Review of the Kindle Edition: manga on eReader not so hot.
The story and art are great fun, and are well-summarized already in other reviews. "One Minute Manager" meets "Spider-Man" is about right. I'd like to focus on the electronic version I bought.

I read this slim little book on my Kindle, having ordered it on a recommendation. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was a manga book (which you may call a "graphic novel," "comic book," or "funny papers" depending on your demographic orientation). I've since learned that the Kindle isn't really well-suited to this format. Why?

- the file size is much larger than the average all-text book (longer initial download);
- the refresh rate of e-ink is annoying when you're turning pages quicker than an all-text book;
- the Kindle's screen contrast isn't quite high enough to have the black-and-white art "pop" as it would on the page (it's like reading it on dingy gray newsprint);
- resolution not quite high enough to read all the balloon text without eyestrain.

I also noticed some unique technical problems with this particular conversion:

- a thin line of black pixels down the spine edge of many pages, as if the electronic scan wasn't cleaned up;
- a page-turning bug which might be related to the large file size or a memory overrun: I thought I was missing some content when the "next page" button advanced me several pages at a time instead the expected one-page-at-a-time.

Based on this experience, I don't be getting any more graphics-heavy books for the current version of the Kindle. I never considered the Kindle to be a comics-delivery device, and this iffy conversion proves the point.

Coaching brilliance
This comic book is brilliant in its coaching approach to dealing with the real life issue of being dissatisfied with you career. It offers true coaching approaches in a light hearted easy to read manner.

A must read for anyone who is looking for fulfillment and life calling.

A must, fun read for every college grad
As a college professor, I will be recommending this nice, fun, easy yet important message read! Wish I would have had it when I graduated!!!

Entertaining and Spot On
Good advice all around, presented in an entertaining format. It took me all of 20 minutes to read, and I'm a slow reader.

Johnny Bunko Reviewed
The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need by Daniel Pink, art by Rob Ten Pas, Penguin Books, 2008

I wasn't looking for a career guide and I didn't expect to buy a manga-style comic book about business but, since The Adventures of Johnny Bunko is by Daniel Pink, I grabbed it right away. Pink is the author of A Whole New Mind which highlights the ever-increasing importance of right-brain thinking for the success of today's workers. In Johnny Bunko, Pink uses right-brain elements like design, story, emotion, and metaphor to talk about six lessons for career success. After a lucky "break," character Johnny Bunko combines the teachings of a flighty guru with his own experiences to learn the six lessons:
There is no plan.
Think strengths, not weaknesses.
It's not about you.
Persistence trumps talent.
Make excellent mistakes.
Leave an imprint.
What's appealing about these lessons, besides their simplicity, is their applicability to more than just one's career aspirations. Personal relationships, family life, and community participation can all benefit from focusing on people's strengths or a desire to leave a positive imprint, for example.

And the book is appealing too. The manga illustrations evoke both mood and motion - qualities absent from the business publishing world. The book becomes accessible to anyone and invites a quick re-read whenever there is a spare moment. Not a bad quality considering it could take a whole career to master these six lessons! For that reason alone, it's this year's graduation present for everyone on my list.

For more information: www.thefirefly.org