Kevin Huxford has ridden into the sunset, as documented here. However, that sunset has led to a sunrise for SCHWAPP!!!, his newly rededicated comics and pop culture blog.

As part of his relaunch, Kevin asked me 10 Random Questions for his new interview feature. It was rather fun, and Kevin decided to post the manga-style family portrait that the talented Sarah Vaughn did of me, my wife, and kids last year.

So, if you have ever found yourself enjoying Kevin’s posts, Kevin’s blogs, Kevin’s Best Shots reviews, Kevin’s arguments with comics talent, Kevin’s appearances in Lying with the Gutters, or tall bald Muslim men in general, you should check it out. And if you happen to dislike any of those things, I’m sure he’d welcome your posts as well. But don’t say I didn’t warn you . . .

High School Girls
by Towa Ohshima

High school girls have been on the brain of many a man since the beginning of high school. All girls schools have been the object of fantasies and the brunt of jokes since their existence.

So when I first saw High School Girls by Towa Ohshima, I groaned. Not another manga with skimpy, big breasted girls doing raunchy things to make the male reader get a nose bleed. But I started to read it, and everything changed. And learning that Ohshima based the manga on her own high school life, it made the manga that much better.

The whole story is about Eriko and her friends attending a Japanese all girls high school. Throughout the volumes, her idea of lovely, poised, elegant and sophisticated students is brutally shattered by reality: that girls are very, VERY different when there are no guys around. And over time… very little, actually, she becomes one of them.

The manga is made up of small experiences and wacky escapades that most men or women who have never gone to an all girls school would think are completely ridiculous. And well, they are.

Are there cute girls in uniforms with their skirts too short? Yup. Are there panty shots? Oh, yes. Perverts? Check. Unnecessary fan-service? Of course!

And it’s hilarious. Hilarious, because it’s so true.

Sure, there are a thousand things in the manga that are exaggerated. It takes place in
Japan, a culture completely different from my own. But I still found things I could identify with, scenes I laughed out loud to because I had had the same experiences.

I’ve been a student at an all women’s college for four years. I’ve dealt with the overwhelming levels of estrogen and the depravation of testosterone. I’ve seen girls at their best and their worst. They’ve seen me at my cleanest, and when I should have taken a shower days ago. We talk about sex, boys, bodily functions. We can be immature and down right bizarre. And this is college.

I guess I love this manga because I understand these girls. Hell, I AM these girls. Nothing major happens, there’s no real plot. It’s just life. Completely overblown life, but with just enough reality in it to keep it grounded. The characters are stereotypes, nothing fancy or innovative, but at the same time endearing in their craziness.

I wouldn’t recommend it to just anyone. I’m not sure it’s a manga that many men would easily appreciate, though there is fan-service readily available. Be warned, though: it’s not your usual kind. And as for the ladies readership, I can’t guarantee that either. The humor might not be for you, as it’s quite immature at times, and mostly outrageous. If you like romance, there’s a TINY bit in there, but it’s not the point of the manga.

All I can say is, every all girls student can at least appreciate some aspect of High School Girls. That finally, there’s a comic that shows we can be gross, too.

Greetings and welcome to the new ShotgunReviews.com. Since 1999, we’ve done our best to give you worthwhile (and often funny) reviews and columns, and it’s time to shake off the rust and do it a little differently. We’ve kicked around a few ideas regarding how we’d do this new thing, and we hope you like what you see.

The new design comes to us from Barb Hallock, a student of mine with the appropriate attitude for this place (that is, bad). The more bloggish format puts us more on par with the current landscape. After all, we’ve been doing this almost eight full years. It was time for a big change. I think that you’ll agree that the new format, with a huge list of categories and easy searching, is a good one.

As part of that big change, we’ve brought in an influx of new talent from a variety of places. The entirety of our Best Shots team, responsible for the Best Shots column that runs every Monday at Newsarama.com, is now operating here in several capacities. You’ll also meet several talented young writers, including Barb herself, who will be tackling a variety of topics.

However, if you’re one of the rare folks that has read us since 1999, don’t get too worried. Shawn Delaney will still grace us with terrific music reviews, as will Jonathan Birdsong and the Lyrical Lounge crew. The Russ is back on wrestling coverage in full force. L.I. Rapkin’s already kicking in some culture. Eric Barker’s already opened the film vaults. And they aren’t the only familiar faces lurking around.

In the next few days and weeks, you’ll see the roster expand a little more and you’ll see some new recurring columns and features that we hope will become favorites. If you want to check out the old stuff, the old site currently still exists in its full glory under the archive button. If you want to talk about any of the stuff, old or new, visit our newly established forums.

So there’s my big speech. Enjoy yourselves, express yourselves, and invite friends. ShotgunReviews.com never went away, but we are most certainly back. Thanks for your time.