The Manga Curmudgeon

Spending too much on comics, then talking too much about them

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Shop of dreams

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This week’s Flipped started with a visit to one of those excellent comic shops that demonstrates a healthy appreciation for manga. It got me thinking about what qualities add up to making a comic shop great for manga fans. It’s fairly easy to find all of the shônen and shôjo one could want at a chain bookstore, so it always behooves a specialty store to go beyond that and offer something different.

Instead of looking at the underlying qualities and philosophies that make a comic shop a great manga shop, I decided to go the lazy route and come up with a frankly arbitrary checklist of specific comics and categories that add up to represent a generous and discerning view of this corner of the comics world. Feel free to add your own and mention shops you really like. (Mine include Alternate Reality Comics in Las Vegas, Midtown Comics in Manhattan, Laughing Ogre Comics in Columbus, OH, and Big Planet Comics in Georgetown, DC.)

Here’s my checklist:

  • Shelf copies of at least three volumes of Eden: It’s an Endless World and The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. Bonus points for shelf copies of either volume of Tanpenshu or Ohikkoshi.
  • Shelf copies of at least two books from Fanfare/Ponent Mon. Bonus points for shelf copies of each additional title.
  • Shelf copies of at least three volumes of Genshiken, Mushishi and Nodame Cantabile. Bonus points for shelf copies of any volume of Love Roma and/or Me and the Devil Blues.
  • Shelf copies of at least one Japanese comic published by Last Gasp. Bonus points for each additional shelved title.
  • Shelf copies of volumes of at least three series by Fumi Yoshinaga.
  • Shelf copies of volumes of at least four series by Osamu Tezuka. Bonus points for copies of the Black Jack hardcover.
  • Shelf copies of at least two volumes of Dragon Head, Planetes and Tramps Like Us.
  • Shelf copies of at least three volumes of Nana. Bonus points for shelf copies of any volume of Paradise Kiss.
  • Shelf copies of volumes of at least five series from Viz’s Signature line. Minimum requirements: two comics by Naoki Urasawa and Uzumaki. Bonus points for any volume of Oishinbo. Double bonus points for three or more volumes of The Drifting Classroom.
  • Shelf copies of at least two volumes each of Emma, Gon and Crayon Shinchan.
  • Shelf copies of at least one out-of-print title.
  • Rack copies of Yen Plus with the other monthlies.
  • A prominently displayed sign that says something like, “Don’t see what you’re looking for? Ask us, and we’ll try and order it for you!” Smiley-face optional.

    • And for extra credit:

  • Bonus points shelf copies of Sexy Voice and Robo.
  • Bonus points for a clearly identified section for yaoi and boys’ love titles.
  • Bonus points for Rica ‘tte Kanji.
  • Bonus points for shelf copies of two or more out-of-print titles.
  • Bonus points for a selection of ero-manga from Icarus Publishing.

    • Urasawarama

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    human

    I told myself to wait until two volumes of the new Naoki Urasawa series were out until I wrote about them at any length, and I’m glad I did, as I thought 20th Century Boys improved dramatically in the second volume. (Not that the first was weak, just that there seemed to be more of a voice and a style in the second.) Pluto I pretty much loved from the beginning.

    But I’m giving away the shocking secrets of this week’s Flipped.

    Carrion luggage

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    I’m sure I’ve used that joke before. Anyway, there’s a new Flipped up, in which I talk a bit about four-panel comics to camouflage the fact that I’m going on about Shoulder-A-Coffin Kuro yet again.

    The future is now

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    Will the day come when we evolve from bestseller lists to “largest number of unique visitors” lists? I have no idea, but one might anticipate future press releases from Viz talking about how many people have popped by TheRumicWorld. Just a theory, mind you. And as you may have guessed, that’s the topic for this week’s Flipped.

    Made a lot of stops

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    I’m glad I didn’t hear that PRI piece on “Urban Pac-Man” until today, because I never would have been able to focus enough to finish this week’s Flipped column. It takes very little to get me imagining myself in Lyon, and the prospect of gourmet cuisine, glorious architecture, and a city-wide recreation of an arcade favorite from my childhood? I’m hearing the theme song with a plaintive, Édith Piaf quality.

    Anyway, back to the topic at hand. This week’s column focuses on a title that examines another kind of armchair travel: Astral Project from CMX. Mysteries, metaphysics, jazz, call girls… this one’s got it all, or at least most of it.

    Extracurricular

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    Yes, you are, Kureha.

    Yes, you are, Kureha.

    Sometimes it’s nice to be able to look at a series from beginning to end, y’know? Because you never know when a series is going to go horribly off the rails into complete madness. Sometimes, it can happen between the first and second volumes. Or even just turn into something very different (not necessarily for the worse, but you know what I mean) between the first and second volumes.

    So this week’s Flipped is devoted to one of those series that’s a solid, often inspired work from beginning to end. Or at least very, very close to the end, but I don’t know what I would have done differently.