Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for February 24, 2021

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

DEC201543    200 GN    $16.99
DEC201320    ACCELERATORS TP VOL 04 FORWARDS AND BACKWARDS    $14.99
DEC201108    AMAZING BATVARK ONE SHOT    $4.00
DEC201766    ASCENCIA #2    $3.99
NOV201845    BERSERK OF GLUTTONY GN VOL 01    $12.99
DEC201220    BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #291    $7.99
JAN211093    BIG NATE IN YOUR FACE GN    $11.99
DEC201676    BLACK OF HEART #4 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
OCT201588    BLADE RUNNER TP VOL 03 HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN    $16.99
DEC201742    BLOODSHOT (2019) #11 CVR A CORONA    $3.99
DEC201743    BLOODSHOT (2019) #11 CVR B MANCO    $3.99
SEP201280    BROOKLYN GLADIATOR #4 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
DEC201653    BY THE HORNS #1 (OF 6) CVR A MUHR (MR)    $3.99
DEC201508    CHASING THE DRAGON #1 (OF 5) CVR A MENTON3    $3.99
DEC201677    CLAIM SONG OF IRE AND VICE #3 (OF 4)    $3.99
DEC201574    COLLECTED TOPPI HC VOL 05 EASTERN PATH    $24.99
OCT201506    COURTNEY CRUMRIN TP VOL 07    $12.99
JAN211175    CROSSED +100 MIMIC #1 NWO CENTURY FALL OF FANTASY A (MR)    $14.99
JAN211176    CROSSED +100 MIMIC #1 NWO CENTURY FALL OF FANTASY B (MR)    $14.99
JAN211177    CROSSED +100 MIMIC #1 NWO CENTURY FALL OF FANTASY C (MR)    $14.99
JAN211178    CROSSED +100 MIMIC #1 NWO CENTURY FALL OF FANTASY D (MR)    $14.99
JAN211179    CROSSED +100 MIMIC #3 NWO 50 SHADES CALERO (MR)    $39.99
JAN211181    CROSSED +100 MIMIC #3 NWO 50 SHADES DOOMSDAY A (MR)    $39.99
JAN211182    CROSSED +100 MIMIC #3 NWO 50 SHADES DOOMSDAY B (MR)    $39.99
JAN211180    CROSSED +100 MIMIC #5 NWO 50 SHADES ANDRADE A (MR)    $39.99
DEC201678    DAMNED CURSED CHILDREN #2 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
OCT201432    DARK WING #3 (OF 10)    $2.99
DEC201673    DEAD END KIDS SUBURBAN JOB #2 (OF 4) CVR A MADD    $3.99
DEC201318    DEVILS DOMINION #2 (MR)    $3.99
DEC201136    DISASTER INC TP    $16.99
DEC201900    DO YOU LIKE THE NERDY NURSE GN (MR)    $20.00
DEC201562    DRY FOOT TP    $14.99
DEC201146    EDGAR ALLAN POE`S SNIFTER OF BLOOD #5 (MR)    $4.99
DEC201675    EIGHTH IMMORTAL #2 (OF 4) (MR)    $3.99
DEC201679    ERA OF GREAT WONDERS #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
DEC201680    FEAR DIARIES SPECIAL ED ONESHOT    $9.99
DEC201850    FINDER DELUXE ED GN VOL 10 (MR)    $14.99
SEP201283    FISHKILL #4 (OF 4) (MR)    $3.99
OCT201413    FORBIDDEN SURGERIES OF HIDEOUS DR. DIVINUS GN    $15.95
NOV201580    FRANCIS SC (MR)    $18.00
DEC201656    FRANK AT HOME ON THE FARM #2    $3.99
OCT201499    GIRL HAVEN GN    $14.99
NOV201789    GOLDEN JAPANESQUE YOKOHAMA KARENTAN GN VOL 01    $13.00
DEC201149    GOON BUNCH OF OLD CRAP TP VOL 04    $29.99
NOV201653    GRIMM FAIRY TALES #45 CVR A VITORINO    $3.99
NOV201654    GRIMM FAIRY TALES #45 CVR B CAANAN WHITE    $3.99
NOV201655    GRIMM FAIRY TALES #45 CVR C COLLETTE TURNER    $3.99
NOV201656    GRIMM FAIRY TALES #45 CVR D KEITH GARVEY    $3.99
DEC201150    GRUMBLE TP VOL 03 MEMPHIS & BEYOND THE INFINITE    $17.99
JAN211256    HELLINA RAVENING #1 FIFTY SHADES RAVENING NUDE A (MR)    $39.99
JAN211257    HELLINA RAVENING #1 FIFTY SHADES RAVENING NUDE B (MR)    $39.99
JAN211258    HELLINA RAVENING #1 FIFTY SHADES RAVENING NUDE C (MR)    $39.99
JAN211259    HELLINA RAVENING #1 FIFTY SHADES RAVENING NUDE D (MR)    $39.99
DEC201134    I BREATHED A BODY #2    $3.99
JAN211255    JUNGLE FANTASY SECRETS BAG SET (5CT) (MR)    $23.99
DEC201137    KAIJU SCORE #4    $4.99
JUL201264    KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #280    $5.99
DEC201644    LEGACY OF MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN TP VOL 01    $12.95
DEC201098    MIRKA ANDOLFOS UNSACRED VOL 2 #4 CVR A  OLIVER VATINE (MR)    $3.99
DEC201099    MIRKA ANDOLFOS UNSACRED VOL 2 #4 CVR B ANDOLFO EDEN (MR)    $3.99
DEC201100    MIRKA ANDOLFOS UNSACRED VOL 2 #4 CVR C ANDOLFO PENCIL ART (M    $3.99
DEC201101    MIRKA ANDOLFOS UNSACRED VOL 2 #4 CVR D FERRARI (MR)    $3.99
DEC201153    MOON MAID THREE KEYS #1 CVR A ORTIZ    $3.99
DEC201154    MOON MAID THREE KEYS #1 CVR B BORELLI    $4.99
DEC201155    MOON MAID THREE KEYS #1 CVR C LTD VIRGIN ORTIZ    $9.99
AUG201632    MOORCOCK LIB ELRIC ETERNAL CHAMPION HC VOL 01    $19.99
DEC201537    NINJAS & ROBOTS #4 CVR A ERIK KLAUS    $4.99
DEC201538    NINJAS & ROBOTS #4 CVR B EPHK    $4.99
DEC201539    NINJAS & ROBOTS #4 CVR C TM SHOWERS    $4.99
DEC201460    NOBODY LIKES YOU GRETA GRUMP GN    $16.99
DEC201131    NUCLEAR FAMILY #1 SHASTEEN CVR    $4.99
DEC201854    OSSAN IDOL MANGA GN VOL 02 (RES)    $12.99
DEC201311    PARANORMAL HITMEN #1 (OF 4) CVR A GANDOLPHO (MR)    $3.99
DEC201312    PARANORMAL HITMEN #1 (OF 4) CVR B GANDOLPHO (MR)    $3.99
DEC208153    PHANTOM STARKILLER #1 3RD PTG    $3.99
DEC201777    ROBYN HOOD IRON MAIDEN #2 (OF 2) CVR A COCCOLO    $5.99
DEC201778    ROBYN HOOD IRON MAIDEN #2 (OF 2) CVR B WHITE    $5.99
DEC201779    ROBYN HOOD IRON MAIDEN #2 (OF 2) CVR C BURNS    $5.99
DEC201114    ROCK & ROLL BIOGRAPHIES OINGO BOINGO (RES)    $3.50
OCT201436    SAVAGE CIRCUS #3 (OF 10) (MR)    $2.99
DEC201319    SHI NO KAGE #2 (OF 3)    $3.99
DEC201897    SOLO LEVELING GN VOL 01 (MR)    $20.00
DEC201907    SWORD ART ONLINE PROJECT ALICIZATION GN VOL 02    $13.00
DEC201141    SYMPATHY FOR NO DEVILS #5    $3.99
DEC201511    TAARNA (2020) #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
DEC201321    TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #126 (MR)    $3.99
NOV201792    TOILET BOUND HANAKO KUN GN VOL 07    $13.00
DEC201681    TOUCHING EVIL #13    $3.99
JAN211184    UBER #0 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $8.99
JAN211185    UBER #1 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211194    UBER #10 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211195    UBER #11 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211196    UBER #12 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211197    UBER #13 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211198    UBER #14 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211199    UBER #15 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211200    UBER #16 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211201    UBER #17 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211202    UBER #18 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211203    UBER #19 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211186    UBER #2 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211204    UBER #20 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211205    UBER #21 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211206    UBER #22 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211207    UBER #23 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211208    UBER #24 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211209    UBER #25 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211210    UBER #26 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211211    UBER #27 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211187    UBER #3 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211188    UBER #4 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211189    UBER #5 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211190    UBER #6 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211192    UBER #8 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211193    UBER #9 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
JAN211183    UBER SPECIAL #1 BLITZKRIEG VAR (MR)    $5.99
NOV201603    VAGRANT QUEEN TP VOL 02 A PLANET CALLED DOOM    $17.99
DEC201570    VILLAINOUS #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
DEC201682    WARCORNS COMBAT UNICORNS FOR HIRE #2 (OF 4) (MR)    $3.99
NOV201861    WHO SAYS WARRIORS CANT BE BABES GN VOL 03 (MR)    $12.99
DEC201608    X-VENTURE XPLORERS HC VOL 02 CLASH OF TITANS    $16.99
DEC201607    X-VENTURE XPLORERS SC VOL 02 CLASH OF TITANS    $12.99
DEC201300    YEAR ZERO VOL 2 #4 (MR)    $3.99
DEC201619    ZOO PATROL SQUAD GN VOL 02 RUN MONSTER RUN (RES)    $12.99

MAGAZINES

DEC201381    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1749    $PI
DEC201576    COMICS REVUE PRESENTS FEBRUARY 2021    $19.95
DEC201515    HORRORHOUND #87    $6.99
NOV201388    ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE #71    $15.00

BOOKS

DEC201918    BANISHED HEROES PARTY QUIET LIFE COUNTRYSIDE NOVEL SC VOL 02    $15.00
OCT201919    BERSERK WITH DARKNESS INK HC    $29.95
DEC201919    CERTAIN MAGICAL INDEX SS LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 02    $15.00
DEC201450    CRASHPAD HC GARY PANTER    $39.99
NOV201214    CRUMBS WORLD HC    $45.00
DEC201923    DEATH MARCH PARALLEL WORLD RHAPSODY NOVEL SC VOL 13    $15.00
DEC201713    DEATH STRANDING NOVELIZATION    $16.00
OCT201920    IMPACT OF AKIRA HC    $29.95
NOV201809    KONOSUBA LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 13    $14.00
DEC201497    OVERSTREET CBPG #1 2ND PTG FACSIMILE ED LTD S&N HC    $50.00
DEC201496    OVERSTREET CBPG #1 2ND PTG HC FACSIMILE ED    $25.00
DEC201495    OVERSTREET CBPG #1 2ND PTG SC FACSIMILE ED    $16.95
DEC201926    RE ZERO SLIAW LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 15    $14.00
NOV201869    SKELETON KNIGHT IN ANOTHER WORLD LIGHT NOVEL VOL 08    $13.99
JAN211282    STAR WARS ALPHABET SQUADRON HC NOVEL VICTORYS PRICE    $28.99
NOV201221    STAR WARS HIGH REPUBLIC YA HC NOVEL TEST OF COURAGE    $14.99
DEC201927    SWORD ART ONLINE ALT GUN GALE LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 08    $15.00
OCT201921    WORKS OF HAYAO MIYAZAKI HC    $29.95

DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for February 23, 2021

DC COMICS:

Batman Black And White #3 (Of 6)(Cover A Joshua Middleton), $5.99
Batman Black And White #3 (Of 6)(Cover B Sana Takeda), AR
Batman Black And White #3 (Of 6)(Cover C Khary Randolph Poison Ivy Variant), AR
Batman Gotham Knights Contested TP, $29.99
Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Sean Murphy), $4.99
Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn #5 (Of 6)(Cover B Matteo Scalera), AR
Catwoman Volume 4 Come Home Alley Cat TP, $19.99
Crisis On Multiple Earths Volume 1 Crossing Over TP, $39.99
DC Connect Checklist Poster #9, AR
Ex Machina Compendium Volume 2 TP, $59.99
Future State Aquaman #2 (Of 2)(Cover A Daniel Sampere), $3.99
Future State Aquaman #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Khary Randolph Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Batman Superman #2 (Of 2)(Cover A David Marquez), $3.99
Future State Batman Superman #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Arthur Adams Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Dark Detective #4 (Of 4)(Cover A Dan Mora), $5.99
Future State Dark Detective #4 (Of 4)(Cover B Brian Bolland Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Legion Of Super-Heroes #2 (Of 2)(Cover A Riley Rossmo), $3.99
Future State Legion Of Super-Heroes #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Ian MacDonald Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Suicide Squad #2 (Of 2)(Cover A Javi Fernandez), $5.99
Future State Suicide Squad #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Superman House Of El #1 (One Shot)(Cover A Yanick Paquette), $5.99
Future State Superman House Of El #1 (One Shot)(Cover B Jay Anacleto Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Superman Vs Imperious Lex #2 (Of 3)(Cover A Yanick Paquette), $3.99
Future State Superman Vs Imperious Lex #2 (Of 3)(Cover B Skan Card Stock Variant), AR
Generations Forged #1 (One Shot)(Cover A Liam Sharp), $9.99
Generations Forged #1 (One Shot)(Cover B Rafael Albuquerque Variant), AR
Joker War Saga HC, $39.99
Nubia Real One TP, $16.99
Superman By Grant Morrison Omnibus HC, $75.00
Swamp Thing The Bronze Age Volume 3 TP, $39.99
Tales From The DC Dark Multiverse TP, $24.99
Teen Titans Volume 4 Robin No More TP, $19.99

#28DaysofBlack Review: ME AND THE DEVIL BLUES Book One

ME AND THE DEVIL BLUES: THE UNREAL LIFE OF ROBERT JOHNSON, BOOK ONE
DEL REY MANGA

CARTOONIST: Akira Hiramoto
TRANSLATION & ADAPTATION: David Ury
LETTERING: North Market Street Graphics
ISBN: 978-0-345-49926-4; paperback; (July 29, 2008); Rated “T Ages 16+”
544pp, B&W, $19.95 U.S.

Me and the Devil Blues is a seinen manga written and drawn by Akira Hiramoto.  It is a fictional biography of legendary blues musician and singer-songwriter, Robert Johnson.  It was first published in Japan in Kodansha's manga magazine, Monthly Afternoon, from 2003 to 2008, before going on hiatus.  When Hiramoto resumed the series in 2015, it moved to Young Magazine the 3rd Magazine.  Del Rey Manga published an English-language edition of the first four book collections of the series in two two-volumes-in-one paperback graphic novels.

[Since the publication of this book, Del Rey Manga ceased operations in 2010.]

Me and the Devil Blues mixes myths and legends and mythological and legendary figures.  Likely because of the stories told by fellow blues legend, Son House, the story of Robert Johnson says that he made a deal with the devil to become an expert blues guitarist and singer, with the cost being his soul.

Me and the Devil Blues: The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson, Book One begins in 1929.  It is set deep in the impoverished Mississippi Delta where a nigga’s life ain’t worth crap and lynching is a community event much like a church social.  This is where we meet Hiramoto’s stand-in for Robert Johnson, RJ, a poor farmer who just doesn’t want to spend his life hoeing a field.  Despite the protestations of his pregnant wife, the former Virginia Travis, her family, and his friends, RJ wants to learn to play the blues.

Fate brings him into contact with the popular traveling bluesman, Son House, and his partner, Willie Brown.  House insists that understanding and playing the blues is about more than a guitar technique, but RJ ain’t hearing it.  As far as RJ is concerned, all he needs is someone to show him how to make his fingers work guitar magic, so his stubbornness leads him to a fateful night at an abandoned church.  [This tale co-stars Clyde Barrow.]

THE LOWDOWN:  There’s some powerful mojo in Me and the Devil Blues manga.  Akira Hiramoto’s manga sparkles with wild magic and sets the imagination afire.  What drives this superb manga is not just the excellent contents of the word balloons (OK, dialogue), but the stunning visuals, which Hiramoto composes using a variety of styles, techniques, and media.

Me and the Devil Blues: The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson, Book One is the story of an individual African-American.  However, it tells the story of the struggles of Jim Crow-era black people in a way that has rarely been told in such passionate and astonishing pictures outside of cinema and fine art.  I would say this manga belongs with the few great comics about black people like Ho Che Anderson’s King, Kyle Baker’s Nat Turner, and Sue Coe’s X, which like Me and the Devil Blues are works by cartoonists or writer/artists.

Imagining a Japanese man drawing such beautiful and beautifully-human African-Americans in a story that captures the Black American experience with such authenticity seems unreal.  It’s not that Hiramoto presents black people as a noble, oppressed people.  It’s simply that he made me believe that these cartoons, these comic book characters really lived.  They haunt me, yet I want to share the trials and tribulations of RJ and his people, as seen in this special work.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  People who read great comics will want to read Del Rey Manga's Me and the Devil Blues.

A+
10 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: GREY Chapter 4

GREY. CHAPTER 4
THE GREY ROOM

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Kris Hornett
ART: Ardee Arollado
SPECIAL PROJECTS ART: Kenet Guevarra
EDITOR: Lisa Taylor
COVER: Nicholas Sen
28pp, B&W, $10.00 (November 2020)

Act 2. Chapter 4

Grey is an independent comic book series from writer Kris Hornett and artist Ardee Arollado.  Published by The Grey Room, Grey is a hybrid, a combination of an American comic book format and Japanese manga.  Grey is similar to what was once called “OEL manga” or “original English language” manga.  These were American graphic novels in which the storytelling borrowed or mimicked the aesthetics and sensibilities of Japanese manga (comics).

Grey is set in the realm of Ketiyama (apparently an archipelago) and takes place some time after an event known as “the Sonoma Incident.”  This outbreak of the lethal “Moon Virus” on Nacirema, one of Ketiyama's islands, led to chaos, destruction, and division.  As a sign of good faith and as a last attempt to restore order, the ruling Board of Officials allowed the people to elect a team of highly trained tactical agents, known as “the Bureau,” to serve and protect them.  Within the Bureau is an elite unit known as “Nimbus.”  This team of five agents are sworn to maintain moral balance and to enforce the law.  The agents of Nimbus are also able to manipulate their “prana” (“life energy”).

The agents of Nimbus are Samara Asuhara, Kouken Masimuto, Shuyin Hagamuri, Manu Yagyu, and Kale Schaefer.  Belisia Asuhara is their handler and the creator of Nimbus.

Grey. Chapter 4. opens in a hospital as 13-year-old Asuka Yagyu faces questions, but she only wants to speak to one particular person.  Meanwhile, Shuyin and August try to find normalcy in their lives, but Shuyin's mind and memories keep playing tricks on him.  Elsewhere, Belisia, Kale, and Kouken, continue their deep dive into the past of Willow Marius in order to uncover her accomplices and to unravel the larger mystery that surrounds her.

THE LOWDOWN:  Grey continues to prove how conceptually well-developed it is.  From the beginning, readers discover that the world in which Grey is set has a complex history.  As readers, we get to watch the authors build a world in front of us.  The other exciting element is that Grey is full of mystery, so the readers can always enjoy the sense of discovery.

Grey Chapter 4 sees the characters trying to unravel the mystery that is Willow Marius, and I see her as something of a gift.  Each time I read Grey, I want to know more about her, which I can also say about many of the characters in this series.  Still, she is the beautiful enigma that is driving the unknown in this series – at least, so far.

Each issue, Kris Hornett takes time to give us a view of multiple characters.  I think that makes readers curious about the other characters, and I know that it makes me want to read the next issue as soon as possible.  Meanwhile, Ardee Arollado's art gets stronger; he brings more subtlety and delicacy to the characters' personalities.  Now, Arollado's graphical storytelling engages the reader to give more consideration to the characters' motivations and goals; ignore nothing in this storytelling.

I heartily recommend Grey, and there is still time for you, dear readers, to get in on Grey's intriguing ground floor.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of manga-inspired comic books and of good science fiction comic books will want to read Grey.

[This comic book includes two pages of additional informative text pieces.]

8 out of 10

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


Get Grey at comiXology or here: https://www.comixology.com/Grey/comics-publisher/20880-0

https://thegreyroom.org/
https://www.instagram.com/thegreyroom_/
https://twitter.com/Hornett_
https://www.instagram.com/kero.beroz/?hl=en


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: YONA OF THE DAWN Volume 5

YONA OF THE DAWN, VOL. 5
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Mizuho Kusanagi
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
LETTERS: Lys Blakeslee
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8786-1; paperback (April 2017); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Yona of the Dawn is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mizuho Kusanagi.  It has been serialized in Hakusensha's shojo manga magazine, Hana to Yume, since August 2009.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series since August 2016 under its “Shojo Beat” imprint.

Princess Yona is living an ideal life as the only princess in the Kingdom of Kohka.  Her father, King Il, dotes on her, and her faithful guard, Son Hak of the Wind Tribe, protects her.  Yon even cherishes the time spent with the man she loves, her cousin Lord Su-won of the Sky Tribe.  However, everything changes on her 16th birthday when the king is killed and Hak is blamed.  Soon, Yona is on the run with Hak, but she is determined to reclaim her throne by finding the Four Dragon Warriors.

As Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 5 (Chapter 24 to 29) opens, Yona, Hak, Yun, and Gija the White Dragon leave the Village of the Blue Dragon, after they escape from an earthquake.  Yona gives the Blue Dragon a name, but will he leave with Yona and company?  Next, Gija senses the presence of the Green Dragon, which takes the small band to Awa Port in the land of the Earth Tribe.  Although his presence is strong, the Green Dragon proves hard to find.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Yona of the Dawn manga is part Chinese historical romance (or at least a Japanese version of it) and part quest-adventure.  Over the last ten years of reading manga, I have come to enjoy the particular shojo spin on historical fiction/romance/adventure.

Yona of the Dawn Graphic Novel Volume 5 offers more of the elements of this series that have become familiar to readers.  This is, however, not more of the same.  In the six chapters contained in Vol. 5, creator Mizuho Kusanagi shifts the focus away from her star Yona, and delves into the personalities, goals, and trials and tribulations of the rest of her cast, especially focusing on Hak.  This volume might make the reader believe that he is the star, and Hak does have a star quality.  He could be the lead of his own manga, which is one more reason to read Yona of the Dawn.  Yona and Hak give this series two excellent leads.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of historical romantic adventure will want to try the Shojo Beat title, Yona of the Dawn.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for February 17, 2021

BOOM! STUDIOS

DEC201068    ABBOTT 1973 #2 (OF 5) CVR A MAIN    $3.99
DEC201069    ABBOTT 1973 #2 (OF 5) CVR B ALLEN    $3.99
DEC201058    EXPANSE #3 (OF 4) CVR A MAIN    $4.99
DEC201059    EXPANSE #3 (OF 4) CVR B WALKER    $4.99
OCT200925    JIM HENSON DARK CRYSTAL JOURNEY INTO MONDO LEVIADIN HC    $24.99
DEC201073    ONCE & FUTURE #16    $3.99
DEC201050    POWER RANGERS #4 CVR A MAIN    $3.99
DEC201051    POWER RANGERS #4 CVR B LEGACY DI NICUOLO    $3.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 17, 2021

DARK HORSE COMICS

DEC200253    BARBALIEN RED PLANET #4 (OF 5)    $3.99
OCT209228    BARBALIEN RED PLANET #4 (OF 5) CVR B FRANQUIZ    $3.99
OCT200341    BLADE OF IMMORTAL DLX ED HC VOL 02 (MR)    $49.99
DEC200256    STRANGER THINGS D&D CROSSOVER #4 CVR A GIST    $3.99
DEC200257    STRANGER THINGS D&D CROSSOVER #4 CVR B DITTMANN    $3.99
DEC200258    STRANGER THINGS D&D CROSSOVER #4 CVR C TAYLOR    $3.99
DEC200259    STRANGER THINGS D&D CROSSOVER #4 CVR D BECK    $3.99
DEC200249    YOUNG HELLBOY THE HIDDEN LAND #1 (OF 4)    $3.99
OCT209016    YOUNG HELLBOY THE HIDDEN LAND #1 (OF 4) CVR B MIGNOLA    $3.99