Manga and Comic Reviews
So there was an article on Bleeding Cool last week talking about a new way for publisher marketshare to be measured that Marvel and Dark Horse have been pushing for. This new system would track retail share per item sold by Diamond. So rather than just a flat percent for “unit share” and “dollar share,” […]
I’ve never seen any of Michael Bay’s “Transformers” films, yet based on their reputation I can’t help but wonder if this volume provides a very similar experience. Nearly every page in this volume is dedicated to wholesale destruction as Tokyo is decimated by the alien crafts that crash into the city and proceed to lay […]
Now this is why I love Vertical. Publishing josei — young women’s — manga is not yet a common occurrence in North America and what examples of it we do have trend more towards slice-of-life stories that deal with their protagonists’ love lives in either a comedic or dramatic context. “Helter Skelter” is a suspense-bordering-on-horror […]
My main enjoyment from this series has come from seeing Tsutomu Nihei apply his distinct style to some decidedly conventional material. The results have been of an “acquired taste” so far, but this volume may signal the story’s transition into something legitimately entertaining for all. While the focus is still on the conflict between the […]
The successful partnership between Dark Horse and Joss Whedon got another shot in the arm this week. In case you haven’t heard, there’s currently a new “Firefly/Serenity” series in the pipeline from the publisher. No word on when this will actually hit the stands, but the safe money is on the nebulous term of “sometime […]
Another Comic-Con has come and gone, and while my wallet took a major hit, I came back with a lot of great comics that I’ll be talking about over the coming months. I’ve already got plans for one podcast based on what I’ve picked up, so expect my thoughts on “The Killer” by Matz and […]
The latest film based on a Dark Horse comic opened nationwide this weekend. I’m talking about “R.I.P.D., ” a comic originally published a while back to relatively quiet critical and commercial reception. While other films based on obscure or low-profile comics have gone on to be successes (“The Crow,” “M.I.B.”) this is not what has […]
This series finally started delivering on the disturbing things it had been trying to illustrate in previous volumes with the fifth one. The good news is that things get even worse for our protagonists here! In the wake of the fire on the riverbank, Takao gets a visit from some policemen, grounded, a visit from […]
This has been a looooooong time coming. They were joking at the “Best and Worst of Manga” panel at Comic-Con last year that 2013 may be the year this collection finally ships. Well it has and the results are going to be most appealing to those who prefer art over story. “Panorama Island” is the […]
It’s a striking cover image, to be sure. The sight of a knight in full plate armor charging towards the reader on a horse with his spear outstretched with German text and a design sense that screams “middle ages” lets you know that this isn’t like your usual manga. However, on the back cover there’s […]