Saturday, February 27, 2010

Love*Com the Final Volume

I read Love Com, Vol. 17 (Love*Com)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.  This is the final volume of the series, but the story ended in Vol. 16.  This is a collection of bonus stories.


Friday, February 26, 2010

One Piece and the Davy Back Fight

I read One Piece, Vol. 33

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.


Mean Old Negro President Disses Sanctified Tony Perkins

On Tuesday, March 2nd, there will be a National Prayer Luncheon at Andrews Air Force Base.  Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, was slated to attend, but now he's saying that he was uninvited.  Perkins claims he was uninvited because he opposes President Obama's support for ending the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy on gay and lesbian service people surving in the military.

Perkins released a statement full of his usual blowhard rantings:

"I am very concerned," Perkins said in a statement, "that this merely foreshadows the serious threat to religious liberty that would result from repeal of the current military eligibility law. Such legislation would not merely open the military to homosexuals. It would result in a zero-tolerance policy toward those who disapprove of homosexual conduct."


"Military chaplains would bear the heaviest burden. Would their sermons be censored to prevent them from preaching on biblical passages which describe homosexual conduct as a sin? Would they remain free to counsel soldiers troubled by same-sex attractions about the spiritual and psychological resources available to overcome those attractions? Any chaplain who holds to the millennia-old tradition of Judeo-Christian sexual morality could be denied promotion, or even be forced out of the military altogether."

Politics Daily has the full story.  I'm sure Obama will get the blame for this uninvite.  I'm guessing the organizers believed that they couldn't trust Perkins not to use the luncheon to spew his Chistian bigotry... I mean Christian views.  Perkins even said that ending "Don't ask, Don't tell would "force soldiers to cohabit with people who view them as sexual objects [and] would inevitably lead to increased sexual tension, sexual harassment, and even sexual assault."

Negro, please! Church people start more hell...

Devil's Due to Produce "Battle Bears" Graphic Novel

BATTLE BEARS TEAMS WITH POPCULT FOR CROSS-MEDIA COMIC BOOK


Devil's Due Publishing to Produce Print Graphic Novel Collection

PopCult Solutions and SkyVu Pictures have partnered to bring the iTunes chart-topping game to life in comic book form. In the coming weeks and months ahead, the world of the BATTLE BEARS will be expanded upon through original comic book stories available via the web, the iTunes App store, and more.

BATTLE BEARS is a hot new character franchise created by Benjamin Vu and his team at SkyVu Pictures. The first BATTLE BEARS game has garnered over 2 Million downloads on iTunes and its fan base continues to skyrocket globally. The game has won two major app awards and continues to attract thousands of new fans daily from around the world.

"We're very excited about bringing BATTLE BEARS to the world of comics with PopCult Solutions," said Vu. "The millions of people who've downloaded our iPhone game will now be able to discover more about the BATTLE BEARS saga and bridge the funny action-packed story lines that happen in our games."

Vu adds, "OLIVER the BATTLE BEAR is already one of the most recognizable characters on the iPhone and iPod Touch. His adventures in the these comics will reveal more about him and other new characters that will be appearing in upcoming BATTLE BEARS games."

"BATTLE BEARS represents where so much of modern entertainment and gaming are headed," said Josh Blaylock, Managing Partner of PopCult. "It's an original idea that's executed completely outside of the traditional 'rules' of how games are made and sold, and we're going to do the same with the comics by creating a truly interactive experience available to all of the BATTLE BEARS fans."

Vu and Blaylock plan to announce more details on the BATTLE BEARS comics soon, including print plans, and the print collaboration with Blaylock's comic book publishing company, Devil's Due, which publishes SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND in collaboration with Starz Media and JERICHO, based off of the acclaimed television series. Fans of BATTLE BEARS can no doubt expect OLIVER to have a presence at the Devil's Due Booth at this year's Comic-Cons, Game Developers' Conference, and the PopCultour after-parties.


About SkyVu Pictures
SkyVu Pictures Inc. is a hybrid animation/game studio started by Benjamin Vu, a CalArts graduate and animator on the Academy Award nominated film CORALINE. The company is headquartered in Omaha with satellite studios in Singapore and Vietnam. SkyVu's international production system allows it to rapidly produce original content for film, TV, and mobile devices. The studio's most successful properties are the BATTLE BEARS iPhone game and the StoryBoy Kids Books Series for iPhone & iPad. SkyVu Pictures is backed by the Nebraska Angels group.

http://www.battlebears.com/

About PopCult Solutions, LLC
PopCult Solutions, LLC provides turn-key solutions for parties seeking to enter into the pop culture space and an incubator of intellectual property. It is a collective of movers and shakers in the pop culture world with instant access to hundreds of thousands of fans and influencers. PopCult's team of creative entrepreneurs boast specialties in publishing, video games, music, film and television yet with a laser focus on the aspects of those mediums that intersect with the geek chic, comic-con going, box office influencing community.

http://www.popcultivator.com/

To inquire about creative solutions contact: solutions@popcultivator.com

Bluewater Productions Announces "Lavish" Stephenie Meyer Book

TWILIGHT AUTHOR, STEPHENIE MEYER GETS LAVISH TREATMENT FROM BLUEWATER.


Vampires, werewolves and, of course, the people who love them have been very good to writer Stephenie Meyer. The writer, creator of the mega-selling Twilight series of vampire novels, has achieved that rarest of feats for modern authors: She's become a celebrity, a household name.

Meyer's comic biography resonated with fans of the Twilight novels and movies. Bluewater, in fact, sold out of several runs of the comic, making it one of the most successful of the company's hot-selling line of biography comics. That's why, this edition called “Twilight Unbound: The Stephenie Meyer Story”, will release a new hard cover version of Meyer's story.

Last year, Meyer also became a comic-book star. Bluewater Productions in November released Female Force: Stephenie Meyer, a graphic biography detailing Meyer's rise from unknown writer to the guiding force behind one of the book industry's top-selling franchises.

This new version will include updates on the success of New Moon, the most recent Twilight film, and a look at Meyer's future plans for Edward and Bella, the romantic leads of her vampire books. The book will also be stuffed with extras, making it a must-buy for Twilight fans.

The collectable version with new features will be the first hard cover for Bluewater retail for $12.99. Written by Ryan Burton with art by David McNeil, the comic is just the latest in Bluewater's popular biography line. This series of biography comics has already highlighted such influential women as Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. The series' goal is to examine the lives of these important figures in an objective and balanced manner without resorting to sensationalism.

“The fan reaction to our original release of Female Force: Stephenie Meyer was amazing,” said Darren G. Davis, president of Bluewater Productions. “The positive response took even me by surprise. That's why I'm so excited to release this new version of Meyer's story. I hope her fans appreciate the new information and extras we were able to dig up for this edition of the book.”

Bluewater's biography comics, which include the Female Force, Political Power and Fame lines, have been credited with bringing new readers to the comics industry. Many of these books have sold out of their initial print runs. Such mainstream media as MTV, Rolling Stone, Time Magazine and People Magazine have run stories on the books.

The book is scheduled for a release in May in time for the “Twilight: Eclipse” film. The book is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

For more information about Bluewater and its non-traditional biography comics, visit http://www.bluewaterprod.com/

Aya and Takeo's First Book

I read Aya Takeo Volume 1

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.  This is the first collection of the online comic and OEL manga from the UK-based Sweatdrop Studios.


Thursday, February 25, 2010

I Reads You Review: CROQUIS (Yaoi)


CROQUIS

Creator: Hinako Takanaga
Publishing Information: BLU, B&W, paperback, 208 pages, $14.99 (US), $18.99 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4278-1799-0 (ISBN-13)

In the yaoi manga, Croquis, from creator Hinako Takanaga (A Capable Man, You Will Fall in Love), the ever-so-delicate subject of first love is explored. Young men not only struggle with their feelings, but also with coming out to the objects of their affections.

In the title story, Croquis, Nagi Sasahara always wanted to be a girl. Now, he works as a sort of drag queen-in-training at a gay bar called the Pink Cat. Nagi also has a part-time modeling gig at an art school. Why does he have two jobs? Nagi is saving money for a boob job-breast augmentation, so that he can have big breasts and appear more feminine.

The art school is where the problems begin. Nagi notices that one of the students, Shinji Kaji, stares at him. Kaji is certainly friendly enough, but Nagi is afraid of telling Kaji that he is gay or even revealing his biggest secret: that he is a fledgling drag queen. Nagi just can’t stop believing that Kaji doesn’t totally accept him for what he is.

Croquis, the graphic novel in this collection, plays at being the usual yaoi romance about a small of stature uke (bottom) smitten with a tall, dark seme (top). While it does have such romance comics tropes as lovers quarrels, spats with jealous friends, sleepless nights, etc., Croquis also addresses body image issues, coming out, and virginity, among others, giving this fictional romance a bit of an edge.

Some yaoi manga, which depict explicit sex between male lovers, can be sweet even when featuring randy sex scenes. Croquis is tart; it offers a happy ending, but never pretends that lovers, even soul mates, have an easy affair. It isn’t as if this is some powerful drama, because it doesn’t go into depth about anything, but just the fact that it makes coming out and body image issues such a part of the story is surprising.

The other two stories are a bit lighter and more standard yaoi. In the two part “On My First Love,” each of the two chapters is told from the point of view of one of the former classmates, Torii and Kamota. It is fun to see how each man bungled the romance in his own unique way. “Wish upon a Star” about Sei Mayama, a high school sophomore who hates stars (for the most ridiculous reason), is silly. The object of his affections, a senior named Daiki, is equally ridiculous, but the story is a nice read.

Overall, Croquis is another good yaoi manga from Hinako Takanaga. Her deft touch with character drama makes her worth watching.

Buy CROQUIS