Comics Books

Well, Yusaku's dream has finally come true! He's gonna get to see his great love Kyoko in a revealing swimsuit as he agrees to take little brat Kentaro to the beach. It's too bad that his rival, tennis coach Mitaka is also along for the ride. But he has one thing on his side! Mitaka is deathly afraid of dogs, including Kyoko's Mr. Soichiro. Maybe Yusaku will get to show his macho side and prove he's the better man? That's if he can endure Mitaka and Kyoto going out on a date. Yusaku himself has his own miniature shojo romance going too, when he meets up with Kozue, a former co-worker, when he's desperate for a date.

Rumiko Takahashi is a master, or should I say mistress, of creating awesome and endearing characters. Her designs are beautiful and her style is very recognizable. The great thing about Maison Ikkoku is that no single element overwhelms you. The comedy, romance, and at times deep emotion all work in harmony with each other. Very well written and funny. Masterpiece.

Not only do Yusaku and Kyoko have to deal with the other tenants and Coach Mitaka, they have to deal with Kyoko's parents! Her dad is a tad bit overprotective, and when we first meet him he is slinking around the building in a trenchcoat, looking very suspicious. And her mother is a conniving witch who actually makes her daughter move out of Maison Ikkoku!

Kyoko knows she should love her parents like a good daughter should, but it is so hard with parents like these!

Not only do Yusaku and Kyoko have to deal with the other tenants and Coach Mitaka, they have to deal with Kyoko's parents! Her dad is a tad bit overprotective, and when we first meet him he is slinking around the building in a trenchcoat, looking very suspicious. And her mother is a conniving witch who actually makes her daughter move out of Maison Ikkoku!

Kyoko knows she should love her parents like a good daughter should, but it is so hard with parents like these!

Another stellar volume of Maison Ikkoku. In this volume the primary focus is Kyoko's parents. It is obviously not unusual for parents to want the best for their children, but Kyoko's parents take it a bit too far. So in this volume the Ikkoku gang are faced with Kyoko's overprotective father and domineering mother. The mother even tries to enlist the help of Mrs. Ichinose in order to make Kyoko go back home and go back to her maiden name. It is all good fun, and also we get to see a doubles tennis match: Kyoko and Godai vs Mitaka and Mrs. Ichinose! Of course we also cannot forget about Kozue Nanao; she seems to want Godai and her relationship to go to the next level. kono manga o yonde kudasai!! (please read this manga!!

Rumiko Takahashi's funny, romantic series "Maison Ikkoku" is being rereleased in a cheaper edition, allowing more people to check out this unique story. It's a twist on the boy-meets-girl story, in which the girl is a haunted widow and the boy is a struggling college student.

Yusaku Godai's life changed forever when the beautiful Kyoko became manager of the rundown Maison Ikkoku. His attempts to get closer to her were thwarted when he learned that her beloved husband died not long ago. Now he has another problem -- Shun Mitaka. He's rich, handsome, debonair, nice, and he's in love with Kyoko too.

To make things even more complicated, Yusaku has to deal with Kozue, a girl he once worked with who has a massive crush on him. He likes Kozue, but not that way. Misunderstandings about restaurants, dog phobias, stinging jellyfish, puppet shows and a sprained ankle make Yusaku's life even harder -- and that's not including his crazy, obnoxious neighbors.

"Maison Ikkoku" is hard to describe -- it's a little too dramatic to be a romantic comedy, but too funny to be a straightforward drama. There are a lot of situations that Takahashi does well and often, like Yusaku bursting in on the bathing Kyoko. The story is more streamlined and fluid, and even the dramatic interludes burst into comedy quickly enough (usually because of the crazy inhabitants of Maison Ikkoku).

Yusaku grows up a little, gaining confidence and backbone (although he's still a pushover). Kyoko's jealousy and temper are shown more vividly here, when she thinks Yusaku is playing around with several girls. And one of the nicest things about Takahashi's work is that romantic rivals are not portrayed as mean or bad. Mitaka and Kozue aren't bad people, just unfortunately in love with the protagonists. They both actually seem quite pleasant, especially the dog-phobic Mitaka (which presents a major obstacle to a relationship with Kyoko).

Both longtime fans and newcomers will enjoy the second volume of "Maison Ikkoku," with all its embarrassing humor and sweet romance. Highly recommended.

My good friend, a comic shop owner, gave me his signed collection of "Keef's" first collection. I remember Keith wandering around the San Diego Comic Con wearing a paper mache' head of his comic character which was, of course, himself. He was having a blast. His strip is full of good belly laughs and his poigniant take on contemporary living is bare bones hilarious. He can be considerably less than tactful but then so is life. So, do yourself a favor and buy his books, all of them. So what if he has brown skin. Who cares? Just dump the "race" crap. His life is full of the same triumphs and disappointments as the rest of us "white" folks. That's the key; he's clearly in there with the rest of us just struggling to make his life make sense even when it's obviously, often senseless, to no fault of his own. To have to make that point is pretty obsequious in itself.
You don't have to fully agree with his take on things to get the points he's making.
And....best of all, he's funny!

Knight's second "K Chronicles" collection is as zany as his first. From birthdays to family relations to touring with his band the Marginal Prophets to being subjected to "The Phantom Menace" movie, his cartoons's themes are full of social commentary, neurotic humor, and skewed realism. I think his ones about working at youth hostels and seeing the cultural-centrism of America at work are so perfectly calibrated. He's definitely worth reading, and I certainly wish his comic appeared in my area!

Oh, and his comics inspire me daily to stare at the walls and envision drawings of snowstorms (like page 103).

I have met Keith several times and not only are his comics swell but he is a really great guy. His humor shines. I have bought this for friends as a gift and it has not ever disaappointed.

Listen, just get this book. This is not one of those reviews where I'm going to say funny things, or make up gorgeous metaphors for anyone's catastrophic talent. Just get this book. It's really funny, and you like funny, right? Everyone likes funny!

I'm not African American, or a guy, and I don't live in California, and I'm not an artist, and I don't have a twin, but I can relate to this guy-- OK, we're the same age, and yeah, that helps, but the point is, he's just some guy. He's not married to Jane Pauley, or earning six figures, but really, he's better than them all.

The very best thing about Wednesday is that a new K Chronicles comic is posted to Salon.com! Keef is exceedingly talented and I wish my local newspaper ran his strip daily instead of the mostly boring and awful ones they feature presently. Unfortunately, this will not happen in my lifetime - luckily there are books like this to fill the gap!

Pity the poor soul who gets caught in this 21st century, electronic melee. When funny gal Linda Sharp's RABID fire observations are bounced off her pen pal Shana Moore the result is a witty repartee loaded with acerbic commentary. No subject is sacred; dieting, sex, husbands, kids - every topic is treated with the same caustic playfulness.

Bottom line: it's a fantastic book. Full of funny stories and tales that make us moms not feel quite so alone in this great big world.
Keep in mind that it's more than just a collection of humor essays-- this all-too-true book of confessions tells a great story of a budding friendship, the kind that keep women from losing their minds.
Read it. And have your friends read it. Then get together over coffee and laugh all over again while celebrating motherhood and womanhood alike.

I got the book for Christmas and couldn't wait to
find the time to sit down and read it! Once I did I
didn't want to put it down. Finished it in 3 days!
Then I couldn't get it to a girlfriend quickly enough
so we could laugh together!

Shana and Linda are both VERY talented and funny writers! Not
only did I enjoy the banter back and forth between the authors
but it was so inspiring to see how they became such good
friends and began to rely on each other for their daily
laughter and camaraderie.

A MUST read for Mom's!!!!

I got this book for myself for Christmas after hearing about it through the online grapevine and I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed it! From cover to cover every single thing the authors discussed rang true in my own life. And I was laughing so much that my husband got curious and is reading it now. He is laughing out loud too! BUY THIS BOOK!

This is a LOL (laugh out loud) read for women of all ages. It is the perfect gift for any girlfriend, sister, mother or grandma who appreciates the real humor in a woman's life. Bravo to the authors for a funny look at life's ups and downs.

I bought this book expecting one of those 'Making of . . .' creations, but ended up being pretty disappointed. Don't get me wrong, this guide is very informative, amusing and candy for the eyes . . . but for children. Or, for adults with inner children. Seeing as I'm a cynical teenager, it didn't do much for me :)

If you want to learn even more about the ocean -- check out Captain Jon Explores the Ocean on DVD - also available on Amazon.

This book is really cool and it gave me a lot of information on Finding Nemo that I didn't know about before.
But I did see a couple of errors in the book.
But the only errors were length and stuff like that....so it really doesn't matter that much.
Besides that the book gives you information on just about everyone in the movie and information on the type of fish that the characters are,like I never knew that Dory and Bubbles were related,let me tell you how:
Dory is a Regal Tang.
Bubbles is a Yellow Tang. cool huh....?
Anyway, its a good book to read when you're bored or while you're watching the movie.
This book is auesome.
sincerly,
Kenny (jellyman)

I have been researching Finding Nemo for three months now and of all the stuff I might get besides two books ( including this one)and a CD, this is probably the most awesome. When I first read it, I knew everyting and I have read it five times. I have memorized this awesome book and I highly reccomend it for all those fans out there!(But none as dedicated as me.)Also, I reccomend Don't Invite A Shark to Dinner and Other Lessons from the Sea. It, too, is an awesome book and I have memorized that as well. Hi, Erin Wilser!!!

This was the neatest Finding Nemo book! It has all you need to know about the little secret things about Finding Nemo! In fact, it's my favorite book! Finding Nemo is my favorite movie, and now I have a favorite book to match it! I especially like how even the moonfish and jellyfish get their own page full of information. The tank gang's bios were very interesting, as were overlooking of the dentist's office. Thank you Nemo!

I've been a professional animator for over 10 years and I found this to be a valuable resource. It's written by some very talented people over at Animax Entertainment, who have tons of production experience. It offers great organizational tips and tricks for building and animating your characters. It also gives so much insight from the perspective of working on a larger productive team. Sure it's easy to develop your own ways of working when you work by yourself, but the suggestions in this book are a very smart and efficient approach for working on any sized project. They also give you a list of plugins that will help... and even describe how to make them work for you. And the information on how to make use of After Effects is just fantastic. I've adopted so many time-saving ways to work... things I never knew about in all of my years using Flash! I am using this book constantly for reference as I work on my new cartoon project. Thanks guys!

I found very helpful the guides given by the authors. I was trying to figure out how develop a short cartoon animation in a correct way and after I read this book I found the answers. Thanks!

If you're looking for a book that teaches you how to draw in Flash, this is not the book for you. It will, however, teach you the nuts and bolts of animation, the technical information necessary to make animation less time consuming, which is a must-have imo.

This book is a must for everyone who is tired of animating on paper and wishes to digitalize their work completely in Flash or After Effects. The book covers many great aspects including; making shortcuts of your workflow with user made extensions, brilliant tips & tricks and personal advices how to make life easier for the animators.

This book is also amazing for those who already have knowledge of Flash or After Effects, but wish to enhance their skills or take their production to the next level.

After reading this book, my animation workflow and quality improved.

Best recommendations from here.


-Alex Volkov (Flash Animator)

There are many books about cartoon animation in Flash. What sets this book apart from the rest is the approach the authors have taken to make this book much more than just another step-by-step book about drawing and animating characters. Foundation Flash Cartoon Animation is for the animator who needs to stretch beyond the mechanics of the Flash tools and perfect the decision-making process necessary to become a productive animator. One of the biggest questions that is answered in this book is when to use Flash and how to use it most efficiently. The next question is what tasks are beyond Flash's capabilities and when to turn to another software such as After Effects.

The authors assume that the reader has a basic knowledge of Flash and the principles of animation. Because of this, you will find only a few step-by-step examples. What they do cover thoroughly is every phase of the production process for cartoon animation from planning, storyboards and animatics to post-production and delivery. The approach for this book is to examine working examples which can be downloaded from the publisher's website.

If you have ever created a complex character animation including lip synching and facial expressions, then you know that your character must be divided into a large number of individual animated parts. This is why the authors dedicate a whole chapter to organization and using the Flash library system to build character libraries. As you progress through the process from head comps and onward, the authors show when it is best to draw from scratch and when to use Flash symbols. Storyboards and animatics are next in the production process and the book covers several decisions that must be made such as choosing between traditional, hand-drawn storyboards and the digital method in Flash.

Moving from the planning stages to character creation, the authors discuss the technical and organizational issues such as Flash file structures and project architecture. They take a look at several working examples to give the reader a comprehensive overview of this topic. One of the most helpful aspects of this book is how the authors help you decide when Flash is not enough to get the job done and how to expand Flash's capabilities with plug-ins. They discuss several of their favorites, how to find more on the web and when to make your own.

One of the most important decisions that an animator will need to make is the choice between traditional frame by frame animation and tweening. The authors share their four step process for frame by frame animation and then discuss tweening and how to avoid common mistakes.

I mentioned earlier that the authors discuss the use of a dedicated motion graphic software such as After Effects to take your Flash project to a higher level of quality and sophistication. They discuss some of the advantages to using After Effects for editing and composition such as complex camera movements and 3D effects.

Flash has been plagued by one major drawback since its conception a decade ago and that is the extreme "digital" look of the vector artwork created in Flash. The authors share several tips and suggestions for enhancing your Flash project to achieve a more "hand-drawn" appearance to your animation including line styles and color choices. They also cover the digital equivalents for traditionally hand-drawn special effects such as distortion, drag, fade in/out and blurs.

This book was a joint effort of several authors. Tim Jones is an Emmy Award-winning producer and writer and head of production at ANIMAX Entertainment. Barry J. Kelly is an Emmy Award-winning editor and artist and is also a member of ANIMAX Entertainment. Allan S. Rosson is animation director at ANIMAX Entertainment and has over twenty years experience as an animator. David Wolfe was an animator at ANIMAX Entertainment and is now with Cartoon Network Studios.

If you're looking at buying this, you know what Sin City is. This collection is an oversized printing with thicker paper and darker inks. It's a very high-quality product and at ~$25 an issue, not a bad deal. I could only give it 4 stars because I noticed that at least 2 pages of story are missing from the second book as compared to the trade paperback. I don't know if those pages were added to the paperback version and not in the original comics, thus not used here, or if they were removed for some other reason, but since they are my two favorite pages in the book, I'm a tad disappointed. I'm not sure if anything else is missing; those two pages were all I noticed.

The only complaint I've heard about this collection is the lack of bonus materials. While I do agree with the argument, I believe you still get your money's worth and more in this product.

I've done some price comparisons online before purchasing these books, and amazon.com definately has the best price out there.

The packaging of the collection is eye catching; flat black with red foil lettering. The pages are quite thick and durable, a necessity for those of us who want to read them, as well as have something that looks good on a book-shelf.

The story and illustrations are now in larger print, giving you a better appreciation for the body of work.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Sin City books, this is still a good investment if you are fan of graphic novels. I was a fan of the film, and figured to give the books a try. Rather than spend a fortune tracking down the comics I thought I would try this. Not only does this series include a story-line not included in the film, but there is further elaboration on what you did not see in the film.

This is a great collection; the stories are wonderful, the packaging is great, and the price is right for what you are getting. I hope they continue to put these out. I know I'll be buying more.

If you can't guess why, you mustn't have liked the comics or the movie...

If there is a series that deserves an oversized format, it is SIN CITY. Point. No question about it. All that fantastic B&W art of Frank Miller blows away my mind every time I open up those books.But there is a problem: NO EXTRA STUFF!No sketch gallery,no unused pages or something like that.Anyway,the final design of the slipcase follows the art direction of the entire series!Take it!

Forget all the other imprints of this masterpiece. Finally Dark Horse does justice to this great series with this marvellous set. Marv, Goldie and all the others have never looked better. Just the quality of the paper and the blackness of the ink takes your breath away (matches the E.C. slipcased sets in quality printing). Just look at the other pictures above: aren't these covers awesome? Also included are beautiful color reproductions of most of the series' original covers. I would even go as far as to say that this set isn't just for fans. The panels are "ready to be framed" ... But then you'd need to buy at least two sets.... joking...
When you're interested in comic book inking, page set-ups, art in general or how to bring a plot to paper, buy this. You won't be disappointed. You'll want to read this over and over again. Each single dialogue, sharper than a razor blade, the movements frozen in mid-air. This will truely leave you breathless and in awe. When you liked the movie, buy this. It lets you appreciate the detail and leaves you the time to discover what maybe got lost through the pace of cinematic story-telling. I didn't like the movie as much as these books. Why? Here I have the time to appreciate every single frame, to let the characters grow inside my head. The movie didn't leave me that room. To me it almost became a series of scenes filled with too much senseless violence. Not that the books are any less violent or that because they leave you your own pace in reading them, they'd prepare you for anything that you have coming your way. No way. I just think they leave you more time and space to appreciate what great art it is that you are looking at - and for what a great price.

Is Jim Davis trying to pull a George Lucas on us? All of these re-released full-color books are missing the final page of the original release books.

This re-release Third Book (Bigger Than Life) is missing the "Garfield Up Close And Personal" special page that was the final page of the original release.

It would be a shame to have the special comic lost to time. Luckily I have all the originals.

Normally I should give a 1-Star rating to show my displeasure with the missing content of this release. However, I simply can't bring myself to give a poor rating to a Garfield book.

Garfield is great! I love his books, I want my mom and dad to get the newspaper every day just so I can get more Garfield! In his third book Jim Davis' illustrations are at their best. Also I am just bummed that the Garfield books are finally on color. Odie is my favorite character.

Gotta love Garfield the cat. He says things that a lot of us don't have the guts to say. He is lazy, loves to sleep although I think eating outweighs his love for sleep even more, doesn't enjoy getting physical exams, and enjoys abusing the family dog. As hysterically funny as the first two Garfield books are, I really think that "Bigger Than Life" takes Garfield to a whole new level of laziness and gluttony. The animation is a lot better as well. Here the reader is introduced to the world's cutest (and annoying) kitten Nermal. Originally Nermal belonged to Jon's parents however over the years, Jim Davis just had Nermal drop in unexpectedly. The early drawings of Nermal was just as crude as the early Garfield drawings were. One of the greatest moments in this book was when Garfield sneezed and Jon's breakfast ended up on his face. The other greatest moment that I still love is when Jon leaves the house to go jogging, and Garfield finds a loose thread. Garfield pulls it until...well, Jon returns home unepxectedly in his birthday suit. An absolutely priceless moment for me. I also thought when Garfield caught a code was hilarious.
Whenever I feel down, I know I can always count on Garfield making me laugh with his antics.

Although his first two books are good, this book is better and I would consider this to be Garfield's best book of the pre-'82 era. I like the part when Garfield scratches on Jon's chair and Nermal got blamed for it, that was hilarious, if you're a Garfield fan then you can't go wrong getting this book and be sure not to let your cat do what Garfield does otherwise there will be a lot hell to pay.

Contains all the daily and Sunday strips August 27, 1979 through March 30, 1980.

This is a great Garfield book! One of my favorites! Classic and Newie Garfield are both awsome. Some of the coolest strips eva in this one!! I love the one where Garfield sticks the chicken leg in Jon's ear: Jon: "Stay Away from my chicken leg, Garfield." Garfield: "Aw, stuff it in your ear! ROWR, FFT!" Jon: "What was that?! (chicken leg gets stuffed in his ear) Oh." Hahahahaha!!! How can you not laugh at that? I also like it when Jon tells this joke about Garfield sitting on the sofa: Jon: "Now Garfield, I wouldnt say that you're fat... But when you sit aroung the sofa, you SIT AROUND the sofa!" Garfield: (kicks Jon in the air) "Heads, he lives, tails, he dies!" Now, that was violent of Garfield 2 do dat, but, it wuz hilarious. Oh, its also funny when Irma first comes and finds a bad potato.

OK, thats all im doing for now. Buy this, NOW! Its the best classic ever!

This book is the best Garfield book of them all. Garfield is always embarrasing Jon and punting Odie. If you ask me my favorite strips are where he destroies the mailman and punts Odie.

I remember the first time I read this book 10 and 1/2 years ago. It is true 'classic' Garfield at his best. This is a must for any hardcore Garfield fan. New fans of Garfield will probably like this book, even though Garfield looks a lot of different as compared to his 'modern' look. I guess that goes to show how much Garfield has evolved in his 21 years, without losing his witty and sarcastic humor. If you do not have this book, then what are waiting for, buy it now! :)

"Garfield At Large" introduced the public to a fat, orange tabby cat named Garfield who has an enormous appetite for everything that is pasta, has a dork for an owner, and loves to sleep as much as he hates Mondays. The animation is a lot different from the Garfield we all know and love today. His body is bigger, smaller eyes, a t-shaped nose but his personality remains the same. "Garfield Gains Weight" is the second book of Garfield comic strips. Towards the end of "Garfield At Large", the animation begins to slowly evolve. In "Garfield Gains Weight", you can see the difference between the Garfield of the late '70s and the Garfield of the early '80s. The eyes are bigger and the ears are more pointy but Garfield's sharp wit remains firmly intact. One of my favorite strips in the book is when Jon makes a fat joke about Garfield and Garfield kicks Jon so hard that he spins. The reader is introduced to two new characters; Liz, Garfield's vet and Jon's unrequited love interest, and Irma, the sassy diner waitress. No matter how many times Jon asks Liz out for a date, Liz always finds a way to shoot Jon down which is always hilarious. I also love those moments when Jon tries to give Garfield a bath and Garfield fights back. Other great moments in the book is when Jon has Garfield performing tricks. That is probably the most exercise I have seen Garfield do in the 20 plus some years I have been reading the popular comic strip. My favorite strip in this book has to be when Garfield was so bored that he shoots a small pebble through a straw at Odie and total chaos breaks loose. That still cracks me up to this very day. Although I am a dog person at heart, Garfield the cat is my favorite cat. I have yet to be tired of the sarcastic fat cat.

Contains all the daily and Sunday strips January 23, 1979 through August 26, 1979.

It was great to see the relationship between the characters develop and as usual Fumi Yoshinaga handled both the bitter and the sweet aspects of new love with wit, humor and a unique honesty. Obviously this is not a story about the French Revolution, just one using it as a backdrop and occasional source of danger for the lovers. The core of the story and where all of Fumi Yoshinaga's stories really shine is in the characters. They are charming and wonderful to spend time with. I enjoyed both Gerard & Jacques books and recomend them to anyone who is looking for a pleasant mix of romance, humor and dry wit.

Jacques undergoes confusion due to his attraction to Gerard during this Yaoi work, which is set during the French Revolution.

Full of character development and French history, this series wraps up in volume 2 with Gerard and Jacques confessing their love for each other. I really liked the characters, the setting, and the story line. Manga that makes you think...

Like the first volume, this yaoi is a little more explict then I usually read.

As wonderful as the first volume, this one lets us see Jacques experience his confusion and his attraction for Gerard. The surprising twist in Jacques history is quite bittersweet and I truly felt bad for him. I felt even worse for him when Gerard fell asleep! Of course, he was drunk... It was so touching watching Gerard try to protect Jacques, and watch Jacques re-humanize Gerard. And they're both so cute!

As beautiful as this story is, it's not without it's humorous moments. The times when Jacques exploded were laugh-out-loud, as was his confusion on why everybody were such big fans of Gerard's work (poor boy, he just doesn't get it).

The story is set agianst the French Revolution (like you didn't know that by now), and just the right amount is brought into the story without overshadowing...yadda, yadda, yadda - it's nothing every other reviewer hasn't already said. It's very true, but I'm not going to repeat it.

The finale is heart-pounding up to the very end for our seme and uke. I would have liked them to end up physically in the same place, but I guess I'll have to be grateful with the knowledge that Gerard was going home to Jacques. This is a wonderful yaoi and if you're a fan of the genre, you should definetly read it.

I liked this volume even better then the first. Both Gerard and Jacques must deal with problems from their pasts as well as their feelings for one another. Plus France is in turmoil and life becomes quite dangerous for our couple.

And poor Jacques is having a bit of a hard time, I felt a little sorry him, even as I was laughing at his "explosive" problems. I also got a chuckle from the fact that Jacques can't understand the popularity of Gerards writing.

Once again there is man/man sex, and it is explicit - hey, it is yaoi after all.

A wonderful story, a nice end to this series.

Goblin Market, a verse fairy tale that was first published in 1862, is a rather fascinating piece of masterful poetry. It tells a wonderfully sensuous tale that has inspired a myriad of interpretations. I've spent more time reading about Goblin Market than I did actually reading it - savoring it, rather, for it really calls for a much more personal treatment than a mere reading. This pre-Raphaelite work harbors latent eroticism that echoes with both renunciation and desire. Thus, some term it a work of repressed Victorian eroticism and grin knowingly (and leeringly) as they recount the fact that Goblin Market was quite a popular children's fairy tale in its day. Christine Rossetti was herself a recluse along the lines of Emily Dickinson, allowing her heart to sing freely even as she kept herself separated from any possible objects of her latent desires.

In the poem, one sister gives in to the temptation of the forbidden fruit offered by the dark goblins forever lurking in the twilight to seduce their victims to a first taste of their exotic wares. The desire to obtain more of the passion fruit overtakes her young life, yet the goblins appear to her no more; as a result, she begins to waste away near to death. At this point, her sister, who sensibly avoided temptation, willingly seeks to bargain with the goblins, only to have them force their juicy wares upon her. The fruity residue is enough, however, to revive her sister. The act of salvation is obviously the juiciest part of the story on a number of levels - such a sensual act between sisters, with lines such as "Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices" and "Eat me, drink me, love me," cries out for interpretation of all kinds - and those quick to criticize the hypocritical prudishness of Victorian society have a veritable field day with it.

Some say this is not a poem for children's ears? Balderdash. Like any masterful work of poetry, Goblin Market can be read and interpreted on many levels. Children will delight in its lyrical rhyming patterns, its allusions to wee goblins hawking the most delicious of fruits, and interpret the salvation of the tempted sister in comparatively innocent terms. I say leave the interpretations to the adults. And what interpretations there are of this lengthy poem. Some see in it a recreation of the genesis story, a story of sacrifice and redemption, a tale of lesbian yearning, a declaration of the power of sisterhood, a commentary on women as commodities in market society, evidence of sexual molestation by Rossetti's father, etc. There's no limit to the interpretations put forth about what is, on the surface, an engaging fairy tale set to verse.

This is a fascinating work of lyrical poetry that can be read fairly quickly yet will sustain your interest through multiple readings, all sorts of fascinating research into analysis and interpretation, and just plain wonderment. As sensual as it is beautiful, Goblin Market is probably one of the most fascinating and insightful products of Victorian literature.

I wonder if the good folk at the end of the 19th century when this poem was originally published were just too obtuse to understand the gist of Rossetti's work; if so, we have an innocent artifact that has evolved into something erotic because of our twentieth century sensibilities (we have dirtier minds than our compatriots from the past).

Don't let the word "erotica" scare you away. This is not a blatantly sexual work in its language; it is not a "dirty" book. Just understand that despite what anyone else says or writes, this is about as unambiguously EROTIC as you can get. With phrasing like "Eat me, drink me, love me; Laura, make much of me; For your sake I have braved the glen; And had to do with goblin merchant men."

Since the original work is now in the public domain, if you want to read the full text online just do a search using most standard search engines with the terms "Christina Rossetti Goblin Market" and you should turn up a number of links to the actual poems, go read it, and decide for yourself about it.

This makes a wonderful gift for people you are very close too. However, it is also a very personal poem, and if given inappropriately could actually scare someone away!

Noted Italian/English poetess of the 1800's Christina Rossetti's imagination catching poetry has stood the test of time, being still loved and studied today. Because of its title, Goblin Market sometimes gets put into a juvenile category, but this is a poem for mature readers. This moral tale depicts the epic struggle between bad and good. The goblin's onslaught on virtue immediately engages the reader's inner ear and heart. This poem is really gripping reading. Goblin Market is often considered Christina Rossetti's best poem. This re-issue, replete with noted illustrator Arthor Rackham's beautifully eerie drawings, is a book worth owning.

A children tale for adults. It's a light and thoughtful reading. The story of two sisters and lewd goblin men. Innocence, temptation and emotions all together. This inspiring story has wonderful work of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

This tale is not about sexuality but about redemption and the need to help others. Read deep into the story to find the meaning that Rossetti intended.