Soul To Seoul Volume 1

From the boxes of books I had in storage.

Title: Soul To Seoul
Issue: Volume 1
Date: 2005
Publisher: Tokyopop
Writer: Kim Jea Eun (English adaptation by Ellen Choi)
Artist: Kim Jea Eun
Letterer: Eva Han
Editor: Julie Taylor

This was a mix of romance, family drama, and crime drama about Korean teens living in New York City. There was a lot going on here in terms of character interactions, and the first volume just scratches the surface of all of the potential drama.

At the center of it all are rapper Spike and wannabe-gangster Kai. Kai meets Sunil, a young woman recently arrived from Korea, and Kai is willing to give up his playboy ways to date her. Meanwhile Kai's cousin arrives to disrupt the dynamics of his already complex and tension-filled family life.

When Spike gets arrested, Kai takes his first step down a dark path for the sake of bailing his friend out of jail.

This felt a bit choppy as it jumped between different plot threads and conflicts. The writer clearly had a lot to introduce in the first volume and was determined to get everything in. Some of it, possibly the character JJ's backstory, might have better been saved for a future volume. Still, the story set up a lot of intriguing elements, and ended on a strong note.

Rating: 6/10

Dork Diaries: Tales From A Not-So-Happily Ever After

I got this at a Little Free Library in Ludlow MA USA, and will be "releasing" it at another Little Free Library somewhere in New England.

Title: Dork Diaries: Tales From A Not-So-Happily Ever After
Date: 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Writer: Rachel Renee Russell
Artist: Rachel Renee Russell

This is (clearly intentionally) similar in format to Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, which I've read quite a few of because my son enjoyed them. The narration is prose with frequent illustrations.

The main character, Nikki, is considerably more likeable than the Wimpy Kid protagonist, but is also a bit on the bland side. It feels like the author is trying so hard to make Nikki relatable that she's afraid to give Nikki much in the way of distinctive traits, quirks, and flaws.

This story was an homage/parody of The Wizard of Oz, with elements of other fairy tales sprinkled in, as Nikki gets knocked out playing dodgeball in the midst of a bad day at school, and dreams up (is transported to) a fairytale adventure.

She meets fairytale versions of people she knows in her own world, has some adventures (the supporting cast could use a bit more diversity), makes some friends and some enemies, gets in trouble, and gets rescued by her friends.

She also resolves a bit of conflict with her younger sister, in a scene that is genuinely tender.

There's nothing awful here, but nothing all that distinctive either.

Rating: 5/10

Snow Drop Volume 2

From the unread manga shelf.

Title: Snow Drop
Issue: Volume 2
Date: 2004
Publisher: Tokyopop
Writer: Choi Kyung-ah (English adaptation by Sarah Dyer)
Artist: Choi Kyung-ah
Letterer: Christina R. Siri
Editor: Bryce P. Coleman

Romance begins to grow between high school student So-Na, and young model Hae-Gi. But just as things are beginning to get interesting at a party, So-Na's old rival Sun-Mi arrives on the scene.

Aside from the introduction of Sun-Mi, the plot in this volume was in something of a holding pattern. The Hae-Gi/So-Na relationship is making tiny bits of progress, but mostly these involve Hae-Gi ignoring basic consent, and So-Na continuing to try to manipulate things.

I did like the way that hints are slowly being given about some sort of connection in the past with So-Na's mother, the author of the book that gave Hae-Gi his name. There are definitely some layers of backstory that will be interesting to uncover, but this volume felt a bit transitional.

Rating: 5/10

Snow Drop Volume 1

One of many, many, unread books that I unpacked from my storage unit.

Title: Snow Drop
Issue: Volume 1
Date: 2004
Publisher: Tokyopop
Writer: Choi Kyung-ah (English adaptation by Sarah Dyer)
Artist: Choi Kyung-ah
Letterer: James Dashiell
Editor: Julie Taylor, Bryce P. Coleman

Rich-kid high school drama with a lot of tragic backstory and a fair number of plot twists. So-Na dropped out of junior high school to run the Snow Drop plant nursery. The nursery is her safe space, where she can mourn the loss of her mother. But when her father pressures her to return to school and finish her diploma, she is stuck in the same classroom with her rich and obnoxious childhood friend, Ha-Da.

Enter pretty boy (and actual professional model) Hae-Gi, who was named after a character in a novel written by So-Na's mother. He and So-Na immediately hit it off in all of the completely wrong ways, and we're off and running. The introduction of Hae-Gi's crossdressing younger brother provides a nice injection of chaos toward the end of this volume.

This was a fast-paced romance fueled by a lot of teenage angst. It suffered from some of the usual issues of "these problems would not be problems of people would just talk to each other", but that is to be expected in this type of plot. So-Na seemed particularly inconsistent, and hopefully this will be smoothed out as the series moves on. Right now, she's likeable only in certain moments.

Rating: 5.5/10

Attack on Titan Volume 4

Bought at Double Midnight Comics in Manchester NH USA.

Title: Attack on Titan
Issue: Volume 4
Date: 2013
Publisher: Kodansha
Creator: Hajime Isayama
Letterer: Steve Wands

Volume 4 of this series resolves the cliffhanger from the third volume as humanity gains its first, very costly, victory over the Titans. From there, the story flashes back to Eren in training.

A lot of new characters are introduced here, and there is the potential for lots of really fun interactions as the story moves forward. There were also some good insights into the training process and the dynamic between the recruits. Most of the best recruits want military police duty, which means the fighters most capable of bringing down titans are the least likely to face them.

Armin is a major part of the opening scene, but he and Mikasa fade into the background a bit as the new characters get the spotlight. There were places where it was a little bit hard to keep straight who everyone was, but the new characters had enough interesting details and quirks that this should become easier as the story progresses.

Rating: 6.5/10

Spy Family Volume 3

Read at the Merrimack NH Public Library.

Title: Spy Family
Issue: Volume 3
Publisher: Viz Media
Date: January, 2020
Writer: Tatsuya Endo
Artist: Tatsuya Endo

This starts with the surprise visit from Yor's brother Yuri, who is, well, something of a mess, especially considering he is a highly competent member of the Secret Police. Yuri's plan to expose Loid by getting him drunk goes south quickly, and the scene just gets increasingly awkward when Yuri insists that Loid and Yor kiss.

In school, Anya plays dodgeball with the rumor that a coveted honors star is on the line. She later tries her hand at some community service.

Bonus story has Yor and Loid on a date night while Yor is trying to conceal a somewhat embarrassing injury.

The pacing in a few places in this volume felt weird, with scenes being dragged out, possibly in the case of the opening scene just to intentionally prolong the awkwardness. The result was that it didn't feel like all that much happened, although there was some good setup for future plot developments.

Rating: 6/10

Spy Family Volume 2

Read at the Merrimack NH Public Library.

Title: Spy Family
Issue: Volume 2
Publisher: Viz Media
Date: October, 2019
Writer: Tatsuya Endo
Artist: Tatsuya Endo

After some initial hurdles, Anya has secured a place at the high-prestige Eden Academy, but now there is additional pressure. In order to make a connection with Twilight's target, Anya needs to either befriend the target's son, or earn a place in the school's honors program. When she punches the bratty son in the face on orientation day, it begins to look like neither of those prospects are very likely.

A further complication is introduced when Yor's brother enters the story. And just like Twilight, Anya, and Yor, the brother has his own secret that further jeopardizes Twilight's mission.

The second volume did a nice job of expanding the story, adding new characters and new complications, and giving some additional character development, especially for Anya and Yor.

This continues to be goofy absurd fun.

Rating: 7/10

Spy Family Volume 1

I Read this at the Merrimack NH public library.

Title: Spy Family
Issue: Volume 1
Publisher: Viz Media
Date: July, 2019
Writer: Tatsuya Endo
Artist: Tatsuya Endo

In a fictional-Eastern-European setting, two rival nations are locked in a cold war. Master spy Twilight has a new mission, and in order to get close to his target he needs to have a wife and a child. And he's given a week to come up with those on his own.

The woman he marries turns out to be an assassin. The child he adopts is a telepath.

The whole premise is utterly absurd, but in the most delightful of ways. The story builds a subtle emotional connection between the three main characters, keeps its internal logic reasonably well, and does a nice job of making fun of the espionage genre and high society in general.

The plot develops a bit slowly once the three main characters are together, and their primary objective is not quite fully resolved by the end of this volume, but it's a very enjoyable ride getting there. The artwork is equally effective in action scenes and in the more tender moments.

Rating: 7.5/10

Keep the Home Fries Burning: A For Better or For Worse Collection

From the bookshelf at my mother-in-law's house.

Title: Keep the Home Fries Burning: A For Better or For Worse Collection
Date: June, 1989
Publisher: Andrews McMeel
Writer: Lynn Johnston
Artist: Lynn Johnston

This collection covers about a year in the lives of the Patterson family, as Elly's best friend Connie moves to another city while in the midst of relationship drama. The move also results in Michael getting separated from his best friend. Over the course of the year, there are new friends and neighbors, a Halloween dance, a new baby among the Pattersons' friends circle, and the possible beginning of a writing career for Elly.

I love the pacing of For Better or For Worse. The stories always feel very real and very grounded, and the author does a great job with putting low-key but effective punchlines in to end each newspaper strip installment while still building multiple long-term storylines.

There were some really genuinely funny gags sprinkled among a lot of excellent storytelling and good character work. The art style is delightful, with enough realism to make the character come to life while still keeping things simple.

Rating: 8.5/10

Attack on Titan Volume 3

 

Bought from the used book shelf at the Merrimack Public Library in Merrimack NH.

Title: Attack on Titan
Issue: Volume 3
Date: 2012
Publisher: Kodansha
Creator: Hajime Isayama
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Ben Applegate

Through some unknown mechanism, Eren has somehow become a titan, or, at least, has the ability to change into one. Now he has a new problem: His fellow soldiers want to kill him. It's up to Armin to convince them that Eren is still loyal to humanity and that his new abilities can help in the war against the titans.

But a hastily-thrown-together plan to seal a breach in the wall and take back one of the attached walled "towns" runs into immediate problems when Eren's untested powers prove uncontrollable.

This third chapter raises a lot more questions than it answers, and plunges the story into a new cliffhanger. Armin gets the best moments here, and this was a nice spotlight for him. It also introduces a couple of intriguing new characters from the military hierarchy, including the unorthodox Commander Pixis.

The pacing continues to be great, and the complexity of the worldbuilding continues to be built up steadily.

Rating 7/10

Attack on Titan Volume 2

 

Bought from the used book shelf at the Merrimack Public Library in Merrimack NH.

Title: Attack on Titan
Issue: Volume 2
Date: 2012
Publisher: Kodansha
Creator: Hajime Isayama
Letterer: Steve Wands

The story really picks up in the second volume, with a major backstory reveal showing the tragic circumstances of how Mikasa and Eren first met as children and how Mikasa became part of Eren's family.

From there's it's back to the action as a large group of titans swarm a military supply depot, trapping some soldiers inside, and leaving those outside without the ability to replenish the gas they need for their vertical movement gear.

Mikasa, unaware that Eren may already have been killed in action, leads a desperate attack, but help suddenly appears in a most unexpected form.

This was nonstop action with lots of surprising twists and some good character development, particularly for Mikasa.

Rating: 7.5/10

Attack on Titan Volume 1

Bought from the used book shelf at the Merrimack Public Library in Merrimack NH.

Title: Attack on Titan
Issue: Volume 1
Publisher: Kodansha
Creator: Hajime Isayama
Letterer: Steve Wands

Far in the future, the remnants of humanity live in a single city, behind a series of protective walls designed to keep out the titans, nearly indestructible man-eating giants that have overrun most of the world.

When a wall is breached after nearly a century without attacks, a group of young recruits must join the suddenly desperate battle against the titans, which have now produced a colossus capable of breaking through the city's walls.

This was a good introduction to the scenario and I enjoyed the developing relationships between the characters, especially the dynamic between the fiercely protective Mikasa, and the ambitious Eren.

The action sequences are great, the titans more horrifying than you might anticipate, and there is a reasonable attempt to make sense of a scenario of people fighting against human-eating giants.

Rating: 6.5/10

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt

Bought at Boocup, Kerry Parkside, Pudong, Shanghai, China.

Title: Hellboy: The Wild Hunt
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Date: October, 2018
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Duncan Fegredo
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Clem Robins
Editor: Scott Allie

Hellboy is recruited to join the Wild Hunt to defeat a gang of six giants who have awakened from their tombs. But the battle with the giants leads to betrayal and plunges Hellboy into a rapidly-brewing war between the forces of mythical Britain.

This was a beautifully atmospheric deep dive into Arthurian mythology with Hellboy's own distinctively snarky viewpoint laid over the ancient forces a play.

There is a lot going on in terms of plot and characters, and much of this volume is simply putting pieces onto the board for the game to come, but the setup is lovely to watch unfold.

Duncan Fegredo does a great job with the art, incorporating the mythical elements while keeping the distinctive look of Hellboy.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Stand Volume 6: The Night Has Come

I bought this one here in Shanghai, probably at Boocup, but I didn't make a note when I got it.

Title: The Stand
Issue: Volume 6: The Night Has Come
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Date: 2013
Writer: Stephen King, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Artist: Mike Perkins
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino
Editor: Nicole Boose
Cover: Tom Coker, Laura Martin

The sixth volume of the trade paperback collections of Marvel's adaptation of The Stand is the final volume, covering the final confrontation between Randal Flagg and the forces of the Free Zone, plus all of the aftermath of that climactic scene.

This was a very strong adaptation that stuck closely to the source. I thought the look of the characters was great, the selection of dialogue worked, and the pacing was excellent. It felt familiar in a good way, an excellent revisit to a favorite story of mine.

I didn't read the previous volumes of the adaptation, but would definitely give them a look on the basis of this one.

Rating: 8/10

Star Wars: Allegiance

Bought at Boocup, Kerry Parkside, Shanghai, China.

Title: Star Wars: Allegiance
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Date: 2019
Writer: Ethan Sacks
Artist: Luke Ross
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: VC's Clayton Cowles
Editor: Mark Paniccia, Tom Groneman
Cover: Marco Checchetto

This was really odd. It's a prequel to Rise of Skywalker, but it's very clear that the writer of this story had been given no information on the plot of Rise of Skywalker, and so in hindsight, it reads like the prequel to what everyone expected Rise of Skywalker to be, rather than the prequel to what we actually got.

No mention of Palpatine, of course, because, well, that would have been a spoiler at the time this was released.

The result is a rather uneven mixing of two separate plots. Finn and Poe (with BB8) try to retrieve some weaponry for the Resistance and end up hunted by bounty hunters. And Leia visits Mon Cala with Chewie, Rey, 3PO, R2, and Rose on a diplomatic mission.

Complications of the usual sort arise in both scenarios, and there are a few good moments for some of the characters, along with a fair amount of wasted potential. I'm always here for Rose getting to be part of the action, and was happy to see her shine in a few places, but much like in Rise of Skywalker itself, she still spent too much time standing around with nothing to do. I also thought there was a bit too much playing into the hothead side of Rey's persona. Leia came off as a good diplomat, but we expect brilliance out of Leia.

The story also leaned a bit heavily into tired cliches. Trial by combat? Really?

The crew of bounty hunters introduced in the Poe/Finn subplot were the most interesting people in the story, although that was due in some respect to novelty.

Rating: 4/10