Book Review – Flight: Volume Three

Flight: Volume Three was my first book review for the Bin.

Flight: Volume 3

Publisher: Random House/Ballantine Books
Edited by: Kazu Kibuishi

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published July 22, 2006

Flight: Volume Three is a phenomenal book. Heralded as ‘a fantasy anthology that is a must for comics connoisseurs and a delight to readers’ (- Publishers Weekly), Flight takes us away from planet earth on a non-stop journey to animated heaven.

The third book in the series, Flight: Volume Three carries on from where the other two anthologies left off, bearing fruits from some of the best known names in the comic, cartoon and animation business. With such a wonderful array of work, it is almost impossible to put this book down. One of the most pleasant aspects of this anthology is the material within which is essentially, animation of the highest quality.

For comic lovers and newcomers to the genre, the Flight series of books are a great way to celebrate the artistry and work of so many different creators and animators, as well as being able to view the subtle differences that distinguish one cartoon/story/animation from the next. Should you ever be in the market for a book that contains a wonderful blend of animation from all over the world, Flight is definitely a must for your bookshelf.

Flight is not just an anthology of work by well known artists. This is what makes the Flight series of books so appealing. You can peruse work from all levels of expertise and creativity in one, neat package. The art work presented in this book ranges from the colourful and abstract to the dark and obscure with such pieces as ‘Earl D.’ by Yoko Tanaka, which uses dark colours to emphasise mood. The beauty of colour is wildly expressed in the piece ‘Old Oak Trees’ by Tony Cliff as a contrast to Yoko Tanaka’s darker piece of animation.

Many of the cartoons take on the classic feel with words to support the pictures like your average comic strip. Others sway from the classic format and rely on pictures alone to tell the story. Either way, the contrast in format adds originality and flavour to the book. The glossy pages are rich in contrast as well as individualistic stories to ponder and enjoy. If you also want to know who the faces are behind the wonderful art in this book, the back pages will introduce you to all the artists included in this volume.

Overall, we found Flight: Volume Three a wonderful experience and we only hope that more fans of comics or books in general, will uncover the same delight that we have. Each and every artist that has taken part in this achievement should be very proud to have their work included in this great anthology. We would happily recommend this series to anyone who had an eye for artistic, imaginative and creative animation.

You may view the original published book review here.

Art Work: 10/10
Content and Presentation: 10/10
Overall: 10/10

Novel Review – Vampire Hunter D: Volume Three

The third book in the series so far is proving to be a lot more interesting than the previous two volumes. Published link to come.

Vampire Hunter D Volume 3: Demon Deathchase

Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Illustrator: Yoshitaka Amano
Published by: Dr Master
Genre: Seinen, Action, Supernatural

Reviewed by Julie Gray

In the third book in the series, D’s adventures find him stumbling upon a bleak and eerie looking village. Feeling all of the bad karma in the air, D’s uncanny ability to hone in on a potentially dangerous situation lands him smack bang in the middle of a village full of the Undead. D soon realises that it’s not a welcoming committee. But D isn’t the only one making tracks for the village and finally we get to meet some of the other characters in the series who might just be able to kick some life into this rather slow and for the most part, uneventful tale.

The mercenaries in the story are a great addition to the plot. The arrival of the mercenaries gives D’s character a bit of a shove into action and we think Hideyuki is much better at describing action scenes in his books than he is talking about preternatural charm and the women who succumb to it. We’d be happy to read a lot more of this type of thing and the beginning to middle of this book is just busting at the seams with action scenes. That’s a big plus.

Yet again, D is somehow saving another sweet damsel in distress although the character of Leila is refreshingly different to the previous women introduced thus far in the series. Leila seems to have more of a backbone than the other female characters D has encountered and again, this is a good thing. It’s nice to see the scope and focus of the story change. Less repetition is great and we are beginning to find the story interesting once more.

Being a hunter for hire and a Dhamphir, it’s understandable that D’s character will come across as aloof and detached and we get this and even like it. D is not a difficult character to like but some of the situations that Hideyuki has created for him really have us wondering what he is intending to do with D in the end. There is always the undercurrent of romance mingled in amongst the dark and foreboding storyline but we can’t help thinking it always seems to come at the wrong time in the story or it’s just overly exaggerated. Nonetheless, with more action and less lovey-dovey, things seem to be balancing out a lot more.

Vampire Hunter D Volume 3 Demon Deathchase is probably the best book in the series so far. The first book took a while to warm to but started off great, the second book seemed to take a bit of a slump as far as depth and character development goes but the third book really does have what the other two books seemed to lack and the story is seriously beginning to pick up pace. If the plot continues the way it’s going, with more action and intensity, we think that the series will eventually find its feet away from the doldrums of mediocrity. The preview of the fourth book certainly looks like it might be off to a good start.

Novel Review – Vampire Hunter D: Volume Two

This is the second book in the series of novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi. The story is developing, albeit a little slowly. Published link to come.

Vampire Hunter D Volume 2: Raiser of Gales

Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Illustrator: Yoshitaka Amano
Published by: Dr Master
Genre: Seinen, Action, Supernatural

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published March 3, 2007

The second novel in this series starts off in a rather grim and bloody way which we found irresistibly enticing. Unfortunately, that feeling ended all too quickly when the token ‘damsel in distress’ was introduced. If you have read the first novel in this series, you will know that the beginning sequences describe a meeting between D and a mysterious female. Of course, the girl is always voluptuous and impossibly beautiful. And that isn’t where the similarities between the first and second novel end. The women that cross D’s path always seem to be victimised in one way or another and are completely and utterly consumed by D’s preternatural appearance and charm. Can this get a little tired? Yes, and rather quickly.

Hideyuki needs to start thinking a little more about the plot and characters when there are too many obvious similarities between the books. We know that D is a Dhamphir and is bound to have supernatural abilities. We just don’t think it needs to be explained in a way that appears repetitious. That doesn’t stop you wandering about what D would be like if you met him in a dark alley. In this book, D still appears to be both the hunter and the hunted and is still trying to find his place in Hideyuki’s dark and desolate world.

This second book has more action and gore in it than the previous book and it happens quite early on. Before the second chapter even beings there is already an attempted gang-rape of Lina, the character that D meets and subsequently saves. Shortly after there is a gory, blood-drenched massacre by a psychotic pixie! The action sequences are described well and Hideyuki definitely has a talent for creating images for your mind to ponder over. Each action sequence seems to be entirely separate from the next without reading like it has come unhinged from the rest of the story.

The characters in this book almost seem to be more like ‘ghosts’ than ‘real’ characters that we can come to know and respect. D seems to be the only constant throughout the novels so far that has any real substance. Perhaps this is what the author intended? D’s character is like a bird that flies in and out of people’s lives, rearranging them and making their lives better, albeit from a distance, before he disappears again. There is something quite melancholic about this but there is also something annoying about the inconsistency of such a character. We like to think this was the intention of the author rather than a shortcoming of the plot or character development.

Imagery is big on Hideyuki’s list, we get that and we like it, for the most part. If he could only do away with the over-romanticised descriptions of D and the women he meets, the books would be a lot more enjoyable.

You can view the original published article here.