Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon

If the new film has you curious to learn more about this complex character, DK Publishing has released an essential guide to all things Wolverine called Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon. This hardcover book will have your head swelling with all the info on this infamous member of the X-Men. Seriously, this book has EVERYTHING on Wolverine. There’s so much detailed info regarding his mutant powers, friends, and villains in here that you will be the ultimate Wolverine expert after reading it. And with the new movie out, it's the perfect time to brush up on your Wolverine facts!

Vampire Hunter D Vol. 2

I think if it came down to a fight between Blade and “D” from the Vampire Hunter D series, "D" would come out the winner. He makes it seem so easy in the way he can take down his enemies. In Vol. 2 of Digital Manga Publishing’s Vampire Hunter D books, we get to follow "D" on another adventure as he is faced with a different kind of enemy. This time, he’s called in to investigate a breed of vampire that can hunt during the daytime. With this new threat, the challenge is now greater than before with these daytime killers. After reading Vol. 1, I wasn’t sure if the following books in the series could keep up. Well, as much as Vol. 2 is different from the first one, it doesn’t disappoint at all. I thought the story was intriguing, especially as the story unfolded at the end. The illustration in this book is phenomenal too. I was very impressed with the way that this book really made me feel like I was watching a film. Yes, the art here is that good. However, there were some action scenes where the drawings were so chaotic that I couldn’t figure out what was going on. But those moments where rare and didn’t take away from the story at all. Overall, Vol. 2 is an awesome story that continues the great line of Vampire Hunter D stories. Now I can’t wait to get into Vol. 3.

Marvel Chronicle

70 years! Who would have imagined that Marvel Comics would be around that long? Well, if you are interested in learning about the history of Marvel, DK Publishing has released an amazing book called Marvel Chronicle. This book takes you to Marvel’s early years and walks you through the decades highlighting the company’s important events. Learn the origins of heroes such as Captain America, Fantastic Four, and so on. Not only does it chronicle the major events within Marvel’s history, but there are sidebars on the pages that show real world events that were happening at the time. I thought it was cool that the book provided a mini history lesson to go along with the comics’ timeline! Overall, DK did an awesome job making this unique book that people will probably be looking to for all kinds of Marvel facts for years to come.

Y: THE LAST MAN DELUXE EDITION BOOK 1

What better way to plug a book than have Stephen King call it "The best graphic novel I’ve ever read."

I admire King's work a lot, so to hear a statement like that come from him made me extremely curious about Y: The Last Man. However, I didn't want to be swayed just because of a great writer's opinion. It was time to crack open the book to see for myself!

After the first few pages I felt as if I was watching a thriller. The events that unfolded within those pages led up to a sudden destruction of all male species on the planet. I suddenly realized I was in for one hell of a story. Y: The Last Man explores what the world would be like if all men were gone. However, it doesn’t stop there. In comes a twist in the story when you find out one man named Yorick is still alive. Now there are more questions raised. How the hell did he survive? And how is he going to stay alive when there are militant feminists out there that want him dead? I still haven’t gotten the answers even after reading Vertigo's awesome deluxe edition of book one. But I do know that once book two is released, I’ll be all over it. For a graphic novel, I haven’t found many that can live up to this one. So I guess you could say Mr. King’s statement wasn’t all hype.

Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul

It’s one thing to face thugs in Gotham City. It’s another to have to go against an immortal enemy. In Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, the Dark Knight is faced with one of his toughest challenges as he goes up against Ra's al Ghul. Back from the dead, Ra's spirit is looking for a body to fill. It gets personal for Batman though when the body that Ra's wants to use is his son Damien, who also happens to be Ra's al Ghul’s grandson! Sounds pretty complex, right? I read through the hardcover version that DC Comics put out and it is a damn good read. To see Batman take on a supernatural foe really showed how far he really will go to fight evil. Overall, this is one gripping tale that has as much excitement as a motion picture...

Superman: Last Son

Superman has never been one of my favorite heroes. He always seemed like too much of a "nice guy". But since I always felt guilty for not liking him that much (I know, how un-American of me), I never completely shut the door on the Man of Steel. I was pleasantly surprised with Smallville when it came out, which I enjoy a lot. So I guess you can say that show restored my faith a bit in Superman. Recently, I read the hardcover version of the graphic novel Superman: Last Son. Anyone familiar with the Superman series knows that Clark Kent is the last son of Krypton, or so we thought. This story picks up when a mysterious boy lands on earth and it turns out he’s from Krypton! Superman develops a connection with the boy and goes out of his way to protect him. But he has no clue the secret that the boy holds. Last Son brings back movie director Richard Donner to contribute to the story. There are plenty of great battles that occur here, with Superman fighting against most of his foes. Lex Luthor, Bizarro, and General Zod are some of the forces that threaten Superman and his beloved Metropolis. As for the illustrations, they were awesome. There’s even a pair of 3D glasses included with the book to help read one of the sections done in 3D. Yeah, Superman is always going to be a “nice guy”. But like in this story, he’s a nice guy that can kick some serious ass...

ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER VOL. 1

What happens when you take the genius behind 300 and Sin City and get him to retell how The Dark Knight teamed up with the Boy Wonder? You get one hell of a story. Frank Miller contributes his talent in ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER VOL. 1, showing a much darker side to the Dynamic Duo than ever before. In this edition, Miller takes you through the underbelly of Gotham City as you watch Batman take young Dick Grayson under his wing after his parents were murdered. After reading this, your perception of Batman and Robin will change, that’s for sure. As if the Dark Knight couldn’t get any darker, Miller creates a story that digs deeper into Batman’s dark soul, and now he seems to have found his sidekick. As we see how Robin became an orphan just like Bruce Wayne, it shows that these two share the same dark roots that drives them to fight crime. As good as Miller’s storytelling is, it really got brought to life by some amazing illustration by Jim Lee. It was so good that at certain points, I forgot I was reading a story. As much as I like Batman, I always saw the character Robin as a waste of time. Frank Miller and Jim Lee quickly changed that perception of mine, especially after Robin gave Green Lantern a real ass whoopin’. I can’t wait for the sequel to this episode. Until then, I’ll read it a few more times to really soak up the story.

Batman: The Killing Joke

In The Killing Joke, Batman’s most famous villain commits a crime unlike anything he’s done before. Picture this: The Joker rings the bell at Commissioner Gordon’s home and shoots his daughter, paralyzing her. He then kidnaps the Commissioner, takes him to an abandoned theme park, strips him naked and forces him to ride a roller coaster while being shown some disturbing images of his injured daughter. Yes, this episode called The Killing Joke is unlike any “joke” that Batman has had to face. In fact, from hearing all the buzz on the upcoming Dark Knight film and how twisted the Joker is in it, this book is a great intro to how psychotic Batman’s nemesis really is. This is not just a silly old clown who does bad things. We’re talking about a first-class lunatic, and he’s trying to push Commissioner Gordon to insanity as well. The Joker is really the main character here, since most of the story is centered on him and what drove him to become the criminal he is now. It also shows that even though both The Joker and Batman have had traumatic events happen in life, it’s the choices they make that separates them. This year, DC Comics put out a deluxe hardcover version of this dark story which Tim Burton claims is “the first comic he ever loved”.

The Art Of Speed Racer

The Art Of Speed Racer

If you enjoyed the Wachowski brothers' version of Speed Racer, there’s a book out titled The Art Of Speed Racer. This book contains pages of the art that created the psychedelic world of colors that was in the film. I really enjoyed the film and the trippy effects it had, so this book is a great part of my ongoing collection. Along with the pages of art from the film, the book also contains the complete screenplay. If you missed any dialogue from the film, or want to reenact some scenes by yourself, they're all in here. It would have been better if they included more pages of the art since most up the book is taken up by the screenplay. But overall, the book is a nice companion to the film.

Speed Racer Mach Go Go Go

Speed Racer Mach Go Go Go

Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer...

Well Speed Racer finally came. This past month he arrived in theaters everywhere. Regardless of the film's success, the interest in the Speed Racer franchise has skyrocketed. Walk into any toy store and see tons of Speed Racer merchandise. Personally, I think even though some of the toys are cool, a lot of it is junk. There is one thing though that's been released that is worth getting. Speed Racer Mach Go Go Go, a 2-book collection of the original comics, is certainly not junk. Digital Manga Publishing (DMP) recently put out this hardcover set, with Speed on the cover of book 1, and Racer X on book 2. This set contains all the action you'd expect from creator Tatsuo Yoshida's popular series. Most of the pages are in black and white in each hardcover book, giving it a more authentic feel. There are plenty of stories here to get familiar with Speed and other characters like Trixie, Pops, and Racer X. And if you saw the movie, what better way to follow it up than by reading this complete collection in book form. And not only is it an awesome collection of stories, but the colorful art on the book covers make for a nice display in any home. I have mine sitting in my living room and my eyes are drawn to it whenever I walk by.

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