comic review

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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: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 14, by Umi Sakurai

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Kanda is still pushing himself to be more comfortable playing in front of a crowd when his old teacher appears, the legendary Margarethe Dressel. Meanwhile, Fukumaru’s older brother appears as a stray and little Fuku vows to find him.

Margarethe is awesome and her interactions with Kanda are fun and inspiring in her own unique way. I think she’s the first figure from his past that didn’t trigger some sort of anxiety as while she was odd, she was supportive and taught him a lot. Getting things from Fukumaru’s perspective is so adorable and innocent. It really tugs at your heartstrings when he tries to understand crossing the rainbow bridge. And his little plans to find his brother? So cute! While this is very quick since the stories more so fast, it’s just a pure, lovely time. 4.5 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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Lenni Reviews: “I’m No Angel” Vol. 2, by Ai Yazawa

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

Now that Midori and Akira are dating, elements of Akira’s past come up to cause strain on their relationship.

This series reminds me of how BIG things seemed to be in high school. Since I’m so much older, I’m having trouble relating to this or really enjoying it. I’ve been very honest about how much I enjoy other slice of life media but this? It’s so bland to me… 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Not Your Idol” Vol. 3, by Aoi Makino

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Kamiyama ponders what being an idol means to her while Miku askes Hikaru to guard her after she was assaulted.

Miku is just the worst and I mean that in a couple ways. First, she’s just a manipulative jerk plotting to turn people against Kamiyama because profit? I have no idea. Then the book goes back and forth as to whether or not she’s lying about her assault. And spoilers but I am NOT happy about Miyu’s suicide fake out. Those two things make whatever message this story is trying to say about how women and girls are used and perceived as objects really muddled. Exploring the way exploitation can impact people, victim blaming, and objectification is important but this doesn’t seem focused on that and just wants drama. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Not Your Idol” Vol. 2, by Aoi Makino

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Karen/Nina has allowed Hikaru to be closer to her, making their classmate, Miku, jealous.

I’m gonna call her Kamiyama for now since going back and forth between Karen and Nina is confusing. Again, trigger warning for more victim blaming and sexual assault. I was pretty spot on in that this comic is about Kamiyama struggling to feel safe again but there’s also the questionable things she was pressured to do when she was an idol. She was absolutely taken advantage of by an industry that would sexualize her EVEN AS A MINOR. Remember, she’s in high school at the time this series begins, meaning she was even younger doing racy pictures before she was attacked and quit. Just gross. And Miku… It bothers me that we’re going back and forth about if her assault happened. It’s so weird. I’m in this more for Kamaiyama’s journey. 4 out of 5.

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