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Con jobs

January 4, 2007 by

A dust-up seems to be brewing over the inaugural American Anime Awards, to be debuted this year at the New York Comic Con. At MangaCast, Ed Chavez takes a moment from his travels in Japan to look over the ballot, particularly the manga nominees, and he finds it wanting. Anime News Network interrogates ICv2’s Milton Griepp over the conception of the awards program and what could be construed as ADV’s undue influence.

The awards have struck me as a rather odd fit for this particular con since they were announced. Anime isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the NYCC, and the impression was reinforced by the closing remarks from this week’s PWCW interview with con organizer Greg Toplian:

“What I’m told is that we’re the literary show. This is New York City, and it’s about comics and book publishing. Editorial staff or the licensing departments can all stop by the convention for the price of cab fare. The Friday trade day also helps. We’re a more bookish show than others and getting Stephen King to attend as a guest of honor is the perfect illustration of that.”

(Dedicated conspiracy theorists will undoubtedly note that the interview is illustrated with a photo of Toplian and ADV’s Chris Oarr. The snark-centric will undoubtedly note the dangerous proximity of “literary” and “Stephen King.”)

Aside from the overcrowding issue, the general impression that emerged from last year’s NYCC was one of wider publisher interest in the category – book publishers scouring the con floor for talent and contemplating ways to slice off their own piece of the graphic novel pie. And while anime is certainly a driver in graphic novel sales, it doesn’t seem like an intuitive fit. Back at the ANN interview, Griepp provides some background:

“New York Comic Con was actively searching for an awards program from one of its categories to be associated with the convention, so a venue and supporting event became available. The association with New York Comic Con allowed the awards program to take advantage of the location in the media capital of the world, with a very large press corps already attending.”

The PWCW interview had plenty on its plate without delving into the new awards program, and Calvin Reid did address another issue that’s been simmering:

“We’ve heard some complaints about a lack of women creators being invited officially to be a part of the show. When I checked the guest list at the Web site, there was one woman out of about 31 invited guest artists. While I understand there are more women involved in some of the as-yet-unannounced programming, this still seems like an unfortunate message to send out. Particularly since the mainstream New York comics industry has a long history of excluding women.”

One out of 31? That’s an even worse percentage than San Diego.

Filed under: Anime, Awards and lists, Conventions, Linkblogging 8 Comments

Good reads

January 2, 2007 by

At MangaBlog, Brigid interviews Kurt Hassler, former most powerful person in manga and current co-exec of Hachette’s upcoming Yen Press line of graphic novels. I like the guiding principle that Yen Press seems to have adopted:

“When we’re dealing with original stuff, maybe we’re developing more of a flavor of our own, but we have a variety of people who are working on the imprint. We want to give everyone a voice. We’re not ruling anything out. The rule is if it’s a good book, we are going to publish it.”

At Comics212.net, Chris Butcher notes that 2006 offered a merry little Christmas for graphic novel retailers:

“Anyway, from my vantage point this was the year that comics may have actually entered the mainstream, at least as far as gift-giving is concerned. It’s been gratifying for me because I’ve really wanted it, but it made for a particularly positive ending to a year during which I invested a lot of myself into the medium.”

And at The Comics Reporter, Tom Spurgeon asks readers to look forward to what they want from 2007.

Filed under: Awards and lists, Bookstores, Linkblogging, Yen Press Leave a Comment

Still more best

January 1, 2007 by

Time Magazine‘s Andrew Arnold has listed his choices for the ten best comics of 2006:

1. La Perdida by Jessica Abel (Pantheon)
2. The Push Man and Other Stories and Abandon the Old in Tokyo by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
3. An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons & True Stories, edited by Ivan Brunetti (Yale University Press)
4. Popeye by E.C. Segar (Fantagraphics)
5. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (Houghton Mifflin)
6. Cancer Vixen by Marissa Acocella Marchetto (Knopf)
7. Curses by Kevin Huizenga (Drawn & Quarterly)
8. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (First Second)
9. Kings in Disguise by James Vance and Dan Burr (W. W. Norton)
10. Absolute Sandman by Neil Gaiman and various (DC/Vertigo)

Posters at The Comics Journal Message Board are offering their choices as well.

And at recent blogroll addition TZG2.0, Myk has listed his choices for Best Manga/Manhwa of 2006 and Best Comics 2006.

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More best

December 27, 2006 by

At Entertainment Weekly‘s web site, Ken Tucker unveils his choices for the best comics of 2006:

  • Best Miniseries: Dr. Strange: The Oath (Marvel)
  • Best New Series: The All New Atom (DC)
  • Best Independent-Publisher Comic: Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness (Oni)
  • Best Graphic Novel: The Left Bank Gang (Fantagraphics)
  • Best Reissue Part 1: Walt and Skeezix: Book 2 1923-24 (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Best Reissue Part 2: Popeye Vol. 1: “I Yam What I Yam” (Fantagraphics)
    • Filed under: Awards and lists 1 Comment

    Long-term horoscopes

    December 23, 2006 by

    Ed Chavez at MangaCast cast out a net for people’s licensing wish lists. I’m not much of a follower of scanlations, but there are some creators and individual books that drive me to begging.

    I loved, loved, loved Sexy Voice and Robo and would buy just about any of Iou Kuroda’s work. Shaenon Garrity feels the same way, judging by the latest installment of her Overlooked Manga Festival:

    “Nasu, incidentally, was Kuroda’s previous work, a collection of short stories connected only by the fact that they all involve eggplants. I want Viz to publish it so badly that I hurt all over.”

    I’ve wanted to read Marimo Ragawa’s NYNY since I saw a couple of pages from it in Paul Gravett’s Manga book.

    Most of the licensed works on the short list of this year’s Angoulême festival look great, but I’d definitely devour Shigeru Mizuki’s Non Non Bâ and Daisuké Igarashi’s Sorcières.

    Anything by Moto Hagio would be appreciated, and hey, Otherworld Barbara just wrapped up in 2005.

    Paradise Kiss and Nana are on my list of much-loved manga, so I’d be happy to see some of Ai Yazawa’s earlier works in translation, like I’m Not an Angel and Neighborhood Story.

    He isn’t Japanese, but I was introduced to his work in Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators, so I’ll take another opportunity to beg for someone to publish some of Fabrice Neaud’s work.

    Did anyone ever confirm this license from Iwahara (Chikyu Misaki) Yuji?

    Speaking of confirmation, Brigid went right to the source and heard from Fanfare/Ponent Mon that The Building Opposite will be arriving in Spring 2007. F/PM also promises more Jiro Taniguchi (The Ice Wanderer) and Kan Takahama (Awabi) in the near future if I remember my Previews catalogs correctly.

    Manga Recon’s Katherine Dacey-Tsuey offers her own lists of exciting titles that are scheduled to arrive, including a lot of books I’m eagerly anticipating. None quite so much as To Terra, especially after seeing Chip Kidd’s cover design, thoughtfully posted by MangaCast’s Jarred Pine.

    Of course, more Yotsuba&! would always be gratefully accepted. It’s been so long that it would feel like a new arrival, y’know? And won’t someone rescue poor Bambi from limbo?

    Filed under: Awards and lists, Linkblogging 3 Comments

    But wait! There's more!

    December 22, 2006 by

    I can’t really call it the Year in Not Fun, can I? But these are the books that made a lingering impression, whether moving, provocative, unsetting or some combination of those qualities.

  • Afterschool Nightmare (Go! Comi): Adolescent identity crises made creepily manifest. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • American Born Chinese (First Second): A moving, funny, and multi-faceted look at cultural assimilation. (Reviewed here.)
  • Deogratias (First Second): A gripping and restrained look at an appalling tragedy. (Reviewed here.)
  • Dokebi Bride (Netcomics): Teen angst, culture clashes, and family dysfunction with a healthy dose of the supernatural. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • Emma (CMX): Men do so make passes at girls who wear glasses. Particularly when they’re fetching but secretive housemaids in a wonderfully subdued manga romance. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • ES: Eternal Sabbath (Del Rey): Lots of people love this character-driven science fiction title, but buzz doesn’t seem to have translated to sales. Add it to the hallowed ranks of Planetes and Eden: It’s an Endless World! (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • Fun Home (Houghton Mifflin): An absorbing look at difficult, defining interpersonal relationships told with exceptional skill.
  • Gray Horses (Oni): No one combines beautifully rendered dream logic with a solid, satisfying narrative like Hope Larson. (Reviewed here.)
  • Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators (Fanfare/Ponent Mon): In a strong year of collected shorts, this is easily the best, packed with diverse talents. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • The Squirrel Mother Stories (Fantagraphics): Megan Kelso lets her mind and style wander in this terrific collection of short stories. She’s like the graphic novelist love child of Sarah Vowell and Augusten Burroughs. (Reviewed here.)
  • The Ticking (Top Shelf): Lyrical and creepy, beautiful and ugly. It was my introduction to the work of Reneé French, and I can’t imagine a better one. (Reviewed here.)
  • 12 Days (Tokyopop): Unlike anything else being produced in Tokyopop’s global line: a single-volume story with the feel of nouvelle josei. (Reviewed here.)

    • I’ll stop now. I promise.

    Edited: I lied, but in my defense, I pulled one of those “omit one of the books that made you want to write the post in the first place” things, like when you’re standing in front of an open refrigerator and you know you had a reason to be there, but you have no memory of what it is. Or maybe that only happens to me.

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    The year in fun

    December 21, 2006 by

    As I said over at MangaBlog, I’m reluctant to put together a “Best of” list for a variety of reasons, but I did want to throw together a list of books that provided… well… fun. I think some of the books below would also make the “gravitas” cut, but the common thread for me is imaginative, escapist reading pleasure. So, without further babble, I give you The Year in Fun:

  • Anne Freaks (ADV): Sometimes fun involves murderous, anarchist teens. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • Beauty Pop (Viz – Shojo Beat): Oh, sweet, formulaic shôjo. I still love you. (I don’t think I’ve actually reviewed this yet, but Lyle has, and I agree with him completely.)
  • Castle Waiting (Fantagraphics): Great characters, imaginative and rambling storytelling, and very appealing art. (Reviewed here.)
  • The Drifting Classroom (Viz – Signature): Insanely ramped up horror that manages to be both hilariously over the top and still effectively frightening. (Reviewed here.)
  • Dragon Head (Tokyopop): The perfect contemporary companion for Drifting Classroom. Tense survival drama that keeps trying to top itself and often succeeds. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • DVD (DramaQueen): The quirky characters in this book have great chemistry, making for funky, funny reading. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • Get a Life (Drawn & Quarterly): In a genre piled with disagreeable losers, Mr. Jean is the most agreeable single straight man on the comics shelves. That sounds more like faint praise than I intended. (Reviewed here.)
  • Klezmer (First Second): No one finds the warmth and character-driven comedy in dark material like Joann Sfar. (Reviewed here.)
  • The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Dark Horse): Imagine the cast of Scooby Doo attending a Buddhist college and making extra cash by helping restless spirits. Then go buy this book. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • Moomin (Drawn & Quarterly): D&Q was clearly determined to make me love them this year, and the promise of a steady diet of this loopy classic was a big factor. (Kind of reviewed here.)
  • Mouse Guard (Archaia): Adorable mice with swords, beautifully rendered in an exciting story. What more do you need? (Reviewed here.)
  • Northwest Passage (Oni Press): Technically this debuted in 2005, but two of its three volumes came out in 2006, so I’m counting it. Like Mouse Guard, it combines wonderful art and a thrilling story, this time steeped in history instead of fantasy. (Reviewed here and here.)
  • Ode to Kirihito (Vertical): You may be thinking, what is this high-end classic doing here? I can answer that in two words: “Human Tempura.” Yes, the book is serious and humane, but it’s also joyful in Tezuka’s aesthetic and just in watching the wildly sprawling story unfold. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • Past Lies (Oni): A rookie private investigator delves into the sleazy-stylish world of the Hollywood elite. This had better be the first of a series. (Reviewed here.)
  • Penguin Revolution (CMX): Shôjo screwball comedy, perfectly executed. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness (Oni): Three volumes in, Bryan Lee O’Malley keeps this incredibly novel and hilarious series grounded and warm at the same time.
  • Paris (Slave Labor Graphics): The story by Andi Watson is serviceable, but the art by Simon Gane is eye-poppingly gorgeous. When’s the collection coming out? (Reviewed here, here and here.)
  • Polly and the Pirates (Oni): Shôjo manga isn’t the exclusive domain of schoolgirls with secret identities. Ted Naifeh creates a wonderful protagonist in Polly Pringle, and watching an adventurous spirit emerge from a proper exterior is great fun. (Reviewed here, here, and here.)
  • Shout Out Loud (Tokyopop – Blu): Boys’ love mixed with workplace comedy makes for a witty, heartwarming mix. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • Train Man: Densha Otoko (Viz): My favorite of the adaptations because it’s an entertaining manga in its own right. Sweet stuff, but not cloying. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
  • Wings (Purple Bear Books): Glorious wordless storytelling, alternately exhilarating and wistful. (Reviewed here.)
  • Yakitate!! Japan (Viz): Boy-with-a-dream wackiness en croûte. (Reviewed in Flipped.)
    • Filed under: Awards and lists 15 Comments

    Vacant lot?

    December 20, 2006 by

    Has anyone ever seen a copy of Vanyda’s The Building Opposite (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) in a bookstore or comic shop? I remember ordering it via Previews over a year ago, heard that it was delayed, and check periodically to make sure it’s still on my order list at the local comic shop, but the shop owner insists that it’s never shipped through Diamond.

    I’ve seen a couple of reviews of it, but I can’t remember if the reviewers mentioned if the publisher had provided a complimentary copy or if they’d picked it up in a store. Apparently it’s one of the 10 best manga of 2006, and given Fanfare/Ponent Mon’s track record, that’s certainly plausible, but where can I buy it, exactly? The English version isn’t listed at Amazon or Barnes and Noble (though both offer the Spanish version), and there’s no joy at Buy.Com either.

    Update: At MangaBlog, Brigid tracks down some sightings of this mysterious, reclusive book. In the comments below this post, Patrick provides visual confirmation of the Nessie of nouvelle manga’s presence at The Beguiling in Toronto. Makes sense. I ended up ordering Walking Man and Kinderbook from that fine establishment.

    Filed under: Awards and lists, Fanfare/Ponent Mon 9 Comments

    Notability

    November 23, 2006 by

    My end-of-year list obsession continues, though The New York Times isn’t that much help. Only one graphic novel made its “100 Notable Books of the Year” list, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, though if you’re going to limit yourself to one, that’s a pretty darn good choice.

    Another entry from the list’s non-fiction category, The United States of Arugula, is delightful reading so far. The evolution of celebrity food culture is interesting to read about for its own sake, but the behind-the-scenes bitchery is great fun. (Don’t worry… Julia rose above.)

    Filed under: Awards and lists, Media, Prose Leave a Comment

    Gift guides

    November 21, 2006 by

    Two ads showed up in the e-mail box this morning, and since neither was for cheap prescription drugs or a home loan, they caught my eye. They’re for the seasonal gift shops at Barnes & Noble and Borders, and each has a special graphic novel niche, though B&N’s is listed a layer in.

    B&N breaks theirs down into “Graphic Novels and Comics,” “Manga,” and “Collectibles.” DC’s Absolute program seems to have positioned them very nicely for placement in these gift guides. While the Marvel entries are reference books, DC’s are largely stories. Someone at B&N really seems to like Joann Sfar (represented by Pantheon’s The Rabbi’s Cat and First Second’s Klezmer) and Osamu Tezuka, which is perfectly understandable. Ode to Kirihito (Vertical) makes both the graphic novel and manga lists.

    My favorite entry on the GN list is probably Paul Gravett’s Graphic Novels: Everything You Need to Know (or Stories to Change Your Life). It’s a beautifully produced book with tons of page samples and a really solid cross-section of the more interesting books that are out there, along with well-written history and context from Gravett.

    The manga list illustrates something of an industry shortcoming, to my way of thinking. While there are plenty of big, comprehensive, stylishly produced volumes on the GN list, there’s little in the way of boxed sets in the manga section. There are some art books and character guides, but there are a lot of single volumes from late in ongoing series that don’t immediately scream “stocking stuffer” unless you’re buying for a dedicated reader who probably already has Fruits Basket 14 anyways.

    At Borders, the “Comics & Graphic Novels” link has better placement, but it also has fewer choices. On the bright side, they’re also having a 4-for-3 sale with page after page of choices. There are plenty of volumes of popular manga series like Naruto, Bleach, and Death Note, and an otherwise eclectic mix of everything from Doonesbury to Little Lulu. One can also find lots and lots of boys’ love or yaoi titles in the listings from publishers like Juné, Blu, Netcomics, and others.

    Books-A-Million doesn’t seem to have a GN/manga section to their gift guide, though the chain seems to be making a lot of money off of the category.

    If I were to assemble some kind of gift guide, it would definitely include Moomin, Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting hardcover, Gene Yang’s American Born Chinese, a personally assembled box set (maybe of Fumi Yoshinaga’s four-volume Antique Bakery, Ai Yazawa’s Paradise Kiss, or Scott Chantler’s Northwest Passage), Jessica Abel’s La Perdida, and Paul Gravett’s Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics.

    Moving on to more current offerings, the week’s releases are up at ComicList. Lazily assembled highlights include:

    Insert cornucopia joke here.

    Filed under: Awards and lists, ComicList 1 Comment
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