D.Gray-Man, Vol. 3

There's no rest for the wicked... and by extension, there's no rest for the good guys who are trying to destroy them. And with Allen Walker's first official mission in the bag, "D. Gray-man's" third volume glides along smoothly through a suspenseful, gothic adventure liberally peppered with comedy. And Hoshino Katsura also introduces some very interesting new Innocence, as well as a potentially vital new exorcist. Allen returns to find the Black Order in chaos -- apparently Komui made a science robot. But after exposure to coffee, the robot goes berserk and tries to give Lenalee "a muscular physique." As Allen frantically tries to stop it, he gets a glimpse of Lenalee's Innocence -- the Dark Boots. Then Allen and Lenalee are sent to a town that mysteriously keeps replaying the same day over and over. The only person immune to it is Miranda Lotto, a perpetually hysterical woman who is well-known for her rotten luck and lack of skills. She also may be the reason that time is going all wonky -- apparently she has a strange clock that winds for no one but her. Unfortunately, Allen and Lenalee aren't the only ones who are determined to get the Innocence that is messing with Miranda's town. A strange young girl and a swarm of akuma have invaded -- they're determined to find the Innocence and kill the young exorcists who are opposing them. But the girl's identity turns out to be the biggest shock... In its third volume, Hoshino Katsura is still unfolding the bad guys and main storyline of "D. Gray-man." But that doesn't mean that the story itself feels incomplete -- in fact, the story of Miranda and the "rewinding" town is more fleshed-out and smooth than the previous story, albeit somewhat less suspenseful at times (the akuma playing rock-paper-scissors?). The first chapter is pure goofiness -- everyone runs around crazily from Komlin. Fortunately then Katsura settles down with the main storyline, which is a pretty straightforward locate-the-Innocence-and-kill-any-pursuing-akuma story. The more challenging part is the involvement of Miranda, and the bittersweet exploration of how a person who has always been considered useless must feel. Along the way, Katsura peppers the story with lots of blood, Halloweeny gothic flair, freaky akuma attacks, and impaled body parts, as well as a new round of villains to keep things interesting. But she still manages some comedic moments, such as Allen waking to find a drill-wielding Komui over his bed. Evidently Katsura is a big Eowyn fangirl, given the name of the newest character -- a bug-eyed, nerve-wracked young woman who feels that she's never accomplished anything. It's kind of a relief when she does figure out something she's good at. And at the same time we get more insights into Lenalee's unhappy past, and the reason her brother works for the Order. The third volume of "D. Gray-man" ramps up the action and devilish conspiracies, and this solid story only promises to get even better. Definitely a goo