DC Comics New Comic Books – Tuesday, May 19, 2020:
New Comic Books:
DCeased: Unkillables #3 (of 3)
The Dollhouse Family #6 (of 6)
The Flash GIANT #4
Plunge #3 (of 6)
Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #10 (of 12)
Red Hood: Outlaw #45
Wonder Woman #755
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 (3rd Printing)
New Collected Editions:
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy
Nightwing: The Gray Son Legacy
Stargirl by Geoff Johns
The Flash by Mark Waid Book Seven
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Sunday, May 17, 2020
Saturday, May 16, 2020
#IReadsYou Review: TWIN STAR EXORCISTS Volume 14
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
MANGAKA: Yoshiaki Sukeno
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Bryant Turnage
LETTERS: Stephen Dutro
EDITOR: Annette Roman
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0394-4; paperback (January 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
208pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.
Sōsei no Onmyōji is a shonen manga series written and illustrated by Yoshiaki Sukeno. The manga has been serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Jump Square (Shueisha, Inc.), since October 2013. VIZ Media is publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a series of graphic novels, entitled Twin Star Exorcists. VIZ has released the series first under its “Shonen Jump Advanced” imprint, and then, under its “Shonen Jump” imprint twice a year since July 2015.
Twin Star Exorcists focuses on Rokuro Enmado. He did not want to be an exorcist, but he met a mysterious girl named Benio Adashino. This 14-year-old was serious about being an exorcist, and she wanted to fight the monstrous creatures called Kegare. Because their destinies are intertwined, Rokuro and Benio are called the “Twin Star Exorcists.” They are fated to marry... and to conceive the “Prophesied Child.”
As Twin Star Exorcists, Vol. 14 (Chapters 49 to 52) opens, “the Hadare Castle Imperial Tournament” continues. The match between Shimon Ikuraga, “the Twelve Guardian Vermillion Bird,” and Unomiya Family head, Tenma Unomiya, takes a sudden, shocking, and ugly turn, so the tournament ends. Later, Rokuro's performance in the tournament impresses many, and more people, including entire families, request to join his recently formed “Enmado Family.”
Meanwhile, Benio continues her quest to regain her spiritual power, and it seems the only one who can help her make real headway is Kamui... the kegare that killed her parents! Kamui will lead Benio to Chinu, reputed to be the oldest and most powerful kegare, the one who can tell Benio how to restore her spiritual powers. However, collaborating with kegare could not only get her expelled as an exorcist, but it could also get her executed as a traitor. Plus, Chinu, of course, has so many shocking and unbelievable things to tell the young exorcist.
[This volume includes bonus comics, text, and concept art (on exorcist “hunting gear”).]
THE LOWDOWN: The Twin Star Exorcists manga is usually in a constant state of flux, as creator Yoshiaki Sukeno introduces new characters and new subplots at a steady rate. Then, there are times when the constant state of change is one big change.
Twin Star Exorcists Graphic Novel Volume 14, if what we learn within these chapters is true, will be one of the series' game-changing entries. Yoshiaki Sukeno never lets readers feel comfortable with this series. True, it is a battle manga, but it is also a dark fantasy story replete with elements of gruesome horror and gory monster fiction, and Vol. 14 gives us an origin of that gruesome and gore. Sukeno also offers a pivotal moment in Benio Adashino's development. What does she really want?, this volume seems to ask.
Once again, Tetsuichiro Miyaki (translation) and Bryant Turnage (English adaptation) deliver a strong English adaptation with an ending that will force readers to come back for more. And Stephen Dutro's lettering is perfect for this volume of utter surprises.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of action-fantasy, shonen manga will want to try the “Shonen Jump” manga, Twin Star Exorcists.
A
9.5 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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Thursday, May 14, 2020
#IReadsYou Review: THE BATMAN ADVENTURES #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics
[This review was originally posted on Pateron.]
STORY: Kelley Puckett
PENCILS: Ty Templeton
INKS: Rick Burchett
COLORS: Rick Taylor
LETTERS: Tim Harkins
EDITOR: Scott Peterson
COVER: Ty Templeton
32pp, Color, $1.25 U.S., $1.50 CAN, 60p UK (October 1992)
Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
“Penguin's Big Score”
Although it was originally simply entitled, “Batman,” one of the best animated television series of all time has been lovingly known as “Batman: The Animated Series” for well over two decades. It aired from September 1992 to September 1995 on the Fox Broadcast Company's “Fox Kids” programming block. Its first season was comprised of 65 episodes (Sept. 1992 to Sept. 1993). The second season (May 1994 to September 1995) was comprised of 20 episodes, with the last 15 episodes given the onscreen title of “The Adventures of Batman & Robin.” [By “airdate,” the series officially had four seasons.]
“Batman: The Animated Series” (also known as “Batman: TAS”) was developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian. It featured DC Comics' Batman in an animated setting that visually and graphically used Film-Noir aesthetics and an artistic presentation. The stories had a darker and more complex tone than what most superhero animated TV series had at that time.
Arriving within a week of the debut of “Batman: TAS,” DC Comics launched a comic book series entitled The Batman Adventures. It was a tie-comic book to the TV show and featured Batman stories set in the continuity of “Batman: TAS.” The Batman Adventures, which also copied the visual and graphical style of the TV show, ran for 36 issues (cover dated: October 1992 to October 1995). The creative team for the comic book's first three issues were writer Kelly Puckett; artists Ty Templeton (pencils) and Rick Burchett (inks); colorist Rick Taylor; and letterer Tim Harkins.
The Batman Adventures #1 (“Penguin's Big Score”) opens with The Penguin and his henchman eating dinner and having one of Penguin's self-improvement sessions. That session isn't going very well, but someone is willing to help them. A large, clumsily-wrapped gift has arrived at the gang's hideout. The gift turns out to be a “new Interactive TV unit” sent to Penguin and company by a well-known, fellow adversary of The Batman.
That member of Batman's “rogue's gallery” is none other than the Joker. Speaking to Penguin and company through the TV unit, the Joker presents a plan that he says will make Penguin “the most popular man in Gotham City.” This plan will also allegedly provide Penguin with a chance to get under Batman's skin. However, in the end, who will really benefit from this plot when Batman puts all his brains and brawn and skill to the challenge of the Joker's plot?
Some fans, reviewers, critics, etc. consider “Batman: TAS” to be the best adaptation of Batman anywhere outside of comics. I agree, even when considering director Christopher Nolan's incredible 2008 Batman film, The Dark Knight. Back in the 1990s, I often came across commentary in both print and electronic media that declared that The Batman Adventures was the best Batman comic book of the time. I cannot stay that definitively, as I did not read very many Batman comic books in the 1990s. The few issues of The Batman Adventures that I did read during its original run did interest me more than any contemporaneous Batman comic book.
Prior to reading The Batman Adventures, I had been able to read reprints of many of the Batman comic books and stories published in the early years of the character, from 1939 into the early 1940s. I also read Batman comic books published in the 1950s and 1960s – either in reprint form or as tattered old originals. As much as I loved Frank Miller's seminal, 1986 miniseries, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, I preferred (and still prefer) the Batman comic books that were published during the character's first 25 years of existence. I also came to discover a world of wonderful Batman comic books that were published from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s.
Back in the 1990s, The Batman Adventures reminded me of the Batman of the “Golden Age” of American comic books and of the early years of the “Silver Age.” Reading it today, The Batman Adventures reminds me of all that Batman comic books that I truly love. I really cannot say that about the Batman comic books being published today.
Returning to The Batman Adventures also makes me want to watch “Batman: TAS,” which I have not done in probably over a decade. So my review of The Batman Adventures #1 is this: It has a simple, clean, classic look that summons the pure essence of Batman, in terms of art, illustration, graphics, and visuals. It has a straightforward story that plays off what is familiar about Batman, his allies, his adversaries, his world, and his mission. That is why The Batman Adventures is a comic book worth reading again, from time to time.
The Batman Adventures should not be forgotten. That may be why DC Comics recently began publishing a new comic book miniseries that returns us to the world of “Batman: TAS.” It is entitled Batman: The Adventures Continue. I think I'll try it.
[This first issue contains an afterword by editor Scott Peterson.]
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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Wednesday, May 13, 2020
#IReadsYou Review: CASTE HEAVEN Volume 1
SUBLIME MANGA/Libre – @SuBLimeManga
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
MANGAKA: Chise Ogawa – @ogawaccc
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
LETTERS: Deborah Fisher
EDITOR: Jennifer LeBlanc
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1245-8; paperback (March 2020); Rated “M” for “Mature”
220pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $17.99 CAN, £8.99 UK
Caste Heaven is a yaoi manga from mangaka, Chise Ogawa. Yaoi manga is a subset of boys' love (or BL) manga, which depicts amorous situations between male romantic leads. Yaoi manga usually features explicit depictions of sex between those male leads. Caste Heaven focuses on a group of high school students who play a cruel game that determines class rank... and who's on top.
Caste Heaven, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1-6) introduces Class 2-1. The students in this class play a secret game called the “Caste Game.” Students hunt the campus for playing cards that will determine the class' rigid hierarchy. The highest value card is the “King” card, and the lowest card is the “Joker.” The one who finds the “King” card becomes the king (or queen). The one who finds the “Joker” card becomes “the target” or “the bullied one,” and is subject to extreme pain and humiliation from all the other students – especially from the king.
The past school year, Yuya Azusa, has been the king. Ruthless and arrogant, he lorded his status over the other students. This is a new school year, however, and it is time to play the Caste Game again. Azusa plots to be king again, but after he is betrayed, he may have to accept a new position – the new king's bitch!
[This volume includes bonus story, “Behind the Game,” and an “Afterword.”]
The Caste Heaven yaoi manga tells a story in the spirit of many manga. There is an implausible scenario, but if the author (or mangaka) can weave a captivating story from that implausible premise, the result can be a winning manga.
Caste Heaven Graphic Novel Volume 1 starts off from its first page with a ridiculous concept. Honestly, I didn't think that I could finish this first volume, but then, I started to enjoy the struggle that creator Chise Ogawa depicts. Azusa and the other characters in these first chapters struggle with what they really want, with what they really think, and with whom they really want. There is a conflict between what they present to society at large (in this case, their high school class) and what they reveal in intimate settings when they are with the person they (might) love... or the person that makes them hot and horny.
Adrienne Beck's translation expertly captures the inconsistencies, the vagaries, the fickleness, and the angst. Beck reveals how this series moves from raunchy lust to love and hot sex... that could end up being real love...”?
7 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
SubBLimeManga.com
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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Tuesday, May 12, 2020
#IReadsYou Review: DRAGON BALL SUPER Volume 4
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
STORY: Akira Toriyama
ART: Toyotarou
TRANSLATION: Toshikazu Aizawa
LETTERS: Paolo Gattone and Chiara Antonelli
EDITOR: Marlene First
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0144-5; paperback (January 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK
Dragon Ball was a long-running Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984 to 1995 and was comprised of 519 individual chapters. The hero of Dragon Ball was Son Goku, and the series began with the story of his childhood.
Dragon Ball Super is a sequel to the Dragon Ball manga and to the “Dragon Ball Z” anime series. Dragon Ball Super is written by Toriyama and drawn by Toyotarou, a writer-artist who has already produced Dragon Ball spin-off manga. This new series is set several months after Goku's victory that brought peace back to Earth. Goku and his friends must defend Earth, this time from fighters from other universes and timelines.
As Dragon Ball Super, Vol. 4 (Chapters 21 to 24; entitled “Last Chance for Hope”) opens, Goku and Vegeta return from the world of “Future Trunks.” It was there that they got their butts handed to them by “Goku Black,” a mysterious warrior who looks exactly like Goku.
It turns out the Goku Black is really Zamas, the Lord of Lords from Universe 10, teamed-up with another Zamas. Now, Goku trains with Master Roshi to perfect the technique, “Matū-ba,” which he can use to seal Goku Black. When Goku and Vegeta return to the Future Trunks future parallel universe – with more allies – they find the two Zamas have come up with a way to make themselves seemingly unbeatable.
[This manga includes a bonus story.]
THE LOWDOWN: While I am an occasional reader of Dragon Ball manga, I do enjoy the series. The Dragon Ball Super manga is a nice fresh start for new readers.
Dragon Ball Super Graphic Novel Volume 4 follows Vols. 2 and 3, which moved the series beyond its original premise – the fight between Universes 6 and 7. It is true that the new direction can be a little confusing because the reader has to keep up with characters from multiple universes and timelines and also with a few duplicate characters from other timelines and universes.
Still, Vol. 4 is an example of a quintessential battle manga, and I have to admit that it is a fun read, and Toshikazu Aizawa's translation is quite useful Letterers Paolo Gattone and Chiara Antonelli continue to pack the chapters in each volume with explosive sound effects that go just right with the kinetic battles. And thanks to that cliffhanger, I want to come back for more.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Readers looking for more Dragon Ball will want to try the “Shonen Jump” title, Dragon Ball Super.
A-
7.5 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 or syndication rights and fees.
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Monday, May 11, 2020
DC Comics On-Sale May 12, 2020
DC Comics New Comic Books – Tuesday,
May 12, 2020:
New Comic Books:
Justice League #44
Justice League Odyssey #20
Lois Lane #10
Metal Men #6
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Friday, May 8, 2020
#IReadsYou Review: SQUADRON SUPREME #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
WRITERS: James Robinson
PENCILS: Leonard Kirk
INKS: Paul Neary
COLORS: Frank Martin
LETTERS: Travis Lanham
COVER: Alex Ross
VARIANT COVERS: Leonard Kirk with Jesus Aburto; Mike Del Mundo (Hip Hop variant); John Tyler Christopher (action figure variant)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2016)
The Squadron Supreme is a Marvel Comics superhero team. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the group first appeared in a story arc that was published in Avengers #85–86 (cover dated: February to March 1971). The Squadron Supreme's membership was initially based on DC Comics' characters. The core members of the Squadron Supreme were Hyperion (Superman), Nighthawk (Batman), Doctor Spectrum (Green Lantern), Power Princess (Wonder Woman), and the Whizzer (Flash).
Throughout its history, the Squadron Supreme has made sporadic appearances in various Marvel Comics titles. For a time, the group's most memorable run came in Squadron Supreme, a 12-issue miniseries, published from mid-1985 to mid-1986 and written by the late Mark Gruenwald.
With the advent of the All-New, All-Different Marvel, the Squadron Supreme returns in a new ongoing comic book series, featuring, in some cases, alternate version of the characters that comprised the group's core membership. Squadron Supreme is written by James Robinson; drawn by Leonard Kirk (pencils) and Paul Neary (inks); colored by Frank Martin; and lettered by Travis Lanham, with covers by Alex Ross.
Squadron Supreme #1 opens eight months after the destruction wrought by events depicted in the nine-issue miniseries, Secret Wars. Hyperion (Marcus Milton of Earth 13034), Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond of Earth 31916), Doctor Spectrum (of Earth 4290001); Power Princess (Zarda Shelton of Earth 712), and Blur (Jeff Walters of Earth 148611) have gathered as the Squadron Supreme. Their first move is to exact revenge against the man they hold responsible for the destruction of their worlds, Namor. Their next move will put many on Earth on edge.
I was a few pages into this comic book when it became obvious that it was not for me. I knew that it was unlikely that I would read another issue unless someone gave me a hard copy, because I could not see bothering to read a digital copy. It looks as if writer James Robinson is trying to recreate Warren Ellis' brilliant Wildstorm comic book, The Authority, but without a sense of humor.
There is nothing that inker Paul Neary can do for Leonard Kirk's pencils, which are... average; I don't think another word is more appropriate. This comic book is not awful. It's just average – there goes that word again.
C
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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