Manga 8 MARCH 23, 2005 Darkness Provides Some Light Reading Descendants of Darkness Yami no Matsuei Viz 2004 By DANA SCHWEHR STAFF WRITER People have always wondered what exactly is in store for them at the end of their puny mortal existence. It could be because they desperately want all of the effort they exert in life to be worth something at the end, or perhaps they simply cannot stand the idea that they just might cease to exist. All this wondering has led to some interesting stories and myths about death. In Japanese culture, these death myths include the shinigami, or ‘gods of death’. It is the responsibility of the shinigami to ensure that people die at their appointed time, and see to it that the souls of the dead receive judgment in the afterlife. Aga of Difference This myth is the main premise of Descendants of Darkness, which tells the story of Asato Tsuzuki, one of the most talented shinigami currently in the employ of the Ministry of Hades. His job is to deliver summons to peo- ple who should have died, but have not managed to do so yet. Tsuzuki has been a shinigami for seventy years, but he can’t seem to keep a partner for very long: His quirky personality leads to hijinks galore, while he solves the mystery of why his current target has not yet expired. The artwork in Descendants of Darkness is ridiculously pretty, and not too difficult to follow. The storyline flows well, and is a good mix of fun and suspense. While it is not the deep- est reading to be found out there, it is definitely worth picking up for an afternoon of relaxation. Besides, who really picks up a comic book for heavy reading anyway? DeGroote SCHOGL OF BUSINESS MBA “If you’re not goingto PLAY TOWIN | why would youeven~ be in the game?” ~ Dean Paul Bates ¢ Co-op MBA Program e §8-month accelerated MBA for business graduates * Unique specializations Find out more: Call 905.525.9140 ext. 24105 or email bizinfo@mcmaster.ca www.degroote.mcmaster.ca _ McMaster i ity [=cos) University Poetry Krueger Breaks Through the Wall EARSON GIBSON Copy EprTor “Police and federal agents lay siege to the unpunctuated house, conformi- ty to rules equals engagement with society, these poets seek to disengage, traitors to the language, a threat to homeland security, basic morality, the health of the nation’s conscience at stake.” These are the words of Richard Krueger from his self-published chap- book ‘aries’, one of several that are soon to be released in the Prince George poetry scene. You may have met Richard in the UNBC library where he works at the reserve desk, or maybe at one of the many PG art events where he performs feverish gui- tar songs and reads his poetry. Krueger has recently attracted attention for producing five chapbooks in only a few weeks, a process that any poet will tell you is no easy feat. Krueger already has a full sized book titled ‘A New Map of the Bird’, and with his new works will be able to compile a second book. The first of the five chapbooks titled ‘A_box_full_of_clouds’ opens with this poem: “returning to writing was awk- ward and difficult, but ultinutely rewarding, in the sense that I’d been reunited with my second self. these first few poems are full of rust, but I’ve left them unpolished, unacceptable. the world contains too many accept- able poems as it is. feel free to hate these poems as I do. time’s up. pencils down.” Contrary to the above poem, Krueger’s work is quite masterful and thought provoking. He addresses rele- vant contemporary ideas like how lan- guage affects the way we think. In his words, “poets are caused by an inabil- ity of common language in its conven- tional form to articulate ideas and emotions. poets cause change in the language by attempting to bridge the gap between the realm of things which can be articulated with the realm of those that cannot. as people think in language, by changing the language, poets change the way people think.” This issue is of great importance these days, because our society has developed a dangerous obsession with the ‘factual’ as it is presented to us through media channels that largely go unquestioned. Poetry teaches us to interpret things differently, literally providing options in the ways we choose to understand things. This directly relates to freedom of thought, a concept that is under constant threat by the mentally colonizing forces of mass-media as it exists today. Krueger’s poetry causes us to ques- tion our own thoughts by employing enigmatic structures and syntax and, in some instances, reverse psychology. For this reason his poems are interest- ing and healthy for the minds of the masses. If he keeps producing at the same pace and quality that he has been, it is likely that his books will some day appear on shelves all across America.