Keskustelujen arkisto

I recently got a bit into Japanese manga. Two of my friend's opend a manga store so I both some books and DVD's to support them. Now I previewsly read some Mangas here and there. For example few years ago I got "Manga Messiah" series which is an adaptation of the Bible and It was supprisingly enjoyable read... But I never read Manga that trully WOW me so it was my chance to explore it a bit more and get expose to it in proper way.

Now some stuff I found just Ok... "Death Note" is consider one of best Mangas of all time but while I think it has some wonderfull conncepts as a whole it just didn't grab me this much (plus I didn't care much for the main character)

But a Manga story I got 100% in love it was "A Bride's Story" (�?? �??) I read the first two volumes and It's propably my favoirte comic I read this year...

THe story is set in 19th century mongolia and it center around a whife and husband duo (...and, yhe.. I better to bring up this elephant in the room as soon a possible...) She's 20 years old and his 12. And the story is basicaly their relationship being explored mixed with various advantures.
When I hear what the premise is - especialy knowing it's a very adult book - I was hoping for something beyond disturbing... and to my shock the story is incredibly plesant. While the story touches on some heavy issues ther is just this "honest charm" to every thing in it, propably best represented by the hearth of the story - the main heroine. She have this wonderfull and unique personality to her! She's quick wited, adventurous, charismatic, tomboyish, fun, yet 100% devoted to her much younger husband that she never takes advantage of being his suppirior in every way. There is this innocence to her state of mind and it's just beautyfull how caring she is you feel incredible compasion whenever she's helpless in certen situations...

I wasn't invested this much in characters emotions and relation's in a comicbook story for a long, long time and the script is very clever and smart.

As I mentioned the action is set in mongolia and boy those the artis exposes it in a very rich way! I propably didn't see so many great detals in pictures since "Habibi" (another comic dear to my hearth)

http://wydawnictwa.mangowe.pl/files/2013/07/oto-620x350.jpg

But it's not only the surroundings. Whenever there is an action scene it's done great as well... If you never read Manga and youwant one book to gave it a try, I trully recomend this one! [but be warn - it has some very adult material]

Another Manga I enjoyed was "Wish" series by CLAMP, the very fun "Gim Manga" (series of twists on Grim Fariytales) and few other more Japanise Manga positions... Why I say "Japanes"? Well turn out we have artists here in Poland creating Manga's as well. I read the first volume of one titled "Haunted" and while not on the sae level as books I mentioned above it was still pretty entertaining.

I also got to be a big fan of HAYO MIYAZAK and studio's GHIBLI stuff! "Princes Mononoke", "My Neighboor Totoro", "Spirited Away", "Ponyo", "The Secret World of Arrietty" and my favorite - "Kiki's Delivery service"
ALL FANTASTIC FILMS!!!

I'm also fan of Kawaii Anime [Mainly "Sugar the Snowfairy" which I while cute, has this overyl sad undertone to it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJM9i_r-RIQ ] Which while targetef for a very young audiance I find sweet and entertaining in the same way I find something like "My Little Pony : Freindship is Magic" (just not as cool... ;) )

But propably my favorite anime movie is - "Tokyo Godfathers" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Godfathers ) It's like this perfect movie I can watch over and over agian! It is this good and rich of a story!

Any way - So the word of me being now an anime/manga fan as well spread and since Christmas came as some times happens I get a "geek gift"...
And You know how it is with "geek gifts". You usualy get if from a friend, or a sibbling, or girflriend or a cousing...

BUT HOLLY CORNELIUS COOT!! JUST LOOK WHAT I GOT FROM MY MOM (OF ALL PEOPLE) FOR CHRISTMAS :
http://panmilus.blogspot.com/2013/12/wesoych-swat-ho-ho-ho-2013-edition.html

o_O I love my mother...

I've been buying the EC Archives. Gemstone was publishing them and now Dark Horse is doing it. Fantastic stories and art. I kind of went to opposite spectrum. EC Comics are really good.
What do you guys think about Prince Valiant? I prefer anthologies. PV looks like a big gigantic story that never ends. Am I wrong? The art is beautiful but I'm afraid I might get turned off by the longevity of the publication.

Quote from user: Dutch Duckfan Down UnderI'm thinking of reading some other comics. Specifically, I'd like to read some pre-WW2 US newspaper comics, like Gottfredson's MM. Anyone care to give any tips?
Dick Tracy, Dick Tracy, Dick Tracy. (It's like Beetlejuice, you see, say his name three times and a volume appears in your lap)

Quote from user: Dutch Duckfan Down UnderI'm thinking of reading some other comics. Specifically, I'd like to read some pre-WW2 US newspaper comics, like Gottfredson's MM. Anyone care to give any tips?
I agree, both Dick Tracy and Segar's Popeye are among the best continuity strips of the era, for very different reasons though. I'd also like to add V T Hamlin's Alley Oop, especially the time travelling stories, and of course Roy Crane's Wash Tubbs - in my world, Crane's daily strip adventures ca 1928-33 are still unsurpassed, not even by Gottfredson or Caniff, and I doubt there was ANY strip Gottfredson studied more when learning the trade in the 30s.

Careful what you wish for. You can see some of the early Thimble Theatre stuff online, and it is...not good. Maybe some of the later material would be worth revisiting, but in his early years, he was NOT much of a cartoonist. It's a wonder he was given sufficient chance to hone his craft into what it became.

I don't like Segar's 1920 work very much. But, by mid 1921, his artwork was already almost to his classic level. By 1927 or 1928, his writing was already classic for me.

Quote from user: Dutch Duckfan Down UnderI'm thinking of reading some other comics. Specifically, I'd like to read some pre-WW2 US newspaper comics, like Gottfredson's MM. Anyone care to give any tips?
Hal Foster, Prince Valiant.

Surpassing.