"Last" Time and New Beginning

Every time I think a comic is the last one we'll see of Dick Grayson as Nightwing, DC comes out with something else.  Batman #687 may very well be the "last" time we'll see Dick as Nightwing unless it's a flashback.  Ed Benes does the pencils for the pages below:

 

  

Then, in Batman #688, we get to see Dick as Batman.  I like him as Batman thus far (Batman & Robin is definitely worth checking out).  I wonder how long will he stay Batman.  Will it be something that's undone in a year or two (like the deaths of Superman and Captain America) or will it be semi-permanent (like the different Robins/Flashes)?  Mark Bagley does the pencils in the scans below:

 

 

Busou Renkin

Today's post is another request from the shoutbox (and also e-mail). Buso Renkin is a manga and anime series by Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of Ruroni Kenshin.  The story seems to combine elements of Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist with a young man fighting homunculus (homunculi?) after getting killed by one and then resurrected by a mysterious girl. 

It took me a little longer than usual to find art for today's post in part because a lot of the art I found only features the main male/female couple.  There are a few male characters in Buso Renkin, so I tried to find what I could of them as well.  A good portion of the screenshots in this post were sent to me by e-mail.  I found the rest online and even stitched some together. 

Both the anime and manga version of Buso Renkin are available in America from Viz Media.  If you're one of the lucky people to have Funimation Channel then you'll be able to see the anime there as well.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Image Archive (.zip):  RS or MF

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de

After covering the guys of such games/animes like La Corda d'Oro and Neo Angelique, it makes sense to cover the other major franchise of otome games from Koei, Harukanaru Toki no Naka de (aka Haruka: Beyond The Streams of Time). 

Haruka's storyline is somewhat reminiscent of Fushigi Yugi as it features a modern girl who gets drawn into a world that resembles Heian period Japan.  The girl is hailed as a priestess and, as a result, is surrounded by a group of hot guys who protect her.

The original game spawned a franchise that also includes manga, anime, drama CDs, and a movie in addition to several sequels.  The art in today's post comes from a combination of these sources.

The anime TV series was released in America by Bandai Visual USA, which was folded into Bandai Entertainment.  Viz Media is currently releasing the manga.

  

 

  

  

  

  

  

 

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Ka-Zar

I like Deadpool and usually he's drawn pretty nicely. However, in the first issue of the new series Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth, it was the guest appearance by Ka-Zar that got my attention.  Bong Dazo does the pencils in the scans below, which also includes a nice variant cover of Wade himself.

 

  

 

Justice League: Cry For Justice

Justice League: Cry For Justice is a new mini-series.  Although the writing isn't exactly the best, the art is great.  Mauro Cascioli does the artwork here, which I think is digital painting.

 

  

  

  

More Resident Evil: Degeneration

It's time to revisit the direct-to-video CG movie Resident Evil: Degeneration.  It's been nearly a year since it was first featured here and today's post features screencaps from the film.

I wish I could take credit for these pics but I can't.  They are from a great site called Clickity Click which has screencaps of a lot of different stuff.  The top pic, however, is a stitch I made from two different screencaps.

I hope Capcom makes another CG movie like this for Resident Evil one day.  I'd like the hunky Chris Redfield to get a movie of his own.

Dragon Ranger

Dragon Ranger is a manga series by Syunnpei Nakata about a sentai/Power Rangers-esque group of heroes.  However, this isn't your typical action manga.  It's bara (muscular yaoi) where a battle between a hero and a villain could easily result in some sex.  It's a ton of fun to read and the art is great.

The scans below are courtesy of Croup, who has been posting English scanlations of the unlicensed manga on his blog Soupgoblin's Stash (link not worksafe).  These pics are just the tame ones I can post here. 

 

  

  

  

 

Artist Spotlight: Aya Shouoto

Today's Artist Spotlight focuses on Aya Shouoto.  She is a manga artist who has done a bit of everything.  Her work includes shoujo, yaoi, and yuri.  I noticed her artwork when I started seeing more and more art from her current series Barajou no Kiss (aka Kiss of Rose Princess).

As far as I can tell, none of her works are available in the U.S. yet.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

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