Spending too much on comics, then talking too much about them
Among my hobbies is hanging on the words of manga scholar and sometimes translator Matt Thorn. Brigid Alverson makes this very easy by conducting a delightful interview with Thorn for Publishers Weekly Comics Week. Resist the money quote if you dare:
“First I told them, ‘This whole business model is unmanageable. You’re selling to a subset of a subset. Normal people never walk into comic shops.'”
Okay, all due credit and respect to Grant Morrison, but this whole “mad ideas” thing? It’s older than that.
Exhibit A:
Defenders Vol. 1 Issue 35
This comic, written by Steve Gerber, features the introduction of a Communist neurosurgeon super-heroine, a super-villain trapped in the body of a baby deer, brain transplants, spirit transplants, and attempted body snatching.
If anything, the cover actually understates the weirdness of the story within.
(Self-indulgent update: I thought about linking to this yesterday, but I’m never sure how tacky it is to link to my own posts. Anyway, in 2005, I wrote at rather needless, spoiler-filled length on Gerber’s Defenders run here.)
I just realized that I haven’t really said anything about the current season of Top Chef, my favorite competitive reality show. Since the season is about to conclude, I should probably get around to that. Here are some largely random thoughts:
Oh, and speaking of food, Chris Mautner saves me the trouble of reviewing Carol Lay’s The Big Skinny: How I Changed My Fattitude by covering everything I might have wanted to say about it over at Robot 6.
In her latest “All the Comics in the World” column at comiXology, Shaenon K. Garrity asks comics professionals the all-important question, “If you could take only one comic to a desert island, what would it be?”
During the small handful of acting classes I took in college, I was always accused of “playwriting” during improvisational exercises… needlessly complicating the task with lots of self-indulgent extrapolation. Nothing has changed, obviously, since I immediately asked myself, “Well, okay, but will I be using it for recreational reading to distract me from my plight? A possible source of fuel? A weapon?”
Of course, the obvious answer for all three purposes is Jeff Smith’s Bone: One Volume Edition (Cartoon Books). I can read it over and over again, it’s heavy enough to use as a cudgel against wild boars (though a hardcover edition would probably hold up better), and, should the situation become really dire, there’s plenty of pulp in there to use as a starter when I try and fire up the driftwood, though I would be extremely reluctant to use it in that manner.
Via Vertical comes pointers to a neat site called Worlds Without Borders: The Online Magazine for International Literature. Click through to see…
And, as they say, much, much more. Neat stuff, and an intriguing site.
Deb Aoki revealed the results of two more reader polls over at About.Com this week.
In the Best New Seinen Manga category, Hiroya Oku’s ultra-violent Gantz (Dark Horse) took top honors, followed by Astral Project (CMX), written by marginal (also known as Garon [Old Boy] Tsuchiya) and illustrated by Syuji Takeya.
In the somewhat awkwardly titled Best New Classic or Reissued Manga category (though I can’t think of a more elegant way of phrasing it), Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack (Vertical) comes out on top of a strong pack of contenders. Second place went to the VizBig editions of Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond.
Update: I somehow missed the results from the Best New Josei Manga Poll, which are also posted. First place went to Tomoko Noguchi’s Object of Desire (LuvLuv/Aurora), with Kishi Torajiros’s Maka-Maka (Kitty Media/Media Blasters) claiming second.
At Good Comics for Kids, Snow Wildsmith rounds up graphic novels recognized on other American Library Association lists like “Best Books for Young Adults” and “Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.”
One, the “Death and Dying” category in “Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults,” reminds me to ask a question: where’s Cyril Pedrosa’s Three Shadows (First Second) on any of these lists? I didn’t think it was a perfect book, but it was packed with sensitivity, ambition and craft, and it was a noble attempt at spinning a new fable.
Carnal Comics checked in the comments of a previous post with an update, noting:
“We are currently working an arrangement with Haven Distribution who sepcialize in carry the unique cutting edge comics. So we may still have a presence in the comic shop marketplace.”
Haven Distributors also came up this week in Rich Johnston’s Lying in the Gutters column at Comic Book Resources and in a wrap-up at Anime News Network. Newsarama’s Rick Offenberger interviewed Haven’s Lance Stahlberg earlier this week as well:
“Part of our mission is to help bring independent comics to the market. We give deserving titles a chance when Diamond won’t. We still have a submission and approval process, and you may get taken on consignment, but we boast a wide range of titles that cater to many tastes. Every new book we offer is treated the same.”
It would certainly be an interesting development if Diamond’s cost-cutting measures turned Haven into a major rival. Haven already seems like it’s in a good position for the “Offered Again” market sector.
A few quick links before we get to new arrivals from this week’s ComicList:
Now, onto the Wednesday haul.
Del Rey has three books that catch my eye: the fifth volume of Hiro Mashima’s fun, lively Fairy Tail, the second of Miwa Ueda’s twisted-sister drama Papillion, and the sixth of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s enduringly awesome Parasyte.
HarperCollins delivers a second printing of Paul Gravett’s excellent Graphic Novels: Everything You Need to Know. It’s a terrific overview of a medium that’s tricky to summarize. Gravett pulled off a similar trick with his essential Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics.
In a similar vein, Netcomics offers Manhwa 100: The New Era for Illustrated Comics, promising a compilation that represents the Korean comic book industry.
Tokyopop’s big offering for the week is Benjamin’s full-color manhua Orange. Brigid Alverson shared a preview at MangaBlog, and Paul Gravett recently posted an interview with the creator conducted by Rebeca Fernandez. The other highlight from Tokyopop is the fourth volume of Ai Morinaga’s Your and My Secret, gender-bending comedy at its very best.
Deb Aoki has begun the results phase of her annual manga polls over at About.Com, starting with 2008’s visitor-selected Best New Shojo Manga. Honestly, I’d have been happy with any of the top three claiming titles first place, as I think they’re all fine series. But there’s a lot of crack in this category, so I’m not surprised that it provided a strong slate.
Deb also points to a contest being sponsored by Go! Comi to help introduce readers to guilty-pleasure priestess You Higuri.
Sometimes, all it takes is a partial e-mail title to send my hopes skyrocketing out of all proportion. I open my in-box and see “Digital Manga Publishing acquires classic shojo title:”. What is it? The Rose of Versailles? The Poe Clan? Well, no, it’s Itazura Na Kiss by Kaoru Tada, which sounds like fun, but I did have a breathless moment there before I could click the message open.
The full press release on the book is after the jump.
Gardena, CA – (January 26, 2009)- Digital Manga Publishing, Inc., one of the industry’s most unconventional and innovative companies is proud to announce its acquisition of the classic and timeless shojo manga: ITAZURA NA KISS. Never before released in translated form in the U.S., ITAZURA NA KISS has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, inspired live action dramas, and has recently been released in a newly created anime by the same name.
Published under the DMP imprint, ITAZURA NA KISS was released as 12 omnibus volumes in Japan, and plans for the first two volumes in a 5.125″ x 7.1875″ format at a cost of $14.95 per volume, will begin with volume one in November, 2009, and volume two following in March, 2010. ITAZURA NA KISS has inspired countless shojo manga artists, and with its unconventional narrative in following the lives and relationships of its main characters from high school to beyond, it created the groundwork for many contemporary shojo manga stories. This timeless manga will enchant and inspire new readers while reminding seasoned readers why shojo is as popular as it is. It is a “must-have” for any manga enthusiast, or anyone who loves a romantic, comedic story of why people fall in love, and the sacrifices and growth each must go through for the other.
ITAZURA NA KISS VOL. 1- RATED T+ (for ages 13+), MSRP: $14.95 US, Available: November 4, 2009
ITAZURA NA KISS is the beloved and classic shojo manga following two high school students, the air-headed Kotoko and the brilliant cold genius Naoki. When Kotoko finally musters the courage to confess to the haughty Naoki, his instant rejection shocks her and she decides to forget him forever. But when circumstances force her and her father to move in with her father’s close friend, she encounters an even bigger shock when she realizes her father’s friend is Naoki’s father, and they’ll be living together from now on! Is it fate? A sign from heaven? Whatever it is, Kotoko’s every attempt to impress the aloof Naoki seems to create chaos in Naoki’s life, and the cracks in his cool, robot-like facade begin to show. Follow the journey of these two through life, love, and every chaotic, crazy moment in Kotoko’s mission to make Naoki hers!
KAORU TADA was born in 1960, and is the creator of AI SHITE KNIGHT and ITAZURA NA KISS. ITAZURA NA KISS was her most popular work in Japan, and has spawned live action dramas, been adapted for the theatrical stage, and released as an animated series. KAORU TADA died tragically at the age of 38 in 1999.