'Showcase Presents Green Arrow' #1 Review

Time for a change of pace! Old DC comics. Really old. Showcase Presents Green Arrow features over 500 pages of comics from 1958 to 1969. DC has released these showcases with almost all of their major titles and I wanted to check one out so I picked up Green Arrow. They're all printed in black and white so they could make them much cheaper and it really doesn't take away from the art at all. I think this is really only for intense comic nerds, these issues are old and dated as hell. If you've recently gotten into DC comics and you want to check more out, I suggest something a little more...recent. All of the dialogue in this volume is so ridiculously bad, it's good. Every single character speaks like 'HEY THERE FELLA, THAT'S JUST SWELL, WHAT THE BLUE BLAZES, WATCH IT BUSTER' and so on. I swear almost every issue in here has at least one character yelling GREAT GUNS! The amount of puns and one-liners in this volume will astound you. If you can look past how corny everything is, you might be able to really enjoy it!

Plot Summary


Almost every issue in here is six pages long. Most of them are from World's Finest Comics and Adventure Comics so they're short and sweet. There's so real surprises on the stories, usually some dastardly crook has made some evil play to steal something, Green Arrow and Speedy use their wits and gadgets to save the day. For me, the most enjoyable parts are just the absurd dialogue and situations that occur. There are some cameos in certain comics from Superboy, Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter and so on. About halfway through the volume, there's a full issue of Justice League about Green Arrow joining the team. It was surprisingly good and my personal favorite comic featured in here. The strangest thing for me was that every comic looks and feels very similar except out of NOWHERE the last comic in here is completely different. It's suddenly has the look of 1970's comics and shows the transition from the earlier style. The panels are large and poses more dynamic, there's much more inking work going on with lots of crosshatching, the faces are large and dramatic, Green Arrow suddenly has a goatee. It was a very sudden shift in style and it felt very out of place, even though it was still good!

I couldn't help but notice that early Green Arrow is LITERALLY a copy of Bruce Wayne. Oliver Queen is a millionaire playboy with no actual superpowers. He's a detective who's created all of these wild gadgets to help him fight crime. He has a sidekick who's basically with him at all times. He has an Arrow-mobile, an Arrow-plane, even an Arrow-cave! Sounds pretty familiar...

I've noticed that there are quite of few of these showcase volumes for Batman, Justice League, etc, but Green Arrow only has one?? I'd definitely like to read more where it goes into the 70's and 80's, hopefully DC will put out another one. All in all, cheesy as it gets but an enjoyable read!

"You sure turned the tables on them, Green Arrow!"
"Yes...The Camouflage King and his men will have a tough time camouflaging themselves now - behind bars!"

Showcase Presents Green Arrow #1 - 7/10

'Hot Gimmick' #1 Review

Here's me attempting to branch out and find good shoujo. I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading volume one of Crimson Hero so I picked up a few volumes of this series. So right off the bat we can assume this series is going to be pretty drama-tastic, hence the name HOT GIMMICK. I liked Crimson Hero because it had a nice sports manga feel to it along with the shoujo, but this series just looked like pure gossip/drama/etc. But I'll give it a shot!


Plot Summary

Our main character Hatsumi is JUST YER AVERAGE TEENAGE GAL. This series has pretty generic shoujo typecast characters. We've got the bad boy Ryoki who might have a softer side to him. Then there's super nice handsome guy Azusa. There's also nerdy otaku Subaru that no one gives a shit about. Poor guy. Hatsumi's sister Akane is only fourteen (two years younger than our protagonist) but she's been getting around town lately and asks Hatsumi to go buy a pregnancy test for her. Bad boy douchebag Ryoki happens to find out that Akane might be pregnant and now has Hatsumi in a bind. If he tells his mother about this, then Hatsumi's family will be shamed by all the other families that live in their company housing area. So Hatsumi reluctantly agrees to be Ryoki's 'slave' if he doesn't spill the beans. Already, this girl has serious self esteem issues. Ryoki basically wants to use Hatsumi as his sex toy etc etc cause this is how all guys are. But we find out that super fabulous model Azusa, who was Hatsumi's childhood chum, has moved back into their complex. He shows that he's going to protect Hatsumi because he's just so darn perfect.

(Check out the above image. SHE'S PRENANT!)


So as far as I can tell this series basically focuses on a love triangle between awkward girl, mr. perfect and douchebag (bordering on psychotic behavior) dude. Like I said, there's an otaku guy that might also jump in the game for winning Hatsumi's heart but he hasn't had much of a role as far as I've read. The most frustrating aspect for me was just that Hatsumi is...kinda dumb. I'm hoping she gets better as it goes on. Nothing really surprising from this series, pretty typical shoujo content going on. I bought the first three volumes really cheap so I'll keep reading and see where it goes. I don't have much to say about the art either, pretty average shoujo style. I do like the cover designs though. I think this series definitely reflects how Japanese behavior is different from American. All the drama in Hot Gimmick starts from Hatsumi not wanting her family to be shamed in any way and I really don't think most Western girls would care much about something like that. Different cultures. Anyway, I might review volume 2 and 3 if it gets any better (or worse)!

Hot Gimmick #1 - 5.2/10

'Naruto' #6 Review

Oh man, it's been a long time since I've read early Naruto! Found this volume used at a local bookstore and I had to pick it up. I read Naruto weekly and I enjoy the series as a whole but I think the first half of Naruto is better overall. This volume starts off with all the ninja taking the Chunin Exam in the Forest of DEATH. Kishimoto's art is still clearly in it's early stages but it's still great nonetheless! This volume marks the first appearance of Orochimaru and I think the plot of Naruto really starts to develop from that. Sasuke is marked by Orochimaru and he and Naruto are out cold from halfway through the volume. Sakura is forced to protect them and the scrolls with her life and I think it's the first time you see her in a strong, independent way. We get to learn more about Rock Lee and his badass-ness as well as Ino.

This volume is full of intense action. Not a whole lot of dialogue or slow scenes, just ninjas throwing down. A fun bonus I enjoyed about volume six is in between the chapters they had profiles and art showing Masashi Kishimoto's assistants on the manga. This volume is a great showcase of early Naruto and how fun this series can be. I don't necessarily think a person would even need to have read up to this point, it's easy to just jump right in. Interestingly, Naruto doesn't have much of a role in this volume; he's in the beginning but that's about it. Volume six is mainly about the appearance of Orochimaru and Sakura/Rock Lee/Sasuke development. Reading this really made me want to go back and start at the beginning of the series, early Naruto has actually become a little nostalgic for me!

Naruto #6 - 8/10

'Steel Ball Run' #1 and 2 Review

    Alright, this is my comic blog so I've got to do it. I've got to review some of my favorite comic EVER, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I HAVE TO DO THIS. I've been reading Jojo off and on for a few years now and I'm currently on part seven (Steel Ball Run) so I figure I'll review a bit and see how it goes. If you're unfamiliar with this series, each part of Jojo is comprised of a different story with different characters, ranging from five to twenty volumes in length. They're all so unique and interesting, Jojo is basically seven (eight as of recently) completely different manga series in one. In other words: IT KICKS ASS. Since this manga isn't available to American readers (with the exception of part three), I'm reading Steel Ball Run online chapter by chapter. But doing a review of it only by chapter seems too trivial so I'll review it by volume(s).

Plot Summary


Part six of Jojo took place in a prison in 2012 and due to some crazy events at the end, SBR takes place in the wild west in the 1890's. This manga originally started off in Weekly Jump but after about twenty four chapters, it changes into a monthly series. In a nutshell, the story is about a huge race on horseback from San Diego to New York. The two main characters are introduced a good way into the first volume, Gyro Zeppeli (an ancestor of the recurring Zeppeli family) and Johnny Joestar (SBR's JoJo). Johnny is a paraplegic and when he gets touched with Gyro's mysterious steel balls, the strange rotation effect from them causes Johnny's dead legs to actually move. Before starting the race, he decides that he's going to find out the mystery of the steel balls and how they got his legs to move.



















We meet some interesting contestants. Diego Brando (known as Dio) and Muhammad Abdul are reincarnations of former Jojo characters. A man known as Poco Loco is a hilariously awesome black guy competing in the race. He's been told by a fortune teller than his luck is one in five billion so he decides to give the SBR race a shot. Another big character is a native American known as Sandman, who is competing in the race ON FOOT. He has a big advantage knowing the regions of the country much better than the other contestants. I don't want to give many spoilers away so I won't go into what happens in the race. The writer/artist Hirohiko Araki is a godlike being in my eyes; his art gets better with every Jojo series and Steel Ball Run is no exception. Art wise, everything is there in this series and it'll only get better as it goes on. I'm excited to see how much the art will improve in the latter part of SBR when it's a monthly title.

These first two volumes are very much in the western type genre and the series doesn't really become bizarre until volume three. I think Araki cleverly made this series seem very different at first and slowly integrated his Jojo style into it over time. SBR is definitely for a crowd older than that of typical Weekly Jump. These two volumes seem like a pretty straightforward manga story but once you get to the the third volume, shit gets BIZARRO. My first impression of reading Jojo a few years ago was that it was really disturbing and frankly, that hasn't changed! No matter how much I read into the series, it never ceases to disturb me in new and interesting ways. I mean this in a very humble and inspirational way.

Unlike the other parts of Jojo, I don't think it's necessary to read everything up to this point. SBR is still a part of the Jojo lore but it's very much its own series and everything is explained thoroughly. But if you're like me and you've read Jojo parts one through six up to this point, then it's just that much sweeter. Other than having to read this manga online, it's a fantastic read. It's got intense action, good comedy and a nice western feel to it.

Read this series.


Steel Ball Run volumes 1 and 2 - 9/10

Poll #3 Results

The poll for "favorite member of the Justice League" has ended! We didn't have many votes but I'm going to keep posting polls and try to get more hits. The winner is one of my personal favorite heroes in DC comics......GREEN ARROW!

The emerald archer is a badass indeed. I'm currently reading the 500 page DC Showcase Green Arrow, I'll review that when I'm finished. Flash got second place in the voting, also a badass.

Shonen Jump #97 Review

   So I had a subscription to Shonen Jump for quite a long time, I own MANY issues. I figured I'd do a quick review of an issue. It's not very recent but it's one of the last issues I got before my subscription was up. This issue of Jump is not only the first of 2011 but it's also the WILD NEW EVOLVED edition of Jump. Well, the layout is a little different and...that's it. Alright. There's an large image on the side of a Naruto chapter cover but it looks like it's alrighty partway through? It should be the far left of the image but it looks like the middle to me. Oh well. We've got some YUSEI goin' on in the cover. We'll get more into the Yusei business later. As a note, I've read this issue before but I just wanted to review some more Jump on my blog.


Psyren - First up, we've got chapters one and two of Psyren. I'd heard of Psyren many times but this issue was actually my first time reading any of it. I gotta say, it's pretty interesting. Since it's a mystery/thiller, I think it would be a hard series to jump right into from the middle. I've read so little of it overall so a lot of it is still pretty confusing, not much has been answered as far as I've read. It makes it fun to keep reading but definitely difficult for someone starting up at a later chapter. The art is really good, I like the inking a lot. I won't give away any surprises, check it out yourself if you get the chance!

4/5


Naruto - Ahh, Naruto. Such a love/hate relationship. Overall, it's one of my favorite series but sometimes I think a chapter is just awful. These chapters are about Tobi and Kabuto teaming up, their evil secret plans of doom starting to unfold. Naruto goes to a secluded island to train with Killer Bee. Overall, good bunch of chapters. One comment I have is VIZ's HORRIFIC translations of Killer Bee's rapping. Oh my god. I've read a good amount of Naruto scanlations online and the translations the fans make are so much better than what VIZ makes, it's kind of sad, actually. I've caught up with reading Naruto weekly on many different occasions but I can never keep up with it. Most of the time, it's just not good enough to keep me reading EVERY week. Nevertheless, I still have a special place in my heart for Naruto and company.

3.5/5



One Piece - It's One Piece. What else should I say? It's One Piece. I've praised Eichiiro Oda's comic on here before. The chapters featured in this issue of Jump have the death of a certain hugely important character *HINTFIREFISTHINT* One Piece is superb and never disappoints. Honestly, The death of that certain beloved character is one of the saddest things I've ever read. I feel bad for those people who are alienated by Oda's artwork and don't give One Piece a chance; they are missing out on some gold.

5/5




Ultimo - This series has gotten pretty damn awesome. I can't tell if it's going to be a long series or really short. It seems like it could go for years or it could end in a month. Regardless, it's a pretty interesting story with amazing art by Hiroyuki Takei. I don't want to say much about the story because lots of important things happen almost every chapter. In my opinion, it's no Shaman King, but it's still pretty rad.

3.7/5



Bleach - Yeah, I just don't even care. I like looking at Bleach for the art but trying to read it and figure out the story is just pointless to me. Nothing very important ever seems to happen, it's just constant fighting that goes on for chapters. I'm really surprised Bleach is still running, it seems like everyone I talk to who likes it  thinks it should have ended a long time ago. Granted, this issue of Jump is still very behind to where Bleach is currently, there's a lot of catching up to do. It seems to me that Kubo doesn't like drawing backgrounds, so much of Bleach is just white surroundings. I guess I can understand not wanting to draw so many backgrounds but it makes me really appreciate series like One Piece that have extreme detail in all the backgrounds. I'm curious to see if Tite Kubo makes another series after Bleach, I could possibly get into that. We'll see!

2/5



Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - The original Yu-Gi-Oh manga (volumes 1-7) is one of my favorite series out there. It's clever and witty and awesome. But since the original I think YGO has just been on a downward spiral. Now we've got 5D's, people are dueling while racing on motorcycles, it really seems like a joke. This manga isn't even related to the actual creator of YGO, Kazuki Takahashi, so I really didn't care about this from the start. Everything about is over the top and corny, YGO just keeps going to new heights of ridiculousness. At the end of this chapter, a massive grim reaper of death shows up to battle Yusei. So now we've got the main character preparing to play a card game with death itself (who is riding a skeleton horse) while racing him on a motorcycle. There you have it.

1.5/5

'Holy Terror' Review

WHOA! I've never heard of this before! I'm not sure where to start with this one. Holy Terror is a bit of a change of pace from my last review on here (which was shoujo). This comic book is intense. And pretty damn offensive. First off, I'd like to say that I love Frank Miller. As a writer and as an artist, but especially as an artist. Visually, Sin City is one of the most amazing works of art out there. I love 300, The Dark Knight Returns, Spawn/Batman, etc. Holy Terror starts off just as visually breathtaking as anything else by Frank Miller. The wide format Miller uses for his comics now is really interesting. The first six or so pages of the comic are all single page spreads before he starts using panels.

Plot Summary

The comic opens with The Fixer (basically Batman) right on the tail of Natalie Stack (basically Catwoman) as they swing from rooftops of a city. They start a brutal fight which eventually leads to making out. They get caught up in a much bigger deal in the form of a massive explosion across the city. This leads them to basically fighting Al-Queda (as ridiculous as that sounds). The equivilant of The Statue of Liberty gets bombed by these terrorists and this leads to The Fixer going all out against the FIENDS. Natalie Stack eventually finds herself in a massive, underground mosque lair place and having to fight her way out.

This graphic novel is pretty straightforward. Frank Miller wanted to kick some terrorist ass and he really dishes it out in this thing. It's a pretty offensive piece of work and I'm sure that's how he intended it. I wasn't really into the story much; for me, this comic is all the art. My God, it's superb. Typical Miller style whites and blacks with harsh reds. There were two pages where Natalie falls into an underwater area and the only color on both pages is pink EVERYWHERE. It's almost like she's swimming in pepto bismol but it still worked so well. The dramatic use of color really made this comic great for me. I'm surprised how much negative response this thing is getting from the comic world. I mean, yeah, it's really opinionated and offensive. I don't think that constitutes people saying Miller has 'lost his touch' or 'changed too much' or whatever. I'm shocked by how many people are bashing his artwork in Holy Terror. It does have a frantic feel to it but it's not bad at all. How can people say that it isn't good? The faces may be very bizarre looking but it's very intentional. He's still Frank Miller, his writing style and art still look like Frank Miller and this comic is very Frank Miller. It's just a fun and wild ride. I honestly thought this book was a little too short (especially for how expensive the cover price is) but it wasn't a problem. Miller depicts an obsolutely absurd-looking Obama halfway through the comic. His views are pretty clear cut for the reader. Obviously this comic is not for the easily offended. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes beautiful visuals. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. The story is definitely a little too politics/religion heavy for me to fully enjoy but the art completely made up for it.

"There's something under your coat - what is it?" "Paradise."

Holy Terror - 7.8/10