5 out of 5

1. Context for what you’re reading
2. Enough material to determine how you feel about what you’re reading
3. Bonus points (or buffer points) for something that adds a little extra to the package

Such – as I believe I have pointed out several times – are my basic criteria for a good FCBD.  Seems pretty straight forward, but with busy publication cycles, I can understand how something that won’t directly net you profits can get slapped together without much (visible) consideration.  Thankfully, the gang at Kodansha comics didn’t skimp on this here preview of their 250 page anthology of reinterpretations of the popular manga by Hajime Isayama.  Now, I haven’t gotten on the Titan train, and you know what?  What I’ve read here doesn’t change that.  But that’s fine: I was interested to see what some more local up-and-coming or established stars would do with the material, and, well, I don’t think it’s enough to make me plunk down some cash.  #2 criteria met.  …Which is helped by #1, an inside-cover explanation of what we’re reading, and #3, some creator bios / Q+As after each section.

The selections from the anthology are well chosen to show off the different possible styles – action, comedy, etc. – and the printing quality is clear, with a nice sense of design given to the material / bio split.