Pink Tentacle, unofficial chronicler of all things cute, weird, or cool, has a fun photo essay that should appeal to trainspotters and manga maniacs alike. The piece features over one dozen pictures of Japanese trains decorated with beloved anime and manga characters, from Anpanman and Doreamon to Cyborg-009 and, naturally, Pikachu. It’s enough to make [...]
Yes, everyone and his other brother have reviewed Takehiko Inoue’s two basketball manga, justly praising his draftsmanship and storytelling. But no one has done a better job of describing Slam Dunk’s hapless hero than David Welsh:
It’s about a red pompadour that has parasitically affixed itself to the head of a first-year high-school student named Hanamichi [...]
The folks at MangaCast have been lobbying US publishers to pick up Detroit Metal City for close to a year, so I’m guessing they’re pretty stoked to hear that Viz will be bringing it to the US in 2009. The premise sounds like a glorious mash-up of Dr. Jeckell and Mr. Hyde, This Is Spinal [...]
Viz recently released Naruto, The Boy Ninja, a chapter book treatment of its wildly popular franchise. Lori Henderson just posted her thoughts on Boy Ninja at Good Comics for Kids, praising the author for her skillful adaptation of the manga:
adaptation of the first few chapters from manga to prose came out very well. The writer, [...]
David Welsh, one of our favorite manga pundits, is giving away copies of Tezuka’s dark, funny, provocative medical drama Black Jack (Vertical, Inc.). To enter your name in the running, follow these guidelines:
I’m asking you to offer your prescription for the comics industry. What steps can it take to ensure a healthy and productive future? [...]
Lori Henderson recently posted a blog entry about BookCloseOuts.com, a website offering generous discounts on a variety of books, including manga. Lori has the details on their latest promotion, as well as some tips for finding the good stuff at this no-frills site. Here’s a sample of their current offerings:
Agent BOO, Vol. 1: $2.49 (50% [...]
Editor Rob McCarthy recently posted an interesting comment on the VIZBlog, praising Takehiko Inoue for the accuracy of Real’s wheelchair basketball games:
As a wheelchair user myself I noticed something in Real volume 2 that I more than likely should have noticed in volume 1. Inoue Takehiko may be the only cartoonist who has ever drawn [...]
Lori Henderson, Editor-in-Chief of Comics Village and contributor to Good Comics for Kids, just posted her thoughts on the 2009 Shonen Jump line-up. (FYI: Tegami Bachi, a sci-fi/fantasy series, will replace Slam Dunk beginning in March.) As Lori points out, Slam Dunk filled a gaping hole in the Shonen Jump line-up:
Slam Dunk is the first [...]
If you’re still on the fence about who to vote for tomorrow, perhaps you’ll want to read this oldie-but-goodie from Shaenon Garrity’s now-defunct Overlooked Manga Festival: The Parade of Manga Presidents. She tracks down images of American presidents from FDR (who makes a cameo in Tezuka’s Adolf) to Bill Clinton (who shows up in a [...]
Last week, Johann Draper Carlson interviewed Alex de Campi, creator of two Tokyopop OEL titles: Agent Boo and Kat & Mouse. I’ve read both, and agree with the legions of fans and critics who cried foul at Tokyopop’s cancellation of Kat & Mouse, which was a great example of how to write intelligent, topical comics [...]
