Review: Double Mints

Alright so here is another Yaoi, this one is a little bit more mature than the other manga I’ve reviewed. And I can’t say I loved it, the story line was pretty hard to follow by the end I was totally lost.  What I gather is that Double Mints is about two guys with the same names that had this odd dynamic back in high school and reconnect years later. So it starts off when the two meet for the first time in high school and then skips forward to the present. Once the two rekindle their relationship, things spiral into a passionate yet dark clusterfuck of attempted murder and psychological love games.

The flip-flopping between time periods makes the story jumbled; there’s not much to indicate if the scene is past or present. Anyway, it starts to turn into this murder mystery but quickly dissolves and I think somewhere around there I become lost and disinterested. It plays a lot on the submissive/dominant theme and concludes with this weird Romeo and Juliet feel. I think it was meant to be sensitive, but the story overall lacked compelling dialogue. I mean they loved each other but they treated each other like utter shit; I wasn’t buying it. Maybe if you are into warped and twisted love stories sprinkled with masochism, you’ll like this one. It just isn’t my thing.

One thing I will give it credit for was that it was different from other Yaoi that I have read in that the two were completely confident in their sexuality. No one even flinched about it which was kind of refreshing.

Asumiko Nakamura has a pretty decent following and her other works were widely received. I’ve liked her past stuff but I’m just not feeling this one. I wasn’t too fond of the art either; wasn’t impressed. She has definitely done better.

Score: 3/5

Writer/Artist: Asumiko Nakamura Publisher: Digital Manga Guild Price: $9.95 Website

Review: Blood-C - Vol. 3

Japanese anime meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Blood-C. A young high school girl, seemingly ordinary, must keep the town she lives in safe from ancient monsters that feast off of human flesh. This series was actually an anime series first and also has origins in the Blood: The Last Vampire, which is where you see our main character Saya. Blood-C is more of a spin off series. If you are not familiar with the series than volume 3 is probably not the best place to start, actually if you don’t have previous knowledge on the series then it becomes extremely hard to follow the story line. It can be confusing and at times just all over the place. However, if you’ve been a long time follower of Saya than you should definitely read this one, a vital story line is revealed.

You enter volume 3 right away with some action; the ancient monsters munching on train passengers for an afternoon snack but to their dismay Saya and her Katana are a deadly combination. Panels of gore and fight scenes move fluidly on the pages but come to halt when the reader is transported hours from the unraveling situation. It appears that throughout this story Saya is almost as confused as I was reading it. She is clinging to her old memories and becoming lost in reality. Flashbacks of suppressed memories expose more about this mysterious Saya and her connection to the ancient ones.

Volume 3 takes on a pretty crazy plot twist. Was Saya becoming a lethal hunter all a set up? Who really is Nono and Nene? Will Fumito’s experiment be exposed? Stay tuned for the chaos that will ensue in Blood-C.

What caught my eye in first place were the illustrations. I really liked the creative take on these capricious monsters; they look like they just ooze filth and malice. I loved the cover art featuring Saya, just overall the illustrations were well done.

Score: 3/5

Artist/Writer: Ranmaru Kotone Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $12.99 Release Date: 2/19/14

Review: 9th Sleep

Alright now I’ve finally found have some Yaoi to present that is worthy of reading.  It’s actually pretty different from a lot of Yaoi that I’ve seen especially since it doesn’t really play on the “lovey dovey” romance element but revolves more around a one shot creation story. Although 9^th Sleep has been out for some time I think Makoto Tateno needs a shout out for this one.  9^th Sleep as mentioned before isn’t your typical Yaoi but still has Tateno’s brilliant touch of scifi/fantasy with angelic looking boys and as usual Tateno nails the illustrations, she’s in her element with this genre. The world has been reborn and with it a new king is awakened, sorta. He’s mostly trying to avoid battling his older brother and becoming king of the heavens. It’s actually a cyclic fate that the brothers must battle for the king’s soul and the loser will sleep till a new heir is ready to fight; so can’t really blame the guy for trying to dodge that mess, seems like a grim fate. Well this tradition kind of makes the beginning of the story repetitive after the third birth but hang in there; it comes full circle with a heartwarming ending. Back to the creation theme, Tateno throws in some biblical references such as a virgin giving birth to a new king and God’s garden but also takes on a new twist with the brothers battling to become the new god.

So taking a step back here, this is what I did like: the fantasy like artwork, alternate creation story, and compassionate ending. What I didn’t like was the repetition of births I think that could have been summed up in a small scene not half the book. I do think it’s worth a read and a good start if you’re interested in getting into Tateno’s work but I think it’s more of a “borrow” kind of story.

Score: 3/5

Author/ Artist: Makoto Tateno Publisher: June Manga Price: $12.95 Available on eManga

Review: Steal Moon - Vol. 1

I wanted to pick something a little different this week for the Manga section so I chose a Yaoi which isn’t something usually featured here at Comic Bastards. Let me explain what a Yaoi Manga is; its focus on beautiful boys and typically with same sex relationships. Just imagine it as published fan-fiction that’s not really based off any fandoms. Okay, I know a lot of you would rather see reviews of something more along the lines of Deathnote or Soul Eater but honestly there’s a lot of Yaoi out there that is pretty good Anyways I was hoping to find some good Yaoi to present but turns out Steal Moon isn’t the best example. It’s about a street fighter, Nozomi that loses a fight and becomes part of this “digital angels” scheme. Yea, it’s pretty much exactly what you would think it is, basically a virtual brothel. There are just a lot of problematic scenes in this story that I just wasn’t cool with like the threats of a “forcible event” against Nozomi. It’s got some creepy Stockholm syndrome vibes at first which I wasn’t a huge fan of in this story, but as I read on I found that there’s a lot more going on than expected. Turns out that “digital angels” is actually a cover for a dark secret. Somehow the moon is spying on the whole city and Nozomi has a special ability that is connected with the god Hermes. I did like the whole sci-fi plot but it just was hard to make sense of it all. What I did like though was the art; it had a futuristic feel to it. However, I think if you’re a newbie to Yaoi I wouldn’t suggest this one.

Score: 2/5

Author/Artist: Makoto Tateno Publisher: June Manga Price: $12.95

Review: Vampire Hunter D - Vol. 20: Scenes From an Unholy War

This has been my first foray into the world of Vampire Hunter D; a world that I have discovered is quite extensive covering many volumes of work in a novel and multimedia format.  It has been around for a while. This is quite a large amount of work to say the least. Within these many works, we have an expansive universe covering a post-apocalyptic view of the earth, thousands of years after the fact that is inhabited by vampires, demons, humans, and all kinds of hybrids in between. Our hero, D is one such hybrid, the mixture of a powerful vampire and a human.  Called a “dhampir”, D can be described as an unassuming “pretty boy” going through a harsh and cruel world and kicking a lot of ass in the process as he is often underestimated by his opponents.  He enjoys the strengths and weaknesses of his lineages and this figures in very prominently to the story that I read here.

During the reading of Scenes, a village has hired several mercenaries to help eliminate a menacing threat called The Black Death that never comes, so they are dismissed.  While being dismissed, D is stricken with a bad bout of “Sun Syndrome” rendering him useless and under the control of his symbiotic Left Hand, appropriately called “Left Hand”.  As D is recovering, Black Death decides to make an appearance after all. This Volume chronicles that story and the inevitable battle.

First things first, this book is called a graphic novel, but it really is just a novel, 200 plus pages of novel to be exact with some limited artwork provided.  This is not your typical comic book fare, so if you are looking to be wowed with lots of artwork to coincide with the story, you might want to look somewhere else. Secondly, this is volume #20 of a long running series, so if you are purchasing it, more than likely you are well into to the world of D. As a first time reader, you might wish to start from the beginning and go from there before you get to here.

Still, as a standalone novel, I found Scenes to be readable and not too confusing to understand. The translation flows smoothly and doesn’t seem to get lost anywhere.  This way distant future land is a creepy place that is dark and foreboding, not just for humans, but for everyone. It’s a rough place and D who is a very soft-spoken, “cards close to the chest” kind of guy, is in bad shape for much of the book. Lucky for him, he has Left Hand to take over and run things. In Left hand, I found a fun and frisky characterization that blended well with the quiet and reserved D. These two make for a funky and futuristic odd couple that play well through the reading of the pages. I actually felt it to be kind of fun in an otherwise serious book.

The artistic renderings by Yoshitaka Amano, though few, are very impressive portraying D as a “dark” character with intensity.  I would have loved to  have seen more artwork and reading this book has made me curious to explore this world of D a little more.  There is nothing too terribly bad I can say about it. I found the high future science fiction blended in with an old west feel and dark fairy tale tone to be of an interesting touch.

Apparently, Writer Hideyuki Kikuchi is well revered for his work and has a large following. After experiencing this volume, I can see why he gets so many props from people. In D, he has created an extensive and impressive world in which one can get lost within and stay for some time. That is the kind of writing that makes a novel good. But, I would certainly look for other volumes if I was wanting to explore this world for the first time.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Hideyuki Kukuchi Artist: Yoshitaka Amano Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $11.99 Release Date: 12/11/13

Review: Berserk – Vol. 37

Dark Horse’s Manga division has released the 37^th volume of the classic Berserk tale.  It tells the story of Guts and his adventures throughout the landscape. Guts known as “The Black Swordsman” wears a cursed black magic item called berserker armor that makes him quite a formidable foe, but at a prize. He utilizes the armor to protect his friends and to bring order to disorder. In the case of volume #37, he is battling a monstrous evil sea god. Berserk has a sophisticated level of action and story throughout. It is a unique feeling like a hamburger loaded with a mix of Conan the Barbarian, Arthurian Legends, Sinbad of the Seven Seas on top of a fresh Manga bun. It is tasty, but not the most magnificent burger I have ever had (And I have had a lot of burgers). Still, the $14.99 list price is inviting and quite a deal for the over 270 pages that come with this volume. Berserk has been around for over 20 years and is legendary in its lore. It was quite fun to delve into this world for the first time.

That price of $14.99 is worth it for the artwork alone. Kentaro Miura draws amazingly with a nearly flawless look of perfection. It is stunning and beautiful. And like any good artist, there are whole pages of simply the art. Stunning it is, really stunning. You just want to reach out and touch some of the drawings. You about swear that the images are real. It is something else.

As for the story… it is not as interesting, but it is written well enough to keep you moving on through. The plots have dialogues that flow in the Manga style with characters who think they are tougher than they are and who get into trouble trying to be heroic, only to be bailed out by our hero. The writing is just okay, but the artwork is the real star here. You really could get this volume with no writing at all and it would be worth it. I just can’t give enough praise for the artwork. It’s awesome.

Unfortunately, I like to be “wowed” by a good tandem of artwork and writing and Berserk volume #37 just didn’t do that for me. Still, if art is your thing and you have a little bit of money and a lot of time (It is 270 pages), then Berserk is definitely worth the buy. It is a nice effort by Dark Horse in keeping everything in its original Manga format of back to first and right to left reading. It has been awhile since I have read any Manga. Dragon Ball Z to be exact (I know, but I like it), so it was a nice change of pace from what I have been reading.  Still though, I just can’t offer my whole support. The writing quite simply could not match the amazing art.

Score: 3/5

Writer/Artist/Creator: Kentaro Miura Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $14.99 Release Date: 11/20/13

Review: Cyborg 009 – Vol. 1

At long last Cyborg 009 has arrived. This is a title I’ve been waiting for since it was teased with a zero issue from Archaia. If you liked that issue then you should have no doubts in picking up this issue because it’s more of the same greatness. I know some purest probably are against this title, but if you’re like me and never experienced the original Cyborg 009 series then this is a great first opportunity. I think that the creative team did a great job of handling the source material and updating it in a way that respectful and yet fresh. It doesn’t come across as a cheap Hollywood remake, but rather a reboot which is common in the world of comics. To sum up the opening which is basically the zero issue; 009 wakes up after a flash of memory of his old life. Well more like his old life ending as he’s beaten to death. He’s put through a trial run to test his cybernetic enhancements. After defeating his obstacles he’s introduced to the science team that created him and his predecessors 001 through 008. He’s asked to kill them, but this quickly turns into a rouse as 009 helps the other cyborgs along with their creator escape from the organization known as Black Ghost.

They go into hiding and through Dr. Gilmore’s explanation we learn about the Cyborg program and that Black Ghost has been secretly controlling the outcome of wars for years. We also learn about the past of each of the cyborgs and how they came to be a part of the program. Some volunteered unknowingly; most were kidnapped at random by Black Ghost. 009 can’t remember anything about his past, but Dr. Gilmore lets him know that he can override the chip and give him back his memories. When he does he remembers everything including the woman he loves. He wants to go to her and check on her, but the rest of the team tells him that it will expose them. 009 also learns that his name is Joe. The question becomes: will Joe stay and fight with the team or try to get back to his old life?

The story is a bit predictable, but then why wouldn’t it be? There’s enough tragedy in the characters’ lives that you really want a happy ending and even then it’s not an easy road. It’s a strong first volume and the story really plays to its strengths: huge battles with lots of explosions, the underdogs coming from behind for the win and the insane super-villain that kills a lot of people. The only characters that receive any kind of development are Joe, Francoise (to an extent) and Jet (to an even lessor extent). While Francoise is actually pretty bad ass and uses her powers to help them the most, she’s basically reduced to the role of the love interest.

The group of cyborgs are all pretty unique and the fact that they’re from around the world keeps their personalities from repeating. I did appreciate the fact that they were never reduced to the stereotypes of their home countries which would have been a terrible pitfall. The pacing of the story is steady which makes for a very quick read. We’re basically given the conflict of the volume a fourth of the way in and so you can imagine how quickly it wraps from there since the story is just over one-hundred pages.

The visuals steal the show. The art plays a huge role in the character’s personalities as each of them wears their personality on their sleeve. It’s easy to tell what everyone is feeling just by their expression and that’s very useful when dealing with a team based story like this. The character designs pay homage to the original designs, but I prefer the modern version. Their look is very cool and the explanation around why they have to wear them is a nice inclusion. The action scenes are fantastic; not only are they easy to follow, but they’re over the top with explosions and craziness. Joe has a short, but awesome fight with the 0010 cyborgs and it is stunning to look at. I couldn’t get enough of the art and will likely thumb through the book a few times just to soak it all in.

This first volume manages to tell a great story and introduce Cyborg 009 to a new generation of comic readers, but it also lays down the ground work for the universe and characters in a way that didn’t come across as a boring origin story. Really their origins are over and done a fourth of the way in and then it’s on to the bigger conflict. It’s very refreshing to read the first volume/issue of something and not have it be a paint-by-numbers comic origin. If you enjoy manga, tech or just kick-ass action… then you need to check this story out.

Score: 4/5

Writers: F.J. DeSanto and Bradley Cramp Artist: Marcus To Publisher: Archaia Entertainment and Ishimori Production Price: $24.95 Release Date: 9/11/13