Father Geek here at the AICN Geek Headquarters in Austin, Texas with another of our weekly reports on the worlds of Manga & Anime from Scott Green.

By the way, we now have ALL of Scott's (his real name by the way) contact info listed on our Contact Page sooooo if you have hardcopy items like comics, etc... for him to look at you can see where to mail them to. Oh, and that goes for DVDs, VHS, Festival Tickets, Press releases or screening invites, Toys, Games, just anything that you may want him to review, or talkabout in this regular weekly column that gets over 8 million readers. Soooo check out that contact page, its indexed on the upper lefthand side of the front page of our site, below those weird little cartoons of Harry.

Now here's Scott's latest...

Manga Preview: Mythical Detective Loki Manga Volume 1 by Sakura Kinoshita

Based on Uncorrected Galley Proof to be released by ADV Manga October 2004

Mythical Detective Loki has one of the bizarrely fun high concepts that really shine in anime and manga. Executed with charming design and characters, but a little more inaccessible than it should be, the comic is an enjoyable light read with a clever arrangements of seemingly unlinkable elements and characters guaranteed to garner fans.

Western comics have had a fascination with Norse mythology, calcified by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Thor, yielding a little variation along the way. Marvel has recently teen-ized the characters, but it doesn't seem anyone has child-ized them. Child Norse gods is concept that could easily be done poorly, but Mythical Detective Loki has found a clever way of going about it.

The hero of these stories is Loki, the mischief god who is frequently a villains, antagonist, troublemaker, or at least problematic element, not the least of which included fathering world destroying monsters. Yet he's a figure that easily lends himself to the role of a sympathetic character to modern sensibilities. He can be fit into a tradition of hero tricksters from Prometheus to Bugs Bunny, and in the more modern life, fit into the role of put upon outsider.

Using mixtures of cuteness and menace along with logical deduction and myth make for some fun jaunts. In Mythical Detective, the infamous trickster god has been exiled to Migard, the mortal world, and cast in to the shape of a child. Inspired by threats from other gods and mystic creatures, Loki sets himself up as a detective. The similarities to the long running Detective Conan are apparent. In theory, he's for hire, but the cases depicted in the first volume are more initiated by his own needs and experiences.

Fans of large eyes and extravagant outfits will fall in love with the cast. The child Loki is an adorable sprite, a bit Victorian in his fashion sense, with cartoonishly large head, hands and feet. He's accompanied by a wispy mashellow-like creature, and best of all, sulky a round little black dog, that talks and refers to Loki as father, who happens to be the all devourering wolf Fenrir (played more or less straight).

The volume begins to develop an intriguing little social collective. An assortment of other similarly cute Norse deities show up, mostly to make Loki's life difficult, but others for one reason or another to aid him. Consequently, Loki is stuck in a family or community who wants him out, but are falling over each other to get in his way and cause him harm. Loki does have his own inner circle of gods, monsters, and loud fair haired humans. The tone of this cadre of lost individuals that builds around Loki is sweet, but with a wary confusion that prevents it from becoming saccharine. Despite the menace, there are afforded some time for quiet moments and comfortable gags along the typical lines of jokes about eating, anger or clumsiness.

The detective aspect of the series will not completely win over mystery fans in that with the extra dimension of myth and myth's variability, they aren't solvable by the reader. However, the logic presented is interesting. Watching the thinker and problem solver aspect of the problem maker work with clues to construct logical conclusions is engaging, as is Loki's particular process minded thinking.

Not knowing the full circumstances is an essential aspect of the concept, but the early introduction to the status quo isn't quite smooth. The manga jumps into a typical case without much in the way of obvious inroads. There is some difficultly parsing out who's who, and what the implication of the circumstances are, chiefly because the dialog is not constructed to highlight the names and functions of the characters.

Some front loaded exposition would alleviate this. A little Norse mythology 101 would be helpful since the mythology isn't quiet universally known, even among geeks. In all cases it would be good to know which variants the manga is based on, and clear up some of the less knowns. A visual guide to the characters would be helpful too, since at first glance there a few are confusingly similar looking.

Azumanga Daioh: The Animation Volumes 2 and 3

Released by ADV Films

Azumanga Daioh, and its anime incarnation in particular is a fun, mental Novocain exercise in cataloging of lighter moments in school life. Focusing on between moments, and nostalgic camaraderie, the series doesn't even touch on exams until late in volume 3, and even then, little consequence is attached. If there is a dark cloud to the silver lining, it is an eye towards the bitter sweet numbering of days. The series has progressed into the second year of high school, and there is a definite impression that it is capturing a passing moment in time.

The nice thing about the clique of school girl who start in Azumanga Daioh is that they aren't the typical selection of something to please everyone. There are stark similarities, but from the Osaka transfer (a region whose resident are stereotypically typically known for their coarseness) space case, and the tall, quiet athletic girl with an almost hidden passion for animals and cuteness, there is plenty of opportunity for both catch-phrases and original humor. Name a stereotype and you can list off a string of overly similar characters, but there is a sense that the cast of Azumanga are new entities who have taken on lives of their own.

The characters have become favorites of many, without sounding too fan-ish, a kind of anime fans block of shared acquaintances. In the same way that former school mates referring to someone drifting off as being in " land", or someone engaging in a spastic activity as "doing a " Azumanga Daioh has infected the anime community with a new set of points of reference.

The format of quick humorous movements tied into themed episodes is too hypnotic to get worked about up on overly stretched threads. There is a dream episode that dream episode may have gone over used a few sight gags, but it ultimately provided some nice material for the series' running gags

Though Azumanga Daioh is aggressively unchallenging, it is nearly universally enjoyable. It is how everyone would like remember their highschool years: quirky people and situations that will later populate "remember when..." stories, filtered from the stress, exams, money and family worries.

Manga Spotlight: Samurai Executioner Volume 1: When the Demon Knife Weeps

By Kazou Koike and Goseki Kojima

Recent years have been kind to samurai fans, but it may never get better than the stretch where Dark Horse comics was releasing volumes of genre pillar Lone Wolf and Cub on a monthly basis. For fans of the work, or the samurai works in generally, it's newly release sibling title Samurai Executioner demands attention.

In the halls of samurai fiction renown Decapitator Asaemon doesn't have quite the resonance of his successor in Lone Wolf and Cub, but the stories of the shogun's executioner have achieved a lesser immortality. Fan's of Kazou Koike and Goseki Kojima's astounding samurai epic Lone Wolf and Cub will find Samurai Executioner to be a work of equaled style, and surprisingly different content.

At least in its first volume, which given the record of Lone Wolf and Cub could be deceptive as to the personality of the work as a whole; Samurai Executioner appears to an Edo Era crime anthology. It witnesses crime from various aspects of the era's society, linked by their conclusion on the blade of its protagonist. The dramatic resonance is that of the lives of the people during a rigidly applied conformity. Looking through the vantage point of law, both the effects of the structure and its gaps stand out.

Samurai execution works firmly in the samurai film aesthetic: entrenched in ceremony, with action in brief, decisive moments. Though the sword work is expertly rendered, spectacular in its detail and motion, but more lethally staccato than the flowing action sequences of samurai action manga, from Ruruoni Kenshin to Vagabond to Blade of the Immortal.

Though Lone Wolf and Cub tended towards the same unforgiving means of confrontation, killing off fascinating adversaries that would be reoccurring characters in most series, compared to Lone Wolf and Cub, Samurai Execution spends more time examining aspects of life in the era, explaining points of law and society, and less time constructing elaborate confrontations.

There are some high level similarities in the premises of the two works in that both featured executioners in the service of the Edo Period military dictator shogun. Lone Wolf and Cub's Ogami Itto's original station, before become a hired assassin was the shogun's kaishakunin, who presided over the seppuku ritual and cut off the head of the dying samurai after the samurai opened his chest with a small blade.

Samurai Executioner's Kubikiri Asa aka Decapitator Asaemon was the shogun's o-tameshiyaku, who tested swords on the bodies of executed prisoners and by beheading the condemned. The first and second of the volume five stories introduce Asaemon and his station leading up to his assumption of the office of o-tameshiyaku. Both are emotionally trials new executioner.

Though Lone Wolf and Cub is a story of rebellion and deviation, and Samurai Executioner a story of law and conformity, the leads in many ways are formed from the same mold. Both are stoics who embrace an ideal regardless of its costs. In Lone Wolf and Cub, it was the Assassin's Road in which Ogami Itto forceful abandoned all morality, killing Buddha when they met on a road. Asaemon courts a passionless immersion in his work that extends to all aspects of his existence. Cracks of compassion appear where flexibility doesn't run contrary to his objective, but his all thoughts are pulled towards refining the art and execution of sword testing. The price of conformity is to assume a technician's attention to the precision of his work and distance from the human implications.

The second half of the volume establishes the series as an Edo period crime anthology in which Asaemon plays pivotal but ancillary roles. The crimes sample from a cross section of the era, with criminals and victims from diverse regions of the social strata. It is less concerned with the mind of the criminal than giving an almost clinical look at its reflection of the character of the age.

With the Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman franchise back in the lime light thanks to the domestic release of Takeshi Kitano's updated telling it is noteworthy that one of these stories revolves around a zato masseur, a low level member of the guild for the blind.

Neither the crimes nor the proceedings of Asaemon's work are glamorized or sanitized. Extending to matters as ugly as a graphic child murder or slicing on a patch of skin, both are depicted gruesome and chilling frankness.

The genre has given rise to many gritty works, but there the detail and lack of boundaries in Samurai Execution but in it's a haunting class of its own.

Anime Spotlight: Gungrave Volume 1: Beyond the Grave

Released by Geneon

Gungrave is best known for its connection to popular sci-fi western Trigun, namely via design by Nightow Yasuhiro and animation by Studio Madhouse. Based on a game by RED, best known for the popular-in-Japan Sakura Wars (Sakura Wars character designer, and Oh! My Goddess creator Fujishima Kousuke worked on Gungrave's mechanical design), the Gungrave anime starts with a narrative technique best known in medieval horror Berserk, beginning with what the characters will become in the conflict that they are engage in, then jumping back to explain how that point was reached.

In the initial episode Grave is an anime version of Outlaw Josey Wales, a hulking, scarred ghast in a dark, Confederate-esque outfit, brought from the dead to fight his former partner who has risen to the top world of organized crime and now begun to send an army of artificial humanoids with small bat wings on one shoulder into the world

After the one episode excursion into big guns on monsters and men in black, GunGrave takes on the immigrant/outsider crime rise to power odyssey. The backstory of Gungrave has been described as Cowboy Bebop from the perspective of that series' cold blooded antagonist Vicious. While this description isn't perfect, there is more than a superficial resemblance. Brandon Heat, the man who will become Grave is an emotionally distant veteran who has partnered with the eel slick Harry MacDowell to run a small band of hoods, cons and thieves at the bottom of the criminal food chain.

For most of the volume, Brandon and Harry are scrambling at the bottom rungs of the primal latter, but by its conclusion, their chains of loyalty have been severed, and propelled by Harry, they have begun to climb.

The odd quality in the shift from the strange to the familiar and in this case is that the familiar that is more engaging. There is not enough time to see how well the end result Gungrave plays out, but there are hints that the unstoppable from the dead gunman, his non-human foes, and his supporting cast are exaggerated in a Nightow sense, but by the numbers: big guy with big gun firing at hosts of monstrosities. Maybe in the one had they hadn't determine a worthy style for animating the battles, but what were shown didn't have a spark.

The quick and deadly lives of early Harry and Brandon does hold a appeal for fans of gangster fiction. Their quickly changing fate, and survival by whit and will has gives it the elements of found in real of fictional gangster rises. The action of this phase is surprisingly tooth and nail rather than slick. It doesn't sound like it would be using the abilities of anime, but the medium is leverage to give the setting an other-timely look that isn't really future of past. The pairing of a charismatic thinker, with an emotionally muted partner who isn't just a strong man or heavy has potential.

The first volume of Gungrave shows potential, but its isn't convincing. The post resurrection phase didn't seem to click, and the back-story hasn't yet established what makes it novel. There are factors that are too interesting too write off, but in general, the work doesn't have the character of its mostly readily associated work, Trigun.

This Week's Releases

Anime

• Angel Tales - Life With Angels (Vol. 2)
• Beyblade:World Championship Vol 10
• Hello Kitty & Friends - Let's Be Friends (Vol. 4)
• Ikki Tosen - Legendary Fighter (Vol. 1)
• Infinite Ryvius - Absolution (Vol. 6)
• Kaze No Yojimbo - Tip of the Iceberg (Vol. 3)
• Last Exile - Grand Stream (Vol. 5)
• Master Keaton - Passion Games (Vol. 8)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Seed - Grim Reality (Vol. 1)
• Sailor Moon Super S Vol 1
• Soultaker Vol 3
• Tenchi in Tokyo 4: A New Enemy (Sub)
• Trigun:Puppet Master Vol 7
• Witch Hunter Robin - Vengeance (Vol. 6)
• Yu-Gi-Oh - The Complete First Season

Manga

• Blade Of The Immortal #92
• Bleach Vol 2 Gn
• Dragonball Vol 16 Tp Shonen J Ed
• Firefighter Daigo Of Fire Company M Vol 8
• Hana Kimi Vol 1 Gn
• Naruto Vol 4 Tp Shonen J Format
• Negima Vol 2 Gn
• Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol 6 Tp 2Nd Ed
• Record Of Lodoss War Grey Witch Book 2 Gn New Ptg
• Rurouni Kenshin Vol 6 Gn
• Those Who Hunt Elves Manga Vol 6 Tp

NewType Packaging Clarifications

NewType USA has clarified that DVD sampler bonus material will continue to be included in anime periodicals subscriber released, but discontinued for the newsstand. There are currently no plans to raise the cover price.

FUNimation Licenses Grappler Baki

FUNimation announced at the Otakon anime convention that they have licensed Grappler Baki, a martial arts anime with, at least from an anime perspective, somewhat realistic fighting. The license includes the 24 episode 2001 TV series. Gustoon released began releasing the manga, and US Manga Corp released the 1996 direct to video OAV.

Over $1 million in Manwha Licenses at Comic Con

Anime News Service reports that a Korea Times stated that $1.13 million in manwha, Korean comics, licensing deals for North American release were announced at the recent San Diego Comic comic convention.

Limited Edition Inu-Yasha Box Sets

Anime on DVD reports that Right Stuf will be selling limited edition versions of the first season box set of Inu-Yasha for $120. The edition is limited to 15,000 unites and includes an imported Inu-Yasha necklace.

The anime, based on a manga from Rumiko Takahashi mixes romantic comedy, horror, and action elements in its tale of a modern girl and half dog demon boy in the historical Era of Warring States.

FUNimation Talks Fullmetal Alchemistic TV Broadcast

FUNimation stated at their Otakon convention panel that the broadcast of magic action series Fullmetal Alchemistic on Cartoon Network will be uncut, but digitally edited to tone down the graphic violence. The Cartoon Network broadcast will use only one opening sequence, but the DVD release will feature all of the proper Japanese opening animation sequences.

The series DVD's release will be across 16 DVD priced at $24.98, with three tin boxes available to hold the series.

The series follows a pair of alchemistic brothers who are transformed after attempting to raise their mother from the dead: one losing an arm and legs, the other having his soul housed in a large armor.

Tentative Uncut Early DBZ Plans

FUNimation has expressed tentative plans to release the first two seasons of Dragon Ball Z uncut on DVD in spring 2005.

A TV edited version of the anime was previously released by Pioneer.

TOKYOPOP to Release Rave Master With English Audio

Anime on DVD and Right Stuf have confirmed that TOKYOPOP's upcoming DVD release of the Rave Master anime will only feature an English language audio track. The content way also be the edited version that appears on Cartoon Network.

New Detail on Live Action Cream Lemon Movie

Anime Nation reports that the live action Cream Lemon movie, an adoption of one of the earliest hentai (adult) anime series (from 1984) will adapt the famous Ami Nonomura incest story. The film stars first time actress, 17 year old Chiharu Muraishi as Ami, and veteran actor Kenji Mizuhashi (age 29) as her older brother Hiroshi. The film is directed by first time director Atsuhiro Yamashita. The movie is tentatively scheduled to debut in Japan this September.

Vagabond on Hiatus

Anime News Service points out that siting burn out, manga creator Takehiko Inoue's web journal indicates that he will be taking a hiatus from his work on Vagabond, the fictionalized biography of famed swordman Myamoto Musashi. Volume 20 was recently published in the Japan. The series is being released domestically by Viz.

Takehiko Inoue's basketball manga Slam Dunk will be making a short return in for a bonus comic to be published in Japanese news papers.

CPM Title Moritorium

Central Park Media will be putting the following titles on moratorium after October 22nd.

• Battle Arena Toshinden
• Garzey's Wing
• Silent Service
• They Were Eleven
• Tokyo Babylon
• Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer
• Wild Cardz

Paranoia Agent Translation Refined

Anime News Network reports that, responding to controversy in the translation of presented in previews, Geneon has decided to use the original name of "Shonen Bat" rather than the translation "Lil Slugger" in the subtitle script for Paranoia Agent.

Paranoia Agent is a 13 episode television series from Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers) about a group of strange linked by a mysterious street assaults.

ADV Licenses Divergence EVE ~Misaki Chronicles~

Anime News Network reports ADV announced at the O-Chibicon that they had licensed Divergence EVE ~Misaki Chronicles~. ADV also indicated that they will be released a DVD of Go Nagai's Kekko Kamen.

October Bandai Releases

10/12

• Banner of the Stars II Complete Collection
• Gundam SEED volume 2
• Gundam SEED volume 3
• Kaze No Yojimbo volume 4
• Wolf's Rain volume 3
• Zentrix Collection 1

10/26

• .hack//SIGN Complete Collection
• Angel Tales volume 3
• Escaflowne Perfect Collection
• Geneshaft Complete Collection
• Stratos 4 Volume 3
• Superior Defender Gundam Force volume 7
• Superior Defender Gundam Force volume 7
• Witch Hunter Robin Complete Collection

Howl's Moving Complete

Nausicaa.net points out that Studio Ghibli's online production diary reports that Hayao Miyazaki's (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service) latest movie Howl's Moving Castle has completed production. Test screenings begin July 30th.

Upcoming Anime

Boukenou Beet (King of Adventure Beat) begins late September. Official site here

Bleach: to air on October. Adaptation of popular Shonen Jump series. To air starting in October. Official site here

Fantastic Children, a series to be released domestically by Bandai has an official Japanese site at here

Gakuen Alice begins in October. Official site here

Site for parody Genshiken, and Kujibiki Unbalance, the anime watched by the characters of Genishiken are online with trailers.

Kumo no Mukou,Yakusoku no Basho (The Place Promised in Our Early Days) the new direct to video OAV from Voices of a Distant Star creator Makato Shinkai is online here. Trailers can be seen here

Oh My Goddess TV a preview can be seen here

School Rumble: an adaptation of a manga, starting in October. Official site here

Samuraigun, based on a Weekly Young Jump manga will be adapted into an anime series. A preview can be seen here< /a>

The Super Robot Wars games will be animated into a three episode OAV. The Super Robot Wars franchise is a series of military strategy game populated with a large array of anime giant robots include Go Nagai's (Mazinger, Getter Robo ect), Gundams, Macross/Robotech, Giant Robo, Evangelion, and classics such as Aura Battler Dunbine and Dancougar.

To Heart ~Remember my memories~: to air on October. Official site here Uta-Kata, the new anime with design by Keiji Gotoh (Nadesico, Gatekeepers) will start in Japan in October. The official site can be seen here.

News Manga Series and Release for October/November

ADV Manga

Dark Water Manga Volume 1 Tp by Koji Suzuki & Kadokawa Shoten

The water, and whatever nightmares lie beneath its cloudy surface, control reality in this frightful collection of short stories. The first of four torments follows a mother and daughter who move into a haunted apartment complex that houses the spirit of a young angry girl. This story gives way to a tale of a night cruise that includes a frightening discovery and, later, to a diver who's tortured by his father's disappearance. These and the other underwater horror stories show how being curious can lead to being prey!

Kimera Manga Volume 1 Tp by Kazuma Kodaka

The destinies of two people, along with the fate of the world and its inhabitants, are about to become intertwined when, on a rainy night in California, Osamu unearths a capsule that holds a mysterious green-haired figure. He soon finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic power struggle, as warring factions of vampire aliens descend to Earth. On one side are those who seek to use the green-haired alien - Kimera - to repopulate their dying race. On the other side is Kimera's former mate, who wishes to kill the green-haired figure. Will humanity face total destruction, or will Kimera be killed, ultimately saving the world? Find out in the thrilling first volume of Kimera.

Daemon Hunters Manga Volume 1 Tp by Seiuchiroh Todono

In a land that knows only the light of the eternally shining moon, daemons rule - and their power seems unstoppable. Yet, hope exists within the people of the countryside, as a group of specially trained individuals - the Daemon Hunters - fight to retake what is rightfully theirs. One of these hunters, Sartre Largness, rescues an orphaned boy who he names Michael. Michael receives training, and along with a fellow named Luka, and a doctor named Maggie, they must travel to Naberius before it is closed off from the rest of the world. When the Great Oaks Minister calls, and the peace and harmony of the land are at stake, Sartre, Michael, and the others must answer the call; it is their duty to eliminate the Daemons. But how will they fare when they run into another hunter along their journey?

Mythical Detective Loki Manga Volume 1 Tp by Sakura Kinoshita

Private Investigator Loki is certainly an extraordinary fellow with an incredibly demanding profession. While his boyish good looks disguise his true nature, no challenge is too tough for Loki. Not only is it Loki's job to solve mysteries, but he must also protect his own interests, namely his family, especially when those who want him rubbed-out enter the picture. Loki must dig up evidence surrounding kidnappings, murders, suicides and the like. When old adversaries strike too close to home, Loki must prepare, not only to solve the crime, but to survive the vicious attacks!

Peacemaker Kurogane Manga Volume 1 Tp by Nanae Chrono

With Japan in the midst of a bloody revolution, an elite cadre of samurai swordsmen known as the Shinsengumi must protect the embattled city of Kyoto. Not long ago, young Tetsunosuke Ichimura - page to Vice Commander Hijikata - earned the newest position on this sword-wielding posse. When a strange gun-toting swordsman, Ryoma Sakamoto, recognizes Tetsunosuke and his brother as the sons of someone he calls the "Peacemaker," trouble brews and the other Shinsengumi run the outsider out of town. Meanwhile, Suzu, a rival of Tetsunosuke, involves himself in the murder of a caretaker.

Tactics Manga Volume 1 Tp by Sakura Kinoshita & Kazuko Higashiyama

Goblins, Goblins, Goblins Galore! Sometime during the Meiji Era, mythical creatures coexisted with humans - but they didn't always get along! Enter Kantaro Ichinomiya, a young boy with a special gift. While not all people know of the existence of goblins, ogres and the like, Kantaro can see and speak to these creatures, but his dream becomes reality when he encounters and names the strongest goblin of all, Haruka. Kantaro's mission to right wrongs between monsters and humans will test the skills of the young emissary. Threatening ogres, family feuds, kidnapping curators, and shady religious crusaders are only a few of the challenges. The magic of myth becomes legendary as Kantaro and his monstrous companions set out on a mission to defend the goblins of Japan!

Taimashin Sp Manga Volume 1 Tp by Hideyuki Kikuchi

Even demons hate Dr. Taima's needles of doom! With a strange plague of demonic possession slowly taking over the bodies of unsuspecting victims, there's only one man to call - the acupuncturist, Dr. Taima. His knowledge of the obscure ability to wield the taimashin - needles not only used to banish malevolent and lecherous demons, but that can control the flow of chi in all things - makes him a force to be reckoned with! Having found its way to Dunwich, Massachusetts, Dr. Taima and his lovely assistant, Maki Togetsu, make their way to America to combat this repulsive plague that turns people into rapacious monsters that devour anything within their grasp! When an ally joins Dr. Taima, how will these Taimashin masters bait their prey into their piercing trap?

Anime Works Publications From Media Blasters

Flesh For The Beast Gn by Various

The Fischer house is a gateway to Hell, and the gatekeepers are the succubae: Cassandra, Erin, Irene, and Pauline. Beautiful demon women with the power to grant fantasies remind you to be careful for what you wish for! Features stories by Studio Zombie, Rick Spears, Rob G., Tim Smith, Mike Raicht, The Brothers Goldman, Kevin Colden, Nick Mamatas, Adriano Eduardo, Paul Azaceta, and Terry West-the creator of Flesh for the Beast!

Pilgrim Jäger Volume 1 Gn by Tou Ubukata & Mami Itou

In 1521, it was a time of religious confusion and strife. There was persecution of non-Christians over petty confusions and differing opinions. From chaos rose two women of strength and charity to kick butt in the name of all that is holy. SC, 208pg (1 of 3)

COMICSONE

Infinite Ryvius Volume 1 Tp by Yatate Hajime & Yousuke Kuroda, & Shinsuke Kuriharashi

Based on the intense Bandai Anime! In the year 2225 A.D. humanity has colonized much of the known solar system.This Sci-Fi thriller follows a group of teenage astronauts in-training. During a routine dive procedure, their space station plummets into a "plasma field" called the Geduld killing all the adult instructors leaving the trainees to survive on their own via a ship called Ryvius. All seems to be going well until one of them wants ultimate control.

Dark Horse

Ghost In The Shell Volume 1 2Nd Edition Masamune Shirow (W/A)

On sale October 6, SC, 368pg, b&w w/color, 6" x 9", $24.95 Ghost in the Shell Volume 1 returns! This second edition features the original Japanese size and additional material not published in previous U.S. editions!

Deep into the 21st century, the line between man and machine has been inexorably blurred as humans rely on the enhancement of mechanical implants and robots are upgraded with human tissue. In this rapidly converging landscape, cyborg super-agent Major Motoko Kusanagi is charged to track down the craftiest and most dangerous terrorists and cybercriminals, including "ghost hackers," capable of exploiting the human/machine interface by re-programming human minds to become puppets to carry out their criminal ends. When Major Kusanagi tracks the cybertrail of one such master hacker, the Puppeteer, her quest leads her into a world beyond information and technology where the very nature of consciousness and the human soul are turned upside-down and inside-out. Ghost in the Shell 2nd edition will carry an 18+ age advisory and be shrink-wrapped.

DC Comic's CMX Manga Line

Madara Vol. 1 Tp Written by Otsuka Eiji, Art and cover by Tajima Sho-u

DC's new line of manga debuts with the high-action MADARA, a popular sword-and-sorcery series that mixes Japanese mythology with futuristic themes! Originally serialized in Kadokawa's Marukatsu Famicon between 1987 and 1997, the 5-volume MADARA represents the first collaboration between artist Tajima and writer Otsuka (MPD-Psycho). Tajima recently garnered notoriety for his character design work on the animated segments of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1.

MADARA tells the story of an apprentice blacksmith in a rural village who gets by using artificial limbs created by his adoptive father. But when a chance encounter with the demon Moki reveals Madara's true destiny, he's catapulted into a mythic quest! His real father, the evil despot Miroku, feared long ago that Madara was destined to kill him and rule in his place. After Madara was born with tremendous powers, his body was cut up, and the parts divided amongst eight evil generals. Now Madara, with the help of a band of freedom fighters and a magical sword, sets out to retrieve his body parts and defeat his brothers, who covet the throne. As he fights his way across the world, he contemplates the prophecy: How will he wrest control of the kingdom from his father and win the people their freedom?

From Eroica With Love Vol. 1 Tp Written by Aoike Yasuko, Art and cover by Aoike

FROM EROICA WITH LOVE is the masterwork manga of Aoike Yasuko, serialized in Akita Shoten's Princess magazine since 1976! Set in Continental Europe, it depicts the adventures of British aristocrat Dorian Red Gloria and his alter ego Eroica, Europe's most wanted international art thief. His nemesis - Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach, a German NATO intelligence officer - has tried for years to catch the man who claims each crime scene with a card signed "From Eroica with Love."

Things are just getting started when a trio of telepathically linked teenagers becomes aware of Dorian's identity and plans to capture him. But their plot goes awry as the master thief branches out - no longer content with stealing great art, he's moving on. Now the trio must foil his attempts to kidnap their leader, Caesar, as they try to save the great art treasures of Europe!

Land Of The Blindfolded Vol. 1 Tp Written by Tsukuba Sakura, Art and cover by Tsukuba

CMX. Get ready for Tsukuba Sakura's symbolic tale LAND OF THE BLINDFOLDED, in which one character can only see the past, and another can only see the future! Originally presented in LaLa DX magazine from Hakusensha between 1998 to 2004, the 5-volume LAND OF THE BLINDFOLDED is the story of high school student Otsuka Kanade who can sometimes see a person's future with a touch, and transfer student Naito Aro, whose ESP is limited to past events.

When Kanade glimpses an unfortunate incident coming, can she change it? She soon befriends Aro, who's no novice - he can turn his ability on or off at will, even using it to see an object's "memories." Are these teenaged seers of the past and future made for each other? And who's right: Aro with his "hands off" policy about meddling in people's lives, or Kanade whose more proactive stance has already had unhappy consequences?

Del Rey/Random House

Othello Volume 1 GN by Satomi Ikezawa

High-schooler Yaya is sweet and trusting - too trusting to deserve false friends who mock her and call her names. Hard-rocking, butt-kicking Nana is just the girl to turn Yaya's timid existence upside down. Strange how the two can be one and the same.

Wallflower Volume 1 Gn by Tomoko Hayakawa

Four handsome, 15-year-old friends get free rent in a gorgeous mansion - if they can transform the owner's niece into a proper young lady. How hard can it be? Enter Sunako Nakaharo, the agoraphobic, frizzy-haired, fashion-illiterate recluse who has a tendency to break into explosive nose-bleeds whenever she sees anyone attractive.

DH Publishing

Hino Horror Volume 15: The Experiment Gn by Hideshi Hino

Four gruesome novellas from Japan's master of horror manga! A young girl adores her science professor and his fine work to lessen pollution in the oceans. which is causing sea life to mutate! But when she tells her teacher of her strange dream, his reaction is altogether different than what she expects... With three more stories of blood-curdling terror!

Hino Horror Volume 16: Who's That Girl? Gn by Hideshi Hino

All the students hate their teacher - she's strict, sarcastic, and easily-angered. But one day a new student appears, and life for the students will never be the same again. When the new girl finally reveals her true identity, we discover she is the embodiment of her fellow students' hatred. and murderous revenge is her reason to exist!

TOKYOPOP

Cross Volume 1 (Of 5) By Sumiko Amakawa

Sumiko Amakawa's Cross spins a gothic tale about a young, tortured priest with a holy gift that is a blessing-and a curse! All hell breaks loose when our saintly hero excises demons, pushing him to the brink of insanity. Will a fated meeting with a mysterious girl make his path easier to navigate.or lead him to the heart of darkness?

Boys Be... Volume 1 (Of 2) Author: Masahiro Itabashi, Art By: Hiroyuki Tamakoshi

The book that shows ordinary guys how to score the girls of their dreams! Here is the ultimate guys' guide to girls: A benched jock finds his game in the nightclubs of Shinjuku.an otaku gets more cosplay action than he can handle.two best friends eye the same hot girl.These guys aren't exceptionally strong, brilliant or infused with mutant powers-they're ordinary guys discovering love for the first time in volume 1 of Boys Be. Whether you're a guy looking for tips on how to impress the girl of your dreams, or you're a girl trying to understand what makes guys tick, you'll find all the answers inside!

Hyper Rune Volume 1 (Of 4) By Tamayo Akiyama

Rune Ayanokouji lives a life less ordinary with a "mad" scientist for a grandfather and mysterious humanoid robots popping up around town. It turns out there's an alien plot to take over the world, but there seems to be a set of aliens with a different agenda in mind. With a little unexpected help, Rune and her friends are able to fight these aliens on equal ground. But with the fate of Earth at stake, who can Rune really trust? Originally a member of CLAMP, the world's best-selling manga studio, Tamayo Akiyama delivers a heart-stopping, futuristic shoko adventure! SC, 5x7, 192pg, b&W(1 of 4) $9.99

The Queen's Knight Vol. 1 (Of 14) By Kim Kang Won

During summer vacation to visit her mother in Germany, 15-year-old Yuna Lee falls off a cliff and is rescued by Reino, an 18-year-old knight living in the magical land of Phantasma. He makes a deal with Yuna that if he saves her life, she must marry him and become his queen. Indebted to her knight in shining armor, Yuna is torn between her normal life back home and life as Phantasma's Queen! SC, 5x7, 192pg, b&w (1 of 14) $9.99

VIZ LLC

Dolls Volume 1 Gn by Yumiko Kawahara

Yumiko Kawahara's disturbing short stories explore the strange and codependent world of dolls and the people who own them. Both quirky and unsettling, these science-fiction morality fables question the dark side of love and pride. Fair warning: When you live inside a dollhouse, it's hard to tell who's the puppet and who's the master...

From Far Away Volume 1 Gn by Kyoko Hikawa

On her way home from school one day, Noriko is unexpectedly plunged into a strange and extraordinary fantasy world. Her troubles compound exponentially when she is rescued and befriended by a handsome young man by the name of Izark. He may be brave and courageous, but inside Izark lurks the darkest evil imaginable. And according to an ancient prophecy, Noriko possesses the power to unleash that evil. Now, inexorably bound together, these two unlikely allies must navigate a world both wondrous and hostile. (

Here Is Greenwood Volume 1 Gn

If 15-year-old Kazuya Hasukawa's stomach wasn't perforated in a car accident, it would have been perforated by an ulcer! The woman he loves just married his older brother, and worse, he is bringing her home to live with them! Kazuya has no choice; he has to leave, and the only option is to enter the exclusive all-male boarding school, Ryokuto Academy. But since the car accident sidelined Kazuya for quite some time, and he ended up missing a little over a month of school! Entering school, Kazuya is introduced to the Student Body President, Shinobu Tezuka, and Kazuya's dorm's Head Resident, Mitsuru Ikeda, who both seem like nice, good-looking young men. They escort Kazuya to his new home, the dorm named Ryokurin-ryû-but because that is so difficult to pronounce, they call it by its English translation, Greenwood. And because Kazuya arrived at school late, he is introduced to his new roommate in the last available room, Shun Kisaragi, the cutest girl in the guy's dorm!

Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolesence Of Utena Gn

Elegance is a way of life at Ohtori Academy. For close to one hundred years, the elite boarding school has values tradition and ceremony above almost everything else. Into this academic milieu walks Utena Tnjou, a short-stressed teenaged girl who favors trim-cut boys clothing. Almost immediately, she finds herself embroiled in sword duels, knotty romantic entanglements and a string of shady alliances. There's a cloud of mystery hanging over the campus of Ohtori and everyone Utena meets harbors a dark and twisted secret. A liberal adaptation of the movie by the same name, The Adolescence of Utena veers wildly from its original source. More direct than the anime and more mature than the original manga series, this version of Chiho Saito's fractured fairy tale blasts Utena straight into the iconic stratosphere.

W Juliet Volume 1 Gn

Sixteen-year-old tomboy Ito Miura has been chosen to play Romeo in Romeo and Juliet! The problem? She doesn't want the male role! So, who will be Juliet? The favorite for the part, beautiful and vain Tsugumi must compete with the cute new transfer student, Makoto Amano. Makoto not only has the looks, but her audition proves that she has the acting chops to play any role assigned. But Makoto has a secret, and if rival Tsugumi, or anyone in the school, finds out, it could ruin Makoto's life dragging Ito down as well!

Wild Com. Volume 1 Gn by Yumi Tamura

From Yumi Tamura, creator of Basara, comes a suspenseful trio of short stories! First, Psychic Squad Wild Com. finds its lead character struggling with the denial of her psychic abilities... powers that could spell life-or-death for those around her. "The Beasts of June" is a poetic tale of urban violence, of two free spirits caught in corruption's heartless grasp. Finally, "The Eye of the Needle" provides a shocking thriller wrapped in the guise of a fame-twisted romance. Tough, intense, and thrilling, Wild Com. offers three distinctly different tales from the master of shojô action!