Reading, reading, reading...
Bleach v19 - Pretty awesome. I normally don't dig the fight scenes but even the fight scenes in this one, especially between Ichigo and Byakuya were especially good. That's a good thing since the fight between those two took up at least half the book. Looks like the Soul Society Arc is just about over with.
Hitman v1 - I'd heard a lot about this book and finally got my hands on it. Its good but not great. I liked the artwork. It has a feel un-DCU feel to it. The writing is ok, just not my thing or not what I'm looking for. As I indicated I was reading this more because I'd heard so many good things about it rather than because it sounded like it was something I would love. I might have appreciated it more if I had discovered it when I was younger and without all the fanfare it has received. Given that I obtained it through paperbackswap it was worth my money. Not so sure if I would be equally satisfied if I had paid say $20 for it.
Powers v8: Legends - Simply awesome. I've only read the first three chapters of this collection but I am loving it. Its great how Bendis and Oeming dig back into the history of this series in this storyline, as in others. In this story Callista returns, with powers. Callista was the orphaned girl from the very first story arc. Years have passed since Retro Girl was killed and Callista was orphaned. Callista is now in her late mid-teens, I'm guessing. The confrontation between her and Walker in chapter 3 is great. Its great because I could just feel the emotions leaping off the page.
Fruits Basket v3 - I'm taking my time with this book. Its not my favorite series but there are things about it that I like. Maybe I'll give up on it eventually, dunno, but for now I'm gonna keep reading.
I went to Barbarian today. I couldn't find everything I was looking for. I did buy Daredevil: Hell to Pay v1, Bleach v20, and The Building by Will Eisner.
Earlier this week I ordered Negation v4: Shock & Awe over the internet. I'm planning on rereading the series over the next couple months, now that I have almost the entire series in trade format.
Showing posts with label fruits basket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fruits basket. Show all posts
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
recent reading
Fruits Basket v1 - Finished it for the second time. This time I want more. Gonna have to buy v2.
Nextwave v1 - Read chapters 1 - 4. I bought the first issue when it came out a couple years ago. I liked it and resolved to buy the trade. Rereading chapter 1 for the second time I was similarly impressed. It showed a lot of potential (once again) and I was primed to enjoy the next five chapters. Unfortunately I was not similarly impressed by chapters 2 and 3. They did not leave a favorable impression on me. Chapter 4 was great and restored my faith in this series. After chapter 3 I was seriously thinking that I would not buy v2: the series is just two volumes, 12 issues. I can see now that chapter 3 was a set up for chapter 4. Two more chapters to go and once again I have high hopes which hopefully won't get smashed.
So what did I like about ch 4?
*** SPOILERS ***
Nextwave v1 - Read chapters 1 - 4. I bought the first issue when it came out a couple years ago. I liked it and resolved to buy the trade. Rereading chapter 1 for the second time I was similarly impressed. It showed a lot of potential (once again) and I was primed to enjoy the next five chapters. Unfortunately I was not similarly impressed by chapters 2 and 3. They did not leave a favorable impression on me. Chapter 4 was great and restored my faith in this series. After chapter 3 I was seriously thinking that I would not buy v2: the series is just two volumes, 12 issues. I can see now that chapter 3 was a set up for chapter 4. Two more chapters to go and once again I have high hopes which hopefully won't get smashed.
So what did I like about ch 4?
*** SPOILERS ***
- Elsa Bloodstone screaming at the Captain (p. 3)
- the Captain's origin (pp. 5-7)
- Aaron's telescopic eye, Tabitha's comment on it, and what she does to it (pp. 13-14)
- how first Tabitha and then Aaron react to the discovery that Mangel is a cop (p. 19-20)
- Monica misunderstanding the intentions of the citizens who offer to "look after" of Officer Mangel (p. 21)
- lots of humor throughout, which I felt was sorely missing in chapters 2 & 3
Friday, May 9, 2008
Curling Tohru's Hair
Fruits Basket v1 / chapter 3 - I don't remember too much from the first time I read this, back in 2004. I'm talking about the whole volume not just this chapter. There are bits and pieces that have stuck with me.
Things I do remember:
Things I do remember:
- Thinking it (v1) was good but just not what I wanted at the time.
- Tohru's devotion to the cat even though she was born in the year of the dog.
- Other miscellaneous scenes when I run across them.
- Tohru getting her hair done by one of the girls in her class, during chapter 3. It was a weird and random kind of moment. The scene had nothing to do with getting her hair done but there was Tohru's classmate in panel after panel using a curling iron on Tohru's hair. What makes really makes it weird is the fact that no one (including Tohru) says a word to the girl with the curling iron or even acknowledges her existence or what she is doing.
- Other moments, conversations, characters, etc.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Free Comic Book Day
Its Free Comic Book Day! I'm planning to go to Barbarian. I dunno if they are having a sale or not but maybe they'll have some of them free comic books. Also I think I wanna buy a copy of the new printing of Punisher: Circle of Blood. I've never read it before and it was drawn by Mike Zeck who drew Captain America way back when I had a subscription, 25+ years ago. He draws faces kind of funny or maybe its just the shapes of peoples' heads that look odd to me; either way I like the way he draws.
P: COB was written by Steven Grant. I read something else that the two of them collaborated on. I think it was an image or Dark Horse. It had a very noir feel to it and I think I liked it. It was a bout a guy who gets out of prison and returns to home town. Of course, things have changed and not for the better. I think it was called Damned. That's about all I can remember.
In other news....
April is over and here's what I read during April:
Manga
Uncanny X-Men by Claremont, Byrne, and Austin is still a lot of fun but not quite as perfect as some people would have me believe. There are highs and lows. The artwork by Byrne and Austin is for the most spectacular. The stories and characterizations often leave me wanting more and thinking that they could have done a better job with the material.
So I finished reading all the Powers stories that were originally published by Image. I love this series but I can see how some people might not. It isn't standard superhero fare. I think that's why I like it. Standard superheros are fairly predictable. The average reader knows what their powers are, their motivations, etc. That is not the case with Powers and I love all the little reveals that happen along the way.
I've already written about how Invincible left me feeling. Will I ever pick it up again? Maybe.
Strangers in Paradise is very different from the other comic books I've been reading. I sometimes have a hard time connecting with the story. I don't think its the writing or the art as much as it is my preconceived notions of what a comic book should be. Most mainstream comic books are predictable. SiP isn't mainstream and it isn't predictable. So it is a different sort of read; more like a novel than the the other sequential artwork that I read. I've got the next volume, so I'll read it but I'll have to see if I will read any more beyond that.
P: COB was written by Steven Grant. I read something else that the two of them collaborated on. I think it was an image or Dark Horse. It had a very noir feel to it and I think I liked it. It was a bout a guy who gets out of prison and returns to home town. Of course, things have changed and not for the better. I think it was called Damned. That's about all I can remember.
In other news....
April is over and here's what I read during April:
Manga
- Yotsuba v3 ~ chapters 21 & 22
- Phoenix v8 ~ pp. 171 - 340
- Bleach v 15 ~ chapters 124 - 130
- Fruits Basket v1 ~ chapter 1
- Strangers in Paradise v2 ~ #s 8 & 9
- Powers v7: Forever ~ #s 34 - 37
- Invincible v6 ~ #s 25 - 30
- Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four v6 ~ #s 55 & 56
- Uncanny X-Men Omnibus v1 ~ #s 118 - 120
Uncanny X-Men by Claremont, Byrne, and Austin is still a lot of fun but not quite as perfect as some people would have me believe. There are highs and lows. The artwork by Byrne and Austin is for the most spectacular. The stories and characterizations often leave me wanting more and thinking that they could have done a better job with the material.
So I finished reading all the Powers stories that were originally published by Image. I love this series but I can see how some people might not. It isn't standard superhero fare. I think that's why I like it. Standard superheros are fairly predictable. The average reader knows what their powers are, their motivations, etc. That is not the case with Powers and I love all the little reveals that happen along the way.
I've already written about how Invincible left me feeling. Will I ever pick it up again? Maybe.
Strangers in Paradise is very different from the other comic books I've been reading. I sometimes have a hard time connecting with the story. I don't think its the writing or the art as much as it is my preconceived notions of what a comic book should be. Most mainstream comic books are predictable. SiP isn't mainstream and it isn't predictable. So it is a different sort of read; more like a novel than the the other sequential artwork that I read. I've got the next volume, so I'll read it but I'll have to see if I will read any more beyond that.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Fruit Baskets Forever
Powers v7: Forever - Read chapter 5 (of 7) this morning. I thought Powers v6: collection was awesome. The epic scale of story blows the previous collection out of the water. It (volume 6) was prologue and epilogue to this story. The way that Bendis and Oeming have pulled elements together and gone back to touch on things that were touched on before and give them new meaning really impresses me.
Fruit Baskets v1 - I wasn't sure if I would ever pick this up again but now I have, primarily based on the fact that it was listed as one of the top 5 shoujo series by Danielle Leigh. Its the only series on the list that I have tried reading. Some of the other series sound interesting too.
First time reading Fruits Basket I thought it was good but it didn't feel like the right thing for me at the time. Now that I taking a break from Kare Kano and am thinking about taking a break from Hot Gimmick it seems like a good time to pick it up again. I don't expect to feel like it is the best thing since sliced bread but I am hoping that I will get more out of it than I did the last time.
My recollection is that I liked the main character (Tohru Honda) but wasn't as taken with the rest of the cast.
Fruit Baskets v1 - I wasn't sure if I would ever pick this up again but now I have, primarily based on the fact that it was listed as one of the top 5 shoujo series by Danielle Leigh. Its the only series on the list that I have tried reading. Some of the other series sound interesting too.
First time reading Fruits Basket I thought it was good but it didn't feel like the right thing for me at the time. Now that I taking a break from Kare Kano and am thinking about taking a break from Hot Gimmick it seems like a good time to pick it up again. I don't expect to feel like it is the best thing since sliced bread but I am hoping that I will get more out of it than I did the last time.
My recollection is that I liked the main character (Tohru Honda) but wasn't as taken with the rest of the cast.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
