InuYasha was the first comic that I actively collected, the manga that introduced me to the Wednesday comic-buying ritual and the very notion of self-identifying as a fan. Though I followed it religiously for years, trading in my older editions for new ones, watching the anime, and speculating about the finale, my interest in the series gradually waned as I was exposed to new artists and new genres. Still, InuYasha held a special place in my heart; reading it was one of my seminal experiences as a comic fan, making me reluctant to re-visit InuYasha for fear of sullying those precious first-manga memories. VIZ’s recent decision to re-issue InuYasha in an omnibus edition, however, inspired me to pick it up again. I made a shocking discovery in the process of re-reading the first chapters: InuYasha is good. Really good, in fact, and deserving of more respect than it gets from many critics…
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Two guilty pleasures in the making.
Down ‘n’ dirty with The Box Man.
A comparative look at this week’s new arrivals.
Stan Lee + Hiroyuki Takei = meh?
The Manga Critic busts out her apron.
This week’s new manga, from Alice in Bishieland to Barefoot Gen.
Reflections on writing and reviewing; reactions to news stories and industry trends.
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to review a greater variety of titles than I did in 2009, when I focused primarily (though not exclusively) on seinen and shojo manga. To that end, I’m dedicating the first of this …
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If I’ve learned anything from my limited study of horror films, it’s this: zombies come in two flavors. The first type are slow, shambling, and stupid, posing little threat to the hero until they reach a critical mass — say, …
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Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pastry Shop might be a better title for this rom-com about a teen who waits tables at the neighborhood bakery, as the characters are so nondescript I had trouble remembering their names. The girl, …
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Warning: these reviews may be too shojolicious for some readers. If you prefer car chases and explosions over character development, or get impatient when characters discuss their feelings (beyond “Hey, I’m hungry,” or “Jeez, that robot is bigger than I …
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Earlier in the week, I examined three manga for the under-twelve set; today, I review three seinen and shonen titles. The first, Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs (VIZ), focuses on the Woofles Pet Store, where exasperated owner Teppei works side-by-side with …
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The very first Sinfest strips tell you everything you need to know about Tatsuya Ishida’s cheeky yet surprisingly reverential comic. In them, we see a young man seated at a table across from the Devil, negotiating a contract that would …
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As 2009 demonstrated, publishers are recognizing the need for kid- and tween-friendly manga, offering a greater variety of titles for younger readers that are lighter on the profanity, sexual content, and violence that can make a series like Bleach or …
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