News and reviews for the discerning manga fan
Will JManga transform the way Americans read Japanese comics? Based on what I saw today, the answer is no: the selection is good but not amazing, and the pricing scheme is too high to compete with scanlations. If the site’s sponsors are receptive to feedback from their customers, however, JManga might evolve into a valuable [...]
As anyone who’s seen Green Lantern or Captain America can attest, adapting a comic for the silver screen is an art, not a science. Done poorly, comic book movies alienate fans with the omission of favorite characters and glossing of seminal plotlines, or confuse newcomers with in-jokes and choppy storytelling. Done well, however, comic book [...]
Earlier this afternoon, Heidi MacDonald reported that TOKYOPOP would be closing its North American publishing division on May 31, 2011, though its film division and global licensing operations (located in Hamburg, Germany) would remain active. The announcement was sudden, but not terribly surprising; TOKYOPOP fired several senior editors in February 2011, reducing its total workforce [...]
Look in the DSM IV, but you won’t find an entry for what ails me: Manga ADHD, or a chronic inability to finish a series of five volumes or more. I didn’t used to be so distracted; once upon a time, I didn’t care if a series was long or short, complete or in progress. [...]
Does hyperbole have a worthwhile role to play in criticism, or is it as much of a cop-out as dismissing Arcade Fire’s latest album with a “meh”? Tasha Roberts and Keith Phipps, two of The A.V. Club’s regular contributors, had a spirited debate on the subject, with Roberts arguing that hyperbole is a rhetorical stance [...]
What belongs in the manga canon? It’s an intriguing and complicated question for English-language readers. There are glaring omissions in the historical record, for one thing; with a few notable exceptions, Western companies have steered clear of manga published before 1970, and have been leery of titles released in the 1970s and 1980s. American audiences [...]
Are “North American ladies” more squeamish than manga fans in other parts of the world? That’s the question that Sean Michael Wilson, editor of AX: A Collection of Alternative Manga, raised in a recent blog entry: …one aspect has surprised both myself and Asakawa, the Japanese editor - quite a few female American reviewers have [...]
For the English-language reader interested in learning more about Osamu Tezuka, there’s a growing body of scholarship exploring his life and work. Frederik L. Schodt, who was a personal friend of Tezuka’s, has done more than just about anyone to introduce Tezuka’s manga to Western audiences, writing in an accessible style that eschews academic formality [...]
The release of Ayako, one of Osamu Tezuka’s most sober and damning works, seemed like a fine excuse for a week of Tezuka-themed essays and reviews. Like many American readers, I have a complicated relationship with Tezuka. I love his artwork: his innovative layouts, his brilliant caricatures, his crazy, tripped-out dream sequences and Freudian sex [...]
The results are in: Leslie Kimura won a copy of Fumi Yoshinaga’s Not Love But Delicious Foods Make Me So Happy! (Yen Press). Congratulations, Leslie! As my way of saying thank-you to everyone who entered, linked to, or Tweeted about this giveaway, I’m sharing all the contestants’ answers to the question, “What is your favorite [...]
Back in February, I went on "second dates" with … [Read More...]
Below is a list of helpful English-language web resources about manga and manhwa. I update this page on a regular basis, so … [Read More...]
Since joining the Good Comics for Kids team in 2008, I've reviewed a variety of comics, graphic novels, and manga for younger … [Read More...]
Though Vertical has published two series by Keiko Takemiya, the Magnificent 49ers' work remains largely unavailable in … [Read More...]
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