse.  “Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines” get the DC Comics reboot treatment with the new DC Comics miniseries, Dastardly and Muttley.  It is written by Garth Ennis; drawn by Mauricet; colored by John Kalisz; and lettered by Rob Steen.

Dastardly and Muttley #1 (“And I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues”) opens with seeming nuclear apocalypse in the country of Unliklistan via the rare element, “Unstabilium 239.”  Five days later, a United States Air Force reconnaissance flight is over Unliklistan.  Lt. Col. R. Atcherly and Capt. D. Muller expect the unexpected, but sometimes the unexpected is absolutely unimaginable.

Dastardly and Muttley #1 is merely a first issue, but as first issues go, it is surreal and instantly grabbing.  Considering Garth Ennis' imagination and inventiveness, we never know what to expect even when we think we do know what to expect.  Artist Mauricet is up to the task of balancing the realism with the wacky, cartoonish surrealism that we can certainly expect.

I don't have to say much because Ennis is always worth a second look, and the anticipation of the art and graphics Mauricet will offer makes the second issue of Dastardly and Muttley a must-have.

8 out of 10

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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Review: WONDER WOMAN/CONAN #1

WONDER WOMAN CONAN No. 1 (OF 6)
DC COMICS/Dark Horse Comics – @DCComics @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Gail Simone
PENCILS: Aaron Lopresti
INKS: Matt Ryan
COLORS: Wendy Broome
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte
COVER: Darick Robertson with Tony Aviña
VARIANT COVERS: Liam Sharp with Laura Martin
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2017)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston; Conan created by Robert E. Howard

“A Crown without Mercy”

Conan the Cimmerian (also Conan the Barbarian) was born in the pulp fiction of Robert E. Howard, first appearing in magazine, Weird Tales (1932).  Marvel Comics brought Conan to comic books in 1970, with the long running series, Conan the Barbarian.

Now, Conan moves into new comic book territory with the team-up book, Wonder Woman Conan.  The series is written by Gail Simone; drawn by Aaron Lopresti (pencils) and Matt Ryan (inks); colored by Wendy Broome; and lettered by Saida Temofonte.

Wonder Woman Conan #1 (“A Crown without Mercy”) opens in the time when Conan was a child at the age of “eight summers.”  He travels with his father, Conaldar, a blacksmith, to a conclave of clans.  In this gathering of strangers, Conan sees the first truly beautiful thing in his life, a girl named “Yanna.”

Years late, the adult Conan – a thief, a reaver, and a slayer – encounters three men who are about to kill another man.  He saves that man, who is named Kian, and they travel to the Aquilonian kingdom where they plan to witness a special warrior in a gladiatorial fight.  She is a woman, a “Wonder Woman” from Conan's past, and their reunion may be that they are destined to die together.

I can't remember if I have ever read a Wonder Woman comic book written by Gail Simone, but I did read some of the excellent Conan Red Sonja, a four-issue miniseries she wrote that was published in late 2014 and early 2015.  Simone is simply good at what she does, and that is writing riveting, engaging, clever, witty, and fun-to-read comic books.  I remember that people loved her Wonder Woman, and I loved her Conan, and Wonder Woman Conan is something to love.  My only complaint is that the first issue had to end.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that lovely art and strong storytelling by Aaron Lopresti.  After more than two decades, Lopresti's art is highly-polished and professional, especially when it is inked by someone good, as it is here by Matt Ryan.  Lopresti's art, especially his figure drawing, reminds me of such classic 1980s and 90s stalwarts as Bob McLeod, Jerry Ordway, and Dan Jurgens.  Lopresti's solid compositions are the perfect graphical storytelling vehicle for a story featuring two great warriors, Wonder Woman and Conan.

Wonder Woman Conan #1 is fine start to what I believe will be an excellent crossover comic book.  I think Simone and Lopresti will deliver, as usual.

9 out of 10

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.

--------------------------------

Review: DRAGON BALL: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha

DRAGON BALL: THAT TIME I GOT REINCARNATED AS YAMCHA
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: dragongarow LEE
TRANSLATION: Stefan Koza
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
EDITOR: Marlene First
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0371-5; paperback (November 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
144pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Based on Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama

Dragon Ball was a long-running Japanese manga written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama.  It was originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984 to 1995 and was comprised of 519 individual chapters.  The hero of Dragon Ball was Son Goku, and the series began with the story of his childhood.

Since its ending, there have been spin-offs and crossovers of the Dragon Ball manga.  Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha was originally published in the digital manga magazine, Shonen Jump+, beginning in 2016.  VIZ Media is releasing an English language edition as a stand-alone graphic novel.

Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha (Chapters 1 to 3) introduces an unnamed young man who is a fan of all things Dragon Ball.  He and a friend are heading for a Dragon Ball event when he is seemingly killed in an accident.  The high school student wakes up in the body of Yamcha, an ally of Dragon Ball hero, Son Goku, and Dragon Ball heroine, Bulma.

As a fan who is familiar with the Dragon Ball's continuity, the fanboy knows that Yamcha was eventually killed.  So the reincarnated Yamcha sets about making himself strong enough to survive, but will the Dragon Ball characters eventually catch on to the fact that there is something odd about Yamcha?

[This manga includes bonus content, “Extra Story” and “The Reincarnated One's Secret Plan!”]

I am only an occasional reader of the Dragon Ball manga, mainly because of copies-for-review that I get from my VIZ Media rep.  I have found some of these titles to be quite entertaining and worth the read.

Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha is one of those good reads.  There is something oddly alluring about this single-volume manga.  I read most of it in one sitting, and I can't quite say why I found it amusing, even fun to read.  The truth is that I would like to see more of this story line, and I think Dragon Ball manga fans will agree.  Readers looking for more Dragon Ball manga will want to try the Shonen Jump title, Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha.

B+
7 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 syndication rights and fees.

--------------------------

Book Review: WAR OF THE WOLF

WAR OF THE WOLF
HARPERCOLLINS – @HarperCollins

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Bernard Cornwell
ISBN: 978-0-06-256317-0; hardcover (October 2, 2018)
352pp, B&W, $28.99 U.S.

War of the Wolf is a 2018 novel from Bernard Cornwell, a bestselling British author of historical novels.  This is the eleventh book in Cornwell’s “Saxon Tales” series, his epic story of the making of England and his continuing story of Saxon warlord, Uhtred of Bebbanburg.  “The Saxon Tales” series is also known as “The Last Kingdom” series (named for the first novel in the series).  The Last Kingdom has been adapted into a television series.  In War of the Wolf, Uhtred cannot enjoy the benefits of winning back his ancestral home because he is beset on all sides, by enemies both old and new.

It is the early 920s (A.D.).  War of the Wolf finds Uhtred cold-chilling in his family's fortress, Bebbanburg, which he recently recaptured from a usurper.  He will not leave, even to attend the funeral of cherished friend and former lover, Æthelflaed, the late Queen of Mercia.  Her brother, King Edward of Wessex, not long after his sister's body was walled into the family crypt, quickly took control of Mercia.  However, a mysterious monk arrives one day claiming that Prince Æthelstan, Edward's (bastard?) son and once favored to be the new ruler of Mercia, needs Uhtred's help.  His garrison at Ceaster is under assault.

Æthelstan grew up under the protection of Uhtred, so the legendary and feared pagan lord leads 90 of his fiercest warriors to the prince's aid, but the mission is not as he was told.  Now, Uhtred is surrounded and threatened on all sides, instead of being home and enjoying victory.  Edward's bid to cease power and to unite the Saxon kingdoms into one nation known as Englaland (England) has created a “Game of Thrones” like scenario.  Uhtred and his family may have to bend to the will of Edward and his demands by swearing fealty to him.

So Lord Uhtred is fighting on what he considers to be the wrong side... again, but a new, formidable, upstart and alien enemy will challenge the pagan's lord's place, heritage, and faith.  He is the young Norse warrior, Sköll Grimmarson, who wants to be King of Northumbria, and that means he must have the lands of both Uhtred and his son-in-law, Sigtryggr.  Uhtred has bested all his enemies, but in Sköll, he finds an enemy seemingly favored by the gods.  And if that does not give Uhtred pause, Sköll's crazed wolf-warriors, the “Ūlfheonar,” will.

I have read the seventh through the eleventh entries in “The Saxon Tales” series.  I never get tired of them, and I always want more.  Bernard Cornwell's novels have earned praise from many circles.  George R.R. Martin, the author of A Song of Fire and Ice (the inspiration for HBO's “Game of Thrones”), says that Cornwell writes the best battles scenes he has ever read.  USA Today has declared Cornwell “the reigning king of historical fiction.”  They are not lying.

I have practically run out of ways to praise Cornwell.  One would think that these novels about the events leading to the creation of England would have run out of steam – eleven books in.  How do you keep a long-running series fresh?  It is new plots?  Is it new adversaries?  No and no, the plots are more or less variations of familiar themes, it seems in the books I have read.  The enemies are basically the same, every novel featuring one major and at least a few minor land-grubbers.  Has Lord Uhtred changed?  Of course not.

What keeps “The Saxon Tales” fresh?  Bernard Cornwell does.  He is simply a gifted writer and a mack daddy, master storyteller.  It is as if every word he puts down on paper is the right word to advance the story.  Cornwell's prose is vivid and evocative without being lavish.  His plots are familiar but formidable.  His settings are epic; even when Cornwell places his characters under a grove of trees for the night, it feels as if that is the place where legends are made.

If Cornwell replaced Lord Uhtred with Bob Newhart, his books like War of the Wolf would still have a strangle-hold on the reader's imagination.  In War of the Wolf, someone uses the term, “lord king,” and I like that.  So I will say that Bernard Cornwell is the “Lord King of historical fiction.”

9 out of 10

www.bernardcornwell.net

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 syndication rights and fees.

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