Author: Kia Asamiya
ISBN: 978-1-59796-134-9 Date Published: 9/29/2007 Format: paperback / B&W Number of pages: 192 Rating: 15+
Price: $9.95
Ryoko is rescued, but what happened in her captivity would scar her for the rest of her life. Hiro is filled with resentment for not being able to rescue her earlier, but as if to rub salt in the wound, a tabloid exposes Ryoko’s mother’s affair with Hiro that would tear her family apart. Witness JUNK’s punishment as Hiro’s rage and frustration explodes against the mass media.
Right,that’s the company blurb out of the way but what was the book like?
The book is a little smaller than A5/Digest so my known antagonism toward this size on Manga had to be pushed aside but then I had to read the story from volume 4 [why publishers always send books from part 4 or 5 or 6 I never know as it is very difficult,in fact,impossible to give an over-view based on a later book. But…
The printing is good. No problem there. I did wonder who Ryoko was -or even who the villain was. Then I realised the character was not a villain. Well,anti-hero is more like it. The story actually became quite captivating!
Yes. I enjoyed a Manga book.
Who just fainted?
The art style is nice and gritty though I was worried about the seeming over-use of letratone though,surprisingly,this helped the art style. I think that if I had to really say to someone there was a Manga book I’d recommend then JUNK would be it -almost [almost] similar to some 1980s Small Press work.
Love to see the other volumes because it’s Manga I..I…I…like!!!
Iron Wok Jan volume 26
Author: Shinji Saiyo
ISBN: 978-1-59796-049-6
Date Published: 9/28/2007
Format: Paperback / B&W
Number of pages: 208
Rating: 13+
Price: $9.95
Judging begins for the final dishes! There is Kiriko’s ostrich meat and salt millefeuille baked in salt, and Ransei’s stuffed lotus roots for the 21st century. With Jan’s survival-style ostrich carpaccio to be judged last, will his dish retain the magic until the judges try his dish?
I have to admit that,once again,at volume….26[!] I had grave misgivings but luckily there was character background info and that sorted out what was what!
I need to point out that it is physically impossible for the character Kiriko Gobancho to be a chef. It would be impossible for any woman with breasts the size of cooking cauldrons to cut-chop-dice or even see what was going on in saucepans on the cooking hob!!
There are the usual Manga over-exaggerated facial expressions but these are drawn,in the main characters,in a very nice style. But the question is:can a Manga about cookery work?
YES!
Some of the explanations of the dishes as well as dish names are so over-the-top that you wish some of the plethora of cookery programmes and competitions on TV might try a few!
Well drawn? Yes.
Humorous? Yes.
If you are not into super heroes,monsters,vampire-slayers or the usual comics fayre -this ought to tickle your bell!
Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword vol 3
Author: Wing Shing Ma ISBN: 978-1-59796-117-2Date Published: 09/12/2007Format: Paperback / soft cover/ Color Number of pages: 256 Rating: 13+
Price: $19.95
Fifteen years have passed since Hero made a vow to Sword Saint to relinquish the path of vengeance. Unbeknownst to him, his son Jian is still alive and has come to
The action is superbly rendered from knife-weilding,kick,punch and more! The characters are,obviously,well drawn and the colouring is bright and vibrant and there is a wonderful sequence involving mice ands rats at the end!
If you really want to get a very good example of Hong Kong Manhua then this series is highly recommended!!
You might not find these books in your local store so there is a bonus in that you can order direct from Dr Master at their site:
Alright,I know,I know -people keep saying “you know all these Chinese creators and we don’t!” Uh,don’t know them personally [Wish I did!!],but I get the point. I get quoted everywhere on Manhua so names linke Tony Wong or….
Oh,let’s cut the word-count! Some info on one of my favourite Manhua artists.
WING SHING MA
Wing Shing Ma was born in Hong Kong in 1961. He quit his studies and joined the comic industry in 1976. He started with Hei Po where he published his first series, Day Dream. His other works included Winds and Clouds in Public Housing, Wily Little One, Little Tough Guy, Great Dictator, Lau-keung the Contractor, The Invisible Weird Guest and Wonder Dog.
In 1977, Hei Po was closed down and Ma joined the Golden Comics where he began employing realism in his works such as The Five Brothers which caught the attention of many in the trade. He also published The Battle: Before and After in Hong Kong Comic Weekly.
The following year, Ma took a one year course at Hong Kong Academy of Fine Arts to enhance his drawing skills. He soon quit Golden Comics and switched to Ching Po where he, when trying to establish his own style, produced numerous works including Evil Experiment, Assault 13, Alien, I Wanna be Woman, Small Luk’s Fight at Wudang and the Eve of the Battle, Martial House, Sword and Spear, Destroyer, My Pursuit, Great Stealer 13, Knowing You, Mad Dog, Security Guard, Story of Big-Nose Boy, Hillfire and Five Affairs.
Veteran Cop and New Drunken Fist were published in 1980 when Ma was with New Waves. In August, he joined Jademan and began publishing The Chinese Hero in Golden Daily.
In 1981, he further his studies in fine arts at Des Montagnes Studio and incorporated his new learning into his work. In November, he co-authored Tong Lung with Fung ChiÄMing which succeeded in entering the Japanese market.
In 1982, The Chinese Hero periodical was published and immediately proved to be a great success, laying a solid foundation for Ma’s career.
In 1987, Ma co-organized a painting exhibition, Footsteps, with teachers and students of Des Montages Studio.
In 1989, Ma founds the Jonesky Limited, publishes Jonesky’s Collection, releases his new series The Two Extremes and holds his personal art exhibition.
Quoted from “Ma Wing Shing Creative Works” published in 1989.
Got some preview copies of The Dorothy Of Oz series,volumes 1 & 2,which makes me happy and should make those fans of Manhwa out there more than happy!
DOROTHY OF OZ 1 & 2
When Mara Shin’s dog Toto gets lost one fateful day, she goes in search for him along a yellow brick road and ends up in the wonderful land of Oz! Everyone starts calling her Dorothy, but these aren’t the cowardly lion, scarecrow and tin man adventures you remember!
This fantastic fairy tale features familiar characters…but with a definite Asian twist!
CHARACTERS:
Mara-Shin - AKA: DorothyShe WAS just an ordinary school girl… but, since she’s become lost in the land of Oz, Mara-Shin has had to grow up fast! As the only person able to see the magical yellow brick road, could Mara actually be the legendary Dorothy?
Toto -Toto is Mara’s pet and constant companion. He may be a tiny pile of fluff, but this little pup has one heck of a bark!
Abee-Codename: Scarecrow. Despite his gentle demeanor, ordinary appearance, and an annoying habit of mixing up his vocabulary, Abee can definitely take care of himself. He’s a human clone who’s telekinetic powers make him a force to be reckoned with.
Namu-Codename: Tin Woodsman. The cybernetically enhanced Namu is fast, strong, and has more tricks up his sleeve than a Swiss army knife. Though he lacks emotion, and can sometimes be logical to a fault, he’s always ready to protect his friends.
Tail -Codename: Cowardly Lion. Don’t’ let his codename fool you, because this cat definitely has claws! Impatient and quick-tempered, Tail has a knack for getting our heroes into trouble…
Pillanin -Lieutenant Pillanin is an officer in the Oz Military, but he has a sinister agenda of his own. As if his unauthorized genetic experiments weren’t bad enough, Pillanin has allied himself with a deadly force that could threaten all of Oz…
Shine
Another officer in the Oz Military, it’s tough to tell who’s side Secret Agent Shine is really on. One thing is certain, he has taken a personal interest in Mara and her new friends…
So that is the company info out of the way -what is the comic really like?
Well,the first thing that has to be said is that Son Hee-Joon is a good artist and if you want to see the differences between Manga,Manhua and Manhwa this is a good example.
And,of course,you are not getting the traditional “Wizard Of Oz” style story here. The characters are fun and well characterised -Abee certainly is not the traditional Scarecrow and has some really cool abilities. The same can be said for the almost [Star Trek TNG] Data-like Namu -nice advice on not using a dry hard stick to hit someone as it would break but using a more flexible piece of wood…have to make a note of that!
Tail,I suspect,may have a case of worms! Never seems to get enough food. I can see Tail and Namu turning into the most popular characters,though Toto has a rather cutesy insane enough look to make him in the running for “most popular character”!
The action,street scenes and backgrounds are all well handled and the good use of tone adds to the atmosphere in many scenes -and some snappy lines such as: “Oz will belong to the Devil. I am the Devil now!”,this is going to be enjoyable for both male and female readers!
And how can the dynamic foursome [uh,sorry,Toto!] survive if Oz’s soldiers have all been scientifically altered so that they become monstrous creatures?
I think this is liable to be one of Udon’s best-sellers because it has everything -and might even tempt to odd Trekkie or super hero fan to buy a copy!
The only negative point from me is that the copies I have are all advance reading copies and there are,obviously,pages missing which I assume is to prevent illegal scanning and piuracy,which is all well and good but until I realised this I thought it had all been badly edited!
Dorothy Of Oz vol.1 is available in stores from November 2007. It’s by,obviously,Son Hee-Joon,200 pages and in the Manhwa format [that’s 8 1/4″ x 5 3/4″]. $11.95 US -in the UK try your local Forbidden Planet store as they tend to stock a good supply of this genre.
Dorothy Of Oz vol.2
Selluriah -Witch of the East is introduced and….”She morphed into a pin-up girl?!” oh boy,you have to buy the book to get the joke but then again,Oz soldiers dealing with a Cyclopean terror controlled by the evil Sepia-!!
The fight in the library is quite nice -books flying everywhere! This book still shows the elements that should attract male and female readers and it’s certainly given me the taste to look out for other projects by Son Hee-Joon.
Volume 2 is out in February 2008,same specifications as before and it might be worthwhile advance ordering via Forbidden Planet.
Star Project Chiro by Beak Hye-Kyoung looks interesting and the story synopsis:Eun-Yo Song has beauty, popularity – everything a girl could want! After a chance encounter with pop-singer Nan Lee, Eun-Yo finds herself getting caught up in the world of super stardom. But little does she know that Nan Lee has plans of his own for her…and she’s about to fall into his trap!
The art on this is what I once described as “souvenir-doll” style. That said,there is some fantastic work going on here -though I’ve only see the online preview pages.
If you want to find out more about Udon,future projects,ordering online or more,go to:
Well worth checking out.
