A Silent Voice vols. 1 Kodansha Comics Yoshitoki Ōima (mangaka), Ben Applegate (Editor), Steven LeCroy (Translator/Letterer) Release Date: May 26, 2015 A review copy was supplied by Kodansha.
Brace Yourselves for Digital Feathers and Rampant Eye Loss: CLAMP Hits ComiXology
The wait is over! Dark Horse Comics just announced that over 800 of its titles would now be available on ComiXology. You know what that means. Time to get digital copies of your favorites such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Usagi Yojimbo. But what’s even more exciting is that the…
Attack on Titan: Inspiring Post-Apocalyptic Adventure or Japanese Military Propaganda?
Unless we live in China, we just can’t escape from Attack on Titan. In the post-apocalyptic manga by Hajime Isayama, the last bastion of humanity lives within inside walls built to keep man-eating titans out. But like the zombie horde fans so often compare them to, the titans find ways to breach the barriers, decreasing…
Bad Dads of Anime: Get Your Hate On Here {GIFS}
Well, some dads are good, and some dads are great. But some are terrible! Simply unacceptable! And some of those guys are in our favorite long-form cartoons. We’re here to tell you which animated patriarchs we hate and why. Six of the worst! Aren’t you excited? Dig right in!
How Nana Helped My Dad and I Have a Better Relationship
I spoke to my dad before pitching this piece to Claire, Women Write About Comics’ Feature and Opinions Editor. I’m quite open with a lot of things on the internet and have written about a few personal issues before, usually under my real name. But, whenever it comes to discussing family, there is a hesitancy I…
Noragami, a Tale of a Stray God and a Cat-Tailed Girl
Noragami: Stray God volumes 1-4 Adachitoka (mangaka); Alethea Nibley & Athena Nibley (translation); Lys Blakeslee (lettering) Kodansha, September 2014-April 2015 Note: this essay contains mild spoilers; review copies provided by Kodansha. You’ve got a sassy small god who wants to be a big god. You’ve got a girl who sometimes has a catlike tail. You’ve…
Mad Max and The Tribe: Who Killed the Patriarchy? Men Who Love in a World Gone Wrong
Post-Apocalyptica is easily mistakable for a genre designed to uphold and deify patriarchy. Looking at the classics of the genre, your Mad Maxes, your Hokuto No Kens, Double Dragons, even your Tripods, it’s plain that a man with a downturned mouth is the icon we’ve made most obvious. And the MRAs grumbling about Furiosa’s imagined…
Hungry for Definition: xxxHolic’s Addiction to Food
xxxHolic Omnibus editions vols. 1–5 CLAMP (mangaka studio); William Flanagan (adaptation and translation); Dana Hayward (letters) Kodansha 2014–2015 (first published 2003–2009) Note: this essay contains some light spoilers; review copies were provided by Kodansha. Watanuki Kimihiro sees spirits. Even worse, they want to eat him, and so they chase him. All the time. Big, scary,…
Relive, Rewrite, Restore: Yukarism Volume 1
Yukarism, Vol. 1 Chika Shiomi Viz Media 2014 It’s hard to pin Yukarism down, even after a few rereads. Chika Shiomi throws several tropes together—history, reincarnation, romance, time-travel—and while the result is entertaining at first, the story quickly loses its ability to intrigue the reader. Main character Yukari Kobayakawa’s literary talent is evident at 17 years…
Making Manga is Hard—and Funny: Manga Dogs Reviewed
Manga Dogs, vols. 1–3 Ema Toyama (mangaka); William Flanagan (translation); Jennifer Skarupa (lettering); Phil Balsman (cover design) Kodansha What do you think of comics artists and writers? Okay, I can probably answer some of that: if you’re reading this, you’re probably not among the camp who thinks of them as weirdos. Or maybe you do,…
Sexy Losers, Or, How to Draw A Rascal and Make Him Look Good
I’ve been watching a lot of Magnum, P.I.
Birthing the Ninja Way: Motherhood, Sons, and War in Naruto
Thought Naruto ended last November when the long-running manga series concluded? Think again! Like some of its immortal characters, this series won’t die. Not only is the anime adaptation still airing, Kishimoto launched the Naruto Project, a multimedia extravaganza consisting of movies, novels, a stage play, and a sequel manga miniseries about the next generation…