IMAGE COMICS
JAN210185 BLISS #6 (MR) $3.99
FEB210180 COMMANDERS IN CRISIS #7 (OF 12) CVR A TINTO (MR) $3.99
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FEB210220 WALKING DEAD DLX #12 CVR B MOORE & MCCAIG (MR) $3.99
Monday, April 5, 2021
Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 7, 2021
Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 7, 2021
MARVEL COMICS
FEB210575 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #63 $4.99
FEB210577 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #63 PACHECO REBORN VAR $4.99
FEB210563 AMERICA CHAVEZ MADE IN USA #2 (OF 5) $3.99
FEB210564 AMERICA CHAVEZ MADE IN USA #2 (OF 5) BENGAL VAR $3.99
JAN219067 AVENGERS #43 2ND PTG GARRON VAR $3.99
FEB210618 AVENGERS #44 $3.99
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FEB210567 AVENGERS MECH STRIKE #3 (OF 5) $3.99
FEB210568 AVENGERS MECH STRIKE #3 (OF 5) NAKAYAMA VAR $3.99
FEB210643 CONAN THE BARBARIAN #20 $3.99
OCT200686 DEFENDERS OMNIBUS HC VOL 01 ADAMS DM VAR $100.00
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OCT200685 DEFENDERS OMNIBUS HC VOL 01 MOLINA CVR $100.00
JAN219068 DEMON DAYS X-MEN #1 2ND PTG MOMOKO VAR $4.99
FEB210601 EXCALIBUR #20 $3.99
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FEB210613 IMMORTAL HULK #45 $3.99
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JAN210527 KING IN BLACK #5 (OF 5) STEGMAN SPOILER VAR $5.99
JAN210525 KING IN BLACK #5 (OF 5) YOUNG VAR $5.99
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JAN210546 KING IN BLACK PLANET OF SYMBIOTES #3 (OF 3) $3.99
FEB210602 MARAUDERS #19 $3.99
JAN210743 MARVEL TWO IN ONE EPIC COLLECTION TP CRY MONSTER NEW PTG $39.99
FEB210705 MIGHTY VALKYRIES #1 POSTER $8.99
FEB210645 RUNAWAYS #35 $3.99
JAN210746 SPIDER-GIRL COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 03 $44.99
FEB210706 SPIDER-WOMAN #11 POSTER $8.99
FEB210523 SQUADRON SUPREME MARVEL TALES #1 $7.99
FEB210647 STAR WARS HIGH REPUBLIC #4 $3.99
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FEB210704 VENOM #200 POSTER $8.99
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JAN210740 WARHAMMER 40K MARNEUS CALGAR TP $17.99
Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for April 7, 2021
FEB211437 AGGRETSUKO MEET HER WORLD #1 CVR A MCDONALD $3.99
FEB211438 AGGRETSUKO MEET HER WORLD #1 CVR B STARLING $3.99
FEB211311 ASTRONAUT ACADEMY GN VOL 01 ZERO GRAVITY $12.99
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FEB211312 ASTRONAUT ACADEMY HC GN VOL 01 ZERO GRAVITY $19.99
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FEB211139 AVEREE GN $16.99
JAN211572 BLADE RUNNER 2029 #4 CVR A MOMOKO $3.99
JAN211573 BLADE RUNNER 2029 #4 CVR B MEAD $3.99
JAN211574 BLADE RUNNER 2029 #4 CVR C MITTEN $3.99
JAN211575 BLADE RUNNER 2029 #4 CVR D COSPLAY $3.99
FEB211348 BLOOM #1 (OF 4) CVR A DAZO (RES) $3.99
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JAN211225 CARNIVORA GN (MR) $12.99
FEB211136 CASUAL FLING #3 (MR) $3.99
FEB211332 CATWAD GN VOL 05 HIGH FIVE $8.99
FEB211720 CHAINSAW MAN GN VOL 04 $9.99
FEB211395 CHAMPIONESS GN $21.99
JAN211377 CHASING THE DRAGON #2 (OF 5) CVR A MENTON3 $3.99
FEB210927 CIMMERIAN IRON SHADOWS IN MOON #1 BLANK CVR ED (MR) $10.00
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FEB210924 CIMMERIAN IRON SHADOWS IN MOON #1 CVR B AUGUSTIN (MR) $3.99
FEB210925 CIMMERIAN IRON SHADOWS IN MOON #1 CVR C BALDISIMO (MR) $3.99
FEB210926 CIMMERIAN IRON SHADOWS IN MOON #1 CVR D CASAS (MR) $3.99
DEC201453 COMPLETE CREPAX HC VOL 06 DANGEROUS LIAISONS (MR) $85.00
JAN211524 CREATE A COMIC ONE SHOT $3.99
JAN211670 CRIME AND PUNISHMENT GN $15.95
FEB211204 DEADWORLD ARCHIVES BOOK 07 $12.99
DEC201205 DEATH BY LIFE #1 (OF 8) $3.99
FEB211721 DEMON SLAYER KIMETSU NO YAIBA GN VOL 21 $9.99
JAN211234 DEVILS DOMINION #3 MAIN CVR (MR) $3.99
JAN211733 DISNEY MANGA STITCH & SAMURAI GN VOL 01 $10.99
FEB211475 DISNEY RAYA & LAST DRAGON GN $12.99
FEB211725 DR STONE GN VOL 16 $9.99
JAN211636 ENGINEWARD #9 CVR A EISMA $3.99
JAN211637 ENGINEWARD #9 CVR B HICKMAN $3.99
DEC201207 EXCITING COMICS #9 CVR A DENHAM $3.99
DEC201208 EXCITING COMICS #9 CVR B SHANNON $9.99
JAN211850 FAILURE FRAME GN VOL 01 $12.99
JAN211696 FIRE FORCE GN VOL 22 $10.99
JAN211851 GAL GOHAN GN VOL 07 (MR) $12.99
JAN211852 GIRL FROM OTHER SIDE SIUIL RUN GN VOL 10 $12.99
JUL201053 GOLD DIGGER #280 $3.99
DEC201591 GUDETAMA HC MINDFULNESS FOR LAZY HC $9.99
JAN211853 HARUKANA RECEIVE GN VOL 07 (MR) $12.99
JAN211633 HOLLOW HEART #2 CVR A TUCKER $3.99
JAN218091 HOLLOW HEART #2 CVR B HICKMAN $3.99
JAN211854 HOW HEAVY ARE DUMBBELLS YOU LIFT GN VOL 06 (MR) $12.99
JAN211514 IMPURE #1 $3.99
FEB211730 INCURABLE CASE OF LOVE GN VOL 07 $9.99
FEB211723 JUJUTSU KAISEN GN VOL 09 $9.99
NOV201014 KING TANK GIRL #4 (OF 5) CVR A PARSON $3.99
NOV201015 KING TANK GIRL #4 (OF 5) CVR B STAPLES CARDSTOCK $5.99
FEB211321 KITTY SWEET TOOTH HC $17.99
AUG201457 KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #281 $5.99
DEC201703 LIFE IS STRANGE TP VOL 04 TRACKS (MR) $16.99
JAN211857 LOVE ME FOR WHO I AM GN VOL 03 (MR) $12.99
OCT201000 MAGIKA #2 CVR A TORTOSA & CHENG (RES) $4.99
OCT201001 MAGIKA #2 CVR B CUTTING EDGE HOLOFOIL LOGO $9.99
AUG201050 MARKIPLIER #3 (OF 4) CVR A MONSTER ISLE (RES) $4.99
OCT201059 MILES TO GO #4 $3.99
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FEB211732 NATSUMES BOOK OF FRIENDS GN VOL 25 $9.99
FEB211406 NOTTINGHAM #2 (OF 5) $3.99
FEB211727 ONE PIECE GN VOL 96 $9.99
FEB211333 OWLY COLOR ED GN VOL 03 FLYING LESSONS $10.99
FEB211334 OWLY COLOR ED HC GN VOL 03 FLYING LESSONS $22.99
FEB211205 OZ ROMANCE IN RAGS TP $14.99
NOV201058 PLANET COMICS SKETCHBOOK ONE SHOT APOLLO XV PACK $45.00
NOV201056 PLANET COMICS SKETCHBOOK ONE SHOT BLACK HOLE ED $4.99
NOV201057 PLANET COMICS SKETCHBOOK ONE SHOT RED GIANT ED $4.99
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JAN211796 PLEASE PUT THEM ON TAKAMINE SAN GN VOL 01 (MR) $13.00
FEB210981 PROJECT PATRON #1 CVR A TALAKSI $4.99
NOV201855 REINCARNATED AS A SWORD GN VOL 05 $12.99
FEB211132 RESISTANCE UPRISING #1 CVR A RAHZZAH $3.99
FEB211133 RESISTANCE UPRISING #1 CVR B DEODATO JR $3.99
FEB211444 RICK AND MORTY WORLDS APART #3 CVR A FLEECS $3.99
FEB211445 RICK AND MORTY WORLDS APART #3 CVR B WILLIAMS $3.99
FEB211797 RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO GN VOL 16 $13.95
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FEB211799 RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO GN VOL 18 $13.95
JAN211520 SAM & HIS TALKING GUN #2 $3.99
JAN211709 SAYONARA FOOTBALL GN VOL 04 FAREWELL MY DEAR CRAMER $12.99
OCT201002 SHADOW CHILDREN #2 (RES) (MR) $4.99
FEB211622 SHADOW SERVICE TP VOL 01 $17.99
JAN211236 SHI NO KAGE #3 (OF 3) MAIN CVR $3.99
FEB211464 SHOW ME HISTORY ALBERT EINSTEIN GENIUS OF SPACE & TIME $12.99
FEB211478 SIEGELS SYNDICATE OF CRIME TP $19.99
DEC201702 SNOOPY COME HOME $7.99
DEC201315 SPACE RIDERS VORTEX OF DARKNESS #3 (RES) (MR) $3.99
JAN211669 STORM FAIRY SC $15.95
JAN211652 TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY HH HOLMES CVR A AL BARRIONEUVO (MR $8.99
JAN211653 TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY HH HOLMES CVR B SEIDMAN (MR) $8.99
JAN211654 TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY HH HOLMES CVR C IVAN TAO (MR) $8.99
FEB211211 TEACHING ARTFULLY GN TP $24.99
OCT201438 THE RISE #1 (OF 6) $2.99
FEB211618 VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE #7 $3.99
FEB211476 VIGILANT TP $19.99
DEC201661 VLAD DRACUL TP $24.99
FEB211054 VULNERABILITY IS MY SUPERPOWER UNDERPANTS & OVERBITES TP $14.99
FEB211728 WE NEVER LEARN GN VOL 15 $9.99
JAN211353 WHERE IS ALICE COOPER HC $19.99
FEB211057 WORLD OF ARCHIE JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #108 $7.99
FEB211734 YONA OF THE DAWN GN VOL 29 $9.99
MAGAZINES
FEB211218 COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1755 $PI
JAN211349 FANGORIA VOL 2 #11 $19.79
DEC201483 FILMFAX #158 $9.95
DEC201506 HEAVY METAL #305 CVR A FRAZETTA (MR) $13.99
DEC201507 HEAVY METAL #305 CVR B EDMISTON (MR) $13.99
FEB211309 IN PICTOPIA MAGAZINE $20.00
FEB211417 RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE #199 APRIL 2021 $12.95
BOOKS
JAN211874 ARIFURETA FROM COMMONPLACE LIGHT NOVEL VOL 11 (MR) $14.99
JAN211245 ART OF HEARTHSTONE YEAR OF RAVEN HC $35.00
JAN211813 BOFURI DONT WANT TO GET HURT MAX OUT DEFENSE NOVEL SC VOL 01 $15.00
JAN211815 HAZURE SKILL LEGENDARY ASSASSIN NOVEL SC VOL 01 $15.00
FEB211234 LEGO STAR WARS YODAS GALAXY ATLAS HC W MINIFIGURE $16.99
FEB211488 MARVEL AVENGERS ASSEMBLY NOVEL VOL 02 SINISTER SUBSTITUTE (C $13.99
JAN211396 MARVEL COMICS VARIANT COVERS HC $45.00
FEB211486 MIXED RACE SUPERHEROES SC $32.95
FEB211050 ROWLEY JEFFERSONS AWESOME FRIENDLY SPOOKY STORIES HC (STL181 $14.99
AUG201621 WIKA ILLUSTRATED NOVEL HC $39.99
DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for April 6, 2021
Batman #106 (Jorge Jimenez 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $4.99
Batman #107 (Cover A Jorge Jimenez), $4.99
Batman #107 (Cover B Francesco Mattina Card Stock Variant), AR
Batman #107 (Cover C Riccardo Federici Card Stock Variant), AR
Batman Adventures Riddle Me This TP, $9.99
Batman Kings Of Fear TP, $16.99
Batman Who Laughs TP, $19.99
Crime Syndicate #2 (Cover A Jim Cheung), $3.99
Crime Syndicate #2 (Cover B Tyler Kirkham), AR
Dark Nights Death Metal Deluxe Edition HC, $29.99
Dear DC Super-Villains TP, $9.99
Dreaming Waking Hours #9 (Of 12)(Cover A Nick Robles), $3.99
Event Leviathan TP, $19.99
Far Sector #11 (Of 12)(Cover A Jamal Campbell), $3.99
Far Sector #11 (Of 12)(Cover B Mirka Andolfo), AR
Green Lantern #1 (Cover A Bernard Chang), $4.99
Green Lantern #1 (Cover B Bryan Hitch Card Stock Variant), AR
Green Lantern #1 (Cover C Alex Maleev Card Stock Variant), AR
Joker Harley Criminal Sanity #8 (Of 8)(Cover A Francesco Mattina), $5.99
Joker Harley Criminal Sanity #8 (Of 8)(Cover B Jason Badower), $5.99
Man-Bat #3 (Of 5)(Cover A Kyle Hotz), $3.99
Metal Men Elements Of Change TP, $29.99
Next Batman Second Son #1 (Of 4)(Cover A Doug Braithwaite), $4.99
Next Batman Second Son #1 (Of 4)(Cover B Ken Lashley Card Stock Variant), AR
Sensational Wonder Woman #2 (Cover A Bruno Redondo), $3.99
Sensational Wonder Woman #2 (Cover B Joshua Sway Swaby), AR
Suicide Squad #2 (Cover A Eduardo Pansica), $3.99
Suicide Squad #2 (Cover B Gerald Parel Card Stock Variant), AR
Superman’s Greatest Team-Ups HC, $49.99
Swamp Thing #2 (Of 10)(Cover A Mike Perkins), $3.99
Swamp Thing #2 (Of 10)(Cover B Francesco Mattina Card Stock Variant), AR
Sunday, April 4, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: CHAOS CAMPUS #31
CHAOS CAMPUS: SORORITY GIRLS VS ZOMBIES No. 31
APPROBATION COMICS
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: B. Alex Thompson – @ApproBAT
ART: Ricardo Mendez
COLORS: Russell Vincent Yu
LETTERS: Krugos
POST-SCRIPTING/POLISH: John P. Ward
EDITORS: B. Alex Thompson and John P. Ward
COVER: Ricardo Mendez
28pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. print/$1.99 U.S. digital (2017; digital release date – July 12, 2017)
Rated: Teen 13+ / 15+ Only – comiXology rating
Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies created by B. Alex Thompson
“Juggernauts”
Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies is the long-running zombie apocalypse comic book series from Approbation Comics. Mixing in elements of comedy, horror, and adventure, it is the creation of B. Alex Thompson. The series is set during a zombie invasion and follows the adventures of three members of the sorority, Epsilon Alpha Zeta Upsilon (EAZY): ass-kickin’ Jamie Lynn Schaeffer, brainy and magic-wielding Paige Helena Patton, and sexy Brittany Ann Miller.
Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #31 (“Juggernauts”) opens in the aftermath of “Super Chaos Babies.” A small military unit arrives at the remains of Salvation East, destroyed by the betrayal and conflict within Jamie Lynn Schaeffer's family (specifically her twin sister, Aimee). Instead of sanctuary, the soldiers find Neo-Zombies and the massive slasher, Kurtis Kasey the Body Snatcher (created by Phantom Avri)!
Caught between a flesh-rending rock and flesh-eating hard place, the soldiers call upon “Project Seventy-Two” to save them from Kasey. However, their Seventy-Two turns out to be another slasher familiar to readers of Chaos Campus, Mikhail Grishuk the Meat Man. Now, its Kurtis vs. Mikhail, and no one should get caught in the middle of this slasher-on-slasher kill-fest.
Meanwhile, the EAZY girls are about to find themselves getting involved when they should be resting from their recent adventures. What happens when one of the slashers runs off with one of the girls?
THE LOWDOWN: After bringing “The Road to Salvation” story line to an end, writer B. Alex Thompson continues to bring levity to Chaos Campus via a series of standalone stories. “Juggernauts” is the best of the lot – so far.
Ricardo Mendez's art reminds me of the storytelling that readers would find in Marvel Comics' The Punisher. Mendez's storytelling has nice pacing and offers just enough brutality and gruesomeness to capture the Chaos Campus style. Colorist Russell Vincent Yu dresses the story in gritty hues, dominated by the uniform gray of military order and violence.
B. Alex Thompson does his readers a nice turn by returning some of their favorite “slashers.” I had not forgotten the inimitable Kurtis Kasey since the very first time I saw him (perhaps, Chaos Campus #9-10), and had often hoped he would return. In Chaos Campus #31 Thompson uses returning characters and settings to move the story to its next destination. It is up to letterer Krugos to heighten the story's violent and comically violent melodrama, which he does
Chaos Campus #31, like many issues of the series, is a good starting point for new readers. Although this issue is rooted in the series' distant and recent past, “Juggernauts” is easy to follow. Plus, the ending will make readers, both new and old, want to come back.
POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Fans of zombies and of horror-comedies will want to try Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies.
8 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Buy Chaos Campus at comiXology.
www.ApprobationComics.com
https://twitter.com/ApproBAT
www.AlexThompsonWriter.com
The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.
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Friday, April 2, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: TEEN TITANS: Raven
DC COMICS/DC Ink – @DCComics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Kami Garcia
ART: Gabriel Picolo with Jon Sommariva and Emma Kubert
COLORS: David Calderon
LETTERS: Tom Napolitano
ISBN: 978-1-4012-8623-1; paperback; (June 26, 2019)
192pp, Color, $16.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN
Rated: “Everyone”; Age Range: 12 and up
Raven created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez
Raven is a female DC Comics superhero. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, Raven first appeared in a special insert in the DC Comics digest magazine, DC Comics Presents #26 (cover dated: October 1980). She was one of the new members of a revamped version of the DC Comics teen superhero group, Teen Titans, that launched in The New Teen Titans #1 (cover dated: November 1980).
Raven was the daughter of a human mother and a demon father (named Trigon). Raven was a powerful empath who could sense the emotions of others. She could also project her “soul-self,” which took the form of a large shadowy, Raven-like figure.
DC Comics introduces a new version of Raven in the original graphic novel, Teen Titans: Raven, published under the “DC Ink” imprint. Recently made defunct, “DC Ink” offered original graphic novels for readers 13-years-old and older. DC Ink titles, according to DC Comics, featured coming-of-age stories that encouraged teens to ask themselves who they are and how they relate to others. [DC Ink is now known as “DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults.”]
Teen Titans: Raven is written by bestselling author, Kami Garcia. Garcia is the author of “The Legion” young adult novel series and with Margaret Stohl, is the co-author of the “Caster Chronicles” series (the best known being the 2009 novel, Beautiful Creatures). Teen Titans: Raven is illustrated by Gabriel Picolo with the assistance of Jon Sommariva and Emma Kubert. David Calderon colors the art, and Tom Napolitano is the letterer. Teen Titans: Raven focus on a teen girl who moves to New Orleans to live with her late foster mother's family, as she struggles with memory loss and with the strange visions and voices she experiences.
Teen Titans: Raven opens in Atlanta, Georgia where we meet 17-year-old Rachel “Raven” Roth and her foster mother, Viviane Navarro, just before a tragic accident takes Viviane's life. Three weeks later, Raven is in New Orleans living with Viviane's sister, Natalia Navarro, and her daughter, Maxine, also called “Max.”
Raven is trying to finish her senior year in high school, but starting over isn't easy – especially when you suffer from memory issues. Raven remembers how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can’t remember things like what were her favorite songs, favorite books, or even her favorite candy. Raven does not know who she was before the accident. Luckily, Raven grows closer to her foster sister, Max, and Max's circle of friends accepts Raven. There is even a persistent boy, Tommy Torres, who is crushing on Raven and who accepts her for who she is now.
Still, Raven hears voices in her head, and she can seem to make people do things she thinks about them doing. Some of her dreams seem to be about things that people actually do in the waking world, and sometimes, a dark figure haunts her dreams. And everyone around her apparently has secrets: Natalia, Max, and even Tommy. And worst of all, what secrets are Raven's lost memories hiding from her?
Including the two previous “DC Ink” graphic novels that I have thus far read. Mera: Tidebreaker and Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale, Teen Titans: Raven is the best written. That is saying something because the Mera and Catwoman graphic novels were wonderfully engaging stories. I think what I like about Teen Titans: Raven so much is that writer Kami Garcia focuses on the notion that what is important is what a person is now in the present. What is less important is who you were, so while it is important that Raven regains her memories, she can be a good person regardless of her past and without her memories of her past.
Garcia also fills Teen Titans: Raven with so many wonderful supporting characters. Garcia portrays Natalia, Max, and Tommy with such engaging personalities and with so many intriguing secrets that each could be the star of her or his own graphic novel. Without spoiling anything, I can say that there is a female army (of sorts) that could carry a miniseries or a maxiseries or even an ongoing series.
Gabriel Picolo's art is so evocative, especially in portraying emotions and attitudes. Picolo's graphical storytelling is at once a high school melodrama and then a tale of mystery and magic. He balances the natural and the mundane with the supernatural and spectacular with the deftness of a veteran comic book artist. Picolo's striking cover illustration also makes Teen Titans: Raven hard to ignore on a bookshelf. Teen Titans: Raven doesn't have DC Ink's best art, but Picolo is good. [I am still declaring “best art” for Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale.]
David Calderon's mercurial coloring adds to the sense of magic and mystery. Calderon's use of two-color in some sequences and his juxtaposition of multi-color and two-tones matches the fragmented state of Raven's memories. Letterer Tom Napolitano captures all the modes and moods of Garcia's story and Picolo's art, conveying the narrative while suggesting the ethereal. That is a magic trick.
Teen Titans: Raven is the best Teen Titans-related comic book that I have read in several years. After three DC Ink titles (and one DC Zoom title), I can say that, right now, DC Comics' best publications are its original graphic novels for juvenile readers.
9 out of 10
Teen Titans: Raven contains the following extras and back matter:
- two author biographical pages
- an 11-page, full-color preview of the graphic novel, Teen Titans: Beast Boy, from Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo and David Calderon
Reviewed by Leory Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Thursday, April 1, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: DEMON SLAYER: Kimetsu No Yaiba Volume 13
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
MANGAKA: Koyoharu Gotouge
TRANSLATION: John Werry
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Steve “Stan!” Brown
LETTERS: John Hunt
EDITOR: Mike Montesa
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1113-0; paperback (June 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotoge. The manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from February 2016 to May 2020. VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shonen Jump” imprint since July 2018.
Demon Slayer is set in Japan's Taisho era (1912 to 1926). It focuses on Tanjiro Kamado, a kindhearted boy who sells charcoal in order to support his mother and four siblings. After one particularly taxing trip to sell coal, Tanjiro returns to his home in the forest and finds his family slaughtered. He discovers that a younger sibling, his sister Nezuko, has herself been transformed into a demon by the unknown demon that killed his family. Tanjiro becomes a Demon Slayer in order to find and destroy that demon, Muzan Kibutsuji.
As Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, Vol. 13 (Chapters 107 to 115; entitled “Transitions”) opens, Tanjiro is up to his … neck in demons. While recovering from injuries he sustained in battle, Tanjiro traveled to the mysterious and hidden “village of the sword-smiths.” There, he would get his damaged katana repaired by Haganezuka, the man who forged the sword. But once Tanjiro arrived, he started having strange experiences.
Now, Tanjiro is in a battle with the strange, shape-shifting demons, Upper Rank 4: Hantengu and Upper Rank 5: Gyokko. Joining him in battle is the “Mist Hashira,” Muichiro Tokito, who struggles against these demons even with all his power. Suddenly, only Tanjiro and another Demon Slayer, Genya Shinazugawa, stand against seemingly unbeatable demons. Can the two Slayers handle a demon that can split itself into four separate bodies and regenerate almost instantly?
THE LOWDOWN: The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba manga has become one of my favorite graphic novel series. It is, however, hard to keep up with the series as VIZ is currently publishing it on a monthly basis, for which I don't blame them. Demon Slayer is a huge bestseller on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Graphic Novel Volume 13 joins Vols. 7 to 12 to create a fantastic run of superb shonen dark fantasy action-adventure storytelling. Creator Koyoharu Gotouge ended a long and intense story arc in Vol. 11, but he put his readers right back into the thick of things with another demonic mystery. Simply put, Demon Slayer is great because Tanjiro's struggles and battles are hard to ignore once you start reading, dear readers.
John Werry's translation and Steve “Stan!” Brown's English-language adaptation deliver an engaging read, as always. In Volume 13, their work captures Genya Shinazugawa's conflicts and internal battle in all their full dark and bitter glory. And since that is the case, why stop reading now?
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of demon-fighting heroes will want to read the Shonen Jump title, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba.
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
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Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).