Monsters in Our Youth

Finally got my copy of the VIZ Signature Edition of Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys Vol. 01 yesterday at Comic Odyssey.

Here's a short description of the book from Amazon:

Failed rock musician Kenji's memories of his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all. Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a gang of boys who try to save the world.

I know, I know. I keep hitting myself on the head over the fact that I haven't read this series. I tried to but I wasn't content at just reading the scans. Something as brilliant as this deserved a physical copy and I haven't stopped thanking the powers that be for this nifty release (with spot lamination on the cover and all; very purty-looking on a shelf too but it will probably take awhile for all the volumes to be released).

Here's a great review of the manga by Ed Sizemore.

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Another must-have, must-read, must-whore-around-to-buy-this-book release this week is Joe Kelly's Four Eyes #2. This is a great example why Image kicks the big 2's event-fetished asses.

No costumes. No crossovers.

Just great writing, great art, and dragons in the Depression era.

Yeah, you read that right.

From Image: Brooklyn 1930. America struggles in the grip of the Great Depression, and ten-year-old Enrico is willing to make any sacrifice to take care of his mother. Even if it means taking a job in the one place he’s forbidden to go... the ring of fire where dragons are trained and fought for cash and glory.

It took 3 months or more before the second issue came out but it's definitely worth the wait. I'm not one to complain when it comes to title delays. On Joe Kelly, and the 20th Century Boys, I know my faith (and my cash) is more than deserving.