October 19, 2007 Johanna Comic Book Films One comment

Comic Movies Opening This Weekend, October 19

You’ve probably heard that 30 Days of Night is opening this weekend, based on the comic franchise of the same name. (10-Second Comic Review: clever concept, paled quickly, most memorable to me because I sold my original miniseries copies on ebay for over $100.) Movie reviews are all over the board, with horror fans seeming much more charitable than those from the general audience. I won’t be seeing it. What am I interested in seeing, if it comes to my […]

October 19, 2007 Johanna Books About Comics One comment

Mangaka America

Mangaka is the Japanese term for “comic creator”. It’s used in Mangaka America to mean those young creators affected by and working in the style of manga. Many of them combine American and Japanese influences in their work, and like the subjects it covers, the book itself is a hybrid. Its larger size, glossy full-color pages, and anthology format suggest a paperback coffee table book, while most creator sections contain not only an interview and art samples but a short […]

October 7, 2007 Johanna Other Manga Publishers 2 comments

Aurora: Flock of Angels, Nightmares for Sale

Aurora Publishing is a new manga publisher, established last year by Japanese company Ohzora, who’s responsible in that country for Harlequin Comics and Project X, among other titles. Flock of Angels Volume 1 The band Angelaid is so popular that fans have taken to wearing fake wings (causing the streets to resemble an anime convention). Pearl’s one of those fans; her older brother Shea supports her interest while the oldest, Matt, is too busy making money for the family to […]

October 4, 2007 Johanna Boom! Studios / Archaia 2 comments

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 is a beautifully illustrated fantasy story by David Petersen about mice soldiers attempting to quash a traitorous plot. The mouse guard was formed to protect the species against the many predators who want to destroy them. There are a variety of territories, and travel among them requires protection and guides for the traders who must take those paths. When one mouse disappears, three of the best fighters are sent to find out what happened, but their […]

September 25, 2007 Johanna Comic News One comment

Zuda, Contracts, Platinum, and Money

Zuda, DC Comics’ web-based initiative to find new properties, has posted its proposed contracts (link no longer available), leading to the expected discussion. Longtime webcomic creator and journalist T Campbell comments. He calls the royalty package “easily the most generous I’ve seen from a major publisher.” Internet gadfly Chris Butcher has (as expected, and we love him for it) a more jaded take. It’s nice to be paid a page-rate for your work and all, but that $14,000 salary cap […]

September 19, 2007 Johanna Tokyopop Manga Reviews 2 comments

The Voices of a Distant Star

Makato Shinkai’s The Voices of a Distant Star is one of the most unusual manga I’ve read. First, it was originally a short anime. (Many manga go the opposite way, appearing in print first before being adapted to film. This story was adapted into comic format by Mizu Sahara.) Second, it’s complete in one volume. Mostly, it takes some standard elements and uses them to tell a completely unusual story. It’s about unrealized young love that can never be, and […]

September 18, 2007 Johanna Image Comics One comment

Fell: Feral City

Warren Ellis’ latest triumph is Fell: Feral City, tight little tales of freaks in a creepy city called Snowtown. It’s a new-style detective comic, one featuring short, satisfyingly dense stories with a distinctive look courtesy of Ben Templesmith. The use of a strict nine-panel grid packs plenty of plot into a small space. It also gives the comic the feel of one of the procedural TV shows, one where the events matter more than the staging or set design. The […]

September 7, 2007 Johanna Television Reviews One comment

Kimi Wa Petto (Tramps Like Us) TV Show

Over my vacation last week, I was able to finish watching Kimi Wa Petto, the 10-episode live-action adaptation of one of my favorite manga series, Tramps Like Us. I loved it! I got caught up in seeing live people go through these scenes; it made the situation much more real and emotional for me. Plus, the actors were well-chosen. Sumire was tall and lovely, capable of realistically being called a masked doll but still clearly dealing with her feelings. Momo […]

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