Comic Books Books

I knew my 8-year-old audience liked this book when she asked me to continue reading after the second episode . . . I knew we had a real gem when, after we read it from cover to cover, she flipped to her favorite parts and read them again.

What's more, I can't say I've ever enjoyed a comic more. The story of Amelia's dad backing out of plans for her party had me weeping; the Christmas story of Amelia learning to be (heroically) generous stirred even my jaded Christmas-hating heart; and Aunt Tanner's rock song quotes had me singing Elvis Costello and Dylan --and gave me the perfect excuse to educate the next generation on REAL music. But I digress.

The kids are sharp-tongued (well, except for Pajamaman --he doesn't talk) and vibrant, the adults are flawed humans, the stories are moving, and the cartooning is as charming as the best of Peanuts. What more could you ask for? The book will provide you and the kids hours of treasured memories.

For some time now, I've been telling anyone that would listen that Jimmy Gownley's Amelia Rules! is the best comic book for young readers to have been published in YEARS. Now, Gownley has begun reprinting the run in the handy digest format that the kids seem to dig these days.

The Whole World's Crazy reprints the first several issues in the tale of Amelia McBride, a girl who has to leave the excitement of New York City when her parents get divorced and she and her mother move to a small town to live with her aunt. The stories in this book deal with many of Amelia's firsts: her first day at a new school, her first Halloween and Christmas in her new town, and the first trip with her father after the divorce. In the comic as a whole, and in this volume in particular, Gownley frequently touches upon rather serious topics (divorce, for example) that young children have to deal with without really understanding. However, Gownley handles these subjects in a way that will help his young readers learn to handle their problems, with a blend of humor and wisdom that kids need. He's never frightening, never patronizing, and always entertaining. Amelia and her friends are wonderful characters, characters that kids can find themselves in, helping to open the door for them to embrace the story even further.

If I ever have kids -- especially daughters -- these are some of the first comics I'll get for them.

Amelia Louise McBride, a 9 year old facing divorce, moving, and the weirdest school of all time. With Wicked Witch Bloom, Mad Dog Barkley, No Neck Norris, and Old Man Biggers as teachers, "So then Noah says, "Sorry Zeke you gotta dog paddle." :-) Owen, fan of the Feds, Mary Violet, with the Mall God and Searing Hand of the Devil, Earth Dog the poet, as well as the "nerds," Reggie Grabinsky, holder of best sneeze-barfer and best superhero wanna be, Rhonda Bleenie, annoyed by sister goodie Reenie, and silent Pajamaman, who attracts s with softee chicken backpacks and being a Latchky kid. Living with her mom and Aunt Tanner, the with the straight A student motto. Facing ups like Santa, and downs like Softee Dad, this is a six star book!

When my 7-year old son is fighting with my 9-year old daughter for his turn to read AMELIA RULES!, you know these books are going to be a hit. The artwork is beautiful, the dialogue full of great humor and pathos, the stories engaging. But what appeals most to the kids, I think, is the characters themselves. Amelia is out-and-out fascinating--a perfect combination of pre-teen girl and tomboy--and her friends are as lively and entertaining as any you'll find in American literature.

In fact, this IS literature, and if you're the kind of parent who thinks comics are no better for kids than TV, AMELIA RULES! will prove you completely and utterly wrong. Get these books. Your kids won't be able to put them down--and neither will you.

I was reading this last night and was laughing my head off. It's brilliant and funny. My 4th grade daughter likes it a lot too, though she doesn't get all the jokes. Get this for your kid or get it for yourself - just get it!

This is my second Hiaasen novel after Skin Tight, and I must say I enjoyed it immensely! The plotline, dealing with the mysterious and bizarre deaths of various members of 80's hard rock band, "Jimmy and The Slut Puppies" is both hilarious and engaging. Main character and narrator, investigative-journalist-busted-down-to-cheesy-obituary-writer, Jack Tagger, is a humourous and sympathetic hero. His obsession with outliving famous dead people is very funny, though I do have one minor quibble. Constant reference is made to the fact that Elvis Presley died at age 46 (Jack's current age). He didn't - Elvis died at 42. I'm surprised this very glaring factual blooper wasn't picked up when the novel was being edited. Perhaps it will be corrected for future reprints? Whilst the novel is ostensibly a murder-mystery, it also manages to skewer the parlous state of modern journalism and the way traditional media outlets like local newspapers have been taken over by bean counters and their obsession with the "bottom line". There are lots of amusing situations and great one-liners, and whilst the "mystery" aspect of the novel isn't that mysterious (you can guess whodunit very early in the piece) it is really great fun and very, very enjoyable. Two thumbs up!!

While protagonist Jack Tagger Jr., 46, solves an aging rock star's murder, he also tries to pry out of his mother the truth about his own dead father. This, and his job as obit writer for the Union-Register, a Florida newspaper, have made him morbid. Jack is also at loose ends romantically. Although these themes (newspapers, the music business, and a death-obsessed obit writer looking for love) could be dispiriting in another writer's hands, here they are woven together light-heartedly. The novel is well plotted, with amusing surprises fairly achieved, and the outer and inner quests mesh and hold the reader's interest. The novel's characters are incisively drawn and appealing, and Hiaasen is good at dialogue. Jack grows in the course of the novel, avoiding the fate of the cynical reporter to which the "hard-boiled" fictional genre would condemn him. Since the novel is essentially comic and life triumphs over death, in the dénouement good wins everywhere, and even the Union-Register is saved. The novel is sentimental -- Hiassen's crime fiction is not hard-boiled but soft-boiled. The novel is replete with ironies, the chief of them being, perhaps, that the truth is too complex and too compromising to be told in newspapers, though newspapers exist to publish the truth. "Basket Case" is written in the first person, and we see everything from Jack's perspective. Now and then Hiassen artfully conceals what Jack knows, adding to the suspense of the narrative, and Jack's limited perspective helps motivate surprising twists of the plot. Minor characters are well-drawn and interesting, though there are not that many examples of local color or vignettes of Floridian life. The city of Miami is never named, though it is implicit, and there is surprisingly little about local institutions, either; rather, the book features regional culture and contemporary Americana. The style is irreverent and contemporary, an expression of his protagonist's -- and, no doubt, Hiaasen's -- character; he has a taste for the burlesque. The novel sends up the newspaper business, but this serious subject is never developed for more than two pages at a time and takes a back seat to humorous entertainment. It is said, though, that Race Maggad III is a caricature of Tony Ridder, CEO of Knight-Ridder when it owned the Miami Herald.

For the past eight or nine years during February or March, I have made it a practice to curl up with one of Mr. Hiaasen's books. Living in Maine, the dreary, snowy months mentioned above can be especially taxing on even the most hearty of constitutions. Being mentally transported to the author's regular backdrop of Florida is a welcome respite. Mr. Hiaasen has never failed to entertain and 'Basket Case' follows that wonderful tradition. I particularly enjoy his quirky plots and earthy humor.

I only gave this book four stars instead of five, mostly because, as much as I love them and keep going back, all the Hiaasen novels are starting to look, smell, and feel the same to me.

This book follows pretty much the same formula - there's a guy, Jack, a reporter who lives alone, is kind of hung up on an ex, is a rebel in that he called out a bad guy (who happened to be his boss, and it was at a shareholder meeting) and so he's been punished by being relegated to the obituary pages.

When an interesting obituary of a former rock star crosses his desk, he senses a bigger story and has to fight with his (younger, female...you get the idea) boss/editor to let him research the story.

Basket Case has all the hallmarks of any other Hiaasen book - there's boats, chases, bad guys, good guys who are disaffected, nontraditional romance, goofy characters, and great dialogue.

The only thing is, when I read my first Hiaasen book I was like, "where does this guy come up with this stuff!?" and now I think I have an idea. He came up with it once, and keeps putting different twists on the same idea.

Don't get me wrong - I love it - but it's kind of like a Hershey bar - I already know everything about what it's going to be like and how it's going to end, I've enjoyed one a gazillion times, there's not much new. But hey, it's delicious and tempting and I keep going back, so it must be a formula that's working!

Other than "Team Rodent" I had never read a Hiaasen novel until this one. I had always heard good things and had listened to him compared to many of my favorite authors. Last night I read Basket Case (actually I finished it... I started it yesterday). Now that I have finally read a Hiaasen novel, I must say, I absolutely loved it.

First, it takes place in my home state of Florida, which I miss immensely so it was nice to be back there, if only in my mind. Second, Hiaasen is an extremely intelligent writer, I have read many "Humorous" books that border on insulting in the implausibility department when it comes to straining for a laugh. Hiaasen never crosses that line. The story is first and foremost and the writing style is smart, witty, and simple to read. You never have to go back and re-read a line to figure out what he was saying, and you are also never insulted by the childishness.

The characters are interesting, funny, charming, likeable, quirky and most of all, extremely human. I never doubted these people, heck I think I've met them before. The plot is interesting and plays out like a mystery... you find yourself really rooting for our leading man Jack Tagger. The book follows Jack, a once rising star in the newspaper world who shot off his mouth at the wrong time and was reassigned to the demeaning world of obituary writing. He now suffers from neurosis that come with the job... an obsession with death, mainly his own and how old he'll be when it happens. Up until now it has destroyed relationships and forced his career to dwindle to almost negligible. Then he covers the death of Jimmy Stoma, ex rocker and musical bad boy. Very quickly he decides that there is something strange about the death and the old reporter in him stirs.... And begins stirring up trouble.

The rest of cast of characters includes:
Emma, Jack's editor and possible love/hate interest
Juan the Cuban Sportswriter and Jack's best friend
Cleo - the dead rocker's wife and aspiring pop diva
Janet - the dead rocker's sister and arch enemy of Cleo
Carla - Jack's ex-girlfriend's daughter and club scene master

The crew gets even larger and more interesting... Colonel Tom is by far my favorite scene in the book, but I won't go into detail, you just have to read that one for yourself. In the end the book is darkly funny, engaging, and fairly high speed entertainment toward the end when everything starts hitting the fan. I know Tim Dorsey is often compared with Hiaasen, but in reality there is no comparison other than the setting of their books. Dorsey is extremely over the top while Hiaasen is firmly grounded in reality... albeit a strange and demented reality, but a believable one none-the-less. I would compare him more with Vonnegut (minus the sci-fi aspect) than Dorsey, Pratchett or Gaimen.

Lennie Peterson is one of the most talented comic strip writers of our time. The Big Picture: A Comic Strip Collection showcases the best of his insightful and witty comics up to the time of its publication. Lennie is a major player in the field of humorous comic strip writers. Buy the book! You will love it. It is a must have for all collectors. The Big Picture: A Comic Strip Collection is guaranteed to make you laugh. As you read the lively and colorful comics, you will wonder how Lennie manages to get to the heart of every situation that comes in contact with his artistic tools. Lennie Peterson is charismatic, and to say the least, very cute!

-Suelaimon, author of The Final Dream & Rainbow Bridge

Lennie Peterson, while being an extremely talented musician, his comic strips go right for the mind, body and soul. A look at his life in a way most people don't let show through makes this book a very funny read. HIs cat is cool, his coffee habit axtreme, and his band INCREDIBLE!!! The dialogue hits a little close to home also, and that is good.

Actually no tears or shame just laughter - a great collection from a great talent. If you don't get TBP in your local paper, call the editors and scream, darn you, scream!

Reading this book is like breaking into Lennie Peterson's diary. You'll see yourself in this collection, I'm warning you now! I enjoyed the "Lennie-isms" throughout ... his peculiar way of spelling "stupid" ... his dork sightings ... and his ongoing banter with real life readers of the strip. Lennie Peterson is a cutting-edge original, so buy the book and send him an email. Chances are he'll fire a letter back at ya and then the games begin.

I couldn't put this book down. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. I leave it on the coffee table in the TV room (an honored place) and pick it up again and again. I enjoy a good laugh and this book is full of them. I also enjoyed his other book "Why God Makes Bald Guys". I get a big smile on my face when I read these books.

Back in the eighties, I considered the "Bloom County" strip to be the best cartoon feature of the time. Therefore, reading this book was a humorous and nostalgic look back to another time in America. There were references to presidency of Ronald Reagan and the Iran Contra scandal, the nuclear arms race, the evil empire of the Soviet Union and the first president Bush.
For one moment, I forgot the time context of the strip. On page 50 boy genius Oliver W. Jones has created a teleportation device. In the final caption of the segment, his father asks him, "Could you put George Bush into the White House?" To which he responds, "OH, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS EXPECT THE IMPOSSIBLE FROM ME?!" At first, I thought the reference was to George W. Bush, but then realized it was about George Herbert Walker Bush. I laughed at that one because it certainly could be applied to both.
Cartoon strips provide us with humor and a cynical look at the political and social forces of the time. Therefore, if you have little knowledge of the events of the eighties, then you will have a difficult time understanding many of the cartoons. However, if you lived through them and were old enough to be politically acute, then you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Ok for you Get Fuzzy fans, this is what I am talking about. On the cover of this collection we see Berkly Breathed using the Bruce Springsteen album collection set(from Christmas 1987) for inspiration. Take a look at the cover, Are You Bucksperienced just plagerizes this idea.

I've always had a slight preference for the early "Bloom County", before things got quite this surreal. Which is not to say that I don't enjoy this one; there are a great many very funny bits in here, such as Steve Dallas facing the government commission led by Tipper Gore in defense of the lyrics of the rock band "Deathtongue", which featured Opus the penguin on tuba (very appropriate for a heavy-metal band, wouldn't you say?) Hodge-Podge the rabbit on drums, Bill the Cat on electric tongue, and Steve Dallas a lead singer and songwriter. All of which is certainly pretty surreal. But sometimes it got even weirder than that, if you can believe it.

Not the best of the "Bloom County" books, and certainly not the one to start with if you aren't familiar with them, but funny and worth owning if you enjoy the series and don't have it.

Okay - Bloom County Babylon, the 4th Bloom County book was really a compilation of material contained in the first 3 books. So.... depending on if you want a chronological collection of the BC Strips, or to complete ALL of the BC Books, this is either the 4th or 5th volume of Bloom County, and Berkeley Breathed is still in high-gear producing the funniest 'toon strip I've ever read. And by "funny" I mean laugh-out-loud, roll on the floor, tears streaming down my face, people coming into the room to see "WHAT are you laughing at?!!!?" kind of laugh.

In "Billy and the Boingers" Steve Dallas, the sleazy womanizing ambulance-chasing lawyer, finally decides that even HE has had it with defending murderers and child abusers. Bill the cat inspires him to hold auditions for a "New high-profit heavy-metal rock band". Requirements are only "Need to know 3 chords and be able to grimace musically".

Along the way Opus the Penguin gets engaged to sweetie Lola Granola, and the new Heavy Metal Group "Death-Tongue" makes their pitch in Los Angeles to recording companies, ending with a memorable visit backstage at an Ozzy Osbourne concert - back when Ozzy was the "Elvis of Heavy Metal". Back in Bloom County Steve discovers that he must give up cigarette smoking or his life expectancy is 6 months. He has Opus tie him to a chair where he is the model of self-control for 38 whole minutes before he breaks down and tells Opus "Get me a (...) cigarette before I stick you in a blender". Things get worse from there.

As in the previous volumes Breathed does a fantastic job of creating a surreal universe full of people and critters that we care about, but who are most importantly..... funny.

Bloom County was without a doubt the most insightful, funny, and beloved comic strips of all time. It's rabid following has never gotten over the disappearance of Opus and the Gang from the funny papers. That's because nothing has ever been able to take it's place. Could you imagine Opus, Bill, Steve, and Milo tackling today's issues? What besides G.W. Bush and Saddam would be in the anxiety closet. Alas, we can only remember the good times.

This is one of my favorite Bloom County books. It mostly took on an issue that has always been important to me, rock n roll. The gang takes on the PMRC by forming their own metal band Deathtongue. After battling Washington though, Steve Dallas caves in and Billy and the Boingers is born.

Long live live Opus. He is sorely missed.

... simply rocks.

Sensei and Student was the second major arc of Gail Simone's when she was writing Birds of Prey. Simply put, it is essentially everything good about comics. Great action, great pacing, great dialogue. it is all there. Not to mention that the series stars female characters... something you rarely see in comics, let alone done well. Gail makes her characters ones you can relate to, a hard task given the genre.

Lady Shiva, Cheshire, Huntress . . . guest stars galore in this collection. Lady Shiva is perhaps the most deadly martial artist in the DC universe and a well-known assassin. To make matters worse, Black Canary will have to team-up with her if she wants to find the answers she seeks!

And it bears mentioning that some of these guest stars become more than guest stars later down the road.

Did I mention the artwork by Ed Benes. It doesn't get much better than this.

I've just become a fan of the Birds two months back, but I really really admire the way Gail Simone writes the Birds. I just love the interactions between Dinah Lance and Barbara Gordon. Despite my note on the difference between the previous Huntress (e.g., the one I read in the Gods of Gotham story arc of Wonder Woman) and this Huntress in BoP, I still find that Birds of Prey really is the best heroine group of the DCU. Well, the only one, actually. Coz I don't count Wonder Woman and Catwoman as having a formal group affiliation with other female heroes, notwithstanding my love to both characters of Diana and Selina.

In this TPB, I was not only served with a great interaction between the three Birds, but also a rare treat of informal team of Black Canary and Lady Shiva, the world's most deadly assassin. As a fan of Wonder Woman, I was also very pleased to read the great interactions, albeit only 4-5 pages between Diana and Dinah while they were sparring at the JLA watchtower. Gail managed to catch the essence of Wonder Woman in such a short issue (i.e., Superman is the 'light' of human nature, Batman is the 'dark' side of human nature, while Diana encompasses both).

I was also excited to see Catwoman and Katana (and Gypsy) guest starring and helping Huntress and Black Canary to release Oracle from an 'illegal' prison. Again, Gail managed to grasp the essence of Catwoman in only several panels.

Way to go, Gail! Now, I have to save to buy some more BoP TPB...

Sensi and Student was my first introduction into Birds of Prey. let me tell you, it has been a great series and a fantastic introduction to the characters.

This trade if filled with some fantastic character moments, action, thrills, and humor.

I could rehash the entire plot for you, but I think you've seen or read it before. I can tell you that I really enjoyed this trade, and it is a bright spot in my collection. I wasn't let down one bit by this series.

The only reason it doesn't get five stars, is I hoped the trade would offer more than the collection of comics. perhaps the writer and artists comments/sketches. Something more than the books recollected.

This trade paperback picks after Of Like Minds and is much better. Art is great like in OLM but story is MUCH denser. I guess I have soft spot for movies/books/comics that take reader to orient, but make no mistake, this is no Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee type of story. It looks like good old Master of Kung Fu in his best days combined with great oldies like Richard Chamberlain's Bourne's Identity. Anyway, villain Cheshire is everything but one dimensional and cast of characters is great.

PICK THIS UP! It can be compared to Morrison's X-men.

When is Marvel gonna publish Gail Simone's Deadpool and Agent X in one trade?

Bizzaro is one of the best comic strips I have ever seen. Even on the all too numerous occasions when it is clear that my political etc. views are diametrically opposite to Mr. Piraro's I find his comic strips funny and very clever. I even have a reproduction of one his 'strips framed and hanging on a wall in my house. This collection is one of the funniest comic strip collections I have seen and it is also published in a very high quality (for a paperback) format- it is *not* your typical flimsily bound and poorly printed paperback collection. I also like the fact that he reveals where his ideas come from. This brings me to my second point: it's one thing to include your political and religious beliefs in your book. These illuminate the origin of many of his ideas, but it's another to have them constantly shoved down your throat in a very childish fashion. He writes with the style of an angry and idealistic high school student with no thought that anyone else with very differing views could have valid ideas or - gasp- could even be correct. It get's tiring to be constantly told that anyone with opposing views is "whacked out", to use a common phrase of his. He replaces his idealized wishful thinking for facts, and it gets annoying. Here's one example: he writes about how he admires the native American Indians for living in harmony with nature. Clearly he has not read much on this matter because, I am sorry to inform this vegan, it is pretty much accepted by anthropologists and other scientists involved that "native" Americans wiped out the pleistocene megafauna, just like the "native" New Zealanders pretty much wiped out thier megafauna. I point this out because I grew tired of his constant know-it-all attitude, and I am sure other readers will as well. I only write this because I think even this very personal book goes way overboard for a comic book collection in his attacks on people whose views he dislikes and I expect a little more restraint more from an adult author- even a cartoonist with a poor formal educational background. Still in all, I would highly recommend this book to any fan of the daily comics and plan on buying his new hardcover collection upon it's release.

Dan Piraro is undeniably one of today's most talented newspaper cartoonists, and there's much to enjoy in this overview, if you can get past the tiresome, unrelenting narcissism and vegan proselytizing. More art (there's room on the pages) and less smug self-righteousness would've served this book better (and I AGREE with most of Piraro's politics).

This book provides insight into Dan Piraro, the most consistently humorous cartoonist of our day. Buy this book!

Pop quiz: Name an artist whose wildly popular daily cartoon frequently promotes veganism - and who is not Dan Piraro. Stumped? Well, there really isn't anyone else. Indeed, Piraro has that niche pretty much covered and is regarded as the veg community's most-recognized comic voice. His print cartoon, "Bizarro," which began two decades ago, is syndicated in more than 200 newspapers and routinely takes on topics ranging from animal rights and religion to gay rights and politics. The surreal cartoon has spawned a number of equally surreal book-length collections, the latest of which is "Bizarro and Other Strange Manifestations of the Art of Dan Piraro."

But this new volume is no mere anthology of "Bizarro" cartoons. Accompanying the pages of comics, paintings, sketches and personal photographs is an extended autobiographical essay that is at turns hilarious and a compelling indictment of agribusiness. The author-artist never misses an opportunity to promote the cruelty-free lifestyle (mentioning, for example, that he won't buy paint brushes made from animal hair), and the book chronicles Piraro's transformation from, as he puts it, "a creative misfit class clown in Oklahoma to a passionate animal-rights advocate in New York City."

As an outspoken vegan activist, Piraro proves himself to be articulate, well-informed and clever. He writes: "Some argue that while we started as vegetarians, we have `evolved' to eat meat. Biologically speaking, we haven't changed at all in this regard. You might as well say we've evolved to smoke tobacco. We've been doing it for centuries and we enjoy it, but we haven't developed a natural need for it, or a defense against its ill effects." You can bet I'll be keeping that analogy handy.

Among the biggest treats in Piraro's revolutionary cartoons are the richly detailed backgrounds and extra jokes for those with the time (and eyesight) to look closely. Regular "Bizarro" readers know that Piraro hides symbols in his cartoons, such as spaceships, sticks of dynamite and pieces of pie. While he purports to explain these objects on his website, bizarro.com, he includes them simply for fun. More serious are the animal-rights messages punctuating his comics. A typical cartoon reproduced in Bizarro and Other Strange Manifestations depicts several men at a bar; one guy has a "no veal" button on his jacket while another sports a "Farm Sanctuary" tattoo. Yet another cartoon shows two characters (actually Piraro and his wife Ashley) walking past a vegan café. Perhaps best of all, the themes in these particular cartoons aren't even animal rights, making the premise of compassionate living all the more mainstream.

Even if you're not a fan of comics or Piraro's work, this oversized paperback will look great on your coffee table (even if you don't like coffee - or tables, for that matter). Who knows how many houseguests, unaware of the inhumane practices involved in factory farming, will peruse this colorful, hip-looking book, get to laughing and then realize the deeper truths within its pages? Piraro could be contributing these books for some time. He writes: "People in my family tend to live well past life expectancy, no matter how badly they abuse their bodies, so I figure with regular exercise and my vegan diet, I should live well into the next century." Let's hope so.

Mark Hawthorne, author of Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism

One of the few good reasons to spend retirement years in America is the dependable presence of at least one laugh in your morning newspaper, aside from those sardonic guffaws you suppress with a sob when you look at the front page. Now, none of you techno-whippersnappers had better tell me that the comics are available on-line anywhere I wander, anywhere I roam, cuz looking at Bizarro on a computer screen is about as gratifying as staring at a photo of a snifter of cognac. It's the smell of the newsprint and the satisfaction of snatching the pertinent image from your lovey at her sudoku. Yes sir, that's livin'! Gets you all stirred up for tooling around Sun City in your golf cart.

Dan Piraro has been amassing a comprehensive dossier of my own particular world-view for many years, one frame at a time, but I've been abroad enough to have missed any number of his sharpest insights. But with this here book in my suitcase, I can face moving to "The Sequoias" with equanimity. What name for an assisted living facilty, eh? The Sequoias. Piraro would appreciate it.

In the second installment of the Master of the Clow series, Sakura is struggling to manage her new magic. By transforming the Clow cards, she has managed to overcome the strange new power in her hometown. Things are further complicated when Kero senses the presence of Clow Reed, the magician who originally made the Clow Cards. But how can he be in Tomeda when he's been dead for hundreds of years?

This series continues to get better and better. By now I'm so wrapped up with Sakura's story that I can't wait to find out what will become of her. Full of mystery and fantasy, this book is sure to please!

Card Captor Sakura is the best manga I've ever read! We got our main gal Sakura, an' our li'l blushing Syaoran! Who's finally figuring out he likes Sakura! Of course with the help of a clow gardain *coff, coff* Called Yue *coff, coff*
In this book Sakura gets Syaoran's bear (accidentally) , and he tells her ta keep it! Isn't he so kawaii (cute)? Well, the whole story ain't about romance --We're not sure Sakura likes poor, li'l Syaoran, though-- , it's about Card Capturing (Not that it is catching cards anymore anymore), weird things are happening, and the Clow Cards can't do anything! That's when Sakura starts making her own kind of cards (which explains why they look simpler, heh, heh...Just joking), SAKURA CARDS!!! As Tomoyo calls them, at least. She starts making them in CardCaptor Sakura Master of the Clow volume one. You gotta get them! I can't wait to get the third! Don't forget the first series, CardCaptor Sakura volume one, two, three, four, five, and six! This is a manga you just can't miss!

All I can say is wow.

The plot has increasingly thickened, and Sakura faces problems that are quite unusual for a Sakura character to have. I really like how they deal with this "new classmate", and how Sayoran becomes [even more] insecure, and i really like the whole teddy bear thing. ^//^

I also favor the authentic "right to left" format that Tokyopop offers. Card Captor Sakura is the first Japanese-style manga I have read. I really like Card Captor Sakura and was mad when it was turned into the shonen anime, Cardcaptors.

I have to say, I do like the Manga better! It was first [because it usually always is] , and offers a more accurate storyline, especially since they did not show the "Eriol" story line.

Does anybody else like Souppi?

This book is great. Sakura and Syaoran get closer to each other as the day goes by. Sakura likes Yukito and Eriol but still doesn't know about Syaoran love for her. Syaoran seems to have a teddy bear for Sakura but doesn't have the guts to face her. His face turns red (shy)when he see her around. In this book Sakura get a fever and still goes to school. Syaoran finds out she has a fever and cared for her. Suddenly, a clow appears and Sakura goes out to capture it but Syaoran find her and stop her with a stare. (meaning liking way)Her brother know about her fever and about her going out to capture the clow.To sum this all up, the book is about Sakura and Syaoran's relationship. I love this book because of that. I don't have a friend like Syaoran and my life isn't like Sakura but I could dream, that why I read this book. Girls think about relationship like them. So Sakura is like my role model and a close friend.

In the first chapter:
Syoran realizes he likes Sakura, not Yukito. Sakura gives Yuki a bear, but it turns into a giant.
In the second chapter:
Sakura defeats the bear.
In the third chapter:
Sakura becomes sick and is tested by Clow Reed again!!
In the fourth chapter:
It's Valentine's Day and everyone is giving each other choclate.
I advise every ccs fan to get this.

this book is about one girl who is a high school girl that is as small as a elementry school girl. she is anoying, but funny. when she meats yuhi, and aya for the first time she falls in love with yuhi.

Yu Watase is one of the best shojo manga artists out there! Her artwork is beautiful, and bishes galore! Ceres contains the perfect combination of romance, and magic. Fushigi Yugi is also a great manga by watase, check it out ^ ^

~MC

this series is really cute, aya tells tooya that she misses him and he kinda is like pushing her away, but then we find out it was for her sake, they meet this girl that is a tennyo but was experimented, and yu'hi just gets more jealous by the day, because aya is always after tooya...but then things are turned around when he admits that he LOVES her, and doesn't want to be just friends with her, but before that yu'hi tells aya the truth, that his mother did not die and that she abandoned him, and that no one treated him good, only suzumi's husband did, this part will really catch you! later on suzumi is put into this illusion where she starts to dream about her husband, and does not get out of it and I think ceres trying to try to help her get out of it, I recommend this for ceres fans and beware there some spoilers.....

Volume 3 of Ceres: Celestial Legend is the best book in the series! This one is the best because it has the saddest storyline of all of the books, and because it has the most intense action. Yuki Urakawa also suffers from the most terrible fate of any character in the series. Unfortunatley, if you haven't read the first two, you shouldn't read this one, cause you'll be lost by page 2.

In Suzumi, the third manga in the series Ceres: Celestial Legend (also known as Ayashi No Ceres) the plot picks up where it stopped off in Yuhi. Aya finds her life getting more and more complicated when the school doctor for her new school is, in fact, Toya, who, for some reason does not want to pursue her romantically anymore. Aya is crushed. She first finds solace with a new friend, a shy girl from school with more than one dangerous secret, then in the arms of Yuhi. Confused, Aya finds herself involved in another disaster. Deadly fires have been starting all over her school. Aya, who does not fully know about her Celestial powers, suspects that she accidentally caused them, hurting other people. Unfortunately she is wrong, and her mistake may cost her life.

I'm a little confused why this manga is called "Suzumi," considering Suzumi doesn't play that big of a part in this story until the second part of the manga. Still Vol three continues the infectious shoujo story of Ayashi no Ceres. Aya's story is a complex but intense one. You find yourself feeling bad for this girl. All she really wants it to be loved and to live like a normal sixteen year old girl, instead she's cursed with celestial powers that are tearing her family and life apart. The art is beautiful as always. Yu Watase's line work is absolutely stunning. The only problem I had with this novel is that it was cluttered with completely useless facts. Watase-San's little rambles that she puts ever few pages have been cute and entertaining in the past but her thoughts about cloning and genetics are just annoying. I found myself rolling my eyes at her charts to explain the meaning behinds DNA and genes. In my opinion, if you're in the "older teen" bracket this manga is intended for you should already know these things. I guess it's different in Japan.

Still I would recommend this manga. If you loved the anime series, you'll love the manga.

I really did enjoy this book.
I love this series and I can't wait until I buy the next book
it was so good. I liked the ending but I hoped that Aya and Toya would've
been together by the end of the book. The ending was very interesting
and surprising. I will defently order from amazon again and continue
to buy the books in this series.

this book was the first book that I have read backwards. Its about when toya quits working for the mikages. and when he starts not being himself. he actully kisses aya, his sister! I was grosed out. this has been the most exiting book, and amazing book that I have ever read. oh, and the 12th one ( I haven't read it yet) 2 main characters die. Don't know who.

this is one good of the series of Ceres Celestial legends, I even own it. It really keeps you in to it that you can't put it down once you start reading. but if you haven't read the first one yet..don't read this until you've read the four before!! it'll be spoiling the fun. it's really still a mystery to me, I've got the sixth book too and it really is the bomb!! This book rates to be one of my top five manga this year..i can't wait until the 7th one comes out..you should this if you haven't yet!!

The Ceres: Celestial Legend manga series is a wonderful version of the traditonal "Swan Maiden" fairytales. An enraged maiden has possessed the body of her descendant, with the aim of getting her heavenly robe back and getting revenge on the man who hid it centuries ago and forced her to marry him. (It's beyond me how a tale, basically, about abduction and rape could have become the romanticized fairytale that it is, now meant for children. But I guess that's the nature of the patriarchy we live in. I'm grateful to the author for giving this a more realistic twist.) Anyway, this is a very entertaining series and this volume is the best one I've read so far. Yu Watase manages to make the same scene horrifying, funny, and sexy all at the same time. THAT is talent.

I read the entire manga series of Ceres and all the volumes in order. This was a great volume of Ceres. In this volume, Tooya, Aya's boyfriend, reveals to Aya that he chooses her over his past, his memories and his job. That scene is so touching and filled with emotion. Aya is touched and promises to meet Tooya. Tooya telsl aki about his plans to escape, but Aki's former self is beginning to take over him and beginning to develop feelings toward Aya. Tooya escapes and meets Aya. Aya is so happy to reunite with her boyfriend, Tooya. She takes him home and cares for him. Aya kisses Tooya. They spend tiem together and Yuuhi accepts this. Tooya is very happy to be back. Later, he must leave and Aya meets him outside. Ceres is still inside Aya, but Aya is learning to control Ceres so she can be with Tooya. They embrace and Aki- rather, Shiso, sees this and grabs Aya, kissing her. Aya realizes that this is not Aki and is terrified of the transformation he's undergone. Find out what happens in thsi emotional volume of Ceres.

I must confess- I didn't follow the chelsea boys saga before I got this Book; Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down!
I caught myself Laughing out loud late at night like a lunatic.
The characters are beautifully illustrated and developed. I feel like my friends and I have traits from all the characters, Which makes it more fun, sometimes scary.
To ME is like a GAY- SEX AND THE CITY.
KUDOS to Glenn and Allan's talent.
I Can't wait for this wonder duo's new book.
Again, this one is a perfect gift for any Occasion (Im getting a few books for those last minute emergency gifts)
Buy this book and give it away, anyone could use a bit of laughter this days.

Chelsea Boys is a very funny tale of 3 main characters that defies the norm we're used to seeing in the gay community. Rather than limit themselves to dating and sex(fun things never the less),the authors have tackled loss of parents, gay parenting and racial issues.This isn't your grandma's strip. Even though this format is known as a comic strip, I like to think of it as a complete story. Every strip follows the characters as they negotiate life with each other and with the greater community at large. Where else do we see such diversity in the gay community. Blonde and buff, short and jewish, black and sassy. On the surface, these may seem like stereotypes but if you read into their stories, they have to face many complex issues in their lives. Even though the story takes place in the neighborhood of Chelsea, it really represents all of Manhattan with it's wit and humanity.

I have been following the Chelsea Boys for years and am thrilled to see that they have finally gotten their stories together in a book. In my opinion, this is the only strip out there in which the characters open themselves enough to expose the reasons for who they are. The boys deal with real issues that face all of us (and I mean all of us - gay or straight) in real life and gives depth and "realness" to gay people.

The writing by Allan Neuwirth is insightful and poignant. And, as always, Glen Hanson's illustrations are brilliant. I look forward to future additions to the Chelsea Boys library.

Neuwirth and Hanson use the lighthearted medium of a comic strip to deliver deeper and more serious messages about the reality of being a modern gay man. Every strip has a lesson to ponder and the authors smash sterotypes wide open. Ironic indeed that the strip is named Chelsea Boys given the author's overwhelming proven point that sterotypes are rather silly given the fact that noone indeed ever lives up to the expected ideal.

Neuwirth and Hanson add a work of great relivance and importance to the cannon of gay literature. This is a must have for every gay man's libray! A great gift for friends too!

Hanson and Neuwirth have created warm, acerbic, witty, and utterly human characters who totally defy the Chelsea Boy stereotype. So don't let the strip's title fool you. These guys are universal-just like gay men from Pasadena to Poughkeepsie. This is a great collection, both for the terrific drawings and the wonderfully inclusive stories about these three gay roommates and people of ages, races, and sexual orientations in their lives.