IN CASE U MISSED IT: Felipe Smith goes PEEPO CHOO tokyo stylee

My man Felipe Smith, the Super Real issue 3 variant cover artist, and Tokoypop MBQ maestro recently fell off the face of the planet.
Once his TPop manga wrapped, he went MIA.
A few weeks back TheBeat reported on him publishing a manga through Kodansha and their Morning Two magazine (in native Japan/Japanese).

Well, last week he finally got online and updated us all (at his Myspace blog), that he'd actually moved to Japan too.
And he is indeed cranking out piles of pages for a Japanese manga magazine with a new creation, Peepo Choo.
A quick Google search also turned up this little blog post with some more info on it...


Anyway, Felipe's talent is, I think, unmatched, and it's too bad the guy had to move to the East to do his thing, but at least he's doing it!!!

I'll have to find a way to source this stuff over here on this side of the rising sun.
But check out his work, MBQ, and now Peepo Choo, he's the real deal, doing the comic thing his way and bringing something new to the game... and does not dissapoint!

REVOLT!

TSL CATCH UP WEEK: DAY 3 - Make Mine Manga

EARTHLIGHT - Tokyopop

For my money, former Marvel editor Stuart Moore is perhaps one of the most underrated writers in comics, especially in terms of sci-fi. But then good sci-fi comics are undervalued... Here, Stuart creates a great concept, the colonization of the moon as a resource station for Earth, and the children of it's colonizers, and what it's like to grow up in that situation. Couple this with some strong manga/animation inspired artwork from Christopher Schons, and Earthlight is a top flight comic.

The first volume is also one of the strongest stories you'll find anywhere. However, the more recent second volume was not near as solid, and, as with most TPop OEL manga, the artwork is rushed at times.

RECOMMENDED

FREE RUNNERS - Seven Seas

The art by Rosero is pretty... but the story feels fairly derivative, almost as if it's the straight up swipe at Oh Great!'s AIR GEAR it appears to be on the surface. It's not bad though, especially if you're looking for something in that thrust.

MILDLY RECOMMENDED



KAMIYADORI - Tokyopop

Solid-if-familiar sci-fi story, interesting characters, and great art have me eager to return after volume 1.

Kei Sanbe's artwork and cyberpunk world are cool by me.

RECOMMENDED



KING CITY - Tokyopop

Brandom Graham is like the Fruity Pebbles of comics, a wacky but tasty choice. King City showcases his penchant for offbeat ideas, and funky imagery. Anything this man does is imaginative in spades! Roll up your sleeve and mainline some Graham today!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (In fact, I'd highly recommend anything this man does!)

SHAMAN WARRIOR - Dark Horse

A Korean manhwa fantasy battle epic with detailed, lush artwork, and pitch perfect combat action.

There's also some odd gender/orientation stuff going on around a baby that I haven't figured out yet...

RECOMMENDED


WITCHBLADE TAKERU - Top Cow

Manga or Anime adaptations of Witchblade?!? Yes please.

Besides being an interesting experiment in seeing a Western comic adapted as an Eastern manga, Top Cow’s dual release, in both full size color comic format serialization, or standard size b&w manga format is unique. I'm following the color comic format...

MILDLY RECOMMENDED

INDY SPOTLIGHT: Paradigm Shift

Today's book I'm focusing on is PARADIGM SHIFT Part One: Equilibrium, by Dirk Tiede and from his Dynamanga.net imprint.

I met and know Dirk from my days on Graphic Smash, when we both used to have comics on that webcomic collective. A couple years ago Modern Tales (the sister website that Graphic Smash was a part of) hosted a booth at San Diego Con, and I spent a little time there, and I remember meeting Dirk especially, because his Paradigm Shift had caught my eye on Graphic Smash, with it's competent old school manga/anime style. Since I'm loathe to actually read comics on the web, my only experience with the title were the catchy art and graphics.

Well, when I did the recent Pittsburgh Comic-Con, I ran into Dirk while out to dinner with a large group of comic people, and after talking a bit later that night, we'd vowed to swap books the next day. So, I was sure to make the rounds on the last day of the show and take him up on the offer. Although he was kind enough to offer both trade collections of Paradigm Shift he's printed to date, I only kept volume one (since I only had 4 comics to offer in return).

On the long flight home from the east coast, I made my way through volume 1 of Sentinels (see yesterday's feature), but since I came into town mid day, and had caught a ride to the airport, I was taking the new light rail train home from the airport (they'd somewhat recently extended the train line to the airport, but I'd never used it). Now, the train is really convenient from the airport (except for all my giant bags packed with books and displays etc), but it does take about twice as long, an hour instead of about 30 minutes. That meant I still had time on my hands to read, and read I did, Paradigm Shift Part one!

The book is about 100 pages, black and white tones, manga trim size, and $9.95. The first 2/3rds of the book are story, with a healthy "bonus" section at the back, which I'll speak of in a bit, but first, the story...

Paradigm Shift is a skilled blend of police procedural and horror/fantasy/sci-fi, that is to say, Dirk creates a detailed real life world, filled with true-to-life characters, but offsets that with a story that takes a turn into the supernatural. The scripting is solid, his characters feel as genuine as his artwork is detailed. PS is set in downtown Chicago, and Dirk doesn't shy away from showing us every nook of the city, from it's gleaming skyscrapers to it's back alleys. His art would fit comfortably with any manga on the bookstore shelf, with it's hallmark stylized characters and ultra real/detailed backgrounds.

As the story unfolds during the course of one day, detectives Kate and Mike slowly realize things are taking them on a bigger journey, and the reader goes along for the ride. Paradigm shift reads well, looks great, and builds towards a large involving story filled with mystery and Chicago PD action. I can't wait to meet up with Dirk again and pick up the second volume.

Now on to the extras, along with character profiles and footnotes, there's a lengthy and very comprehensive process breakdown. Dirk outlines every step of the process in the creation of the comic, which as a fellow creator is always fun to see, but for those looking find their way in the medium, it's an even more beneficial tool.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

You can check out the book online via Webcomicsnation.com or pick up the books via it's website HERE

MAKE MINE MANGA: Empowered

This just in... I've finished volume one of Empowered, and I'm going to go ahead and file this gush under MANGA...

Yeah yeah, all you mangaphobes and manga purists may argue whether it belongs under such a classification, but I'm stickin to it.

Empowered is the 243 page black and white artwork collection of shorts centered around a sexy/cute female member of the Superhomey's, named Empowered. She's a superchica with self confidence issues, who, thanks to the trickey powers that her skintight suit endows, is perennially being bound and gagged by the supervillains she goes up against. Along the way the book builds on these funny slice-of-life skewed superexploits and our heroine gains a henchman boyfriend, bad girl best friend, and one entraped essence of space demon that lies around her apartment bitching. The book is full of creator Adam Warren's trademark art and scripting. Warren has one of the most unique voices in comics, an imaginative mind and skillful touch with dialogue make his efforts always a joy to behold. Emp vol 1 is no exception. At first, the volume feels a bit lacking, as it was born from a series of shorts with no grand scheme in mind, empty bits to get our heroine in distress gradually build a world, relationship/s, and story that is totally immersive.

Reading Empowered is most rewarding because of it's unique approach, feeling more like a novel, or journal in it's expansive structure, and wide open reach. By the end of the volume things pick up considerably, and leave even more to explore for the next of what are hopefully the many planned volumes to come.

If you're not an Adam Warren fan already (shame shame), give Empowered a chance, especially if you've ever enjoyed superpowred adventure in your comics, it's a new type of mature exploration of those themes that's both sexy, and ultimately resonant. Empowered is filled with real life emotion and experiences, and Warren is tapping into a new mold of storytelling here, both in structure and scope! I loved it, simply loved it!!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

MAKE MINE MANGA: OEL Roundup OR Holy Shit! These books are good!!

It's been a while since I checked in with some manga, and one of the things travelling for cons affords me, is some reading time, in airports and on planes... so I've got a good stack of recent Tokyopop OEL (or original English language) mangas that I spent time with.

Normally I rate the books individually, either as Not Recommended, Mildly Recommended, Recommended, or Highly Recommended... but since this group was spectacular, all falling under the HIGHLY RECOMMENDED category, I'll go ahead and rate them on a scale of 1 to 10!

AFTERLIFE Vol.1
Written by Stormcrow Hayes with art by Rob Steen
Afterlife is a dark introspective tale that looks at the afterlife and one possible scenario where everyone ends up in the same place once they die, that's neither Heaven or Hell, but more a mysterious limbo. Everyone fills the dark, alien landscape as-is upon their death, and are given no answers as to why they're all there, or what they're to do, except for a very select few who become guardians of the lair as it were, tasked with keeping order for all time (yet are otherwise no more informed than the rest).

Afterlife explores rich themes, and also weaves a strong tale, that moves forward to the future second and third volumes. If you've ever contemplated death, or what comes next, you'll enjoy exploring one possibility here, that's both well written, and uniquely illustrated.
9 out of 10

GYAKUSHU! Vol.1
Written and drawn by Dan Hipp
Dan Hipp is a co-creator on the semi-popular Image comics series, The Amazing Joy Buzzards, and anyone who's seen that work will recognize his cartoonish style instantly. Here Dan turns in a completely different fantasy-style dark hero's journey, with storyteller flair.

Gyakushu! volume one sets the stage for the bandaged and mysterious protagonist "The Thief", slowly revealing the critical moments that shaped his path and defined him as the man we now see, and the events that lead up to it. It's an epic similar in tone to the dark fantasy of Tolkien, with nice touches of character and menace that are in keeping with some of the best works of comic book fantasy. High praise, but Gyakushu! truly is a solid first outing that leaves the reader setup and anxious for more.
9 out of 10

PANTHEON HIGH Vol.1
Written by Paul Benjamin with artwork by Steven & Megumi Cummings
First off, I love this book!
Pantheon High is superpowered adventure done to perfection, with an imaginative premise (high school teen offspring of the gods, complete with the abilities of their mythical parents, all attending one school for their kind), and a razor sharp story and plot. There are moments in the first volume where Benjamin sets scenes up that play out masterfully, showcasing his cast, while delivering choreographed action the likes of the best of whats found in cinema. Meanwhile the Cummings' artwork is detailed, rich, stylish, strong, and sexy.

If you enjoy the themes of the X-Men, done right, or superpowered adventure within real world settings, give this book a shot. It's damn fun, original (especially for this genre), and good!
10 out of 10

SNOW Vol.1
Written and drawn by Morgan Luthi
Snow showcases, more than anything, Luthi's strong cinematic/animated sensibilities, that are a treat to read. A sci-fi epic centered on a person of mass destruction (with the ability to destroy worlds no less), trying to leave his life at the hands of the Warmongers behind at the farthest reach of the galaxy. Familiar sci-fi themes, sure, but Snow is wholly unique in the approach and creativity of Luthi.

While, of these four, it may be the weakest story, Snow is still a fabulous comic that completely transports the reader to the worlds laid out by the creator, and tells a fun, cosmic yarn. Grab this if you like sci-fi comics, or fun animated artwork.
8 out of 10

Once you add this quality list of OEL outings to the already strong lineup that's proceeded it, Tokyopop have published an impressive list of quality comic offerings that are criminally underrated. Unfortunately the OEL books are a bit of an oddity, that although published by TPop, are not marketed at all, and turn off the closed-minded - manga purists who deem them as not "true" manga, and comic book fans who view them as more "big eyes, and speedlines". Folks, comics are comics, and as long as you close your mind to other formats, or stay within your comfort zones, you're missing out on some of the best of what the medium has to offer, be it Tokyopop OEL, European Graphic Albums, indy comics, whatever... do yourself a favor and give one of these books a try if you haven't!

DeviantArtists - Adam Warren

I've been meaning to add some features to TSL for some time, regular series' that highlight various topics on the web, the main one being artists found in the DeviantArt.com community.

Well, with the addition of one of my all time favorite creators to DeviantArt, it's high time to kick things off. I'll be back on the regular (read: as I get time, weekly, monthly, who knows) to offer artists that have impressive works to view on DA.

This time, we have none other than Adam Warren.


Yes, the godfather of American-Manga, the man at the forefront of the crossover manga hybrid style that's in full force today with millions of pre-teen kids aping their beloved anime/manga influences. Adams had a well informed, natural, and keen taste for Eastern flair since way before it was fashionable, a precursor to Joe Mad and devotees of the 90's, an innovator along with Ben Dunn and other early adaptors, but built on the solid foundation of the Joe Kubert School. Adam's perhaps most known for his Dirty Pair comics that came from Dark Horse through the 90's, and later moving to some high profile gigs on Gen13 and Teen Titans: Rock Paper Scissors. Since then he's taken several projects to Marvel, from Mangaverse Fantastic Four, to his own creation, the brilliant LIVEWIRES series from 2005. Currently Adam can be found rocking Iron Man's world with the visionary Hypervelocity series, and better yet, his March debuting EMPOWERED original graphic novel from Dark Horse.


Adam's not simply content to start a DA page, he's throwing in full speed ahead, by offering regular journal entries and weekly behind the scenes features, but also providing tons of artwork updates. From cover illustrations, convention sketches, commissions, commercial work, roughs, pencils, inks, colors, you name it, he's sharing it. It's paradise for a fan like myself, getting a glimpse at many works you'd otherwise never see, and a peek at the development of the art itself.


From last week's FAILED-PROJECT FRIDAY journal entry, we're treated to 4 pages from a never published KILL BILL comic book pitch...

featuring Adam's take on Tarantino's Bride in a scissor fight against an imaginative adversary!

Or unused illustrations from the SSX video game screen shots...

There's no shortage of things to take in, with 38 deviations, and 22 scraps (and he's only had an account for a little over a week!!)

You can check it all out HERE
Go on! Get Deviant!!

IN CASE U MISSED IT: comics go manga

Not one, but two established mainstream comic properties have press releases within 24 hours featuring manga versions of their characters...

WITCHBLADE MANGA

Top Cow's been trumpeting their anime and manga adaptations of the Witchblade for some time, and I'm eager to check both out (particularly the anime).
The manga differs from the anime, but is written by the anime's head writer.

Top cow have decided on a two prong release, first an "Americanized" monthly, flipped, colorized version, then later, an original Japanese format traditional manga collection (from Bandai, their manga partner).

If you've visited the manga section of bookchains lately, you might have noticed other Top Cow/Bandai products, collected manga formats of Tomb Raider and Witchblade, mixed in with the standard manga offerings.

For more on the color version of the Witchblad Manga, check out this article from CBR

and

SPIDER-MAN J

I've no idea what Spider-Man J is, aside from being a Japanese version of the character, there's no indication when it was created, or how it differs. Looking at the samples, it looks to be fun, detailed, and stylish. But there's also no indication how many pages it makes up in the Spider-Man anthology it's offered in, or whether Marvel has any plans or intentions of producing the manga further beyond this offering.

Since the rest of the Spider-Man Family issue is stuff I'm not too keen on, I'll try and check it out in the shops.

MAKE MINE MANGA: Roundup

I buy lots of manga, but unfortunately, it often sits around unread. As volumes stack up, it gets a bit daunting to plunge back into a series, or start into a new one...
Not to mention, for some reason, my comic shop has a hard time getting the books I'm signed up for, either missing things entirely, or volumes here and there, meaning I can't read through a series without going in search of it outside my shop.

I've been on a bit of a manga kick lately though, after starting into Blame and really falling back in love with the format (it's always been my natural taste and style), and I've picked up a couple new titles I'd been meaning to check out (among dozens of others).

BLAME volumes 2 and 3 - I mentioned this here, and volume 1 a couple weeks back in my comic picks when I read it, I've picked up the entire run to date (6 volumes so far), but hadn't read any til recently.

I was utterly engrossed in Blame shortly after starting in on volume 1, and am even more so now that I'm 3 volumes in! As the protagonist Killy makes his way further and further up the seemingly infinite massive techno-structure that's ever-present in Nehei's sci-fi future society creation, I've become more and more drawn in. Killy's ongoing trek upward and inward for "net terminal genes" reveals just enough of what drives the world as we go forward to keep us fully invested in the search. While Blame is utterly simplistic, it's the craft of Nehei that makes the limited elements shine so well. Picking up a volume of Blame transports you into another world, completely, which is of course the ultimate goal of a good comic.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

ARM OF KANNON volume 1 - Arm of Kannon came out from Tokyopop a couple years back, and was one of the few mature rated titles they offered at the time (along with books I was already digging like Battle Royale, and Battle Vixens), because of that, I'd flipped through the first volume, but the art just didn't have a strong enough grab. After just looking at the later volumes, I reconsidered and brought home volume 1.

My manga tastes are usually driven by more mature content, coupled with stylish artwork, here, Maskazu Yamaguchi is talented for sure, but his style runs a touch old school vanilla for me, with some pages being a downright turnoff, and others a joy to behold. Mixed bag.

After reading the first volume, the story runs that way as well, with familiar setups and themes - a young boy with dark powers that threaten to do massive damage if left unchecked, and a mysterious and powerful guardian dispatched to protect him - but it was still a solid page turner, and by books end, enjoyable enough to thirst for more (or at least get a further glimpse at where we're heading).
RECOMMENDED

NO MAN'S LAND volume 1 - No Man's was one of the initial launch books from Seven Seas manga a couple years back, and offered slick art from Jennyson Rosero and a cool concept from Jason DeAngelis - a gunslinger fending off demons at every turn in an old west setting. I'd been meaning to pick it up since it came out, and finally scored a copy.

Turns out it's as fun and slick as it looked, Rosero's work is clean, open, and reads fast, suiting the high tempo gunslinging perfectly. The only thing keeping me at all reserved about the volume was that it seemed to fall apart somewhat towards the end, with the script or visuals becoming a bit confusing, and scattered.
I still give it a RECOMMENDED though!

HELLSING volume 1 - Another one I'd thumbed through when it came out, but initially passed on. After hearing about the recent reworked anime, my interest had been piqued again, and looking back in at the manga, the artwork sealed the deal.

First off, the art here is what makes the book for me, as the vampiric themes aren't too groundbreaking, but Hirano employs a unique distorted style, with some fine linework that keeps things interesting, along with some nice plotting, taking things to another level.
RECOMMENDED

AIR GEAR volume 1 - Creator Oh! great caught my eye with CMX manga's translation of the Tenjho Tenge series, but whereas that series was infamously edited, Air Gear from Del Rey is not, and since I don't want to support publishers who drastically change content they're importing, I've skipped Ten Ten and picked up Air Gear instead.

Oh! great's art is top notch, capturing everything with skill and precision-like detail, and the writing is solid as well, but the concept, rival motorized skate gangs, is a bit lacking for me. It's good enough to go back for another volume though...
MILDLY RECOMMENDED