The Manga Curmudgeon

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

Who botches the Watchmen?

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In the run-up to the release of the Watchmen movie, there have been displays of naked terror at how grossly the movie’s creators will mangle author Alan Moore’s original vision. My first inclination is to snigger at the extremity of these anxieties.

I’ll confess that I don’t view Watchmen with any particular reverence. Comics and I had decided to see other people at the time of its original publication, so I wasn’t at what one could call ground zero. In fact, I didn’t read it until I had started reading comics again and saw its influence being misapplied by creator after creator.

So instead of viewing it as a shot across the bow, it was that comic that spawned a bunch of terrible imitators who thought Watchmen was really cool but generally missed the point and thought its tonal elements were much more portable than they actually were.

Aside from that, just about every movie adaptation of a comic book stands a really good chance of being kind of terrible. (I’ve also largely stopped going to them, because every time there’s a commercial for Iron Man or The Dark Knight or something, my partner gives me a look that plainly says, “This is your fault.” I’ve been feigning deafness when he looks at the new Entertainment Weekly and asks me to explain Watchmen. Fortunately, he’s quickly distracted by the magazine’s sick obsession with Lost.) And really, I’m sure I’ll be to see Dr. Manhattan’s package all over the web within hours of the movie’s premiere, so why subject myself to the unpleasantness of movie attendance (i.e. “Hell is other people”)?

But I’ve been through the pain of botched movie adaptations of properties I love in their original form. Here are some of the worst offenders:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: When the director of the film says repeatedly and publicly that his guiding principle was to make the shortest Harry Potter film to date, disappointment is inevitable. Still, this seemed more like a show-choir presentation of a musical than any kind of movie – clipped, truncated, and comprehensible only if you’ve read the book, but if you’ve read the book, you’d be really annoyed.

A Chorus Line: Lots and lots of stage musicals have suffered indignities aplenty when translated for the cinema. (Exceptions: The Music Man, My Fair Lady, Chicago.) And while Sir Richard Attenborough made many fine films during his distinguished career, choosing to film a musical about dancers that never actually shows much dancing was probably not a very good idea.

A Little Night Music: I can see the logic of casting Elizabeth Taylor as an adultery-prone actress of a certain age, but not this particular adultery-prone actress of a certain age. And while the role hardly begs for a classically trained set of pipes (Glynis Johns didn’t have them), breathy timidity doesn’t do the songs any favors. (Trivia bonus: Like Hairspray, this is a movie musical based on a stage musical based on a non-musical movie, Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night.)

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: When Clint Eastwood takes a fancy to a book I like, I should just stay away. (I can give him a pass on Mystic River, since I realized after seeing the movie that I wouldn’t have liked the book at all if I’d ever tried to read any of the dialogue aloud, because OUCH.) My clearest memory of Midnight, the movie, is John Cusack mugging desperately in an attempt to convince the audience that something quirky and fascinating was happening. He was entirely alone in that opinion.

The Witches of Eastwick and Steel Magnolias: The Witches of Eastwick is a good novel, and Steel Magnolias is a terrible play, but I’m fond of them both, and neither deserved the star-driven hack jobs they received. (I saw a drag production of Magnolias in a bar once, and it was probably the best staging the play will ever know.)

Body count

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Simon Jones of Icarus Comics points out a round of Diamond cancellations at the (possibly not-safe-for-work but always essential) Icarus blog. Jones is keeping a stiff upper lip:

“But whatever the case, being cancelled by Diamond doesn’t mean the book won’t make it out. We’re a publisher, damn it, and the fate of our catalogue isn’t decided by any distributor, oh no girlfriend, nuh-uh. AAA Anime will have it. PCR Distributing will have it. Last Gasp probably will have it. TRSI will have it. And you will have it.”

Other publishers branded with “the dreaded code 3… canceled by Previews” include Media Blasters and Viz.

VizBig dreamin'

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Looking over the Viz titles that Diamond plans to de-list, I see several series that really deserve the VizBig treatement—if not for the casual consumer (i.e. me), then for the libraries that are making a commitment to buying manga and graphic novels. Here are the books I’d most like to see re-issued in that three-for-one format:

  • Banana Fish
  • Basara
  • The Drifting Classroom
  • Eagle: The Making of an Asian-American President
  • Firefighter Daigo of Company M
  • Flowers & Bees
  • From Far Away
  • Kekkaishi
  • Maison Ikkoku
  • Mermaid Saga
  • Please Save My Earth
  • Red River
  • The Return of Lum: Urusei Yatsura

I’d add Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs to the list, but then I’d have to publicly admit that I enjoy such a totally schlocky series.

As for titles that are already out of print, my top candidates would be Rumiko Takahashi’s Rumic Trilogy and Mitsuru Adachi’s Short Program. I’d also love to see X/1999 re-issued in omnibus format, as many of the early volumes are exceptionally difficult to find in stores. And it goes without saying that I’d love to see Viz re-issue No. 5 in any format, though I realize I’m more likely to see a woman in the White House first.

Stuff wisely

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So the Harvey Awards nomination process is underway, and creative types can make a bid to recognize their favorite peers and works in a wide variety of categories. You may remember me keening and gnashing my teeth over some of last year’s nominations.

For a change of pace, I thought I’d go the Force Works/Extreme Justice proactive route this year. Instead of recoiling in horror at the prospect of ever seeing the phrase “Harvey Award winner Witchblade Manga,” I’ve decided to take a stab at prevention. Toward that end, here are some books from 2008 that you might consider for the Best American Edition of Foreign Material category:

  • Aya of Yop City, written by Marguerite Abouet and illustrated by Clément Oubrerie, published by Drawn & Quarterly
  • Disappearance Diary, written and illustrated by Hideo Azuma, published by Fanfare/Ponent Mon
  • Dororo, written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka, published by Vertical
  • Fluffy, written and illustrated by Simone Lia, published by Dark Horse
  • Little Nothings: The Curse of the Umbrella, written and illustrated by Lewis Trondheim, published by NBM
  • Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip – Book Three, written and illustrated by Jansson, published by Drawn & Quarterly
  • Real, written and illustrated by Takehiko Inou, published by Viz
  • Seduce Me after the Show, written and illustrated by est em, published by Deux Press
  • Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, written and illustrated by Satoko Kiyuduki, published by Yen Press
  • solanin, written and illustrated by , published by Viz

    • There. Ten perfectly respectable potential nominations for your consideration. (And everyone should feel free to contribute their own suggestions in the comments.) I should also note that several of these books are also eligible for other awards.

    Unilateralism

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    So in Monday’s column I expressed the opinion that it seemed unlikely that Diamond could make the decision to de-list a thousand Viz books without some participation of the publisher. Based on what a Viz source told me, it seems “that this was purely a decision on the part of Diamond.”

    The same source also stressed “these manga titles are still being published, and will still available through other substantial channels such as Simon & Schuster, Baker & Taylor, Ingram, AAA Anime and others.” (I added those distributor links, just because.)

    Upcoming 2/18/2009

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    Time for another quick look at this week’s ComicList:

    It seems like it’s been an awfully long time since Dark Horse released the tenth volume of Hiroki Endo’s Eden: It’s an Endless World! Since the book is dense with character and event, it would behoove me to undertake a quick refresher course before I dive into the eleventh. I’ve got no problem with that kind of homework, as Endo’s comics lend themselves to re-reading. Anyway, for those of you who’ve forgotten: a weird virus has decimated the human population, and after things settle down on the epidemic front, everyone starts scrambling for power. Now, the virus seems to be staging a rather nasty comeback. Should be fun!

    My refresher course might have to wait just a little bit, as Viz will be delivering two new comics from Naoki Urasawa of Monster fame. 20th Century Boys promises “a gang of boys who try to save the world.” Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka is Urasawa’s re-examination of one of Osamu Tezuka’s most famous Astro Boy stories, “The Greatest Robot on Earth.” (If you’d like to read Tezuka’s original, Dark Horse can accommodate you.) I bought these at the bookstore over the weekend, because they were there and I have no impulse control. So far, Pluto is kind of like Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but with robots, which lands it right in my comfort zone, with the added bonus of no overacting by Vincent D’Onofrio but the loss of Kathryn Erbe’s enchanting way with caustic skepticism.

    People have said nice things about Mysterius: The Unfathomable (Wildstorm), written by Jeff Parker and illustrated by Tom Fowler. I liked Parker’s Agents of Atlas (Marvel) mini-series a lot, so I’ll possibly pick up the first two issues if there are any shelf copies at the shop. If not, I’ll just pick up the trade eventually.

    Tips for selling manga on eBay

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    I’m in the process of salvaging (OK, shamelessly recycling) posts from a now-defunct blog of mine, and thought this one might be of use to folks with too much manga and too little floor space…

    eBay is a great way to convert your manga cast-offs into cash and fund your Vagabond habit in the process. Before you start listing those old Sgt. Frog volumes, however, here are a few things to keep in mind:

    • Individual volumes seldom sell. Unless you’re selling a desirable, out-of-print title (e.g. volume two of Short Program, volume one of Please Save My Earth), use Amazon to unload your unwanted singletons.
    • eBayers prefer partial or complete series. Complete or partial sets command better prices on the eBay market than randomly assembled lots. (You know the kind: two volumes of series X, the fourth volume of series Y, and three issues of Shonen Jump.) A complete run of Chobits might not net the seller the full $80 he paid for it, but he’s likely to recoup $25-$40 of his original investment through an auction.
    • Overpriced manga won’t sell. Yes, this seems like an obvious thing to say, but I see many eBayers charging close-to-bookstore prices for Death Note and Bleach. Aim for a starting price that’s 50-70% off list and let bidders do the rest. If you’re still not sure how much to charge, spend some time browsing similar listings.
    • Well-known series sell better than manwha, OEL, and niche-market titles. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Naruto will attract more interest than Banya the Explosive Delivery Man, but some eBayers stubbornly insist on selling less popular titles at near-market prices. The one exception to the niche-market rule is BL/yaoi. I’m not sure why BL/yaoi sells so well on eBay (the embarrassment factor? lack of availability in Peoria?), but one of the most fiercely-contested lots I ever sold included two volumes of Gorgeous Carat and one of Black Knight. From the feverish bidding, one might reasonably have concluded that I was auctioning a Spiderman comic from Barack Obama’s personal collection.

    If I haven’t yet dissuaded you from listing your Kaori Yuki collection, I have a few more words of advice for you:

    • Make your listing look attractive. Your listing should look nice—don’t go overboard using different fonts or busy patterns. If you don’t like the templates that eBay provides, invest in a program such as GarageSale.
    • Take photographs. Show your buyers the complete lot (spines and covers). If any of the books are damaged, include a close-up. Full disclosure is always the best policy, even if it means your manga doesn’t sell. Better to have a box of unloved manga than a poor seller rating.
    • Know your shipping costs before you post your ad. Box up the set, weigh it, and find out how it much it will cost to ship it via media and Priority Mail. Don’t use mailing costs as an opportunity to gouge your buyer; eBay has begun cracking down on sellers who charge excessive shipping costs.
    • Be creative in your bundling. I read Blood: The Last Vampire and Arm of Kannon, two manga that just didn’t tickle my fancy. (OK, I loathed them.) I tried selling each individually. No takers. Then I bundled them with the first five volumes of Hellsing and presto! the lot sold for nearly $50. Another strategy I use: selling lots comprised entirely of first volumes. This gambit works best if the titles are reasonably similar (e.g. seven shojo romances) than if you bundle Color of Rage with Phantom Dream and One Piece.
    • Tag your listing correctly. Manga should be classified as Collectibles > Comics > Manga.
    • State your seller policies clearly. Be sure to include a brief statement explaining your selling practices and policies, e.g. I ship within 48 hours of receiving payment, I only accept returns within 2 weeks of the ship date. Keep it brief and upbeat; don’t complain about deadbeat bidders or explain the rationale for every policy.

    A final tip: choose the right keywords for your listing. I always include the word “manga” in my title, especially when marketing a series with common English-language words in the title. (Do a search for “Model” or “Red River” on eBay and you’ll see why.) Space permitting, I try to list the most popular titles in my set, their volume numbers, and—if the artist’s name has sufficient marquee value—the manga-ka. For mixed sets, I’ll purchase a searchable subheading so that I can list all of the titles for sale. Here are a few sample listing titles:

    • Lot of 7 Manga: Hellsing 1 2 3 4 5, Arm of Kannon 1 + more
    • Lot of 12 Manga by CLAMP: Chobits 1-8, Wish 1-4
    • Lot of 8 Manga: Chobits by CLAMP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (complete)
    • Complete Manga/Manwha Series: Les Bijoux 1 2 3 4 5
    • 2 Manga by Rumiko Takahashi: Rumic World/Rumic Theater

    Is your manga collection just not selling on eBay? Another attractive option for unloading unwanted manga is Mangatude, a manga swap site. Like eBay, Mangatude operates on the honor system, so exercise caution before setting up trades. Most Mangatude users are enthusiastic about the site, so it’s worth investigating if you have some singletons that you’d like to trade.

    I guess it's not forever

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    Reading comics retailer Brian Hibbs’ reaction to comics retailer Chris Butcher’s reaction to Diamond’s de-listing of a lot of Viz’s back catalog has me thinking about monopolies, or at least businesses perceived to be monopolies.

    The thing that strikes me is that objections to Diamond’s recent decisions (and I’m in total sympathy with those objections, don’t get me wrong) stem in large part from the perception that Diamond is behaving in ways that suggest that the company cares less about the medium of comics than the salability of product. (If I’m reading Tom Spurgeon’s piece on the subject correctly, I think that’s kind of what he’s saying as well, or at least that emphasis on short-term gain is limiting and damaging to the comics industry as a whole.) In a world where Diamond wasn’t perceived to be the only comics distribution game in town, that wouldn’t be a problem, because there would be competitors on a similar scale that would be able to fill whatever gaps emerge.

    But since Diamond is perceived (not unfairly) as the only meaningful comics distribution game in town, well, then, the only meaningful comics distribution game in town has a certain responsibility to care about comics as a medium, which means making more examples of the medium available, not less. If Diamond wants to have a stranglehold on comics distribution, that stranglehold should be as tender and loving as possible. There should be a dial tone when you pick up the phone to call someone. The train should arrive at the station on time. If a retailer wants to order a volume of the final, unfinished masterpiece of one of the greatest cartoonists who ever lived, then the near-monopoly comics distributor should say “It will ship Tuesday” instead of “You should have stocked up when we had our fire sale.”

    So when Diamond behaves like a business that doesn’t exist in a relative vacuum, making decisions that may result in limited availability of non-mainstream new product and big chunks of back stock, they look like they’re abusing the power that their status as a relative monopoly has afforded them. And in a niche market with a very dedicated audience, that is a very, very bad perception to create.

    Also, de-listing Iou Kuroda’s Sexy Voice and Robo is just stupid.