Comics Books

Fast-paced intro to the Trojan War

Author/artist Eric Shanower will be the first to tell you (in the afterword to this marvelous "comic book") that the story of the fall of Troy has had many tellings, not all of which can be harmonized. In his sources, the age and lieage of a character can vary. And authors over the millennia have not always been careful to kep their own accounts consistent with the rest, as when 12th century minstrels created a romance between an entirely new character (Cressida) to complement a peripheral character (Troilus) known from more ancient texts. More recently, the work of archaeologists has taught us much about life in the Age of Bronze, from which can be reconstructed the preoccupations, dress and habits of people who lived thousands of years ago.

From this mélange of sources, Shanower has crafted an epic tale in graphic novel format of the leadup to the Trojan War that is endlessly fascinating and impossible to put down. His tale begins with the youthful Paris, the restless firebrand who dreams (in spite his state as a cowherd) of martial glory. Soon, we are introduced into the word of Trojan and Achaean warrior-kings, and to their world in which economic advantage, solemn oaths and ever-to-be-propitiated gods and goddesses all meet in complex and interlocking ways. As the tale ends, Agamemnon, high-king of the Achaeans, has assembled his armada of a thousand ships and is headed to Troy to avenge the breach of hospitality opened by Paris, now a Trojan prince, when he abducted the beautiful Helen, wife of Agamemnon's brother Menelaus.

Shanower gives us a plausible Bronze Age world that may well be the closest we can get to the original. The warrior "kings" are all young or youngish men -- strong, virile and hale of heart and mind. The deities they beseech are notably absent from sight -- other than in visions and dreams; their activity is assumed (and their presence feared) when events occur in concert with prayerful pleadings. But these young men have more than war on their minds, and there is plenty of sexual energy pulsing through the tale. Women play important roles as wives, mothers and seers. The erotic element is kept mostly to a PG-13 level, but there is enough kissing and fondling of the female upper anatomy to heat all but the coolest of hearts. Amusingly, Shanower keeps to the North American aversion to showing aureoles and genitalia. This aversion grows to almost ludicrous proportion as he strives manfully to hide his characters' naughty bits -- even when in full gallop -- with wisps of conveniently-draped hair.

Shanowers' black and white artwork is bold, strong and consistent. He gives his main characters identifiable features -- dark hair or light, full or balding, etc. -- that stay short of caricature. His storytelling is quickpaced and usually easy to follow. The worst I can say is that his story moves so quickly and is so engaging that the reader skips too quickly over his wonderful art.

All told, A Thousands Ships is fabulous on its own merits, and a valuable as an introduction to the Homeric masterpieces -- the Iliad and the Odyssey. Highly recommended for the age 13-and-up set.

I just ripped through A Thousand Ships and the second book in the series, Sacrifice, in two days and I'm bowled over. What a tour de force these books are. Shanower seamlessly incorporates all the myths entwined in the Trojan War. An incredible feat by itself, it's even more impressive because he achieves this without bogging down what is, after all, a ripping good story.

In the course of the book, Shanower offers some interesting insights on some of the more puzzling and disturbing events (Iphigenia's sacrifice comes to mind). I also was impressed by how he developed the characters. For instance, he convincingly portrays Odysseus changing from a clever Trojan War draft-dodger to a gung-ho warrior by the end of the second book.

I can't wait for Shanower's next book in the series. Until then, I'm pressing these books on everyone I know. They're THAT good. Bravo!

This book reprints the first nine issues of the Age of Bronze comic books. It's a beautifully drawn, well written comic book about the Trojan War. The only problem I have with the comic, and it'a a minor problem, is that there are so many characters, it's hard to keep track of who's who. Highly recommended to fans of graphic literature.

A Thousand Ships is the first in a series of comics which retell the story of the Trojan war in comic book form. It begins with Paris, the lost prince of Troy who has been raised by farmers as a farmer, making his first ever journey to the capital. He tells his girlfriend it's a short trip, but even before he leaves the oracles are speaking and don't seem to agree. Meanwhile, Achillies is just leaving boyhood and, when confronted with the choice of short life and fame in war versus a long life that won't be remembered, he is very much for the short glorious life. His mother has other plans and struggles to save him from himself.

The plot is extremely intricate. It all comes from mythology, and there's a lot there to pull from. Doing the Illiad in seven comics makes sense. One book would only have allowed for the outline of the story. By breaking it into more books, the story is more complete and here the Illiad has been adapted well to the medium.

Graphically the book is well drawn. I'm guessing that the big challenge here was to keep faces consistent so that all the characters can be told apart. There are many, many characters and they are recognizable from frame to frame, if that helps to tell you the level of detail. The storytelling and how layouts play into that is good too. Layouts help to blend in and reveal characters's backstories (and everyone has a back story in mythology) and to communicate oracles and messages from the various gods.

This is a good read as a comic book. Being a modern take on the Illiad, which concievably someone might someday make you read, is an added bonus. Libraries should definitely stock this series. For individuals and families this is a good buy for a comic book, and a pretty good read. You should already know this, but if you don't then here goes, many of the classics have a lot of sex and violence. So, don't buy this for your four year old if you don't want them to see naked people and drawings of smeared entrails.

Eric Shanower does a fabulous job of bringing the Mycenaean world and the story of the Trojan War to life. Shanower has a different perspective on many of the characters than I might choose, but still I find his protagonists credible and compelling. With a combination of strong characterization and historically accurate settings and costumes, this is simply one of the best reimaginings of the myth I've encountered.

Highly recommended for fans of graphic novels and aficionados of the ancient world alike -- as well as for those who just love a gripping story!

Great Book. It's a wonderful comparison of the manga and the Anime as well as a great reference for how each character is developed. Also makes a great picture book for my 2 year old. She sits with daddy and looks at the picturers.

This book has lots of interesting info on all the characters and enemies throughout the first part of this great anime/manga series Inuyasha. It has many full colored pages and director, voice actor,etc, commentary. It also features sketches of important characters and enemies in the series from Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku to Kaede, Seshomaru, Jaken, Yura, Mistress Centipede, and many others. I found the sketches useful for learning how to draw. Anyways, this is definetly a must have for all Inuyasha fans.

First of all, let me say my daughter is a complete InuYahsa addict. :) She loves the serial tale. That said, this book is marvelous! It has drawing examples, story snippets, voice character interviews.... very informative.

Beautifully colored drawings and detailed black and white work.

My only complaint refers to the hardbound version..... The spine of the book broke down the back very quickly and had to be taped. Otherwise the book is very well constructed.

Be aware the book is made to read from back to front in the typical Japanese manga manner. A little difficult for me, but my 9 year old daughter grasped the concept immediately....

Well worth the money for reference value alone.

Other reviewers have given accurate particulars about this volume, and I agree with their high ratings. This book is really a delight and a perfect way to spend a couple hours in Inuyasha bliss. I was incredibly impressed with the color panels from the manga, taken from Shonen Sunday Jump. The beautiful printing job brings out the quality of Takahashi's art, and I find myself going back and studying these pages again and again. There is also a nice section at the beginning (short but sweet) about the difference between manga and animation when it comes to storytelling techniques. As it's been said elsewhere in these reviews, if you're a fan of Inuyasha, this is a must-have. Keep in mind this isn't a voluminous book with tons of text ... you can read the whole thing in just two or three hours. But the art in it, and its A-plus presentation here, offers many more hours of enjoyment and you may, like me, find yourself returning to this book repeatedly and feeling like you've picked it up for the very first time. The art in it is that good.

I am actually over 13 years old , however I didnt want to give my email address out so I said I was younger. This is a great book. I bought it for my 16 year old son and he absolutely LOVES it. He is into drawing japanese animation and this book was a great inspiration. All of his friends who are mostly the same age want to get the book to. I did see it at Borders also , for the same price , and you dont have to pay shipping and handling charges, also you dont have to wait for it to show up. Borders also had a huge selection of other Inuyasha books and other Japanese animation characters.

A series has to be something special for me to invest in buying the manga... particularly when, at cover price, the cost will ultimately be over $250. O_o
Basara is that special. It is an epic story with believeable characters that you really become attached to. It moves quickly, but not so fast that it sacrafices the details and moments that flesh out the feeling of a scene. With a healthy mix of action, intrigue, and romance, one is easily caught up what is an amazing and beautiful story.

Although the art isn't your typical fluffy art, it is by no means ugly or unattractive. I think the people reviewing this comic have spent too much time eating sugar-coated candy and reading over-decorated comics. Calling Tamura's art anything short of "amazing" is insulting and inaccurate.

Also keep in mind that this comic was made several years ago, meaning there's a generational gap in artistic trends. The art style is raw, skillful, and radiates the epic tone of this series. I hope to see the rest come out here in the US. The story is great and not a single volume falls flat, not even up to volume 27.

If you want a story that hits you deep in the heart, BASARA is for you. There is deep social, romantic, political, and even spiritual commentary and meaning in this comic. It is a masterpiece and truly exceeds the medium it is written in.

Basara is perhaps my absolute favorite manga. The art may not be the most stunning, but the characters and story are excellent. I had seen the anime series years ago before the manga was released here. I enjoyed the series bu forgot about it until I was watching the movie 'Whale rider', I was reminded of Basara. I immediately went out and bought the available volumes and have been addicted ever since. I will not go on to describe the series here, but I would highly recommend Basara to anyone who enjoys a good story (also a great love story). The main character is neither whiny nor weak and Yumi Tamura weaves her tale so wonderfully.

How can i convince you: the purchaser of manga, the one with a credit card to begin colleting this manga? What if i just said...OMG THIS MANGA IS FREAKIN AWESOME YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!!

Maybe you need more convincing than that. i mean it is atleast 26 volumes. and there are so many options these days it's hard to know what to buy, i've made mistakes lately too based on the exuberant exclamations of reviewers on this site. but i can honestly tell you who will love this book and who wont.

If you;re an older audience you will appreciate this manga.
If you like fantasy adventure you wil like this manga.
If you like complicated romances you will like this manga.
If you like strong, intelligent female leads who fight their own battles you will like this manga.
If you don't mind older works you will certainly not mind this one.
If you like manga that pulls you in, grabs your heart and never lets go...you will like this manga.
One of the most popular manga's of 90s and for a reason.

I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS BOOK.

Basara is not your typical shoujo manga, and Sarasa is a very atypical shoujo heroine. I was initially attracted to this series through the anime. I had read a review in which someone mentioned that it was a shame that not all of the manga volumes were animated. Having seen the anime, and now having started on the manga, I find that I am in agreement. When Sarasa and her twin brother Tatara were born in their village, the prophet Nagi declared "here is the child of destiny". Of course, everyone assumed they meant Tatara. Sarasa grew up in his shadow, with nobody expecting very much from her, and everyone expecting Tatara to lead them to salvation.

When Tatara is killed and Byakko village decimated by the forces of the Red King, Sarasa takes up Tatara's name and guise to exact revenge. This volume chronicles her attempt to reclaim the sword of Byakko, which had belonged to Tatara and which her female hand was previously never allowed to "defile", as well as a couple more attempts to strike at the Red King's forces.

The supporting cast, particularly Ageha and Shuri, is interesting, and the secrets concerning their histories are doled out very sparingly. The art is sometimes a little odd (I find the blurry eyes rather distracting), but I completely adore how Tamura-sensei draws little kids. This series (and the anime if you can find it) is highly recommended.

The quality that I got the book and the time it got to get all the way to Eygpt was... awsome.

The plot: A deranged ex-fighter Zapan from Alita's past hates Alitain a psychopathic way. When he sees Alita's picture on TV, as she competes in an athletic event, he has a fit of insane rage and accidentally kills his girlfriend. Two years later, Alita has found peace and a group of friend who she loves. She doesn't fight and works by playing music in bars which she enjoys. Zapan catches up with her and in defeated by Alita and other fighters... or so they think. A mad scientist/MD heals his brain and naturally it ends up in a powerful cyborg body. He is still out to get Alita and she fights to protect the city and people who have turned her out on account of the crazy cyborg that is out to kill anyone it meets and keeps inquiring after her.

The plot here is a strong point, particularly Alita's relationships with Ito's adopted children and with the community. Zapan's relationship with his girlfriend, told in flashbacks, also unfolds nicely. She saw good in everyone and is the only person who sees good in him. We are told that Zapan is Alita's karma and in a sense each of them takes the other's safehaven away. The ending has a message of hope despite the fact that Alita has everything (except one of her arms - she is a cyborg so loosing limbs doesn't kill her).

The art is all black and white and done in a realistic style. Layouts are well done and the story flows from frame to frame well. Lots of this book (like all books in the series) consists of fighting scenes. This would normally bother me, but in this case it didn't, mostly because there were little plot points in there revealed in visuals not dialog.

I recommend this book if it at all appeals to you. I hadn't read previous books in the series (well I had read the first book, but this is a few series later), but there was enough info for me to follow the plot. The drawback to the book is that the sequel to it is kind of blah. On the other hand most plot points are rounded up at the end of this book so it won't kill you to stop while you're ahead. This is also a good choice for public libraries because it is clean and holds together well.

With the conclusion of the battle with Jashugan two years elapse in which Alita builds a different life entirely, as a musician at the Bar New Kansas. Even though she protests to Doc Ido that music and fighting have much in common, it is obvious that this time of peace and growth has been important to Alita. She has friends, things to do, and a sense of belonging that has eluded her before. It is a precious time, but one not destined to last.

Perhaps this manga should have been titled Angel's Karma. A moment in Alita's past, her shaming of Zapan that is coming back to haunt her. The hypersensitive hunter killer is unable to move beyond his hatred of Alita, and in a fit of rage accidentally kills his girlfriend. Now insane, carrying Sara's head around in a jar, Zapan is heading for Alita. She joins forces with Sara's father, and the two confront the killer and take him out. Kind of.

Reality, even manga reality, is too harsh to allow such a simple solution. A berserker body that Doc Ido discovered at the same time he found Alita has fallen into the hands of Desty Nova, a Tipharian like Doc, but a lunatic as well. Nova has decided to restore the shredded functions of Zapan's brain hand install him in the berserker. He has equally ugly plans for Ido and Alita finds herself facing a one-cyborg apocalypse.

This story is a tragedy with a grain of hope life a mustard seed held in its core. The fate of everything Alita cares about is at risk, and the beautiful cyborg is called on repeatedly to may incredible sacrifices. Ending Zapan will be, at best, a Pyrrhic victory, and Alita will gain a flash vision of a height that she may never be able to attain. And yet, almost within reach, is a promise of things to come.

Wonderfully written, and beautiful artwork. Truly Yukito Kishiro is a master at his work. Not for the faint of heart though, for the book is gory and touches the inner reaches of the soul. As the series progesses, Alita must go through many challenges and question the human spirit. Kishiro is very intelligent and explains all the aspects of his work in scientific detail. A must-read for all anime lovers!

Of the earlier "Battle Angel Alita" series, volumes one and two were excellent in all areas, and volumes three and four were still good but a step down in the quality of story-telling. This volume, number five, "Angel of Redemption", raises the quality of the plot back to where it should be.

The story of "Angel of Redemption" takes place two years after Alita's motorball stint, when she has gotten over her loss of Hugo and has regained her life with Ido and other friends. But as we all know, Alita's past won't let her live in peace for long. With teriffic pacing and use of an exceptional story, Yukito Kishiro creates beautiful scenes where an old enemy of Alita resurfaces and where she ultimately discovers loneliness and abandonment.

Kishiro's art is still as good as ever, filled with spectacular atistry that immediately draws the reader into the story. The high violence and gore factor is also still here, so this is still a series for mature audiences. The pacing and quality of the story returns from the slight slump of volumes three and four, back to the level of volumes one and two.

There is, however, one thing that makes volume five totally unique, and in a few ways better, than volumes one and two. The first two volumes don't have very powerful cliffhangers, so while the stories in these volumes are teriffic, they don't give the reader something to look forward to in the next volume. Volume five does have a powerful cliffhanger (although it's not a major plot twist kind of cliffhanger), and the reader will desperately want to know what will happen in volume six.

If you've read the first four volumes, you won't be disappointed by volume five. If you haven't read the first four volumes but enjoy beautiful art, beautiful story-telling, and can stomach high levels of violence and gore, then "Battle Angel Alia" is for you.

Blade of the Immortal: Cry of the Worm, was the first manga I read in the series. It is also one of the first manga I started out with when I began my collection of Japanese anime. I find that the artist is decent and respectable, not to mention suspenseful. Despite that I came upon the second in the series of the trade paperbacks, did not ruin the plot at all. All elements are revisited enough so that the words have depth behind them, but not too much that it ruins the current story and takes to much time. Every character seems well thought out and intricate, each with thier own history to bring to the main plot. Not all bad guy/ good guy roles are clear cut. Which makes this the thinking person's manga. The mix of tradition, history, fantasy, comic relief, and superb art pulled me out of this world and into that one. The art is so visually effective that one will realize that it's not just drawings in a book. Subtle morals in the book make the reader parallel feudal Japan with the modern world. The translation is good, but I can just imagine the effect each panel would have in the original Japanese. I recommend this for anyone who is looking for a masterpiece of work to become the trophy of thier collection.

Having been introduced to Rin and Manji in Volume 1 ('Death of a Thousand'), and given a taste of the nature of their confrontation with the Itto-Ryu sword school, we now enter the real rhythm of the story telling. At first glance, we are tempted to write this off as yet another samurai slasher, with its clear-cut division between good and evil. But Hiroaki Samura has other plans, and 'Cry of the Worm' is his first step in muddying the waters.

In the first episode ('The Fanatic'), Rin sees Magatsu Taito, one of the assassins, having her dead father's sword sharpened. When she voices her outrage, she catapults Manji into another fight sequence, this time to recover the weapon. Manji's method of regaining the sword is painful (to say the least), and young Rin begins to understand that her desire for vengeance has a price.

Manji's immortality depends on a type of bloodworm that cares for its host by healing all wounds. Manji has yet to deal with the long-term effects of gift, and is not completely prepared when he meets Erika Shizuma, another Itto-Ryu at a way station inn. Shizuma tries to involve Manji in a plot to overthrow the leader of the Itto-Ryu. Properly suspicious, Manji refuses, and in the following scuffle discovers that Shizuma is also infected with the worms.

The conflict between Manji and Shizuma become an inquest into the realities of immortal life. He is a mirror that forces Manji to look at own commitments. In addition, he provides a somewhat different insight into the Itto-Ryu than we have had so far. If their tactics are grim, their motives are not completely selfish. They are a natural reaction to the excessive complexities of the sword school system and the excesses of the samurai class, which is more about show and politics than it is about the disciplines of fighting.

In this second volume of the series, we are not so much asked to resolve the questions as to take note of them. As this series builds, the violence of the quest will play in counterpoint to these musings about meaning. Gradually the inner dialog will play a more and more vital part.

I stumbled onto "Blade of the Immortal" translations in comic book format. Attracted by the art, and the unusally deep dialogue between the opponents (as dramatic as Kazou Kioke's "Lone Wolf and Cub", but much more up-to-date in sensibility and subject matter) I immediately began looking for back issues, which was difficult. Many retailers don't seem to order many issues of this book. Fortunately the trade paperbacks started coming out soon after.

"Blade of the Immortal" starts off as a fairly typical samurai revenge story, with some unusual horror movie twists. We meet Manji, a guilt-ridden outlaw and expert swordsman, who is cursed with an odd form of immortality. No matter how grievously he is injured, he cannot die. Manji makes a deal with a magical buddhist nun. He will gain the release of death, if he slays 1000 evil men. Soon we meet Rin, a young girl, the daughter of a swordsmanship teacher who witnessed the horrific murder of her parents at the hands of the Itto-Ryu, a renegade sword school. Tortured by nightmares, she seeks revenge, but realizing she has no hope of surviving a direct confrontation with even one Itto-Ryu swordsman, she convinces Manji to serve as her bodyguard and stand in. Taking up Rin's quest seems a perfect confluence of both of their desires: her need to put her parents memory to rest, his to earn his redemption.

The stories take you through dramatic encounters with various members of the sword school. All are dangerous swordsmen with unique styles of combat. Some are quite literally monsters. Each has a unique story, an unique reason for having become a renegade, and this becomes the source of much thought provoking drama before, during and after the battles. All are memorable characters, in particular Shimuzu (Book Two: "Cry of the Worm"), a fellow immortal and Maki, a swordswoman forced into prostitution who fights like the wind (Book 3: "Dreamsong").

Harioki Samura has great timing, the panel layouts make the fight scenes breathtaking and exciting. Also wonderful is the developing relationship between Manji and Rin, a kind of older brother, little sister dynamic that lends the book much humor and necessary warmth (given the bloodiness of the battles).

Beginning with "Rins Bane" (Book 4) Rin's internal debate about the morality and human costs of her quest, takes center stage, and make this one of the deepest and most interesting books to cross the Pacific in years. There's still plenty of action, and the relationship between Rin and Manji continues to deepen, but it's the debates about the sanity of the bushido code, about memory, about filial duty, and hints of political intrigue to come, that make this book an thought provoking and engrossing read.

If you have any taste for the high drama and action, as well as the deeper issues running through comic books like "the Authority", you have to give "Blade" a try. This is the best dramatic manga translation I've read, and it compares favorably with "Lone Wolf & Cub" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion". I really don't think you will be disappointed.

This is a beautiful manga. It is very interesting and the art is spectacular. It has a pencil sketched quality to it and is very unique. The plot is also one of the best I've ever read. . This may be a manga for guys but that doesn't mean that females can't enjoy this as well. The fight scenes are detailed (though sometimes confusing with the sketch pictures) and really fun to read.

WARNING Blade of the Immortal is about a guy that is....umm....immortal. That means he won't die. That means the bad guys are gonna do all in their power to kill him, slash him, decapitate him, stab him and so forth. VERY GORY is what I'm getting at.

The story is basically about Manji who had these worms put in him that make you immortal. They won't go away until he atones for his sins of killing 100 of the good guys (self defense I swear) by killing a thousand bad guys. He meets Rin who needs his help to avenge her parents who were murdered right before her eyes.

The thing that really holds this series together are the characters. Even the ones that are supposedly evil u find are not really evil but human. You almost don't want them to fight and get killed by the main guy, but then again u do because they are responsible for something horrible. You also feel immediately at home with nearly every other character introduced even after only a couple of pages.

This book Volume two, Cry of the Worm is my personal favorite. It was at my public library and the first I ever read of this great series. Rin finds a sword that once belonged to her father being owned by some (really cool, kinda looks like Vagita from DBZ only more realistic looking) samurai and she'll do anything to get it back. Later on they meet up with another immortal guy who wants Manji dead and being immortal himself he knows just the thing to do Manji in.

Plot wise, this is perhaps the strongest of the BOTI series. The villain is almost likeable, yet thoroughly hateable, and the end fight is imaginative. Kudos to Samura for this one.

There aren't really any action scenes worth talking about in this novel. Rin does a few things, but she doesn't actually "fight". There is a story about this guy and his masks, but that isn't fully developed until the next volume.

This isn't a great place to start for your first volume. It mostly just develops story, but the story is important. Start somewhere else though. Get DREAMSONG if you can't fight a good seller for BLOOD OF A THOUSAND.

Those who already own the previous volumes of BOTI could skip this book and the next possibly. It develops Rin some, but I skipped it for a while and was fine.

Dude this book is beast!! The best comic company ever (dark horse comics) has once again put out another comic that doesn't just raise the bar it obliterates it. Kudos to Hiroaki Samura for making the best comic book ever.

this is one of the best comics i've ever read. it's about manji's job as a bodyguard for rin, who confronts Anotsu Kagehisa, who killed rin's father. she attemps to kill him, but does she really even stand a chance?this book was explosive and had a mix of action and explaining of the story for people who did not read any other of the Blade of the immortal series.

The first time I looked at the Blade of the Immortal series, I seriously thought "Oh wonderful, another cheesy, gore ridden series with no plot and ... artwork." However, upon reading it I was taken aback by how wrong I truly was. The art is beautiful in its own way, unique and sketchy looking with no possible way it could be turned into an anime and still look as gorgeous. The story is also very nice, there is blood, but there is a good intellectual plot with the occasional twist of witty humor. It is an interesting mix of fact and fantasy, real and surreal all mixed in a historical setting. This series is set apart from others and I don't believe that I have any others quite like it. It never gets old. I highly recommend that, no matter what you're interested in, you should at least give this stunning series a try.

This volume and its sequel capture events from issues 19 through 28 of the manga comic books, and represents events in the earlier phases of the adventures of Rin and Manji. It contains two stories, "Rin's Bane," and the first part of "On Silent Wings." Both of these are strong stories that trace Rin's growth from a young girl hell-bent on vengeance for the murder of her parents into a woman who is beginning to understand the real price of retaliations.

In "Rin's Bane," the young swordswoman, smarting from an argument with Manji over her fighting skills heads off into the woods to wash her hair. There she finds herself face to face with Kagehisa Anotsu, the leader of the Itto-Ryu swordsmen. Anotsu brushes aside her skills, and she is forced to face some very unpleasant truths about her beliefs. The lessons of this encounter haunt Rin in the next story, "On Silent Wings." Manji and Rin are at a local fair when the immortal swordsman suddenly finds that a local mask maker is another Itto-Ryu. In a parallel encounter, Rin risks her own life to prevent a haughty samurai from killing a young child. Manji barely avoids a public battle, and Rin is shocked to recognize the artist as the killer who defiled her mother.

As events proceed inexorably towards the second volume's part of the story, we sense the internal tensions in Rin and her swordsman as they confront the possible outcomes of their actions. Hiroaki Samura's tale again touches on complex moral issues rather than simply dishing out a violent samurai melodrama. The grim horror that counterpoints the lighter exchanges between Samura's main encounters provides the basis for much thought and consideration. One of the surprises in this series has been the quality of the translation, which manages to carry through the whole range of the dialog. Yet Japanese is preserved where it is part if the detailed and carefully composed artwork. This extremely high level of artistic integrity grows on the reader. "Blade of the Immortal" is much more a genuine graphic novel than it is a simple manga.

I love this book. It's hard to put down & is a great comfort when the world seems grim. A must have & a must read. Diane DiMassa is truly gifted.

Hothead Paisan keeps me sane.


I would probably explode out of tension and frustration if it weren't for her and my own cat.

This is a great book for any rainy day. You can open the book to nearly any page and get wrapped up in Hothead's story all over again. I bought this book years ago, and I am still picking it up and having fun with it all the time.

Hothead is the ultimate revenge fantasy for any oppressed female. DiMassa's art is distinctive and entertaining.

I can only imagine what HH would think of the current state of this country...

This is a wonderful underground and quite subversive comic premised around overthrowing patriarchy and phallocentric society. DiMassa is witty and bold and clearly very angry with a world that has and continues marginalised women and create normalising barriers for non-hetrosexuals.

While the work is clearly tongue-in-cheek and based on exagerrated fantasy, the truth resonates, and DiMassa has a wonderful way of saying and doing exactly what all women have wished they could do. The characters are wonderful, particular Chicken, Hothead's lovely yoga-esque cat and her blind but centred friend Rox. It is definitely not as violent as I had imagined and much more plot driven, which is good.

The Complete work chronicles an entire comic, and while the work at the beginning is quite basic, the middle section is an absolute joy to read. However, the final section is somewhat patchy and difficult to follow, as Hothead slips into depression and seeming hallucination. The art progressively becomes more refined, and was very funny at times.

Overall, the entire piece was better than I expected, let down only by the confusion shrouding the final sections of the work. Nevertheless, a favourite comic collection of mine, to be read when I am feeling particularly inflamed by societal inequalities.

I've read this book through about twelve times (and that's a lot... it's a big book!) and gotten several friends hooked on it. It's gory and gross and violent and completely over the top. The ultimate angry Riot Grrrl feminist takes revenge on the sexist jerks of the world.

Anybody who's ever experienced the unfairness of the world and wished they could take revenge will love this book. It's simply the most fun book to read you'll find, but at the same time there are real insights here, things that will make you stop and think, things that will make you see the life a little differently, if only for a few minutes. And plenty that will make you jump up and yell, "YES!!" But it really can't be described in a review. You just have to experience the awesome power of Hothead for yourself.

I'm a relatively new reader of the genre, so admittedly there are probably many other writers who may be acclaimed as the founder. But for my money, Eisner is the master of the graphic novel. This trilogy is a must.

I'm a relative latecomer to the world of the graphic novel, though I did read my share of comic books as a kid. But a year or so ago, I read Will Eisner's "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and have been talking about it ever since. Time, I thought, to see what else Eisner might have written.

"What else Eisner might have written" is answered in part by this wonderful reminiscence of the Bronx of days gone by. The tales revolve around the history and residents of a tenement block on 55 Dropsie Avenue in the Bronx. To Eisner, it was always a neighborhood - greater than the sum of its parts and capable of moving callous men to teary nostalgia.

The book starts of with "A Contract with God," a relatively short and focused story about Frimm Hersch, a young Jewish boy who escapes Russian anti-Semitic pogroms, makes a contract with a just God, and loses his faith when his beloved daughter dies. Eisner tells us in the introduction that this story is one of the ways he dealt with his own daughter's death, a blow so severe that he plunged it deep into his psyche. What is so intriguing about Eisner's tale is that the reader never quite finds out what was in the contract. But one finds out a little about God and a bit about humanity's willingness to continue to struggle with this Witness to human misery and loneliness.
"A Contract with God" continues with other New York tales drawn from Eisner's memory - a tale about a lonely former opera diva who befriends a penniless street singer; a bitter tenement "super" infatuated with a young girl; a summer "cookalein" or cook-your-own boarding house at an upstate farm where city moms take their kids for a summer in the out-of-doors. Eisner is at his most frank here, not shying away from the pressures and temptations that entice people living in such close proximity to each other. The tales are sexy, brash, violent and always real.

The second story, "A Life Force," is a meditation on the unseen drive of all living things to remain alive and to reproduce. An out-of-work Depression-era carpenter finds a lesson in a cockroach's struggle to survive. His path crosses that of an ancient "rebbe" needs a room built for whose wife, who suffers from dementia. Soon, the story draws in a ne'er-do-well former playboy boy, young socialists, Sicilians gangsters and a woman from Nazi Germany (an old acquaintance of the carpenter) trying to extract her family from the growing turmoil back home. Eisner's depiction of the ever-triumphant "life force" comes alive in a myriad ways that look surprisingly like ordinary living.

The final section deals with the history of the parcel that became Dropsie Avenue. Eisner takes us on a kaleidoscopic tour from its days as Dutch farmland through its many incarnations as a residential neighborhood, vibrant gathering place for immigrant families, rat hole and locale for single-family homes. His tale is populated with crooked real estate developers, local politicians, druggies, thieves, ethnic priests, ineffectual cops and a variety of local characters. Eisner is at his best as he shows how greed and bad housing laws can strip the poor of housing, enrich the unscrupulous and reduce once-proud neighborhoods to rubble. I learned more about the roots of urban blight from Eisner's pictures than from any "serious" book.

Eisner's work is not disposable, like the comics of my youth. His stories have a depth of humanity that makes them fascinating and re-readable. His art exaggerates enough to telegraph his characters' inner feelings, but subtle enough to keep them rooted in reality. A wonderful experience.

Esta novela gráfica es simplemente sublime, las historias son maravillosas así como la presentación del libro que es de una calidad tan alta, pocas veces vista pero que definitivamente un trabajo tan bien logrado se merece. Cualquier otra cosa que te pueda decir, estaría de mas, si no conoces la maravillosa narrativa, dibujo e inventiva del maestro Will Eisner, este es un claro ejemplo de su maravillosa calidad como artista, ahora que si eres un seguidor, es un libro que debes tener en tu colección. Pero ya sea una razón o la otra, es una compra de la cual definitivamente no te vas a arrepentir.

Will Eisner is like Cervantes, Griffith and John Ford. The Contract With God graphic novel is his masterpiece. This is the Don Quixote of Comics. Truly art. Period.

Comic and cartoon artists are finally getting the respect they have deserved since the Yellow Kid wore his one piece pajama. Artists like Charles Burns and Frank Miller; Seth and Tony Millionaire, all work in a medium whose fan base is basically adult, literate and mainstream. In reading current book reviews of works like "Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid On Earth" by Chris Ware or "Blankets" by Craig Thompson, it is clear that the Graphic Novel as an art form no longer requires an asterisk.

All these artists and cartoonists owe this new environment of respect in no small part to the work of Will Eisner, specifically the work contained in this volume. While Eisner was not the first artist to tell a story with pictures, he without question hammered out a stylistic language that others could learn and understand. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that he brought the concept of the graphic novel home and gave it a firm structure and a future. Also important was Eisner's unyielding believe in the graphic novel as a form of fine art, as legitimate a tool for storytelling as any of the traditional oral or written forms. All current artists working in comics owe Eisner in the same way that all Afro-American ballplayers owe a debt of gratitude to Jackie Robinson. Like Robinson, Eisner completely believed in what he was doing and refused to accept anything less than respect for his work, all done in a day when respect didn't come easily or automatically for them.

Now, about the work itself - what can one say? No one will ever replace or improve on Eisner's innate ability to tell a story with pictures. His work was absolutely gorgeous and fluid, the line and brushwork immaculate and dense without every looking fussy. He forged a unique and instantly recognizable style that is the true mark of a virtuoso in any artistic medium, and he was a very gifted storyteller into the bargain. There are certain panels in his best work, like "A Life Force" or "Droopsie Avenue," that are just jaw dropping in their beauty and absolutely unforgettable.

To this day his work is unmatched in its depth and sophistication of theme. Norton deserves much praise for reissueing these trailblazing works in a well bound and attractive hardcover. Recommended highly. -Mykal Banta

This is a pretty good purchase if you want to get mostly up to speed on 'The Darkness' comic. There are gaps here and there, such as events that occur in Witchblade and the Darkness/Batman crossover, but you get the meat of the story overall.

A great buy for Darkness fans. Though it took two weeks just to ship and the sender didnt bother wraping it in any kind of plastic to protect it during shipping so my copy has a few minor rips in the spin. Other then that great condition and a great read.

The Compendium allows you to catch-up on the history of The Darkness with the first 40 issues. Please note, it is missing a few of the cross-over issues like Witchblade #18 & #19, but it tells you which ones so you can get them later if you like. For the price and free shipping, you can't beat it! Warning: this book is fatter and heavier than some dictionaries with its 1280 pages, but so well worth the hand cramps it may cause in holding it. Not for children! After reading this, I recommend getting the Witchblade Compendium #1, as it will tie up a few of the lose ends you get when reading this. Enjoy!!!

I thought that the book was very captivating and over whelming in gory details. I also was taken on a magic roller coaster ride........of emotion. Super awesome until towards end when the new artist and writer took over and f*&%ed it in the @$$.

This is a great collection and my criticism must not be allowed to distract from this. I had not read The Darkness before, having returned to comics after a ten year absence and ordered the compendium on reputation and reveiws alone. The service was great, I was delivered in South Africa on time in pristine condition.

It's hard to comment on this publication without referring to its size. It is huge. While this is a good thing, it is not without its drawbacks. The compendium cannot be read as I would a standard graphic novel in that a degree of discipline is needed. I found myself racing through it missing the artwork and the natural pace a comic has by nature of its original monthly format. While the standard comic can be frustratingly short, nine or ten bound together is a great afternoon's read, taking time to savour each panel. Over 1200 pages is a bit indigestable and I would have perhaps preffered to buy a series of smaller collections to make up the whole. Text close to the spine is difficult to get to without risking the spine and it's not something that would be easily shared with a friend, being a bit unweildy to lend out or have someone help themselves to over a coffee (unless they are a comic enthusiast).

Having said all of this there is still something nice about it being ridiculously huge.

While I am particularly "non-religious", I do find myself questioning the content at times (as enjoyable as it might be). There is a point or two where I was struck than a line was being pushed, such as the offhand killing of an inocent person because its all our hero could come up with on short notice to save himself or the ham-fisted religious references in the Magdelina editions. This is obviously a discomfort I have with the genre itself. Violent dark action/humour would perhaps be less enjoyable if it didn't push the boundry of moral offensiveness. Potential purchasers should know that this one does so more than most and is certainly not for kids.

I am however splitting hairs on what is an excellent collection; the artwork is fantastic, and the humour dark. In my opinion it is the best of the genre.

This is an amazing book! And probably even better was the person/company I bought it from. The item arrived fast and on time as promised in great condition.

This is one of the most original manga ever written. Read other reviewers for great plot summaries. If you are reading these reviews your question must be, "Is this something I want to read?" Death Note, unlike a great deal of manga, you have to read. It has wonderful artwork, some of the best I have ever seen. But, the art does not carry the story, the words carry this story. In volume 1, Light finds the Death Note, and at first it seems like killing all criminals is a good idea. But, by volume 2, you begin to see what the power of the Death Note is doing to Light. Volume 3, introduces a new character to the story that complicates the story line, but in a good way. If this series was a movie it would be considered "film noir". It is dark, with many plot twists, microscopic viewing of the line between good and evil, and how that line can be twisted to suit the person doing the twisting. This manga is a thinking manga. After you finish each volume, you will find yourself thinking about it, worrying over some of the plots like a dog with a bone. think, think, think. Enjoy!

Light and L off to uni.


The situation gets more complicated as Light is starting university, and at the opening ceremony he is to speak at, he finds he has a co-speaker, who whispers to him that he is actually L!

The cat and mouse game between them continues, and Light's father having a heart attack and the discovery of a new 'Kira' and Death Note do no make anything more straightforward. All the deviousness in this serious can certainly make your head hurt.

The general summary of the `Death Note' manga: Light Yagami, a High Honors student, still maintains his cool in playing the secretive part of Kira, the murderer who kills inmates with heart attacks. This is all accomplished by the Death Note, a notebook belonging to one of the Shinigami death Gods. The Death Note supplies the rules of how to use it, and Ryuk, the Shinigami owner of the notebook that Light now holds in his possession, has to stick around Light until the Notebook is handed to someone else, destroyed, or Light himself is killed. However, notorious super sleuth known as L is hot on Kira's (Light's) heels in sending the murder to his execution.

In Volume Three, Light manages to get Ryuk to locate the cameras and bugs around his room, planted there by L's authority, in exchange for a place to eat his apples in secret. To fool L into thinking that Light is not Kira, Light pretends to do the things he used to do before the Death Note fell into his life. Light knows that if L is watching him, he cannot screw anything up, and knows that if no murders have been reported while he is being watched, L would know that Light is Kira. To fool the man, Light plants a LCD Television in a bag of chips so all L sees when Light goes into his room is a young man studying hard for his entrance exams while having a snack. L dose not see the section of the Death Note taped into the bag of chips along with the LCD, and that each time Light sticks his hand in the bag, he writes one letter of a suspect's name that he watches while eating chips, then withdraws it. This is one of the many things Light has up his sleeve, but despite this, L is still watching him very closely.

L even comes up to Light in person, proclaiming that he is L after Light graduates from school, moving on to a college. Light, never seeing that L would ever come up to him saying he's L, panics for a while, but then regains his cool and decides that if he was to kill L without anyone suspecting it was him, he would have to be L's closest friend...before he was to finish him off. L himself is wondering whether or not Light is really Kira, but after overstress gives Light's father a heart attack and L sees the corny act that Light gave in his father's presence, L is starting to wonder if Light really isn't Kira. Despite this, he wishes Light work in capturing Kira, even though L still suspects Light to be Kira, if only for a small percentage.

However, when things seem to get worse for L, a second Kira is added into the fold. Now it is a race of time to see whether L or Light will get to the second Kira first to get a fair advantage of the situation. L, to find the whereabouts of the first Kira and to see how he kills his victims; and Light, who would use the second L for his own gain in the execution of L. For the second Kira possesses something only Light knows: the Shinigami Eyes, a deal made by the Shinigami who give humans the power to see the person's name and lifespan by looking at them, though this cuts their own lifespan in half.

This is a really suspenseful volume that really gets you reading. Very recommended.

In the last volume, Light was placed under intense surveillance by L and Light played the innocent, college-bound student, but now it seems that all of the surveillance all of the time is starting to get to Light. Light seems to have a need to punish criminals and mages to punish three rather minor criminals with death, while still under surveillance. Sometime later, Light takes his entrance exams into college and notices a very odd looking guy in his class, he thinks nothing of it until the guy introduces himself as L.

Now that they have met each other face to face, the two begin to pretend to be friends with each other all the while trying to trap the other, L wants evidence that Light is Kira and Light wants to try and keep ahead of the police force and try to eliminate L without drawing too much suspicion. But Light's problems are only beginning as a sudden family emergency distracts him, then a local newstation receives videos allegedly from Kira displaying his "power". However, it soon becomes apparent that this is not the work of Kira, but what appears to be a copycat Kira.

This is another excellent book in the Death Note series. This was a real page turner especially after the revelation of the 2nd Kira. I love the way it shows the battle of wits between Light and L and how it always manages to keep things interesting, the story is going strong and still building steam. This has to be one of the best mangas that I have ever read.