The Manga Curmudgeon

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

Promotional items

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It’s a big week for graphic novel debuts, as has been noted by Jog, Chris Butcher, and many others.

If I were to pick a “book of the week,” I’d probably chicken out and call it a draw between American Born Chinese and Klezmer, both lovely in very different ways. Lucky residents of the San Francisco area or those who just happen to be there Sept. 20 can meet Gene Yang, creator of American Born Chinese, at an event at the Isotope. (Readers who want to meet Joann Sfar will probably have to travel to France, but really, isn’t that just a fringe benefit? The extras those people put in their manga! C’est magnifique!)

Speaking of promotional activities, Go! Comi is sponsoring a Cantarella Poetry Contest. Only one manga has ever inspired me to verse, but that shouldn’t stop you.

In other manga promotion news, Chris Butcher notes a change in the Tokyopop on-line exclusive initiative. I think one would categorize this story as “developing.”

I’ve been really negligent in giving a nod to Manga Mondays at Comics-and-More, so let me correct that. This week, Dave Ferraro throws in a list of his favorite anime (Paranoia Agent is so creepy and cool) before wondering why publishing Naruto is like printing money.

Oh, and if you were wondering about the book that provided the premise for the most recent episode of the wacky, long-running sitcom, That Darn Diamond, Tulip Tree Press has extensive preview strips available of House of Sugar by Rebecca Kratz. It looks really intriguing.

Jiggety jig

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So an unexpected mini-emergency threw my weekend plans into something of a tailspin, and I ended up needing to hit the road. The only reading I had time to do was the second volume of Absolute Boyfriend, which was about as deep as I was prepared to go, so I’m glad I threw it into the suitcase.

Happily I already had an interview with the lovely and talented Ed (MangaCast) Chavez in the can for this week’s Flipped, so I didn’t need to worry about that.

But other stuff I’d planned to work on went by the wayside. The rambling, self-involved meditation on precisely what I think is happening in the first chapter of Gerard & Jacques; the review of Secret Comics Japan that fixates largely on how awesome Usamaru Furuya is; the deep cleansing breath I can enjoy now that Hot Gimmick is over…

Consider yourselves spared, because I have just enough energy to fill the tub and read Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things.

Drama unfolds…

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Can you stand any more Tokyopop sales talk? Just a little, I promise.

At MangaBlog, Brigid uncovers a Tokyopop title that’s going to be a Diamond exclusive.

At Crocodile Caucus, Lyle wonders why Tokyopop gets labeled as flooding the market while Viz doesn’t, even though both release a similar volume of product. In the comments, Dorian wonders if that isn’t a function of timing.

At Sporadic Sequential, John Jakala wonders if Tokyopop’s initiative might not be a golden opportunity… for someone else.

Part of this week’s comics shop haul was Tokyopop’s Kamen Tantei, a teen sleuth comedy that’s got a nice premise but thoroughly average execution so far. It came with one of the glossy quarter-folds inserted.

On one side of the flyer is a promotion of some of the on-line exclusives (Atomic King Daidogan 1, Neck and Neck 6, and One 10). “And best of all, we will shop the books directly to your home – so no need to leave your computer chair!”

The flip side features titles that aren’t on-line exclusives but a priced at a 20% discount if you order them directly from the publisher. The books are Innocent W 1, Rozen Maiden 1 and 2, Star Trek – The Manga, and Mitsukazu Mihara: R.I.P. Requiem in Phonybrian.

From the stack: BENKEI IN NEW YORK

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In my experience, manga assassins either look exactly like what they are (Golgo 13) or the exact opposite (Anne Freaks, Bambi and Her Pink Gun). The title character of Benkei in New York (Viz) looks like your uncle, or the guy who files your insurance claim. He could be the manager of your bank or someone who sells suits.

He isn’t, obviously, but the pleasure of the book is the disconnection between how things look and how they are.

Written by Jinpachi Mori and drawn by Jiro Taniguchi, Benkei in New York follows a Japanese artist living in Manhattan through a series of stand-alone stories about revenge. Benkei isn’t one of those crassly commercial hit men who’ll kill anyone for a price. He needs certainty that his client’s desire for retribution is just, at least by his standards.

It’s never even entirely clear if murder is Benkei’s main gig. He’s an accomplished artist and an even more gifted forger. After glancing at a masterpiece a couple of times, he can reproduce it perfectly. Mori finds clever ways for art and death to intersect.

For readers who only know Taniguchi through work published by Fanfare/Ponent Mon (The Walking Man, Times of Botchan), Benkei might come as something of a surprise. Taniguchi’s detailed precision translates perfectly into noir, and his bland, everyman design for Benkei is brilliant. Unlike Anna or Bambi, whose visual innocence functions as a kind of tip-off, you really wouldn’t know what Benkei is capable of to look at him. He’s kind of dumpy, and he has a blandly amiable expression.

Taniguchi can’t seem to resist the impulse to make any moment, either everyday or violent, beautiful. The action sequences can be faintly ludicrous (a swordfight in a museum, improvisational weaponry made from seafood), but Taniguchi’s painstaking detail and meticulous composition sell them.

I’m generally suspect when creators try and sell a criminal as a good guy, but Mori and Taniguchi don’t sell the idea too hard. Benkei has a specific morality, and it’s intriguing, but there’s no explicit endorsement of what he does or why. They’re content to present it, and it’s an effective foundation for the pulpy stories collected here.

(Yes, I’m on something of a “books I bought for cheap directly from Viz” kick. Like Rumic Theater, Benkei in New York is still in the bargain bin.)

Here, there, everywhere

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What, new comics arrive a day later than usual, so everyone dumps good stuff at once? Thanks, publishers.

Boom! Studios has the third issue of the Hero Squared Ongoing. Dorian takes a look at the issue at Postmodern Barney.

Dark Horse rolls out the second volume of Junji Ito’s Tomie in the Museum of Terror series. This is good, creepy fun. It’s more episodic than Ito’s Uzumaki, but it’s got a great antagonist (protagonist?) in its title character.

Del Rey has the second volume of ES: Eternal Sabbath. It’s received the thumbs-up from both MangaCast and the Newsarama gang. As if the antics of a murderous, psychic junior high student weren’t enticement enough?

Good grief, how long has it been since Digital Manga released the third volume of IWGP? Ages, if memory serves, but the fourth shows up today. While I only vaguely remember what was happening, this arrival is a nice excuse to reread the earlier volumes.

Go! Comi offers fourth volumes of three of its inaugural series: Cantarella (Borgias!), Crossroad (orphans!), and Tenshi Ja Nai (no angels!).

Vertical has the third volume of the paperback version of their beautiful treatment of Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha, which is conveniently where I left off with the hardbacks because I’m cheap.

Over at Viz, Hot Gimmick concludes. (Take it away, Mely.) Fullmetal Alchemist hits volume nine. And the fifteenth volume of Bleach shows up just in time for the debut of the anime on Cartoon Network. (I might have to take advantage of that Borders sale John Jakala mentioned to catch up with Bleach, because it really is a lot of fun.)

If you’re contemplating future purchases, Jog has a fine review of Joann Sfar’s Klezmer (First Second), and Lyle of Crocodile Caucus makes Beauty Pop (Viz – Shojo Beat) sound difficult for me to resist.

From the stack: RUMIC THEATER

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Much as I love sprawling, multi-volume manga, I have a real fondness for short stories as well. Instead of finding it off-putting to find that a volume of a favorite series has an unrelated short in the back, I’m usually delighted because it shows the creator’s abilities in a different light.

That’s one of the reasons I’m so fond of Rumiko Takahashi’s Rumic Theater (Viz), a charming collection of short stories from the creator of hits like Maison Ikkoku. The main reason, though, is the opportunity it provides to see Takahashi tell small, sweet, stand-alone tales.

Don’t get me wrong. Maison Ikkoku is wonderful. But my favorite parts are when it seems like a small, self-contained tale has been placed in the larger context, almost independent of the ongoing will-they-won’t-they comedy. That’s all Rumic Theater is.

Apartment dwellers try and conceal the presence of a penguin from their pet-averse neighbors. A family is plagued by the misconception that their house is a garbage pick-up location. An elderly woman returns from the brink of death with remarkable powers. Wackiness often ensues, but misunderstandings are cleared away, and the characters find honest, warm ways to connect.

It’s vintage Takahashi, in other words. The shorts are a great showcase for her trademark wit and warmth. As always, her characters are stylized but look real and human, even in the extremities of comic distress.

So if you’re mourning the conclusion of Maison Ikkoku and need a Takahashi fix, consider Rumic Theater. It’s a great way to enjoy her work in small but satisfying doses.

(I ordered this book directly from Viz during a sale at their on-line shop. It’s still available and still discounted. The Viz rep I spoke to said it’s also still in print.)

Pop talk

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So what does everyone think about Publishers Weekly Comics Week’s coverage of retailer reaction to Tokyopop’s on-line exclusives?

As for myself, I think Calvin Reid did as well as can be expected. Short of developing telepathic powers or placing a mole inside Tokyopop, these seem to be the answers that the publisher is going to provide no matter who asks them or how often.

I do tend to agree with everyone who suggested that avoiding discounts isn’t a good way to get a realistic picture of what on-line sales will be. I’ve hardly ever purchased a graphic novel at full price from an on-line outlet, unless I didn’t have any other… HEY!

And I think that this quote from Mike Kiley…

“’It’s interesting that people are so fascinated in about 20 books out of the 500 we publish each year,’ says Kiley. ‘It’s not like we’re talking about Fruits Basket or Kingdom Hearts.”

… is not especially helpful. My first reaction to it was, “500 titles? No wonder there’s a problem with shelf space!” Because seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a retail outlet, direct market or chain bookstore, that had room for 500 titles total, much less 500 titles from Tokyopop. And when you factor in the books that always seem to have a complete run available (the really popular ones), the problem compounds. (I vote for “Less is more” as the next big publishing theme.)

No direct quotes or attribution were available for this paragraph:

“While general trade bookstores are not quite as adamant as the direct market, several trade book retailers contacted by PWCW are nevertheless critical of any publisher selling direct to consumers.”

But I did get an anonymous comment from someone claiming to be a Borders employee who’s far from overjoyed.

"Yet another quirky detective"

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Since I spent most of Monday sitting in front of the television watching TNT’s marathon of The Closer, I was interested to hear this piece on NPR’s Morning Edition. It’s all about the growth of original drama on basic cable, though it touches on stuff about branding and niche marketing that I think apply equally well to comics publishing. (I had no idea FX had used MySpace to promote Nip/Tuck, but the whole premise of the show makes me kind of squeamish. Too many scalpels.)

As for The Closer, I think the whole cast is terrific. I’m sure Kyra Sedgwick’s accent makes citizens of Georgia gnash their teeth, but I love her portrayal. And J.K. Simmons is always a welcome addition to any cast.

People want to give you things

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Books, information, even money.

Comic Book Galaxy is giving away books from Tokyopop’s Pop Fiction line. Details are at Alan David Doane’s blog.

At Love Manga, David Taylor interviewed A. Neculai, DramaQueen EIC, about the new RUSH anthology. Brigid tracks reaction to the project over at MangaBlog. And one of the contributors to RUSH, Tina Anderson, provides a handy “Bara for Dummies” piece over at her blog, looking at the evolution of one type of gay manga.

If anyone decides to go with her notion of starting up a line of licensed bara, maybe they could use the $1,000 Queer Press Grant offered by Prism Comics as seed money. (I’m sure everyone who’s ever worked with manga licenses burst into laughter at the prospect of $1,000 being anywhere near enough seed money to do anything.)

Alas, there was no new installment of Fenton and Fenton, Boy Detectives over the weekend, but Metrokitty has a delightful webcomic up about her trip to Switzerland. (It reminds me of the best reason to watch the Travel Channel, Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown.)

And there’s a new Flipped up today, where I come to realize that MangaCast’s Jarred is a very reliable source of recommendations.

Quick comic comments: Oni previews

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An Oni Press preview pack came in the mail the other day, and there’s lots of interesting stuff that should appeal to a variety of tastes.

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In The Damned, writer Cullen Bunn and artist Brian Hurtt have concocted a slick fusion of gangster drama and supernatural horror. Prohibition-era gangsters answer to demonic dons, and a shaky peace treaty among three of the leading families is about to go up in smoke. A key player in the alliance has disappeared, and Big Al Aligheri puts down-on-his-luck Eddie on the case.

Of course, he has to resurrect Eddie first. Eddie’s run of bad luck is a little more extreme than average. Thanks to a curse, he can’t really die, though there’s no shortage of people who want to put that curse to the test.

What follows structurally is a fairly standard tour of lowlifes – hit men, sub-bosses, molls, and hookers – with the occasional demon thrown in for variety. The demons fit right in, and Bunn and Hurtt are actually rather cautious in the way they embroider the mob story with supernatural elements. Given the similarity of motive among mobsters and devils (profiting off of people’s baser instincts and weaknesses), the fusion is a natural one.

Bunn has a good ear for the tough-guy vernacular of his cast. The construction of the story is solid, and there are some nice twists in the 48-page first issue. Hurtt’s illustrations hit the right notes along the way.

I’ll never be a fan of mob drama. Watching horrible people do horrible things for profit isn’t ever going to be my cup of tea. But the suggestion in The Damned that the devil is literally making them do it helps things go down easier.

(The Damned comes to comic shops Oct. 18. A 23-page preview is up at Oni’s web site. According to Bunn, the book is initially planned as a five-issue mini-series with the possibility of a subsequent ongoing, depending on reader response.)

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I picked up the first issue of Local when it came out, and while I was intrigued by the idea behind it, the actual comic seemed a little slight to read in individual chapters. Brian Wood’s script was fluid, and Ryan Kelly’s art was appealing, but as a comic, it didn’t seem like quite enough.

The sixth issue doesn’t do anything to change my opinion, but it doesn’t diminish my level of interest in a potential collection either. I’m a sucker for graphic novels with a strong sense of place, and Local certainly has that.

But wow, is the lead character tough to like. In the two issues I’ve read, the pattern seems to be that Megan comes to a new city, makes bad choices, and leaves when she’s alienated enough of the people around her to make staying intolerable. That’s kind of a tough sell for me, though Kelly’s detailed and evocative art goes provides plenty of diversion.

(Local 6 comes out this week. You can find out a lot more about the title at its blog.)

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I didn’t need a preview to be excited about the third installment of Scott Chantler’s period adventure, Northwest Passage. For those who haven’t been following along, the book is set in colonial Canada with competing forces trying to chart the future and secure the trade of Rupert’s Land. A small band of colonists and explorers is struggling to reclaim their fort from ruthless invaders.

Chantler packs the book with action, and he layers it with plenty of interpersonal conflicts. Everyone in the large cast of characters gets a moment to shine as the tension builds. Twists and turns pile up without ever derailing the story. And Chantler’s art is as snappy and stylish as ever. All of the elements come together to make a tremendously entertaining comic.

But Chantler also leaves enough plot points unresolved to promise equally entertaining sequels. The story that concludes is satisfying in its own right, but it’s definitely left me wanting to see more of these characters and their world.

(The third volume should be out soon, though I can’t find a precise date. I hope Oni puts together an attractive omnibus edition of this, because I think librarians would go nuts for it.)

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Okay, maybe those weren’t exactly quick comments, were they?