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Thursday, May 06, 2010 ( 5/06/2010 07:40:00 AM ) Bill S.  “MAGIC IS TOXIC; IT ERODES THE FLESH.” Radical Comics’ reimagining of the Aladdin story, Legend of the Lost, concludes with its third issue this month. With the aid of a grizzled Sinbad (who first popped up in ish #2), our rapscallion-thief-turned-hero rescues the spirited Princess Soraya from the clutches of villainous sorcerer Qassim -- but not before we’re provided a visit to the underground city of the Aramaspi, with its Moorcockian named Tabernacle of the Dreaming Jewel. More than one magical alliance is made against Qassim (who clearly has a knack for betraying and pissing off), but in the crunch it’s a well-swung sword to the neck that saves the day. As well it should.Can definitely see this ‘un being made into a spirited CGI-flavored movie fantasy -- just hold back on the Russell Crowe-styled bellowing, please -- as several moments in this third issue (the assault on an Aramaspi sorceress by a trio of stone titans, the high-pitched sword battle between our heroes and heroine against Qassim’s army of winged bird/monsters) cry to put in motion. First issue artist Reilley appears to have been nudged aside in #2 by the similarly painterly Stjepan Sejic: another unfamiliar name to me, though I have to admit that the transition went smoothly. As for Ian Edginton’s script, it remains admirably straight-faced -- at least until the penultimate panel where he has Soraya hearkening back to Disney by telling our hero, “There’s a whole new world to explore out there.” That aside, I wouldn’t mind reading another one of these boyishly entertaining Arabian Knights comics. Especially if they provide Soraya more of an opportunity to show off her swashbuckling chops. (First published as a "Review in Brief" on Blogcritics.) Labels: fifteen-minute comic # |Tuesday, May 04, 2010 ( 5/04/2010 07:42:00 AM ) Bill S. AN ARIZONA THOT: Some days, while catching a glimpse of Mount Graham or the Arizona desert in spring bloom, I find myself wondering how just how this state can produce so many repressive tight-asses. But then I remember how the curse of the familiar can diminish the power of even the most humbling sight. # | Sunday, May 02, 2010 ( 5/02/2010 07:12:00 AM ) Bill S.  “I MADE YOU LISTEN TO A LOUSY PERFORMANCE.” Having dispensed with its gender challenging drag subplot by the end of its first volume, shojo romance Venue Capriccio (CMX) starts out aimless in its follow-up book. You can see creator Mai Nishikata desperately testing new complications to toss at our central couple, tomboyish high school girl Takami and prickly young pianoboy Akira. Our heroine gets a job waitressing at a jazz bar, which worries Akira but doesn’t yield any real dramatic moments; the series’ piano school sees the return of a flirty older teacher, which also concerns Akira but similarly proves unpromising.It isn’t until the volume’s fourth chapter -- wherein our twosome enters the Aoba Piano Competition -- that Capriccio lights up. Thoughts of the Richard Dreyfuss/Amy Irving flick, The Competition, come to mind, but in this case there’s no real question as to who will win the contest. The big concern here is what effect Takami’s growing proficiency will have on their still nascent romance (whereas, in the earlier movie, the issue was whether the duo’s budding relationship would color the contest itself). The difference in focus proves ultimately less gripping, but Nishikata’s couple remain distinct enough to keep shojo addicts reading. Even when it’s obvious that the manga artist is temporarily marking time, her commitment to her characters keeps you involved. Dunno how many volumes she can maintain this sleight of hand, though. (First published as a "Review in Brief" at Blogcritics.) Labels: sixty-minute manga # |Saturday, May 01, 2010 ( 5/01/2010 08:30:00 AM ) Bill S.  “GOD, SOMETIMES I REALLY HATE BEING A KID.” Those superhero fans who found the new movie Kick-Ass a bit too rough might get a kick out of Inui Sekhiko’s Ratman (Tokyopop), a comic manga about a fifteen-year-old superhero fanboy who dreams of becoming super-powerful — only to learn to his dismay that he’s received his new powers from the wrong side.Set in a world where superheroes are “churned out regularly” and promoted like corporate sponsored sports stars, the series centers on Shuto Katsuragi, a high schooler whose short stature regularly gets him mistaken for a middle schooler. Wannabe Shuto diligently follows the celebrity supertypes, and he seemingly gets his shot at joining their ranks when he’s kidnapped by a goofy gang of miming minions called Jackies and brought to the Abyss, home to the evil organization Jackal. There he sees a pretty blond classmate, Mirea Mizushima, being held captive by a cleavage-baring villainess (who we immediately realize looks like an older version of Mirea). Why has the organization bothered to kidnap two helpless high school kids? “Since when has evil needed a reason to commit evil deeds?” our hero is told, though it all goes deeper than that. Passed an “easy-to-use transformation device” called the Append Gear by his seeming would-be rescuer, Shuto dons the device and becomes a fang-faced creature named Ratman. Unfortunately, his doing so binds him to the nefarious Jackal organization, and he is soon sent out to do its evil bidding. First on the agenda, breaking into the mansion headquarters of the Hero Association, who houses another classmate of Shuto’s, the kick-ass (sorry, there’s no other adjective) daughter of the association president, Rio Kizaki. Rio herself yearns to become a super-type, but is held back by her overprotective father. Though Ratman looks like something that might have been created back in the days when Marvel Comics was heavily swiping from Alien, Sekihiko primarily plays this shonen manga for campy comedy. When the statuesque Jackal leader too broadly starts gloating over her wicknedness, she’s chastised for getting “too maniacal;” after our hero undergoes his first transformation into Ratman, he’s greeted with a banner and confetti. The Jackies prove particularly comical, following Shuto into the school setting where they’re largely unnoticed, they’re a grinning parody of the disposable henchman — even as they prove to be more appealing than their mercenary Hero Association adversaries. As an artist, Sekihiko is not above engaging in the occasional dose of “fan service” (manga-ese for gratuitous imagery, often of the t-&-a variety), though he’s more fun when he plays with old school superhero comics imagery. I especially enjoyed the two servants protecting the Hero Association hq: one looks like a threatening matriarch out of Kirby’s Fourth World series, the other like a Marvel Comics blaxploitation rip-off. It’s clear where Sekihiko, the author of an earler comic con set series entitled Comic Party, cut his comics fanboy teeth. (First published at Blogcritics.) Labels: sixty-minute manga # | |
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