The local Comic Store has a special percentage-off-all-mangas deal on Tuesdays, so I stopped by today just to browse - and found that they're holding a 50%-off sale on mangas ALL MONTH!!!! [I'm doomed.]

I read and enjoyed volume 1 not long ago, and decided to try another volume. And if I like it too, I may scurry back to the store before the sale ends {grin}.

Later: A lavishly-drawn follow-on to Volume One, this one picks up with young assassin Chiaro on the point of fulfilling his assignment to kill Cesare - but he can't do it. Something in him simply won't let him, and as such feelings are alien to him he's very confused. Cesare, horribly depressed at having learned how his father cursed him, wants to die, and as his would-be killer won't act, he takes matters into his own hands and jumps from the parapet...

Chiaro runs to his aid and finds him badly injured, but tries to tend his wounds - only to see a black beast-spirit hovering over him. It seems that the evil within him is fighting to keep Cesare alive against his will, and once he awakens he'll be more under its control than he was. Chiaro agonizes over whether to kill the unconscious youth before the evil goes too far, or to save him and hope there's a way to fight it. And oh, the imagery, the beautiful youths, the torment, the swordplay, the outfits - and did I mention the beautiful youths? {grin}

The questions and doubts continue, but it's clear that Chiaro has chosen (or been chosen) - he's enchanted by Cesare and must follow him, for good or ill...

[We see a bit more of Lucrezia in this one, with Chiaro being drawn to her as well. And then there's the mysterious foreign prince Djem, who encounters Chiaro near the end of this volume - not that we needed yet another impossibly beautiful man, but I'm not complaining. I fear, however, that there will be much anguishing as the series continues!]

I'm adding this book to k00kaburra's Manga bookbox, which should be on its way to the next in line, BCer emmejo in New York, some time tomorrow. [I'll post the delivery-confirmation number in the forum thread after I've mailed the box.] Enjoy!

I've heard of this series and thought it sounded interesting, so I scooped it up. I'll check and see if I can get Volume 1 through an interlibrary loan, but if not I reckon I'll manage with the blurb about the story so far.

Having just learned that Cesare's father sold his son's soul to the devil in exchange for power, the young man becomes hysterical. The assassin, Chiaro, returns for another attempt on Cesare's life but when he finds his distraught would-be-victim Chiaro can't go through with the job. Instead Cesare attempts suicide by jumping off a building. Chiaro takes the mortally injured boy home (while wondering to himself why he's trying to save the youth he's suppose to kill) where the evil spirits that have haunted Cesare reveal themselves. Chiaro must then decide whether to allow them to save Cesare and use him to bring destruction and bloodshed to Europe or kill the boy in hopes of saving others from war.

The art in this series is certainly lush and highly detailed, but due to the author's fine penlines and sparing use of screentone, it doesn't come off claustrophobic and crowded like some comics tend to be. The character designs are good; it is easy to tell everyone apart but no one looks absurd. (With the possible exception of Juan, those bouncy curls are sometimes too much for someone who is suppose to be nearly an adult.) Panel layout was smooth for the most part, although some spots with more elaborate designs could have been a bit clearer. Many of the "heroic pages" (battles, characters standing around looking beautiful/badass, high-emotions scenes, etc.) were very well done, with a good blend of placing a character in the spotlight without interrupting the storyline badly and making the shot look fanservice-y or like a poster with scribbles on it.

The pacing was a little wonky, with some scenes being rushed page turners and others dragging on a bit too much. Some of the dialogue was a bit stilted, but that might be influenced by the fact that in the series no one is fully telling the truth and everyone is keeping folks a bit distanced as well as the historical setting.

Definitely going to keep looking for further volumes of this series, as it is fun eye-candy with enough of a plot to keep the brain from getting frustrated.

Added to the OBCZ.

Come on down and pick out some books!