Introduction

As an added bonus (I don’t remember ordering it), DCBS sent me the DC Manga Sampler. Therefore, in my haste to switch things around on the page, I bring you a bonus article about the three stories contained therein. This also comes on the heels of me ordering too many of the Knight Terrors books last month or not ordering enough this month to cover the second issues of the ones I ordered last month. Perhaps both. As a result, I moved the independent books to Wednesday this week and Marvel still drops on Friday.

Joker: One Operation Joker

Once I got used to the manga set up (I knew that you read from back to front, but not that you read from right to left), I enjoyed this story. It starts like so many other stories, with Joker unsure what’s real and what’s not. Therefore, when he reveals that he has a baby (?!), you are left to wonder what’s real and what’s not. He pulls a knife. Sure, not even the joker is that much of a monster. Thankfully no. He uses the knife to cut open a bag of diapers and change the baby.

How the hell does he even have a baby? Well, let me tell you, dear reader. Apparently, it has to do with the night before. He met Batman on the same catwalk near the same vat of toxic waste that created him. They tussle and when you think that Batman might finish the job, Joker grabs him and throws him into the waste. Well, that’s quite the cliffhanger. Now I need to add this to my pull list.

Batman: Justice Buster

This one involves a wordless chase with Batman after a villain I don’t recognize. He wears one of his armored suits. At the end of the episode, he suffers a malfunction and the villain taunts him from above. The villain activates a “B-17 trap”. I assume the B stands for Batman, but I have no clue on the 17. Written by the same author, this one felt weaker than the Joker one. Maybe it’s the unfamiliar characters or the lack of dialogue. Whatever the case, I’m less excited about this one. I will still give it a shot and hope for the best, though.

Superman vs. Meshi

This one also opens in a familiar way. Wherever someone calls for help, he hears it. Even if it comes from the other side of the world. But, today, he stands in front of a noodle joint in Japan. He’s, as the book says, “super hooked” on ramen. Cut to Clark Kent getting chewed out for not bringing scintillating enough stories. Why can’t he be more like Lois and get great interviews with Superman? Speaking of Lois, when he leaves the meeting, he bumps into her and asks her out. She says no. Thank goodness, he thinks, there’s no way I could get her to Japan as Clark Kent! Yes, more noodles! The set up here is funny, if not overly dramatic. But, who knows what Meshi holds in store for the Man of Steel.

The Verdict

I never knew anything about the DC Manga Sampler before receiving it in my shipment. After reading the three stories, one of them interests me greatly. Another has potential. And, the third, well, I just don’t understand the appeal. Granted, I never liked Superman. And, I always preach that sometimes it isn’t for you. So, maybe that one just isn’t for me. But, I will definitely check out the other two.