Riding on the hype and legendary "Lord of the Rings" resurgence, I was skeptical about purchasing this book, thinking that it may be a quick exploitive means to cash in on the fantasy regrowth. While this book has many of the recurring fantasy themes found else where, the contributors to this graphic novel have produced a fun, can't-put-it down comic.

The story centers around the person Robin Drake as he journeys to warn the other inhabits on "earth" of the return of the Beast, a villian the others thought had died fifteen years ago. Many of the superheros are cleverly introduced and united under the banner of saving the "world." Some heros take more proding than others, which aids in the story telling. It was interesting using Robin as the central character - considering he has always been a sidekick (even on his own, Nightwing has never really broken out of Batman's shadow).

This move gives the story more force and gives a "Frodo" of the Lord of the Rings" trilogy feel to the book, without copying the material too much. The formula also works well, so why change a genre that works so well - an unlikely hero, who saves the world.

The art is outstanding and many great artist contribute their unquie talents to provide pertinent images as the story progresses. A must for graphiic novel fans, who just want to read a good story, view some great art, and have a nice evening.

Noah's Ark is one of the first books my grandchildren grab when they come to visit. They love the way the rhymes sound, and love pushing the buttons (this is one of those books that the kids push the sound buttons as you read it). It's very clever, and Noah is portrayed as a fun loving animal lover. He goes up in a tree to get the bears and has tea with them, he goes to gather mountain goats and they trim his beard. The drawings are whimsical, the story is very humorous, but the ending still pays reverence to Noah. It's a fun good humor book, perfect for 2-5 year olds. They love the story, they love the sounds, you'll love their smiles.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka Multiple Personality Disorder) is one of the most controversial diagnoses in modern psychiatry. Many authors focus on contemporary manifestations of the phenomenon and the horrific conditions which give birth to it. Other authors argue that DID/MPD is an iatrogenic (doctor-created) diagnosis and the psychiatric equivalent of the "flavor of the month." Kenny's book is unique in its scholarly perspective. It combines anthropology, history, and pyschology to paint a picture of how MPD is understood and shaped by cultural factors. The ability to dissociate seems to be a basic human universal (just look at the anthropological literature concerning shamanism and possession), but the meaning given to the phenomenon must be understood within the specific cultural context. Kenny's book points to how dissociative phenomena reflect dichotomies and issues in 19th century American society. This book is not designed to help those currently suffering from dissociative disorders, but it does make a major contribution to our understanding of issue.