This is a big set up issue to find out what is happening in the world of crossover. While not as exciting as last issue they set up some pretty big reveals and saying the payoffs will be worth it. On top of that the ending is messed up and solid art and I'm still into it.

Some pretty decent tales, strongest being Rucka's and Willows, the rest were decent-okay. One really bad one with too much wording that took away from the gorgeous art. Overall, decent collection but nothing to write home about.

Yu Yu Hakusho remains probably my favorite childhood anime and to this day I still love it and have plenty of fond memories. I owned the whole DVD set, Blu Ray set, and statues. But one thing I never owned or read was the manga and this year I collected the entire 19 volume set and finally cracked open volume 1.

To my surprise there is actually a few stories in here never in the anime. Yusuke dies pretty soon into the manga. Not a spoiler, it says it is on the back. But the story is about him as a spirit trying to do good to see if he's worthy of returning to life. I personally really enjoyed these sweet short stories of Yusuke helping people. It shows who he is, and even as a tough guy, he still has a heart of gold that made him such a fun character to root for.

It also helps the art still holds up 30 years later. Vivid emotions displayed on faces to give off the perfect feeling. Cool little action set pieces. Lots of different character designs. Overall, Togashi was on a roll here in both the art and fun story telling side.

While the plot seems a bit unfocused here as we jump from story to story, it is building up nicely the world and character development for Yusuke. Not to mention I know what is to come, and so being more of a fun ghost human stories instead of the battle manga it becomes, I have to say I really enjoyed it.

A 4 out of 5.

Overall, just a passable Spider-man story at best.

The art alone makes it worth taking a look at. Some really cool designs and fight scenes.

But the plot? Starts off interesting enough and a nice twist to have Peter's son be the main character. Not to mention I'm a sucker for "learning your powers" arc. But that quickly goes away after two issues to focus on the future avengers like people, and a boring villain with almost no real reasoning to do what he does.

The ending is okay but feels more like a "Nice bow on top of the story" type ending. I won't say it's the worst thing ever but it's a disappointing story.

I read these infrequently but somehow in a second I remember everything that happened in the prior volume. That to me showcases these stories sticking with you and being meaningful.

Now that our Shape-shifting immortal has moved on and taken the shape of both the great demon bear and the little girl who had died, he ends up in a small community with a boy who had his face smashed by a log. Barely alive he is rescued by a old man and now wears a mask to cover his face at all times since he considers himself a monster. Between Gugu (The monster) and Fushi (The immortal) they both help each other grow into humans that they are meant to be.

This is a multi-layer story of acceptances, loss, and finding your place. It's also kind of a love story but with realistic outcomes that don't feel forced or pushed upon for the plot. The fight here is actually pretty great too with a feeling of "oh shit they might die" that I kind of love the series doing so far. I also enjoyed the interactions with the characters and even with the lines feeling repetitive at times connecting to the themes they do a pretty great job overall showcasing it.

A real high 4.5 out of 5.

Well damn...Constantine has some shitty ass luck in this one.

After being who he is, and getting people he loves or likes killed, we're left with a very broken Magic user named Constantine. This is a look at a heartbroken man, lost, love gone, everything taken from him, and basically becomes a shell of who he used to be. It's the fact he is barely holding on that you feel some pity for him even if he brings A LOT of his own bad luck on to himself.

This was a dark book. And not dark in the edgy type of shit sometimes Ennis likes to write. This is a soul of a man on the verge of complete loss. Of giving into every dark desire you have to give up. And it's so damn entertaining to watch this man barely surviving yet not completely giving up. The art if fantastic with Steve coming in to give a very preacher feel.

This might be the strongest volume yet. Really loving the direction.

Update: So now that I've listen to the Audio Version of this I can safety say I LOVE this title. This is the one to turn a good series into one of the best, if not my favorite series of all time. A more mature look into the political world of Golden Son. Everything is upped here, bigger fights, bigger battles of the mind, and huge victories and losses.

The voice work is better here, with the yells and screams of moments being much louder and booming. I also loved the ending here, since it's a more somber, and fucked up approach that one might expect.

Golden Son is the book that elevates the series and it never really stops being this fantastic.

Old Reivew:

I just finished this book at 10:30 at night. It's now 10:38 and I can't even think. I read a decent amount but my God, I don't think I've ever read something that hit me this hard.

Okay, no spoilers. Golden Son takes what worked in red rising and amps it up about 100 percent. More interesting characters, amazing set pieces, wonderful twist, strong emotional moments. So much good comes from this book it's nearly impossible to stop reading.

I wish I can go into detail but that would spoil it. Every chapter had purpose and by the end I was on the verge of losing my motherfucking shit. I still can't get over it, and I Fucking loved it.

If you are a fan of good storytelling pick this book up. This makes me want to try ten times harder to be a successful author. Book 3 can't come soon enough.

This finishes up the fights with the soul reapers and the mysterious group who wants to basically fuck them up.

Grimjaw gets to show off his moves and damn...he is a bit scary.

Our three Captains unleash something new...not gonna lie it was badass.

I actually really enjoyed this volume. Hoping this arc is better than expected.

Jesus Christ...

So this picks up where the last volume left off. With Wolfsmund favorite torturer corned and fighting for his life but he might have some tricks up his sleeve. We then get, what has to be the most gruesome torture I've ever seen. Putting a huge pointy edge log up someone's ass and banging it with a hammer till it comes out of the other side of the person's mouth. This is a real torture technique that they did in history and it's disturbing.

But then we move on to a new battle, and the history lover in me is actually intrigued to see where we will go. I don't know how long Wolfsmund will be but it's a pretty entertaining series if a little disturbing to read.

Yusuke helps more people and finds out what love is all about.

These are more ghost story fun to be had. I honestly don't think the manga would have been as big a hit if it didn't change soon after this arc. These are basically individual stories and while I find them cute of watching Yusuke help a little girl move on from dying, to helping a boy with his confidence, to even saving the love of his life from near death situations, it is more one and done fun stories.

But what does work is the art staying fun and exciting with plenty of great character moments. The start of Yu Yu Hakusho is lighter than the series gets after, and the characters are wonderful, but it's such a different tone. While not amazing it's still a ton of fun and can't wait to get to the next big arc coming after.

A 3.5 out of 5.