Karakuri Odette Volume 2

Written by Julietta Suzuki
Illustrated by Julietta Suzuki
Tokyopop

Odette is a little bit older but she still has so much to learn! Now a big sister to Chris, another android, she must try to help both of them fit into high school while barely knowing what it's like to be human herself. It's part comedy, part touching coming of age in the second volume of Karakuri Odette.

Sometimes books will suffer a softmore slump when they don't have an overarching plotline. Caught up in episodic ideas, they start to repeat themselves and get boring. Nothing could be further from the truth here in Karakuri Odette, which provides a second set of stories that is easily the equal of the first. Odette is still grappling with trying to be human, but now she is into more advanced concepts, like nail painting or making appealing food. She is no longer worrying about the basics, which is good for her and allows Suzuki to branch out into other areas. It also allows her to remind us that no matter how she tries, Odette will always have issues when trying to be normal. A simple dunk in a pond can easily kill her. Should she forget about her robotic nature too much, the results could be deadly. This, plus the remaining threat of those that wish to harm her creator, keep the sweetness of most of the manga tinged with just a bit of sour.

I also really like the addition of Chris, who can play many roles in the manga since he, too is wrestling with his place in the world. He is a source of danger, a brother, a foil for the quirks of humanity, and possibly a source of affection. Suzuki does a great job setting him up so that now he can drive a lot of episodic action without it seeming stale to the reader or needing a large influx of new characters.

Plot and story-wise, Karakuri Odette remains very good. As I mentioned, I love the balance of innocence and cynicism. Within each story we get a little bit of both, but it never feels forced. There are some neat touches, like when Odette saves Chris by pretending to be harmed or the time they play a variation on The Game of Life.

Emotionally, I think the high point is when Odette is trying to get Chris to understand the idea of liking things. That sequence shows this mamga in its best light, highlighting some funny lines and the drama of trying to be human. I think I re-read it at least three times!

I'm sure some people overlook this one because of the sterotype of girl robot mangas. This is not a fanservice manga, not even close (though I do like Suzuki's clean and clear art style). To lump it in with, say, Chobits is unfair to both. This is a story of living and experiencing life, much closer to Yotsuba!@ than anything remotely stinking of tentacles.

I love this manga to death and I hope you do too once you give it a try. I cannot wait to read more.

Richard Stark's Parker Book Two The Outfit

Written by Richard Stark
Adapted by Darywn Cooke
IDW

Parker is back on the town, and he's looking to get back on top of his game. He's got a new face but old friends, and soon, old scores to settle. The Outfit still holds a grudge, but they're about to learn that you just don't mess with Parker. He's got a better squeeze play than the Mets, but he's up against the 27 Yankees. Can this irresistible force break down the immovable object? The only thing we know for sure is that the results are likely to be quick, bloody, and violent.

After reading this adaptation, I'm hooked on the Parker series, to the point that I am going to seek out some of the originals. This story is perfectly plotted from beginning to end, as long as you accept the fact that Parker, not unlike Batman, just won't lose, no matter how badly the deck is stacked against him. (Since I am a fan of Batman, this is not a problem for me.) Though he's not always the focus of this story, Parker looms large on every page, completely taking the Outfit apart by hitting them where it hurts--in their soft underbelly.

I absolutely love the strategy Parker uses here. He's got limited friends, but they're smart as hell, and itching to take a piece out of an overconfident operation. This would be awesome enough to read as a text piece, but Cooke pulls out all the stops, even going so far as to ape several different 1950s/1960s illustration styles to vary the way each Parker-inspired heist looks for the reader. If you're any fan of older comics, you're in for a visual treat here, trying to decipher which styles Cooke apes in the second half of the book.

This is on top of the usual visual quality of Cooke's adaptations. As with the Hunter, Cooke varies his pages, using full adaptations in some places and basically illustrating the novel in others. It's a choice that I think works well here, because sometimes the book would get too unwieldy if Cooke opted to illustrate everything. Similarly, while still cool, an illustrated novel just wouldn't capture the magic or allow Cooke to do things like the illustrative homages, because he'd be cramped by the need to have text on every page.

I could keep going on about the way this book looks (it's easily one of the best designed works I've read, perhaps even better than the first adaptation), but I don't want to ruin too much for those who haven't read the book yet. (And please be aware that if you haven't read this yet, don't let the violence stop you--it's worth a few appalling scenes to wallow in the quality of the story and the art.) Suffice it to say that Cooke is a true student of Eisner, Ditko, and Miller, using shadow and spacing as a character to set the mood. Whether it's off-kilter camera angles or terror-filled close ups, Cooke has just the right visual for each beat in the story.

Those who read my first Parker review know that I was a bit uncomfortable with Parker as a character. He's our protagonist, and he's unlikable, without any shred of dignity or nobility. (You can even root for Dr. Doom now and again, after all.) Maybe I'm just getting used to him, or maybe it's just that Stark writes just about the perfect story here, because this time around, my issues were minimal. I know at least some of that is the violence towards women is toned down a bit here, which is a good thing. So is the random harming of people who don't deserve it. Parker is still a gigantic (fill in your favorite curse word here), but the people he's harming are people who wronged him first, or who have a hand in harming others. He's a ruthless Robin Hood here, only his band of Merry Men aren't planning on sharing with the poor.

Put simply, Parker Book Two is even better than Book One, and that's saying something. If you liked the first one even a little bit, get this book as soon as you can. If you were turned off by the character, try again. I think you'll be hooked. And if you haven't read any of Cooke's Parker books...what the heck are you waiting for? Dive in as quickly as possible, and see why just about everyone is singing the praises of these adaptations. I'm betting that in no time at all, you'll be joining the chorus.

Aqua Volumes 1 and 2

Written by Kozue Amano
Illustrated by Kozue Amano
Tokyopop

The Manga Movable Feast (or MMF for short) is a chance for those of us who hang out on Twitter to all write about the same series. We've discussed things as different as Emma and Barefoot Gen over the past year or so. Sometimes the feast is about a well known work like One Piece, but other times we'll look at books that might be a bit under the radar, such as Karakuri Odette. Because it's not completely translated (legally) into English yet, I think we may have a series this time that might be better known for its anime rather than its manga. However you've come to it, I can't imagine anyone not falling immediately in love with Aqua/Aria.

This month's host is Linda, at Animemiz and she's already been busy talking about Aria in anticipation of the Feast. Once she has an anchor post, this entry will link to the master post for all of the March MMF articles.

Aqua is the beginning of the story of Aria. We think of it as a prequel here in the English-speaking world, but as Linda pointed out, it's actually part of the main story. Due to publisher changes in both Japan and the United States, the series was chopped up somewhat and the different names tend to make it seem like they aren't connected.

However you classify it, Aqua/Aria is set in a soft sci-fi world where we've managed to terraform and colonize Mars. Only we kinda messed up when we did it, and now Mars is almost entirely full of water--going from the dry planet to a planet where less than ten percent of its surface remains above the water.

As a result, people tend to live like the whole place is one big Venice, Italy, complete with gondolas. It's a neat idea, one I haven't seen before, and within the first few pages, this manga was already drawing me into its world and making me want to read more about it. That's somewhat unusual for me in manga, where I tend to find opening chapters somewhat boring, as we set all the players of the drama in place and do a bit of world building. It's also somewhat unusual, because the other space-related manga I've read (To Terra, Planetes) did not do much for me. Here I was hooked almost from the start, and that's before we get to the cast of characters.

Our main character is Akari, a young woman who leaves Earth to move to Mars in the hopes of becoming an Undine, which is a combination tour guide/navigator of the waters of Neo-Venezia, one of the Martian cities. While she is pretty much the typical shojo heroine, out of her depth, incredibly cute, and somewhat naive, the big difference here is that instead of seeking out a man who doesn't want her/isn't good for her, Akai's love interest is her job. She has a single-minded determination to be an Undine, whatever it takes.

That's a nice change of pace for a shojo series--showing what happens when a girl who might not be the toughest person on the block opts to follow her dreams, rather than her dream man. I'm hoping that idea continues into the Aria section of the narrative, as it would be a shame if this slipped into a typical romance. I like that the object of her desire is something other than love of a person.

This is not to say that the manga is feminist. Definitely not. Though we spend most of the two volumes looking at a career held only by women, right up to the high levels, it's ultimately a profession staffed by women because all the other water-related jobs are "men's work." Ironically, adding some insult to this injury is one of the best parts of the manga, namely that the Undine companies are all run by cats. Because, after all, it would be silly if these companies were run by women, right?

I'd be lying if I didn't mention that this underlying idea bothers me, and mars what is otherwise a spectacular series. However, I guess it's unreasonable to me to expect a shojo manga to be progressive. I certainly can't immediately point to another shojo series where the roles of women are given equal treatment, so why pick on Aqua? Instead of dwelling on the point, I'm going to keep talking about why I think this series is so good.

As I mentioned above, part of what makes this manga so appealing to me is the idea that cats run companies. It's preposterous, but since this is a science fiction, why not? (My objection above stems from it only being the women's jobs that are headed by cats.) This leads to some great set pieces, starting at the beginning of Volume 1 and continuing on into the second volume. It also means that Amano sometimes has to do a lot of telling--the cats in Aqua do not speak--but the sacrifice to storytelling is worth it to see President Aria trying everything from cleaning house to being a superhero.

The best story involving cats, however, is when we hear of the legend of the Kingdom of Cats. Ever wonder what happens when your cats go seemingly missing? Perhaps they're being summoned for a higher purpose. The art in Aria is generally of very high quality, but in this chapter Amano outdoes herself, adding Escher-like touches, atypical (for the manga) shadows, and an awesome splash page.

I'd have been sold on Aqua based solely on how often cats are involved in the story, but there are a lot of things to draw the reader in, if cats just aren't enough for you. Akari's boss, Alicia, is the type of supervisor you'd love to have. She's very understanding, supportive, and patient, guiding Akari along the path of an Undine and helping her adjust to the world of a waterlogged Mars. Alicia has just a hint of mystery about her, however, and I'm curious to see if there's more to her than the good natured soul we see here would have us believe.

There's also Aika (and yes, this naming convention of Amano gets a little confusing now and again), who is both friend and professional rival for Akari, as she works for a different Undine company. Aika is extremely driven and practical, contrasting nicely with the filled-with-wonder Akari. She's extremely useful for explaining things to the reader via the blank slate of Akari. I can also see that their friendship might be strained over time, based on a few signs that we see in these early days of the story. We also have a few male characters that hover in and out of the story, but as far as things go in Aqua, they're more like props to move the plot along or add to the science fiction world-building.

I'd be remiss if I didn't talk a bit about the setting of Aqua. Between clever, well-spaced text information and absolutely gorgeous artwork, Amano creates an awesome soft sci-fi world in Aqua. I have no trouble figuring out how this world works or what goes on in it. I know about the longer year, the man-made climate, and a bit about the economy. I know there are things that happen only here on Mars and how that changes life for its inhabitants. Best of all, I know what all this looks like, because Amano takes the time to draw settings that are far more detailed than you usually get from a shojo manga. This is one of those series I would read just for the art, as Amano's characters are illustrated with style (and distinction) and they live in a world that I can see in page after page of creation. We have everything from the canals to the small streets to the darker inner workings of the climate control to locks and dams that stem the flow of water.

The best part? None of it feels like info-dumping. When we learn new things about Mars, it's because Akari needs to know it as part of the plot. When we see new parts of her emerging world, it's only to add to the things Akari can do, such as when she's given the chance to sail to a new part of Neo-Venezia. Tying things to an existing earth city, Venice, also helps aid the transition and make it less necessary to explain everything. I feel like all the knowledge we gain about the world of Aqua/Aria is given to us organically, something that's extremely difficult to pull off in science fiction.

Sure, there's plenty we don't know yet, and those who prefer hard science are going to be disappointed we don't get pages and pages about how she's able to e-mail Earth from Mars or why the climate control works, but if those things really bother you, then this isn't going to be the manga for you, anyway. We're here on a journey of discovery for Akari, and for her, whether President Aria sleeps in her bed or goes out on the town is more interesting than how the whole city keeps from sinking into the ground. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Aqua/Aria has immediately jumped into my list of favorite mangas, earning the right to be added to my limited bookshelf space. It's pretty, with art you can linger on. It's got a sense of wonder you don't often see in comics, matching more with that of an older teen rather than a child. It's got cats in charge of companies, which in and of itself should be enough. Best of all, however, is that while Aqua is not the only part of the story, it can be read on its own and enjoyed without any other context.

I give Aqua my highest possible recommendation. It's a pure joy to read, and I hope you'll treat yourself with a visit to Neo-Venezia as soon as possible. I'll even pay for your Undine trip!

Irredeemable Volume 3

Written by Mark Waid
Illustrated by Peter Krause and Diego Barreto
Boom! Studios

The Plutonian is on the run, and his refuge may be worse than the foe he's hiding from as Mark Waid's dark epic continues. The remnants of the Paradigm seem to have the day in hand, but with all semblance of order gone, can they keep their squabbles together long enough to save the day? Meanwhile, there's still the US Military to consider. Can anyone possibly win in a world gone this bad, where it seems like none of the possible victors are on the side of the angels? Is this whole universe...Irredeemable?

I don't have a lot to say about this trade, as it mostly serves to show that of the remaining power factions, none have the upper hand right now, and the control is shifting constantly among people who are about the last ones you'd want running the show--which is of course Waid's point. Two new players make their play for control, and it's clear that the Paradigm isn't going to be able to save the world, as if we didn't suspect that in the first place.

Of note here is that Waid ups the level of violence a bit, which is okay but I feel like he's treading a dangerous line. I liked the restrained horror of the first two trades better. Krause's depictions are as excellent as ever, trying not to be too exploitative of the gory details.

The best scene in the book is where the Plutonian explains a tragedy of his youth, adding to the evidence that this "man" was never going to be able to hold it together his entire life. It's a nice new wrinkle on the "evil of guns" riff that we often see in superhero comics, showing that yet again, Waid can work with the familiar and yet have it feel fresh. This is followed by another piece of Plutonian past coming back into the picture, in a nice bit of quiet terror. Imagine spending your life in fear of the most powerful being in the world! While I of course hate the cruelty of the Plutonian's actions, the ingenious nature of his revenge shows just how good Mark Waid is as a writer. We need to start giving this man his due.

Irredeemable is a great series, and though this was more setup than story, Waid still keeps things moving, with the able aid of Krause's artwork. I can't wait to see where things go next. If you are an adult fan of superhero comic books, you really need to read Irredeemable. This is what an adult comic book should look like. Start with volume one, of course, and I'm willing to bet you'll be coming back for more.

Jormungand Vol 5

Written by Keitaro Takahashi
Illustrated by Keitaro Takahashi
Viz

The complexity of the arms dealing world is on display in this fifth volume of Jormungand, as Koko agrees to ship humanitarians as though they were the very guns that harm so many they wish to save, running afoul of a local warlord. Like the post office, though, Koko's team will always deliver, regardless of the cargo. Plus, Valmet has unfinished business, and it's high time she does something about it. But what will Jonah say, let alone Koko?

I really like that Takahashi takes us down a different path this time that still uses the familiar framework of Koko's life as an arms dealer. While I find it a bit problematic that a humanitarian organization would use an arms dealer, given that Koko is part of the problem and not the solution, but you have to admit, it's an effective way to be smuggled into a hostile country--even if things don't work out quite as planned.

The interplay between the various characters in this primary arc is also quite strong. The tangled web Koko and company stride across on a daily basis has several strings pulled here, from the US operatives who want Koko but will take whatever other rogues she gives them to Koko's family to the juxtaposition of Koko's crew taking down a tyrant that they might just as easily have been aiding if the bankrollers had been different. In fact, looking carefully, you can see that Koko isn't exactly pleased to be going toe to toe with a character called the Dragon of the Balkans, but she manages in that way that makes you want her to come out on top, even if her work is just about as odious as that of the mass murderer she faces.

Perhaps best of all, however, remains Koko's cryptic dialog with Jonah, whose role in the manga has slipped a bit, I've noticed, as time goes on. He's still the focal character on the back cover copy, but here we primarily see him as a passive observer and occasional combatant. He's being used more as a sounding board for Koko, which is fine (her comments about dragons and warlords are the high point of the manga) but I'm curious if he swings back into focus or if we're making a permanent change to Koko as the front-runner. (The covers tend to lean in that direction.)

Overall, this continues to be a solid read, and I'm looking forward to being fully caught up soon as I have volume six sitting on my nightstand. If you're looking for a good action manga with adult themes, this is definitely recommended.

A Year of Rumiko Takahashi Week 9: My Takahashi Heresy Part 1 (One Pound Gospel)

My year-long look at the work of Rumiko Takahashi continues here. A great creator deserves a whole year of examination! You can find all of the posts here.

Written by Rumiko Takahashi
Illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi
Viz

It's time to take a little break from Ranma 1/2 and talk about one of Rumiko Takahashi's shorter series, One Pound Gospel. This is a four-volume story that took absolutely forever to finish, starting in 1987 and finishing in 2007. Nearly five US Presidents served as this series sat behind her other works, and I think some of that shows in the story itself, as we'll see.

I have to start off this review with two personal notes. The first is the cross-country trip my editions of the book made. In one of those things you can't make up, the copies of One Pound Gospel that I ordered from Wyoming (or some similarly far-flung place) actually started their life on the shelves of my current local library, which recently replaced them while I was ordering these books. How funny is that?

The second personal note is that, try as I might, I just couldn't bring myself to like One Pound Gospel. I was offended by the crux of the crucial romantic plot, which dismissed the importance of religion to a young woman, and that feeling only got worse as the series progressed. Takahashi is a talented writer who can make comedy out of almost anything, but here she fails badly in my opinion. Keep that in mind as you read this--it's entirely possible your impressions are/will be quite different from mine.

In terms of plot, One Pound Gospel is the story of Kosaku, a young boxer with a mean punch and an unending hunger. His desire for food is just about destroying his career, and with a few more failed bouts, he's going to be out of work. Enter a young nun in training, who gets involved in Kosaku's life and tries to put him on the right path. Unfortunately, Kosaku not only can't keep himself away from the buffet, soon he can't keep himself away from her.

As the story progresses, we see Kosaku struggle with his desire to eat all he wants and his dream of becoming a champion boxer. (This idea drives many of the visual gags, and unfortunately gets tiresome after the first few times we see Kosaku trying to hide snacks or hide himself under a buffet table.) Meanwhile, Sister Angela/Marie, his inspiration, wrestles with the very serious idea of serving her faith or serving her desires as a woman. (This idea is not the least bit funny and it's definitely not something I enjoyed reading for reasons I'll go into momentarily.) Caught in the maelstrom of Kosaku's conflicted life is his boxing trainer, a man burdened with a boxer who could be the next Ali--or the next unintentional sumo wrestler. (This constant slow-burn is vintage Takahashi and works brilliantly--the high point of the manga.) Both Kosaku and Sister Angela learn about life in the usual comedic Takahashi way, and together they must make important decisions about their future in the years to come.

On first blush, there are some patented Takahashi tropes in here which should work better than they end up playing out on the page. We have an apparently selfish male character who must change or face a dire fate. There's a female lead who refuses to like the male lead, though that resolve is constantly challenged. There are rivals for their affection. There are older characters who act as checks on the impulses of the younger protagonists. Most importantly, the whole thing is played for laughs, a tried and true Takahashi trademark. The characters and setting change, but a casual glance might make the reader think that this is just Takahashi being Takahashi.

That's true to a certain extent, but as you look deeper, there are definitely one major difference that actually hurts this manga in my opinion. We'll spend this week focusing on what I think the major flaw in One Pound Gospel is--namely the poor selection of romantic leads.

Takahashi's stories often revolve around romance, whether they are seinen or shonen. She's quite adept at using the idea of opposites attracting to drive her stories, and this one is no exception. However, unlike a good hearted tenant and his landlord or two young martial artists or even a strong-willed girl and a demon, One Pound Gospel tries to bring together two people who have absolutely no business being together.

The biggest problem One Pound Gospel has is the inevitable relationship between Kosaku and Sister Angela. While I'm normally rooting for the guy to get the girl (or vice versa), this time, it actually bothers me that we are being asked to hope that Sister Angela gives up her vows and runs off with the bloated boxer, no matter how good-hearted he is.

I'm not a terribly religious person by nature, but I do respect those who've decided to dedicate their lives to service in their God or Gods. While I may again be bumping up against cultural differences here, I just don't think it's cool to make religion the butt of the joke or to make the reader want to have a person give up their faith to go with a person who really hasn't shown they love her. The fact is, Marie/Angela is excommunicated for doing this. She's giving up God for Kosaku, and that's not even given so much as a passing thought. The words of her Mother Superior warning of dangers to come is as weak as a well drink at a fancy bar. It's clear we're meant to be happy these two are together

That's simply not cool to me, especially given we also have domestic abuse laughed off in Volume three, which I will talk more about next week. In this comedy, it seems like women are supposed to fall in line with what their men want them to do, making me laugh out loud when I recall the complaints about Takahashi hating men that I discussed in Week Four.

I might have tolerated this forced romantic ending except that this is a comedy not a tragedy, and Sister Angela is giving up all that she has just to be with a man who is basically a boorish, gluttonous, selfish jerk. Kosaku has no redeeming features as a character. He wants to win, but doesn't want to work for it. He sees nothing wrong with putting characters through mental anguish, and his only altruistic act has an ulterior motive attached. Kosaku isn't pretending to be a stupid jock jerk--he *is* a stupid jock jerk. I fail to see why we want Sister Angela to give up her vows to be with a man who isn't Rocky Balboa. There's nothing noble I can find in Kosaku, and having him get the girl isn't entertaining for me--it's frustrating.

Perhaps it might have been too radical, but what if Kosaku and Sister Angela *didn't* get together at the end? Would it have been too much for the long-suffering readers if Takahashi had opted to go the sad romantic comedy route and end up with her semi-lovers agreeing to just be friends as they grow into their own worlds? Maybe I'm the only one who finds that idea appealing, but I just don't think Kosaku is a good enough person to justify getting his way in the end.

Still, even a weak Takahashi has some appeal to it, and I guess if the religion angle didn't bother you as much as it bothered me, then I could see why this series could appeal, though I find it hard to warm up to Kosaku as a character. Next week, I'll go over some of the other parts of One Pound Gospel, and show that even a heretic can note the good points of the other side.

Panel by Panel: February 2011 in Review

Here we are already at Pi Day in March, and I forgot to talk about my February reading habits. February saw me hit 100 things read that relate to comics, which is pretty awesome. That's a great way to start the year. What was not so awesome was not reading any mini-comics or zines. I need to change that here in March while there's still time left. This was a month dominated by Manga, as might have been obvious from my reviews.

You can find my complete 2011 reading list here. Now let's look at what February had to offer...

Indie Books (6)

1. Faker by Mike Carey and Jock
2. 100% by Tony Consiglio
3. Cthulhu Tales Vol 2 by Various
4. The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects by Mike Mignola
5. Peter Bagge's Other Lives by Peter Bagge
6. Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani and Big Time Attic

Solid Six

I didn't read a lot of indie books in February--it was the first time in three months where Superhero books trumped them--but four of the six books were excellent and the other two (100% and Faker) weren't bad. It's always a good month when you're reading stories illustrated by Jock and Mike Mignola.

Put it on Your Purchase List: Cthulhu Tales, Amazing Screw-On Head, Other Lives, Bone Sharps.

Manga/Manhwa (19)

1. 20th Century Boys Vol 3 by Naoki Urasawa
2. One Piece Vol 4 by Eiichiro Oda
3. One Piece Vol 5 by Eiichiro Oda
4. Bleach Vol 7 by Tite Kubo
5. Bleach Vol 8 by Tite Kubo
6. Ranma 1/2 Vol 8 by Rumiko Takahashi (R)
7. Ranma 1/2 Vol 9 by Rumiko Takahashi (R)
8. Barefoot Gen Vol 10 by Keiji Nakazawa
9. Ranma 1/2 Vol 10 by Rumiko Takahashi (R)
10. Jormungand Vol 5 by Keitaro Takahashi
11. Time and Again Vol 2 by JiUn Yun
12. Cat Paradise Vol 3 by Yuji Iwahara
13. After School Nightmare Vol 7 by Setona Mizushiro
14. After School Nightmare Vol 8 by Setona Mizushiro
15. After School Nightmare Vol 9 by Setona Mizushiro
16. After School Nightmare Vol 10 by Setona Mizushiro
17. Amnesia Labrinth Vol 1 by Nagaru Tanigawa and Natsumi Kohane (2011)
18. Ranma 1/2 Vol 11 by Rumiko Takahashi
19. Ranma 1/2 Vol 12 by Rumiko Takahashi

The Manga Mamba

I'm still reading quite a bit of manga vs everything else on my plate, but some of it is seeing where series go, rather than because I love the series. I tried Time and Again Volume Two, since the library had it, and I found the thing to be a confusing mess, well, again. The artwork is extremely sloppy (perhaps worse than in Vol 1) and it seems to be missing crucial panels that would help the story make at least some kind of sense. That's a manhwa I'd definitely advise you to avoid. After School Nightmare was the worst kind of downer--a series that crashes in the last book--so that was an afternoon in the bathtub that led to me almost drowning in frustration. Amnesia Labyrinth was a surprise hit, joining Jormungard on my unlikely favorites list that I'm sure I'll be talking about at the end of the year.

Cat Paradise keeps improving, Ranma keeps Ranma-ing, and of course 20th Century Boys is awesome and a must read for any comics fan, Western or Eastern. I even tossed Bleach into the mix, because life just isn't fun unless you're reading as many ongoing manga series as possible.

Put it on Your Purchase List: 20th Century Boys, Ranma 1/2, Jormungard, Amnesia Labrinth

Get It from the Library/Bargain Shelf: Bleach, One Piece, Barefoot Gen, Cat Paradise

Not Even at a Border's Closing: Time and Again, After School Nightmare

Superhero Stuff (12)

1. New Avengers Vol 7 by Brian Michael Bendis and Others
2. New Avengers Vol 8 by Brian Michael Bendis and Others
3. New Avengers Vol 9 by Brian Michael Bendis and Others
4. Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol 1 by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, and Others
5. Spider-Man Noir by David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky, and Carmine di Giandomencio
6. Batman The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul by Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, Tony Daniel, and Others
7. Irredeemable Vol 2 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause
8. Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
9. Batman Joker's Asylum Vol 2 by Various Writers and Artists (2011)
10. Essential Punisher Vol 1 by Various Writers and Artists
11. Beyond! by Dwayne McDuffie and Scott Kollins
12. Batman RIP by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel with Others

Going Batty

Batman pops up a lot here in February, kind of like a groundhog. Unfortunately, Killing Joke doesn't actually read like a Batman story, and the more of Morrison's Batman 2.0 I read, the less I care for it. The Ra's book was particularly bad, but the only good part of RIP came from the Joker being smarter than Bats and being able to turn the tables on the arrogant bad guys. Otherwise, it was a muddled, overly obtuse mess. Speaking of messes, Secret Invasion is terrible. Glad I'm paying next to nothing to read it. I'm also glad Beyond was not McDuffie's last work, because it's easily the worst thing I've ever read from him. It's not a great sign when the Punisher was one of the better things you read. Not a great month for capes all around and making me start to be more selective again.

Put it on Your Purchase List: Batman: Joker's Asylum, Irredeemable

Get it from the Library/Bargain Shelf: Spider-Man Noir, Essential Punisher

Not Even at a Border's Closing: Morrison's Batman, Beyond!, just about anything Secret Invasion

Erased the Panels

For possibly the first time ever, a Doug Moench and Kelley Jones disappointed me. Batman: Haunted Gotham featured almost none of Jones's signature creative ideas, which is shocking given the topic at hand in the comic. It's a lot of straightforward panels, drawn badly because Jones's stock in trade is exaggeration and imaginative views of reality, not people talking to each other. Moench's script feels like it was a generic story that had Batman added to it. The plot doesn't have any really good twists or turns, and the dialog is unusually stiff. I gave up at the halfway point. Can't win 'em all.

So that was my February. How was yours? Tell me!

Upcoming Manga Movable Feasts!

Spring is in the air, and on the web, we're gearing up for more wide-ranging manga discussion (with just a touch of anime, too) in the Manga Movable Feast. [Edited now with complete details for the rest of Spring.]

Here in March, join the Animemiz blog for a discussion of Aria and its related stories. Here's a link to the Aria MMF preview post. Please join in when the discussion starts on March 20th! Animemiz will host your feelings if you don't have a blog of your own.

Coming up April 25th, yours truly will host the first MMF devoted to a creator rather than a creation, putting the critical spotlight on one of the pillars of manga, Rumiko Takahashi. Takahashi's reputation seems to have dimmed over the years, so I'm looking forward to seeing the discussion. I'm doing a weekly feature on Takahashi, with plans for daily posts on her work during the MMF week. Please contact me (trebro @ gmail.com or panelpatter @ twitter) if you'd like me to host your post or posts on Ms. Takahashi.

Then in May we have Cross Game on the table. Darik of the recently moved The Panelists starts the conversation on May 15th. Look to that blog for more details when Darik is ready to get the party started.

Rounding out the Spring MMFs is Wild Adapter, starting June 19th just as we're getting ready to move into Summer. Manga Bookshelf has all your Wild Adapter MMF needs so keep an eye out there for more details as we get closer to the date.

There's going to be so much talking about manga this spring that we'll have creators' ears burning all season long! Why don't you contact us and join in the fun?

Admin: Unscheduled Absense

Hey all,

I realize that for the first time in a long while, Panel Patter wasn't updated in over a week. Unfortunately, Kang the Conqueror stopped by and sent me into the past, where I had to ask the help of the real Robert of Lokley in order to return to my own time. He shot an arrow into Kang's time door from over five score yards away! It was awesome.

What? You don't believe me?

Bah. Well, my cover story is that as some of you know, I'm a teacher who is also taking classes, and the two combined to really set me back these past few weeks. I tried to keep up, but things got a little hectic and tiring, and that meant not doing a lot beyond working and studying. As a result, the reviewing business kinda got shunted to the side.

We should be back to normal this week, but please bear with me if there are a few blank spots on blog now and again for the next two months. After all, Kang might want a rematch!

-Rob

A Year of Rumiko Takahashi Week 8: They Don't Tell Stories Like This Anymore (Ranma 1/2 Volumes 11 and 12)

My year-long look at the work of Rumiko Takahashi continues here. A great creator deserves a whole year of examination! You can find all of the posts here.

Written by Rumiko Takahashi
Illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi
Viz

As regular blog followers know, I don't solely read manga. It's about one third of my reading in any given year, though I tend to review it a bit more often than other comics I read because people seem to like talking manga online more than any other type of comic for some reason. (Maybe it's just the people I hang out with, like those involved in the Manga Movable Feast.) At any rate, I started my time in comics as a huge fan of superhero comics, especially the older stuff from Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others. Many of the writers and artists I liked best were schooled in their way of writing from these Kings of the Silver Age.

What that means is I grew up reading comics where things happened quickly. Big events might go two issues in a row, but never more than three. You could be facing nuclear war on page three and be finished by page eighteen. Not always the best way to tell a story, but it worked more often than not.

Comic writers don't do it like that anymore. Everything is written for four-five-and-six volume trade paperbacks, with a single plot idea teased out as far as possible with splash pages and dialog. Even newer manga seems to share this problem. Even in series I like I tend to find myself flipping around to get to the meat of the matter, if the art isn't knocking my socks off.

But what does this have to do with Rumiko Takahashi, you ask? Well, as I went over some of the really big concepts covered in just a few chapters within the pages of volumes 11 and 12, it struck me that Takahashi writes Ranma 1/2 at the same racing pacing of the old superhero comic books. Her story style has a lot more in common with Thomas and Tezuka than it does with Bendis or Kubo.
Think about the first story arc in volume 11, where Ranma learns that Shampoo has a soap that can prevent him from changing between a boy and a girl ever again. This is a chance for Ranma to be cured once and for all. You'd think that would take up at least one entire book, right?

Nope. All done in about 80 manga pages, which isn't even half of a standard 200 page manga trade. Ranma frantically chases Ryoga with Shampoo in tow, making her an unlikely ally as they try to wrangle the bar from his piggy paws. In some of the funniest moments in the past few volumes, Ranma and Shampoo pretend to be twins "Kew" and "Pid" and Ranma even allows Ryoga to date Akane (in what is a recent pattern of his seeming to care less about Akane and other men) all in the name of getting the soap.

The sequence keeps getting progressively sillier, with Akane feeling bad for whoever ends up dating Ryoga and Shampoo making comments about mail order products, but what really drives the comedy and action here is that it's happening at manic, Marx Brothers in their prime speed. Written today, this would have gotten slung out for another 100 pages, lost much of the charm and all of the comic timing. Takahashi's use of old-school comic book pacing is what makes it all work.

Not content to finish things off with some short, silly stories, Takahashi slams her cast into yet another big event for Ranma--the loss of his fighting ability. It's "Ranma No More!" as Happosai (in his first appearance where I wasn't nauseated) puts the fix on Ranma for foiling his perverted schemes. With Ranma powerless, all his enemies come out to play, hoping to finish him off. (Come to think of it, this is another older comic book idea that Takahashi is using to good effect.) Ironically, it's Ryoga, Shampoo, and Cologne who hold the key to helping Ranma--provided he can live long enough to fight his way to a cure.

Now of course we know Ranma will be back to normal, but again, it's the speed with which are back to the status quo that's quite startling by the standards of just about twenty five years later. While we run about the equivalent of a full volume this time, that's still lightning fast, and this time, it's not because the comedic pacing needs to be at full speed. Instead of long, extended battle scenes with Ranma's foes, they only get small sections of battle. Even the fights with Happosai are pretty short, finishing up without a lot of give and take between the two foes.

If anything, I'd argue that this arc doesn't get the space it deserves, for being such a potentially big thing. However, that's just not how Ranma 1/2 works. Twelve chapters is all it gets, and we're off to the races with comedic demonic cats, Akane's inability to swim, and the lengths a sick child will go to keep a human-panda hybrid who likes to mooch off rich people. Rumiko Takahashi just isn't one to stay on the same part of a story (for better or worse), even if she isn't afraid to use recurring themes.

A few words about the Powerless Ranma arc before we move on for the week. This story really struck me as being different for two reasons. First and foremost, it has by far the least comedy of any Ranma arcs up to this point. There are still jokes and things we are meant to laugh at, but the tone is darker and more serious, as the cast comes to grips with the idea that Ranma can't fight even if his life depended on it. Ranma's uncaring attitude is shaken as he flees--maybe to train, but maybe just because he can't stand the idea of losing. Usually at the head of the joke parade, this Ranma has a lot on his mind, and it's not liberated until he's gleefully battling anyone in sight.

Secondly, Ryoga really comes into his own as a sympathetic character who has more depth than the other rivals, something I think Takahashi has set up when you look back on him. Of all the other cast members, he's the one that wouldn't bother the reader if he gets his way and has a fling with Akane. He's becoming less and less a source of ridicule as time goes on. Shampoo and Cologne also come off here as less annoying and more part of the Ranma Family. The dynamics here bear further investigation in later volumes, as I study these stories probably far more than they should be.

Lastly, as a rule, the stories in Volumes 11 and 12 seem to start moving away from Ranma actually caring about Akane, while Akane herself seems to move closer to Ranma. He's far quicker to insult her, and we get more internal and external comments from Akane that make Ranma's actions here seem particularly cruel. I'm not a big fan of male-female insult comedy, and it just doesn't play well for me here, especially against the more serious backdrop. If the point is that we'd rather see her with Ryoga, then it's working, because he's definitely classier here than the star of the show.

Swinging from slapstick comedy to personal reflection and danger, as we enter the second third of Ranma's story, it's interesting to compare the storytelling differences from an era that really wasn't all that long ago. For whatever it's worth, maybe I'm just old school, but I definitely prefer the quick changes of Takahashi to the padding of Geoff Johns. Tell the story in the space you need, not in what will fit best on the shelf at Barnes and Noble or get you a multi-book contract with Viz. I'd take shorter bigger stories like the ones in these volumes any day!

Next up, we'll take a brief break from Ranma 1/2 to examine One Pound Gospel for a few weeks. After all, there's far more to Takahashi than just Ranma!

Quick Hits: Wire Mothers: Harry Harlow and the Science of Love

Written by Jim Ottaviani
Illustrated by Dylan Meconis
G-T Labs

[Editor's note: Since I just read another in this series recently, I thought it might be useful to feature this older review this week. Man, my reviews were so much shorter in 2007. -Rob]

I had absolutely no idea what this was about when I put it on hold, but it was new and a graphic novel, so I figured I'd give it a try.

This turns out to be a historical piece that explains how Harry Harlow came to introduce the concept of love into social science, at a time when (completely unknown to me) most scientists were refusing to accept the concept and were even going to far as to tell parents not to show any affection towards their child at all. Yikes!

The concept is...moI had absolutely no idea what this was about when I put it on hold, but it was new and a graphic novel, so I figured I'd give it a try.

This turns out to be a historical piece that explains how Harry Harlow came to introduce the concept of love into social science, at a time when (completely unknown to me) most scientists were refusing to accept the concept and were even going to far as to tell parents not to show any affection towards their child at all. Yikes!

The concept is handled well--we get a janitor to stand in as the narrative foil so Harlow can tell him all about himself and his work. It's totally a narrative ploy, but that's okay, it was better than the alternative--narrative boxes. Harlow walks us through how he came to be where he is, and they even let him dance around anything he's not comfortable with, as the real Harlow would have done.

I enjoyed this very basic overview of the subject, and while I don't plan to read more about Harlow, I would recommend it to anyone interested in social science or perhaps as a way to see if you want to read more. All in all, a nifty read.

Escape from Special

Written by Miss Lasko-Gross
Illustrated by Miss Lasko-Gross
Fantagraphics

Yet another of the many indie graphic novels I've been reading of late here in 2008. This one's not as cohesive as the others, however, featuring a series of short--some as short as one page--stories about the life of the author's avatar growing up . The art style is fairly typical of these kinds of books, mostly realistic with a few exaggerations to make a point.

The story she tells is quite tragic, if you stop and look at the whole. Her mother seems to be part absolutist, part ignorant fool in terms of child rearing, and the bouncing from school to school could not have helped "Melissa's" development. Since she is placed in the special class, it's just that much harder.

I think the most touching moment for me is when she's ridiculed for being the smartest dumb kid, showing how hard it is for her to fit in with any group at all. I can relate to that, even if I never had any issues intellectually.

The problem with this one is the size of the stories. Since they are so short, it's hard to get a good feel for what's going on. The experience from reading that I for is like taking photographs from childhood, shuffling them, and dealing them out like playing cards. In single form, that's not much of a problem, say as a weekly blog or column. But taken together, it makes it harder for the reader to process, which is why I give this one less of a recommendation than I might have otherwise. Still, it's worth reading for those who had problems growing up or those who, like me, enjoy these type of comics. Overall, Escape from Special is just a little too disjointed for me, but I think it's still worth reading.