Manga Retrospective: My Hero Academia

Clockwise from top right: All Might, Shotp Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugo, and Izuku "Deku" Midorya.

Manga Retrospective: My Hero Academia Last week, the long-running shounen manga series My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia) by Kouhei Horikoshi finished its publication in Weekly Shounen Jump. So it’s time to look back fondly at this homage to Western comic book-style superheroes. In the world of the story, several decades ago, a glowing… Continue reading Manga Retrospective: My Hero Academia

Comic Book Review: DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #22: Secret Origins of Super-Heroes

Cover by Ross Andru & Mike DeCarlo

Comic Book Review: DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #22: Secret Origins of Super-Heroes edited by E. Nelson Bridwell “Secret origins” are a big part of the superhero genre. Since, back in the day, most superheroes had secret identities, just how exactly they’d come to gain powers or the motivation to fight crime was also a… Continue reading Comic Book Review: DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #22: Secret Origins of Super-Heroes

Manga Review: Oshi no Ko #2

Manga Review: Oshi no Ko #2 by Aka Akasaka & Mengo Yokoyari Note: This review will contain major SPOILERS for the first volume. If you haven’t read that, you may want to check out my review of that one first. A decade after the death of idol singer Ai Hoshino, her secret twins Aquamarine (usually… Continue reading Manga Review: Oshi no Ko #2

Comic Book Review: Jughead with Archie Digest Magazine #134

Comic Book Review: Jughead with Archie Digest Magazine #134 by various creators The Archie characters and setting first appeared in Pep Comics #22 (December 1941) as part of the M.L.J. Magazines comic book publishing line. Inspired by the wholesome Andy Hardy movies starring Mickey Rooney, Archie Andrews was a “typical American teenager” with a stable… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Jughead with Archie Digest Magazine #134

Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1

Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1 created by Various A fairly long-standing tradition of DC Comics is the “Holiday Special”; an anthology issue themed around a particular holiday or season. It started, naturally, with Christmas specials, now more general “winter holiday”-themed, but Halloween specials with horror-type stories were an obvious addition,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1

Manga Review: White Night Melody 1

Manga Review: White Night Melody by Selena Lin Colleen and Jing Ping don’t remember much of their lives before they were turned into living dolls, though they believe that she was a princess of some sort, and he was a government official. They’re also fuzzy on most of their years as dolls before coming into… Continue reading Manga Review: White Night Melody 1

Anime Review: Tokyo Majin Part Two: Martial Fist Chapter

Anime Review: Tokyo Majin Part Two: Martial Fist Chapter Magami Academy in Tokyo looks like an ordinary high school at first. But it’s actually a nexus of mystical forces that draws unusual people from all over. Most of these people are under the Stars of Destiny, a group of 108 people destined to play an… Continue reading Anime Review: Tokyo Majin Part Two: Martial Fist Chapter

Manga Review: Kageki Shojo!! Vol. 2

Manga Review: Kageki Shojo!! Vol. 2 by Kumiko Saiki The Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts is an exclusive all-girls’ school which feeds into the prestigious Kouka performance troupe where all roles are played by women. This series focuses on the members of the Centennial Class, the 100th cadre of girls competing for the… Continue reading Manga Review: Kageki Shojo!! Vol. 2

Book Review: Catfishing on CatNet

Book Review: Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer It is the not too distant future, a time of self-driving cars, drone package delivery, and robots teaching sex ed. Steph Taylor doesn’t think too much about technology, as she has other concerns in her life. Ever since she can remember, her mother has been moving them… Continue reading Book Review: Catfishing on CatNet

Movie Review: Volcano High

Our hero introduces himself to a very noisy class.

Volcano High (2001) dir. Tae-gyun Kim Kim Keyong-Su (Jang Hyuk) has been expelled from nine schools for trouble-making. It’s not so much that he goes looking for trouble, as that he’s always targeted by jerks who want to pick on him, and he winds up using his superhuman powers in response. Kim got them in an… Continue reading Movie Review: Volcano High