While searching for Alice in a dimension made up of her memories, Oz stumbles on the Sablier tragedy of 100 years ago and discovers some secrets about Alice, Gil and Vincent Nightray, as well as a secret about himself. Then it’s off for some lighter moments as Oz goes to visit his younger sister who he hasn’t seen in 10 years, before an old villain re-emerges; the Baskervilles, who are looking for Oz to find the truth of Sablier from ...

1 Comment Lori Henderson Read More

Legend speaks of seven heroes, each one bearing the bower of one of the stars of the Big Dipper.  Two of these stars are constantly in conflict, destined to battle and throw the world into chaos… Not that Taitou has ever paid much attention to old stories.  Headstrong and defiant, he is the last in his village to complete his coming-of-age ceremony– a fact his sister Laila incessantly teases him about.  When he is presented with th...

No Comments Lori Henderson Read More

High Schooler Ji-Hae is desperately in love with her classmate Seung-Hyu.  She has done all she can think of to win his affection, but to no avail.  When her latest scheme crosses the line, Seung-Hyu decides he’s had enough…and inadvertently pushes her down a staircase! Ji-Hae awakens in the world beyond, only to learn that it’s not her time to die.  But why go back when the love of her life hates her to death!  Touched by h...

No Comments Lori Henderson Read More

The manga market is fairly saturated with books about ninjas. Ninjas are the latest craze for boys, just like vampires are the latest craze for girls. It’s no surprise that plenty of people are trying to get in on the ninja bandwagon.  Yen Press’ entry into ninja fiction, Nabari no Ou, has been publishing monthly in its Yen Plus anthology for more than a year now, and it’s picked up a lot of steam, but only recently has the compiled trade ...

No Comments Alex Hoffman Read More
Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist Volume 2
Digital Manga Publishing , Reviews / July 30, 2010

Traveling in-between the world of the living and the twilight world of the dead, Akamushi, the shaman known as the Red Spider Exorcist, wields the powers of a giant spider to combat the demons of the netherworld. In a serendipitous moment, a young girl meets Akamushi, and falls in love with him at first sight. However, it turns out her grandfather and mother are haunted by a “Waraigao” – a demon that attacks living hum...

Manga Sutra Volume 4
Reviews , Tokyopop / July 29, 2010

At the age of twenty-five, newlyweds Makoto and Yura experience intercourse for the first time.  Now, with their first anniversary right around the corner, Makoto and Yura are just as determined to be sexually fulfilled as the day they said their vows!  But fears Makoto might be cheating test Yura’s trust and inhibit her libido, while their niece Jun looks for love in all the wrong places.  Follow the hot young couple as they s...

The Clique
Reviews , Yen Press / July 28, 2010

Claire Lyons is the new girl at Octavian Country Day, an exclusive private school in Westchester County, New York, but this girl in GAP overalls isn’t even close to prepared for the social (and fashion) demands of her new peers. To make matters worse, Claire’s family has moved into the guesthouse of the Block family, and Massie Block just happens to be the queen supreme of Claire’s new school and hasn’t taken a l...

My Girlfriend’s a Geek Volume 1
Reviews , Yen Press / July 27, 2010

Publisher’s info: All penniless college student Taiga Mutou wants is a cool job and a cute older woman as a girlfriend. So when he spies a Help Wanted sign outside an office and a hot girl inside, he applies for the job, no questions asked. After a few bumps at the beginning, things start going Taiga’s way, prompting him to steel his courage and ask out Yuiko, that hot girl he spied through the window, on a date. And when sh...

A Drifting Life
Reviews / July 26, 2010

Winner of 2010 Eisner for Best U.S. Edition of International Matierial-Asia! Nearly 850 pages of pure comics genius. And it feels like it ends just a bit abruptly. By Yoshihiro Tatsumi Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly Genre: Autobiography/Memoir Rating: Older Teen Price: $29.95 But that’s a minor point against it. A Drifting Life is epic. It’s sort of a mashup of several things, even though it’s an autobiography mainly...

Happy Cafe Volume 2
Reviews , Tokyopop / July 23, 2010

When two mysterious young men walk into the café to declare war, Uru’s passion gets the best of everyone, and they accept the challenge—with one condition: the loser will have to quit the industry for good. However, just before the contest, Shindo sprains his wrist! And when Uru’s mother shows up at Bonheur, will she convince Uru to go back home? Café Bonheur will have to survive through some turbulent times if it’s to stay ha...

Red Snow Volume 1
Reviews / July 22, 2010

A collection of short stories in the gekiga tradition, people who are familiar with Yoshihiro Tatsumi may be as surprised as I was by the strangely positive stories in this volume. All are set in remote mountain villages untouched by modern conveniences, and focus on events in the lives of the mountain residents. Many also feature touches of folk tales and fantasy creatures to woven into the narrative. By Susumu Katumata Publisher: Draw...

Berserk Volume 33
Dark Horse , Reviews / July 20, 2010

The biggest growing issue with Berserk (aside from the fact that Miura is only publishing a handful of chapters each year) is that the plot has been plodding along for some time now. Sure, there have been some big battles in the previous volumes. Unfortunately, though, a big showdown does not always equate to a big revelation. The only thing volume 33 does really well is let the reader know that volume 34 will contain some huge, earth-s...

Bokurano: Ours Volume 1
Reviews , Viz Media / July 19, 2010

I guess this shows my age, but I’m one of those kids that was part of the original Power Rangers generation. When I was little, I would wake up early to watch Power Rangers, chomping at a bowl of Cheerios and waiting to see what kind of cool, gigantic monster the Power Rangers would have to fight. I’m sure that this formative education is why I enjoy the mediocre Rosario + Vampire; I can’t get enough of the baddies Tsukune and his...

Peepo Choo Volume 1
Reviews , Vertical / July 16, 2010

Publisher’s Info: They say you cannot choose where and when are born; we are gifted into the worlds are parents are living at the time. Whether a blessing or a curse, as individuals we must make the most of our environments to advance as best possible given the circumstances present. For the cast of Peepo Choo, their places of birth, whether they be the suburbs of Tokyo or the South Side of Chicago, appear to be a curse they canno...