Showing posts with label Takehiko Inoue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Takehiko Inoue. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

I Reads You Juniors: August 2021 - Update #96

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon.

NEWS:

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   Marvel Comics may be announcing some big news on Tues., Aug. 31st.

DC CINEMA - From ComicBook:   Henry Braham, the cinematographer for DC Films' "The Flash," says the movie is "complex" and is "not really a comic book movie."

DC TV - From Deadline:   Actors Neil Hopkins, who plays the villain "Sportsmaster," and Joy Osmanski, who plays "Tigress," will become series regulars on Season 3 of The CW's "DC's Stargirl."

DC TV - From DCBlog:   The CW announced it will kick off Season 8 of "The Flash" with a five-part epic event that will bring more than a half-dozen heroes and villains from throughout the Arrowverse to Central City for a massive story line called “Armageddon.”

SONY MARVEL U - From WeGotThisCovered:   Sony Pictures may movie its sequel, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," again, this time to 2022.

IMAGE COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Actor John Leguizamo has his own comic book coming out from Image Comics.  Entitled "PhenomX," it features a Latinx superhero.

COMICS TO FILM - From Variety:  Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is set to star in a feature film adaptation of "Oblivion Song," the comic book by writer Robert Kirkman (the writer of "The Walking Dead" comic book) and artist Lorenzo De Felici.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   Barry Windsor-Smith's classic Wolverine saga, "Weapon X," gets the "gallery edition" treatment.

IMAGE COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Skottie Young has announced an ongoing "I Hate Fairyland" comic book series, but while he will write it, Brett Parson will draw it.

MANGA - From BleedingCool:   Yen Press announces 13 manga and light novel titles for February 2022.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From WeGotThisCovered:   Barry Keoghan, who plays the villainous Druig in Marvel Studios' upcoming "Eternals," has suffered serious injuries to his face which led him to be hospitalized for a short time.

MARVEL - From Nerdist:   Released 30 years ago this past week: How 1991's "X-Men #1" changed Marvel Comics' mutants forever.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   Marvel Comics is giving "The Thing" of the Fantastic Four his own comic book series, which will be written by novelist Walter Mosley ("Devil in a Blue Dress").

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:   The site has a first look at "Superman vs. Lobo #1," the "DC Black Label" comic book that ships next week.

DC CINEMA - From THR:  Jurnee Smollett will reprise her role as "Black Canary" from the 2020 film, "Birds of Prey."  Misha Green, creator of "Underground," will write the Black Canary film which is slated for HBO Max.

INTERVIEW - From GQ:   In a "GQ" interview, horror master mangaka, Junji Ito, talks about his new book, "Sensor," and other subjects.

VIZ MEDIA - From ScreenRant:  New "Jojo's Bizarre Adventures" may be coming, as well as a spinoff manga.

VIZ MEDIA - From CBR:   VIZ Media is currently offering the first chapter of its recent release, "Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills," for free on its website.

DC COMICS - From Variety:   DC Comics characters are going to the digital comics platform, Webtoons, via deal between DC Entertainment and Webtoon.

From BleedingCool:  The Korean boy band, BTS, may be part of the DC/Webtoon deal.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From BleedingCool:  Marvel just dropped the final trailer for its upcoming film, "Eternals."

DYNAMITE - From BleedingCool:   Dynamite Entertainment is launching a comic book starring "Vampirella" character, "Nyx."

MANGA TO ANIME - From ANN:   Takehiko Inoue is writing and directing a new anime film based on his classic basketball manga, "Slam Dunk."  The film be released Fall 2022.

MANGA - BookRiot:   The site offers a look at the manga market in North America.

MANGA - From CBR:  Grammy-winning recording artist Ed Sheeran recently teamed up with Japanese illustrator and manga artist Rui Ikeda to release an anime adaptation of the music video for his latest single, "Bad Habits."

DARK HORSE - From BleedingCool:   Brian Michael Bendis is moving his creator-owned titles under the "Jinxworld" banner to Dark Horse Comics.  His new miniseries, with artist Stephen Byrne, "Joy Operations," starts in November.

MARVEL - From GamesRadar:   Novelist Christopher Ruocchio will write a Thor story for "Avengers #50" that Steve McNiven will draw.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  Joe Quesada, John Romita, Jr., and Scott Hanna are producing a new 9/11 memorial comic that will appear in select Marvel Comics titles published on Sept. 8th, 2021. 

DC TV - From DCBlog:   In an interview, "Stargirl" actress, Brec Bassinger, talks about Season Two and about the evil of "Eclipso."

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Dick Grayson is finally on top in the three-issue miniseries, "Robin & Batman" by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen.

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Bryan Hitch is working on a "Superman" project for 2022.

DC CINEMA - From GiantFreakingRobot:   Warner Bros. may be looking to drop actress Margot Kidder as "Harley Quinn."

MANGA TO FILM - From THR:   Shinsuke Sato will direct Legendary Entertainment's live-action version of the smash hit manga, "My Hero Academia."  The English-language project currently does not have a writer attached to it.

IMAGE COMICS TO FILM - From THR: Brian Tucker, who penned the 2013 Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg crime thriller, "Broken City," has been hired to write the script for Todd McFarlane and Jason Blum's long-developing "Spawn" reboot film.

DC TV - From Deadline:   Vincent Kartheiser, who plays the villain Scarecrow on Season 3 of HBO Max's "Titans, has triggered at least two complaints and two internal investigations by Warner Bros Television. The allegations, which are believed to have included disruptive, juvenile behavior and inappropriate comments, were investigated by WBTV’s Labor Relations department.

DC COMICS - From EW:  "Dark Knights of Steel" is set in a new DC Comics medieval fantasy world.  The 12-issue miniseries will debut soon.

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Actor Danny DeVito has written a "Penguin" story that will appear in the comic book, "Gotham City Villains Anniversary #1."  DeVito played the Penguin in director Tim Burton's 1992 film, "Batman Returns."

SONY MARVEL U - From Variety:   Sony has changed the release date for "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" again.  Sony has moved the film's release date from Sept. 24th to October 15th.

From Esquire:  In an interview with "Esquire," "Venom" star Tom Hardy says that Sony is very happy with "Venom: Let There Be Carnage.'

IMAGE COMICS - From THR:   Todd McFarlane's "King Spawn" has sold 497,000 copies, which is Image's biggest monthly title release in 25 years. "King Spawn #1" actually goes on sale August 25, 2021.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  Apparently, WalMart has obtained and is selling Marvel retailer variant covers in its three-pack offerings.  This includes variants that are exclusive to particular retailers.

SUBSTACK - From BleedingCool:  Skottie Young is moving his comic book, "I Hate Fairyland," from Image Comics to whatever Substack Comics is.

CONVENTIONS - From BleedingCool:   In 2022, six of Wizard World's top conventions will be rebranded as "Fan Expo" events.  Is this a prelude to Fan Expo taking over Wizard World.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   Captain America and Iron Man have been teaming up forever.  But they will team-up in a miniseries for the first time in November with "Captain America/Iron Man," from the creative team of Derek Landy and Angel Unzueta.

DC/LGBTQ - From YahooEntertainment:   So Tim Drake, the third character to carry the mantle of Batman's sidekick, Robin, is officially bisexual.

DC COMICS - From CBR:   James Tynion IV announced on his Substack newsletter that he is both starting a new creator-owned series on Substack and that he will be leaving DC to focus on his creator-owned work.

MARVEL/DC COMICS - From TheGuardian:   Marvel and DC Comics faces backlash over the paltry royalty payments issued to comic book creators for the use of characters and story lines they created in films and television series.

COMIXOLOGY - From BleedingCool:   Scott Snyder explains why he has eight comic books coming from comiXology.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Vault Comics announces the rapid expansion of its "Barbaric" franchise.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics admits that Jack Kirby co-wrote "The Fantastic Four #1" with Stan Lee."

DC CINEMA - From IReadsYou:  Here is my review of "The Suicide Squad."

THE SUICIDE SQUAD - From Deadline: "The Suicide Squad" has an opening day box office of 12.1 million dollars.

From CBR:  "The Suicide Squad" director James Gunn explains why "The Peacemaker" is the character getting his own series.

From DCBlog:  In an interview, writer-director James Gunn talks about "The Suicide Squad's" colorful lineup of characters.

From YahooEntertainment:   Margot Robbie, DC Films' Harley Quinn, had a profane warning for writer-director James Gunn concerning Harley's fate in the new film, "The Suicide Squad."

From DCBlog:   Who the f*** is the Peacemaker - all about the character.

From Insider:  8 of the wackiest DC characters James Gunn considered for "The Suicide Squad."

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INTERVIEW - From GamesRadar:   In an interview, "Daredevil" artist Mike Hawthorne talks about his decision to leave Marvel Comics.

MARVEL - From GamesRadar:   Marvel's current "Runaways" comic book series comes to an end with issue #38.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Behemoth Comics is starting a record label and music publishing company, Behemoth Records.

DC CINEMA - From Time:  Here is a list of DC Comics-based films and TV shows coming after "The Suicide Squad."

BLACK COMICS - From Nerdist:   Rodney Barnes and his Zombie Love Studios have landed the rights to produce a graphic novel based on the seminal African-American and American horror film, "Blacula" (1972).

MANGA - From Siliconera:   Udon Entertainment is now the publisher of the manga, "Persona 5: Mementos Mission," with the first volume due December 7, 2021.

MANGA - From TheMainichi:   The legendary Japanese manga, "Goldgo 13" now has the largest numbers of volumes for a manga ever wit the release of its 201st volume.

MARVEL/VIZ - From ScreenRant:   The tentative release date for the English-language release of the "Deadpool: Samurai" manga is February 2022.

MANGA - From CBR:   Paru Itagaki, the creator of "Beastars" and "Bota Bota," announces the upcoming release of her new manga "Sanda" in Weekly Shonen Champion.

FANTAGRAPHICS - From ScreenRant:   There is a video trailer for the hardcover graphic novel release of Simon Hanselmann's "Crisis Zone."

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Hellblazer Vols. 25 and 26 will collect the final issues of the original 300-issue run of "Hellblazer."

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   Jesus Saiz and Paul Azaceta may be the art team of Jason Aaron's "Punisher No More."

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   Celebrated alt-comics creator, Ho Che Anderson ("King: A Comics Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr."), is writing his first Marvel Comics title, "Luke Cage: City of Fire."  The three-issue miniseries will be drawn by Taurin Clarke and is due in October.

IMAGE COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Take a look at three interior pages from the upcoming "King Spawn #1."

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS - From SlashFilm:   Fantagraphics Books will collect all of Underground Cartoonist Gilbert Shelton's "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers" comics in a four-volume set.  The first volume arrives January 2022.  There is also an eight-episode animated series based on the brothers from Lionsgate TV that is due to arrive by the end of 2021.

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS - From TheBeat:  There is a trailer for Fantagraphics new, hardcover edition of R. Kikuo Johnson's 2006 original graphic novel, "Night Fisher."

COMICS TO FILM - From Deadline:  Paramount Pictures have chosen brothers Colin and Casey Jost had write a new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movies.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   "Marvel Legends" is a new line of comic book miniseries from Marvel Comics, intended to be collected in paperback.  The target audience is middle-grade graphic novel readers in bookstores, book fairs, and libraries.  Each miniseries will retell or reboot the origin of a well known Marvel character.  And it will begin in October with "Black Panther Legends," a four-issue series by novelist Tochi Onyebuchi and artist Setor Fiadzigbey that will retell the origin of the Black Panther.

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:   DC Comics and Walmart unite for the "My First Comic" program. Each comic book is a 48-page two-in-one flipbook featuring comics stories and activity pages.  They arrive at participating Walmart stores and Walmart.com the week of August 3rd, 2021.

COMICS TO FILM - From YahooEntertainment:  "Cowboys & Aliens" creator, Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, explains why director Jon Favreau's expensive 2011 film adaptation of the comic book never got a sequel.

EISNER AWARDS - From BleedingCool:   If you care, here is a list of winners at last night's 2021 / 33rd annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  The site has made a list of agents who sell graphic novels to the book publishers.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From IReadsYou:  My review of the new "Black Widow" film.  

DC COMICS - From GamesRadar:   The new "DC Universe" explained ... and it's a doozy.

comiXology - From THR:   Scott Snyder and his Best Jackett Press have signed a deal to co-create eight titles for ComiXology Originals. The titles will first debut via the Amazon-owned digital comics service and Kindle, and then appear in print via Dark Horse Books.

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AUGUST 2021 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Free Comic Book Day for August 14, 2021 
From BleedingCool:  Action Lab for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Artists, Writers & Artisans for August 2021 
From BleedingCool:  Bad Idea Comics for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Behemoth for August 2021 
From BleedingCool:  Black Mask for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for August 2021 
From BleedingCool:  Heavy Metal for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  It's Alive for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Second Sight Publishing for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Source Point Press for August 2021 
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for August 2021
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for August 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze Publishing for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Action Lab for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for September 2021 
From BleedingCool:  AWA for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Black Mask for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  BOOM Studios for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for September 2021 
From BleedingCool:  Heavy Metal Magazines for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Source Point Press for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for September 2021
From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for September 2021

OCTOBER 2021 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Aardvark Vanaheim for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  Action Lab for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  Behemoth Comics for October 2021 
From BleedingCool:  Black Masks for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for October 2021
From CBR:  DC Comics for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for October 2021 
From BleedingCool:  Heavy Metal Magazine for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  Hero Collector for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for October 2021
From CBR:  Marvel Comics for October 2021
From BleedingCool: Oni Press for October 2021
From 2000AD:  Rebellion for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for October 2021
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Entertainment for October 2021
From BleedingCool: VIZ Media for October 2021

NOVEMBER 2021 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  Black Mask for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  BOOM Studios for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  Red 5 Comics for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  Silver Sprocket for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for November 2021
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for November 2021

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Review: SLAM DUNK Volume 31

SLAM DUNK, VOL. 31
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Takehiko Inoue
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERS: James Gaubatz
COVER: Takehiko Inoue with Matt Hinrichs
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3338-4; paperback (December 2013); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN

Takehiko Inoue is an acclaimed manga artist and creator and also illustrator.  His most famous work is Slam Dunk, a shonen manga which focuses on the Shohoku Prefecture High School boys basketball team and their pursuit of victory.  Slam Dunk was originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan from 1990 to 1996.  Slam Dunk was so popular that it apparently helped popularize basketball in Japan and East Asia.

The spirit of the series is defined by the view that winning isn’t everything in the game of basketball, but who really wants to come in second?  Shohoku High School basketball team does not want to come in second, and they believe that they have the dedication and discipline it takes to be the best.  Captain and starting center, Takenori Akagi, dreams of making it to the finals of Nationals, and this season is his last chance.  Hotshot freshmen, like superstar Kaede Rukawa and basketball novice, Hanamichi Sakuragi, could make Akagi’s dream come true.

Slam Dunk, Vol. 31 (entitled Shohoku High School Basketball Team; Chapters 270 to 276) is the final volume of the series.  Shohoku made it through the Prefectural Tournament to Nationals to play for the national championship of Japan.  In the second round of the tournament, they face the defending national champions, Sannoh Kogyo (of Akita Prefecture).

After a good start, underdog Shohoku falls behind Sannoh by 24 points, before a furious rally cuts the deficit to eight points.  Sannoh eventually returns the lead to 18, but another rally brings Shohoku within eight of tying the game.  Hanamichi Sakuragi drives his team to fight back, and Kaede Rukawa’s talent brings the points.  Then, Sakuragi severely injures his back diving for a loose ball.

After a free throw, early in this volume, Shohoku has the lead down to five points with a little over a minute left in the game.  Both teams know that they have to give their all, because only one of them is leaving the court victorious.

So the Slam Dunk manga has come to an end with Slam Dunk Volume 31.  I’m not ready for it to be over.  Because it apparently helped popularize the sport of basketball in Japan, Slam Dunk is obviously a classic manga.  It makes one ask, “Is there a better sports comic book?”  Is there another sports manga doing for a sport what Slam Dunk did for hoops in Japan?  Could there ever be a basketball comic book or manga better than Slam Dunk?

Much of Vol. 31 has no dialogue or exposition.  Takehiko Inoue uses graphical storytelling – illustrations and lettered sound effects as graphics.  Inoue captures all that is grand and exciting about basketball as well as (if not better than) the best sports photographers.  Reading Slam Dunk is as invigorating as watching a real, live basketball game, and I don’t know if I’m ready to give that up.  I guess this isn’t really a goodbye, as VIZ Media will keep this iteration of Slam Dunk in print.  I hope so; Slam Dunk is basketball depicted as art.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.




Friday, May 10, 2013

Review: PEPITA: TAKEHIKO INOUE MEETS GAUDÍ

PEPITA: TAKEHIKO INOUE MEETS GAUDÍ
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

AUTHOR: Takehiko Inoue
TRANSLATION: Erni Louie-Nishikawa
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5274-3; hardcover (April 16, 2013); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
108pp, Color, $24.99 U.S., $28.99 CAN

Takehiko Inoue is the famed creator of two acclaimed basketball manga, Slam Dunk and Real. He also produces Vagabond, a manga that dramatizes the real-life figure, Miyamoto Musashi, perhaps the most celebrated samurai of all time. Pepita: Takehiko Inoue Meets Gaudi is a hardcover travel diary comprised of prose, sketches, and artwork produced by Inoue during a 2011 trip to Spain.

Gaudí (full name: Antoni Gaudí i Cornet – June 1852 to June 1926) was a Spanish modernist architect who was born in Spain’s Catalan region. Gaudí, the leading figure of Catalan Modernism, is known for works that reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and also that emphasize his passions: architecture, nature, and religion.

Pepita: Takehiko Inoue Meets Gaudi traces Inoue’s fascination with the legendary Gaudí and also his obsession with the architecture of Gaudí. The book is a travel memoir about the manga master artist’s travels to the Catalan region of Spain, the people he meets, and the stunning architecture he experiences. Much of the journey focuses on the massive Gaudí-designed, Sagrada Família. This iconic Roman Catholic cathedral is located in the city of Barcelona, and it is apparently a perennial news item because it remains under continual construction after more than a century of work.

The press release for Pepita: Takehiko Inoue Meets Gaudi emphasizes the “east meets west” aspect of the two artists’ respective nationalities. That is worth noting. The book is about an influential figure of high art from Spain and also about a manga artist from Japan, a comics creator who is arguably one of the ten best in the world. This book, however, is a bit more personal, inquisitive, and introspective, being more than a comparison of art from different sides of the planet.

Concerning the trip that makes up this book, Takehiko Inoue is on a journey to discover and to learn. The importance of teachers and learning is a theme that reoccurs throughout this book. To that end, Inoue interviews Gaudí scholars, Professor Juan Bassegoda and Professor Ana Maria Ferrin.

Inoue also delves into Gaudí’s longings and aspirations and comes to believe that Gaudí had a deep respect and a love for creatures living in their true forms. In fact, the idea of building within nature or “creating like God” becomes, perhaps, the dominate theme of Pepita. With Inoue’s coaxing, you come to see Gaudí’s respect for nature in his works, which are presented as numerous photographic images.

While Pepita is personal in regards to Inoue, there is a generous sampling of Gaudi’s art and an index of the photographs published in the book, so the book is something of a catalog of Gaudi. Pepita: Takehiko Inoue Meets Gaudi is one of the more unique art books I have ever encountered. It is a good introduction to Gaudi, but it is an even better look into the cerebral side of a great comic book creator, Takehiko Inoue.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


Friday, March 29, 2013

Review: VAGABOND Volume 34

VAGABOND, VOL. 34
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Takehiko Inoue
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Yuji Oniki
LETTERS: Steve Dutro
COVER: Takehiko Inoue and Izumi Evers
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4930-9; paperback (March 2013), Rated “M” for “Mature”
200pp, B&W with some color, $9.95 U.S. $12.99 CAN

When it comes to samurai and chanbara, the historical manga, Vagabond, is the comic book to read. Vagabond is published in North America by VIZ Media under their VIZ Signature imprint.

Vagabond, created by the acclaimed Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk), is based on Eiji Yoshikawa’s 1935 novel, Musashi. Both the novel and the manga present a fictionalized account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi, perhaps the most celebrated samurai of all time. He was a swordsman, duelist, and author (The Book of Five Rings), who lived from the late 16th century to the mid 17th century. In Vagabond, Musashi strives for enlightenment by way of the sword and is prepared to cut down anyone who stands in his way.

As Vagabond, Vol. 34 (Chapters 297 to 303) opens, Sasaki Kojirō, the deaf and mute swordsman prodigy, finds himself gaining a new position. He becomes a sword instructor for the powerful Hosokawa Clan in Bozen Kokura, the family’s home. That makes him the fifth instructor, and some in the clan believe one of the five must be relieved of his duties. That pits Kojirō against the eldest instructor, Ujiie Magoshiro and Kaede, the smelly instructor. Meanwhile, Kojirō bonds with Doryū, the devil horse that belongs to clan leader, Hosaokawa Tadatoshi.

Meanwhile, Musashi faces the remnants of the Yoshioka School, which he single-handedly destroyed. As he confronts nature and existence deep in the forest, Musashi meets a rather strange boy named Iori.

One of the truly fantastic manga reads is the Vagabond manga, which is also one of the few comic books being published today that can accurately be described as magnificent. Vagabond is also somewhat miraculous, as it leaves me speechless. During and after reading it, I suddenly forget most of the words I need in order to describe just how good Vagabond is.

So let me say, it’s supa-dupa good. The art is a symphony of lush brushwork, intricate inking, precision line work, and lovely layers of toning. This is museum quality artwork.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


Thursday, August 2, 2012

Review: SLAM DUNK Volume 23

SLAM DUNK, VOL. 23
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Takehiko Inoue
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERS: James Gaubatz
COVER: Takehiko Inoue with Matt Hinrichs
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3329-2; paperback; Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN

Takehiko Inoue, born in 1967 in Okuchi, Kagoshima, Japan, is an acclaimed manga artist and creator. His most famous work, Slam Dunk, which focuses on a high school basketball team, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan from 1990 to 1996. Slam Dunk was so popular that it apparently helped popularize basketball in Japan and East Asia.

Slam Dunk focuses on the Shohoku Prefecture High School basketball team, which has the dedication and discipline it takes to be the best. Takenori Akagi, team captain and starting center, dreams of making it to the finals of Nationals, but, as a third year (essentially a senior), this is his last shot at a championship. But to win, hotshot freshmen, like superstar Kaede Rukawa and basketball novice, Hanamichi Sakuragi, must learn to play together as a team. If winning isn’t everything, why is second place less desirable than first place?

As Slam Dunk, Vol. 23 (entitled A Rank vs. C Rank) opens, Shohoku High has made it to Nationals. They arrive in Hiroshima City with being champions on their minds. But the team is in for a shock. The magazine, “Weekly Basketball,” has Shohoku High listed as a “C” rank team, while their opening round opponents are “A” rank. Speaking of opponents, their opening round opponent is Toyotama High from the Osaka region. Toyotama is a scoring machine, and Shohoku is about to run right into the buzz saw of a run-and-gun team. Can they keep up or come up with a winning strategy?

Recent volumes of the Slam Dunk manga have focused on the action of individual basketball games between Shohoku and their opponents. Volume 22 was a change of pace, in which creator Takehiko Inoue offered readers character drama These vignettes that opened up windows into the various characters’ pasts as either basketball players or as some other kind of participant in the game.

Volume 23 returns to the hard court. Just as other such volumes have, Vol. 23 reveals Inoue’s love for and knowledge of the sport. As one of the world’s great manga artists and comic book creators, Inoue perfectly captures basketball, a game in motion, in still images that seem to move on the very page on which they appear and sometimes seem to shiver over to the next page. Inoue’s grasp of the figure in motion and his ability to depict and to pose bodies in action is high art.

A


Sunday, November 13, 2011