This week’s submission: “Camp Sleep Over“, a near-dadaistic comic from Josh Quick.
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REVIEW: Optic Nerve #12
by Adrian Tomine
Drawn & Quarterly, 2011
HOLY CRAP!! NEW OPTIC NERVE!!!
#295 Manga and American comics: Should the twain meet?
Dan Kanemitsu talks with Tim about how he and others in the manga industry have responded to the new Tokyo censorship law. The conversation also covers the differences, and interactions, between American and Japanese comics, the creative freedom enjoyed by women in Japanese comics, and much more.
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Critiquing Comics 006: “Fall on Me”
Womanthology participant Adriana Blake’s “Fall On Me“, a cute, well-drawn relationship comic. What’s missing from this picture? Tim and Mulele critique.
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REVIEW: Sergio Aragones Funnies #1 & #2
by Sergio Aragones
Bongo Comics, July & August 2011
So, Sergio Aragones turned 74 this week. He has a new solo anthology title currently on the stands. And what have you done with your life?
#294 Dan Kanemitsu & the Tokyo manga/anime law
Last December, we discussed a law that had just been passed in Tokyo to limit access by minors to manga and anime showing certain sexual acts. Now the law has gone into effect: what’s changed? What’s covered and what isn’t? What effect does the law have on what’s published, or what’s sold in other parts of Japan? This week Mulele and Tim talk to perhaps the most authoritative English-speaking voice on this topic, Dan Kanemitsu a manga translator who has helped to bring international attention to Tokyo’s Bill 156. A very educational discussion about Japan, child porn, and manga publishing ensues.
U.S. Embassy in Japan on child pornography and manga/anime: Spring 2008
Pornography, Rape, and Sex Crimes in Japan by Milton Diamond and Ayako Uchiyama
Japan Refuses to Pass Legislation Banning Child Pornography Possession (mediaite.com – 5/14/10)
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Critiquing Comics 004: “Burnt”
Tim and Mulele try to get “Burnt” — Thane Benson’s graphic novel. With only a ten-page preview available, they only manage to get singed, but it’s not an unpleasant experience! Is it any wonder that his Kickstarter project got funded?
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REVIEW: Transformers #23
Written by: James Roberts
Art by: Alex Milne
Colors by: Joana Lafuente
Letters by Shawn Lee
IDW Publishing, August 2011
If you had told me 25 years ago that I would one day be reading a Transformers comic about senatorial politics, I would have said, “What’s senatorial politics?!”
#293 Jim Woodring and the Sydney Graphic Festival
The recent Sydney Graphic Festival, held August 20 & 21, featured a variety of artists from comics and other media in panels and the like. Kumar attended, and discusses what he saw there (and the one huge, disappointing cancellation) before we get to the main event: his interview with creator Jim Woodring. Woodring is best known for the Frank series of dialog-free, surrealistic comics. Kumar investigates what’s inspired Woodring’s work.
Sydney Morning Herald photos of the festival
Comics Journal interview with Woodring
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Critiquing Comics 003: “Flying Sparks”
Is Meta-girl’s boyfriend secretly a villain? What’s Meta-girl’s relationship with the mysterious Meta-man? We critique the weekly Web comic Flying Sparks, by Jon Del Arroz, Michael Yakutis, Ren McKenzie, and Jethro Morales!
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