Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for April 21, 2021

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

MAR211121    ABSOLUTION #1 SGN POSTER ED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211122    ABSOLUTION #2 VIGILANTE VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211123    ABSOLUTION #3 VIGILANTE VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211124    ABSOLUTION #4 VIGILANTE VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211125    ABSOLUTION #5 VIGILANTE VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211126    ABSOLUTION #6 VIGILANTE VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211127    ABSOLUTION RUBICON #1 ELECTRIC BLUE VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211128    ABSOLUTION RUBICON #2 ELECTRIC BLUE VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211129    ABSOLUTION RUBICON #3 ELECTRIC BLUE VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211130    ABSOLUTION RUBICON #4 ELECTRIC BLUE VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211131    ABSOLUTION RUBICON #5 ELECTRIC BLUE VAR (MR)    $5.99
FEB211743    AFTER SCHOOL HANAKO KUN GN    $13.00
JAN211845    ALICE & ZOROKU GN VOL 08    $12.99
FEB211154    ALICE IN LEATHERLAND #1 CVR A ROMBOLI (MR)    $3.99
FEB211155    ALICE IN LEATHERLAND #1 CVR B ZANFARDINO 15 COPY INC (MR)    $3.99
FEB211156    ALICE IN LEATHERLAND #1 CVR C ROMBOLI B&W 30 COPY INC (MR)    $3.99
JAN211846    ANCIENT MAGUS BRIDE GN VOL 14    $12.99
FEB211736    ASADORA GN VOL 02    $14.99
FEB211449    ASTERIX OMNIBUS PAPERCUTZ ED HC VOL 04 (RES)    $22.99
FEB211448    ASTERIX OMNIBUS PAPERCUTZ ED SC VOL 04 (RES)    $14.99
FEB211450    ASTRO MOUSE AND LIGHT BULB GN VOL 01 VS ASTRO CHICKEN    $9.99
FEB211451    ASTRO MOUSE AND LIGHT BULB HC VOL 01 VS ASTRO CHICKEN    $14.99
FEB210985    BEQUEST #2    $4.99
JAN211352    BILLIE HOLIDAY GN    $25.99
FEB211552    BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #3 CVR A HERNANDEZ    $3.99
FEB211553    BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #3 CVR B HACK    $3.99
FEB211554    BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #3 CVR C DAGNINO    $3.99
FEB211737    BLUE FLAG GN VOL 07    $12.99
FEB211506    CHESS #1 (OF 5)    $3.99
FEB211758    CIRQUE DU FREAK MANGA OMNIBUS GN VOL 02 DARREN SHAN    $24.00
MAR211081    CROSSED BADLANDS #31 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211082    CROSSED BADLANDS #32 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211083    CROSSED BADLANDS #33 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211084    CROSSED BADLANDS #34 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211085    CROSSED BADLANDS #35 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211086    CROSSED BADLANDS #36 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211087    CROSSED BADLANDS #37 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211088    CROSSED BADLANDS #38 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211089    CROSSED BADLANDS #39 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211090    CROSSED BADLANDS #40 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211091    CROSSED BADLANDS #41 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211092    CROSSED BADLANDS #42 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211093    CROSSED BADLANDS #43 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211094    CROSSED BADLANDS #44 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211095    CROSSED BADLANDS #45 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211096    CROSSED BADLANDS #46 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211097    CROSSED BADLANDS #47 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211098    CROSSED BADLANDS #48 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211099    CROSSED BADLANDS #49 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211100    CROSSED BADLANDS #50 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211101    CROSSED BADLANDS #51 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211102    CROSSED BADLANDS #52 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211103    CROSSED BADLANDS #53 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211104    CROSSED BADLANDS #54 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211105    CROSSED BADLANDS #55 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211106    CROSSED BADLANDS #56 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211107    CROSSED BADLANDS #57 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211108    CROSSED BADLANDS #58 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211109    CROSSED BADLANDS #59 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211110    CROSSED BADLANDS #60 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211111    CROSSED BADLANDS #61 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211112    CROSSED BADLANDS #62 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211113    CROSSED BADLANDS #63 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211114    CROSSED BADLANDS #64 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211115    CROSSED BADLANDS #65 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211116    CROSSED BADLANDS #66 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211117    CROSSED BADLANDS #67 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211118    CROSSED BADLANDS #68 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211119    CROSSED BADLANDS #69 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
MAR211120    CROSSED BADLANDS #70 RED CROSSED VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211848    DAI DARK GN 1 01 (MR)    $13.99
FEB211756    DARK HISTORY OF REINCARNATED VILLAINESS GN VOL 02    $13.00
JAN211849    DEMON GIRL NEXT DOOR GN VOL 02    $14.99
MAR201919    DETHANY AND THE OTHER CLIQUE GN    $24.99
JAN211325    DF DC COMICS MARCH MADNESS 2021 TRIFECTA    $33.33
FEB211289    DF MARVEL COMICS APRIL SHOWERS 2021 TRIFECTA    $33.33
JAN211326    DF MARVEL COMICS MARCH MADNESS 2021 TRIFECTA    $33.33
JAN211098    EXCITING COMICS #10    $3.99
FEB211515    GIRL IN THE WORLD GN 2ND ED (MR)    $13.99
FEB210983    GIRLS OF DIMENSION 13 #1 CVR A BLEVINS    $4.99
FEB211753    GOLDEN JAPANESQUE YOKOHAMA KARENTAN GN VOL 02    $13.00
FEB211739    GOLDEN KAMUY GN VOL 21 (MR)    $12.99
FEB211627    GRIMM SPOTLIGHT MYSTERE VOODOO DAWN CVR A IGOR VITORINO    $5.99
FEB211628    GRIMM SPOTLIGHT MYSTERE VOODOO DAWN CVR B SALAZAR    $5.99
FEB211629    GRIMM SPOTLIGHT MYSTERE VOODOO DAWN CVR C DAVID NAKAYAMA    $5.99
JAN218315    GRIMM UNIVERSE RETAILER PROG APR 2021 BRONZE EXC    $10.00
JAN218317    GRIMM UNIVERSE RETAILER PROG APR 2021 GOLD EXC    $40.00
JAN218318    GRIMM UNIVERSE RETAILER PROG APR 2021 PLATINUM EXC    $75.00
JAN218316    GRIMM UNIVERSE RETAILER PROG APR 2021 SILVER EXC    $20.00
FEB210944    GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #4 CVR A KAEL NGU (MR)    $3.99
FEB210945    GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #4 CVR B DANIEL CLARKE (MR)    $3.99
FEB210946    GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #4 CVR C CHAIKO TSAI (MR)    $3.99
FEB210947    GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #4 CVR D KUMMANT (MR)    $3.99
JAN211794    HANA-CHAN & THE SHAPE OF THE WORLD GN    $15.00
FEB211606    I WALK WITH MONSTERS #5 CVR A CANTIRINO (MR)    $3.99
FEB211607    I WALK WITH MONSTERS #5 CVR B HICKMAN (MR)    $3.99
FEB211440    JONNA AND THE UNPOSSIBLE MONSTERS #2 CVR A SAMNEE    $3.99
FEB211441    JONNA AND THE UNPOSSIBLE MONSTERS #2 CVR B SURIANO    $3.99
NOV201551    KNIGHTS OF HELIOPOLIS HC (MR)    $39.99
SEP201322    KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #282    $6.99
FEB210992    KNOCK EM DEAD #5    $3.99
JAN211856    LEGEND OF DORORO & HYAKKIMARU GN VOL 03 (MR)    $12.99
FEB211169    LOST ANGELES #1 (MR)    $5.99
FEB211719    LOVESICKNESS JUNJI ITO STORY COLL HC    $22.99
FEB211137    MANNS WORLD #4 (MR)    $3.99
AUG201051    MARKIPLIER #3 (OF 4) CVR B AOD PARODY FOIL LOGO    $9.99
FEB211755    MINT CHOCOLATE GN VOL 02    $13.00
JAN211861    MISS KOBAYASHIS DRAGON MAID KANNA DAILY LIFE GN VOL 08    $12.99
JAN211718    MY BOY GN VOL 07    $12.95
FEB211588    MY DOG JOJO ONE SHOT    $6.00
JAN211865    MY ROOM IS DUNGEON REST STOP GN VOL 04 (MR)    $12.99
DEC201464    NUFT & LAST DRAGONS GN VOL 01 GREAT TECHNOWHIZ    $22.99
FEB211407    PANTOMIME #6 (OF 6)    $3.99
DEC201514    PHANTOM COMP SUNDAYS HC VOL 09 1966-1970    $70.00
FEB211762    PLUNDERER GN VOL 07    $22.00
FEB211760    RAW HERO GN VOL 04    $15.00
JAN211729    REINCARNATED AS VILLAINESS IN OTOME GAME GN VOL 01    $12.99
JAN211640    RESONANT #9 (MR)    $3.99
FEB211754    SASAKI & MIYANO GN VOL 02 (MR)    $13.00
FEB211759    SO IM A SPIDER SO WHAT GN VOL 09    $13.00
FEB211422    STRINGER GN    $24.99
JAN211872    SYRUP YURI ANTHOLOGY GN VOL 03 (MR)    $13.99
FEB211344    TAARNA (2020) #5 (OF 6)    $3.99
FEB211477    THISTLEBONE HC    $17.99
FEB211741    ULTRAMAN GN VOL 15    $12.99
FEB211502    UNIKORN #1    $1.99
FEB211146    VIETNAM HORROR #2 (MR)    $3.99
FEB211336    WAY OF THE HIVE HONEY BEES STORY GN    $12.99
FEB211337    WAY OF THE HIVE HONEY BEES STORY HC GN    $21.99
OCT201006    WAYWARD SONS #3 CVR A WIJAYA (RES)    $4.99
OCT201007    WAYWARD SONS #3 CVR B RAYNOR HOLOFOIL LOGO    $6.99
OCT201008    WAYWARD SONS #3 CVR C RAYNOR METALLIC INK    $9.99
FEB211375    WITCH PT 8 TEACH 2B WITCH GN VOL 01    $15.00
FEB211058    WORLD OF BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #4    $7.99
FEB211147    YOU PROMISED ME DARKNESS #1 CVR A SEBASTIAN    $3.99
FEB211148    YOU PROMISED ME DARKNESS #1 CVR B YUKO    $3.99
FEB211149    YOU PROMISED ME DARKNESS #1 CVR C CORDELIA    $3.99
FEB211150    YOU PROMISED ME DARKNESS #1 CVR D PRISM    $3.99
FEB211151    YOU PROMISED ME DARKNESS #1 CVR E ANTI EVERYTHING    $3.99
FEB211152    YOU PROMISED ME DARKNESS #1 NUDE VAR    $3.99
FEB211299    YOUNG SHADOW SC GN    $16.99
FEB211763    YOWAMUSHI PEDAL GN VOL 17    $24.00
FEB211376    ZO ZO ZOMBIE GN VOL 10    $12.00

MAGAZINES

JAN211612    ALTER EGO #169    $9.95
DEC201729    BACK ISSUE #126    $9.95
DEC201730    BRICKJOURNAL #67    $9.95
FEB211220    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1757    $PI
NOV201576    HOBBY JAPAN FEBRUARY 2021    $20.00
FEB211353    HORRORHOUND #88    $6.99
OCT201619    MEGAMI JANUARY 2021    $20.00
OCT201620    NEWTYPE JANUARY 2021    $20.00
DEC201731    RETROFAN MAGAZINE #14    $9.95

BOOKS

FEB211765    ACCEL WORLD LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 24    $14.00
FEB211778    ALCHEMIST SURVIVED DREAMS QUIET CITY LIFE NOVEL SC VOL 06 (C    $15.00
FEB211544    ALIENS INFILTRATOR HC    $16.00
FEB211766    BACCANO LIGHT NOVEL HC VOL 16    $20.00
FEB211324    BERNIE WRIGHTSONS FRANKENSTEIN SC    $19.99
JAN211782    BLEACH CANT FEAR YOUR OWN WORLD LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 03    $17.99
FEB211764    CHILDREN WHO CHASE LOST VOICES FROM DEEP BELOW NOVEL HC    $20.00
FEB211589    COMICS OF R CRUMB UNDERGROUND IN ART MUSEUM SC    $30.00
FEB211294    DEEP RED #1 FACSIMILE EDITION (MR)    $12.95
FEB211774    EMINENCE IN SHADOW LIGHT NOVEL HC VOL 03    $20.00
FEB211779    GENIUS PRINCE RAISING NATION DEBT TREASON NOVEL SC VOL 06 (C    $15.00
FEB211772    INDIGNATION OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA LIGHT NOVEL SC    $15.00
FEB211773    INTRIGUES OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA LIGHT NOVEL SC    $15.00
FEB211776    KING OF LABYRINTH LIGHT NOVEL HC VOL 02    $20.00
FEB211777    LAST CRUSADE RISE NEW WORLD LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 06    $15.00
OCT201848    MYSTERIOUS JOB CALLED ODA NOBUNAGA LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 03    $15.00
JAN211751    ROSE OF VERSAILLES GN VOL 05 (RES)    $29.99
FEB211781    TORTURE PRINCESS FREMD TORTURCHEN NOVEL SC VOL 07    $14.00
JAN211831    UNNAMED MEMORY LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 02    $15.00
FEB211767    WOLF & PARCHMENT LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 05 NEW THEORY    $14.00
FEB211768    WOOF WOOF STORY LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 06    $14.00

DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for April 20, 2021

DC COMICS:

Batman Creature Of The Night TP, $19.99
Batman Fortnite Zero Point #1 (Cover A Mikel Janin), $4.99
Batman Fortnite Zero Point #1 (Cover B Kenneth Rocafort Card Stock Variant), AR
Batman Fortnite Zero Point #1 (Cover C Donald Mustard Premium Variant A), AR
Batman Vs Ra’s al Ghul #6 (Of 6)(Cover A Neal Adams), $3.99
Catwoman #30 (Cover A Joelle Jones), $3.99
Catwoman #30 (Cover B Jenny Frison Card Stock Variant), AR
Dark Nights Death Metal The Darkest Knight TP, $19.99
Flash #769 (Cover A Brandon Peterson), $3.99
Flash #769 (Cover B Zi Xu Card Stock Variant), AR
Flashpoint The 10th Anniversary Omnibus HC, $150.00
Justice League #60 (Cover A David Marquez), $4.99
Justice League #60 (Cover B Kael Ngu Card Stock Variant), AR
MAD Magazine #19, $5.99
Nightwing #79 (Cover A Bruno Redondo), $3.99
Nightwing #79 (Cover B Jamal Campbell Card Stock Variant), AR
Scooby-Doo Where Are You #109 (Cover A Derek Fridolfs), $2.99
Superman Red And Blue #2 (Of 6)(Cover A Nicola Scott), $5.99
Superman Red And Blue #2 (Of 6)(Cover B Brian Bolland), AR
Superman Red And Blue #2 (Of 6)(Cover C David Choe), AR
Superman Up In The Sky TP, $16.99
Truth And Justice #3 (Cover A Doug Braithwaite), $4.99
Truth And Justice #3 (Cover B Joshua Sway Swaby), AR
Wonder Woman Volume 4 The Four Horsewomen TP, $29.99

#IReadsYou Review: ONE PIECE Volume 36

ONE PIECE, VOL. 36
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Eiichiro Oda
TRANSLATION: Taylor Engel, HC Language Solutions Inc.
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Jake Forbes
LETTERS: John Hunt
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3452-7; paperback (March 2010); Rated “T” for Teen
216pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 1997.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series, beginning in September 2003, under its “Shonen Jump” imprint.

One Piece focuses on Monkey D. Luffy.  The enchanted “Devil Fruit” gave Luffy the ability to stretch like rubber, but it also took away his ability to swim, which hasn’t deterred Luffy from his dream.  One day he will become the King of the Pirates.  Now, Luffy and his very own pirate crew, known as the “Straw Hats,” sail the oceans on their ship, the Merry Go, searching for the legendary treasure known as “One Piece.”

As One Piece, Vol. 36 (Chapters 337 to 346; entitled “The Ninth Justice”) begins, the Straw Hats find themselves in trouble in The City of Water, Water Seven.  They’d gone to the island in hopes of getting the Galley-La, the famed shipwrights of Water Seven, to fix the Merry Go.  They were told that the ship was beyond repair, so Luffy decided to get a new ship, which caused a riff between him and shipmate, Usopp.

Now, the mayor of The City of Water, Iceberg, has been shot, and the Straw Hats have been blamed.  It doesn’t help that the newest Straw Hat, Nico Robin, is involved in the assassination plot.  Is this true, and how is she connected to the mysterious CP9?

THE LOWDOWN:  High adventure, action comedy, and supernaturally imaginative storytelling are what One Piece usually offers.  One Piece Graphic Novel Volume 36 switches to riveting suspense.  It’s a thriller that is on par with The Bourne Ultimatum – if that film were an action comedy.  And there is a hook ending that will drag you back for the next volume.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers looking for imaginative adventure yarn-spinning will find it in the “Shonen Jump” title, One Piece.

A-
7.5 out of 10

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


https://www.viz.com/
https://twitter.com/VIZMedia
https://www.instagram.com/vizmedia/
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialVIZMedia
https://www.snapchat.com/add/vizmedia


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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

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).

#IReadsYou Review: THE SCUMBAG #2

THE SCUMBAG No. 2
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Rick Remender
ART: Andrew Robinson
COLORS: Moreno Dinisio
LETTERS: Rus Wooton
DESIGN: Erika Schnatz
EDITOR: Will Dennis
COVER: Andrew Robinson
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Matteo Scalera; Joshua Swaby with Moreno Dinisio
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S.(November 2020)

Rated “M/ Mature”

The Scumbag is a new comic book series from writer Rick Remender.  Described as a “comedy espionage series” by publisher Image Comics, The Scumbag's tagline reads, “The fate of the world rests in the hands of the worst person on it!”  The series features a rotating crew of illustrators.  Thus, artist Andrew Robinson; colorist Moreno Dinisio; and letterer Rus Wooton complete the current creative team.

The Scumbag introduces Ernie Ray Clementine.  He is a rundown, raggedy, filthy man.  He is a profane, illiterate, drug-addicted biker and ne'er-do-well with a fifth-grade education.  But thanks to a power-imbuing serum called “the Formula Maxima,” Ernie will be the only thing standing between humanity and total Armageddon... because he has suddenly become the world's most powerful super-spy.

The Scumbag #2 opens in “Simon's” dive bar, where Ernie Ray is regaling people with his recent supernatural adventures, which he, of course, thinks are drug hallucinations.  Then, Sister Mary of “Central Authority” shows up and starts barking orders … and offering things that Ernie Ray likes.  Meanwhile, Scorpoinus and “The Prosoma” make their golden move, which leads to a … monsters of rock misunderstand.

THE LOWDOWN:  I didn't have a lot to say about The Scumbag #1.  I have more to say about The Scumbag #2.  I like this issue's art team of illustrator Andrew Robinson and colorist Moreno Dinisio, which delivers some pretty art and some fast-moving storytelling.  Rus Wooton's lively letters continue to capture the right vibe for each particular issue – this time, action-comedy.

As I said before, I have enjoyed what few Rick Remender comic books I have read, and I found myself enjoying The Scumbag #1.  I really wanted to be cynical about the first issue, but I had to admit that I liked it.  I like The Scumbag #2 even more.  After introducing the concept, Remender continues the introductions, but while reading the second issue, I got the feeling of a writer freed up to do a little more action.  This issue is a wild ride, and I kinda wish that Sister Mary was the star of this series.  The pace of this issue seems more suited for her to be the star.

I don't know about The Scumbag comic book being “the next Deadpool,” as some have speculated.  However, it has the potential to offer a brief respite from the traumas of the world with some regularly delivered salacious fun, and it has already started to do so.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Rick Remender, of mature comedy, and of reprobate-type anti-hero lead characters will want The Scumbag.

7.5 out of 10

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


https://twitter.com/Remender
http://www.giantgenerator.com/
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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).

#IReadsYou Review: ONE PIECE Volume 35

ONE PIECE, VOL. 35
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Eiichiro Oda
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Megan Bates
LETTERS: Elena Diaz
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3451-0; paperback (March 2010); Rated “T” for Teen
192pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda.  It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 1997.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series, beginning in September 2003, under its “Shonen Jump” imprint.

One Piece focuses on Monkey D. Luffy, who wants to become the King of the Pirates.  The enchanted “Devil Fruit” gave him the ability to stretch like rubber, but it also took away his ability to swim.  Not deterred from his dream, Luffy set out to sea and gradually enlisted his very own pirate crew, known as the “Straw Hats.”  They sail the oceans on their ship, the Merry Go, searching for the legendary treasure known as “One Piece.”

One Piece, Vol. 35 (Chapters 328 to 336; entitled “Captain”) finds the Straw Hats in The City of Water on the island of Water Seven.  They are going to use the gold they found during their Skypeia adventure to repair the Merry Go.

The gold nets them 300 million berries, but all that money earns them the attention of the Franky Family, a band of ship dismantlers and part-time bounty hunters.  Meanwhile, the newest Straw Hat, Nico Robin, goes missing, and Luffy makes a shocking announcement that puts him at odds with shipmate, Usopp.

THE LOWDOWN:  At less than 190 pages of narrative, One Piece Volume 35 reads like a graphic novel twice its size.  Featuring visually potent art, this volume of One Piece has intrigue, superhero-like fights, an assassination attempt, a shocking announcement, and a fight between brothers.  The weirdo characters and outlandish settings are in abundance, and there’s the ever-present cliffhanger that will make you return for another volume of pirate goodness.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers looking for top “Shonen Jump” titles will want One Piece.

A-
7.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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

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).

#IReadsYou Movie Review: THE NEW MUTANTS

The New Mutants (2020)

Running time:  94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violent content, some disturbing/bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements and suggestive material
DIRECTOR:  Josh Boone
WRITERS:  Josh Boone and Knate Lee (based on the Marvel Comics characters)
PRODUCERS:  Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Karen Rosenfelt
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Peter Deming (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Andrew Buckland, Matthew Rundell, and Robb Sullivan
COMPOSER:  Mark Snow

SUPERHERO/HORROR/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring:  Blu Hunt, Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Alice Braga, Adam Beach, Thomas Kee, Colbi Gannett, and Happy Anderson

The New Mutants is a 2020 superhero movie from director Josh Boone.  It was 20th Century Fox’s thirteenth and final film film based on Marvel Comics’ X-Men comic book franchise.  The film uses comic book characters and stories created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod and Bill Sienkiewicz.  The New Mutants movie focuses on five young mutants held in a secret facility where they try to deal with their powers, pasts, and sins.

The New Mutants opens with Danielle “Dani” Moonstar (Blu Hunt), a young Cheyenne Native American, experiencing the devastation of her entire reservation by what seems to be an “F5” tornado.  After falling unconscious during the tornado, Dani awakens in an empty hospital room to find herself secured to a bed by restraining straps.

Dani soon meets Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga), who comforts Dani.  Dr. Reyes explains that Dani is not an ordinary human being, but is rather a “new mutant,” a mutant who is just awakening to her mutant abilities and powers.  Dr. Reyes also explains that Dani will be confined to this mysterious and unnamed medical facility until they discover what exactly Dani's mutant power is and also until Dani learns to control that power.

Dani is introduced to four other new mutants:  Sam (Charlie Heaton), Illyana (Anya Taylor-Joy), Roberto or “Bobby” (Henry Zaga), and Rahne Sinclair (Maisie Williams).  Rahne befriends Dani and the two set out to discover the secrets of both the facility and the identity of the mysterious entity (Essex Corporation) that controls it.  Dani discovers that she isn't the only one trying to escape the traumas of her past.  Will her mysterious power and her past, personified by a mythical creature called the “Demon Bear,” destroy not only Dani, but also the other new mutants.

Apparently, Josh Boone, the co-writer and director of The New Mutants,” described the film's same-sex love story and subplot between Dani and Rahne as “character-driven stuff.”  That pretty much describes the character drama and development in The New Mutants; it's all just stuff.  Dani and Rahne's gay-teen-puppy-love is actually sweet, and when The New Mutants focuses on that, the film is actually enjoyable.  All the other character-driven … stuff is the usual young adult tropes:  (lame) bullying; (lame) guilt, (lame) grief, and (lame) teen squabbling and conflict.  And the rotten cherry on top is Anya Taylor-Joy's awful, lazy, and deplorable Russian accent as Illyana.

I am a decades-long fan of The New Mutants, going back to the original Marvel Graphic Novel (written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Bob McLeod) in which the characters made their debut and to the first issue of their own comic book, The New Mutants #1 (cover dated: March 1983).  The screenplay for The New Mutants film is not so much an adaptation of any particular New Mutants comic books, but is rather a cherry-picking of a few elements from particular stories like “The Demon Bear Saga” (written by Claremont and drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz).

The New Mutants is an explosive concept, especially considering that it follows kids with traumatic pasts who have largely unknown and untested, dangerous extraordinary powers.  The New Mutants film is a misfire instead of an explosion.  It is not that this film's story is incoherent; it is simply an easy-to-follow, but boring story.  I wanted the characters to save themselves and to have a happy ending because I simply wanted this tiresome and uninspiring movie to end.

When I first heard that 20th Century Fox was making a horror movie set in the X-Men franchise, I thought that this film could be a disaster, but I secretly hoped that they could pull it off.  But my first instincts were right, and luckily Disney absorbed Fox and put an end to Fox's parade of trashy X-Men movies.  As bad as The New Mutants is (and it is awful), its ending also signals the end of a nightmare series of movies in a franchise that had a very promising start back in 2000 with the film simply entitled, X-Men.  I won't recommend The New Mutants to anyone, even to the fans that feel they have to watch every X-Men movie.

D

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


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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#IReadsYou Review: FOOD WARS!" Shokugeki No Soma Volume 36

FOOD WARS!: SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA, VOL. 36
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: Yuto Tsukuda
ART: Shun Saeki
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
CONTRIBUTOR: Yuki Morisaki
LETTERS: James Gaubatz; Mara Coman
EDITOR: Jennifer LeBlanc
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1542-8; paperback (June 2020); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
248pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma is a shonen manga series written by Yuto Tsukuda and illustrated by Shun Saeki.  Yuki Morisaki, a culinary researcher, also works as a contributor, providing the recipes for the series.  Food Wars! was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, from November 2012 to June 2019.  VIZ Media published an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series from August 2014 to June 2020 under two imprints:  first, “Shonen Jump Advanced” and then, “Shonen Jump.”

Food Wars! focuses on teenager Soma Yukihira.  He grows up cooking in his father's Yukihira Family Restaurant.  The 15-year-old wants to be a better chef than his father, Joshiro Yukihira (Saiba), so he hones his skills day in and day out.  His father decides to enroll him in a classy culinary school, Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate.  If Soma Yukihira really does not want to attend Totsuki, how can he succeed?

As Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma, Vol. 36 (Chapters 309 to 315; entitled “Shokugeki No Soma”) opens, the “Blue,” a world-renowned cooking tournament for the best of the best young chefs from around the world, approaches its conclusion.  This year, for the first time, traditional chefs clash with the “underground noir” (or “cuisiniers noir”) chefs.  Soma has been eager for a rematch with the noir, Asahi Saiba, who defeated him.

Now, the two are facing off, and the judge is the impossible-to-please “Lady Mana,” who is Erina Nakiri's mysterious mother.  Like Erina, Mana suffers the “curse of the 'Divine Tongue',” and Mana has not found a dish that satisfies her in years.  As “the Book” (highest judge), Mana has demanded that Soma and Asahi prepare a dish that represents the “five grand cuisines of the world,” which are French, Chinese, Turkish, Indian, and Italian.

Asahi has shocked the audience with his dish, the “basty,” a soup covered with a lattice pie crust, and it represents the five grand cuisines.  Even Lady Mana is so impressed by what she tastes that she both experiences “the gifting” transfers it to those around her.  And what is Soma's answer to Asahi's basty?  It's fried rice?!

Can Soma win with what seems like a rather ordinary dish?  And finally, can Soma inspire the dispirited Erina to be herself again?

THE LOWDOWN:  The Food Wars! manga spent the last 30 or so chapters racing towards the conclusion of its narrative.  At the grand cooking tournament, the Blue, readers prepared to learn the answer to the question of who is the best chef?

Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma Graphic Novel Volume 36 is the final tankobon (graphic novel) volume of the series.  The English-language edition was originally published in June 2020, but I only recently had a chance to finish reading the last few volumes of the series.

What can I tell you, dear readers?  To the end, writer Yuto Tsukuda and artist Shun Saeki maintained the series' mix of competition, camaraderie, and cooking.  As he has been doing since the beginning of the series, Yuki Morisaki, wrote home versions of shokugeki recipes, which, in this volume, was Soma's winning dish.  It is that consistency that kept Food Wars! an exciting read throughout its six-year, 315-chapter, 36-volume run.

To the end, Adrienne Beck's translation catches the sense of competition and of comedy-drama in all their varies modes.  Letterers James Gaubatz and Mara Coman created a rhythm that kept this often dialogue-heavy story from overwhelming readers.  Of the foodie manga that I have read, I think Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma is the one most likely to continue to capture the interest of readers in the decade of the 2020s the way it did in the decade of the 20-teens.  I think it is a must for fans of Weekly Shonen Jump series.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Readers hungry for good manga will want the “Shonen Jump” title, Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma.

A
9 out of 10

The volume includes the following bonus features:

– Afterwords written by Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki, and Yuki Morisaki

– The three-part epilogue, “Food Wars! Le Dessert,” that was originally published in Jump GIGA Summer 2019.  The three parts are entitled  “Le Presént,” “Le Passé,” and “Le Futur.”

– “Special Commemorative Illustrations on the End of 'Food Wars!'” from Eiichiro Oda of “One Piece,” Kohei Horikoshi of “My Hero Academia,” Yuki Tabata of “Black Clover,” and Tadahiro Miura of “Yuna of the Haunted Hot Springs”

– miscellaneous illustrations

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).