Sunday, March 7, 2010

Because God Don't Sleep: Anti-Gay Politician Busted Being Gay




A state senator from Southern California was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in midtown Sacramento, early Wednesday morning.


The California Highway Patrol pulled over Senator Roy Ashburn at 2:00 a.m. Wednesday, after an officer noticed a black Chevy Tahoe swerving at 13th and L Streets. The Sacramento County district attorney says ... Ashburn's blood-alcohol level was .14 percent, when he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving near the Capitol.

Ashburn, a father of four ... has a history of opposing gay rights. Ashburn served six years as a state assemblyman before being elected to the state senate. According to Project Vote Smart, Ashburn's voting record shows he has voted against every gay rights measure in the State Senate since taking office, including Recognizing Out-Of-State Same-Sex Marriages, Harvey Milk Day and Expanding Anti-Discrimination Laws.

From CBS13

Detroit Metal City and the End of Satanic Emperor

I read Detroit Metal City, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.  This one wasn't as good as the first three.


Saturday, March 6, 2010

I Reads You Review: HANAKO AND THE TERROR OF ALLEGORY, VOL. 1


Creator: Sakae Esuno with Satsuki Yamashita (translation) and Bryce P. Coleman (English adaptation)
Publishing Information: TOKYOPOP, B&W, paperback, 222 pages, $10.99 (US), $13.99 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4278-1608-5 (ISBN-13)

The new manga series from TOKYOPOP, Hanako and the Terror of Allegory, has an unwieldy title, but this breezy read offers ghost stories for your afternoon reading delight. Created by Sakae Esuno (Future Diary), Hanako and the Terror of Allegory is about a detective who battles urban legends come to life.

Hanako and the Terror of Allegory, Vol. 1 introduces Detective Daisuke Aso. He usually deals with con artists and cheating spouses, but he is also known as the Allegory Detective… much to his chagrin. Folktales, legends, old wives’ tales, myths, etc. (the killer with hook for a hand who stalks lovers’ lane) have a way of coming to life, and Aso is the man who battles these monsters.

Aso doesn’t fight alone. Kanae Hiranuma is a recent client; she was vexed by the man with an axe hiding under the bed, an allegory come to life and haunting Kanae’s days and nights. Because she was too poor to pay him, Kanae became Aso’s assistant at the Aso Detective Agency. Even there, Kanae finds more weirdness. The agency’s resident computer and tech geek is actually a resident of the office. Hanako is the allegory of the girl in the bathroom.

Hanako and the Terror of Allegory is pretty standard in terms of story structure – inciting incident (usually a customer), complications, climax, and the end. There is a surprising amount of action – fights, chases, and some gunplay, and there is even minor violence and a few panels featuring semi-nudity and sexuality. That is the strange thing about this title: it seems like a teen horror series with a mixture of shojo and shonen elements. However, it has quite a bit of edge, which makes Hanako and the Terror of Allegory just offbeat enough to attract adult fans looking for ghost story manga.

B+

Buy Hanako and the Terror of Allegory Volume 1 (Hanako & the Terror of Allegory)


Friday, March 5, 2010

The Bride of Black Bird

I read Black Bird, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.


VIZ Media to Release "Arata: The Legend" Next Week

VIZ MEDIA TO RELEASE NEW FANTASY ADVENTURE SERIES ARATA: THE LEGEND FROM RENOWNED MANGA CREATOR YUU WATASE


For Two Boys Called Arata, Switching Places Means an Adventure of a Lifetime

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, brings famed manga creator Yuu Watase’s potent blend of mythical fantasy adventure and lavish artwork for the North American debut of ARATA: THE LEGEND on March 9th. The new series is published under the SHONEN SUNDAY imprint, rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

In a world where humans and gods coexist, Arata is the unfortunate successor to the matriarchal Hime Clan--unfortunate because if he's not cross-dressing to hide his gender one minute, he's fleeing for his life the next! When Arata winds up in the modern world and switches places with a boy named Arata Hinohara, it's a wonder which Arata is actually better off...

In Volume 1, Hinohara is the spitting image of Arata, so he suddenly finds himself fighting people after his life! As he navigates through this foreign world filled with power-hungry warriors, who will come to his aid? One thing's for sure--it's not easy being Arata!

“I’m really excited to see ARATA: THE LEGEND joining the Shonen Sunday imprint. The art is gorgeous, the series is action-packed and no one can create a lush fantasy world the way Yuu Watase can!” says Amy Yu, Editor, VIZ Media. “Fans who know her work in the shojo genre will experience a whole new side to this creative mastermind.”

Born March 5 in Osaka, Yuu Watase debuted in the Shôjo Comic manga anthology in 1989. She won the 43rd Shogakukan Manga Award with Ceres: Celestial Legend. One of her most famous works is Fushigi Yûgi, a series that has inspired the prequel Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden. In 2008, Arata: The Legend started serialization in Weekly Shonen Sunday.

ARATA THE LEGEND is one of the newest titles under VIZ Media's SHONEN SUNDAY imprint, the new standard for riveting stories and creative excellence. Titles under this imprint are more than shonen stories with struggling heroes and endless battles. Shonen Sunday characters are tested both mentally and physically, asked to prove their worth alongside loyal allies and encounter legends that have outlasted time itself. Each manga series under the SHONEN SUNDAY imprint will enchant the reader with tales from Japan’s top manga creators featuring complex, intriguing characters in richly imagined worlds.

For more information on this title or other SHONEN SUNDAY series, please visit www.shonensunday.com.

Moonstone Books Announces The Phantom-Captain Action Hardcover

JUNE 2010 release


The Phantom-Captain Action LTD Hardcover
Story: Mike Bullock
Art: Reno Maniquis
Colors: Bob Pedroza
Cover: Mark Sparacio
60pgs, 7” x 10”, color, HC, $25.99

Reprints the two issue mini-series, plus a never-before–seen Phantom story, and the Capt Action short story from Phantom Double Shot Noir!

Together again for the first time/

For the first time, the two timeless titans collide in the first concussive crossover ever created.

When an international intelligence cartel makes a surgical strike for global control, UN committee member Diana Palmer-Walker and her legendary husband are all that stands in their way, but when the Ghost Who Walks goes missing, the only one Diana can turn to is none other than - Captain Action! Don’t miss history in the making!