The Manga Curmudgeon

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

Upcoming April 30, 2008

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Glancing at the ComicList for Wednseday, April 30, 2008, I can’t help noting that it’s a strong week for Good Comics for Kids:

Dark Horse delivers the entire Dayan Collection, four hardcover children’s books by Akiko Ikeda. They’re about a mischievous cat, and Ikeda’s full-color illustrations look absolutely beautiful.

CMX delivers the fourth volume of Masashi Tanaka’s Gon, wordless, beautifully drawn stories about a tiny dinosaur with a big appetite for life.

Skewing slightly older is the fourth volume of Alive (Del Rey), written by Tadashi Kawashima and illustrated by Adachitoka. This series started with two gripping volumes that propelled its primary story – malevolent forces surreptitiously invade the planet and trigger a wave of suicides, and only a handful of people suspect what’s truly happening. The third volume was sort of a digression, with the heroic principals sidetracked from their quest by tangentially related perils. That threw me a bit, but it’s still a very entertaining comic with great characters and eye-catching art.

Would I hand the first volume of Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo (Vertical) to a kid? I’m not really sure. On one hand, it’s Tezuka, and everyone should read some Tezuka. On the other hand, it’s on the gruesome side, packed with bloody battles and some seriously dark content. It’s about a young man, Hyakkimaru, who lost all of his body parts thanks to his father’s ambition and greed. Hyakkimaru is forced on a quest across a war-ravaged landscape to seek and destroy the demons who took his body in trade. He’s joined by young thief Dororo, whose background is almost as harsh. But it’s Tezuka. So I’ll recommend it to everyone else, and they can decide when their kids are ready for it. How’s that for evasion?

Take me to Chowder Bay

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One of the phrases I overuse to describe comics I really like and admire is to say that they cohere. I don’t know if I’ve ever adequately explained what I mean by that, so I’ll take another shot at it.

What I basically mean is that all of the elements work together to achieve a specific, worthwhile effect. Plot, dialogue, characterization, illustration, tone – everything clicks into place. There can be discordance in the way the elements come together, and I think it’s generally preferable that there is some appealing, diverting clashing going on. (Look at how Fumi Yoshinaga’s lanky, sexy art jangles so pleasingly against her chatty, airy dialogue, or how Joann Sfar’s bursts of philosophizing amiably derail a conventional narrative.)

Added to the list of “books that cohere” is Matthew Loux’s Salt Water Taffy, due May 7, 2008, from Oni. It’s an all-ages comedy-adventure about young brothers on a family vacation to a decidedly unpromising seaside town. Jack and Benny discover that Chowder Bay, Maine, is a lot more interesting than it initially seems. I’m extremely reluctant to describe the plot in any more detail, because the fun of the book is discovering the town’s weird secrets with them.

I can say that I really, really love the look of this book. It just lopes along, visually speaking. The kids are charmingly gangly, and they seem to run everywhere. Character design and facial expressions are spot-on. The detailed settings are familiar but cozily odd, and the action sequences are clear and sharp.

Tone and timing are also just right. Loux is able to introduce likeable characters quickly and without fuss, and he can throw them into endearingly odd scenarios right off the bat. The comedy is very organic and very funny, which is no small feat for a story set in a quirky small town. There’s an overall feel of effortlessness, of everything falling serendipitously into place. It all just works.

What works best, I think, is that Loux gives the kids ownership of the weirdness. The discoveries are theirs, and grown-up skepticism only makes those discoveries more appealing. They’re rewarded for being open-minded. Boredom is vanquished; imagination and adventure win.

(This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.)

More summer reading

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There’s a nice mix of promising items in the May 2008 Previews catalog. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Dark Horse gets a jump on a 2009 movie with the release of a repackaging of the first two volumes of Osamu Tezuka’s classic Astro Boy. It’s probably Tezuka’s best-known property, and I’m grateful that Dark Horse has made so much of it is available in English, but honesty compels me to admit that I haven’t felt any burning need to read all of it. (Page 56.)

I’ve heard good things about Kerry Callen’s Halo and Sprocket, and Amaze Ink/SLG releases the second volume of the series and offers the first again. Any series that inspires fan art by Andi Watson must be worth a look. (Page 206.)

Broccoli offers a series that looks both adorable and odd. It’s Honoka Level Up!, by Akiyoshi Ohta and Matsuda98, and it features a really young character developer “getting caught up in the confusing politics, crushing responsibilities, and difficult developmental aspects” of the video game industry. Salary ‘tween manga? Why not? (Page 247.)

Have you been suffering through Kio Shimoku withdrawal since the conclusion of Genshiken? Del Rey is here for you, offering the Genshiken Official Book and the first volume of Shimoku’s Kujibiki Unbalance, the property that inspired microscopic obsession among Shimoku’s gang of geeks. (Page 266.)

Fantagraphics switches gears with the work of the very gifted Los Bros. Hernandez, going straight to the trade with Love and Rockets: New Stories. I’m partial to Gilbert’s work, but both are gifted, and this sounds like an appealing way to consume their work. (Page 298.)

I can’t say I’m entirely sold by the premise of Ray Fawkes and Cameron Stewart’s The Apocalipstix, due from Oni Press. Josie and the Pussycats after Armageddon? I just don’t know. But I’m crazy enough about Stewart’s art that I’ll certainly have to sample it. (Page 320.)

I sort of glazed over on a lot of the manga announcements that came out of the New York Comic-Con, but when Kate Dacey takes the time to point out a title, and when it’s a title that Lillian Diaz-Pryzbl heartily endorses, I’m game. It’s Natsumi Itsuki’s Jyu-Oh-Sei (Tokyopop), and it’s described as having a classic shôjo sci-fi feel. (Page 353.)

Speaking of Kate, I’m guessing she’s as excited as I am to see Yen Press release the second volume of Jung-Hyun Uhm’s Forest of Gray City, originally published by ICE Kunion. A working woman takes in a sexy male roommate to share expenses in this beautifully drawn josei-style manhwa. (Page 389.)

Upcoming 4/23/2008

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Some highlights from the ComicList for Wednesday, April 23, 2008:

It’s Go! Comi for the win this week, with new volumes of three of my favorite series arriving simultaneously.

I’ve almost run out of good things to say about Setona Mizushiro’s After School Nightmare, which is probably one of the best Japanese comics currently in release, and certainly one of the best examples of the shôjo category. The cover of the seventh volume, due tomorrow, is particularly creepy for regular readers of the series.

While the second volume of Yuu Asami’s A.I. Revolution didn’t have quite the same feeling of discovery I found in the first, it was still a lovely reading experience. It’s got a sweetly old-fashioned feel as it explores the relationship between humans and robots. The robots are hunky, the humans are quirky, the stories are comforting and varied, and the art is gorgeous.

Train + Train, by Hideyuki Kurata and Tomomasa Takuma, got off to something of a weak start, but it’s become one of my favorites over its six-volume run. Likeable kids Arena and Reiichi get more education than they bargained for as they travel across a teaching planet on the “Special Train,” learning lessons in the form of dangerous missions. I’m not sure Takuma ever fully realizes the visual possibilities of this set-up, but the development of characters and themes is strong.

Misplaced weekend

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This is almost entirely unrelated to anything in terms of comics, but I really feel the need to convince myself that I didn’t waste the entire weekend playing Westward II. I wasted a lot of it, but I didn’t waste all of it:

1. Mowed lawn, or more accurately, mowed onion field masquerading as lawn.
2. Clipped male dog’s toenails without incident or injury.
3. Cleaned stove top.
4. Went to Lowe’s without excessive eye-rolling.
5. Went to supermarket without strangling any of my fellow patrons.
6. Read The Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke, which was pleasant and competent and contained cookie recipes, though none of them sounded life-changing. (Minor grumble: I’m always disappointed when a writer hints at a mysterious relationship between people of the same sex, then it turns out to be the most un-sexy relationship possible.)
7. Read the preview of Matthew Loux’s Salt Water Taffy that Oni sent me, and wow, is that a good comic. More on that subject later.

Okay, I guess it wasn’t a total loss.

Over and done

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This week’s Flipped is up, and I’m still on a “Hey, that series that I really liked just ended, so I think I’ll write about it” jag. The latest manga from this weirdly large category is Fuyumi Soryo’s ES: Eternal Sabbath (Del Rey).

Speaking of series that I really liked that just ended, John Jakala takes a thoughtful look at the conclusion of Minetaro Mochizuki’s exciting and thought-provoking Dragon Head (Tokyopop), and picks some highlights from the series as a whole. What he said, basically.

I'm scared

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Every time I go to Comic Book Resources, the floating head of Stan Lee stalks me as I try to scroll down the page.

I hate pushy web advertisements.

Theoretical hounding

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I’m not going to make it to this year’s New York Comic Con, but if I were there, I’d be hounding Fanfare/Ponent Mon’s Stephen Robson as much as possible. And just because I love their books, here’s Fanfare’s press release about convention plans and upcoming titles. Commence squeeing after the cut. (And if you’re going to the con, buy one of Fanfare’s books. You won’t regret it.)

Fanfare / Ponent Mon Previews 7 New Manga / Graphic Novels at NYCC

NEW YORK, NY – Award-winning international manga and graphic novel publisher Fanfare / Ponent Mon will be at New York Comic-Con April 18 – 20 at Booth 2343, Jacob K. Javits Center, New York City. Fanfare publisher Stephen Robson will be on hand to showcase recent and upcoming releases for 2008.

Seven new Fanfare publications will be previewed from Japan, France and Korea, including Jiro Taniguchi’s The Ice Wanderer, which was recently nominated for a 2008 Eisner Award by Comic-Con International.

New Fanfare / Ponent Mon titles previewing at New York Comic-Con include:

. Disappearance Diary by Hideo Azuma

. The Ice Wanderer and other stories by Jiro Taniguchi

. The Quest for the Missing Girl by Jiro Taniguchi

. The Summit of the Gods by Yumemakura Baku and Jiro Taniguchi

. My Mommy is in America and Met Buffalo Bill by Jean Regnaud and Emile Bravo

. Korea as Viewed by 12 Creators by Various

. Awabi by Kan Takahama

Disappearance Diary – Hideo Azuma
Release date: November 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-42-6
Trade paperback, 200 pages
Cover price: $22.99
Disappearance Diary by Hideo Azuma is a new title scheduled for a Fall 2008 release which is printed and ready for distribution. It will preview at NYCC.
This autobiographical tale follows the true adventures of a successful manga artist who decides to run away from the deadline pressures and daily responsibilities of his life to become a homeless alcoholic. Winner of the Grand Media Prize, 2005 Japan Media Arts Festival.

The Ice Wanderer and Other Stories – Jiro Taniguchi
Release date: October 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-33-4
Trade paperback, 240 pages
Cover price: 21.99
The Ice Wanderer and Other Stories. a collection of six short stories by Taniguchi, is printed and ready for distribution once more. The title story, The Ice Wanderer is a strong to and features Jack London as one of the characters. While not yet available in wide release due to a change in our distribution companies, The Ice Wanderer and Other Stories has already been nominated for the 2008 Eisner Awards by Comic-Con International in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Japan category.

The Quest for the Missing Girl – Jiro Taniguchi
Release date: November 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-47-1
Trade paperback, 334 pages
Cover price $25.00
When 15 year old Megumi mysteriously disappears, Shiga leaves his mountain retreat to fulfill his promise to her father following his death in the Himalayas twelve years previously. But the City can be a much more hostile and dangerous place than the mountain. Multi-award winning Taniguchi brings his detailed art and fast moving script to this agonizing tale of a missing girl.
Due Fall 2008

The Summit of the Gods – Yumemakura Baku, Jiro Taniguchi
Volume 1 release date: Spring 2009
ISBN: 978-84-96427-87-7
Trade paperback, 328 pages
Cover price: $25.00
Fanfare is continuing its commitment to publishing the award-winning graphic novels of Jiro Taniguchi with several new and notable releases. The Summit of the Gods is the latest offering from Taniguchi and is a 5-volume epic about the conquering of Mount Everest. Look for the first volume to be available in the U.S. in Spring 2009.

My Mommy is in America and Met Buffalo Bill – Jean Regnaud and Emile Bravo
Release date: December 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-85-3
Hardcover, 112 full color pages
Cover price: $24.00
My Mommy is in America and Met Buffalo Bill is a first-time English edition of the award-winning French graphic novel by Jean Regnaud and Emile Bravo (Eisner nominee 2008 for “Best Short Story”). Told from a young boy’s point of view, My Mommy is a slice-of-life story about a child’s remembrance of his life in the French countryside and the fanciful postcards he receives from his mother, who’s off traveling the world – or is she? Look for this touching and memorable book to arrive in better bookshops in Fall 2008.

Korea as Viewed by 12 Creators – Various
Release date: December 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-48-8
Trade paperback, 222 pages
Cover price: $24.00
The sequel to the critically-acclaimed Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators takes the cross-cultural comics exchange to the other Asian epicenter of graphic storytelling, Korea. French and Korean creators, including Lee Doo-Ho, Vanyda, Park Heung-yong and Igort, share their impressions of Korea as both insiders and visitors for an eye-opening examination of this fast-growing, multi-faceted society.

Awabi – Kan Takahama
Release date: Spring 2009
ISBN: 978-84-96427-34-1
Trade paperback, 144 pages
Cover price: $19.99
Awabi means “abalone” in Japanese and this second collection of short stories by Kan Takahama (author of Monokuro Kinderbook, also from Fanfare / Ponent Mon) has more of Takahama’s elegant, softly stylized artwork and wry, wistful and very grown-up storytelling. The title story of life revisited in a rest home, befriending a suicide in My Life With K and dad calling a family meeting with surprising results in My Mellow Chrostmas form the core of these six stories from much lauded Takahama.

ABOUT FANFARE / PONENT MON
Founded in 2003, Spanish publisher Ponent Mon together with UK-based Fanfare, is aiming to introduce comic book readers to the latest graphic and story telling tendencies to come out of the alternative comics scene in Japan and elsewhere.

Whilst our roots are in the “Nouvelle Manga” movement formed by Frédéric Boilet, we also publish a long list of major Japanese and European artists including new works previously unpublished anywhere.

All English language titles and many more are published in Spanish from Ponent Mon.

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Dogs and monsters

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Some picks from the ComicList for Wednesday, April 16, 2008:

Viz does all the heavy lifting this week, which is a rather lean one.

I’ve already read the fourteenth volume of Naoiki Urasawa’s Monster, and it’s pretty much superb. This series has really built into a terrific suspense story as the characters have developed.

I’m a bit behind on Kazuo Umezu’s The Drifting Classroom, which concludes with its 11th volume. I’ll have to schedule a profoundly disturbing read-a-thon at my earliest convenience.

Then I can calm my nerves with some catch-up reading of Yukia Sakuragi’s Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, which has reached its eighth volume.

From the stack: Three Shadows

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You can’t say you weren’t warned. Cyril Pedrosa’s Three Shadows (First Second) opens with a beautifully sad poem by Deborah Garrison, and the creator’s biography announces that the book was “born out of the agony of watching his close friends’ child die very young.” It’s a bit of an over-preparation, as Pedrosa frames that tragedy as a parable and illustrates it in a friendly, fanciful style.

He also avoids some pitfalls common to both the material and his approach to it. The central message of this kind of story – that the death of a child is hard to accept – is so obvious that it doesn’t even need to be argued. How, then, do you move your audience beyond simply prodding their shared anxieties and commonly held values? And when you dress that tragedy as a fable, how do you avoid flattening the experience even further?

Pedrosa manages by giving specificity to the family’s dynamic. They aren’t just Father, Mother, and Child. Louis, Lise and Joachim have routines and private jokes, and Pedrosa gives their life on a farm in the countryside easy, believable warmth. I liked them individually and as a unit before I was drawn into their misfortunes. That makes a difference, though the effect is more fleeting than it should be.

Anyway, the plot: one day, Joachim sees three shadowy riders on the hill near their house. They fill him with anxiety that transfers to his parents as the shadows appear again and again. Louis goes into defense mode, and Lise tries to find out why the shadows have come. When she learns the answer, the parents experience a philosophical divide. Lise would like to cherish whatever time Joachim has left, but Louis panics and tries to take his son into hiding.

That argument – mournful acceptance versus a likely futile fight against the inevitable – could have made for a fascinating comic all on its own. I’m not sure that the book benefits from Pedrosa’s choice to focus on the father’s resistance. It marginalizes Lise, and it’s impossible to not resent Louis for robbing her of the scant time she has left with her son. Pedrosa is clearly conscious of that result, but I’m never fully persuaded that Louis did what he had to do or that the sequences that follow are sufficient compensation for Lise’s absence from the narrative.

When the book takes that turn, Louis’s struggle becomes a sort of ambient backdrop for treachery and disaster that never fully connect with the more compelling themes that Pedrosa established earlier. These sequences are beautifully drawn, and they have emotional punch, but they didn’t cohere into a whole story for me. Pedrosa is a marvelously skilled illustrator and a potent storyteller moment to moment; no chapter of Three Shadows is anything close to a waste of time, but the last half of the book never becomes the transforming quest that seemed to have been intended. It just confirms that Lise was right all along, but it never rewards her for that.

(This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.)