MARVEL COMICS
JAN210568 ALIEN #1 $4.99
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JAN210577 ALIEN #1 GLEASON VAR $4.99
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SEP200711 AVENGERS GATHERING OMNIBUS HC $125.00
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MAR201032 BLACK PANTHER #24 $3.99
JAN210682 BLACK PANTHER #24 BARTEL SHURI WOMENS HISTORY MONTH VAR $3.99
JAN210683 BLACK PANTHER #24 MICHAEL CHO BLACK PANTHER TWO-TONE VAR $3.99
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JAN210631 CABLE #9 $3.99
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JAN210689 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #12 $3.99
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JAN210539 KING IN BLACK SCREAM #1 BROWN VAR $4.99
JAN210538 KING IN BLACK SCREAM #1 SILVA STORMBREAKERS VAR $4.99
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SEP200724 MARVEL PORTFOLIO HC PEACH MOMOKO $50.00
FEB210002 MARVEL PREVIEWS VOL 05 #10 APRIL 2021 EXTRAS $1.25
JAN210646 MILES MORALES SPIDER-MAN #24 $3.99
JAN210647 MILES MORALES SPIDER-MAN #24 LASHLEY MILES-THING VAR $3.99
SEP200717 MMW DAZZLER HC VOL 02 $75.00
SEP200718 MMW DAZZLER HC VOL 02 DM VAR $75.00
SEP200719 MMW INVINCIBLE IRON MAN HC VOL 13 $75.00
SEP200720 MMW INVINCIBLE IRON MAN HC VOL 13 DM VAR $75.00
SEP200721 PUNISHER WELCOME BACK FRANK MARVEL SELECT HC $29.99
JAN210547 SAVAGE AVENGERS #19 KIB $3.99
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DEC200671 X-MEN EPIC COLLECTION SENTINELS LIVE TP NEW PTG $39.99
SEP200727 X-MEN INFERNO OMNIBUS HC $125.00
SEP200728 X-MEN INFERNO OMNIBUS HC DM VAR $125.00
Monday, March 22, 2021
Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 24, 2021
Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for March 24, 2021
OCT201540 2000 AD #2212 XMAS 2020 SPECIAL $13.00
SEP201390 2000 AD NOV 2020 PROG PACK $28.60
OCT201538 2000 AD PROG #2210 $6.50
OCT201539 2000 AD PROG #2211 $6.50
NOV200980 21ST CENTURIONS #4 $5.95
JAN211498 AGENT 9 GN VOL 01 FLOOD A GEDDON $12.99
JAN211499 AGENT 9 HC GN VOL 01 FLOOD A GEDDON $18.99
OCT201501 AGGRETSUKO HC MEET HER FRIENDS (MR) $11.99
JAN211372 ALLERGIC GN $12.99
JAN211373 ALLERGIC HC GN $24.99
DEC201188 AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY MONSTERS #3 CVR A WOLFER (MR) $3.99
DEC201189 AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY MONSTERS #3 CVR B RACY LTD ED (MR) $9.99
JAN211109 ARCHIE JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #318 $7.99
DEC201973 BEAUTY AND FEAST GN VOL 01 $12.99
NOV201647 BELLE THUNDER OF GODS CVR A SPAY $5.99
NOV201648 BELLE THUNDER OF GODS CVR B VITORINO $5.99
NOV201649 BELLE THUNDER OF GODS CVR C RUFFINO $5.99
OCT201535 BEST OF SUGAR JONES TP $13.99
JAN211611 BIANCA TP (MR) $18.00
OCT201763 BL FANS LOVE MY BROTHER GN $12.99
DEC201940 BL METAMORPHOSIS GN VOL 04 $13.99
JAN211568 BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #2 CVR A HERNANDEZ $3.99
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JAN211571 BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #2 CVR D HACK $3.99
JAN218706 BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #2 CVR E FOC MOMOKO SKETCH $3.99
NOV201602 BLOODSHOT 50 PROJECT TP $9.99
JAN211526 BOOK OF LYAXIA #1 (OF 6) $3.99
JAN211523 CATDAD & SUPERMOM AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS $3.99
JAN211379 COLD DEAD WAR #1 (OF 4) (RES) (MR) $3.99
NOV201447 DANCE CLASS HC VOL 11 DANCE WITH ME $10.99
JAN211440 DEEP BLUE #3 (MR) $3.99
NOV201423 DELICATES TP $14.99
NOV201250 DF KING IN BLACK #2 CATES SGN $49.99
OCT201286 DISTANT WORLDS GN VOL 05 EPISODE 5 $11.95
DEC201943 DRUGSTORE IN ANOTHER WORLD CHEAT PHARMACIST GN VOL 01 $12.99
DEC201595 DRYAD #9 $3.99
JAN211482 EDWARD HOPPER GN $24.95
OCT201117 EXCITING COMICS #8 $3.99
JAN211513 FRANK AT HOME ON THE FARM #3 $3.99
JAN211470 GERONIMO STILTON REPORTER HC VOL 07 GOING DOWN TO CHINATOWN $9.99
DEC201944 GHOSTLY THINGS GN VOL 03 $12.99
AUG201100 GIRL GENIUS SECOND JOURNEY GN VOL 06 SPARKS AND MONSTERS $25.00
AUG201101 GIRL GENIUS SECOND JOURNEY HC VOL 06 SPARKS AND MONSTERS $50.00
JAN211394 GREETINGS FROM WASTELAND HC $25.00
JAN211006 GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #3 CVR A SEGOVIA (MR) $3.99
JAN211007 GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #3 CVR B JAE KWANG PARK (MR) $3.99
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JAN211430 GUNLAND GN VOL 03 CODA $19.99
FEB211171 HEIR GN VOL 01 (OF 2) $25.00
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JAN218619 HOLLOW HEART #1 CVR F 2ND PTG $3.99
JAN211391 HOUSE WITHOUT WINDOWS TP $19.99
DEC201947 HOW TO TREAT MAGICAL BEASTS GN VOL 05 $12.99
DEC201666 I FEEL LOVE GN (MR) $22.99
JAN211329 I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN HC (MR) $24.99
JAN211701 IN SPECTRE GN VOL 13 $10.99
JAN211530 LADY FREEDOM #1 (OF 5) $3.99
JAN211807 LAST ROUND ARTHURS GN VOL 02 $13.00
JAN211474 LOUD HOUSE SC VOL 12 CASE STOLEN DRAWERS $7.99
DEC201902 LOVE & HEART GN VOL 01 $13.00
OCT201287 LUCKY LUKE TP VOL 77 COWBOY IN HIGH COTTON $11.95
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JAN211358 MAKER COMICS GN BUILD A ROBOT $12.99
JAN211359 MAKER COMICS HC GN BUILD A ROBOT $19.99
JAN211111 MICHAEL TURNER CREATIONS HC $125.00
JAN211052 MISKATONIC #5 $3.99
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OCT201537 MISTY WINTER SPECIAL 2020 ONESHOT $11.00
AUG201732 MORRISON HOTEL GN $19.99
JAN211085 MUTTS GO GREEN TP $11.99
JAN211227 NECROMORFUS TP (MR) $14.99
JAN211410 NINJAS & ROBOTS #5 CVR A ERIK KLAUS $4.99
JAN211411 NINJAS & ROBOTS #5 CVR B STEVE MANNION $4.99
FEB210978 NORTH STAR ONE SHOT $6.95
JAN211425 PANTOMIME #5 (OF 6) $3.99
JAN211368 PARAKEET GN $21.95
JAN211228 PARANORMAL HITMEN #2 (OF 4) (MR) $3.99
DEC201959 PRECARIOUS WOMAN MISS BLACK GENERAL GN VOL 06 (MR) $12.99
JAN211516 PROVENANCE OF MADNESS TP CVR A PAUL JACKSON $19.99
JAN211517 PROVENANCE OF MADNESS TP CVR B CHRISTIAN DIBARI $19.99
OCT201529 PS ARTBOOKS KONA MONARCH MONSTER ISLE SOFTEE VOL 01 $24.99
JUL201361 PS ARTBOOKS MAGAZINE ANARCHO DICTATOR OF DEATH $13.99
NOV201063 PUNCHLINE #12 CVR A $3.99
NOV201064 PUNCHLINE #12 CVR B BACK TO BACK VAR $9.99
JAN211518 RABID WORLD #1 (OF 4) $3.99
JAN211519 RECOUNT #3 $3.99
JAN211327 RED ROCK BABY CANDY HC $29.99
SEP201396 RETURN OF SEXTON BLAKE ONESHOT $15.99
NOV201856 ROLL OVER AND DIE GN VOL 01 $12.99
DEC201864 ROSE OF VERSAILLES GN VOL 04 (RES) $38.99
OCT201288 ROUTE 66 LIST GN VOL 04 OKLAHOMA TEXAS $11.95
NOV200895 SEEN ORIGINAL GN RACHEL CARSON $5.99
JAN211047 SHADOW DOCTOR #2 $3.99
JAN211362 SHADOW LIFE GN $24.99
DEC201816 SHAMAN KING OMNIBUS TP VOL 01 $19.99
JAN211347 SHERLOCK BONES GN VOL 09 SEA CREATURE FEATURE $7.99
JAN211348 SHERLOCK BONES HC VOL 09 SEA CREATURE FEATURE $17.99
AUG201523 SILVER AGE CLASSICS KONA MONARCH MONSTER ISLE HC VOL 01 $46.99
AUG201524 SILVER AGE CLASSICS KONA SLIPCASE VOL 01 $56.99
AUG201525 SILVER AGE CLASSICS SPACE ADVENTURES HC VOL 06 $46.99
AUG201526 SILVER AGE CLASSICS SPACE ADVENTURES SLIPCASE ED VOL 06 $56.99
JAN211820 SO IM SPIDER SO WHAT LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 11 $14.00
JAN211492 STAR WARS MANDALORIAN SCREEN COMIX TP VOL 01 SEASON 1 (RES) $14.99
JAN211229 STEAMBOUND #3 (MR) $3.99
SEP201397 STRONTIUM DOG SEARCH AND DESTROY HC (RES) $26.99
JAN211385 TAARNA (2020) #4 (OF 6) $3.99
JAN211528 THE EDGE #1 $3.99
JAN211798 TOILET BOUND HANAKO KUN GN VOL 08 $13.00
JAN211369 TWISTER GN $17.50
JAN211230 VIETNAM HORROR #1 (MR) $3.99
JAN211441 WOMEN DISCOVERERS GN $19.99
JAN211222 YEAR ZERO VOL 2 #5 CVR A ANDREWS (MR) $3.99
JAN211223 YEAR ZERO VOL 2 #5 CVR B ROSANAS (MR) $3.99
MAGAZINES
JAN211275 COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1753 $PI
NOV201446 DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE #559 $13.50
OCT201541 JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #427 $13.00
NOV201511 SCREAM MAGAZINE #64 (MR) $9.99
BOOKS
JAN211508 ART SLEEVES ALBUM COVERS BY ARTISTS HC $50.00
JAN211395 BACK TO THE FUTURE DELOREAN TIME MACHINE USERS MANUAL $29.99
JAN211823 BOTTOM-TIER CHARACTER TOMOZAKI LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 06 $14.00
DEC201916 DATE A LIVE LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 01 $15.00
JAN211827 DIRTY WAY DESTROY GODDESS HEROES NOVEL SC VOL 06 $15.00
JAN211367 DISNEY RAYA & LAST DRAGON LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK $5.99
FEB211170 EYES OF GREEN ART OF RB WHITE SC $25.00
JAN211586 FIREFLY ARTBOOK HC $50.00
JAN211821 GOBLIN SLAYER LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 11 (MR) $15.00
DEC201968 GRIMGAR OF FANTASY & ASH LIGHT NOVEL VOL 14.5 $17.99
JAN211826 KID FROM DUNGEON BOONIES MOVED STARTER TOWN NOVEL SC VOL 05 $15.00
JAN211824 LAST ROUND ARTHURS LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 04 $15.00
JAN211825 MAGICAL GIRL RAISING PROJECT LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 11 $15.00
DEC201970 MUSHOKU TENSEI JOBLESS REINCARNATION LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 09 ( $13.99
JAN211032 TERRY MOORE HOW TO DRAW EXPANDED ED SC (RES) $18.99
JAN211830 WORLD STRONGEST REARGUARD LABYRINTH NOVICE NOVEL SC VOL 05 ( $15.00
DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for March 23, 2021
Action Comics #1029 (Cover A Phil Hester & Eric Gapstur), $4.99
Action Comics #1029 (Cover B Julian Totino Tedesco), AR
Batman Arkham Talia al Ghul TP, $29.99
Batman Black And White #4 (Of 6)(Cover A Becky Cloonan), $5.99
Batman Black And White #4 (Of 6)(Cover B Gabriele Dell’Otto), $5.99
Batman Black And White #4 (Of 6)(Cover C Simone Bianchi Two-Face Variant), $5.99
Batman Detective Comics Volume 5 The Joker War HC, $29.99
Batman Superman #16 (Cover A Ivan Reis & Danny Miki), $3.99
Batman Superman #16 (Cover B Greg Smallwood), AR
Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn #6 (Of 6)(Cover A Sean Murphy), $4.99
Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn #6 (Of 6)(Cover B Matteo Scalera), $4.99
DC Connect Checklist Poster #10, AR
DCeased TP, $19.99
Detective Comics #1034 (Cover A Dan Mora), $4.99
Detective Comics #1034 (Cover B Lee Bermejo Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Teen Titans Ruins #1 (Cover A Rafa Sandoval), $5.99
Harley Quinn #1 (Cover A Riley Rossmo), $3.99
Harley Quinn #1 (Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant), AR
Harley Quinn #1 (Cover C Blank Card Stock Variant), AR
Harley Quinn #1 (Cover D Yoshitaka Amano Team Card Stock Variant), AR
Harley Quinn And The Birds Of Prey The Hunt For Harley HC, $24.99
Swamp Thing The New 52 Omnibus HC, $125.00
Teen Titans Academy #1 (Cover A Rafa Sandoval), $3.99
Teen Titans Academy #1 (Cover B Jamal Campbell), AR
Sunday, March 21, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: 2016 SPIDER-MAN #1 Was a Strong Debut
SPIDER-MAN No. 1 (2016)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
PENCILS: Sara Pichelli
INKS: Sara Pichelli with Gaetano Carlucci
COLORS: Justin Ponsor
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Sara Pichelli and Justin Ponsor
VARIANT COVERS: Mark Bagley and Dexter Vines with Andrew Crossley; Michael Cho; Skottie Young; Adi Granov (Hip-Hop variant)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (2016)
Rated T
In 2011, Marvel Comics and writer Brian Michael Bendis introduced a Black, Brooklyn teenager as the new Spider-Man. Specifically, Miles Morales, of African-American and Latino heritage, was the new Ultimate Spider-Man, the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler and web-slinger of Marvel’s Ultimate line of comics (or universe).
Miles has starred in two comic books series, Ultimate Spider-Man (or Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man) and Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man. As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel, Miles gets a new comic book series, simply entitled Spider-Man. It is written by Brian Michael Bendis; drawn by Sara Pichelli; colored by Justin Ponsor; and lettered by Cory Petit.
Spider-Man #1 opens with Spider-Man facing Blackheart – “Son of Mephisto” and “Prince of the Underworlds.” Let's go back a bit. At Brooklyn Visions Academy, Miles has failed with Julie, the gorgeous girl he wants to date. He is also failing in school, which angers his mother (!), but does not really concern his father. Back to Blackheart, who has killed several Avengers, so what's going on?
I really missed Sara Pichelli when she was not the artist on Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man, although David Marquez, the artist on that series, was quite good. Still, only three pages into Spider-Man #1, and I was reminded of why Pichelli and colorist Justin Ponsor are such a damn good art team.
As for Brian Michael Bendis: the teen Spidey drama is as good as always; there aren't many pages of it, but Bendis does character drama in superhero comics better than it has ever been done – ever. The action around Blackheart is hugely intriguing, so I have no complaints, just the need for more.
Of course, I am recommending this...
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for information on reprint or syndication rights and fees.
-----------------------
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Saturday, March 20, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: FOOD WARS!" Shokugeki No Soma Volume 35
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
STORY: Yuto Tsukuda
ART: Shun Saeki
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
CONTRIBUTOR: Yuki Morisaki
LETTERS: James Gaubatz; Mara Coman
EDITOR: Jennifer LeBlanc
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1258-8; paperback (April 2020); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma is a shonen manga series written by Yuto Tsukuda and illustrated by Shun Saeki. Yuki Morisaki also works as a contributor, providing the recipes for the series. Food Wars! was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, from November 2012 to June 2019. VIZ Media published an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series from August 2014 to June 2020 under two imprints: first, “Shonen Jump Advanced” and then, “Shonen Jump.”
Food Wars! focuses on teenager Soma Yukihira. He grows up cooking in his father's Yukihira Family Restaurant. The 15-year-old wants to be a better chef than his father, Joshiro Yukihira (Saiba), so he hones his skills day in and day out. His father decides to enroll him in a classy culinary school, Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate. If Soma Yukihira really does not want to attend Totsuki, how can he succeed?
As Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma, Vol. 35 (Chapters 300 to 308; entitled “The Divine Tongue's Despair”) opens, the “Blue,” a world-renowned cooking tournament for the best of the best young chefs from around the world, rages on. This year, for the first time, traditional chefs will clash with the “underground noir” (or “cuisiniers noir”) chefs. Soma, eager for a rematch with the noir, Asahi Saiba, who defeated him, heads to a certain famous old castle in a famous city where the event will be held.
Totsuki's brightest: Soma, Megumi Tadokoro, and Takumi Aldini, as well as recent Totsuki graduate, Eishi Tsukasa, have joined the competition, but they are swiftly dispatched – except for Soma. Now, their classmate, Erina Nakiri, who got to skip the early stages of the “Blue” because of her past achievements, is forced to face off against multiple opponents. But who is doing the forcing? Who is “Lady Mana,” and what does she have to do with the “curse of the 'Divine Tongue'”?
Plus, Soma finally has his rematch with Saiba!
[The volume includes recipes and miscellaneous illustrations.]
THE LOWDOWN: The Food Wars! manga races towards its conclusion. The narrative prepares to answer the question of who is the best?
Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma Graphic Novel Volume 35 is the second-to-last (or penultimate) volume of the series. There are some surprise reveals in regard to Erina Nakiri's past, and one of them is the answer to an obvious question. Writer Yuto Tsukuda and artist Shun Saeki usually delve into the details of recipes, the processes of cooking, and the skills of the competing chefs. In Vol. 35, they seem more intent on moving onto the final confrontations, so this volume lacks the full fun of the cooking battles that we have been getting since the very beginning of this series.
However, Adrienne Beck's translation catches the drama and conflict between characters in the raw and with edgy intimacy, so that takes the sting out of having only one cooking battle presented in some detail. Letterers James Gaubatz and Mara Coman expertly close in on the focus on the dialogue and the exposition that prepares for the grand finale.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Readers hungry for good manga will want the “Shonen Jump” title, Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma.
A
8 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
https://www.viz.com/
https://twitter.com/VIZMedia
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The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
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Friday, March 19, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan Volume 12
YEN PRESS
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
MANGAKA: Puyo
ORIGINAL STORY: Nagaru Tanigawa
CHARACTER DESIGN: Noizi Ito
TRANSLATION: Paul Starr
LETTERS: Abigail Blackman
MISC. ART: Noizi Ito; Gaku Tsugano
ISBN: 978-1-9753-1079-0; paperback (May 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
166pp, B&W with some color pages, $13.00 U.S., $17.00 CAN
Haruhi Suzumiya is a Japanese light novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito. Released in 2003, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was the first novel in a series that saw ten additional volumes published. Haruhi Suzumiya became a media franchise that included an anime television series adaptation, an animated film, two original net animation series, several video games, and four manga series.
One of those manga series was entitled The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan, the third of the four manga and the series' official parody. Created by writer-artist, Puyo, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan was first serialized in Shonen Ace in July 2007 and then, continued in The Sneaker, beginning August 2007. The series ended in December 2018, and was compiled in twelve tankobon (graphic novel) volumes from May 2008 to May 2019.
Yen Press published an English-language edition of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan tankobon as a 12-volume, paperback graphic novel series. The first volume was published in December 2011, and the last was published this past May 2020.
The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan begins with Kyon, an ordinary high school freshman who has long given up on his childhood dreams of encountering the fantastic and supernatural... or so he thought. He meets his new classmate, the beautiful and eccentric Haruhi Suzumiya. From the first day of class, Haruhi makes it very clear that her only desire is to meet aliens, time travelers, and psychics. Kyon and Haruhi form the “SOS Brigade,” a school club created for the sole purpose of gathering together fantastic and supernatural beings. However, Kyon learns that the initial members of their club are actually members of secret futuristic and alien organizations that have the single aim of keeping watch over Haruhi Suzumiya, as she is the pinnacle of some major calamity on the horizon!
The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan, Vol. 12 declares that the series is over. Because she is unbound by the laws of reality, however, Haruhi-chan's antics will never be over. The gang gets cozy under the “kotatsu” to work out their problems. There is a trip to a hot springs resort, and summer means the obligatory swimsuit chapter. Plus, Haruhi-chan is a superhero, but she turns out to be a rather odd one. This all leads up to the final chapter... or make that final chapters!
[This volume includes bonus art, a short story, “The Reciprocity” by Nagaru Tanigawa, and a color illustration gallery, featuring one illustration each by Noizi Ito and Gaku Tsugano.]
The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan manga is new to me, as is the entire media franchise, including its original source, the light novel series. Still, the concept sounds like loads of fun... and it is yet another Yen Press title that reminds me of the manga, Hayate the Combat Butler.
The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan Graphic Novel Volume 12 brings the series to a close. This is the volume that will mean the most to fans of Haruhi Suzumiya, especially those that like the franchise enough to want a parody of it. Writer-artist Puyo, who also produced a non-parody manga adaptation of the franchise, is obviously quite familiar with the series. Puyo manages to make these humorous vignettes funny even to a newcomer like me.
Half the chapters here are eight pages in length and the rest are four pages long. Paul Starr's translation conveys the appropriate comic pace for either length. In the end, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan has a rather “neat” ending. Haruhi-chan and company's antics will never end.
7 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
https://yenpress.com/
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https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23045551-yen-press
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Thursday, March 18, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: The Death of Captain Marvel
MARVEL COMICS
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Jim Starlin
ART: Jim Starlin
COLORS: Steve Oliff
LETTERS: James Novack
EDITOR: Al Milgrom
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Jim Shooter
COVER/BACK COVER: Jim Starlin
68pp, Color, $5.95 U.S. (1982)
Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan
Introduction by Al Milgrom
“Marvel Graphic Novel” (MGN) was a line of paperback original graphic novels published from 1982 to 1993 by Marvel Comics. The books were published in an oversize format, 8.5" x 11", similar to French comic book “albums,” which generally had cardboard covers, full-color, slick pages. [In response, DC Comics would also establish a competitor line known as “DC Graphic Novel.”]
The first Marvel Graphic Novel was released in 1982. Entitled The Death of Captain Marvel, it was written and drawn by Jim Starlin, who had been the comic book creator most associated with the character of Captain Marvel up to that time. The rest of The Death of Captain Marvel's creative team included colorist Steve Oliff and letterer James Novak. The late Allen Milgrom was the graphic novel's editor and also provided a short introduction to the story.
Captain Marvel is a Marvel Comics superhero and science fiction and fantasy character. He was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and designed by artist Gene Colan and first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (cover dated: December 1967). He is the original bearer of the name “Captain Marvel” within the world of Marvel Comics.
Before he became Captain Marvel, he was named “Mar-Vell,” and he was a member of the alien Kree race. Captain Mar-Vell came to Earth to spy on humans, but he eventually rejected the Kree, and took the name “Captain Marvel.” While living among humans, he also used the identity of “Walter Lawson” and was a member of the Avengers.
As The Death of Captain Marvel opens, Marvel has been living a live of semi-retirement on Titan, one of the planet Saturn's moons (satellites). Marvel is recording a mini-autobiography of his life while on board a spaceship belonging to his allies, the demigod, Mentor, and his son, Eros. Mentor and Eros are also the father and brother of the recently defeated and killed, Thanos, the mad warlord of Titan.
The trio is heading to the command central ship of Thanos' space fleet. Inside, Thanos is dead and encased in stone (because of events depicted in Marvel Two-in-One Annual 1977), and they want to make sure he has stayed that way. A surprise meets these heroes, however, as they discover that followers of Thanos live aboard the ship, awaiting what they believe will be the inevitable resurrection of the mad Titan.
The intense battle to defeat these alien zealots inadvertently reveals the secret that Marvel has been keeping from his closest friends, Mentor and Eros. Marvel is dying of cancer – what the Titans call the “Inner Decay” and the Kree call “the Blackend.” [Captain Marvel was exposed to the nerve gas that would lead to this cancer in Captain Marvel #34 (cover dated: September 1974)]. Now, Marvel must also share his diagnosis with his lover Elysius, the woman with whom he had hoped to share his life. He must also inform, Rick Jones, the young human who once shared an existence with Marvel. When he shares this news with the current members of the Avengers: Black Panther, Iron Man, Thor, Vision, Wonder Man, Beast, and Yellowjacket, they immediately spring into action, bringing all their scientific knowledge to bear in a bid to save Marvel from death.
As the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe gather on a deathwatch, Captain Marvel still has one final battle. The hero must face his greatest enemy, Thanos, and Thanos' dark mistress.
THE LOWDOWN: I first discovered the existence of The Death of Captain Marvel via in-house ads published in various Marvel Comics titles that I read at the time. Those ads made me quite interested in the book, but it was only sold in comic book shops via the “Direct Sales” market. At the time, I bought all my comic books at the now-defunct K&B drug store chain (headquartered in New Orleans, LA), and a few other places that sold comic books, mostly other drug stores and grocery stores. They all placed the comic books in those old “spinner racks.” I didn't know if there were any comic book shops near me, although it turned out that there was one about a 45-minute drive from where I lived at the time.
When I first started visiting comic book shops, I sometimes came across a copy of The Death of Captain Marvel, By that time, however, I wasn't really as interested in reading it as I was when I first heard about it. I recently decided to go back and re-read the Marvel Graphic Novels that I had previously read and read the ones that I had not. On eBay, I found a nice copy of the second printing of The Death of Captain Marvel, which went through several printings just in the first decade of its original publication. The second printing was apparently published within months of the first printing.
I am glad that I read The Death of Captain Marvel now, as I don't know if I would have appreciated it decades ago the way I do now. The way comic book stories are told and structured has radically changed in the four decades since the debut of The Death of Captain Marvel. This had made me appreciate what Starlin did with only 66 pages, which is more than most modern comic book writers do with over 100 pages.
Jim Starlin was certainly a good comic book artist. His drawing style has similarities to some of the most popular comic book artists that came before him. Still, Starlin's style is unique, and his illustrations always grab me. The background elements, the figure drawing, the landscapes, the backdrops, the costumes, the alien and fantastic landscapes: the way Starlin illustrates a comic book page is like nothing anyone else did or does in superhero comics books. Starlin has created a unique visual and graphical language, and no other artist's work could be mistaken for his.
Surprisingly, Starlin may be an even better comic book writer than he is a comic book artist. The stories that he writes and other artists illustrate maintain Starlin's imaginative and inventive storytelling. Starlin was one of the best mainstream comic book writers of the last quarter of the 20th century. Yes, he was right up there with Alan Moore, Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Marv Wolfman, Steve Englehart, and Grant Morrison, to name a few.
You can discover this for yourself, dear readers, in The Death of Captain Marvel. This stand-alone story references the past, but is singularly focused on Captain Marvel's final battle. It is philosophical, thoughtful, and contemplative. It is surreal and also matter-of-fact in its realism, all of it leading to the last act, a breathtaking death-dream that gave me pause.
Starlin offers some melodrama, mainly involving the characters to which is he intimately connected – from the bitter and frustrated anger of Rick Jones to the quite acceptance of Elysius. I am surprised that Marvel Comics published a story in which a superhero must face his imminent death – and one executed with such honesty. Captain Marvel freely admits that he does not want to die, and that he thought that when death came – a long time in the future – it would be a warrior's death.
Instead, the hero died in bed, ravaged by disease. Still, The Death of Captain Marvel gives the title character the kind of epic story of his end that would be befitting of elite superheroes. We know, however, that such superheroes don't stay dead. Instead, the story of Captain Marvel/Mar-Vell's death is one of Marvel Comics' greatest stories, and he did stay dead. I'd like to believe that Jim Starlin created a story so powerful that even the most arrogant Marvel editors and superstar creators could not summon the gall to undo it.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of the greatest Marvel Comics stories ever told will want to read The Death of Captain Marvel.
10 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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