Mamoru the Shadow Protector, Vol. 1

By Sai Madara
DrMaster, 158 pp.
Rating: 13+

You’d think being a highly-skilled ninja would be a dream come true, but tell that to Mamoru Kagemori, the main character of Mamoru the Shadow Protector. For him, coming from a family of great warriors brings nothing but headaches, given their duty to protect the wealthy Konnyaku family. Luckily for us, his trials and tribulations translate into an entertaining, cutely-drawn manga that never takes itself too seriously, even if the main character does.

As a narrator informs us, a great lord who loved konnyaku – a traditional, Japanese jelly-like delicacy – had ordered the family which made it to be secretly-protected by a ninja clan; countless years into the future, the Kagemori family continues this tradition. By day, Mamoru Kagemori, a friend of Yuna Konnyaku since childhood, appears to be just another ordinary high school student. However, whenever Yuna gets into trouble, he uses his superhuman agility, weapons, even a ninja dog to protect her.

The idea of dual identities – one mild-mannered, the other heroic and exciting – is something right out of countless superhero comics, and indeed, Mamoru’s high school student alter-ego even includes coke-bottle eyeglasses (albeit ones with a unique swirled pattern on the lenses). But the manga bears more resemblance to one of those old Popeye cartoons featuring Sweet Pea the mischievous baby, where a simple day out becomes an epic struggle to keep harm at bay.

Yuna has a real knack for getting into trouble, and most of the hijinks in volume one stem from her accidentally witnessing a drug deal, which she, due to her ditzy nature, fails to recognize for what it is. Nevertheless, a yakuza boss decides to eliminate her, and one after another, sends henchmen, a beautiful swordswoman, even a cadre of animal-themed assassins to do the job. Although Mamoru reacts to these threats with lightning speed, Yuna, being her oblivious self, never has the slightest clue what danger she is in.

Both the overall comedic tone and her total lack of awareness make up part of Mamoru the Shadow Protector’s considerable charm, but they also help set it apart from the standard superhero comic; imagine if Superman kept himself completely secret, and Lois Lane went through life never knowing she was being watched over. It may not sound like a formula that could sustain any serial over a number of volumes, but writer/artist Sai Madara keeps things interesting in different ways, one of which is tossing a screwball to anyone expecting a traditional comic book romance.

Along with the power to beat up bullies, the ability to impress the boy/girl next door ranks high among reasons why superheroes appeal so strongly to adolescents. However, in a so-obvious-it’s-kinda-brilliant twist, Mamoru views Yuna as a burden, even expressing annoyance at certain character traits, while she seems genuinely interested in him. Later volumes will undoubtedly determine if Mamoru comes around and considers her to be more than just his job. Meanwhile, Madara wisely includes a scene giving Yuna some depth – a sub-plot in which she goes out of her way to help a lost little boy. It’s a nice break from ninja-on-yakuza action, and for readers, these moments also show exactly why Yuna really is worth rescuing.

Volume one of Mamoru the Shadow Protector is available now.

I didn’t even know he was in this movie - and wouldn’t have cared, except for this.

Me and the Devil Blues, Vol. 1

By Akira Hiramoto
Del Rey, 544 pp.
Rating: OT 16+

RJ isn’t cut out for a farmer’s life. Despite the urgings of his sister and pregnant wife to give up his dreams of becoming a bluesman, he still finds himself drawn to the local juke joint, where folks of ill repute gather to listen to the blues. His own efforts to master the guitar aren’t going well, though, and after a particularly poor reception to his playing, one of the denizens jokingly suggests that he sell his soul to the devil to obtain the skill he lacks.

The desperate RJ goes through with the deal, and returns to wow the crowd with his incredible newfound ability. All this is not without a price, though, as he learns he’s actually been gone for six months and that his wife and baby have died in the interim, part of the devil’s deal to enable him to know the blues. He sets out on the road and before too long encounters Clyde Barrow, a white man and a criminal, who involves RJ in his schemes, one of which threatens to cost RJ his life.

I can honestly say that Me and the Devil Blues is unlike any manga I’ve ever read before. In fact, I think the closest thing to it in terms of tone and feel would be The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. There are parts that I really love and parts that I still don’t quite get, and through it all there is an unstinting depiction of the brutality and ignorance of which the human race is capable. Uplifting it is not.

The art—truly excellent throughout—also reminds me of American comics to some degree, but with more consistent quality than that medium usually manages. The resemblance is particularly striking in the first few chapters, where much of the action takes place at the juke joint in RJ’s rural town. Panels have no free space, and instead reflect a darkened interior crowded with people dancing, drinking, and socializing. It’s not hard to imagine it in gritty color.

Hiramoto also does great things with the character of Clyde Barrow, managing to visually convey the man’s potential to be charming, confident, scheming, rattled, and dangerous. I particularly like the mannerisms he’s been given; I’m not sure I’ve seen a mangaka bother to give someone a recognizable tic like Clyde’s habitual hair smoothing before. The time period of the story (early 1930s) is also well-rendered, with hairstyles, clothing, cars, and attitudes all doing their part to contribute to a feel of historical accuracy.

While certainly not the sunniest option one might have for reading material, Me and the Devil Blues is not one to miss. It may also be just the thing for that comics-loving pal of yours who is absolutely convinced there’s no manga that would appeal to them.

Volume 1 of Me and the Devil Blues is available now.

Black Panther #40. Secret Invasion tie-in.

Immortal Iron Fist #18. Pencils by Foreman.

New Warriors #15, New Warriors: Thrashed TP. Written by Grevioux. The former is a Secret Invasion tie-in.

Also notable:

Family Dynamic #1 (of 3). J. Torres and Tim Levins, the duo behind The Copybook Tales, reunite for this new mini about a superhero family.

Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1 (of 2). Grant Morrison writes this FC spin-off which includes a 3D section!

Mighty Avengers #17, New Avengers #44. SI tie-ins.

Echo: Moon Lake TP. The first trade paperback of Terry Moore’s new series.

Vin Diesel talks about Babylon AD here and about future Riddick movies here.

Jonas Moore creator Howard Webster talks about his plans for the character.

Zoe Saldana talks Star Trek.

The University of Southern California today announced that Jenova Chen, co- founder of thatgamecompany, has been recognized by Technology Review magazine as one of the world’s top innovators under the age of 35 for his revolutionary approach to video gaming.

As a graduate student, Chen looked to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of “flow,” which identifies a state of focus that people find enjoyable and fulfilling. Chen uses the theory’s principles to design games that offer just enough challenge — not so little that players become bored, not so much that they become anxious.

Chen, along with Kellee Santiago, formed thatgamecompany, and secured a 3 game deal with Sony Computer Entertainment America. Their first commercial title “flOw” was release on the SONY PS3 Network, has been named the “Best Downloadable Game of 2008″ and “Best Debut Game & Innovation Nominee” by the Game Developers Choice Awards 2008, and is the best selling game on the Playstation Network in both US and Japan. Their next title, “Flower,” will be released later this year.

“The TR35 honors young innovators for accomplishments that are poised to have a dramatic impact on the world as we know it,” said Jason Pontin, editor- in-chief and publisher of Technology Review magazine. “We celebrate their success and look forward to their continued advancement of technology in their respective fields.”

“Jenova Chen exemplifies what it means to be an innovator. He pushes the boundaries of his industry, questioning assumptions about what gaming can be. Because of his breakthrough vision, the impact from his approach to gaming will be felt for generations to come,” said Krisztina “Z” Holly, USC Vice Provost for Innovation and Executive Director of the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation.

Chen and the other TR35 winners for 2008 will be featured in the September issue of Technology Review magazine and honored at EmTech08 Conference to be held at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. September 23-25, 2008.

“There he was, standing in all of his 81-Points-in-one-game glory, wearing his blue and red NBA-approved sweat suit. The dimes fell from my hand onto the counter like copper and tin rain as I gasped out a meager, ‘Kobe!’

“Kobe, his one-man entourage and bodyguard all snickered unsurprised at my reaction as I fumbled around the counter to open the door. As I took out my keys I heard Kobe’s friend say, ‘That’s one way to get them to open up.’

“I opened the door and shook the hands of the three men as they entered the store and said, ‘Welcome to Lee’s Comics, how can I help you?’ I must have been working on some sort of autonomous shock setting as I spoke with Kobe, stunned that he was in San Mateo and in Lee’s Comics asking him, ‘So what kind of stuff are you into?’”

Also: A Kyle Baker audio interview.

“…I don’t know how one might go about writing an historical piece on blues musicians without dealing directly with the issue of race in America at the time. You can give ten intelligent, rational people access to the same one hundred books on a given topic and every one of them will develop a different picture of what that thing is. I took a hard, long look at the lives of blues musicians and the audiences they serviced from the period and this is what I saw. I make no claims to its veracity. It’s fiction.”

Bluesman

Plus: Cairo writer G. Willow Wilson talks about her forthcoming Vixen mini.

Chinatown Fair in NYC got Street Fighter 4 yesterday.

(I can’t really call this a “Hands On Impression” as that might make it sound like I got to play it a few times, when in fact I only played it *once* the whole night).

By the time I got there after work (around 6:30) there were so many people lined up and crowded around the machine that you couldn’t even see the machine. Compacting this, the game is set up in two side-by-side Japanese-style sit-down “cabinets” which is cool when you’re playing, but not so much for spectating.

I’d say for the first couple hours I didn’t get to play, or even witness, the game. Most of the guys around the machine had been there since before Henry (CF tech) had even set the machines up. I put my name on the list and was #40 lol.

Eventually I finally got my turn and picked Zangief. My opponent had Ryu and zoned me pretty well. I walked into an embarrassing number of fireballs getting used to the jumps and general feel of the game. I experimented with the lariat and banishing hand (pretty effective!), managing to get in and piledrive him a few times, and I even got a super SPD on him once which especially rewarding. Sadly I didn’t get to land my Ultra (your level 3 super where the game dramatically pauses and you get the cut scene animation before it activates) and the one time I tried to use the new Focus Attack it didn’t work too well for me heh. I ended up only winning the one round and had to go to the back of the line. So I just watched the rest of the time.

I got to ask questions about the gameplay from the other guys who had played more. Despite being someone who is at the arcade playing MVC2 & CVS2 like 3 times a week, I just didn’t have much interest in SF4. Honestly up until I heard CF was getting the game I hadn’t even read any articles or watched any videos about SF4 beyond the first one they released. The graphics are decent, but they sure aren’t the game’s selling point. (There’s some serious ugly IMO). As always with SF it’s the gameplay. I agree with the assessment that the gameplay feels like a mix between 3rd Strike and Super Turbo. The new Focus Attack system seems to add a nice layer of strategy but because it takes meter it’s not something you can do over and over like parrying.

Character-wise, people were mostly picking the usual standbys from the original cast while they tried to get used to the system. A couple people picked La Fuerte and lost badly, not helping the Mexcian wrestler’s rep as lowest of low tier. No one picked Rufus (thankfully?) or Viper. Justin Wong had six wins with Abel. Justin had six wins with everyone he played. The machine is currently set so 6 is the most wins you can get, and after that your game ends — which might sound like a ripoff at first, especially when you consider the game costs $1 to play!

($1.00 a game is a lot! But I think it’s fair when you consider CF must’ve shelled out a good chunk of dough for this game/setup. And also, the machine has a built-in in dollar slot, so that pretty much sets the price…)

The win-streak cap is actually a good thing, at least for now — because the alternative is for the top players like Justin to have 20 or 30 plus wins in a row, and everyone just waiting in line to play him. Later they’ll change it, but for now everybody gets to play the new game more this way.

Like I said, I wasn’t excited about SF4, but after last night I definitely got interested and am looking forward to trying it more. Only thing is, the SF4 machine at CF is like the hottest movie right now — there’s going to be lines til it cools off. So to anyone thinking about checking it out, you’ve been warned :)

He could pick a worse running mate, I suppose.

Sony has just announced the first details as well as release information for the upgraded PSP. Replacing the current PSP-2000, also known as the PSP Slim, the PSP-3000 will boast a number of new features. Most notable of those are the new high contrast LCD as well as a built-in mic. The LCD will also sport a better response time, better color representation and an anti-reflection technology to help increase visibility in well-lit areas.

The built-in microphone will allow users take advantage of games with voice features, Skype and other communication tools without requiring any additional accessories.

The video output port on the PSP-3000 will include interlace support. What this means is that gamers that couldn’t take advantage of the feature on the PSP-2000 due to it being progressive only (HD) will be able to play PSP content directly on their non-HD TVs.

The system is due to release in Piano Black, Pearl White and Mystic Silver. The new units are due for release worldwide in October 2008.