Welcome back, folks! I’m filling in for the valiant Elias Rosner this month to talk to you about some manga that boy-howdy am I excited about! This is my first time dipping into the Previews catalogue in a while so I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of options presented to me. The market is more massive than ever, with tonnes of exciting titles to pick from. I dove in expecting to feel a little clueless in the modern manga pool, but I found plenty to love here. Let’s not waste any time, and get right into it.
10. Going Down This Rabbit Hole
I’m a huge fan of Japanese auteurs doing their own spin on western works. My usual comfort within this niche often comes down to heavy catholic imagery, but I love the culture clash it creates in general. I’m also a fan of Lewis Carroll’s Alice novels. They lend themselves to well to visual adaptation, especially with their druggy overtones. I haven’t seen any work from either of these creators before, but the solicit blurb and the gorgeous, lush cover art are enough to make me intrigued.
Alice In Kyoto Forest, Vol. 1
Written by Mai Mochizuki
Illustrated by Haruki Niwa
Published by Tokyopop
Orphaned at a young age, Alice has lived with her aunt for most of her childhood. But her uncle is abusive and resentful, and at fifteen years old, Alice decides to return home to Kyoto and train as a maiko, eventually hoping to become a geisha. But when she arrives back to the city where she was born, she finds that Kyoto has changed quite a bit in the eight years since she left it. Almost as if it’s a completely different world….
9. Tournament Arc! Tournament Arc!
I haven’t yet dipped my toe into the latest appropriation of Tezuka’s “Astro Boy” comics, but the gritty stylization always has me intrigued whenever I stroll past it on the shelf at my LCS. Now that it seems they’re adapting the famous “The Greatest Robot On Earth” story, I’m even more interested. I’m fascinated as to how this team will flavour that classic with their own storytelling techniques. Plus, I’m just a sucker for tournament arcs in manga. I can’t help it.
Atom: The Beggining, Vol. 7
Written by Shotaro Ishinomori and Kazurou Inoue
Illustrated by Tetsuo Kasahara
Published by Titan Comics
IT’S TIME FOR AN EPIC FIGHT AT THE WORLD ROBOT BATTLING
CHAMPIONSHIP!At the first ever World Robot Battling tournament, the entrants compete to be
declared the most powerful in the world! U-Ran dominates the competition but when she gets out of control Mars, Six’s eternal rival shows up to calm things down!
8. Yes, The Scary Mommy Manga
Oshimi is one of those horror greats of the medium. Even with the success of “Blood On The Tracks”, I feel like their talents still go unsung. Every installment of this absolutely terrifying series deserves all eyes on it. It looks like it’s gonna be a critical moment for Seeichi, so I especially can’t wait to get my dirty little mitts on it. “Blood On The Tracks” rules, guys!!
Blood On The Tracks, Vol. 15
Written and Illustrated by Shuzo Oshimi
Published by Vertical Comics
Having finally found himself free to end it all, Seiichi is pulled back from the brink by a telephone call from the police: “We have your mother in protective custody.” Facing Seiko for the first time in twenty years, Seiichi finds an old woman who neither recognizes him nor seems to fully recognize herself. And yet, during their strange reunion, her memories return. Seiichi’s rage erupts, but he cannot bring himself to strike the woman who plagued his thoughts all these years. And later, the feelings in his heart draw him inexorably back to her side… Thus begins their long, long night together-and Seiichi gets his first glimpse into the true source of the darkness within his mother.
7. Spooky Season Never Ends
Seven Seas is on a roll with releasing some absolutely classic manga series, and has been for years. Some of my most treasured collections include the “Devilman” slabs they released years back, and I can’t wait to crack into the more recent “Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou” collections too. Kitaro is an especially interesting one to me, though. I don’t know much about the character, but I know that some people regard creator Shigeru Mizuki as highly as people like Tezuka and Matsumoto. Kitaro just looks like a rad dude, too. He’s spooky and appropriate for all ages! Keep the Halloweed season rolling into November with the whole family when you buy “Kitaro”.
Continued belowKitaro: The Birth Of Kitaro
Written and Illustrated by Shigeru Mizuki
Published by Drawn & Quarterly
The Birth of Kitaro collects seven of Shigeru Mizuki’s early and beloved Kitaro stories, making them available for the first time in English, in a kid-friendly format and price point. With more than 150 pages of spooky and often funny all-ages comics about the titular yokai boy, The Birth of Kitaro is the perfect introduction to Mizuki’s most popular series, which has won the hearts of Japanese children and adults for more than half a century!
6. It’s Still Not Just A Phase, Mom
This one was a shock. I cannot believe this little edge lord, MySpace-era emo manga I read as a high-schooler is still going. “D. Gray Man” is the exact type of catholic-imagery-by-way-of-Shonen-manga I ate up greedily. Hoshino’s art is absolutely gorgeous (Can you believe those covers!! God tier work) and the story was always so wonderfully indulgent in regards to how dramatic and tragic it could get. I love it. I can’t wait to re-speed read through the whole series before this volume drops.
D. Gray Man, vol. 28
Written and Illustrated by Katsura Hoshino
Published by Viz, LLC
D.Gray-man is the story of Allen Walker, who roams a fictional 19th-century Earth in search of Innocence, a mysterious substance used to fight demons known as akuma.
5. The Big One
It’s Gear 5, baby! This is the climax of the Luffy vs. Kaido fight, and it has the big transformation scene that has been sending fans absolutely insane for the past year and change. I love how much Oda is getting to flex his cartooning chops with this form, even channeling golden age western animation for some of the art in here. It’s such a ridiculous power boost for a battle Shonen, let alone the most popular battle Shonen manga in the world. But at the same time, it’s so perfectly “One Piece”.
One Piece, Vol. 104
Written and Illustrated by Eiichiro Oda
Published by Viz, LLC
As the battle between Luffy and Kaido enters the final round, everyone in Wano puts their lives on the line to protect their home. But even if Luffy can actually secure victory, will there be anything left for a new shogun to rule?
4. Dorohedoro? Never heard of it!
I’m kidding!!! If you haven’t picked up on the kind of stuff I love in my manga over the course of this column yet, Q. Hayashida’s work fits very comfortably in that zone. “Dorohedoro” is a monolith of 21st century dark fantasy, and it deserves all the praise it gets. I haven’t heard much about Hayashida’s new series, but what I have heard speaks very well of it’s quality. It looks to be heading in a more sci-fi oriented direction, but seems to be just as much of a visual banquet as always. And now you can get it in this fancy-schmancy box set. Guaranteed to make any bookshelf look cool.
Dai Dark Box Set, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Q. Hayashida
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
Introducing the first box set for this hilarious, gruesome, unforgettable tale where dark magic and space action collide! Zaha Sanko’s body has great and terrible powers-they say that possessing his bones will grant you any wish, even the desire to become ruler of the universe. But Sanko is still a teenage dude with his own life, and he isn’t about to let every monstrous lowlife in the galaxy rip him limb from limb. He and his skeletal buddy Avakian will use their dark powers to fend off any murder attempts while they search space for whomever put this curse on Sanko’s bones… because killing them might end the madness. (And then Sanko can celebrate with his favorite spaghetti.) This beautiful box contains Vol. 1-4 of the manga and one double-sided poster.
3. Essential Reading
“Tekkonkinkreet” is one of those texts that just oozes craft. It is one of those few self-contained stories in the mediums that skirts the line of perfection so deftly. Matsumoto is operating solely within his own unique, rough-hewn street-level visual style. What’s more, the story is so unique in how it is told from the perspective of children with worldviews that skew closer to a moral binary than most adults. It’s complex, yet executed in a deceptively simple manner. So naturally, anytime it’s re-released, I’ll always push for people to get it. This edition looks to be the closest to Matusmoto’s original vision yet, too. Don’t skip this release.
Continued belowTekkonkinkreet Black and White 30th Anniversary Edition
Written and Illustrated by Taiyo Matsumoto
Published by Viz, LLC
In the somewhere-sprawl of Treasure Town, two young boys, Black and White, rule the streets. Like avatars of the city itself, they are its will and its voice, full of love and compassion, as well as danger and violence. As they leap from rooftop to rooftop, from lamppost to lamppost, nothing escapes their notice. But the city is changing beneath their feet as a yakuza-backed corporate development moves in. When the gangsters make a play to remove Black and White, the boys push back. The police have an interest in Black and White as well, trying to make sure things don’t get out of hand-but things will. A battle begins between corruption and innocence, a struggle for the soul of the city itself, that will change Black and White and the city around them forever.
2. A Collection Made Just For Me
Osamu Tezuka has been receiving a good amount of attention with rereleases as of late, which I’m especially glad for. He might be the god of manga, but a lot of his massive body of work hasn’t been translated into English! Because of that, I’m always inclined to pick up any new release we get, but this is another level entirely. I had never realised Tezuka ventured into the realm of Shakespeare, yet it makees perfect sense. Tezuka’s storytelling is masterful yet simple, lighthearted yet somehow filled with pathos and tragedy, too. This is guaranteed to be a masterclass in adapting other mediums, especially theatre, into comic books.
Osamu Tezuka’s Shakespeare Manga Theatre
Written and Illustrated by Osamu Tezuka
Published by Ablaze Publishing
Over the course of his career, legendary mangaka Osamu Tezuka adapted many of Shakespeare’s works. Shakespeare Manga Theater collects these adaptations into one volume. The book includes the following: The Merchant of Venice (1959), Robio and Robiette (from Astro Boy, 1965), Macbeth (from Vampire “The Three Fortunetellers”, 1966), Hamlet (from Rainbow Parakeet, 1981), The Taming of the Shrew (from Rainbow Parakeet, 1981), and Othello (from Rainbow Parakeet, 1982).
Shakespeare Manga Theater is sure to be popular not just with Tezuka fans, but also provide a fun and useful educational tool for schools interested in presenting Shakespeare in a format that is easier for readers to engage with.
1. She’s Everything
I know that the last two entries on this list should objectively be above this entry. I know that “Stone Ocean” is probably not even the best part of the JoJo oeuvre by Araki. But the protagonist, Jolyne Cujoh, is unassailably perfect. She’s infectiously feisty, she’s bratty yet also benevolent. She’s stylish and refined, yet somehow the most scrappy Joestar we’ve seen. She’s the reason this manga is so fondly remembered, even if the story does trail off with pacing issues and convoluted lore at times. Not only this, but “Stone Ocean” is arguably where Araki really sets into his most confident and abstract visual style yet. Even if you only have a passing interest in the series, check this volume out! If the premise of Shonen Manga meets Orange Is The New Black doesn’t grab you, our best girl Jolyne definitely will.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 6: Stone Ocean HC, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Jirohiko Araki
Published by Viz, LLC
Stone Ocean is here! The highly acclaimed sixth arc of Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure shifts the action from Italy to America, as Jolyne Cujoh-daughter of Jotaro Kujo-is sentenced to 15 years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit! In a bizarre turn of events, the prison is filled with Stand users. Some become her allies, but many are sent to kill Jolyne and her friends in a scheme to resurrect the scourge of the Joestar family-DIO! It’s a battle for survival in a prison where death lurks around every corner while Jolyne fights to save her father’s life in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 6-Stone Ocean!
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Anything I didn’t hit? Anything you are excited for? Let me know in the comments!
