Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 8, 2020

IMAGE COMICS

MAR200214    ADVENTUREMAN #2    $3.99
MAR200217    BITTER ROOT #9 CVR A GREENE (MR)    $3.99
MAR200218    BITTER ROOT #9 CVR B MARTINBROUGH (MR)    $3.99
MAR200224    EXCELLENCE #8 CVR A RANDOLPH & LOPEZ    $3.99
MAR200225    EXCELLENCE #8 CVR B MARTINEZ    $3.99
APR200150    KILLADELPHIA TP VOL 01 SINS OF THE FATHER (MR)    $9.99
APR200105    OBLIVION SONG BY KIRKMAN & DE FELICI #25 CVR A DE FELICI (MR    $4.99
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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 8, 2020

MARVEL COMICS

JAN201056    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 07 2099    $17.99
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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for July 8, 2020

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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MAGAZINES

APR201739    CINEFEX #171    $15.00
FEB201684    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1716    $PI
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BOOKS

MAR201778    ARCHIES KEVIN KELLERS FAVORITE COLORS BOARD BOOK    $7.99
APR202330    ART OF DARKSIDERS GENESIS HC    $49.99
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FEB202182    STREET FIGHTER WORLD WARRIOR ENCYCLOPEDIA HC ARCADE EDITION    $44.99

#IReadsYou Review: ONE-PUNCH MAN Volume 15

ONE-PUNCH MAN, VOL. 15
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: ONE
ART: Yusuke Murata
TRANSLATION: John Werry
LETTERS: James Gaubatz
EDITORS: Jennifer LeBlanc; John Bae
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0223-7; paperback (January 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
216pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

One-Punch Man is a Japanese superhero franchise that began as a webcomic created by the writer-artist ONE.  Later, ONE joined artist Yusuke Murata to create a digital manga remake of One-Punch Man that began publication on Shueisha's Tonari no Young Jump website in 2012.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the digital manga as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shonen Jump” imprint beginning in 2015.

One-Punch Man focuses on Saitama, who wants to be a hero.  He begins his superhero training when he is 22-years-old, and he becomes one when he is 25.  He really does not look like a superhero, with his lifeless facial expression, bald head, and unimpressive physique.  But he beats the snot out of super-villains with one punch, and he even has his own disciple, the young cyborg, Genos (who really needs no training).

One-Punch Man, Vol. 15 (Chapters 76 to 80; entitled “Pulling the Strings”) finds Saitama in a funk.  Despite just finishing a martial arts tournament and then, obliterating the supposedly unbeatable monster, “Goketsu,” Saitama feels empty inside.  He believes that he is simply too strong, so can the hero known as “King” help lift Saitama's spirits... by whuppin' his ass at video games?!

Meanwhile, the Monster Association makes its boldest move against the Hero Association to date.  They have not only kidnapped Waganma, the son of Narinki, an esteemed supporter of the Hero Association, but a monster has also infiltrated Hero Association with a message.  Is it a message about an armistice or a message of death... or both?

[This volume includes the bonus manga stories, “Threat Level” and “Sighting,” and also bonus illustrations.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The One-Punch Man manga is, like the shonen manga, My Hero Academia, a Japanese take on the American superhero comic book.  As much as I like My Hero Academia, I am crazy in love with One-Punch Man.

One-Punch Man Graphic Novel Volume 15 is a sheer joy to read, as was Vol. 14.  I must admit to being onboard with ONE and Yusuke Murata's take on Saitama's boredom.  If the One-Punch Man is really unbeatable because of his mega one-punch, bring on the bad guys or, in this case, the Monster Association.  Other than that, Vol. 15 is filled with one of this series' signature elements, and that is inventive and imaginative characters.  And, as usual, I can't wait for the next volume.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of shonen battle manga and of superhero comic books will love the “Shonen Jump” title, One-Punch Man.

A
9 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.


------------------------------

#IReadsYou Review: MY HERO ACADEMIA Volume 19

MY HERO ACADEMIA, VOL. 19
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Kohei Horikoshi
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Caleb Cook
LETTERS: John Hunt
EDITORS: Mike Montesa; Jon Bae
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0460-6; paperback (June 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

My Hero Academia is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kohei Horikoshi.  It has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of My Hero Academia as a series of graphic novels since 2015 under its “Shonen Jump” imprint.

In My Hero Academia, there comes a day when people start manifesting superpowers called “Quirks.”  Some use their powers to commit crime, which creates the need for heroes.  If someone wants to be a superhero, he or she enrolls in the Hero Academy.  What would a person do, however, if he were one of the 20 percent born Quirkless?  Middle school student Izuku Midoriya has no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes.  Then, Midoriya meets the greatest hero of them all, All Might, who gives him a chance to change his destiny…

As My Hero Academia, Vol. 19 (Chapters 168 to 177; entitled “School Festival”) opens, Midoriya wonders what is up with his classmate, Yuga Aoyama.  He is acting suspiciously; one might even call it creepy.  Then, it's school festival time, and Class 1-A struggles with what to present to the rest of the school, and what they choose will be surprising.  However, in the aftermath of the recent battles, if just one more terrible thing occurs, Class 1-A's presentation won't matter because the festival will immediately by canceled!

Meanwhile, Midoriya continues to practice with All Might.  At the same time, the failed villain, “Gentle Criminal,” and his partner, “La Brava,” plot something that will put them in the big time.

THE LOWDOWN:  The My Hero Academia manga is Japan's answer to superhero comic books.  Indeed, it is quite similar to American comics in the way that it depicts superheroes and super-powers (called “Quirks” here, of course).

My Hero Academia Graphic Novel Volume 19 finds creator Kohei Horikoshi focusing on each student's personality and goals, and perhaps, on this early leg of the journey that is life.  Midoriya continues to learn about his powers as All-Might encourages him to explore more on his own.  The villains in this volume are wacky, but interesting, so Vol. 19 feels like the volume that prepares readers for the next big fight.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of superhero comics and of shonen battle manga will want to enroll at the “Shonen Jump” school, My Hero Academia.

A
8 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.



-----------------------------

#IReadsYou Review: ECLAIR BLANCHE

ÉCLAIR BLANCHE
YEN PRESS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Various
ART: Various
TRANSLATION: Eleanor Summers
LETTERS: Alexis Eckerman
MISC. ART: U35; Yutaka Hiiragi; Non
COVER: Fly
ISBN: 978-1-9753-5909-6; paperback (May 2020); Rated “M” for “Mature”
276pp, B&W, $13.00 U.S., $17.00 CAN

Éclair (stylized as “éclair”) is a series of girls' love or “yuri” (lesbian) manga produced by Japanese publisher, ASCII Media Works (a brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing).  Yen Press published an English-language edition of the first Éclair collection in June 2018.  The publisher will also release three more Éclair collections in 2020, including the recently published Éclair Blanche (stylized as éclair blanche).

Éclair Blanche: A Girls' Love Anthology that Resonates in Your Heart contains 15 girls' love short stories and vignettes.  The girls' love anthology, Éclair, returns with new stories from popular girl's love authors.  This new volume features works from favorite girls' love mangaka such as Canno (“The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl”), Mushu (“Happy Yellow Chick”), and Fly (“Flowers in a Storm”), who also provides the cover art.  This new addition to the Éclair lineup will sweep lovers of girls' love off their feet!

[This volumes contains an authors' “Postscript.”]

The Éclair Blanche manga is one of the few girls' love manga that I have read.  I am pretty sure that Éclair Blanche is the first girls' love anthology that I have read, because I certainly didn't read the original collection, Éclair.  [On the other hand, I have read quite a few boys' love anthologies over the last two decades.]

The Éclair Blanche: A Girls' Love Anthology that Resonates in Your Heart Graphic Novel has some powerful stories and some poor stories.  Many of the stories here are more like vignettes than they are like a full-fledged manga short stories.  Fly's “Flowers in a Storm” is a strong open with its tale of Eri, a high school student who is about to lose the young woman she loves to a faraway college.  The volume ends with a misfire, Auri Hirao's magical girl offering, “Secret Sharing.”

“Something Only I Know” by Kagegichi Tadano offers the volume's only love triangle, and the story proves to be a bit edgy.  “The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl” by Canno is the tale of 28-year-old Mao, who wants to be a kept woman, and Hazumi, the 16-year-old rich girl who wants to use her money to take care of Mao.  Some readers will no doubt be put off not so much by the age difference between these characters, but by the fact that Hazumi cannot legally consent to have a sexual relationship with the adult Mao, at least in many states in the U.S.  I think that Canno gets around the legalities by having the characters tell each other that they are willing to wait one another out.

I won't call Éclair Blanche a great collection, but it contains enough quality girls' love comics to make it worthy of a girls' love fan's attention.  There is also some strong illustrators in this volume, with diverse styles and approaches to graphic storytelling.  That is another reason to get  Éclair Blanche.

7 out of 10

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


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The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and  syndication rights and fees.


--------------------------

Book Review: FULL THROTTLE: Stories

FULL THROTTLE: STORIES
WILLIAM MORROW/HarperCollins – @WmMorrowBks @HarperCollins

[This review originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Joe Hill
ISBN: 978-0-06-220067-9; hardback; 6 x 9 (October 1, 2019)
496pp, B&W, $27.99 U.S., $34.99 CAN

Full Throttle: Stories is a 2019 short story collection from author Joe Hill.  Originally a hardcover release, Full Throttle: Stories, which is Hill's fourth short story collection, contains 13 short stories of varying lengths.

Hill, whose birth name is Joseph Hillström King, is the son of legendary horror novelist and dark fantasy author, Stephen King, and novelist, nonfiction author, and poet, Tabitha King.  Hill is also a novelist and comic book writer (best known for the Locke & Key series from IDW Publishing).

Joe Hill collaborates with Stephen King on two of Full Throttle's stories.  Hill will never be the author that his father is, nor does Hill have to be Stephen King, who is one of the greatest short story fantasy authors of all time.  Hill only has to be himself, and Hill is quite the inventive, ingenious, and imaginative short story writer himself.

From the tale of a vengeful trucker ("Full Throttle," co- written with Stephen King) to the funky, near-future, have-and-have-not sci-fi (“All I Care About is You”), Joe Hill takes readers on a non-stop, break-neck journey through his own version of “The Twilight Zone.”  This is Joe Hill's trip through “Tales from The Darkside” in such edgy fare as the cautionary faerie fable (“Faun”) and the historical parable (“The Devil on the Staircase”).  Once you sit your ass inside this crazy ride, you won't have any choice but to go along Full Throttle, dear readers.

After being part of the British pop music recording duo, Eurythmics, for a decade, singer-songwriter Annie Lenox embarked on a solo career, beginning with the 1992 album, Diva.  I remember reading a review of her second album, Medusa (1995), in which the author of the review stated that every album should have two “great” songs.  I don't remember the name of the author or the place of publication of that review, but the review has had a deep influence on how I regard short story collections.

I insist that every short story collection have at least two stories that I consider great in order for me to consider the collection worth reading.  I also need to find two great stories in order for me to honestly recommend the collection to people who read my reviews.

Full Throttle: Stories only has one story that I consider piss poor, the werewolf-ish tale, “Wolverton Station.”  It is the kind of misfire that a published author can get published, but a novice author would need a miracle to get a recognized literary journal or fiction publication to publish such a minor tale.  “Wolverton Station,” the third story in the collection, is Full Throttle's “unlucky number 13.”

Otherwise, Full Throttle: Stories is one of the few great short story collections that I have read that are not written by someone named Harlan Ellison (1934-2018) or Stephen King.  The collection's best story is “Late Returns,” the lovely fable of the complexities and misunderstandings in parent-child relationships.  The Hallmark Channel could mine this story for a long series of made-for-TV movies.  I think what makes the story so memorable and exceptional is that it deals with the unasked questions, but also with the answered questions we don't realize were answered ages ago.

It was hard to choose a second favorite or second best, but I am going with “You Are Released,” an eve-of-apocalypse tale about Captain Leonard Waters, his crew, and the passengers of the 777 commercial jet airliner, “Delta 236.”  It puts readers in a front row seat to nuclear Armageddon, but it also exemplifies the hope, love, and reconciliation that humanity can have if it so chooses.

Joe Hill's two collaborations with Stephen King are heartbreaking, but for different reasons.  The first, the title track, “Full Throttle,” is a crime thriller that recalls road-rage-revenge films like Duel (1971, Steven Spielberg) and Joy Ride (2001, John Dahl).  The second Hill-King collaboration, “In the Tall Grass,” recalls King's short story, “Children of the Corn” (1977) and that classic tale's dark blend of blighted small town America, Americana, and paganism.

Hill actually tops the Americana of “In the Tall Grass,” with a brilliant spin on American separatism and inherited mental illness in the crazy and crazily brilliant “Mums.”  That story summons the is-it-or-isn't-real surrealism of Henry James' “The Turn of the Screw” (1898) and plants it in the black soil located in the dark corners of American culture.

So there is all kind of good stuff in Full Throttle: Stories.  It is a must-have for fans of dark fantasy short story collections.  I think the stories in this collection also suggest that, while he is in his late 40s, Joe Hill is just hitting his stride as a master of speculative and fantasy prose short fiction.

9.5 out of 10

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


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