<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Biomega – ComicAttack.net</title> <atom:link href="https://comicattack.net/tag/biomega/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://comicattack.net</link> <description></description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 16 May 2011 06:01:47 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3</generator> <image> <url>https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/cropped-Review-1-1-32x32.jpg</url> <title>Biomega – ComicAttack.net</title> <link>https://comicattack.net</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>Bento Bako Weekly: Dogs: Bullets and Carnage 5, Biomega 5</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/bbwdogs5biomega5/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/bbwdogs5biomega5/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 16 May 2011 06:01:47 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bento Bako Weekly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Columns]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kristin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sci-Fi]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Biomega]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Dogs: Bullets & Carnage]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shirow Miwa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shueisha]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tsutomu Nihei]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Media]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Signature]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=62893</guid> <description><![CDATA[There’s a few books that I’ve been sitting on because I didn’t want to read them. I realize that is not a good way to start off this post. Typically I try to pick something I really enjoyed or feature a special volume for my Monday columns, but this time, I just want to get […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There’s a few books that I’ve been sitting on because I didn’t want to read them. I realize that is not a good way to start off this post. Typically I try to pick something I really enjoyed or feature a special volume for my Monday columns, but this time, I just want to get these titles out of the way already. Consider that a warning that I really don’t care for the following two series. If you like these titles, well, I think you’ll like these volumes, because it’s more of what you’ve been enjoying so far. And you probably don’t need or want to read the following reviews. For everyone else, if you share my tastes, read on and judge for yourself whether these books are for you or not.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/dogsbc5.jpg"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-62895" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="dogsbc5" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/dogsbc5.jpg" alt="" width="286" height="420" /></a><strong>Title:</strong> <em>Dogs: Bullets and Carnage</em><br /> <strong>Author</strong>: Shirow Miwa<br /> <strong>Publisher:</strong> Viz Media (Viz Signature)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volume 5 (ongoing), $12.99<br /> <strong>Vintage: </strong>2010 by Shueisha in Japan, March 2011 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Action, drama</p> <p>[<a href="https://comicattack.net/2010/09/bbbdogs4/">Volume 4 review.</a>]</p> <p><em>Dogs</em> follows the lives of four main characters: Heine, the white-haired genetically modified gunman; Badou, the journalist, photographer, and information broker, searching for his brother’s killer; Naoto Fuyumine, a female sword wielder who is often with Heine; and Mihai, a retired assassin. The world of <em>Dogs</em> is a dark place, divided into the Above world and the Below world, with the Below world filled with the unsavory aspects of society, and ruled by an organization that performs genetic experimentation and is known for using extreme violence. These characters search for a way into the Below, in order to discover the secrets of their pasts. This volume features a big showdown between Heine and his “brother” Giovanni.</p> <p>We open up back in the opera house with Mihai, Badou, and Herbst. Herbst does some hypnotizing, and Badou is shot. Then all hell breaks loose. The trains come crashing through with guns literally blazing, and a massive army of strange masked men unloads from the cars and launches an attack where Liza, Nill, Heine, Naoto, and the others are gathered. A desperate fight begins to hold the army off until reinforcements arrive. As explosions rock the city, Mihai and Badou make their escape, while down below, Heine and Naoto tear through the unending waves of soldiers. In the middle of the battle, Giovanni appears and draws Heine into battle. As everyone fights for their lives, the master plan begins to form, and then an enormous string of explosions tears through the underground and the city above.</p> <p>That all sounds quite exciting, but really, my summary is more exciting that what happens. This series is just so inexplicably boring. You would think with sword fights, gun fights, explosions, mutant soldiers, genetically enhanced and near immortal characters, and all the things going on would make for an exciting read. However, in the end all of this is just a flashy show of lights to distract you from the fact that there really isn’t much there. The art, while well detailed, becomes unintelligible in heavy action scenes. The only positive thing I can really say about is that Pippin, my ferret, liked it. You can see some of his chew marks on the cover up there.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/biomega5.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-62900" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="biomega5" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/biomega5.jpg" alt="" width="289" height="422" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a><strong>Title:</strong> <em>Biomega</em><br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Tsutomu Nihei<br /> <strong>Publisher: </strong>Viz Media (Viz Signature)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volume 5 (of 6), $12.99<br /> <strong>Vintage:</strong> 2007 by Shueisha in Japan, February 2011 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Cyberpunk, science fiction, action</p> <p>[<a href="https://comicattack.net/2010/08/bbbbiomega3/">Volume 3 review.</a>]</p> <p>This series is even more unintelligible than <em>Dogs</em>, because not only is the art hard to follow, so is the story. And since I haven’t read a volume since volume 3, I’m even more lost now than I was then. My review of volume 3 said “It’s a jumbled mess of initially impressive art and very little text.” And later: The story is a mess of techno-babble, strange terms, and acronyms, and you’re just expected to “get it.” That perception continues with volume 5. Since I can’t follow a damn thing in this book, here’s the summary off the back cover:</p> <p>“Seeking to remake the world, Niarudi – the matriarch of the DRF and the mastermind behind the N5SV drone epidemic – has unleashed the reverse morphic polymer. But unplanned contact during the transformation reduces the planet to ruin. In its place a giant cordlike world appears, complete with its own population and ecosystem. Enveloped by the change, Zoichi, Nishu and the others set out into this bizarre new world to thwart Niarudi’s plans. The strange inhabitants of the ‘Cord’ bring stranger revelations still, and the struggle to control the future of humanity turns towards its final conflict!”</p> <p>That’s pretty general, and describes, as far as I can tell, the end of volume 3 and what happened in volume 4. In volume 5, Buutsu and Yaa lead Zoichi and his AI Fuyu to their village, and the hunt is on to refuel Zoichi’s bike. The opening scenes speed by in a rush of jumbled panels (well, the panels themselves are always quite structured; what I mean is what’s going on within them). All is quiet until a Patrol Inspector arrives and starts slaughtering the citizens. Zoichi and the Inspector duke it out, until it locates Yaa and leaves with her. Zoichi launches a rescue of course, but is too late to save Yaa, though not too late to get some answers. Zoichi’s theft of the child meant to be Niarudi’s vessel is only a small setback for Niarudi, as her manifest form finally appears and she easily locates their location. Despite the attacks, Zoichi decides to protect the child from the DRF and Niarudi. As usual, things won’t be easy for Zoichi. Just like this book isn’t easy to read.</p> <p>Tune in Wednesday for some books I actually very much enjoy.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kris</span><br /> kristin@comicattack.net<br /> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/girlg33k_kris">@girlg33k_Kris</a></p> <p>Review copies provided by Viz Media.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/bbwdogs5biomega5/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Bento Bako Bonus: Biomega vol. 3</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/bbbbiomega3/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/bbbbiomega3/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:30:25 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bento Bako Weekly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kristin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sci-Fi]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Biomega]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tsutomu Nihei]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Media]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Signature]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=39398</guid> <description><![CDATA[Title: Biomega Author: Tsutomu Nihei Publisher: Viz Media (Viz Signature) Volume: Volume 3 (of six), $12.99 Vintage: 2007 by Shueisha in Japan, August 10, 2010 by Viz Media Genre: Science fiction, horror, action, cyber punk I apologize in advance for the awkwardness of this review. I was completely lost reading this book; nothing made any […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/biomega3.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-40027" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="biomega3" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/biomega3.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="386" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/biomega3.jpg 469w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/biomega3-204x300.jpg 204w" sizes="(max-width: 262px) 100vw, 262px" /></a>Title:</strong> <em> Biomega</em><br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Tsutomu Nihei<br /> <strong>Publisher:</strong> Viz Media (Viz Signature)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volume 3 (of six), $12.99<br /> <strong> Vintage:</strong> 2007 by Shueisha in Japan, August 10, 2010 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Science fiction, horror, action, cyber punk</p> <p>I apologize in advance for the awkwardness of this review. I was completely lost reading this book; nothing made any sense, I had no idea what was supposed to be going on, or who these people were, etc. It doesn’t speak well for the title, because it’s not as if I’m jumping in at the middle of a long series; it’s only the third volume. It’s a jumbled mess of initially impressive art and very little text. That’s pretty much the sum of my review, but that’s hardly a “review,” therefore….</p> <p>A virus (known as N5SV) is ripping through the human population, turning them into something akin to zombies. That’s the extent of what I understand is going on in this book. It doesn’t affect synthetics, which means the main characters of <em>Biomega</em> remain virus free. The volume opens with an unnamed soldier (probably named in another volume, but his name never comes up here), seemingly sent by Niarudi to investigate a secret laboratory under the control of General Narein. Narein’s guard quickly dispatches him. Meanwhile, TOA security officer Nishu Mizunoe and the talking bear Kozlov track down an old doctor looking for a lead on Leif, whom they are trying to find before the DRF. They’re attacked by the DRF and several drones (created by the virus), and a strange liquid that was released attaches to the drones and the buildings, engulfing them in…I’m not really sure. It’s later explained to be a reverse morphic polymer that absorbs nonliving material and reconfigures the base matter. Niarudi, the DRF’s Matriarch, wants to use it to improve the Earth’s environment and create a new world. Yeah, your guess is as good as mine. Everything is pointing to the Continental Geostationary Satellite, a safe haven from the virus and the polymer, where TOA agent Zoichi Kanoe is already headed. It’s a race against time (and massive explosions) as Niarudi’s DRF forces launch an attack on Narein’s forces at the MSCF. Zoichi zooms through the battle to find Eon Green (a girl who is the key to salvation), as Niarudi moves to shut down Narein’s attempts at immortality.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></p> <figure id="attachment_40028" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-40028" style="width: 588px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/biomega3spread.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-40028 " title="biomega3spread" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/biomega3spread.jpg" alt="" width="588" height="437" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/biomega3spread.jpg 1037w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/biomega3spread-300x223.jpg 300w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/biomega3spread-768x570.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/biomega3spread-1024x760.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 588px) 100vw, 588px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-40028" class="wp-caption-text">You took the words right out of my mouth, Kozlov.</figcaption></figure> <p>Viz does absolutely nothing to make this easier to read. There are no liner notes, no glossary, no character round up, and the cover summary leaves much to be desired. The story is a mess of techno-babble, strange terms, and acronyms, and you’re just expected to “get it.” The main characters are drawn remarkably well (specifically Zoichi and Nishu), but the rest is just as complicated at the text, and it’s hard to tell what’s going on, or who (or what) some of the other people (if they’re people) are. It seems like this would be a really interesting title, but it suffers from an overly complex plot and artwork. Or maybe it’s not the plot itself that’s the problem, but rather the lack of any sensible dialog. The book is mostly visual, with lots of explosions, strange creatures, large blobs, and plenty of action. A quick flip through the pages makes it look intriguing, but a page by page read leaves not much other than confusion behind.</p> <p>If you’re a big fan of apocalyptic zombie viruses (maybe you’re a Resident Evil fan, for example), perhaps if you started from the first volume, you might find something here. For the casual reader, or someone looking for a deep story, well, you can pass on this without remorse. Volume 4 comes out in November (it was listed in <a href="https://comicattack.net/2010/08/bblaug2010prevs/">August’s </a><em><a href="https://comicattack.net/2010/08/bblaug2010prevs/">Previews</a></em>).</p> <p>Next week: Natsume Ono, ninja goodies from Yen Press, and an early look at the upcoming volume of <em>Bleach</em>.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kris</span><br /> kristin@comicattack.net<br /> <a href="http://twitter.com/girlg33k_Kris">@girlg33k_Kris</a></p> <p>Review copy provided by Viz Media.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/bbbbiomega3/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>14</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>