Hey folks,
Howse it hanging? Apparently the weather gods have decided it's winter because the snow is not stopping here in the Rocky Mountains. While I'm not necessarily a snow hater, a bit moderation would be nice. I hope you'll accept my humblest apologies but a post last night was just not possible. So here we are a day later, but not a dollar short. So onward with the first reviews post of the new year!
Reviews
Janes in Love
In Janes in Love writer Cecil Castelluci and artist Jim Rugg continue with their magical series about teenage friendship, art, and not-fitting-in. Castelluci brings back The Plain Janes, a misfit group of girls all named Jane, who commit what they call "art attacks" in the small town of Kent Waters. Main Jane and her friends go through the same trials and tribulations of teenage life with the focus here being romance. I was struck by how Castelluci and Rugg manage to capture teenage angst in original ways. Main Jane, while struggling with her own love/friendship with Damon, also wants to express love for her community. I love the idea of using art, which includes painting/decorating parks, streets, and buildings in their community to overcome the fear inherent in our post 9/11 world. The PLAIN Janes naively believe that art can save the world. I also need to shout out the art of Jim Rugg. It is great how he can draw each character with a unique look. It's great to see all different body types portrayed as beautiful in a book aimed at teen girls. The focus remains on accentuating the beauty of difference and originality. Pick up this book, it will show you that art can save.
Other Reviews
Comic Mix| Comic Book Bin| The F-Word
Whistle Vol. 1
I finally read a manga book. Can you believe it? Manga has been a mystery to me. It's very popular among the teen patrons I help so I figured I ought to check it out. Whistle is a part of the shonen genre which focuses on Sho, a young soccer player and his rise to success. I am also a fool for the sports-team-overcoming-adversity genre so the themes here were familiar catnip for me. Sho made for a fun, if single-minded, main character and I did find myself routing for him. Once I got used to the format I did get involved in the story. I can see how this series would be popular for young boys, especially those sports minded. It deftly balanced education with themes of teamwork and friendship. I also enjoyed the relationship between Sho and his brother, a roguish charmer. Overall though I found the female characters all very odd and stereotypical. All the females were kinda flighty and dressed pretty scantily especially for a teacher. Also would like to see less clunky narration from the main character. Less tell, more show. So I'd recommend it to boys who like sports, but I think I'm gonna need to read some more manga to become comfortable with the genre and it's conventions.
Other Reviews
Read About Comics| Comics Village
The Reading List
Magazine
Vanity Fair
Books
The Irregulars
Generation X
Comics
Astro City #1
Comic Pull List:Buffy The Vampire Slayer #21, Detective Comics #852, Secret Six #5, Trinity #32
Check Out Count: Steadily Improving.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
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