The Old School Otaku Lounge

Type: Graphic novel
Story: Brian Azzarello
Art: Eduardo Risso

About: This is the first volume in a series of comics about a mysterious man who shows up before strangers with grievances and offers them a chance for revenge by supplying them with a gun and 100 untraceable bullets. It's done in a modern noir style, with gangsters, corrupt-cops, and assorted low-lifes. The first volume contains two separate stories with the mysterious man being the link between the two. It's pretty popular and highly acclaimed.

My Thoughts: I expected to like this one. The idea is cool, and I'd heard a lot of positive things about it. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that I disliked it. The art and story are decent, but nothing special. There was no bite and nothing really grabbed me. It tries to evoke a gritty, street atmosphere by having the characters speak a bunch of slang and act tough. Its a tricky thing to do without coming off as really fake and corny and this book fails miserably. The second story in the volume is a bit better than the first, but it was too little too late.

Should You Read It?: I'd say an emphatic "no", but with all the other people that seem to like this book, they must be seeing something in it.
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Type: Graphic novel
Story: Rick Remender
Art: Greg Tocchini

About: In the near future, in response to rising terrorism and crime, the U.S. government plans to deploy a neuro-inhibitor thing that will prevent people from committing unlawful acts. Before this happens though, an old, tough mother-scratcher puts together a team to commit one last heist to make a bunch of money.

My Thoughts: I really liked this one! It successfully depicts a violent, grim, mayhem-filled atmosphere of America on the brink of anarchy with thugs bloodying up every street-corner. The art was great and the story really kept me hooked. The characters are interesting and the pace is quick with a lot of good intrigue and action that keep it really moody and suspenseful. Minus a few points for a few action scenes being too over-the-top and spoiling the mood a bit.

Should You Read It?: If you heed my warning of the a whole lotta graphic violence and "adult situations" and are still reading, then definitely yes. One of the best comics I've read in some time!
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Type: Manga graphic novel
Story: Be-Papas
Manga: Chiho Saito

About: While attempting suicide, a young girl is rescued by a mysterious man who then disappears. Thereafter, she resolves to grow up strong and to find this guy. She receives clues of his whereabouts and ends up going to this weird school where she meets these weird people who are part of some mystic organization that has ties to the mysterious man.

My Thoughts: First off, let me say that I did not buy this one! It just happened to be laying around the apartment and I grabbed it for reading material when I needed to use the can. Then I figured I'd started it so I better finish it. It was alright. I mean, I'm not a fan of shoujo manga and definitely do not like the bishounen style of characters to begin with, so that doesnt help. Still, I was mildly interesting in the goings-on and though I probably won't read anymore of this one, I am sorta curious as to what happens next.

Should You Read it?: Tough for me to say as I don't know what passes for "good" as far as shoujo manga goes. If you're not already a shoujo fan, then certainly not.
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Type: Graphic novel
Story: Joe Casey
Art: Chris Burnham

About: A nigh-unstoppable, badass cop brutally pulverizes anybody who fits his loose definition of lawbreaker.

My Thoughts: Quite a bit of fun. The cop and the villains are completely over the top and gleefully violent. The body-count is pretty much the selling point on this one, but it's way too short for the $18 price-tag at only 50-some pages. Still, probably at least 45 of those pages involve someone losing a body part or three and, in the short time that it has, it manages to throw in some fun characters and inventive ways for them to be exsanguinated.

Should You Read It?: It comes with the a warning about the graphic hyper-violence, but its all rather tongue-in-cheek. I recommend this one if you can get it for cheap.
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Type: Manga graphic novel
Story & Art: Mine Yoshizaki

About: Sgt Frog is a member of an alien invasion force planning to attack Earth. When the aliens abort their mission, he gets left behind and captured by a couple of kids. He ends up living with them and wacky hi-jinks ensue. Oh, and he looks like a frog.

My Thoughts: So far, its pretty much just silly situation of the week type stuff. The two main human characters are Jr High aged kids, so the comic pretty much stays at that maturity level, but Sgt Frog himself is actually fairly clever and funny and that kept me interested. Maybe if they just ditched the kids altogether I'd like it more.

Should You Read It?: Not unless you are either A) bored and have a copy lying around or B) twelve years old.
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Type: Manga graphic novel
Story: Osamu Tezuka
Art: Naoki Urasawa

About: A retelling of one of Tezuka's Astro Boy stories, "The Greatest Robot on Earth." Someone or something is out killing the world's most powerful robots and an interpol detective is on the case.

My Thoughts: I wish I knew more about the original Astro Boy story to make a comparison. Still, I like the idea of an updated version because Tezuka's art typically feels dated to me. Naoki Urasawa is as good as usual, here. The mystery of who is killing the robots is interesting, but the story meanders between various characters whose connection is not at first obvious. Similar to my complaints about "20th Century Boys", while it definitely feels like the story will eventually go somewhere, it moves too slowly to build up steam and really sink it's hooks in.

Should You Read It?: This one is worth checking out. Especially if you like Naoiki Urasawa. I can't speak to how it would appeal to Astro Boy fans.
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Type: Graphic novel
Story: Jeff Jensen
Art: Jonathan Case

About: Based on the true story of the prolific Green River Killer, this book follows detective Tom Jensen's hunt for, and eventual interrogation of, the killer.

My Thoughts: The art is simple, but effective and it fits the story well. Even though it's done tactfully, the subject matter makes it a little burdensome to read. There's a lot that can be told with a story like this: The simple facts of the crimes and investigation, the psychology of the killer, and the way it impacts the victim's families, investigating detectives, and the community in general. All of these are touched on, but it feels like there's a lot left unsaid as decades of events are compressed into a few hundred pages. Also, at the risk of sounding perverse, as serial killer's go, the Green River Killer isn't that interesting. The investigation ends up pretty mundane too as they have no real breakthroughs for decades until DNA technology eventually becomes available and the case is suddenly solved.

Should You Read It?: Complaints aside, this is still a good book. If you can stomach the true(but not gratuitous) details of a serial killer, I recommend this one.
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Type: Graphic novel
Story: Evan Dorkin
Art: Jill Thompson

About: Burden Hill, a peaceful, old-fashioned suburb is suddenly afflicted with the paranormal. A group of dogs and a cat form a team of investigators that tries to deal with the odd happenings and keep the neighborhood safe.

My Thoughts: This is an unusual book. The premise seems lighthearted and straightforward and the animals that make up the team would be at home in a children's cartoon, but many of the events that take place are startlingly grim and mature. This causes some unevenness of tone between the chapters, with some being simple and playful and others being quite dark. While there are some weak parts here and there, the book manages to pull it together and make it work more often than not. The art is very nice watercolors that evoke a tone that reminds me of those old boy's adventure books like The Hardy Boys, which I thought was a great fit.

Should You Read It?: Before I had read the whole book, I was thinking it might be a good gift for my young nephew, but, some of the stories are quite dark and not at all appropriate for kids. For an older reader though, I recommend this one. Demonic frogs combating house pets. Whats not to like about that?
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