News and reviews for the discerning manga fan
What is the Manga Movable Feast? Simply put, it’s a virtual book club for manga lovers. Some months we read a particular book or series; other months we focus on the work of a single author; and other months we cast a wider net and explore a genre. Each month, a different member of the [...]
One of the stated goals of my Manga for Newcomers project is to create a resource that would enable a fan of The Lord of the Rings, Iron Chef, or Star Trek find a manga that maps directly onto her reading or TV viewing preferences. To ensure this resource appeals to a variety of readers [...]
Digging into The Manga Critic archives, I made a surprising discovery: though I’ve read almost every Rumiko Takahashi story that’s been translated into English, I haven’t reviewed much of her work. The three reviews I did find explored manga from two very different stages of her career. The first, Mermaid Saga, ran on and off [...]
If you read only one article about TOKYOPOP’s demise, make it Matt Thorn’s The TokyoPop Effect, in which he examines TOKYOPOP’s business model. It’s a damning critique that documents the impact of TOKYOPOP’s cost-cutting measures on the entire US manga industry. Thorn does more than castigate TOKYOPOP for being a manga “sweatshop,” however; he places [...]
If you’re a regular Manga Critic reader, you know that I’m as fond of writing short reviews as I am of writing long ones. It gives me great pleasure, therefore, to announce a new, site-wide feature called Bookshelf Briefs. Each week, Melinda Beasi, Michelle Smith, David Welsh, and I will be teaming up to produce [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
I’m not a big fan of squirm-inducing comedies like The Office; it’s hard to root for a loser who … [Read More...]
Are you an adult reader new to manga? Or a librarian who's looking to add more graphic novels to … [Read More...]
Back in the 1990s, Matt Thorn labored hard to make Keiko Nishi a household name among American manga … [Read More...]
Between the Manga Movable Feast and end-of-the-semester duties, I've fallen hopelessly behind in my … [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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