Graphics Books

Looking back on Shadow Star's first volume after I've read up to its eleventh, it really is amazing how misleading this series is. It's wonderful, deep, and unique--but misleading. It seems to start off as a shojo or magical girl tale, with some hints of Pokémon here and there. But once a few more characters are introduced, it plunges straight into the abyss and never really leaves.

Despite the fact that from a lighthearted beginning blooms an impossibly creepy and disturbing alien horror, the first volume of this wonderful series is great nonetheless. It tells the story of the energetic sixth grader Shiina Tamai, who discovers an otherworldly star creature while swimming off the shore of a small island during summer vacation. She names the flying, shape-shifting alien Hoshimaru and takes him home with her. On the flight home after an encounter with a sword beast that almost destroys her plane, and once she gets back to the city, Shiina quickly learns that Hoshimaru is only one of the dozens of psychic critters that have come to Earth. Her new, painfully shy friend Akira Sakura is also linked with one of these beings (called shadow dragons), and that not all shadow dragon owners are so kind... and many will not rest until they wipe out the laws of the world and rebuild the planet to their own liking.

From start to finish, it's a fantastic journey through the human psyche; every single one of the people with a shadow dragon is a fraught teenager with deep secrets and twisted desires. This shows exactly what kids would do with the power to kill, crush, slice, and blast their way through all of their problems.

Setting up the complex plot to come, in volume 1 Shiina is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl, she and Akira learn of each other's young shadow dragons, and a single boy begins devising a plot to bring down a nearby aviation company. Coupled with smart dialogue and a thin, sharp art style, here Shadow Star begins outlining some basic points while catching readers off-guard by its happy nature. As a satisfying opening that keeps you interested and exposes more key points than the manga, kicking off very complicated and mature stories rarely gets this good.

Shadowstar combines the cute with the disturbing. Kitoh's character designs are different from most other manga artists in a positive way. He employs views and perspectives that raise him a cut above other artists.
Take Tsuda's Karekano as an example. While I enjoyed the storyline, ideas, and character designs, the artist employs many still shots and head on or side views. Kitoh shows a wider repetoire techniques.
Through the series, I found the main characters realized and the mysteries compelling. If you like volume 1, 2-5 do not disappoint.

It starts out looking a bit like Totoro, begins to look magical girl, then takes a left and heads straight for the twilight zone. This is great manga with real characters. Shiina is lighthearted but determined but very unlike Sailor Moon. Akira is disturbing, she makes this series definitely not for kids! There are secrets behind secrets in this story and I can't wait to see more.

i really like this manga, its about Shiina a normal girl who gets rescued by Hoshimaru, a strange starfish thing. this manga can be dark at times, and a little grusome, but its also very light in parts, and cute. i really enjoyed reading this, and the next book, and i recommend it.

A young girl named Shiina vacations in the summer with her grandparents and discovers a strange, star-shaped creature under the water just offshore. Swimming in an unsafe area, she nearly drowns, but the creature saves her and she secretly adopts it. Meanwhile, shape-changing "dragons" are making their presence known, causing chaos in the skies. And an older, disturbed girl Shiina meets in her kendo class may have a connection to her unearthly companion.

What does it all mean? "Starflight" provides the setup and introduces the characters, but answers will come later. SHADOW STAR begins like a lighthearted girl's adventure, but soon takes a darker turn. I am looking forward to seeing the mystery unfold in future volumes.

For those who have been following the serial in Dark Horse's SUPER MANGA BLAST, this collection reprints material from the first six issues.

This is a remarkable oportunity to rediscover the work of the underestimate John Buscema. Great storylines , in a luxous volume.But I missed more Jack kirby works with the surfer

I haven't read a Surfer story since I was a kid... I loved this book! I read it in one sitting (rainy Sunday afternoon) and was transported back to 1968...still a "carefree kid". The stories have held up well and managed to hold my interest. I you read comics as a kid, or still read them, I would recommend this book...Enjoy!

This book contains the first 18 issues and Bonus material of the Silver Surfer written by Stan Lee. While the modern Silver Surfer is sometimes a bad character in these first issues he is something like a saint and he is suffering human prejudice but never giving up to help. He examines the human race in order to understand human behaviour. The Silver Surfer therefore is not a character you can easily identify with but the moral and message of the stories and the way the Surfer views the humans is absolutely interesting and very thrilling. Issue 1-17 was drawn by John Buscema. I know his work on the Avengers which is great but these Silver Surfer stories are by far his best work. Buying this book means buying the very best of John Buscema. In addition the printing quality is superb and the book is oversized.

I ordered this from amazon several months ago. About one month ago they informed me it would not ship until some time in 2008. I am not sure why they are still selling it if they are having that much trouble shipping it out. Just go get one from your local comic book shop. It's worth it.

This huge book reprints all 18 issues of the original Silver Surfer comic book series from the Silver Age of comics (including the letter pages), plus a Surfer back up story from Fantastic Four Annual #5 and a Surfer parody from Not Brand Echh #13. The Silver Surfer happens to be writer Stan Lee's personal favorite character. To quote Stan from the book's intro: "Perhaps the Silver Surfer comes closest to being the ultimate, quintessential superhero. The virtue of his character, the purity of his soul and the nobility of his actions, coupled with the altruism of his motives, are virtually without parallel--unless one returns to the root of all goodness, for perhaps only in the Holy Bible itself does such morality exist." Stan used the Surfer to articulate his own beliefs and convictions, as the Surfer soared around the Earth soliloquizing about mankind's faults (particularly prejudice and bigotry). Pretty heavy stuff for a superhero comic book. The Surfer was a tragic figure, as he regularly faced fear and hatred wherever he went, despite the purity of his motives. Another tragic aspect of the comic was the forced separation of the Surfer and his ladylove, Shalla Bal, who still lived on their home planet of Zenn-La. But I don't want to give the impression that this comic book is all talk and no action. There is plenty of action, as the Surfer battles villains like the Stranger, the Abomination and his archenemy Mephisto. Through the typical Marvel Comics misunderstanding, he also battles heroes like Thor, Spider-Man and the Human Torch. All this is beautifully illustrated by John Buscema, with the exception of the last issue, which was drawn by Jack Kirby. This review ran longer than I intended, so I will wrap it up by recommending this book to all fans of Marvel Comics.

ok, ill admit, ive yet to purchase this...im ashamed or myself for not owning it yet.
i dont have an intimate knowledge of Arts collection of works, but the man is a goddamn genius.
i know this personally, since i was privileged enough to experience a several hour long presentation by the man himself, about a year ago.
my idea of design will never be the same, hell my life will never be the same.
whatever anyone else here says, BUY IT.

Nothing can beat the "raw power" of Art Chantry. This book is a must in every graphic designer/student bookshelf!...

i really wasn't too familiar with Art's work before getting this. i've only seen mentionings in random other books about how influencial he is. but after seeing this i can see why. he combines the rough aesthetic of punk and shows that it can be acceptible in mainstream graphic design. it shows that there's hope for punk rock artists like myself.

In a similar manner to Paula Scher and Charles Anderson, one of the main themes of Art Chantry's work is to take old images and give them a twist. While you can see an echo of this look in almost every graphic design award annual today, Chantry has been working in this style since the late 70's. And while many have borrowed his approach, few have been able to imitate it with the same sense of grit, humor, color and power.

True to the title of the book "Some People Can't Surf" there isn't one website design to be found, but that may not be a bad thing as Chantry is a master within his medium. A very large body of work that spans three decades is showcased which includes everything from his very first poster design for a school concert to promotional work for major Hollywood record labels. One pleasant surprise is seeing quite a bit of logo design work which involves the charm and craft of hand lettering. In end Chantry reminds one of a later day Milton Glaser with a punk rock point of view.

At some points the book can become too crammed by trying to jam several posters onto a page by shrinking them down to matchbook size, however the work holds up pretty well under the strain. This volume would be valuable to any graphic designer looking for inspiration or anyone who is a fan of the Seattle music from the 90's.

...is that Art Chantry's groundbreaking artwork (and yes--unlike some snooty traditionalist art-weenies--I DO consider graphic design to be "art"!) is more often than not gobs more compelling than the work of the people who have directly benefitted from his work (i.e. most of the so-called grunge bands from the Pacific Northwest). Yet almost nobody outside of Seattle, Tacoma or underground graphic-design circles knows who the hell he is, even though almost everyone has seen his work in one form or other (The Sub Pop logo is one example that immediately comes to mind).

In early 1991, I discovered and became obsessed with underground garagepunk & instro-surf music, the most exciting of which was coming out of the Pacific Northwest, and specifically Estrus Records, in Bellingham, Washington. It was the Estrus label that started my appreciation, and later, reverence, for Art Chantry's ir-reverent style of graphic design. When Nirvana's "Nevermind" was released later that year, the wall that previously kept mainstream riffraff from crashing "our" underground party came crumbling down, and as a result, grungy Northwest music had become suddenly (and inexplicably) marketable. The sudden onslaught of new bands inspired by this alleged "rebirth" of punkrock quickly caused the quality of Estrus' releases to assume an inversely proportional relationship to the quantity of records they put out (well, that's MY theory, at least...). Simply put, the really good music on Estrus soon became a rare commodity. Thankfully, what didn't change was the brilliant package design that thier slabs o' vinyl and silver frisbees were encased in. Art Chantry was responsible for the bulk of these designs, and is the only reason why a big chunk of my record and CD collection isn't fermenting in some used-record store somewhere. His artwork transcended the actual product it was emblazoned on, and made it worth keeping even if the music it promoted was supremely lame.

Chantry's work led me to notice and gain an appreciation for artists such as Stealworks' John Yates, Frank Kozik and even Roy Lichtenstein. But as great as those artists are, Chantry's work is the perfect amalgam of irony, humor, subversion, obnoxiousness and kitsch, and no one that I'm aware of has yet to outshadow him in this regard, even though he is without a doubt a man with many imitators. In fact, many people directly point the finger at him for popularizing the now passè movement in "grunge" design and layout. Whether this is actually true or not is debatable (although it certainly makes sense), but "Some People Can't Surf" is interesting in that it showcases a non-"grunge" (god, I hate that term) side of Chantry that most people would be very surprised to see. The same man responsible for some of the most outrageous and iconoclastic posters and album covers in music history was at the same time designing nondescript logos and brochures for boring, faceless corporations--biotech companies, architectural firms, airlines, etc.--and it's extremely interesting to see this real-world dichotomy brought to light in this book.

Another notable section of the book recalls the time when Art creatively attempted to get around a draconian 1994 Seattle anti-postering ordinance by posting up 'zine-like tabloids to telephone poles instead, ostensibly daring the city to attempt to fine him for what is fundamentally a First Amendment issue. As someone who firmly believes that graphic design and traditional "art" are not mutually exclusive, I found it refreshing to read this shining example of how designers can use their talent to actively influence and challenge the cultural status quo, instead of simply generating pretty pictures for passive consumer consumption.

When I first saw Art years ago in the documentary film, "Hype!" (which I also HIGHLY recommend), talking about the early Northwest music scene, and then proceeding to chop up his super-rare (and super-expensive) posters with a paper cutter, it completely validated what I always thought--this man is an ironic and wonderfully irreverent genius. "Some People Can't Surf" bolsters this fact even further, and I enjoyed reading this book's narrative at /least/ as much as looking at all the cool, full-color images of his brilliant work. I highly recommend this to any graphic designer who is tired of all the c.r.a.p. that tries to pass itself off as "cool", "grungy" or "retro" nowadays.

This recoplilation of Mcfarlane's Spiderman colaboration, shows the origin of VENOM, and what Jim Lee did to X-men, Mcfalane did to Spiderman, he reinvented the "spagetti" web, he gave strong to the spider character, the draws are spectacular, and the plots are simple but interesting.

its ya boy caleb...on my moms account...just bought the book and love it...this book shows a couple pages of #298,#299, and all of #300,#315,#316,#316,#317...the beginning is awesome cuz it leads up to venom finding spider-man...and its chilling and spine tingling to see how ruthless and how vengeful he was against spidey...as the story moves on you see mary jane being a real trooper...and being such a great wife for peter...then the major battle happens...defenitly fun to watch...and makes you actually think "is spidey gonna get out of this"...it was awesome!...later it gets more tense...but im not going to spoil it for u...its an awesome book...not that big of a book...but its good...really good

This graphic novel contains some scenes from Amazing Spider-Man # 298 and #299. It contains full Amazing Spider-Man # 300, 315, 316, and 317. It tells about the first issues of Venom. It contains one comic about the Hydro Man. If you like Venom then buy this.

Ir you're a fan of Todd McFarlane's art and you don't have this yet, what are you waiting for? This book contains Amazing Spider-Man #300 which is the first full appearance, origin of Venom, and his first fight with Spidey. It also has, I think, issues #315-317 which is the Venom rematch. Not really a great story but it's a good enough backdrop for McFarlane where he started to do his best work and this is full of some great pictures. I recommend this for Mcfarlane and Venom fans.

Todd McFarlane took over the penciling chores on "Amazing Spider-Man" in March 1988, and quickly took the book straight to the top of the mountain as the #1 comic book in the industry. The reason why is contained within the pages of "Spider-Man vs. Venom", collecting two cameos from Venom in ASM #298 and #299, and then the epic first confrontation and return match between Spider-Man and Venom from ASM #300, 315, 316 and 317.

After seemingly destroying the alien symbiote he picked up during the Secret Wars, Spider-Man is dismayed to find out that the alien symbiote has not only survived, but has joined with someone who likewise shares an intense hatred of the superhero. The result is Venom, a monsterous opponent who has all of Spider-Man's strengths, can cancel out his spider-sense, and lives for only one purpose: The annihilation of Spider-Man. Far from the countless pretenders who have sought to kill Spider-Man, Venom is the one opponent who actually has the hatred and raw strength and savagery to get the job done. Spider-Man barely survives their first encounter after Venom overwhelms him with his massive strength and similar spider-powers, and Peter Parker realizes that he has to figure out a way to out-think Venom lest their second encounter lead to his death.

Writer David Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane created one of the most exciting Spider-Man adversaries in years, as well as one of the most talked-about and sought-after series of books in comics history. McFarlane's pencils are at their best here, and he takes to Spider-Man like a fish to water. Almost immediately he adds a visual flair to Spider-Man that hadn't been seen since the days of Lee/Romita. Likewise, Michelinie earns his kudos with the story arc he constructs, leaving the reader more on the edge of his proverbial seat with each successive issue, until finally the two adversaries meet in a fight which might ultimately lead to BOTH their destructions. If anyone wants to see what the big fuss was with Todd Mcfarlane's run on Spider-Man, THIS is the book to own.

Other than the GL done SW movies, this is the most important series of books in the Galaxy Far Far Away. If i were starting out as a reader of the Expanded Star Wars universe I would not start with Zahn first. I would start with the Han Solo trilogy first.

Darkhorse has made some SW books in comics. They gereally do a good job, but not always. They often suffer from poor editing decision. This one is no exception. It is to bad that you can't put the audio (book on tape) casette or CD and play it along with the comic, but you can't. The comic takes to many deletions to fit their page limitations. Still I have to give this 5 stars to reward Darkhorse for the attempt. Wishing DH would do other SW novels... thank you for this one.

This review is for the graphic novel adaptation:

Nice story, if you love Star Wars but you're not familiarized with the expanded universe and you'd like to meet the new characters this is the best story to start with: critical characters are introduced: Mara Jade, Gillad Pelleaon, Talon Karrde, Councilor Fel'ya, Grand Almiral Thrawn, Jacen and Jaina Solo, Jorus C'Baoth, the Noghri ...etc. It was pretty cool to find Thrawn on this story, since i first met him in the TIE fighter videogame!

However i think i missed a lot of things by reading the graphic novel rather than the novel, I think i'll be reading the novel later. I liked the way the story manages its storylines, I wonder if some of those stories are going to be referenced on the new Star Wars films?

I really liked reading this book because it was one of the best star wars books I ever read. I liked how Luke Skywalker went back to the Dagobah System. I also liked the new villians Thrawn,Talon Karrde, and C'baoth. It was great when they went to Chewbacca's home planet Kashyyyk. The battle at the end was a good way to end the book.

People who haven't read the books might get confused with the story line in the comic novels, but it's nice to see the artwork of all the characters introduced 5 years after the Star Wars Trilogy. This comic, in particular, does a great job of drawing the Noghri & Mara Jade. Now if only Lucas will put it on film.

Although there are a few very trivial flaws in "Heir to the Empire" they are easily overlooked and do not take away from any of the enjoyment contained within. I can say with all honesty and not a little relief that Timothy Zahn did a far better job than any of the low-brow attempts at a worthwhile novel about our beloved Star Wars heroes than such amateurs such as Kevin J. Anderson and Steve Perry. Basically, it takes place five years after "Return of the Jedi" and Luke is just starting to feel comfortable in his role as the galaxy's only known Jedi. Han and Leia are married and expecting twins while struggling to build a new Republic in their home in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. The Empire is considerably weakened and withering away, but it still holds some surprises for our blossoming New Republic. Strutting upon the stage is a new antagonist almost worthy of being Darth Vader's equal. A blue skinned red eyed member of the Chiss species named Grand Admiral Thrawn, the last of the Empire's Grand Admirals, has taken the Empire into his own hands in an attempt to revive the Empire and bring it back into its former power. He is a brilliant military strategist and super-genius, able to glean merely from a culture's art its military strategies and psychological traits. Although, Zahn never bothers to explain exactly how he does this, I feel that this would certainly qualify one to be an extraordinary genius among geniuses. Okay, Thrawn is quite honestly a much better "bad guy" than the ludicrously ridiculous Hutt (a Hutt that would fit much better in an episode of Looney Tunes) that Kevin J. Anderson dreamed up in "Dark Saber" however, Zahn doesn't quite make him as fascinating as Darth Vader, but after Vader anyone would seem fairly anticlimatic. And an insane dark Jedi by the name of C'baoth is bent on capturing Luke and Leia (with her unborn twins) for his own corrupt reasons. A great plot with all our favorite characters, as well as an interesting trip to Kashyyyk with Chewbacca, even though his child and wife is disappointingly never mentioned, all combine to make a great read replete with space fights, political intrigue, and new characters.

Most readers will wish, as I did, that THEY had thought to compile and edit a book like this. Or at least that they had been called upon to contribute an essay to this collection of photos and stories about objects of particular and unexpected significance to the individuals. Intriguing stuff. Most of us have equally fascinating and quirky objects we've trucked around for years or even decades. I will share the book with friends who dabble in writing. We should have fun identifying our own special objects and using the concept of analyzing their importance as both a writing exercise and a way to share our idiosyncrasies. (Why DO I cling to that brass drain cover from the urinal at an abandoned mine?)

This was such a delightful read. Each of these (mostly short) essays extols a particular object which might, at first glance, seem like a piece of junk. But it turns out that junk is in the eye of beholder. The uplifting moral of the book is that the best "things" aren't the most expensive or shiniest or rarest. They are the ones with the most personal significance. Highly recommended.

If you are somebody that enjoys things or objects, or even if you don't, this book is great fun to read. If you know somebody that tends to find interest in life - you should buy this book for them. If you know somebody that does not tend to find interest in life - you should buy this book for them, maybe it will help.

This book is a real original. It's great to pick up and enjoy, then pick it up again later and enjoy some more.
It encompasses something everyone does and hardly anyone really thinks about...hoarding/collecting stuff that is really important only to you. It puts a perspective on people's emotional ties to sometimes useless things. I had a lot fun reading it and sharing it.
Pat D.

Glenn and Hayes' book offers some wonderful little pieces of others' memorabilia that makes you look at all of your ephemera in a different way: the story behind each object puts a poetic narrative blanket over the world. Yard sales become soap operas, trash dumps become family trees. A book you can't put down, it's so engaging. Highly recommended. Esp. good for a gift.

If you love sequential art, give this one a try. It's a unique and touching story, exploring the question of what love brings out in us (both the good and the bad.)

Summaries of this book make it seem simplistic, but there is a lot here. The art, and the story, are messy, violent, sad, and beautiful. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's a shining example of what sequential art can be.

this is by far one of the best manga i've ever read. i'd gotten away from manga, but decided to pick this up when it was published in a single volume. entirely worth. highest possible reccomendation.

Excellent manga and anime. I didn't think I would like the animation but it's amazing. I especially liked White's dream sequences.
The Black & White in the title does refer to the characters. The original title of the manga is Black & White. Also, Viz does a lot of mangas in the left to right format. This one wasn't singled out for special treatment.

"Duh" and yet five stars? That Duh was for me. I was disappointed because when I opened the Amazon box and discovered TEKKEON KINKREET was in black
and white.

I'd thought that B&W label referred to the main
characters, Black and White. See? Duh. On me.

Other than that, I'd thought the cartoon style would reflect the anime, which is great and in full color, which prompted me to buy this book.
Duh #2, then.

Still, it's a very good, very big book and very Zen-like.
So Five Stars. See the anime, it's great. Now Ima gonna go
and actually read the book.

During a trip to Japan recently I came across the film version of this book, which had just won many awards. When I learned it was based on a graphic novel, I scoured the bookstands here in the US for it to no avail. Luckily Amazon had it (along with the English-subtitled movie). Tekkon Kinkreet is a richly engaging graphic narrative, its visual language referencing French comics but with the horizontal, angled paneling of more traditional Japanese Manga. Though it's about two scrappy kids, this is most definitely NOT a comic book for children: it's full of violence and references to the seedy underworld of the city (gangsters, strip clubs, etc.). Though those things would usually turn me off, I found this to be a completely absorbing narrative. Beyond the violence it elegantly explores the issues of gentrification, friendship, identity, and change. The film's great too, but you should definitely read the book first. Totally different visual styles going on. Great stuff. Check it out.

Ahh, how I love Tokyo Babylon. Its probably my favorite work by CLAMP (and one of their oldest). The story, the characters, its all just so wonderful. A bit bittersweet though, and some of the stories will bring a tear to your eye while others will turn your stomach..or maybe both. =) I find it to be an endearing story.......but maybe I'm just an evil tokyo babylon fangirl.

....but it really isn't. Actually, that is the last thing I would call this master work from the four woman powerhouse with the awesome stories and the drool-worthy men that is CLAMP. "A save Tokyo City Story" denotes that this would be a story full of giant robots and superheroes, rather than delicate men with supernatural powers and the secrets they hide. I'll summarize for you: Subaru is a naive(ish) sixteen year old boy who follows his family's profession as the Onmyouji (literally yin-yang magician)for Tokyo, where he sorts out the spirits of the dead and their (often multiple) problems. Along the way he is accompanied by sometimes shallow twin sister Hokuto and his crush, the older, mysterious Seishirou. And that's all I'm gonna say! Heh heh. Buy it, rent it from the library, borrow it from a friend or read it in the store, you won't be dissapointed by the fabulous artwork and dark atmosphere of this "Save Tokyo City Story".

As the title says, this is my absolute favorite CLAMP manga, and i have the utmost faith that anyone who reads it will love at the very least one scene. me, i love it all....

From start to finish, this is an amazing and gripping manga. CLAMP does an amazing job with the illustrations, every character and scene thoroughly CLAMP. The story and characters are amazingly complex and human, making this very worth reading.

The summary on the back of Tokyopop's cover doesn't do it nearly justice. I love it thoroughly, but if I had just picked the first volume up and read the back cover, I probably wouldn't have read it. The back cover makes it seem slightly horror creepy-ish, and while that element is there, it is by no means the main focus of the manga. It's the story of Sumeragi Subaru, the 13th head of the Sumeragi clan, an onmyoji who does exorcise spirits, but it is his relationships with the rest of the characters that really make the story. These relationships range from sibling bonds, friendship, love, and everything inbetween. The manga is filled with almost every human emotion, especially CLAMP's early favorite, angst, which is very apparent in the last two volumes. *cries over vol. 7*

Tokyopop does an actually pretty good job with the translations. They leave in the oh-so-important honorifics, and leave the characters intact, with Subaru-kun's 16-year-old uber-cuteness, naivete, with all his blushing and stammering, and the adorable pull-the-hat-over-the-eyes trick *squee!!*, Hokuto-chan's "Ohohoho"'s, her attempts to set up Sei-chan and Subaru-kun, her outrageous outfits, and the ability to be goofy and seemingly shallow one scene and sweet and deeep the next, and Seishirou-san's seductions of Subaru-kun, the feeling that underneath the kind vetrinarian exterior, there's more....(*alter ego hits w/ fan to prevent spoilers*), and his speeches. All of the trio are as complex characters as to make them completely unforgettable, and all three of them have made a permananet spot in my heart. You really should go out and at the VERY least read the first volume.

It's an amazing series, and a lot of fun to read.

OH! and the sakura petals!!! ^_^ ...the sakurazukamori.....read and you'll find out...^_~

I absolutely loved this manga. It was the first time I'd read anything by Clamp, and I can't say that I was disappointed! Don't let the somewhat bland covers or common "Save Tokyo City" summary fool you - inside is an absolutely brilliant work of art.

You've read the summary already, so I won't bore you with the details on that. I will tell you, though, that it is definitely worth the read - and that shounen-ai, or boy love, plays a fairly large role in this. I would still recommend this to almost everyone, even if you're uncertain on whether to pick up a manga in which men love men.

Anyway.

The artwork is absolutely, positively beautiful - the characters are distinctive and wonderfully done, and the backgrounds and scenery are startlingly realistic. Some may not like the blacks, but I personally rather like the high contrast. It was quite a surprise to see that the twins were so similar in appearance but you could still tell them apart easily - something that can't be easy. And Subaru may be distinctly feminine, but Seishiro is definitely not - something that isn't extremely common in this type of manga. Panels with artwork in colour are on the inside of the front cover and are absolutely wonderful.

The plot is very nice. Subaru is an onmyoji who seeks to aid souls of the dead and the living. Doesn't seem too exciting yet? Throw in his overly exuberant twin sister, Hokuto, and his suitor, Seishiro (who happens to be the heir of the rival Sakurazuka Clan), and events in his past that he can't quite remember, and you've got quite an interesting story going on!

The characters are wonderful. Subaru is the innocent, almost naïve protagonist who is willing to do anything to help others; Hokuto is wonderfully different, loud and enthusiastic; and Seishiro is the one you can't be too certain about, for his family - for the Sakurazuka Clan is one of assassins - belies is kindly and amicable nature. When you take Seishiro's romantic advances, Hokuto's consistent attempts to get her brother and Seishiro together, and Subaru's embarrassment at the whole ordeal into consideration, you've got plenty of comic relief. And yet, the main plot - Subaru's attempts to ease wounded souls - overshadows a more serious and sinister secondary plot involving Subaru and Seishiro, their onmyoji powers, and that mysterious event that Subaru can't remember all too clearly and that is hinted at from volume to volume....

Left in its original, unflipped format, Tokyo Babylon is definitely quite a read. The translation doesn't seem to be all to bad, and suffixes and name order are left untouched, each of which is a definite plus. This series has, so far, gotten progressively darker, so be careful what you get into. The rating of 13+ is deserved, warranted by some violence, blood and gore, minor sexual references and dark themes, and while the first volume never gets too serious, these do show up in later volumes. You have been warned.

This is a manga that you definitely get into and can read over and over again; it's worth the money to buy it. Tokyo Babylon is definitely a manga to read.

A tale of good and evil, light and darkness, innocence and corruption, Tokyo Babylon is a powerful drama.

Subaru Sumeragi is a deeply compassionate sixteen year old medium/exorcist who uses his gift to aid lost spirits and the possessed. After a hard day or night's work, he comes home to his devoted, vivacious twin sister Hokuto, whose favorite hobby seems to be trying to hook Subaru up with their friend Seishirou - a veterinarian nine years their senior - in spite of reservations due to the fact that he belongs to a family with a reputation of being in the assassination business that they both choose to ignore.

The interaction between the three reaches it's climax in the final volume, with hints throughout the series about how things might ultimately turn out, but Subaru's interaction with the people he tries to help is interesting in itself. The series handles such topics as gang rape, child abuse, treatment of the elderly, and the ethics of organ transplantation - pretty heavy subject matter.

Subaru himself is a highly unique hero. Professional and competent but without a shred of conceit, he would prefer to lead a quiet life but cannot turn his back on the suffering. Not arrogant enough to believe he can change the world, all he knows how to do is unconditionally love everyone who comes his way, and he's one of those special people who make the world a better place just by being in it. But no one can fix everything, and the underlying question of the series is whether or not Subaru will break if and when he finally faces an evil that might be more than he can handle...

At a relatively short seven volumes, Tokyo Babylon is a manga any fan of either angst or the supernatural should have in their collection.

Hi,
OK! This book is just toooooooooooooooo CUTE!!!!!! I've read the whole first series twice!!!!! And this just happens to be one of the sweetest EVER!!! You HAVE to buy it! For those of you who are on the first books and LOVE Ichigo {and no her name is not Zoey}you will love the ending of this series! Also mew mew continues in Tokyo mew mew A La Mode!!! So if I were you I would keep reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh boy, this is the best book yet! I LUV Kish, he's soooo HOTT. I'm so mad at Ichigo for liking Masaya instead of him. If I were her, I'd consider myself lucky. I cried when Kish died, it broke my heart that he would die to save the girl that doesn't even love him! ANYWAY.......I HIGHLY recomend that you read this book.

By the way, im not a kid. Im just a girl who used the kids review so i wouldn't have to log on. im 14, seriously. Luv ya!

-Rezurii

This book was great. I've read it over 5 times in the first month I've gotten the book. The book is great, and the petite mew mew and extra pages are great!

I loveddd this book it's probably the best book out of the series. It seems so happy until the suprise twist. I'd really like to tell you but it would destroy the suprise part. Read IT!!!!!!!

It was a great book, but it was sort of sad. I mean, Kish dies and he really loves Ichigo and all that. It does have it's happy moments, but in my opinion, it is just plain sad.

I suppose it was just bad luck that the first API (ReadDirectoryChanges) I needed help with wasn't in this book. I ended up spending some time searching the news groups to get more information. Seems like ReadDirectoryChanges should have been included in a book that has been described as the "definitive reference for the Win32 API"... A bit disappointing.

I could say 5 Stars and it would be all what to say - but if you are not shure, what a type of book to choose that would be to few. Well I have this book for a long time and it is my bible. It is very practice indeed and close to the problems. My own projects have gone much more easier to solve. My own focus is on automation sectors and so I did some work for automating rs232 driven radio controls for hobbie and HAM- interested people. If you are interested in it so you can look at my website http://www.peter-geisler.de - looking to results from which I can say are a lot of ideas from John Ayres Tomes of Delphi - I rating it 5 Stars.

you just cant afford not to get it, with the declining availability of good delphi source out there... its indespensible

Have only been been using Delphi for 4 months now. This book and the Core API are very good. I found them very easy to understand.

Imposing as the material in this book might otherwise be, I am most impressed with the clean authorship of the material. This book is more than a developer can reasonably hope for in a source reference. I expected to have to give maybe 10 days' time to absorbing it cover to cover, but it is written so well that most chapters require reading less than a page describing the chapter; and the rest of the material can simply be used. So full of treasure is this book that I spent hours the first evening just typing code into projects. All of it ran right the first time. I doubt a better book can be written on this subject, and will from here on consider any book with John Ayres' name on it the one to look at first on whatever the topic. A huge thanks to you John for doing your work so well. You made ours' far easier than we imagined.