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Dark Angel

Publisher: CPM Press
Author: Kia Asamiya
Volumes Reviewed: 2

I recently panned a book called Dragon Arms, who's plot I summerized as "People talk about fighting in between bouts of fighting." Dark Angel, by Kia Asamiya, is remarkably similar. In follows a hero named Dark, who is a martial artist of the god-like variety, powerful enough to level towns with his awsome kung-fu.

Dark has recently inherited a title and territory from his master, and needs to assert himself as the new ruler of one of the five territories. Some of his neighboors, for various reasons, are not willing to take him seriously, and the delicate treaty between the five territories threatens to be broken.

Kia Asamiya, a very popular comic auteur, is able to do a bit better on the story side than David Hutchison on Dragon Arms. A comparison between the two books might be valuable. While Dragon Arms throws us in the middle of a stereotypical battle between forces of evil and good, Dark Angel gives us a more complicated, nuanced political situation between five territiries.

While Dragon Arms throws character after character at us until they are all a blur, Dark Angel introduces the cast a few at a time, giving them each memorable character traits. While Dragon Arms makes use of anaonymous mosters, Dark Angel does no such thing.

That said, for all of it's superiority in this comparison, Dark Angel is still a story about god-like martial artists slugging it out, pondering the use of power, and little else. If you're a big fan of the slugfest genre, this may be for you.

Story: 3 out of 5
Art: 4 out of 5

Buy at Amazon

Dragon Arms

Publisher: Antarctic Press
Author: David Hutchison
Volumes Reviewed: 1

Dragon Arms is a manga influenced fantasy comic published by Antarctic Press. Creator David Hutchinson is a very talented artist. His visual style and character designs are gorgeous, a cut above many geniune manga books. Unfortunetly, his writing skills are non-existent.

The plot is, I'm not really sure. There's these good guys and these bad guys, you can usually tell the difference because the good guys are good looking and the bad guys are ugly. They're all super martial arts warriors of the Dragon Ball Z variety, and apparently knights or rulers of kingdoms, it's sort of hard to tell because, though we see fortresses and such we see hardly a peep of normal folks.

There appears to be some big bad who makes monsters and puts together armies, and the only hope for good is a girl with some Dragon Blood in her, or maybe some weapons called Dragon Arms, I really can't tell.

The characters all blend together, really, if I had to summerise the book, I'd say "People talk about fighting in between bouts of fighting."

David Hutchison: great artist, very much in need of a writer.

Story: 1
Art: 4

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The Wizard's Tale

Publisher: Homage Comics/Wildstorm
Authors: Kurt Busiek and David T. Wenzel
Self Contained Graphic Novel

Kurt Busiek is a well known writer among superhero comic fans. From his innovative work on Thunderbolts, Marvels, and Astro City, to his more traditional (I.E. dull) work on Avengers, JLA, and Defenders, Busiek has made a name for himself among superhero fans.

Given the nature of the superhero comic audience, it's probably not too big a shocker, that his foray into original fantasy, The Wizard's Tale, remains in obscurity.

The plot: for generations, the forces of evil have ruled over the land of ever-night, ever since a council of evil Wizard's took conquered long ago. Bafflerog Rumplewhisker is the latest member of a family with a great history of evil Wizardry. Unfortunately Bafflerog has always been a disappointment to the family. Instead of demon conjuring, he'd rather make flowers. His attempt at black sorcery creates a rain storm that irrigates the local farmlands suffering from drought. He accidently makes rainbows.

Bafflerog Rumplewhisker has always wanted to live up to his families expectations. But when he's asked to find the Book of Worse, a magical tomb that can remove the last strain of hope in Ever-Night, Rumplewhisker is going to have to decide who's side he's really on.

The Wizard's Tale is a charming fairy tale of a story. Busiek spins a light, warm, and unique tale about a kindly old man trying to live up to the evil expected of him. The art, painted by David T. Wenzel, is positively gorgeous. Unfortunetly, it has a slightly blurry look to my eyes, which I believe is due to something technical: insufficient contrast or coloring resolution. If you're susceptible to heartwarm stories set in bright, fairy tale world's, this is for you.

Story: 4 out out of 5
Art: 5 out of 5 (4, accounting for reproduction quality)

Buy at Amazon

Incal: Orphan of the City Shaft

Publisher: Humanoid Publishing
Authors: Alexandro Jodorowsky and Zoran Janjetov
Volumes Reviewed: 1

Today I review a comic of French origin released in the English language by European publisher "Humanoids publishing". Humanoids has a reputation for producing high quality European science fiction works that go largely ignored in the U.S.

The premise: Young adult John Difool is left orphaned in a grim, dystopian future when his prostitute mother commits suicide after losing her drug supply and his father gets turned into a mindless cyborg as a punishment for theft. With the help of a tossed out robot mentor, Difool gets a job as a detective and chooses for his first case something close to his heart.

Dipool spent the earliest years of his life hidden by his mother, because the children of prostitutes are taken by the government by reasons unknown. Determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, Dipool finds himself up against the police department, major corporations, and ruling government, as he tries to get back at the society that has brought him nothing but misery.

The three book Incal series, produced in the early 90's, is a genuine piece of cyberpunk fiction. As in other entries in this genre, it is the milieu that is the most important character.

No matter where you live, whoever you are, the world of Incal is bound to make your neighborhood look pleasant in comparison. Suicides are filmed for laughs on tv. Religious devotees sacrifice their bodies as living drug factories. Soldiers are recruited with the promise of raping the women of distant worlds. Aristocrats pay hobos to fight each other for money. Suicidees jumping off bridges are shot by amused spectators shouting "You didn't commit, suicide I killed you!" And so on.

Incal is a genuine work of science fiction worthy of high praise. The environment, with its combination of decadence, racism, poverty, and depravity, is a unique, quirky creation in the dystopian genre. The heroes love-hate relationship with a aristocrat girl is a fascinating page turner that holds the story together, as is his obession with solving the mystery of the prostitution children, whatever the cost.

The art has both a soft and detailed quality, complimenting the conflict between the cruel environment and kind hearted protagonist. Highly recommended.

Story: 5
Art: 4

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Reality Check!

Publisher: Tokyopop/ Sirius Entertainment
Authors: Rosearik Rikki Simons and Tavishi Wolfgarth
Volumes Reviewed: 1


Recently, my local comic book store had a sale on bargain bin graphic novels and I picked up a bunch of stuff I would not have checked out otherwise, this being one of them.

Reality Check! appears to be some sort of small publisher manga influenced indie comic thing published in 1998. I can find almost nothing on google about the publisher indicated on my copy, "Sirius Entertainment".

In 2003, however, this book was picked up by Manga Giant Tokyopop, and is currently print. My copy is a full sized, glossy color edition, (thats binding is, unfortunetly, completly shot) while the Tokyopop version is cheaper, paperback, and black and white.

The premise is, in the year 2012, virtual reality internet has caught on in a big way. Geeky high school student Collin Meeks gets the surprise of his life when his house cat, Catrice, logs on and takes up humanoid form in cyber-space. Turns out, in the world of the net, she's an expert computer hacker. The two of them explore virtual reality environments, international cultural simulations, AI written interactive television stories, fight viruses, meet up with friends, and more.

I came into this book with low expectations and was pleasently surprised. Despite it's small publisher roots, the art and storytelling is of surprisingly professional quality. The character design is cute, the sequental storytelling technique is strong, and the creative team utilizes computer generated effects and backround elements that blend seamlessly with the hand drawn parts. The coloring is beautiful.

As for story, there's a lot to like. It was fun to see so many cyber-punk technological tropes: AI, rogue viruses, and virtual emmersive environments, used in a way that's silly fun. Occasionally, the writing gets a bit clever. For example Catrice hacks into an AI written work of fiction where we get a story within the story that later crosses over with the main plot.

Unfortunetly, despite getting many story points right, Catrice's antics: riding around on virtual bumper, singing at the beach, transporting a bunch of sand to use as kitty litter, etc., tend to fall flat, and Collins role as the straight man just doesn't work. There also is no real plot progression, which would have helped hold the thing together.

Art: 4 out of 5 (3 on the Tokyopop black and white reproduction)
Story: 3 out of 5

Buy Reality Check, Book 1 at Amazon

Vampire Game

Publisher: Tokyopop
Author: Judal
Volumes Reviewed: 1-11


Today I'm going to review one of my favorite comics, Vampire Game, by a Japanese author who goes by the pen name Judal. This review is best read in the tone of geeky delight.

Vampire Game is the story of The Vampire King Duzell, who, one hundred years ago, nearly conquered the entire free world with his vampiric armies of the undead. He was stopped, in the end, by St. Phelios, a holy knight who sacrificed his life to end Duzzel's reign. As the Duzzel lay dying, he swore that he would return in a hundred years and take revenge on the descendent of Phelios who would be Phelios's reincarnation.

One hundred years later Duzell returns, in the body of a helpless kitten. Alone and abandoned, he is taken in by Princess Ishtar, Phelios's descendent. Now: here's where it gets weird. Duzell, who's powers are slowly returning, can shapeshift his form, but not his gender. When the princess is not around, he takes the form of a male version of her, while Ishtar likes to run off and dress as a male royal knight.

They both dislike Ishtar's house, who thwarted Duzell's plans and sees Ishtar as a royal breeder. When Ishtar figures her kitten's true nature, they quickly become friends.

The two get into many misadventures throughout the volumes, and deal with plots to wed off, assassinate, or dethrone Ishtar, coming from romantic rivals, jealous relatives, imperialistic kingdoms, and evil monsters. The stories alternate between action, drama, romance, and comedy. They take place in a medieval fantasy setting.

Princess Ishtar, the true hero of the book, ranges from spoiled, noble, comedic, airheaded, or brilliant, depending on what the circumstances bring out in her. Duzell is redeemed throughout his friendship with her, as are many characters she comes in contact and aides throughout the course of the series.

The execution of this series is so delightful, so flawless, that I cannot come up with a single thing I do not like. Judal has a gift of extending a story arc to just the write length, then opening a new adventure that builds on the characterization and events of the previous.

Plotlines are are wielded delicately and not forgotten, that possession in volume 5 might have a payoff in volume 11. The characters are interesting, cute, memorable, and dynamic. There is a wonderful balance of friendship, romance, villainy, heroism, action, comedy, and intrigue.

There's really nothing bad I can say about this book. If you're offput by humor through androgeny, or have zero interest in the concept of a princess who is secretly friends with a world conquering shapeshifting vampiric cat, this book may not be for you. But there's really nothing negative I could even come up with.

Usually, I would save the "5 out of 5" story rating for a book that has, in it's plot, what I could point out as an obvious sense of "depth". But this book is so well crafted, so flawlessly fun, it wins my most highest score.

Story: 5 out of 5
Art: 4 out of 5

Order Vampire Game, Vol. 1 at Amazon