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I find that the manga of this series is a lot more entertaining and a lot more interesting than the infamous anime. The first volume is actually cool because Utena hasn't come to the academy yet; she and a friend of hers figure out clues she's been sent over the years to find that her 'prince' is at the academy. You find out that she has an aunt she's been living with up to then and that she's not a complete orphan. Then of course she goes to the academy and is thrust into this very strange and seperate world of duelings and winning the Rose Bride as a prize as a step towards "revolutionizing the world." The drawing can be a little wierd, people's faces for exampe are very long and even the women can look a little "mannish." Utena and Anthy as prince and rose bride have a very cute relationship together and along with Chu-chu Anthy's best friend and pet monkey it's all very adorable. As I said though, I like this manga mostly because I can actually make some sense out of it and the mysterious plot lines, unlike the anime which had me banging my head on the wall.

Going on fromwhere the 2nd book leaves us off on:
IS TOUGA UTENA'S PRINCE?!!!
I'll give you guys just one little spoiler...he's not.
n this volume it basically talks about the Rose Bride and Utena's determination to go through any kind of challenge to see her prince. Deception and Manipulation. The question in this book is who's telling the truth. Most importantly, is Utena so desperate to find her prince that she'll belive just about anybody? We also find out more about Anthy and her brother. Including more in depth detail about World's End. Why the Dios has the power to revolutionize the world. And the most impotant part... Iwillnotspoilthestory Iwillnotspoilthestory..... OK I won't give you a spoiler but it deals about Anthy and her heart "belonging to no one."
AND WHO COULD FORGET THE COMIC RELIEF OF CHU CHU IN THE END?! ( Chu ) All in all this manga is just awsome.The artwork has gotten better and I rccommend it to all shojo or just any manga fan. GO AND BUY IT NOW!

This is a series like no other. Deeply symbolic, nearly every person, object, and incident means something else on a higher level in addition to the face value. The characters are not just human--they *represent* humanity, both good and bad. They highlight our weaknesses and emphasize our strengths. In this world, power means everything and concepts such as friendship, devotion, and love mean almost nothing. In the pursuit of power and prestige, families and friends are sacrificed for desires. And the life and happiness of one girl are bound to the power to change the world.

This is a controversial series dealing with life, death, change, love, betrayal, belief, truth, and more material concepts such as sex, attraction, and adventure. It messes with your reality, rights it, then scrambles it up again.

For those prudes and parents out there, be forewarned--this does contain incest (love between brother and sister), rape (can you call it that?--Anthy doesn't fight when it happens to her), and lesbianism. That's not to say that it is a bad series--just be warned that their are some controversial themes recurring in the story.

Read this manga or watch the TV show or watch the movie--you will never look at anime or manga the same way again!

I have seen the series in its entirety, and the movie, and I have seen the Japanese manga. Finally READING the manga is a treat.

Having seen the series and movie (I'm praying that they translate the movie manga!), I was prepared for the extremely controversial themes that make this a milestone in the history of anime and manga. There is incest, which is where a brother and sister are a little bit closer than need be; rape (I call it that since Anthy just accepts it as a part of her duties as the Rose Bride ;she's not unwilling, and she's not willing--she's just there)and lesbianism (those of you who have seen the movie know what I am talking about). Death is abstract here; I can't tell you anything more without spoiling some major details of the story. Reality is twisted, as evidenced by the Castle of Eternity, which floats upside down in the air above the dueling arena. Love and friendship come up very rarely, and usually only when dealing with Utena. Power is the ultimate prize--indeed, a girl's life has been sacrificed for the pursuit of power.

The characters play upon each other's emotions, hopes, dreams, insecurities, and fears. Utena fights to protect Anthy, but wavers when Touga implies that he may mean more to her than she thinks. Miki's insecurities and fear drive him to challenge Utena, while Juri's jealousy and hatred are what cause her to raise her sword. Saionji is obsessed, and in his slight insanity, loses reason.

You need to read this series, if only to see what everyone is talking about.

The 3rd volume of the RGU series has turned out to be the best thusfar... For those of you who were disappointed by the 2nd volume, be prepared for the trip of your life with this one. It. Is. Fantastic. You'll read it more than once, I can guarantee it.

The plot flushes away its fluffy-sweet, gaggingly-predictable overtones to reveal an underlying storyline that gets more dark, horrific, and complex with each passing page (while still keeping an innocent PG rating! Now that's talent!) You learn more about all of the character relationships (and I'm happy to say that Juri is less of a joykill in this one) including the practically unmentioned one between Anthy and her older brother, Akio (who you can't help but love.) Our favorite little Dios boy in the sky also makes a guest appearance, which always calls for extra brownie points, though most readers will get mixed signals about Touga and what his motives really are (I'm trying to avoid spoilers. Can you tell?) The whole story becomes an enigma!

Prepare to be drowned in symbolism and rich imagery--and watch out for that killer cliffhanger at the end. It'll leave you BEGGING for the release of the 4th volume! The artist, Ms. Saito's drawing technique has also changed vastly AND apparently...the images have improved so much that you'll feel HONORED to own a piece of her work! You'll definitely start to appreciate how truly talented and professional she is. Even if you've already seen the series and know the ending (which is going to be interestingly warped by the 5th volume anyway) you'll still get a kick out of this book and the memorable circumstance between Wakaba and Utena as it was meant to be. And, of course, there's a funny little bit about Chuchu at the end and character profiles (of Miki, Juri, and the members of Be-papas) scattered throughout the book.

It's a great buy. No regrets at all. Just mix the right amount of fantasy, romance, slapstick comedy, mystery, and plain old talent, and you'll get the miracle that is RGU 3: To Sprout. :D It's so cool. Really, it is.

This book is a wonderfully drawn and written manga(comic) by Naoko Takeuchi. Sailor Moon really shows how much she has matured over the time. It shows you death really is a part of a fight. Love and action is all thourghout this book making you sometimes very sad. If you like the Japanese anime (cartoon) version you'll love this book. I recommend you buy the books in order though.

I thought this was a good book. The writer is a faboulus story writer. I liked the first and second one more than this one though.

This particular story (they don't seem like comics to me) is very emotinal, and (yes!) it has Sailor Saturn in it! Although a little confusing, this story is very exciting, touching, sad, and, as always, there shines a ray of hope for Sailor Moon to save the world! Read it!

the main stories a bit short and theres a "minimoon" bouns tale and the books seem to be geting smaller but maybe thays just me

This is the book where they fight Mistress 9. I have also seen the anime version of it, and I liked the part where Sailor Saturn appears better in the manga. It was longer, in the anime she was just there for about a minute. However, I liked the part where they were fighting Mistress 9 better in the anime because it's not as confusing. The manga is different than the anime because in the anime Mistress 9 looks like Hotaru with longer hair but in the manga it destroys the body so the Sailor Soldiers are fighting a monster instead of Hotaru. All of the Sailor Soldiers are in this - Usagi/Sailor Moon, Minako/Sailor Venus, Ami/Sailor Mercury, Rei/Sailor Mars, Makoto/Sailor Jupiter, Haruka/Sailor Uranus, Michiru/Sailor Neptune, Setsuna/Sailor Pluto, Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask, Chibi-Usa/Sailor Chibi Moon, and Hotaru/Sailor Saturn. (But the English names are used for the Inner Senshi and Chibi-Usa and Mamoru.)
Everything I just wrote probably doesn't make sense if you haven't read the book or watched the anime, so now I'll explain it. Usagi is Sailor Moon, the Princess of the Moon, and the leader of the Sailor Senshi. Minako, Ami, Rei, and Makoto are the Inner Senshi, and they are also from the moon. Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask, Usagi's boyfriend in her past life on the moon. Chibi-Usa is Usagi and Mamoru's daughter from the future. Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru are the Outer Senshi. Setsuna/Sailor Pluto was originally supposed to guard the door to the future and Haruka/Uranus and Michiru/Neptune had similar jobs. Hotaru/Saturn is supposed to end the world when she awakens in this book. All of this will make sense if you read the entire series in order. Also there are three talking cats, Luna, Artemis, and Diana. Luna lives with Usagi and Artemis lives with Minako. Diana is Chibi-Usa's kitten from the future and the daughter of Luna and Artemis.
Anyway, in the third part of the Sailor Moon series, their enemies are the Death Busters, Eudial, Mimete, Tellu, Viluy, Sipren, and Professor Tomoe. Hotaru is Proffesor Tomoe's daughter. Their family was caught in a fire when Hotaru was younger and her mother died. Professor Tomoe turned her body into a machine and put an egg in her body so she would become Mistress 9. Now the Sailor Senshi have defeated Eudial, Mimete, Tellu, Viluy, Sipren, and Kaori Knight, Proffesor Tomoe's helper. But then, in the last book, Hotaru took Chibi-Usa's soul (Heart Crystal in the anime) and used it to become Mistress 9. Now in the start of this book she also killed Minako, Ami, Rei, and Makoto (but somehow they came back to life - I don't remember how.) Hotaru is trying to get rid of Mistress 9 and save Chibi-Usa and stop Mistress 9 from destroying her body. Eventually Hotaru escapes with Chibi-Usa's soul and brings her back to life. Meanwhile, Mistress 9 ripped apart Hotaru's body and the Sailor Senshi are fighting with him.
In the end there are facts about all the Sailor Senshi, even Hotaru. There is one more book after this, #11, then SuperS 1-4 and StarS 1-3. There are also five seasons of the anime - Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S, Sailor Moon SuperS, and Sailor Moon Stars. But the American version is bad - they made it for children, took out episodes, and gave Ami, Luna, Makoto, and Usagi annoying voices. However, you can buy DVD sets in Japanese with English subtitles to see the real Sailor Moon. This is also the only way to see Stars. I haven't seen it yet (actually all I've seen is Season 1, and I haven't watched all of it yet, but I have seen the American version - about half of season one, a few episodes of season two, most of season three, and part of season four. Season One in Japanese is a lot better than in English.) I'm not sure if Stars has the English subtitles or not since I haven't seen it, but I think it does.
Also there are guides to 5 of the characters, fashion dolls, 8 novels, and 18 manga books like this one.

What a wonderful piece of work! Very reminiscent of Walt Kelly's Pogo. Thought provoking yet,warm, sensitive and charming. It is topical in looking a society - the society of children in school. Pogo was more into politics. This is more into life. Look at what you really have and live it to the fullest. I have to restrain myself and ration it a few pages at a time. I do not want this dream to end!! Thanks Jeff.

Once again, Jef Mallett is proving himself to be the best cartoonist drawing these days. I read him on-line on a daily basis, but reading the cartoons sequentially instead of waiting 24 hours between each one (as they were written), gives the stories continuity.
This is an intelligent cartoon strip with sophisticated yet endearing characters. It is both a statement of the shortcomings of education as well as a hope for its future. And its comments on physical fitness are both poignant and humorous.
Buy this book. Keep Jef Mallett in the cartoon business.

Larry Bush

There is no doubt in my mind that Jef Mallett is the finest cartoonist working in the United States today. When the newspaper comes in the morning, before I get my coffee, before I pet the cat, before I do anything else, I read Frazz.

Then, no matter how things go wrong the rest of the day, I have at least started the day with a smile.

Not only is each strip a well-written, clever (and often startlingly ingenious) bit of good, clean fun, Mallett can draw. As other strips tend towards infantile cartooning, Frazz harkens back to an age when the great cartoonists were also superb artists.

Trust me, if you start reading Frazz, you will be hooked.
-Bill McGann, Author of The Story of the Tour de France

I've read Frazz before on the comics dot com website, and it's always been very clever and funny. Jef Mallet does a nice job of creating subtle jokes that are definitely upscale and require some thinking as well. This is actually great brainfood.

Imagine a middle-aged mom wrestling with her two grown sons - over a comic book! I bought the two "Frazz" collections for my husband for Christmas, and had to commandeer them away from our 17- and 20-year-olds so I could wrap them.
Mallett's strip offers "be-a-kid-again" fun; the lovable characters and their escapades are spot-on every time. He also presents valuable attitude checks with a light touch. Our paper does not carry the "Frazz" strip, so finding the books amounted to discovering buried treasure. We all loved every page.

Another wonderful work by Al Seckel and an appropriate companion to his other gem "Master's of Detection".See my review of it dated Dec 1,2004.
This is a fine collection of 144 intriguing illusions.There are examples of a lot of different forms of illusions.I say a lot because there is one form which I like which is not included. That being "trompe-l'oeil" which is French for still-life deception,illusion,sham or camouflage.A well known artist who excels at it is Bev Doolittle.
Al has included many of the classic illusions,of which 105 is an example from the puzzle master Sam Loyd,and crops up in many books.No.5 is really good being a combination of a photograph of a man holding an "impossible figure".Nos.10 & 104 are similar,but 10 jumps out at me while 104 is something else!No.26 and 139 would have to be called "real illusions".No.139 reminds me of an experience I had on the Marsh Boardwalk at Point Pelee National Park during spring bird migration.An American Bittern,which stands about 20 inches tall, was standing in the reeds about 30 feet from me in a similar pose;except the bill was pointed straight up.The bird held itself completely motionless while I pointed it out to quite a few people over a period of a half hour or so.Some had great dificulty in picking it out,even with binoculars.What a thrill it was for them when they finally "found it".
A few are ageless ones namely,14(which reminds me of another of a girl in a mirror),77,95,147 and 144 ;but always good to see again.No. 119 is a switch where you get to make and solve your own illusion or puzzle.
Kudos to Jerry,see review of Oct 23,2000,who states:

"The mind is blind to what the eye can't see".Well said!

Anyway, a great treatment of illusions and sure to catch the interest of young and not so young,and all in between.







'

I got my book today and I'm so happy to have bought it.
You will smile and get amazed with such incredible pictures
and effects.

I agree with other people that the explanations about each effect are minimum. I'd like little more about the theory
behind each one, but it doesn't matter, you and your family
will spend great moments with this book. I definetly
recommend it to everyone :-)

Nicely done. I am happy with the purchase. However, I expected more elaboration on theory behind the ilusions.

The award for "Best Book for Young Adults" was an understatement. My boys could not put it down! And their friends come over and get totally absorbed in it too! I watched all of them crowd around this book and discuss each image endlessly. Finally, something tore them away from playstation! Thank you Al!

YALSA announces Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Washington, D.C.) -- The Young Adult Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced its 2001 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. The list was released during the ALA Midwinter Meeting held January 12 - 17, 2001, in Washington, D.C.

Compiled by an 11-member committee, the 79 nominated titles on the list were published from late 1999 through 2000 and represent more than 40 different publisher imprints. The list is composed of 35 fiction and 44 non-fiction titles. The committee annually selects for the Quick Picks list, outstanding titles that will appeal to reluctant teen readers, aged 12 - 18 years old. Reluctant readers are considered those teenagers who, for whatever reason, choose not to read. Teen input is a vital aspect in the final decisions of the committee. The visual appearance of a book and the standard considerations in the quality of content also are equally important when selecting books.

The list is not intended for teenagers with reading disabilities, though someof the selected titles may be appropriate for those teens.

The winner of the first prize went to the following title:

1. "The Art of Optical Illusions," Carlton Books, 2000 by Al Seckel

This volume of Blade of the Immortal was great! While it might be confusing the first read, the story of Makie and Anotsu was extremely engaging while tying in Rin and Manji to the story.

I think that I would find myself going on and on about how wonderful everything Hiroaki Samura creates is, so I'll spare this audience the rambling. To put my opinions into one sentence, let me state this: If you love quality and can handle some harsher storytelling, buy Blade of the Immortal books!

If you are shopping for this volume of Blade, you are probably familiar with the story, characters, setting, and overall goodness of everything Of The Immortal. This has been my favorite so far. The story finally picks up some pacing, while slowing down in other respects. I enjoyed the tortured prostitute character, and Manji again comes across both moral choices and personal obligations, and sometimes what you want isn't what you need, or neccissarily get.

Very well worth your time. Buy all of it ASAP.

community-help@amazon.com.

I stumbled onto "Blade of the Immortal" translations in comic book format. Attracted by the art, and the unusally deep dialogue between the opponents (as dramatic as Kazou Kioke's "Lone Wolf and Cub", but much more up-to-date in sensibility and subject matter) I immediately began looking for back issues, which was difficult. Many retailers don't seem to order many issues of this book. Fortunately the trade paperbacks started coming out soon after.

"Blade of the Immortal" starts off as a fairly typical samurai revenge story, with some unusual horror movie twists. We meet Manji, a guilt-ridden outlaw and expert swordsman, who is cursed with an odd form of immortality. No matter how grievously he is injured, he cannot die. Manji makes a deal with a magical buddhist nun. He will gain the release of death, if he slays 1000 evil men. Soon we meet Rin, a young girl, the daughter of a swordsmanship teacher who witnessed the horrific murder of her parents at the hands of the Itto-Ryu, a renegade sword school. Tortured by nightmares, she seeks revenge, but realizing she has no hope of surviving a direct confrontation with even one Itto-Ryu swordsman, she convinces Manji to serve as her bodyguard and stand in. Taking up Rin's quest seems a perfect confluence of both of their desires: her need to put her parents memory to rest, his to earn his redemption.

The stories take you through dramatic encounters with various members of the sword school. All are dangerous swordsmen with unique styles of combat. Some are quite literally monsters. Each has a unique story, an unique reason for having become a renegade, and this becomes the source of much thought provoking drama before, during and after the battles. All are memorable characters, in particular Shimuzu (Book Two: "Cry of the Worm"), a fellow immortal and Maki, a swordswoman forced into prostitution who fights like the wind (Book 3: "Dreamsong").

Harioki Samura has great timing, the panel layouts make the fight scenes breathtaking and exciting. Also wonderful is the developing relationship between Manji and Rin, a kind of older brother, little sister dynamic that lends the book much humor and necessary warmth (given the bloodiness of the battles).

Beginning with "Rins Bane" (Book 4) Rin's internal debate about the morality and human costs of her quest, takes center stage, and make this one of the deepest and most interesting books to cross the Pacific in years. There's still plenty of action, and the relationship between Rin and Manji continues to deepen, but it's the debates about the sanity of the bushido code, about memory, about filial duty, and hints of political intrigue to come, that make this book an thought provoking and engrossing read.

If you have any taste for the high drama and action, as well as the deeper issues running through comic books like "the Authority", you have to give "Blade" a try. This is the best dramatic manga translation I've read, and it compares favorably with "Lone Wolf & Cub" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion". I really don't think you will be disappointed.

I love this series! I anxiously await ever collection. Dreamsong is one of my favorites volumes. The story seems to depart a little from Rin & Manji to focus on Makie. Makie is quite possibly the finest combatant among the vast array of fighters in 'Immortal'. It's great to find out a woman character could quite easily take out all these posturing, big-headed male characters (Manji included). She's ultra-cool and a nice counterpart to the female character of Rin.
The artwork and pace of storytelling is what initially drew me to this series. It's samurai western at it's finest. Some of the kills i find kind of stoopid - Manji carves up an opponent's head with the stroke-shapes of a swastika (volume 1), but overall, this stuff is high intensity action. My highest praise. Definitely buy these books. It's best to start at the beginning to keep track of every character and event. awesome.....

Volume three in the 'Blade of the Immortal' series is unusual on several accounts. While most of the series focuses entirely on the adventures of Rin and Manji, her immortal bodyguard, 'Dreamsong' shifts the focus onto several of their opponents. Especially Makie Otono-Tachibana, a brilliant geisha, the mistress of Kagehisa Anotsu, and possibly, Japan's greatest master of the sword. As part of this, we will also lean further into the personality of Kagehisa himself, the leader of the weaponry school that killed Rin's parents.

Manji, perhaps frustrated by traveling with a beautiful young woman, allows himself to be picked up by a street prostitute and suddenly finds himself confronted with a deadly swordswoman. It is Makie, send by Anotsu to stop the immortal swordsman. Unexpectedly, Makie seems unable to make a fatal strike. Manji, disgusted leaves her alive and defeated, even though he knows there will be a rematch.

The story of why Makie failed that attempt is a complex weaving of her own life as a child, growing up to become a prostitute and then a geisha, and her experiences with Kagehisa Anotsu, whom she has known from childhood. Makie, daughter of a swordswoman, and the cause of her brother's death, is torn between her talents and her dreams. Anotsu owes her his life, but has taken control of hers in a twisted form of repayment. Making a graceful singer and poet into a killer.

Of course, Makie's struggle reflects that of Rin, who has sworn to revenge her parents. Young Rin, no match for Makie's beauty or sword skills is jealous, but in the end, it is her own inner struggle with fate that brings home the truth to Makie. For all the violence that is part of this tale, Hiroaki Samura gives is a grace of word and imagery that recall some of the greatest of Japanese writing. If you read no other in this series, read 'Dreamsong.'

Dave Sim is among the most talented line artists of the last thirty years. His incredible depictions of people and even the cartoonish main character are truly high art. Cerebus book one is rough in the beginning, as many comics of this nature are. As the book progresses however, the quality of his work improves with his devotion to his character. The first stories in this chapter are mostly non-linier yet continue into a wonderfully crafted world and a very intricate story. It begins with the story of the earth-pig born, Cerebus, and a wizard's tower in a true Conan style. He continues along his adventures undertaking many jobs, such as mercenary, thief, body guard, warlord, would be messiah and many more. Along the way he makes many acquaintances, some of whom are parodies of well known comic book characters, actors, comedians, writers, artists and musicians. You begin to glimpse the surface of what makes this aardvark who he is. The first several books have an emphasis on comedy while the latter books while still comedic, have a far more dramatic element instilled in them. The recurrent characters and overall theme remains enigmatic until the later chapters, but that does not detract from the base enjoyment that I received upon reading this wonderful story the first time. It remains a prized center piece of my personal collection.

I did not purchase this book from Amazon, but highly recommend anyone to do so. This book and High Society are good enough to stand on their own, although the two volume Church and State are by far among the best in the graphic novel history. Amazingly detailed work on land and cityscapes and a continuing refinement of Sims craft is what you can expect as you delve further into his imaginative world. The series is astounding although quite long, perhaps too long for some and I only recommend that it be collected in it's entirety by true graphic novel enthusiasts. I began collecting the series thirteen years ago and finished only last year. This however does not compare to the incredible amount of work that he and his compatriot Gerhard poured into this modern epic. Some may find it a bit boring and overly worded in later volumes, yet the beginning of the collection is fast paced and truly entertaining. You would be doing yourself a favor with this work.

The introduction to an epic. Dave Sim's Cerebus is a black and white, independent, immense comic. At the start, it is just amusing, as Cerebus is an Aardvark, and his barbarian-warrior-swordsman tag line is 'The Earth Pig Born'.

These are the early stories that will later grow an indescribable masterpiece. Cerebus remains one of my favorite reads of all time, and its great to see the "diamonds in the rough" in these tales. This volume collects issues 1 - 25 and introduces most of the more amusing characters such as Lord Julius, Red Sophia, and Bran Mak Muffin. It's worth the buy just to see how long Cerebus' nose was in the beginning...

I am not much of a comic / graphic novel reader, nor have i ever been, but i must say that the Cerebus series is one of the finest stories i've ever read in any medium.

This first volume is Dave still finding his true voice, and is more goofy than satirical and incisive, but if you're going to read Cerebus, it's well worth starting at the beginning and following from there. I don't agree with the people that say to start in the middle and then back-track... i think that the story is much more satisfying if you start at the beginning, becuase if you start at volume 1, you can see the artist and the story really staritng to "find themselves", which makes the following volumes even more satisfying.

If you enjoy thoughtful, funny, ironic, and crazy stories about a silly aardvark with strange friends and a bizarre life, then you will not regret the time it takes to read all 15 volumes of Cerebus.

Cerebus is one of those stories (like the Oddessy or the Illiad) that needs space for the tangent storylines to truly unfold. So if you've got (quite) a few hours to kill, start at the beginning and work your way through one of the finest comic book epics ever written... I doubt you'll be disappointed.

this may not be the best of the cerebus volumes, but it's essential to understanding the subsequent 15 volumes, which is well worth the (fun) time you'll spend reading this first phone book. I only discovered Sim's work two years ago and had to read the whole series from the beginning quickly in order to beat him to his final publication in march of 2004. The experience exhausted me but reminded me why comic books are worth reading. so buy volume 1 and get reading -- you've got several thousand pages to go after you finish this one.

A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition is a treasure for those -- like me -- who love this Christmas classic. It is a great "behind the scenes look" that includes photos of the cast of characters whose voices are so familiar. Give it as a gift to the "Peanuts Fan" in your life.
Philip D. Halfacre
Author, Genuine Friendship

While we've been treated to many Charles Schulz documentaries and remembrances over the years, "A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition" is the first book to focus on the first Peanuts' television special. The book includes in-depth interviews with producer Lee Mendelson, animator Bill Melendez, and Vince Guaraldi's children. This book is the ultimate backstage pass to the recording studio, with interviews with the original child actors who voiced the characters and sang on Guaraldi's "Christmas Time is Here." As a bonus treat, the script and original animation art round out the book.

I loved this book! It has material for every fan of the famous TV special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas". I may not be musical, but if you are, this book includes the music. I am fond of the discussions of the people involved in creating the production of the TV show and the script. I will be using the script in my classroom for Reader's Theatre. The book has a lot of material that has meaning for me personally. I was young when this special was shown on television and it was always one of my favorites. The book was not a disappointment to read and own. I am very glad I bought it.

This is the ultimate companion to the tv show. The art work is from the original show and the dialogue is a great bonus! The book is also packed with great trivia and information about the decisions "behind stage" that led to the creation of the ultimate Christmas Special.

"Charlie Brown Christmas" is the crown jewel of Christmas specials. Heavy on holiday introspection, but with the dry wit and humor you'd come to expect from Charles Schulz's creations.

"A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition" just expands that experience, by outlining how the famed special came to be -- the music, the animation, the voice acting, even the advertisement to get people to watch it. It's a charming, nostalgic little book, and a good accompaniment.

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" was spun up quickly, when Coca Cola wanted a Christmas special in less than a week -- and Charles Schulz's lovable loser Charlie Brown seemed to be the ticket. But the special was made very differently from other cartoons -- 2-D animation, no laugh track, uncutesy kids, and (horrors!) a jazz soundtrack. It was doomed to fail, they said.

Well, instead it became a booming hit, and has been running every December ever since. Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez reminisce in here about the much-loved Charles Schulz, and about Vince Guaraldi, who made the distinctive piano soundtrack, and why it's so beloved -- it dares to approach holiday ennui and commercialization, then dashes it away with Linus' description of Christmas' meaning.

As for the "making of" portion, there are storyboards, musical scores, test photos, clips of television reviews, and rare photos like Melendez and Schulz doing the football gag. Finally, there is the entire script of the special, framed by colourful stills from the cartoon.

You couldn't wring this much information from most half-hour animated specials, no matter how much fun they were. But it's a bit different with "Charlie Brown Christmas." It was so completely unusual -- and has proved to be so timeless -- that a book on the making of it, and its effect, seems completely right.

It's a very conversational, reminiscent book. It feels like sitting in a room with Melendez and Mendelson, listening to them reminisce about "Sparky." And we also get input from other people involved in the project, such as Christopher Shea (Linus), who talks about his famous "Second Chapter of Luke" speech, as well as odd bits of trivia (the little girl playing Sally had to be fed her lines).

The Christmas special is more than able to stand on its own, but "Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition" is a wonderful accompaniment. Full of interesting tidbits and history.

This book, along with the rest of the collection, is simply marvelous. The complete work of Schulz is nicely presented. It reads itself so fast that we can't keep up buying the next one!

Much of this was more of the same, the continued development of the characters. There is a set of new characters (Five, with Four and Three coming later) but they turn out to be little more than props, good for a week or two and afterwards for when Schulz needed a generic male for Charlie Brown (Shermy now only shows up for group strips). Three and Four look like little Peppermint Patties, and since Peppermint Patty ends up coming from a single-parent family (father only) one wonders if this is sort of backstory for that.

Foreshadowing some of the changes coming up on the next volume are a couple of developments. The baseball mound has become a scene itself, where the characters come up to chat on various things. As for this volume (1963-64), it's just a couple of characters coming up with things to talk about.

As for the red-headed girl, she has changed from a merely distant figure (distant implying "out of Charlie Brown's League) to a seemingly active source of shame and humiliation. Not that Charlie Brown needs her to humiliate him (as some of the baseball groups show, he could do that all by himself), but it definitely adds an accent point to what's going on around him with those he talks to.

One of the most interesting comics has Charlie Brown actually coming on top, although it's more his father than him. Violet spends a few panels bragging about her Father, which Charlie Brown doesn't so much parry but amplifies by explanation. However, CB stops Violet short and explains that his father makes an honorable living and always has a minute for him no matter what he's doing. The last panel has Violet walking with a slight downward tilt of her head and a seeming sadness in her eyes, as if she had finally been devastatingly bested.

In the end, this is worth getting, although I'd get the 1959-1960 and 1961-1962 before this one.

This edition of The Complete Peanuts covers the years 1963 and 1964. Probably the most significant event during this time period was the introduction of "5", along with his sisters "3" and "4". 5 may not be well remembered, but he is still a pretty interesting character. These are classic comic strips from one of the masters of the medium. Great stuff, highly recommended.

I came to peanuts cartoons late in my life, but for the past five years I have bought every book available. Luckily for me as I have been a customer of amazon both in america and england and bringing out yearly books has been marvelous. Whenever I feel down I just read a few pages and I'm fine. The trouble is Im' going to be around 80 years old before this complete series is printed!!!! Is there anyway we can move this along? Doreen uk

A 2007 summer reading list mini review.

Peanuts has been a lifelong obsession with me. Their first t.v. special came out when I was a toddler. One of the first record albums, I recall listening to was "Your'e a good man Charlie Brown" which contains acted out scenes of many of the strips in this volume. I also grew up across the street from a public library and spent countless hours reading every book of Peanuts reprints I could get my hand on.

I especially like the 1963 to 1964 strips because they initiate two of my favorite Peanuts storylines: the one please line, and Joe Shlabotnik. By the one please line, I refer to the strips where the peanuts gang are lined up to buy movie tickets. Sequences like these afforded Schulz the opportunity to put most of his characters in one strip. Joe Shlabotnik is the name of Charlie Brown's favorite ball player who gets sent down to the low minors in this tome. When Patty asks in the 5-9-64 strip if he had feet of clay, Charlie browns reply is "No, he had a low batting average."

One of the best indicators of the staying power of Peanuts is that I am seldom able to read mine as my seven year old daughter is constantly borrowing them. Apparently, she is beginning the same lifelong obsession with peanuts that I have. Good grief!

I enjoyed this story. I am eager to see how it ends. Havi is a no nonsense, trash talker. There are no wasted words here. Everybody speakes his mind. Vald is a good substitute for Bald, namewise. The linguistic slippage between B and V is common.

the story isnt bad but it seems like there are a few parts missing, but all in all I didnt mind it. if you want lots and lots of sex your not going to get it. theres only a few sex scenes, maybe three the most I think.

The best word for this book is Beautiful. The art is amazing and the story is great. I love it and I cannot wait for the second one!

Love, love, LOVE it!

Ayano Yamane-sensei has done well in the past with the Finder series, and this new series is a fantastic follow! You are instantly drawn into the story. The Prince Bald is seemingly unguarded and brave. The Wizard Havi is mysterious and seemingly in complete magical command. Things are soon not what they seem. The artwork makes a loving tracery of every slope and curve of the two men. There is flawless detail on every drape of fabric, every thread of hair. Of this there is much, but it is the perfection of it that really makes you pause to get all the details. Perfect for this format. Ohh, yes. The scenes are perfectly explicit as well. Everything is shown. The impact of the images on the brain does make the stomach flip in that way that is addicting. This is another hallmark of Yamane-sensei's work. The story is engaging. The characters of Bald and Havi are fairly well drawn out by the end of the story you are cheering for both of them. The only thing I would love to see would be the translation of the sound effects. Those little sounds are usually good for another stomach flip or four! Ha! This is a highly recomended buy, and I'll be pre-ordering any following manga of this series.

This is definitely one Yaoi title worth owning! The story is about beautiful Prince Vald (in my version it IS Vald and not Bald, someone must have clued them in that Bald was an uncomplementary name)who gets cursed and seeks out Havi a sorcerer to rid him of the demon which takes over his body each nite as he sleeps. Havi agrees, and unbeknownst to Vald, Havi drains the demon of energy by having sex with him in the demon state. A relationship between the normal Prince Vald and Havi eventually grows, which provides more depth to the story. Let's cut to the chase here. Upon opening the book, the first person you get to see is Prince Vald, who is SO beautiful (and manly) that you go "wow." At this point I know it will not matter too much about whoever else might show up in the book, after watching Prince Vald fell demons, I am quite sure I could happily watch this guy hump a tree. Then we meet sorcerer Havi who is easily as impressive. Refreshingly there is no soft simpering uke. Both characters are strong. There is almost no lead up to the first sex scene, you turn the page, and Havi has an unbelievably hot demon form of Vald, (complete with the sexiest tiger stripes I have ever seen)tied down and goes right to it. It shocks you at the very least with just how unexpected and how hot it is. The storyline can be a bit contrived, but I'm an intelligent woman an frankly it was wonderful. This is a keeper!

deserves the big screen treatment. Far more interesting than the X-Men, this is the story about a group of people who become superheroes through no fault of their own (its the result of machinations from somebody, but you'll have to read the series to find out), and how they deal with being "different". Negative Man, Robotman and Elastigirl are three of the most tragic figures ever to grace the comic page and their stories are far more pathetic than anything in X-Men(not that I don't like X-Men). Read the series. You won't be disappointed.

These stories are some of the best silver age superheroics you will ever read. Though much as been made of the parallels between the Doom Patrol and the X-Men (the two debuted almost simultaneously, and with many things in common), the original Doom Patrol was on another level creatively. The early X-Men stories were romps, but the Doom Patrol had texture.

In fact, it could be strongly argued that when Chris Claremont reformulated the "All-New, All-Different" X-Men in the late seventies, that he drew obvious inspiration from how DC done it in the sixties with the Doom Patrol! Certainly, the New X-Men read much more like a revitalization of the Doom Patrol than of the original X-Men.

Make up your own mind.

Doom Patrol, as represented in the first volume of their Archives Edition, was an interesting attempt in the 1960s at DC to expand the notion of what makes a super-hero, along with Deadman, Challengers of the Unknown, Eclipso, and Metamorpho (most of these heroes created by Bob Haney, the author behind the Doom Patrol). Their resemblance to the X-Men is obvious although DC was never able to create an environment where the oddball heroes fit in as well with Superman, Batman, et al, whereas the X-Men never seemed out of place in the Marvel universe. But Doom Patrol's biggest weakness was its lack of stand-out villains. The X-Men had Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants while the Doom Patrol struggled along with General Immortus and the Brotherhood of Evil. The Doom Patrol stories are still quite charming, though, and show great promise for what could have been. It was an adventurous experiment at DC to create a team of outcast heroes that is worth checking out.

They were four damaged people: Rita Farr, a beautiful actress who, while shooting on location, was exposed to a gas that gave her the power to vary her height; Larry Trainor, a daring test-pilot who flew through a belt of radiation, and come through with the ability to release an embodiment of negative energy, but only for a minute at a time; Cliff Steele, a race-car driver, until the crash that destroyed everything but his brain, which was transferred into a robot body, and; Niles Caulder, the brilliant genius who brought these people together as a force for good. They are Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, Robotman, and the Chief: the Doom Patrol.

Contrary to popular belief, DC Comics figured out pretty quickly that rival Marvel Comics formula of character-development was something that they needed to infuse into their own line. The problem was that they were very hesitant to do this with their big gun characters: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, iconic characters that never had any of the problems Spider-man did. However, DC had no problem creating new characters in the Marvel style: fantastic characters with a down-to-earth core.

Perhaps the best example of this approach is the Doom Patrol. This was a team of strong individuals who found themselves possessed of powers that they didn't want. Indeed, for these characters, there was very little hope of ever being normal again. So, they did the next best thing: they fought people who were in worse shape than them, hell-bent on spreading evil.

Arnold Drake's writing made the most of the bizarre premise. The villains were sinister, vile, and above all, quirky. Of course, while General Immortus, the centuries-old genius, was perhaps the team's most persistent enemy, by far their best loved was the Brotherhood of Evil. Led by the Brain, a disembodied brain, and Monsieur Mallah, a surgically enhanced gorilla, the team was the Doom Patrol's counter-part; misfits that sought revenge on the world.

Amazingly, Drake's scripts never stretch credibility to the breaking-point. He stayed within the rules he set for himself, and never forgot that his heroes were suffering, and not always in silence. They pined for normality, they wished for acceptance, they bickered amongst themselves. At the same time, he never let the action get bogged down in the team's personal traumas. Moreover, Drake tailored the stories to spotlight the unique abilities of his characters, while examining the strengths and weaknesses of their individual personalities.

Bruno Premiani's name is not one of those artists who immediately named when discussing comic book greats. He probably should be. As his artwork proves here, Premiani had a strong sense of realism. He made the most of his talented line work, grounding his art with a realistic sensibility that further underscored the bizarre tone of the series. One only need to look at the gorilla Mallah, and the extraordinary detail he paid to the character's design. Truly, Premiani was a craftsman, and deserves much more recognition.

It's not hard to see why, although never a first-string book, "The Doom Patrol" is still remembered fondly today. It was a unique mix of absurd super-heroics and sharp character-drama. While DC recently made some questionable continuity decisions about these characters, they've wisely pulled away from them. So enjoy these wonderfully weird stories.

A group of disgruntled social outcasts with super powers comes under the guidance of a wheel-chair bound genius and is frequently called on to save a general populace they increasingly grow to despise.

You got it...the X-Men, right? Nope. The Doom Patrol.

The comparisons are immediate and striking (The Chief/Professor X, The Brotherhood of Evil/The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants), and given that Doom Patrol actually predated the X-Men by several months, one has to wonder if Stan the Man and the merry men at Marvel didn't pass out a few copies of Doom Patrol at editorial meetings.

But to the stories themselves: the characters are great. The heroes find that their powers have literally ruined their ability to lead normal lives. They are resentful. They find code names stupid and embarrassing and call each other by their first names. Even in attempting to forge relationships with each other, they frequently fail due to shattered self-confidence over their own perceptions of themselves as nothing more than freaks. Remember kids, this wasn't written in the 80's or 90's. This was written in 1963!

Arnold Drake's scripts are hokey by today's standards, with what can be called B-movie dialogue and plots. However, once you accept them on that level (don't look for the gritty realism of the 80's or 90's), they are great fun. Bruno Premiani's artwork is simply excellent, at places it reminds me of Brian Bolland. I agree that it is simply unfathomable that Premiani is not held in more esteem.

While X-Men became a mass market phenomenon, Doom Patrol has had what can be charitably called a star-crossed publishing history. No incarnation of it has ever lasted, although Grant Morrison gave it a great run in the early 90's which I recommend to anyone. Somehow, though, this is sadly appropriate for Arnold Drake's original vision of the quintessential unhappy super heroes. They just never got popular enough to sell out.

The next time you see Hugh Jackman or Patrick Stewart onscreen, or walk past the endless rows of X-Men compilations in a comic book store, do yourself a favor and find the DC section and introduce yourself to these characters. Take the Doom Patrol challenge: go for the original.