Brightest Day Volume 2

It's weird reading this after reading some of the new 52 titles.  Things that I'm used to aren't happening.  Loved the intro of the new Aqualad.  I've been watching Young Justice and I know they drew inspiration for that character from here.  I like seeing Aquaman with a range of emotions.  Deadman not being dead is still odd though.

The League of Extrodinary Gentlemen: Century 1969

I was a little better able to follow this one, as opposed to 1910, as I started recognising more of the references again.  However, my suspension of disbelief took a hit with it as I felt it was over the top.  I know the 60s were a free love decade but I don't think they were that free loving.

I'm disappointed that Mina essentially ditched Orlando and Alan.  They're not really going to get anywhere without her.  She may be stuck in an insane asylum but I don't think she'd be there for 5 years unless she had an exceedingly bad trip.

Naruto Volume 41: Jiraiya's Decision

I thoroughly enjoyed this one.  And it had very little Naruto, instead focusing on his mentor Jiraiya.  Seeing consequences of decisions is a big message in this arc and this was a prime example.

Naruto Volume 40: The Ultimate Art

Heading for the showdown between Naruto and Sasuke.  This volume is working to show how accomplished Sasuke is.  If he's that cool and Naruto has a chance then Naruto has to be that cool as well.

It's classic Gandalf action.

Black Blutler Volume 7

Sebastian becomes both more demonic and more human in this volume.  He really lets the demon out in trying to get information from the circus performer.  I think it's the first time he's really looked evil.  On the other hand, he seems to be becoming more human in how he relates to Ciel.

This was the creepiest thing I've read in a while.  Harvesting body parts from children to make yourself into a porcelain doll is horrific.  And to do it because that's what he thought Ciel wanted hinted at paedophilia.

Bleach Volume 36: Turn Back the Pendulum

This is supposed to be a flashback to explain what's currently happening with Ichigo and co.  I don't see it.  I guess it sort of shows why Aizen is evil, and how he brought Gin in.  Seeing Urahara as a Soul Reaper is kind of interesting but I miss Ichigo.

Vampire Knight Volume 12

I thought it was odd when the last volume I read involved Yuki going out on her own. From what I remembered they were getting ready for a soirée. Turns out I missed one.

Anyway, Volume 12 is proof that pure bloods are dicks. From Kaname's efforts to control Yuki to no one objecting to a vampire commitng suicide by turning a vampire hunter, to Sara's treatment of Zero. Ichijo and Aido have the unenviable positions of tending to pure bloods who won't listen to reasonable suggestions.

Rosario + Vampire Season 2 Volume 6

This is just starting to get a little creepy.  Creepy's not quite the right word but it's at least unsettling.  Ruby is clearing a sadist, and anxious for Tsukune to be the one to hurt her, Yukari has always been bisexual but when the chance for polygamy comes up all the girls (save Moka) are on board.  Ikeda breaks the fourth way repeatedly in this volume, from suggesting the Tsukune would be great in slash manga to arguing whether Rosario is "moe".  Fangfang struck me as a tribute to Ranma 1/2, being androgynous and hanging around with a panda.

I'm curious where Ikeda's going with his inner/outer Moka being unable to switch places and inner Moka being the one on the outside when there's no fighting happening.

Vampire Knight Volume 13

There's more backstory in this one than there has been for awhile. Kaname comes off a bit less creepy. He's not Yuki's brother! But Zero does. I don't like vampire Yuki either. Aido's starting to seem the most stable.

The God Delusion

I've been hearing things about Richard Dawkins for ages but I've never actually picked up one of his books.  I decided to give one a go and tried The God Delusion.  I may go back and try another, I'm not sure.  The biology stuff was all really interesting but when he turned his attention to philosophy it suffered.

I suppose the book did its job.  I started to question my agnosticism.  It was partly about why he was an atheist and why everyone else should be too.  At the beginning he said that people find him combative and he wasn't sure why.  Now I know.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

The short stories in this volume are all over the place.  Some happen while Holmes and Watson are living at Baker Street, some happen while Watson has left to live with his wide, some even happen before Watson ever met Sherlock Holmes.  I think that Conan Doyle is trying to build a narrative, a description of Holmes that Watson has conceived, but I'm not sure. 

The final story is supposed to be the final story.  I get the feeling that Conan Doyle was just tired of writing about this one detective.  I've seen the climatic battle between Holmes and Moriarty portrayed before but the reading was anticlimactic.  The end begins with Watson receiving a completely bogus medical emergency.  I can see it's bogus, Holmes can see it's bogus but apparently Watson didn't get the message.  When he returns he cannot find his friend.  So he pulls a Prince Humperdink and is able to reenact the entire battle between the two foes.  All that's left is for him to read the three page letter that Holmes left him.  It seems that Moriarty is a gentleman and lent Holmes pen and paper to let him friend know what befell him.

I've read that (since there are more volumes after this one) that Conan Doyle had to (eventually) write how Holmes faked his death.  If it involves the whole thing being a scam by Holmes I would not be surprise.  No one but him sees Moriarty the whole story so his greatest villain may be a figment of his imagination.  The whole flight across the continent a ruse for Watson.  Maybe Sherlock Holmes really is a giant dick.

Naruto Volume 39: On the Move

Both Naruto and Sasuke have stalkers, but Sasuke's is much creepier.  In fact, Sasuke's whole team is much creepier than Naruto's.

I like the thinking in this one.  Looking for Itachi to find Sasuke is a good idea.  I don't know what they'll do once they find Sasuke.

Naruto Volume 38: Practice Makes Perfect

Naruto's really shaping up into a ninja.  He doesn't let failure grind him down (which he's never had a problem with) but now he's also able to learn from his mistakes.  Something he wasn't really doing before.

Sasuke, on the other hand, is heading down the dark path.  I don't know how much of it is him and how much of it is the curse mark.  I know these two will come head-on against each other eventually and it's not going to be pretty.

Black Butler Volume VI

Ciel seems to be losing control of Sebastian.  The butler will still do as he orders but the demon is also making it more uncomfortable to give those orders.  I wonder if there's some morality play at work here as well.  One where Sebastian is trying to teach Ciel to become more independent.  Or, more likely, he's just a demon taking advantage of any loopholes he can find.

Justice League of America: Dark Things

I'm not as up on my Justice Society of America things as I should be to really follow this volume.  In fact, I didn't realise it was a cross over until about halfway through when I was wondering why everything started repeating itself.  Dick continues to build his Justice League to include a speedster (Jesse Quick) and a Green Lantern (Jade) and I like the way he views things but I was a little lost on the history here.

Red Robin: Hit List

I like how Fabian Nicieza writes the Bat family.  The hostile relationship between Tim and Damian, the brotherly relationship between Tim and Dick and the mutual respect when Bruce shows up at the end.  The actual plot was a little convoluted and I'm still not sure Tim's plan would have worked the way it was portrayed but I enjoyed the writing enough to ignore the inconsistencies.

Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar

Only a year or so behind, I'm getting around to reading the Mark II Warmachine books.  I started with Cygnar because they're the first covered in the main rule book.  The fluff from the main book made me want to play them.  That's not much different here.  I still like Caine, but an epic Haley trencher army seems like it could hold lots of potential.  If I actually played more often I'd be tempted to try one out with borrowed models but I don't even play my own army often enough.

Rosario + Vampire Season II Volume 5

Aww... Gin has a crush on a senior student (now graduate).  That's cute.  He's a favourite so it was nice to see him in an expanded role. 

As for the regular cast, I'm not sure how I feel about Tsukune's enhanced powers.  I like ghoul-Tsukune, but now that he can access the power at any time it seems to defeat the "average human teenage boy" that the manga is based on.  He and Moka are getting closer and closer to that first kiss though.  I wonder if this one will have an ending or if Ikeda will try to keep it going after they graduate.

Black Butler Volume 5

It's all about a Victoria Curry Competition!  I love the overdone silliness of this manga.

Naruto Volume 37: Shikamaru's Battle

The manga carries Naruto's name but he doesn't appear until the last chapter.  This one's all about Shikamaru and revenge.  Kishimoto has had characters say that Shikamaru is a tactical genius but he hasn't really had the opportunity to really let the character shine.  That's what this volume is about.

Naruto does show up at the end as the cavalry.  I'm a little afraid at what he might face with his new skills.

Naruto Volume 36: Cell Number 10

Wow!  Death.  I wasn't expecting that.  Maybe I'm just to used to Western comics where no death is permanent.  As usual, the fight scenes were really good but the parts that really stand out for me are Shikamaru's reaction to his mentor's death.

Birds of Prey: End Run

I like most of the characters that make up the Birds of Prey and I'd heard that Gail Simone was having a fantastic run on the series.  So, when I saw that the graphic novel was available, I picked it up.
It was really, really good.  It almost feels like two different stories because the first part takes place in Gotham and the second in Asia.  I liked the first part better.  Simone's characterisation of Hawk and Dove reminded me how much I liked these two characters.  All the women in Birds of Prey have their own personalities and all of them have depth.  Huntress came come across as one-dimensional but Simone doesn't let that happen.  Dove is probably the least well defined but she is just being introduced to the team.

The Penguin's blood-loss induced hallucination made me laugh out loud.

The second part was less about character and more about fighting.  Even then, I didn't feel that Black Canary was quite right.  I think there may be more to it than that but I hadn't been following her character so I'm not quite sure what state of mind she was in that Simone was trying to portray.

Blacksad

Hard-boiled detective stories with a anthropomorphic animals.  It's odd but it totally works.  Guarnido is able to give the characters very human expressions while still retaining their animal characteristics.  Wherever Blacksad starts a fight it looks like he's just going to tear into them tooth and claw.  There are three stories in this volume.  I liked them all and they left me wanting for more.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

I have the free Kindle classic for this one and my only complaint on that is that the special symbols (French accents and the British pound symbol) don't work in this edition.  It's still readable, just a little off in a few places.

I was expecting this to be in more chronological order than it is.  One story mentions the case of another story that I hadn't read yet.  In some ways it makes the volume more organic - as if Watson were presenting his notes from each case but collected in the way he found most interesting.  In other ways it was a little jarring as I didn't know what the characters were talking about until I had read further in the volume.

The stories are all enjoyable though, some more formulaic than others and some easier solved (if only because the answers have become very cliched).

Superman for All Seasons

I'm not a big Superman fan. There's just so little that can actually affect him. It doesn't feel like he really needs to work for what he's got, it's all been given to him. The hard part about writing Superman is making him human. Even though he's an alien, Superman has always come across as someone who was doing his best to be human. This volume examines who he is through the eyes of others.

Superman's Smallville is the quintessential small town America. With Tim Sale's art that comes through. He's put this volume together with a clear nod to Norman Rockwell. Even the color pattern is evocative of that era. Spring and Winter bookend the volume and they're appropriately narrated by his Smallville connections because Superman is really defined by his small town roots. Why else would someone who could do all that he can do choose to help people and expect nothing in return?

Summer and Fall are his Metropolis connections. The people that only know him as Superman and see him only as the hero; be that for good or ill. These sections weren't as strong. It felt like Loeb was just moving the story in a direction to send Clark back to Smallville. Lois was written as an actual reporter and not just a love sick colleague but Lex was just a one-dimensional villain. There can be more to his hatred of Superman and his tactics than Loeb chose to highlight. I find Luthor can be one of the most interesting villains because his sphere of power is so much different than his nemesis. That Superman's main villain is essentially a business man is interesting to me.

I did like how Loeb worked that catch phrases into the work. "More powerful than a locomotive", "faster than a speeding bullet", "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound", even the "it's a bird, it's a plane" reference. They're not all in the same story, but they are all there.

The Sign of the Four

I'm classing this one as a mystery because it's Sherlock Holmes and there is a crime committed and a case solved but it's really more of a romance.

First, I'm not really sure what the case is. Holmes and Watson are asked to accompany a young woman to a meeting where she hopes to learn more of her father. That turns into a murder.

Second, I don't know how anyone but Holmes could have solved this case. Doyle certainly doesn't lay a trail of clues for the reader to follow. Most of the detecting happens off screen while Watson moons over the lady.

And that's why it's a romance. Watson is very sweet in his affections and he's almost rooting for Holmes to fail. If they never find the murderer then she never gets her fortune and remains within his means.

A Study in Scarlet

I've been meaning to read Sherlock Holmes for a long time. I've read The Hound of the Baskervilles but when I saw the movie it reminded me that these classics have been on my "to do" list for a while.

A Study in Scarlet is the introduction of the character. While I don't usually enjoy first person perspetive I do like Watson's voice. Doyle is able to keep the story moving at a brisk pace, as well as dropping little hints to come to the same conclusions as Holmes.

The second part of the book made little sense when I first started it. They'd just captured the murderer and Holmes was about to reveal how he got the man to appear in 221b Baker Street when suddenly the narrative switches to third person and in America. However, this was Doyle building motive for the murder. I suppose it was better than having the suspect reveal all but I found it jarring.

In the end, only Holmes could have deduced the crime. Not only because of his skill, but also because Doyle chooses not to reveal a telling clue. And that seems a little unfair.

Justice League of America: Team History

I found this volume tried to do too much. It's probably a symptom of publishing. They'd just finished Cry for Justice and then had to tie into the Blackest Night event so they story they really wanted to tell (or at least the one I wanted to read) was shuffled to the back.

I wanted to read the start of the Dick Grayson as Batman leading the JLA. It got there eventually. I found it interesting that when Diana asked Donna to rebuild the League that her first instinct was to gather most of the Teen Titans. I liked that there were more people brought in than were used. The building up and pulling away of various heroes made the story seem more organic. Generally, I like narration boxes that give different character points of view of the same event. Robinson added a few too many. When it came right down to it the only ones that mattered were for Dick and Donna. I look forward to the next volume and their Justice League.

Justice League: Cry for Justice

The art is beautiful in this. Painted and detailed and great to look at. The story? Needlessly dark. The premise is great. It's one of those where the author tries to push just how far a hero can go before he or she is no longer a hero. But then Robinson cuts off Arsenal's arm. He goes offscreen to say good night to his daughter and comes back missing an arm. Oh, then Robinson kills off his daughter to really stick the poker in. It felt a bit rushed in the end. I think he expected more issues when he started writing and was cut back to a finite series. I think he could have used a few more chapters.

Batgirl: The Flood

It's a shame that DC is rebooting. I think I like Stephanie Brown's Batgirl. I do like the interaction she and Babs have developed. It's not just teacher and student, it's also a friendship. The internal monologue continues to make me chuckle, especially when Barbara and Stephanie are thinking the same thing.

As for the story itself, the main story is just OK. The Calculator has never been a villain that has interested me and having him as the Oracle's nemesis seems forced. The best part of the story was Dick Grayson's shirtless cameo. The two filler stories were much better. I really liked the friendship building between Supergirl and Batgirl.

Bleach Volume 35: Higher Than Noon

I really liked the character design on Nnoitora. He was truly creepy. This one feels like it breaks the mold a little by having actual flashbacks to something important in the villian's history to explain his reaction. Kubo has done that with Ichigo before but I can't recall moving away from a fight to do character stuff before.

The ante is upped. Ichigo can save his hometown or his can save Orihime. I won't be surprised if he chooses Orihime.

Warmachine Prime Mark II

I finally got around to reading the new rules for Warmachine. They are cleaner and easier to follow.

The fluff makes me want to play Cygnar though. I like the way some of the warcasters are written. The spell lists make me want Cryx. Luckily, I have plenty of Retribution (and don't really like the Cryx models).

Okko: The Cycle of Air

My favourite so far.  While Okko is never really the main character, the plot does revolve around him in each of the three volumes.  Since it's told from Tikku's point of view Okko comes across as a larger than life figure but in The Cycle of Air Okko really comes to the foreground to prove that the legend has merit.  Hub is not afraid to show violence and the consequences.  The Cycle of Earth had a warrior with one arm lose the second and here Okko loses an arm as well.  It also fuels speculation as to who Okko is, who his mother is and why Noburo is so devoted to him.

Okko: The Cycle of Earth

This one was a bit harder to follow.  The geography of the region they were traveling in started to make less and less sense as they passed back and forth over themselves.  It was a good look into what Noshin actually gives to the group.  He comes off as so much comic relief but then when he's down and Tikku tries to take over it doesn't go so well.

Okko: The Cycle of Water

Beautiful art.  And a good introduction to the narrator's voice.  There was just enough there to introduce the characters to the world that it felt immersive without being loaded down with a lot of exposition.  It's detailed without being boring.

The Black Butler Volume IV

I'm not quite sure where this one was going.  From Volume III I thought that characters that knew Sebastian from a previous experience would be coming into the picture.  That doesn't appear to be the case.  They were just passing through.  It looks like the set up to an epic battle but it isn't.

Naruto Volume 35: The New Two

Very innovative idea.  All those multiple doppelgangers that Naruto can make had to be good for something.  This is a "leveling up" episode that I actually enjoyed.

Naruto Volume 34: The Reunion

This is not going to end well.  I can tell.  Naruto is not going to want to take no for an answer and that's the only answer Sasuke is going to give.  It's got Stolkholm Syndrome written all over it.

Towers of Midnight

I was so excited to start this book.  The cover was Mat, Thom and Noal standing in front of a tower.  I thought, "Finally, they're going to rescue Moiraine!"  Then I read and read and read and read some more and they were still just talking about rescuing Moiraine.  At least Perrin has dealt with the Whitecloak problem.  And Berlain and Galad have met and are making cow-eyes at one another.  Everyone knows that Morgase is alive.  Rand stopped being stupid, and became essentially the second coming of Jesus.  But Mat?  Not much.  Though a nice reunion between him and Perrin.

Finally, right near the end, Moiraine is rescued.  And Mat loses an eye (also finally).  It seems so anti-climatic.  These were things that I had been waiting for nearly the entire series to finally happen.  Jordan had laid so many sub plots in the first 4-5 books that I knew what was going to happen eventually but then he seemed to get sidetracked by other things.  Now there's a rush to tide everything up before the big climatic battle.  I was getting a little concerned that the next book wouldn't be the last book as promised.  Now I'm not.  I'm worried that it'll be rushed and unsatisfying.

Empowered Volume 6

This is turning into an actual superhero comic, albeit with a lot of bondage, but still.  It has a plot, it builds on things that have come before and the heroes actually do heroic things.  A little disturbing, and not mainstream, but I guess I'm enjoying it.

Flash Gordon: The Mercy Wars

So I picked this up on a whim, and after the first few pages was resigned to not liking it much.  Flash Gordon just seemed too good at everything.  CIA candidate, Olympic medalist, awesome pilot, Harvard professor?  Just a little too much.  I get that characters have to be bigger than normal but I had trouble reconciling all these qualities with the Flash Gordon character.

And then there was Dale (and actually any female character) and her tendency to pose butt and breasts out.  The cheesecake was full on display.

I liked the art, aside from how the women were depicted and I liked the writing.  Deneen was able to keep up with fast-paced dialogue and some great action scenes.  All in all, I liked it enough that I'm looking for the next collection.  Hopefully, a few of the problems will be dealt with.

Vampire Knight Volume 11

I like Zero a lot more than the Yuki and Kaname.  I'm actually sort of rooting for him to find someone like Yuki's best friend Wakaba.  Yuki's just not worth it now, there's something wrong with her, and it's not because she's a vampire.

Rosario + Vampire Season II Volume 4 Love Bites

So I thought that Mizore's story was weird.  Ruby's story is just creepy.  Creepy and wrong.  I wasn't expecting sado-masochism from my manga.

Rosario + Vampire Season II Volume 3 Love Bites

Mizore's kind of creepy, but she gets that honestly from her mother.  Her whole village anyway.  Mizore's story has been the most "monstrous" of the individual stories of the girls.  I have a feeling that snow fairies are some Japanese legend that I've never heard about.  That or Ikeda is able to build a myth better than I thought he'd be able to.

The Black Butler Volume III

It's all out in the open now regarding the deal surrounding Sebastian.  Not entirely surprised but nice to see the conclusion of the first arc.  A quick humour episode and then right into the second arc.  Not bad for a manga I picked up solely for the name and the front cover.

Naruto Volume 33: The Secret Mission

You don't want to make him angry...  You wouldn't like him when he's angry.

At least the plot moves along a little.  But the Hulk sprang to mind.

Naruto Volume 32: The Search for Sasuke

They've let Naruto out on another mission - to find Sasuke.  I don't know if it's a good idea to let Naruto essentially walk into the belly of the beast but I guess that's what makes a challenging story.  And they've found a surly replacement for Sasuke.  And he's a spy.  Great.

Naruto Volume 31: Final Battle

This is it.  The big showdown to rescue Gaara.  And it almost works too.  Although it does give the opportunity for big sacrifice.  I think I would have enjoyed this one had most of the character development scenes not already been said in the last arc.  Kishimoto doesn't really tread any new ground with this one.  Naruto's positive attitude seems to be the theme.

Bleach Volume 34: King of the Kill

Hey look!  Nel prevails and then an even bigger threat shows up.  It's becoming a bit predictable.  Thank goodness the big guns from the Soul Society decide to show up too.  I wonder how Ichigo will top them all.

Bleach Volume 33:The Bad Joke

Hmmm... I would've never guessed that Nel was a scantily clad warrior goddess.

The Gathering Storm

This is the first of the last three books in the Wheel of Time series.  It's also the first that wasn't written solely by Robert Jordan.  Brandon Sanderson does have a different voice for the characters than Jordan did, and some of them do take getting used to.  His Perrin and Elyane are the closest to Jordan I think, with Mat and Egwene being the furthest.

Besides the voices of the characters being slightly different.  The action also heats up.  I don't know if that's what Jordan intended but it seems like everything is coming to a head at once.  It definitely feels like the Last Battle (and the end of the series) is just around the corner.  I laughed when I read that this would be the end, that it wouldn't be dragged out for a few more books but after reading this one I think I may have been wrong.

Naruto Volume 30: Puppet Masters

With the focus mostly on Sakura it's a chance to see how much she's grown since the last arc.  A lot.  I like her character and it often seems she's overlooked by the guys.  Which makes sense I guess.  So it's nice to see her really holding her own.

Bleach 32 Howling

Looks like Ichico's training made a difference and he was able to defeat the Arancar that had defeated him previously.  Of course, that's not good enough when the next even tougher guy shows up.

Black Butler Volume 2

I'm really enjoying this series.  My only complaint for this one is that the the action was cut before the climax.  It was a bit of a let down.  But Toboso is also starting to have an ongoing storyline after having introduced all the characters.

Power Girl: Aliens and Apes

This volume is more, I don't know, fan servicey? than the last one.  There's not a whole lot of super heroics, but there is a lot of jokes about Power Girl's body.

Power Girl: A New Beginning

So, Power Girl.  She's sort of the forgotten Kryptonian.  Or the other Atlantean.  She's one of those characters that DC just doesn't quite know what to do with so it's interesting to have another team take a swing at her.  This team tries to have fun with it.  She can be pretty ridiculous.

Bleach 31: Don't Kill My Volupture

Hey!  A big fight scene.  That's surprising.  Or not, it's that point in the story.  And they're getting their asses handed to them until something bigger can step in and help them.  Also not surprising.

Knife of Dreams

So much happens in this book.  A lot of it is stuff that I've been waiting for forever.  Mat marrying the Daughter of the Nine Moons and then leading the Band of the Red Hand.  Rand losing his hand.  Perrin finally getting Faile back.  The plot really starts ticking along with this book and the climax actually seems to be coming into view.

Robin the Teen Wonder

This is a collection of Robin stories, featuring all the Robins, from how they took on the mantle to how they left it.

Robin's an old character.  I think Dick Grayson hits 60 this year so there has been a lot of ups and downs and with 4 Robins in this collection that's a long time chronologically.  Many of them I read as they were published, at least Jason Todd's fall and Tim Drake's ascent, but when they're all collected in one place Batman comes across as a bit of a jerk.  The reason for Dick leaving is petty, as is the decision to let Stephanie Brown take Tim Drake's position.  And reading of Jason's dramatic death, followed closely with Tim Drake pushing his way in was a little odd.  I wish there had been a bit more focus on what was done as Robin, rather than their origins but I guess that's what the Showcase specials are for.

Brightest Day Volume One

I enjoyed Darkest Night so I thought I'd pick up the obvious sequel.

Poor Deadman.  It's tough to find your way when your whole thing was that you were dead and now you're alive.  It sort of defeats his purpose.

I didn't realise this was just the set up though.  The series is longer than I thought it was going to be.  I'll pick up the next one because I want to see how it all ends up.  I suspect there might be another volume coming called No Evil Shall Escape My Sight though.

Ouran High School Host Club

I see this manga everywhere.  And the anime clips on YouTube.  So I thought I'd give it a read to see what is was about.

Maybe it gets better.

It doesn't read like a series.  It reads like a series of one-shots.  And I found it really, really silly.  I thought it would be a more blatant romance.  But it's something of a farce.

The Black Butler: Volume 1

It's a manga about a butler.  How can one resist?  Especially an English butler to the heir to a toy company.  And that heir is a child.  Of course, there's more than meets the eye but Sebastian is one heck of a butler.

Naruto Volume 29: Kakashi vs Itachi

It's the fight of the mentors.  I think it's just to remind us that even though Naruto and co. have all become more skilled they still have a long way to go.

Naruto Volume 28: Homecoming

Naruto returns after two years of training (off screen).  He's older, taller and more confident and that makes Sakura see him in a different light.  He's still the same old Naruto though.

Kishimoto reintroduces the characters of Naruto so that they're the same, yet different.  They all have learned to use their talents and grown into their own roles.  I'm curious as to what Sasuke's become.

Bleach Volume 30: There is no Heart Without You

Surprisingly, Orihime has a plan.  I wasn't really expecting that.  Chad made it through, as expected, though it didn't look good for him.  It looks worse for Rukia.

Bleach Volume 29: The Slashing Opera

Big fight... Check.  Everybody needs to check out their new more powerful abilities...  Check.  I think Chad's still in trouble.

Bleach Volume 28: Baron's Lecture Full-Course

Oh well, the brief moment of character development in the last volume is over and it's back to the big fight scenes.  At least setting up for the big fight scenes.  First all the characters have to be in position with a little bit of exposition so that everyone knows what's going on.

Crossroads of Twilight

This book is what's happening to everyone else while Rand cleans saidin in the last chapter of Winter's Heart.  Pretty much the whole book takes place in about 2 weeks.  Although it is jam-packed with the plot actually moving forward.

The assault on the Tower is moving forward quickly (though a plot about murders of Aes Sedai is added).  The uncovering of Black Ajah in the Tower is moving forward (though Alviarin isn't outed, just deposed as Keeper).  Mat's wooing of Tuon continues (and if we ever see a look through her eyes we might find out how he's doing).  Perrin knows where Faile is being held and will work with the Seanchan to free her (though something about towns with undead uprising is mentioned).  Rand's going to work with the Seanchan too so that's all good (though Cadsuane is still going on about needing to teach him something).  And both Towers independently come to the conclusion that they should start working with the Black Tower and start bonding Ash'a'man.  Neither will like it when they find the Black Tower is divided as much as the White and that they've already started bonding Aes Sedai.

Batman: Hush

I think that Jeph Loeb may be one of the best Batman writers around right now.  Hush is an incredible look inside Batman's mind.  Loeb is able to set just the right pace for Batman.  I'm familiar with him as a writer of early Batman stories but here he takes on an established Batman.  One that has a group of people around him in his fight.  Each of them is depicted in a way that just feels right to me.  From his battle with Superman (where he comes to the essence of why these two are so different) to his conversation with Nightwing (with whom he opens up the most).

Naruto Volume 27: Departure

This one was kind of weird.  It has, essentially, just the epilogue to part one and then a whole backstory for Kakashi.  I'm not sure why the epilogue wasn't in Volume 26.  But there it is.  Now I understand why some of the later Narutos look so different.  There's a time jump.

The backstory of Kakaski was interesting.  I'd wondered how he got his sharingan eye because it seemed to be a bloodline thing.    I thought it was a technique.  Apparently, it's an actual eye.

Naruto Volume 26: Awakening

This is the one I've been waiting for for a while.  The big showdown between Naruto and Sasuke.  It does not disappoint.  Even the conversation that happens between the two in the middle of the fight was great.  The way Naruto sees those around him and the way Sasuke sees Naruto all hit the right note with me.  Although Naruto loses, it doesn't feel like defeat.  Sasuke is harmed as well and had to work for the win.  It feels like part one.

Bleach Volume 27: Goodbye Halcyon Days

Wow!  Bleach actually made time for a meaningful moment.  Orihime totally declared her love to Ichigo and nearly kissed him.  It's not something I'm used to from Kubo but it was much appreciated.  Of course, Ichigo was unconscious at the time so things will continue on as normal, especially since he's a typical gormless male.  Sure, there was still the fantastic fight scenes in this volume but I think some of the best art was in Orihime's good bye.

Final Crisis

I like Grant Morrison's writing.  I like that he really pulls on the whole 75 year history of the DC Universe.  I don't like that I always feel like I've skipped a page or two when reading.

I liked this one.  The return of Barry Allen was suitably heroic, though I prefer him dead.  Some of the Superman bits were a bit over the top, but that's not bad for Superman.  The death of Batman came across as kind of a toss in but since he's come back I guess I can live with it.  I just have a couple of questions: How did Batman escape?  And where did he get the gun?

Winter's Heart

Sometimes with Robert Jordan, the plot plods along and you're immersed in the world building.  Nothing's really happening but background is laid.  And sometimes all the threads come together and STUFF HAPPENS.  Stuff happens in Winter's Heart.  Stuff that was a long time in coming.  Like Mat coming out from under the rubble and finding the Daughter of the Nine Moons.  Like Rand finally getting all three women in the same place.  And Cadsuane getting what she wants and the Saidin being cleansed.  Though the cleansing of saidin never happened the way I thought it would.  And hey!  Another Forsaken bites the dust and that's all good.

Batman War Games Act Three: End Game

It's nice to see Batman lose once in a while. Not because I want him to but because I like seeing what he comes up with on the fly.

All in all, I enjoyed the whole War Games story. It was well scripted and flowed through the different titles. There was a beginning, a middle and an end that were internally consistent (which doesn't always happen). The only question I have coming out of this is how the heck did Stephanie not die?

Batman War Games Act Two: Tides

One of the things I really enjoy about the Bat titles is that they all work independently of each other. Not so much so that the character couldn't be doing everything at the same time (the feeling I get is that they take place within weeks of one another) but they're also close enough that when DC decides to do the big crossover event the story can spin out naturally.

I sort of knew that Tim Drake had stopped being Robin for a while because of his father and this Act deals with him putting the costume back on. I felt that it read really well, both why Tim made the decision and how it was received by his dad. That really impressed me. That they would take time from the superhero story to tell a human story.

Batman War Games Act One: Outbreak

Batman works best when he's one man against the mob (or the Mafia really) so I wasn't sure I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this one. I've been trying to catch up one some Batman reading since I've started collecting again and knew this one was in an interesting spot for one of my favourite characters.

I was impressed by this one. The story grows and explodes into something Batman thinks he can handle on his own to something that he has to call his whole team in on. I couldn't wait to see where it was headed.

Chibi Vampire Airmail

This is a collection of stories set in the world of Chibi Vampire but not about the characters of the manga themselves.

I was disappointed in how Chibi Vampire ended. So I wasn't really that interested in reading more adventures. Really, of the four stories in this volume. There's only one that I really liked, and it had nothing to do with Karen or Kenta or the Marker family. So a bit of a bust really.

Naruto Volume 25: Brothers

And the showdown begins. And is interrupted by a whole lot of back story of Sasuke and his brother. And the showdown is to be continued in the next volume. *sigh*

I do like that Kishimoto gives reasons for the characters to behave as they do but this showdown between Naruto and Sasuke feels like it just can't get started. I worry that it will lose the momentum and become less of a moment than I think it should be.