Rocket Bomber - manga

What did I just say about checking Abrams ComicsArts once a month?

Found:

The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga

by Helen McCarthy [for gods’ sakes, how did I miss this?], Abrams ComicsArts, isbn 9780810982499

Osamu Tezuka. Art. Do I have to sell this to you? OK, fine… from the publ.:

Osamu Tezuka has often been called “the god of manga” and “the Walt Disney of Japan,” but he was far more than that. Tezuka was Walt Disney, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Tim Burton, and Carl Sagan all rolled into one incredibly prolific creator, changing the face of Japanese culture forever.

[editorial insert: Word. blurb continues.]

Best known for Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, Tezuka was instrumental in developing Japanese animation and modern manga comics.

The Art of Osamu Tezuka is the first authorized biography celebrating his work and life and featuring over 300 images—many of which have never been seen outside of Japan. With text by respected manga expert Helen McCarthy, The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga pays tribute to the work of an artist, writer, animator, doctor, entrepreneur, and traveler whose curious mind spawned dozens of animated films, and over 170,000 pages of comics art in one astonishingly creative lifetime.

The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga also includes an exclusive 45-minute DVD documentary covering Tezuka’s prolific career, from his early manga characters to his later animation work. The package is out of the ordinary as well. It is a hardcover with an onlay and a vinyl jacket.

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Came out this past September; not surprisingly I completely missed it.

It only appears on my radar because of my charts; it’s one more reason to exhaustively research online graphic novel sales, and one more reward for the work. (this one lodged somewhere in the 900’s on Amazon — on their graphic novel chart so that’s the nine-hundred-and-nth book in a very small niche — might be so far down now that if I looked again today, I’d miss it entirely.)

but this is exactly what my ‘found’ category is for:

Found:

Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater
Eric P. Nash, with an introduction by Fred Schodt, Abrams ComicsArts, isbn 9780810953031

from the publisher:

Before giant robots, space ships, and masked super heroes filled the pages of Japanese comic books—known as manga—such characters were regularly seen on the streets of Japan in kamishibai stories. Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater tells the history of this fascinating and nearly vanished Japanese art form that paved the way for modern-day comic books, and is the missing link in the development of modern manga.

During the height of kamishibai in the 1930s, storytellers would travel to villages and set up their butais (miniature wooden prosceniums), through which illustrated boards were shown. The storytellers acted as entertainers and reporters, narrating tales that ranged from action-packed westerns, period pieces, traditional folk tales, and melodramas, to nightly news reporting on World War II. More than just explaining the pictures, a good storyteller would act out the parts of each character with different voices and facial expressions. Through extensive research and interviews, author Eric P. Nash pieces together the remarkable history of this art and its creators. With rare images reproduced for the first time from Japanese archives, including full-length kamishibai stories, combined with expert writing, this book is an essential guide to the origins of manga.

There are samples on the Abrams site, like this one:

Someone remind me to just check Abrams ComicArts once a month.

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Not much new here, actually. The book came out 6 ½ years ago in Japan, the hardcover came out (under the Viz Fiction imprint) 2 years ago — there’s a movie (which isn’t licensed for North America yet), there are manga (5 of the 20 volumes have been released by Tokyopop— unfortunately the rest may be in licensing limbo), and games in three flavours (PS2, PSP, and DS) — and Gia over at Anime Vice also recommends it.

So what’s new?

A paperback edition (only $17 for 820 pages), which released in November, and a helpful pointer from me to you for this work. (meh. sometimes that’s all you get)

It’s a classic epic fantasy gloss over one boy’s family problems and internal struggles. (a bright overlay on some really dark ‘real’ stuff: His father abandoned him, and his mom was recently hospitalized after a suicide attempt.)

There is a lot here to enjoy, and a lot to chew on. I recommend it.

Found:

Brave Story TPB, written & illustrated by Miyuki Miyabe. Viz Media, isbn 9781421527734

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Found:

Vermonia, vol. 1:

From the publisher:

On a distant Blue Star, Mel, Jim, Naomi, and Doug — friends obsessed with their garage band — don’t seem that different from any of the other twelve-year-old skateboarders at Union Middle School. But everything changes when Mel is kidnapped and imprisoned in a world called the Turtle Realm. As her friends rush to save her, guided by the magical squelp Satorin, they find a world terrorized by a conquering army, a land whose villagers’ only hope is an ancient prophecy foretelling the arrival of four heroes. Will they be brave enough to release their true warrior spirits — and return the rightful queen to her throne?

The battle for Vermonia begins! Fabulous manga artwork highlights this graphic tale of four friends who hold the fate of three worlds in their hands.

Looks oh so normal so far — so why the highlight?

1. it’s from YoYo, a new manga ‘studio’ — young graduates of a manga & anime school in Japan
2. it’s release in the States is from Candlewick — an established children’s imprint but new to both graphic novels and manga

a search of various Amazonia (.ca & .au) reveal that there are at least 3 volumes in the series, even though only the first volume has been released in the U.S. (and that one just today.)

edit: icv2 reported on this weeks ago

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Found:

Helllloooo, Nurse!

Yokai Doctor vol 2. Del Rey, available 25 Aug or thereabouts, $11, isbn 9780345512390

Hey, Dallas, if you wanted me to read this series, you should have put this Naasu-chan on the cover to vol 1. Like much of the fan base, I’m not a complicated guy. And from this cover I can tell, first, that this series has nurses in it (or at least one nurse) and second, it must be a supernatural series.

Because common cotton uniform fabric?
…usually doesn’t do that.

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p.s.: apparently her name is Kotoko, if that makes a difference to you. ;P

Found:
No images yet. Few details forthcoming to date. But listed everywhere as

Fruits Basket — The Complete Series Box and More!

isbn 9781427816955
List Price: $149.99, but none of us is going to pay that much, Amazon has it currently listed for under $100 and between the sale price and memberships and special offers and coupons, no matter what your retailer of choice, everyone should be able to buy this for less than a c-note. ~$4.35 a volume or less.

So if you haven’t read Fruits Basket yet (which while unlikely is possible) (or if you read it by borrowing it from the library — which is a lot more credible now that I think of it — and wanted to own a set) here’s your opportunity to pick up the series for a song, with some unnamed-but-exclamation-point-emphasized extras, and likely, a container to keep it all in. Should be a nice counterweight to my Naruto Shadow Box.

At time of posting it’s scheduled to street on 29 September; given their recent track record I’ll only believe a Tokyopop release date two weeks after it’s actually been delivered.

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Found:

Of course, we knew these were coming. That’s old news.

Over on the Yen Press Blog, closely following the original announcement, someone [*cough*] prodded Hassler to cough up the ISBNs

#6 – 9780316073240 (September 2009)
#7 – 9780316073257 (December 2009)
#8 – 9780316073271 (April 2010)

The new hotness is that vols 6 & 7 are now coming up on Amazon for pre-order:

Volume 6 can be yours in just 155 days.

Volume 7 will be available just in time for Christmas.

[cover art not final, obviously, as these are from the Japanese editions.]
[and just for giggles here’s vol. 8, which one hopes will be listed soon]

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Found:

GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class, vol 1.

Yen Press, story & art by Satoko Kiyuduki, isbn 9780759529038, $10.99, available now.

From the publisher —

It’s Kisaragi’s first year in G.A.: the specialized art and design department at her high school. The timid Kisaragi has a lot to learn, but with the help of a very unique group of friends, even the most difficult lesson becomes loads of fun — if not downright silly! With the aid of full-color pages throughout, you too can learn the basics of color theory and become a great artist yourself! Satoko Kiyuduki, creator of Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, melds art class and manga in a whole new way!

I haven’t seriously considered a career in art since drafting classes (architecture — major #5? 6? — in my decade long undergraduate endeavors) but even so I own an embarrassing number of manga how-to books. This one, at least, has a cute cast and a bit of a story line. I’m thinking this will be worth picking up.

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Found:

Flower of Life vol 4

From Digital Manga Publishing, isbn 9781569700556, coming out on or about 20 May 2009.

The first three volumes of Flower of Life almost work as a complete series in and of themselves — not that there is a resolution but as a slice-of-life[-ish] comic there is certainly plenty there to amuse and entertain, and while the plot is still left open it’s not like there’s a massive cliff hanger or anything so it can be enjoyed, and set to one side.

That said:

IF there were only three volumes available in English I’d be OK with that — BUT with the fourth volume coming out I’m definitely all for picking this series up again and I hope DMP won’t make us wait two years between volumes. ever. again.

Flower of Life is Good Stuff™ — but you don’t have to take just my word for it

Flower of Life from Fumi Yoshinaga (Antique Bakery, Satisfaction Guaranteed, a full slate of Yaoi titles) (Flower of Life is a romcom, though, not yaoi), published in English by DMP and definitely worth your time, and money.

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