johnnywander
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Comics I've been reading
🕑 Added 2023-07-22 16:24:34 +0000 UTCHi everyone! It's Ananth. I thought it might be fun to talk about what I've been reading lately. My relationship with comics is sort of complicated in that I always love making them, but sometimes my interest dips in reading them. I'm definitely in a dip! Which is going to make this list look insane, because I guess it's not really short:
Kowloon Generic Romance by Jun Mayuzuki - Love this series, the first volume is especially strong. Hard to describe-- it's the tale of an everyday romance unfolding in Kowloon Walled City with a sci-fi bent. I just read V4 and was wondering if it was spinning its wheels too much, but we got a bit of intrigue and I got sucked back in.
Yakuza Fiance by Asuka Konishi - The daughter of a mob boss from the country becomes politically engaged to the son of a mob boss in Tokyo. The son is a bit of a psycho, but it turns out the daughter is a bit of a psycho herself. I said this elsewhere, but this is probably what someone would call 'problematic' in 2015 terms, so fair warning.
Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui - Probably doesn't need any introduction. I love all the twists and turns the characters take.
Outlanders by Johji Manabe - I was gifted the first ten issues by a friend and finally got around to reading them. Aliens invade earth! If you're ok with that like... kind of wholesome 90s ecchi vibe, then I'd say these were pretty fun. I was telling Yuko they feel like a cross between Slayers and Rumiko Takahashi. Unfortunately these seem difficult to find-- they were released by Dark Horse years ago, and gorgeously translated by Studio Proteus, which means the pages all got flipped and all the SFX got beautifully re-rendered. I'm on the lookout for more Johji Manabe comics from that era, now. I was unfamiliar with his work.
Mermaid Saga by Rumiko Takahashi - Takahashi is one of my all-time favorite authors, so I do the thing where I don't read her entire catalog at once-- I try to leave myself to enjoy every couple of years. So anyway, I read it and it was really good! I loved it. I had no idea she had so much range. Mermaid Saga's about a guy who eats mermaid flesh and becomes immortal, so now he's looking for a mermaid to release him from eternal life. The stories jump around in time in a super satisfying way. It's ends kind of open-ended (was it cancelled?), which feels appropriate.
PEOW #2 by Jane Mai - This is a collection of Jane Mai's convention and travel stories. She has a sharp tongue and she's so funny, and she also gets a little real. It was really good-- the first book that made me laugh out loud in years. Full disclosure: Yuko and I make an appearance, and Jane recorded it very true to life.
My Dress-Up Darling by Shinichi Fukuda - I got turned onto this by the anime first. It's such a sweet series!
I'd love to hear about what you're reading right now, comics or otherwise! Feel free to comment.
Comments
Johnny Wander
It follows the show pretty closely, so you could just pick up where the season leaves off if you don't want to retread old ground! But I do like the author's drawings, Marin's joy leaps right off the page.
Liz
Huh, I’ve had My Dress-Up Darling on my wishlist for a while. Maybe I should finally check it out
Johnny Wander
Ohhh like a Tezuka star system thing... how fun!
Brian Kim
I have the whole Outlanders series. Protagonists will often appear as background characters on other Johji Manabe's stories.
