V Books

Does that make me an addict? These books are wonderful and always put a smile on my face. They are definitely laugh out loud material.
This is the book where Tohru meets Akito, who at first appears to be nice, but is actually very controlling, in my opinion. He tried to brainwash Yuki! wtf??

Having introduced us to the rabbit, dragon (seahorse), rat, cat, dog, boar and cow of the zodiac, it's time to meet a few new people.

Specifically, it's time to meet the sinister head of the family, and the heretofore unknown snake of the zodiac. And while the fourth volume of "Fruits Basket" is extremely funny and kooky, Natsuki Takaya introduces us to some of the darker, more tragic dimensions of her characters.

Momiji and Haru have just entered high school with Tohru, Kyo and Yuki. The class president makes trouble for a gender-bending Momiji -- and almost gets throttled by "black" Haru -- but otherwise things are going well. Then Akito suddenly shows up, and while he initially seems friendly to Tohru ("You really are cute!"), his cruel streak is revealed when he sees Yuki.

Later on, Yuki and Tohru are gardening when a snake slithers into Tohru's clothes -- and it turns out to be Ayame, Yuki's flamboyant, flirtatious older brother. Problem is, Yuki can't stand the sight of him, and the more Ayame talks about himself the worse the rift between them grows.

When the anniversary of Tohru's mother's death rolls around, the Sohmas become involved in the lighthearted ritual at her graveside -- even having a raucous meal on it. But Hana hints at a dark connection between Tohru's mother and Kyo. And when Tohru is hanging out with Momiji, she finds out the saddening story about his own mother, and why she doesn't remember her own son.

The fourth volume of "Fruits Basket" is when Natsuki Takaya really starts balancing out her comedy with angst, rather than more straightforward romantic comedy. She doesn't lay on the dark stuff too heavily just yet -- a scene here, a line there -- but you can tell that things are getting less fluffy.

Most of it is still very fun and light -- Haru showing the class president that the, um, carpet matches the drapes, as well as generally abusing him ("That's incredible! Say something, GOD!"), the grave visit, Yuki's woes with new girls, and virtually any scene with Ayame. The flashbacks to Ayame and Shigure's teen years are especially funny ("Now please, lust after me!").

But Takaya shows her darker dimensions, hinting at Yuki's abusive past, and Kyo's possible involvement in Kyoko Honda's death. These are no more than glimpses, but her elegant artwork makes them chilling. And she ups the tragedy exponentially with Momiji's backstory. Despite his chirpy, sunny personality, we find out that he has a story even sadder than Tohru's. Good luck not crying during that chapter.

This volume also introduces us to Akito (well, up close) and Ayame, and Akito is about as nasty and creepy as you'd expect. But Ayame steals whatever scenes he's in -- flamboyant, flirtatious, socially inept, an astounding liar, and very arrogant ("Direct your passions at me!"). But we do get to see his more sedate side, and his real (though confused) desire to bond with his younger brother.

The fourth volume of "Fruits Basket" delves into darker territory without losing its comic edge, and introduces us to two important characters. And it only promises to get better.

I own this series in Japanese, and it is a wonderful read! It has all the important elements of a good shoujo manga: it is romantic, twisted, with a shoujo (in the traditional meaning of the word) involved in finding a new family and love triangles galore. It is just a very fun read, no matter the language!

it was wonderful sweet and momiji was positive cute.loved all the carters. got to read more. the best there is

I purchased this book and two others in the series for my 12 year-old daughter after she received the first volume as a Christmas present. She absolutely loves them all.

I own this series in Japanese, and it is a wonderful read! It has all the important elements of a good shoujo manga: it is romantic, twisted, with a shoujo (in the traditional meaning of the word) involved in finding a new family and love triangles galore. It is just a very fun read, no matter the language!

I love Fruits Basket. It is really awesome, and I love Yuki! Anyway, I have something to say to Mew Pretear. If you had the smallest inkling about Fruits Basket you would know that its nickname is Furuba. Guess what? It was made up by the creator. She says so in either book one or two. So I suggest that you actually think before you try contradicting a fact.

I though this book was very good in this one it starts out with them at the summmer home place that Shigure brings Toharu, Yuki,and Kyo and since no of them can drive Hatori drives them there. When they get back they later find another member of the Zodiac, this time it's Kisa the one cursed by the tiger.
Trough out the book there was a lot of funny parts...but I was reading this in school so every time I can to a funny part I had to restrain my self from giggling in the middle of class(do you know how weird that would seem...). But I thought it was an Awsome book I rate it 2 thumbs up err... I mean 5 stars ^.^' .

I don't know why, but I love this volume! I think because it has so much of Hatori in it- actually so much of all the Mabudachi trio! They're most definitely my favorite characters- especially Shigure and Hatori (Ayame's growing on me...)
Anyway, the Sohma's lakehouse is beautiful! (I always wonder what they did to get so fantastically wealthy...) There are some very adorable Tohru Yuki Kyo moments. We meet Kisa, the tiger. (Who's about as un-tiger-like as it is possible to be...) Kisa's adorable, and Hatsuharu makes a wonderful big brother to her. (Proving that you don't have to be Tohru to be nurturing and loving...)

Shigure decides to go to the Sohma family lake house for a much needed vacation, and to torment his editor. He invites Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo.. And persuades Hatari to come along as well (because he's the only one with a drivers liscence. This episode deals largely with Yuki and Kyo's changing relationship, and how Tohru deals with. At the Lake house Ayami Sohma shows up out of the blue. The rift between him and his younger brother, Yuki, is tested once again. He also reveals to Hatari that his former fiancee, Kana, has gotten married.

While out on a walk together Yuki and Tohru encounter Hatsuharu Soma carrying a small tiger. This turns out to be another member of the Sohma family, Kisa, also a member of the Chinese zodiac. When Kisa's mother comes to retrieve her it is obvious that she needs a much needed reprieve from her daughter's curse, so Shigure allows Kisa to stay with them for a few days. Kisa soon bonds with Tohru.

Kisa's mute behaviour causes some concern for the Sohma family, and for Tohru as well. Momitchi Sohma reveals the root of Kisa's silence and a letter from Kisa's instructor proves to be too much for Yuki. Then Hanajima suddenly invites the Prince Yuki fan club to her home after they ask to write a newspaper column about Denpa waves. President of the fan club, Motoko Minagawa has ulterior motives, and Hanajima doubts it not. Hanajima's little brother and his ability to curse people is awaiting for them at the house.

Much to Tohru's shame and dismay she fails one of her mid term exams and has to attend a make up test day. Under this stress her body becomes susceptible to a cold and the Sohma family becomes concerned that she is pushing herself too hard and force her to spend her illness in bed convalescing. Kyo proves to be an apt nurse when he makes her a cure all he loathes, and listens to Tohru reveal her anxieties about graduating high school and why it is so important to her.

Again...I am hopelessly addicted. I'm going to stop telling people to read this anymore. If you have read all of my other reviews of the manga so far, you already know how much I love it. Go read it for yourself. It's wonderful.

Excellent topic coverage by what I consider to be the best mind in the field today!

One of the best written textbooks I have ever read, in any field. Crystal clear, and is a gold mine of knowledge.

This text is very good for those who start doing research in statistical signal processing. A lot of explanations, technical terms are well presented and consistent, plus a number of examples that help you to learn about different statistical signal processing concepts and algorithms. Research students can be beneficial alot from this text.

Without any hesitation, I consider this book as a masterpiece in the area of statistical signal processing. Kay takes the reader to the journey of estimation theory as if a science teacher takes his students to a field trip. The one special feature of this book is the convergence of thought that reader obtains upon reading the book. Kay lays a fundamental bridge between various estimators using his succinct style for describing the subject.

Few special areas require more attention in this book. For example the coverage of EM methods is very condense and requires more elaboration. Also there is no discussion on the estimation methods using higher order statistics.

Overall I consider this book as the best book I have read ever and I highly recommend this book to those who want to obtain an ever-lasting view on statistical signal processing.

I've had tough courses on statistical signal processing as a post-grade student. I am often confused in front of a problem and turning back to the notes taken in class doesn't help much.
When you read this book all gets bright. I am still wondering how some teachers can be so confusing while such good books do exist...
However don't count on it for in depth mathematical demonstrations, it starts with a practical problem and explains how to model things. Thus it is a bit bottom-up but anyway starting from a good graduate level in signal and stats.
I got this one at the library but already ordered a copy for myself and am planning to get part2 on detection.

Gamerz Heaven was the most awesome Manga I ever read! The characters were interesting and as passionate as Gravitation. This series seemed a little more in depth and a little better written. I also loved the intensity of the story and the mysteries within it! I wish ADV would continue to publish this series. Maybe TOKYO POP will take up the publishing of this book if enough people give them a reason to. Tokyo Pop listens to their consumers and will with enough persuading publish the manga you want! :)

While it isn't Maki Murakami's usual genre, it's just as good as Gravitation. It isn't yaoi, but like Gravitation had it's remixes, Gamerz Heaven has it's Doujinshi by Maki that is yaoi. :p So if you don't like yaoi, the manga is great for you, but if you like yaoi there are doujinshis at JPQueen under Maki's name.

Gamerz Heaven sort of attracted my attention earlier in the year, but I was short on money, so I didn't buy it. Go buy it. Now. This is a really good story that's not as popular as it should be. The story's neat, the art's nice, and it's engrossing.

Note: As everyone else says, this isn't what I'd classify as yaoi manga. The affection between Nata and Kaito isn't really what's considered yaoi... In fact, I sort of consider it a big brother, little brother thing. However, Amazon'll give me yaoi manga reccomendations for a while after viewing this though...

Gamerz Heaven truly is a creation of Maki Murakami, the creator of Gravitation. It takes on the art style of the last few manga's of Gravitation, and alot of the Gamerz Heaven characters look like those of Gravitation. (Such as Rage who looks like Yuki) The storyline is exciting, which feature the main character getting sucked into the world of his video game and being forced to save Nata, a character with the power to transport individuals from the game to the realworld. Only problem, if something gets destroyed in this world the real world is affected, and if he dies, he truly does die.
The character designs are nice, as I said, they look like the characters from Gravitation toward the end of the manga series. In any case the characters are really beautiful, especially the child Nata and Lost Soul, who become the cutest things in the book.
The humor is still there, with random drawings of over-the-top scenes. And, for non-yaoi fans out there, its a perfect manga.

Rating: A+

I'm reviewing this manga book on the basis of its appropriateness for use in a classroom. Being a middle school teacher, I find it hard to interest my students in reading. However, many of my students are interested in manga. I purchased this book since many of my students are also very interested in video games. The premise of Gamerz Heaven is that a young high schooler named Kaito receives a beta version of a game called Gamerz Heaven. The game sucks Kaito in on a mission to save the Navigator, a young boy, from monsters in the video game world. However, the video game world has repercussions in reality-if you die in the video game, you disappear from the real world, etc. The story is moderately interesting. Being a fan of video games, I like the stereotypicalness of Kaito as a high schooler who lives for his video games. This book is rated age 13+, which is appropriate for violence and some mild language/name calling. Since I teach younger students, I just went through the book and whited out the offending language and replaced it with non-offensive language (yes, I know, that's censorship, but you try telling that to concerned parents!). I'm not a great judge of artwork, but Gamerz Heaven is drawn well and the story is intruiging enough for me to consider buying volume two. For parents of younger children, though, I would highly recommend reading it first before allowing a child younger than 13 read it. For parents of video-gaming children, this could be a way to interest your child in reading rather than gaming 24/7. If you do plan on using this in a classroom, just make sure that you have a good book check out system so that it does not disappear.

Este libro es anecdótico, divertido y cultural. Se puede abrir en cualquier página y no se pierde la continuidad. Ideal para leerse en el auto, en el jardín, etc.......

una espléndida selcción de "bocadillos " mentales y culturales

Y TE DIVIERTES...
Muy interesante y lo puedes ir leyendo como se te antoje...SON PUROS PARRAFITOS CORTOS !

If you do, don't miss this book
If you don't, learn to love it in this book

Anécdotas extrañas, pero reales. Cultura y gracia...
Muy recomendable!

Girl Genius Volume 1: Agatha Heterodyne & The Beetleburg Clank (Girl Genius)Girl Genius Volume 2: Agatha Heterodyne & The Airship City (Girl Genius)
I found the first two in this series to be well drawn and have a very good story. I will be sending this very good juvenile fiction to my daughter.

Great fun, as are all of the Heterodyne books - I especially appreciate the "overdrawn poking-fun-at-Gothic" artwork throughout, and the "biographies" of the contributors. On a side note, thanks to these, one of my friends is actually trying to build a dirigible... oh well!

One slight problem with several of the Girl Genius volumes - the binding is very weak, and I've actually had to get Amazon to replace this one, as it fell apart when I opened it. Luckily, Amazon is simple and easy, and this one isn't their fault - the publisher is being scrooge-ish with their glue. Examine carefully when they arrive, and don't hesitate to send them back for replacements. This series is too good, and too compulsively readable to miss! (or to suffer with bad copies... )

Return to the world of adventure, romance, airships, mad scientists and power hungry Nobles. Agatha Clay, now on the giant airship Castle Wulfenbach, wishes she could leave. Pretending to be the lover of a soldier while surrounded by monsters, angry constructs and talking cats is not her idea of fun.
But getting away isn't as easy as it might look when traveling thousands of feet about the ground while hostage to one of the most powerful men in Europe!

Phil and Kaja Foglio are marvelous. Girl Genius has an engaging, complex plot line; intriguing premise; characters full of personality; and great art - detailed, beautiful, very expressive, and always keep an eye out for what's going on in the background. There is lots of humor in the Foglios' work, with the text and art working together perfectly. The only downside is waiting for the next volume to be published!

This second collection is just as good as the first one (while there are certain aspects that are better, the "raw fun" of the first one is a little more controlled here). There is little I can say to praise it enough that has not been covered in the other reviews or in the description, but I do want to point out something that makes me love this series.

While Girl Genius starts out as sort of a silly story with an odd cast, it quickly exposes one of its themes: the nature of legend versus truth. In this second volume, we begin to see more and more of the legends that build up the world. In contrast, we get more and more hints that legends do not always tell the story as it truly happens. This juxtaposition between belief and reality plays an important part in the storytelling method. False thing become increasingly chipped away at, enabling a story that seemingly is given away at the start a chance to actually grow and mature. Though we are told in Volume 1 what will end up happening, we quicly learn that there is a big divide in the legends and the reality which brings them about.

You end up becoming entranced, nervous, even though you know "the outcome".

Great fun, this series.

Even as the art & tradition of classical gamelan music fades in Java, gamelans are built & organized in America & Europe, the music is studied & taught in universities. This has occurred since the 70's, when recordings of gamelan music became widely available, particularly in a major series on Nonesuch Explorer. For many people, hearing gamelan for the first time is not only a delightfully exotic experience, the music unlike anything one has heard, but there is often also a strange shock of recognition, as if one somehow already knew the music, although where & how remains a mystery. Perhaps this is what happened to Colin McPhee. For McPhee in 1930, as for so many western musicians since, hearing gamelan inspired something like a religious conversion.

I was given an old copy of this book shortly after I heard gamelan for the first time, & so I was able to follow McPhee on his great adventure to find where the music came from. When he arrived in Bali, he discovered that although the culture was vibrantly alive, much of music was in danger of being lost. He met, befriended, & studied with some greatly talented Balinese musicians, old masters & several younger composers & leaders, including Wayan Lotring & Made Lebah. They set about restoring a Semar Pegulingan gamelan. The task of bringing this music back to life is the "plot" of the "A House In Bali." McPhee quickly realized that his western musical training was of limited value, because the "values" of music - technically & culturally - in Bali were so different. Music had popular, ritual, & concert functions, as in the West. But the music was inseparable from the instruments, & each collection of instruments - each gamelan, was unique. Compositions were learned by rote, in phrases, with the gamelan functioning as a kind of all-ages social club for men. McPhee had to become, as best he could, a person of Bali, a villager, someone with a place & a role in the life of the community. He recounts his immersion in Balinese life, As strange as Bali was for McPhee, he was the "stranger," the outsider, & he remained one, oddly indifferent to what the Balinese thought of his lifestyle. Most inexplicably, he seems not to have become a gamelan musician. One wonders not only how he resisted this experience, but also why?

McPhee later attempted to translate Balinese music into a western idiom using pianos & a symphony orchestra, with beautiful results, but losing what he had learned in the process, Sadly, when he returned home, he had left the most important stuff behind.

I'm heading to Bali this month and this book provided a great intro to the customs and nature of this island. I'm even more excited to get there after reading it.

I am Balinese and live in Ubud, about 10 minutes walk from where Colin McPhee stayed, when he came to Bali in 1931. My aunt worked for him.

He heard a record of gamelan music in New York and couldn't wait to get to Bali to listen to the real thing.

He stayed in Bali for almost 8 years and set about documenting gamelan music. Much of his research was carried out in a village near Ubud where my Villas are. There are still old people in the village who remember him.

His book is beautifully written and tells stories of his adventures and life in the village and his encounters with the local Balinese. It's not necessary to understand technical music matters to enjoy this book - it is totally accessible.

Highly recommended.

I first heard Gamelan was coming out of the oldest temple on the Island of Bali, near Ubud, and was reading this book at the time. I purchased the book at the Jakarta airport and was hooked by the first paragraph. I think that this is a wonderful, insight into the island, the music, it's people and culture. If you have a love for exotic music and or artform, this historical work is a captivating read. My only regret is that Colin McPhee never went back to his beloved Bali.

It's a very interesting book in regards to what I have actually read. It seems to have accounts on Balinese culture. I found it enjoyable and interesting to read because it not only talks about Balinese culture but about the conflict and clashes within the village like the little dancer named Sampih and his dance teacher Nyoman Kaler.

Colin McPhee conveys many interesting things like when bad luck happened in his home in Sayan and how they had to do a purification ceremony in regards to dispel the demons, witches and evil spirits. His wanderings in Bali to record music and study their music like the rare gamelan angklung and gamelan selonding from Tenganan who were the Bali Aga. Colin McPhee was drawn to the scintallinating sounds and metallic shimmer from the gamelan. At times there are humours accounts of what goes on between him and his friends that happen in the village or when they are touring around Bali. I found it enjoyable because, he seemed to have fitted in well with the Balinese people without too much problems compared with other writers before them spoke of barbarity and the animal like behaviour of the Balinese at certain functions. He writes with passion about what goes on and how things have changed with the colonial rule of the Dutch. The loss of autonomy by the Rajas who were reduced to poverty at times and how their obessions with cockfighting led to their ruin. Yet in times of despair and hardship they are always humble to him.

Overall the book contains a few photographs of his friends and colleagues. I found it wonderful and intriguing and as well as captiviting at times which he covers so many topics like the temple functions like Galungan, Wayang Kulit (Shadow Plays), the music club etc... This book you will grow to love like the book written by Miguel Corrovabias "Island of Bali".

"Poet Genie Zeiger dedicates this memoir to all visible and invisible caretakers. It is not just a memoir of her own life but all of what her life became as her mother slowly deteriorated into illness and dementia. Zeiger tenderly tenders the complex separations and intimacies between mother and daughter, and in particular between a Jewish mother and daughter. She does not avoid or romanticize the multiple realities of the situation or the intensity of emotions, but rather tells them powerfully and poetically. Her mother’s illness and death make Zeiger come full circle, as she feels almost reborn." ....

I finished reading Genie's book several days ago. It was a difficult (but necessary) book for me to read because my Mother died as a result of Alzheimer's in April of 2000. Many of the episodes that Genie spoke of in regards to her own Mom hit home with me. To say that this was a painful time for me (and for my Mother, of course) is an understatement. I strongly encourage anyone who has a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's to read this book. If you loved one has died, you will find that this book will help you thru the grieving process. Genie Zeigler should be commended for writing such a heartfelt book. Thank you, Ms. Zeigler.

Poignant and often painfully honest, Genie Zeiger's book, How I Find Her, is a must for anyone who has experienced, or is still experiencing, the decline of a parent or other loved one through dementia. I found solace and insight in Ms. Zeiger's book in dealing with the mental slipping away of my own grandmother, who also, as the author so perceptively describes, has moments of amazing clarity and connection, even when seemingly lost to the present. The author shows incredible courage in describing her feelings, even when they are complicated mixtures of shame and love, revulsion and tenderness. She records with the honest eye of a camera, but with a poet's sensibility, lush language, and appreciation for the smallest and most moving details. I am grateful for this book, which occupies a necessary niche in writings about family wisdom and love.

This memoir reads like a poetic guide for any child who has suffered through the dementia of a parent. Zeiger narrates her journey through several stages of grief from the time her mother enters a nursing home to her death. Initially, she torments herself with guilt for her inability to save her mother. But eventually, she begins to reconcile the image of the sick mother with the all powerful mother she knew as a child. Zeiger documents her mother's last words, and includes journal excerpts, poetry and lyrics throughout this profound narrative.

...Ms. Zieger's book HOW I FIND HER is a heartwarming tale depicting the relationship between a mother and a daughter. Zieger takes the reader on a heartbreaking journey as a daughter deals with the decline of her beloved mother health who has Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's-related dementia.
As a daughter, I think of my own mother's health, and thank the Lord that she has lived over fifty years illness free. As a mother, I think about my own health, and wonder if I will be that fortunate. Thoughts of our mother's dying never really enter our thoughts until we are actually faced with the dilemma, and then it saddens us when we see our once lively and independent mothers slowly fall apart.
You will laugh, as you share in her childhood memories, and you will cry hearing of her moments of mourning.
Zieger has captured the beauty of emotions and sentiment between a mother and a daughter, as well as capturing the hardships of bereavement.
Zieger's words of getting on with your life after a tremendous loss are sure to give support to those who are suffering.

Genie Zieger lives in Shelburne, Massachusetts, where she has led creative writing workshops and poetry classes for over a decade. Ms. Zieger is a former psychotherapist and crisis clinician at a mental health center; she has an M.Ed. in Counseling Education from the University of Massachusetts and an MFA in writing from Vermont College.

I highly recommend Ms. Zieger's book, HOW I FIND HER...

I am a therapist and I use this book for clients both young and old. It is such a precious book with a wonderful message. If you are a parent especially of a little girl get this book for your child. Then get a pig of some kind as a reminder to like themselves no matter what.

My mother bought a copy of this title for me to give to her future grandchild. I was so inspired by it, that I want to give it to all of my friends now. This book has delightful drawings and a wonderful message. This book is fun to read as an adult and a child. It is so important that children and adults are surrounded by positive messages like the one this book has to offer. I recommend it for everyone!

A great way for preschoolers to repair their fragile sense of self and self-respect. Any child should be able to absorb these positive message to repeat to themselves when they feel down.

The positive messages of this book are complemented by the terrific illustrations. A very simple yet important text as it teaches little ones to like themselves. The main character is one very upbeat pig. My son enjoys and laughs at the illustrations. The text provides fodder for conversation. Not too heavy in a figurative or literal way, this book is small enough to warrant a place on every small child's bookshelf. You may also want to check out Ms. Carlson's other books as they are all terrific. Highly recommended!

Just to add to other great reviewers' points, this book is perfect for conveying joy in life's many possible activities, even when you don't have someone else to share them with. I counsel lots of folks to whom I loan my copy - parents of one child who worry their child will be lonely if an "only", single moms who also welcome reminders that life can be fun even when you aren't in a relationship, and parents-to-be who worry their child will feel badly about differences, for ex. if they're adopted or conceived with the help of a donor [the topic of my book]. This pig bravely goes on learning even when she's embarrassed or makes mistakes - so this is a good book for parents and kids!

The book got here quick, packaged well and in great shape. What more is there to say.

Invincible is quickly becoming one of my favorite comics, the art, pacing, characterization and plot are all very solid. It has a great cast of characters and has something new to say about superheroes.

The only reason this collection does not get 5 stars is it ends on a very abruct note. While some collections focus on including an entire story arc, this one ends halfway through a story and leaves literally dozens of subplots hanging.

After reading volume 1 I had one thing to say: WOW....OH WOW!!!
This is the most innovating comic series in ages. It combines humour, clean-styled drawings and a great storyline.
That style continues in this long awaited volume 2... Lots of hints and pokes at other comics and movies (expecially the star wars one in this volume.... you just have to appreciate it..).
Kirkman picks up events where vol.1 one took a dramatic turn in the plot....gives us an insight in the spendings of the taxpayers money (haha) and Allan the Alien, my god.. was that NECESSARY ?!!?!?! **crying **

I hope this series keeps on going forever. If there is going to be a volume 3 out soon I will definately buy that one as well... and 4 ...and 5 ..... and....

Like the other reviewers may have mentioned, I also agree that this is not as good as the first volume. I know that Robert Kirkman said that he consciously tried to expand the universe, and the way he did that was by adding one subplot on top of another. However, by the end of the book, most of the subplots are not resolved, thus leaving the reader (or at least me) feeling unsatisfied. It's like reading the first two-thirds of a book, and then coming to an abrupt stop without resolution. The first volume was far more self-contained. All you needed to read was that one volume, and if you never read any more Invincible, you'd still have closure. This one - no resolution, which is annoying.

Nevertheless, this is still a great a read. The plots are interesting, the characters are likeable, the dialogue is sharp and witty, and the art is beautiful and consistent. Overall, I was entertained, and recommend that you pick it up. I just wish I don't have to wait year or whatever until the next hardcover collection comes out. Bring on the next collection!

In this second hardcover collecting Robert Kirkman's Invincible Volumes 3 & 4 (issues 14 - 24 and Origins) we see Mark Grayson maturing into the world's soon-to-be most powerful superhero. After the climactic and disturbing events in the first collection where Mark discovered the truth about his father our hero is left to figure out things for himself. Without the guidance of his super-parent Invincible sets off for college and starts working for Cecil Steadman and the government, which pits Mark against villains and monsters capable of mocking his superhero monicker by actually hurting and beating him. Relationship troubles with Amber and his Mom who is still dealing with his dad's absence put a strain on Mark's life that not even his superpowers can alleviate (a la Spider-man). I am glad to say that I enjoy this comic because of the fact that Invincible is, strangely enough, NOT invincible. Sure, Mark doesn't have a weakness like Kryptonite, and can't be hurt by conventional weapons, but other supers can with a bit of trying inflict some damage upon him, either by thrashing him physically or going after his loved ones, showing that a secret identity is not as easy to hide as in the Superman universe. Kirkman handles his character much like Alan Moore handled Miracle Man all those years ago, pointing out that even the most invulnerable of beings has limits, and that the world does not always recover when these creatures cut loose. Often violent and bloody, the Invincible comics in this collection also contain moments of tenderness and genuine feeling between characters that make each story addictively readable and leaves you begging for more.