I guess I’ll be doing this every other week from now on. That seems to be the pattern I’m falling into. Not intentionally mind you. Last weekend I was sick, and spent most of it on the couch. It just seems to be something comes up every other weekend. I guess that’s better than every weekend. Anyway…on to the reviews! I start things out with a look at Togari Volume 6 from Viz. Charles Tan checks out...
Between the news about the economy and the negativism in this years elections (If I hear one more person in my office go off about the Gay marriage initiative, I’m going to scream!), I’ve been retreating more and more into my own fantasy world. One of those fantasies is getting out of this office of increasingly closed-minded individuals, and into a business of my own. This particular fantasy just started as I’ve bee...
I was listening to my tech podcasts this morning, like I do every Monday, and I got to Jumping Monkeys, parenting in the digital age. And, on this show, the hosts Leo Laporte and Megan Morrone do a segment called Spend, Save, Give where they take about websites that have interesting things to spend on, save on, or give to the community, etc. On today’s show, the Save was dedicated to Bookcloseouts.com, a site I have featured a...
I’m almost caught up with reading my back issues of Shonen Jump. I started reading October last night. Both October issues of Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat had previews for new manga, and I thought I’d share my thoughts on them. In Shonen Jump, the preview was for Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom. I wasn’t sure what to make of this title when it was first announced, and when I started reading it, the first thing...
I missed another week, I know, but I did have an almost good reason. Starting in October, the Good Comics for Kids blog has moved to School Library Journal, and I had to wait for my login to start posting my weekly comic list post, which I didn’t get until late in the weekend, and then I forgot. Anyway… September finished with Metro Survive Volume 2 from DR Masters by me, and Cat Eyed Boy Volume 2 from Viz by Charles Tan...
Lissa of Kuriosity did some searching of Amazon for Tokyopop titles, and while she spotted some new licenses, I’m more concerned with the fates of older series. Some of my favorites that show their staying power such as Chibi Vampire and Petshop of Horrors: Tokyo appear frequently on the list. Manga based on properties such as TV, video games and Harper Collins YA novels also seem to be doing well for them as they alot as well...
When I like a magazine enough that I want to read it every month, I subscribe to it. That’s why I get both Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat. But, sometimes I don’t quite get my renewal in on time, and that happened unfortunately to me this last April with Shonen Jump. Sooo… I missed getting an issue. May 2008. By the time I realized I wasn’t getting it, It was already gone from news stands, and both my loca...
Earlier this week, I ranted about manga publishers and their head-in-the-sand attitudes toward digital distribution of books. One of their seemingly cited reasons for not supporting digital books is the lack of e-readers in circulation. Sony and Amazon seem to be trying to rectify that....
In my continuing evaluation of Yen Plus to decide if it’s worth subscribing to, I picked up issue 2. I read it the same way as last issue, reading the Japanese side first, and then flipping to the OEL/Korean side. With this second issue, most of my original impressions stand, if not becoming more ingrained. The entire Japanese side is a complete and total waste. The fan service continues unabated, and overrides any story t...
I shouldn’t be surprised, but I was pretty disgusted by what I read about the State of the Manga Industry at NYAF 2008 (how come every convention BUT SDCC has one of these?). When the topic of digital distribution came up, it’s nice to say the panelists were “skeptical, at best”. If transcriptions of their statements are accurate, I would consider them closer to downright ignorant! Just because older men wh...
King of Cards Volume 2 By Makoto Tateno Publisher: CMX Age Rating: Teen Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Game Price: $9.99 Rating: A lovesick Manami passes out when she sees the object of her affection with another girl. When she wakes up, she finds herself in the world of the cards, where matches aren’t simply imagined: players summon actual monsters and gods to do physical battle! Later, back in the real world, she must take on Japan&...
Another week gone, and another week of reviews from the Manga Village crew! The week starts off with a book that should have gone up last Friday, had a remembered it was International Talk Like Pirate Day, as Charles Tan takes us back to the beginning of One Piece Volume 1 from Viz. Just in time for it’s new release, John Thomas has the diagnosis on Black Jack Volume 1 from Vertical. Katherine Farmar checks out a different...