Comics Books

he loves this Hamtaro stuff :)

I was like 26 when I bought this book. I know it's for kids, but I love the Hamtaro cartoon and animation style so got it to get more into this and it worked perfectly. I enjoy the high quality illustrations and all the fun activities through out the book. If I was a kid I would have gone crazy about this one. It's as cool as the cartoons.

I REALLY like this book. It has to be still one of my favorite books. I got alot of hamtaro books and this has to be the best book of Hamtaro I own. The only thing is that I wish they could of included information about the Japanese verison but still a great buy!

And I just love all those colorful pictures!

I am a huge Hamtaro fan. I surf over the web and have lot's of information about the show. So I decided that I should try to start collecting the books a little while ago. One of my first ones was this book, but I didn't expect to learn more about the show with it. It surprised me a little bit. I found out a few more things with the book and learned alittle bit more about the Ham-Hams. I also really enjoyed the little comics in the back. It doesn't have much new things in it like Season 2 of the show or the guest Ham-Hams (Like Hannah in Season 2 in that one episode), but I enjoyed very much. It is a must have for Hamtaro fans.

For those who are fans of Hamtaro, you won't want to miss this book. This has information about all the major ham-hams --- pictures, age, gender, owner(s), star sign, hobbies and more. It also has human info and family trees. You'll also get an episode guide with varying detail, song notes and lyrics for the original opening theme (but not the new second season theme) and dance steps and lyrics for the closing theme. You'll even get to see what Penelope looks like without her yellow blanket on.

A nice bonus in this guide is an original story with the ham-hams sporting a 3D look called "Bijou's Lost Bracelet." There's also several short stories from Ritsuko Kawai (Hamtaro creator) about a group of ham-hams called the Helfpul Hamsters who are a lot like the characters from Hamtaro.

Unfortunately, it seems like Hamtaro has largely gone into hibernation lately. I hope that someday, though, they'll be able to release another book. With two seasons and a 104 episodes (and some specials) aired in the U.S. and Canada, there's a lot more episode and character info they still could cover, even if there never are anymore new episodes of the show.

This is the book where the fourth goddess, Peorth (First Class, Seconc Category), makes the scene. Unlike Urd and Skuld, Peorth bares no blood relation to Belldandy (to my knowledge).

Keichi is trying to call his sister and accidentily nails the "Earth Assistance Helpline", a goddess office in rivalry with the Goddess Technical Helpline. The stage is set. Let hilarity insue!

Peorth has come to grant Keichi's wish. The fact that three other Goddesses live with him makes her think that they must not be doing their job right (which in turn makes her act slightly cold to them, at first), espeically Belldandy.

Peorth will only grant Keichi's hearts desire... so his wish that she should go home is a bust. In fact, she is personally insulted and sets a bunch of thorny roses on him. (Owch).

Overall, the manga surprised me but in a pleasant sort of way. I expected Peorth, after watching the movie, to be serious and business-like. Instead, she is comic-lover, romantic, and somewhat paranoid... The object of her affections is... you guessed it... Keichi.

Translations:
somewhat paranoid: She is very, very paranoid.
romantic: humorlously perverted.
comic-lover: a bit obsessed.

Unlike some of the other volumes, this one is basically one long story. While attempting to make a phone call, Keiichi accidentally calls yet another goddess hotline, adding a fourth goddess to the mix. Peorth, the fourth goddess, is from a rival agency and therefore considers herself in competition with Belldandy and the others. She is determined to give Keiichi his heart's desire, while Keiichi is just as determined to make sure that she won't mess things up. Peorth has decided that the best way to help Keiichi out is to try to get him to have sex with her (it's not as raunchy as it sounds, since she never gets anywhere with him - she just spends a lot of time in skimpy clothes). This volume has to be one of the sweetest Oh My Goddess volumes I have read so far. I love the end of it, it's just excellent. If you've read this series before, and you really like the whole Keiichi/Belldandy almost relationship, you'll love this volume. If you haven't read this series before, it probably helps if you like comedy with a nice dose of romance. There are no character or story explanations, so you may be a bit in the dark, but it seems like it's usually not that hard to figure out what's going on in the Oh My Goddess volumes.

Peorth is my favorite character out of AMG/OMG, and this is the book where she appears! She is sexy, funny, dedicated, and clever. She gets under Keiichi's skin without meaning too, which is even funnier! And to find out what her grudge is really about...
Anyway, read this book! In fact, read the whole Oh! My Goddess! series if you haven't already! You won't regret it!

It is said that "every rose has its thorn," (source of quote uncertain), and Peorth is probably the best exemplar of that adage. She becomes a thorn in both Keiichi's and Belldandy's sides.

A mix of hilarity and romance, "The Fourth Goddess," is well worth the money.

Keiichi Morisato was trying to dial out for food one night, when he got the wrong number, and instead contacted the Goddess Relief Hotline. He jokingly wished that beautiful goddess Belldandy would be with him always.
As a consequence of that wish, he now lives with Belldandy, her half-demon older sister Urd, and her mechanically inclined and overprotective younger sister Skuld. He's coping. Sort of.
So what are the odds of someone making the same mistake twice? Whatever they are, Keiichi beats them when he manages to dial up Peorth, a beautiful goddess who happens to know what Keiichi's secret desires are, and wants to grant him his fantasy.
Peorth will stop at nothing to get Keiichi to admit his desire for intimacy. Showing up nude in the bath to scrub his back? Getting into his bed in black lingerie? Wrapping herself over him as a wake up call? Trying to get him to drown so she can perform mouth-to-mouth? She'll do it.
Things only get worse when Peorth meddles with Urd's love potions, accidentally creating one that makes ANY woman Keiichi looks at fall in love with him. And wouldn't you know it, his sister Megumi is visiting for the day!
Keiichi and Belldandy's love for each other is put through trial after trial, as Peorth attempts not only to seduce Keiichi, but to make Belldandy remember an insult she gave Peorth long ago.
This is romantic comedy at its best, with some of the most gorgeous art I've seen in a long time to help tell the story.

I highly recommend the Black Dog opera books. They're the perfect way to learn about an opera: They include cd's of the opera by outstanding singers, photos of performances, historical and critical commentary, a scene-by-scene summary of the plot, and the complete libretto in both English and the original language, so you can play around with the translation if you're interested. They can't be beat.

This is a wonderful study score to Rossini's wonderful masterpiece. The story of a Barber named Figaro, who is the person that everyone comes to seeking advice.
It's easy to read and the size is standard (9in x 12in). It lies easily on a music stand or desk. It's low price is great for the starving music student. I highly reccommend this for professionals and opera-goers alike.

Be aware that the book shown when you take a "Look Inside" is NOT the book you get. What they show is a bound copy of the musical score with the libretto added. What you get is the libretto described in the written review, no musical score. That having been said, the book you get is useful and of interest, and the CD is a great recording.

One of Rossini's best operas, the Barber of Seville, is immortalized here in another one of Dover's fine scores. From the fast-paced overture to the "Figaro" aria (both made famous in old Bugs Bunny cartoons), this opera is nonstop greatness.

As usual, Dover has provided us with a book of the highest quality: they sew their books instead of gluing them so as for them to stay bound and be flexible, and they print legibly. Unfortunately, legible print is becoming disappointingly rare in modern scores, but Dover is the exception.

For a great score of a great opera at a great price, you can't go wrong with Rossini's Barber of Seville.

This book and CD set are the perfect combination for those who are new to the world of opera and not fluent in foreign language. Better than just a synopsis, the libretto in English lets you read every word so you won't miss the humor or pathos. As a homeschooling mom, I really appreciated this set as a teaching tool. I hope to increase my collection of The Black Dog Opera Library series.

Mutts always gives me a great deal of pleasure. Its low-keyed comedy is a delight.

Mutts is a fun, innocent comic--very much like the pet version of Calvin and Hobbes. It's a comic for anyone with an Earl or Mooch in their lives!

McDonnell seems to be running out of ideas of late, but in "Mutts Five" he still had some dandies. An excellent counterpart to the previous four volumes.

Mr. McDonnell's Mutts is my favorite comic. In each edition McDonnell manages to preserve the freshness of this comic strip making it a joy to read over the past few years. It's funny, lively, witty and the characters get cuter and cuter. He carefully introduces new characters while reinventing the old ones. You will love this book.

Another wonderful book by Patrick McDonnell. The stories and art are fresh and funny, silly and poignant. I have all of the Mutts books and calendars (OK, where's the 2001 calendar??)and have the same reverence for the strip as I had for "Calvin and Hobbes" and "The Far Side". Somehow McDonnell manages to endow all of the characters with distinct "person"alities, without anthropomorphizing them. Looking forward to more Mutts, ASAP.

Andy Runton, Owly: Just a Little Blue (Top Shelf, 2005)

Owly and Wormy find themselves besieged by a pair of blue jays. In order to mollify them, Owly builds a nesting box, but they reject it in favor of the dead hollow tree they've been nesting in. All is well, if uneasy, until a big storm hits the valley, destroying the tree and causing one of the jays' babies to go missing. Once again, Andy Runton has done a fantastic job of conveying a world of feeling in very simple drawings; Owly is a great series for all ages and, as Runton says on his website, for people who think they don't like comics. If you haven't discovered Owly yet, it's definitely worth searching out. ****

There isn't much to be said that hasn't been said before. Owly offers a stimulating "read" for anybody interested in giving their cynicism the night off. Oh, and it's probably a good kids' title too. =)

So booklist says grades 3 to 5, and instincts say "for kids and maybe young girls" but I can't help but love Owly. I bought this book for both my daughter and wife and I swear I almost shed a tear while reading it.

Especially for kids, it teaches an important lesson about friendship and sacrifice, as Owly and his little companion give up something they love to try to help a little forest friend out. Even when rebuffed they still try to do the right thing and help. OF COURSE everything turns out well in the end and everyone learns a little lesson about how to be a good friend. And somehow it manages not to be too corny or silly.

This book is perfect for ANYONE with a heart and I'm sure Mr. Runton's next book will be just as beautiful. I plan on buying it the day it comes out!

We have the 1st 3 Owly books, and my 4 year old daughter loves to "read" it to her 2 year old sister, who asks for it every day and night. They even play Owly games at the playground. Very sweet.

...these books are incredible. I literally started crying.

Love these collections from penny arcade, if you like these you should also check out pvponline too!

This book was a Gift. The person that recieved it was very pleased with the Series.

The title is really all you need to know about this particular phase of the great history that narrates our heroes Gabe and Tycho. Do not underestimate their efforts contained within this tome, for your destruction will be sealed should you do so.

"Penny Arcade" is still one of the consistently best web-comics out there, and being able to browse through the older collections in printed form is great fun. The third year of the comic, chronicled herein, was great in both gaming news to satarize, but also in the quality of the comic. If you were looking to get someone turned on to the glory of Gabe and Tycho, this would be the collection to tempt them with.

Keep them coming. I need something to read while waiting for the Apple Geeks omnibus. Penny Arcade should get Hawk to do more of their coloring for their future covers.

When I learned a new PSOH series was being made, I was a little bit weary. The first series was excellent, and I was worried the new one would taint my love for the old. But still, I gave it a chance, and I'm very glad I did. The new series possesses the same dark fairytale charm of the old, only with improved art! There is one issue I had, and that is with the second story, where some guy is running D's shop while D's away in America. It never explains who this guy is, or why he doesn't question the fact that this woman is trying to "return" a child; it merely says he the "caretaker". Perhaps it'll explain in a later book.
In addition, I really enjoyed the side-story at the end where it takes a peek in on our dear friend Leon as he continues to hunt D.
All in all, this is an excellent series to pick up if you enjoyed the original. If you're new to the series, I'd recommend reading the original before moving to this one, as PSOH: Tokyo doesn't give much introduction to the characters, and it gives almost no backstory.

Even though I not finish the 1st series, but when I see this book published, I go and buy it right away. For a person has very limited to gender of book, this is the 1st manga that I enjoy to read and re-read after that without any bored. Each story teaches a different lesson of life and mixes with humor and action. This manga has contained everything that a person like me need. Like other says, try this manga and you will love it at the first sign, and never feel bored to re-read it again and again.

For those who have no clue, this is the sequel to PET SHOP OF HORRORS -- a ten volume anthology horror series often described as a cross between THE TWILIGHT ZONE and GREMLINS. It was Matsuri Akino's first manga out of her now eleven written, and it is still her most popular.

The original PET SHOP is my favorite manga series, and I strongly recommend reading it before this sequel. However, the new series seems designed so that a new reader can follow quite well, with the relevant back-story being revealed gradually in the manner of clues to a mystery. One can even read the three Tokyo stories ("Domestic", "Double-Booking", and "Dust") without entirely spoiling the first series, if one then wants to try it. Warning: This does not apply to the side story set in Berlin ("Door"), a previously unpublished story written shortly after the conclusion of the original PET SHOP and never published. It assumes knowledge of the first series and is spoilery.

So what is it actually about? Our protagonist "Count D" once ran a pet shop in LA Chinatown which claimed to sell "love and dreams". Of course, the first series was not called PET SHOP OF LOVE AND DREAMS for good reason, and the Pet Shop soon drew the attention of a suspicious LAPD detective, and eventually the FBI. To make a long story short, D eventually departed LA abruptly and under dramatic circumstances.

Now -- several years later -- this same Count D has just opened a new pet shop in "Neo-Chinatown", a Chinese-themed mall in the Tokyo red light district of Shinjuku. As in the first series, each individual story tells us of one of D's customers and his/her new pet. Meanwhile, D acquires a new ongoing nemesis/foil in building manager Woo-Fei Rau, the son and heir of the owner, a Shanghai business tycoon. The elegant Woo-Fei is the polar opposite of the Count's last antagonist, and in fact seems to have a lot in common with Count D himself . . . such as being wicked. Not that this helps them get along.

Compared to the first series, there are many differences, including more polished artwork. The look is less Gothic and more urban. The tales seem (so far) less gory and more sad. The most striking difference is that in the early volumes of the first series, the individual stories were the stars, the ongoing story developed gradually, and Akino didn't even make up her mind what city it was set in till late in the series. Here in PSOH:TOKYO the Shinjuku setting is being carefully established from the start, and while the individual stories are okay, the real fun is in the ongoing story arc, which starts being developed from the first page.

A friend informed me that there was a new series for Pet Shop out and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I loved the first series and anyone who buys the second series will love it too. If you haven't read the first series it's one you should buy.There are four stories Domestic,Double Booking,Dust and the side story Door. I was wondering if the Detective would catch up with Count D and it looks like he will/did. I say this because he's the caretaker in the story Double Booking! I wonder if the story of that encounter will make it into one of the upcoming books. Now if they'd only make another dvd series, I've always though that the stories on the dvd where only just a small glimpse into the world of Count D!

Absolutely Beautiful
I have already seen the manga in Japanese. A friend of mine had it. It is on the Shonen-Ai side. But the story is different from any other you have seen and it is beautifully drawn. I hope amazon could sell the art book of these series. A have seen de DVD also it have the 4 stories of the manga that are more on the horror side, but the manga have many more stories, some are romantic ,some are funny some are sweet , some are sad, you won't get bored. Now I'm buying it in English because I want to read the stories.

I've always bought comic books for the cover art. But with tens-of-thousands of comics out there, it was almost impossible to know which ones to search for. Of course, if I remembered a comic from when I was a kid that was a start, but what of the thousands I'd never seen? I was a blind collector. Gerber's books cover almost every comic book published till about 1965! 20,000+ photographs...fantastic! Even if I couldn't buy them all, I could at least see what was out there. The only weakness is that some later issues of the longer running titles are omitted. I would liked to have seen them all, but can understand the desire to wrap things up. For the price of one good 1950's era comic you can view just about ever cover published...a very good deal.

What a [great] set of volumes. I am a huge comic collector, owning every issue of Spider-Man ever printed, but I am also a great fan and collector of various other comics, and a comic-history buff. These books are a joy to just flip through, learning about Golden and Silver Age comics. The pictures are gorgeous, all in color on glossy paper. And there's 10's of thousands of them! Well worth the money and worth their weight in gold if you're a true comic fan and collector! Might be a bit much for just the casual comic enthusiast. These 2 books and the two volume Marvel set are the standard by which all other collecting resources should be held to!

What a [great] set of volumes. I am a huge comic collector, owning every issue of Spider-Man ever printed, but I am also a great fan and collector of various other comics, and a comic-history buff. These books are a joy to just flip through, learning about Golden and Silver Age comics. The pictures are gorgeous, all in color on glossy paper. And there's 10's of thousands of them! Well worth the money and worth their weight in gold if you're a true comic fan and collector! Might be a bit much for just the casual comic enthusiast. These 2 books and the two volume Marvel set are the standard by which all other collecting resources should be held to!

What can you say about two books that have 21700 comic book covers beautifully printed on gloss paper? WOW! for a start. No one is going to better Ernst and Mary Gerber's five-year labor of love to complete this project. If you collect comics from 1935 thru 1965 you need these. I don't collect them but as a publication designer I have an interest in the visual aspects of popular culture so I got a set...despite the price!

Open either book anywhere and start looking and it soon becomes apparent that this is a very comprehensive collection, I kept coming across comics that ran for a few issues, sometimes only one issue. Each cover has up to twenty-five pieces of information, essential for collectors. Many show a cover of the only copy known to exist. The first sixteen pages of each book has text about collecting comics and their values. I liked the page in book two that is devoted to ads that appeared on the back covers, strangely some collectors only go for these, if you do, go for a copy of 'Hey Skinny!' by Mike Beller and Jerry Leibowitz, surely the only book about the subject.

Author Gerber says on the jacket flap...''if you spend one minute examining each picture, eight hours per day, five days a week, it would require an astounding NINE weeks to complete the job.'' Nine weeks later have a rest and then go and buy the two volume 'Photo-Journal Guide to Marvel Comics' and start to look at a further 7700 covers!

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

I was amazed at the scope of this book, every cover from 1935-1965, and the labor that must have gone into compiling and producing it. Its extremely well photographed, carefully indexed, and the quality of paper and binding is excellent. For serious comic book collectors, it's worth every penny. A lifetime book.

This next installment in Toshihiro Ono's shonen(boys) Pokemon manga series is called 'Pikachu Shocks Back'. It's aimed more at older kids and teenagers, and the artwork is drawn very well. There are four stories here:
(1)The Human Race and the Pokemon Race: Ash decides to travel along with Brock, and he meets up with Misty(again) and her three beautiful sisters at the Fuschia Festival. After causing a Tauros to get angry, Misty and Ash end up being saved by a girl named Lara, who's arm is broken thanks to an accident she had while riding her Ponyta. Ash decides to help her out by racing in the Free-For-All with her Ponyta. Unfortunately for Ash, a racer that likes to cheat has other plans for the boy with the red cap.
(2)To Evolve or not to Evolve That is the Question: Misty joins up with Ash and Brock as they head to Stone Town, the place where Evolution Stones cmoe from. Misty meets up with a timid boy named Mikey, and finds out he's apart of some underground society that likes to evolve their Pokemon. The problem is, Mikey doesn't want to evolve his Eevee. And that doesn't exactly make his three brothers happy with him. Misty also begins to question whether she has a 'weakness for younger men'.
(3)Pikachu's Excellent Adventure: Pikachu gets seperated from Ash, and tries to find his way back to his trainer. The electric mouse joins up with Squirtle and some other Pokemon on a journey to find a Poke-Paradise that's supposedly guarded by some godess. On their travels, they meet up with a trio of shady fellows that call themselves 'Team Rocket'.
(4)You Gotta Have Friends: Ash begins to wonder if Pikachu is drifting away from him as he stumbles upon a Pikachu colony.

The artwork is way more realistic than the art in the other Pokemon mangas, and I thought it was kinda cool. Even though this series was aimed at teenagers, Viz decided to edit alot of the scenes to make it appropriate for the kiddies, making the women and the girls less 'endowed', and they now wear FAR more clothes than they originally did. This was good and bad at the same time, because they sorta went overboard with the editing; Misty and some of the other girls are like walls now, if you know what I mean! But still, this is a great book if you're a Pokemon fan, or a shonen manga fan. It's got lots of action, funny and likable characters, and some great artwork.

the comic at the very beginning was the cutest and the first story, the human race and the pokemon race. looked amazing althou ponyta looked more stronger and less graceful. the second story, to evolve or not to evolve (i'm sure you all know what this is about) has the best pictures and is soooo cute. Pikachus adventure, is a new story that is wonderful and a nice touch. the the last one you gotta have friends... was touching and confirmed pikachu is a guy!!

You have to try this awesome comic!If you've seen the episodes, and you son't want to read them all over again, donn't worry, it has humor, action, and things that weren't shown in the show.Every comic is extra long and you get 4 for a real low price!You don't even have to like pokémon, and the pictures are creative and wonderful.And I wouldn't put it past Brock to not to say anything funny in the story.This Pokémon Comic Colection is a must-buy!!!

I loved this book. It was great and I would recomend it to all the pokemon fans out there. Even people who are not particularly fond of pokemon can enjoy this book.

This book was great.I really enjoyed it.It has some different pokemon adventures in it, like the one about mikey and his eevee.That one was very funny. I have read this book alot of times and I still do.What it means by "graphic novel" is that it is just like a comic book, so that I could read it at school and the teachers didn't know.Hehehe :).But anyway, if you liked the pokemon T.V. series,(I think this is a lot better ), you should definatly consider this.I'm still going back and reading it!

Another excellent compendium of early Americana and social history as illustrated in the E. C. Segar Thimble Theatre comic pages. Nothing sanitised or homogenised about this. A must for the Popeye enthusiast. A delight on any coffee table or bedside stand.

I am a danish cartoonist/illustrator, and my style is on the funny side.
When I was a kid in the 50's I came to know some of the original Segar strips from some books an aunt of mine had in her shelf. That I never forgot. I have often returned to Popeye, and have exposed my son to him as well. When he was about 5 years old, he was a huge fan of the old black and white animated movies, and I had to paint an anchor on his arms every morning before he went to kindergarden. I gave him a small corn pipe as well, and he went around like Popeye in the movies, with his arms out to the side. And on day his teacher came and said: "I think he has a problem with his eyes, maybe you should take him to a doctor." But I could tell her, that it was just because he was playing Popeye, walking around with his right eye closed.
After my childhood came many frustrating years, where the only Popeye cartoons were the ones Segars successors made, and they were just a faint copy of the masters work. It was a seldom thing to fall over one of Segars original works.
So how can I describe how happy I was when Fantagraphics began this project. I bought the first volume, and could hardly wait for the next. I will follow this project to the very end.
I have noticed that the drawing style has rubbed off on my own style in the later years, and I love the humor.
Segar's original Popeye cartoons are a milestone in comic book history!!!

For someone raised on early 20th century comics, the series this book is volume 2 in is a real treasure. Elzie Chris Segar was a comic genius on a par with Carl Barks, Mort Walker, and Charles Schultz. His original newspaper Popeye comics are some of the greatest created. Stories are original and ludicrously inventive and the humor is top of the line. It's not for everyone, but connoisseurs of really great comics will have to have this.

E. C. Segar was a comic genius, but just how great a genius becomes clear as you read his Popeye stories in this beautifully reproduced new series from Fantagraphics. Popeye himself is one of the most fascinating and complex characters in American fiction, a tender-hearted ruffian who clobbers not just big thugs but also puny bystanders, and yet somehow never seems the least bit like a bully. Popeye was still taking shape in Popeye Vol. 1: "I Yam What I Yam" (Popeye), but he's completely present in the new book, and now it's the turn of supporting characters like Roughhouse and Wimpy--Segar's second-greatest comic creation--to emerge before our eyes. I hope these wonderful books are getting the support they deserve. Their only drawback is that it's a year between volumes.

Volume one featured the world's first introduction to Popeye. In this volume the character of Popeye continues to take shape. As the book progresses Castor Oyl slowly fades from the scene until Popeye and Olive are left standing as the undisputed centerpieces of Elzie Segar's Thimble Theater. Popeye's physical appearance improves significantly bringing him much closer to his traditional look particularly in his chin which looked kind of droopy in the first volume.

You can sense a bit of a moral dilemma on the part of Segar. On the one hand the humor of Popeye revolves around his violent nature and inhuman ability to take and deliver punishment. On the other hand Segar clearly wants to make Popeye a likable even admirable character. His solution seemed to be to always add at least a hint of obnoxiousness to everyone he punches so that one can make an argument that the recipient of Popeye's punishment had it coming to them. Although this means that Popeye's neighborhood (never referred to as Sweethaven as far as I've seen) is packed with men itching for a fight. Every once in awhile Popeye socks someone for no good reason like an American Indian who Popeye assumes might try and scalp him. In this case Olive Oyl acts as the voice of reason telling Popeye it's wrong to abuse American Indians. This also seems to be a way for Segar to let people know that he is aware that some of Popeye's actions are morally dubious. In this volume Popeye becomes an almost Mother Theresa type humanitarian, opening up a one-way bank using a $25,000 the reward he received. He ends up giving out money to the poor until he's left with nothing for himself. This seems to be a continuing theme with him repeatedly using money he earns to help out the poor. Popeye has also become a hero and protector of children and in one comic Popeye tries to help a small boy learn to fight. He does this by punching out random men walking down the street.

Volume 2 features some famous firsts. The first appearances of Wimpy and Roughhouse and the first time Popeye is shown powering up with spinach. It's difficult for me to express how much I loved these comics. Elzie Segar's Popeye is a surprisingly multidimensional character compared to his later incarnations. At one point, after a particularly harsh verbal barrage from Olive, Popeye slaps her to the ground. It's a shocking moment even more so because earlier in the book Popeye had financially assisted a woman who had been battered by her husband. When Olive scolds him for the slap Popeye replies, `I yam what I yam' but in that instant with his head held low he might as well have said, `I can't help what I yam'. Quite a difference from the cardboard hero he became as the years went by. Where else would you find a cartoon character wrestle with his own penchant for violence or later express such honest and heartfelt love for a girl?

Volume one was five star material but volume two is even better. I never would have expected a comic over seventy five years old to be this edgy and legitimately funny. It's also amazing how much Elzie Segar's drawings improve over a very short period of time. There is one strip in particular that had me laughing hard. Popeye has gotten himself involved in a war and, in one of his last appearances; Castor Oyl tells Popeye that King Blozo wants to see him immediately. Suddenly a cannonball flies up and smacks Popeye in the rear sending him sailing like a rag doll through the air, through a pole, through the castle wall landing him at the king's feet. Castor says something like, "It wasn't THAT urgent". The visual of Popeye sailing through the air is absolutely hilarious and the punch line was perfect

If you're reading this review you're likely debating whether you should get this book and if you're debating let me assure you, you should. The only downside is we have to wait until fall 2008 to get the next volume.