Zombies Calling owed a fair bit to Scream for its humor and structure, and Ellsmere seems to be similarly sourced. Like good-hearted grind Rory from the early years of The Gilmore Girls, Ellsmere’s Juniper wins enrollment into a prestigious private school (via scholarship instead of grandparental largesse, in Jun’s case) and immediately draws the threatened attention of the institution’s self-appointed queen bee. On Gilmore, that queen bee was the highly strung overachiever Paris Gellar; in Ellsmere, it’s the smirking, vicious Emily,

From those core similarities, Hicks diverges in some promising ways. Jun is nowhere near as dewy and perfect as Rory; she’s much more likely to make a preemptive verbal strike than keep her head down and her nose in a book. And while Paris was neurotically fixated on what Rory’s abilities and accomplishments said about her own, Emily is more absorbed by class differences. She has a rigid set of expectations of scholarship students and their place in Ellsmere’s elite ecosystem.

And while Paris was one of the defining “frienemies” of her era, no one should expect Jun and Emily to be sharing secrets in a stairwell any time soon. Instead, Hicks splits the frienemy egg and gives Jun an ally on the inside. Jun’s roommate, Cassie, is just as pedigreed as Emily, and she’s been at Ellsmere just as long, but Cassie’s quirks have isolated her just as effectively as Jun’s relative poverty will. Jun and Cassie bond quickly and believably. Jun inspires Cassie to raise her academic expectations, or at least to apply herself in ways that interest her. Flakiness aside, Cassie knows how Ellsmere works, and she can advise Jun on the ins and outs; she’s a good listener and she makes Jun laugh. Cassie made me laugh, too. The Jun-Emily rivalry takes up most of the narrative, but I kept turning my attention to Cassie’s evolution. It’s measured, credible and rewarding.

For all of the book’s easy charm, it’s very tightly written. Hicks finds a solid, compelling plot in Jun’s first year at Ellsmere. She fleshes it out nicely with well-developed characters and, more importantly, chemistry among those characters. That’s a really important next step, and I think some creators may neglect it. There also seems to be more confidence in terms of voicing characters here than in Zombies Calling; there’s a similarly metatextual quality to the dialogue, but it’s dedicated more to the characters’ feelings than the shifting rules of zombie combat.

I was sure that Hicks’ follow-up to Zombies Calling would be an improvement, and I feel the same about whatever comes after Ellsmere. And while I wouldn’t want to paint Hicks into a corner when she’s clearly got a very portable skill set as a creator, I’d love to see what happens next to Jun, Cassie and Emily.

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Just read some wonderful news – the beautiful and charming webcomic Weird Fishes by Jamaica Dyer has just been picked up by Slave Labor Graphics and will be printed as a graphic novel later in the year. If you haven’t checked out this wonderfully rendered excursion into the imagination then you should stop dragging your heels and get over there.

Dark Horse offers the fifth volume of Adam Warren’s smutty, hilarious, and heartwarming Empowered. This is truly appalling fan service repurposed for good. I don’t know how to explain or justify that statement, but trust me, the book is terrific. (Page 38, FEB09 0052)

Cherish the “Offered Again” listings while you can. They allow me to rectify the error of not ordering Faith Erin Hicks’ warmly received The War at Ellsmere (Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics). (Page 198, FEB09 4023)

One of the most anticipated graphic novels of the year is due to arrive from Drawn & Quarterly. It’s Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s A Drifting Life, a massive (840 pages) autobiography from the founding father of alternative manga. (Page 263, FEB09 4254)

First Second offers Dong Hwa Kim’s coming-of-age romance, The Color of Earth, which looks really lovely. (Page 270, FEB09 4289)

It’s a good month for manhwa, as NBM delivers Mijeong, a collection of short stories by Byun Byung-Jun, creator of the marvelous Run, Bong-Gu, Run! (Page 287, FEB09 4402)

Viz offers another volume of culinary treasure Oishinbo, written by Tetsu Kariya and illustrated by Akira Hanasaki. This installment looks at ramen and dumplings. Mmm… dumplings. (Page 311, FEB09 4482)

Epa, influência da temática. Vamos nos ater aos fatos.

O caso é o seguinte. Em breve o movimento EMO vai ganhar sua referência cinematográfica.

"Eu sou uma estrela. Eu sou uma estrela brilhante, eu eu estou além de seu alcance" - Eta coisa EMO!

John H. Williams (produtor dos filmes Shrek e Valiant – Um herói que vale a pena) adquiriu recentente os direitos sobre a HQ Emo Boy e deve adaptá-la para o cinema. Stephen Edmond, escritor e desenhista da revista, cuidará do roteiro e a direção está a cargo de Kyle Newman, do ainda inédito Fanboys. Juntos eles devem dar vida à história do garoto mais dramático do mundo. De tão dramático ele obterá os super-poderes- emos. Segundo o site LostBrasil.com a sinopse do álbum das 6 primeiras edições diz o seguinte:

Poder Emo Boy - ele é tão impopular. Desprezado. Ele não tem família. Ele não apenas tem de lidar com coisas do tipo suicídio e questionar sua identidade sexual, como ainda tem esses emo-poderes que só trazem destruição e desastre, fazendo com que todos o odeiem mais do que eles já odiavam antes. Seu primeiro amor tem sua cabeça explodida. O time de futebol americano o quer morto. E ele tirou um zero em Inglês. Não é à toa que ele é tão deprimido!

Emo Boy, criada por Edmond e publicada pela editora Slave Labor Graphics em 2005, segue a idéia do personagem fatalista. Seu o destino é incerto e o enredo é recheado de humor negro satirizando com o tema. No Brasil ainda não foi publicada, mas quem sabe não saia em breve fomentada pelo filme?

E lembre-se, não é pra ser ofensivo. É apenas uma brincadeira. Não chore e divirta-se.

I thought Faith Erin Hicks showed a lot of promise with Zombies Calling (SLG), so I’ll definitely give her follow-up, The War at Ellsmere (SLG), a close look.

NBM gives you a third chance to purchase Nicolas DeCrécy’s Glacial Period, a graphic novel created under the sponsorship of the Louvre. DeCrécy takes a fanciful, futuristic look at the institution through the eyes of a team of archeologists who are trying to excavate the cultural repository, now buried under show and ice. It’s great fun. I reviewed it here.

There are some exceptions, to be sure—Gary Panter, Jamie Helwitt, and Ben Snakepit come immediately to mind—but on a whole, the lack of prominent punk comics seems a bit surprising given the similar and oft-overlapping nature of the two counter-cultures. Punk has surely had a large impact on the comics world, both in terms of aesthetic and the DIY ethos that has inspired the parallel worlds of the fanzine and mini-comic, but an outright embrace of the culture in the sequential medium has rarely been quite so forthright as one might expect.

For the record, Punk Rock and Trailer Parks is not likely to usher in some sea change on this matter—nor is destined to be celebrated as the definitive chronicle of a cultural movement. Such grand ambitions, however, seem to be the furthest thing from Derf’s mind. The artist has seemingly no desire to pen the graphic novel equivalent to Suburbia or Rude Boy, and while the plot is ostensibly that of a coming-of-age story played out with the backdrop of punk’s first wave, Derf’s book lacks the manner of earnest drama and self-pity of the aforementioned examples. It’s this refusal to take itself too seriously that ultimately proves Punk Rock and Trailer Parks’ biggest selling point.

On some surface level, the story here is painfully familiar. Derf’s protagonist—the self-nicknamed “The Baron”—is a nerdy high school student living with a relative in a trailer park who eventually finds an identity and ultimately some manner of redemption in the world of punk rock.The Baron, however, like Derf himself, refuses to take life too seriously, and while, as an awkward band geek, he oft finds himself the source of ridicule at the hands of his peers, from the outset he’s a self-style outspoken character, the sort of slightly-cartoony, free-thinking individual that is, more often than not, relegated to the role of a best friend in these sorts of stories. At times Punk Rock and Trailer Parks feels like a punk rock John Hughes movie with the nerdy Anthony Michael Hall or John Cusack sidekick run amok.

The Baron finds himself in the punk rock equivalent to Forrest Gump scenarios, bowling with Lester Bangs, eating hamburgers with the Ramones, buying shaving cream to obscure Wendy O. Williams’ breasts—quirky anecdotes that seem to, at least in part, be steeped in real-life events. However, these events are not the result of passively succumbing to fate. The Baron is a force on-par with some of the aforementioned characters that left their own indelible marks on the culture.

Derf’s work in Punk Rock and Trailer Parks is reminiscent of Peter Bagge, both in terms of its unrepentantly cartoonish aesthetic and its stubborn refusal to take anything too seriously. The artist’s constant references to the music and characters of the period, meanwhile, are a virtual love letter to punk rock and new wave. The combination of these two complimentary forces makes for an incredibly likeable book.

–Brian Heater

Anyway, I stopped at a comic shop in hopes of finding a copy of Tokyo Zombie (Last Gasp), but I had no joy on that front. (I’ll keep looking, not to worry.) I couldn’t quite bring myself to leave without some satirical zombie comic in my hands, so I picked up a copy of Faith Erin Hicks’s Zombies Calling (SLG). I’d heard a lot of good things about it, and I was in a rare mood for zombie satire, so…

It’s one of those books that make you really eager to see what the creator does next. I don’t think I’ll ever encounter what I’d consider a great zombie comic, even a satirical one, because the genre has been making fun of itself long before anyone sat down with the specific intent of doing so. Hicks takes a Scream-esque approach, featuring a devoted fan of zombie films faced with an actual infestation of the shambling undead. College-student Joss is part-horrified, part-thrilled that she can put her encyclopedic knowledge of genre tropes to practical use, trying to shepherd her friends through the hordes of the recently deceased.

There are some very funny bits, along with evidence of some of the pitfalls of this kind of satire. At a certain point, the creator either needs to go serious – hewing closer to the tropes she or he is tweaking – or find some new direction. Hicks almost succeeds in straddling the two, blending in some smart generational satire. And even if Zombies Calling doesn’t quite hold together as a story, the general level of craft and wit is more than high enough to carry you along.

As I said, it’s a comic that’s most notable for the promise it conveys. The prospect of watching Hicks get better with time is definitely enticing.

If I’d read his books in the order they’ve been published, I might have had the same reaction to Matthew Loux’s Sidescrollers (Oni). In spite of wide acclaim, I stalled on picking this book up until Oni re-offered it recently. (As with zombies, there are plenty of comics about slackers, and one can’t simply pick up all of them, because they won’t all be Scott Pilgrim or Solanin.) So I read Loux’s terrific Salt Water Taffy (also from Oni) first. And while Sidescrollers offers a certain amount of wooly fun, it can’t quite compete in my mind with the sharper, more polished work on display in Salt Water Taffy.

Born in Riverside California in 1973, Steven Daily did a considerable amount of moving, between California and the American Mid-west, during his formative years. It was during these years that his passion for art was sparked and began to flourish like wildfire. After graduating from Bolsa Grande High School, he attended Riverside Community College, and later transferred to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.Unsatisfied with the “schooling” he had received, Steven took it upon himself to develop a style as individual to the world as he. Steven has done just that. Graffiti played an enormous role in his learning, teaching him patience as well as color theory and composition.

In 1997, propelled by the advice of a former professor, and a meeting with a Disney executive, Steven concluded that the time had come to become serious about his career as an artist.

Today, Steven’s work is extremely stylized, and his paintings are emotionally evocative. He has shown in numerous galleries nationwide. He has created a sizeable body of work. Mr. Daily is extremely busy these days, working on several exciting new projects, so you can expect to see much more from him in the immediate future.

Steven took some time out to give an exclusive interview to The405, check it out!

When did you first realize or for see that your art work could become a possible career path for yourself?

For as far back as I could remember I wanted to be a professional artist.I knew what I wanted to be  at like ten. It’s weird to say but I can’t think of a time i wasn’t drawing or painting.The first time I saw a star wars art book or a D&D monster manual was probably the start.I can remember Doing blade runner drawings right after we got home from seeing it.The same with star wars.

A lot of you art work consists of skulls,skeletons and other various demonic looking charachters. Is death something that is constantly on your mind and therefore showing through in your art work?

I have really never thought of it that way.I have always just been fascinated with anatomy and oddities. As far as demonic things? I was raised christian,  the demons and devils are drummed into you as much as christ or heaven.I guess I just get the demons out on paper.I have always been attracted to the dark side of things.I would have joined the Empire, But later betrayed the emporer.

How did the transition from having your art work on canvas/wood to then having it put onto skateboard decks come about?

I have always wanted to make skate boards.I skated for like twenty years, and still push around on my board every once in a while.Back in two thousand and two, I did an art show with andy howell and dave kinsey.At the brewery in los angeles.I got to meet one of my skate heroes Andy Howell.we lost touch for a while but with the wonderfull invention of the world wide web.I was able to keep in touch with him.After a few years He asked me to be apart of the artist project It was an amazing program.so i agreed and now I have some Really cool decks.

Have you ever considered doing your own comic book/graphic novel series or working as a comic book illustrator?

I actual have a grafic novel/ childrens book. Its called “It Ate Billy On Christmas” on Dark horse Publishing. I did 48 hand painted pages and Roman Dirge wrote it. I also did another small comic slash childrens book with Roman, called “Peter The Pirate squid” Published by slave labor graphics. Another book with roman is in the works.I am Working On a scifi epic write now with Writer Chris Ogilvie. working title “Second coming” And A secret project with Jon Schnepp Director Of “Metalocalypse”

There’s also a strong Star Wars influence in your work. As a fan, had you always wanted to incorporate charachters from the movies or was this just a natural progression in your art work?

It wasn’t a conscious decision.Like all my friends that grew up in the eighty’s, That Iconic imagery just resinates in me.I do think it was just a natural thing to come out. Im obsessed with star wars.

Where does your fascination for drawing naked women and the female form derive from?

I took some life drawing classes.I just fell in love with the female form.I love the fine line between sexuality beauty and anatomy.

Would you say that each of your portrait pieces can tell or have a personal story attached to the character in them? Is this intentional?

They do have a story to them, BUt I’ll never tell. Its not intentional, It kinda just happens.I’d rather the reader make up there own story. Its probably better than mine any way.

Does music influence you creativeness at all? What have you been listening to a lot of on your Ipod/mp3 player recently?

I would have to say yes, JOy division and radio head are a big inspiration in my work.lately I have been listining to IO echo, Nick cave, Joy division, warsaw,  Refused, NIN, The arcade fire, Drive like jehu, spiritualized, Snowden,  and on and on and on……

What is the key to never getting tired/bored of what you do?

I try not to paint the same Thing over and over.  Continuous growth and learning are key for me.I also try to surround myself with talented people that inspire me!

Finally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now, in regards to your work, new projects and any other personal aspirations you have in life.

I would love to do museum shows, and maybe have a book of my art. Possibly have my own gallery or at least work shop.and maybe teach what i know to whoever will listen.

Be sure to check more of Steven’s work by visiting his Official website here and on MySpace here

- A

Gigantic #1 (Dark Horse Comics) — It was a beautiful spring day in downtown San Francisco before a gigantic armored alien appeared from out of nowhere and began smashing things all to hell! Who is this invader? Why is he being attacked by strange alien beings? And why is he so gigantic? A twist on The Truman Show, Gigantic focuses on a brainwashed, alien superhero deposited on Earth to be the spotlight of an intrusive, around-the-clock television program being filmed without his knowledge.

This sounds like an “out there idea” by writer Rick Remender. Giant alien warrior intergalactic reality programing. Kudos to Rick for getting it published. I might have to categorize this concept in the “dammit, why didn’t I think o fit first” file. This Definitely sounds worth checking out.

The Cleaners (Dark Horse Comics) – In the dark tradition of Los Angeles noir, The Cleaners is a terrifying new mystery series about a ragtag team of for-hire trauma-scene cleaners led by ex-surgeon Robert Bellarmine. Contracted with sanitizing some of the nastiest crime and accident scenes in the tri-county L.A. basin, the team battles against what could only be described as the grim, unknowable face of the supernatural. But by focusing on the scientific explanation, no matter how aberrant or extraordinary, they counteract centuries-old superstition to prove things are seldom what they seem . . . In this miniseries, the cleaners crew takes on a series of gruesome tasks starting with a bloodbath that covers an entire neighborhood. This investigation leads them toward uncovering a disturbing mystery involving missing children, which dates back longer than the history of the city itself.

Knowing writer Josh Fialkov the way that I do. This is probably going to be one effed up book — and I mean “effed up” in the best most bloody twisted way.

Jingle Belle: Santa Claus Vs. Frankenstein (Top Cow Productions, Inc.) — Paul Dini’s Jingle Belle comes to Top Cow in a special “Halloween collides with Christmas” one-shot written by Dini and drawn by Stephanie Gladden (Powerpuff Girls, Chowder, Hopster’s Tracks). In years past, Santa has triumphed over a variety of enemies including the Devil himself. Now, St. Nick gets ready to face his greatest challenge ever in Jingle Belle: Santa Claus Vs. Frankenstein! Inspired by Mary Shelley’s original novel (sort of), the story of Frankenstein’s monster takes a new twist when he is found by Jingle in the Arctic wastes and “rehabilitated” to fit in with the elves at Santa’s Workshop. All goes well until an ultra-PC city declares Santa Claus taboo and awakens Frankie’s monstrous side in a misguided attempt to help his friend. It’s up to an ailing Santa and a reluctant Jingle Belle to stop their monstrous “apprentice” before he destroys the town and ruins the reputation of Christmas forever! Cover A – Stephanie Gladden. Cover B – Greg Horn.

I’m kicking around my own “Santa Claus Vs.” story right now, so Dini’s got my interest there. Add the fact that I’m a sucker for this style of art, and that I’m very curious to see the Greg Horn cover — I’ll be checking it out.

Lulu & Mitzi Best Laid Plans TPB Vol. 01 (Amaze Ink / Slave Labor Graphics) — Imagine if Lucy and Ethel worked in the world’s oldest profession. Lulu and Mitzy are young, illegal immigrants trying to get by in San Francisco, even if that means pulling every scheme imaginable. It’s a rough and tumble existence filled with wannabe artists, sex workers, low-lifes, and the type of fringe elements that can only exist in San Francisco.

It’s the artwork that first attracted me to this title — kind of reminded me of the artwork on the Monopoly “Chance” and “Community Chest” cards. And then I found out it was about “working girls.” There’s just not enough material out there about the zany world of illegal immigrant prostitutes. Hopefully this title will change all of that.

H.P. Lovecraft’s Nyarlathotep (Boom! Studios) – BOOM! gives horror legend H.P. Lovecraft’s Nyarlathotep new life in this handsome hardcover, featuring illustrations by Chuck BB (Black Metal)! This is a must-have for Lovecraft fans. Lovecraft’s original prose poem is reprinted in its entirety and visually interpreted by one of comics’ most exciting new talents.

I’m not so much an H.P. Lovecraft fan as much as I’m a Chuck BB fan. I mean, I don’t have any original H.P. Lovecraft writings in my possession, but I do have original Chuck BB artwork hanging on my walls. This nifty hardcover will be worth checking out for the art alone.

Dynamite Pilot #1 (Data Red Publishing) — The death of an era begins! The end of the ‘Tens of Tens’ war comes to a violent end as a young man, the Dynamite Pilot, frees his alien civilization from an evil, foreign occupational army. A new comic from the from the creator of Space Sheriff and Happy Space Boy.

I know next to nothing about the title, but I’m intrigued. Delving a little bit deeper by checking out the review of it being a “Staff Pick” and I’m even more intrigued. “What if Hiyao Miyazaki had done Mad Max?” I’m looking forward to checking out this grim and violent tale with a touch of mysticism.

Pirat Tales: The Legend of the Cat O’ Nine Tails #1 (IDW Publishing) — The infamous Captain Blacktail and his crew of swashbuckling rats set sail upon the high seas in search of a treasure equal to the ransom of kings upon kings. Many would-be plunderers have set forth to claim the treasure of the Cat O’ Nine Tails-only never to return. A young mouse known as Pip will find his life forever changed as he journeys to uncharted waters on an adventure with Captain Blacktail and the rat crew of the Vile Vermin.

What?! You didn’t think that I wasn’t going to plug my own book, did you? Look, no one has been anticipating the November release of this title more than yours truly — trust me.

Super Real Graphics Presents; The Wolves of Odin (Superrealgraphics.com) – From Lucasfilm artist Grant Gould (Star Wars the Clone Wars online) comes the story of the war between Vikings and werewolves in this debut graphic novella! The rise of Christianity amongst the north-men has frustrated Odin, Father of the Norse Gods. Out of jealousy and anger, he has transformed three of his most loyal berserkers into unstoppable beasts, and set them loose upon his traitorous “followers”. Thor, God of Thunder, takes it upon himself to challenge his father’s madness by aiding a loyal warrior of his own: the viking Tyr. Along with the help of a witch and two strangers, Tyr must face the wolves and realize his own destiny.

I’ve been a fan of Grant Gould’s art since the first time I laid eyes on it online. I met him briefly at San Diego Comic-Con 2008 and informed him that someday I want to work with him. Hopefully it won’t be to long. I dig his art!

]]> http://precur.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/downgoing/ Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:04:12 +0000 davidpwelsh http://precur.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/downgoing/ I’m just not feeling the ComicList love this week. So, for a change, I’ll recommend some old (or “old”) comics.

The Walking Man, by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon): This is one of the most soothing, serene comics reading experiences you’re ever likely to enjoy. It’s basically about a suburban guy who goes on walks, taking in the scenery as he goes. That’s all, and that’s plenty, because the gentle spirit of the stories marries beautifully with Taniguchi’s richly detailed visuals.

Paris, by Andi Watson and Simon Gane (SLG): A sweet, slight story of young women in love, masterfully illustrated by Gane. Watson’s observations about class and youth provide a nice enough spine, but the real appeal is Gane and his rich, odd renderings of Paris in the 1950s. I had never seen Gane’s artwork before, and there’s really nothing else like it.

Polly and the Pirates, by Ted Naifeh (Oni Press): Is it possible to be both a proper schoolgirl and the terror of the high seas? It is if you’re being written and drawn by Naifeh, who can combine tight plotting with fanciful, funny bits that don’t disrupt the flow.

Livewires: Clockwork Thugs, Yo, by Adam Warren and Rick Mays (Marvel): Even when working for Marvel, Warren (creator of the demented and thoroughly charming Empowered for Dark Horse) can turn out a funky, smart comic. This one’s about a black-ops group of android teens who are tasked with cleaning up a proliferation of similarly covert tech cells. Imaginative violence, smart plays on the “even an android can cry” motif, nifty fad jokes, and eye-popping art by Mays are more than enough to render the tiny, tiny lettering a non-issue.

Only the Ring Finger Knows, by Satoru Kannagi and Hotaru Odagiri (Juné): This sweet, squeaky clean example of shônen-ai is still one of my favorites. It’s a gentle, character-driven romance between two temperamentally opposite high-school students (try and contain your shock at the novelty of such a concept, I beg). I keep meaning to read the novels based on the property.

Dark Horse gets a jump on a 2009 movie with the release of a repackaging of the first two volumes of Osamu Tezuka’s classic Astro Boy. It’s probably Tezuka’s best-known property, and I’m grateful that Dark Horse has made so much of it is available in English, but honesty compels me to admit that I haven’t felt any burning need to read all of it. (Page 56.)

I’ve heard good things about Kerry Callen’s Halo and Sprocket, and Amaze Ink/SLG releases the second volume of the series and offers the first again. Any series that inspires fan art by Andi Watson must be worth a look. (Page 206.)

Broccoli offers a series that looks both adorable and odd. It’s Honoka Level Up!, by Akiyoshi Ohta and Matsuda98, and it features a really young character developer “getting caught up in the confusing politics, crushing responsibilities, and difficult developmental aspects” of the video game industry. Salary ‘tween manga? Why not? (Page 247.)

Have you been suffering through Kio Shimoku withdrawal since the conclusion of Genshiken? Del Rey is here for you, offering the Genshiken Official Book and the first volume of Shimoku’s Kujibiki Unbalance, the property that inspired microscopic obsession among Shimoku’s gang of geeks. (Page 266.)

Fantagraphics switches gears with the work of the very gifted Los Bros. Hernandez, going straight to the trade with Love and Rockets: New Stories. I’m partial to Gilbert’s work, but both are gifted, and this sounds like an appealing way to consume their work. (Page 298.)

I can’t say I’m entirely sold by the premise of Ray Fawkes and Cameron Stewart’s The Apocalipstix, due from Oni Press. Josie and the Pussycats after Armageddon? I just don’t know. But I’m crazy enough about Stewart’s art that I’ll certainly have to sample it. (Page 320.)

I sort of glazed over on a lot of the manga announcements that came out of the New York Comic-Con, but when Kate Dacey takes the time to point out a title, and when it’s a title that Lillian Diaz-Pryzbl heartily endorses, I’m game. It’s Natsumi Itsuki’s Jyu-Oh-Sei (Tokyopop), and it’s described as having a classic shôjo sci-fi feel. (Page 353.)

Speaking of Kate, I’m guessing she’s as excited as I am to see Yen Press release the second volume of Jung-Hyun Uhm’s Forest of Gray City, originally published by ICE Kunion. A working woman takes in a sexy male roommate to share expenses in this beautifully drawn josei-style manhwa. (Page 389.)

But I will read it…soon…I swear. But first I need to finish…

Real interesting concept, simple effective packaging, and I like the compact digest size. I will admit that I’m having a bit of an issue with some of the dialogue, as the writer seems to enjoy letting his characters gab a bit without any real point to it, but I’m confident I won’t regret my purchase.

Any other indy books someone would like to recommend?

I’ve often suspected that my cats have struck up demonic alliances, so it shouldn’t be surprising that there’s a comic based on that premise. It’s Ubu Bubu (SLG) by Jaime Smart. Here’s a preview.

Dark Horse delivers the second volume of Mi-Kyung Yun’s gorgeous, folklore-steeped soap opera, Bride of the Water God.

Go! Comi offers new volumes of two of my favorite ongoing series, each of which turns the traditional school setting upside down. Setona Mizushiro’s Afterschool Nightmare (now at volume six) makes adolescent anxieties manifest in a surreal dreamscape. Hideyuki Kurata and Tomomasa Takuma’s Train + Train has an entire planet as its classroom. Experiential learning is so trendy these days.

Looking for something gorgeous and restful? Look no farther than the second volume of Kozue Amano’s Aqua (Tokyopop), in which a young girl learns to navigate the waterways of Neo Venezia.

Also from Tokyopop is the third volume of Yuji Iwahara’s King of Thorn. I was really looking forward to this series, but I must admit that it’s testing my patience. I hope the characterizations start to deepen beyond survival-adventure stock figures and that the story comes closer to meeting the standard set by Iwahara’s thrilling illustrations.

There’s a clear and present Pick of the Month (that I probably won’t pick up at the comic shop because it will be widely available at a better price elsewhere). Pantheon is releasing the second volume of Joann Sfar’s The Rabbi’s Cat, which is certainly cause for raucous celebration, at least in my house. The debut volume was my first exposure to Sfar’s work, and I’ve been watching like a hawk for more of this intriguing story. (Page 327.)

I’m not familiar with the work of Ulf K., but Top Shelf’s solicitation for the Hieronymus B. graphic novel is intriguing. The book is being simultaneously released by five international publishers, and the preview pages at the publisher’s site are appealing. (Page 354.)

I was thinking yesterday that people using “with Oscar-winner so-and-so” to entice viewers to watch a given movie should only be able to use the phrase when the cited individual actually won and Oscar for the movie in question. I’m thinking along the same lines when I see a publisher say a book is like Scott Pilgrim, even when the book is being released by the publisher of Scott Pilgrim. Maybe they could give Bryan Lee O’Malley some kind of signet ring, and he could grant approval for use of the comparison, but he’s probably too self-effacing to go along with something like that.

Anyway, Oni is pitching Lars Brown’s North World to fans of not only Scott Pilgrim, but Gross Point Blank, Lord of the Rings, and Buffy, which is some kind of ultimate ven diagram of geekery. There’s no information up on Oni’s site yet, but you can check out the webcomic here. It looks like fun in a game-logic sort of way, with Brown blending role-playing game elements with comedic slacker angst. So… yeah… like Scott Pilgrim. (Page 326.)

If Tom Spurgeon’s holiday interview with Simon Gane made you want to read something Gane has drawn, you really couldn’t do better than Paris, written by Andi Watson. It’s a gorgeous, romantic mini-series that seemed to have been conceived with the sole purpose of letting Gane draw the hell out of it, which is all the purpose it really needs. SLG offers the collected version again in case you missed it. (Page 213.)

DC releases a full-color omnibus collection of the first sixteen issues of one of the best super-hero comics of the last fifteen years, James Robinson’s Starman. It’s got gorgeous Tony Harris art, a terrific cast, and a really nice generational-hero set-up without ever seeming like an airless exercise in continuity flogging. It’s kind of pricey at $49.99, so I would probably be inclined to wait for a paperback version if I didn’t already own the collected issues in one form or another. (Page 92.)

And last but not least, one of my favorite manga series comes to an end. Tokyopop releases the final volume of Minetaro Mochizuki’s Dragon Head. Mochizuki has served up some incredible thrills and chills in ten volumes of character-driven survival drama. I still can’t understand why this series wasn’t a big hit. (Page 351.)

If it weren’t for the Guide, the pick of the week might be the fifth volume of Kiyohiko Azuma’s absolutely delightful Yotsuba&! (ADV). Cardboard robot battles! A trip to the beach! Grapes! What more do you need?

Yes, they hunger for brains, but how do zombies really feel? Someone must have already asked this, but nothing comes to mind. This archly emo look at undead eaters of human flesh comes in the form of J. Marc Schmidt’s Eating Steve from Slave Labor Graphics. I’ve heard good things about Schmidt’s Egg Story, and the Eating Steve preview has some nice bits in it.)

I’m curious about CMX’s new wave of titles aimed at mature readers, particularly Kanako Inuki’s Presents. The excerpt that ran in a CMX sampler over the summer wasn’t too inspiring, but John Jakala’s review convinces me that it’s definitely worth a look. (But I really love “comeuppance theater.” “Tonight on ‘When Bad Things Happen to People Who Totally Deserve Them…”)

Adrian Tomine’s Shortcomings (Drawn & Quarterly) has gotten great reviews all over the place, so I’m sure I’ll take a look at it at some point. I’m guessing it will be all over chain bookstores, and the right convergence of opportunity and discount will arise somewhere down the line.

How have I managed to go this long without reading Lat’s Kampung Boy (First Second), even in the face of universal critical acclaim? And now the follow-up, Town Boy, is due. Must… catch… up! (Not with the help of Amazon, though. They have one of those “buy both” offers that actually allows you to pay about 75 cents more for the two titles than you would if you just added them to your cart individually, which leads me to believe that the buy-two pricing hasn’t caught up with the individual costs.)

Beyond lots of Fruits Basket product (which I hasten to note that I heartily endorse, because the series is very moving and surprising), Tokyopop offers two books that I’m eagerly anticipating. The first is the debut volume of Kozue Amano’s Aqua, which sounds lovely. There’s also the second volume of Yuji Iwahara’s King of Thorn. The first installment didn’t quite reach the heights of Iwahara’s Chikyu Misaki (CMX), but it was very solid, and it’s Iwahara, so I’ll happily stick around on the assumption that it will reach those heights eventually.

The excerpt from Yearbook Stories: 1976-78 that ran in Top Shelf’s Seasonal Sampler was extremely likable, so I’ll definitely look for it the next time I’m in a big city with a comic shop with a wide selection. It’s written by Top Shelf honcho Chris Staros and illustrated by Bo Hampton and Rich Tommaso.

Even factoring out the extra volumes of Naruto, Viz sure has a heck of a lot of product moving this week. Some of it, like Strawberry 100%, is resolutely awful, in my opinion. Some offerings, like new volumes of Bleach and Nana, are as welcome as sweater weather.

Yen Press rolls out three licensed titles, all of which sound like fairly standard bookstore fare, and none of which quite grab my attention the way With the Light did. I do like teen detective stories, so I’ll probably give Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning a look. Or maybe not, after reading Katherine Dacey-Tsuei’s take on the book. It’s not like I don’t have plenty of other options.

Sometimes all it takes is a gorgeous illustration to make me want a book, and that’s certainly the case with Mi-Kyung Yun’s Bride of the Water God (Dark Horse, page 44). In my defense, the plot sounds interesting too, with a human sacrifice getting even more than she bargained for.

Sample pages (and great-looking art) go a long way towards piquing my interest in Mike and Louise Carey and Aaron Alexovich’s Confessions of a Blabbermouth (DC – Minx, pages 118-120). The fact that it’s about a blogger probably doesn’t hurt either.

For those of you who passed on Andi Watson and Simon Gane’s Paris (Amaze Ink/SLG, page 218) in single issues, it’s being released in collected form. The story is okay – two very different girls meet and fall in love in the City of Light – but the art is truly wonderful.

I snickered at part of the solicitation for Hoyuta Fujiyama’s Ordinary Crush (DMP – Juné, page 286) – “in an all boys school where 90% of the students are gay” – until I remembered the rumors about some of the parochial schools in the area where I grew up.

Well, lots of people have been wondering about the health of Ice Kunion, given shifting shipping dates and an unresponsive web site, but they’ve got listings in this month’s catalog (page 309). Take that for whatever it’s worth, which might be nothing.

My adorability sensors have been triggered by Mizuo Shinonome’s Chibimono (Infinity Studios, page 319). It’s about a guardian spirit for household items with some serious memory problems.

Bryan Lee O’Maley’s Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together (Oni Press, page 330) is almost here. That is all.

Vertical offers more classic stuff from Keiko (To Terra…) Takemia with Andromeda Stories (page 368), the first of a three-volume science fiction story.

There’s no cover image to lure me, but I’ll give anything in Viz’s Signature line a look. The latest addition is Taiyo Matsumoto’s TEKKONKINKREET: Black and White. (Okay, so it’s just a repackaging of a series that Viz has published previously. It’s still nice that they’re giving older, weirder books from their catalog another shot at an audience.)

“I think Simon was hoping to get away from the detail-oriented stuff he’d done before but I kept throwing the full-pagers at him because he does them so well, the research and attention to detail, the way he’ll dress a set, dress the characters and then have them interact, gush, gush, gush. So it’s fulfilling, but in a different way. It’s like Christmas every time I get pages in from someone like Simon. I can’t wait to open up all the files and see what amazing work he’s done.

“It’s also kind of depressing as an artist because you know you’re not as good.”

Watson goes on to note that a collection of Paris is due out from Slave Labor in July, complete with new illustrations from Gane. I don’t usually buy collections of comics I already own, but I’m sorely tempted.

Now that I have your attention, Rex Libris is written and drawn by James Turner, and published by Slave Labor Graphics. Rex is cool, check out his backstory here.

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Rugg provides an interesting look into his creative process, how his approach to Plain Janes differed from his work on the much-loved Street Angel (Slave Labor Graphics), and the impossibility of pleasing all the people all the time:

“In order to maintain the commitment necessary to produce a comic, I need a high level of enthusiasm for the material. I’m not trying to make work for some future audience, I’m trying to make a page or scene or story that appeals to me. I value clarity when I’m designing a page or sequence but to imagine what other people want is impossible because every single person wants something different.”

I think the please-yourself approach tends to result in the best comics (and any creative work, really). It can also result in some pretty terrible ones, depending on who exactly is at the helm, but even then I’d rather see something awful that comes from a specific, personal place than a comic by committee.

That brings me to the one point of the interview that made me shake my head a bit. I think Rugg has some generally good points about brand names being less meaningful in the long run than the quality of the product they represent, but this argument struck me as kind of circular:

“The only way a name matters is if it’s something atrocious, something hard to remember or pronounce – Minx is fine, and just in case it does matter, DC commissioned focus groups in order to test various names. Minx won. So assuming that the name of an imprint/company does matter, I will defer to the teenage girls in the focus group rather than my opinion or the opinion of other adults.”

Oh, well, if the focus group liked it… It’s probably just a personal aversion, but focus-group endorsement actually makes me less enthusiastic about a marketing choice, even though I know a lot of my beloved manga lives or dies on audience feedback. But I’m a geezer. And probably kind of a hypocrite.

(For supplemental reading, check out Jennifer de Guzman’s inaugural column at Comic World News, where she talks about the migration of talent from smaller publishers like Slave Labor to Minx.)

Elsewhere, conversation continues on the great Archie experiment. Johanna Draper Carlson has been doing a fine job of tracking reaction and developments, and ICv2 has a column from comics retailer Steve Bennett on the subject. Bennett makes the (to me) reasonable argument that presenting different versions of iconic characters for specific audiences is a good thing:

“Meaning, this isn’t an either or situation, you can have classic and post-modern versions of characters existing side by side with each other. DC is already selectively practicing this. To appeal to the mainstream super-hero reader there’s the Trial of Shazam Captain Marvel and for everyone else there’s Jeff Smith’s upcoming rendition of the classic incarnation. It’ll probably come as no surprise that I prefer the utter wish fulfillment of the original, but until a lot more kids start coming into Dark Star I can’t ignore the way copies of Trial of Shazam has been flying off our shelves.”

Juliet is an American studying art. Deborah is a rich English girl visiting the city for the first time. Juliet has to churn out portrait commissions to pay her tuition. Deborah is prevented from seeing the city by her snobbish chaperone. They meet when Juliet gets a commission to paint a portrait of Deborah, and they click when Deborah has some interesting and unconventional ideas for the commission

That’s pretty much all that goes on in the first issue in terms of narrative. Watson provides solid if minimalist introductions to his characters and their circumstances. There’s nice chemistry between his leads, and the supporting cast – the frumpy chaperone, Juliet’s bloviating tutor and bohemian roommate – rounds things out with dashes of humor.

But Gane is the main attraction here. Paris doesn’t really look like any other comic on the stands, with the possible exception of Joann Sfar’s The Rabbi’s Cat. Watson has scripted a number of showpieces for Gane’s lavishly detailed, imaginative style.

Establishing shots of a variety of settings are breathtaking, from sidewalk cafes to hotel lobbies to Juliet’s Latin Quarter digs. They’re glorious and numerous, but they never seem like travelogue material. Instead of interrupting the momentum of the story, big panels and splash pages contribute to its flow, immersing readers in the city and connecting them to its inhabitants.

Character design is exaggerated and appealing. Gane likes to draw characters in profile and uses the perspective to give added detail (like the chaperone, with her hawk-like nose). Wardrobes have specificity and texture, from Juliet’s rolled-up denim to Deborah’s starchy dresses. Juliet’s art-school activities allow Gane to reproduce works by Ingres and others, loyal to the source but investing them with enough of Gane’s own visual vocabulary to ground them in the comic.

So maybe Paris is an experiment in style over substance, with Watson purposely receding as a writer to let Gane do what he does best as an illustrator. Given the gorgeous results, I’ve got no problem with that.