Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
As Walkin’ Butterfly volume 3 opens, Michiko’s mentor has been hospitalized. She fainted, and tests reveal liver damage from too much alcohol. She’s also about to give up on her agency, just as Michiko had given up on being a model. Seeing someone else quit gives Michiko new determination to pursue her dream, although she’s equally driven by escaping a nightmare, by getting a chance to redo a scene from her past in a better way. I’m getting bored of […]
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I’d been putting off watching the Honey and Clover DVD because I enjoyed the live-action TV series so much. I feared I risked becoming a little tired of the story, too, seeing it a third time. On the positive side, the experiences are very different, so I wasn’t bored with repetition. For one thing, the movie opens with a large group of people instead of just a few. This continues through the film, with there being lots more people around […]
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ADV Insists It’s Not an Ex-Publisher At the end of May, there was some discussion as to whether ADV Manga still existed. Now, Brigid talks to Chris Oarr (link no longer available), and the answer comes back “we’re still selling books, but we’re not doing anything new (including the much-in-demand Yotsuba&! 6) and we’re not reprinting.” Does that really count as still alive? That’s just selling off the backstock. Of course, they have to say “no, no, we’re a going […]
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(This article was originally published in PiQ #3, June 2008.) Josei manga, or in Japanese, “ladies’ comics”, are titles aimed at women between 18-30 years of age. They usually deal with the same romantic subjects as girl-targeted shojo, but with more realism and mature content, including sex scenes. In addition to questions about finding Mr. Right (or Mr. Right Now), the female leads may deal with workplace issues, including harassment or finding the right job. Visually, the books tend to […]
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Danni and her mother have moved to a logging town in Oregon. Dad split, and she doesn’t like Mom’s new boyfriend, because she doesn’t like the person Mom becomes around him, more concerned with others than with herself. In Burnout, Danni’s grumpy and bitter, a very typical teen. She doesn’t like her surroundings, but she can’t do anything to change them, so her pain comes out as complaints. Then she develops a crush on Haskell, her morose soon-to-be-step-brother with secrets. […]
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(This interview was originally published in PiQ #2, May 2008.) The Perhapanauts are a group of investigators of the weird who are themselves paranormal. The team’s made up of Big, a sasquatch; Molly, a ghost; MG, a smart guy with a secret; Arisa, the telepathic team leader; and Choopie, short for Chupacabras, a partially evolved goat vampire (and comic relief). With its blend of adventure, humor, characters, horror, and astounding abilities, the series is an entertaining, high-adrenaline read great for […]
Read moreValerie D’Orazio argues (link no longer available) that superhero comic stories should only be reviewed after they’re finished. Well, that might be a bit too strong. I don’t want to put words in her mouth. She asks, “Is it fair to review any story arc before it’s over?” and then lists reasons why it’s not. While that can be the safe approach — you have to make certain assumptions otherwise, and you risk guessing wrong, but that’s part of the […]
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Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro can be a bit clueless. She wears a large hat and black overcoat while carrying her own coffin, filled with bats, on her back. (She resembles a Pilgrim mortician.) Then she wonders why the locals in the village she passes through mistake her for a vampire. She doesn’t bother to explain herself, a trait that extends to the book itself. Everything’s vague — her intent, her motivations, how some situations are resolved — perhaps because of the format. […]
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