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Tuesday, March 31, 2026

I Reads You Juniors: March 2026 - UPDATE #34

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon.

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

TREATS - From AnotherCookie:  There is a new online cookie retailer. It is called "AnotherCookie?" and the cookies are delicious.

NEWS:

EN MEMORIAM - From ComicsBeat:  Belgian cartoonist, Hermann Huppen (best known by his penname, "Hermann"), has died at the age of 87, Sunday, March 22, 2026.  Hermann was best known for his science fiction comic book series, "Jeremiah," which was serialized in several European comics magazines, including the Serbian "Strip art" and France's "Metal Hurlant," from 1979 to the present.  "Jeremiah" was loosely adapted into the "Showtime" sci-fi television series, "Jeremiah."

MARVEL/DC COMICS - From DCBlog:  Writer Mark Waid discusses the new release, "Superman/Spider-Man #1," which is drawn by Jorge Jimenez.  The comic book is currently available as in print and digital editions.

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:  "Superman" writer Joshua Williamson talks "Reign of the Superboys."

EN MEMORIAM - From DreadCentral:  Comic book writer, artist, and creator, Sam Keith, has died at the age of 63, Sunday, March 15, 2026.  Keith was best known for creating the comic book series, "The Maxx."  He also co-created DC Comics' dark fantasy version of "The Sandman" comic books series with writer Neil Gaiman and artist Mike Dringenberg.  Keith was as known for his work on DC Comics' "Batman" and Marvel Comics' "Wolverine."

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:  Writer Skottie Young talks about his new comic book series, "Lobo," which is drawn by Jorge Corona.

From DCBlog:  Writer Tony Fleecs talks about his new comic book series, "Deathstroke: The Terminator," with artist Carmine Di Giandomenico.
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DC CINEMA - From DCBlog:  Director James McTeigue looks back on his 2006 film, "V for Vendetta," on its 20th anniversary.  The film was an adaptation of Alan Moore and David Lloyd's serialized graphic novel, "V for Vendetta."

IDW - From BleedingCoolIDW Publishing has made a profit early in 2026 after years of losses. But what cuts helped them become profitable?

DC STUDIOS - From THRAaron Pierre, who is playing "John Stewart/Green Lantern" in HBO's upcoming series, "Lanterns," will also star in the "Superman" sequel, "Man of Tomorrow."

COMICS - From ComicsBeat:  The "ComicsBeat's" Heidi MacDonald explains (in great detail) the comic book industry needs sales charts.

FANTAGRAPHICS - From BleedingCoolFantagraphics Books will publish British cartoonist, R.E. Burke's graphic memoir, "19 Days in an I.C.E. Facility," in 2027.  The memoir will detail Burke's experience detained by ICE. while backpacking in North America.  In the memoir, Burke will also share stories of fellow detainees, highlighting mistreatment and harsh conditions.  Burke's case earned widespread attention after she was banned from entering the USA for ten years.

EN MEMORIAM - From NYT:  The German-born, American artist and comic book colorist, Tatjana Wood, died Friday, February 27, 2026 at the age of 99, three days before what would have been her 100th birthday (March 2nd).  From 1973 to the mid-1980s, Wood was DC Comics' main cover colorist for its covers, coloring just about every comic book cover in that time period.  Her most acclaimed coloring work includes coloring the interiors for the Mike W. Barr and Brian Bolland's miniseries, "Camelot 3000" (DC Comics, 1982-85), for the issues of Swamp Thing written by Alan Moore (DC Comics, 1984-87), and for writer Grant Morrison's run on "Animal Man" (DC Comics, 1988-1990).  Born Tatjana Amalie Weintraub, Tatjana was married to legendary comic book creator and cartoonist, Wally Wood (1927-81), from 1950 to 1966.

MILESTONE - From DCBlog:  Writer Joseph Illidge talks about "The New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident."

DARK HORSE - From BleedingCool:  The new owners of Dark Horse Comics, Embracer, has fired current CEO Mike Richardson from the company.  Richardson founded Dark Horse 40 years ago.

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:  Writer Chris Condon talks about his new Vertigo Comics series, "The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery," which is drawn by Jacob Phillips.

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FEBRUARY 2026 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  AMP Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Bad Idea Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Fantagraphics Books for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Invader Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Ultimate Universe" titles for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "X-Men" titles for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Red 5 Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Rekcah Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  SHP Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Source Point Press for February 2026+
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Udon Entertainment for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for February 2026
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for February 2026

MARCH 2026 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Bad Idea for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Fantagraphics Books for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Hermes Press for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Ignition Press for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics' "Energon Universe" for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics' " Spawn Universe" titles for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  The Lab for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics' "Armageddon" titles for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics' "Death Spiral" titles for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics' "Ultimate Comics" titles for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics' "X-Men" titles for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Massive Publishing for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Midnight Factory titles for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press "Absolute Archie Comics" titles for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Prana for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  SHP Comics for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Udon Studios for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for March 2026
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for March 2026

APRIL 2026 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Bad Idea Comics for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics "Superman" titles for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Drawn & Quarterly for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Fantagraphics Books for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  HarperCollins for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Heavy Metal for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics' "Spider-Man" and "Venom" titles for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics' "X-Men" titles for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics' "Energon" titles for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "Ghost Machine" titles for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Invader Comics for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Massive Publishing for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Prana for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Red 5 Comics for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Udon Studios for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for April 2026
From BleedingCool:  Warrant Publishing Company for April 2026

MAY 2026 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Bad Idea Comics for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Ignition Press for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Invader Comics for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Drawn & Quarterly for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion/2000 AD for May 2026
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for May 2026

JUNE 2026 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Abrams for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Captain America" for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  Massive Selects for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for June 2026
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for June 2026


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#IReadsYou Review: SPACE GHOST Volume 1 #5

SPACE GHOST VOL. 1 #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: David Pepose
ART: Jonathan Lau
COLORS: Andrew Dalhouse
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt
COVER: Francesco Mattina
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jae Lee with June Chung; Michael Cho; Bjorn Barends; Ken Haeser
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (September 2024)

Rated “Teen”

“The Dawn of the Devourer!”

Space Ghost is a superhero character created by the American animation studio and production company, Hanna-Barbera Productions.  The character first appeared in the Saturday morning cartoon series, “Space Ghost,” which was originally broadcast on CBS from September 1966 to September 1967 for 20 episodes.

In his original incarnation, Space Ghost was a superhero whose base of operations was a small world known as “Ghost Planet.”  He fought super-villains in outer space with his teen sidekicks, Jan and Jace, and their monkey, Blip.  His main weapons were power bands he wore around his wrists and lower arms; the bands fired off multiple energy beam-based attacks, including heat, cold, and force, to name a few.  Space Ghost could also fly, survive in space, and turn invisible (his “Inviso Power”).  He also had a space ship known as “the Phantom Cruiser.”

Space Ghost sporadically appeared in various comic book publications over a fifty year period.  Dynamite Entertainment has just launched a new Space Ghost comic book as part of its licensing agreement with Warner Bros.  Entitled Space Ghost Volume 1, it is written by David Pepose; drawn by Jonathan Lau; colored by Andrew Dalhouse; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.  In the new series, twins Jan and Jace Keplar and their pet monkey, Blip, meet that legendary cosmic vigilante known as “the Space Ghost.”

Space Ghost Volume 1 #5 (“The Dawn of the Devourer!”) opens at Grax-3 where Space Ghost is on a rampage to find his nemesis, Zorak, who kidnapped Jan and Jace.  Zorak, however, is quite happy to see Space Ghost, as he has a very special need of him.

For today marks the new day, the Dawn of the Devourer – All hail the Locust of the Apocalypse!"  And Space Ghost is going to help him arrive, or he will see Jan and Jace destroyed.  Meanwhile, where is Blip, and how will young Jace come out of this trauma?

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  Space Ghost Volume 1 #5 is the latest, but it is not the first Space Ghost comic book that I have read.

The first five issues of Dynamite's Space Ghost revival comic book are a pure delight.  Writer David Pepose is making me rapidly run out of good things to say about his storytelling.  I think I'm repeating myself already.  While Pepose retains the traditional Space Ghost narrative aesthetic, he raises all kinds of unholy hell for the climax of this battle with Zorak.  For me, this hints at continued great things to come from this excellent writer.

Artist Jonathan Lau also wants to actually raise Hell with his graphical storytelling.  Lau captures the madness in Pepose's script for issue #5 and lets loose his guns to recall the best chaos of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Andrew Dalhouse in turn unleashes fire and brimstone to amplify Lua's storytelling into an red, orange, and yellow inferno.  Letterer Taylor Esposito adds the fuel to make it all burn, baby, burn.

I'm having a blast reading Space Ghost Volume 1, dear readers.  I want this for you, too.  This Space Ghost is super, man.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Dynamite Entertainment's Warner Bros. comic book series will want to read Space Ghost Volume 1.

A
★★★★ out of 4 stars

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

This issue is collected in the "SPACE GHOST: BEWARE THE COUNCIL OF DOOM," which is available in paperback at Amazon.


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The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).


Wednesday, March 4, 2026

#IReadsYou Manga Review: SANDA VOLUME 1

SANDA VOL. 1
TITAN COMICS/Titan Manga

WRITER-ARTIST: Paru Itagaki
TRANSLATION: Motoko Tamamuro and Jonathan Clements
LETTERS: Bensidi Ayoub
DESIGN: David Colderley
EDITOR: Louis Yamani
ISBN: 978-1787747241; paperback (September 9, 2025)
208pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $16.99 CAN, £9.99 UK

Rating: Age 12+

Sanda is a Japanese manga written and drawn by mangaka Paru Itagaki.  The manga was originally serialized in the Japanese shonen manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Champion, from 2021 to 2024.  It was later collected in sixteen tankobon (graphic novel) volumes.  Titan Manga began publishing an English-language graphic novel edition of the series in September 2025.

Sanda Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 6) opens in a near-future Japan where Christmas has faded into myth, and it and other traditional holidays are mere legends of the past.  Japan's birth rate has dropped so dramatically that children are now the most precious commodity.  Society has artificially extended adolescence to preserve their youth, and young people's social status is higher than that of adults.

Volume 1 introduces 14-year-old Sanda Kazushige, a middle-school student at Daikoku Welfare Academy who unexpectedly becomes entangled in a strange and dangerous mystery.  His classmate, Fuyumura Shiori, is looking for her missing friend, Ono Ichie.  Fuyumura accuses Sanda of carrying a curse that can help her find Ono.  The curse is that Sanda is a descendant of Santa Claus and also that Santa is sealed inside Sanda.

When Fuyumura breaks the seal, Sanda turns into a tall, muscular, elderly man and thus, begins an adventure of mystery and danger.  Can Sanda and his friends help society remember the true meaning of friendship, trust, and the possibility of magic in a world that has all but forgotten it. 

THE LOWDOWN:  Since October 2023, Titan Manga has provided me with print and PDF copies of their manga publications for review.  One of the latest is Sanda Volume 1.

Sanda Graphic Novel Volume 1 is not my first experience with the manga of Paru Itagaki, as I read and reviewed several volumes her 2016-20 series, Beastars (published in an English-language edition by VIZ Media).  I would say that this first volume of Sanda is as refreshingly surprising and surprisingly refreshing as Beastars Volume 1.

Itagaki's art and graphical style are a lot more formal in Sanda than they are for the loose, psychological, and surreal Beastars.  Sanda eschews surrealism for mystery and secrets, and the art and graphical storytelling delves into enigmas and perplexities.  Nothing is as it seems, and it offers a shocking reveal every chapter.

Sanda's setting may be that of a dystopian near-future, but it feels like the teen leads, Sanda and Fuyumura, are coming-of-age as they try to unravel the secrets and lies of their lives and how it ties into the society in which they live.  That this involves Santa Claus just makes things more delightfully weird and different.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of mystery manga and of unusual takes on Christmas will want to try Sanda.

A
★★★★ out of 4 stars

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

"SANDA VOLUME 1" is available in a Kindle and a print edition at Amazon.

https://titan-comics.com/
https://x.com/ComicsTitan
https://www.instagram.com/titancomics/
https://www.facebook.com/ComicsTitan


The text is copyright © 2026 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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