April 2008 Archives

The first thing that jumps off the page as you flip through Vagabond Volume 27 is the blood. Cover to cover, the book sports violence comparable to a Sam Peckinpah film. Despite the violence and fighting that fill the book, this latest volume in Takehiko Inoue's series is not actually about the fighting or the violence. On both sides of this massive battle there are internal fights going on behind the scenes as well.

Check out the full review.

We return to Housui Yamazaki's Mail anthology with Volume 2 and the paranormal detective and exorcist Akiba Reiji.

If you've read the first volume, you'll find that this volume is much the same -- an anthology of urban-legend-style ghost stories featuring the detective once again in his role of deus ex machina. While the stories themselves are different, very little else is.

Check out the full review.

As the fourth Devil May Cry game hits us this winter, so does the first volume of the Devil May Cry anime from Mad House. When the first game was released in 2001, Dante was an instantly memorable character, the coolest of cool. The red leather trenchcoat, the giant sword and stark-white hair leave an instant impression, and the stylish action dropped my jaw from the start. The second game, a critical failure, seemed to doom the series, but an impressive third outing ensured the survival of one of the PS2's most entertaining characters. The Devil May Cry anime thankfully continues the legacy of the games with great visuals and stylish action.

Check out the full review.