Manga + Avril Lavigne = Ugh
Posted by: Katherine Dacey on January 29, 2007 at 11:42 pm
As if the tights-and-capes crowd needed any more ammution for their war against manga…
Intrepid blogger and cartoonist Andre Richards reports that Avril Lavigne will be giving Courtney Love a run for her money on the manga front. Yes, America’s favorite sk8rgrl will be teaming up with Del Rey to produce Avril Lavigne’s Make 5 Wishes. To which my inner curmudgeon says: oh, HELLZ no.
Don’t get me wrong—I love the idea that Del Rey is getting into the OEL game. Kuro Gane and xxxHolic are two of my favorite series on the market right now, and I’m eagerly anticipating Kitchen Princess, Mushishi, Princess Resurrection, and Le Chevalier D’Eon. Why? Because Del Rey produces the kind of manga that serious fans appreciate, with smart-looking covers, gorgeous color pages, snappy translations, and thoughtful cultural notes. Which begs the question: why didn’t Del Rey aim a little higher when venturing into OEL?
It seems to me that the publisher to emulate is Tokyopop. Their best OEL offerings—Sorcerers & Secretaries, 12 Days, The Dreaming, The Abandoned, Afterlife—are well-crafted, entertaining, and, for my money, as good as any licensed series on the market. Instead, Del Rey seems to be aiming for the less appealing part of Tokyopop’s OEL catalog: The Lizzie McGuire Cine-Manga.
If Del Rey wants to silence skeptics like me, I have a suggestion: hire artist Camilla D’Errico to do a series sans Miss Lavigne. D’Errico is a terrific illustrator, capable of creating characters that would do Maurice Sendak or Hayo Miyazaki proud. Team her up with a good writer, and you might have something magic. Team her up with Avril Lavigne… well, you’ll have a lovely-looking book documenting the romantic tribulations of a skate rat-cum-rock god and the snobby ballerina-cum-housewife who rejected him.
POSTSCRIPT: Heidi MacDonald at The Beat just posted the full text of Del Rey’s press release announcing this title. The premise is worse than I’d feared:
In volume one of MAKE 5 WISHES, introverted teenager Hana stumbles upon a website that will change her life forever. After a demon grants her a series of wishes that go bad, Hana meets her hero Avril Lavigne, who helps her find the courage to conquer her own personal demons once and for all.
Please, someone stop the madness NOW.
24 Responses to "Manga + Avril Lavigne = Ugh"
1 | Sixxx
I cringed when I read the title. Whoa. To quote a certain chanteuse (she’s old enough for night clubs now, right?), “I’m with you” in the roll the eyes factor of such a manga. Perhaps they can take a page from one of Maurice Sendak’s books and name one of the characters “Six”. That’s the only way I would even consider glancing at it. Good luck to Del Rey, though.
On a side note (joke?), TP has the whole Disney line of popular kids shows to pull from yet. Lizzie is just the beginning. (I heard that snort.)
2 | Katherine Dacey-Tsuei
January 30th, 2007 at 10:14 am
You mean there’s more where The Lizzie McGuire Cine-Manga came from? Gyaaaaa!
I realize that Del Rey is trying to reach a broader demographic than they might with xxxHolic or Love Roma. Clearly I’m not the target audience for a manga-fied Hillary Duff or Avril Lavigne. But why did Del Rey bank on a flash-in-the-pan pop star’s name to launch its OEL line? Avril Lavigne hasn’t had a hit in ages; my guess is that the intended audience for this series is already listening to someone else.
3 | Michael P.
It seems to me that the publisher to emulate is Tokyopop. Their best OEL offerings—Sorcerers & Secretaries, 12 Days, The Dreaming, The Abandoned, Afterlife—are well-crafted, entertaining, and, for my money, as good as any licensed series on the market. Instead, Del Rey seems to be aiming for the less appealing part of Tokyopop’s OEL catalog: The Lizzie McGuire Cine-Manga.
Actually, those cine-manga are what makes Tokyopop most of their money. Sales-wise, OEL don’t even compare (quality-wise, that’s another thing).
People will buy this just because it’s tied in with a big name, so it WILL sell, and IMHO, at least the premise is more interesting than Tokyopop’s Courtney Love version of the popstar manga, and at least the cover doesn’t make the main character look like an assaulted stripper.
You’re right–those Cine-Manga make Tokyopop a lot of money, though certain OEL titles–especially the critcally praised Dramacon–have posted decent-to-good sales figures on the USA Today bestseller chart.
5 | Tina Anderson
…ugh, why did they have to go and make things so complicated. [LOL! Someone had to say it!]
why didn’t Del Rey aim a little higher when venturing into OEL?
Because they’ve proven with this project that they’re not in this sport for the hunt [creative story telling with unique art and diverse subject matter], they’re just in it for the sport [trend kings looking for that ultimate OEL/manga-with-popstar-endorsement trophy].
*sigh*
Well, even Western Comics has… K.I.S.S. books. 0_o
LOL! You’re right… this is about the bottom line, and I know Love Roma isn’t posting Naruto kind of numbers.
Incidentally, I’d take a Gene Simmons manga over one by Avril Lavigne any day of the week. It would certainly be more entertaining!
7 | Chloe
….I think something died in me when I read this. I sincerely hope this pays off for Del Rey, so that they can come back with enough confidence to pick something more inventive to showcase their OEL lineup. I really didn’t think this month’s bad music artist-with-manga idea could go farther south from that DJ Milky/Princess Ai poetry book, but evidently, I was wrong…
8 | Camilla d'Errico
Hi there!
I just wanted to send out a little note to people about Make5Wishes.com.
I totally know where everyone is coming from, another singer wants their own comic…ugh.
Well, I just want to let people know that its nothing like what you expect. The story is really heartfelt and its not the typical storyline or the bubblegum comics you see out there.
So I hope that you all give it a chance and don’t jump to conclusions too soon. I love my characters and working with Joshua was a great experience, he and I made sure to give people a story that was above the norm.
There’s a saying…”don’t knock it until you try it” so just give us a chance, I can’t guarantee you’ll love it but I can promise you that you won’t regret it.
And thank you so much for you’re nice comments about my art ^_^
Thanks
Camilla
9 | Katherine Dacey-Tsuei
February 2nd, 2007 at 12:24 am
Camilla:
I’m more of a Debbie Harry kinda gal than an Avril Lavigne fan–hence my reaction. But I will try to keep an open mind about Make 5 Wishes, especially since the creative team behind the project has such obvious talent. I hope to see more of your beautiful character designs in the near future, whether or not the story involves Miss Lavigne.
Thanks for a classy response to my gripes!
Kate
10 | Camilla d\'Errico
Kate
Its all good! We all have our opinions, I’m just hoping that people can get past the initial reaction that is typical for a project involving a celebrity.
That write up is misleading, its not a hero situation at all, Avril doesn’t save the day. I won’t say anymore, but rest assured Joshua and I have taken care of keeping this story as non-typical as possible!
Make sure to pick up the April issue of Nightmares and Fairy Tales by Slave Labour Graphics. Its my latest project and if you like Debbie harry you’ll love this series, twisted fairytales…very cool. And for your enjoyment..sans Avril ^_
Thanks for the heads up about “Nightmares and Fairy Tales.” I will definitely look for the April issue!
12 | Joshua Dysart
Hey all. Like my co-creator, Camilla, I understand your concerns about this project. I think they’re all perfectly valid. But I’d like to, at the very least, clear up the notion that this is just canned corporate art…
The book itself is a young adult fantasy/tragedy aimed at the 15 to 17 year old market.
The original title was MAKE5WISHES.COM and a sample site which captures the mood of the peace can be found at http://www.make5wishes.com (there’s no interface, just graphics and a tag line).
I think when people read it they will be very, very surprised by it. Particularly by the second volume. All my standard themes and elements are in place. Herein you will find humanist-based horror, a pathological obsession with loneliness, and a parade of flawed human beings struggling against the very way of things.
While it is seeing publication in North America, it was written specifically for the Japanese and Korean markets (where Avril commands a massive army of fans) and will be part of a considerable push to produce comics for a downloadable market in that region. The current plan to digitally distribute this narrative is the most exciting aspect of the project to me and is the brainchild of Nettwerk Entertainment, which is run by Terry McBride (who helped start “Save the Music Fan”, an organization which takes a stand against the RIAA).
http://www.savethemusicfan.com/press.html.
I think the digital aspect of this project will go a long way in helping to keep comics relevant as modes of distribution shift.
So there’s a lot more vision behind this than you think. Thanks for reading. Peace.
- Joshua Dysart
February 7th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
Joshua:
Thanks for your comments. I doubt I’ll be reading this book, as I have a strong aversion to Avril Lavigne and her music. But I’m impressed by the enthusiasm and obvious passion that you and Camilla have demonstrated, as well as your willingness to address fan criticism with candor. If I don’t check out Make 5 Wishes, I’ll certainly look for your other work.
Kate
14 | Courtney
February 25th, 2007 at 8:58 am
hey there avril you are my hero. and you are the best singer and i am going to get your stuff and in your fun club.
15 | Tony
The idea of this “manga” is completely stupid and pointless.
Who the hell is really gonna read this? Saying that, who would even buy this? maybe a few fat little 10 year old girls.
LOL
what’s next?
hahahahaahaha
16 | TheShadowBeast
This odd, granted. I was quite surprised when I received the news.
Avril Lavigne may be a talented young artist, but I simply don’t think she would make good manga material. I just think that it’s a little conceited that she stars in the manga (no offense to avril lavigne fans)
The art is quite beautiful, Camilla. If the manga had someone else other than Avril in it, I would probably pick it up. I’ll probably browse through it at my local bookstore and see how it fares (the occult factor is certainly interesting–it kind of reminds me of Jigoku Shoujo, but the wishes don’t involve sending someone to hell by promising your own soul to hell as well…)
Unfortunately, I don’t think I could find myself reading it.
I wish Camilla and Joshua the best of luck with their manga launch, but I doubtI’ll be able to pitch my dollars to their royalties.
Since you liked Camilla D’Errico’s artwork, I’d recommend picking up the latest issue of Nightmares and Fairytales (SLG). I liked that quite a bit better than Make 5 Wishes.
18 | Ron
Don’t you people who offer negative opinions without actually reading the book realise that your integrity becomes zero for obvious reasons. Shame on you Katherine, I would at least expect an opinion based on experience from you.
Ron: Since I initially posted this entry, I’ve read the first volume. I didn’t like it. Camilla D’Errico’s artwork is lovely and distinctive, but I didn’t care for the story or the dialogue, nor did I feel that Avril Lavigne was successfully integrated into the story as a character. You’ll find plenty of other reviewers and bloggers who disagree with me–they liked the book, and are eager to read volume 2. De gustibus non disputandum est!
20 | Manga Fan
Avril’s Manga is actually great, nearly eveyone I have talked to about it say they though it was very good too. Don’t listen to these people who are judging it before they have even read it.
21 | MangaMan
Manga + Avril Lavigne = EXCELLENT, best American Magna to date. Get it you won’t regret it. I liked it so much I am ready for a follow up. This one is winner.
22 | John
Hey I just got say I could not disagree with the author of this article more I think the “Make 5 Wishes” Magna was very very good. I received this as a gift not thinking I would like it, but it is really good and I would recommend it highly.
Hey there… is it John? Manga Fan? MangaMan? I don’t know what to call you, though the IP address and prose are the same for all of your comments.
I certainly respect a difference of opinion; I’ve liked books that other reviewers have panned and vice versa. If you’d bothered to read the comment thread, you’d see in my response to Ron that I did read the book and I didn’t like it. If you’re looking for “the best American Magna [sic] to date,” there are plenty of better candidates, from June Kim’s 12 Days to Svetlana Chmakova’s Dramacon.
24 | Jerichow
September 17th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Okay, this is an embarrasment to manga, honestly. It’s a completely unoriginal plot, a very cliche’d one at that as well, and also seems to not follow, or even go as far as to practically insult many of the standards that make manga, well, manga, and the artwork doesn’t even look like it. Sorry but I’m a hardcore advocate for americans making manga, I argue it day in and day out but this one i have to say belongs to the guilotine… it’s an embarasment and a hinderance to those of us who really want to make manga because the world will look at this and think all american manga looks like this…. that my friends, is a very, very bad thing.
