THE DEMON PRINCE OF MOMOCHI HOUSE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
MANGAKA: Aya Shouoto
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7962-7; paperback (July 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
172pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK
VIZ Media is publishing another manga from Aya Shouoto, the creator of Kiss of the Rose Princess. Entitled The Demon Prince of Momochi House, the series focuses on a young woman who inherits a house with a strong supernatural connection.
On her 16th birthday, Himari Momochi inherits an old house in the woods that she has never seen. She does not know that it is called the Momochi House and that it already has three inhabitants. One of them is practically the “Demon Prince” of Momochi House.
The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 3) opens with Himari deep in the mountains looking for the ancestral estate, Momochi House. A local warns her to avoid the house because she will be cursed by the “Omamori-sama.” When she finally finds the house, she discovers that the place is practically a wreck, and that three squatters live there.
Seventeen-year-old Aoi Nanamori seems to be the leader, while Yukari and Ise just seem like lazy guys looking for a place to stay. There is, however, more than meets the eye, as she learns that Momochi House is a barrier between the human and spiritual realms. The house may have even more residents, and Aoi... handsome Aoi has a secret.
I am a sucker for a yokai-themed manga, and The Demon Prince of Momochi House manga focuses on “ayakashi,” an apparent old term for yokai. Demons and spirits aside, this is, like other manga from creator Aya Shouoto, a shojo manga.
The Demon Prince of Momochi House Volume 1 quickly establishes a budding and complicated romance between Himari and Aoi. This series seems as if it will be both a supernatural romance and a high school romantic drama. It has potential, but, other than establishing the dynamics between the leads, The Demon Prince of Momochi House is a bit unformed after three chapters, which is what makes up this first graphic novel in the series.
B
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux (Support Leroy on Patreon)
The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Thursday, July 16, 2015
Review: THE DEMON PRINCE OF MOMOCHI HOUSE Volume 1
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Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Review: FIGHT CLUB 2 #1
FIGHT CLUB 2 #1
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics
WRITER: Chuck Palahniuk
ART: Cameron Stewart
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Nate Piekos of Blambot
COVER: David Mack
VARIANT COVERS: Lee Bermejo; Amanda Connor; Steve Lieber; Cameron Stewart; and Chip Zdarsky; Joëlle Jones; Paul Pope; Tim Seeley
EDITOR: Scott Allie
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2015)
The Tranquility Gambit #1: “Keep The Home Fires Burning”
Written by Chuck Palahniuk, the novel, Fight Club, was first published in 1996. It was subsequently adapted into a film of the same title by director, David Fincher, that starred Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in the lead roles. Released in 1999, the film was not a big box office smash, but it has since gained cult status and continued popularity.
Fight Club the novel follows an unnamed male protagonist, who is struggling with insomnia and is unhappy with his workaday life as an office drone. The turning point in his life is when he meets a mysterious man named Tyler Durden, who has established an underground fighting club, which becomes a kind of radical psychotherapy for disaffected males who are unsatisfied with the modern, industrial, consumerist world.
Last year, Dark Horse Comics and Chuck Palahniuk announced that Fight Club was getting a sequel, but that sequel would not be a novel. It would be a comic book, and thus, we now have Fight Club 2, which is written by Chuck Palahniuk, drawn by Cameron Stewart, colored by Dave Stewart, and lettered by Nate Piekos, with cover art by David Mack.
Fight Club 2 #1 (“Keep The Home Fires Burning”) reintroduces the unnamed protagonist of Fight Club, who now calls himself “Sebastian.” A decade ago, he had an army of men ready to take down the modern world. Now, Sebastian is surrounded by assorted pills and medications. His wife, Marla Singer, once his co-revolutionary, is deeply unsatisfied with the suburban, TV Land life they lead. Even their son, “Junior,” is now more interesting than his dad. Marla just wants to fuck Tyler Durden again, and she just may get that chance...
I think I saw Fight Club the movie before I read the novel. Both are good. The film is a bracing, exhilarating trip through the dissatisfaction of the kind of Gen-X males that, having generously supped on the tit of White privilege, suddenly found themselves overfed and bored. The book is nuanced, probing, thoughtful, and provocative. It demands that its reader engage it, and each reader takes from the novel what he can understand or absorb.
Fight Club 2 retains the voice of the novel, which might seem obvious considering that the originator of Fight Club is also the writer of the comic book. However, popular culture is littered with the disappointing or uneven results of creators returning to a creations some considerable time after they first began working on them. Some of you, dear readers, will immediately think of the original Star Wars films and compare them to the “prequel trilogy.” In comics, a good example would be Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, which disappointed readers because it was so different from the original, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. So the voice is not always the same when it should obviously be the same.
Discounting the film, there was more to say about Fight Club, and although this is only the first issue, Fight Club 2 seems as if it will be both a worthy successor to the original and also a solid narrative in its own right. Artist Cameron Stewart captures the banality and the fragility of Sebastian's current life, as well as its surreal and unreal nature. David Mack's cover art for this first issue evokes the sense that Tyler Durden is both alluring and dangerous. This cover alone should earn him an Eisner Award nomination in the “cover artist” category.
So after one issue, I heartily recommend Fight Club 2 #1, at least, to anyone who has ever read Fight Club the novel and/or seen the film.
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux (This review first appeared on Patreon.)
The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics
WRITER: Chuck Palahniuk
ART: Cameron Stewart
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Nate Piekos of Blambot
COVER: David Mack
VARIANT COVERS: Lee Bermejo; Amanda Connor; Steve Lieber; Cameron Stewart; and Chip Zdarsky; Joëlle Jones; Paul Pope; Tim Seeley
EDITOR: Scott Allie
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2015)
The Tranquility Gambit #1: “Keep The Home Fires Burning”
Written by Chuck Palahniuk, the novel, Fight Club, was first published in 1996. It was subsequently adapted into a film of the same title by director, David Fincher, that starred Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in the lead roles. Released in 1999, the film was not a big box office smash, but it has since gained cult status and continued popularity.
Fight Club the novel follows an unnamed male protagonist, who is struggling with insomnia and is unhappy with his workaday life as an office drone. The turning point in his life is when he meets a mysterious man named Tyler Durden, who has established an underground fighting club, which becomes a kind of radical psychotherapy for disaffected males who are unsatisfied with the modern, industrial, consumerist world.
Last year, Dark Horse Comics and Chuck Palahniuk announced that Fight Club was getting a sequel, but that sequel would not be a novel. It would be a comic book, and thus, we now have Fight Club 2, which is written by Chuck Palahniuk, drawn by Cameron Stewart, colored by Dave Stewart, and lettered by Nate Piekos, with cover art by David Mack.
Fight Club 2 #1 (“Keep The Home Fires Burning”) reintroduces the unnamed protagonist of Fight Club, who now calls himself “Sebastian.” A decade ago, he had an army of men ready to take down the modern world. Now, Sebastian is surrounded by assorted pills and medications. His wife, Marla Singer, once his co-revolutionary, is deeply unsatisfied with the suburban, TV Land life they lead. Even their son, “Junior,” is now more interesting than his dad. Marla just wants to fuck Tyler Durden again, and she just may get that chance...
I think I saw Fight Club the movie before I read the novel. Both are good. The film is a bracing, exhilarating trip through the dissatisfaction of the kind of Gen-X males that, having generously supped on the tit of White privilege, suddenly found themselves overfed and bored. The book is nuanced, probing, thoughtful, and provocative. It demands that its reader engage it, and each reader takes from the novel what he can understand or absorb.
Fight Club 2 retains the voice of the novel, which might seem obvious considering that the originator of Fight Club is also the writer of the comic book. However, popular culture is littered with the disappointing or uneven results of creators returning to a creations some considerable time after they first began working on them. Some of you, dear readers, will immediately think of the original Star Wars films and compare them to the “prequel trilogy.” In comics, a good example would be Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, which disappointed readers because it was so different from the original, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. So the voice is not always the same when it should obviously be the same.
Discounting the film, there was more to say about Fight Club, and although this is only the first issue, Fight Club 2 seems as if it will be both a worthy successor to the original and also a solid narrative in its own right. Artist Cameron Stewart captures the banality and the fragility of Sebastian's current life, as well as its surreal and unreal nature. David Mack's cover art for this first issue evokes the sense that Tyler Durden is both alluring and dangerous. This cover alone should earn him an Eisner Award nomination in the “cover artist” category.
So after one issue, I heartily recommend Fight Club 2 #1, at least, to anyone who has ever read Fight Club the novel and/or seen the film.
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux (This review first appeared on Patreon.)
The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
Labels:
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Tuesday, July 14, 2015
DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 15, 2015
DC COMICS
MAY150259 ASTRO CITY #25 $3.99
APR150289 BATMAN HARLEY QUINN TP $19.99
APR150290 BATMAN SECOND CHANCES TP $19.99
MAY150136 BLACK CANARY #2 $2.99
MAY150186 DOOMED #2 $2.99
MAY150143 DR FATE #2 $2.99
APR150295 GREEN LANTERN CORPS TP VOL 06 RECKONING $14.99
MAY150223 GREEN LANTERN THE LOST ARMY #2 $2.99
MAY150214 HARLEY QUINN #18 $3.99
MAR150306 INVISIBLES HC BOOK 04 DELUXE EDITION (MR) $39.99
MAY150127 JUSTICE LEAGUE #42 $3.99
MAY150160 MARTIAN MANHUNTER #2 $2.99
APR150296 NEW 52 FUTURES END TP VOL 02 $29.99
APR150302 NEW SUICIDE SQUAD TP VOL 01 PURE INSANITY $16.99
MAY150217 ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #2 $3.99
MAY150176 SECRET SIX #4 $2.99
APR150301 SUPERGIRL TP VOL 06 CRUCIBLE $16.99
MAY150188 SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #19 $3.99
DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
DEC140431 BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY MIKE MIGNOLA $79.95
DEC140436 DC COMICS NEW 52 GREEN LANTERN JOHN STEWART AF $24.95
JAN150420 SUPERMAN MAN OF STEEL STATUE BY JOHN ROMITA JR $79.95
MAY150259 ASTRO CITY #25 $3.99
APR150289 BATMAN HARLEY QUINN TP $19.99
APR150290 BATMAN SECOND CHANCES TP $19.99
MAY150136 BLACK CANARY #2 $2.99
MAY150186 DOOMED #2 $2.99
MAY150143 DR FATE #2 $2.99
APR150295 GREEN LANTERN CORPS TP VOL 06 RECKONING $14.99
MAY150223 GREEN LANTERN THE LOST ARMY #2 $2.99
MAY150214 HARLEY QUINN #18 $3.99
MAR150306 INVISIBLES HC BOOK 04 DELUXE EDITION (MR) $39.99
MAY150127 JUSTICE LEAGUE #42 $3.99
MAY150160 MARTIAN MANHUNTER #2 $2.99
APR150296 NEW 52 FUTURES END TP VOL 02 $29.99
APR150302 NEW SUICIDE SQUAD TP VOL 01 PURE INSANITY $16.99
MAY150217 ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #2 $3.99
MAY150176 SECRET SIX #4 $2.99
APR150301 SUPERGIRL TP VOL 06 CRUCIBLE $16.99
MAY150188 SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #19 $3.99
DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
DEC140431 BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY MIKE MIGNOLA $79.95
DEC140436 DC COMICS NEW 52 GREEN LANTERN JOHN STEWART AF $24.95
JAN150420 SUPERMAN MAN OF STEEL STATUE BY JOHN ROMITA JR $79.95
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MAR150801 ALL NEW X-MEN PREM HC VOL 07 UTOPIANS $24.99
MAY150795 ANT-MAN ANNUAL #1 $4.99
MAY150728 ARMOR WARS #3 SWA $3.99
MAY150714 CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MIGHTY DEFENDERS #1 SWA $3.99
MAY150744 CAPTAIN MARVEL AND CAROL CORPS #2 SWA $3.99
MAY150798 DARK TOWER DRAWING THREE HOUSE CARDS #5 (MR) $3.99
APR150938 FANTASTIC FOUR BY AGUIRRE-SACASA AND MCNIVEN TP $24.99
APR150830 GUARDIANS OF KNOWHERE #1 SWA $3.99
MAY150699 HAIL HYDRA #1 SWA $3.99
AUG140839 HAWKEYE #22 $4.99
APR158743 INFINITY GAUNTLET #1 WEAVER 2ND PTG VAR $3.99
MAY150672 INHUMANS ATTILAN RISING #3 SWA $3.99
MAY150746 KORVAC SAGA #2 SWA $3.99
APR150909 MARVELS ANT-MAN ART OF MOVIE SLIPCASE HC $49.99
FEB150856 MMW MIGHTY THOR HC VOL 14 $75.00
MAY150808 MOON KNIGHT #17 $3.99
APR158744 PLANET HULK #1 DEL MUNDO 2ND PTG VAR $4.99
MAY150758 PLANET HULK #3 SWA $3.99
APR158712 PRINCESS LEIA #2 DODSON 3RD PTG VAR $3.99
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MAY150675 SIEGE #1 SWA $3.99
APR150704 SILVER SURFER #13 SWA $3.99
APR150935 SPIDER-MAN 2099 TP VOL 02 SPIDER-VERSE $19.99
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MAR150801 ALL NEW X-MEN PREM HC VOL 07 UTOPIANS $24.99
MAY150795 ANT-MAN ANNUAL #1 $4.99
MAY150728 ARMOR WARS #3 SWA $3.99
MAY150714 CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MIGHTY DEFENDERS #1 SWA $3.99
MAY150744 CAPTAIN MARVEL AND CAROL CORPS #2 SWA $3.99
MAY150798 DARK TOWER DRAWING THREE HOUSE CARDS #5 (MR) $3.99
APR150938 FANTASTIC FOUR BY AGUIRRE-SACASA AND MCNIVEN TP $24.99
APR150830 GUARDIANS OF KNOWHERE #1 SWA $3.99
MAY150699 HAIL HYDRA #1 SWA $3.99
AUG140839 HAWKEYE #22 $4.99
APR158743 INFINITY GAUNTLET #1 WEAVER 2ND PTG VAR $3.99
MAY150672 INHUMANS ATTILAN RISING #3 SWA $3.99
MAY150746 KORVAC SAGA #2 SWA $3.99
APR150909 MARVELS ANT-MAN ART OF MOVIE SLIPCASE HC $49.99
FEB150856 MMW MIGHTY THOR HC VOL 14 $75.00
MAY150808 MOON KNIGHT #17 $3.99
APR158744 PLANET HULK #1 DEL MUNDO 2ND PTG VAR $4.99
MAY150758 PLANET HULK #3 SWA $3.99
APR158712 PRINCESS LEIA #2 DODSON 3RD PTG VAR $3.99
APR158747 SECRET WARS #3 ROSS 2ND PTG VAR $3.99
APR158713 SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD #2 MURRAY 2ND PTG VAR $3.99
MAY150670 SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD #3 SWA $3.99
MAY150675 SIEGE #1 SWA $3.99
APR150704 SILVER SURFER #13 SWA $3.99
APR150935 SPIDER-MAN 2099 TP VOL 02 SPIDER-VERSE $19.99
APR158714 STAR WARS #4 CASSADAY 2ND PTG VAR $3.99
APR150922 THOR GOD OF THUNDER TP VOL 04 LAST DAYS OF MIDGARD $19.99
APR158745 ULTIMATE END #1 BAGLEY 2ND PTG VAR $3.99
APR158746 ULTIMATE END #2 BAGLEY 2ND PTG VAR $3.99
MAY150757 WHERE MONSTERS DWELL #3 SWA $3.99
APR150936 WOLVERINES TP VOL 03 LIVING AND THE DEAD $15.99
APR150931 X-MEN TP VOL 05 BURNING EARTH $12.99
MAY150734 YEARS OF FUTURE PAST #3 SWA $3.99
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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for July 15, 2015
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MAR152639 CHEW CASES OF THE FDA CARD GAME $35.00
MAY150313 GODZILLA IN HELL #1 $3.99
MAY150390 LITTLEST PET SHOP HC WAIT A SECOND $12.99
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MAR150344 SUPERMAN ATOMIC AGE SUNDAYS HC VOL 01 1949 - 1953 $49.99
MAR152639 CHEW CASES OF THE FDA CARD GAME $35.00
MAY150313 GODZILLA IN HELL #1 $3.99
MAY150390 LITTLEST PET SHOP HC WAIT A SECOND $12.99
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MAR150344 SUPERMAN ATOMIC AGE SUNDAYS HC VOL 01 1949 - 1953 $49.99
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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 15, 2015
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MAR150083 ABE SAPIEN TP VOL 06 DARKNESS SO GREAT $19.99
MAY150082 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #133 $3.50
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MAY150099 DEATH HEAD #1 $3.99
MAY150036 GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #7 $3.99
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MAR150065 PREDATOR FIRE & STONE TP $14.99
MAY150024 SHAPER #5 $3.99
MAY150102 STRAIN NIGHT ETERNAL #11 (MR) $3.99
MAY150039 USAGI YOJIMBO #147 $3.50
MAR150083 ABE SAPIEN TP VOL 06 DARKNESS SO GREAT $19.99
MAY150082 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #133 $3.50
MAY150030 DARK HORSE PRESENTS 2014 #12 $4.99
MAY150099 DEATH HEAD #1 $3.99
MAY150036 GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #7 $3.99
MAY150061 PLANTS VS ZOMBIES #2 BULLY FOR YOU $2.99
MAR150065 PREDATOR FIRE & STONE TP $14.99
MAY150024 SHAPER #5 $3.99
MAY150102 STRAIN NIGHT ETERNAL #11 (MR) $3.99
MAY150039 USAGI YOJIMBO #147 $3.50
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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 15, 2015
IMAGE COMICS
MAY150460 ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE #2 $2.99
MAY150509 DRIFTER #6 CVR A KLEIN (MR) $3.50
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MAY150522 REVIVAL #31 (MR) $3.99
MAY150523 REYN #6 $2.99
MAY150524 ROCHE LIMIT CLANDESTINY #3 $3.50
MAY150527 SECRET IDENTITIES #6 $3.50
MAR150598 SKULLKICKERS #33 $3.50
MAY150530 TREES #11 (MR) $2.99
MAY150460 ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE #2 $2.99
MAY150509 DRIFTER #6 CVR A KLEIN (MR) $3.50
MAY150510 DRIFTER #6 CVR B RISSO (MR) $3.50
APR150535 ELEPHANTMEN #65 (MR) $3.99
MAY150511 EMPTY #5 $3.99
MAY150512 EMPTY ZONE #2 (MR) $3.50
MAY150515 INVINCIBLE #121 $2.99
MAY150516 ISLAND #1 (MR) $7.99
MAY150498 MANTLE #3 (MR) $3.99
FEB150528 PENNY DORA AND THE WISHING BOX TP VOL 01 $12.99
MAY150519 POSTAL #5 CVR A SEJIC $3.99
MAY150520 POSTAL #5 CVR B GOODHART $3.99
MAY150499 RED ONE HC WELCOME TO AMERICA (MR) $16.99
MAY150522 REVIVAL #31 (MR) $3.99
MAY150523 REYN #6 $2.99
MAY150524 ROCHE LIMIT CLANDESTINY #3 $3.50
MAY150527 SECRET IDENTITIES #6 $3.50
MAR150598 SKULLKICKERS #33 $3.50
MAY150530 TREES #11 (MR) $2.99
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