[...] in a large size: 5 7/8″ x 8 1/4″, the same size as [their] previous Tezuka release, Swallowing the Earth.” (No word on how much of the funds will go to paying a translator, or if they’re going [...]

[...] Manga published Osamu Tezuka’s Swallowing the Earth back in 2009, and once the initial run was sold, the book went out of print. Now, they’ve set [...]

[...] printing his Black Jack series in beautiful editions. DMP published Tezuka’s experimental manga, Swallowing the Earth. Frederick Schodt is touring the country with his lecture on the life and legacy of Tezuka. Two new [...]

[...] in this volume is another appearance of the Black Queen, the female doctor who resembles Zephyrus. This story ages particularly badly, as Black Jack forces her into quitting her successful surgery [...]

[...] Johanna Draper Carlson, meanwhile, says of Tezuka’s Swallowing the Earth, “if you’re looking for an [...]

“It takes several hours for an ad block to take effect, Hsifeng.”

Oh, OK! Glad to know your server’s not messing up after all. :)

Anyway, thanks for reviewing Swallowing the Earth! I keep an eye out for single-volume self-contained comics, and might have wasted time on this one if not for your advice about what’s actually in it beyond just ‘it’s by a classic mangaka.’

Meanwhile, I’m not exactly sure if this is on-topic for comics or DVDs woth reading or watching, but I just finished the first prose-instead-of-comics novel (which got optioned for a film) by James Robert Smith (who writes comics too), The Flock, and would like to recommend it.

Publisher’s Weekly Says:

“Stealth, cunning and killer instinct have ensured the survival of the flock of this gonzo eco-thriller’s title, a population of prehistoric, predatory, highly intelligent giant proto-birds [no, they're big birds, no proto- here] who’ve roamed for thousands of years in the trackless savanna of what’s now a government military reservation in central Florida. Smith’s entertaining debut [hey, it's not exactly his debut] kicks into high gear when the birds get caught between conflicting environmental and business interests. Vance Holcomb, a billionaire rogue environmentalist, is trying to protect the lurking creatures, while the Berg Brothers, a Disney-style entertainment conglomerate, crave the land as residential real estate. When a right-wing militia is hired to destroy the flock, a naïve young Fish and Wildlife officer and his girlfriend find themselves caught in the resulting melee. Smith maps out a complex living environment that makes the flock’s continued existence almost believable and depicts human characters who match the killer birds in adaptability…”

I think it’s already a good summer blockbuster on the printed page. The plot is well-paced, the surprises keep coming, and the ending rocks. Also, the book might be especially enjoyable for anyone else who liked Jurassic Park and/or the news out of WWF-Indonesia in recent years on a Sumatran tiger and a Javan rhinoceros trashing cameras. ;)

At the same time, now that I’ve already read The Flock and enjoyed the story I’m not looking forward to seeing the movie as much as I would have if I didn’t know the ending. OTOH, I liked Slumdog Millionaire and then when I read the book it’s based on, Q & A by Vikas Swarup, it was different enough to still surprise me and be an almost entirely different yet just as enjoyable story. So maybe this time the movie (assuming the filming plans don’t fall through) could be different enough too?

[...] [Review] Swallowing the Earth Link: Johanna Draper Carlson [...]

[...] Connie on vol. 1 of Record of a Fallen Vampire (Slightly Biased Manga) Johanna Draper Carson on Swallowing the Earth (Comics Worth Reading) Laura on vol. 1 of To Terra (Heart of Manga) Melinda Beasi on [...]

No disrespect, just a chuckle.