“Tokyo ESP? What’s that about?” “Oh, it’s like X-men for Japan.” Ever have one of those fridge logic moments where you say something off the cuff and it’s so brilliant, you wonder why you never saw it before? Okay, so I only just finished up the last volume of the manga not that long ago,…
Retrospective Chronicle: Two Female Comic Creators Discuss CLAMP
CLAMP is an all-female group of comic creators from Japan, made up of four manga artists: Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi. Originally formed in the mid-80s, their work spans several decades and countless genres, including Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, X/1999, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, and Magic Knight Rayearth. They’re also the main reason why…
Halloween Mini-Reviews Bonanza: Haunted Chunks to Chew On
It’s Halloween on Tuesday! Woah, scary! Want some comics with that? Yes you do! Try these. Coady and the Creepies Liz Prince (writer) and Amanda Kirk (artist) BOOM! Box October 11, 2017 Coady and the Creepies stars horror pop punk band The Creepies made up of triplet siblings Coady, Cory, and Criss. The band and…
A Silent Voice is a Perfect Film
A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi) Naoko Yamada (director), Reiko Yoshida (screenplay), Kazuya Takao (cinematographer), Kengo Shigemura (editor) Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Aoi Yūki, Kenshō Ono, Yūki Kaneko (voice cast) Adapted from the manga A Silent Voice by Yoshitoki Ōima October 20, 2017 (USA)
The Strongest Hero, A Lonely Hero: Depression and Anxiety in One-Punch Man
In the first volume of the One-Punch Man manga, the main protagonist Saitama faces a villainous monster claiming to be the strongest being in existence. Instead of boasting, the villain ruminates about the death of his older brother and realizes that obtaining superhuman strength has cost him greatly. When Saitama jumps into frame to defeat…
Bridging Relationships and Secrets in My Brother’s Husband
My Brother’s Husband Gengoroh Tagame (Story and Art), Anne Ishii (Translation) Pantheon May 2, 2017 Ask any manga fan and you’ll learn that boys love, or BL, manga is a staple of the medium. Common are the romanticized stories of relationships–explicit or otherwise–between men. Entire niche manga magazines focus on these works, which do find a…
Previously on Comics… Lucie Ebrey, Dwayne McDuffie
Five long years marked — young English cartoonist and illustrator Lucie Ebrey finished up her daily diary strip, with an extra-long rumination on what it’s all meant. What does it feel like saying goodbye to an avatar you’ve lived behind for five years? I don’t know, but here’s what it feels like to watch: Here's a…
Previously on Comics… C2E2’s Erotic Judgements, and More
What’s been happening in comics? Our Kat Overland, editor of small press reviews here at WWAC, is quoted in the NYT’s report on America Chavez; a Zora Neal Hurston biography upset (which our Brenda reviewed here) comes quick on the heels of Island #15 (who should draw who, and how? This should be asked, and opportunities…
Shindo: Returning to the Scene of the Review
The first time I reviewed Saso Akira’s Shindo I was a third of the way through it and uncomfortably conflicted. Crunchyroll files this title as a romance, which is how I found it. As I read on, it became clear that the main characters were a boy in his late teens and a girl who was…
Previously on Comics: Yuri On…Youngblood?
Hello all, this is Kayleigh with the last “Previously on Comics” for February! I’m writing this at the end of a busy weekend, after hosting my very own Galentine’s Day party, making bachelorette party plans with my Wedding Issue co-writer Rebecca, and somehow finding the time to finish Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology. I hope you all…
When Koike Wrote Logan: X-Men Unlimited #50’s Missed Chances
X-Men Unlimited #50 Koike Kazuo, Koji Kengo, Paul Smith, Brad Anderson Marvel Comics, 2003 Koike Kazuo writing Wolverine is a thought too good to sound too good to be true. You have to believe in it, before you read it. You need to believe that good things can come from good ideas. But it was not…
Animated Wakakozake Is the Best of All
Wakakozake is available in three forms: manga (original), anime, and drama. The best one is the anime.