Reviews (2)

Comics ain't all about superheroes
Well, the best ones are. Sorta. Watchmen, Squadron Supreme, Wanted, Authority and Top Ten. If you're still telling your friends why they should read these (even if they won't) then I strongly recommend you check out Ex Machina.Along with Sleeper it's one of the best reviewed monthly comics from the past couple of years that no seems to be reading.Here's hoping being collected into a trade paperback keeps it being published; I like getting my fix monthly.But I'll be buying a couple of these as gifts.

One of the Top 5 Comic Books of 2004
Brian K. Vaughn has crafted a parallel New York City that feels absolutely real and populated it with 3-dimensional human beings that go far beyond comic book stereotypes - a legitimate spiritual descendant of Alan Moore's Watchmen. Summarizing the plot would be selling it short, because there are multiple layers at work here - superheroing, politics, the human condition - and Vaughn's barely scratched the surface so far. If there was ever a comic book that could seamlessly transition to traditional fiction, this is it. Unfortunately, that would mean missing out on Tony Harris' eye-popping artwork.

For anyone that thinks comics are about men in tights and cartoonish "BIFF! POW!" visuals, Ex Machina will set them straight. As a native-New Yorker, I'm jealous that there's no Mitchell Hundred for me to vote for mayor. As a comic book fan, I'm glad to see a book like Ex Machina being published regularly, and to much-deserved critical acclaim. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Supremely Well Done!
In Straczynski's new reworking of the classic Squadron Supreme characters, he achieves a higher level of quality than the original series ever had in one of Marvel's best new series.

This serious, grounded tale tells the story of serval extraordinary individuals as they realize that they are different from everyone else and how they attempt to use their new abilities. Straczynski really acheives some of his finest work in comics here (in addition to "Rising Stars") in a very dark and grounded story without some of the cornball dialogue found in his "Amazing Spider-Man." The pacing of the story is very slow, but is ultimately neccessary for establishing the setting and characters; some characters are only hinted at in these pages and allude to the next story arc.

Just as strong--if not stronger than--the writing is Gary Frank's superb artwork and Chris Sotomayor's great color work. Frank's pencils are very realistic and lifelike for portraying the many characters as well as the real-life figures of former presidents. Sotomayor's colors are very good for conveying the mature theme of the story by using a dark palette as well as using very vibrant colors for other scenes.

Marvel and Straczynski have created one of the best new superhero series in awhile. Now it will be interesting to see if the creators can acheive the same level of quality on subsequent story arcs as they have on this great one.

NOTE: Please keep in mind that this is a Marvel Max book and is suggested for older readers due to violence and language (the comic book equivalent of an R-rated or PG-13 movie).

Turning the super-hero icons on their heads
The original Squadron Supreme, invented by Avengers writer Roy Thomas in the 60's, was intended to be a pastiche of the Justice League of America. Each character in Marvel Comics' Squadron Supreme was an analog of DC Comics' Justice League characters. Hyperion is the analog of Superman, Nighthawk of Batman, Power Princess of Wonder Woman, etc. The main point of the exercise was to enable Marvel's greatest team to do battle with DC's without flouting any copyright laws and to have a little fun with the fans.

J. Michael Straczynski's Supreme Power is also a look at the super-hero icons of DC but through a different colored glass. Supreme Power examines how events might really unfold were DC's heroes to have appeared in our world. An alien infant lands on Earth, exhibiting extraordinary powers. Military and political officials fear him, so they seek to control him. A youth sees his parents slain before his eyes and so becomes a vigilante, stalking the streets at night hunting criminals. Another man develops the ability to travel as super speed and so on.

The story starts from the point of view of protagonist, Mark Milton (a.k.a., Hyperion), an alien who crashes on Earth as an infant and whose power the military establishment both fears and hopes to exploit. They fill his head with American propaganda in the hope that they'll brainwash him into the Great American Hero: truth, justice and the American way. But when he matures, he becomes wary of their control and suspicious of their motives. As the story branches out, we're introduced to the other cast members, each of them with their own reasons for becoming a "hero" and many of them not so pure.

In DC's somewhat utopian world, these heroes are revered and honored for the most part. But a more cynical view would be that it wouldn't quite be that simple. We have a tendency to revere and revile our heroes at the same time. While we admire and honor them, we also seek to tear them down and destroy them out of fear, jealousy and other base emotions. The story is as old as time. Just ask Julius Caesar how we treat our honored heroes. Look at the heroes of Ancient Greece and the rather unseemly way so many of them fell from grace.

Supreme Power is an exciting, page-turning look at heroism and just what the world at large really thinks about having someone who could save your life one day or vaporize you with a glance in the next. In the tradition of DC's Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, Supreme Power takes a smart and decidedly adult look at hero and super-hero. ... Read more

Book Description

Written and illustrated by Frank Miller; cover by Miller.

The most eagerly-awaited sequel in comics begins! Three years after the events in THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, Batman knows the world is nowhere near the perfect little place it pretends to be, and he sees the cracks in the system that have been neatly covered up. It's time to find where all the heroes have gone, and the Dark Knight is the right man for the job. ... Read more

Reviews (170)

we should'a known what we were in for...
Like everyone else, I was excited by the prospect of Frank Miller revisiting Batman, in the form of a sequel to the original Dark Knight book, no less. Like everyone else, I imagine, that's about as far as I thought it through. I mean, what more was there to do and/or say after the original series, which wrapped up in a tidy way? Not much at all, as this next installment proves.

The original "Dark Knight Returns" was about refashioning a character that had virtually lanquished to the point of irrelevancy in the comics world (something that artist Neal Adams began with his darker take on Bats in the "Brave and the Bold" comics in the seventies). Miller succeeded in making Batman iconic and relevant again, and did it in a manner that was enjoyable in a comic-book context. "DK2" is rarely enjoyable in a comic sense. Other reviewers here want to credit Miller with some kind of bold vision for his hasty-looking art in this book; I think it mostly looks like [garbage], and detracts from, and is distracting to, the story he's trying to tell.

And the story, well, blah. Wouldnt've this story have benifited from a narrower focus? Did it have to involve nearly every major DC superhero? Batman is largely just here in spirit; almost the entire second installment concerns Superman. I like the idea of Carrie leading the reckless group of former mutants as a Bat-modeled strike force, but Miller misses an opportunity by doing nothing with this subplot. What I did like is Miller riffing on current politics; his computer-generated G. W. Bush is a funny counterpart to the first book's nuke-mad Reagan; and Lynn Varley's coloring adds a brilliant surreal edge to the proceedings. Also, the appearance of one of the Robins was a weird, funny and unexpected moment. Yes, this is one-of-a-kind stuff from one of comicdom's most potent iconoclasts, but as it has nearly nothing to do with the original book, as it failed to deliver on the excitement that the words Miller/Batman/Dark Knight 2 carried, it was all just a sick tease.

Near Classic
Frank Miller completely overhauls the older Bruce Wayne he created in The Dark Knight Returns. Gone are the miniscule panels filled with words as well as the pages and pages of talking heads. The story, although dealing with a revolution led by superheroes, seems less epic than the first series did. Instead, Miller has decided to scale everything back except for the panels. Miller has replaced the intricacy of his original series with a rough art and storytelling style. As in the first series, there are no shortages of ideas - this time Miller's creativity spills over into the other superheroes of the DC Universe (even The Atom looks cool)while he segues heavily into Superman's reawakening into the world around him. While every new idea of his is intriguing, he doesn't follow through with them as he did in the first, and this is probably the main problem with the work. In attempting to create a rough punk rock aesthetic Miller has left an awful lot of loose ends. (The secret villian at the end just didn't seem to mesh). The question is, would you rather have an artist go out on a limb and be moderately successful, or have him regurgitate his past work? My vote is with the former. Miller had a ton of fun with this one and it translates into a good read. Surprisingly, it's probably one of the funniest comics I've read in a really long time. A near classic from an artist who doesn't fear breaking other people's expectations.

Not Enough Batman
First off, I enjoyed The Dark Knight Returns very much, but was a little let down with this one. Why? Batman was hardly in it! Superman was probably featured most. It should have been part of the Justice League since it featured every obscure superhero in depth, except Batman. Even Catgirl (formerly Robin, which was a change that annoyed me) got more page time than him. Interesting, a little hard to follow, and overall inferior to DKR. Recommended reading, but you probably won't read it twice.

A bat for a president?
This is an important work. The comic itself brings into the world of comics the strain of overyday politics. I believe that it is more important today than ever, since we can see many of the dark aspects of this future world slowly emerge in the world today, i.e. in the wake of mr. B. et. al.

Struck-Out This Time
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, is lacking in so many things. It has the build up of a good story by asking some interesting questions, such as: why is the government so corrupt?, what happened to Batman's legacy? Who is behind the public's missinformation? Who secretly controls the world? Why are the other super heros afraid to do anything? The good thing is that all of these and many other questions are answered in this book. But the answers seem to pander to a more fantasy theme of a comic book in contrast to the surreal world of a noir gotham city. There is good monologue and dialog between character (making Frank Miller's style more apparent.) But it lacks character depth and dark over-tones, it lacks the excellent monologue and good artwork. The colors are done nicely through each frame, but the drawings are terribly sloppy! You'll cringe at the drawing of Superman's face, which looks like it's melting. The character drawings are vomit inducing. The story becomes more silly as you read into it. Frank Miller also crammed too many characters into the story. It's nice that it had lots of cameo appearance of other super heros, but throw in the media characters, villians and the public people, and politicians. You'll notice that the story feels convulted and losses focus of the key character = BATMAN.
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, is a big let down.

(...) ... Read more

Book Description

Tohru Honda was an orphan when one day fate kicked her out of the house and on to land belonging to the mysterious Sohma family. After stumbling upon the teenage squatter, the Sohmas invite Tohru to stay in their house in exchange for cooking and cleaning. Everything goes well until she discovers the Sohma family's secret, when hugged by members of the opposite sex, they turn into their Chinese Zodiac animal! ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Truly amazing. Needent I say more. :P
Fruits Basket (or Furuba as it's known to many fans) is a truly amazing manga.

From the title of it, you would expect it to be very hentai-ish, but it's not. In my opinion it has to be the cleanest manga that one can possibly stand. (IE it's not so clean and happy go lucky as Hamtaro *shudders* Hamataro is evil, pure evil). Well I got off track. This review has spoilers abound so beware if you haven't read the manga (or seen the anime).

Fruits Basket is about a girl name Tohru Honda a girl with a heart of gold and truly a wonderful person, whoes father died when she was very young. She is now 16, her mother had just died in a car wreck, and she went to live with her grandpa on her fathers side. (Because her mother and she were not exactly on speaking terms with her mothers side of the family). Her grandfather has to get his house remoldeld for some distant relatives on his side of the family so Tohru has to move out for a while. He told her to find some friends to stay with.

Not wanting to be a burden to any of her friends Tohru decides to rough it, and she finds a tent and campsout for about a week, on the Sohma familys property (not knowing of course). One day while walking to school she comes across the Sohma family household. She looks around in it for a while and comes across some stones with the Chinese Zodiac on it. Than she run's into Shigura (who is the year of the dog) and Yuki (her high-schools "Prince" He is the year of the rat) Later on in the story we are introduced to Kyou (the year of the cat, who is not in the zodiac because he was betrayed by rat). And this is where the trouble starts.

The Sohma family is cursed and therefore whenever they are touced or huged by a member of the opiset sex of someone NOT in there family, they turn into the animal that they are the year of. Tohru finds out this secret, and therefore she might have to have her memories erased from her. What will become of our poor Tohru? Find out when you read the manga! And belive me, you will. It is a must read.

Now I odviously left out a lot of details from this manga, but I didn't want to give away the whole storyline, that would be quite dumb wouldn't it?

Also this manga is printed in the original left to right reading format, therfore preserving the original artwork and sound-effects. It makes it even more enjoyable. All in all this manga is a must read. It's kinda of a comedy/romance, kind of. And it's shojo, so it's more or less going to be apealing to the femail gender a little bit more. That's not to say that a guy wouldn't like it. It has quite a bit of action in it (not like Trigun action) more martial arts action. But it is a must read. And I really hope my review helped. Do you believe it was written by a 16 year old? The reveiw I mean.

Just thought I'd mention this
I was depressed for several days, then I went to Border's and bought some manga, one of them Fruits Basket #3. I swear, I felt so... happy afterwards! I'm serious, every time I read Fruits Basket, it just puts me in such a good mood... it's full of hope and compassion without seeming forced or sappy. Natsuki Takaya really has a talent for this! In this volume, after Momiji was talking about "The Most Foolish Traveler in the World" story in the "funny" stories book, and how he related it to Tohru, I actually cried, and I rarely cry over manga! XD Most of my favorite mangas are the more serious or sinister kind for older audiences, such as Confidential Confessions, Petshop of Horrors, Uzumaki, etc. and I'd never thought I'd enjoy a series like this. But I love it and it's one of my favorites... even though it sounds a little rediculous in its description (turning into animals when hugging the opposite sex ^^;) when you actually read it, it's really enjoyable, touching, and funny, and the characters all have deep personalities. I highly reccommend Fruits Basket!!

Great!!!!!!
I love this manga!!!!

Clean and sweet, without being sappy, Fruits Basket is a really cute story about a sixteen year old orphan named Honda Tohru. One day when walking through the woods, she discovers a strange house. Under further investigation, she finds that the house happens to be the home of none other than the prince of her school, Sohma Yuki. When Yuki and his cousin Shigure find out that Tohru had been living in a tent, they immediately take her in. However, Tohru soon discovers their family secret. The Sohmas are the bearers of the "juunishi" (zodiac) curse. When their bodies grow weak, or when they are embraced by a member of the opposite sex, they transform into their designated animal of the Chinese zodiac, or in Kyo's case the outcast aka the cat.

I have only read two volumes of the manga, but I own all four anime dvds and love them. It starts out sweet and gentle, but the end, of the anime at least, is dark, depressing and to use a word I hate a real "tear-jerker." I cried. A lot. Even so, it was wonderful. Don't not buy it now because you think it to be dark and full of pain and misery. It's not. Every {good} story needs some dark pasts, mental scars, and evils. Otherwise, how did the villian become a villian, why is the good guy good? There would be no motivation. GO buy the manga. NOW.

Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket in general is a touching series that really makes you look at yourself--when you see what these people go through, and see that they can still smile, you'll wonder if crying was/is ever worth it in the first place.(But of course, we all don't have a cute little bordering house-maid to give us the wisdom we need in those times.)

Anyways.

The book can be described in a few words; really sweet. In this book we meet a new character, Hatsuharu Sohma(though you may have seen a little of him in number 2), who has a 2 sided personality. That's all I know--I have yet to buy the book.

But if *I* like it so much without even having seen it, then who says YOU won't like it either?

Fruits Basket just have something special about it. It's like a parasite--it weasels into you and embeds itself into your heart. I think everyone can find something they like about it, even male otakus(otaku=anime fans, though not all are pale-faced doughballs)...

Now. Go. Now. Grab all the money you have and waste it(heh) on Furuba(Fruits Basket) stuff. OR YOU SHALL DIE WITH THE HAUNTING KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU MISSED OUT ON SOMETHING GREAT. Heh-heh-heh. Bye. ^^;

fRUITS bASKET
The book starts out with a young girl,Tohru, who with the death of her mother is living alone in a tent. She then meets the Sohma family who is suprised to hear that she lives near by, because all the land in the area is owned by them.
She goes to school with her new found friend Yuki who is the popular handsome guy of the school. Later you find that for some reason Yuki hates cats as they walk together. Yuki and Tohru go their seperate ways, but later that night Yuki finds Tohru living in a tent and he takes her in because she dosn't look well.
In return Tohru cleans the house to earn her keep. Then a boy named kyo challenges Yuki to a fight. As they fight Tohru falls and keeps her balance by hugging Kyo. Kyo then transforms into a cat.
Thoru freaks out and then everyone else in the family transforms into a different animal.
They explain that their family is cursed wwith the spirts of the Chinese Zodiac. Each family member is possesed by a different animal spirit and when under great stress or embraced by a member of the oppisit sex they transform.
This first book takes you through the events of the first 5 episodes of the anime.
This first book is awsome and is followed up by more just as good! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Kare Kano takes a dark turn
Don't let the happy-go-lucky cover fool you: volume 16 is the darkest chapter yet in the lives of Yukino and Arima.

Arima remembers more about his mysterious mother and pushes everyone away. I'm unsure whether all Kare Kano fans will like the tone of this volume, which takes a pretty radical departure from most of the series so far. Some of it seems like Masami Tusda introducing new events just to create some drama and keep the story going.

Kare Kano's lesser moments are still better than 99% of other shoujo manga, however. Volume 16 focused on Yukino and Arima, with Asaba making some appearances, as well, but Vol 17 will apparently bring back the rest of the cast.

Treading along the dark path
Kare Kano keeps on surprising me. The Arima storyline is crazy as more is revealed of his past. This probably is Masami Tsuda's darkest manga since it takes a bolder, more serious turn.Miyazawa's mettle is tested with a challenge that she may be unable to overcome. Even Asapin is key in this volume.I really like how the characters have changed since volume 1.This one is a non-stop read and Vol 16 seems so far away...patience is key!! ... Read more

Book Description

Jamie Madrox, stabbed, staggering off a bus. Jamie Madrox, setting up a detective agency in the heart of Mutant Town. Jamie Madrox, a peaceful Shaolin priest. Which is the real Jamie Madrox? In this noir-esque thriller of a limited series, it's possible that even Madrox doesn't know anymore. Peter David, acclaimed for his run on X-Factor, reunites several of that title's most popular and whimsical characters - Jamie Madrox, Wolfsbane, and the aptly named Strong Guy - and sends them on an adventure of light and darkness. Featuring the incredibly moody pencils of Pablo Raimondi. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Terribly underrated noir-ish comic with the Multiple Man
The great Peter David may have made a name for himself with his unheralded run on the Incredible Hulk, but his all too brief run on X-Factor showcased some of his best work.The character he wrote the best in that series, Jamie "Multiple Man" Madrox, gets his own mini-series here, and David manages to greatly utilize all the promising aspects of the character for the most part.Madrox is a private investigator these days, who after witnessing the death of one of his "dupes", investigates to find out just what happened and why.What he uncovers is a little conspiracy filled with mayhem and mutants, and the noir-ish presentation will pull the reader in.While some of it is a bit predictable, Madrox is a surprisingly great read with some witty storytelling by David, and great supporting roles from Jamie's former X-Factor teammates Strong Guy and Wolfsbane.The moody art by Pablo Raimondi is reason enough to check this TPB out alone, and the conclusion leaves the door open for David to work some more Madrox magic.All in all, older X-Men readers who dug the character of Madrox (and you all know who you are) would do well to give this a look. ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Death becomes mortal for a day.
This is arguably one of the best comic book stories ever written. A must read for any fans of Neil Gaiman and his Sandman comic book series. Originally appearing in three separate issues with the same title, "High Cost of Living" follows Death as she spends a day as a mortal. Along with her is Sexton Furnival, a boy who is filled with depression and hopelessness. He is a perfect compliment to the perky and smiley Death. Together they venture on a search through a big city for a lost heart. However, this is more than just a day-in-the-life story. It presents everyday life, and everyday activities, as something fun, exciting and worth living for. In essence, it shows just how precious life is -- all of life, the good parts and the bad parts.

A very special Death.
After becoming one of the most beloved of the Endless family of characters from the incredible Sandman comic series, Death finally gets her own special 3 comic series. Neil Gaiman has created possibly one of the greatest concepts in modern literature...the idea that Death is not a robe-wrapped skeleton waving a scythe around, but a young, beautiful, endlessly perky Goth girl just wanting to have fun while she reaps her harvest of souls.

In this adventure, however, Death is not out to take a soul but to save one. In The High Cost of Living she guides a young, potential suicide case around Manhattan. She's partly on a quest to find an old witch's heart, but mostly she's out to show her escort that life is just too damn interesting to throw away.

Gaiman yet again gives us a fantastic morality tale that meanders around seemingly aimlessly but hits its intended targets with awesome laser-like accuracy. An absolute must-read.

Could Death really be this bovinely mindless?
The story begins in an alley where Mad Hattie is searching for her heart, and quickly moves to an urban apartment where fifteen year old Sexton Furnival lives with his "slightly off" mother Sylvia, an aging Earth Mother type.

Sexton is sitting at his computer typing out his suicide note when his mother obliviously sends him out for the afternoon because she has taken the day off to spring clean their apartment. When he literally falls into a garbage dump, he meets a cute and saucy Goth girl named Didi, not knowing that she is Death walking in flesh for a day. She takes Sexton back to her apartment to mend her torn jeans, and now the story begins its long slide downhill.

Mad Hattie confronts Death and threatens to cut off Sexton's nose if Didi (Death) does not go out to find her missing heart. So Didi and Sexton set off into the city at night, to have some fun and search for Mad Hattie's heart. And unexplained thread unravels as Didi (Death) continually is offered free goods by kind people. I didn't get it, and Gaimen never explained it. They go into a "hot" club (for free), and once inside with them, we are subjected to some extremely cheesy lyrics sung by lesbian acoustical guitarist.

Outside the club, a strange blind man and his minion do unexplained things to find Didi in the club, and when the minion lures them out, Death follows as bovinely as a cow does into the slaughtering pens. It gets worse. Once Sexton and Didi are trapped in the cellar, the story becomes even more aimless, filled with pointless conversations which all build up to a ridiculous and anticlimactic ending.

For me, Death lost her charm as Didi when she became so naively helpless and stupifyingly frivolous in her actions and speech. I was interested in Death presented as a charming Goth girl, but I expected her to have more power, more intelligence, more drive, and something more to say. Oh, and I have never met a Goth girl who babbled like a Valley girl...another disappointment.

To top off my disgust, this unsatisfying story is followed by a brutally inane short in which Didi (Death) lectures us on condom usage. I never thought that I would be subjected to a cartoon character putting a condom onto a cartoon banana, but it happened and I shudder every time I think of it.

I love stories of Death, and if you do too, I would caution you to glance through this particular graphic novel in the bookstore before laying your hard earned cash down on the table. This was very disappointing.

Quality industrial-strength, sub-plots by the pound
Neil Gaiman truly is the consummate storyteller able to weave first-class storylines and memorable characters seemingly at the drop of a hat. In this 3-chapter collection, Gaiman expands on his epochal Sandman universe by focusing on the Dreamlord's fetching younger sister - Death. Those who already follow the Sandman series are already familiar with this sassed-up, Goth personification of Death and will surely be remiss not to indulge in this graphic treat. Those completely new to the Sandman saga will still be able to dive straight into the story without missing a beat, enjoying the full brunt of Gaiman's genius.

The strangest thing about this volume is a 6 page, Public Service Announcement of sorts found at the very end. In this PSA, Death gives a full blown lecture on safe-sex, AIDS, and even gives a demonstration of proper condom insertion utilizing a banana! A bit weird, no doubt and in the end very much dates this book as somewhat of a relic from the mid-90's.

Not the usual Sandman-esque story
This story follows Death after she rescues a teenage boy with a strange name. A very old homeless lady tells Death to find the heart she hid, but can't remember where it was placed. Death and the boy go to various places, and Death gets to experience the life of a human for a day. One of my favorite graphic novels. You don't have to be familiar with the Sandman books too well either, unless you want to know about some of the characters that also show up in this book. It's a fun book to read and Death is quirky as always and true-to-character. ... Read more

Book Description

Collecting Ultimate X-Men #40-45. ... Read more

Book Description

Professor X thought he'd solved the problem of Magneto, but the mutant master of magnetism has regained his memory and his mission!Now the X-Men are on the run, with the Ultimates hot on their trail!Can the X-Men stop Magneto before he executes his plan to enslave the human race? ... Read more

Reviews (9)

New generation of writers out to destroy comics....
These new stories by Millar contain terrible Kubert drawings and story plots that go no where. They play more like a video game rather then a comic and are the work of people who are more like internet geeks then serious writers. No wonder comic book sales are dead and less then 2,000 comic book stores are still open nationwide.

Los mutantes recontados
La idea del Universo Ultimate que tan bien le esta saliendo a la Marvel, es adaptar sus historias clasicas al entorno actual con la finalidad de atraer nuevos lectores. Es decir, todos sabemos lo geniales que son los mutantes de Stan Lee pero reconozcamos que no atraen lo suficiente a nuevos lectores.
Asi, esta version Ultimate incorpora varios cambios menores que al final hacen un gran cambio, por ejemplo en las personalidades de los personajes, su origen, etc. Y todo eso hace una gran lectura. El escritor es Mark Millar, la actual estrella de la editorial Marvel que ademas ha escrito a los geniales Ultimates y los dibujantes son los hermanos Adam y Andy Kubert que se complementan muy bien el uno al otro. En resumen, buenos autores logran una estupenda historia.
Este tomo de tapa dura tiene los primeros 12 numeros de la coleccion Ultimate X-men:
- del #1 al #6: Tomorrow People, como se reclutan a los nuevos X-men y la pelea contra la version mas malvada de Magneto que se haya visto.
- del #7 al #12: Return to Weapon X, con la aparición estelar del Ultimate Samuel Jackson, perdon, quise decir Nick Fury.
Altamente recomendable para quienes pensaron que no se podian hacer nuevas historias de mutantes, para quienes no tienen nada de los X-men en su coleccion y para quienes llegan a los X-men por la pelicula.

Keep it real
The creators of Ultimate X-men did a very smart thing. They started all the way over. Considering Ult. X-men starts off anew, they can do what they wish with the story. Unlike X-treme and New X-Men which have plots so Twisted, it doesn't feel like the X-Men at all. They changed a few things in this series, like how Wolverine joined. Also Colossus and Storm take Angel's place as one of the first X-men. Making a team of 6 instead of 5. Magneto and the Brotherhood are pretty much the same. These books are solely based on story. Theres action, but its kinda far between.

The Weapon X Program tries to "recruit" the X-Men
Despite the title and the cover art for this second trade paperback volume in the "Ultimate X-Men" series (collecting issues 7-12), "Return to Weapon X" does not focus on the character of Wolverine. True, he is a key part of the solution for the predicament our Merry Mutants have found themselves in this time around, but Weapon X is now a big time secret government program run under the auspices of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury that has a rather impressive little roster of mutants in its service: Juggernaut, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Sabertooth. Think of them as the government's answer to the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and that pretty much accounts for all of the mutants belonging to groups at this point in the series.

Despite being on a first name basis with the President of the United States, Xavier's School for Gifted Children is hit by Colonel Wraith and his shock troops, both human and mutant. Now Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and the others will serve the greater good and help the government fight fire with fire (the only good mutant is a mutant with a neural implant). Of course, since this is a comic book, the person in charge of this government program is psychotic and perfectly willing to do anything to do anything to get the job done (or did I mention already that Wraith was in charge?). The main part of the story arc has to do with the X-Men regaining their freedom, but this is also mixed up with Wolverine's search for his past and Nick Fury's search for an illegal genetic operation violating the Superhuman Test-Ban Treaty.

I think that one of the main strengths of the Ultimate comic books is that they emphasize story arcs that take multiple issues (six in this case) so that a dozen issues into the series we have only dealt with two major stories instead of a self-contained episode with a new villain every single month. This should help the well from running dry too quickly. Writer Mark Millar along with Penciller Adam Kubert (with Tom Raney & Tom Derenick) and Inker Art Thibert (with Scott Hanna, Joe Kubert, Danny Miki, & Lary Stucker) are having fun tweaking the "original" X-Men stories and creating some new dynamics (e.g., Storm is interested in Hank McCoy, Nightcrawler does not speak English) so I think that those who have been reading the X-Men since issue #1 of "The Uncanny X-Men" (or issue #1 of "The Giant-Size X-Men") will enjoy the differences more than neophytes and appreciate the way key stories resonant (e.g., Jean Grey is Marvel Girl and not Phoenix when she steps over the line this time around).

"Return to Weapon X" is not as good as the first volume in the series, but it is hard to compete with Magneto when you talking about the X-Men, whichever version of the group is involved. Millar's story is certainly complex enough and you can see all sorts of things being set up for down the road. As long as you are not offended by the very existence of the series, you should find "Ultimate X-Men" or any of the other titles in the Marvel series to be at least entertaining and quite possibility compelling. At the very least, you should be able to appreciate the tweaking.

Awesome!
An alternate X-Men universe is perhaps the best way for newer readers to come to terms with the characters that have amazed many throughout the years. The familiar characters get a stylish upgrade. Jean Grey with red, spiky hair? Cyclops with a goatee? Iceman with a bandana? You get them all here! Fantastic artwork with a reasonably paced storyline. The X-Men's battle with Magneto's Brotherhood of the Evil Mutants opened its first chapter. A highly recommended read. ... Read more

Book Description

Fantagraphics Books is pleased to present, for the first time, a single-volume collection of this 288-page landmark of journalism and the artform of comics. Interest in Sacoo has never been higher than with the release of his critically acclaimed book, Safe Area Gorazde.

Based on several months of research and an extended visit to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the early 1990s (where he conducted over 100 interviews with Palestinians and Jews), Palestine was the first major comics work of political and historical nonfiction by Sacco, who has often been called the first comic book journalist.

Sacco's insightful reportage takes place at the front lines, where busy marketplaces are spoiled by shootings and tear gas, soldiers beat civilians with reckless abandon, and roadblocks go up before reporters can leave. Sacco interviewed and encountered prisoners, refugees, protesters, wounded children, farmers who had lost their land, and families who had been torn apart by the Palestinian conflict.

In 1996, the Before Columbus Foundation awarded Palestine the seventeenth annual American Book Award, stating that the author should be recognized for his "outstanding contribution to American literature," while his publisher, Fantagraphics, is "to be honored for their commitment to quality and their willingness to take risks that accompany publishing outstanding books and authors that may not prove 'cost-effective' in the short run."

This new edition of Palestine also features a new introduction from renowned author, critic, and historian Edward Said, author of Peace and Its Discontents and The Question of Palestine and one of the world's most respected authorities on the Middle Eastern conflict. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Palestine
In recent years, the scope of the comics medium has burst from the confines of children's and fictional genres to encompass substantive work in such realms as the graphic novel, autobiography, and biography. In his nine-part comic book Palestine, the final four issues of which are collected here, Sacco gives us the first major work of comics journalism. In 1991 he traveled to Jerusalem to observe Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Out of that trip comes this highly ambitious and successful telling of the refugees' stories--some militant, others resigned--that include both emotional depictions of protest and torture and the quiet struggles of everyday survival. Although Sacco's sympathies, expressed through the first-person narration, are definitely with the Palestinians, the work overall is far too nuanced to be deemed propaganda. Sacco makes wildly experimental layouts coalesce into an imaginative yet solid storytelling style. Palestine shows that he is a top-rank talent who has staked out a unique place for himself in the comics field.

Buy This Book For Everyone You Know
Joe Sacco has done mankind a service by illuminating one of the great continuing tragedies of our time, the brutal Israeli occupation of over 3 million Palestinians. We are spoon fed a nauseating stream of documentaries, movies, books, etc. about the Holocaust. I agree that Holocaust education is important, but the monumental place it has assumed eclipses many other chapters of human oppression and suffering around the world. The brutal Israeli occupation of the Palestninian people is one such place. Joe Sacco has done in the form of a graphic novel what the mainstream American media won't (or can't) do: he has put a human face on what lies beyond the Israeli side of the infamous 'greenline'. Palestnians wonder the frames of each picture like ghosts deformed by the unimaginable cruelty of the occupying Israeli forces. Yet in the end, Sacco posits these tortured souls in a very living and human face. A face that the reader can and is encouraged to empathize with. The central theme of the book is that Israeli occupation is no longer about self-defense, it has transformed into a manifestation of man's inhumanity to his fellow man and the Palestnian ability to maintain their humanity and love for life as the victim of so much inhumanity.

Spectacular, heartrending, and honest
This book is simply amazing. I'm a second-year college student and it is required reading in my Comp Lit class. It shows you the side of an issue mainstream media doesn't want you to see, and those who refuse to see the side of Palestinians will, even after reading this book, deny the truth. Joe Sacco is brilliant, as his evidence is first hand, his writing realistic, and drawings eye-opening. For anyone who is sick of seeing the issue of Palestine from the view of money hungry media people, this is the book to get. You'll cry. I guarantee, because Sacco will show you the truth as you aren't supposed to see it.

Palestinian propaganda as usual...
Typical lies the so-called "Palestinian people" perpetrate as usual. Waste of time & energy. Complete fiction.

The Abu Ghraib training manual
If you want to find out where US troops got their gruesome torture methods for Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, it's all in Sacco's book, published in 2002 and based on a trip he took to Gaza and the West Bank in the early 1990s.

It's all there: the arrest and lengthy detainment of innocent people for 'intelligence gathering', putting detainees in hoods for days and weeks at a time, using isolation and terror, threatening death, tying prison in painful positions for days, beatings, humiliation.

Sacco's book documents it all - and it was first worked out
by Israelis for use against Palestians.

The US news media knows this, but they're silent. Why?
Get Sacco's book and educate yourself about what's really going on in the Middle East. ... Read more

Book Description

When Keitaro Urashima fails his entrance exams to get into Tokyo University for the second time, he’s officially an unemployed and uneducated slacker. To make things worse, his parents have kicked him out of his house.Fortunately, his grandmother owns the fabulous Hinata Lodge and has agreed to take Keitaro in as caretaker.What he doesn’t know is that the lodge is actually a girl’s dorm and he’s the only guy around!Most guys would kill to live with five sexy ladies, but if Keitaro’s not careful, this job will kill him. ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Hilarious.
I found this manga with a friend, who only had vol. 2 and 3, he lend them to me, inmediatly I started looking wherever to find more about the series and finally got the chance to buy the 14 mangas. I have read all the 3 major series of Ken Akamatsu and can only complain about A.I. Love you, otherwise, Love Hina and Negima are completly another story.
I never expected the creator to take you to another level, you kinda start liking the characters... and thats a big point.
The story is original, like the rest of the world, you would never expect to see a Loooser on a comic book, but to find that we can all be that losers and know we can work hard and get our dreams come true, that was the most important thing I learned after reading this manga...
And I believe there is a way for everyone and for everybody. I dont have any more concerns, but if you are looking for a good laugh, you can enjoy the series one, two times, the many times you want to read cause you will never get bored... I can assure you of that!

Get ready for the manga experiance of your life!
Keitaro Urashima has been a Ronin (someone who has failed his university exams) for two years. Looking at his life he relizes he has nothing. He has no job, little intelligence, no athletic abilities, and no girlfriend, ever. His only memory he still holds close is a promise he made 15 years prior, that he and young girl would go to Tokyo University together and fall in love.
When Keitaro thinks he can't sink any lower he scores a manager job at his Grandma's dorm for girls, Hinata House. Then the antics of Love Hina begin.
Love Hina's story is truely extrordinary. The comedy-romance combo is delivered perfectly. Never does the comedy outway the romance and make it too silly or does the romance get too drawn out. This is great. But where the heart of Love Hina lies is in the lovable characters. Their development throughout the series creates a depth that isn't commonly found. You'll be quickly choosing your favorite character and hoping the best for their progression in the story or be terribly upset when a possibly great momment turns sour.
Love Hina is the deepest most involving story in manga. If you can read a manga without needing thousands of magic spells or exploding mechs, your sure to love it. And trust me, buying the first volume will secure your buying the rest of the series.

Intreging
This is a 100% manga so it reads from right to left. It's rated young adult for a reason. The story goes like this. A loser (Keitaro) becomes a second year ronin someone who failed the tokyo university entrance exam twice) spends all his money to get to his grandmothers hotel. Unfortune for him, the hotel a is now a girls dorm. He doesn't have any money so he ask to stay. Being a dorm for girls the girls refused (physical). Later on, he becomes a landlord in training (won't explain how). Now I bet you're asking why this loser want to get into a big college, riht? Well, Keitaro know things about promises. 15 years ago he promised a girl that they would get into tokyo university and get married when older. Keitaro forgot who the girl was. Only the promised they made to each. (How nice!) In much later books they tell who the girl is. Collect them all to find out all of the mysterious in the comedy/romance manga.

Excellent!
For any otaku (extreme anime/manga fan) out there, this is a MUST READ. This is one of my favorite manga series, and for good reason. Along with it's excellent romantic storyline, it is also VERY funny! If you can handle minor frequent ecchi (Perversion), like comedy, and romance then this is the series for you! I give it five stars! Take it from me, this is a GREAT manga series!

Wonderfully funny!
Since I liked the Love Hina anime, I decided to give the manga a try. Boy, was I amazed!! I truly love the manga and hope one day I can complete it.
Here's the main story-
Keitaro Urashima is a poor loser who keeps failing his entrance exams for the most prestigious university in Tokyo. One day, his life changes for good...he is given the job of being the new manager of the Hinata Apartments. But what he doesn't know is, that it's an all-girls dorm.
Join Keitaro, as well as residents, Naru, Kitsune, Motoko, Shinobu, and Su on a hilarious adventure!
Terrific and top-notch artwork.
Check this out if you liked Tenchi or the Love Hina anime. ... Read more

Book Description

When the plan to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt falls apart, Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca embark on another rescue mission that puts them into direct conflict with Boba Fett. Meanwhile, Luke's late arrival on Dagobah ends with him being captured by Darth Vader and the Emperor, just as the second Death Star is about to go on-line! Will the return of the Jedi become the end of the Jedi? The surprising climax is as exciting as that of the film on which it is based, but different from anything Star Wars fans have seen before! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A rare classic from the Silver Age
A wheelchair-bound mentor gathers unique individuals with extraordinary powers, to defend the world against evil adversaries. No, this is not the introduction to the Uncanny X-Men, but to a group which was formed a few months earlier by DC Comics, The Doom Patrol.

Comparison with the X-Men are inevitable, where we have the wheelchair bound leader, The Brotherhood of Evil (Mutants). But there is also a twist here. For while the X-Men are treated as outcasts, the Doom Patrol are treated as heroes.

The X-Men won over The Doom Patrol I think because the readers wanted more 'super-hero' stories which is what they got, and they were also able to expand into other Marvel titles like The Fantastic Four, Thor, Avengers, and so on. Reading The Doom Patrol here, it feels as if they have their own DC Universe with hardly any mention of other DC characters. I felt that this was a good point, as the characters are able to develop on their own, we get to know them more, the plots are more character driven, more down to earth.

The art is a joy to look at, and Bruno Premiani is a vastly under-rated artist, who when asked today, most people would never have heard of. When people talk about the great Silver Age artists, especially from DC, people would mention Gil Kane, Curt Swan, Murphy Anderson. Bruno Premiani deserves to be ranked alongside these artists as well.

This is a beautiful edition to add to your DC Archives collection. These stories are from an era where they have never been surpassed in the quality of their stories, the Silver Age.

I do hope that a second collection of The Doom Patrol is not far away.

Silver Age Classic
Ahh.. The Doom Patrol. The original outcast crimefighters. Let's hope DC reprints the whole run, because this is essential reading for super hero fans. Decades later, the strangeness of this title lingers; from the oddball villians to the twisted humor, the Doom Patrol was unlike anything published at the time. The characters are memorable and the artwork is stunning. If you've never seen Bruno Premiani's work, you're in for a treat.
This was the first silver age comic I collected, and it's nice to have these early DP stories in such a great package. Buy it today.

Great read all the way around.
Found this to be one of the best archives that DC has to offer. And from one of the least popular series they had. The art and stories are superb. And still stand today. I had reservations about getting this. But when DC announced that there was going to be a new Doom Patrol series coming I decided it was time to get to know these characters all over again. And guess what. Not a single disappointment.
Pick this up if you get the chance. You will not be disappointed. So glad I did. Already ordered Vol.2. So enjoy.

Most human and humane super-heroes ever created
I'd never read any Silver Age Doom Patrol cartoons, and picked this up just because I liked the idea of a team of freaks banding together. But they're so much more than freaks, they're individual characters, each with his own personality, which was unusual in a DC comic from the 1960s. And they do their best, sometimes fail, and in the final story of this book they recommend therapy and treatment rather than incarceration for one villain because he is mentally imbalanced! Wonderful stuff. Can't wait for Volume 2!

Fabulous Freaks
The Doom Patrol was one of the great lesser known DC series of the Silver Age. A group of "freaks" joined together to form a super-team. The Chief was the wheelchair bound genius leader. Robotman was a human being with his brain trapped in a robot body. Negative Man could cause a radio-energy being to leave his body at the speed of light, but had to keep his body wrapped in bandages to protect people from his radioactive skin. Elasti-Girl could grow really big or really small. (Actually, she not all that "freakish". No more so than any other super-hero, anyway). Besides being considered "outcasts", the Doom Patrol was different than other DC heroes in that they actually had personalities. Robotman and Negative Man often had arguments with each other, and they both had moments when they felt bitter about their situations. This book features the Doom Patrol's first ten comics. Besides meeting the heroes, you will also meet their legendary enemies; General Immortus, The Brotherhood of Evil, and Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man. (Yes, that last one has a goofy name, but he's still a pretty cool villain.) I think that anyone who is a fan of Silver Age comics should get this book. While it's true that the stories aren't as "sophisticated" as today's comics, they have a charm that most of the current comics can't duplicate. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

The End of the Glory...
Once the Dark Phoenix Saga concluded, the X-Men became a victim of their own success, as the sensational collaboration between Chris Claremont and John Byrne began to sag beneath the weight of the artists' egos. The stories became verbose and overwrought as ideas seemed to perpetually recycle, the art lost much of its previous verve, and the title generally settled into a long decline.

There remain some notable highlights in "Essential X-Men Vol. 3", however. The courtship of Dr. Doom and Storm is classic and totally unexpected. The story arc with Cyclops stranded on a desert isle housing his greatest foe is sensational, as is the appearance of Dracula (!). Unfortunately, these high points sink beneath the weight of drecch like Kitty Pryde's fairytale version of the X-Men and the touted return of Dark Phoenix.

If you're a true fan of the X-Men, you'll want this collection to avoid bending the corners of your precious back issues. Otherwise, grab the first two volumes of this series instead.

GREAT
Here we have Uncanny X-Men #145-161. We have Starjammers, Dr. Doom, and all sort of goodie. I just wish it would have been in color.

Good Find!
I bought all of these to back track and read the previous things that had happened within the comic. This serves the purpose but was disapointed that they were not in color.

Issues # 145 - 161and Annuals 3- 5
This book contains X-Men issues #145 thru 161 and anuuals #3-5. Featuring Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine and Kitty Pryde.

Chris Claremont's X-Men try to survive without John Byrne
When John Byrne left "X-Men" as the penciller and co-plotter after the fiasco over the death of Phoenix (a.k.a. Marvel Girl, a.k.a. Jean Grey), Dave Cockrum, the original artist when Chris Claremont resurrected the merry mutants from the purgatory of being a reprint comic, returned to the fold. Cockrum draws most of the seventeen issues and three annuals collected in "The Essential X-Men Volume 3," but you will also find issues drawn by Jim Sherman, Bob McLeod, Bill Sienkiewicz, Brent Anderson, George Perez, and John Romita, Jr. (the last trio do the annuals). The Perez drawn annual is of note, since he would be drawing the main rival for the "X-Men," D.C.'s "Teen Titans." The Sienkiewicz issues, where the X-Men tackled Dracula, is noteworthy because it is drawn like a regular comic book and not in the striking stylized manner we know associate with Sienkiewicz (I am telling you this now so you will not be disappointed when you read it, although his cover is closer to what you would expect, I imagine since it was not inked by Bob Wiacek like the rest of the comic).

The stories start with a smitten Dr. Doom kidnapping Storm and ends with a flashback story where Charles Xavier and Magnus (the future Magneto) take on Baron Strucker's Hydra gang. In between there is a rematch with Magneto (you have to have one of those at least once a year, but this one is nothing special), a reunion with the Starjammers (which means Corsair and Scott Summers might finally acknowledge they are father and sun), and a reapperance by Dark Phoenix (could it really be her?). In terms of the characters the three main subplots are Storm taking over as the new leader of the X-Men, Kitty Pryde trying to fit in with the gang, and Charles Xavier being terminally ill. The villains are mostly retreads, from the Hellfire Club to the Sentinels, and more guest stars, such as Dazzler and Tigra, and nobody really new and interesting.

In rereading these stories I know that the artwork is not as striking as it was when Byrne was drawing the "X-Men," but it also seems equally clear that the stories are not as epic in scope as what Claremont and Byrne were producing together. When Kitty Pride (a.k.a. Ariel, a.k.a. Sprite) is your most interesting character that is just not a good sign. But then all comic books go through peaks and valleys. Of course, after the issues collected in Volume 2 of this series, it would be hard for these comics not to look lesser in comparison. But eventually the focus will return to Wolverine and things will get a lot more interesting. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

new x-men #13-18
Millar keeps up the high quality of storytelling he has shown us so far. I really don't know what else to say that hasn't been said already.

Someone in Professor X's closet wants to kill him
By now it is clear that Wolverine is going to be on the cover of each and every trade paperback in the "Ultimate X-Men" series, and Volume 3, "World Tour," is no different. The character who should be on the cover would be Professor X, because he is the pivotal character in the major plot line of issues 13-13 of this comic book, which has to do with the X-Men coming face to face with David, his son with Moira MacTaggert, who has escaped from his confinement on Muir Island. In what is essentially the prologue to the story arc, "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way," we check up on the X-Men through the context of Xavier's article on mutants and learn that Magneto is not dead: the Professor has placed a mental block in his lower cerebrum to prevent him from remember who Erik Lensherr really is and how to use his mutant powers. Xavier's position is that he would not take the life of another living creature when a peaceful solution was possible. In the four-part "World Tour" story that follows, Xavier learns to rue his world and rethink his position.

Ultimately, "World Tour" is not simply a retelling of the Proteus story from Volume 1 of "The Uncanny X-Men" (issues 125-128), because the fact that Doctor MacTaggert's son is now also Charles Xavier's is a significant change and placed in the context of Xavier's attempt to blitz the world with a public relations effort in support of mutants forces a reconsideration of what Xavier is trying to do. Remember, in the "original" Proteus story Xavier was in a galaxy far, far away enjoying the first state ball hosted by the newly-crowned Empress Lilandra. The sub-plot, which has Colossus returning to Russia because of his disagreement with Xavier's tactics in general (and letting Magneto live in particular), provides a different take on the issue of responsibility for mutants. The epilogue, "Resignation," returns Xavier to the park when Erik Lensherr is playing where the Professor is entertaining a change of much more than heart.

This trade paperback volume also includes a two part story introducing Gambit as a street hustler who ends up using his mutant gifts to protect a young girl that he has met. The idea is apparently to explore those mutants who are not part of Xavier's School for Gifted Children, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, or another other organized group of merry mutants. These "Ultimate X-Men" stories are not, to date, superior to the original comic's glory days under Chris Claremont and John Byrne, but they are an entertaining take on the familiar characters in a slightly different context. Like the best of the Claremont-Byrne story lines it takes several issues to tell the story and for those who remember the X-Men (both the Stan Lee-Jack Kirby originals and the Claremont-Dave Cockrum next generation) it is interesting to see Mark Millar and Adam Kubert's twists on what we remember.

Why not just read the original?
I loved Bacheolo's art in this book. Really good stuff. Again Millar's poor writing of villains shows. Proteus just didn't have an "umph" behind him. Though he did get in his required body count (is it just me or do villains now aday have to kill like 300+ people an issue? Is it like a requirement to get their villain's license?). I will give Millar points for having Proteus being Xavier's son.
Still, over all, I wasn't as impressed with this book as I was Tomorrow People or even Return to Weapon-X. I think Millar is running out of steam. If you want a good telling of the Proteus Saga go pick up the original Claremont/Byrne one, it's worth it.

Ultimate X-Men: Great Stuff!
After countless attempts at creating a new universe, or continuum, the folks at Marvel finally hit on the right approach: recast their franchise characters as younger and more in tune with the issues of the day. Add top-notch writers and artists and voila! we have a hit. Though the story arcs are so far quite familiar to those with any sense of Marvel's history, the fresh approach to characters and the nifty art contribute to an overall great reading experience.

I would recommend this compilation to anyone who can't get enough of the Marvel universe or those who would like to start their trip into said universe. In short, recommended for any Marvel fan!

Proteus, magneto,and gambit oh my
This is a mile stone in the ultimate line. It shows colosuss returning to russia, a battle with xaviers son proteus a reality warping mutant and a issue featuring a heartwarming and violent story of gambit. ... Read more

Book Description

Winner of the coveted Eisner Award! Carl Seltz is a suburban insurance investigator, a loving husband, and devoted father. Nixon is a berserk, homicidal tax collector racking up mind-boggling body counts in a diseased urban slaughterhouse. Unit Four is the ultimate robot killing machine -- and the last hope of the future's enslaved mechanical servants. And they're all the same psychotic entity. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Hard Boiled......."The Graphic Novel"
Frank Darrow's artwork is worth the total price alone!! Frank Millers story is mind-boggeling, and deffinately not for children. I rate this book more that 5 stars easy!!!! If you are open minded with things of an adult nature and crave the ultra-violence, your bookshelf is not complete with out Frank Miller and Geof Darrow's graphic novel....."Hard Boiled"

Geof Darrow is a Master Artist
Ok, so the story is nothing new for anyone familiar with frank Miller. But it's alright. better than Sin City, anyway. But all of that is beside the point. Get HARD BOILED for Darrow's artwork! Seriously, this guy's stuff should be hanging in the art museums instead of a bunch of dead French guys and the occasional Italian. For get the classics, Darrow is where it's at.

Oh, don't buy this for your kids. it's for adults. This is over the top powerviolence not for the weak-hearted. this is beautiful and fun. To the person who said it's dangerous and would inspire kids to go on killing sprees, please, for the love of God, stop thinking in PC terms and form rational opinions of your own! This IS art! it has merit and is truly breathtaking.

lol
It has be my first Frank MIller's book, so I feel strange in writing about it now.
There was no internet at home when Iì've bought it at the newsstand on the road, so I just listended my eyes :))
It's a great and sad story, really over exposed, but you have to read till the end and read it again.
Great, really great!

Yet another well-done Miller slugfest.
Frank Miller is very good at making The Last Comic Book (after which comics can finally move on to a post-Kirby era); he keeps doing it over and over again. First the Daredevil run, then The Dark Knight Returns, then Sin City, then 300, and now this: an intentionally ridiculous sci-fi techno-thriller (in the mainstream cinema, "Terminator," "The Matrix," sense) starring a man who thinks he has a perfectly normal life, but then it turns out he's only programmed to think that, etc., right up to the nonsensical revelation (you'll plotz when you find out why he was created), predictable climax (I guessed it correctly after one glance at the cover!), and signature Miller letdown ending (Batman doesn't die, Marv gets into Roark's fortress pretty goddamn easily after all that, and...?). I would love it for its sheer audacity (pushing the tired "post-apocalyptic sex-based society" idea to its limits, killing extras by the truckload without so much as a fare-thee-well, writing ridiculous movie-star ["Come and get it, you bum..."]/funnybook ["oof!"/"ag!"/"oof!"/"oof!"/"nef!"/"hah!"/"oof!"/"hah!"/"oof!"/yaa" is from an actual sequence] dialog, giving all the women, including the female robots, gorgeous bodies), If Miller hadn't created so MANY comics exactly this one. (Waiting now for "DK2.")

Geoff Darrow, however, really gets a chance to show off his technical abilities in this story. In fact, this entire book can be considered an excercise for Darrow. His anatomy and perspective is wonderful (at least when you compare it to most mainstream "artists") and he can draw post-apocalyptic crowd scenes and bloody robots (with skin hanging off, torn clothes, eyeballs hanging out of metallic sockets) like, um, no one else. The colors are OK, although I find myself wishing Darrow had done them (they were assemblylined by a fellow named John Workman). They feel a little subdued, slowing down the pace.

Overall, this is a nice 20-minute read to flip through at the library or bookstore. It might make a nice gift for your teenage nephew who likes video games and "The Matrix." -YAKOV.

I LIKE IT BUT IT IS OUT OF CONTROL
This book is most notable for the extremely detailed art by Darrow. Miller lets the story go out of control and though I think the wackiness is intentional, it still is a little much. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Some 4,000 years before Leia bared her midriff in Jabba's palace, another Force-sensitive woman was doing the same for the good of the plot line: Jedi prodigy and lightsaber-wielding Nomi Sunrider, one of the featured Knights in this two-story collection from Dark Horse's quality Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi miniseries. Sunrider begins her training reluctantly, both to avenge the death of her Jedi hubby at the hands of Bogga the Hutt's minions and to realize her enormous potential in the art of "Jedi Battle Meditation." The other story in this volume also involves Battle Meditation, which Jedi Master Arca uses to save the hides of his young charges Ulic Qel-Droma and friends, who are sent to forge a peace between the beastmaster warlords and walled-city defenders on war-torn Onderon.

With plenty of twists, tons of action, and monsters and bad guys at every turn, these two stories are fully worth checking out, although purists be warned: the Ulic tale especially tends more toward the Jedi-as-superhero school of storytelling. It's saberin' time! --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (8)

SEEMS THERE ARE 3 COMICS USING THE SAME COVER
Anyone confused? Darkhorse has a comic called TALES OF THE JEDI THE COLLECTION that takes place 4,000 years before NH. The ISBN is 1569710203 published aug 1994. Dark horse does indicate that they published Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Knights of the Old Republic TPB on Oct 1994, but do not indicated an ISBN. I think that all 3 of these are the same c