Comics Books

Red and Rover has become one of my favorite comic strips. They are an adorable pair and they make me smile. It's a simple and heartfelt relationship that is a great escape from today's world. This collection tells of how the two meet and the title really says it all, it's all about a time and a feeling - one that we all wish we were a part of.

This is a wonderful little book. There is a warmth of emotion shared between animal and human that I just love. A great read and I'll enjoy it over and over again.

I first heard of Red and Rover in our newspaper, just after my dog passed away. I miss my dog so much and Red and Rover remind me of the relationship I had with my dog. That comic strip was like a gift from Heaven for me. Even on my worst day, just reading Red and Rover would put a smile on my face. When I learned there was a book about Red and Rover, I ordered it right away. When I received the book, I could not put it down! It makes me laugh out loud and makes me happy. Brian Basset should be congratulated on creating Red and Rover and showing us that this world can be a happier place just by the simple things in life...like a boy and his dog and their wonderful adventures together. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys life, and especially for anyone who has shared their life with a dog!

There is nothing better than a comic strip to take your mind of work for a while, and Red & Rover accomplish thisw task with flying colors... One of the best since Calvin and Hobbes

If Red and Rover doesn't give you the warm fuzzies, you must be a cat person. This collection of comics is so sweet and adorable, you just want to give it a hug. The simple retro-style artwork perfectly matches this nostalgic story of a young boy with NASA aspirations and a dog who would follow him to the moon and back. These faithful companions are joined by Martin, Red's terrible teen brother and their parents. If you ever had a canine best friend when you were growing up, this book will definitely bring back memories.

Do you like adventure books? If you do here's a book. Bone is a great book. Phoney Bone and his cousin Smiley Bone have a Rat creature cub. They go up to the Mountains and try to let it go. But they run into two other Rat creaatures. Will they make it away? Read to find out. Recommended for all cartoon lovers.

We have been patiently awaiting the release of what appears to be another printing of this book. My 8 year old really doesn't like to read...except for the Bone Series. I haven't read them yet but my 12 year old likes them also. I'm just happy to find something he will willingly read. Thank you Jeff Smith!

I have the other four Bone books and they are all in color and have Bone volume_ in the title. Is this book in the same series and in color or do I just have newer or older versions of these graphic novels. I love these books and i just want to know the answer to this question so I don't make a bad buy off Amazon.

Thanks...

"Rock Jaw: Master Of The Eastern Border" is the fifth volume in the nine volume Bone series, which makes it the halfway point. Once again Jeff Smith has done an excellent job of blending humor, mystery and fantasy to create a great tale of adventure

This volume is one great chase sequence, following Fone and Smiley in their adventure where they try to return Bartleby (The Rat Cub) to his people. Along the way they meet the two outcast Rat Creatures, Rock Jaw, an unusual group of orphans, the possum kids, and Kingdok and his Rat Creature followers. Smith is ingenious in mixing in dialogue that advances the overall adventure, with the action of the chase. We learn more about Thorn, the history of the area, and other aspects of the story, even though Thorn, Rose, Lucius, and Phoney don't appear at all.

bone rocks its funny romantique and there's a new adventures adventure in evty onE

When Wrath isn't looking, shoot it in the head.

With that, and other maxims from the acclaimed mercenary handbook, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Pirates, intrepid Captain Tagon blasts off with his crew of misfits in their first collection. This is one of the most clever, funny, and well written comics in recent memory and this collection is the perfect way to enjoy it. With lots of value added features, Under New Management is great value for the money.

Great read from one of my favourite webcomic authors. Nicely printed and lots of interesting bonus content.

All right. The title might sound over the top, but Schlock Mercenary DID change my life in a very real way. Before I found Schlock Mercenary, I thought that all web comics were terrible. Schlock Mercenary opened my eyes to a new world of entertainment, and now I read webcomics every week.

Schlock Mercenary is my homepage.

That said, Schlock Mercenary is a masterfully constructed story. Howard has managed to create a captivating cast of characters that cover every role in a sci-fi mercenary unit. This allows him to tell entertaining stories from every possible point of view. The story is riveting and honest, in it's own bizzare way.

And did I mention FUNNY?

I've been a regular reader of the online strip Schlock Mercenary - if you aren't, you really owe it to yourself to start reading - and finally getting my hands on a print version was a long awaited joy.

For the unfamiliar, Schlock Mercenary follows the mercenary combat Tagon's Toughs as they gleefully resort to violence on behalf of the highest bidders across the Galaxy. The story is smart, coherent, action-packed without being graphic and consistently funny. Schlock Mercenary is also very family friendly without being dumbed-down or banal. The book is a very high quality item, with glossy pages and many extras for the reader - the margins are filled with early concept art and the visual evolution of the artist's designs, and including the footnote commentary to selected strips. As a bonus, there is a short origins story that is not available online, existing only in this book collection.

This is a worthwhile addition to any bookshelf.

Howard Tayler is producing great work in the comic medium for the SF genre.

He offers science fiction hard enough to please the SF purists and technophiles but like any good comic artist puts his engaging plot first. He leads readers through an interesting setting populated with delightful characters and lays the final touches to a foundation for a surprisingly intricate plot in this volume.

It's unique. It's hilarious. Stuff blows up.

The author's cousin, Bob, was my childhood best friend. I guess I was reading to find a hint of him when I found myself overwhelmed by the perfect character development of the people of our town. I was so moved that I actually had to put the book down for a few weeks because I was dreaming so much about home. Absolutely can't wait for David's next book.

David Drayer has impressed me! For a first novel, this one is a winner. It's a cross between a more innocent, rural Holden Caulfield (the main character, Seth, reminds me of him a bit) in Catcher and Anderson's Winesberg, OH, one of my all time favorites. It's refreshing to see a new writer who does so many things right! The first 5 chapters or so that revolve around Seth are terrific. If anything, I wanted to see more about Seth, although some of the side characters are memorably drawn as well (the shaving chapter was very well done!). The teenage cruelty is done very realistically and touchingly. As usual, the most sensitive one is the one called "jack off" for his whole life but we can tell he's the best catch of them all.

The final few chapters take a bit of momentum out of the book -- Seth's early life was much more interesting. But that's only a minor criticism of a terrific first effort.

This is not the kind of book I usually go for, but I was curious because David Drayer is my English teacher. I really loved it. I think everyone can find something to relate to and someone to identify with in this story. It covers 7 years of a small town, it's inhabitants and their not-so-closeted skeletons. I couldn't put it down and would have finished it the same day if I could. I highly recommend it.

I was very fortuate to have had Mr. Drayer as a teacher for an English class I took in college one semester. Apart from the book for a moment, he is a very down-to-earth and funny person! I'd never heard of him as a writer before I had him in class, and I have to say that's the only reason I picked up the book in the first place, and I'm glad that I did- I loved it!

This book reminds me of the small town I live in, and the people who circle around in it. The honesty of the writing, and the characters (their emotions,their reactions, their thoughts especially) really hit me. Some authors do a poor job of developing their characters and their emotions, but I really felt like I knew the characters- probably because a lot of the storylines in the book have happened to me, and many people close to me. Who hasn't had a huge crush on a REALLY good-looking teacher??? I know I have!! If you live in a small town, you know how it feels when you are itching to get out of it.

I laughed while reading this book not because I thought it was funny, but because I thought it was honest, and truthful! Most people think like these characters, but never express these thoughts out loud. Because in reality, what do we really want? (what do the characters want, maybe?) We want to have lots and lots of sex, passion, love, change, happiness....etc.

All in all, great book, I can't wait to read what he writes next!

Odd, isn't it, that the miserable and wasted coal fields should enjoy such a grip on at least our literary imaginations? From D. H. Lawrence to
Richard Llewellyn to The Deer Hunter to Homer Hickam, writers have celebrated escaping from mining country, but they've mostly (Lawrence being
the exception who proves the rule) looked back with some fondness. David Drayer's first novel is told in much the fashion of Sherwood Anderson's
Winesburg, Ohio, as a set of interconnected but not necessarily continuous stories. Here they are unified in that they trace the progress of Seth
Hardy, thirteen when we meet him, a man when he leaves town at the end of the book. The town is Cherry Run, Pennsylvania. The strip cuts of the
title are the remnants of the region's mining history.

Seth is a likable enough protagonist, undergoing the familiar torments of an awkward boy, with an unfortunate nickname, amongst high school
bullies. His particular nemesis is the loathsome Claude Coarsen. In a scene that provides a visceral thrill to anyone who's ever been bullied and that
offers a kind of insight into how kids might end up shooting up their schools, Seth draws a bead on Coarsen when they are both out hunting deer.
But in this case, Seth doesn't shoot. Equally compelling is a scene between Seth and the pretty young teacher who is one of his biggest supporters.
She ponders what would be so wrong about reaching out to this unhappy young man, yet has the good sense to control herself. And in many ways it
is Seth's father, Earl, who resides at the core of the book, a decent though reserved man who is capable of being just as strict with his son's high
school principal as he is with the boy and who proves a soft touch for a couple who are down on their luck.

This is an impressive debut, perhaps most impressive for Mr. Drayer's allegiance to his own material. He apparently resisted editors' attempts to strip
out secondary characters and he wisely avoided what must be a powerful temptation for any writer today, eschewing the annoyingly popular memoir
form and sticking with a novel. Mr. Drayer has said that he wants to return to these characters because he's interested to see what will happen to
them. You'll be curious too.

GRADE : B+

Nothing like the original stuff which came out before I was old enough to read. A 'must have' for anyone serious about the classic comics.

The reprints are gorgeous and in a wonderful hardcover that shouldn't fall apart too quickly. The text prefacing the book is boring and unneccessary, mostly, this book just costs waaayyyy too much. I would've preferred to get it in comic book format for about 10 dollars, but they no longer reprint this stuff. The stories aren't very good, but it's interesting to read in it's amateurishness and see how things originally were intended.

This is actually some great stuff. I think the early Superman stories are good examples of exciting storytelling with interesting social commentary.

For example, the first Superman story contains a none-too subtle anticaptial punishment message, as our man saves a lady from an execution and a man form a lynching (remember, this is 1938). The second shows Supe stopping a war that is concocted by munitions manufactureres (an early anti-WW2 message).

Along with that, reading these early adventures gives you the feeling that you're a little kid in pre-television 1938-39, sitting with awe and wonder with these exciting tales either being read to you by a skilled adult storyteller, or by yourself with a flashlight at night. Once you get in that mood of an inner child, you can really get into this stuff and it's lots of fun.

However, I would agree that the cost is a bit much for a new edition. Buy a good used copy. Gather the kids (over age 10, that is) around, turn the lights down low, read it with vigor, and have a ball!

The book was recived with in a week of sale and was shipped very well.

I was going to point out that the chief value of reading the first four issues of "Superman" collected in Volume 1 of the "Superman Archives" was nostalgia, but then I realized that the term really applies to the past that you remember, and I was not reading "Superman" comic books back in 1939. Actually, reading any of the Superman titles was something I only did when we went to visit my cousins because their sun porch had a treasure trove of comic books. The comic books I remember buying on a semi-regular basis were war comics, specifically "Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos" and "Sgt. Rock" ("Our Army at War" back then). Since my father was in the military this was hardly surprising. When the "Batman" television series came out I was caught up in that and bought a subscription to the "Batman" comic book for a year, by first superhero comic book, very much aware that it was quite different from the show. But it was not until we were stationed in Japan that I got into Marvel Comics in a big way ("Amazing Spider-Man" #62 was my first purchase), and while I was busy Making Mine Marvel I developed a corresponding disdain for Superman and the entire DC line that lasted for a while. After all, I remember a Superman story where he swallows his costume to protect his identity, assuring the readers everything would come out okay in the end. Anyhow, it was not until DC rebooted the Man of Steel, giving him over to John Byrne for a significant makeover, that I started reading Superman comics on a regular basis. So actually reading the first four issues of was a revelation.

Keep in mind that Superman first appeared in the first issue of "Action" comics in 1938, so even though we get an origin story in "Superman" #1 these are not the very first Superman stories. I have a reprinted version of "Superman" #1 that is part of the "Superman Masterpiece Edition," along with an 8-inch state of the 1938 Superman and an illustrated book chronicling the Man of Steel's Golden Age, so I had read that premier issue before. The origin is actually just the first two pages of the first story in which the main plot has Superman saving an innocent woman from the electric chair (and getting Clark Kent a job at the "Daily Star"). This leads to the second story where Superman teaches a munitions maker about the horrors of war. Then we find an invitation to become a charter member of "Supermen of America" and a "Scientific Explanation of Superman's Amazing Strength" (Krypton's inhabitants evolved to physical perfection). The other two stories in the issue are reprinted from earlier issues of "Action," with Superman teaching a lesson to the heartless own of a coal mine and then taking the place of Tommy Burke, the greatest football player of all time. Following an introduction to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman's creators, there is two-page prose story regarding the Man of Steel (amazing that kids would want to read a prose story in a comic book).

In "Superman" #2 the Man of Tomorrow saves Larry Trent the ex-heavyweight champ from committing suicide and getting him a chance to re-win his title in the first story and "Champions Universal Peace!" in the second by ending the Boravian Civil War (at one point a soldier thinks he must be shooting blanks at Superman and shoots himself in a foot to prove, well disprove, his hypothesis). Then we have "Superman and the Skyscrapers," where Clark Kent investigates five deaths in as many days at the erection of the Atlas Building, followed by another prose story (but this time accompanied by two drawings). "Superman" #3 offers stories in which Superman and Clark help a runaway orphan, Clark battles Lois to get a big story (and Lois kisses Superman for what appears to be the first time), Superman has to deal with advertisers using his name as well as a spate of crimes, and Superman captures a smuggling ring. Clark has a lot more to do in these stories (and he is now working at the "Daily Planet"), which are a bit shorter as Siegel and Shuster's work is compliment by a couple of prose stories that have nothing to do with Superman and a one-page strip about a dog named "Shorty." In "Superman" #4 our hero takes on the evil Professor Martinson, fights a torpedo-like projectile and a pterodactyl courtesy of the mad scientist known as Luthor (no first name, but he has hair), stops a saboteur, and saves a truck drivers union from racketeers.

As I was reading these stories I was rather surprised that Siegel and Shuster were coming up with four Superman stories for each of these 72-page issues, but when you get to the back of this volume the Afterword by Jim Steranko explains that some of these stories are reprinted from "Action" and a couple were converted from stories drawn for newspaper syndication. Steranko, who also does the Foreword where he puts the creation of Superman in historical perspective, candidly observes that these two young pioneers typically stumble and fall in these early efforts, "yet, in retrospect, their failures are often as interesting as their successes." That is really what is captivating about these early stories, because neither the quality of the stories nor of the artwork is all that compelling. Here we discover that Superman is clearly a creature of the Great Depression whose commitment to justice is tempered by socialist inclinations as he protects the workers against the rich. It is also interesting to see that Superman dislikes Lois Lane as much as she disdains Clark Kent. Most obvious is that Superman does not have his full superpowers at this point where he can "hurdle skyscrapers, leap an eighth of a mile, raise tremendous weighs, run faster than a streamline train, and nothing less than a bursting shell could penetrate his skin!" Still, you can find the bare bones of the Superman mythos here and come to a better understanding how the first comic book superhero ended up becoming the greatest one of them all.

Tokyo Mew Mew TOTALLY rocks!!!!!!! Trust me I've read the WHOLE series and they all ROCK!!!!!!! Even Tokyo Mew Mew A La Mode ROCKS!!!!!!!!!

This book was pretty good, with the story advancing along well.

Basically, Ichigo has to find a way to hide her secret from Masaya, but he keeps showing up in places that she needs to transform! The girls all go on a cruise where more aliens show up and send out 'kirema animas' but they stop them. Ichigo turns into a cat when Masaya is around, and he takes her home. But the cliffhanger endings make me sad!! :(

The artwork was cute, just like before! If you have read the series so far, I recommend continuing. However, a warning to newcomers. The storyline is very confusing for people who haven't read the first 2 books, so I recommend reading them first.

~*chikorita1999*~

This is about five girls. They are: Ichigo Momomiya (part cat), Mint Aizawa (part bird), Lettuce Midoriwawa (part porpoise), Pudding Fong (part monkey), and Zakuro Fujiwara (part wolf).
I noticed a big mistake on the page that introduces all the characters. Pudding and Zakuro's pictures are mixed up. It says Zakuro Fujiwara under Pudding's picture and Pudding Fong under Zakuro's picture. So it also says Pudding's name is Zakuro and she is "a cool and beautiful model." That is, obviously, not right. Pudding is not a model and she isn't really that pretty. In this book Lettuce gets a mermaid-like tail with the Mew Aqua when she jumps in the ocean to save a baby.

I loved this book! It was another cliffhanger though:( Ichigo turns into a little cat and gets taken home by Masaya! She runs out of his house while he sleeps and some fat alley cat tries to kiss her but she gets saved by another cat, Alto, but then he kisses her! But he did it to turn her human again. A lot more happens in this story but to find out what or how Alto knows Ichigo's secret you have to read this book!!!!

Best volume yet! I have only read up to three though! It is so cute when ichigo turnss into a cat. At the end something shocking happens (not gonna tell!) and there is some rivalry over the love of ichigo. two more aliens get introduced. A little confusing at the beginning though. What do you think is cuter, masaya and ichigo or ryou and ichigo? (...)

Ever wonder how the top-ranked reviewers force their way to the top?

They vote for their own reviews over and over.

So brilliant. So clever. But not "well-done"!

Talk about the triumph of noise over signal, chaos over order, and quantity over quality!

If you were a college student, a frat brother, a trouble maker, a drinker or just had odd looking animals walking around talking to you....then this book is probably about you! Experiance college with an alcoholic pig, a short tempered circus bear, and a lima bean ( don't ask). And let's not forget the duck and Brandi, for without them....well, the book would still rock! This book is a must to all those who love comics. Every strip should be put on billboards. Uncle Frank is the man.....( from one of the Monkey Boys )

I was at the University of Maryland when Frank Cho's comic strip was running in The Diamondback. It was the only thing worth reading in the paper. This is a very, very funny comic strip. The characters, who are animals are hilarious. Dean, the pig, is a great send up on Frats and male chauvinism. You also get a lima bean, a gerbil, and the main character, Frank, is a duck. The best character, of course, is the very human Brandy.

If you've ever seen Liberty Meadows and enjoyed it in your newspaper, The Angry Years is even better.

With "Liberty Meadows" making a permament transition from comic strip to comic book at the end of 2001, folks who want to aquaint themselves with the new version could do worse than to pick up this collection of the strip that spawned it. "University Squared," Cho's first strip, is "Liberty Meadows" in a raw, unrefined and uncensored state -- a state the comic book may take a few steps towards once freed from the rigours of newspaper censors.

Even in its young form, though, Cho's strip shows again and again why he is held in such high regard. His characters are funny, his situations are original and he doesn't blanch from tackling weighty topics or rauncy issues whenever he wants. Get this, get "Liberty Meadows: The Big Book of Love" and then start getting the comic book.

I've been a fan of Liberty Meadows, the comic book that collects Frank Cho's syndicated comic strip of the same name, for years now, so when University Squared became available again, I pounced on it. It's kind of a weird companion piece to Liberty Meadows; not quite a prequel (these stories were from Cho's College newspaper), and although the characters have the same names in both books, there are weird differences: one character is a duck in this book, and a man in Liberty Meadows; another a lima Bean (!) here, a frog in Liberty Meadows. (It's really weird...)

There isn't a story, per se. The book follows the characters (Animals, attending school with Humans....)as they drink and carouse their way through campus life. The cartoons are much raunchier than the later Liberty Meadows strips; without the anal retentive syndicate to hamstring him, Cho can go all out with the gags. (Even the raunchiest of the strips never gets beyond a PG-13 level, though. So it is safe for older kids.) Cho manages to deliver some really good belly-laughs, and slips in a touching ending as well. Comic strip fans who find the daily funnies too whitebread are well advised to enroll in this University.

GOOD JOB, MONKEY BOY!!!!

Andy Runton, Owly: The Way Home and The Bittersweet Summer (Top Shelf, 2004)

The first book in Runton's widely (and justly) praised Owly series, this wonderful little book contains two stories: "The Way Home," in which Owly meets Wormy, who gets lost in a storm and wants Owly to help him find his way home, and "The Bittersweet Summer," where Owly and Wormy become friends with some hummingbirds. Owly is, for the most part, wordless; everything is conveyed with expressions and thought bubbles. It's clever and funny and heartwarming, a definite change of pace from most of the graphic novels that have been appearing for the past few years. Definitely recommended for when you need a pick-me-up. ****

I ordered the book for my daughter, although it was a little easy. Better for younger readers, but still a cute book.

Andy Runton has really hit on something here. He's managed to allow readers to remember what it was like to be a kid - the hurt, the hope, and the perseverance that comes from not having a clue as to what can't be done. That's something that both Adults and Kids should be exposed to liberal doses of.

A friend gave me this book...and now I want to buy it for just about everyone I know!

It's a beautiful book with great art and lovely, touching stories.

This would make a great gift for people of all ages - and you will love it, too.

I wanted to give my 3 1/2 year old daughter a present for Valentine's Day that shared something I love with her. And, as I love comic books, I was lucky enough to come across Owly.

She loves it! And I love it! And her mom loves it!

It is the perfect 1st comic to give to a kid. Moreover, as there are no words, once you go through the joy of working through the story with her once, she is able to "read" it by herself or to her little friends! What more can you ask for?

You could ask for a wonderful story - Owly has it. Or beautiful art - check. Or great basic lessons of friendship and the beauty of nature - Done and done.

So I highly recommend this book to you and your little ones. It introduces them to a style and method of storytelling in the perfect way.

This is an adorable book, however, it is lacking in the quantity of dachshunds. The few that are included are fantastic, high quality and the "other" drawings are good, too....But I wanted a wiener book!

I love the Far Side...and this has many of my favorites!

5 stars all the way

This is the best Far Side Book ever, IMO. It's a must for any fans of the weiner dog, and for those looking for a good laugh in general. Plus, it's got my seven-year-old interested in reading. He wants to know what's going on in the cartoons, so he has to read the captions (but sometimes the humor is lost on him!). Classic Larson, and lots of fun.

Gary Larsen was born with a talent. Yes, drawing is his talent, but coupled with that is his inherent ability to entertain, to amuse, to delight. In short, Gary Larsen is an entertaining artist. Look no further than "Weiner Dog Art."

The first 48 pages contain Larsen's standard (quirky and bizarre by others) cartoon art. For example, the boss is shaking hands with a client and says, "OK, Johnson--we've got a deal. We'll let your people and my people work out the details." Standing around each man is a little circle of little people with their little briefcases, just waiting for an assignment. (I wish this were possible.)

However, the focus of this book is the Wiener Dog Art located in the middle of the book (centerfolds)? The first is "Cave Art" and features the Wooly Dachshund on the wall of a cave in Southern France. "The B_____ of Paradise" is created after the Rubens School and features four mighty hefty Dachshunds lolling in the fresh air.

A favorite is "Wiener Dog with Head Turned" by Pablo Picasso(?). The artist has disassembled the parts of the dog's head and reassembled them to present the look he seeks. Another favorite is "The Persistence of Wiener Dogs" by Salvador Dali(?), although the painting is signed Labrador Dali. You will recognize the painting by its draping dogs over bare tree limbs.

A final example is "The Whine" by Edvard Munch(?). You know the painting: a dachshund stands on a bridge with his paws to his head, screaming. Colors swirl around him. All sorts of meanings are attached to this painting.

The rest of the book contains more delightful Larsen cartoons as humor. This book is filled with humor, laughs, and hours of entertainment. Highly recommended.

Imagine, if you will, a book containing a selection of Far Side illustrations. Further imagine that the center portion of this book contains eight full color images of wiener dogs as various artists, such as Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, could have imagined them. If you can imagine a book such as this, you will have entered the wiener dog zone.

Gary Larson has always been one of the most imaginative cartoonists of any era. This collection contains more than 180 Gary Larson illustrations that, as with all Gary Larson collections, run from subtle puns to bizarre perspectives. How about Wharf Cows scampering the ropes that tie ships to docks? Or perhaps a scene from Giraffes IV, where they are out for more than acacia leaves?

If there is a drawback to this collection, it is that the two volume set "The Complete Far Side 1080 - 1994" is a more cost effective way to buy all of Gary Larson's cartoons. Unfortunately for me, I already have six or eight or perhaps more Gary Larson collections already. Maybe I'll just keep on buying them. I know I keep reading them. Enjoy!

I just got done with a job teaching students from the age of 6 thru 17 software at a camp. there at the camp there were many kids with autism and afterwards i wanted to learn more about the disorder so i picked up a copy of this book. And for my position of knowing nothing extensive about autism this book was great, it gave basic facts about the disorder along with ways people dealt with the disorder with in the family and outside the family with in a japanese context. This i enjoyed greatly but was left with out any deep understanding of the disorder.

Also the writing in the book is almost always flat and over simplified, i understand that this book is a Comic soap opera with many volumes but after a while this become tiring. Further more the translation is annoying, yes they try to keep the integrity of the originally text by not translating "San" and "sense", but these aren't hard translation compared to the rest of the text and with out changing them it feels stiff.

But over all i would recommend this to someone interesting in the disorder or how japanese handle a disorder. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone just looking for some japanese comics, they'd be pretty disappointed.

Autism is something that has recently been discovered and has yet to be fully understood. Why? Because it comes in many different forms and has often been mistaken for other things.
How do I know?
Like the young boy in this gripping, visually beautiful novel, I have autism as well. It called aspersers, and though my form is rather mild, I've it some road blocks like Sachiko and Hikaru have faced.
Maybe that's one of the reason I have enjoyed this manga so much. I enjoy sci-fi and magic mangas but this one is more inspirational because it confronts something that is popping up everywhere. It shows how working against all odds and trying your best during tough times is all the option. I'm anxious to see how Hikaru grows and changes throughout the rest of the series.

I read a lot of manga. Please understand that my review is that of a manga fan speaking to other manga fans. I didn't pick up this book looking for a book on autism, and you don't necessarily have to be interested in autism to read this book, because it's not really about autism, it's about the people that live with autism.

When I first saw this hugely thick book sitting on the shelf of my local Borders, smack dab in the middle of the manga section, I thought someone had misfiled it. I pulled it out, preparing to reshelve it, when I realized it was a manga! It took mere minutes before I was completely engrossed in Sachiko's plight. I'm so glad I took this book (and the second novel!) home with me. It is, hands-down, the best manga that I've ever read. For manga fans, I'll hit the main points:

The Story:
The storytelling is sweet, sensitive, compelling and funny, and more than once, I teared up in sympathy with the characters, gasped in shocked at something unexpected or got angry on their behalf. The writing is just plain GOOD, well-timed and close to real life with characters wandering in and out of each other's lives, just as real people do. The book is thick, and makes for pleasant reading. Tobe is brilliant at relating situations to things that everyone can understand, without really seeming like that's what she's doing. All in all, the writing and storyline are FANTASTIC.

The Art:
The artwork, I will say to manga fans in particular, is nothing special. Not bad, but also not exceptional, at least in terms of character design. It's easy to see that later (in book two) she sometimes struggles to differentiate her characters, especially the minor ones. However, Tobe is quite skilled at expression, gesture and action, and we all know that some managa artists with tremendous character design lack these important skills, so in my opinion, I'd take it over great character design. Besides, she manages just fine, and if you're confused on one page by who someone might be, it's cleared up in another page or two. Tobe is also highly skilled at drawing what I've come to think of as the "interludes", the small details in frames that you almost miss, but make the story just that little bit better.

The Translation:
Very well done. Unlike some poorly-done translations, the English in this manga was smooth and accurate with few to no (I didn't notice any) spelling or grammatical errors. They also use consistent Japanese honorifics, which is nice, especially if you're used to reading them.
If you're a manga fan, I doubt you'll need the glossary in the back explaining simple terms and common Japanese situations that you're probably already familiar with. However, it's great if you plan on recommending this book to people who don't read manga. After you read it, you'll probably want to recommend it to everyone, regardless of their like/dislike/indifference to manga.

Value:
I paid $15 for it at Borders (compared to Amazon's $10) and even then I say it was a GREAT value. You get about five times as much manga as the normal books, for roughly the same cost. I'm pleased with my purchase!

Being a geek I am very familiar with the manga/anime genre known as shoujo, meaning that it appeals to girls. A staple of this genre is large eyes, crying, and dramatic situations such as love triangles, first love, and high school. Being an adult, I find most shoujo manga to be incredibly self-centered and the dramatic situations not that big of a deal.

My point: With the Light is in the true spirit of the shoujo genre. It depicts the realistic struggle of Sachiko, a woman with a autistic son and details the difficulties of having to deal with her son's problem and personality quirks. Over time, you grow to know these characters and truly feel for them and their problems. You even cheer a little as Akira, Sachiko's son, learns to be close to his mother and starts to conquer his fears and problems.

I think the best part of this masterpiece of manga is that it does overdo it as some in the genre do. The characters do not go chibi. They do not use large sweat drops or red veins of anger. The cliches and staples of the genre are gone, leaving some pure and wonderful. Everything is subtle and quiet compared to other manga in the same genre. With the Light is possibly the best manga released so far in America and I look forward to the other issues.

Readability: A
Art: A This manga has a classic shoujo look reminescent of early manga.
Story: A You grow with the characters.
In short: A Buy it. Read it. Love it. Its also a great way to introduce people to manga and anime if they don't read it often.

"The day you were born...the morning sun was very beautiful." WITH THE LIGHT begins like a love letter from a mother to a child, and in a way, it is, although a fictional one. More than that, though, it is an in-depth analysis of a young mother discovering that her son, who came into the world at the first light of day, is different from the other children she knows. He doesn't talk. He cries often, and for hours on end. He doesn't like to be touched or held. He is difficult to understand and relate to.

Gently, and with the aching slowness of gradual realization, Sachiko comes to understand that her son, Hikaru, is autistic. With no understanding of the condition, she struggles to come to terms with what it means and what she can do about it, while her hard-working husband, Masato, pulls away and immerses himself in his career.

WITH THE LIGHT takes all of its principal characters on a long journey of self-discovery. Sachiko longs to understand the way her son's mind works.

The innocence and the tenderness of the scene in which Hikaru finally acknowledges his mother and, in his own fashion, expresses his love is heartbreaking. The ability of the book to convey the complexities of human emotions without getting sentimental or overwrought might be its most admirable quality. Author and illustrator Keiko Tobe at first treats her story almost with the allure of a mystery. Sachiko is driven and determined to unlock the secret behind her son's aloofness, while her husband and his family separate themselves, and even blame Sachiko.

All of which is not to say that WITH THE LIGHT doesn't have its tender moments. It does, but it earns each one of them without toying with the reader's emotions. When Masato struggles with his anger and stress of his son's autism and lashes out at his wife, it's not the cloying stereotype of an uncaring man with no time for his children. Instead, it's all too apparent that this is a man too young to be both an effective father and the star employee his bosses --- not to mention his family and society --- want him to be.

These two volumes run an expansive tale totaling over 1,000 pages, including resource material to help the reader along. A convenient guide to manga helps those who aren't familiar with its style (the book is read right to left; it's surprising how easy it is to adapt to it once you get started), and the editors of this English translation include brief descriptions of elements of Japanese and manga culture to avoid confusion and enhance the reader's understanding. Also included are supplementary materials on autism and translation notes.

WITH THE LIGHT is fascinating to watch unfold. Its broad scope spans years in the lives of this couple and their son, covering not only his development but the relationship he has with his sister, who comes into the family years after her brother. Teachers, doctors, friends and family all play a role, too --- sometimes in a negative, judgmental way, and sometimes with a heartwarming spirit of compassion --- as Sachiko and Masato learn to cope, live and move on. That's the brightness of these two graphic novels and the triumphant nature of its storytelling.

--- Reviewed by John Hogan