A Quick Note...

Hello everyone!  This is just a quick note to let you know I've added a new link to the blog's side bar.  It will send you to a section of my LibraryThing account which lists the first volume of all the different series I currently have access to.  I've added this to give you a quick reference guide when making requests regarding which series you'd like me to review.

That doesn't mean I WON'T review something not on my list, just that it will take more time for me to complete, since I'll have to track the title down from somewhere else.  It's also possible that I missed adding something to the list, so requesting the title you need might help me with updates, too.  :)

In addition to the side bar, I'm going to include the link here for redundancy's sake.
  
Readily Available Titles

Batman: Death Mask - Overall Impressions

I have to admit I was really excited when I first found out about this compilation.  After X-men: Misfits and Wolverine: Prodigal Son, I was very interested to see what the manga format would do for Batman.  While not exactly what I expected, I can't say I was disappointed either.  The juxtaposition between Batman's costume and the oni of Japanese legend was a very clever connection to make and Natsume uses the idea well.  The whole concept of masks and "face stealing" is also creepily cool...although almost too graphic for my personal tastes.  The story moves a bit fast in some places, which might cause some minor confusion with readers, but overall it's pretty seamless, and the plot itself, while a bit predictable here and there, was still intriguing to watch unfold.

As for the artwork, I truly enjoyed it - especially the brush-like quality of the dream/illusion/legend sequences and the awesome battle sequences.  The lines were smooth and clean throughout and the characters were nicely executed.  My only complaint, and it's a very minor one, is that Bruce Wayne looked a bit too old...but that's just my personal tastes.

Overall, I'd have to say that this stand-alone graphic novel would make an excellent addition to any Young Adult collection.  It's great for introducing fans of manga to an American graphic novel icon, but also for the opposite reason - introducing Batman fans to the world of manga.  Plus, because it's a one-shot comic, you don't have to worry about keeping up with a bunch of different volumes.  You just can't really lose with this one. 

Batman: Death Mask

Title:  Batman: Death Mask

Volume:  1 of 1

Author:Yoshinori Natsume
Type: Ameri-manga, OEL

Publisher: CMX

Genres:  Action/Adventure

Age Rating: Teen, Age 13+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

The best spot would probably be in your Young Adult collection.

School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Possibly, it depends on your community

High School - This should do just fine in a high school setting; the rating is mostly for violence.
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

The age rating for this volume was selected by me; I couldn't find the publisher's actual rating, but based off of the story's content (mostly the violence) I feel the 13+ rating is the most appropriate one.

Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - I only noticed a couple of curse word in this volume - dammit, bastard - but it's possible I missed a few in scanning.

Violence/Gore
 - Three men get into a fight, a gun is fired, a small amount of blood is shown
 - A man and woman are shown on the ground with blood pooled around them
 - A man has the front of his face sliced off; the scene is very graphic and blood is shown
 - A couple of men are shown with bloody noses
 - A man's body is shown, and the front of his face has clearly been sliced from his head
 - Many display cases are shown, each holding the preserved sliced-off face of a human
 - A man is shown vomiting
 - A man is shown "wearing" the sliced-off face of another man, which peels off and falls to the floor
 - Walking skeletons in samurai armor are shown
 - A man is shown being stabbed in the gut, some blood is seen
 - A man tears a cursed mask off of his face, which rips at his flesh, a good amount of blood is shown

 
Reviews
Bella Online

iFanboy

Kuriosity

Cirque du Freak, Volume 3

Title:  Cirque du Freak: Tunnels of Blood

Volume:  3 of ??

Author: Darren Shan
Illustrator: Takahiro Arai
Type: Manga

Publisher: Yen Press

Genres:  Horror, Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Age Rating: Teen - LV

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

The best spot would probably be in your Young Adult collection.

School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Possibly, it depends on your community

High School - This should do just fine in a high school setting; the rating is for language and violence only.
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

A “T” rating indicates that there may be content within that some parents or guardians may consider inappropriate for children under the age of 13; LV = Language and Violence

Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - I only noticed one curse word in this volume - dammit - but it's possible I missed a few in scanning.

Violence/Gore
 - References are made to bodies with slit throats being drained of blood, but nothing is shown
 - Images depicting a vampire war; blood is shown
 - A close up of a human skull with decaying flesh still on the bones is seen
 - During a battle between two vampires, one shoves his hand into the chest of the other, lots of blood is shown

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - One of the minor characters is a very voluptuous woman who is often seen in a revealing outfit
 - A boy and girl share two very chaste kisses 

 
Reviews 
Comic Book Resources Live!
San Francisco Book Review

Cirque du Freak, Volume 2

Title:  Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Volume:  2 of ??

Author: Darren Shan
Illustrator: Takahiro Arai
Type: Manga

Publisher: Yen Press

Genres:  Horror, Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Age Rating: Teen - LV

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

The best spot would probably be in your Young Adult collection.

School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Possibly, it depends on your community

High School - This should do just fine in a high school setting; the rating is for language and violence only.
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

A “T” rating indicates that there may be content within that some parents or guardians may consider inappropriate for children under the age of 13; LV = Language and Violence

Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - I could not find any language in this volume; that doesn't mean it wasn't there, just that it was too mild for me to notice.  Let's assume that there might have been a "hell" or "damn" that escaped me.

Violence/Gore
 - A vampire cuts a man's leg in order to drink from him; some blood is shown
 - A character does something to the legs of another character; it's not clear what happens, but the boy is knocked to the ground and some spattered blood is shown
 - A boy is shown being bitten in the neck by a spider
 - A boy dreams of being force-fed blood from a still-beating heart
 - A boy is attacked by a man with a club
 - A boy digs his (very sharp) fingernails into a man's arm, blood is shown spurting out and dripping down the arm
 - A man has his arms bitten off by a wolf-man; this is an incredibly graphic scene with lots of visible blood, flesh and bone
 - Two boys are attacked by a wolf-man; one of them is scratched across the arm, the other is caught and eaten; again, this is a fairly graphic scene and there is some blood
 - A young vampire cuts a boy's neck and drinks heavily from his blood

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - One of the minor characters is a very voluptuous woman who is often seen in a revealing outfit

 
Reviews 
Manga Recon 
Tiamat's Manga Reviews

Cirque du Freak, Volume 1

Title:  Cirque du Freak

Volume:  1 of ??

Author: Darren Shan
Illustrator: Takahiro Arai
Type: Manga

Publisher: Yen Press

Genres:  Horror, Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Age Rating: Teen - LV

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

The best spot would probably be in your Young Adult collection.

School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Possibly, it depends on your community

High School - This should do just fine in a high school setting; the rating is for language and violence only.
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

A “T” rating indicates that there may be content within that some parents or guardians may consider inappropriate for children under the age of 13; LV = Language and Violence

Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - I only noticed one curse word in this volume - hell - but it's possible I missed a few in scanning.

Violence/Gore
 - A very big spider sinks it's fangs into the neck of a goat, a little blood spatter is shown
 - A very big spider sinks it's fangs into the neck of a boy, blood is shown dribbling down
 - Streams of blood are shown dribbling down the hands of a boy and a man as the boy is being made into a vampire
 - A boy gets a bloody knee and another boy proceeds to lick at it; blood is shown dribbling from his mouth
 - A character is thrown out of a window and killed
 - A character attempts to drive a stake through another's chest, but can't go through with it, a little blood is shown

Non-sexual Nudity
 - One of the male characters is shown soaking in the bath
 - A young girl is shown sitting on the edge of a bath tub in only a bath towel

 
Reviews
About.com
Manga Jouhou
Manga Recon
School Library Journal