I saw a story on the BBC about these all-girl pop groups that are cropping up in Japan under the sponsorship of just about everyone, from corporations to vegetable growers associations to urban redevelopment committees. And it reminded me of the truth that, when you put four or more attractive people in a row and […]
One of the many important things Ive learned from the entertainment industry is that Christmas is the time of year to make unreasonable demands of higher powers that they are obligated to fulfill if they want people to keep believing in them. Weve basically got them in a corner, so why not go for the […]
I’m still decompressing upon reentry to normal world as opposed to holiday sparkle world, and, to be honest, looking at this week’s ComicList is roughly akin to trying to read something written in ancient possum. My brain just isn’t there yet. I’ll rely instead on two trustworthy souls, and take their recommendation to seek out […]
V is for& well, not very much, when you make a conscious choice to ignore Vampire and Virgin, but thats just how I roll. Vagabond (Viz), written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. This is one of those Japanese comics thats highly regarded both by manga devotees and by comics omnivores, though I think thats generally […]
The indefatigable Deb (About.Com) Aoki has rounded up and ranked critics’ choices for the Best Manga of 2010, and it’s a fine and varied list. I’d also like to point you to Deb’s picks for Best Continuing Manga of 2010, since there’s a lot of overlap between her favorites and mine. I’m particularly pleased by […]
Hakusenshas LaLa DX has given the world some charming comics: Natsumes Book of Friends (Viz), The Lapis Lazuli Crown (CMX), The Palette of 12 Secret Colors (CMX), The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko (Tokyopop), etc. How about some more from that menu? We could start with Akane Oguras Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen. Its about the engagement […]
Hakusenshas LaLa DX has given the world some charming comics: Natsumes Book of Friends (Viz), The Lapis Lazuli Crown (CMX), The Palette of 12 Secret Colors (CMX), The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko (Tokyopop), etc. How about some more from that menu? We could start with Akane Oguras Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen. Its about the engagement […]
Hi! It’s a new year, which seems like a perfectly good occasion to shift things around. Henceforth, my blogging will take place at a new site, The Manga Curmudgeon, part of a suite of sites hosted by Melinda (Manga Bookshelf) Beasi and also home to Kate (The Manga Critic) Dacey. I’m delighted and honored to […]
With all the recent talk of new digital initiatives and anti-piracy efforts, I was interested to see this piece by Caleb Goellner at Comics Alliance: “The consortium [of Japanese publishers and publishing trade organizations] basically says that Apple isn’t doing enough to defend against their material being pirated and sold through various apps for the […]
Its a jam-packed ComicList this week, so much so that I must engage in speculation: if I could only pick one of the thumping stack of Viz Signature titles that are arriving this week, which would it be? Keep in mind that Ill buy all of them at some point, but thats a lot of […]
U is for& Lets just get it out of the way: Ultra Gash Inferno, Suehiro Mauros legendarily disgusting collection of erotic grotesque tales that was published in English about a decade ago by Creation Books. Junji Itos Uzumaki (Viz) is also kind of disgusting from time to time, but its much more conventional horror, though […]