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Lenni Reviews: “Black Night Parade” Vol. 4, by Hikaru Nakamura

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The reindeer exams end, and as our trio awaits the results, they go on break, and Miharu visits his mother.

Each volume is slowly building things up to some interesting lore that’s deeply connected to Miharu and his family. The abilities being handed out to the workers are intriguing, and I wonder how they’re going to function with the actual process of making and delivering toys for children. I am enjoying the backstories and the fun side story of Miharu’s mother deciding she wants to visit her son’s fancy new job. And Benjamin is such a silly goober. He provides some great humor. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Strange Cases” by RiotBones

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Law student Jude Aquilar returns to Lazaro after his mother’s death. While he does expect to take over his mother’s law practice, he does not anticipate how deep the corruption goes or how deeply they are connected to him.

I love the twists and turns in this book. Even if the cases weren’t all supernatural in nature, it would still have the familiar concepts of entrenched corruption, classism, and classic small-town gothic mysteries. The colors are moody and beautiful, hitting that perfect level to enhance the tone of the story. Unfortunately, this is another book that suffers from not having enough time. This could easily be 2-5 volumes of cases Jude unravels as he uncovers the town’s secrets, but as it is, it feels as if it ends before it’s even begun. This makes the ending less impactful than I think it hoped to be. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Callisto” by Steve Niles, Lee Loughridge & Andrea Mutti

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In the year 2526, on a mining settlement on Jupiter’s moon Callisto, Detective Becca Ramos and her partner, Rusty, investigate a series of kidnappings and murders that cause them to run afoul of a cult.

I’m not gonna sit here and say I know how to write a good mystery. Hell, I don’t even really read them because they make me feel stupid for not puzzling out the solution before it’s told to me. This time, I figured it out, and I was still fucking confused. The art is confusing, the plot is confusing, and the whole damn thing left me with the feeling of one big shrug. Which sucks because there are elements I like: scifi and tech and religion all colliding in a tech noir type of story… Right up my alley! I enjoyed Becca, but I can’t say I enjoyed this book overall. 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Essentials” Vol. 2 Bill Sienkiewicz Premiere Edition, by Luke Arnold & Chris Wyatt

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Mathematician Harris Pax is still traveling through realities searching for a way to save humanity.

This volume really takes advantage of the shifting art styles to show the distortion and existential struggle within the mind. It’s also interesting to see Buttons relying on this decaying vessel but – mild spoilers – I wish they didn’t have Harris and Buttons get involved romantically. Partly because it’s predictable and partly because I can’t get over the fact that he’d be kissing a decaying corpse “she’s” wearing as a shell. Characters keep remarking on how the body isn’t looking too good, so I can’t imagine that it smells or tastes very good. If there was ever a time to keep a relationship platonic, it would be between a living human and an otherworldly being puppeting a dead body. Ew… Other than that, I highly recommend this. It’s so cool. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Hunger” Bill Sienkiewicz Premiere Edition, by Nihaarika Negi, José Villarrubia & Joe Bocardo

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In Bombay, 1896, a plague ravages a concentration camp where medical experiments are inflicted on the prisoners, causing unforeseen mutations. William Wallace Hooper is sent to photograph the victims, one of whom is Izna, who hears a mysterious voice.

While this is beautiful, it’s a rough read. Given the time period, it’s filled with the typical racism. It isn’t subtle in the themes of exploring identity and the empowerment that comes with it, even after being altered so severely. Still, it’s worth a gander just for the art, even if I wish I had more length to explore the world and add more details. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Creatures & Corridors” Bill Sienkiewicz Premiere Edition, by Brandon Auman & Andrea Mutti

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In the summer of 1992, a group of teenagers plays the game Creatures and Corridors, unintentionally releasing a real curse that forces them to play for their lives.

I had more fun reading this than I thought I would. It has excitement, humor, and just the right amount of chaotic energy. It’s not afraid to get violent and bloody. Think more dark fantasy mixed in with the horror. I was never a tabletop person, so it misses a bit of the nostalgic element for me, and I know it was trying to go for that. And – no spoilers – I give it credit for not holding back when it came time to up the peril by killing characters. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Essentials Vol. 1” Bill Sienkiewicz Premiere Edition, by Luke Arnold & Chris Wyatt

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Harris Pax predicted the end of the world. Unable to stop it, he lives alone in a bunker. When he finds out he’s not the only survivor, he travels through space and time to restore reality.

This gives me Dr. Who vibes with the blend of science fiction, horror, and humor. I think it would have been more fun if each universe had its own art style; really play up the dimension hopping, but that would be a LOT of work. Harris hops around so much, sometimes every other page. But this is cool! I love sci-fi with quirky rules and immense amounts of creativity. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “And Then There Were None” Vol. 1, by Aya Nikaido & Agatha Christie

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel, ten people are invited to a secluded island only to fine the offers they were given were a ruse to disguise more sinister intentions.

It’s cool to see Christie’s book in this format. I’ve never been one for mysteries. I always feel dumb if I can’t guess the answer. But I love stories with intrigue and this is great! The art is fairly standard but it works. The designs help make each character unique, has no problem with darker elements of the story, and overall this was just a fun experience. I’ve never read the original book so I can’t attest to whether or not the manga does it justice, but I liked it. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Amazing Digital Circus” Vol. 1, by Gooseworx & Sakura

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*Tis book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Pomni wakes up in a digital world surrounded by strangers and realizes there is no way she knows of to escape.

As a fan of the show, this was more of a skim than a deep read for me since this is literally just the show in a comic. Nothing is new for me and in fact, putting such a colorful show in black and white isn’t a bonus. It lacks some of the life of the show. It’s not bad, it can even be extra creepy:

But call me a cynic: unless you are such a huge fan of the series that you want this in a collection, I don’t see the point. Or if you can’t access the show at all in for one reason or another. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Hima-Ten!” Vol. 2, by Genki Ono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Tenichi is still cleaning for Himari, but as he has a crush on Honoka, he goes on a date with her.

Even though Tenichi is crushing on Honoka, the dating pool is heading into harem territory. I don’t know if I like that as it doesn’t seem to quite fit the tone we’re established, but we shall see. We introduce Kanna, a model Tenichi runs into who happens to be friends with Himari. And when I say model, this HIGH SCHOOLER does sexy pinup work. They could have picked something more appropriate for Kanna like maybe a regular model? Another business owner like Himari? Hell, make her a secret gaming v-tuber or something. It’s a sizable stain on this previously silly, fun series. 3 out of 5.

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