manga reading poll

Same thing as last time. And thanks primarily to rightstuf.com's Viz and Tokyopop sales, it's about the same amount. I blame my recent Clamp and Kaori Yuki obsessions. The thinking here is that you're going to be stuck with manga posts anyway, and those of you who actually read them can say you'd rather read about Random Cracktastic Awesome Manga instead of Random Obscuree Thing That Caught Megan's Eye And No One Has Ever Heard Of. (Plus "17 people said to read this one" helps when staring at the shelf, wndering what to read next.)

People who love me will not vote for mainlining 30+ volumes of Clamp, Kaori Yuki, Higuri You and Matsuri Hino manga. Except that most of you don't love me so much as you love to read me deliberately breaking my brain with their manga.

[Poll #1293527]


*Short story collections and single volume series.
** Newly released series by Matsuri Hino (Vampire Knight)


BTW, can anyone tell me how many volumes of the manga the first season of Yu Yu Hakusho covers? Or does it break away early?

The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers

When he gets stranded in a Fenland village on New Years Eve, Wimsey is drafted to help ring a nine-hour peal of bells for the local church because a local bell-ringer named Thoday is ill. (Enterprising locals!) While he’s there, a local woman dies, and Wimsey learns that the family-the Thorpes-had had a houseguest who was robbed of valuable emeralds years ago, one of the criminals being their own butler. Months later, the woman’s husband dies, and when her grave is opened for her burial, a corpse is found on top of her coffin. The corpse is missing both hands, and the face had been battered beyond recognition. The title refers to be church bells, and takes on a more complicated meaning throughout the book.

Contacted by the locals who have since leaned of his “hobby,” Wimsey returns to the village to investigate. Soon, there are secret codes, secret identities, old rivalries, mistaken identities, and long kept secrets. I think, though, that I’ve been spoiled by other Wimsy mysteries. The others have some combination of Bunter, Wimsey’s family, Harriet, Wimsey’s mental state, or Sayers tackling social issues and exploring ideas of her time. Except for Bunter, all of that is pretty much missing here. Still a solid mystery, but it doesn’t quite have them charm of some other Wimsey books.

It also-through no fault of its own-suffers from a case of using a trope that was probably very original at the time, but has become overused in the 70 years since.

( spoilers )

Good, but not my favorite of the series. Interestingly, I remember glancing at the wikipedia page for Murder Must Advertise after finishing it and seeing that Sayers supposedly didn’t like Murder Must Advertise, and only wrote it because she wouldn’t have The Nine Tailors ready in time. Naturally, of the two, I prefer Murder Must Advertise.

There is to be no spoiling or even coy hinting of Gaudy Night or Busman’s Honeymoon without the spoiler code. I’ve already picked up enough through fandom osmosis. Spoiler code if you want to say anything about them, either for me to look at later, or to each other: <span style="color: #333333;background-color: #333333">Spoilers here.</span>

comics: Birds of Prey #118-123

( spoilers )

Despite how far the title has fallen from Dixon and Simone’s runs, I’m sad it’s ending in a few months. There was always the hope that a writer more suited to it would take over, or that Bedard would finally settle in well. (When not dealing with Misfit or the mess with Zinda, there were signs that has run could be good in time.)

how not to sell a game to me

So, I'm sitting here catching up on my Captain America comics, and I turn to a 2 page spread advertising Fable II.  Normally I'd just skip past it, but there was what appeared to be a pouty nobleman with a vampire lurking behind him, and I was curious.

So, I know nothing about Fable, really.  Either one.  But this ad  features what looks to be a bar full of men from all walks of life.  And no women.  Not even a barmaid.  There could be a plot reason for this.  A good one.  I don't know.  But from the image and description, it seems to be a normal medievaloid fantasy adventure.  Mind you, 27-year-old women aren't exactly the target audience for Captain America in the first place, but my reaction to what appears to be a large, exclusively male, ensemble, is "no thanks," even if a few of them a quite good looking.  Hi there, Mr. Strategically Posed Swordsman and Mr. Hooded Man.

See, if I see one or two men and no one else, or vague background characters, my mind will go "ok, main characters."  If I see a full room, I'm going to take that room as representative of the entire world in the game.  (And yes, even a buxom barmaid in the corner would influence that impression.)

I suppose it's the flipside of things titled Male's Daughter and Male's Wife. (If the title of the work is defining the female by her relation to a male, there better be a pretty good reason.)

comics: Captain America #39-42

( spoilers )

At least the plastic didn't melt?

Came home.  Was hungry.  Put thai rice noodle soup bowl in the microwave.  Didn't realize until I started eating that I forgot the oil packet, and it was mixed in with the broth and noodles.  Err...at least it still tastes mostly the same if you mix in the oil after heating it up?