Monster and Pluto and all things awesome
I’m reading Pluto right now and I’m still working my way through Monster. What strikes me about both these series is that Urasawa makes it look so easy. The plots, the twists, the pain, it all just runs on and on without a hiccup and you tend to forget how well crafted it is. Sometimes it takes me reading another manga, maybe one that’s pretty good but not, you know, Urasawa good to make me truly appreciate these stories.
So go, watch the anime, tell me if it holds up to the manga. I’m on a prose vacation this week. I’m reading Son of Witch, the sequel to Wicked. I should have done this long ago but I got distracted. Pluto made me think of it actually because, while some people might think writers dappling in other writer’s worlds is a rip-off, I love seeing what new eyes can do to a place.
Reading Over Shoulders
I read a Banned Book - sssshhhh don't tell my dad.
If you like ninjas then maybe you should check out Nabari No Ou – here’s the Comic Book Resources review.
High Noon looks kind of creepy, Johanna at Comics Worth Reading liked the artwork but not the pace.
It’s not a book but Robot6 has a hilarious review of a straight to DVD Batman/Superman cartoon.
I didn’t actually read the review since I’m already hooked on Pluto and I didn’t want to run into any spoilers, but Matthew Brady takes a look at volume 4.
Finally, I’ll leave you with this lovely tidbit from Kelly Ogle on being told that “no person has the right to determine what someone can or cannot read”:
“That’s not the real world”.
Yeeeaaaahhh.
Back to Work/End of Summer Reading
I’m back at work! It’s kind of weird but believe me, I’m relishing the time to drink a cup of coffee and read my email without worrying I’m going to spill on the baby’s head or get my computer torn down by the toddler.
This may be shocking to some but maternity leave is no vacation! Still I did get to squeeze in a few manga these past couple months. Here’s how I felt about them:
Bride of the Water God Vol. 2
I had heard that the second volume doesn’t necessarily improve. The character development is still minimal, the plot is full of holes and the dialogue is laughable. Still, the artwork makes up for everything. I don’t care how insipid Habaek and Soah continue to be, if they wear those gorgeous clothes while flying past the moon in an elaborate ship, I will eat it up.
Uzumaki Vol. 2
There’s very little “horror” that I can’t handle. Uzumaki is pushing the limit. In this twisted (pun intended) volume, the terror is pushed up as the town possessed by a spiral, uh, spirals downward. I warn you, it’s seriously disturbing but brillant. The only thing that bothers me is that the townspeople have yet to figure out what’s going on. You would think that after multiple frightening incidents, including people morphing in snails for godsake, the folks would learn to stay away from anything strange or believe others when they relate that something is wrong – ah, but no.
Pluto Vol. 1
I should have read this title first. I’m a huge fan of Monster and was thrilled to see a couple of series by Naoki Urasawa. My comic book guy recommended it over 20th Century Boys, saying it was different than Monster and would make a nice change. Based on a single Astro Boy story, “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, Pluto takes the concept of a robot murdering serial killer and expands the world to a completely new level. There is obviously a lot of care and reverence to the master, Osamu Tezuka. I’m not sure why I resisted, perhaps because Astro Boy is my least favorite Tezuka title? Whatever the reason, I’m glad I finally got around to it.
So there you have it, my summer reading. Another good reason to return to work? The copies of Queen & Country and A Drifting Life on my desk!
