With so many good titles to talk about this week, I’m going to cut to the chase and highlight my favorites. Look for the complete shipping list after the cut…

Cat-Eyed Boy, Vol. 1 (Viz): Over at The Comic Book Bin, Leroy Douresseaux offers an excellent summary of Cat-Eyed Boy’s appeal:

Something that I admire and enjoy in Kazuo Umezu’s horror fiction is his embrace of that which is absurd, grotesque, and macabre in the supernatural. So much of American horror deals with violence, as if the only way in which the reader can be made fearful is through the threat of bloody hell. That’s why so much of American horror cinema revolves around a familiar scenario: You did something to me when we were in high school; now, ten years later, I’m going to kill all of you using pricey cutlery. There’s this insistence on logic and logical motives – even when dealing with an illogical or insane person.

There may be an internal logic to how Umezu creates, and there may even be an overarching logic to his narrative. However, he presents the supernatural as outside of nature – the other or something else entirely different from the human world. Our logic, our rules, and our bargaining power don’t work. It is not uncommon for Japanese horror or supernatural stories to eschew logic; things often don’t make sense. Even when humans think they’ve discovered the rules of the game or that special incantation to ward off the bad, it won’t necessarily work – even when it’s so obvious that it should.

In short, Umezu’s special brand of Comeuppance Theater is a celebration of the irrational, the grotesque, and the subconscious—the very things that John Fuseli and William Blake celebrated in their work. (OK, maybe that’s stretching it. But it’s not a stretch to say that Umezu has an affinity for odd, dreamy images that look like the by-product of an absinthe-soaked brain.)

Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, Vol. 9 (Viz): Really, do I need to say more than “Bernese Mountain Dog puppies on the cover”? Yes? Then you’re probably a cat person, and should seek out copies of What’s Michael? post-haste.

Kurogane Communication, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi): It’s the end of the world as she knows it, but Haruka, the plucky heroine of Kurogane Communication, feels fine. She’s got a posse of robot pals to keep her company as she journeys across an apocalyptic wasteland searching for other humans. Though I’ve seen many glosses on the same Omega Man premise, Kurogane Communication wins points for embracing a light-hearted approach to the material, steering clear of the angst, cynicism, and brutish violence that too often make doomsday scenarios about as much fun to read as having a root canal.

Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, Vol. 15 (Viz): I’m secretly convinced that “Naoki Urasawa” is actually a nom de plume for John le Carré, who decided that after years of writing tightly crafted espionage thrillers, he was going to let his hair down and write a gonzo, de Palma-esque story with all the trimmings: a Stasi-run home for little wanderers (and future assassins), a cross-dressing psychopath, and an innocent doctor framed for murders he didn’t commit. If it sounds absurd, it is. But Urasawa is a masterful storyteller, never losing momentum (or credibility, for that matter) as he spins his elaborate, multi-faceted yarn.

Walkin’ Butterfly, Vol. 3 (Aurora): This fierce, odd, funny series focuses on a very tall, very self-conscious girl who decides to transform her life by becoming… a runway model. (I know, I know, that doesn’t sound like the best career choice for someone with body issues.) If manga-ka Chihiro Tamaki had adopted a fizzy, chick-lit approach to the material, I would have checked out after two chapters. But she isn’t afraid to make her heroine uncouth and unlikable, nor does she glamorize the fashion industry—if anything, Tamaki demonstrates that the climb from Booth Babe to Catwalk Queen is an arduous process that’s anything but fabulous. With great, spiky artwork that’s as unfinished as its lead character.

SHIPPING THIS WEEK
.hack//GU, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
.hack//XXXX, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
A.I. Revolution, Vol. 4 (Go! Comi)
+ANIMA, Vol. 8 (Tokyopop)
Aoi House in Love, Vol. 2 (Seven Seas)
Battle Royale Ultimate Edition, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
Battle Vixens, Vol. 13 (Tokyopop)
Bogle, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)
Cat-Eyed Boy, Vol. 1 (Viz)
DragonBall: VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 1 (Viz)
DragonBall Z: VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Fallen Moon Daten No Tsuki (DMP)
From Eroica With Love, Vol. 13 (CMX)
Fruits Basket Ultimate Edition, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
Gakuen Alice, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
Go Go Heaven, Vol. 6 (CMX)
Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, Vol. 9 (Viz)
Junjo Romantica, Vol. 6 (BLU Manga)
King of Hell, Vol. 19 (Tokyopop)
Kurogane Communication, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)
Me & My Brothers, Vol. 4 (Tokyopop)
Musashi #9, Vol. 15 (CMX)
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, Vol. 15 (Viz)
Pet Shop of Horrors Tokyo, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Saiyuki Reload, Vol. 8 (Tokyopop)
Shin Megami Tensei Kahn, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Tarot Café, Vol. 7 (Tokyopop)
Venus Versus Virus, Vol. 4 (Seven Seas)
Walkin’ Butterfly, Vol. 3 (Aurora)
Welcome to the NHK, Vol. 7 (Tokyopop)
A Wise Man Sleeps, Vol. 2 (Go! Comi)
Yggdrasil, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)