Tenryu: The Dragon Cycle, Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden, and the rest of the comics

[meganbmoore]

LOOK!  I'm actually being thoughtful and using cuts...

And now it's over(and now I'm buying not books from CMX...which is odd, as they're part of DC and DC is about 50% of my singles...anyway.  I quite liked this one.  The storyline was your normal take on asian history/mythology with humor, and the art, while considerably better by the end than it was at first, wasn't incredibly great, the story was quite fun and I'm quite fond of the characters.  I really wish they'd license some more of Sanami Matoh's fantasy titles instead of mostly focusing on her Shoune-ai stuff.  I DID try Fake, and while amusing, I got leery and jumpy at...those parts...and couldn't finish it.  I'm just not programmed to appreciate that accept as occassional background humor...

So far, I'm vastly preferring "Genbu Kaiden" to the regular FY series.  Takiko is a much better heroine, IMO, than Miaka.  Now, while I'm a far cry from matching the vast levels of hatred many fans seem to have for Miaka(in fact, I rather like her, despite her annoying qualities) I'm firmly of the opinion that she needed to be whacked upside the head at least once(often more) per volume, and her leading Hotohori on was horrid(I think she's the only Watase heroine who could actually be considered guilty of this.  While Aya in Ceres was occassionally confused, Yuhi always knew where he stood with her, he just held out hope that she'd change her mind)  Anyway, while there's less sheer energy this time around, the story and characters are considerably more mature(naturally, as Watase has matured in the intervening years) and so far, the book is much tighter.  I also like how everybody isn't automatically falling all over and praising Takiko like they did Miaka, and that she's having to actually work for things.  And Limdo...poor guy...you're a Watase hero, which means you'll going to have to endure about 500 times as much as most shojo heroes(except Shuri!) but it also means that, unlike most guys, there's about a 95% chance of your getting a payoff from it.

Annihilation #1/Annihilation The Nova Corp Files:  I should pay more attention to solicits.  If I had, I would have realized the Nova Corps issue was a reprint of the profiles that were in all the annihilation books, and profiles of the new characters that showed up in the minis.  Not like it wasn't obvious.  Anyway, a decent refresher.  Annihilation itself lived up to expectations.  Which was to deflect my attention from the blight upon comicdom that is Civil War.  Better writing AND better art.  That said...it would suck to be Rich Rider.  But yeah, he's growing up, and doing quite well for himself.  Nicieza and Skolnick, I think, would approve, while Larsen and those he claims think like him are liking screaming.  I fall on the Nicieza/Skolnick side...you know, the side where dissing your friends and abandoning your girlfriend is deplorable instead of "fun"(ok, clearly  haven't recovered from Larsen's mercifully shortlived series yet...)  Anyway,  good art, good writing, great action, and I must find Starlord comics, now.

Firestorm The Nuclear Man #28:  MIKHAIL!  Oh Mik, you just saved this book from being dropped, at least for a while.  While it's still fun, it's just not quite clicking with me the last few issues.  However,  between Mik and the professor, there's more than enough incentive to stay.

Jonah Hex #10:  Well, that was...dark.  And almost as good as the stories in the showcase trade.  If it stays likethis, it'll remain safe from the cull list.

JSA Classified #15:  Bye-bye.  I'll just endure the wait until the regular JSA series comes back.

Also, I now know more about "Snakes on a Plane" than just the title.  Were I to go see it, I could never ride on a plane again.  As it is, nightmares are a possibility.