22/50 Sequential Art Books and More

I finally decided to stop waiting for manga and other graphic novels to be in at the library, and to request them instead. That's probably a good thing, as I checked to see where I am for Ranma 1/2 and I'm number 14 on the list. That's 13 other people before me who want to read this book. I may have to wait a while for it.

22. The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln by Scott McCloud. I came across this by accident and, since I like McCloud's non-fiction, I decided to give it a try. The illustration is all done on a computer--I can't remember the date, but it's fairly early for this kind of work. It means that the graphics are a bit odd. There are flat comic characters running around in 3-D cg backgrounds. Some of those backgrounds are photographic or nearly so, while others look like something from an old (or low-budget) adventure game. It's an interesting artifact in terms of the use of computers in comics. As for the story, it's really good! I don't think I can really describe it without giving too much away, but it's funny and very pointed. It would not be inappropriate reading for today's political climate in the US. I've definitely got to find more of McCloud's work (back to the library web page for me . . .).
    
23. Parasyte volume 1 by Hitusi Iwaaki. I got this one because it was one of the few series our library branch actually seemed to have on the shelves. It turned out to be an interesting (and rather bizarre) horror comic. It's got some gore--some pretty graphic gore--but not a lot, really, and the story focuses more on how the main character copes than on the gross stuff. I've already got volume 2 on my request list at the library.
    
24. Neon Genesis Evangelion volume 1 by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. Another one I got just because the library had it. I've heard of Neon Genesis Evangelion, of course, but never felt moved to seek it out. It's pretty good, though. Giant robots and all, but the characters are the focus. According to one of the blurbs, this manga is kind of a re-imagining of the anime--not so much a different story as the same story from a somewhat different perspective. I haven't seen the anime, though, so I can't comment. I've requested volume 2 from the library; I hope the focus stays on the characters. If it does, I'll keep reading until the library runs out of volumes.
    

So, no new InuYasha yet, or any of the other titles I mentioned last time. But tomorrow's Free Comic Book Day! No doubt I'll buy a few books while I'm in the shops getting my free ones. We're going down to Victoria, where there are 5 comic shops (3 of them in the same downtown block). We might not get to all of them (it's almost certain we'll skip the Hillside store of Curious Comics), but we'll see what damage we can do. And if we aren't all cranky and unsocial by the time we get back up to Duncan, we'll hit the local store, too. Woo hoo! many, many comics! Many comics free!