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Tuesday 31 March 2020

My Brother's Husband, Volume 2 by Gengoroh Tagame Review


It took a while for me to get into the second and final volume of Gengoroh Tagame’s superb series, My Brother’s Husband, because not a whole lot initially happens (the whole onsen episode). And, really, not much happens afterwards either - in that regard, this feels like a superfluous book. Yaichi has accepted his dead brother Ryoji’s homosexuality and he and his daughter Kana have become friends with his brother-in-law, burly Canadian bear Mike - that’s the arc and it was done by the end of Volume 1.

White by Bret Easton Ellis Review


Bret Easton Ellis’ first foray into nonfiction, White, is disappointingly unimpressive. Part diatribe on the current state of the political landscape, part memoir, there really isn’t much here that’s especially brilliant or worth reading.

Monday 30 March 2020

Aquaman, Volume 1: Unspoken Water Review (Kelly Sue DeConnick, Robson Rocha)


Kelly Sue DeConnick and Aquaman: neither are usually good to read and it turns out they’re just as bad together!

Nichijou, Volume 2 by Keiichi Arawi Review


The second volume of Keiichi Arawi’s madcap series, Nichijou: My Ordinary Life, unfortunately didn’t have as many belly laffs as the first book but there are definitely some really funny stories here.

Sunday 29 March 2020

Avengers: Time Runs Out, Volume 1 Review (Jonathan Hickman, Jim Cheung)


The first of the last four books of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run before Secret Wars is no less sprawling and largely pointless than the series has been thus far – Time Runs Out, Volume 1 is pretty bad!

Genkaku Picasso, Volume 1 by Usamaru Furuya Review


A lot of manga have the most convoluted, pernickety premises – I can’t fault the imagination behind them though they do get awkwardly set up within a short space of time. So it goes with the first volume of Genkaku Picasso!

Saturday 28 March 2020

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro Review


A crooner and his wife take a sad holiday together; an old friend is drafted in to help out a failing marriage – with hilarious results; a budding songwriter meets an elderly married pair of Swiss musicians on holiday in the English countryside; an unsuccessful musician resorts to plastic surgery in a desperate bid for fame; a young cellist meets an older woman who claims to be a virtuoso cellist herself – except she can’t play the instrument! These are the five stories that make up Kazuo Ishiguro’s collection, Nocturnes.

Avengers, Volume 6: Infinite Avengers Review (Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu)


The Illuminati have built a planet-destroying machine to stop planets from smooshing into each other - save one rather than lose two. Sounds better than nothing, right? Well, Cap’s not satisfied and so Doctor Strange erased his memory of finding out the Illuminati had reformed. Now, because plot, Cap’s suddenly remembered everything and he’s pissed. Cue pointless time travel into the future courtesy of the Time Gem!

Friday 27 March 2020

Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk Review


Hunters is dying in the Polish hills - animals getting revenge? Dat’s what totally not nutso old laydee Janina thinks!

Off Season by James Sturm Review


Mark is a contractor, father of two and estranged from his wife. In Off Season, we follow the trials and tribulations of being a father and the challenges of a working class man’s life in contemporary America. It’s set against the backdrop of the 2016 election though that’s incidental as it hasn’t got anything to do with anything. Ditto the fact that everyone’s drawn with animal heads.

Thursday 26 March 2020

Avengers, Volume 5: Adapt or Die Review (Jonathan Hickman, Salvador Larroca)


What do you do in the wake of an event like Infinity? Evil doppelgangers! Sigh… yes that overused superhero trope of baddie versions of the goodies gets trotted out in Avengers, Volume 5: Adapt or Die (of boredom).

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff Review


Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant is set in 1807 Istanbul but it’s a fantasy/anachronistic version of 1807 replete with flying boats, feminist protagonists and Roman-style aqueducts! Sword-wielding Indiana Jones-type Delilah’s out to steal treasure from an evil pirate villain and Selim, the titular Turkish Lieutenant, gets caught up for the ride.

Wednesday 25 March 2020

Paradise by Edna O'Brien Review


A young woman is holidaying with her much older, much wealthier boyfriend and his similarly rich friends. Coming from a poor background, she has trouble fitting in though she tries - but does she really want to?

Criminal #4 Review (Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips)


Someone killed Leo’s dad and his pal Ricky Lawless is gonna find the guys what dunit. He’s also been up for days, tweaked out of his mind, and is starting to see ghosts - so he’s definitely not gonna fuck anything up, right?

Tuesday 24 March 2020

Avengers, Volume 4: Infinity Review (Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu)


Unfathomably powerful aliens called Builders are out to destroy the universe – Avengers gotta punch ‘em! The Nihili (the living Oscar statues) are up to summat and Thanos is on Earth doing his Infinity malarkey. Hmm…

Nichijou, Volume 1 by Keiichi Arawi Review


“I thought a Buddhist statue would be a good birthday present… Buddhit looks like I was wrong” - that crime against humanity joke flatly delivered by the mad principal followed by him wrestling a deer until his toupee fell off was the moment when Nichijou won me over. Up until then it was the usual demented shenanigans that I’ve come to expect from CITY creator Keiichi Arawi but that chapter had me genuinely laughing.

Monday 23 March 2020

Three Types of Solitude by Brian Aldiss Review


I don’t feel at all strongly about any of Brian Aldiss’ stories in Three Types of Solitude but I can appreciate the artistic skill that’s so self-evident in them, as well as aspects of the tales.

Avengers, Volume 3: Prelude to Infinity Review (Jonathan Hickman, Mike Deodato)


I’m glad I decided to revisit Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run as the third one, Prelude to Infinity, surprisingly wasn’t bad!

Sunday 22 March 2020

Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith, Volume 4: Fortress Vader Review (Charles Soule, Giuseppe Camuncoli)


Charles Soule’s first Darth Vader book gave us the vitally important origin story of... his lightsaber. Great… his fourth book is the equally unnecessary origin story of Vader’s Fortress. The one that we briefly glimpsed in Rogue One? The very same. I know, FINALLY, right? What’s that sound? Oh, just the bottom of the barrel being scraped!

CITY, 4 by Keiichi Arawi Review


So CITY is basically my favourite new comics title!

There wasn’t much I disliked about this fourth volume so I’ll get those minor gripes out of the way first. Niikura chasing Mimineko who’s stolen her pendant went on a bit too long. The Where’s Wally?-type finale – while creative - really brought the momentum to a screeching halt and didn’t add much. That’s it!

Saturday 21 March 2020

Aliens: Dust to Dust by Gabriel Hardman Review


Even without mentioning it in his introduction it’s pretty clear Gabriel Hardman is a massive fan of James Cameron’s Aliens as Dust to Dust is basically a crappy retelling of it!

Infinity Wars Review (Gerry Duggan, Mike Deodato)


Infinity Wars is the conclusion to Gerry Duggan’s story that began in the pages of his much better series All-New Guardians of the Galaxy - and, like most events, it’s awful!

Friday 20 March 2020

CITY, 3 by Keiichi Arawi Review


Keiichi Arawi’s third CITY book isn’t as good as the last one but it still had some belly laughs. The mom waking up her family for breakfast was sooooo funny - the dad and sleeping grandpa (who’s the old guy with the hidden cameras plotting his vague revenge from the first book) kept getting hit on the head with stuff and carried on sleeping! It’s way funnier than you’d think.

Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? Volume 3 by Makihirochi Review


The third volume of the slice-of-life real estate manga set in Tokyo, Is Kichijoji The Only Place to Live?, sees twin sisters Tomiko and Miyako continue planning their house refurbishment as well as finding places for a lesbian couple, a young woman moving into her first flat and a French editor.

Thursday 19 March 2020

Batman, Volume 9: The Tyrant Wing Review (Tom King, Mikel Janin)


Long ago Bane broke Batman’s back; now Batman has broken Bane’s mind – or has he? After his latest stint in the Asylum, The Penguin breaks the shocking news to Batman: Bane is running all crime in Gotham from his cell in Arkham – news that sends Batman over the edge as he begins punching his way to the truth. And then there’s the other Batman lurking in the shadows…

A Quiet Place by Seichō Matsumoto Review


Asai is on a business trip to Kobe when he discovers his wife has died of a heart attack in Tokyo. But when he returns home he discovers her body was found in a shady part of town – what was she doing so far away from their house? As he begins to investigate, he finds out his wife has been leading a secret double life…

Wednesday 18 March 2020

CITY, 2 by Keiichi Arawi Review


Yes - City is definitely my jam! The second book is funny right from the start as the deadbeat student (I know I should learn their names but the cast keeps growing and growing!) traps the gullible kid in the restaurant’s mascot outfit. The mascot’s face is accidentally printed on its butt and the kid’s such a doofus. I was laughing and laughing at how stupid it was – Keiichi Arawi’s comedy timing and knowing what to emphasise is spot on.

CITY, 1 by Keiichi Arawi Review


A deadbeat student dodges her elderly street fightin’ landlady. An impressionable lad is conned into wearing a miniskirt by his cheeky old pops. A newspaper cartoonist about to be unemployed, the Japanese version of Dudley Do-Right and a peeping tom with cameras dotted everywhere for some as-yet-unknown revenge all make up some of the cast of Keiichi Awari’s daffy sit-com CITY, set in a lively small urban neighbourhood - and the first volume’s not bad!

Tuesday 17 March 2020

Business Cat: Hostile Takeovers by Tom Fonder Review


Business Cat is CEO of MiaoCo – until his fatal decision of handing over the company’s accounting to his favourite toy somehow backfires! Enter: Howard T. Business Pug who becomes the new boss. But what will Business Cat do without business?

Come Rain or Come Shine by Kazuo Ishiguro Review


I almost didn’t read this one because I wasn’t in the mood for what I thought would be a maudlin monologue told from the perspective of a regretful old person involved in the fascist side of World War 2, a la The Remains of the Day and An Artist of the Floating World.

Monday 16 March 2020

Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us: A Johnny Wander Collection Review (Ananth Hirsh, Yuko Ota)


I don’t know why this slice-of-life, lightly comedic webcomic is called “Johnny Wander” (beyond the creators moving about a bit) but Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us is a collection of these Johnny Wander strips starring the authors and their housemates John, Conrad and a small army of cats.

The Immortal Hulk, Volume 2: The Green Door Review (Al Ewing, Lee Garbett)


Crikey, what a rubbish comic full of overused Hulk tropes! Hulk fights the Avengers for the umpteenth time before being kidnapped and sperimented on by the gov’mint for the umpteenth time before finishing with a punch-up with a dull villain - guess who wins? It’s so predictable and uninspired.

Sunday 15 March 2020

When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll Review


It was a dark and stormy night…

… when a cat-like humanoid rocked up to the vampiric Countess’ castle to slay her. Yup, that old chestnut! But who is the predator and who is the prey?

Hunter x Hunter, Volume 1: The Day of Departure by Yoshihiro Togashi Review


Hunters are the elite in Gon’s world - wealthy celebrities free to roam the Earth - so of course he wants to become one, like his long-lost pop. Off he goes to the trials – but will he blah blah of course he will eventually and find his dad and zzzzzzzzzzzz…

Saturday 14 March 2020

Deadpool, Volume 1: Mercin' Hard for the Money Review (Skottie Young, Nic Klein)


Skottie “Baby Covers” Young takes over Deadpool and a new writer means it’s time for a new number one! Any good? Nah. So the usual for ol’ Wade!

The Butterfly Effect by Jon Ronson Review


Jon Ronson investigates the impact that free porn streaming sites like PornHub have had on the porn industry in the Audible Original audiobook, The Butterfly Effect. And it’s an a’ight listen.

Friday 13 March 2020

Usagi Yojimbo, Volume 3: The Wanderer's Road by Stan Sakai Review


Usagi meets Spot the tokage for the first time. An old woman does something terrible to her evil son. Zato-Ino, the blind swordspig, returns for a rematch. An insane samurai fights Usagi. Usagi and Gen return a valuable tea cup to its rightful owner. The Shogun’s Muramasa blade is stolen. And Usagi meets Leonardo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Little Girls Review (Nicholas Aflleje, Sarah Delaine)


Two outsider teen girls become mates in Ethiopia and get involved in an arbitrary conflict between lions and hyenas because Lion King! Also mythical talking monster hyena for reasons…?

Thursday 12 March 2020

Mr. and Mrs. X, Volume 1: Love and Marriage Review (Kelly Thompson, Oscar Bazaldua)


Superhero comics are by and large gussied-up soap operas and the X-Men are probably the most soap-tastic of the lot. Someone’s sleeping with someone else, their relationship is on the outs, those guys are having kids, and so on and so on. That’s basically what’s put me off its many titles - I just don’t care anymore about whether whatshername is back together with whatsisface or who’s dead but is predictably coming back to life and here’s the fucking Phoenix Force again.

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor Review


A family goes on a roadtrip hollyday, taking old Grandma Everygranny with them. There’s also a serial killer called The Misfit on the loose. But they couldn’t possibly run into him - after all this story’s called An Unhinged Evil Serial Killer is Hard to Find - riiiiight….. /??

Wednesday 11 March 2020

Detective Comics #1000 Review (Peter K. Tomasi, Geoff Johns)


Batman looks good for 80, doesn’t he? Oh that’s right, he’s a drawing! And Detective Comics reaches its 1000th issue this month. Unlike Action Comics’ 1000th last year though, this bumper 96-page comic of Batman short stories isn’t half bad.

My Boyfriend Is a Bear Review (Pamela Ribon, Cat Farris)


Tail as old as time,
Furry as can be,
Bearly even friends…

Tuesday 10 March 2020

Mrs Fox by Sarah Hall Review


A woman turns into a fox while her husband haplessly looks on. That’s all that happens - what am I missing?!

Scarlet, Volume 1 Review (Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev)


Somewhat confusingly, this is actually the third Scarlet book but it’s labelled “Volume 1” because… this is the first Scarlet book published at DC? Even though they also get the first two books, as part of Brian Bendis’ move from Marvel to DC? A trilogy of one book – arf, tres Douglas Adams!

Monday 9 March 2020

The Gun by Fuminori Nakamura Review


A university student out walking one night stumbles across a gangster’s corpse and a loaded gun. He pockets the gun and proceeds to go coo-coo bananas over it, slowly deciding that he needs to fire it - at someone. Just ‘cos Chekhov’s rule I guess!

The Mighty Thor, Volume 5: The Death of the Mighty Thor Review (Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman)


After a strong opening couple books in Jason Aaron’s Jane Foster Thor run the series has stagnated under the “Mighty Thor” banner, never rising above “meh” and, for the last couple, “zzz…”. That said, Jane Foster’s time as Thor ends on a high note with her final adventure in The Death of The Mighty Thor. As much as I hate how Marvel don’t seem to have any ideas for new stories beyond the now boilerplate death/resurrection plotlines, this death storyline was surprisingly good, not least because Aaron throws in a clever bait’n’switch at the end.

Sunday 8 March 2020

A River in Egypt by David Means Review


An assistant art director waits for test results in a hospital to find out if his severely disabled son has cystic fibrosis. David Means takes us through the man’s thoughts on this profoundly stressful experience.

Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman Review (Neil Gaiman, Neal Adams)


Like they did last year before Action Comics hit its historic 1000 issue milestone, DC have produced a massive celebratory edition for Detective Comics (the company is named after this very title) ahead of its 1000th issue next week and also its 80th anniversary this year. The book showcases comics from the 1930s through the decades right up to the New 52 days in the 2010s.

Saturday 7 March 2020

Criminal #3 Review (Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips)


Rather than start a new storyline like he’s done in the last two issues, Ed Brubaker concludes the second issue’s Bad Weekend story in Criminal #3 - which also unexpectedly ties into the first issue as well!

Inuyashiki, Volume 4 by Hiroya Oku Review


Inuyashiki goes from being mediocre back to boring again with this fourth volume. It’s the same with most superhero stories: every time the focus shifts to the good guy, things get really dull - it’s only entertaining once the hero and the villain are battling, or the focus is on the villain doing shady shit.