#IReadsYou Review: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: The Golden Child #1

DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: THE GOLDEN CHILD No. 1
DC COMICS/Black Label

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Frank Miller
ART: Rafael Grampá
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: John Workman and Deron Bennett
EDITOR: Mark Doyle
COVER: Rafael Grampa with Pedro Cobiaco
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson; Frank Miller with Alex Sinclair; Joelle Jones with Dave McCaig; Rafael Grampa with Pedro Cobiaco; Paul Pope with Jose Villarrubia
32pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (February 2020)

Ages 17+

Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (also known as DKR) was a four-issue comic book miniseries starring Batman.  Published by DC Comics in 1986, this prestige-format comic book was written by Frank Miller; drawn by Miller (pencils) and Klaus Janson (inks); colored by Lynn Varley; and lettered by John Costanza, with the book covers drawn by Miller and Varley.

DKR told the tale of a 50-year-old Bruce Wayne, long retired as Batman, who dons the cape and cowl again to take on a new crime wave in Gotham City.  When an institutionalized Joker discovers that Batman has returned, he revives himself and begins a new crime wave of craziness.  Batman also battles Superman who is trying to force Batman back into retirement.

DRK was a smash hit, and from the time of its publication, it became a hugely influential comic book, especially on the editorial mindset of DC Comics.  There have been sequels to DKR, as well as other comic books set in its “universe.”  The most recent DKR comic book is Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child.  It written by Frank Miller, drawn by Rafael Grampá; colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by John Workman and Deron Bennett.  The Golden Child finds the heirs to the legacy of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel taking on adversaries of their predecessors.

Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child #1 opens three years after the events depicted in the nine-issue miniseries, Dark Knight III: The Master Race (2015-2017).  Lara, the daughter of Wonder Woman (Diana) and her consort, Superman, has spent that time learning to be more human.  After spending her life with the Amazons of Paradise Island, however, Lara has a great disdain for humans.  Carrie Kelley, the former Robin, has been growing into her new role as The Batwoman, after Bruce Wayne/Batman finally retired.

The Batwoman has been battling the Joker and his gang of Joker clones, who are in full rage as the day of the U.S. presidential election approaches.  [Although he is not named, President Donald Trump's image and presence are prominent throughout this comic book].  But Joker has found a new partner in a terrifying evil that has come to Gotham – Darkseid.  Now, Lara and Carrie must team-up to stop two evils, but their secret weapon, young Jonathan, “the golden child” (Lara's brother and Diana and Superman's son) is also the object of Darkseid's murderous desire.

I really like Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child, but not because of Frank Miller's story.  It is a hot mess of sound and fury signifying nothing.  It is like someone's incorrect idea that the sound of Jack Kirby is not big (in relation to Darkseid, a character he created), but is histrionics.  Miller does offer a few good ideas, and he is one of the few mainstream comic book creators that could get away with not only casting Donald Trump in a DC Comics title, but also portraying him in an unflattering light.  Teaming-up Joker and Darkseid is not one of Miller's good ideas, and Miller's portrayal of Lara and Jonathan is a mixed bag.  But I can tell that Miller really loves Carrie Kelley, a character he created in DKR.  She is glorious as The Batwoman.

No, I don't love Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child because of Frank Miller.  I love it because of Rafael Grampa, the Brazilian film director and comic book artist.  Grampa's style in Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child is a mixture of Frank Miller's graphic style in both Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and in his Sin City series of miniseries and one-shot comic books and also of Scottish comic book artist Frank Quitely's graphic style.

Grampa's gorgeous illustrations and compositions look even better under Jordie Bellaire's inventive coloring and varietal of hues.  But even all that pretty art can't create superb graphical storytelling from Frank Miller's mish-mash of a story, except in a few places – the Batwoman sections of course.  Carrie Kelley is absolutely spectacular in the double-caped, leathery Bat-suit, which also looks like an actual man-sized bat.

Well, you can't get everything, although John Workman and Deron Bennett also deliver some fine-looking lettering.  So I'll be satisfied with Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child #1 being one of the beautifully drawn and illustrated comic book one-shots that I have ever read.

8 out of 10

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

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#IReadsYou Review: WOOF WOOF STORY... Volume 2

WOOF WOOF STORY..., VOL. 2
YEN PRESS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGA-KA: Koikuchi Kiki
ORIGINAL STORY: Inumajin
CHARACTER DESIGN: Kochimo
TRANSLATION: Wesley O'Donnell
LETTERS: DK
ISBN: 978-1-9753-0856-8; paperback (May 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
180pp, B&W, $13.00 U.S., $17.00 CAN

Woof Woof Story: I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir! is a Japanese light novel series created by author Inumajin and illustrated by Kochimo.  Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko (an imprint of Kadokawa Shoten) began publishing the series in late 2017.  Artist Koikuchi Kiki produces a manga adaptation of the novel series, which Kadokawa began publishing on its digital manga reading service, ComicWalker, in February 2018.  Yen Press began publishing an English-language adaptation of the manga in 2019.

[In this review, I sometimes shorten the title, Woof Woof Story: I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir!, to Woof Woof Story.]

Woof Woof Story begins with the story of Routa Okami, an office worker and “corporate slave” who is working himself to death.  He has a crazy wish in which he says, “I just want an easy life, even as some rich person's dog...”  One day Routa drops dead in the middle of his busy office.  A goddess heard Routa's wish and brings him back to life as a pampered pooch, a companion for a wealthy young woman named Mary... But Routa isn't just any dog, he is a enormous, white, wolf-like creature, and he has supernatural powers!

As Woof Woof Story: I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir!, Vol. 2 (Chapters 8 to 12) opens, Routa's pampered-pooch life is in jeopardy.  Every year, around the same time, Mary falls gravely ill, and this year, it seems life-threatening.  Doctor Hecate says a rare medicinal flower, “the wyrmnil,” can help Mary, and if they can find fully potent samples of the flower, Hecate believes that she can cure Mary of her ailment for good.

However, “the wyrmnil” is named so because it is guarded by a fearsome dragon, and it falls on Routa to obtain the flower.  To cure Mary and to maintain his lifestyle, Routa will have to do some actual work for a change!  And his partner in the quest for the wyrmnil is non-other than the swords woman, Zenobia, who is looking for an excuse to kill Routa!

[This volume includes an “Afterword” and “Translation Notes.”]

The Woof Woof Story: I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir!manga is new to me.  I hadn't even heard of the light novel series, but being familiar with novel is not necessary to enjoy the manga.

Woof Woof Story: I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir! Volume 2 is a very enjoyable read.  I was not expecting much from it.  I don't know what the rest of this series offers, but Vol. 2 is a quality volume.

Vol. 2 starts off as a playful romp with buxom, naked girls whose naughty bits are always drawn as being obscured or conveniently covered up – typical “fanservice.”  When Mary falls ill, the story moves to pure melodrama, but when Routa and Zenobia begin their journey, the narrative suddenly gets a surge of energy via conflict and adventure.

Zenobia is conflicted because she respects Routa's devotion to Mary, but she senses his powers and believes that they are an evil threat to Mary.  Routa turns out to be very resourceful and has powerful abilities, and he is both brave and lazy.  Manga creator Koikuchi Kiki balances Routa's desire for the easy life with his sense of duty and self-preservation.  I find myself drawn to him, mainly because there seems to be more to Routa than it obvious.  I can also say that about Woof Woof Story; this is a manga that is worth a second look.

7 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

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#IReadsYou Review: GEEK-GIRL #7

GEEK-GIRL, VOL. 2 #7
MARKOSIA ENTERPRISES, LTD.

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Sam Johnson with Mark Darden
ART: Carlos Granda
COLORS: Chunlin Zhao
LETTERS: Paul McLaren
COVER ARTISTS: Jason Hehir with Chunlin Zhao; Claudio Due Avella with Chunlin Zhao (Ltd. Edition Variant)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2020)

Rated T+ / 12+ only

Geek-Girl created by Sam Johnson

“Tights 'N' Capes” Part 2: “Bona to Vada Your Dolly Old Eeks!”

Created by Sam Johnson, Geek-Girl is a comic book character that debuted in the 2016 Geek-Girl miniseries,  She returned in a second miniseries, 2018's Geek-Girl Vol. 2, which became an ongoing series.  Geek-Girl Vol. 2 is written by Sam Johnson; drawn by Carlos Granda; colored by Chunlin Zhao; and lettered by Paul McLaren.

Geek-Girl focuses on Ruby Kaye of Acorn Ridge, Maine, a sexy and popular college coed who inadvertently becomes a superhero.  Ruby dons a pair of super-tech pair of eye glasses that gives her super-powers.  Ruby's BFF, Summer James, then talks her into trying to be a superhero, even providing her with a moniker.  Now, Ruby is Maine's newest superhero, “Geek-Girl.”

Geek-Girl Vol. 2 #7 (“Bona to Vada Your Dolly Old Eeks!”) finds Ruby and Summer joined by their new pal (and Ruby's new teammate), Kerry a.k.a. “The Minger,” for a night of partying at the gay night club, “Reach.”  There, they meet Ruby's friends (fake-as friends?) Karin, Stacey, and Jennifer.  While Summer is enjoying a night of being a superhero and Kerry is discovering the local color, Ruby is nursing a grudge or two that one powerful drink is about to put out on “jump street.”

Plus, Cabra Cini: Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman visits Acorn Ridge to prove that she is the baddest bitch.  Meanwhile, Digger Mensch has enough of his loyalties being tested, and he really hates it when his “professional” associations are questioned.

THE LOWDOWN:  Geek-Girl creator-writer Sam Johnson sends me PDF review copies of the latest issues of Geek-Girl.  So lately, I have been able to keep up with the happenings and adventures of Maine's cutest superhero.

As I said in my review of the prior issues (Vol. 2 #5-6), just about any issue of Geek-Girl is a good jumping-on point because Johnson's story and script are simply quite inviting to new readers.  Geek-Girl does not suffer from any of the ailments that longtime comic book writer and veteran television writer-producer, Gerry Conway, discussed in a series of recent twitter postings.

Geek-Girl is not a mature readers title that is inappropriate for young readers, nor is it weighed down by decades of anal continuity, which is one of the main problems of titles published by Marvel and DC Comics.  Geek-Girl #7 is one of those off-beat or “girls night out” issues that legendary comic book writer Chris Claremont presented to his readers in the classic Marvel Comics title, Uncanny X-Men.

I hope that teen comic book readers (and yes, they exist) will discover Geek-Girl.  In it, they will discover a kind of comic book that was the norm before Alan Moore and Frank Miller inadvertently gave comic book editors the blueprint for killing kid-friendly superhero comic books.  In the world before Watchmen-is-the-greatest-comic-book-of-all-time, many comic book superheroes seemed like they could be a young reader's best pals.  I think that this is the reason that comic books like Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans (DC Comics) were so popular.  There is indeed a place for Batman: Arkham Asylum, but it need not be the entire place.

The last few years have seen mainstream American publishers trying hard to get middle-grade and teen readers back into the superhero comic book fold.  IDW's “Marvel Action” line is a good example.  Geek-Girl skewers towards the older teen readers, but (so far), there is very little in Geek-Girl that I would describe as inappropriate for a 13-year-old reader.  I don't think comic book characters partying at a gay night club is scandalous now in the way it would have been decades ago.  [Hey, if The Punisher is acceptable, so is club “Reach.”]

In Geek-Girl, writer Sam Johnson, artist Carlos Granda, colorist Chunlin Zhao, and letterer Paul McLaren are producing a comic book that recalls the past without being retro.  Geek-Girl is a cool comic book starring cool characters.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of lovable superheroes will find an all-around winner in Geek-Girl.

8 out of 10

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


Geek-Girl #7 is Out Now and available in Regular, Digital and Variant editions at www.geekgirlcomics.com

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#IReadsYou Review: GEEK-GIRL #6

GEEK-GIRL, VOL. 2 #6
MARKOSIA ENTERPRISES, LTD. – @daSamJohnson

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Sam Johnson with Mark Darden
ART: Carlos Granda
COLORS: Chunlin Zhao
LETTERS: Paul McLaren
COVER ARTISTS: Jason Hehir with Chunlin Zhao; Claudio Due Avella with Chunlin Zhao
28pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (September 2020)

Rated T+ / 12+ only

Geek-Girl created by Sam Johnson

“Tights 'N' Capes” Part 1: “Change of Plan”

Geek-Girl is a comic book character created by Sam Johnson.  Geek-Girl debuted in the 2016 Geek-Girl miniseries and returned in a second miniseries, Geek-Girl Vol. 2, which became an ongoing series.  Geek-Girl Vol. 2 is written by Sam Johnson; drawn by Carlos Granda; colored by Chunlin Zhao; and lettered by Paul McLaren.

Geek-Girl focuses on Ruby Kaye, a sexy and popular college coed who inadvertently becomes a superhero.  Ruby dons a pair of super-tech eye glasses that gives her super-powers.  Ruby's BFF, Summer James, then talks her into trying to be a superhero, even providing her with a moniker.  Now, Ruby is Maine's newest superhero, “Geek-Girl.”

Geek-Girl Vol. 2 #6 (“Change of Plans”) finds Ruby, Summer, and Kerry a.k.a. “The Minger” enjoying time at the super-team headquarters provided for them by Johnny Carlyle, the former super-tech weapons dealer turned philanthropist.  Carlyle has founded the Kaye Foundation and is forming a brand new superhero team, of which Ruby as Geek-Girl will be the leader.  Ruby meets her teammate, Tyler a.k.a. “Super-Porter,” and then, plans a girl' night out with Summer and Kerry.

Meanwhile, one of Carlyle's “associates,” Digger Mensch, finds his loyalties being tested.  Plus, Ruby does not realize that she and her friends are being watched.

THE LOWDOWN:  Creator-writer Sam Johnson sent me a PDF review copy of Geek-Girl, Vol. 2 #5, as he has sent me PDF review copies of his other comic books over the past few years.  Johnson provides a synopsis on the inside front cover of each issue, so potential readers don't have to have read the previous issues to really enjoy the current one.

As I said in my review of the prior issue (Vol. 2 #5), just about any issue of Geek-Girl is a good jumping on point because Johnson's story and script are simply quite inviting.  Unlike so many Marvel and DC Comics titles, Geek-Girl is not stuffy and self-important and weighed down by decades of anal continuity.  Nor it is beset by frequent sales-boosting reboots... at least, not yet.

You know what, dear readers?  I'll just keep it simple.  Geek-Girl is fun to read, and Geek-Girl Vol. 2 #6 is a blast to read.

Also, the more this series' art team works together, the more polished its work becomes.  Artist Carlos Granda's clear-line drawing style has gone from being a little shaky on the line work to becoming sharper.  Chunlin Zhao's colors are so pretty that they make me think of candy, and Paul McLaren's clean lettering conveys this issue's easy pace and tantalizing foreshadowing.  So Geek-Girl-Vol. 2 #6 is a good read and is good looking!

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of indie superhero comic books will find an all-around winner in Geek-Girl.

9 out of 10

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


Geek-Girl #6 is Out Now and available in Regular, Digital and Variant editions at www.geekgirlcomics.com

https://twitter.com/daSamJohnson
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The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: BLUE FLAG Volume 2

BLUE FLAG, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Kaito
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
EDITOR: Marlene First
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1302-8; paperback (June 2020); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
224pp, B&W, $12.99 US, $17.99 CAN, £9.99 UK

Ao no Flag is a high school romance manga written and drawn by Kaito.  The manga was serialized on the online manga magazine, Shonen Jump+, from February 2017 to April 2020.  VIZ Media is publishing Ao no Flag as a paperback graphic novel series, entitled Blue Flag, under its “VIZ Signature” imprint.

Blue Flag focuses on an unassuming high school student named Taichi Ichinose.  It is his senior year at Aohama High School, and he finds himself in the same class as shy Futaba Kuze, of whom he has conflicted feelings.  Taichi and Futaba begin to fall in love, but each has a same-sex best friend – Taichi's Toma Mita and Futaba's Masumi Itachi – who are in love with them.

As Blue Flag, Vol. 2 (Chapters 6 to 12) opens, it is time for Aohama High's school festival.  Toma accepts the position of cheer squad captain on the condition that Taichi and Futaba participate.  The problems are that Taichi does not want to participate, and that Futaba is deathly afraid of performing a cheer in front of the student body.  Later, Masumi makes a series of surprising confessions to Taichi about her “boyfriend.”  Plus, Toma, the captain of the school's baseball team, looks for success at the high school summer tournament

[This volume includes the bonus story, “After the Festival.”]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Blue Flag manga is not any one thing.  It is a mixture of genres and themes:  romance, high school drama, coming-of-age, shonen, LGBTQ, and light comedy.

Blue Flag Graphic Novel Volume 2 is my first experience with the series.  The series is so easy to read that readers do not have to read the first volume to understand the story.  I would, however, recommend that due to the ending of Vol. 2 readers at least start the series with the second volume and not start with the third volume.

Kaito presents characters that are likable, even lovable, simply because the four leads have genuinely different personalities.  That makes the desire, yearning, self-doubt, and internal and external conflict feel real because the characters are truly seeing things from their own different points of view.  This is a high school romance that has dramatic heft.  As usual, readers get a superb English translation from Adrienne Beck that makes every thing resonate with the reader.  Also as usual, Annaliese Christman's lettering sets the tone for individual moments as well as for larger scenes.

I am utterly shocked by how much I like this second volume of Blue Flag.  Honestly, I didn't expect much because of the title and Vol. 2's cover illustration.  Neither hints at how powerful the story is.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of coming-of-age stories and of LGBTQ-themed manga will want to read the “VIZ Signature” title Blue Flag.

10 out of 10

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


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

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#IReadsYou Review: SCOOBY-DOO, Where Are You? #104

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? #104 (2010)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Sholly Fisch; Scott Cunningham; John Rozum
PENCILS: Scott Jeralds; Karen Matchette; Matt I. Jenkins
INKS: Scott Jeralds; Karen Matchette; Matt I. Jenkins
COLORS: Rock Candy; Heroic Age
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte; Mike Sellers; Rob Clark Jr.
EDITORS: Courtney Jordan; Michael Siglain (reprint); Harvey Richards (reprint)
COVER: Walter Carzon and Horacio Ottolini with Silvana Brys
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (July 2020)

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

“Get on Board”

Welcome, dear readers, to my continuing journey through the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series, which began publication in 2010.  I renewed my subscription (for a second time), and this is the sixth issue of my third subscription run that I have received.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #104 opens with “Get on Board,” which is written by Sholly Fisch and drawn by Scott Jeralds.  Mystery Inc.:  Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma have responded to a call from Toni, a young woman who is running the skateboarding event,  the “Z Games” (a stand in for the real-world extreme sports event, “The X-Games”).  It seems the games are being haunted by a gremlin with the power to destroy the competitors' skateboards.  Can Mystery Inc. put an end to this gremlin and save the games?

The second story, “The Creature from the Rainbow Waterpark,” is, as usual, a reprint and is written by Scott Cunningham and drawn by Karen Matchette.  [This story was originally published in Scooby-Doo #121 (cover date: August 2007).]  On the road and looking for a chance to get away from the heat of the summer, the gang stops at “Rainbow Waterpark,” and immediately discover that some kind of fish-monster is plaguing the park.  The park's owners, “the Rainbow Twins,” brothers Allen and Alfred, blame a rival park.  But is there more to this monster attack sabotage?

The third story, “Car-Tastrophe,” is also a reprint story and is written by John Rozum and drawn by Matt I. Jenkins.  [This story was originally published in Scooby-Doo #153 (cover date: April 2010).]  When Mystery Inc. is on the road and the Mystery Machine blows a gasket, the gang calls into the talk show, “Car Chat,” on the National People's Radio network.  Brothers Tim “Cling” Thunk-It and Roy “Clang” Thunk-It dispense the automobile repair advice, and lately, Fred has had to call them quite often.  However, when a mysterious caller, naming himself “The Phantom of the Air,” starts haunting them over the air, the Thunk-It brothers turn to Mystery Inc.  Can the gang solve this radio mystery and catch a wily phantom?

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #104 is probably the best issue of this series that I have read in at least a year.  “Get on Board” is not a standout story, although I like the skateboarding competition setting and having the “monster” be a gremlin that dresses like... a “skater boy.”  The solution to “The Creature from the Rainbow Waterpark” involves one of those “mazes for kids” puzzles that are includes in some comics and magazines aimed at young readers.

“Car-Tastrophe” is what makes Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #104 an exceptional entry in this series.  The “Car Chat” radio show is a spoof of the real-life “Car Talk” radio show that aired on National Public Radio (NPR) from 1977 to 2012.  This story also spoofs NPR with National Peoples Radio, and the “Thunk-It Brothers” spoof Car Talk's “Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers” (who were really brothers, Tom and Ray Magliozzi).  If you, dear readers, remember “Car Talk,” this story will work for you and come across as funny.  If you are not familiar with the show, I am not sure that this story will really work for you.

I recommend Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #104 to fans of Scooby-Doo comic books with a heartier-than-usual recommendation.  So, until next time, Scooby-Dooby-Doo!

B+
7 out of 10

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


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#IReadsYou Review: NIGHTSCHOOL: The Weirn Books Collector's Edition 1

NIGHTSCHOOL: THE WEIRN BOOKS – COLLECTOR'S EDITION 1
YEN PRESS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST:  Svetlana Chmakova
TONES: Dee DuPuy
LETTERS: JuYoun Lee
ISBN: 978-1-9753-1289-3; paperback (May 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
396pp, B&W with some color, $24.00 U.S., $31.50 CAN

Nightschool: The Weirn Books is an American or original English-language (OEL) manga written and illustrated by Svetlana Chmakova.  A supernatural fantasy, Nightschool first appeared as a 24-chapter serial in the monthly manga magazine, Yen Plus, from 2008 to 2010.  Yen Press later collected the manga in a four-volume graphic novel series.

In anticipation of the impending release of Chmakova's new graphic novel, The Weirn Books, Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods, Yen Press is collecting the four Nightschool: The Weirn Books as two mini-omnibus paperback graphic novels.  Nightschool: The Weirn Books Collector's Edition 1 collects Nightschool: The Weirn Books, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 6) and Nightschool: The Weirn Books, Vol. 2 (Chapters 7 to 12) in one book.  Collector's Edition 2 will collect Nightschool: The Weirn Books, Vol. 3 and Nightschool: The Weirn Books, Vol. 4 in one book.

Nightschool: The Weirn Books Collector's Edition 1 is the subject of this review.  Nightschool focuses on Alexius “Alex” Treveney, a 13-year-old “weirn” (a particular breed of witch).  Talented, Alex has always been home-schooled, but she is about to have a reason to go to a public school.

Alex's older sister, Sarah Treveney, works at PS 13W, where there is a “Dayschool” and a “Nightschool.”  Sarah is the new “Nightkeeper” at “Nightschool,” the place where vampires, werewolves, and weirns learn the fundamentals of everything from calculus and spell-casting.  When Sarah vanishes and all memory and evidence of her existence is erased, Alex is determined to get to the bottom of it.

What better place to start than Sarah's place of employment, Benjamin Theron Nightschool a.k.a. PS 13W.  Sneaking into Nightschool is difficult, however, so Alex must enroll at the school.  Is she prepared for what she mind find, which includes conspiracies, broken seals, and a secret conflict between the city's supernatural communities?

[This volume includes the “Afterwords” for Volumes 1 and 2]

I requested a copy for review of The Weirn Books, Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods shortly after I received a press release announcing it.  Later, I received a box of review copies and a copy of Nightschool: The Weirn Books Collector's Edition 1 was among them.  Initially I thought Nightschool was the new Weirn Books title.  But the cover images did not match, and Nightschool seemed, to me, bigger than it should be if it were new release.

Several minutes of Internet research later, I discovered Nightschool: The Weirn Books, of which I had never heard, although I had heard of Svetlana Chmakova.  I did not know what to make of it upon first glance, but after reading Collector's Edition 1, I now know what to make of it.  Nightschool is a fantastic young readers graphic novel, and I am confident that it is a comic book that I would have read if such comics existed when I was a middle-grade, YA, and teen reader (which they didn't).

One of the first things that surprised me was that, although Alex is the story's main character, her aunt, Sarah Treveney, seems to be the dominate player for much of the story's first six chapters.  Chmakova reveals more of her personality than she does of Alex's.  Sarah is a peacemaker, and although she often seems meek, she is clearly open to new ideas (such as creating school activity clubs for the Nightschool students).  When she disappears, I genuinely regretted seeing her go.

Alex dominates the remainder of the first six chapters and of Chapters 7 to 12.  Although she has bouts of fear, Alex is a strong and forceful character; she is bold and takes initiative.  That boldness is what allows us to discover the other characters and subplots as well follow Alex.

Besides Alex or perhaps connected to her, Chmakova has a lot going on in these first 12 chapters, which are breezy, enthralling reads.  However, she offers enough characters, settings, and plot lines stuffed in 12 chapters for 24 chapters.  If Nightschool were not such a good read, that would be a problem.  A lot of the elements in these first 12 chapters:  names, groups, connects, relationships, obligations, conflicts, etc. are needlessly oblique and mysterious.  You know, there is nothing wrong with using a caption box in which to indicate the name of a character or group.

Still, I love Nightschool: The Weirn Books Collector's Edition 1.  I could read the second collection right this minute.

8 out of 10

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


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#IReadsYou Review: TOILET-BOUND HANAKO-KUN: Volume 1

TOILET-BOUND HANAKO-KUN, VOL. 1
YEN PRESS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGA-KA: AidaIro
TRANSLATION: Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley
LETTERS: Jesse Moriarty and Tania Biswas
ISBN: 978-1-9753-3287-7; paperback (January 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
178pp, B&W with some color pages, $13.00 U.S., $17.00 CAN

Jibaku Shōnen Hanako-kun is a Japanese manga series by AidaIro, the pen name of an artist named “Aida” and a writer named “Iro.”  It has been serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine, Monthly G Fantasy, since 2014.  Yen Press is publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a graphic novel series, entitled Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun.  Yen originally published the first volume as an eBook in August 2017.

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5)  introduces Nene Yashiro, an occult-loving girl entering her first year of high school at Kamome Academy.  This school is also infamous for its “school ghost stories” known as the “Seven Mysteries.”  “No. 7” of the Seven Mysteries is the ghost story of Hanako-san of the Toilet.  Said to occupy the third stall of the third floor girls' bathroom in the old school building, Hanako-san, the ghost of former female student, grants any wish when summoned.

“Hanako-san, Hanako-san...are you there?” Nene Yashiro calls out, as she ventures into the haunted bathroom.  The Hanako-san she meets there, however, is nothing like she imagined.  Kamome Academy's Hanako-san is actually Hanako-kun, a boy!

[This volume includes bonus manga, “Teach Me, Hanako-kun: Ideals Arc,” and “Translation Notes.”]

Yen Press launched the print edition of the Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun manga this past January.  The publisher initially released the first volume of the series as an eBook back in 2017.

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun Graphic Novel Volume 1 shows all the signs of being a narrative that is very early in the story.  Nene Yashiro and Hanako-kun have potential, but, at this point, creators AidaIro don't focus much on character development.  They zero in on introducing the supernatural world of this series and on bringing in the first supernatural adversaries that the heroes will face.

The art is playful in style, and the graphical storytelling is shadowy and abstract, which heightens the atmosphere of the supernatural and of the otherworldly.  The translation by Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley conveys the sense of young characters still learning their stations, even in the case of Hanako-kun.  Vol. 1 also ends with a killer of a cliffhanger, and that makes it likely that readers will heavily consider returning for the second volume.

7 out of 10

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


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#IReadsYou Review: VAMPIRE KNIGHT: Memories Volume 4

VAMPIRE KNIGHT: MEMORIES VOL. 4
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Matsuri Hino
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Nancy Thislethwaite
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1076-8; paperback (March 2020); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
208pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Vampire Knight is a vampire romance and shojo manga from creator Matsuri Hino.  It was first serialized in the shojo manga magazine, LaLa, from 2004 to 2013.  It was collected in 19 tankōbon (similar to a graphic novel), and VIZ Media published the manga in an English-language edition as a graphic novel series under its “Shojo Beat” format.

Vampire Knight is set in and around Cross Academy, a school for vampires (the “Night Class”) and humans (the “Day Class”) and focused mostly on the following characters: Headmaster Kaien Cross; his stepdaughter, Yuki Cross, a pure-blood vampire; Zero Kiryu, a human suffering from the curse of the vampire; and Kaname Kuran, the progenitor of a pure-blood vampire family line.  At the end of Vampire Knight, Kaname sacrifices his body to create new vampire-killing weapons for the vampire-hunting Hunter Society and then, sleeps for a thousand years.

A few years after the end of the original series, Hino began producing a series of “special chapters.”  These “Memories” are chapters that recount the events which occurred during Kaname's slumber.  VIZ Media publishes Vampire Knight: Memories annually as a single-volume graphic novel.

Vampire Knight: Memories, Vol. 4 opens with the story, “Dark Shadows of the Underground.”  It is a precarious time in the relationship between vampires and humans.  A mysterious group calling itself the “Vampire King” has launched a terrorist campaign of bombings.  Yuki and Zero are determined to capture the Vampire King, a mission that will take them deep into the underground areas beneath the city.  With the help of Maria Kurenai, a young leader in the Hunter Society, they close in on the quarry.  Their target, however, is also prepared for them and has plans to take prisoners.

In “One Step After a Hundred Years,” Yuki realizes just how shocking what she blurted out to Zero is.  What will she do about what she said?  Is she willing to join Zero in a life-changing event?  Finally, in the stories, “The Hope Inside a Photo Album” and “Goodbye and Hello,” a rabble-rousing human mayor of a nearby city pulls a publicity stunt that leads to Headmaster Cross making a decision that will have momentous consequences.

[This volume includes the bonus story, “The End of a Certain Lady;” the one-page comic, “Memories of Little Consequence;” and “Editor's Notes.”]

I am a fan of the Vampire Knight manga, although I did not like the final graphic novel, Vampire Knight, Vol. 19.  As for the Vampire Knight: Memories manga, the various chapters have been of uneven quality.  Some are exceptionally good, while others run the gamut from good, to bad, to average. The graphic novel collections have been good, especially Vol. 2, and Vol. 3 stood out by focusing on romance.

Vampire Knight: Memories Graphic Novel Volume 4 picks up on a theme and plot line that began to play out in Vol. 3 – the rising tensions between humans and vampires after a period of peace between the two races.  Vol. 4 is filled with tense stand-offs, kidnappings, rescues, subterfuge, suspicion, bombings, and mad scientists.  There is also some romance and a shocking turn of events that I do not want to spoil.  I can say that in the chapters that comprise Vol. 4, creator Matsuri Hino has brought back the mystery and the violence and the romance and the drama that were the highlights of the best chapters in the original run of Vampire Knight.

Tetsuichiro Miyaki (translation) and Nancy Thislethwaite (English adaptation) do stellar work conveying the deep feelings of love and family between characters like Yuki, Zero, Headmaster Cross, and Ren and Ai (Yuki and Kaname's children).  They also capture the heartfelt emotions, the sadness, and the sense of hope that define the end of Vol. 4.  Inori Fukuda Trant's lovely and quiet lettering emphasizes the drama with power that lingers after the final page.

Fans of the original series would serve themselves well to obtain this fourth volume of Vampire Knight: Memories, especially if they have not really followed the series since its English-language debut in 2017.  Vol 4 is a winner for sure.

10 out of 10

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


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


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