MY WEEK IN COMICS - - - for the week ending OCTOBER 04, 2026
#372-#376 = DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA, VOLUME ONE manga by Koyoharu Gotouge (VIZ Media, July 2018)
Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .
Tanjiro sets out on the path of the Demon Slayer to save his sister and avenge his family!
In Taisho-era Japan, Tanjiro Kamado is a kindhearted boy who makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life.
Learning to slay demons won’t be easy, and Tanjiro barely knows where to start. The surprise appearance of another boy named Giyu, who seems to know what’s going on, might provide some answers…but only if Tanjiro can stop Giyu from killing his sister first!
My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . .
Continuing my exploration of manga . . . . . .
Found a series I really liked! No juvenile humor inserted. This one is pretty serious and engaging. I"ll likely explore DEMON SLAYER further into its volumes . . . but for now I'm enjoying even more the anime series on Netflix.
The story is compelling, and the relationship between brother and sister (protecting/defending each other) is heart-warming. I can tell from how the story is progressing that this is going to be a saga as well as a coming-of-age, adult-development epic.
From reading various manga over the last month, I've identified what I believe are some limitations of the format (at least for me). The digest size is a bit small for the amount of action that these contain. Also, whenever there is a good amount of action/fights the smaller panels become cluttered with textural sound effects and it gets hard to clearly discern what is happening inside the panels.
Gotouge appears to understand these limitations and his panels are much clearer and easier to view exactly what is happening within them. However, the digest size and amount of panels per page crammed what could be more panoramic scenes into a small space. This became clear when watching the anime- - - where the artists could embellish more of the outdoor scenes (the trek through the snowy wilderness, for example) and devote more animation cels to the visually stunning fight scenes. I also watched the anime of ONE PUNCH MAN and this also was more entertaining in the anime form (the audio helped immensely, when voices are given to these characters and the humor is more pronounced).
So, while I may return for the next volume of DEMON SLAYER, which ended on a cliffhanger (pretty standard for manga) I'm planning to use the debut volumes of other manga to determine which anime I want to watch, and probably continue following the story from there rather than purchase more volumes.
#377 = HARLEY QUINN #66 by Elliott Kalan and Carlos Olivares (DC Comics, November 2026) Batman, Bad Seeds: Week 5, Part 1 “There Goes The Neighborhood”
Synopsis, in the words of Harley Quinn:
A pretty funny side diversion that I’m sure will have no bearing on the overall story - - unless in the next issue Harley persuades Ivy to intercede and halt the plant invasion. Still, I was entertained and don’t regret picking this up. So far, all of the issues in the Bad Seeds saga have not caused any regrets.
Lots of unusual and amusing secondary characters (Chicken, Mayfly, Gunbunny, Amygdala, Convoy) flavor the story of Harley trying to wend her way through the plant growth to get to Ivy. Along the way she stops to assist many friends in peril and confront others (NKVDemon) who consider her part of the Bat-family (she was previously Bat-Quinn) and want the bounty. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
#378 - #381 THE EXORCISM AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE #1-#3 by Hannah Rose May and Kelsey Ramsay (IDW Publishing, March-May 2026)
As a sequel or side story to THE EXORCISM AT 1600 PENN it can be easily enjoyed as a stand-alone tale without reading the other. Like its' predecessor, THE EXORCISM AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE is a compelling read that enhances the supernatural themes with some fine political and royalty family drama.
It is tighter than the original, told over a three-issue run with an extra-sized debut issue. There is plenty of drama and a lot of engaging dialogue, and in my opinion is a stronger story than the original.
The heirs to England's throne are lost at sea. An attack is suspected, despite the prime minister and the press secretary calling for patience while a search/investigation begins. The king, who is slowly dying from cancer, has to reluctantly turn to his grandson, Prince Theo Belmont, for succession. (Nice homage to the Castlevania video game franchise, as the Belmont Curse is also mentioned later in the story).
While Buckingham palace has to grapple with fear-mongers who are determined to call the accident a deliberate attack and demand war (against who?), Theo Belmont will have to again confront a press eager for scandal and big headlines. Ever since his mother died tragically, Theo has struggled to remain sober. His finance has kept him in reign, but arriving at Buckingham Palace brings about some old fears - - - Theo sees a shadow creature bothering him, the same one that his mother saw but no one else did.
When he succumbs to the bottle once more and exhibits more aggressive and disturbing behavior, the shadow creature makes his intentions apparent to all the royal family and attendants. An exorcist is summoned from the Vatican, the same priest who assisted in THE EXORCISM AT 1600 PENN.
I won't share any more or spoil the ending. This is a taut thriller with some believable reactions and actions within the royal house. The art is dark, grim, murky and moody - - everybody looks so solemn and serious - - and this only adds to the suspense and apprehension. A very good reading experience. FOUR STARS.
#382 = POISON IVY #48 by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara (DC Comics, November 2026) Batman, Bad Seeds: Week 6, Part 1
While I’m enjoying the Bad Seeds story and tie-ins running through the Bat-family titles, it doesn’t seem to be moving forward very much (and sunrise is approaching).
There is an unexpected turn in events this issue (although slight, as I sort of expected it), and things don’t look good for Poison Ivy. As a very unpopular mayor of Gotham (broken promises to the public) she brokered a deal with the Parliament of Trees to permit them to invade, engulf and suffocate Gotham while turning it into a prehistoric forest. She hoped to get Vandal Savage off her back by keeping him preoccupied with the plant invasion, and also get forgiveness from the Parliament of Trees for the murder of one of their members. Quid pro quo, perhaps.
Looks like she’s going to get neither. Wandering through the foliage covered streets she meets up with HIll, the usually friendly member of the Parliament of Trees who doesn’t hate her. She expects to enjoy “our triumph” with Hill, but he sets her straight. The Parliament of Trees will never share power with a “human.”
And she learns when she meets the Council of The Green that delivering Gotham to the Parliament does not forgive her murder. She can only repay that with a life for a life. So, now Poison Ivy is on the run and gets stricken down by an arrow from The Huntress, who thinks better of finishing the job and killing her.
With no allies, no friends, no political power, and no mission whatsoever, Poison Ivy decides to “come home” to Harley Quinn as the issue ends.
I’ve told you enough that you don’t have to read this - - but then you would be missing some very good art - - which helped raise the rating to THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
