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Suddenly next fall

April 29, 2007 by

When I do these trawls through Diamond’s Previews catalog, I generally try and limit my focus to new series and graphic novels. Sometimes, that’s just impossible.

After over a year and a half in limbo, ADV will release a new volume of Kiyohiko Azuma’s delightful Yotsuba&! I could stop right there and be perfectly happy. (Page 217.) I won’t, obviously.

A new collection of Phil and Kaja Foglio’s funny fantasy adventure, Girl Genius (Airship), is always good news. The sixth trade paperback is listed on page 221, and I’ve reviewed previous volumes here, here and here.

David Petersen’s beautiful Mouse Guard (Archaia) was one of the surprise hits of last year, which leads me to suppose that the sequel, Winter 1152, will also be a hit, but not a surprising one. (Page 230.)

Aurora enters the Previews fray with two listings: Makoto Tateno’s Hate to Love You, described as “Romeo and Romeo,” and Chihiro Tamaki’s Walkin’ Butterfly, a shôjo series about an aspiring model. (Page 238.)

I had expected more of a wait for the second volume of Adam Warren’s sweetly subversive, cheerfully shameless piece of cheesecake, Empowered. Apparently not, which is certainly good news. I reviewed the first volume here. (Page 45.)

Dark Horse dabbles in shôjo with Kazuhiro Okamoto’s Translucent, about a girl who’s starting to turn invisible. My teen-angst metaphor sensors are pinging, but in a good way. (Page 47.)

If Tokyopop’s Dragon Head and Viz’s The Drifting Classroom aren’t adequately feeding your need for student survivalist drama, Del Rey launches Tadashi Kawashima’s Alive. There goes that metaphor sensor again! (Page 272.)

I must have been experiencing a shortage of serotonin last weekend, because I ordered a big box of Fumi Yoshinaga manga from Amazon. I read it all in a sitting, and I think my aura transformed from a dingy gray to a cloud of flowers that were sparkling in a slightly ironic fashion. I really recommend it, and manga publishers like Blu, 801 and Juné seem determined to keep these mood-elevating supplements in ample supply. Juné launches Don’t Say Anymore Darling (page 289) and releases the third volume of Flower of Life (page 290). I don’t know why DMP is publishing it in the Juné imprint [Edited to note that they actually aren’t, and I’m just blurring things in my feeble brain], because there doesn’t seem to be any ai among the shônen, but I don’t really care, because I love the series to a positively embarrassing extent.

Fantagraphics releases the second volume of Gilbert Hernandez’s marvelous Palomar stories in Human Diastrophism. (Page 302.) I reviewed the first volume here.

Go! Comi adds more shônen to its line up with the first volume of Yu Yagami’s Hikkatsu. (Page 308.) In it, the protagonist can use martial arts to repair appliances. Since the ice maker in my refrigerator has been on the fritz for weeks, this concept appeals to me.

While the concept of Oni’s The Apocalipstix doesn’t really speak to me – post-apocalyptic rocker girls! – I’m crazy about Cameron Stewart’s art, and he’s teamed up with writer Ray Fawkes for this original graphic novel. (Page 335.)

Back on Yoshinaga patrol, Tokyopop’s Blu imprint offers Truly Kindly, a collection of shorts from the mangaka. Let’s see… I love Yoshinaga, and I love manga shorts. We’ll mark that down as a “yes.” (Page 365.)

Filed under: ADV, Airship, Archaia, Aurora, Blu, Dark Horse, Del Rey, Fantagraphics, Go! Comi, Juné, Previews 6 Comments

I nag because I love

January 23, 2007 by

It’s a breezy trip through this week’s ComicList, with only two entries really catching my eye, but what entries they are.

David Petersen’s surprise hit Mouse Guard (Archaia) concludes with its sixth issue. It’s been a lot of fun watching this beautifully drawn adventure story earn critical praise and go into multiple printings, because it absolutely deserves both. And I notice on the Archaia page that a hardcover collection is in the works, which should be gorgeous and make librarians very, very happy.

Hiroki Endo has been wowing me with the complex science fiction of Eden: It’s an Endless World! (Dark Horse), so I’m really looking forward to his collection of shorter pieces, Tanpenshu. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book from people like Christopher Butcher, so even if I wasn’t already Endo-inclined, I would be giving it a serious look.

Speaking of the Torontonian retailer, Chris does a much better job than I did of highlighting the licensed Japanese goodness on display in this year’s Angoulême short list, including this comment about Daisuke Igarashi’s Sorcières, which I can only second:

“Absolutely beautiful, and I could totally see Dark Horse picking this up and fitting it seamlessly into their current slate of releases. YOU HEAR ME, CARL?”

Dark Horse has been doing a great job of delivering manga that I really, really like (Eden, The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Mail). Maybe I should start nagging them about launching a josei line.

(Edited due to a spelling flame-out.)

Filed under: Archaia, ComicList, Dark Horse, Linkblogging 5 Comments

From the stack: MOUSE GUARD: BELLY OF THE BEAST #1

February 23, 2006 by

When new issues of Paris (SLG) and Polly and the Pirates come out, I’m tempted to say the same things over again – that Paris is lovely to look at and Polly is an engaging, all-ages adventure. Both apply to this month’s chapters, too, but for variety’s sake, I’ll say that both are also true of the first issue of David Petersen’s Mouse Guard: Belly of the Beast (Archaia Studios Press).

Petersen has a wonderful premise here. The Mouse Guard protects the safety of the citizens of various mouse settlements, forging safe paths between them to allow trade and travel. Once soldiers, they’re more rangers now, though they’re fully capable of handling dangerous situations.

Petersen introduces the Guard with a minimum of fuss. There’s some introductory text that provides an overview, and it’s useful, but I particularly like the way he illustrates the Guard’s function in the story. It’s almost a day-in-the-life tale, showing members of the Guard investigating the disappearance of a grain trader. There’s very little exposition, with Petersen choosing instead to let action and character do the world-building.

It’s a nice balance between telling (the opening text) and showing (the story itself). Neither makes the other redundant, and they support each other very well. Petersen also uses the initial adventure to alert the guard to a larger danger, building interest in future chapters. It’s wonderfully modulated storytelling — a satisfying adventure that feeds into something bigger.

It’s also gorgeous. Petersen does a wonderful job with character design. It’s an appealing mix of realism (they look like mice) and fantasy (but mice with capes and swords). Backgrounds are lush, and action sequences are tense and imaginative. As strong as the illustrations are, they’re taken to an even higher level by Petersen’s use of color. Petersen uses a rich palette to help show the passage of time, from day to night to day again, grounding the scenes and contributing to mood.

Mouse Guard #1 is a really appealing introduction to this six-part series. It’s got the full package – solid story, wonderful art, and imaginative presentation.

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