CAINEv2

I just finished reading the first volume of Irredeemable.  It was so good I am literally about to run out and buy all the other ones that Phoenix Comics has in stock.  Thanks, Fernando!
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Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

No problem, bro.
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I just finished Real volume 10, which came out a few weeks ago.  Hooooly shit.  It's like these first ten volumes were all setting up for the eleventh.  This volume really hammers home one of Real's over-arching themes: setting goals and following you dreams.  Takahashi picks up a basketball for the first time since his accident!  Nomiya tries out for the pros!  Kiyo is less of a dick than usual!  UGAGSDUAUGHAUGH I need 11 nowwwwwww. 
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Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

EVERYONE IS CONNECTED AHHHHHH. I love Hisanobu, by the way.

Haha, it's been awhile since I read the tenth volume. Maybe I should go back and reread the series, since I seem to be rereading a lot of my favorites nowadays.

I NEEDED VOLUME 11, LIKE, A YEAR AGO.
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"Even if you forget the seatbelt in your car, don't forget the seatbelt of your heart!"

HE'S BACK IN BUSINESSSSSS:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-11-04/takehiko-inoue-now-drafting-return-of-vagabond-manga
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"Even if you forget the seatbelt in your car, don't forget the seatbelt of your heart!"

I love Hisanobu's arc in rehab, but my favorite character's Nomiya.  Not only do I love his monk-like quest for redemption and how he unknowingly inspires everyone around him, I 100% believe in his basketball philosophy.  I hope he makes the team so bad!
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Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

Yes, yes, Nomiya is really great. When that old man praised told him, "You see everything. You'll make a great catcher," I teared up a little. Nomiya keeps trying and trying. And I love his interactions with Hisanobu; he's completely tactless but what he says just always rings true. He's just a good, earnest guy.
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"Even if you forget the seatbelt in your car, don't forget the seatbelt of your heart!"

I am so in love with Nomiya right now that I have to stop myself from writing an essay comparing him to UNC's Kendall Marshall from this past college basketball season.  It would be too much manga nerd / sports nerd crossover for the internet to handle. 
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Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

DO ITTTT.
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"Even if you forget the seatbelt in your car, don't forget the seatbelt of your heart!"

But, like, seriously, the way Inoue Takehiko brings his characters together and just the way that they work together in terms of the composition of the manga is so amazing. I'm not talking about direct character interaction (though that's part of it, too). Takehiko Inoue uses character foils like it's nobody's business.

You see it in REAL, and you see it in Vagabond.

Inoue presents Togawa's, Nomiya's, and Hisanobu's stories all at once, but each story has meaning, and each message weaves in with the next. It's artfully executed. Similarly, in Vagabond, Musashi's journey was already so amazing by itself, but once you added Sasaki Kojiro into the mix (and, by the same token, Matahachi), the manga became an even richer, Haruhi-tier reading experience.

Oh my Haruhi, I love this man.
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"Even if you forget the seatbelt in your car, don't forget the seatbelt of your heart!"

Not sure why this last page of posts wasn't in the Manga Recommendation Thread, but whatever. =P

I'm here to recommend Carnage: Family Feud

I'm not really good at describing why something is worthwhile, so I'll keep it simple.  The art of this five issue mini-series is fantastic.  Clayton Crain does a great job of capturing the movement and dynamics of the symbiotes in addition to providing a lot of interesting panels.  The story isn't amazing, and can feel a bit rushed, but Zeb Wells does a good job and it actually leads up to the next five issue mini-series that just started called Carnage: USA.

If you like Carnage, Spider-Man, or amazing artwork, I would definitely recommend this series.
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Becoming less of a lurker...

The first cover of Carnage: USA

It picks up where the first series (above), left off.  So far its great!
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Becoming less of a lurker...