Happy pride month, VIZ fans! Unfortunately, most of my offerings this month are not especially LGBT, but I do have a review of Oto Toda’s collection To Strip The Flesh, the titular story of which is about a trans man! But first, the news.
Yu-Gi-Oh! creator draws Iron Man and Spider-Man team-up story
Marvel’s collaborations with Shonen Jump continue with Kazuki Takahashi’s Marvel Secret Reverse, a comic in which Tony Stark goes to a gaming convention and meets the CEO of a world-famous card game company in the crossover of a century. Marvel Secret Reverse is out on June 14th, so if you’re a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh! or the Marvel multiverse, be sure to grab a copy!
VIZ Originals will be reviewing portfolios at Anime Expo
Aspiring mangaka attending Anime Expo in person have the opportunity to get their portfolios reviewed by the VIZ Originals editorial department! They’re looking for examples of manga-inspired dynamic paneling, black-and-white artwork, and compelling sequential storytelling, so if any of that sounds like your work and you’ll be at Anime Expo, fill out this form for a review! Portfolio reviews will be on July 2 and 3 at Anime Expo in Los Angeles. And if you can’t make the con, keep an eye out for future opportunities to submit your work!
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War Poll Results
If you’ve been reading my recent pubwatches, you know I’m a big Kaguya-sama fan. So I was excited to see the results of this poll of reader’s favorite battles in the manga! Honestly, I do not remember all of these individual contests and competitions, but I do agree with the first place winner here. These hypercompetitive overachieving teens can make a game out of anything, from blowing up balloons to cheering up treasurer Ishigami. And it’s hilarious.
But enough about Kaguya-sama, it’s time to take a look at…
What I’m Reading
Ghost Reaper Girl, Volume 1
Akissa Saiké
June 7, 2022
From the author of Rosario + Vampire comes another paranormal adventure. Chloé Love is a struggling 28-year-old actress barely scraping by on minor roles in low-budget horror flicks when her latest audition goes very wrong: the director is possessed by monsters who want to possess Chloé herself! She’s saved by a Reaper named Kai who merges with her and turns into a scythe, Soul Eater-style, to help her defeat the creatures. There is also a catboy. I thought Kai self-identifying as a “lolicon” and the jokes from that were in poor taste, but Chloé is a fairly fun heroine so far. I like that she actually feels 28 and is a bit more jaded rather than the usual pure and innocent cute girl protagonist. I wish she needed a bit less rescuing from the male leads and was more self-sufficient. I’m not familiar with Rosario + Vampire despite how many times I’ve seen it in bookstores, but this first volume did remind me a lot of a more actiony, more grown-up Witch Watch. I can see fans of Witch Watch enjoying Ghost Reaper Girl. Also interesting to note is that the English edition of this comic reads left to right per the author’s request, which I don’t think I’ve seen happen with manga before.
Fangirl, Volume 2
Rainbow Rowell (author), Sam Maggs (adaptation writer), Gabi Nam (artist)
June 14, 2022
It’s been a while since I read and reviewed the first volume of this series, but I remember being surprised at how much I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed volume 2 now. Gabi Nam’s art continues to be the star of this show, soft and delicate and romantic. The faces are more expressive than in the first volume, fixing my main issue with them. The extensive reading out loud sequences in this volume were translated to visuals well, in a way that didn’t overwhelm the reader with walls of text. I continue to feel that Cath and Levi are more likeable in comic form than in prose form. Cath and Wren’s past relationship as sisters is shown through a collage of old photos, which is very effective. I enjoy it.
To Strip The Flesh
Ota Toda
June 21, 2022
Like everyone else on the manga-reading side of Twitter, I heard about To Strip The Flesh when it came out in Japanese last summer: the short manga about a transmasculine hunter dealing with dysphoria and his dad’s cancer diagnosis, and the intertwining web of gender roles, familial expectations, and search for meaning in life. It lived up to my expectations. I can see how something like this would go viral, and also how this artist was an assistant for the creator of Chainsaw Man— same kind of cinematic paneling and shot choices. I hadn’t heard of the other short stories in this collection (most of which were apparently created for a mentorship program?), but I enjoyed them too, especially the story about the idol and his grandmother supporting him from beyond the grave. Watermelon story was interesting. Overall, it felt a bit like a collection of comics from a creator that’s still pretty young and inexperienced, but has a lot of potential. I hope Toda gets serialized soon, if they want to be serialized.
That’s all I’ve got for you this month! See you next month for more news and reviews!
