I don't know how I stumbled across it, but I found myself at the Shonen Jump web site last week.

The last time I picked up a comic book (intending to actually read it) was well over a decade ago, yet I was intrigued with what the folks over at Viz Comics were trying to do: bring Japanese manga (comics) to the American comic-buying mainstream in an easily digestible format without breaking the bank (translated anime anthologies can cost a pretty penny). 290+ pages for $4.95? That's a deal.

So this past weekend, while the fiancée got some supplies over at the local bead shop to make herself some necklaces, I wandered over to the nearby comic book shop to get me a copy of "Shonen Jump's" launch issue.

What's interesting is Viz Comics' decision to reprint the different stories the same way they were originally printed in Japan: reading from right to left. At first it was kind of disconcerting reading the way the Japanese do, but in english.

While some of the stories date back a few years (some are even reprinted from the middle of an ongoing story arc; it's not uncommon for Japanese manga to go on for years), the different stories proved to be an easy and enjoyable read.

So if you're a casual comic book fan who likes to watch the new wave of Japanese animation on American TV, or you casually watch these cartoons and like comics, check it out. I'm not any of the above, but I enjoyed reading it anyway. 

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