Volume two of Slam Dunk sure has been a long time coming! When we left off in volume one, hot-headed Sakuragi had grown frustrated with fundamentals training and quit the team. We pick up the story with Sakuragi regretting his decision, and he soon returns to practice after quickly polishing off a thug who’d been spoiling for a fight. Although Sakuragi is still as clueless and … [Read more...] about Slam Dunk 2 by Takehiko Inoue: B+
Comics
Hissing 1 by Kang EunYoung: C-
From the back cover: Da-Eh, an aspiring manhwa artist who lives with her father and her little brother, comes across Sun-Nam, a softie whose ultimate goal is simply to become a "tough guy." Whenever these two meet, trouble follows. Meanwhile, Ta-Jun, the hottest guy in town, finds himself drawn to the one girl that his killer smile does not work on—Da-Eh. With their complicated … [Read more...] about Hissing 1 by Kang EunYoung: C-
Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka 1 by Naoki Urasawa and Osamu Tezuka: A+
In the Astro Boy story “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” available in the third volume of Dark Horse’s edition of the Astro Boy manga, a power-hungry sultan creates a robot named Pluto and gives him instructions to destroy seven other powerful robots that could challenge Pluto’s claim to the title of King of the Robots. Pluto dutifully carries out his orders but bears no personal … [Read more...] about Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka 1 by Naoki Urasawa and Osamu Tezuka: A+
Astro Boy 3 by Osamu Tezuka: A-
From the back cover: A timeless comics and animation classic, Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy is still going strong half a century after its creation, winning over readers of all ages with its combination of action, wit, and humanity. In the novel-length "The Greatest Robot on Earth," a wealthy sultan creates a giant robot to become the ruler of all other robots on Earth. But in order … [Read more...] about Astro Boy 3 by Osamu Tezuka: A-
Astro Boy 2 by Osamu Tezuka: B
Book description: As Mickey Mouse is to American animation, so to anime and manga is Astro Boy, the quintessential creation of Osama Tezuka, one of the world’s revered giants of comics and animation. In this volume, Astro Boy comes to the aid of Gravia’s robot president to prevent his overthrow at the hands of a secret anti-robot society; a robot magician is cloned as a setup … [Read more...] about Astro Boy 2 by Osamu Tezuka: B