Manga Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice belongs on the shelf of not only every manga lover, but lovers of fine literature everywhere. I'll even go a step farther to recommend that Reading and English Literature teachers use this book as a tool in the classroom to educate students on the finer points of Shakespeare, as its manga status will have the added pop-culture appeal that most study aids could use to help pique the interests of most people nowadays.

This book is a must-buy. Period. It's a good starting point to what might be a somewhat questionable story arc that looks like it has the potential to be great, and serves as an excellent jumping-on point for fans who are only now realizing that there's a Darkwing Duck title on the shelves. I have read the entirety of this series so far, and I can say that it has yet to disappoint, and I doubt seriously that it will any time soon.

Transformers #16 is definitely worth the cover price because of the excellent way this issue ties the overall story together and is a beautiful work, but at the same time its a bit of a double-edged sword. It only really works as a part of the overall whole, but not so much on its own unless you're looking for a straight-up action fluff piece. I do think it's a good reason to pick up the title for a while, or at very least the rest of this arc!

It looks like this is going to be a lot to handle even for the most rabid zombie fan, because there's a fairly high issue count to what's essentially a two-month story. Even though it all seems worth it, my advice is to get the two bookend story issues, and pick your favorite of the four universes and get its two issues and enjoy. And, if you like that enough, you should plan on getting the trades for the rest later. That's my plan.

Despite the similarities to other stories such as Crisis on Infinite Earths or Infinity War, it draws threads from Darkwing Duck's (and DuckTales') own rich mythos and and weaves a rich and vibrant tapestry that deserves a place in the collection of not only any Darkwing Duck fan, but also fans of titanic tales of cosmic conflicts and multiversal mayhem!

I'll admit I'm intrigued by the only allusions to an origin story that we get from Max's internal commentary and the mad scientist in the crazy, almost trippy ending that served up as a treat. Again, this book is a little rough around the edges; there's no denying that. But I've been trying to find something like this for a while, and I hold out hopes that a few issues into the series things will smooth out and it can become a new underground hit. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this one.

So the short of it: This book's saving graces are the art and the cleverly-written internal monologues. It really doesn't engage the reader enough to stand on its own. But taken in context with the overall story, it might encourage you to pick up the previous issues and stick with it for just one more, especially if you're already a fan of the creative team or the character.

If you're looking for something that reads like the standard capes-and-tights title, then you might be disappointed. However, if you're looking for a great sci-fi/fantasy read and are a fan of Stan The Man Lee, this is for you. As long as the team can keep pushing out this level of quality then Starborn will without a doubt be a welcome addition to any fan's bookshelf.