Happy December! Every month, WWAC contributors share the comics we’re reading purely for fun. What comics are you enjoying lately? Let us know on Twitter!
Gantz Omnibus Vol. 2: Good Story, But Outdated Sensibilities
Gantz Omnibus Volume 2 Hiroya Oku (Writer and Artist), Studio Cutie (Letters), Matthew Johnson (Translation) Dark Horse Comics 19 December, 2018 The mysterious Gantz, a metallic sphere with the ability to duplicate people into a netherworld upon their death, has sent his ‘soldiers’ on a new mission. Somewhere in Tokyo, a group of Tanaka aliens…
Despite Being Its Influence, the Western Comics Industry Remains Silent on My Hero Academia
As the political and social climate feels more alarming day by day, it is not a coincidence that we have been living in a zeitgeist filled with the saturation of superheroes in our media for people to turn to for guidance. Although superheroes have been a prevalent norm in comics, the genre has recently found…
Sex, Cyborgs, and ’70s Style in Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection
Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection Go Nagai (writer/artist), Zak Davisson (translator), Bambi Eloriaga-Amago and Roland Amago (lettering/retouch) Seven Seas Entertainment August 28, 2018 Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection is a chunky hardcover that reprints Go Nagai’s influential 1970s manga series in its entirety. Cutie Honey was one of the taproots of the magical girl genre,…
Journey Across the Seven Seas: Classic Roundup
So what’s on the map for Seven Seas today? A whole lot of blast from the past. You’ve seen some of the reboots, now take a moment to catch up with the originals:
Found in Translation: An Interview with Jocelyne Allen
One of the unique challenges of the manga publishing industry is the challenge of taking a product in the Japanese language and translating it for English-speaking audiences. Translating isn’t just converting one word of vocabulary to another. A good translation starts with a firm foundation of both languages and their idiosyncrasies, and then uses strong…
Bodacious Space Pirates Shoots for the Stars … And Misses
Bodacious Space Pirates Tatsuo Sato (writer), Chibimaru (illustrator) Media Factory December 2013-September 2014 Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Bodacious Space Pirates. When I happened to come across the title Bodacious Space Pirates, I was definitely interested. It’s pirates! In space! And they’re bodacious! What’s not to like? After reading both volumes, though, I found the…
Journey Across the Seven Seas: Rainbow Edition
Pride Month is over, which means it’s an excellent time to keep the queerness going by checking out the LGBT+ releases Seven Seas has brought out recently. Oh, and some other good stuff too, I suppose!
Journey Across the Seven Seas: Please Put Some Clothes On, Thx
What do the latest batch of Seven Seas releases have in common? Well, a lot of naked women. Then again, that’s to be expected when two of the new releases are tied to Go Nagai…
“To Your Eternity” is not “A Silent Voice”
To Your Eternity Volumes 1 – 4 Yoshitoki Ōima (mangaka), Steven LeCroy (translation), Darren Smith (lettering), Haruko Hashimoto and Alexandra Swanson (editing) Kodansha Comics 2017 – 2018 *Note: this article is based on review copies obtained from the publisher. Over the course of their* existence, Fushi has been many things: a moss, a rock, a wolf,…
Authenticity and Happiness Shine Through in The Bride Was A Boy
The Bride Was A Boy Chii (story and art) Seven Seas May 2018 A great example of queer representation in manga, The Bride Was A Boy is an autobiographical story about a Japanese trans woman and her experience falling in love, transitioning, and getting married in Japan. Everything about this book is cute and heartwarming—Chii’s…
From Tender to Heartbreaking: Yuri Manga That Deals With Relatable LGBT Issues
The earliest instance of yuri as a genre was found in women’s magazines, where women would anonymously publish poetry and short fiction about Sapphic relationships. These stories, much like in the west, would often end with heartbreak or sadness in order to appease Japan’s ideals on homosexuality. The 90’s and onward saw a rapid increase…
