Geek of Oz

Madman have released the complete collection of Rideback on Blu Ray and DVD, a story based on a manga series of the same name by Tetsuro Kasahara. Rideback is one of those series that seems to creep up on you with very little in terms of pedigree. The manga hasn't been released in English, the creator of the manga is relatively unknown and its the directorial debut of Atsushi Takahashi. So, can we rely solely on pedigree to determine the quality of the entire series? "Atop her robotic RideBack motorcycle, an ex-dancer ignites the fires of rebellion in a nation held captive by its own oppressive government.  After an injury forces Rin to trade her stage career for college life, she finds new thrills as a member of the RideBack Club. When she discovers an unusual connection with one machine in particular - Fuego - she is forced into the middle of a revolution. The tyrannical new government rules with an iron fist, and Rin is reluctant to take them on. But as her dearest frie...

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, although released in February, has been a sleeper favourite of mine. Partially for its fun and easy to read story but also because it is about Yokai ( 妖怪) ! Yokai are Japanese spirits/monsters/ghouls that can be as terrifying as a giant red-skinned monster or as confounding as a one-eyed umbrella. Knowledge of Yokai has slowly permeated the Western world with the release of "Yokai Attack!" by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt, "The Great Yokai War" by Taskashi Miike and, of course, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan written and illustrated by Hiroshi Shiibashi. "While the day belongs to humans, the night belongs to yokai,  supernatural creatures that thrive on human fear. Caught between these  worlds is Rikuo Nura. He's three-quarters human, but his grandfather is  none other than Nurarihyon, the supreme commander of the Nura clan, a  powerful yokai consortium. So, Rikuo is an ordinary teenager three  quarters of the time, until his yokai...

Siren Visual's release of Angel Beats! ( エンジェルビーツ!)  on DVD hits shelves today. Apparently, a few lucky preorder customers have received their copies already.  Its insanely difficult to place Angel Beats! into just one category. Probably the best way to explain it is to say that if The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and K-On! had a baby, Angel Beats would be it. There's mystery, comedy, music and action galore.

American Dark Age by writer Jean Michel and artist Jacqueline Taylor is the first release from New York based independent publisher, Megabrain Comics. Great art? Check. Intriguing storyline? Check. Pretty rock chick with a bad attitude and a broad sword? Check, one, two!

Really, I know that a fun run shouldn't be competitive but our mate Sonic is going to tear the field up! The Blue Speedster is raising money for The Sydney Children's Foundation. Support the cause and make a donation, small or large. I have! Find out more after the jump...

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1 Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Penciled by SARA PICHELLI Cover by KAARE ANDREWS (Cover will be POLYBAGGED) Variant Cover by SARA PICHELLI I was a massive fan of the original Ultimate Spider-Man run which lasted for 133 issues and nearly 10 years. Following its "cancellation" and rebirth I decided not to get it, partially for monetary reasons but also out of some stupid brand of protest which is almost exclusive to we geeks "I love it so much that I refuse to get it because of changes made". I'm sure we've all done this at one point or another. In fact, I'm quite sure that there are many of us out there doing the exact same thing in retaliation to the DC relaunch and Lucas' latest changes to Star Wars. But, I digress...

Karneval (カーニヴァル or K∀RNEVAL) is a manga series written and illustrated by Touya Mikanagi. Although aimed at the shojo demographic, there is nothing particularly feminine about it. There is no boy love or long and drawn out lovey dovey nonsense to speak of. There is, however, some beautifully drawn art, stylistic action sequences and a good helping of humour which should keep even the most manly of manga fans interested. "When innocent country boy Nai sets foot into the sordid cutthroat realm of the city, he might as well have painted a target on his own back. Kidnappers, murderers and desperados abound, waiting to take advantage of a boy guileless enough to believe blood is merely "red water". When he is framed for a murder, it is the bandit Gareki who bails him out. Being a shrewd and sharp-eyed thief, however, Gareki's motives are less than pure. Nai is looking for a friend who has disappeared and left behind something particularly intriguing - an I.D bracelet fr...

Before you even bother reading further. Answer me these riddles three:  Do you like anime? Do you like zombies? Do you like big boobs? If you answered yes to at least 2 out of 3, you'll love High School of the Dead. "A deadly new disease is ravaging the world, turning the populace into mindless zombies, and the number of infected is skyrocketing by the second. As their fellow classmates and teachers succumb to the infection around them, a small group of students at Fujimi High School are fighting for their lives after surviving the initial outbreak. It is up to Takashi Komuro to unite the group of weary survivors and try to escape the horrors that surround them. In this new world of the living dead…will they escape? High School of the Dead is by Director Tetsuro Araki (Deathnote, Black Lagoon), animated by studio MADHOUSE and adapted from the highly successful manga of the same name by Daisuke Sato."

The Change-Up is a body swapping buddy comedy from writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (The Hangover) and directed by David Dobkin (The Wedding Crashers). Aside from informing you that the film stars Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds, there's not much else you need to know. School yard buddies, Dave Lockwood (Bateman) and Mitch Planko (Reynolds) are envious of each others lives. Dave is a successful yet overworked lawyer and father of three. Constantly on the go, he longs for the freedom available to Mitch through his unemployed, pot smoking lifestyle. They go on a big night out, grumbling about how they wish they could swap lives. They do this while peeing into a magical fountain then, badda-bing, badda-boom, they wake up in each others bodies.

GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY! If you weren't excited about Sonic Generations before you should be now!  Sega have just issues a press release with information and pictures of the Collector's Edition of the upcoming Sonic Generations and it looks like the perfect way to celebrate our little blue pals 20th birthday. there are plenty of "Collector's Edition" games coming out nowadays but not all of them look the goods like this one. Continue on for Sega's official press release and photographs of the SQUEE-worthy pack.

Released last week by Madman, Dance in the Vampire Bund takes place in modern day Japan. Opening on the set of a Japanese light entertainment show, the Queen of the Vampire's comes out to the world announcing that not only do they exist, but they are deeply entrenched in society. "After millennia in hiding, Mina Tepes, Queen of the Vampires, suddenly appears in Japan to announce the existence of vampires and establish a colony for her blood-sucking brethren. After this landmark announcement, Akira Kaburagi's world will never be the same. As a boy, Akira vowed to serve the ruler of the night, and now he must fulfill his destiny by protecting Mina from those who would dethrone her!"

November is my favourite month. It just so happens to be the month of my birth AND what seems to be the biggest month of releases from Madman this year. There is something for everyone with new releases of Bleach and Dragon Ball Z as well as the latest K-On! and ... *squee* GUUNNNNDAAAAAMMMMMU! So hold tight until November 16th and save your sheckles. For the full line up, have a look at Madman's website.

Last week old mate Emmet and I had a wee chat about "Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods", an all new documentary about the past, present and future of one of the most controversial comic book creators of all time. Disregard my somewhat incoherent ramblings, it was late and a bottle of pinot had just roughed me up. Emmet's much more coherent ramblings are both insightful and impassioned.