Comic Book Review: Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool

Comic Book Review: Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool written by Dwayne McDuffie & Robert L. Washington III, art by Denys Cowan & John Paul Leon Static is Virgil Ovid Hawkins, a science-loving teenager exposed to an experimental gas that gave him electro-magnetic superpowers.  He protects his schoolmates and neighborhood against gangs and supervillains who… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool

Manga Review: Haikyu!! 1

Manga Review: Haikyu!! 1 by Haruichi Furudate It is the first game of the junior high boys’ volleyball tournament, between Kitagawa Daiichi Middle School and Yukigaoka Middle School.  While the first school is known for its strong volleyball program, the other…isn’t.  Yet the stars on each team have something in common. Shoyo Hinata of Yukigaoka… Continue reading Manga Review: Haikyu!! 1

Book Review: Octavia’s Brood

Book Review: Octavia’s Brood edited by Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha One of the many uses of science fiction is to talk about current issues in a speculative setting.  One can posit a world in which current trends have become exaggerated to dystopian levels, or where a solution has been found to a current… Continue reading Book Review: Octavia’s Brood

Anime Review: My Love Story

Anime Review: My Love Story Takeo Goda is a freshman in high school, but you’d never guess it to look at him.  He’s over six feet tall and built like a truck.  His heart is as big as the rest of him, and Takeo often helps others in need.  Unfortunately, he’s not exactly handsome, and… Continue reading Anime Review: My Love Story

Book Review: Ready Player One

Book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Wade Watts is a gunter.  That’s short for “Easter egg hunter,” which has nothing to do with the holiday.  Born into grinding poverty as the child of refugees in the energy-starved dystopian future, Wade was orphaned at an early age and put into the hands of a neglectful… Continue reading Book Review: Ready Player One

Manga Review: Platinum End 1

Manga Review: Platinum End 1 Story by Tsugumi Ohba, Art by Takeshi Obata Have you ever looked at the world around you and thought, “Wow, God’s not doing a very good job.”?  Perhaps you have even succumbed to hubris and thought you could do a better job if you, personally, had God’s power.  As it… Continue reading Manga Review: Platinum End 1

Comic Book Review: Blue Monday, Vol. 2: Absolute Beginners

Comic Book Review: Blue Monday, Vol. 2: Absolute Beginners by Chynna Clugston Flores Disclaimer:  I received this volume through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review.  No other compensation was offered or requested. Bleu L. Finnegan isn’t precisely your normal high school girl growing up in 1990s Northern California.  For one thing,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Blue Monday, Vol. 2: Absolute Beginners

Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly (2016)

Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly (2016) by various creators. It’s the fourth anniversary of this blog (where does the time go!?) and thus my annual review of the online edition of Weekly Shounen Jump, Japan’s best-selling manga anthology.   The 2016 reaper has been busy here as elsewhere, with several long-running series ending:  Bleach, Nisekoi, Toriko… Continue reading Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly (2016)

Manga Review: Nichijou: My Ordinary Life (1)

Manga Review: Nichijou: My Ordinary Life (1) by Keiichi Arawa The ordinary lives that all of us lead every day might perhaps be a succession of miracles. This is the story of four ordinary high school girls living their ordinary everyday lives.  Yukko, cheerful but not very bright; Mio, who’s of average intellect and has… Continue reading Manga Review: Nichijou: My Ordinary Life (1)

Manga Review: Orange the Complete Collection 1

Manga Review: Orange the Complete Collection 1 by Ichigo Takano If you could send a letter to yourself ten years in the past, what would you say?  “Life will get better after high school”?  “Don’t drink and drive”?  “Here are the winning lottery numbers for [date]”?  On the first day of her junior year of… Continue reading Manga Review: Orange the Complete Collection 1