All Ages has a post about the latest project coming from Scholastic’s Graphix line, Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet. I think librarians looking for quality comics for kids should be paying attention to the Graphix line, Scholastic really seems to be putting together a great bunch of graphic novels.
I think everyone’s doing the 5 Desert Island comics meme, so I will too.
1. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki - An epic series about a Princess living in a world with an incredibly damaged ecosystem, and her journey as she tries to protect her people. It has very detailed art, and need I mention the giant insects?!!
2. Zot! by Scott McCloud - I’m totally coping Johanna on this one, but I think Zot! was the first black and white comic that I started buying. It also was one of the first books that I read that was produced by a writer/artist. I think I started reading Zot with the 14 1/2 issue, which I bought because I thought it was crazy that an all stick figure comic was being published. Then I picked up the regular issues and became addicted to reading the adventures of Jenny Weaver and her “not boyfriend” Zot from another dimension. This was one of the few comics I was reading at the time where I thought the teenage characters actually acted like teenagers.
3. Mage by Matt Wagner - I do enjoy this modern retelling of the King Arthur legend. Kevin Matchstick may be a Mary Sue, but I like the way the character changes and evolves. Where’s the third part of the story though? This was the series that got me back into buying comics again after a long absence when I was in grad school. Now I think of how much money I spend on comics every month, and maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t rushed out and bought an issue of Mage: The Hero Defined when I realized that it was being published again.
4. Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden by Yu Watase - It is tough to pick just one title by Watase, but since this is coming out right now it’s the series I’m most excited about. Takiko is a suitably spunky heroine, and even though the story line will be predictable - girl goes on a quest to gather warriors together and save the world while dealing with romantic entanglements - I think the character development, art, and humor will make this series fun to read.
5. Sandman by Neil Gaiman- This is a series I like to reread every couple of years, and I think there are worse fates than being trapped on a desert island with a stack of Sandman graphic novels.
Some titles that almost made the list: X-Men, Planetary, Legend of Basara, and Hot Gimmick. I was trying to pick the titles that I thought would most likely distract me from being without air conditioning on a desert island. Other titles might be more critically acclaimed, but the ones that made my list are comfort reading for me.
10:28 am on August 12th, 2005 1
I haven’t seen any of the Fushigi Yuugi manga — my Japanese just isn’t up to it, I’m still struggling with the first few pages of Yotsuba! even with the English version as donkey’s bridge — but did just finish watching the first four discs of the anime series Fushigi Yuugi: Mysterious Play. (Misleading translation, I’d have made that “Mysterious Game”, it’s not play as in dramatic production.) I had wondered if there was, or would be, a Genbu no Miko (or, for that matter, a Byakko no Miko); obviously, there is. The first four disks focus on the Suzaku no Miko, Yuuki Miaka.
What lends the Suzaku no Miko sequence its strength, I feel, is the tragic enmity between Miaka and her former best friend Hongo Yui, who is likewise drawn into this world and after a harrowing experience becomes the Seiryuu no Miko. The rest — the romantic entanglements, the quest, the humour, the gender-bending — are fun, but nothing spectacularly special. Major uses of chibi mode even in otherwise serious contexts, which can be jarring if you’re not used to the convention.
Suppose I could pick up the English version of Fushigi Yuugi. (Just what I need, more books! [whimper]) Thanks for the heads up, TangoGnat! And I totally agree with you on the Sandman series. Brilliant work.
5:23 pm on August 12th, 2005 2
Fushigi Yugi is one of my favorite anime - I’ve watched both seasons of the TV series and the later OVAs (although the OVAs aren’t quite as good). I think there were also novels published in Japan which extend the story.
I’d recommend picking up Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden or the original Fushigi Yugi manga if you liked the tv series! The first manga series runs up to 18 volumes but Genbu Kaiden might be easier on your wallet. I think there are only 4 Japanese volumes of the series so far.