In Odd We Trust by Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz has created a great teen series with Odd Thomas however, the graphic entry in this series falls flat.  The story is that Odd is a local short order cook with the famous pancakes in town, oh yeah, he can see dead people.  Elvis for one and Lyndon B. Johnson (who constantly makes obscene gestures at Odd).  The ghosts of the recently departed seek out Odd to help them bring their murderer to justice.  In this volume Odd sees the ghost of a murdered child but the child runs from him (which is not usual).  Mixed up in this story is a Nanny who is the target of a stalker.  Are the stalker and the killer working together, are the same person?  Check out In Odd We Trust to find out.

For the graphic element Queenie Chan has illustrated this volume.  Previously she has created The Dreaming a popular manga from Tokyopop.  She is an excellent illustrator but this entry seems phoned in.  Odd is drawn very stiffly while the backdrops offer less insight into the story as her previous work.

All together In Odd We Trust is OK.  Fans of Queenie Chan and the Odd Thomas series can skip this manga.

Dark Water by Walter Salles

A woman (Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth) going through a divorce is searching for an apartment for her and her daughter. She finds one in a run down apartment building in a not so great neighborhood. Though not ideal, Dahlia can not deny the low price. From the very beginning there is a presence in the apartment building and when Dahlia’s daughter makes a new friend that know one else can see, the troubles starts.

While the story is just OK, the direction is where this movie shines.  Walter Salles is master of detail and he creates a mood with his actors, Dark Water is no exception.  The movie has to be experienced from beginning to end, I recommend a comfy couch and a dark dark room.

Dark Water is a very dark movie, all the colors are drab and washed out giving the effect of dreary water all around you. A great movie to watch on a rainy night! The movie was directed by Walter Salles (Motorcycle Diaries) and was based on the novel Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara by Koji Suzuki (author of the Ring).

The Dreaming Volume 2 by Queenie Chan

 

In the second volume of The Dreaming Jeanie and Amber are slowly learning some of the secrets behind the school’s history and discovering some new ones. For instance, what is the deal with the creepy paintings that are hung around the school? Miss Anu, the school’s newest teacher seems to have some answers but is very reluctant to share. After the body of the vanished girl is found Amber becomes ill and finds it hard to even get out of bed. Strange things are happening at the school and Jeanie is trying to figure them out before it is too late. But too late for what?

 

Queenie Chan was born in 1980 and grew up in
Australia. She got her break into manga when Tokyopop began accepting submissions from international authors.

The Dreaming Volume 1 by Queenie Chan

 

This is not your typical manga. First of all it was not written by a Japanese author. Second, it is not based in Japan. Fans of manga will tell you this is virtually unheard of. The Dreaming is a horror story about a set of twins, Jeanie and Amber, that due to family circumstances are sent to an Australian boarding school. The boarding school has a history though; over the years eleven girls have vanished from the school into the surrounding forest. The vice-princpal is very strange woman who fears twins and the girls must lie to be accepted into school. Jeanie and Amber are nervous but are quickly accepted into a group of friends. After a séance/party strange happenings occur. One of the girls has fallen ill and the twins are disturbed by the exact same nightmares. Then it happens, another vanishing. Who is behind these disappearances? Why is the Vice-principal so afraid of twins? What is the story behind the forest that surrounds the school? Check this manga out to find the answers.

Queenie Chan was born in 1980 and grew up in Australia. She got her break into manga when Tokyopop began accepting submissions from international authors.