Comments on: What Wonderful Toys: Upcoming Merchandise

By: Mechademia 2: Networks of Desire » Comics Worth Reading

Mechademia 2: Networks of Desire » Comics Worth Reading — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:00:55 +0000

[...] called Shojo Manga, Ranma 1/2 fan fiction (is Ranma really shojo?), comparing The Stepford Wives to Kamikaze Girls (with absolutely no pictures, a terrible lack for an essay about doll-like appearances), and a yaoi [...]

By: Viz Releases Ping Pong » Comics Worth Reading

Viz Releases Ping Pong » Comics Worth Reading — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 22:21:28 +0000

[...] been quite impressed with the movie releases I’ve seen from Viz Pictures: Train Man, Kamikaze Girls, and Linda Linda Linda (even if that last one was confusingly direct). Ping Pong [...]

By: James Schee

James Schee — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 02:49:53 +0000

Ooh Diamond Age miniseries news is great to hear! The Sci-fi channel has been doing a really good job lately on stuff (Eureka for one) and hopefully this will be good too.

By: Ali Kokmen

Ali Kokmen — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 21:17:39 +0000

Ed, Johanna: You’re probably right. All I know is that I’m constantly grateful that my wife married me, and there are times when I just don’t see why. ;-)

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 21:05:15 +0000

Ali — are we supposed to even ask? I thought the message was a very typical one, that the quiet boys can be better choices, once they’re spiffed up a bit, because they appreciate having girlfriends so much more.

By: Ed Sizemore

Ed Sizemore — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:57:39 +0000

Ali, I think Hermes sees a very sincere, kind and honest person. Train Man is definitely a diamond in the rough, but somehow she gets a glimpse inside past the otaku exterior. Remember she sends a very extravagant thank you gift that starts the whole relationship rolling. So something in his actions on the subway must have moved her deeply.

By: Ali Kokmen

Ali Kokmen — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:41:31 +0000

I'll be interested to know what you thought of the TRAIN MAN movie. I saw it myself when it screened in NYC and enjoyed it quite a bit. Still, even with this film, and all the manga versions, (ours and others') and the upcoming novel, I'm often amazed as to what she sees in him, but I just may be jaded and in need of a second (or third, or more) opinion... _________ Ali Kokmen Del Rey Manga

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 12:06:48 +0000

Ed, ooh, I hadn’t thought of that, whether the discs have extras.

Sebastian, I agree, I didn’t understand the title and think it could have been better.

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 09:54:48 +0000

Yep. Kamikaze Girls/Shimotsuma Monogatari indeed is one fine little movie. Saw it at a festival for asian cinema in 2005 and bought the DVD immediately when it came out here. Some great comedy and visuals and so many fun little details.

I just wish they wouldn’t have had to change the title from the original “Shimotsuma Story” for the international release (or at least that they could’ve found something better suited to the film).

By: Edward W Sizemore

Edward W Sizemore — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 04:36:21 +0000

Johanna, I read the Kamikaze Girls novel about a year ago and just put the film on my Netflix list. I really liked the novel and how it treated each girl as real person inside of a subculture. It was interesting to see their friendship blossom and to see how they each matured because of that friendship.

I have preorder the Train Man DVD and can’t wait. I hope there are some good extras.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 22:58:19 +0000

Oh, I definitely agree that they’re the best of the lot in terms of established publishers. And thanks for clarifying what I was obviously having a hard time saying. I was thinking mostly about “classic” or “first-life” Image, since that seems to be what the book will cover, not what they’ve become in the years since. I was trying to get at that with “studio titles”, but it didn’t work the way I hoped.

By: Jay Faerber

Jay Faerber — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 22:31:50 +0000

Johanna, you don’t have to be an Image partner to have full ownership of your property if you do a book at Image. I own all the books I’ve done there. In some cases, my collaborators are work-for-hire, in other cases they’re co-creators (and share ownership). But none of that has anything to do with being an Image partner — or Image at all. They have no interest in what sort of ownership I’ve arranged for my books.

I understand the point you’re trying to make — that work-for-hire still exists at Image. And it does. But the way you’ve phrased it isn’t really accurate.

And, at the risk of protesting too much, Image still does have — in my opinion, at least — the truest form of creator ownership out there.

~ Jay