Comics Books

Yes, word of mouth is a good way to spread the word. I did a search here in Amazon of vampire books with good reviews, and this series was one of the first.
The bookstore I usually go to didn't have it, so I had them order it for me. They said it usually takes 2 weeks, so it was ok with me. 3 weeks passed when I went back & found it was never sent! Ugh! They did it again, but I was already planning to get it here. I say it's been already a little over 2 weeks since then & I haven't gotten a call that it has arrived!
No biggie! I ordered it here & I'm half way through & lovin' it!
If you are looking for vampire sex, so far there isn't any, but I haven't finished it, yet. But the story is great! And I read Hawkins is writing the third book. There's even comics!
So I put my 2 cents in! And recommend you get it here, since some major bookstores may not have it.

i was a bit skeptical at first because of the front cover but when i started reading it...my gosh...it's one of the best books i've read...i could not stop reading...i stayed awake for hours just to finish it...it's one of the best!!! please write more kerri hawkins!

The novel is definitely a must-read for anyone who enjoys vampire tales. Blood Legacy is a completely different spin on the mythos, one that delves into the science behind immortality. While I have no way of scientifically proving or disproving her explanations for these creatures, I really enjoyed reading about them! It was a very fun book, completely action packed with great heroes and villains! I have already read the sequel and loved it and am eagerly waiting for more novels in this series!

I cant begin to really describe this book or its sequel , but i will recommend that you buy it and read it..you might just like it even if you are skeptical

Though the characters here are strong and their conflicts interesting, the book as a whole could have used an editor's strong hand - both for the smaller proofreading errors (streptococcus is described as a virus, and a character is shown knitting a quilt), and for the larger, clumsy moments (like switching the point of view between paragraphs, or providing exposition to the reader by having characters simply state what they know "for the record").

But by far the greatest error here was telling us "The Story of Ryan" without having Ryan as our main point of view character. The whole affair is told via a framing story about a doctor, whose concerns and subplots conveniently vanish once Ryan's storytelling gets into full swing.

This story has a lot of promise, filled with dramatic flourishes that would be perfectly at home in a cinematic medium. It's an easy, entertaining read - and one that I quite enjoyed - with good plot twists towards the end. Just be prepared to forgive a few foibles.

I absolutely loved these stories and how they connect the dots between the two films. A lot of the things used in these stories are seen in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. When Jay and Silent Bob meet Suzanne the Orangutan in the comics, it plays just like the scene from the movie when they meet Suzanne, even the scenes of Jay's grim look into the future Planet of the Apes. There is another scene in here that was cut from J&SB strike back when they are kicked off the bus for smoking weed in the restroom on the bus.

What I love most about these stories is that it explains how Jay and Silent Bob ended up wearing the different clothes that they wear in Dogma. That was the coolest part of this, everthing about their clothes in Dogma is explained in these stories; from Jay's Forked Tongue T-Shirt to Silent Bob's Mooby's cap. Overall, these stories are a must have for any fan of Kevin Smith. They are funny and should be included as canon (except for the monkey scene that was later used in J/SB Strike Back). If you want to know what happened to the dynamic duo between films, get this

What happened to Jay and Silent Bob between "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma"? How did Jay get the idea of going to Shermer, Illinois? Where did he get that hat? And why were they hanging out in the parking lot of a birth control clinic?

This book WILL answer those questions...and make you laugh out loud in the process!

Not only does this tie Chasing Amy, Mallrats, and Dogma together, but it also sort of spoils J&SBSB.

So it's a must for a Kevin Smith fan with a broken VCR.

this can be described it two words hi-larious

I got this book to fill in the history between Chasing Amy and Dogma. I loved it! Loved the jokes! Loved the laughs! However, given that it was to fill a space, there was an awful lot of discontinuity between it and the later movie, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. It seemed almost like a first draft for that movie. But aside from that, I got a great many laughs.

Of course, Jay, the drawing, is not nearly so cute as Jay, the actor, but that's another story...

This issue gives us the first shots of Sally, plus some other developments. The baseball themes are being fleshed out (complete with mass-quitting of CB's team) and the Psychologist's Stand makes its debut.

What's most interesting is watching the beginning of Sally's crush on Linus. While the reprinted strips of before show Sally falling in love and Linus responding with revulsion, the new strips reveal some interesting tacks.

First, early on in the book (in a strip that hadn't seen the light of day in the reprints I had read over the years), Linus actually expresses an interest in Sally, wondering if she would be dateable at 17 (when he would be 22). One gets the idea that Schultz actually wanted to develop a situation where Linus was in love but his object was unrequited.

Later on in the book, Schultz hits gold: Sally falls, Linus is embarassed. While some of these strips are familiar, the section where Sally's heart breaks is new to my eyes. Towards the end of this book is a comic strip that is worth every penny: Sally sees Linus walk by and responds in a way that everyone has responded to a broken heart. Only Schultz could have reduced it to half a day's strip!

The fifth volume of "The Complete Peanuts" covers the years 1959 and 1960. During this period, the four main characters are Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus Van Pelt, and Snoopy. Schroeder, Violet, and Patti all have fewer appearances in the strip. Although, Schroeder has a clearly defined role which makes his character stand out more than the other two. Similarly, Pig Pen has a specific role while Shermy is a throw in character, despite the fact that both appear rarely. During this period, we have the first new character since the short-lived Charlotte Braun almost five years previously. Sally Brown is born on May 26th of 1959, we find out her name on June 2nd, and she makes her first appearance in the strip on August 23rd. We see her walking for the first time on August 22nd of the following year.

There are some classic firsts which appear in this book. One is the first strip to have Lucy's Psychiatrist stand, in which she offers the classic advice "Snap out of it!" to Charlie Brown, followed by "Five cents please." The Great Pumpkin is also mentioned for the first time in these strips. There are also some wonderful sequences here, including the impending destruction of Snoopy's doghouse to make way for a freeway bypass, Linus' crush on his teacher, Charlie Brown missing a baseball game to push Sally in her stroller, and many more.

As with the previous volumes in this series, the index is an amazing resource. If you want to look up the strips in which "The Mad Punter" appears, all you have to do is check the index. The Foreword in this edition was written by Whoppi Goldberg and she reflects on her interview of Charles M. Schultz, as well s the role "Peanuts" played in her own life. "Peanuts" was my favorite comic strip when I was young, and it is wonderful to read all these classic strips again. There are also many strips here which were never printed before, so it is a great pleasure to experience them for the first time.

The best ever written. It's very difficult not to relate to Charlie Brown. He is Joe Everyman. I can't wait for the rest of the strips to come out. A big mistake for a "Peanuts" fan not to own them.

What is happiness? On April 25, 1960, Charles Schulz, through his character Lucy told us: Happiness is a warm puppy. This immortal sentence is just one of the things that appears in the fifth volume of The Complete Peanuts, which comprises the years 1959 and 1960. As in previous volumes, we see once again why Peanuts is considered by many to be the best comic strip ever.

In some sense, things have not changed from past volumes: Linus still has his blanket, Charlie Brown still can't fly a kite and Lucy is a champion fussbudget. On the other hand, things do move forward, albeit slowly. As original character Shermy (the first to ever speak in a Peanuts strip) becomes less significant, we get a new character with Charlie Brown's sister, Sally. Before she can even talk, she will have her heart broken by Linus, but don't worry, she'll recover fast.

Resiliency is the key to many of these characters, none more so than the strip's centerpiece, Charlie Brown. Constantly luckless and often ridiculed by his "friends" (only Linus, and occasionally Schroeder, are relatively consistent in being nice to him), Charlie Brown, despite his glumness is actually the eternal optimist. He never gives up on flying his kit or playing baseball or even his belief that one day, Lucy will actually allow him to kick that football.

Behind the deceptively simple drawing and the child characters (by this point in the strip, even the adult voices are gone), lies an often deep and sophisticated art, filled with wit and humanity. And like any piece of art that is great and immortal, it is timeless and as good now as ever, whether you're an adult or a child.

Eric Paddon said in his review that Whoopi Goldberg's "specialty is foul-mouthed hate diatribes toward anyone who isn't a raving leftist like her."

He also says Charles Schulz used lessons from the bible in his comic strip.

Please don't believe Mr. Paddon, a professor at a Christian college. Ms. Goldberg didn't put any hate in her introduction to this book. She loves the Peanuts.

You never had to believe in the New Testament or the Republican Party to enjoy the Peanuts. You don't now. I know a Muslim and a Buddhist who both enjoyed Mr. Schulz's comic strip for decades. Do Christian faculty members know that the cartoonist named Woodstock after that anti - family music festival ?

Please plunge in this wonderful collection of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the gang. They are timeless. Maybe they can inspire today's children who show promise in cartoon art.

I've read a great many stories about substance abuse by people both unknown and famous (rock star biographies are nothing if not diaries of substance abuse), and I gotta hand it to Callahan: I have never encountered more addicts of every stripe and variety than on the pages of his autobiography, "Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot." His assistants, friends, helpers, caseworkers- all drunks and junkies, the whole lot of them. Kudos to the cartoonist for escaping that poisonous environment and getting sober, particularly in view of a tragically gained quadriplegia that is a greater justification for drinking than most.

Don't Worry is a hard-core, politically incorrect, and unsympathetic look at disability and substance abuse. It's a no frills presentation, just like Callahan's artwork; it cuts to the message, without flowery language or pretentious literary devices. Callahan has a casual, down-homey style that makes this a quick and easy read, in spite of the heavy subject matter. He exhibits very little self-pity, and instead clinically and factually recounts even his most personal travails (with government funding, changing his waste bag, intimacy with women, etc.), injecting his caustic wit and black humor. He recognizes his injury as due to drinking (as well as the converse), but doesn't spend a lot of pages searching for deeper meanings. I was curious about what he thought made him a big drinker in the first place (i.e., before the accident)- was it boredom and the freedom of the 70s, or deeply held fears of abandonment due to his adoption and inability to meet his birth parents?

This book was written in 1989, when Callahan was 38. Looking back at some of the achievements he's had by now (his own cartoon TV show, more extensive circulation of his comics, screen rights to Don't Worry purchased by Robin Williams), it's clear he was on the cusp of success when he wrote his autobiography. It's a cool perspective to read about now, particularly in light of how Callahan details his struggles trying to eke out a living in the cartoon world. His professional accomplishments and development of a fan base are hard fought and well deserved.

John Callahan tells a funny and honest story about a man who put himself into a wheelchair (drunk driving) and then continued to drink for years after he became a quadriplegic. His story of personal redemption is a hilarious and thoughtful ride that is well worth reading.

Full disclosure: My brother is married to John's sister. I recommend this book to all of my friends who have never heard of John. How can anyone say anything against a book that is both pornographic and inspirational at the same time?

Callahan is where it's at. Wonderful story of strength, grit, perserversance, and recovery. Of course the belly laughs along the way were fun also. Some of those cartoons ! Geez, Calahan, thanks. P.S. Write another story about you. Sharon L.

John Callahan is my favorite crippled cartoonist! He's honest and hilarious! I've been a fan for years and have most of his cartoon books. I'm glad I added this to my collection!

i grew up watching the anime so i had no problem getting into this. it is a very creative story and the characters grow on you. give it a chance its not a bad read at all.

Okay, while Dragon Ball isn't my favorite manga, it is probable the most well-known and most celebrated manga to date. And for good reason.

Volume 1 tells the story of when Bulma first met Goku, and they decide to hunt down the dragon balls. Goku's grandfather has died, and he is living alone in the wilderness, so he really has nothing to lose. The stories in this volume leave you wondering about Goku's origin (Bulma is constantly suprised by his mysterious monkey-tail), laughing at Goku's innocence, Oolong the pigs diarrhea, and Yamcha's shy perversion. Dragon Ball is a great manga. It will have you laughing and marveling at Akira Toriyama's unique artwork. If you're a fan of shonen manga but have not read Dragon Ball, do yourself a favor and try it out.

On a side note, Dragon Ball: Volume 1 is rated T for teen (ages 13 and over). I have heard that there are censored versions of the book as well as uncensored ones, and I'm not sure if this is true, but I know that I own an uncensored book. Uncensored, Dragon Ball contains some mild language, some mild violence (a cartoonish monster is decapitated),many sexual jokes (Goku is often "patting" strangers out of curiosity to whether they are male or female), and a generous amount of nudity (Son Goku is seen completely nude, Bulma has a shower scene where breasts and bottom are exposed, etc.) I'd recommend Dragon Ball for those ages 16 and over, despite the teen rating it received.

Akira Toriyama's 1984 manga series "Dragonball" has got to be one of my favorites. While a lot of people in America think (negatively) of Dragonball as Dragonball Z or GT (manga/anime), I think of the classic Dragonball that has entertained me for the last couple years.

I first found Dragonball when browsing through manga at my local bookstore. The dragon on the cover was just one of the things that caught my eye. Inside, there was a whole world to be explored! I fell in love with Toriyama's detailed art, the ironic and entertaining storyline, the characters, the jokes...everything has made it a wonderful manga for me.

While it has its good things, it also has its bad. I would not reccomend Dragonball for people younger than 14, or to people who don't like manga, or even can't take a joke. Dragonball contains some violence (but no blood), crude humor, and sexual references.

In conclusion, Dragonball is just one of my favorite manga series, but perhaps my most valued. I hope you will like Dragonball, too!

I got my copy four years ago,first printing,cause I wanted to read Goku's childhood since I always missed the show on cartoon network.I was thinking,okay I'll buy all 16 volumes of dragonball since shonen jump was publishing the later half better known in the US as DBZ.Boy, was I wrong,after half way reading the first chapter I was hooked and sayed to myself I'll buy all the volumes 1 through 42.Right now I am in volume 27(DBZ vol. 11)

I've been a long time manga fan, but Dragonball Z was the one series I never could get into. There was just too much testosterone and muscles and screaming for my liking, and it tainted my view on Akira Toriyama himself.
Little did i know the Dragon Ball, the prequel to DragonBallZ, is in fact very different. I read it at my school library and was very pleasantly surprised, what I found was a fun adventure series that is often very racey but always hilarious.
Akira Toriyama has a fabulous gift for characterisation, and the ones he presents in this manga are extremely fun. Goku is a little monkey-tailed, uncivilized kid who has never seen other people before, and is somewhat shameless, Bulma is rather superficial and full of herself but tries to keep Goku in check, and Oolong the shape shifting pig is comedy gold.
As the other reviews can probably tell you, this isnt for the kiddies, but I myself was laughing my head off at some of the 'inappropriate' humour, such as Goku asking Bulma why she has 'a butt on her chest', and his horror-struck realistation that girls are different from boys as they have...'parts missing'.
The reason I give this book 3 stars however, is because of VIZ's english release. I do not like their habit of replacing the original japanese SFX with english, I feel it ruins the art. Aside from that, some of the speech was a little iffy, characters like Goku and Chi-chi were given oddly accented voices which didnt sound right to me. I am glad that for once VIZ DIDNT tone down any sexual jokes or censored any nudity as they have done in other Shonen Jump titles.

A story focusing on the ramifications of the attack on Snow White by Goldilocks, in the main.

That main arc is bookended by two stand-alone issues, one of Jack Horner and his time from the civil war, and the last is Bigby Wolf recounting a story about little Fables and the quest for barleycorn girls.

The important story involves, Goldilocks, Bluebeard, Prince Charming, who is proving himself a bit of a spymaster, and a plot to have Bigby and Snow killed.

Quite good again, as Fables continues to be well done, particularly as the whole fair tale character thing is not something I am disposed to like in the main, but this urban transportation of these characters is good stuff.

For Big Bad Wolf fans, there is some gold awaiting.

I worried a bit over the rating to give this volume in Bill Willingham's FABLES series. If judged by other volumes in the series, it would probably merit a 4 star rating. But judged by the vast majority of comics and graphic novels, it easily deserves 5 stars. So, 5 stars it is.

As other reviewers have noted, this collects four separate stories of unequal length. The longest by far gives the title to the book, "Storybook Love." This is a fun story entirely on its own merits, but it also sets up major changes in the books to come.

I can certainly recommend this book in the series, but I especially recommend the series as a whole. And it isn't just fun. I have read Grimms' Fairy Tales and much of Calvino's ITALIAN FOLKTALES, but I frequently find myself scurrying off to find out who this or that character in the story is. Definitely one of the finest comics series around.

The Fables story continues in this volume and it is a great read. The art continues to look great. This is the collection of issues #11-18.

In this volume Bluebeard has finally came up with a plan to rid himself of Bigby and Snow White involving Goldilocks, from Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm , the two and up making it out much to Bluebeard's dismay and the volume ends with a nice twist. Very good volume from a great series.

Unlike the other volumes (that I've read), this one isn't a mostly coherent tale, instead it contains four different stories. It's a slight step down from what I've already read and the next volume, but not much of one. Still is great stuff.

This is the third book in the graphic novel collections of Bill Willingham's Fables. As such, it features great artwork and a riveting story. The denizens of Fabletown, refugees fairy tale characters living in New York City, are threatened with exposure by a journalist who has been researching them for some time. With Snow White still on the mend, the protection of Fabletown falls to Bigby, Bluebeard, and Prince Charming. This brings into conflict two of the most ambitious men in Fabletown: Prince Charming and Bluebeard. The rest of the story focuses on their political machinations, which will have a big impact on Snow and Bigby's "relationship".

If you enjoyed the first two Fable stories you will not be disappointed with Storybook Love.

My second favorite of the series so far. So much happens in book 8... Things readers have been waiting on since book 5 come about and there's romance and violence and politics and general badassery from my favorite characters. Can't wait to get the next one!

This is a welcome addition to the series. It was a little shorter than I would have liked but it left me satiated.

This volume carries up to Fables 50th issue. And I've got to tell you, it is worth it. Wow!

Warning! Spoilers below!


This is one of my favorite books in the entire FABLES series. It is built around several major events. First, Mowgli continues his long and ultimately successful search for Bigby Wolf, partly because Prince Charming wants him to carry out a mission behind the Adversary's lines and partly to fulfill the requirements to allow the early release of Bagheera for his role in the farm uprising (see Book 2 in the series, ANIMAL FARM). Enlisting major allies in the cloud giants who inhabit a parallel dimension in the sky, Bigby is able to appear near the magic woods surrounding Gepetto's hut, completely destroying them and making it impossible for Gepetto to make new puppets for a few decades when the forest will regrow. Mission accomplished, Bigby and Snow White marry (old hokey ceremony and all, the kind of offensive one where the woman pledges to honor and obey and it concludes with them being named man and wife -- come on Bill! It is the 21st century, even the Fables would have junked that old dusty routine) and settle in the valley where the giants used to sleep. The book concludes with a diplomatic mission to the cloud giants by Cinderella to urge them to finally sign a mutual defense pact. Clearly, in the event of a major conflict, the Fabletown residents are going to need some major help. Having allies who are both giants and accomplished will surely help. But what of those who Cinderella inadvertently offended? Will that one day come back to haunt the Fables?

All in all, another spectacular addition to an outrageously fine series of graphic books.

Volume 8 kinda ties things up in a way that the series probably safely could have ended here (though I see a new one is coming out in June). Bigby and Snow are back. Things just seem to happen. The problem is that it is the weakest of all the Fables volumes so far. It almost makes me nervous about the next volume, but I do mean almost. As a whole this is (and I was a bit surprised) one of the better comic books out there.

Geoff Johns is the current king of DC mythology. As he completes the second leg of his Green Lantern trilogy, it's obvious that Johns has learned from his mistakes in INFINITE CRISIS, because this book is the most accessable event to be written in years.

The only GREEN LANTERN book I had read before this was Johns' "Rebirth" arc on the book. This is so much better. I had little knowledge of the Lantern Corps and its history going in, but coming out I felt like I knew everything there was to know. I was never lost, and no one should be when they read this.

Despite the contribution of four different pencilers, the art is good throughout and, like the writing, never confuses the reader. So, Kudos to Van Sciver, Reis, Gleason and Unzeta for a job well done.
The one qualm I have with this package is that this only the first half of the story. You'll have to buy Volume 2 separately, and DC doesn't appear to have any 13-issue giant edition ("Absolute" or otherwise) on the horizon. Until that time, this is the best way to enjoy 2007's best comic book event.

Highly recommended for longtime readers as well as those just interested in reading a great comic.

I don't usually enjoy reading comics week to week or month to month, so I always wait for collections to come out. This is one comic that I would have wished I had read every new issue.

Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1

I am a Comic Book geek! I love a good story about heroes and villains. This is not a good story, it is an EPIC Masterpiece! What Geoff Johns has done with the Green Lantern mythos will resonate for decades. Since the "Rebirth" storyline, Johns has made Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps relevant again.

By playing upon themes of revolution(Sinestro's ultimate goal), police states(the GL Corp itself), and the failing of a smug and over-confident establishment (the Guardians), Johns has brought much needed intrigue and passion to the Green Lantern imprint and set the bar for the rest of the DC universe.

To fully enjoy Volume 1 you should read Green Lantern: Rebirth. Sinestro's master plan begins in Rebirth and the scariest part of the whole Sinestro Corps War series is in knowing that after the battle is done, thanks to Sinestro's plan, who don't know who is the hero and who is the villain.

Decades from now this graphic novel will rank up there with essential reads like The Watchmen, Grant Morrison's run on New X-men, and Crisis.

Do yourself a favor and pick this up, trust me I'm a geek.

I've always felt that Sinestro was one of the all time great DC villains. Back when the Challenge of the Super Friends was on TV Sinestro and Brainiac were just about the only cool members of the bumbling Legion of Doom. The guy was originally drawn to resemble actor David Niven. He has a ring specifically designed to kill Green Lanterns. In my book that makes him awesome.

I set my expectations pretty high for this one because of all the hype and it came just a bit short but it's still an awesome book. In my mind Infinite Crisis was THE quintessential event series. What sold Crisis for me was the number of unforgettable moments, most of which revolved around Superboy Prime. I'll never forget that moment when Superboy passed that point of return and became a villain or the fantastic scene where Alexander and Lex Luthor officially meet. In this book Sinestro has managed to collect some of the all time great DC villains including Cyborg Superman, The Monitor, Parallax and of course, Superboy Prime.

The Sinestro Corps is the more natural successor to Infinite Crisis than the series 52. Unfortunately so far it hasn't had those big Infinite Crisis moments. There were a couple of memorable events (that I wont spoil here) but nothing that compared to the image of Superboy Prime carving a bloody `S' into his own chest or the Human Bomb getting pummeled to death by Bizarro.

I've never been that into the Green Lantern Corp so it didn't mean much to me when various members died. It's not really a complaint so much as a comment that unless you're up on all the goings on in the world of Green Lantern for the last couple of decades you might find yourself a bit lost. I never knew, for instance, that Kyle Raynor had been the last Green Lantern or that he was now the next step up the Lantern evolutionary stage being now referred to as ION and operating without a ring. Much of the book is devoted to a massive battle between the Green Lantern Corp and the Sinestro Corp and again it's probably more thrilling to people who are more aware of the various characters. Still, the story is great, the art is spectacular and I can hardly wait till June to pick up the next book.

Just as an FYI. The main plot of The Sinestro Corps War is based on a story by Alan Moore from 1986. I would always suggest picking up `DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore' because it's such a great book but in this case the reader has an extra incentive to read through it.

A must have for DC comic fans. The story line is by far one of the best out there right now.

Neil and Dave add up to be nothing but a right angle. There is nothing wrong with this story. It is full of depth and realism yet it captures the macabre memories one can only associate with childhood. When the memory of a relative can be more frightening than any boogieman. The artwork leaves you breathless. I could spend several minutes looking at a fraction of a page, and pondering the blend of photography with illustration and the ways it contributed to a child's fantasy world and that of his reality. This was the first Gaiman graphic novel I read, and I'm glad because even though the Sandman comics are genius they don't encapsulate Gaiman and Mckean's ability to create a complete work of art.

These 2 have put together a wonderful movie and several wonderful graphic novels. Dark, yes, but humorous and the artwork is amazing.

Neil Gaiman delivers yet another knockout in the realm of the graphic novel with his wonderfully dark and hallucinatory 'Mr. Punch.' A tale of dark and gloomy childhood flashbacks, 'Mr. Punch,' is a great read for those looking for something oozing with chilly atmosphere. The mixed-media (enhanced photos and pencils) artwork by Dave McKean is astounding as well and visually evokes a feeling of helplessness confronting a child when stuck in a grim and depressing environment that amplifies all of his little fears. While this book is nowhere near the epic grandeur of Gaiman's, 'Sandman,' series - as a standalone, 'Mr. Punch,' is a visual and narrative treat not to be missed.

I do love Neil Gaiman's work, but Mr. Punch is not one of his better efforts, in my opinion.

It was loosely put together, and failed to offer up the blurbed promises of "A nightmarish world of violence and betrayal." Though the artwork is good, and Mr. Gaiman's prose is good, the book simply was unable to create even a low-level dread of the creepy Punch & Judy puppets.

It is simply a bland story of a young boy's memories of his Grandfather's failing arcade off the main attractions of a seaside business area.

The boy is sent to stay with his Grandparent's while his mother is due to deliver his baby sister, and he meets and old puppeteer who is not very mysterious and witnesses his grandfather have an argument with a young lady he is involved in. No real violence or threatening situations, merely a vaguely distorted view of some old puppets.

The prose is good, but rather pointless; the artwork is good and strangely done, but when put together to form the whole it came out rather unfulfilling and anticlimactic. A rather generic musing of a mundane summer.

If you have everything else by Neil Gaiman, then go ahead and fill up your collection with Mr. Punch, but this is not a good place to start to introduce yourself to Gaiman, and not recommended unless you are a die hard fan.

Pick up one of his novels first, or his Sandman series or Black Orchid which was beautifully done.

Neil Gaiman has always said this is his best comic, and I find that really hard to believe. I would think that much of the 'Sandman' series is far superior in terms of plot and characterisations.

It is a shame that the script has let this work done, because the artwork is probably the best I have ever seen for a comic/graphic novel, and certainly more appealing than 'Sandman'. Divinely textured, with incredible breath and detail, McLean's (responsible for the Sandman covers) work is truly incredible. The puppet photography is an innovative idea, and the portraits of the boy are also fantastic. The photography of the grandfather's hands also resonates, and overall the work has a wonderfully finished appeal.

However, the series is too short and underdeveloped, and the characterisations are weak. I had difficulty telling several of the characters apart, while it does have that beautiful dark mystical quality I would come to expect with Gaiman.

I read and loved the series as a kid and liked the archive edition even more. It brings back all the excitement of collecting books again.

I've always been a George Perez fan. His art is really awasome. He made with the teen titans a new beginning. Quite an era.
This first book is a must in anyone fan collection. The "new Teen Titans" are So necessary as "The Justice League archives" to understand the DC Universe.Excellent

I've never been a huge fan of George Perez, tho his current take on the "Brave and the Bold" is proving to be quite fun. Yeah, he's the guy that put the Scarlet Witch in that silly gypsy costume and doomed Supergirl to die wearing a headband. That said, I do have a fondness for the New Teen Titans. I never really read the title when it first hit, so much of these stories are new to me. This volume is a nicely entertaining read, and the plotting by Wolfman is well done.

I followed the New Teen Titans only because I was a Batman fan, and therefore was interested in Robin leading the team. My first issue was the Annual #2. I only picked up the New Teen Titans during the run of the Judas Contract. This is a great introduction to the new team beginning with the 16 page "throwaway" story which was really quite good. You couldn't buy the individual issues, nor would you want to. This is a great buy for anyone who even is remotely interested in any one character, such as Robin. You will come to enjoy the others. You can't beat the storytelling team of Wolfman and Perez!

I have read my fair share of reviews for and against the Titans. And for lack of pushing an idea, I have had enough of what seems to be a 1 sided argument.

There is a theme building with each review here...and it's starting to sicken me. You can pretty much see what reviews are rated as helpful, and which have a poor rating. It's as simple as drawing a line between those who dislike the Teen Titans and those who do not. All too often any review that praises them, are rated high, and any that berates them is rated low. There are the prerequisite exceptions of course. But the majority sees all.

I was NEVER into the Titans (comic). I grew up in the late 70's and 80's. Right around the time that most call the Titans hit their stride. I never picked up one, I never thought I would like them. As a young kid, I was more interested in the bigger name heros. It's how I started as a collector. Over time, I had started to move all over the map with comics, yet in doing so I had forgotten about the Titans. Locked away in my mind, seemingly forever. Not ever knowing the excellent stories and artwork that came of them.

Then the cartoon hit the air. (Like some reviews here) At first I turned my nose...didn't care...after all it was the Titans. A Japanese style anime. But as a father, and those out there know well...when your child wants to watch something...sometime your just forced to watch.

Now I have seen what most Anime has to offer. And I DO like the style. I know for some it is a turn off. So naturally you are not going to like the series. But damning the series based on style...is not a reason. About the only thing I saw wrong with the cartoon...was that some of the 2/3-parters had weak endings (Trigon & Terra come to mind). Some of the recent episodes have also been very weak ("Titans, Go!" & "Revved Up" come to mind).

That said...with the Anime series coming to an end with 2-3 episodes to go. I see the real reason why I like the Titans so much. The cartoon series took an attitude against the Titans, and turned it inside out. I knew the cartoon wasn't going to be aimed at adults...(as it seemed that most reviewers here thought). It was obviously aimed at kids from the first word said. So keeping that in mind...this was the first taste of Titans I got.

What it did was peak my interest in the comic I shunned all those years ago. I am glad for that cartoon, for without it, I would STILL be shunning the comic for no reason what so ever.

I would suspect that those who are now shunning the cartoon, had higher expectations for a series, which gave NO indication that it was for adults. Primetime or not...it was on the Cartoon Network...and not on Adult Swim. It should have become pretty obvious at some point that this was geared towards children. And the "dumbing down" of Starfire, the "technicolored" Cyborg, the "corney" Beast Boy, the "annoying" Raven, and "uncharacteristic" Robin were all done, because children were the target. Not the adults who have been following the Titans so closely forever.

Do you honestly think writing and drawing Starfire the way she is suppossed to be...would be seen as a good thing for a children's cartoon?

There are reasons for everything. Expecting this cartoon, which has had a good run concidering that most cartoons (that do not involve a pokemon or card game) only last 2-3 seasons at best, to be anything more than a child's version of the comic says something about the viewer...not the series.

The comics have, and always will be, the staple and canon for the Titans being who they are. If you are a person who has enjoyed the comics...why bother berating a child's cartoon? My daughters have enjoyed the cartoon's 5 Season run. Even with the "Things Change" episode going to be the Series Finale, they love each and every second of it. One enjoys Starfire, the other enjoys Raven. And they both have never seen the comic.

If you are a person who enjoys the cartoon, I invite you to pick up the comics. I invite you to discover what the Titans are suppossed to be. What the other characters are suppossed to be. To enjoy the artwork. To enjoy the more involved story arcs.

The cartoon may have been a watered down version of the comics. Though it was never meant to emulate it whatsoever. It HAS served a purpose. A higher purpose. One more important for the comic series than ever before. Agree or not, Love it or hate it, the cartoon has introduced a new generation to the Teen Titans

And from the reactions of my daughters...it is for the better. For me the cartoon did nothing but reinforce the comic. It peaked an interest that wasn't there for decades. And that, for fans of the comic, is a very good thing.