Yes, new comic book day looms, but there’s plenty of goodness on deck for Wednesday.  The many heads of the hydra that is DC will be offering such probable gems as LOSERS #14, PLANETARY #20, and SLEEPER SEASON 2 #2.  Though I wasn’t blown away with the first issue of Gail Simone’s LEGION arc, I’ll be picking up #36, as even middling Simone is worth a look.

Image had my hopes up with a book called SMALL GODS.  I thought briefly that there was finally an adaptation of a Terry Pratchett book (in point of fact the one that I’m reading at the moment), but that’s not the case.  It’s about psychics, or something.

From Marvel, I’ve been enjoying Sean McKeever’s work on MYSTIQUE, and issue #17 is due.  Joss Whedon’s promising run (and John Cassaday’s basketastic art) continues in ASTONISHING X-MEN #3.  X-STATIX #25 rolls towards its conclusion as the Avengers arc continues.  And, speaking of the Avengers, some fellow named Bendis starts writing them with tomorrow’s AVENGERS #500.  (For those of you who always thought there were just too darn many members of that particular organization, fear not.  Bendis feels your pain.)  POWERS #2 will also be on the f&#*ing shelves. 

Oddly enough, Don MacPherson, who admired IDENTITY CRISIS #2, doesn’t feel quite as warmly towards AVENGERS #500.  They’re both about super-heroes’ mistakes coming back to haunt them, which isn’t at all a theme that’s being flogged to death.

They aren’t on my shopping list (because I’ve already bought them), but if all the failure and everything-changing and chaos are getting you down, might I recommend either Amelia Rules:  The Whole World’s Crazy! or The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius?  Each is delightful and hilariously funny in entirely different ways.  (Though I must urge you in the strongest possible terms to avoid reading Judd Winnick’s acknowledgements page in Barry Ween, unless you have an extraordinarily high tolerance for name dropping.  Judd, you’ve written a book that doesn’t drive me up the wall.  Don’t spoil it by talking.)

The power of words is taken quite literally in Yu Watase’s ALICE 19TH by Viz.  They can be used to heal or to harm, particularly the 24 Lotis words and their darker counterparts, the Marams.

Alice Seno is a shy, dutiful teen-ager who sublimates her feelings and desires to those of her family and friends.  She’s hesitant to express herself, particularly about her love for fellow student Kyo.  So Alice says nothing when her sister, popular and outgoing Mayura, reveals her own feelings for Kyo and acts on them.

In a moment of uncharacteristic courage, Alice saves a rabbit from traffic.  As you might expect, the good deed doesn’t go unrewarded or unpunished.  The rabbit is Nyozeka, a mystical servant of the Lotis words who trains young people to master them.  Alice, it seems, is her new charge.  She wants Alice to learn the Lotis words and use them to battle Mana, the darkness that lurks in human hearts.

This becomes fairly critical as Alice’s insecurity and inexperience have terrible consequences for Mayura.  Alice, with the help of Nyozeka, Kyo, and Frey, another Lotis trainee, must rescue Mayura from the darkness that threatens to consume her.

It’s a wonderful premise, and it’s perfectly suited to the young cast.  The teens’ natural insecurity, emotional intensity, and secretiveness make them particularly susceptible to Mana, and the threats take on a particular resonance since they come from inside.  It’s also refreshing that the Lotis masters in training are helping people achieve some measure of inner peace and find strength as opposed to battling for its own sake.

The characters are all crafted nicely.  Alice may be shy, but she’s not weak.  Kyo’s initial impression as a typical love interest – sensitive, handsome, perfect – becomes much richer as his own inner conflicts are revealed.  And Frey, despite being more advanced in his training, is an amusingly goofy lothario.  Supporting characters like troublemaking schoolgirl Oishi and Alice and Kyo’s family members, round things out nicely, while furthering story.

Watase’s art is lovely, particularly the shifting inner heart landscapes.  The storytelling is always clear, and Watase takes advantage of the fantastical premise to vary panel and page layouts.  But the realistic moments, at school or at home, aren’t shorted.  They provide contrast and balance.  Character design is strong, from innocent Alice to heartthrob Kyo to Nyozeka in her various strangely adorable manifestations.

ALICE 19TH takes a fairly standard structure – young trainees out of their depth eager to do right – and gives it welcome depth.  Heartfelt romance, layered emotions, character-based comedy, and the affirming message of healing words combine to make this manga something special.

Looking for a meticulously researched police procedural?  Hungry for a probing meditation on the fluidity of sexual orientation?  Then keep looking, because FAKE is neither of those things.  But if you’re looking for a slick, engaging romantic adventure, you could do a whole lot worse.

In FAKE Vol. 1, Sanami Matoh introduces readers to New York City detective Dee and his new partner, Ryo.  On the surface, Dee is the prototypical cop who plays by his own rules.  He’s cocky and conceited, yet charming in spite of that.  Ryo is reserved, a little uncertain, and seems initially to stick closer to procedure.  Dark-haired Dee and blonde Ryo are handsome as models.  It’s the standard buddy-cop character formula, but I don’t remember Hutch ever sticking his tongue down Starsky’s throat.

This happens fairly frequently in the course of FAKE, as Matoh is a lot more interested in tracing Ryo and Dee’s evolving personal relationship than he is in telling cop stories.  Ryo resists Dee’s advances, in part because he’s still figuring out what he wants.  Beyond that, he has good reason to wonder just how deep Dee’s feelings run.  Dee passes himself off as a lothario, and he may well be one, but there are many moments that hint at deeper feelings.

The pair’s investigations aren’t really much more than a backdrop for their courtship dance.  This is all to the good, because the law enforcement content of the manga doesn’t bear much resemblance to the realities of police work.  It’s just an opportunity to fold in some fairly deft if unrealistic adventure content to punch up the moments when the hot guys make out.

The cop work also helps round out the supporting cast.  In one case, Ryo befriends a streetwise orphan, Bikky.  Bikky’s father has been murdered, and he latches onto Ryo as a father figure and protector.  Bikky’s juvenile homophobia triggers a need in him to “protect” Ryo from what he sees as Dee’s predatory advances.  This could sour the proceedings, but it’s played largely for laughs, and it’s just as likely that Bikky sees Dee as a rival for Ryo’s attention.  (Dee certainly sees Bikky that way.)  Bikky’s friend Carol, a charming young pickpocket, doesn’t care about the cops’ sparking much either way.  Her priorities are her ailing father and Bikky.

FAKE’S strength lies in the characters, who are all appealing in their own flawed ways.  Matoh has done a fine job of creating the kind of interpersonal dynamics that can further story, and even the short-term characters – crooks, cops, etc. – are distinct.  The art is appropriately dynamic, and Matoh does action, comedy, and romance equally well.  If there’s a problem, it’s the sometimes clunky translation if dialogue.  Syntax can be a bit off, too formal or stiff, but it’s not bad enough to hurt the flow of the otherwise deft storytelling.

On a more personal note, I have to admit that one of the things I love about FAKE is that it’s not About Being Gay.  It focuses on gay characters, but they aren’t specimens.  Sexuality isn’t presented as a problem or an issue so much as part of a larger mosaic.  Dee and Ryo work, they make friends and enemies, they flirt, they go through life.  And they kiss.

And, on another more personal note, I just don’t think there are nearly enough comics featuring hot guys kissing.  So if you ever watched Glaser and Soul busting perps and thought, “Just kiss already,” FAKE might be for you, too.

It sounds so much cooler than “offline.”  Anyway, I’ll be out of touch for about a week or so, but I’ll be back a bloviating with a great big stack of recently read manga and trash novels in the holster.  Woo hoo!
 
Oh, and I’ll try and do something about the freakish state of my blog layout when I return.
 

Feedback on IDENTITY CRISIS keeps rolling in, notably from Don MacPherson and Randy Lander at The Fourth Rail. 
 
Randy gives issue two a score of 1 out of a possible 10.  Here’s why:
 

“When you’re working in a shared universe, you have a responsibility to think beyond just the shock moment, and Meltzer hasn’t done that. I find it ironic that in the same week DC publishes one of the one-shots celebrating the imagination and fun that Julius Schwartz brought to DC, including a story that features Ralph and Sue Dibny, they are also publishing a series that literally rapes the characters.”