I enjoyed this latest volume of “Claymore” for reasons which I’ll elaborate on in the next paragraph.  The thing is that there were so many little details that I’d forgotten in the long wait between volumes (i.e.:  What was the deal with Rafaela and Luciela?  Why was Miria hanging out with Galatea?) that it has […]

Longtime readers will be glad to know that the title character is actually featured in more than a few panels this volume.  Though she’s not back “front and center” Alita still plays a pivotal role as creator Yukito Kishiro begins the build-up towards the Z.O.T. finals.  That said, people shouldn’t be surprised that most of […]

As promised, and to wrap up the year, my thoughts on vol. 2 of “Hetalia:” If you liked the first one, you’ll like this too. Seriously.  There’s really not much else to say about this.  It doesn’t feel as unfocused as the first volume, but there’s still no real narrative tying everything together.  So you […]

Another one of my favorite titles from last year is still very entertaining in its fifth volume.  However, the reasons for that are turning out to be quite different from what I was expecting after reading the first two volumes.  The first volume set up a fascinating alternate history of Japan where the Edo era […]

Yes, the title is very long and silly, but also quite apt.  This is a collection of shorts about a female mangaka named F-mi Y-naga who specializes in drawing yaoi manga and frequenting restaurants with good food.  She is IN NO WAY a thinly-veiled self-portrait of the person who wrote and illustrated this volume, Fumi […]

If you’ve been following my thoughts on this series from the podcasts, then you’ll know that the first two volumes of this series left me with deeply mixed feelings.  While mangaka Felipe Smith is a very talented artist who also has a keen eye for satire, he also has an over-the-top approach to his work […]

Well, it’s nice to know that they, actually have plans.  After months of silence, a cancelled panel at the NY Comic-Con and the announcement that they’d be taking over publishing most of Del Rey’s titles, we finally found out what they’ll be publishing next summer.  It’s a combination of new titles, license rescues from other […]

In this volume, Yotsuba gets her very own teddy bear.  She names him Juralumin.  He can even “talk” by making “Mweeeeeeh” sounds when he’s held the right way.  When he does this during dinner at a yakiniku restaurant, Jumbo asks her what he said.   She translates his response as, “Later… I’ll make… Yanda cry.” Then […]

While originality will never be this series’ strong  point, vol. 2 shows that it’s shaping up to be a good example of solid storytelling.  After the dust settles from the previous volume’s climactic fight, Hikaru decides that it’s finally time to make peace with her father’s death.  So she decides to travel to the island […]