I Reads You Juniors May 2018 - Update #53

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From ComicBook:  "Fairy Tail" Creator's New Manga Will Be Released Worldwide in English.  It's temporary title is "Eden's Zero."

From Newsarama: IDW Publishing's solicitations for August 2018

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics is registering a trademark for "Cliffhanger!"  That was the name of a creator-owned imprint owned by Wildstorm Productions, which is now owned by DC.

From ComicBook:  There will be a new one-shot "Bleach" manga.

From BleedingCool:  Marvel and Mattel settle over "Cloak & Dagger" trademark.

From Newsarama:  Keith Champagne talks about his Kickstarter-started original graphic novel, "The Switch: Electricia."

From AnimeNewsNetwork: Yen Press to Publish Goblin Slayer: Brand New Day Spinoff Manga Simultaneously With Japan

From Asahi:  Satoru Noda’s “Golden Kamuy” won the Manga Grand Prix at the 22nd Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize after being shortlisted for three straight years.

From NBCBayArea:  Fans Flood Oakland Comic Store for Exclusive Local 'Black Panther' Cover

From WindowsCentral:  A guide to reading comics on Windows 10.

From BleedingCool:  Ten Things Rich Johnston Can Tell You About Justice League #1 by Scott Snyder and Jim Cheung

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomics Johnny Bullet episode #164 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomics Johnny Bullet episode #164 in French.

From Crunchyroll:  Tite Kubo's "Bleach" Manga Opens Its Official Instagram Account

From ArabNews:  First Saudi manga artist highlights Arab culture through its proverbs

From BleedingCool:  The Full DC Comics Catalogue for August 2018

From BleedingCool:  Frank Miller and John Romita, Jr.'s "Superman: Year One," which was to launch DC Comics' "Black Label" imprint, is already late.

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #163 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #163 in French.

From BleedingCool:  Stan Sakai, creator of Usagi Yojimbo, receives the inaugural "Joe Kubert Distinguished Storyteller Award."

From Crunchyroll:  Vertical Announces "Kino's Journey" Manga and More at Anime Central

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics not satisfied with Diamond Comics Distributors April 2018 sales numbers because they should have won the month, but did not...

From OtakuMode: The "Shaman King" spinoff manga, "Shaman King The Super Star," debuts in June in Japan.

From KOB:   Mom releases comic book to inspire kids with disabilities

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics is apparently planning a Spider-Man theme crossover for the Fall, "Spidergeddon."

From CBR:  How Neal Adams’ First X-Men Issue Helped Change Comic Book Coloring

From IGN:  Stan Lee sues POW! Entertainment, the company he founded, for $1 billion.

From FineBooks:  World Record Comic Book & Art Auction Surpasses $12.2 Million at Heritage Auctions

From Syfy:  Margot Kidder says her "Lois Lane" was truer to the comic book. Kidder played Lane in the 1970s and 1980s "Superman" films, starring Christopher Reeve as Superman.

From BleedingCool:  The series artists for "Sandman Universe" from DC Comics and curator Neil Gaiman have been revealed.

From BleedingCool:  Warner Bros. trademarks the term "DC Universe," which is apparently the name of Warner/DC Entertaiment's upcoming streaming service.

From HuffPost:  Marvel Introduces Their First Official Chinese Superheroes

From FlickeringMyth:  Marvel Comics marks the Return of the Fantastic Four with twenty variant covers

From FlickeringMyth:  Preview of Marvel Comics' "Quicksilver: No Surrender #1"

From TheComicsReporter:  Koyama Press Announces Fall 2018 Line

From BleedingCool:  Jim Lee says that rumors of a DC Comics reboot are ridiculous.

From Riylcast: A podcast interview with alt-comix icon, Adrian Tomine.

From BleedingCool:  IDW announces James Brown biocomic, "Black and Proud" by Xavier Fathoux.

From BleedingCool:  IDW is going to republish writer Randy Stradely and artist Mike Kaluta's comic book adaptation of James Cameron's 1989 film, "The Abyss."

From AnimeNewsNetwork:  New chapters of "Attack on Titan: Junior High" are arriving.

From ComicBook:  "Powerpuff Girls" get manga makeover.

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics Promoting Relaunches With In-Store Posters

From Kotaku:  Inio Asano Is A Dark Manga Artist For Adults Who Want Something Real

From JapanToday:  Rare sketch art by legendary manga artist, Osamu Tezuka, of his character, Astro Boy, fetches a record price at an auction in Paris, France.

From BleedingCool:  "My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies," an original graphic novel from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, due in October 2018.

From BleedingCool:  Peter Milligan and Alison Sampson Take Hit-Girl to India

From ScreenRant:  Marvel Movies Can’t Lose, So Why Can’t The Comics Win? [This article is good but glosses over Marvel's problems with marketing, advertising, and public relations, to say nothing about market over-saturation.]

From ComicBook:  The cast of "Avengers: Infinity War" surprises fans at a comic book store.

From Crunchyroll:  "Golden Kamuy" among 2018 Eisner Award nominees.

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics teases the "ultimate DC membership," the "DC Universe," which may be related to the streaming service that will carry the "Teen Titans" TV show.

From BleedingCool:  Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph, the stars of Freeform's "Marvel's Cloak and Dagger," promote Free Comic Book Day 2018.

From CBR:  Which "Avengers: Infinity War" scenes came straight from the comic book?

From THR:  John Barber is the new editor-in-chief at IDW Publishing, replacing Chris Ryall.

From WRAL:  Free Comic Book Day 2018 arrives this Saturday.

From BleedingCool:  Rob Liefeld is recruiting for a revival of his "bad girl" comic book, "Glory."

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #162 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #162 in French.

Book Review: BARRACOON

BARRACOON: THE STORY OF THE LAST “BLACK CARGO”
HARPER/Amistad – @HarperCollins @AmistadBooks

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Zora Neale Hurston
EDITOR: Deborah G. Plant
ISBN: 978-0-06-285508-4; hardcover – 5 1/2” x 8 1/4” (May 8, 2018)
208pp, B&W, $24.99 U.S.

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist and playwright, who may be best known for her 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, one of her four novels.  Hurston was and still is noted for her contributions to African-American literature, for her portrayal of racial struggles in the American South, and for her research on Haitian voodoo.

Hurston was also an anthropologist and folklorist and authored two books of folklore, Mules and Men (1935) and Tell My Horse (1938), and her autobiography, Dust Tracks on the Road (1942).  There was one work by Hurston that mixes anthropology, folklore, and biography.  It is the story of one of the last-known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade, a story Hurston told in the vernacular in which that survivor spoke.

It was unpublished... until this week (May 8th, 2018).  Now, in a hardcover from Amistad Books (a HarperCollins imprint), comes the book entitled Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo.”  This is the story of a man who was help captive aboard the last slave ship, the Clotilda, to come from Africa and deliver African captives into slavery in America.

In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, an African-eccentric community just outside Mobile, Alabama, to interview an 86-year-old African man named Cudjo Lewis.  Lewis' birth name was Oluala Kossola, and he was one of millions of men, women, and children who were transported from Africa to America as slaves.  By 1927, however, Cudjo (born sometime around 1841) was the only person still alive who could tell the complete story of being captured, transported across the Atlantic (the “Middle Passage”), and forced into slavery.

Hurston recorded Cudjo’s firsthand account of the raid on his African hometown (Bantè) by the Fon of Dahomey, who were among the African people who resisted the British-led effort to end the trans-Atlantic slave trade.  [Up to the beginning of the Civil War, some Americans still sailed to Africa to get slaves that they smuggled into the United States.]  In this raid, Cudjo was captured and transported to Ouidah, a town along the West African coast, where he was held prisoner in the “barracoons.”  A “barracoon” was a hut or structure where captors detained Africans who were to be sold and exported to America or Europe as slaves.  In 1859, Cudjo would leave Africa for America, where he would spend five-and-half years in bondage as a slave in Alabama until he was freed in 1865.

In 1931, Hurston returned to Plateau, which had been founded by Cudjo and the other former slaves that had been transported to America in the Clotilda.  Hurston spent more than three months with Cudjo, talking in depth about the details of his life.

During this time, Hurston, the young writer, and Cudjo, the elderly former enslaved man, talked about Cudjo’s past.  He recounted the memories of his childhood and young adulthood in Africa and then,  the horrors of the raid in which he was captured.  He narrates the story of his time being held in a barracoon and his eventual selection by American slavers.  Cudjo recalls the harrowing experience of the “Middle Passage,” packed with more than 100 other souls aboard the Clotilda.   He finally reveals the years he spent in slavery and his troubled life after helping to found an Alabama town for Africans like himself.

Based on those interviews, Hurston tells the story mainly from Cudjo's point of view, transcribing Cudjo’s unique vernacular diction.  Although she wrote the text from her perspective as she heard it, Hurston spelled the words as she heard Cudjo say them, using the former slave's rhythm, expressions, and phrases.  Rejected by publishers in the 1930s, Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” sees the light of day thanks to the bold vision of Amistad Books and HarperCollins.

Amistad Books is proving to be a year-round “Black History Month” celebration, thanks to publications such as the recent, brilliant non-fiction tome, Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires, by Shomari Wills.  It is best not to underestimate the importance of Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo.”  In the literary world, there are people (like Alice Walker) who worked to restore Zora Neale Hurston, who died in obscurity (more or less), to a place of honor in American literature.  Deborah G. Plant is among those people, and Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” is important to the ongoing restoration of Hurston.  It is also a fantastic book and a riveting read.

Hurston's text, which includes the body of Cudjo Lewis' story, an introduction, and appendix, makes up 112 pages of this book.  By the time I finished reading, I was not sure what part of the story impressed me most, but by recording Cudjo's recollections of his life and trials in Africa, Hurston informs today's readers of her place as an anthropologist.  The tale of the raid on Cudjo's village and the forced march from his captors' village to the barracoons is harrowing.  I think that this part of the narrative will be imprinted on my memory for a long time, but I found every part of this book fascinating.

Hurston's decision to keep the story in Cudjo's vernacular was the right choice, and potential publishers to whom she hoped to sell this book apparently did not agree with this.  Cudjo's story is so powerful and unforgettable precisely because of the manner and language in which Hurston committed it to text.  I think Hurston's decisions regarding this text assure her place as a hugely important twentieth-century contributor to American history and culture.

Hurston's appendix contains some folktales Cudjo related to her, the recording of which testifies to Hurston's place as a folklorist.  Deborah Plant's introduction is a must-read for readers before they enter Hurston's text.  The glossary and notes will help readers grasp many of the terms, phrases, names, and words included in Hurston's text.  At 200+ pages, Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” is a slim text, but it packs a wallop of a punch both as history and as a document of a particular facet of American slavery.

Readers looking for great tales of “Black History” and for books that reveal an untold corner of American history must have Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo.”  And no Zora Neale Hurston library or collection can be without it.

[This book includes an introduction by editor, Deborah G. Plant, and a foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Alice Walker.]

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: STRANGE FRUIT #4

STRANGE FRUIT No. 4 (OF 4)
BOOM! Studios – @boomstudios

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: J.G. Jones and Mark Waid
ARTIST: J.G. Jones
LETTERS: Deron Bennett
COVER: J.G. Jones
24pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S. (November 2016)

Suggested for mature readers

Published by BOOM! Studios, Strange Fruit was a four-issue comic book miniseries released in 2015 and 2016.  It was the creation of two acclaimed comic book creators.  The first is J.G. Jones, the co-creator of Wanted (with Mark Millar) and the cover artist for the Vertigo comic book series, Y: The Last Man.  The second is Mark Waid, a long-time comic book writer and editor.  Waid is known for the creation of the DC Comics miniseries, Kingdom Come (with artist Alex Ross) and for writing two acclaimed runs on Marvel Comics' Daredevil.

In a publicity release, BOOM! Studios described Strange Fruit as “a deeply personal passion project.”  The release also said that the comic book was a “provocative examination of the heroic myth confronting the themes of racism, cultural legacy, and human nature through a literary lens, drawing from Southern folklore and tradition.”

Strange Fruit is set in and around Chatterlee, Mississippi in April 1927.  At this time, the “Great Mississippi Flood of 1927” would occur.   As the story begins, the Mississippi River is rising, threatening to break open the levees and destroy Chatterlee, as it has already done to other “God-fearing” towns.  The race to shore up the levees is also threatening to break open the racial and social divisions of Chatterlee and the surrounding area.  Into this roiling situation, a mysterious Black man falls from the sky.

As Strange Fruit #4 opens, some of the local White people have come to see the mysterious Black man as useful, although the local Black community has already greeted his arrival as a sign of divine intervention.  Nicknamed “Johnson,” by Sonny, the young “agitator,” the stranger begins to really show his super powers, and attempts to use a strange device to save the town and the people from the flood.  However, there are still some racist White people who want to kill Johnson and other Black people even as the rising water threatens their very own lives.

In my review of Strange Fruit #3, I mentioned one of my all-time favorite novels, Stephen King's masterpiece, 'Salem's Lot (1975).  One of the elements of the plot that I thoroughly enjoyed was how the people of Jerusalem's Lot (or 'Salem's Lot, for short) blithely carried on their petty conflicts while darkness slowly enveloped their town.  That is Strange Fruit #3 and #4 in a nutshell.  Even the behemoth threat that is the flooding Mississippi River cannot completely draw people away from their mistrust and racial strife.

This is truth in J.G. Jones and Mark Waid's storytelling.  They convey the brutal strength and ugly power of hate with honesty; even with salvation or death by drowning practically shoved in their faces, some of the White people still have to hate and oppress Black folks.  I have said this before and it bears repeating:  Strange Fruit is not a screed against racism; rather it is an amazingly human tale that is genuine in its portrayal of the nature of man.

J. G. Jones produced some of the most beautiful comic book art for Strange Fruit that I have ever seen.  His depiction of the human face and its myriad expressiveness is a sight to behold.  The grace of the human in clothing and costume shines through even when the characters are being less than graceful.

Strange Fruit was one of 2015's best comic books and is one of the best of 2016.  It never received any Eisner Award (for excellence in comic books) nominations.  Wow!

A+

www.boom-studios.com
#comicsforward

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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BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for May 30, 2018

BOOM! STUDIOS

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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 30, 2018

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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 30, 2018

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Dynamite Entertainment from Diamond Distributors for May 30, 2018

D. E.

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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for May 30, 2018

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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 30, 2018

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 30, 2018

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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for May 30, 2018

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

MAR181925    2021 LOST CHILDREN #1 (OF 2) CVR A STOKOE    $5.99
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BOOKS
MAR181077    ART OF JIM STARLIN LIFE IN WORDS & PICTURES HC    $49.99
APR181251    BOND VEHICLE COLLECTIBLES SC    $21.95
APR181300    BROKEN GLORY FINAL YEARS OF ROBERT F KENNEDY HC    $26.99
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Review: CURSE WORDS #3

CURSE WORDS No. 3
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Charles Soule
ART: Ryan Browne
COLORS: Michael Garland with Ryan Browne and Michael Parkinson
LETTERS: Chris Crank
COVER: Ryan Browne
VARIANT COVERS: Paolo Rivera; Ryan Browne
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2017)

Rated M / Mature

Curse Words is a new ongoing fantasy comic book series from Image Comics.  It is the creation of comic book writer Charles Soule (Twenty-Seven, Image Comics) and artist Ryan Browne (God Hates Astronauts, Image Comics).

Curse Words stars Wizord, a wizard from another world who appears one day in New York City, specifically Central Park.  Of course, the first people to encounter him end up in an unfortunate situation, but eventually Wizord is seen as the city's “sorcerous protector.”  A confrontation with a murderous rival, however, made Wizord do something terrible to the city, and now, he has to come up with an incredible fix-it.

Curse Words #3 opens on the Hole World where Ruby Stitch prepares for her assault on Wizord.  First, however, she has to complete a mission for her boss, Sizzajee.  Meanwhile, Wizord is drowning his trouble in alcohol at the local watering hole because he recently was stripped of his powers.  His familiar, Margaret the koala, has a plan, though...

Curse Words instantly impresses with its eye-popping art.  Still, I have been waiting for this series to fall on its visually striking face, and this issue, it finally did!  Naw, it didn't.  I just love this comic book even more.  Every page simply makes me want to hurry to the next page.  I am sure that some people see this on the shelves and think that it looks too weird.  Judge a book by its cover; weird is good , and Curse Words is a fantasy and magic comic book worth having.

I still think Curse Words could be a standout title.  It might already be...

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


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

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

Review: SURFACING: Depth Perceptions #1

SURFACING: DEPTH PERCEPTIONS No. 1
APPROBATION COMICS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: B. Alex Thompson – @ApproBAT
ART: Nenad Cviticanin
COLORS: Santtos
LETTERS: Krugos
EDITOR: John Ward and Denise Thompson
COVER: Cesar Grego and Alivon Ortiz
24pp, Color, $4.99 U.S.

Rated: “M” for Mature

Surfacing: Depth Perceptions is a four-issue comic book miniseries from Approbation Comics.  It tells the story of a young man who visits an oceanic research facility where he discovers a creature of fairy tales and myth that should not exist.  Surfacing: Depth Perceptions is written by B. Alex Thompson; drawn by Nenad Cviticanin; colored by Santtos; and lettered by Krugos.

Surfacing: Depth Perceptions #1 opens with the reunion of childhood friends, Marcus Wright and Anton Parker.  Parker is in charge of an expensive ocean research facility, so Marcus assumes that he and Anton will catch up on old times before Anton makes a business proposal to him.  However, Marcus soon discovers that Anton has a mermaid trapped inside the facility, and the revelation of this creature of myth could change, ruin, or end Marcus's life.

Surfacing: Depth Perceptions #1 is one of the prettiest comic books Approbation Comics has published to date.  The cover for the first issue features a gorgeous illustration and shimmering colors by Cesar Grego and Alivon Ortiz.  The interior art by Nenad Cviticanin is well-drawn and cleanly drawn line art, which results in strong storytelling, especially in conveying how what is said by one character affects another.  The colors by Santtos also reflect a clean and clear science fiction aesthetic.  In a way, the coloring here recalls the sparse but evocative color photography of the film Ex Machina.

This first issue also offers some of B. Alex Thompson's most effective dialogue writing; it is fun to read the conversations between the characters.  One can be forgiven for thinking that this is a Brian Michael Bendis script, but, no, it's Thompson's.  He is a polished veteran comic book writer, and he makes this first issue an effective tease for the rest of this series.  And I want more... of that hot mermaid!

8 out of 10

www.ApprobationComics.com
www.AlexThompsonWriter.com

Surfacing: Depth Perceptions #1's ComiXology page.

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.

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

Review: CHAO CAMPUS #22

CHAOS CAMPUS: SORORITY GIRLS VS ZOMBIES No. 22
APPROBATION COMICS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: B. Alex Thompson – @ApproBAT
ART: Bernard Gita and Luis Arellano
COLORS: Russell Vincent Yu and Alex Rayn
LETTERS: Elisa M. Coletti
POST-SCRIPTING/POLISH: John P. Ward
COVER: Kevin Wallace
24pp, Color, $4.99 U.S.

Rated: Teen 13+

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies created by B. Alex Thompson

“Smart Zombies, Part 2 of 2”

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies is a long-running horror-comedy and zombie apocalypse comic book series.  It is created by B. Alex Thompson and published by his company, Approbation Comics.  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’ Jaime Schaeffer, brainy Paige Patton, and sexy Brittany Miller.

The current story line is “Smart Zombies,” which is set at a luxury hotel where a group of scientists hide a major secret.  This story is written by B. Alex Thompson; drawn by Bernard Gita and Luis Arellano; colored by Russell Vincent Yu and Alex Rayne; and lettered by Elisa M. Coletti.

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #22 finds our intrepid trio meeting a talking zombie!  His name is Lucian and he maintained his intelligence through the process of death and zombie resurrection.  Jamie detests Lucian, but Paige is willing to hear what he has to say.  Also, the girls find that not all the scientists want them around, although one male scientist wants to... turn the page... so to speak.  Meanwhile, Lucian tests the limits of weird science and plots a new apocalypse.

It has been at least three years since I last read an issue of the main Chaos Campus series, although I did read the special issue, Chaos Campus: Extra Credit #6.  In the years since I first read an Approbation Comics title (well over a decade), I have noticed that B. Alex Thompson has become a stronger comic book writer and that has served Chaos Campus quite well.

The series, which tends to spoof just about every corner of American pop culture, still throws in a reference, here and there.  However, Chaos Campus has become a highly-polished horror comics gem.  The dialogue is sharp, and the action and drama are solidly constructed and written.  Thompson is also quite good at writing single-issue and two-issue stories.  I also think that Lucian looks to be a good, long-term adversary of our chaotic heroines.

So zombie fans should apply for admission to Chaos Campus; it is actually easy to start reading this comic book.  You can enter at practically any point in the series.

A-

www.ApprobationComics.com
www.AlexThompsonWriter.com

Chaos Campus #22's ComiXology page.

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 or syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM Volume 21

ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM, VOL. 21
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Yusei Matsui
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Bryant Turnage
LETTERS: Stephen Dutro
EDITOR: Annette Roman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9339-5; paperback (April 2018); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
216pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Assassination Classroom is a science fiction, comedy, and shonen manga from creator Yusei Matsui.  The series was originally serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, from 2012 to 2016.  VIZ Media published an English-language adaptation of the series in graphic novel, beginning in December 2014 and recently ending in April 2018.

Assassination Classroom focuses on the so-called “End Class.”  These are the outcast students of Class 3-E at Kunugigaoka Junior High.  They are trying to kill their teacher, and they have the perfect excuse.  Their teacher is the monstrous, alien-like octopus that recently destroyed 70% of the moon.  This creature becomes Class 3-E's teacher, whom the student name, “Koro Sensei,” and he promises to destroy the Earth after the 3-E students graduate.  Thus, it is up to these students to kill their teacher in order to save the world.  They are the “Assassination Classroom.”

As Assassination Classroom, Vol. 21 (Chapters 178 to 179 to Final Chapter; entitled Time to Say Thank You) opens, Koro-sensei is dead.  The students of the Assassination Classroom killed their teacher, but there are extenuating circumstances.  Now, the class prepares to graduate, but what does the future hold and how will the legacy of Koro-sensei affect them?

[This manga contains bonus manga, “Time to Come Home,” “Time to Go to the Izakaya,” “Time to Reveal Identities,” “Time to Say Thank You,” and “Tokyo Department Store War Journal.”]

The Assassination Classroom manga has reached the end of its run.  The series is often variations of the same, although the usual is usually quite entertaining.  It is like a sitcom about students learning to become assassins while trying to kill their other-worldly teacher, and creator Yusei Matsui finds comedy in characters as well as in situations.

Assassination Classroom Graphic Novel Volume 21 is the final volume of the series, but it is not so much a finale as it is a coda.  Vol. 20, in which the teacher is killed, is really the final volume.  With Vol. 21, Matsui offers a bit of sweetness to his readers.  There are some extra stories that Matsui produced to accompany the anime based on Assassination Classroom, and this volume also reprints the manga Matsui produced before this series.  I hope this series stays in print, and it probably will digitally.  Assassination Classroom deserves to find new readers for years to come.

A
8 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.

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

BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for May 23, 2018

BOOM! STUDIOS

MAR181251    ADVENTURE TIME BEGINNING OF END #1    $3.99
MAR181252    ADVENTURE TIME BEGINNING OF END #1 SUBSCRIPTION DAGUNA VAR (    $3.99
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MAR181255    LUMBERJANES #50    $4.99
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JAN181365    MISFIT CITY TP VOL 02    $14.99
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MAR181307    RUGRATS #8    $3.99
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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 23, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAR180028    BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #2 MAIN CVR    $3.99
MAR180029    BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #2 VAR LEMIRE CVR    $3.99
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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 23, 2018

DC COMICS

MAR180250    BATGIRL #23    $3.99
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MAR180262    BATMAN BEYOND #20    $3.99
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Dynamite Entertainment from Diamond Distributors for May 23, 2018

D. E.

MAR181416    BETTIE PAGE TP VOL 01 BETTIE IN HOLLYWOOD    $17.99
FEB181364    JEEPERS CREEPERS #1 KEN HAESER SKETCH ED    $89.99
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MAR181547    WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS OMNIBUS TP VOL 02    $39.99

IDW Publishing from Dimaond Distributors for May 23, 2018

IDW PUBLISHING

FEB180483    COIN OP COMICS ANTHOLOGY HC 1997-2017    $29.99
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MAR180474    GI JOE VS SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN #4 CVR A FERREIRA    $3.99
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FEB180484    JOHNNY BOO HC VOL 08    $9.99
MAR180453    JUDGE DREDD MEGA CITY ZERO #1 IDW GREATEST HITS    $1.00
MAR180520    KID LOBOTOMY TP VOL 01    $19.99
NOV178660    MIKE ALLRED ARTIST SELECT HC    $125.00
MAR180414    STAR TREK DISCOVERY SUCCESSION #2 CVR A HERNANDEZ    $3.99
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Review: RWBY: The Official Manga Anthology Volume 1

RWBY OFFICIAL MANGA ANTHOLOGY, VOL. 1 – RED LIKE ROSES
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONISTS: monorobu; Ritsu Hayami; Kuma; KaTe; Xily; Uri; Sora; Amaya; Mikanuji; Moromoimaru; Koogeimoai; Siguma Koko; Mate; mojojoj; Amechan; Shiki Miou; Sorappane; Rojine Kio; Sun Hiura; Umiyo
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamasaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley
LETTERS: Evan Waldinger
EDITOR: Joel Enos
MISC. ART: Sai Izumi; Esu; Shiki Miou; Tsukasa; Omutatsu
COVER: Ein Lee and Meteo
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0157-5; paperback (May 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
184pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $17.99 CAN, £8.99 U.K.

Based on the animation from Rooster Teeth Productions; RWBY created by Monty Oum

“RWBY” is an American animated series that is streamed on the World Wide Web.  “RWBY” was created by the late Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth Productions (an American company), which is known for its streaming and web animated series.  “RWBY” is produced in a Japanese anime style, although some consider it to be an actual anime series.  It is the first western-produced anime series to be distributed to Japanese television.

“RWBY” is set on the world of Remnant, which is beset by “Grimm,” horrific monsters bent on the destruction of humanity.  The kingdoms of Remnant have risen to combat these monsters by training powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses at academies around the planet. “RWBY” focuses on Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long, four such Huntresses-in-training who are collectively known as “Team RWBY.”

Shiwa Miwa, the creator of the manga Dogs and Dogs: Bullets & Carnage, produced a manga based on “RWBY” and entitled RWBY.  It was published in graphic novel form by VIZ Media in January 2018.  Now, VIZ is introducing RWBY The Official Manga Anthology, which will publish original short manga and comics set in the world of RWBY that showcase the members of Team RWBY

RWBY The Official Manga Anthology, Vol. 1 is subtitled “Red Like Roses” and focuses on Team RWBY leader, Ruby Rose.  The stories reveal that Ruby has insecurities just like everyone else, although she is a Huntress team leader.  While her worries run deep, Ruby is determined to overcome her shortcomings in order to be a true hero.  From working with other teams to taking on evil clones, Ruby is driven to be the best... even if it means she has to change her hair color.

[This volume contains commentary one-panel cartoons from the cartoonists that contributed to this volume.  It also includes “Message from Ein Lee” and “Message from Lindsay Jones.”]

I had not heard of “RWBY” until I received a VIZ Media press release that it was going to publish Shirow Miwa's 2015-2017 manga adaptation of the anime.  As I wrote in a previous review, I was not interested in reading it, but my VIZ Media rep gave me a copy.  However, I was looking forward to the RWBY The Official Manga Anthology manga, VIZ Media came through.

RWBY The Official Manga Anthology Graphic Novel Volume 1 is a little more entertaining than the first RWBY graphic novel.  That is mainly because the stories are mostly humorous.  They are lighthearted vignettes that focus on the relationships between the members of Team RWBY.  Ruby Rose is the emphasis in these tales, but her teammates star in most of the stories here and are featured almost as much as she is.

RWBY The Official Manga Anthology Volume 1 – Red Like Roses is a good way to let readers learn more about the characters via comedy and teamwork.  Most of these stories are about 10-pages in length.  According to the press release that accompanies this first volume's release, the mangaka (creators) that contribute to this anthology are new artists, and it shows in the fact that these stories feel like amateur press comics or “dōjinshi.”  These stories are fun, but I miss the fantasy-horror-action mix of the previous RWBY manga.  Still, I think Red Like Roses will serve to make new RWBY fans just because of the friendly nature of these stories.

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 and syndication rights and fees.

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