DC New 52 Final week REVIEWS! Hardly the end!

And so we come to it folks... the final week of #1's... (at least the main titles!) and what a crazy month it's been! Some fantastic titles, we've been shocked, amused, horrified, saddened, fascinated and so much more over these 52 titles and its been a total blast reading and reviewing them all for you guys!

Granted I'm tired enough to almost never read a comic again - almost I said! - but it feels well worth it for our fellow comic addicts out there.

We all hope you enjoyed this rundown the last few weeks and stick around, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming before you know it, but will continue to cover your new favourite DC titles as they come out.

Share your likes and dislikes kids, let us know what you want to hear more about and we'll mark of the release dates on our calenders just for you.

Now sit back and enjoy this finale round of #1's reviewed! (AND AS ALWAYS, CLICK FOR NICE BIG VERSIONS OF THE COVERS!!)

All-Star Western

(Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray, Drawn by Moritat)

Akshay (Wayfarer Score: 10/10)

In a lot of ways I was expecting exceptional things from this book, especially given my love for the lead character – Jonah Hex – and that the creative team writing it were masters with his stories. And man do they deliver! Bringing a high-plains drifter style bounty hunter with a penchant for always getting his man and extreme violence – all while keeping to his own unique moral code – to a new, gritty and crazy place like Gotham City (in its early days) has been handled brilliantly! Toss in a weird serial-killer mystery, no shortage of action and intrigue or character exploration and an awesome ending to boot makes this yet another of the best of the reboot in my view! And honestly, the art is so damn good and suitable to the feel and narrative that I almost didnt realise how little I was thinking about it, flowing organically with the tale until certain things just catch your eye!

Anubhav (Score 8.1/10)

This being my first exposure to Jonah Hex, it definitely makes me wanna read the back issues. There’s a solid introduction to Jonah’s no-nonsense attitude. Also welcome is his team up, with Amadeus Arkham, which roots the story firmly in DC (& Gotham City) continuity. Moritat and his art team give us a splendid noir look for the book, and shows great variety throughout.

REVIEW: Come meet the Beast Legion!!

I’m very much like your average fantasy loving fan.

No, scratch that.

I’m an ultra-rabid specimen of a sub-set of the same species. The kind that hoards multiple copies of a particularly good book and tries to bite anyone who wants to borrow one. Try and understand where I’m coming from, I take my fantasy seriously. Anyone getting in the way of that goes down.

Now that I’ve made that point clear, I’ll come to the object of my study today:

(Click to enlarge!)

(Click to enlarge!)

Looking for a dose of traditional action-fantasy right here on Indian shores?  Then look no further! The Beast Legion by Jazyl H. is our very own, home-grown fantasy comic! Complete with a prince at the crux of a prophecy, his faithful sidekicks/team, a dastardly villain named ‘Dragos’ who transforms into a… any guesses? (You got it, a dragon)... and his cronies who threaten to take over the world with…er…well, darkness. 

 

Calling all Vimaniks! Your leader speaks!

HELLO ADDICTS!!

Excited? You should be, Comic Con Mumbai is inching closer and closer with every passing second, minute, hour and day! 

And in the continuing spirit of comic-camaraderie and sharing the joy, we have managed to secure an interview today with Mr. Karan Vir - the envisioner of and man behind Vimanika Comics. He takes time from his busy schedule to share some of his insight and thoughts on comics and the convention(s) and even was good enough to provide quite a few lovely art samplings from some of the beautiful books Vimanika has in the works and on the stands. 

So enjoy it all folks and remember: you keep reading, we'll keep writing!

 (And as always, remember the images can be clicked for big-ness!)

Exclusive RAJ COMICS Preview: AXE

After a long wait, we finally witnessed the return of Super Commando Dhruv in Alter Ego which was a totally hair raising, chair gripping and nail-biting episode which ended in a cliff hanger!

The next part of Alter Ego is a part of the upcoming set by Raj Comics. The issue is titled Axe, which is a clever word play on the Hindi word "Aks" that means "essence".

Dhruv's Alter Ego (or so it seems - for who know how it'll work out in the end?) is called Axe and if it really is a split personality, it is also essentially an essence of him too!

I for one, just can't wait for Axe! I have been fidgety since reading the previous part and it's giving me jitters now!

Oh that reminds me. Coming Sunday Raj Comics is hosting the Nagraj Janamotsav and Kalpana Lok Award ceremony! Starting at 11am, on October 2, 2011, at their Burari office (Raj Comic Studio - 330/1 Burari, New Delhi)

I'm going to be there, will you???

In the meantime however, keep scrolling down and enjoy the exclusive preview images that the good folks over at Raj have kindly shared with us and of course, with ALL you loyal Raj-fans out there! 

5 QUESTIONS with Graphic Novelist Dylan Horrocks

5 QUESTIONS is were I ask 5 questions of New Zealand Comic Book Creators, Writers and Artists. 

This week I asked DYLAN HORROCKS the questions. DYLAN lives 
 and works in Auckland, NZ. He teaches Art at Auckland University of Technology and advises on Comic Writing at Auckland University. His '10 issues of his comic book Pickle were published by Black Eye (1992-97) and his graphic novel Hicksville was published in 1998, also by Black Eye.  Hicksville has since been reprinted by Drawn & Quarterly and has been translated into French, Italian and Spanish'. Hicksville was Nominated for two Ignatz Awards (best graphic novel and best art) and one Harvey Award (best reprint collection). Winner of two Goodies Awards (best graphic novel and best writer).  Named a Comics Journal 'book of the year.'  

Feasting on the "Fruits Basket"

Fruits Basket, also called Furuba, is a fantasy, slice of life manga by Natsuki Takaya. Now don’t be repelled by the fact that it’s just-another-shoujo-manga because it’s not. This one’s for those who love manga that tends to lean towards the philosophical side of life and is the best example of one of those life-lessons kind of manga that deals with some serious life issues in an intellectual way.

So here’s what I think of the manga, along with a brief description of the story.

Plot: The story revolves around a young high school girl Tohru Honda (Don’t worry, this is where the cliché ends.) who, after losing her parents, lived in a little tent on the outskirts on the city and tried her hardest to support herself without anyone’s help. Her life, which was already out of ordinary, takes another turn when she finds out that her classmate, Yuki Sohma, is actually a part of a strange family that is possessed by the spirit of the 12 zodiacal animals; and every time they are hugged by the opposite gender, they transform into their zodiacal animal. 

A Salute to Dick Durock

There are some who contribute to comics and geek culture who don't get their due. Today we here at Comic Addicts are paying tribute to a man who brought a beloved comic character to life not only on the big screen, but on the little screen as well. Today we salute you Dick Durock.

Dick Durock is an actor who's face you rarely saw. It was hardly seen because he was either in a bit part or it was covered in movie make-up. Dick Durock was mostly a stunt man starting out as far back as the original Star Trek series. He's played thugs and flunkies on shows such as The Six Million Dollar Man, Battlestar Galactica (original series), Knight Rider, Lost in Space and many others.

Exploring the X-Men: Season Two

After a long hiatus, Marvel’s favourite mutants returned to syndicated television for a season of another 13 episodes.

The Episodes here have better production values, the animation is improved significantly while the cohesiveness and integrity of the episodes - for some time - hits a low. Plenty of new characters are introduced here; practically every one except the ones featured in the theme song are first appearances. Also, old characters are brought back from the dead. Enough hints for everybody, and for those who didn’t quite get it, or jumped on right now, read on.

Til Death Do Us Part, Parts 1 & 2

As seen in the end of the previous Season (see review here), Scott Summers and Jean Grey tie the knot. Anti mutant hysteria still prevails, aided by an organization calling themselves the ‘Friends Of Humanity’, led by Graydon Creed. Wolverine is in a bad mood, aggravated further by the wedding. Mysteriously, Morph who was supposed to have died in Episode 1, Night Of The Sentinels, Parts 1 & 2 is back amongst the living. But he hates the X-Men and blames them for leaving him behind. While Scott & Jean are on their honeymoon, Morph, using his powers creates havoc at the mansion, leaving Beast trapped in the Danger Room against a particularly nasty program, Jubilee alone in a branch of the Friends of Humanity; and Storm and Gambit injured, with Rogue having Gambit’s powers. And finally the mastermind behind it all, and the architect of Morph’s return is revealed to be a nasty being called Mr Sinister. Mr Sinister and his ‘Nasty Boys’ reach Scott & Jean and plan to use their child to further their evil ways. And for Professor X and Magneto, the troubles are just beginning. Their trek through the Savage Land beginning here would last the length of the season. In the Savage Land, both mutants lose their powers while Professor X regains the use of his legs, suggesting this has something to do with his powers.

DCnU Reviews - Round 4! WRITE!

Another week of madness begins folks! Come share the adventure, the action, the changes and the unchanged – see what we thought of this new batch of DC goodness (and the not so good) and let us know what you thought of the books you like or disliked! (And don't forget, all images are clickable high-res!) 
And with that said, no more time to waste, lets get to it and bring you some reviews:

Batman 
(Written by Scott Snyder, Drawn by Greg Capullo)

Akshay (Wayfarer Score: 9/10)

Scott Snyder once again shows why he is one of the most prominent rising stars in comic writing today with his migration from a fantastic run on Detective Comics to this new Batman #1. We are given a great dose of classic Batman-ness as the Dark Knight Detective does exactly what that name implies, he is the quintessential detective, hero and the force of nature hidden in the shadows. Spectacular art by Capullo just makes this all that much more a joy to read and the ease with which the existing Batman backstory is just taken and eased into the story (like the three Robins!) and such, it shows a world of promise.

Anubhav (Score 10/10)

Personally, this was easily the most awaited title of the new 52. And boy did it deliver or what. Scott Snyder, after his critically adored run on Detective Comics, has given us yet another excellent issue. The tone is similar to that run, with the personification of Gotham as a living entity, maintaining its ecosystem between the good and the bad. It’s this grasp on both the city and the characters that inhabit it that makes Snyder one of the best writers to ever write Batman. There’s a couple of moments, including the ending, that make you sit up and despite the sheer absurdity of both, make you consider the possibilities. If you were disappointed on not getting Francavile or Jock on art for this issue, don’t be, because Greg Capullo brings his A-game to the table, with amazing action coupled with superb and flawless character work. Read it ASAP if you haven’t already. If you have, read it again.

Comic Con through Campfire and brimstone!

Campfire’s experience at the last Comic Con

At Comic Con Delhi '10

Fifteen thousand comic book fans gathered together in Delhi for India’s first ever comic con. The two-day convention was a phenomenal success, far exceeding the expectations of both the organisers (Twenty Onwards Media) and the participants.

Campfire graphic novels, for example, raked in more revenue during the first day of the comic con than in 10 days at the 2010 Delhi Book Fair.

The death and life of Anime Con 2011

From CALF Short Films

The second animation convention organized by The Japan Foundation was held at Marwah Studios, in the heart of Film City, Noida. Of course, where this is anime aplenty and the promise of manga and much more, Comic Addicts were bound to be present in force. 

My initial taste of the Anime-Con felt bitter, for I was expecting a slightly better infrastructure to be in place. Events were even as I arrived getting delayed and pushed back. The events that were occurring seemed to be competing for an audience that was mostly disinterested. I suppose the venue being in Noida took away a chunk of the anime fans from far parts of Delhi and Gurgaon. Add to that the rainy weather and it is understandable if many of the diehards chose to stay in.

Not.

Why are they still calling themselves diehards? An anime con touches down in your city, and you miss out on it? Poor form Otaku-wannabes. Poor form indeed! Genshiken a recently founded anime appreciation club was present, nice to see. Although the much publicized Gaming Arena was a damp squib, with one console, one TV and a perpetual line coiled around it. The workshops were useful, however imparting knowledge at a festival has always put me off. I want anime and manga around me and I want it in the bucket loads. Where is the cosplay? Where are the comics? Where is everybody? My spirits by this time were sinking fast. They sunk further when the hyper expensive bento available at the Ai cafe proved to be another disappointment.

Relenting to the energy that seemed nearly palpable in the very air around us, I too was about to write off Anime Con as a badly mashed together festival sorely lacking in its target audience, all in all a poor excuse for me making the two hour trip from Gurgaon to Noida. However at that moment something caught my eye,

5IVE QUESTIONS with Graphic Novelist & Illustrator ANT SANG

5IVE QUESTIONS 

This new segment dear readers, is where I ask five questions of New Zealand Comic Book Creators, Writers and Artists to find what makes them tick.

This week I asked ANT SANG the questions. Ant lives and works in Auckland, NZ, He is an award-winning cartoonist and amongst his comic works is a series called, Dharma Punks and recently had his graphic novel, Shaolin Burning published ny HarperCollins New Zealand. Ant is well known in the New Zealand comic scene. And due to his creative work on the Bro'town TV Series, he has stamped his place in NZ Moving Images scene as well. 

Christian Hall's Vasion

The new DC 52 has been getting a lot of attention lately. While this is all the buzz, we here at Comic Addicts would like to remind you comic fans that there are still some great independent titles out there. So as a break from the hype and the big brand name comics we’re going to take a look at an independent title. Today we’re featuring Vasion by Christian Hall.

Vasion is an interesting comic concept about an ancient advanced race known as The Enforce. They have been working in the background like a secret society. They look just like regular people, but their genetic make-up is different. They protect their own, while also protecting the rest of us.

The particular issue that we’re reviewing is called “All Out War!” part 1 of 3. In this a creature surfaces called Devour. It is a beast that hasn’t surfaced in centuries, and is also unstoppable. Imagine for a moment if Grendal, the Wolfman, and the Hulk had a lovechild. This thing looks like a giant black wolf, but is completely indestructible as well as having all of the ancient lore to add that level of mystery and fear.

Mumbai Comicon Express : A roundup with Comic Addicts

Welcome addicts, to more inside news for the Comic Con Express! Today we speak with the organisers behind this event, the brains and the brawn making it all happen, and we bring it fresh off the note-pad to you! 

1. We were there at the last con and it was a huge success, a sortie of comic addicts from around India! Did its success spur you to create Comic Con Mumbai or was it always on the cards?


   The decision was certainly based on the reaction of the fans and the participants, we felt we were in a position to make it happen and we did.



2. Is it going to have a different flavour from Comic Con Delhi or is it essentially the same dish in a different city?


   Its bit of both actually. The format is essentially the same, with exhibit spaces and workshops/sessions taking place every half hour or so. However, the feel of the event will be very different, unlike Delhi/dilli haat, this is an in-door venue in the heart of South Mumbai, we are trying to bring in local flavor. As Comic Con India we believe in promoting local talent and a lot of our talent is based in Mumbai


Apart from local flavour, the focus of Comic Con Mumbai is different from Delhi since we are incorporating  the entertainment and advertising industries into the con since both of these industries are big in Mumbai.

You'll find the confirmed/announced participants on our site. Again, our approach is the same as it was 6 months back, the focus is on Indian comics, on the Indian industry. And this will be the first such event for Mumbai so like the first ever convention in Delhi, we'd like to highlight what’s happening in India, showcase the talent here.  

DC's new 52! Week 3-in-double-review!!

(Click to enlarge)

Batman and Robin

(Written by Peter J. Tomasi, Drawn by Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray)

Akshay (Wayfarer Score: 7/10)

One of the bigger name titles starts off this week – an ongoing series being renumbered to a new volume, unlike many of the entirely new titles in this DC reboot. This was a title I was both anticipating but also solidly weary about. Kick-started previously by Grant Morrison to bring the world the Dick-Damian version of the Dynamic Duo, this new series has a lot to live up to and more so being that it is also the first real time given to the Wayne father-son dynamic since Damien first being introduced. It was this dynamic and the direction Bruce's character takes that makes me hopeful for this as a series/book, because it was the characters and their relationship that marked the awesomeness of the original series. The friction between the two leads was well portrayed and I was glad to see it touch on the Batman Inc. part of things but I don't much care for what I see of the villain here. The art was good and went well with the story but nothing spectacular. Still has a lot of potential, but as a first issue, I would say only 'good'.

Anubhav (Score 9.0/10)

God Damian Wayne has got to be the awesomest Robin yet. Peter Tomasi gives us a very good issue illustrating the Father-Son relationship between Bruce and Damain and moving Batman’s character plenty of leaps forward by showing him finally looking ahead to the future instead of the past, while Damian debates the need for looking back to the fateful day in Bruce’s childhood repeatedly. Some solid character interactions in the backdrop of an engaging plot makes this issue a total win. Patrick Gleason delivers just the right amount of Noir required in the book, in a way that the art doesn’t distract readers too much from the characterisations.

A look at the 2nd Anime Convention 2011

Being an otaku for several years and having visited several Conventions outside India, I went into the '2nd Anime Convention, 2011' at Noida with few expectations but was extremely satisfied with the overall event. I really wanted to be part of this Anime convention so I flew down from Chennai to get some first-hand experiences of it all! 

Let’s start with the “EVERYDAY” Activities (stuff that was present on all three days):

The Manga Lounge
This was slightly Misleading !! The event schedule / information mentioned that, “Fellow manga enthusiasts can read a variety of Manga and Anime books throughout the course of three days” or something along those lines, unfortunately about 95% of all the Manga’s and Magazine’s on display were in Japanese and just a handful of them in English. Sadly even the English manga’s were incomplete volumes or random volume numbers + a lot of Pokémon stuff. That being said, it was still a lot of fun to look at and browse original Japanese Manga’s / Shōnen Jump and other Japanese magazines, I even got a bit excited to see one of my favorite Japanese Music Groups “SMAP” being featured on the front cover of a Japanese magazine. In short - if you really like Japanese culture, you would have enjoyed just browsing through them, recognizing stuff and going “Oh! I know this!!”
I feel if your proficiency in Japanese is excellent you would probably have enjoyed it a lot more. 

SPECIAL PREVIEW: Jason and the Argonauts!

Welcome folks to a special preview of one of the most unique looking books to be published out of the Campfire library.

Now, Greek mythology is one of the most widely known and the stories among the most respected and iconic across the globe. From the Trojan war to the twelve tasks of Hercules to the various tales that define their pantheon of Gods, among so many more, it is a rich and powerful family of stories that have inspired people for generations.

So it is small wonder that Campfire has taken it upon themselves to make their successful adaptation works finally touch on these tales of adventure and humanity.

Recently Campfire Graphic Novels has released a graphic novel on the story of ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ and their adventures trying to win the fabled Golden Fleece. Filled with very raw looking but intriguingly quality artwork that confounds with its combination of savage beauty, it all seems to suit the tale, the time and the place.

Courtesy the good folks over at Campfire we have for you today these sneak previews of some of the final pages from the graphic novel as well as an album at the end with loads of amazing black-and-white pages in high-res for you to enjoy and feast your eyes upon!

C.C.E.MUMBAI Cometh!!!

It was some seven months ago I found myself roaming through New Delhi's “Dilli Haat”, dressed as a cheap homemade version of Batman with a paunch, along with my little brother who was a much more convincing Wolverine. Some people were even staring at us as if we were recently let loose from an asylum and were being allowed to mingle with the general public!

Most of the stares openly showed their displeasure at this freedom being given to delinquents like us, but did we care? At that point in time we wouldn’t have cared if the public had started stoning us or even if the cops locked us up.

We were on our way to The Indian Comic-Con!!!

India’s FIRST ever Comic Convention!!!

This was something I had dreamt about for several years but had expected it to turn into reality in at least my lifetime! But hey, what do we know? Dreams have a almost nasty habit of being realized overnight, when you least expect it!

Something magical had happened a few months ago. Facebook had informed us that there was a plan for a potential Comic-Con in Delhi. The word was enough to get me interested and I started following it up. Joined the page, asked the questions, responded to each post, argued, gossiped and spread the word, forced people to join, made them aware and pretty much everything I could think of doing – short of walking on the roads with a biggammajammi banner over my head! And I’d have done that too, but just didn’t think about making/finding a banner soon enough.

Review: SHAOLIN BURNING graphic novel by Ant Sang

ANT SANG lives and works in Auckland, NZ. He is an award-winning cartoonist and amongst his comic works is a series called Dharma Punks and he recently had his graphic novel, Shaolin Burning, published by HarperCollins, New Zealand. Ant is well known in the New Zealand comic scene. And due to his creative work on the Bro'town TV Series, he has stamped his place in the NZ Moving Images scene as well. 

Delhi Anime Con!!!

Sorry about the delay guys. We were experiencing some connectivity problems, due to rain and water clogging in Delhi. The pics for Day 2 and the awesome Cosplay on Day 3 are up on our Facebook Page, and will be available on the website soon enough too!!!

Day 2
Click here to view day 2 pics

Day 3 Cosplay!
Click here to view the Cosplay Pics

Rooting for Ravan!

Call me odd (that will make the two of us) but there are times when I root for the bad guy. Always found that most good guys end up being, stereotypical Mr. Goody Two Shoes. The problem is that heroes are like open books. We know their past, their sufferings, their weakness, their strengths and their beliefs. Nothing is hidden from view. I mean, most superheroes even wear their underwear on the outside.

Most stories, irrespective of the format (movies, books or graphic novels) in which they are told, focus more on the hero. The villain is just put forth as a strong adversary to give the hero a challenge and a reason to exist. Not much is revealed about their lives. Or the parts that are revealed just add to their villainy. We know all the bad things Darkseid did or how naughty a boy Voldermort was.

So when Ravanayan was launched, I was excited. Based on the epic Ramayan by Valmiki (and not Ramanand Sagar as I grew up believing) this graphic novel story arc tells the story from the so called villain, Ravan’s point of view. It’s about time his side was heard.

I picked up the issue with great expectations and Holy Cow delivered the goods. And then some. The main highlight for me was the story. A complex character like Ravan needs a writer who is capable of understanding his psyche and put it forth in a manner that is not defensive. The job is to put forth the story from Ravan’s point of view. Not to turn him in to a hero. A good story gives you a moral. A great story gives you something to think about. I have a gut feeling Vijayendra will end up telling a great story.

After Bala from Nothern Song, Vijayendra has another demon’s story to tell. Looks like he will own this niche. A literal devil’s advocate. I liked the pace and manner in which the story was told. The twist in the initial part was unexpected. I knew of Valmiki’s past and yet was taken aback when the revelation was made. When you know something and yet the writer manages to catch you off guard, it can be safely said that you got a good story teller on your hands.

Moving on to the art. Vivek hadn’t lived up to my expectations in Werehouse 1. Ravanayan has made me raise my expectations from him. The art was amazing. Every panel seems like a labour of love and it shows. The initial fight sequence was especially very well conceptualized and executed. Apart from the illustrations, the angles and poses were also eye catching. The colorists, Yogesh and Komal have done a great job too. 

My own real grouse is about Ravan’s look! It is a tremendous improvement from Ramanand Sagar’s version but he looks too much like Geralt of Riveria. For the uninitiated, Geralt is the main character in the mind-blowing RPG ‘The Witcher’ and ‘The Witcher – Assassin of Kings’. But it is just a minor distraction, that’s all. The creators had mentioned that they have taken some liberties with the original script to take the story forward and the two fights in the first issue were part of the liberties I guess. I only hope these liberties are kept to a minimum. There is enough in the original script to provide an insight in Ravan’s motives without taking a lot of creative licenses.

The first issue is to me a tremendous effort. It really set the mood for the issues to come. I look forward to an enthralling story and great art. It might just be as good an epic as the original Ramayana.

DCnU Week 2-in-review! All 13 titles!

Welcome ladies and gent's to Comic Addicts special rundown that we've created just for all you good folks out there!
We have for you burst reviews of all the new DC #1's out this week from two very different points of view - one an old-hand DC reader familiar with it all, the other a Marvel fan relatively new to the DCU a.k.a the kind of fan DC is trying to attract with the reboot.
Will DC's reboot gel with new fans? Will old fans be offended? Will the creative teams do the books justice? Who's review will you agree with? Hell, will the reviewers agree on anything? Keep reading to find out!
And of course - all images are good resolution and can be clicked on for nice BIG versions!

Action Comics (Written by Grant Morrison, art by Rags Morales)

Akshay (Wayfarer Score: 10/10)

Right off the bat, let me say this is my favourite book out of all I've read so far and its done nothing but cement my opinion that Grant really, truly loves and knows this character and will really do this new incarnation justice. Great story, well told and well paced with a fantastic finale to the issue and what an opener for #2! I was in awe! Even Lex is awesome here in his young and oh-so-aggravating way. This is Superman the way he should be, as a young and wayward man who has no family ties, no real home and is just a decent person at his core – albiet idealistic; watching him wanting to kick ass and have fun swatting away bullets and such, great fun!.  So deeply reminiscent of the original superman from his earliest days before he was rebooted a few decades later.

The only weakness was in the art – overall Rags has got a great feel for this and he seems to transfer Grants energy well from script to page, but there are inconsistencies in the facial designs and such here and there, hopefully he can improve on that over the issues ahead.

I'm definitely going to be following this!

Anubhav - Score : 9.1/10

So yeah, looks like Morrison has another masterpiece coming. After his stellar Batman run, Grant Morrison has now shifted his focus to re-establishing the early long-jumping-instead-of-flying part of the Man of Steel’s career. This is the Superman everyone always wanted : Vulnerable and not afraid to kick ass. Master storyteller that he is, Morrison has established the main cast and their relationships with both Superman and Clark perfectly in this issue, a list which includes General and Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Lex Luthor. The art by Rags Morales finds just the right blend between good action and excellent character depiction. Particularly worth a mention is his work on depicting a younger Clark Kent as well as his alter ego. Solid debut issue, all in all.

Review: Yotsubato! - The Manga

(Note: All manga panels must be read from right to left)

Good morn/eve/twilight folks, have you all been well?

Chewed your nails to the quick in anticipation of the lovely tidbits I drop you all?

Well your wait is over! Rejoice! Particularly because I have something utterly delicious for you today.

Ready? Yes/No?

This week I’d like to present my all time favourite manga to all of you: Yotsubato! (referred to as some by 4chan’s mascot, to my extreme horror) is one of those slice-of-life type of manga’s that never fails to cheer you up. Sort of like your Calvin and Hobbes or Garfield, this manga will make you crack up with it’s insane, yet completely normal situations – all the while reminding you in little bits about your own childhood antics.

(Click to enlarge)

A day in the park with Daksh's creator!

Welcome back addicts! Today brings an EXTRA special treat for one and all!

We have for your pleasure, an interview with Shamik Dasgupta, Indian comic scribe extraordinaire, and uber-brain behind the already iconic “Daksh”.

In our last interview with Shamik he promised that he would be revealing all about this new comic that has built a whirlwind of energy around it, to us here at ComicAddicts. And true to his promise, here he is in a candid conversation with us on Daksh

(Also, we have been graciously given some sample pages of spectacular art to preview especially for all of you – click them to see them in all their wicked glory!!)

(Click to enlarge!)

CA: Shamik, thanks again for taking the time to be here. If you don't mind we're in total fan-mode and will dive right into the deep end!

CA: After a stormy start and a lot of great fan-approval, Daksh has finally reared his head again! Admittedly, we couldn't have been more pleased, except perhaps if it had been sooner. Where has Daksh been so far and why did it take so long for him to come back again?

SD: Well actually there had been some disruptions after the first issue which took us some time to get back in gear, but when we did we went full steam ahead. There were speculations whether we would follow the usual conventions with Daksh and keep it for all ages or we should go completely mature on this title. Finally and thankfully Level 10 decided to establish their brand Comic Jump as a full fledged mature oriented magazine and my shackles were broken. This is possibly the most fun I ever had writing a series with no holds barred.

ComiCONN in Stamford Connecticut

The recent ComiCONN in Stamford, Connecticut goes to show that you can’t keep geeks down. Despite an impending hurricane, the show still went on and the geeks came out to enjoy it. The only thing that the bad weather did scare off was the 1960’s Batmobile. Still, it’s a legend, it has a right to pull the diva card every now and then.

The show however was a success. There were many vendors and a handful of wonderful guests. On hand were artists Michael Golden, Matt Busch, Mark McKenna and many more. Bill Diamond who has worked with Jim Henson on projects such as ‘The Dark Crystal’ and ‘Labyrinth’ was also on deck. Another neat sight to see were the life size statues of Bela Lugosi as Dracula and Boris Karloff as Frankenstein brought by the Witch’s Dungeon, a classic film museum in Connecticut. There was also Michael J. Citak who plays three different zombies in the movie ‘Remains’.

Shugo chara – Manga Review

(Click to enlarge)

Shugo-Chara seems, at first glance, like a cross between Cardcaptor Sakura and Gakuen Alice, with the main Tsundere heroine Amu Hinamori being quite similar to Sakura with her job of cleansing the "bad eggs" - much like how Sakura cleansed the cards in Cardcaptor Sakura; and her main rival Ikuto Tsukiyomi being a perfect rip-off of Natsume Hyuuga. Really, there’s absolutely no difference! 

And yet, there’s something about it that draws you in – be it the goth-punk-tsundere lead girl or the emo and flirty Ikuto. The manga has a nice blend of comedy, action and fantasy without anything blindingly ‘shojo’ in it.

Plot

The story of Shugo-Chara revolves around Amu Hinamori who is, as earlier described, a perfect tsundere goth-punk character who has a reputation of being ‘cool and spicy’ in the middle school she studies in. However, this is not her true character. Her true self happens to be an extremely shy girl with absolutely no talent in socializing which she covers up perfectly with a cold exterior demeanor. Tiring of this duel personality, one night she makes a wish to give her enough courage to be her true self. 

X-Men: The Animated Series - IN REVIEW!!

I found myself bereft of the world of Marvel’s cartoons as they did not feature anywhere on Cartoon Network, my premier portal to the world of cartoons. Then, one fine day, "Voila!" Channel surfing on a lazy Saturday Morning, I chanced upon episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series on the Fox Kids segment of Star Plus. And an hour later, I found myself watching X-Men: The Animated series on Star World, its companion channel. To be honest, I was never into X-Men in the comics – the three teams I was never able to wrap my mind around were Teen Titans, X-Men and the Legion of Super Heroes – mainly due to the team roster changing frequently and due to the large number of magazines featuring each.
Of course, it was the late nineties, but comics available in India were still stuck in the eighties – we had Marv Wolfman on Teen Titans, Paul Levitz on the Legion and Chris Claremont on the X-Men – which, in retrospect, were the best runs on the titles to date. No matter, the seventh or eighth grade kid in me couldn’t figure them out, so they were trash. More than Spider-Man though, X-Men changed my mindset completely.

A Quick look at "Level-E" The Anime Series

Level-E, the series delivers a highly entertaining mix of comedy and storytelling with an original, creative story and a lot of witty, loveable characters - a perfect package.
The series is adapted from the original manga series released back in 1995 by Yoshihiro Togashi – the same Mangaka who also wrote Hunter × Hunter and YuYu Hakusho.  It can best be described as a Sci-fi-Alien-Comedy split into several small story arcs spanning a total of 13 episodes. The concept behind the show has some similarities with the Men In Black movies/series in which several species of extra-terrestrial (E.T) aliens live amongst us and we are not aware of their presence.

Every story arc has its own unique story and they are all very different from each other. However in each one the story always revolves around the main character that everyone calls “Baka Ouji” (Idiot Prince) – a blond haired extraterrestrial being from planet Dogura whose ship crash lands on earth.  The best way to describe Baka Ouji’s character is an intelligently-lazy arrogant person who enjoys playing gags on people around him; the other supporting characters are as good and have an amazing chemistry between them, especially the prince’s bodyguard named Captain Kraft whose job is to keep track of the Idiot Prince.

La Mangafique presents: "Anime Species 2"

Hello darlings, remember me? I wouldn’t blame you for having forgotten, but even drama queens like me need a vacation now and then. Though I don’t know if checking up on one’s minions really counts as a vacation. Have you all been well? Entertained by everything on offer during my absence? Ready for fresh doses of my insanity?

Then let’s start with part two of our feature on major anime categories. While the earlier edition dealt with, for lack of a better word, tamer genres within the animeverse, this time we delve into the darker, edgier sides of anime!

Shoujo: Easily one of the more popular categories, Shoujo is a heavyweight in the animeverse and tends to dominate both manga and anime alike. Heavily characterized by multiple bishounen heroes and villains (all of whom fall for the heroine); ugly ducklings turned into maidens fair (usually but not unhappily in distress); romantic settings; obstacles to the lead pair in the form of disapproving parents/grandparents/uncles/aunts; and the couple's best friends who just about lay down their lives to help in the name of true love. The term Shoujo itself translates to ‘young woman/girl’ and denotes the 10 to 18 year age-group this genre caters to. Popular examples include Kaichou Wa Maid Sama, Vampire Knight and Skip Beat. One of the latest to join the genre, Uta no Prince-sama ~Maji Love 1000% is still airing, and has all the girls swooning. Did I mention rabid fan-girls are a special, free part of the package? Be prepared to fight for your favourite guy. Sometimes I wonder what it would take to buy my way into one of these series.

With so many cute guys to choose from, of course there’s going to be a 1000% love!