Case Closed, Vol. 2

Gosho Aoyama, Case Closed, vol. 2 (ViZ, 1997) Jimmy Kuda is back as pint-sized crime-fighter Conan Edogawa in this second installment in the Case Closed series. This is a setup volume, really; we know what Conan's all about here, and he spends his time making other people look good while actually solving crimes-- but Aoyama is establishing little bits of Conan's character while advancing the major plotline of Jimmy getting back to his old self. I really like this series so far, and hope Aoyama keeps it as fun, and as surprisingly subtle, as it is. *** ½