Comics, Books and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for February 27, 2019

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

DEC181758    AAI WARS TP VOL 01 (MR)    $18.99
DEC181759    AGELESS TP VOL 01 (MR)    $18.99
DEC181406    ALBERT EINSTEIN TIME MASON #5    $3.99
NOV182245    ANCIENT MAGUS BRIDE GN VOL 10    $12.99
DEC181613    ARCHIE 3000 TP    $10.99
DEC181618    ASPEN COMICS 2019 YEAR AHEAD    $0.25
DEC181617    B & V FRIENDS JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #268    $6.99
NOV181905    BARBIE #1    $3.99
DEC181608    BETTY & VERONICA #3 (OF 5) CVR A LANZ    $3.99
DEC181609    BETTY & VERONICA #3 (OF 5) CVR B BARTEL    $3.99
DEC181610    BETTY & VERONICA #3 (OF 5) CVR C ISAACS    $3.99
DEC181854    BILLIE THE BEE HC    $14.99
DEC182134    BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #4 CVR A MASSAFERA    $3.99
DEC182135    BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #4 CVR B LAFUENTE    $3.99
DEC188058    BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #4 CVR D PRE-ORDER BUNDLE ED    $3.99
DEC181760    BOBCAT TP VOL 01    $18.99
DEC181944    CATALYST PRIME KINO #14    $3.99
DEC181945    CATALYST PRIME SUMMIT #13    $3.99
NOV182247    CERTAIN SCIENTIFIC RAILGUN ASTRAL BUDDY GN VOL 01    $12.99
JAN191469    CLANKILLERS TP VOL 01    $14.99
DEC182338    CLOCKWORK PLANET GN VOL 10    $12.99
NOV181932    COMIC QUESTS VOL 03 HOCUS POCUS SEARCH MISSING DWARVES    $9.99
DEC181865    CULT OF THE IBIS HC  (MR)    $PI
DEC181635    DAMSELS IN EXCESS #1 COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL SAN DIEGO 2014    $19.99
DEC181634    DAMSELS IN EXCESS #1 COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL SAN DIEGO CENTU    $59.99
DEC181636    DAMSELS IN EXCESS #1 DRAGON CON 2014  LE 200    $14.99
DEC181637    DAMSELS IN EXCESS #1 LONG BEACH COMIC CON  2014  LE 200    $14.99
DEC181641    DARTH MAUL #1 VAR CVR A MICHAEL TURNER    $19.99
DEC181642    DARTH MAUL #1 VAR CVRS A & B SET MICHAEL TURNER    $39.99
JAN191853    DF ACTION COMICS #1000 EXC SWAN    $39.99
JAN191852    DF ACTION COMICS #1000 WRAPAROUND B&W EXC JURGENS    $49.99
JAN191851    DF ACTION COMICS #1000 WRAPAROUND EXC JURGENS    $39.99
JAN191856    DF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 CSA EXC SGN HUGHES    $59.99
JAN191850    DF BATMAN #50 BLOODY KNIFE VIRGIN EXC SGN KING & MANN    $69.99
JAN191847    DF BATMAN #50 ROMANCE EXC SGN KING & MANN    $59.99
JAN191848    DF BATMAN #50 ROMANCE VIRGIN EXC SGN KING & MANN    $69.99
JAN191849    DF BATMAN #50 WEDDING CAKE EXC SGN KING & MANN    $69.99
JAN191846    DF DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #1 FOIL LTD NYCC PLUS 2 SGN MILLER    $299.99
JAN191845    DF DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #1 LTD FOIL NYCC VAR PLUS 1 BOOK    $99.99
JAN191859    DF DC COMICS MARCH MADNESS CELEBRATION PACK    $29.99
NOV181728    DF FIREFLY #1 PURPLE BELLY GREG PAK SGN    $59.99
JAN191854    DF MAN OF STEEL #1 SGN BENDIS    $49.99
JAN191860    DF MARVEL COMICS MARCH MADNESS CELEBRATION PACK    $29.99
JAN191861    DF MULTI PUB COMICS MARCH MADNESS CELEBRATION PACK    $29.99
JAN191857    DF NEW MUTANTS DEAD SOULS AN #1 CSA EXC SGN BROOKS    $69.99
JAN191858    DF NEW MUTANTS DEAD SOULS AN #1 DARK CHILD EXC SGN BROOKS    $69.99
NOV181907    DINOSAUR EXPLORERS HC VOL 04 TRAPPED IN THE TRIASSIC    $16.99
DEC181492    EDGAR ALLAN POE`S SNIFTER OF TERROR #5 (MR)    $3.99
DEC182037    EGG CREAM GN VOL 01 (MR)    $11.99
DEC182038    EMOTIONAL DATA ONE SHOT (MR)    $6.00
DEC182142    FAITH DREAMSIDE TP    $9.99
DEC182298    FINAL FANTASY LOST STRANGER GN VOL 02    $13.00
DEC182126    FORGOTTEN QUEEN #1 CVR A KANO    $3.99
DEC182127    FORGOTTEN QUEEN #1 CVR B KALVACHEV    $3.99
DEC182128    FORGOTTEN QUEEN #1 CVR C FISH    $3.99
DEC182129    FORGOTTEN QUEEN #1 CVR D BLANK    $3.99
DEC182130    FORGOTTEN QUEEN #1 CVR F #1-4 PREORDER BUNDLE ED    $3.99
MAY172108    GFT DAY OF THE DEAD TP VOL 01    $19.99
DEC181934    GLINT GN BOOK 01 CLOUD RAIDERS    $12.99
DEC182168    GRIMM FAIRY TALES 2019 GIANT SIZE #1 CVR A VITORINO    $5.99
DEC182169    GRIMM FAIRY TALES 2019 GIANT SIZE #1 CVR B WHITE    $5.99
DEC182170    GRIMM FAIRY TALES 2019 GIANT SIZE #1 CVR C ROYLE    $5.99
DEC182171    GRIMM FAIRY TALES 2019 GIANT SIZE #1 CVR D OTERO    $5.99
DEC182172    GRIMM FAIRY TALES 2019 GIANT SIZE #1 CVR E SPAY    $5.99
DEC181951    HONOR AND CURSE #1 (OF 6)    $3.99
JAN192437    I DONT LIKE YOU AT ALL BIG BROTHER GN COLL ED VOL 06 (RES) (    $18.99
NOV182024    IMMORTAL VOL 03 (OF 8) (MR)    $9.99
DEC182341    IN SPECTRE GN VOL 09 (RES)    $10.99
DEC181971    INVADER ZIM #40 CVR A    $3.99
DEC181972    INVADER ZIM #40 CVR B PARK VAR    $3.99
DEC182054    JOHN CARPENTER TALES OF SCI FI TWITCH #3 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
DEC182085    LIFE IS STRANGE #4 CVR A LEONARDI (MR)    $3.99
DEC182086    LIFE IS STRANGE #4 CVR B GAME ART (MR)    $3.99
DEC182087    LIFE IS STRANGE #4 CVR C TSHIRT (MR)    $3.99
DEC182367    LITTLE DEVILS GN VOL 02 (RES)    $12.99
JAN192440    MAGICAL GIRL SITE GN VOL 08 (RES) (MR)    $12.99
NOV188478    MANGA CLASSICS MACBETH HC    $24.99
NOV188479    MANGA CLASSICS MACBETH TP    $17.99
AUG182550    MASAMUNE KUNS REVENGE GN VOL 09    $12.99
DEC181496    MEGA GHOST #3 (OF 5)    $3.99
DEC182219    MENAGE A 3 GN VOL 03 (MR)    $19.99
DEC181892    MR WOLFS CLASS GN VOL 02 MYSTERY CLUB    $9.99
DEC181893    MR WOLFS CLASS HC GN VOL 02 MYSTERY CLUB    $18.99
NOV182118    NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS ZEROS JOURNEY #7    $3.99
DEC182144    NINJA-K TP VOL 03 FALLOUT    $14.99
DEC181420    NULL FAERIES #2 CVR A CICCONI    $3.99
DEC181421    NULL FAERIES #2 CVR B SUHNG    $3.99
DEC181216    PETER CANNON THUNDERBOLT #2 10 COPY WIJNGAARD VIRGIN INCV (N    $PI
DEC181410    PRINCELESS FIND YOURSELF #5    $3.99
DEC181941    QUINCREDIBLE #4    $3.99
DEC181973    RICK & MORTY #47 CVR A    $3.99
DEC181974    RICK & MORTY #47 CVR B VAUGHN    $3.99
DEC182042    SAVANTS #2 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
DEC182032    SHADOWPLAY #2    $3.99
DEC181397    SIM CITY #1 (OF 1) DAVE TO KILL FOR    $4.00
DEC181630    SOULFIRE VOL 7 #8 CVR A LADJOUZE    $3.99
DEC181631    SOULFIRE VOL 7 #8 CVR B CAFARO    $3.99
DEC181638    SPIDER-MEN II #1 VAR CVR A & B SET MICHAEL TURNER    $39.99
DEC181639    SPIDER-MEN II #1 VAR CVR A MICHAEL TURNER    $19.99
DEC181640    SPIDER-MEN II #1 VAR CVRS A B & C SET MICHAEL TURNER    $59.99
NOV182123    STAR COLLECTOR MANGA GN VOL 01    $12.99
DEC181411    SWEETIE #1    $3.99
DEC182041    TORSOBEAR TP VOL 02 ALL STITCHED UP (MR)    $19.99
OCT181315    VAMPBLADE SEASON 3 #10 CVR A COSTA (MR)    $4.99
OCT181316    VAMPBLADE SEASON 3 #10 CVR B COSTA RISQUE (MR)    $4.99
OCT181317    VAMPBLADE SEASON 3 #10 CVR C BOO (MR)    $4.99
OCT181318    VAMPBLADE SEASON 3 #10 CVR D BOO RISQUE (MR)    $4.99
OCT181319    VAMPBLADE SEASON 3 #10 CVR E MENDOZA (MR)    $4.99
OCT181320    VAMPBLADE SEASON 3 #10 CVR F MENDOZA RISQUE (MR)    $4.99
DEC182152    WASTED SPACE #7 (MR)    $3.99
DEC181643    WEAPON X #1 VAR CVR A MICHAEL TURNER    $19.99
DEC181644    WEAPON X #1 VAR CVRS A & B SET MICHAEL TURNER    $39.99
JAN191654    WHEN IS HIGH MOON GN    $30.00
DEC181896    WINGS OF FIRE HC GN VOL 02 LOST HEIR    $24.99
DEC181895    WINGS OF FIRE SC GN VOL 02 LOST HEIR    $12.99
JAN191669    WORLD OF WARCRAFT CURSE OF THE WORGEN GN    $14.95
DEC182198    YURI BEAR STORM MANGA GN VOL 02 YURIKUMA (MR)    $12.99
AUG181505    ZORRO LEGENDARY ADVENTURES #3 BLAZING BLADES OF ZORRO LTD ED    $9.99
AUG181504    ZORRO LEGENDARY ADVENTURES #3 MAIN CVR    $3.99

MAGAZINES
NOV181941    2000 AD PACK JANUARY 2019    $28.00
DEC181772    CINEFEX #163    $12.50
DEC181790    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1654    $PI
JAN191986    COMICS REVUE PRESENTS FEB 2018    $19.95
DEC181935    ROLLED AND TOLD #6    $7.99
JAN191989    RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE #187    $9.95
NOV181962    SCREEM #36 NEWSSTAND ED    $8.95
NOV181963    SCREEM #36 PX ED    $8.95

BOOKS
DEC182098    CAPTAIN MARVEL LIBERATION RUN NOVEL HC    $24.95
NOV181814    DOCTOR WHO COMP HIST HC VOL 89 12TH DOCTOR STORIES 275- 276    $18.99
JAN191670    GOING INTO TOWN LOVE LETTER TO NEW YORK TP    $18.00
DEC182027    SECRET HERO SOCIETY HC VOL 04 SCIENCE FAIR CRISIS    $12.99
DEC181863    WRITING WRITTEN HC SHORT STORIES    $24.99

Fantagraphics to Republish Four Tomi Ungerer Books

Honoring A Legend

Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

SEATTLE, WA—The international art and literary communities recently suffered a huge blow with the loss of legendary artist and writer Tomi Ungerer (1931–2019). Readers of all ages have been enchanted by his vast oeuvre, from his masterpieces of children’s literature (such as the internationally beloved and award-winning The Three Robbers, Moon Man, and Otto) to his equally masterful satirical and erotic work for adults. In his lifetime he was recognized for the extraordinary breadth of his creative vision, receiving both the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Children’s Book Illustration and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sexual Freedom Awards.

Fantagraphics Books is honored to play a part in preserving the legacy of this creative genius with the re-publication of four Ungerer books for adults: The Underground Sketchbook, The Party, Babylon, and Adam and Eve.

Due out in Fall 2019, Tomi Ungerer’s infamous 1969 Underground Sketchbook is a tour de force glimpse into the artist’s id. A shocking departure from his children’s book illustration, each page seethes with coruscating social commentary, dada-esque observations, and existential angst. Underground Sketchbook is revered for its audacious visual wit, absurdist humor, and scathing satire, and this long-awaited reprint will be a visual treat for both fans of Ungerer and appreciators of fine cartooning unfamiliar with his work.

“While preparing for my career-spanning interview with Tomi Ungerer that appears in the new print edition of The Comics Journal, I was astonished to discover that many of his best satirical works were only available as used books at exorbitant prices,” explains Fantagraphics Publisher Gary Groth. “In an attempt to right this wrong, I chose four of his books to reprint, all trenchant commentaries on the folly of our relationships and the absurdity of our social order."

The publication dates of The Party, Babylon, and Adam and Eve are TBD.

Underground Sketchbook by Tomi Ungerer
Introduction by Steve Brodner
On-sale: October 2019
$19.99 Hardcover
160 pages, two-color, 10 ¼” x 7 ¼”
ISBN: 978-1-68396-262-5

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Review: SIDEWAYS #1

SIDEWAYS No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Dan DiDio and Kenneth Rocafort
DIALOGUE: Dan DiDio and Justin Jordan
ART: Kenneth Rocafort
COLORS: Daniel Brown
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (April 2018)

Rated “T” for Teen

Sidways created by Kenneth Rocafort and Dan DiDio

“Fun and Games”

DC Comics has launched a new superhero comics initiative, “The New Age of DC Heroes,” coming out of its Dark Nights: Metal event miniseries.  This line of comic books will consist of eight new comic book series:  The Curse of Brimstone, Damage, The Immortal Men, New Challengers, The Silencer, The Terrifics, The Unexpected, and the subject of this review, Sideways.

Sideways is written by co-creator Dan DiDio, co-creator Kenneth Rocafort and Justin Jordan; drawn by Rocafort; colored by Daniel Brown; and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual.  Sideways focuses on a Puerto Rican high school junior who can create rifts in midair to leap through dimensions at will.

He accidentally fell through a rift into the dark matter dimension (as seen in Dark Nights: Metal).  Sideways #1 finds Derek James invading the personal space of his girlfriend, Ernestine a.k.a. “Ernie.”  She knows about Derek's power to create rifts in midair.  She is the one who designed and created the uniform that allows Derek to become the new superhero, “Sideways.”  Derek dons his new costume and goes “rifting,” introducing the world to what it means to go “Sideways.”  Not everyone or every entity is exciting about that.

I enjoyed the first “New Age of DC Heroes!” comic book, Damage, but I did not enjoy the second one, The Silencer.  “Sideways” is a little better than The Silencer.  I am overly fond of artist Kenneth Rocafort's overly cute drawing style.  However, the story has some potential.  All I can tell you is that I am genuinely curious about Sideways.  I don't think that it will be a great comic book, but if the creators try something different from the same-old-DC/Marvel-Comics, this could be unique.

Seriously, y'all, we can hope.

5.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: STAR WARS: Thrawn #1

STAR WARS: THRAWN No. 1 (OF 6)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jody Houser
ART: Luke Ross
COLORS: Nolan Woodard
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Paul Renaud
VARIANT COVERS: Francesco Mattina; John Tyler Christopher
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (April 2018)

Rated “T”

Based on the novel by Timothy Zahn

Grand Admiral Thrawn is a character in the Star Wars media franchise.  An Imperial military commander, Thrawn was introduced in the 1991 novel, Heir to the Empire, written by Timothy Zahn and also known as the first novel in the “Thrawn trilogy.”  Zahn also wrote a two-novel set known as the “Thrawn duology” that brought the character back, seemingly from the dead.

After the Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm, the owner of the Star Wars franchise, Thrawn became a “Star Wars Legends” character – meaning he was not part of Star Wars canon, also known as “official Star Wars lore.”  Thrawn became a cannon character when he appeared in the third season of the animated television series, “Star Wars Rebels” (Disney XD).

Now, Marvel Comics is adapting Timothy Zahn's 2017 novel, Star Wars: Thrawn, as a six-issue miniseries.  Like the novel, the comic book adaptation chronicles the origins of Grand Admiral Thrawn.  The comic book miniseries is written by Jody Houser; drawn by Luke Ross; colored by Nolan Woodard; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Star Wars: Thrawn #1 opens in that area of the galaxy that is beyond the “Outer Rim” and that is referred to as “Wild Space.”  Captain Parck of the Imperial Navy leads a squad of Myomar Imperial Academy cadets on a mission to an unnamed planet in Wild Space to search for a possible new alien species.  What they find is a highly-skilled non-human that calls itself “Thrawn.”  Being the only member of the mission who can speak to Thrawn, Cadet Vanto soon finds himself ensnared in Thrawn's surprising Imperial ambitions.

I am not familiar with the original novel of the same name upon which this comic book, Star Wars: Thrawn, is based.  I can say that writer Jody Houser has fashioned an excellent first issue in this adaptation of the novel.  The pacing is excellent, and the dialogue is evocative and detailed in conveying the machinations and personalities of the characters, especially Thrawn.  Houser creates a comic book that is a joy to read and also does not feel like another Star Wars retread.

As always, artist Luke Ross delivers strong compositions and page design.  Ross arranges the panels in a way that allows the story to flow while it presents the characters, plots, and settings in rich detail.  Nolan Woodard's vivid colors, especially the blue and green hues not only make the art sparkly, but also heighten the sense of mystery and danger about Thrawn.

Clayton Cowles' lettering make the story hum with energy and creates a sense that a surprise is coming around every corner on the way to the next panel.  All of this wonderful graphical storytelling simmers underneath another striking example of Paul Renaud's art – the cover illustration for this first issue.

I was merely interested in Star Wars: Thrawn; now I can't wait for the next issue.

9 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: X-MEN: Red #1

X-MEN: RED No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Tom Taylor
ART: Mahmud Asrar
COLORS: Ive Svorcina
LETTERS: VC's Cory Petit
COVER: Travis Charest
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Mahmud Asrar with Ive Svorcina; John Tyler Christopher; Phil Jimenez; Phil Jimenez with Nolan Woodard; Rob Liefeld; Skottie Young; Pepe Larraz with Edgar Delgado
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (April 2018)

Rated T+

X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

“The Hate Machine” Part 1: “Heal the World”

Last year, Marvel Comics launched a publishing event, entitled “ResurrXion,” in an attempt to shoot new life in its moribund X-Men line of comic books.  This initiative involved the debut of several new X-Men comic book titles, including the color-coded X-Men: Blue and X-Men Gold.

Still trying to pump life into the X-Men, Marvel has launched a new X-Men color-coded comic book, entitled X-Men: Red.  It will feature an X-Men team led by the resurrected, original Jean Grey, also known at times as Marvel Girl and Phoenix/Dark Phoenix.  This new comic book is written by Tom Taylor; drawn by Mahmud Asrar; colored by Ive Svorcina; and lettered by Cory Petit.

X-Men: Red #1 (“Heal the World”) opens with Heather, a young mutant, being hounded by a mob of neighbors who want to kill her because she is a mutant.  Her rescuers are Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Gentle, Namor, Trinary, Honey Badger, and Wolverine (Laura Kinney).  Two months earlier, Jean Grey, newly brought back to life, decides that in order to protect mutants from a world that still hates them, she will need to find a way to protect the entire world.  Of course, not everyone wants that.

Once upon a time, someone who thought they were being smart “man-splained” to me that corporations existed to provide goods and services.  I didn't say anything at the time, but I firmly believed that many corporations, if not most, existed first and foremost to make money for their major stockholders and chief executives, officers, and/or managers.  That includes corporations that own comic book publishers like Marvel Comics.

I imagine that in the early 1980s, the people that called the shots noticed how popular the Marvel Comics title, Uncanny X-Men, had become with readers and how its story of a band of mutants who fought for a world that hated and feared them really resonated with fans.  That love had turned Uncanny X-Men into the top-selling comic book, at least in North America.  So why make a lot of money from just one X-Men comic book title when Marvel could make a even more money with more X-Men publications?

First it was one graphic novel... or two, and then, an X-Men spin-off series and a miniseries featuring the most popular X-Men character (Wolverine).  What started as a few X-Men and X-Men-related spin-offs became a trickle, then a stream, and the stream became a deluge.  I think Marvel officially started ruining the X-Men, not when it became a franchise, but specifically when that franchise launched the comic book, X-Factor (cover dated: February 1986).

In the three decades plus since the debut of X-Factor #1, there have been many quality X-Men publications, but most X-Men comic books have been, to be generous, average at best.  The X-Men went from being something special into nothing more than a cynically exploited cash cow for whatever money-grubbing corporation or CEO that owned Marvel Comics at any given time.

Writer Tom Taylor tries to recall the halcyon pre-X-Factor days of Uncanny X-Men in X-Men: Red.  Writer Marc Guggenheim tries to recall the storytelling of the classic X-Men scribe, Chris Claremont (who is arguably still the best X-Men comic book writer ever) with X-Men: Gold, but the results are mixed.  I feel like being cynical and saying that it is too late to make X-Men great again, but Taylor seems to be on to something here.  I would like to see where this goes.

I do think that artist Mahmud Asrar is already delivering excellent work.  I don't need to wait and see with Asrar; I am already declaring his art and graphical storytelling here a winner.  I think Asrar's illustrations, which are beautifully colored by Ive Svorcina, make this issue's story, “Heal the World,” seem as if it is indeed part of a promising larger story.  I have considered Asrar a star-creator in the making since I first saw his art in The New 52 title, Supergirl (2011).

So I see red, X-Men: Red that is.  I will keep reading as long as Taylor and Asrar are making something that seems special like the Uncanny X-Men at its speak from mid-1970s to the mid-1980s.

8 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: KAKURIYO: Bed and Breakfasts for Spirits Volume 1

KAKURIYO: BED & BREAKFAST FOR SPIRITS, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Waco Ioka
ORIGINAL STORY: Midori Yuma
CHARACTER DESIGNS: Laruha
TRANSLATION & ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Tomo Kimura
LETTERS: Joanna Estep
EDITOR: Pancha Diaz
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0372-2; paperback (January 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Afterlife Inn Cooking is a Japanese light-novel series written by Midori Yūma and illustrated by Laruha.  Wako Ioka has been producing a manga adaptation of the series for Enterbrain's josei manga magazine, B's Log Comic, since 2016.  VIZ Media has started publishing an English-language graphic novel edition of the manga under the series' English title, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits.

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) introduces a young woman named Aoi Tsubaki.  She inherited her grandfather, Shiro's ability to see the spirits known as ayakashi (yokai).  Aoi also inherited his massive debt to the ayakashi, and now, she’s been kidnapped and taken to Kakuriyo (the spirit world) to settle that debt.

Aoi's options are limited.  She can marry Kijin a.k.a. “the Ōdana, who is the ogre and the owner of “Tenjin-ya,” the inn where her grandfather incurred so much debt.  Or she can be eaten by demons.  But Aoi is determined to settle affairs on her own terms.

I was interested in reading the Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits manga after first learning about it via a VIZ Media press release.  Luckily, my VIZ media representative sent me a copy of the first volume for review.

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits Graphic Novel Volume 1 is a delight.  Before I continue this review, however, I must admit to you, dear readers, that I am a huge fan of yokai manga.  Kakuriyo does not have prettiest art that I have ever seen in a yokai manga, nor are these most imaginative ayakashi characters I have ever come across (at least so far in the narrative).

What Kakuriyo does have is a fantastic lead in Aoi Tsubaki, a young woman who is stout and determined no matter what is against her.  Aoi has “street smarts” in the fact that she is always on the lookout for someone or some spirit that might try to harm her or to take advantage of her.  An engaging character like Aoi, who is full of curiosity, is worth following.

8.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for February 20, 2019

BOOM! STUDIOS

OCT181298    ADVENTURE TIME MARCELINE PIRATE QUEEN ORIGINAL GN    $14.99
DEC181390    ADVENTURE TIME MARCY & SIMON #2 (OF 6) MAIN    $3.99
DEC181391    ADVENTURE TIME MARCY & SIMON #2 (OF 6) PREORDER MARCY    $3.99
DEC181392    ADVENTURE TIME MARCY & SIMON #2 (OF 6) PREORDER SIMON    $3.99
DEC188458    BLACK BADGE #7 FOC SHAW VAR    $3.99
DEC181364    BLACK BADGE #7 MAIN & MIX    $3.99
DEC181367    CODA #9 (OF 12) MAIN & MIX    $3.99
DEC181372    JIM HENSON BENEATH DARK CRYSTAL #7 (OF 12) MAIN CVR DEWEY    $3.99
DEC181373    JIM HENSON BENEATH DARK CRYSTAL #7 (OF 12) PREORDER PETERSEN    $3.99
OCT181271    JIM HENSON LABYRINTH DISCOVERY ADVENTURE HC    $14.99
DEC181377    LUMBERJANES #59 MAIN    $3.99
DEC181378    LUMBERJANES #59 PREORDER PEER VAR    $3.99
OCT181285    LUMBERJANES TO MAX ED HC VOL 05    $39.99