ChunHyang gets into the spirit of the season by looking at vampire comics:
“I’ve read a little bit of everything, from gothic angst to straight-up horror and can honestly say it’s a rare vampire manga that rubs me the wrong way.”
Will this be the reminder that finally gets me to pick up Model, which sounds like Paradise Kiss starring the mysterious undead?
Tony Salvaggio is back with a new installment of Calling Manga Island at Comic Book Resources, looking at Air Gear and Old Boy:
“No matter what your age, there is plenty of action and adventure to be had in manga lately, and these two titles are certainly ones I will be following for the near future.”
At Manganews, anitra gives a tidy summary of why Antique Bakery is so appealing:
“Antique Bakery is a character piece. I forgot most of the plot about five minutes after I read it, but I know the characters as if they are my friends. It is a funny story, and that is what the plot is for, but what makes it profound and compelling is its depth of character.”
I’m a sucker for character-driven stories. And pastries.
At MangaCast, Christian overcomes an aversion to manga maids to become smitten with Emma:
“It’s hard not to be charmed by Emma. Much of the first tankōbon has a quiet, almost lazy feel to it. For a series so light on action, a surprisingly large amount of the story elements are conveyed visually, without dialogue, sometimes just with knowing glances.”
Emma’s meditative quality really hooked me on the book.
Over at MangaBlog, Brigid and MangaCast’s Jarred and commiserate over tankoubons of pain.
If you want a snapshot of what comics critics are saying about the books of 2006, swing by The Comics Reporter. Tom Spurgeon is putting together a list.
And this piece at Shaenon Garrity’s LiveJournal is great fun, reporting on some all-time favorite manga lists from Japan and soliciting the same from some manga editors in the U.S. (Found via MangaBlog.)