December 15, 2012 Johanna Books About Comics Leave a comment

Mastering Comics

Four years ago, the talented Jessica Abel and Matt Madden brought us an essential book on how to make comics: Drawing Words & Writing Pictures. Mastering Comics continues where that book left off, providing, as they term it, “a definitive course in comics narrative”. This is a topic I’m thrilled to see getting more attention, since the best-looking comics still need to have something to say. The book consists of four substantial sections: Building Stories — tools to generate ideas […]

December 15, 2012 Johanna Viz Manga Reviews Leave a comment

Honey Darling

If you like boys’ love stories and cats, Honey Darling is the perfect manga for you. SuBLime Manga has published this single volume by Norikazu Akira. Takahashi has no purpose in life until he finds an abandoned kitten he names Shiro. One night, Shiro gets sick, and Takahashi makes a fateful deal. He’s so indebted to the big, bearish vet that saves his cat that he agrees to become his live-in housekeeper. Dr. Kumazawa needs someone to clean, cook, and […]

December 12, 2012 Johanna Action Lab 4 comments

Princeless Volume 2 #1

The popular Princeless series, a fresh take on girls’ fantasy roles written by Jeremy Whitley, returns with a new miniseries in February. Now drawn by Emily Martin, this story features runaway princess Adrienne and her new friend Bedelia (a real pistol, a blacksmith’s daughter) setting out to save Adrienne’s sister Angelica, “the most beautiful girl in the whole kingdom”. The King, their father, is complicating things, though, because he thinks that Adrienne’s masked identity is responsible for killing Adrienne. (If […]

December 11, 2012 Johanna Warner Archive 2 comments

Warner Archive Releases Crosby Wonder Woman Pilot, Superboy Season 2

Warner Archive continues its trend of finding the most wonderful and amazing discoveries, movies and TV shows you didn’t know you wanted but once you hear about them sound terrific. Before the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman TV show took off, they tried a 1974 pilot starring Cathy Lee Crosby. It’s more similar to the white-suit, superspy version of Diana Prince than the star-spangled warrior we’re more familiar with. As it’s described, “with a sleek, seventies espionage superaction refit… Ricardo Montalban […]

December 10, 2012 Johanna Yen Press Manga Reviews One comment

Kaoru Mori: Anything and Something

Kaoru Mori is the fan-favorite author of the popular manga Emma and A Bride’s Story. As she explains in her comic-format foreword, Anything and Something is a “stewpot book… a bunch of manga short stories, illustrations, and columns” she’s done over the past ten years, since the launch of Emma. It’s good to see such a collection make it to the US, especially for those eager to buy whatever she has available, but I found the result a mixed bag. […]

December 10, 2012 Johanna Movie News Leave a comment

Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec Movie Coming to US

Jacques Tardi’s graphic novel series The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec had a live-action movie adaptation that came out in France two years ago. The film was directed and produced by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) and starred Louise Bourgoin. Set in 1913, reporter Adele sails to Egypt to handle mummies and deals with the outcome of the hatching of a pterodactyl egg from a museum in Paris. For those hoping we’d get a chance to see this movie, Shout! […]

December 9, 2012 Johanna Yen Press Manga Reviews One comment

Yotsuba&! Volume 11

If you’re not reading this charming series about a curious little girl discovering the world around her, I’m not sure what I could say now to convince you. (Unless it’s how jealous I am of you that you have over 10 books to enjoy.) It’s consistently good, enjoyable in its naive portrayal of the world, and encouraging in its optimism. In this volume by Kiyohiko Azuma, Yotsuba learns how to make noodles in a local shop. Her happy face and […]

December 9, 2012 Johanna Dark Horse Manga Reviews 4 comments

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Volume 13

It’s never a good sign when a creepy girl says, early on, “Loving someone or hating them… it’s the exact same thing.” I’d forgotten just how spooky this series can be, but the lead story here in The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service volume 13 rams it home in spades. The story is by Eiji Otsuka and art by Housui Yamazaki. A vengeful young woman is taking control of men who prey on runaway young women new to Tokyo — by […]

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