Sporadic Sequential

Anniversaries and Endings

2010-01-03T23:03:00.003-06:00

JK Parkin was kind enough to ask me to participate in part of Robot 6's weekend-long first anniversary celebration. The feature is titled "What are you excited about for 2010?" and my (not terribly exciting or enlightening) response is the last one in part 3. (Yeah! Batting clean-up!!)

Thanks to JK for allowing me to contribute, and congrats to all the hard working bloggers at Robot 6! Here's to another wonderful year of exhaustive, eclectic, well-rounded comic-book blogging!! As JK's bio for me points out, I'm kind of the Bizarro Robot 6 blogger in that I never actually blog anything anymore.

Which brings me to another thing I'm looking forward to in 2010: My retirement from blogging.

After three and a half years of blogging here, I've decided it's time to call it quits. My output was never prodigious: in 3.5 years I only managed just over 400 posts, which puts my blog's developmental maturity much lower than its calendar age. The fact that I could only muster seven posts in the last five months of 2009 is pretty clear evidence that my heart just wasn't in it anymore. One of my personal blogging benchmarks was that if I ever went a month without posting anything it was time to start thinking about shutting things down. And December 2009 came and went without a single post from me, so here we are.

I remember a teacher in grade school telling us that it takes 21 days to make something a habit and I think that, over time, not blogging became a habit for me. Whereas in the past I couldn't read a comic without multiple ideas for posts popping into my head, recently my default response to reading a comic has been simply enjoying it or disliking it with no further impetus to share my thoughts with the rest of the blogosphere.

There are probably many reasons why my enthusiasm for blogging has waned, but here are the biggest two from my perspective:

1. As with the last time I quit blogging, events in my offline life have conspired to eat up almost all of my free time. Simply put, I just haven't been able to devote as much time or energy to blogging as I once did.

2. My reading habits over the past few months have evolved to the point where I consider myself a much more casual comic reader. I'm not following as many blogs or sites as I used to. I don't track release dates obsessively anymore. I'm buying fewer and fewer books and choosing instead to read things through the library, usually long after everyone else has read and discussed them. All of this has probably contributed to a laid-back attitude that is less than conducive to blogging.

I guess what it boils down to is: The urge to write up my reactions to what I'm reading is just no longer there. In many respects, my comic reading habits have become more or less indistinguishable from my consumption of other forms of entertainment. Just as I've never really felt compelled to write about the movies or TV shows I watch, I don't feel driven to write about comics anymore.

Part of me worries that tomorrow I'll be flooded with ideas for blog posts and I'll regret announcing the end of this blog so definitively, but a bigger part of me believes that, in the long run, I'll be happy not to be bothered by little bouts of guilt when I realize ~~days~~ ~~weeks~~ months have gone by without any updates from me.

Thanks to everyone who has read, commented on, linked to, or reacted to this blog over the years. It was fun while it lasted. And who knows? Maybe in 2012 I'll be rested, re-energized, and ready with the final installment in my comic book blogging trilogy.

Kaoru Mori, Nooooo!!!!

2009-11-15T20:15:00.000-06:00

While surfing for more Mori artwork, I stumbled across this image:

Another "cheeky close-up" provided here, apparently from the April 2009 issue of Fellows! magazine, although I have no idea what the cover story is about aside from very, very tight shorts.

Do I even want to know what this is about? Will it forever change my impression of Kaoru Mori? Will David Welsh's pledge to purchase anything illustrated by Kaoru Mori be put to the ultimate test???

But Do They Cover Victorian Oral Hygiene?

2009-11-14T10:41:00.000-06:00

So what are the odds that CMX will publish this for us Emma completists?

Does anyone know what the format of the book is like? Is there much new material by Mori? Google's translation of the Amazon Japan page leaves much to be desired...

Make Mine Mori!

2009-11-13T20:41:00.010-06:00

David Welsh brightened my day with the thought of more Kaoru Mori manga that will hopefully one day be licensed for English audiences. Mori's latest manga is Otoyomegatari, and it looks like another lavish historical drama. Just look at this stunning illustration of the main character, Amiru:

If you're anything like me, you hardly ever think of the effort that goes into the entertainment you consume so quickly, so it was enlightening to watch videos of Mori at work. Here's part one of the painstaking process behind this captivating picture:

What really blew me away about Mori's process was the fact that (at least for this illustration) she did all of the screentone work by hand! I'd assumed toning was all done with computers nowadays.

Anyway, it was a delight to spend part of the day watching a talented artist at work, so thanks to David for pointing this out. (Make sure to check out all six parts of the series.) And to share the joy, here are some additional images I found while poking around the Fellows! site:

(Last two images found here. Above, a nice example of the wraparound covers Japanese tankōbon get.)

And for more Mori goodness, make sure to check out her blog! She often posts behind-the-scenes sketches, and she even shares the best vacation pics!

(My only worry is that CMX or other publishers may balk at publishing Otoyomegatari since it revolves around a twenty-year-old princess marrying a twelve-year-old prince and, according to this thread, the first volume depicts the bride sleeping in the nude with her young groom. But I was wrong about CMX being willing to show nudity in Emma, so who knows?)

Savvy Signature Shoppers Save Significant $$$

2009-10-23T14:10:00.001-05:00

As David Welsh pointed out, this is a huge week for new Viz releases. Just look at all the great new manga hitting shelves at the same time:

Real 6
Vagabond (VIZBIG edition) 5
20th Century Boys 5
What a Wonderful World! 1 & 2
RIN-NE 1

Which means (as David also pointed out) this is also a very expensive week for fans of quality manga series. Cover price for all six of those books would set you back a whopping $81.94, but I got all of them (plus vol. 6 of Takehiko Inoue's wonderfully wacky basketball comedy series Slam Dunk, the first volume affected by Viz's price increase on its Shonen Jump titles from $7.99 to $9.99) for only $51.37 at Buy.com. Buy.com's prices fluctuate like crazy so the same discounts might not apply by the time you read this, but when I placed my order Wednesday each book was discounted 40% or 41%. Add in this coupon for an additional 5% off your order and your effective discount is right around 44% per item. Not too shabby!

The Already Effusive Praise in Oishinbo...

2009-09-29T21:47:00.003-05:00

...is growing increasingly exaggerated.

Not The Brightest Blogger on the Block

2009-08-16T22:54:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it took me this long to notice, but if you line up the first four volumes of the the VIZBIG edition of Vagabond on your bookshelf, the spines align to form a wonderful image of the central characters in the series:

In my defense, I never had any two volumes anywhere near each other before this weekend, as my manga are scattered throughout the house in various locations. Wait, that's not much of a defense, is it?

I'm assuming this is a new illustration for the VIZBIG editions? Heck, even if it's just a montage of previous published material, it's still beautifully done and makes the already attractive (and bargain-priced) books an even better value. Kudos once again to Viz's design team for their outstanding production values.

My only gripe: Shouldn't the books line up in reverse order since the material all reads right-to-left? That's how I'd been arranging all of my other unflopped manga on the bookshelf, at least.

Sci-Fi Cyberpunk and Space Opera at Their Finest

2009-08-03T22:50:00.005-05:00

Hmm, should I buy this again?

I'd actually consider it if it's being published in right-to-left unflipped format. Sadly, no details on the Amazon product page. (And what the heck is "Akira (del Rey)"? Is Del Rey actually handling Kodansha's US releases now?)

Also, I'm really excited to see this is coming out:

After The Dude's last announcement, I wasn't sure if there was going to be a TPB collection of "Space Opera" so this is very good news.

Symbolic Smudging or Stray Smearing?

2009-07-31T13:32:00.004-05:00

Just got volume 4 of Pluto in the mail today. Once again, it was amazing read as all volumes in this series have been. But the reading experience was slightly marred by a printing problem — the spread on pages 34-35 had noticeable black smudges running down the middle:

Click to Signature-size!

Did anyone else have this problem in their copy of the book? I'm wondering how widespread the problem is. It's surprising because I generally associate Viz (particularly their Signature line) with top-notch production values. (If Viz were in the habit of giving out No-Prizes, I'd argue that the smudging was intentional to reflect the murky moral ambiguity the two characters are discussing in that scene.)

Confessions of a Bleacholohic

2009-07-19T16:53:00.003-05:00

As part of their outreach/rehabilitation program for lapsed bloggers, the fine folks over at Robot 6 invited me to participate in their "What Are You Reading?" feature this week. Luckily, Chris and crew caught me on a good week where I'd actually read a bunch of comics. In fact, I actually left out some of the books I'd read because I didn't want to drag the column out too long (and I still ended up being the most long-winded of the bunch). So here are some quick thoughts on other stuff I've read recently:

20th Century Boys volumes 2 & 3: I'm really digging this odd series by manga master Naoki Urasawa. I honestly have no idea where the story is going to go and I love that "anything could happen" sense of uncertainty. Although I'm enjoying it primarily on a visceral level, I'm also finding the question of how our childhoods inform and influence our adult selves more thought-provoking than I would have first guessed. And is it just me or do the scenes with the Friend and his brainwashed cult give anyone else literal goosebumps?

Flower of Life 4: I probably would have gotten more out of this series finale if I'd gone back and re-read the earlier volumes first, but I still really enjoyed this volume. I couldn't remember what was going on with a lot of the side characters (or even who some of them were) but I loved the directions manga-ka Fumi Yoshinaga took the main characters in. Oh, Majima, I will always admire the purity of your otakuness. I loved seeing the expanded details of Harutaro's family, especially the introduction of the manly Mrs. Hanazono. And I loved the way Yoshinaga included coming-of-age clichés into the story ("At that moment, I knew we'd probably never create another manga together again.") only to blast them to smithereens a couple pages later ("Of course I want to do another manga...it'd be a waste to give up now!"). Great, great stuff, and the whole series is highly recommended.

Division Chief Kosaku Shima volumes 1-5: Thanks to the generosity of superstar manga blogger Deb Aoki, I was able to read the full set of all five Kodansha Bilingual Comics editions of Division Chief Kosaku Shima and, man, they are everything I ever dreamed they would be and more. These salaryman business manga are like pure manga crack for fans who enjoy vintage/classic manga such as Crying Freeman and Oishinbo. These books have everything: Sex, sex, and more sex. Business intrigue and political maneuvering. Extended (hoo-boy, do I mean extended!) sequences on the intricacies of the wine trade. All this plus bilingual text! The only bad thing about these five books is that they leave me wanting more! C'mon, Kodansha! When are you going to set up shop in the U.S. and start publishing this whole crazy series (plus sequels and prequels) from the beginning? I can't stand it! I want more Shima!!! (Eep! I just realized I'm acting like Shima's sex-starved secretary Chizuru. What is it about salaryman Shima that brings out such insatiable lust in all who meet him?)

Spend, Spend, Spend! Quick Shopping Tips for July

2009-07-06T22:43:00.001-05:00

ITEM! It's not much of a discount, but Buy.com is offering an additional $5 off $75 if you pay via PayPal (exp. 7/8). True, $75 is a high threshold to hit, but if you're a delinquent shopper like me you have plenty of back material to stock up on. Plus, Buy.com's discounts are generally pretty good, so the additional five bucks off is just sweetening the deal. I just ordered 20th Century Boys 2 & 3, Slam Dunk 3 & 4, Nightschool 1 (the only series from Yen+ I thought was worth following), Pluto 3, Bleach 27, Vagabond (VIZBIG edition) 3, and The Photographer all for under $75 after the discount. Plus, Buy.com shipped everything out the very next day -- for free!

ITEM! TFAW is offering free or discounted shipping once again, so head on over and start digging through the Nick & Dent section. I noticed Dark Horse's Clover omnibus from CLAMP for half-off but there are always plenty of other bargains to be found. Here are the coupon codes:

BABOOM - Free domestic shipping on orders $25+ (exp. 7/31)
KAPOW - $5 off international shipping on orders $30+ (exp. 7/31)
INDEPENDENCE - Free domestic shipping on orders $17.76+ (exp. 11:59 pm. July 6th!)

ITEM! Man, DCBS has deals so good they're tempting me to become a semi-regular preorderer again. Here are some of the spotlights from July's specials:

Alec: The Years Have Pants amazing 640-page omnibus, in either SC or HC format, at 45% off each
Aya: The Secrets Come Out, the third volume in this wonderful series, at 40% off
Crumb's Book of Genesis Illustrated for only $14.97 (no, it's not the signed, limited, slipcased edition)
Masterpiece Comics, a deluxe hardcover collection of R. Sikoryak's clever classics/comics mash-ups, at 40% off
Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Volume 1 at 50% off!
Strange Tales, the first issue of the Marvel indie anthology, for 50% off
What A Wonderful World, volumes one and two of the latest manga series from Inio Asano (nominated for an Eisner for Solanin), both at 50% off!

Plus, DCBS is always willing to let you add items from the previous month, so go ahead and add the handsome-looking Criminal Omnibus for only $24.99 (JUN090605)!

Got any other great comic deals you've noticed lately? Share 'em in the comments!

Gee, Thanks for the Just As Expensive, Smaller Hardcover, Fantagraphics

2009-06-22T23:15:00.003-05:00

Click to Palomar-size!

Although I suppose the additional 75+ pages are a small consolation. And the smaller size is actually easier to handle when reading. OK, you win this round, Fantagraphics, but what's this about me having to buy an even smaller softcover book to really get the whole Luba story? (And wait a second: floppies??? Gah, Fantagraphics' format fluidity is even worse than Bandai's!!)

Gee, Thanks for the More Expensive, Lower Quality Manga, Tokyopop

2009-06-08T00:18:00.002-05:00

Back in April I was wondering what readers would get for the extra dollar they'd be spending on Tokyopop manga titles. At the time, I fantasized about Tokyopop following DC's example and having backup features in each book. I realized such a bonus was unlikely, writing: "I'm assuming the price increase won't be accompanied by any additions to the manga volumes, like better paper stock or color inserts." Boy, how right I was. In fact, not only are there no added perks to offset the price hike, but Tokyopop went the other direction and gave us shoddier production values that cost more.

Comparing Sgt. Frog 17 to the previous volume, I noticed the following declines in quality:

Cheaper, thinner paper stock.
No glossy color pages at the beginning.
No more shiny "metallic ink" cover.
Sloppy editing / quality control standards.

Item 2 isn't as big a deal as I first thought it was. Looking back, only half of the previous sixteen volumes had color inserts in the front; it probably felt like more because the previous two volumes had color pages, so my working impression was that all the earlier volumes did. The third reduction doesn't really matter to me: The shiny, metallic cover was missing on the previous volume as well and I never even noticed at the time. And I really only noticed one example of defect #4 that I remember, page number 57 occurring twice, once on the actual page 57 and again ten pages later on page 67.

For me, the first flaw is the most critical. Complaining about paper quality might seem nitpicky, but it was noticeable right away, as soon as I grabbed the book out of the shipping box. The book felt flimsy. It also felt thinner, something confirmed by placing it next to an earlier volume of the series:

According to Amazon, the page count of these two volumes is the same.

The cheaper (ha!) paper also affected my reading experience: I noticed several spots where I was distracted by details from the opposite side visible through the page I was reading. The below scan gives a pretty good indication of what this looks like:

Click to Super-Snow-Keroro-size!

Compare that scan with one from the previous volume. (I generally touch up scans a bit to improve the contrast, but the scan from volume 17 was unsalvageable using my usual tweaks.)

I don't know if the combination of price increase plus decreased product quality will be enough to cause me to drop the book, but it's certainly not helping. Has anyone else noticed this with other Tokyopop titles? Is this a one time fluke or Tokyopop's new cost-cutting direction?

UPDATE: I always forget to use Google to see if others are noticing the same things I'm complaining about. Here's a thread at Anime News Network where several posters complain about the same problems with other Tokyopop series. And one poster quotes a Tokyopop rep as explaining:

I understand your concern. Paper, printing, freight has increased in price over the past ten plus years we have been in business. One of our competitors announced last week that they are raising prices higher than we did. We felt in order to keep the price of our manga down, we would change paper and only incease the average price by only 1 dollar. The other paper we used has not only increased in the cost but is getting harder to get. Sorry if there are spelling errors. I'm home sick and I'm usung my Bberry. Thanks, Allyson

I know what's she's trying to say and I feel like a jerk for mocking something someone wrote while sick, but I love the juxtaposition of "in order to keep the price of our manga down" ...we decided to raise prices. Oh, and print them on crappier paper. Corporate double-speak for the win!!

Another poster quotes something a TP Associate Publisher supposedly wrote over on Amazon:

I wanted to address a few of the comments on this thread. The paper we had been using prior to the stock you're discussing was only available from one mill, and suffice it to say, this didn't offer us a lot of flexibility with negotiating scheduling, pricing, etc., so we've been exploring other options. The new paper is different, of course, as you noted - our current printer let us know that other graphic novel publishers are inquiring about and using this paper, too. Now we are in the process of gathering feedback from consumers and other partners, and I appreciate all the candid comments as we assess its future. (BTW, our cover stock has not changed - it's still 10pt C1S - but perhaps the different paper gives it that impression.)

It also turns out that this was something the eagle-eyed Johanna Draper Carlson spotted in one of her reviews way back in February:

On another note, I haven’t checked out a Tokyopop volume in the past few months, and I was very surprised to note that the price of this volume has gone up (books this size used to be $9.99) while the quality has gone down. The newsprint-like paper feels cheap and unsubstantial, and it looks muddy. The resulting product seems unsubstantial and is unpleasant to read.

Reminder: Next time, do the Google research before wasting time writing your own redundant post.

This Will All End In Tears, Won't It?

2009-06-04T10:15:00.001-05:00

Continuing to track the ongoing issues plauging Nexus, here's the latest update via email (couldn't find it anywhere on Rude's sites):

We just received word from TransContinental (our printer in Canada) that Nexus: As it Happened V1 is printed, boxed, and ready to ship, but they want payment in full before they'll ship. We're $2,200 short so Steve dug up some more pages. We're also $4,000 behind on mortgage, so we're making an open offer to anyone interested in making a reasonable offer on any of the paintings that we currently have for sale.

Ah, crap. So the book is ready to ship to stores but first the publisher needs to be paid in full. And the Rudes are short the cash, so they're putting up even more of Rude's original artwork to help raise the money (not just so they can pay to get the book out to comic shops but also so they can pay their mortgage, which they're behind on). Unfortunately, this raises the possibility that the book will miss its scheduled release date of 6/16 (6/17?) despite everything the Rudes have done to get it out on time. I guess this is what Jaynelle meant when she said the low order numbers (1,200) didn't even cover the costs of printing the book.

Man, this just depresses me. I don't mean to turn this blog into a full-time fundraiser for Steve Rude, but if you can afford to help out, check out the paintings and other merchandise at his online store. Rude is also offering several new pages from Nexus: Wages of Sin #1 for pre-sale before he puts them up on his eBay store for auction later today.

On The Dude, Delays, and The Direct Market

2009-06-03T14:16:00.006-05:00

More thoughts on Steve Rude's announcement that he plans to focus on painting rather than putting out comics:

In the comments here and at Robot 6, a common refrain is that delays hurt the book. I was wondering how delays impacted the book, but I couldn't remember details. Searching through my emails for old DudeNews newsletters, I found repeated references to delays with Nexus (many of those same announcements are also available on Rude's site, so I tried to link to those entries where I could). Just looking at Nexus #100, it looks like it suffered from several scheduling problems:

As far as I can tell, Nexus #100 was originally solicited back in June 2007 for a September 2007 release.
However, in September 2007, an update announced that Nexus #100 would be pushed back to a January 2008 date. (Ironically, the note also states: "And why the decision to resolicit? Because it’s going to buy us the time to send out all three issues without delay. Month after month, as originally intended.")
In January of 2008, it was announced that the book was being further delayed until February due to "an increased page count beyond what was originally solicited [and] more extra features to make Nexus 100 a truly momentous event."
Finally, in early February 2008, a notice was posted informing fans that the book was being delayed one last time until the end of the month due to an unacceptably muddly print job on the book.

So a near six-month delay in getting out issue #100, and that doesn't account for the gaps between #99 (July 2007) and #101/102 (due out in July 2009). As one commenter put it, "[that's] two years for four issues of what had been scheduled as a monthly book."

Digging through my emails, I also found this, which I couldn't find anywhere on Rude's site or blog, so I'll just reproduce it here:

April 2009 Dude News
For everyone who's stuck out the past year waiting for the Nexus series to finally be completed -- THANK YOU. It's been a rough few years.

To try and answer some questions that came up during the survey that we recently sent out...

Q: I wish Dude well with painting, I hope it does well for him. But it's frustrating to wait years between new Nexus stories. I get frustrated when I see so much attention and time being put into the painting, and (apparently) less so into Nexus, which is such a wonderful creation. Charge me ten bucks an issue if you need to, I'll gladly pay.

A: Steve has been concentrating on producing, unfortunately, he has been hit with some serious medical conditions over the past few years which have hampered his ability to work a normal work day. That was our main reason for deciding to combine the final 2 issues into 1 and also wait until both were completed until soliciting or giving a release date. We are thrilled to announce that Nexus 101/102 will be released mid-July.

Q: Ok, here's my honest opinion. Please, STOP working on paintings, sketchbooks, custom sketches, prints, etc - and make some COMICS! I love Steve's work, but I'm not wealthy, and what I can afford most are comics. But with only 2 issues of Nexus since the relaunch, I keep wondering WHY such effort goes into all this other stuff. Please, draw comics!

A: Steve has little to do with the prints and sketchbooks. He hasn't done any new paintings outside of covers and the custom sketches..well, without them we would currently be in foreclosure. He has limited the sketches to Monday and Tuesday only. His health is so uncertain that he produces what he can. I can say that we've seen dramatic improvement in the past few months and we can only pray that it continues.

I tried to be the main bread winner, but after 2 years of working 80+ hour weeks on top of taking care of Steve and the kids I was heading for a complete breakdown.

These canvas prints are a way to (hopefully) keep our mortgage paid and Steve concentrating on Nexus without any extra work. The company we hooked up with prints on demand, has a 100% satisfaction guaranteed policy, we order only what we have already sold, and they take care of framing/shipping.

Again, getting a glimpse into the life of a struggling comic artist breaks my heart. I'm reminded of all the stories about Golden Age and Silver Age greats who struggled to make ends meet later in life. Jaynelle Rude's patient updates also point out another issue that contributed to the delays with Nexus: Steve Rude's health issues. This email doesn't get into specifics, but in a comment on one of the delay update posts Jaynelle mentions that Rude "battles depression and oftentimes the medication leaves him too tired to work" and that "he’s been battling fatigue due to a thyroid medication he was put on." Rude himself stops by to add "[t]he reason for Nexus #100’s tardiness is due entirely to myself" explaining, "I have mental health issues that have all but sabotaged my once 'normal' state. I’ve dealt with this condition most of my adult life and can only hope that this state will repair itself in time."

So I understand that fans can lose interest in a series that comes out infrequently, but I hope that fans understand that many factors can interfere with a comic's publishing schedule. It would be one thing if Rude were drawing a steady paycheck from Marvel and DC and simply not turning in his work. But I think it's a very different situation when a creator is self-publishing a book as a labor of love. And it's even further removed when health issues enter the picture. When a creator has to choose between looking out for his health (not to mention his family's well-being) and getting a comic out on time, it's no contest.

I'm still wondering if self-publishing isn't part of the problem due to being shoved to the back of the Previews catalog where many retailers and fans may never venture. Again, I can understand how delays would hurt the momentum of a (supposedly monthly) serialized book. But Nexus: As it Happened Vol. 1 is a more stand-alone product and preorders for that were only 1,200. That puts it in the range of the latest Spider-Girl collection and an Iron Man & Power Pack book. Really? Only 1,200 people were interested in an affordable collection of early Baron and Rude Nexus? Heck, I have all these issues already but I'm eager to have them in a more convenient and readily available format. Is the problem promotion? Awareness? The overall Direct Market system? Or maybe (and I hate to consider this) that's all that's left of the fanbase for Nexus so many years later? Searching through ICv2's sales estimates, I only find one ranking for Dark Horse's Nexus Archives series, and that was for volume one back in December 2005. The estimated preorders for that book? 1,301. Are all of us Nexus fans simply buying the same material over and over again while hoping that others will somehow magically discover and fall in love with the series?

As much as I love Nexus, maybe it would be better off in the long run (for everyone involved) if Rude branched out to other material when he returns to comics in the "direct-to-trade" format in the future. Or maybe if Rude doesn't want to change the subject matter he could alter the format: I wonder if online serialization could work for Nexus? Maybe it would help Rude, a self-proclaimed perfectionist, to post work in smaller chunks for feedback. He could do it as his leisure while still doing his painting to make a living. And he could always clean up the serialized work for the eventual collection if he wanted to.

Anyway, who knows what would work best for Nexus? Rude and various publishers have tried different things over the years and nothing seems to have worked out 100%, so who am I to play armchair expert? Whatever path Rude decides to take in the future, I look forward to supporting him and his work. Best of luck to you and your family, Dude!

Part of the Problem; Hopefully Also Part of the Solution

2009-06-02T09:34:00.007-05:00

Here's some sad news from a favorite creator of mine. I received this in my email this morning from Steve Rude, which I'll reproduce in full for those of you not on the Dude's newsletter mailing list:

FUTURE OF RUDE DUDE PRODUCTIONS, llc

The numbers for the last two books are in and they don't look good. We have been told that Nexus: As it Happened V1 will reach Diamond by the 9th which should be in time for the 13th in stores date. Around June 16th we will receive our Diamond order for 101/102.

Steve has only the cover to 101/102 to complete then the artwork is complete for all of the books as he inadvertently did the trade paperback cover before the 101/102 cover.

Steve is then turning his focus to gallery paintings. Steve is a brilliant artist and we've been living hand to mouth for the past 3 years. Losing over $5,000 in the last 2 printings we have been unable to pay our mortgage have have no desire to lose our house.

Steve does plan to continue in comics putting out a book direct to trade every few years and using gallery painting as a means to finance his comic endevors.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us by ordering commissions or purchasing artwork.

It bums me out to think of a dedicated comic pro losing money and not being able to pay his mortgage due to pursuing his dream of putting out comics. Luckily, Rude is able to support himself through other means, but it's a bummer to think that an incredible talent and industry legend like Rude isn't able to make a living via comics. I don't know if self-publishing was part of the problem, if that made it less likely for fans and retailers to see or order his work if it wasn't up at the front of the Previews catalog under one of the major comic publishers?

Reading this letter, I felt a twinge of guilt. I love Rude's work, but I wasn't buying the singles because I preferred to wait for the trade. Rude never badgered readers into buying the singles; in fact, he was always up-front about the fact that a trade paperback collection of the "Space Opera" storyline would be available soon after serialization was complete. Still, I feel a little like those Shojo Beat boosters who were sad to see the magazine fold but never subscribed to it themselves. But despite my regret, I continue to believe that customers should only buy material they enjoy in the format of their preference. For me, that continues to be the collected book format. I happily preordered Nexus: As it Happened Vol. 1 and I plan to buy future TPB collections of Nexus, so I'm glad to hear that Rude continues to publish in that format even if it means long waits in between volumes.

If you have the means, consider ordering something directly from Rude's own online store. Many of the items have been marked down, and there's free domestic shipping on orders order $40 and international orders over $125. There are even digital (PDF) comics for only 99 cents each! I'm thinking I'm going to have to start saving up for a commissioned sketch. I'd love to see Rude actually illustrate my Nexus / Mr. Miracle fanfic team-up idea, or maybe one of the other fantasy crossovers I've had bouncing around in my skull for decades...

UPDATE 6/3: The news has also been posted on Rude's MySpace blog and in the comments Rude's wife Jaynelle, posting as Rude, reiterates: "while Steve is switching his focus [it] doesn't mean that he's leaving comics all together. It just means that instead of having comics be his main profession and gallery painting as a hobby he's going to have to switch to having his gallery painting support his comic endeavors."

UPDATE #2 6/3: Posting again in the comments of Rude's blog, Jaynelle Rude provides the order numbers for Nexus: As it Happened Vol. 1: "We only had orders for 1,200 and needed 1,600 to finance the printing. We lowered the print run to 3,000 copies and if we can sell out then we'll continue with #2." If you didn't preorder the book from your shop and are still interested in it, it's available directly from Rude's online store for $9.99 or through TFAW for only $7.99. It's due out on 6/16.

Hot Online Monkey Sex

2009-05-27T16:35:00.004-05:00

Over at Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson praises Viz's recent forays into digital distribution of content. Like Lori, I think Viz has done a nice job of putting together their online manga reader. I know some are critical of the Flash interface, but I find it unobtrusive and smooth. Best of all, the art and lettering stays crisp and readable no matter how I resize the viewer (something that doesn't work very well on other companies' online offerings, such as Marvel's digital comics, which always look jagged and rough no matter what resolution I view them in). I also like that Viz's viewer allows you to use the left and right arrow keys to navigate through their manga.

In other online manga news, Top Shelf is offering a 22-page preview of Love's Bride, a Yoshihiro Tatsumi story that will be appearing in the upcoming Ax anthology. It's more of a straight-forward, old school presentation, meaning it's a series of static images that you can't resize rather than a dynamic Flash viewer (which some people will prefer but I dislike, especially when trying to read on my laptop). And the preview cuts off midstory, so we never get to see the pathetically lonely loser put the brassiere and panties on the female monkey he busted out of the zoo and have sex with it. (Man, and I thought the sex scene with Lassie in Abandon the Old in Tokyo was disturbing.)

There are no losers like Tatsumi losers.

Hooray for Viz!

2009-05-22T00:12:00.003-05:00

Viz's new online "magazine" Ikki seems like a really cool idea. Basically it's a way for Viz to promote new series but they're doing so by letting customers read entire series (one chapter a month) online for free. I'm a little unclear on the details (for example, Viz says "[a]fter the completion of the online serialization of a volume, that volume will become available as a VIZ Signature graphic novel, subject to reader demand" but it doesn't specify how reader demand will be determined), but Viz is calling this a soft launch with the full roll-out scheduled for August, so I'll hold off more thorough questioning until then.

In the meantime, enjoy the first chapter of Daisuke Igarashi's engrossing Children of the Sea. And what a meaty first chapter it is: 68 pages of beautifully illustrated intrigue.

OK, one more question: How will Viz finish serializing a volume's worth of Children of the Sea online if the first book comes out July 21st and it's 320 pages long? Perhaps June and July's chapters will be even longer than 68 pages? Or maybe the "online serialization complete before it sees print" sequence of events only applies to subsequent series, not Children of the Sea? ANSWER: As Greg McElhatton points out in the comments, Children of the Sea is updating weekly, not monthly, so they should be able to cover the entire first volume before it sees release in print.

OK, last question, I promise: Is Bokurano basically Gantz but with mecha and even younger kids?

OK, last one, I swear: Any chance Viz will serialize Wombs? And does anyone know if the series is really about what it looks like, a militaristic future state where the abortion debate has gotten so intense that pro-choice and anti-abortion factions have literally gone to war over women's wombs?

OK, this isn't a question at all, so back off: To see what other Ikki series you'd like to see Viz offer here, be sure to poke around the Japanese Ikki site where you can see short samples of the various series. This and this look especially interesting to me. Anime News Network has more info about the latter series, and Ed Chavez wrote about it for Otaku USA. ANN and Wikipedia also have (incomplete) lists of some of the series that have run in Ikki, and I'd love to see Happiness by Usamaru Furuya picked up by Viz, and online distribution seems like a perfect fit for these shorter one-shots if there's not enough material to fill out an entire print volume..

Separated at Birth? Japanese Hipster, Meet American Hipster

2009-05-21T22:21:00.005-05:00

OK, so it's really the top part that's similar, but seeing the cover of Inio Asano's upcoming What a Wonderful World made me think immediately of the cover of Daniel Clowes' Ghost World. Who knows what other eerie similarities the two books will share?

Yen Press To Re-Release Yotsuba Volumes 1-5

2009-05-18T11:50:00.002-05:00

My blog-fu has been week lately, so I apologize if this is already widely known but it looks like Yen Press has acquired the license to re-release the first five volumes of Yotsuba (previously published by ADV). Yen's Yotsuba series page now lists eight volumes, with the first five all showing a September 2009 release date. And on Amazon the first five volumes show a Sept. 15, 2009, which is also when volume 6 is supposed to come out. So I hereby christen Sept. 15, 2009 as Yotsuba day!!

Introducing The Newest Muppet Character, Mr. Cthulhu!

2009-05-14T11:41:00.006-05:00

Here's something fun to try on the BOOM! Kids site:

Go to the BOOM! Kids Blog.
Type 'muppets' in the search box in the upper right-hand corner.
Press <ENTER>
Order one of the first three items on the product search results page for your young child.
Wake up repeatedly throughout the night to reassure your child that the octopus-faced monster isn't going to come get him.

Looks like BOOM! still has some work to do in keeping their two sites separate.

UPDATE 4:00 PM: Looks like BOOM fixed whatever was causing the problem. No more search results from the BOOM Kids site being redirected to the main BOOM site. Although you can still see the incongruous search results for "Muppets" on the main site.

I Buy My Superhero Comics By The 100s

2009-05-13T23:30:00.001-05:00

It all started with Wednesday Comics. Last week I was intrigued enough by the creative format and formidable creative line-up for DC's upcoming Wednesday Comics weekly to consider making actual pilgrimages to a local comic shop to pick up the oversized fold-out comics. But then my ~~cheap~~ bargain-hunting side kicked in and I realized I could probably score these comics cheaper online. So I searched around and found that my old online shop DCBS had the first issue of Wednesday Comics for 75% off and the second for 50% off. The third and the fourth issues were each discounted a respectable 40% off.

Of course, I could have simply ordered those four comics and left it at that, but, no, I had to go poking around the monthly specials section, so now this is what I ended up ordering:

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #600 - $2.49
CITIZEN REX #1 - $1.75
CREEPY COMICS #1 - $2.49
GREEK STREET #1 - $0.25
INCREDIBLE HULK #600 - $2.49
INCREDIBLES #0 - $1.64
INCREDIBLES FAMILY MATTERS TP - $6.99
TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE HC VOL 01 - $12.49
WEDNESDAY COMICS #1 - $0.99
WEDNESDAY COMICS #2 - $1.99
WEDNESDAY COMICS #3 - $2.39
WEDNESDAY COMICS #4 - $2.39

Yes, in addition to DC's Wednesday Comics I broke down and ordered two Marvel comics. What can I say? I'm a sucker for divisible-by-100 anniversary issues. (In fact, I think ASM #500 was the last issue of ASM I bought.) I almost passed on Hulk #600 since it's written by Jeph Loeb and I can't recall reading too many positive reviews of his work (both in general and on Hulk specifically). But what the heck? For $2.49 I can ignore the dumb story and just focus on the pretty art by Ed McGuiness.

I'm also trying out a couple other books that sound interesting, like Dark Horse's Citizen Rex by Mario and Gilbert Hernandez and their new Creepy anthology. (I was also thinking of checking out DH's Noir anthology GN but it doesn't actually ship until the end of September so I'll wait and see if I'm still interested by then.) I'm also getting the first issue of Greek Street, a new Vertigo ongoing, partially because I've always been fond of Greek drama but mainly because it was only a quarter after the discount.

The Incredibles comics are for my daughter, who loves that movie. (She now wants us to have another kid so we can have someone to be Jack-Jack when she plays "Incredibles.") And depending on how bleak or decadent ASM #600 is, I may give that to my daughter after I'm done reading it. She's really into cutting things up with scissors lately, so I figure she can have fun with the floppy rather than me having to worry about storing it. (Plus, I like the idea of her using her scissors to rearrange the comic randomly, perhaps creating a more satisfying continuity than the one Marvel came up with in OMD/BND.)

Finally, there's the real steal of the whole deal, the hardcover collection of Tales Designed to Thrizzle for half-off! Woot! (Check out the Flickr set for the book here.)

Also, the folks at DCBS were kind enough to let me append a couple items from the April 2009 Previews to this order, which was great because I don't know where else I would have been able to get the new black-and-white Nexus collection for such a great price (45% off). It doesn't look like the major book sites (like Amazon or BN.com) are carrying this yet.

Oh, and one final tip: If you're new to DCBS or haven't ordered from them for at least a year, use coupon code disc8 when you place your order for an additional 8% off. That might not sound like much but for me it was almost enough to cover the flat-rate shipping charge of $5.95. (The fact that I can edit my order until June 1st is dangerous. Since it's flat-rate shipping no matter how many items are in my order, I may be tempted to add more comics as I hear about them. Hey, this whole Marvel Divas thing sounds interesting, and DCBS has it for only $1.99...)

The Mystery of the Missing Manga Mother

2009-05-10T21:58:00.003-05:00

I was thinking of mothers in manga today, spurred by David Welsh's Twitter topic of #mangamoms. I was thinking that Ranma's mother must fall into the same "absent mother" category so many other series belong to, although I noticed that neither Ranma nor Genma (his father) ever brought her up, so she wasn't really a motivating factor in terms of either character or plot. And then this afternoon I happened to read Ranma ½ volume 20, which features the return of Ranma's long-lost mother, Nodoka Saotome. It turns out Ranma never knew his mother; his father, fearing that a mother's nurturing would weaken the boy, removed Ranma from their home and began his strict martial arts training at a very young age. And Genma never mentioned Nodoka because he had made a promise to her that if he failed in toughening up Ranma to become a true "man among men" then both he and the boy would commit seppuku. Given Ranma's condition, Genma had reason to worry.

It was a fun story, and an interesting coincidence to run across it on Mother's Day. Rumiko Takahashi came up with an inventive way to dramatize (or is that satirize?) the tension that frequently exists between grown children and their mothers. Obviously, Ranma wants his mother's approval, but his fears that her disappointment will take an especially harsh tone cause him to hide the truth from her. Rather than be open and honest with his mother, he crafts a convenient lie that he thinks will be easier for her (and him) to bear. Ah, fiction has such a wonderful way of exposing what is often ignored or suppressed in real life.

The Subtle Pleasures of Well-Written Solicitations

2009-05-08T15:53:00.004-05:00

Whoever writes the solicitation copy for Dark Horse Comics deserves a raise. While the solicitation blurbs from other publishers can be a drag, Dark Horse always manages to make their marketing copy entertaining. Here are some of my favorite bits from DH's August 2009 solicits:

CITIZEN REX #2 (of 6) - "It's Astro Boy meets Mister X by way of David Lynch, as only Los Bros. could do it!" I was just thinking the issue's description sounded a lot like Viz's Pluto series when DH basically came out and acknowledged it. And the high-concept "it's X meets Y by way of Z" pitch actually makes me want to read the series. (The fact that it's written and drawn by one of these guys also helps.)

THE GROO TREASURY VOLUME 1 - Basically, the whole solicit is worth reading ("If you've ever wondered what this Groo character is all about, tried to untangle his early publishing history yourself, or wondered what exactly it is that Mark Evanier does for this book, wait no longer!"), but I especially liked this helpful tidbit at the end: "Featuring the absolute latest in Stan Sakai-generated logo design!" Always nice to see designers / letterers getting the credit they deserve.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS #8 - "Clone Wars action on ice!" I'm betting whoever wrote that totally meant to invoke images of Star Wars characters executing elaborately choreographed routines while wearing figure skates.

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: DALLAS - "It's the X-Men for cool people." ...said Grant Morrison, former writer on the X-Men. Which begs the question: Who are the X-Men for? Nerds? (And: Was Grant Morrison not cool when he wrote the X-Men?)

WEREWOLVES ON THE MOON: VERSUS VAMPIRES #3 (of 3) - "Features fan-favorite werewolves AND vampires now in an all-new lunar setting!" Werewolves & vampires — now new-and-improved!!

In addition to snazzy-sounding copy, the DH solicits are fun to read because they don't rely on just sheer hucksterism to peddle their merchandise; they also provide interesting factoids (including actual sales figures for books (did you know that "[s]ince rekindling the Conan franchise in 2004, Dark Horse has sold over 350,000 Conan graphic novels!"?) and site traffic figures for webcomics properties) and quotes from a variety of sources (who knew Keanu Reeves' character from The Matrix was such a fan of Oh My Goddess!?) to generate interest in their books. If only all publishers were this entertaining and professional with their marketing material.

EDIT: Just looked at some of the actual "on sale" dates and although these are listed as solicits for items coming out in August 2009, some of the books won't actually come out until September or October (or, in the case of Gantz 8 and the Groo Treasury, November). So be aware of that if you were thinking of preordering any of these books because some items could hold up your order longer than others!

And Now, The Best-Reviewed, Lowest-Selling Book of 2008

2009-05-08T09:09:00.002-05:00

A while back I finally read the most controversial book of 2008, Love and Rockets: New Stories #1. (Seriously, wasn't this the book that was at the heart of the Great Bookscan Debate of 2008? And I seem to remember seeing it invoked in the recent kerfuffle over the viability of DM sales.) It's an interesting experiment, releasing about four issues worth of floppies in a single, square-bound collection for fifteen bucks. Something about it reminded me of The Comics Journal itself — it seemed more like an upscale magazine with a sturdier cover than a typical trade paperback. (The ads in the back may have been a big factor in my impression: It's a little odd to see ads for local comic shops in a trade paperback, and the ads look a lot like the ones I remember seeing in TCJ.)

Anyway, enough about the format; what did I think about the actual content? In a way, the book suffers from the typical problem with anthologies: The styles and subject matter that the Hernandez brothers work in are so different that it's a bit jarring to move from stories about superheroines to surreal tales of an old knock-off comedy duo slaughtering an entire alien population. Don't get me wrong, I love both Jaime's and Gilbert's work, but they're odd counterparts for each other. (Part of this might be due to the way I learned to appreciate the Hernandez brothers myself, by reading their respective works in those oversized hardcovers. For me, the works of the Hernandez brothers are separate and distinct.) I assume long-time fans of the brothers will be fine with this eclectic mix, but I wonder how new readers would react to the diverse assortment.

Jaime's entry, a two-part story revolving around a bunch of oddball superheroines, was my favorite in the bunch. A big part of that is his incredible artwork — just check out this amazing sequence where Alarma takes out two robots by using a defunct third as a projectile:

I love everything about those three panels: The simplicity of the composition; the fluid motion of the actors; and the wonderfully expressive body language of Alarma. (I love the way she rights herself in panel two after making a big throw and the "YES!!!" pose in the final panel.)

The concept is also incredibly amusing: It's like a huge riff on what might have happened if superhero comics started their evolutionary path by focusing on more female-centered concerns instead of testosterone-fueled fisticuffs. (Oh, there's still plenty of fighting, but it all has a very different tone from your standard Marvel or DC slugfest. How many "hero vs. hero" misunderstandings can you think of that have been resolved with tears and a group hug?)

Gilbert's contributions are hard to describe, mainly because they are so surreal. They really have to be experienced and interpreted on your own. (I certainly can't begin to tell you what's going on in the dream-like "?") But I did want to share the following panel, mainly because it reminds me of something straight out of a Kazuo Umezu horror manga:

Be sure to check out some of the other reviews linked to on the book's product page. In particular, Jeff Lester and Matt Brady do a good job of spicing up their reviews with plenty of images, so you'll get an even better idea of the incredible artwork that populates this book. And Fantagraphics has set up their own Flickr set of images, so there are even more samples to peruse and whet your appetite!

The Two-Chapter Test Is The Online Equivalent Of My Two-Volume Test For Print Manga

2009-05-07T12:53:00.002-05:00

So the third chapter of RIN-NE doesn't come out until next week but I was wondering what everyone thinks of the series so far. I know only two chapters are available at the moment, but have you read enough to decide if you like it or not? I'm especially curious to know if anyone plans to buy the collected edition at this point:

Personally, I'm leaning toward stopping following the online chapters and just waiting for the collected edition. Short chapters every week are just too much (too little?) for my middle-aged brain to keep up with. Plus, I'm still partial to the tactile experience of reading actual printed material. (One of the main reasons I don't follow scanlations or webcomics despite the awesome price point.)

Buyer's Remorse

2009-05-07T09:47:00.005-05:00

In the comments thread of yesterday's post, Augie De Blieck Jr. remarked that he couldn't believe he bought Maximum Fantastic Four, an expensive coffee-table examination of Fantastic Four #1. Which got me to wondering: What comic-related purchases do you most regret? For me, the first thing that comes to mind is all the hardcover DC Archives I own. I let a combination of misplaced nostalgia and completist mentality compel me to buy way too many of these books, most of which sit unread, taking up precious shelf space.

How about you? What purchases do you wish you could go back in time and undo? (Also: Anyone interested in buying some old DC Archives, cheap?)

UPDATE: Over on Twitter, Martin Kretschmer brought up an interesting flipside to this question. Namely, What comics do you most regret selling? For me, that's an easy one: I really, really, really regret selling off my full set of Miracleman trade paperbacks. Not only because I foolishly sold them for mere cover price, but because they're books I'd actually like to re-read every once and awhile.

Wednesday Post on Wednesday Comics

2009-05-06T11:10:00.008-05:00

Here's something that might actually get me to go out of my way and visit a local comics shop: José Luis García-López is now handling the artistic duties on the Metal Men feature in DC's upcoming Wednesday Comics (via Mike Sterling, who has a scan of a great Garcia-López-illustrated Metal Men sequence from DC Comics Presents #4).

I've been curious about Wednesday Comics ever since details about the project first started to leak. It's certainly a bold move on DC's part, experimenting with the format in a way I can't recall a comics publisher trying before ("a 16-page weekly that unfolds to a sprawling 28" x 20" tabloid-sized reading experience bursting with mind-blowing color, action and excitement, with each feature on its own 14" x 20" page"). And the creative talent that's lined up is pretty impressive: Paul Pope, Neil Gaiman, Michael Allred, Kyle Baker, etc. In fact, every name that was added to the project only seemed to increase the appeal of the comic. That is, until the official solicitation came out and this was revealled, buried at the bottom in an almost embarrassed "one of these things is not like the other" manner:

* METAL MEN, written by Dan DiDio with Art by Ian Churchill (SUPERGIRL)

That single credit was enough to kill my interest in the project. Look, I don't care how groovy it is to see Paul Pope on Adam Strange or Mike Allred on Metamorpho (two of my all-time favorite artists on two of my favorite C-list DC characters!), I am not going to buy a comic that contains any art by Ian Churchill. So I'm very glad that DC made this creative team change-up. Curiously, the announcement doesn't mention the fact that Churchill was the original artist on the Metal Men strip, nor has the credit info been updated on DC's site. Hopefully Garcia-López is replacing Churchill right from the get-go, otherwise I'll be putting that copy of Wednesday Comics #1 right back on the shelf. (If Garcia-López doesn't start handling the art until later in the series, someone let me know when it happens, OK? Because I really need to see Mercury's new afro-tastic swingin' seventies human disguise in its full-color glory. It's almost as good as this.)

It's true: Everything's better with afros!

It's The Classic Shopper's Dilemma All Over Again

2009-05-01T16:33:00.002-05:00

TFAW is having a Spring Cleaning Sale with progressive discounts every week:

Starting May 1st, you'll save 50% off a bunch of toys, comics, graphic novels, statues, and other collectibles. May 10th, you'll begin to save 60% off! May 17th, you'll start saving 70% off remaining stock + hundreds of new additions. Finally, starting May 24th, you'll save 80% off!

As they note, quantities are limited, so the gamble you face is: Do I wait a couple more weeks for the discount to go up with the risk that the item I want will sell out? I already see a couple items I want so I'm struggling with that very dilemma myself.

And here are a couple new coupon codes to help with shipping costs:

CLEANUP - $5 off $50+ (expires 5/31/09)
ROCKOUT - Free domestic shipping on orders $25+ (expires 5/31/09)

Of course, I love the irony of a "spring cleaning" sale that will just result in an even messier office for me.

* Also, if you place your order tomorrow on Free Comic Book Day, TFAW will throw in three free comics, but they're ones that probably won't interest non-superhero, non-licensed-sci-fi-properties fans.

It's Always Embarrassing When Company Reps Respond So Rationally To My Ill-Considered Screeds

2009-05-01T11:20:00.003-05:00

Jane Lui, PR & Events Manager at Viz, was kind enough to send me the following note further explaining the delays with RIN-NE's weekly release schedule:

We wanted to empahsize that the publication schedule for RIN-NE is following the WEEKLY SHONEN SUNDAY publishing schedule. The next issue of WEEKLY SHONEN SUNDAY (Vol. 23) will street on May 2nd, with the following issue streeting on May 13th - the issue that RIN-NE debuted in was a double issue (Vol. 21-22), to cover for the extra time between issues. The Golden Week holidays in Japan, running from April 29th through May 6th, tends to throw things off a bit - the WEEKLY SHONEN SUNDAY schedule in this case was shifted a little.

I appreciate Jane taking the time to respond to my (grumpy, fan-entitled) post. I was tickled to learn that last week's issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday was double-sized in order to account for the Golden Week publishing gap. It reminds me of the double issues that magazines like The New Yorker and EW put out to handle "skip weeks" here in the States. Jane's note also reinforced the "simultaneous release" aspect of this project over the "weekly updates" element: If there's no material published in Japan, it doesn't make sense to expect there to be material released here in the U.S. So for now I'll just wait patiently for the next installment of RIN-NE and pass the time by reading the many volumes of Ranma piling up on my nightstand!

RIN-NE On Hiatus Holiday

2009-04-29T14:51:00.006-05:00

If, like me, you were eagerly waiting for today's installment of RIN-NE, you'll have to wait a little longer. According to editor Mike Montesa:

[D]ue to some holidays in Japan (Golden Week for those in the know), this week’s chapter will be live on Saturday, May 2, when the next issue of Shonen Sunday is released in Japan. Normally, each chapter will come out every Wednesday, but Chapter 3 will be released Wednesday, May 13. To help you keep track of the publication dates and Rumiko Takahashi news, sign up for TheRumicWorld.com newsletter.

So a late chapter this week and no chapter next week. Got that? (Seems like maybe it would have been better to postpone the launch until they could have lined up a couple consecutive weeks of material to build momentum, but I'm probably just being a second-guessing, snarky blogger. What, is Viz taking its scheduling cues from Marvel and DC now?) I'd like to sign up for the Rumic World newsletter, but I've found that Viz newsletters are impossible to unsubscribe from. Has anyone else signed up for the Rumic World newsletter and found it useful? Has anyone else had any luck unsubscribing from other Viz newsletters?

Introducing Nick & Dent, The Hard-Hitting British Crimefighting Duo!

2009-04-29T11:07:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder that TFAW's 60% off Nick & Dent special ends tomorrow, Thursday, April 30th! After that the discount reverts back to a mere 50% off. Click here for some great bargain recommendations and a couple coupon codes. And here are two more coupon codes to try:

WATCHOUT - $5 off $50+ (expires 5/1/09)
AFTERWATCH - Free domestic shipping on orders $25+ (expires 5/1/09)

Happy shopping!

And The Winner For Best Blog About Manga in 2009 Goes To...

2009-04-29T09:17:00.001-05:00

Kate Dacey, one of my all-time favorite writers about manga, is back with a new website, The Manga Critic. Kate kindly invited me to take part in a round-table discussion about good recent reads along with several of my other favorite manga bloggers. Go check out the site, and make sure to read Kate's hilariously honest bio about her origins as a manga fan and critic!

And to expand on what I said about Kekkaishi 16 on Kate's site, a good example of how creator Yellow Tanabe defies shonen expectations occurs in this volume: Tokine, the female kekkaishi, is trapped inside a mystical black box. Yoshimori, the younger, male kekkaishi who patrols the same area as Tokine, vows to rescue Tokine no matter what it takes. Just as Yoshimori is about to lose it die to worry, Tokine appears behind him. She was able to escape the trap on her own by stretching her supernatural abilities to new limits. So the stereotypical "damsel in distress" scenario wasn't used to motivate the hero; it was actually employed to show that the female protagonist was competent and capable of "powering up" when the situation demanded it. Imagine that!

This is one of the main reasons I love Yellow Tanabe's Kekkaishi. As much as I can get lost in a good, well-executed formulaic shonen series, it can still be frustrating when everything occurs in a rote, predictable pattern. By having things play out in unexpected ways (at least within the scope of shonen manga), Tanabe succeeds in keeping readers on their toes. (Another good example of this occurred last volume when a young child was abducted by the villain. Instead of just using the imperiled child as a cheap ploy to ratchet up reader anxiety, Tanabe had the young girl use her wits and abilities to outsmart the bad guy. Again, a clever subversion of genre expectations resulted in a surprisingly satisfying read.)

Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week: Now Entering Its Second Exciting Week!

2009-04-26T22:38:00.005-05:00

And ~~Akane~~ Ranma has a message for any nitpickers who want to point out that a week typically ends after seven days:

~~Akane! I'm surprised at you! You're usually so lady-like! (Although Ranma always says you're manly...)~~ As John Chennavasin pointed out in the comments, that's Ranma in the panel, not Akane. I can see flipping the finger as more in character for Ranma.

Seriously, I was a little shocked to see this gesture in volume nine of Ranma, but I figured it was just a glitch. And then I ran across this panel in the following volume:

Does extending the middle finger not have the same connotation in Japan? UPDATE: Just ran across this in Appendix A of Jason Thompson's Manga: The Complete Guide: "'The finger' is considered a lighthearted, rascally gesture in Japan and is sometimes censored in English editions of manga." Case closed!

And if you'd like to try your hand at dialoging ~~Akane~~ Ranma when (s)he's angry or intense, here's that first panel again with all of the text blanked out:

Go wild! What do you think has ~~Akane~~ Ranma so worked up that (s)he's stooped to flipping the reader the bird?

The New Yorker: Hipster or Not Hipster?

2009-04-26T16:00:00.001-05:00

Is The New Yorker losing its hip, youthful cred? In the most recent issue (April 27, 2009), they had this photo and blurb in the "Goings On About Town" section:

Click the image to make it large enough for the caption to be legible. If you still can't make it out, the photo's caption reads:

"KRAZY!," an exhibit about anima, manga, and video games, at Japan Society. [Emphasis added]

Oops! I'm surprised that something as ubiquitous as anime tripped up The New Yorker's legendary fact-checking squad. If only they had consulted Wikipedia, whose page for "anima" specifically warns "Not to be confused with anime." (To their credit, The New Yorker did get the spelling correct online.)

In the "still got it!" column, though, this issue also includes a spiffy new illustration from Adrian Tomine accompanying an article about the illicit use of prescription medication for so-called “cosmetic neurology.”

It's an interesting article on a subject I personally find quite tempting given the number of times I abandon a post over writer's block or lack of focus.

Love Manga

2009-04-23T11:42:00.004-05:00

Inspired by this post listing the (highly controversial and debatable) 25 greatest superhero romances (via Kevin Melrose), I wondered: What are the greatest romances in manga? Here is my short, not-at-all-thoroughly-researched-or-considered list:

Hoshino & Negishi (Love Roma)
Ichigo & Rukia (Bleach)
Ichigo & Orihime (Bleach)
Haruo & Kingoro (Club 9)
Hanamichi & Haruko (Slam Dunk)
Giroro & Natsumi (Sgt. Frog)
Tamama & Keroro (Sgt. Frog)
Momoka & Fuyuki (Sgt. Frog)
Kaneda & Kei (Akira)
Emma & William (Emma)
Kelly & Doug Stowner (Emma)
L & Light (Death Note)
Ichigo & Uryu (Bleach)
Rukawa & Hanamichi (Slam Dunk)
Ranma & Akane (Ranma ½)
Yoshimori & Tokine (Kekkaishi)
Daigo & Ms. Ochiai (Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M)
Tomie & the male half of the human population (Tomie)
Keiichi & Belldandy (Oh My Goddess!)
Sachiko & Masato Azuma (With the Light)

Who am I leaving off? Who are the greatest lovers in all of manga? I don't read much shojo, so obviously my list is going to look a little lopsided to fans of more explicitly romantic manga. And I haven't read any yaoi, so that's a huge blind spot on my list. Feel free to correct that omission in the comments!

UPDATE: David Welsh corrects an oversight on my (and Tite Kubo's) part by giving quiet hunk Chad of Bleach fame the ultimate cross-series companion. Go check it out; I think you'll agree it's perfect and that we need to convince David to start writing the tale of their epic romance immediately.

UPDATE #2: Valéria Fernandes comes up with her own list (Google-translated version), and it's a nice balance to my shonen-heavy list as hers focuses more on shojo and josei series.

Manga Elseworlds

2009-04-22T21:36:00.004-05:00

WHAT IF... Ichigo had originally been the Soul Reaper, and Rukia was the student whose life was forever changed by meeting a Shinigami???

Yeah, still getting a big Bleach vibe from RIN-NE so far. (Then again, I know Bleach wasn't the first manga to feature Shingami, so it's not like Rumiko Takahashi is directly ripping off Tite Kubo.)

Although If You Suffer From Cynophobia, I Suppose This Would Be Absolutely Terrifying

2009-04-22T21:09:00.006-05:00

RIN-NE is now live! Also, The Rumic World has expanded content, including a blog, which has this exciting news:

As we unveil Rumiko Takahashi's newest manga series RIN-NE on this site, we're also pleased to announce some exciting news about her classic manga series Inuyasha. Starting with volume 38 (which will be released in July), we're publishing the series the way it was originally drawn, from right to left, and releasing the graphic novels monthly.

VIZ Media also has VIZBIG 3-in-1 editions ($17.99) of the entire series on the way starting in November, also in the original unflipped format!

Yay! Looks like that Amazon listing was inaccurate!! (And it looks like eagle-eyed Michelle Smith was right about the monthly release schedule!)

"Yo Quiero Taco Hell!"

OK, off to read RIN-NE now...

I Have Angered The Manga Gods

2009-04-22T16:48:00.003-05:00

Lately my kids have been really into the Disney version of Hercules, and my experiences the past two days remind me of a scene from that movie: Herc approaches Phil, former trainer of Greek heroes, and asks him to show him the ropes. Phil is about to decline the request with a two-word answer (presumably "No way!" given the expected rhyme) when he's suddenly struck by one of Zeus' lightning bolts, so instead he mutters, "O-kay."

That's kind of how I feel given my technical frustrations the past two days. First, Nvu crashed last night while I was composing a post on Ranma. Then today my cable modem was out for most of the day.

So... I apologize for joking that RIN-NE looks a lot like Bleach. And I'm sorry I've been complaining all day about RIN-NE not being up yet. Although I notice that, as of this writing (almost 5PM CST) it's still not up. (Oh crap, I just jinxed myself again, didn't I? There goes my motherboard...)

And I apologize once again for the lack of content for Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week. Hopefully, if there are no further technical disruptions, I'll have my post on Ranma up in the next 24 ~~hours~~ days.

I Would Totally Pay To See Tite Kubo Draw Ranma 1/2. Or To See Rumiko Takahashi Illustrate Bleach.

2009-04-21T11:52:00.004-05:00

Even famous manga-ka are getting in the act for Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week! Here's Tite Kubo drawing the characters Ichigo and Rukia from his mega-hit Bleach in the style of Rumiko Takahashi:

Fun Soul Reaper Fact! "Rin-Ne" is Spanish for "Wheel? Not even!"

(Obviously that's really Rumiko Takahashi's art. It's a promotional image for her new series, RIN-NE, found via the absolutely fantastic fansite, Rumic World.

Thankfully, Others Are Producing Actual Content In Honor Of Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week

2009-04-21T11:38:00.001-05:00

David Welsh goes straight to the source and gets some answers from Viz's Senior Editorial Director, Elizabeth Kawasaki, about the details of the simultaneous release of RIN-NE online. He asks some of the questions I was wondering, including:

WELSH: Will the translated, online chapters be available free of charge? How long will a given chapter be available on the site?

KAWASAKI: The chapters will be available for a limited time for free at TheRumicWorld.com. We're still working out the schedule details.

So make sure to read the new chapters quickly each week, because they may not be available for long!

David also asks something many Rumiko Takahashi fans have been wondering about: Will any of Takahashi's series other than InuYasha be given the VIZBIG treatment?

WELSH: Takahashi's series are perennially popular, but a lot of them are really sprawling. Does VIZ Media have any plans to put any of her titles in VIZBIG format?

KAWASAKI: We don't have any news to announce as of yet. Fans should definitely keep checking TheRumicWorld.com for all Rumiko Takahashi updates!

Spoken like a true Senior Editorial Director!

I wish David had asked about the flipped vs. unflipped issue, or perhaps it was but Viz chose not to address it. In any event, looking forward to tomorrow's online debut to see how the material is presented!

Pretty Picture Placeholder

2009-04-20T23:07:00.001-05:00

Oops, it looks like Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week isn't getting off to the most auspicious start. I'd hoped to blog about why Ranma ½ is so wonderful today, but something came up that's preventing me from doing so.

...OK, volume seven of Ranma ½ finally came in at the library after weeks of waiting, so I'm going to spend tonight catching up on a couple more volumes of this absolutely delightful series. But hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with an actual post about the genius that is Ranma ½.

In the meantime, enjoy some beautiful color illustrations by that I found while Googling for info on Ranma ½:

I forget where I found these images, but chances are they're from here.

(Why do I have this nagging feeling that the rest of Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week is going to be dominated by image-heavy entries?)

Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week

2009-04-19T23:49:00.003-05:00

Do you ever stop to think about how many amazing things are out there that you have no idea about, or that you might have some vague notion of but don't realize how much you'd love if you took the time to investigate them?

It's a question that's been floating around in my head ever since I "discovered" Rumiko Takahashi a couple weeks ago. How could I have been oblivious to the awesome, prolific output of this incredible manga creator for so long?

It all started back in February when David Welsh wrote a Flipped column recommending ten humorous manga series. I'd read all but two series (Maison Ikkoku and Your and My Secret) so I added those books to my "to read" list. I was able to track down the first volume of Maison Ikkoku via ILL, so that was my first exposure to Rumiko Takahashi. To be honest, I wasn't overly impressed, but there was something about her work that appealed to me.

Several weeks after that I was browsing through the manga section at the local library and stumbled upon a copy of Ranma ½ Volume 1. What the heck, I thought, I may as well give this a shot.

I was immediately hooked.

Since then, I've been adding subsequent volumes of Ranma to my request queue. (At the moment I have volumes 11 through 17 sitting on my nightstand, just waiting for volume 7 to finally arrive so I can continue consuming this delightful series.) I've also been investigating her other series available in English, but the turnaround time on ILL requests has been painfully slow. I've been hoping to do a "Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week" for a couple weeks now, but I was putting it off in hopes of having more of her work under my belt before beginning. However, I decided to launch the theme week today anyway for two main reasons:

This week sees the launch of Takahashi's newest manga series, RIN-NE. And it's not just any old regular manga launch, either. This is a simultaneous release in both the U.S. and Japan, with the U.S. chapters being serialized online at Viz's new official Rumiko Takahashi site, The Rumic World. (Not to be confused with the wonderful old unofficial fan site, Rumic World (note the non-existent definite article).) So this week seems like a good week to celebrate Rumiko Takahashi.

I realized that I have a bad habit of never getting around to once-exciting ideas that I put off too long. For example, sifting through my drafts folder, I found that I never published my "Best of 2008" post. So I decided that it would be better to forge ahead with this idea while I was still enthusiastic about it rather than risk it never happening.

So I honestly don't know what Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week will end up looking like in the end, especially if those copies of Return of Lum, One-Pound Gospel, and Mermaid Saga never show up. (How long can something be "in transit," fer crissakes???) But I do hope to spotlight what it is that I find so exciting about Takahashi's work. (I also hope that it's evident that I in no way consider myself an expert on Rumiko Takahashi. If you want expertise, please go read these guys, which is where I'm stealing most of my reference from anyway. I simply hope to share the enthusiasm I feel for a manga creator who is new to me as I am experiencing her work for the first time. Apologies in advance for anything I get wrong, and feel free to correct me where I misspeak, but please no outright insults for not knowing everything already.)

In the meantime, here are a couple links to get you started if you're similarly inexperienced when it comes to Takahashi:

Wikipedia page
Rumic World (Seriously, go visit this site and bookmark it now! I've barely even scratched the surface of this wonderful reference site. Check out their excellent timeline!)

Major works in English (all from Viz; dates and volumes listed are for Japanese publications):

Urusei Yatsura (AKA Lum) 1978-1987 (34 volumes; incomplete and out-of-print in the U.S.)
Maison Ikkoku 1980-1987 (15 volumes) - 10-page online preview available at Viz
Mermaid Saga 1984-1994 (4 volumes)
One-Pound Gospel 1987-2007 (4 volumes) - 8-page online preview available at Viz
Ranma ½ 1987-1996 (38 volumes)
InuYasha 1996-2008 (56 volumes)

NEXT: The perfect, Platonic ideal of a manga.

Unexpected Announcement Excitement

2009-04-17T15:52:00.008-05:00

Your buried-in-a-tiny-font-footnote-at-the-bottom-of-a-long-post news of the ~~day~~ ~~week~~ ~~month~~ ~~year~~ decade (blown up to a size befitting its importance):

[3] Although, for the record, I was the most excited about the possibility of an omnibus edition of Makoto Kobayashi's Club 9.

From Kristy Valenti's Sakura-Con report (via Brigid Alverson).

Kate, were you aware of this???

OMG, PLEASE let this happen. Dark Horse, how many copies of the omnibus do I have to promise to buy for this to become a reality? Kristy, can you provide any more context or details about this possibility? How likely is it? Is it just a theoretical possibility or something they're actively considering? WAUUUUGH! How do we make this happen???

The Sensational Character Find of 2009

2009-04-16T22:32:00.005-05:00

Introducing... Lil' Ropey!

A young Blair Witch, before settling on
sticks and branches as her preferred media.

"Run, run as fast as you can!
You can't catch me, I'm the braided hemp man!!"

Ropey throws the penalty flag on the ayakashi team's flagrant foul.

Ropey may look all cute and cuddly,
but he will mess you up if you cross him.

Special BONUS sensational character find! And if you think Lil' Ropey is tough, wait til you get a load of his big brother, Lariat Lad!

"The rope that walked like a man!!"

Is it too early to hope for a volume of side stories devoted to the amazing Rope Brothers?

All images from the awesome Kekkaishi volume 15, which also features a creepy Medusa muppet, Dark Shogun Warrior, and nightmare-inducing black boxes.

8 Things I Loved About Emma 8

2009-04-15T18:22:00.002-05:00

1. Seeing Eleanor recovering from her shabby treatment at the hands of William, and even possibly finding a new love interest. One of the hardest things about rooting for William and Emma to end up together was knowing that Eleanor would be hurt in the process. William's predicament wasn't in any way Eleanor's fault, and Eleanor never did anything to make William suffer or prolong his separation from Emma. Like William, Eleanor was mainly a victim of strict societal expectations and conniving familial machinations. Of course, I'm sure Kaoru Mori purposely made Eleanor sympathetic and likeable so the obstacles between William and Emma were that much more difficult and heartbreaking. So it was gratifying to see that the possibility of a "happily ever after" ending exists for Eleanor as well. (I also liked that one of Eleanor's last lines that I initially misread as "I'd like to become Mrs. Liebe" actually said "I'd like to become like Mr. Liebe" (emphasis added); to me, it showed that Eleanor has moved beyond the narrow goals set for her by her parents (marry someone of standing) and is now thinking of who and what she wants to be.)

2. Seeing Kelly Stowner's happy but tragically short-lived marriage to her husband Doug. I'd have to go back and re-read the series to see what was said about Mrs. Stowner's marriage, but the depiction of the relationship here was tender and romantic. It almost made me bawl my eyes out!

3. The visual tour of The Great Exhibition. It was a stunning, scrumptious, artistic tour de force. The whole time I could hear Mori saying, "Why did I ever decide to draw this? Why did I ever decide to draw this?"

4. Seeing newspapers being put to such good use. The newspaper industry should commission Mori to do a campaign about the rich, full life cycle of newspapers, detailing the 1001 things you can do with newsprint!

5. The naughty Frenchman. Say no more, squire! Say no more!

6. Seeing a young person who's going through life a little aimlessly, not sure what she wants to do, without it coming across as depressing or self-indulgent. It's also enlightening to know that young people in different time periods went through similar bouts of doubt and indecision.

7. More Mori omake!!! Oh, Kaoru Mori, I think I'm in love with your diminutive, self-deprecating caricature.

8. Knowing that there's an Emma 9 and an Emma 10 coming with even more side stories about the various characters from this delightful, enchanting series.

Gotta Get 'Em All!

2009-04-14T15:33:00.014-05:00

My latest manga obsession has been Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi. It's a fast-paced, hilarious, and completely addictive manga series. As soon as I finish one volume, I can't wait to pick up the next one. Luckily, there are two things in my favor: (1) the series is complete, so I don't have to wait for long publishing gaps between volumes; and (2) my local library has all thirty-six volumes "in stock," so getting the next volume is as easy as submitting a new request online. I've made it through the first six volumes so far and have requested through book seventeen so I have a large stack on hand to plow through.

The palpable excitement and impatience I experience between volumes of Ranma caused me to reflect on other manga series that were similarly addictive. For example, I distinctively remember buying the first four volumes of Death Note in one bunch and being unable to stop reading (and re-reading) them. And I remember buying a full set of Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M off eBay after I got hooked reading the first volume from the library. (And once I got the books I remember reading the whole series over a feverish weekend.)

All of which makes me wonder: What is the most compulsively addictive manga series? I've listed some of my top contenders for The Most Addictive Manga, EVER in the poll below, but feel free to write in your own vote.

*** UPDATE: If you're curious what series people are writing in for "other,"
I've exported the full results here and I'll update intermittently. ***

**** UPDATE 4/16: 64 votes so far, half of which are write-in suggestions.
Click here to see all the other series readers can't put down! ****

***** FINAL UPDATE 4/19: 75 votes, 37 for other series.
(Well, one write-in was for Akira, so 36 "other" votes.)
Click here to see the full list of suggested series.
One Piece was the most popular write-in, with 5 votes.*****

What qualities make a manga irresistibly addictive? Having the entire series available at your fingertips definitely helps fuel a relentless reading binge, but here are some other factors that help make a series helplessly habit-forming:

Cliffhangers. The most addictive series know how to hook readers with great cliffhanger endings. For example, in the latest volume of Bleach, we're left with Orihime facing one of the most relentless Arrancars all by herself. How will she protect herself? How will she even manage to survive? Arrrrrrgh! It's going to be a long wait until June 2nd!!

Exciting art. Compelling series also feature dramatic, energetic art propels you along as you read the story. Once again, look at Bleach as an example: Go back and look at how Tite Kubo ratchets up the tension and urgency of action scenes by tilting panels, layering on the speed lines, and zooming in on key aspects of the fights.

Sprawling cast of characters. This might seem counterintuitive, but I believe that series with larger casts are actually more likely to engage readers' imaginations than those with smaller casts. I'm not sure why this would be, but here are several possible reasons:

It's more immersive. Adding a large, well-defined cast of characters makes a series feel like it takes place in its own real world.

It allows multiple entry points into the series. Having multiple characters gives you multiple perspectives on events in the manga, so you're not just stuck seeing everything from the grim loner's point of view.

It allows the creator the flexibility to play around so he or she doesn't grow bored. If everything had to be from one character's perspective, that could get old fast, so having lots of characters allows the manga-ka to try different things and stretch his or her creative muscles every now and then (especially if said manga-ka is fond of coming up with crazy character designs).

It keeps you reading for the next appearance of that obscure, single-appearance character you fell in love with back in volume four. When are we going to see more of Don Kanonji, huh?

More pairings for your fanfic. Well, not necessarily just for fanfic, but having a large cast of characters allows for endless possible match-ups (in multiple senses of the term). For example, in Ranma, I was amused when all of Akane's wannabe suitors ganged up on Ranma. And it was fun to watch Shampoo's great-grandmother Cologne train Ryoga in order to defeat Ranma. Related to the first sub-point, it extends a series' believability/plausibility when you can imagine the various characters interacting with each other in various ways. (OK, get your minds out of the gutter! Sheesh!) Of course, the danger is that things can become too complicated, requiring a flowchart just to keep all the characters and their relationships with each other straight.

Modulating moods. Many long-running manga series are able to successfully move from action to comedy to romance and other varied moods. Again, this might seem counterintuitive — won't the shift to comedy antics dilute the intensity of the action? — but I believe if done well, such variations in tone actually help a series prolong its appeal. After all, if a series is nothing but non-stop fighting, how do you continually up the ante? Stopping to engage in some romance or drama can help keep the action feeling fresh. If you never stop to catch your breath or focus on quiter character moments, you'll probably grow exhausted with endless battles.

A great hook, plus plenty of satisfying subplots. All of the addictive manga have a great core concept that you can easily boil down to a single sentence or two. Boy genius finds magic notebook that kills anyone whose name you write in it and proceeds to eliminate evil from the world. Star martial artist is cursed to switch genders when doused with cold water, which leads to complications when living with his betrothed fiancee and her family. It also helps if the series mixes long-running storylines with shorter subplots to be developed and explored later. (Series that offer more stand-alone chapter-sized stories, such as Mail or Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, are great but generally not as addictive as manga that have long-running arcs threading through the entire series) Again, varying things up will likely hold reader interest longer over time.

What other attributes make a manga impossible to put down and cause you to count the days until the next release?

The Fight Scenes in Bleach...

2009-04-13T21:59:00.001-05:00

...are becoming increasingly abstract:

If this keeps up, pretty soon upcoming volumes will resemble this. (Do they have assistant editors' month in Japan?)

Image from Bleach Volume 26, which is an engaging installment despite the occasional confusing fight scene. Of particular interest: We finally see Kisuke Urahara unleashed, and it looks like Orihime's abilities may finally be extended beyond simply pining after Ichigo and healing him when he's battered and bruised.

Just one thing, Viz: Could you please pick a spelling for the Vizards and stick with it? Originally it was "Vizards," then it changed to "Visoreds" (which doesn't sound tough or threatening at all, since it conjures up images like this or this), but you're still referring to them as "Vizards" on the back cover. (And your website adds a third variation, "Visards." Arrrgh!!!)

Feeling Frugal: Reader Response Edition

2009-04-10T14:31:00.000-05:00

ITEM! Commenter Jason points out that Akadot is a great place to get your Project X and other DMP manga on the cheap. The Project X books are 69-85% off (just $9.90 for all three) and another Sporadic Sequential favorite, Fumi Yoshinaga's absolutely delightful Flower of Life, is available as a three-volume set for ONLY TEN BUCKS!!! (Individual volumes are 54-61% off.) (Akadot offers free shipping on orders over $100, but the bargain books don't qualify for that offer. When I added the Flower of Life bundle or the three Project X books to my cart, the cheapest shipping option was $11.90, so take shipping costs into consideration.)

ITEM! Renee at PopKissKiss recommends searching for manga bargains at Half.com, sharing a specific example of a great deal she found:

To give you an idea of Half.com's money-saving potential: I recently purchased 13 different Yen Press & DMP releases, all listed as "Like New." I spent $14.36 on the items, and $29.37 on shipping, for a total of $43.73. The same items cost $64.91 on Amazon Marketplace, and $150.35 new. Happy times.

I haven't used Half.com in years but I'll have to check it out again, especially since there are several older manga series I'm interested in tracking down.

ITEM! Many commenters recommended RightStuf as a site for manga bargains, and they're currently running a special through 4/13 good for an additional 10% off in-stock sale items for an effective discount of up to 32% off.. Plus, RightStuf offers free shipping on orders over $49.

A Silly Manga Crossover in Three Panels

2009-04-09T11:55:00.000-05:00

The setup: Kosaku Shima is tasting the bread made by his company's breadmaker for the first time.

The next day, a panel of experts is assembled to advise Kosaku Shima:

Hilarity ensues when it becomes apparent that Kazuma doesn't know the first thing about using an automatic breadmaker, or the most fundamental principles of business even, but he still manages to give Kosaku a culinary orgasm with his latest creation, pan #69, "The Salaryman Special"!:

WARNING: Staring at This Post Too Long May Cause Seizures

2009-04-08T10:45:00.000-05:00

If e-book readers like the Kindle ever get around to (officially) supporting manga, here's a feature I'd love to see implemented: Allow users to toggle between Japanese and English sound effects with the push of a button:

I think it'd be really cool to be able to see what particular panels or pages looked like when they were published in the original Japanese. And this might be overkill, but an option to enable a transition "fade" effect showing the various layers involved in retouching SFX from Japanese to English could be fun:

I'm not saying this would be enough to convince me to buy an e-reader device, but it would certainly make it more tempting. And it would be a nice use of the technology to do something that print simply can't (without veering into pointless tech-for-the-sake-of-tech territory like motion comics). What do others think? Is this something that would interest you, or would it be a feature you'd never actually use?

Apologies for the crappy animated GIFs; I was too lazy to align the images properly, so the transition is pretty shaky. And thanks to letterer extraordinaire Susie Lee for posting the images and explaining the process in the first place.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Salaryman

2009-04-08T05:01:00.001-05:00

Is it just me or does anyone else hear the song "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! playing when they look at this splash page from Young Kōsaku Shima?

OK, I admit: This does kind of make Kosaku Shima look like an insufferable asshole. But it looks like this must have taken place in the eighties, and weren't all businessmen insufferably smug assholes in the eighties?

A 10% Cut is Even Worse in Japan

2009-04-07T08:22:00.001-05:00

Another reason why everyone should be as excited to read Section Chief Kōsaku Shima as I am:

Japanese business is hardcore.

Image of yubitsume from Buchō Kōsaku Shima (AKA, "Manager Kōsaku Shima"); found on MangaHelpers, which also has raw files of Young Kōsaku Shima and Young Kōsaku Shima: Shuninhen.

Big But Backwards

2009-04-06T22:33:00.003-05:00

Well, if accurate, this will bum Lori Henderson out. From Amazon's product listing for Inuyasha VIZBIG Edition Volume 1:

Product Description
L to R (Western Style).

Of course, that could just be a leftover description from old releases of Inuyasha, especially since the blurb is almost identical to the one that accompanied volume 37. Personally, I'd prefer an unflipped edition as well, but it wouldn't surprise me if Viz attempted to keep costs down by reusing the same material it had already prepared before. Guess we'll find out in November when the book comes out. (Now where's the announcement for a VIZBIG edition of an unflipped and remastered Ranma 1/2)?

UPDATE: In the comments, Greg McElhatton shares a rumor that would explain why all of Rumiko Takahashi's manga series have always appeared in flipped format, even when subsequent, smaller editions were released: Apparently Viz's licenses were too specific and only granted the rights to publish Takahashi's work in the flipped format. So to publish new, unflipped editions, Viz would have to renegotiate their contracts, which would add additional costs they probably don't want to incur for a reprint project. So it looks like the VIZBIG edition of Inuyasha may be flipped after all, which just seems... odd. (Although Tekkon Kinkreet was reissued in a flipped format, so maybe it's not such a big deal.)

And Now, The Most Pointless List in Blogging History

2009-04-06T20:48:00.001-05:00

I had an odd meta-realization about my blog today: I've created more labels (366) than posts (360) so far. Most of the labels are one-off jokes that will never be reused (almost 70% of the labels (247) have been single-use), but there are some that pop up again and again. Here are this blog's top twenty-five labels by frequency:

Are other bloggers this label-happy? Do others use labels in a similar punchline/annotation fashion? Are labels on this blog useful for readers? (I don't think I ever really click on the labels of blogs that I follow regularly, but I guess I have used labels on other blogs when I'm unfamiliar with them.)

There's No Business Like Business Business

2009-04-06T09:55:00.001-05:00

Man, Shaenon K. Garrity's Overlooked Manga Festival really is the gift that keeps on giving, isn't it? Further Googling for info on Section Chief Kōsaku Shima I ran across this link to one of Garrity's OMFs. Granted, there was only a tiny reference to Kōsaku Shima, but the rest of the entry was a goldmine. After pausing to note that Kekkaishi won the 2007 Shogakukan Manga Award for shonen manga (yay for Kekkaishi!), Garrity goes on to discuss an obscure, out-of-print book called Bringing Home the Sushi, which features samples from nine different business manga, including Kōsaku Shima. Garrity's description of Section Chief Kōsaku Shima only makes me want to read the series even more:

...the incomparable, incredibly long-running Section Chief Kosaku Shima, a sprawling white-collar epic that's partly a realistic overview of contemporary business issues, partly a naked wish-fulfillment fantasy rife with heroic boardroom deals and beautiful twenty-year-old women who can't wait to get into the pants of aging, workaholic businessmen, and partly an incredibly depressing concept of a way for a man to live his life.

Aaaaah! I have to have it!!!

Well, it's probably a long wait until someone licenses Section Chief Kōsaku Shima (and all the sequels and prequels), so I did the next best thing: I ordered a used copy of Bringing Home the Sushi from Amazon for only two bucks! (OK, six bucks with shipping, but still...) Based on the sample scans Garrity shared this book looks like it should be a great introduction to the world of business manga. If it's something that sounds intriguing, there are still a couple Amazon marketplace vendors offering the book used for $1.98.

In the meantime, what other business manga is already available in English? The only ones I can think of are the "Project X" one-shots from DMP. I've read Cup Noodle and 240Z but I just realized that I've never read Seven Eleven. It looks like it's out of print, although Buy.com offers it new for just $8.99. I placed an order for it but it's listed as "Temporarily Sold Out," so who knows if I'll ever actually see it. Any other good (and readily available) business manga I should be checking out to satisfy my salaryman jonesing? (Wait, that came out wrong...)

I'd Buy THAT For Dollar More

2009-04-05T11:04:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how widely known this is, but it looks like Tokyopop has recently raised the standard price of its manga from $9.99 to $10.99. Gia Manry mentioned this way back on Dec. 11, 2008 but I couldn't find any other coverage of this. Granted, the increase is only a dollar and many other companies already charge this much for their manga, so perhaps many fans simply don't care. I was surprised I didn't see any sites like ICv2 asking Tokyopop about the price jump, though. After all, Tokyopop used to tout the $9.99 price point as an important element in their formula for success. (Perhaps now that business isn't as good the psychologically appealing $10 price point is no longer so important to maintain.)

I'm not sure exactly when the price increase went into effect. Based on this listing on AAA Anime, it looks like the price hike started with titles released in late March and early April. Gia mentioned in her post that she thought Fruits Basket 22 (released 3/17/2009) would be unaffected by the price increase, but Amazon shows the list price as $10.99. I noticed the price increase when searching for Sgt. Frog 17 (release date 5/5/2009). Since Sgt. Frog is the only Tokyopop series I'm following, this doesn't impact me much, but I wonder how other fans feel? Is a dollar price increase in this economy enough to cause readers to reconsider purchasing one of their favorite manga series?

I'm assuming the price increase won't be accompanied by any additions to the manga volumes, like better paper stock or color inserts. It would be interesting if Tokyopop followed a page from DC's recent playbook and offset the price increase with backup features. Like DC, Tokyopop could use the price increase as an opportunity to publish fan favorites that don't sell well enough to justify individual publication. It'd be especially interesting if Tokyopop used such backups to complete the many OEL series stuck in publishing limbo. Of course, you'd run the risk of fans complaining about charging more for series they don't want to read, but if the prices were going to go up anyway, I assume most fans would rather get something additional rather than nothing at all. (So far this seems to be the general reaction from DC fans on message boards.) With manga fans there's the additional worry that some manga purists would object to mixing non-Japanese comics with "authentic" Japanese manga, but perhaps this concern could be lessened by (1) downplaying the "OEL manga" label, positioning the backups as bonus comics material that might appeal to fans of the main manga; and (2) making sure that the backup matched the main series in tone and themes. For example, I wouldn't mind seeing Brandon Scott Graham's King City as a backup for Sgt. Frog, and I think it would make a good fit given the shared sci-fi elements and exaggerated but detailed art styles.

How about you? If you were an editor at Tokyopop, which unfinished series would you give new life as backup strips, and what books would you run them in?

Bargain Alert: 60% Off Nick & Dent @ TFAW!

2009-04-03T11:07:00.004-05:00

During the month of April, TFAW's Nick & Dent merchandise is even cheaper at 60% off vs. the usual 50%! That makes is a great time to browse their selection for bargains on graphic novels. As of this writing, there are 1622 nick & dent graphic novels to sift through. Some recommendations:

Eden - If David Welsh's write-up of this series sounded intriguing, TFAW has the first ten volumes at 60% off each.
Mail - All three volumes are available for 60% off!
Museum of Terror - Ditto. Do yourself a favor and grab some excellent, unsettling horror manga at a great price.
Club 9 - Yes, I will keep pimping this series until all of you deplete Dark Horse's back stock, causing them to go back and finish the rest of the series. C'mon, it's only $3.20 apiece and I guarantee you it's one of the sweetest, quirkiest, funniest mangas you'll ever read.
Reiko the Zombie Shop - A great gonzo horror series with plenty of ridiculously over-the-top gore. Only one caveat: Dark Horse dropped this series mid-storyline, so if you start reading this addictive series, you'll reach a point where it simply stops right on a huge cliffhanger and you'll go crazy wondering how it all concluded. But other than that, it's a great read.
Astro Boy - Tezuka on the cheap! A confession: I haven't actually read any Astro Boy yet, but I did just order volume 3 since that has the "Greatest Robot on Earth" storyline, which served as the basis for Naoki Urasawa's Pluto. Should make for an interesting companion to the updated take, seeing what the original story was like.

I was going to recommend a couple other books, such as Brandon Scott Graham's King City, but it's already sold out! So hurry up and find the best bargains before someone else beats you to it!

DealTaker doesn't offer any current coupons for free shipping from TFAW, but you can always sign up for their newsletter to get some free shipping codes. After you sign up, you'll get a welcome email with two coupon codes. Or you can just try reusing the codes they sent me — I don't see anything that links the codes to a particular account:

NEWSLETTER - Free shipping on domestic orders $30+ (expires 4/30/09)
TFAWNEWS - $10 off any shipping method (domestic or international) on orders $50+ (expires 4/30/09)

I'll be curious to see if TFAW simply reactivates these codes each month or if they issue new ones. Searching through my emails, it looks like the codes were different back in 2008 and they're no longer active.

A Completely Different Kind of Corporate Comic

2009-04-02T00:00:00.006-05:00

Yesterday's post was inspired by a recent revelation I experienced while reading With the Light vol. 4: I totally want to read some good salaryman manga, darn it!

I've enjoyed With the Light ever since I read the first volume, but I noticed that I was really getting into the latest volume as I was reading it. Then it hit me: My interest spiked whenever the focus shifted to the dad's work-related ordeals. It wasn't that I didn't find the rest of the book interesting (far from it: the fact that the book appeals to me on so many levels — parent, worker, spouse, former staff in a group home for autistic children — is one of the main reasons I'm so fond of the series), but I was especially captivated by the scenes of the dad struggling to succeed at work.

I think a big part of this is being able to relate with many of the things Masato deals with at his workplace. Not that my job is anywhere near as stressful as his, but the conflicts with coworkers and office politics are details that resonate as similar even if they're not exactly the same. I never thought I'd reach the point in my entertainment consumption where I was seeking out material that mirrors my own experiences, but this incident gives me greater appreciation for fans who desire to see their own interests reflected in fiction: There's something fulfilling about recognizing your experiences in the works you read.

It also reminded me of Eric Reynolds' commentary on the state of the American periodical comics industry. When did comics drift away from their audience? Why isn't there more material for adults? Why aren't there more options for types of story that have the potential to resonate with readers from diverse demographics?

All of which is my roundabout way of saying I suddenly realized I'm very interested in reading some salaryman manga and disappointed that there isn't any readily available. I realize it's probably a long shot for any publisher to license anything like Section Chief Kōsaku Shima but I'd love to see someone take a chance on something like this. (Maybe if Kodansha ever makes their move in the U.S. we'll get to see more offbeat titles like this?) Plus, look at how popular series set in the workplace have been in other media. If the public can accept and enjoy Dilbert and The Office, why not salaryman manga? (OK, granted those are comedies and they're rooted in American culture, but still...) And if manga creators can make series about board games and cooking exciting, is it really a stretch to imagine that a manga chronicling a worker's hard-fought rise through the corporate ranks is probably THE MOST GRIPPING TALE EVER?!?

The Trials and Tribulations of A Salaryman

2009-04-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Apologies for not updating the blog more frequently, but, as you can guess, work has been brutal lately. I know I've complained about the office politics before, but things are getting even more cutthroat recently. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just being paranoid, but I swear some of the older workers have it in for me, and mainly as a means of protecting their own fragile positions. It's disheartening. I don't mind getting rough and dirty and fighting to prove my worth, but the politics is so petty. It would be one thing if people were fighting to protect their pet projects but many of the worst offenders don't even seem to produce anything of value for the company. How can these people get up and look at themselves in the mirror each morning? Don't they understand what it means to be a true SALARYMAN?

I remember when I first started working as a salaryman. I was so optimistic, so energetic, so naive. I truly thought I would rise to the top on talent alone and that my brilliant ideas would change the world while making my company a handsome profit. That was before the long nights, the endless weekends, the soul-crushing status reports. Now I'm happy if I can just make it through the day without being humiliated by a cruel co-worker, ending up crying in the farthest men's room stall once again.

Of course, the economy isn't making things any easier. Everyone seems to be working under a state of anxious panic, fearing that they will be the next to be let go. It's made some even more ruthless than I would have previously thought possible. I don't think anyone here will soon forget the tragic conference room 2B incident of February 3rd, nor will anyone be able to forgive the perpetrator (even though he not only got off scot-free but also received a promotion and "revulsion" bonus).

I'm trying to keep my spirits up, mainly by working on my side projects in my spare time. I doubt now is the proper time to reveal any of my daring ideas to upper management, but I'm biding my time. I know any one of these projects could be real money-makers for the company but I also know that no one's willing to take any risks on any crazy ideas from a mid-level employee in this financial environment. But some day... some day my poor, suffering wife and neglected children will understand all the sacrifices I made, all the time and energy I poured into this company. Some day everyone will witness my triumph and all then all the pain and suffering will have been worth it.

I have to remind myself that things haven't always been this bad. I have to think back on the things that I originally loved about this job -- the challenges, the camaraderie of coworkers, the chance to improve the lives of our customers. It's all still possible -- I just need to work past the distractions that have accumulated over the years, scrape off the bilious barnacles of negativity and resentment that poison my work attitude. I need to rediscover the passion I had for this job, this career, this vocation.

I need to remind myself why I became... a SALARYMAN.

Feeling Frugal: Don't Let The Perfect Be The Enemy of The Good Bargain

2009-03-27T13:11:00.001-05:00

Here's another shopping tip if you're looking for great bargains on graphic novels: Buy used or worn copies. Sounds obvious, but it requires a mindset that's OK with imperfection, something comic fans traditionally have a hard time with. ("What do you mean it's not in mint condition???") It also requires even more patience than regular tradewaiting, as you now have to wait for books to show up used somewhere.

One of my favorite places to find not-quite-new bargains is TFAW's Nick & Dent section, which I've written about several times before. I've found some great deals there, and the prices are always at least half-off. And even though TFAW describes their nick-and-dent books as being in "less-than-mint-condition" all the items I've ordered have been virtually indistinguishable from new books. TFAW is also great about offering coupons to cover shipping costs every month. Check out DealTaker for the most current coupon codes.

For the truly adventurous among you, TFAW has also recently added graphic novel "grab bags" to compliment their comic book grab bags. For three bucks apiece, you can get random volumes of Dark Horse manga, Dark Horse graphic novels, or Marvel graphic novels. You're gambling that you'll get something good, but no matter what you end up with, you'll only be out the cost of a single ~~floppy~~ ~~pamphlet~~ periodical comic.

One of my other first stops when looking for cheap graphic novels is Google Product Search (hereafter abbreviated 'GPS'). GPS does a good job of aggregating a variety of sites that are selling the item you're looking for, including aftermarket resellers such as Alibris and A1Books. When buying from used book sites, it's important to keep in mind that those sites generally aren't selling you the books directly; they're connecting you with other sellers who have the items you're looking for. So it's important to look at the seller's rating before buying from them. The lowest price won't mean much if they never ship the item to you or if it arrives in much worse condition than you expected.

One reseller that I've ended up buying from several times is B-Logistics. The name sounds like a site specializing in speakers and other electronics, but it's actually a clearinghouse for libraries and other organizations. All of the books I've purchased from them have been library copies and at first they looked pretty beat up, but once I removed the protective coverings taped over the covers, the books have all been in great shape. My most recent bargain through B-Logistics was the first volume of Heartbroken Angels, something that was recommended to me as an offbeat humor manga in a vein similar to Short Cuts. The book is still available new through several sites for the full price of $15.95, but I got it for 99 cents plus $2.99 shipping, making the total cost a very reasonable $3.98. (A GPS search this afternoon revealed that B-Logistics is offering the book through A1Books for $0.89, but shipping is $3.95, bumping the total cost up to $4.84. I couldn't find the book searching directly on B-Logistics' own site.)

One limitation of GPS is that it doesn't show the prices from affiliated resellers on Amazon Marketplace or Barnes & Noble's authorized sellers, so it's a good idea to check those sites out as well to see what their prices are. Keep in mind that shipping costs for used books can be higher due to the per-item charges.

So how about you? Any other favorite sites to track down used book bargains? (I just realized I didn't mention eBay, which is because the times I've bothered to look there I haven't found any good deals and I don't want to deal with the hassles of auctions. Have others had better luck finding deals there?)

* image nicked from this thread where posters discuss their most beat-up comics

Hanamichi SMASH!!!

2009-03-25T15:26:00.003-05:00

I was re-reading Slam Dunk volumes two through four when it suddenly struck me: Hanamichi is a lot like the Hulk in several respects. In general, both have explosive tempers and get stronger the madder they get, but here are some other similarities that struck me:

Both have the superhuman ability to leap great heights.

The Hulk is able to control his leaps to travel great distances.

Hanamichi has difficulty controlling his leaps, frequently crashing into backboards, teammates, or opponents.

Both characters are fond of boasting about their prowess.

For the Hulk, it's always about how he's "the strongest one there is!"

For Hanamichi, he's always bragging about being "a natural" at basketball.

Both give others nicknames based on defining attributes.

The Hulk referred to Dr. Strange as "Magician" and Nighthawk as "Bird-Nose."

Hanamichi's nicknames include "Judo-Man," "Monkey Boss," and "Four Eyes."

Both join teams even though they're not really team players, and their presence on the team is maintained through subtle subterfuge.

The Hulk was a member of the "non-team" team The Defenders for several years, but he frequently fought with teammates and abruptly quit the team when upset.

Hanamichi joins the basketball team even though he hates sports, and he frequently clashes with teammates. He has threatened to quit several times and often must be flattered in order to remain.

For both, Beauty tames the Beast.

The Hulk always calmed down for Betty Ross.

Hanamichi's mood does a complete 180 whenever Haruko is around.

Both shred their clothes whenever they "Hulk out."

'Nuff said.

I could go on (for example, what is it about both Hanamichi and the Hulk that attracts adoring adolescent boys willing to overlook their every flaw in order to idolize their strength and arrogance?), but I'll leave it to others to draw additional parallels between the two brawny brutes. And of course, there are important differences, too. For example, the Hulk is primarily associated with the color green ("Jade Jaws," "Greenskin," etc.) while Hanamichi is identified with his striking red hair. Wait a second... you don't think Hanamichi could be this guy, do you?

Please Please PLEASE Don't Send Any Cease-and-Desist Letters Over This, Marvel

2009-03-24T13:58:00.003-05:00

This is a great story on so many levels: Thai 'Spider-Man' to the rescue

I especially like the fact that the fireman just happened to keep a Spider-Man costume in his locker. Does that mean I don't have to feel ashamed of the Soul Reaper outfit I keep in my drawer at work to liven up boring project meetings anymore?

Feeling Frugal: The 99-Cent Tokyopop Store

2009-03-20T09:54:00.001-05:00

Lori Henderson has spotted a great sale on Tokyopop manga over at BookCloseouts: Each book is only 99 cents! I haven't read a whole lot of Tokyopop manga so I'm not sure if there's much that's worthwhile, but I here are some of their books that I've enjoyed:

Sgt Frog vols. 1, 2, 9, 11, 13*
Planetes vol. 1

The sale ends March 26th, so hurry on over. I don't see any shipping offers at the moment, so those costs might eat into your savings. I added five books to my cart and the charge for standard shipping was only $3.25, which doesn't seem too bad.

* As I was writing this, volume 13 vanished from the list, so it looks like their warning that "inventory is limited" is accurate. I didn't notice at first that the detail page for each book lists the quantity remaining. As of this writing, there are only three copies of Sgt. Frog volume 11 left, for example.

UPDATE: I wasn't able to find any shipping coupons for BookCloseouts, but here's a code good for $5 off orders $35+ if you're really planning on stocking up on three dozen or more Tokyopop manga.

Coupon Code: BookSale-5
password: bookcloseouts.com

There's also a sale on gardening books and today is the first day of Spring, so maybe that could help you fill out your order.

Feeling Frugal: Buying Comics on the Cheap

2009-03-18T13:30:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite sites for buying new graphic novels is Tower.com. Their prices on comics always seem to be a little bit lower than other sites. For example, here are the prices for several books I'm tracking:

Book	List Price	Tower Price	Amazon	Buy.com
A Drifting Life	$29.95	$18.86	$19.77	$18.63
The Photographer	$29.95	$14.99	$19.77	$18.63
Emma 8	$9.99	$7.99	$9.99	$9.00
Kekkaishi 15	$9.99	$7.99	$9.99	$9.00
Flower of Life 4	$12.95	$8.99	$10.36	$12.38*
Total for all 5	$92.83	$58.82	$69.88	$67.64
Total savings		$34.01	$22.95	$25.19
% savings off list		37%	25%	27%

* Flower of Life 4 wasn't listed at the time of this writing, so I used the price for vol. 1.

As you can see, buying the books from Tower represents a significant savings not only off cover price but also from other sites. OK, time to place an order on Tower for these books, right? NOT SO FAST!! Even though the prices are low, they could be lower. In my experience, Tower's prices frequently fluctuate and every now and then the prices can get close to half-off. So now I wait for the prices to hit at least 40% off before I buy them.

But how do I know when the prices reach my desired threshold? In the past I would check periodically on my own, but now I use the site Shopping Notes to track price changes for me automatically. The site allows you to save lists of items you want to watch and then sends you alerts whenever the price changes for a product (or drops below a certain threshold price if you prefer). There's also a bookmarklet feature that allows you to install a bookmark that you can then click when you're on a product page at a site like Tower or Amazon to save the product to your watch list.

Using the site definitely helps me catch sales that I might otherwise miss. For example, a couple days ago I set up a monitor for CMX's Fire Investigator Nanase (after Katherine Dacey reminded me it was out and renewed my interest by describing it as "ridiculously entertaining" and "a glorious mash-up of Firefighter Daigo of Company M, Silence of the Lambs, and Quincy, MD"). Yesterday I received an alert that its price had dropped to $5.79 (42% off), so I placed an order for it along with several other books whose prices had just dropped (20th Century Boys 1, Real 3, Parasyte 6). Today I received an alert that the price for Fire Investigator Nanase 1 had jumped back up to $7.99. If not for the alert, I probably would have missed that short-lived sale.

A couple caveats about using Tower:

Shipping is free for orders $25 and over, so make sure to buy enough to qualify for that.

The free shipping is pretty slow. For a couple of my last orders, items took even longer than the upper limit of "15 business days" to arrive after they'd shipped.

It looks like Tower no longer ships items individually as they become available, or at least that's what the change in language in their email notifications leads me to believe. The emails used to say "Your item, [item name], has just shipped from our distribution center and is on its way to you RIGHT NOW!" but now the phrasing is "Your item, [item name], has just processed in our distribution center. If you qualify for free standard shipping please note that your order may take an additional 5-7 business days to ship after all items in the order are processed." So I take it that an order won't ship until all items in your order are ready to ship, which could hold up an order containing pre-orders. So plan your orders accordingly. (I understand the reasons for doing this — why should Tower pay to ship items individually, especially when I don't know of any other sites to do that — but it does remove one of the big reasons why I used to love Tower.com so much.)

Related thoughts:

The changes in my shopping techniques have led to changes in my reading habits. I used to be more obsessive about tracking when certain books were coming out, grouping books with close release dates together and ordering them when I had enough to qualify for free shipping. Now that I'm setting up monitors to track price drops, my main qualification for buying a book is how much I'm saving, not when it comes it out. This results in my falling behind on certain series, such as Kekkaishi, which has two volumes out that I'm still waiting to buy once the prices go down. It also means that I can forget about books I was once interested in if I fail to monitor it, as I almost did with Fire Investigator Nanase.

As Augie De Blieck, Jr. wrote in his infamous column last week, training yourself to delay gratification can lead to interesting results. Augie was talking mainly about weaning yourself from weekly Wednesday visits to the comic shop (a step in my comic-reading habits I remember all too well), but his point applies to other forms of delayed gratification as well. When I was more concerned about buying books as they came out, I would often fill orders with interesting but inessential items to reach the free shipping limit. Now that I'm putting off my purchases longer, I often pass over items that originally caught my interest but that now seem less like something I absolutely have to own. (For books like this, I usually end up checking them out through the library if they're available.)

To be fair, other factors are probably helping my resolve besides sheer willpower: A general unease about the state of the economy; a lack of time due to kids and a recent attempt to exercise more regularly; a quasi-resolution to avoid (or at least reduce) new book purchases until I make more headway in my unread stack. All of these undoubtedly contribute to my glacial pace in acquiring new comics.

I'm glad that the comics I'm interested in were never serialized in another format (at least not within the U.S.) so I don't have to bother with attempts to make me feel guilty for not supporting the current method of subsidizing the cost of collected editions.

I have nothing against local comic shops. It's just that my overriding concern in deciding where to purchase my comics is getting the best possible price. I don't care about getting it quickly, being able to browse it before I buy it, or interacting with other like-minded customers face-to-face. But obviously if any of those factors matter to you, buying online won't be as attractive for you as it is for me.

And People Thought L-Ron Was A Goofy Character

2009-03-16T22:28:00.005-05:00

I would pay good money for an annual containing nothing but scenes of Hitler getting hit by heavy machinery driven by superheroes.

Idea and hilarious cover by Alice Hunt and Tracy Williams, creators of the webcomic Goodbye Chains. Add this to the growing list of fan concepts I'd rather read than the actual comics DC and Marvel publish. (Maybe DC could put out an anthology based on reader pitches, kind of like a more grassroots version of Bizarro Comics or Marvel's upcoming "Indie Project.")

Related: A pinup from Hunt and Williams of Guy Gardner and Ice enjoying a quiet stroll together.

Marvel Comics Proudly Presents...

2009-03-15T21:16:00.005-05:00

...Greg Land's Pride and Prejudice:

Seriously, Marvel, WTF? I was thinking of maybe picking this up for my wife, a huge Jane Austen fan, once it was collected, but there's no way she'd be able to read this without laughing her ass off about the bad casting.

Sigh. The world is such an unfair place. We get Marvel's collagen-lipped version of Pride and Prejudice but we'll probably never see Tintin Pantoja's manga adaptation since it was canned by Tokyopop.

It Took So Long Because Every Time It Was Delayed, They Had Update The References To Include The New Volumes That Had Since Come Out

2009-03-13T23:53:00.003-05:00

According to letterer Susie Lee, Oh My Goddess! Colors will finally hit stores May 13th. Apparently the advance copies have already arrived in the Dark Horse offices and they're being printed and shipped from China.

Given the nearly four year delay this book has faced so far, I don't find Susie's list of potential problems that could still derail this book that far-fetched. (It's already been delayed since its last solicitation, which had the book coming out in March.)

At this point I don't have much interest in picking up the book, although it's something I could see myself ordering in the future if it shows up half-off in TFAW's Nick & Dent section.

What's Black and White and Red All Over?

2009-03-08T23:53:00.010-05:00

Here's an upcoming comic reprint I'm interested in: In his latest email newsletter, Steve Rude announced that he's launching an inexpensive, black-and-white version of the Nexus Archives. Here's the full text from the email:

NEXUS: AS IT HAPPENED BOOK 1

You guys have been requesting it for a long time and we're finally bringing the Nexus Archives out as a black and white paperback! Size will be just slightly smaller than a comic book on an excellent quality paper. The main cover is black and white, but the logo, etc, will be in color.

Overall a fantastic package at only $9.95.

In Previews April 2009 for a June 2009 release.

I can't find the announcement on Rude's website or MySpace blog and I don't see the book listed on Amazon or any other site, so hopefully this does come to pass. I think it's a great idea. I've been wanting to back and reread the whole Nexus series but I'm too lazy to dig out my singles and too cheap to spring for the hardcover books. Plus, I'm curious to see what Rude's artwork looks like in black and white. IIRC, the orginal series from Capital Comics was in black and white and that looked fine, but later issues were designed to be printed in color, so it'll be interesting to see what they look like reproduced without that detail removed.

Interesting use of the ten dollar "manga format." I'm assuming this will be the same page count as the color archives (roughly 200 pages a pop), which would make it a good bargain. Wonder if this will be coming out through Dark Horse or through Rude's own "Rude Dude" publishing company?

Also, I just realized that Nexus is a comic I'd be curious to see translated into a movie. Done right, it could be a rip-roarin' sci-fi blast. Of course, I doubt Hollywood would get it right and I'd just sit there complaining about how they didn't capture any of the magic or joy of Rude's imagination or character design.

Make 'Em Laugh

2009-02-23T23:38:00.000-06:00

In his latest Flipped column, David Welsh spotlights ten of his favorite funny manga. In the spirit of helping everyone laugh, here are five other manga that are great for giggles (click the link for each series to see plenty of sample scans thanks to other, better bloggers):

1. Club 9 by Makoto Kobayashi - An unfinished classic from Dark Horse*, Club 9 draws most of its laughs from the fish-out-of-water (mis)adventures of lovable country hick Haruo Hattori, freshly transplanted into big city Tokyo. Yet the laughs are never at the expense of Haruo; in fact, Haruo usually comes across as more together and more likable than any of the big-city sophisticates due to her openness, honesty, and sheer big-heartedness. With expressive, exaggerated character work that borders on caricature, Club 9 is not only a refreshing, charming read, but it also looks unlike any other manga out there.

* Dark Horse only published three out of five volumes of the series, but apparently the complete series was serialized in Dark Horse's defunct Super Manga Blast anthology. The three volumes that were published are all available for four bucks apiece over at TFAW.com, where they cruelly still list a "pre-order" for volume four due out on... November 2, 2007. (Sob!)

2. What's Michael? by Makoto Kobayashi - Another manga by Kobayashi, but this is more a series of gag strips than an extended narrative. Plots can jump from a bizarre parody of The Fugitive (only involving a wrongfully accused veternarian rather than doctor) to cute-overload encounters between cats and babies to

3. Slam Dunk by Takehiko Inoue - One of my all-time favorite series, period, Slam Dunk is best known for its incredible basketball action, but it also stands on its own as a comedy. Creator Takehiko Inoue created the perfect comedic foil in Hanamichi Sakuragi, a tough but tender lug who will do anything to impress the girl of his dreams — even play organized sports! Sakuragi's clueless, self-absorbed antics are the perfect fodder for plenty of manga mirth, and Inoue's perfectly balanced cartooning captures the comedy beautifuly.

4. Short Cuts by Usamaru Furuya - Sick, twisted, hilarious comic strips centering around cute Japanese schoolgirls. Furuya's art is a joy to behold, even when he's corrupting a concept in the most disturbing way possible. The humor may be too shocking or offensive for some, but I thought it was a riot. Check out one of my favorite sequences from volume two here (scroll down to the very bottom of the post).

5. Anywhere But Here by Tori Miki** - Miki's delightfully surreal strips may not be laugh-out-loud funny but they'll probably make you stop and think more than any other humor manga out there. Sometimes the gag is obvious, sometimes it's very subtle, but most of the time it's simply strange (yet sweet at the same time). Miki's playful, cute artwork sucks you in and transports you to a world where normal logic doesn't always apply. Think of The Far Side crossed with Charles Addams' old cartoons by way of the Yellow Submarine film.

** Sadly, Anywhere But Here appears to be out of print, but it's still available directly from Fantagraphics for 33.33% off.

Finally, as for whether or not Sgt. Frog is past its prime, I present the following two-page spread from volume 16 as evidence that the amphibian's still got it:

Yes, you can probably guess where this is going, but c'mon, how can you not love the idea of bowling as military training?

The best news you will read all day

2009-02-18T13:15:00.000-06:00

I already knew that Joann Sfar was directing an animated version of his wonderful The Rabbi's Cat, but this Variety article on the upcoming film (which they peg as opening in France in 2010, which would put the U.S. release several months to a year behind that) contained a surprising and exciting fact at the very end:

Up next, [Clement] Oubrerie will direct “Aya de Yopougon,” based on the book by Marguerite Abouet that he illustrated.

There's going to be a Rabbi's Cat movie and an Aya movie?!? Holy crap! It's like they're making comic book movies just for me!! If these adapted comics translate to film even half as well as Persepolis did, these should be two amazingly entertaining comic book movies.

And in related happy news, I'm looking forward to the third volume of Aya coming out later this year, Aya: The Secrets Come Out:

If later today First Second also announces when the second volume of Klezmer, "Happy Birthday, Scylla," is coming out, today really will be the best comics news day ever.

Coming Soon: Spider-Man J Vol. 3: Japanese Mournings

2009-02-17T21:43:00.004-06:00

Here's a rare occurrence: Something from Marvel's monthly solicitations that actually interests me. Yes, finally Marvel is getting around to my idea of crossing "New Mutants" with "Wedding Crashers" in Astonishing Tales #4: "And Sunspot and Cannonball crash some weddings in MOJOWORLD!"

No, wait. That wasn't my idea. (I'd pitched it with Power Man and Iron Fist.)

No, wait. This is what I was really excited about:

SPIDER-MAN J VOL. 2: JAPANESE DAZE DIGEST
Story and Art by YAMANAKA AKIRA
Translation by YUKO FUKAMI
English Adaptation by MARC SUMERAK
Cover by YAMANAKA AKIRA
Fresh from Japan...SPIDER-MAN J! Originally published only in that country, SPIDER-MAN J enjoyed a large following of loyal readers. Now, fans here can enjoy Spider-Man J’s manga-styled adventures, as well – collected for the first time in America and translated for your reading pleasure! Reprinting stories from SPIDER-MAN FAMILY #7-9.
128 PGS./All Ages ...$9.99

It only lists reprints from three issues of Spider-Man Family but the page count of this volume is the same as the first (128 pages) so I'm assuming there's material in here that's never seen print in the U.S. before? Plus, it looks like I finally get to see Akira's mangafied version of Doom and the FF! Whoo-hoo!!

'B' is for 'Bargain'

2009-02-03T14:13:00.002-06:00

TFAW is having a month-long sale with a twist: Each day select books that begin with the letter-of-the-day will be 28% off. It's kind of like an Advent calendar of bargains! Today's letter is 'B' so as you can imagine there are a ton of Batman books on sale. (Sorry, yesterday was the letter 'A,' so no deals on Aquaman comics.)

If 28% off isn't a big enough discount for you, check out TFAW's clearance section where the reductions are 40%. Or check out the nick-and-dent section where the prices are 50% off.

And when you check out, make sure to use one of the following coupon codes:

HUGME - Free domestic shipping on orders $28+
BEMINE - $10 off any shipping method
FACES - Free domestic shipping on orders $35+
EVIL - $5 off orders $50+

And if you're feeling really adventurous, buy one of TFAW's comic book grab bags where you can buy random assortments of Dark Horse, DC, Marvel, or indie comics for 50 cents apiece! Who knows what gems or clunkers you'll be (un)lucky enough to get?

Low-Budget Amatuer Shelf Porn

2009-01-20T23:04:00.001-06:00

In response to Chris Mautner's photos of his pristine graphic novel bookshelves, here's a picture of what my office looks like at the moment:

I really have to work on cleaning out my office, if only so my daughter doesn't laugh at me when I tell her to clean her room.

In other "Chris Mautner is an evil, evil man" news, he really needs to stop finding even more books from 2008 that I need to read. I'm behind enough on my "year in review" wrap-up as it is! (At least Rapunzel's Revenge is classified as "Children's Fiction" in my local library system, which means that there are a gazillion copies in circulation and I was able to get one the same day I placed a request for it online.)

Happy New Year from Hoshino

2009-01-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

A now, a moment of New Year's reflection from Love Roma's Hoshino:

Oops, I forgot the middle panel! So what do you think Hoshino's New Year's resolution was? What are your New Year's resolutions? Do you have any regrets about how things turned out in 2008? Any hopes or dreams for 2009? Share your thoughts out loud in the comments!

From The Personal Library Of...

2008-12-30T11:15:00.000-06:00

Just a reminder that TFAW's 60% off sale for their nick-and-dent books ends tomorrow, so there's still a little time to get some great bargains. And I found two additional shipping coupons in addition to the other ones I listed before:

SNOW free domestic shipping on orders over $50
WINTER $10 off any shipping method on orders over $50
MISTLETOE free domestic shipping on orders over $35
BLIZZARD $10 off any shipping method on orders over $40

The cheap nick-and-dent books are a great way to try out comics that you might otherwise miss out on. And so far everything I've ordered from there has been in near-perfect condition. Although I did notice something unusual in my copy of Spirit of Wonder that I received...

Oh no, Dark Horse is in such bad financial shape that they've been forced to sell books from their own editorial department! NOOOO!!!!!

Marvel: The House of Grisly Images

2008-12-29T22:37:00.006-06:00

I knew Marvel Zombies wouldn't lead to anything good. Here are some gruesome sample pages from three recent Marvel comics. (WARNING: Enlarge images at your own risk.)

From WAR MACHINE #1, Rated "T+"

From WOLVERINE #70, Rated "Parental Advisory"

From ULTIMATUM #2, Rated "T+"
(caption/commentary courtesy of Dorian Wright)

For reference, here's Marvel's detailed explanation of their rating system. I suppose Marvel's "T+" rating is intended to align with the MPAA's PG-13 rating. And one could argue that the movies such as The Dark Knight and Quantum of Solace have scenes of intense violence in them and they still were rated PG-13, but in both films (1) the images are fleeting and (2) those scenes relied more on suggestion than explicit, lingering detail. (For example, we don't actually see the Joker carve up the other mobster's face but it's obvious that's what's happening.) With the comic images, the images are frozen and much more graphic.

(And, yes, I know that Wolverine is a guy with claws on the end of his fists, so what do you expect to happen when he gets in fights? But I don't remember him beheading quite so many bad guys back in the eighties, even when he was in the midst of one of his patented "berserker rages.")

Is this just a fluke, or are scenes like this becoming more common in "mainstream" superhero comics? Is this the latest trend in superhero decadence, hardcore torture porn? Is this what happens when older fans become immune to the usual titillation and old-school slugfests? Are creators having to up the shock value ante in order to provoke a reaction — any kind of reaction — from desensitized fans? Is Marvel just trying really hard to sweep the Fangoria awards this year?

Watching A Miyazaki Film With A Three Year Old

2008-12-28T23:21:00.002-06:00

"Why is that woman angry?"
"Why is that man angry?"
"Why is that boy angry?"
"Why is that girl angry?"
"Why is that robot angry?"
"Why don't those pirates have a boat?"
"Why are those soldiers shooting everything?"
"Why is the robot shooting everything?"
"Why did he say 'Father'?"
"Why are they flying in the dark cloud?"
"Why is the squirrel playing with the robot?"
"Why did they break the castle?"
"Can we watch it again?"

Happy Holiday Hiatus

2008-12-23T23:48:00.003-06:00

Happy Holidays, everyone! Hopefully I'll be back blogging again sometime next week, but if not I'm probably still assembling the kids' toys!!

[Image by yanimator]

Here's hoping your holidays are even more fun than a Soul Society division-wide holiday party!

Time To Start My Own Keitai Shosetsu Publishing Company

2008-12-22T15:17:00.002-06:00

The latest issue of The New Yorker has an interesting article about the booming popularity of cell-phone novels in Japan. There's not a direct connection to comics (although the article does mention that several of the most popular cell-phone novels were adapted into manga, and there's a lovely accompanying illustration by Adrian Tomine), but the dismissive attitudes of detractors reminds me of the resistance comics have faced in becoming more accepted as a legitimate art form. Granted, the descriptions of cell-phone novels make them sound like something I'd absolutely despise — all the depth of a Harlequin novel with the added annoyance of texting shorthand and emoticons — but you can't deny that the format is something Japanese youth are really responding to.

I also found the article interesting because, given the lead time for the US's adoption of Japanese popular culture, I'm guessing there's a good chance that cell-phone novels will be one of interests my then tween daughter will adore that I'll dismiss as a dumb fad. Ah, I can't believe it's already my turn to assume the other side of the generation gap. How time flies!

How Manga Ruined Superhero Comics for Me

2008-12-21T23:10:00.003-06:00

Reading the second hardcover collection of Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction's Immortal Iron Fist, I was distracted by two nagging thoughts:

The tournament fights in Naruto were much more captivating.
I liked the whole "perfect society is in reality rotten to the core" angle better in Bleach.

To be fair, I should really judge Iron Fist on its own merits, but I just can't help comparing it to other (and, in my opinion, superior) comics that have covered similar ground. But even if I try to push those other works out of my thoughts, I fear Iron Fist would still fail to entertain me in its own right. Part of the problem is the book's disjointed nature: We're promised a grand martial arts tournament featuring intriguingly named champions (Fat Cobra, Bride of Nine Spiders, Dog Brother #1) but the book is constantly cutting away to other concerns: societal unrest within the city of K'un-Lun; the machinations of someone named Xao and his Hydra henchmen; the exploits of the previous Iron Fist, Orson Randall; and, most perplexing, flashbacks detailing the conflict between Wendall Rand (father of the current Iron Fist, Danny Rand) and Davos, now known as the Steel Serpent/Phoenix. I could see how all the other elements come together to form a tense atmosphere that surrounds the tournament itself, but the flashback's to Danny's father don't really add anything to the present-day material. Every time the perspective shifted from the present to the past, the book would grind to a halt, and the flashbacks comprise a fair segment of the book, so it's not an inconsiderable drag on the book's momentum.

It doesn't help that the book also changes artists every time it jumps into the past. The credits page lists five artists that assisted main artist David Aja with issues 8-13, and they mostly handle the flashback segments. In theory, having separate artists handling separate story threads could work, but it doesn't help that there are multiple assistant artists working on the flashback sequences. The end effect is a loss of integration. It should also be noted that the final chapter in this epic tale is by yet another artist, Tonci Zonjic. Zonjic's style is close enough to Aja's that the change isn't too jarring, but it still underscores the piecemeal feel one often gets when reading corporate comics.

Another aspect of the book that doesn't work for me is Danny Rand's characterization. He comes across as a bit spacey and unsure of himself, something that seems at odds with the notion of a martial arts master. Perhaps I'm reacting based on a misremembering of Iron Fist's classic characterization, but I always pictured him as suave and self-confident, stoic to the point of perhaps coming across as a bit aloof, so his "shoot, aw shucks" depiction here seems off-key.

Iron Fist: The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven features stunning art by David Aja and hints at some great ideas by Brubaker and Fraction (e.g., the all-female revolutionary army of K'un-Lun; the various special fighting styles of the different immortal weapons (I want to see what such tantalizingly named moves as "Vaulting Mantis Spine-Snap" and "Mistress of All Agonies" actually look like in action rather than just being teased with a static image and a cool-sounding caption)), but the promise behind those ideas is never fully realized. Ultimately, the book never manages to come together into a satisfying whole. Which is disappointing, because it's interesting to see Marvel attempt to do a book that is almost completely divorced from its own usual superhero trappings.

Sixty Percent Off and Free Shipping

2008-12-17T23:06:00.005-06:00

While you're doing your holiday shopping online, why not treat yourself to some bargain graphic novels? Here are some great deals I noticed at two different stores today:

First, BookCloseouts.com has a huge selection of Tokyopop graphic novels on sale for 60% off, and if you order $35+ shipping is free. How huge is the selection of Tokyopop books? Searching by publisher = Tokyopop returns an astonishing 819 results! Combined with news of layoffs, this doesn't look good for Tokyopop. But it's good for you if you're looking for bargains! May I recommend something in space-faring amphibian conqueror comedy? BookCloseouts has eleven volumes of Sgt. Frog available for $4 each.

Getting the free shipping (US and Canada only) is a little tricky: It requires not only a coupon code but a coupon password as well. Enter the following info on the cart page and standard shipping should show up as $0.00 on the order page:

* Coupon Number: freeshipping
* Coupon Password: bookcloseouts.com

Next, TFAW has upped the discount on its nick and dent section to 60%, and there are currently 56 pages of great graphic novel bargains to choose from. That's a lot of material to browse through (1674 items!), mainly from Dark Horse and Marvel (so that's what's happening to all of those "Premiere Edition" hardcovers!), but remember that you can filter your selection by publisher to narrow things down. Here are some recommended books to get you started:

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Volume 1
Mail Volumes 1, 2, 3
Scary Book 1
Museum Of Terror 1, 2, 3
Ohikkoshi

To get the free shipping, you once again have to spend at least $35 and enter coupon code MISTLETOE (expires 12/31/08). [The free shipping offer is only good for orders in the US, but coupon code BLIZZARD is good for $10 off all forms of shipping, including international.]

I won't list everything I bought from the two stores, but I will mention that I did pick up a certain infamous Harvey-nominated manga collection for only eight bucks. (Looks like it's since sold out. Just goes to show that quality books like that will sell like hotcakes if the price is right!) Actually, a lot of the stuff I ordered earlier today has since sold out. But a new item has appeared on the list that will probably appeal to lots of comics readers: The Absolute Sandman HC Vol. 1 for only $40!

Happy bargain hunting!

Avengers Detached

2008-12-13T14:32:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been on a superhero reading streak. Every time I go to the local library, there's a new Marvel or DC hardcover staring out at me and I'm helpless to resist taking it home with me. It's like being twelve years old again and walking into a comic specialty shop with an unlimited allowance. At some point I'm sure the novelty will wear off and I'll cease to be seduced by the slick production values of these hardback collections, but for now I'm enjoying (in a total junk food way) binging on superhero comics after not reading them much over the past few years.

My latest "I know this isn't going to work out well" superhero dalliance was Marvel's oversized New Avengers Volume 2 collection. I didn't expect to like this, as I never enjoyed the few superhero comics by Brian Michael Bendis I tried back when he first started writing at Marvel. Also, my recollection of the issues collected in this book (New Avengers 11-20 and Annual 1) is that they weren't very well received back when they originally came out. Nevertheless, I thought I'd give the book a try. After all, the book has consistently been one of Marvel's top sellers since it launched, and it features many of Marvel's most popular characters in one book, so I was curious to see how this effort to perform a "JLA" makeover on the Avengers turned out.

Amazingly, it was even worse than I imagined. And not just in an "omigod I can't believe they did that to my favorite character" fanboy-outrage kind of way (although there was plenty of that as well) but on a level of basic craft. Here are a couple of the worst parts from the book.

I had just started reading the book when this panel confronted me on the fourth page:

I made it about halfway down the panel (right around "Can't do that.") when I wondered, "Where the heck are these word balloons coming from?" I continued on and grimaced at the lame attempt at banter ("You think this double 'D' on my chest stands for French colloquialisms?") Finally I made my way to the bottom of the panel and found the two speakers buried beneath the stack of word balloons.

Having made my way through that panel, I moved on to the next one, only to find a different problem:

Now we're much too close to one of the speakers (AHHHH! EXTREME CLOSE-UP!!!), treated to a lovely shot of...the back of Daredevil's cheek? And once again, the entire panel is being overwhelmed by speech balloons.

Here's what the whole page looks like:

I really don't get the composition of that page. Is there anything that guides the reader's eye from panel to panel? It looks like reader is just left to assume that he should read down, then go all the way back up to the top of the next panel, down, back up to the top of the next panel, and so on, until all the text has been consumed. I don't see anything in the artwork itself that assists the reader in following the flow of events. So really, the figures and background are incidental; the backgrounds could be completely blank and the page would have much the same impact. And even if there was no visually dynamic way to construct this conversation, I would think at the very least that arranging the panels horizontally rather than vertically would have been more effective. That way the eye could take in both the characters and the dialogue simultaneously without having the characters so poorly cropped by an ill-chosen layout.

I suppose one could argue that at least Bendis is trying something different — shooting his scenes in "NarrowScope" when everyone else is going for widescreen — but I'd argue that effectiveness must always trump experimentation. Otherwise they're just empty attempts at standing out.

Here's another device that not only falls flat but also detracts from the main scene. In issue #15, Bendis has Ms. Marvel narrate events via her blog entries. It's a cute idea that seems smart (this way we'll be able to get inside Ms. Marvel's head to hear what she's thinking without having to resort to out-of-fashion thought balloons) but it falls apart once you think about it. The biggest problem is that since these are blog posts, they'd all have to be written after the events we're witnessing, so it removes us from the immediacy of the action. We're no longer watching a superhero fight a supervillain as it happens; now we're reviewing the postgame reel with commentary from the winning team. Secondly, the blog text can get so wordy that it slows down the action, transforming what should be a tense situation into a tedious recap:

Compare the blog device with more traditional expository dialogue in superhero comics. As clunky as it could get, at least spoken exposition allowed for the illusion that the words were being uttered while the action took place. Often the dialogue didn't work if you took the time to say it out loud (would anyone really have time to deliver the speeches and soliloquies that superheroes spouted in between punches?) but it was still a better option than yanking the reader out of the present with after-the-fact analysis.

Again, the blog idea has potential, but I think it would work better as an extra. Why not write it up as a full-fledged blog post for Marvel's website, or append it to the back of the book like the text pieces in Watchmen? Wedging the blog commentary into the superhero action only succeeds in watering down both components.

The problem of pulling readers out of the action is a frequent flaw in the book's first half. In addition to the sequences already shown, there's a fight in the first arc between the Avengers and a bunch of ninjas but the action is cut short when Luke Cage falls off the top penthouse suite they're in. Rather than follow the fight that's still raging, we track Cage as he slowly takes the elevator back up to the top of the skyscraper. It's a funny bit, but again, it pulls us out of the action. (Perhaps it's not much of a loss since the fight scene was indecipherable anyway thanks to David Finch's confused staging of the action. In fact, Finch's staging is so cluttered that characters in the book have to turn and draw your attention to the fact that Cage is about to topple over the balcony's ledge, because otherwise it's not clear what's going on.) And in a later arc illustrated by Frank Cho, we're treated to an issue-long conversation between Captain America and Spider-Woman where they recap her dealings as a double agent. Again, there's lots of mulling over events that happened in the past, with much of the information presented via nothing more than two talking heads. Exciting! It's like Bendis thought a narrated summary of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' excellent Sleeper series (but with Jessica Drew substituted in for Holden Carver) would make for an entertaining read.

The closest Bendis comes to telling a straight-ahead superhero action story without the various levels of removal is in the "Collective" arc where the Avengers face off against a mysterious threat whose power levels they can barely even comprehend. But even this arc gets off to a slow start, with the entire first chapter devoted to the perspective of SHIELD agents observing all of the action. Once the Avengers are called in (and the art duties shift from Steve McNiven to Mike Deodato) the pace picks up considerably (at least after the unintentionally hilarious scene of the Avengers standing around on a street corner in a rough neighborhood performing "imapct policing" has passed) and we actually see superheroes using their superpowers in the present without ruminating on their actions or blogging about events that transpired in the past.

The "Collective" story arc ultimately fails to be satisfying, though, mainly because it can't simply be content with just telling an adventure in its own right. The story also has to serve as a follow-up to one of Marvel's previous mega-events, House of M. Apparently when the Scarlet Witch wished away (almost) all mutants, the banished mutant powers were all just floating around in space until a random guy in Alaska with the latent mutant power of ~~plot device activation~~ energy absorption unwittingly sucked them all in. Then the random guy (now referred to as The Collective, but not The Collective Man, because that would be too awesome) wandered around destroying things (and Canadian superteams) until he remembered that the real point of his creation was to give Magneto his powers back right before Magneto tragically died in a helicopter explosion, at least until Final Crisis #6 comes out and ties up all the loose ends. Also, Xorn.

If you can ignore all the House of M housekeeping, though, it's not a bad superhero arc: The Avengers are outclassed; Iron Man seems to be making progress talking to their unknown adversary until Ms. Marvel butts in; Spider-Man is held captive by SHIELD; and the Avengers go up against rotting zombie mutants. The art by Deodato is a little sketchy and unfinished, but it has some nice moments, such as the previously mentioned zombie scene, which is positively Wrightsonian.

One thing that surprised me reading this is that Bendis' trademarked dialogue tics didn't annoy me as much as they had in the past. Perhaps that's because he's finally learned how to use contractions, something his earlier works seemed strangely averse to. There's still a penchant for coming up with "clever" dialogue that sounds out of place, though, especially when it comes out of the mouth of certain characters. For example, is there anyone who imagines that Viper would ever speak like this?

She also refers to the Silver Samurai (full name Kenuichio Harada) as "Ken" and "Kenny," which just sounds oddly out of character. Has Viper ever been shown being that familiar or flirtatious with the Silver Samurai before?

There's also this panel that amused me greatly, where Tony Stark is unable to come up with the antonym of "liability":

Ha ha ha! Tony Stark is an idiot who can't think of the word "asset"!

It should be obvious that I didn't think New Avengers was very good, but I'm still glad that I took the time to read it. I'm always curious about books like this that dominate the sales charts but don't do well in terms of critical reception. (I'm going to assume that the explanation for this book's sales dominance has something to do with its featuring fan-favorite characters such as Spider-Man and Wolverine, as well as its ongoing central "importance" in terms of the overall framework of the Marvel universe.) And even though I didn't like the book, I still derived a secondary sort of enjoyment from the unintentional humor provided by its spectacular badness. It's kind of like how an awful movie could be transformed into something fun by the cast and commentary of Mystery Science Theater 3000. In fact, I couldn't help but wonder what Joel or Mike and the 'bots would have done with the astonishingly bad acting in scenes like this one:

Man, that double-spread scene cracks me up every time I see it. Such dramatic close-ups! Such bad facial expressions! Such cheap reliance on reusing the same image over and over again! (And for someone who suposedly has so much experience being a secret agent on both sides of the law, Spider-Woman really doesn't know how to act nonchalant. It's like she went to the Joey Tribbiani school of spying: "When you find yourself in a tight spot, make sure to open your mouth wide and look completely stunned. It'll distract people from whatever it is you don't want them to notice.") And I think that image of the Viper glaring at Spider-Woman will haunt me for weeks to come:

AHHH!! WHAT HAPPENED TO HER FACE??!? DEAR SWEET LORD, THE HORROR! THE HORROR!!

The Spy Who Had A Cameo Appearance In His Own Series

2008-12-01T15:46:00.000-06:00

Today's read: Golgo 13 Volume 05: Wiseguy.

I haven't had a chance to see the new James Bond movie yet, so this library pick was supposed to satisfy my craving for super-secret spy shenanigans.

Does it deliver? Partially. The book is split into two stories. In the first, Golgo 13 barely appears, only showing up at the very end to accept a contract on a crooked politician. The rest of the story is devoted to power struggles within various factions of the mob. (The whole thing reads like creator Takao Saito just finished watching the Godfather and wanted to write a story about the mafia, sticking Togo in at the last minute so it could be published as part of the Golgo 13 series.) I'm not a big fan of mob stories and the glamorization of the mafia, so I was already inclined not to like this. But the lack of spy intrigue and the ludicrous belt buckle weapon at the end really sealed the deal.

The second story, set in Europe around the time of the fall of Berlin Wall, was a more satisfying spy story, as it involved political scheming, betrayal, and revenge. Plus, who doesn't love seeing political leaders playing feverish war games on the high seas?

Other comments: The art took some getting used to, as it's a little light and cartoony for a serious spy series. In fact the art reminds me of something that would have appeared in Mad or Cracked magazine. Is there an artist from one of those magazines who had a style similar to this?

It was a bit strange coming into this series at the fifth volume, but it sounds like I wouldn't gain much background by starting from volume one. According to Wikipedia, Golgo 13 is such a long-running series (148 volumes and counting in Japan) that Viz decided to publish a thirteen-volume selection of his "greatest hits" rather than try to publish the full series in chronological order. I suppose if all the stories are just one-off assignments like this it doesn't matter much what order they're read in, but the feature at the end detailing Golgo's most memorable tortures does make the point that an incremental appreciation can be gained by reading Golgo's exploits in sequence.

Speaking of the bonuses at the back of the book, they're probably the best part of the whole volume. In addition to the catalogue of times Golgo was tortured, there's also a short essay by martial artist Horibe Masashi recommending a future interrogation method that he's confident would break Golgo: bash him in the balls. Seriously! There's an entire page that goes into great detail why Golgo's opponents should go to work on his testicles. Best line:

I personally would like to see a scene where Golgo 13 gets attacked in the testicles, and squirms in anguish, or is attacked but is shown to have some sort of protection against it, allowing him to get through the biggest pinch of his life.

Best fan letter ever! (I wonder if the editors of Batman have ever gotten a letter like this. Has Batman ever been tortured by getting kicked in the nuts repeatedly?)

Besides, if Bond can put up with it, I'm betting Golgo could shake off some nutcracking.

Dear Comic Book Publishers: A List of My Digital Demands

2008-11-26T12:52:00.004-06:00

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but when are comic publishers going to get their act together and allow their books to be easily purchased for digital download on a site like Amazon.com?

Yes, individual publishers have made small moves toward digitizing their comics. Marvel has their online digital comics reader (which is currently offering a 10% discount on the annual subscription through 12/1, making the total cost $53.89), but you're locked into using their clumsy online reader. Plus, it's based on a subscription model (either monthly or annually) with no option of just buying an individual comic you're interested in checking out. Other publishers such as SLG offer comics for download in PDF format, which, at least in my experience, isn't an optimal comics reader. (SLG's digital offerings are also slim, with only six series listed on their site. I was unable to connect directly to Eyemelt to see if there were more comics available there.)

While it's great that publishers are making incremental moves to provide their works in other formats, I don't think digital comics will ever really take off until they're as easy and hassle-free to purchase as an MP3 from a site like Amazon.com. Others have probably already made these very same suggestions before, but here are the points I would like to see in a digital comics offering:

1. All publishers must agree on the same digital format. I don't want to have to sign up with individual subscription plans with different formats, and I don't want to have to use different readers for comics from different publishers. Preferably all companies could come around to using the .cbr format, which is a simple but convenient way to read comics. Using viewers such as CDisplay, readers can easily page through the comic and determine how to size the display options. (I know it's ironic that this format grew out of illegal scans, but it's still the best option for viewing comics that I've seen so far, so publishers would be smart to adopt it.)

2. Publishers must allow other sites to sell their digital comics. I know publishers want to lock down their content and keep it on their site, but it's simply not convenient from the customer's perspective to visit other sites to purchase or view comics.

3. Get over the DRM worries. Look, people are going to copy your comics and distribute them illegally no matter what you do. It's not fair, but what are you going to do at this point? By attempting to insert content protection into your digital files, you're just going to frustrate users who would legitimately purchase your comics but don't want to deal with the potential DRM headaches.

4. Allow the flexibility to purchase individual issues or complete collections. Someone may just want to sample a particular issue that they've heard so much about online, while others will want to get the whole story. Make sure that both options are available and convenient.

5. Come up with a pricing model that makes sense. Whatever pricing structure publishers come up with, the prices have to reflect a substantial discount over the physical comics. Since individual comics are reaching the $3-$4 price point, publishers could probably get away with charging 99 cents per issue. (It'd be great if they could price the individual comics even cheaper, say 25 or 50 cents, but the 99 cents price would nicely align with what's become the standard price for a single MP3.) The "album" collections should not only be cheaper than the physical books but also cheaper than buying the individual CBR issues.

6. Release the digital comics at the same time as the hardcopy comics. I know this will piss off some retailers, but I think a big part of the traffic for individual digital comics would come from casual superhero fans who are really only interested in checking out a particular issue because they've read so much about it online. Obviously, that "impulse" interest is going to diminish as the buzz fades, so publishers would maximize their digital sales by synchronizing the digital and paper comic release schedules. Digital collections could come out when the physical collections are published or even later.

I never really got into buying MP3s until Amazon's MP3 store launched, so obviously that's the model I'm following here. I know a lot of people like the iTunes shop, but I didn't like the idea of having my music restricted by DRM protections. With Amazon's DRM-free MP3s, I can easily transfer my MP3s to my MP3 player or burn the files to CD. I'd like similar flexibility with digital comics. I don't want to be locked into a proprietary format, and I want to be able to easily buy an individual issue or complete collection from the same site where I buy my dead-tree TPB and HC comics.

As an example of how I think this would ideally work, consider one of my recent MP3 purchases from Amazon. My wife and I were lucky enough to be invited to a Coldplay concert at the last minute by some friends who had extra tickets. I knew who Coldpay was, but I couldn't name any of their actual songs. At the concert, I recognized several of the songs that I'd heard before but never realized were by Coldplay. When I got home, I looked up Coldplay on Amazon to find some of the songs I particularly liked. In the end, I decided to buy an entire digital album.

If I'd had to wait to buy the CD in the store the following day, or even wait a couple days to receive the CD after ordering it online, I probably never would have followed through with the purchase. I'm sure something would have come up that distracted me or I would have just forgotten about it. But because I could log in and download the music immediately after the concert, I bought the entire album. I think a similar dynamic would come into play with digital comics. I know a couple weeks ago I was morbidly curious about Kevin Smith's new Batman comic because it was getting so roundly panned everywhere. I've also been interested in the latest Spider-Man comic since the sample art I've seen by Marcos Martin is simply stunning. These are two examples of individual comics that I have a fleeting interest in -- nothing strong enough to actively track down, but something I might download if I could do it easily and immediately. (I also wouldn't want to bother with the hassle of storing any more physical floppy comics. I have enough long boxes of comics that I have to figure out how to get rid of someday.)

Yes, I'm being completely selfish in my demands, but I'm just trying to be honest about what I want as a consumer. Comic book publishers have an opportunity to make some money off me, but it will only happen under very specific circumstances. (Of course, publishers are free to ignore my preferences, but perhaps someday we'll be able to meet halfway.)

So how about you? What would you like to see in a digital comics delivery system? Would you read digital comics if they were as easy to buy as MP3s?

I Can Hardly Wait Until Marvel Rolls Out Their Die-Cut Foil Embossed Limited Edition Hardcover Collections

2008-11-25T23:03:00.000-06:00

Here's something that's bugging me: What's the deal with Marvel's "Premiere Edition" hardcover format? Yeah, they're nicely-packaged and sturdy, but is there really a big market for upscale collections of five to six issues of very recent comic books? Are there lots of people who are passing up monthly comics in favor of hardcover collections? Are there actually people who are buying both the floppies and the hardcovers?

Looking over Marvel's recent solicitations, it looks like they're cranking out about ten of these Premiere hardcovers a month, which is just...wow. Again, is there really a market for all of these hardcovers, or is Marvel just flooding the market? I'd have trouble thinking of ten Marvel story arcs from all of Marvel's publishing history that I'd want to own in hardcover, yet Marvel is churning out hardcovers for practically every series out there, including She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel, titles I can hardly imagine are even selling much as singles.

Assuming a reader was planning on buying all the singles anyway, the hardcovers aren't that bad of a deal: Six comics at $3 a pop would run you $18, so two bucks more isn't bad for hardcover binding. But there's still the delay waiting for the hardcover to come out, and I'm assuming most superhero fans would prefer to read the stories when everyone else is talking about them. So again I'm wondering who these are for? If there really has been a significant switch to "waiting for the trade" I guess it makes sense from Marvel's perspective to make the collected edition a hardcover and charge an extra five bucks for it. That way they might make a little more money off the customer who was waiting for the trade but can't wait another six months for the softcover version to hit shelves.

Or maybe the primary audience for these slim hardcovers is libraries? That would actually make sense to me, since the hardcovers would hold up better than the softcover editions of such slender books. And at least at my local library, the Marvel "Premiere Edition" hardcovers seems to be the favored format for Marvel comics. (Most of the DC comics are softcover, but I'm not sure if DC is even putting out as many hardcovers each month as Marvel is.)

So what do you think? Do you like hardcover collections of fleeting, disposable storylines? Are you waiting for the hardcovers, or do you go the extra distance and hold out for the cheaper hardcovers? Do you know anyone who ever bought two versions of the same hardcover comic just because it had different covers? (Multiple covers for reprint collections, Marvel? Really??)

Greek Gods Gone Wild!

2008-11-25T09:55:00.002-06:00

Today's entry: Marvel's Premiere Edition of Incredible Hercules: Against The World, which collects Incredible Hercules issues #112-115 and the one-shot Hulk vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide.

I actually don't have much to say about this one. I didn't have as strong of a reaction to it as the previous two entries, either positively or negatively. It was just kind of... OK. Which is fine, but I guess I was expecting to be wowed by the book more since it's been garnering such positive praise online. I did like that writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente delve back into Hercules' history to show more of the events that have shaped him. I've always enjoyed the Greek myths, so it was nice to them referenced here and used as back story to deepen Herc's character and help explain why he would be sympathetic to the Hulk's actions in World War Hulk. I've always liked the Marvel version of Hercules, who has played the role of a rough-and-tumble lovable lout, but if he's going to sustain a series it's probably a good idea to flesh out the character so he's a bit more complex.

I didn't care much for the art. It was too scratchy and murky, but perhaps that was the look they were going for given the book's subject matter of war, devastation, and depression. I did wonder what the book would have read like if it had followed an art style more in line with Art Adams' bold, action-packed covers. It probably would have given the book more of an old school straight superhero vibe.

I did have a question related to current Marvel continuity. I still remember when Ares was a villain that teams like the Avengers and the Champions (referenced in this volume) went up against. I've read the Wikipedia summary for Ares, but I still find it hard to understand why he was recruited to be an Avenger. In this volume Ares is shown actively working against his teammates (even knocking out Wonder Man from behind) and the Black Widow is shown having reservations dealing with Ares. Is this something that is dealt with in The Mighty Avengers, or is it something that's just glossed over in order to have a cool "Thor and Wolverine in one" character on the team?

The Hypothetical Reviewer

2008-11-24T22:00:00.000-06:00

Unlike yesterday's entry, JLA: The Hypothetical Woman is a tight, satisfying superhero read. The TPB collects issues 16-21 of the rotating creative teams title JLA Classified. This arc is by writer Gail Simone and artist José Luís García-López, and it provides a good example of how to handle a large team book in a short number of issues. Rather than trying to cram in everything, Simone starts with a central concept and builds outwards, layering on details to create an engaging story.

The concept that Simone starts with could have easily gone off the rails: What if the JLA were tasked with removing a despotic dictator from power? I can hear the groaning from here, and I had similar concerns: Was this just an attempt to "Authority-ize" the JLA, perhaps written back when The Authority was actually still popular? (And wasn't that result already published as Justice League Elite?) Thankfully, Simone doesn't appear to be attempting to make the JLA "hip" or "relevant" — she's just starting with a topical premise and telling a good story.

The conflict in the book starts small —the League is called in by the UN to depose a dictator, but he thwarts them by negotiating asylum — but builds gradually and convincingly until the situation the JLA faces feels like a genuine threat (something that's not that easy to come up with in sprawling superhero comics, as other jaded readers have noted). I always enjoy it when superheroes have to go up against bad guys whose only power is their twisted intellect (well, that and unlimited access to weapons of speculative function). Here, General Tuzik, in a nice bit of irony, gathers up the discarded remnants of various superhuman battles to use against the League. (So if only the League had done a better job at recycling this could have all been avoided? And does this mean the DC Universe doesn't have the equivalent of a Damage Control? There's a good proposal for a universe-spanning series.) Simone has fun coming up with nasty twists on old JLA villains and gadgets being weaponized by the military, such as Starro as a biological weapon and multiple Chemo constructs.

Simone's characterization is also great — fun and familiar yet with plenty of fresh touches. I especially liked her handle on Batman. He's still the tough, über-competent tactician, but he also seems more grounded. (Seriously, when Batman's the one lecturing the bad guys on the virtues of being part of something "larger than oneself," you know you've come a long way from the grumpy lone wolf characterization.) One great scene has Batman pitted against a new opponent, Jin Si, a martial arts expert who is thought to be virtually unbeatable. As she pummels Batman, we're shown that he's not only fighting her but he's also working out the larger strategy of defeating General Tuzik in his head. (Holy multitasking, Batman!) Noticing that he seems preoccupied, Jin Si taunts him that he seems distracted as she kicks him to the ground, which leads Batman to reply:

Other characters get their share of nice moments as well. Superman is shown putting extreme political pressure on a government official in order to get what he wants, a welcome change from the nice-to-a-fault bland boy scout portrayal. John Stewart reveals the worst job he ever had while recruiting someone whose participation will prove to be crucial. And Wonder Woman is depicted as an actual warrior... and as a teammate thoughtful enough to bake treats when her beaten and battered team needs a pick-me-up. (Based on this story, I'm thinking that I'll probably be checking out Simone's run on Wonder Woman sometime soon.)

As for the art, well, it's by José Luís García-López, who truly is legendary as the back cover blurb puts it. His layouts and compositions are so classic and clean that he makes the story a joy to read. His figures are strong and striking, and he stages events so everything makes sense when you visualize it in your own head. Here García-López is aided by two inkers, Klaus Janson for the first half and Sean Phillips for the second. Both inkers do a good job of enhancing García-López's pencils, letting his style show through without burying his work beneath their inks.

All in all, this was an enjoyable little superhero yarn. It reminded me of Grant Morrison's run on JLA, more in broad spirit than in anything specific. Like Morrison, Simone was able to use fun little bits of DC lore to enhance the story without getting bogged down in minute continuity. In fact, I really only had two nitpicks about the whole story: (1) The titular Hypothetical Woman was nothing more than a cipher, a plot device to create capable counterparts for the JLA. (2) There were a couple of empty word balloons at the very end of the story:

I'm assuming this was an error and that those word balloons were supposed to be filled with some of the General's psychotic sidespeak. Does anyone know what the word balloons originally said?

The World's Gimmickiest Comic Magazine!

2008-11-23T23:49:00.005-06:00

OK, let's try and get this reading diary going. First up, Marvel's Premiere Edition of Fantastic Four: The New Fantastic Four, which collects issues 544-550 of the monthly series. The seven issues collected deal with a temporary roster change, and the Black Panther and Storm replace Reed and Sue Richards, who are going on a second honeymoon to work on their marriage in light of events that transpired during Civil War. (I'm not sure exactly what those events were. According to Wikipedia's Civil War entry, Mister Fantastic was a primary architect of the pro-registration side, constructing the Negative Zone prison and cloning a murderous version of Thor; while the Invisible Woman was a member of the Secret Avengers, the anti-registration forces. So kind of like the marriage of James Carville and Mary Matalin, then?)

It's also a temporary roster change in terms of the creative line-up, as writer Dwayne McDuffie (along with artist Paul Pelletier) was only on the book for a short period in between J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Millar. Even given the temporary, impermanent nature of creative teams on corporate comics, the brief tenure results in a run that feels inconsequential. Which is a strange thing to say when the threats McDuffie throws against our heroes are so cosmic in scope. Not only do the new (and old) FF face off against Epoch, Galactus, and the Silver Surfer but they must also deal with the unraveling of the very universe. Perhaps it's because McDuffie attempts to cram too much in that nothing has much impact in the end. Things move at a ridiculously breakneck speed with heroes popping from one end of the galaxy to the next with little or no effort at all. (Remember when navigating the Watcher's home was a venture that threatened a hero's sanity or well-being? Here, retrieving vital information from the Watcher's infinte library just require the Thing to concentrate a little. And the less said about the Black Panther's ridiculous frog MacGuffin the better).

One casualty in the effort to cram everything in is characterization. Not only don't we get to see the new team members interact much (no sooner have Black Panther and Storm finished unpacking when they're leaving again) but the characterization we are given feels off somehow. Everyone's voice seems wrong and everyone's voice seems the same, which makes the dialogue seem indistinct and interchangeable. At two separate points the Thing utters the exact same threat to two different opponents and I couldn't tell if this was a production glitch or a purposeful stylistic choice.

"Youse guys ain't even worth the effort to come up with unique putdowns for!"

Another element that mars the book's characterization is everyone's penchant for unthinking violence. I know this is superhero comics and there has never been any conflict or conversation that couldn't be settled with clobbering, but on a team that includes the strategic genius Black Panther and the serene goddess Storm (who if I'm not mistaken used to chastise Wolverine for his tendency to attack unprovoked back when she led the team), it's disappointing to see our heroes so willing to throw the first blow. This is especially true when their opponent is a former friend as in the case of the Silver Surfer, but this is the post-Civil War era, so perhaps preemptive punching is par the course in the new world order.

The art in the book is serviceable but nothing terribly exciting. I've enjoyed Pelletier's work in other series (most memorably CrossGen's Negation) so I'm not sure why it's leaving me so nonplussed here. Perhaps part of the problem is the computer coloring: I found myself distracted by the efforts to model and shade characters (especially their faces) throughout the book. Looking at the sole extra in this hardcover, a single page sampling Pelletier's pencils for issue 550, I found his work much more subtle and striking in black and white. (Perhaps I've been conditioned or ruined by reading so much manga.) Still, things could have been worse: Cover artist Michael Turner could have provided interior art in addition to his atrocious covers.

Fun Feet Fact! Count the number of feet that Michael Turner drew on these seven covers!!

In short, The New Fantastic Four wasn't much fun, and that's a shame for a series that used to bill itself as "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine," a tagline that literally no longer seems to fit in this age of endless crossovers and earth-shattering events.

Reading & Reviewing Rigor Mortis

2008-11-20T12:08:00.002-06:00

Lately I've been going through one of those cyclical comics malaise things where I can't seem to work up the energy to read many comics, much less review them. I've been trying to figure out why my enthusiasm for comics is waning at the moment, and here are some of the factors I've come up with:

1. A Simple Lack of Time & Energy. Pretty obvious, but I hadn't realized it until I stopped to think about it. By the time I get home from work; get the kids fed, bathed, and put to bed; clean the kitchen and do whatever other chores need doing, I don't have much time or energy left to read or write about comics. Other than sending the kids to bed dirty and hungry, I'm not sure how to get around this issue. Perhaps I'll have to start reading comics to the kids for their bedtime stories. ("And then Hyakkimaru confronted the scary-looking demon and said, 'I'm not afraid of you and I'll fight you to get my spleen back!!'")

2. Does The Blogosphere Really Need An Infinite Number of Monkeys + 1? Perhaps this speaks to low self-esteem, but there's a part of me that's overwhelmed by the sheer number of comic book blogs out there. Do I really have anything new or unique to contribute to the conversation when everyone else has already reviewed the book I finally got around to reading months after it came out? In the past I tried not to read other reviews of books I was thinking of discussing, but now I read others' reviews and check off all the points I was thinking of making until I reach the point where there's nothing left that I would add. (I was once thinking of writing a review of a particular comic with hyperlinks to all the other reviews that had already made the points I wanted to bring up, but I was too lazy to do all the linking.)

3. I'm Deeply Embedded in the Comfort Zone. I've noticed that lately I've been reluctant to try out new things. I've been sticking mainly with "comfort" books -- the series that I've following for years already (Bleach, Kekkaishi, The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, etc.) or ones in a very similar vein. This is probably a corollary of #1 — since I have little free time, I want to spend it on "safe" series that I expect to entertain me. Which is great in the sense that I'm happy with where my comic-buying dollar is going, but it lessens my inspiration for blogging. How many interesting ways can I come up with to gush about the awesome fight scenes in Bleach or the creepy creature designs in Parasyte?

4. My Critical Faculties Are Failing Me. AKA, "The Positivity Problem." I find myself uncritically enjoying almost everything I'm reading. This probably follows from point #3 above — if I'm only reading things I expect to enjoy and which I've enjoyed in the past, I'm probably going to enjoy them now. But this has also happened to new series that I've read recently. For example, Gun Blaze West is a formulaic shonen series with cliched characters, but I still loved the energy of the series and got completely caught up in each new battle of escalating intensity. So it was a little embarrassing to go back and read the author's notes and find out that creator was much more critical of the book that I was. (I should watch a bad romantic comedy and see if this uncritical enjoyment extends into other media; usually I drive my wife crazy when we watch movies together because I nitpick every little detail or inconsistency.)

5. Mental Block Placed By Charles Xavier Interfering with Writing Abilities. I have actually sat down to write several reviews in the past few months, but for whatever reason, my brain locks up after a couple sentences. I have trouble organizing my thoughts or thinking of the right... whaddya call it... "words." Part of this may just be related to point #1: sleep deprivation may be interfering with the parts of my brain involved in writing in much the same way it's messing with my memory. (I can't count how many times I've been told by people, "Uh, you already mentioned that to me last week" when I think I'm telling them something new.)

I don't really have any grand plans on how to overcome these factors, nor so I have any burning desire to ramp up my reviewing schedule in the near future. But I would like to blog more frequently than I have been, so I may borrow a suggestion that Danielle Leigh threw out and start more of a reading diary — just blog more of my reactions and impressions to the things I read rather than trying to structure them into professional reviews or thoughtful criticism. Perhaps this will relieve some of the subconscious pressure that causes me to freeze up when I sit down to write a review. And I'm also planning on sampling more works outside of my regular reading list. The other day I stopped by the library to pick up an item my wife had on reserve and I swung by the graphic novel sections to grab a couple impulse selections (a couple random volumes of Golgo 13 and Beck, as well as a handful of superhero comics). No guarantees, but I hope to have some new posts up in the coming weeks.

A Jacket Quote I'd Like To See

2008-11-19T10:28:00.003-06:00

From Timothy Callahan's review of Fantastic Four #561 at CBR:

Critics have complained that [Mark Millar's] recent stuff is too-high concept, too pandering, or too much flash and not enough substance. But I think that's when Millar is at his best.

Knowing Marvel, I can actually see them embracing those remarks in upcoming solicitations: "This is it, True Believers! Mark Millar's flashiest and most pandering storyline yet!!"

Sorry, Kids -- Maybe I'll Buy You Those Disney Movies Next Year

2008-11-11T11:54:00.004-06:00

I just noticed that Tower.com seems to be having a pretty big and fairly extensive sale on its site. I'm not sure when it started or how long it'll last, so head over and check to see if there's anything that you've been looking for that's on sale. I was actually looking for Disney DVDs as Christmas gifts for the kids when I decided to check on the items saved on my wish list. I'd just placed two items on the list yesterday, With The Light volumes two and three, because I'd requested the books via my library months ago and they still hadn't come in. Yesterday each volume was priced at $8.78, still a great deal, but today the price was reduced to $6.99 apiece! That's over half-off!! (You know how excited I get when the price of something falls below that magical 50% barrier.)

Some other great bargains I noticed (ones I bought in bold):

Solanin - $9.99
Aya of Yop City - $10.99
Vagabond VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 2 - $11.86 (vol 1 is even cheaper - only $10.99!!)
Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service vols. 1-7 $5.99 each, with #5 even cheaper at $4.99!
Sgt. Frog - $4.99 - $5.99
Bleach - a couple volumes (21, 22, 24) for as low as $2.99
Bleach Box Set (collecting vols. 1-21) - $88.99, or a little over four bucks a book
Dororo vol. 1 - $6.99 (2 and 3 are $7.99)
Cat Eyed Boy 1 - $12.99 (vol.2 is $13.99)
Slam Dunk 1 - $2.99 (!!!! - buy this book!!!)
Real 1 - $5.99 (vol. 2 is $6.99)
Parasyte 1-5 - $6.99 each
Emma 1-6 - $4.99 (7 is $5.99 but the cover price was a dollar more)
Spider-Man J: Turning Japanese - $4.99

In my experience, Tower's prices fluctuate quite frequently, so if you see a great deal on something, snatch it up quickly before the price goes back up. And remember, shipping is free on order $25 and over. Any other great deals I missed? Point them out in the comments!

UPDATE 11/13: Looks like prices have drifted back up again. For example, With The Light 2 is now $9.86 and Slam Dunk 1 is 5.95, each almost three dollars more than on Tuesday.

Holy Cover Credit Controversy, Batman!

2008-11-09T23:44:00.004-06:00

Regarding the controversy over Jiro Kuwata's name not appearing on the cover of Bat-Manga!:

First of all, I love the book. The comics contained in it are entertaining in their own right, beyond the obvious appeal of seeing Batman interpreted for a Japanese audience. I'm already clamoring for the hinted-at sequel. And like Laura Hudson, I'm definitely thinking it's a contender for best of 2008.

However.

I do think putting Jiro Kuwata's name somewhere on the front (back) cover would have been a good move. It's something that seemed strange to me after finishing the book. It's not something that would cause me to discard the book or boycott future work by Kidd, but it's still something that makes me less than completely satisfied with the book. (Another point of dissatisfaction with the book: Given the aged presentation of the material, I would have preferred a rougher paper stock than the glossy material used — something like the paper used for Drawn & Quarterly's oversized anthology books.)

It's interesting to me how the rhetoric over this issue has escalated so quickly. I suppose since the issue touches on creators' rights, it was inevitable that feelings would quickly turn raw. Perhaps it was because my own response to the omission of Kuwata's name on the cover was more mild displeasure than seething outrage (mock or otherwise), but Chip Kidd's defensive response surprised me and, in my opinion, only made matters worse.

Kidd's opening paragraph succeeds in getting things off on exactly the wrong foot:

First of all, I’d like to say to all the relevant reviewers/bloggers/whomever: I am heartened that you all have such concern for Mr. Kuwata’s welfare. So here’s a question: where were YOU for the last thirty years, while he was languishing in obscurity both here and in his own country? I won’t bother waiting for an answer.

Of course, the appropriate response to Kidd's question is: What the heck does this have to do with the issue of giving Kuwata cover credit? Why do readers or reviewers have a responsibility to be well-versed in the personal and/or professional status of a creator in order to ask questions about how the creator was credited in a particular book that featured his work? If Kuwata is indeed "languishing in obscurity," you wouldn't learn that fact from reading Kidd's interview with Kuwata in the book. According to Kuwata's Wikipedia page, it sounds as though he's still an active artist, even if it's not in the medium of manga anymore, so I'm not sure what Kidd is getting at here. If he's asking if we're hip enough that we knew about Kuwata before Bat-Manga!, well, then color me guilty. I had never heard of him before this book, but now that I have experienced his work, I'd love to read more if it's ever made available in English. So I guess my answer is... All this time I was waiting to read Mr. Kuwata’s manga, even if I wasn't aware of it until I saw it?

Kidd goes on to make the point that

Bat-Manga is not just about the work of Mr. Kuwata, although that of course makes up the bulk of the book. Rather, it is about chronicling the phenomenon—however short-lived—of Batman in Japan in 1966.

This actually raises an interesting question about the book. What is the book really about? I'd argue that the book is about the manga created by Jiro Kuwata. Look, the title of the book is Bat-Manga. Yes, the book has a secondary title, "The Secret History of Batman in Japan," but I'd argue that the promise of this subtitle is never fulfilled. Kidd argues that the book is about "chronicling the phenomenon ... of Batman in Japan" but there's nothing to back up this asssertion. By my count, 90% of the book is devoted to the actual sequential art created by Kuwata. Yes, there are lovely photos of miscellaneous Batman memorabilia in between the manga chapters, but again they comprise at most 10% of the book, and there's no detail provided to explain the context of the merchandise. When were the toys produced? By whom? How much did they originally cost? How much did they sell for on eBay? How popular were the toys in Japan? By positing that Batman was a "phenomenon" in Japan, a whole host of questions are raised, questions that never get answered.

All of which makes Kidd's closing argument all the more strange. He compares Bat-Manga! to a documentary by Ken Burns, arguing that the accompanying Civil War book didn't list all the sources and historians cited. If Bat-Manga! truly were more expansive in scope, explaining how the Batman phenomenon swept Japan — what episodes of the Batman TV show were broadcast in Japan; who the voice actors were; what the ratings were; what toys were the best-selling; what reader response to the Batman manga was; analyzing the ways in which the Batman manga overlapped with and diverged from the American comics (such as Go-Go The Magician being a dead ringer for Flash villain the Weather Wizard)*; etc. — then I could probably come closer to seeing Kidd's point about leaving Kuwata's name off the cover. But the fact is that Bat-Manga! is almost entirely comprised of Jiro Kuwata's Batman manga. The pages with the Japanese Batman toys serve as chapter breaks and remind me more of the extras you'd find in an American trade paperback collection: Interesting and nice to have, but not essential. For me, this is actually a good thing. When the book was announced, I was worried it would be bogged down with photos of the Batman toys, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book is devoted almost entirely to Kuwata's manga.

A more accurate analogy that came to my mind was: What if Viz, in their presentation of Takehiko Inoue's Slam Dunk, had called it "Slam Danku!: The Secret History of Basketball in Japan" and left Inoue's name off the cover? After all, Inoue's sports manga is widely credited with driving Japanese interest in basketball, so there's the whole "phenomenon" angle in common. And Viz's presentation of Slam Dunk does have additional material in it, such as descriptions of basketball terms and glossy color pin-ups of NBA stars. Wouldn't that have seemed... odd?

Kidd would probably reject this analogy as dissimilar (he rejects another good analogy in the comments here), perhaps because Viz works as diligently as possible to clean up their manga, whereas Kidd and his co-authors treated the manga as aged, imperfect artifacts, photographing the old manga pages directly rather than scanning and retouching them. The appoach does give the work a distinctive look and feel, but the end result as a reader is still that of reading a sequential narrative that engages the imagination. It's not as though Kidd presented the pages out of order or interrupted the narrative to comment on the pages presented. In the end, it still reads like a comic, so the production behind the book is interesting but inessential.

And, yes, Kuwata is mentioned several times inside the book and on the little wraparound banner that comes with the book. And it's clear that everyone involved with the book has nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for Kuwata (the term that is most frequently used to describe Kuwata is "Manga Master"). But it still would have nice to have seen his name listed on the front. (And if you don't think being mentioned on the actual cover matters, consider how bitterly credit and billing are fought over throughout all entertainment media.) Perhaps such a credit wasn't required, but it would have been great to see it there. (And wouldn't a cover credit or some statement to the effect of "based on manga by Jiro Kuwata" have given Kuwata even more recognition? Wouldn't that have been a good thing?)

So in closing: Love the Bat-Manga! book. But hate the arguments and invective being thrown at those who feel a cover credit for Kuwata would have been a nice touch.

* Perhaps I should do a book about similarities and differences between the two. I'm convinced that the "Professor Gorilla" story has an American comic counterpart, so perhaps I could track down the closest matches for each manga story. Then I could take photos of each page of the Bat-Manga! book, add in a couple pages of other material, and put my and Jiro Kuwata's names on the cover while thanking Chip Kidd for his work and inspiration inside the book.

Update: Over at io9, Graeme McMillan rounds up reaction and offers his own opinion:

I have to admit, I disagree; for the majority of people, Chip Kidd is the draw for this book - well, that or "Hey, look, it's funny old Batman comics from Japan". Kuwata doesn't have the audience or awareness in the US to be the selling point for the majority of people who'll be picking up this book, and while it would've been nice to see Kuwata's name on the front cover, the fact that he's not only credited for his work inside but also interviewed for the book makes me think that any outcry over usurping of authorship is slightly melodramatic... which, admittedly, seems kind of fitting for a book about Batman.

I've seen others make similar arguments and it strikes me as odd. Why do the options have to be mutually exclusive? I don't think anyone's asking for the removal of Kidd's credit, just the addition of Kuwata's. Would adding Kuwata's name to the cover somehow lessen the draw of Kidd's name? And why do concerns of marketability drown out questions of authorship, fairness, or just plain stand-up behavior? Plus, as Graeme points out, I think the real draw for most people who pick up this book will be "Ooo, crazy vintage Batman manga!!" Is Kidd's name really such a selling point for others?

The Batman of the Future from the Past

2008-10-28T22:02:00.007-05:00

I was hoping to say more about the utterly awesome Bat-Manga! book from Pantheon (so awesome it even gets a short mention in The New Yorker), but I'm short on time. So for now I'd just like to share one of the many interesting revelations from this engrossing volume:

The manga version of Batman was so ahead of its time that it came up with the look for Batman Beyond three decades before that show debuted!

Also: The Weather Wizard would have been a much more memorable villain if he'd gone by his Japanese name, Go-Go The Magician.

Also also: Professor Gorilla has to be the sensational character find of this or any other year. It's like something out of a Grant Morrison issue of Animal Man. (Can you imagine if Morrison had used his Batman run to introduce wild, imaginative characters like Professor Gorilla to Batman's rogue gallery instead of doing whatever the heck it is he's doing with "Batman R.I.P." and all the bleak storylines?)

Is There A Whole Firefighter Subgenre Of Manga That I'm Unaware Of?

2008-10-22T22:20:00.003-05:00

I completely missed this from last month's DC solicitations, but CMX is releasing a manga titled Fire Investigator Nanase. From the solicit:

Firefighter academy student Nanase is a promising rookie fire investigator, still haunted by her parents' fiery death. Three years ago, she saved a man from a burning building; he turned out to be the arsonist responsible for the death of her parents. Now this serial fire-starter has started helping her solve fire-related crimes. Can Nanase reconcile his willingness to help her with his role in her personal tragedy?

Could this be the series to fill the firefighting hole in my manga reading list now that I've read all of Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M?

The Superhero Scourge

2008-10-17T11:11:00.004-05:00

My daughter's daycare sent home an interesting letter to preschool parents this week. It was a reminder that, for the second year in a row, they're completely banning all superhero-related material for older students. (My daughter just moved up to a new class so we weren't aware the ban was in place last year.) Clothes, toys, books, whatever — if it has a superhero on it, students are prohibited from bringing it to school. The reason given for the ban is that students are more likely to engage in certain "inappropriate and aggressive behaviors" — punching, hitting, kicking — if they are exposed to superhero imagery. According to the letter, the "decision to eliminate all super heroes during the school day was very helpful in establishing better conflict resolution and behaviors in our classrooms."

I have no idea if viewing superhero imagery causes or correlates with aggressive actions in children (the letter cites research done by David Walsh in his book No to support the policy), but the letter did resonate with my own unease I've been feeling lately. Recently one of my daughter's favorite bedtime stories has been the Amazing Spider-Man pop-up book. We flip through it and I make up a story that tries to tie together all the unrelated profile pages. My daughter loves to call out the names of all the characters on each page. "Doc Ock!" "Kraven the Hunter!" "Mysterio!" We've read this book on-and-off for several months but lately something interesting has been happening. When she sees a page where Spider-Man is punching the bad guy (example below), she scolds, "That's not OK, Spider-Man! You shouldn't hit anybody!!" She's even started referring to Spider-Man as "naughty" and "the bad guy."

And based on everything she hears from her parents and teachers, she's right: It's not OK to hit people. We won't tolerate her pushing her brother or taking things from him, so why is it OK for Spider-Man to use force to get what he wants? (Yes, the situations are different, but try explaining the notion of self-defense to a three-year-old. Soon everything she did would be in self-defense.)

It's not just superhero stories that have made me uneasy lately. I'm also bothered by the Disney princess movies where it always seems that the female has to give up her culture or heritage so she can get married to the handsome prince. Is that really a message we want to reinforce for our daughters, that their unique backgrounds and interests should be cast aside when they find a man, that their ultimate goal in life should be to become a beautiful bride?

I don't have any answers here — just the usual random thoughts. But I'd be interested to hear others' feedback: Do you think superheroes (or princesses or other types of stories) can be harmful to children's psyches? I'm not banning all superhero imagery at home. My daughter still likes superheroes, and I don't want to discourage that interest completely. For example, another one of her current interests is looking at the Arthur Adams Marvel Heroes and Villains print in my office and naming all the characters. She can name almost all of them after just a couple practice sessions, and I think that's pretty neat. Besides, I tell myself, I was raised on a steady diet of superheroes and I turned out OK (I think). But having kids does make me reconsider things that before I was completely blasé about.

One final anecdote: On the day that the school sent home the letter, I went to pick up my daughter and one of her male classmates ran up to me. "Look what I made!" he proudly exclaimed as he help up a Lego creation that looked like a sword or a cross to me. "That's great! What is it?" I asked. "It's Iron Man!" he responded, and he then ran around the room holding the "figure" aloft, making whooshing sounds. So you can take the superhero imagery off of kids' shirts, but you can't take the superhero imagery out of their heads.

Do Superheroes Cause Aggression In Young Children? ( surveys)