This installment of Tidbits is devoted to the BL stories of Hinako Takanaga! Today I'm focusing on some shorter works, but look for Little Butterfly and Challengers in future columns. A trio of one-shots is up first—A Capable Man, CROQUIS, and Liberty Liberty!—followed by the second volume of You Will Drown in Love. That series is still ongoing in Japan, where the third volume … [Read more...] about Tidbits: Four by Hinako Takanaga
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight 4 by Joss Whedon: B
From the back cover: Buffy Summers unlocked the power of the Slayer in hundreds of young women, but in the future only one Slayer remains. Melaka Fray—introduced by Buffy creator Joss Whedon and artist Karl Moline in 2001—returns to comics in Season Eight of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When Buffy attempts to solve the mystery of her scythe, she's propelled into the future, and … [Read more...] about Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight 4 by Joss Whedon: B
Hetalia Axis Powers 1-2 by Hidekaz Himaruya: B+
I really wasn't sure how I would fare with Hetalia. I knew that its cast featured characters based on countries and that it had a rabid fan following, but that was about it. I expected a screwball gag comedy that would probably not amuse me much, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Hetalia is actually far more clever than that. Really, there isn't a plot here, or … [Read more...] about Hetalia Axis Powers 1-2 by Hidekaz Himaruya: B+
Tidbits: Sports Manga for the Win!
Welcome to another installment of Tidbits! This time I turn my attention to sports manga, a genre for which I nurture an inexplicable adoration. First up is Crimson Hero, a shoujo tale that attempts to balance volleyball and romance, followed by six early volumes of Eyeshield 21 and four later ones from The Prince of Tennis, in which the Seishun Academy tennis team finally … [Read more...] about Tidbits: Sports Manga for the Win!
The Great Typo Hunt by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson: B
From the front flap: The world needed a hero, but how would an editor with no off-switch answer the call? For Jeff Deck, the writing was literally on the wall: NO TRESSPASSING. In that moment, his greater purpose became clear. Dark hordes of typos had descended upon civilization... and only he could wield the marker to defeat them. Review: After a college reunion spurs the … [Read more...] about The Great Typo Hunt by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson: B