Welcome to the first-ever monthly VIZ Pubwatch! VIZ is the largest publisher of graphic novels in the United States, bringing an extensive catalog of manga and anime from Japan to English-speaking audiences. From simulpublishing Shonen Jump chapters online, to releasing the newest hit anime on DVD and Blu-Ray, VIZ has been a force in Western…
REVIEW: Princesses Meet Mecha in Cosmoknights
Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer is a webcomic and graphic novel nominated for this year’s Outstanding Comic Ignatz Award. As per the comic’s about page, it follows the adventures of “a ragtag band of space gays… beating the patriarchy at its own game.” And it’s awesome.
REVIEW: The Women of Lavender Jack
In 2019 there were several Webtoons nominated for the “Best Webcomic” Eisner award, two that were (and still are) extremely popular (Let’s Play by Mongie and Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe) and one less so. Lavender Jack by Dan Schkade was a comic I had never heard of until I saw it on the Eisner…
[PATREON EXCLUSIVE] Bakuman Is a Comic about Death Note
In 2003, writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata collaborated for the first time on a manga called Death Note, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2003 to 2006. Death Note was a huge hit across demographics, later turned into an anime, stage play, and multiple live action adaptations. This article will discuss the manga…
REVIEW: Fence: Rivals Still Misses the Point
The GLAAD-nominated series Fence! by C. S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad returns in graphic novel format as Fence: Rivals, collecting four chapters about King’s Row Academy’s practice match against the school that knocked them out of the State Championships last year. This new volume further develops the relationships that were set up earlier in…
WEBCOMIC REVIEW: Tell Me A Story Does Not Tell Any New Stories
Tell Me A Story, a web series written and produced by Kevin Williamson that first aired on CBS All-Access in 2018, arrives on The CW on July 28th. The show advertises itself as a dark and twisted modernization of classic fairytales, with the first season focusing on Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and…
Third Shift Society is Tired
Third Shift Society by Meredith Moriarty is a Webtoon Original comic about a broke 20-something named Ellie who discovers she has psychic powers and becomes a paranormal investigator, working with a mysterious man who has a Jack-O-Lantern for a head. The first season is now complete, and since this Webtoon was nominated for an Eisner…
The Incredible Story of Two Moms in Love: A Motherlover Review
Motherlover is a webcomic by Lindsay Ishihiro about two moms from very different worlds who will eventually fall in love. It will be published in print by Iron Circus Comics in 2023, but is free to read online, updating at the rate of one full-color page a week.
Review: DPS Only! Brings e-Sports to Tapas
DPS Only! is a new exclusive webcomic created by Vel for Tapas Media. Vel, known for their previous webcomic Countdown to Countdown and illustrations for Boom! and the League of Legends EU Championship series, brings their polished technique to the world of e-sports.
How Well Does Always Human Translate from Webcomic to Print?
Always Human is a Webtoon comic by Ari North about two girls and their developing relationship in a near-future Australia where body modifications and space travel are part of the everyday normal. The comic updated regularly on Webtoon from October 2015 to June 2017, when it concluded with an epilogue. Now, Always Human is being…
Why you Should Read Haikyu!!
With the state of the world being what it is right now, why not escape with a good, long serial manga about friendship and trying your best? If you’ve spent any time around anime fans in the last few years, you’ve probably already heard of Haikyu!!, the anime and manga about a high schooler who…
Comics Culture: Visiting a Comic Book Store in Russia
Back in the Before Times when people could still go outside and interact with each other in close proximity, I went to Russia to visit my relatives, whom I haven’t seen in several years. From December 2018 to early January 2019, I stayed at my aunt and cousin’s apartment in the southwest end of Moscow,…