I Reads You Review: TRINITY BLOOD, VOL. 11

Creators: Kiyo Kyujyo (cartoonist) Sunao Yoshida (original story) with Christine Boylan (English adaptation) and Beni Axia Conrad (translation)

Publishing Information: TOKYOPOP, B&W, paperback, 188 pages, $10.99 (US), $13.99 CAN

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4278-1638-2

Action; Rated “OT” for “Older Teen Age 16+”

Trinity Blood was a series of science fiction novels by author Sunao Yoshida who died at the age of 34 before he could finish the series. Trinity Blood takes place in a distant future, after Armageddon and during a time called the Second Moon. A seemingly perpetual war rages between vampires and humans. Using character designs by Thores Shibamoto, manga-ka Kiyo Kyujyo created the Trinity Blood manga.

As Trinity Blood, Vol. 11 begins, Esther Blanchett, the Lady Saint, has joined forces with the rebellious vampire, Scheherazade (“Schera”) al-Rahman. But wait! Schera just attacked Esther! Why has the Lady Saint betrayed the Vatican?

Now, the Vatican is using this supposed betrayal to create another martyr and has sent Monica Argento a.k.a. the Black Widow to the city of Istvan to kill Esther and Schera. Father Abel Nightroad (Trinity Blood’s star), at the behest of the young Pope who loves Esther, races to Istvan to save Esther. Many other players, however, plan on joining the chase, but whose side will each new player take?

Some years ago, I read a Trinity Blood manga for the first time. Back then, I’d already seen a few episodes of the Trinity Blood anime and had also read two of Sunao Yoshida’s original novels. Although I enjoyed the manga, Trinity Blood, Vol. 1, I found it wanting compared to the anime and novels. However, I find this 11th volume of the manga to be a huge improvement over that first volume.

First of all, the four chapters found herein (Chapters 39-42) are actually coherent, which is a bit unusual for a franchise that seems to suffer occasionally from narrative wanderlust. While these chapters have the usual palace intrigue and court conspiracies, there are also cool fights and cleverly staged action sequences, including one that is right out of a Hollywood action blockbuster. Plus, Kiyo Kyujyo (who also uses the name Kiyo QJO) creates kinetic art that is as beautiful as ever.

The first time I read a Trinity Blood manga, I didn’t feel the need to read more. Now, I have to hope that Vol. 12 isn’t out of print.

A-

March Explodes with VIZ Media Titles for the iPad

MARCH MANGA MADNESS LAUNCHES FOR THE VIZ MANGA APP FOR THE iPAD

VIZ Manga App Surpasses 100 Volumes Milestone in March; All Volume 1’s Available For Download in March For Only $0.99

VIZ Media continues to rapidly expand its online library of manga (graphic novel) titles available from the FREE VIZ MANGA APP for the Apple® iPad™ mobile device. By the end of March, over 100 volumes will be available for download. To celebrate, a special March-only promotion will launch that makes all Volume 1 manga titles available for only $0.99 (instead of $4.99).

After shopping, also enter to win a $50 iTunes gift card by taking the VIZ Manga App survey. The latest updates for the first week of March feature new additions to 8 of the 16 popular VIZ Media series currently available. More special offers will be announced throughout the month and users should check the App frequently for new announcements.

The VIZ MANGA APP is available for FREE through the iTunes Store and manga volumes are generally available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada within the application for $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) per volume. The VIZ MANGA APP also now features a new software upgrade (Version 3.0), which delivers better functionality including bookmarks, improved storage, navigation, and the ability to browse-by-series in the "My Manga" library. Push notifications will also automatically notify users when new volumes of favorite bookmarked titles are added.

Sixteen series are now available on the VIZ Manga App; manga volumes available this week include:

BAKUMAN｡ Vol. 2
BLEACH Vol. 9
CAPTIVE HEARTS Vol. 2
CLAYMORE Vol. 4
D.GRAY MAN Vol. 5
DEATH NOTE Vol. 7
DRAGON BALL Vol. 14
MERUPURI Vol. 2
NARUTO Vol. 15
NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS Vol. 1
ONE PIECE Vol. 15
OTOMEN Vol. 3
OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB Vol. 3
RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 7
TORIKO Vol. 2
VAMPIRE KNIGHT Vol. 4

The recently launched VIZ MANGA APP is the leading application to read Japanese manga on the iPad, with a downloadable library of the most popular manga series in the world. Readers are encouraged to check the app regularly, as new additions to the store and free Chapter 1 previews of other forthcoming manga series for the iPad are featured.

For more information on the VIZ MANGA APP, please visit www.VIZ.com/apps/.

Entertainment Weekly Reveals Red Skull from Captain America Movie

Entertainment Weekly sent this out:

EW.COM ‘Captain America’ EXCLUSIVE: First look at Red Skull! Plus, director Joe Johnston on why he prefers Cap to a certain man of steel


Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive first look image from this summer's 'Captain America: The First Avenger' of the ghastly villain Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), along with a Q&A with director Joe Johnston about how Captain America may be the most human of the superheroes, and certainly the most humble — a little guy who remembers what it was like to be pushed around.

See the FULL STORY at EW.com: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/03/03/captain-america-red-skull-first-look-exclusive/

Leroy Douresseaux on EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #2

EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #2

RADICAL PUBLISHING

 

CREATORS: Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl

WRITERS: M. Zachary Sherman and Matt Cirulnick
ARTIST: Colin Lorimer
COLORS: Kyushik Shin
LETTERS: Rus Wooton
COVER: Alex Maleev
28pp, Color, $3.50

Hollywood types Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl have created a new comic book miniseries for Radical Publishing. Earp: Saints for Sinners is a modern-day re-imagining of the classic Western hero, Wyatt Earp.

It is set in the near future and takes place after an event called “Black Thirty” sets off a second Great Depression. Out of the chaos of that economic meltdown, there arose a new type of bank robber. Wyatt Earp was the man who brought this new breed to justice. He shot down the ones he didn’t bring in. Earp collared more most-wanted men than anyone in history. After a violent assignment claimed the life of his brother, Virgil Earp, Wyatt became a businessman in the only boomtown left in America, Las Vegas.

In Earp: Saints for Sinners #2, the tension rises as Robin Hood takes on John Flynn, billionaire owner of the Flynn Casino. Allan Pinkerton and his private security group, the Pinkertons want Wyatt Earp to pay them protection money for his business, AOK Saloon. A woman named Josie Marcus enters the stage, where she will become a reason for conflict between the men.

If you still aren’t confused by the constant use of flashback in Earp: Saints for Sinners, you will love this violent modern-day, quasi-science fiction twist on Wyatt Earp. Full of tough guys, hardened criminals, and scantily clad women, however, this Earp comic book is more Michael Mann than it is John Ford. Colorful and fast-paced, one minor thing wrong with this is that it doesn’t seem fit the floppy, standard-sized comic book format. This is a graphic novel and should be published as one hardcover graphic novel.

B+

Kurozakuro and Ogre Burgers

I read Kurozakuro, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Joke: On Guts and Balls

Like everyone with email, I get a lot of these:

The Medical Distinction Between Guts and Balls

We've all heard about people having "guts" or "balls".

But do you really know the difference?

So, in an effort to keep you informed, here are the definitions:

GUTS is arriving home late, after a night out with the guys, being met by your wife with a broom, and having the guts to ask:

"Are you still cleaning, or are you flying somewhere?"

BALLS is coming home late, after a night out with the guys, smelling of perfume and beer, with lipstick on your collar, and having the balls to slap your wife on the butt, and say:

"You're next, chubby."

I hope this clears up any confusion on the definitions...but medically-speaking, there's no difference in the outcome.

Both result in death.

Leroy Douresseaux on ABATTOIR #3

ABATTOIR #3 (OF 6)

RADICAL PUBLISHING

CREATOR: Darren Lynn Bousman

CONCEPT: Michael Peterson
WRITERS: Rob Levin and Troy Peteri
ARTISTS: Bing Cansino, Rodell Noora, and Dennis Calero
COLORS: Andrei Pervukhin
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
COVER: Tae Young Choi
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Writer/director Darren Lynn Bousman directed Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV, among other movies. He enters the world of comic books with Abattoir, a horror comic book miniseries from Radical Publishing.

Abattoir is set in the late 1980s and takes place in a Middle America of hidden darkness and brutal murder. The story follows real estate agent Richard Ashwalt, who was struggling to sell the Mitchell house, where a brutal massacre took place. Then, a very strange old man, Jebediah Crone, shows up, wanting to buy the house even before Richard finishes cleaning it. Richard resisted the old man’s attempts, but Crone got the house anyway.

In Abattoir #3, Richard comes to see Crone as the source of all his problems, including being the lead suspect in a murder investigation. He continues his own investigation of Crone, which leads him to Newt Washington, an elderly reclusive man who once dealt with Crone. Meanwhile, the police continue to track Richard.

Although Crone only appears in flashbacks this issue, his presence hangs over the ghoulish proceedings. Gothic and macabre, Abattoir is also something of a mystery tale – a whodunit that travels along the border of the fantastique. The best thing about this is that it always leaves you wanting more.

A-