Firefighter Daigo, Gotham High

Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M 1-20

Straight up one of my favorite comics ever.  Masahito Soda is hands down the unparalleled master of the gripping page turner.  Once he gets going with one of his action sequences, my fingers can’t flip the pages fast enough to see what happens next.  This is as true the tenth time reading this series as it was the first.  

There is, of course, no way that Daigo should be this good or this lucky.  I don’t care at all.  His successes feel earned.  It’s impossible not to root for someone who devotes themselves so completely to the welfare of others.  Failure is really not an option for Daigo.  He puts every ounce of his being into winning, and it’s not for anything as trivial as sports.  The final score is tallied in lives, and there’s no doubt that it makes a difference in the story.

This is one of four manga series that I haven’t put into storage.  It’s so re-readable and so good, I can’t imagine it ever coming off of my bookshelf.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pure joy

Gotham High

The best of the four DC Ink titles that I own.  This time around, all the Batman characters are high school students, but this is a story that would be just as good if writer Melissa de la Cruz renamed everyone and there was no Batman connection at all; It would totally stand on its own merits.  

There’s a kidnapping mystery which is surprisingly interesting on its own, but the real draw is the love triangle between Bruce Wayne, Jack Napier, and Selina Kyle.  (As one would expect from a story set in high school.) 

Thomas Pitilli’s art is perfect for this project.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good