Lil_Cal (Level 9)

I hate Bleach, there I said it. I don't hate Bleach because it's bad, no, I hate it for one simple reason. It's mediocre. Everything feels bland and safe and honestly it's just crap compared to a four book(issue, whatever you call them I don't know) Manga I read right before reading Bleach. I'm talking, of course, about Zombie Powder. That's right, I'm arguing that a four book Manga is actually better than the ever popular Bleach. Why is it better? Because everything in it is better, the characters, the plot, the fights, everything. But here's the kicker, Zombie Powder isn't some random arse Manga, no it shares a special connection with Bleach. That connection being, they're written by the same person. That's right before fangirls were gushing over Bleach Tite Kubo wrote Zombie Powder one of the better Mangas I've read. So why is his older work better than his new bland series? Well let me explain why I think Zombie Powder rocks ten times more than Bleach. 
 
Characters: I'm not a big fan of large casts and Bleach shows exactly why. Look at all these characters, now think of how many of them are really developed and focused on? Yeah, it more than your average large cast, but that doesn't make it any less pathetic that so many characters are just shoved under the rug become the Manga doesn't have enough time for them. Not to mention the characters that are developed are usually rather cliche, I mean you've seen them everywhere. The brute with a heart of gold, the snobby guy with a heart of gold, the dumb love interest with a heart of gold and so on and so forth. 
Now compare that to Zombie Powder which only really has 4 main cast members. Two of the members pasts are pretty well fleshed out while the other two are left a bit more in the dark in order to add a little mystery. But here's the thing, after reading 4 issues guess who I end up caring more about? Screw the brute with a heart of gold, he's more annoying than the most useless person in freakin' Zombie Powder! Zombie Powder shows that less is more with it's characters. It only shows off so much and yet it allows the reader to really connect with the characters, thus making them care. This really adds to the feel of the story, which leads me to...
 
Story: Okay, I'll admit Bleach has a nice premise. It sounds cool and no one has done it before. I mean who else thinks of a spirit cop that takes down evil demons while showing off more and more impressive power. Oh wait.  Yeah, I'm saying it. While Bleach isn't a total rip off, it still borrows heavily from Yu Yu Hakusho and it really shows. Just because they're Demon ghosts doesn't mean they're still not Demons guys. Well at least Ichigo doesn't team up with some good Demon Ghosts or anything like that.  


While admittedly Zombie Powder does have a Trigun feel to it. It's just a feel, it's story is much more original than it's newer counterpart. 
 
Fights: Gamma uses a sword that doubles as a chainsaw and at one point fights a guy who can turn his arm into a giant monster. Yeah, Bleach doesn't even come close to the pure epic fighting that Zombie Powder brings to the table right from the start. Bleach does get better, but Zombie Powder starts out better than Bleach ever really gets. 
 
There you go, the three main reasons that I think Zombie Powder is better than Bleach. Some might disagree(in fact most probably will without even reading Zombie Powder) but I honestly don't care.  Then why post this you might ask? To bring more interest to Zombie Powder. Who knows, maybe if Kubo finds out that he can get more money by reviving the series then maybe we'll get a proper ending.

 

 Hello and welcome to WebC- I mean WebManga reviews with De- I mean Lil’ Cal. Today’s Manga, Blackbird.

 

This is a good WebManga to start on, mostly because it’s safer than Solid Snake in a box. It takes no real chances and honestly doesn’t screw up what it does use. It’s mediocre, honestly. But hey! Not everything can be a game changing newtastic series of awesome (like Homestuck).

Anyway, let’s get to the pros and cons of this little number.

Pros: The main character is a very nice character, she definitely is a lot more complex than the supporting cast (who are so nice that I want to stab them in the eyes just to see some kind of real negative reaction), and has a aura of power and mystery that make her genuinely fun to watch. She’s pretty overpowered compared to all the non-magic users but this is quickly solved by the Manga’s other saving grace.

Blackbird(you know the one who this thing is named after) is a very good character as well, even better than the main character. She’s more powerful, and seems to know it, and yet is still able to make fights look interesting, which is always nice. Like the main character there’s an aura of mystery around Blackbird, and mystery always is nice, thus Blackbird is always surrounded by a nice extra layer of character. You don’t know who she’s working for, who’s side she’s on, or even if she’s a good guy or a villain. You want to continue reading just to see what the heck she even does.

Cons: The supporting cast is nice………annoyingly so. They don’t seem to have an evil bone in their body, not a single flaw except the lack of ability to fight. And given how overpowered the main character is this doesn’t cause many issues. I understand that these guys are meant to be a contrast to the harsh world of Blackbird, but they still make me want to savagely beat them to death for being so nice.

The plot is boring so far. The plot has potential as far as story telling goes, but right now it’s being carried by the main character in such a way that the only reason to read the Manga is to see what she does, that’s it. This is okay seeing as she’s a nice character but once again the supporting cast rises it’s ugly mutated nice head and suddenly I want the villain to be revealed already. This is a problem that could be fixed overtime, so don’t worry too much on it.

 

Overall, Blackbird is a nice safe read, and it’s pretty short so if you’re bored and you feel like trying a WebManga then go check out. I give it a 3 out of 5.

 
 

 That's right, I bet you thought your site was safe from Decoy Elite(or in this case Lil' Cal's) webcomic reviews. But alas poor Anime Vice you forgot about WebManga! WebManga is a sub genre of webcomics, which are basically the same as your everyday webcomic, except they're structured more like Manga and such. IE, stuff like MegaTokyo. Anyway, I plan on reviewing some of these suckers but there's one issue..........they're hard to find. Besides one DBZ fan comic and MegaTokyo I haven't been able to locate any and thus I'd like some help from you Vicers to locate some to review. 
All I ask is that you follow two rules.
1. Keep it safe for work
2. Warn me if it's a fan comic(or fan manga as I guess they'd be called.)
Thanks in advanced for any help/ suggestions.