The Shipping News, 10/7/09

After a long, frustrating wait in which only a select number of convention-goers could buy copies, the first volumes of Jiro Taniguchi’s A Distant Neighborhood and Summit of the Gods (Fanfare/Ponet Mon) are available to anyone who wants to read them. Both are strong additions to the Taniguchi canon. Summit of the Gods is the kind of manly-man adventure at which Taniguchi excels, telling the story of a photographer and a climber who decide to re-trace the footsteps of doomed British explorer George Mallory. Taniguchi’s art captures the desolation and danger of the story’s Himalayan setting to such a degree that you may find yourself clipping into a well-anchored harness before reading its more harrowing passages. (Click here for a preview.)

A Distant Neighborhood, on the other hand, reveals a very different side of Taniguchi: it’s a bittersweet, funny story about a salaryman who finds himself transported back in time to his junior high school days. If you’ve found some of Taniguchi’s other work stiff or emotionally sterile, try Neighborhood; as Michelle Smith noted in her review of volume one, it’s a surprisingly moving take on a time-honored — one might even say cliche — premise:

The overall feel of the story is initially similar to The Walking Man in that Hiroshi is merely taking in his surroundings without interacting much. Eventually, though, it becomes the most emotional work by Taniguchi that I’ve read. It’s also seriously engrossing; I could’ve read another 200 pages easily.

If neither title appeals, you’ll find plenty of ninja hijinks (Naruto), supernatural intrigue (Ballad of a Shinigami, Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation, YuYu Hakusho), and teen romances (Gakuen Prince, Magic Touch, Orange Planet) gracing the new arrival rack as well, not to mention a decent crop of all-ages manga that includes one my favorite VIZKIDS titles: Leave it to PET!: The Misadventures of a Recycled Super-Robot, a comedy about an uptight ten-year-old and the inept robot who complicates his life. Highly recommended for the under-twelve crowd.

NEW SERIES/ONE-SHOTS

• A Distant Neighborhood, Vol. 1 (Fanfare/Ponet Mon)
• Oh My Brother, Vol. 1 (CMX)
• Summit of the Gods, Vol. 1 (Fanfare/Ponet Mon)
• Yu-Gi-Oh R, Vol. 1 (VIZ)

CONTINUING SERIES

• Baby & Me, Vol. 16 (VIZ)
• BakeGyamon: Backwards Game, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
• Ballad of a Shinigami, Vol. 2 (CMX)
• ChocoMimi, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
• Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Vol. 5 (Bandai Entertainment)
• Dragon Eye, Vol. 8 (Del Rey)
• Eyeshield 21, Vol. 28 (VIZ)
• Fairy Idol Kanon, Vol. 2 (UDON Entertainment)
• Gakuen Prince, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
• Gentleman’s Alliance, Vol. 10 (VIZ)
• Happy Happy Clover, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
• Hoshin Engi, Vol. 15 (VIZ)
• Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
• Knights of the Zodiac, Vol. 27 (VIZ)
• La Corda d’Oro, Vol. 11 (VIZ)
• Leave it to PET!: The Misadventures of a Recycled Super Robot, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
• The Legend of Zelda: The Four Swords, Part Two (VIZ)
• Magic Touch, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
• Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation, Vol. 13 (VIZ)
• Naruto, Vol. 46 (VIZ)
• Negima Neo, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
• NORA: Last Chronicle of Devildom, Vol. 7 (VIZ)
• One Piece, Vol. 22 (VIZ)
• Orange Planet, Vol. 2 (Del Rey)
• Pokemon Adventures, Vol. 3 (2nd ed.) (VIZ)
• Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Adventures, Vol. 5 (VIZ)
• Reborn!, Vol. 13 (VIZ)
• Rosario + Vampire, Vol. 9 (VIZ)
• School Rumble, Vol. 13 (Del Rey)
• Shaman Warrior, Vol. 8 (Dark Horse)
• Shugo Chara, Vol. 7 (Del Rey)
• Skip-Beat, Vol. 19 (VIZ)
• Slam Dunk, Vol. 6 (VIZ)
• Strawberry 100%, Vol. 10 (VIZ)
• Venus Versus Virus, Vol. 7 (Seven Seas)
• The Wallflower, Vol. 21 (Del Rey)
• Wild Ones, Vol. 8 (VIZ)
• Yozakura Quartet, Vol. 5 (Del Rey)
• YuYu Hakusho, Vol. 18 (VIZ)