Uzumaki: Vol 3 by Junji Ito

It's not secret that Junji Ito remains my favorite Manga writer and artist. I love body gore and Ito is the master! I'm always trying to get people to read Ito's work. Last Christmas got my sister into the Uzumaki series. It took me forever to get my own copy of vol 3. Every time I tried to order it, it failed to come in. I even tried several local bookstores. Finally Indigo listed it as back in stock and I ordered the book immediately.

Uzumaki means Spiral and this whole story centers around a town plagued and gone mad by the appearance of spirals. It eventually enters everyone and they begin doing things like turning into giant snails, or contorting their bodies into grotesque spiral shapes. Uzumaki like all Ito stories is horrifying and as is typically common, hinges on mass hysteria leaving on character solely sane and hell-bent on escaping the madness.

I'm taking some time off school to reflect, wind-down and focus on my work. I work full-time so school tends to be an added stress on top of an already full week. Ito is exactly the type of thing I like to curl up and read. Loose myself in the obscene.

Neil Young's Greendale

I love Neil Young and I know the Greendale album. I never really bothered to read this until I found it on discount. For whatever reason it was always a kind of pass-over for me. After reading it, I don't want to be mean because it's a lovely story with lovely art but... it's kind of hippie dippy air-head shit. It's heavily involved in protest and not seeing things in black and white. That's all well and good but man, do we have to swim with the fucking dolphins? I wish I could commune with the Earth too but I don't really enjoy these modern day stories with a hippie-fearie supernatural twist. Girl has woman powers to communicate with plants and blah blah. Now I'm just being mean.

In the end everything gets wrapped up in a neat little box (almost). The main character does some crazy hallucinogenic drugs and goes on a spirit quest. She defeats the curse of her birth... fine. I was just a little bored. The only thing I really cared about in the end was what happened to Earth. That dude our heroine Sun made it with in the old volkswagon?? Yeah he totally turned into a deer or sumpthing.. went galloping off into the woods and ran into Sun's anthropomorphic plant aunt. Yeah man, what happened to Earth!!??!

At any rate, the artwork is very pretty and somewhat reminds me of these old hippie posters for rock bands back in the 60s, like the Greatful Dead. Bob Masse!

Manifest Destiny: Issue #3

Story By: Chris Dingess

• Art By: Matthew Roberts
• Art By: Owen Gieni
• Cover By: Matthew Roberts
• Cover By: Owen Gieni

• I was right about those zombies.. kinda. LOL. They are actually diseased residence of La Charlotte settlement. The story goes, some hunter went out, shot some game and fell ill shortly after. During the autopsy it was discovered that a flora had grown through his entire system, and dude was actually still moving around. Only he was attacking people. The flora was actually the only thing left in his body. It's intention was procreation through other species. It began to take over the settlement. However some of the braver, more resourceful members of the community barricaded themselves inside a safe house and conveniently came out when our stories "heroes" rushed in and burned the shit out of the settlements infected loved ones. Pretty great hun? Don't you just love historically inaccurate fantasy comics? 

I actually really enjoy this book. I can't wait for the next one. I want to know more about the child that our US soldiers want to "rescue" (capture).

Pretty Deadly: issues 1 to 3 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite new series although I must say right away, that the narrative is a little hard to follow at first. We have more than one narrator in the story and that makes things slightly confusing. Especially when you consider that two of your narrators happen to be a butterfly and another, an undead set of rabbit bones. Which also happen to be my favorite narrators.

The artwork is brilliant. I love the pink color scheme. Some of the artwork began to remind me of early Sandman. Emma Rios is quickly finding a special place in my heart next to Fiona Staples. Art work is so important to me in comics. Some people can read a great story that happens to be accompanied by mediocre visuals but not me. If I can't get into the artwork, then the book is forgettable. 

So far, I haven't really found a character that I really want to see through to the end. I won't lose heart though, sometimes it takes me around 4 to 5 issue before I've found my hero (or anti-hero, or villain). I see a lot of potential here so I'll find her or him... or it.... lol. Maybe it's the bunny.

Princess Knight Part 2 by Osamu Tezuka

I needed something a bit on the light-hearted side after a stressful move and an equally stressful holiday. I spent most of it in bed sleeping. Needless to say, I’m so happy the holidays are over. I find holidays more stressful than enjoyable. It’s always been this way to me. Call me scrooge if you want but I am so busy trying to make sure everyone else is having a good time, that I become miserable. That’s why Princess Knight is exactly what I needed after all that chaotic jolliness.

Princess Knight Part 2 continues with our Prince or Princess Saphire’s plight to marry the man she loves while reclaiming her kingdom. Saphire was born with the heart of a girl and a boy so she is mix gendered although she often feels more female. In the end a cherub named Tink makes up for his mistake and reclaims Saphire’s boy heart for heaven (It was his fault for the whole mixed gender thing). It does have a happy ending although I’m not partial to happy endings of that nature. The whole “live happily ever after”.

My favorite character of the book is Hecate. She’s the demon child who is born of the evil witch who looks suspiciously like Disney’s Maleficent lol (I realize that is no coincidence. Tezuka was greatly inspired by Disney). Hecate is an awesome mischievous character who isn’t really good or bad and therefore she’s my favorite. She solves problems for the main characters and follows her own desires. Plus, she’s a shapeshifter! Hell that’s cool ;)