New This Week: March 16, 2005

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:

The Pick of the Week is Dorothy #2 from Illusive Productions. This fumetti-for-the-21st-century is an inventive reimagination of the Oz story. I liked this second issue better than the first.


In other comics:

Amaze Ink has a third Dr. Radium collection.

Archie has a new issue of Sabrina (#65).

Dark Horse has the first Conan collection (in both hardcover & paperback) and the trade collection of Peter David & Pop Mhan's SpyBoy: Final Exam.

DC has a trade collection of Paul Pope's 100%; the tenth Starman collection, Sins of the Father; and new issues of Adventures of Superman (#638), Birds of Prey (#80), Ex Machina (#9), Human Target (#20), JLA (#112), Lucifer (#60), Manhunter (#8), Plastic Man (#15) (is this now bimonthly?), and The Question (#5).

Image has new issues of Invincible (#21), Noble Causes (#8), and the final issue of Ultra (#8).

Marvel has new issues of Black Panther (#2), Captain America (#4), Incredible Hulk (#79), Ultimate Spider-Man (#74), and Ultimates 2 (#4).

Oni has the long-named Hopeless Savages B-Sides All Flashback Special One Shot.

Top Shelf has the second volume of Owly.

Vertical has the fifth volume of Tezuka's Buddha.


And finally, I count no less than eight different editions of Brian Pulido's Lady Death Swimsuit 2005. You people who buy stuff like this, you do realize that on the Internet you can find pictures of real women in bathingsuits, right?

Bookstores Are Afraid of The Manga, Too

Reading all the press about how manga is selling like gangbusters at bookstores, you might get the impression that bookstores are falling all over themselves to stock manga.

Not necesarilly true; it would seem that many bookstores are approaching manga (and other graphic novels) with the same wary trepidation as many comic book stores (but for perhaps different reasons), as evident from this post by UCDavis Bookstore's Paul Takushi, which reads in part:

I must admit that I resisted at first. I heard stories from other booksellers about how the books get trashed and picked-over but not actually bought, how GN readers are notorious shoplifters, and how GN readers like to hide books in other sections so they can "reserve" it for themselves while they read it inside of the store.

Well, the section does get picked over, but not exactly trashed. That's a good thing because it means that people ARE looking at the books. The sales continue to increase while I fine tune the selection and the word gets out that we stock them. Since we created the section, no books have ever been stolen.

The reasons may be different, but the root cause is the same, in that some are reticent to go outside of their 'comfort zone' in merchandise: floppies for comic stores, 'normal' books for booksellers. But when there's an audience with dollars to spend, commerce will find a way. Those stores that recognize this emerging market, and cater to it, will undoubtedly find it profitable.

Reviews: Badass High School Manga

Worst, vol. 1
by Hiroshi Takahashi
$12.95 Digital Manga Publishing

Cromartie High School
by Eiji Nonaka
$10.95 ADV Manga

High school in Japan must be a pretty rough place! Based on what one reads in certain manga, high school boys are not concerned so much with the three R's as they are with proving who is the toughest badass around.

In Hiroshi Takahashi's Worst, Suzuran High School is considered to be one of the toughest schools for boys; not because of the academic rigor, but rather the brutal way in which the social pecking order is established. At the begining of every year, the upper classmen force the incoming first-year class to face off in hand-to-hand combat in order to prove who is the toughest badass (and by extension who will rule the class).

Into this situation comes Hana Tsukishima, a bald-headed country bumpkin who is innocent and freidnly, but whose mastery of martial arts can make quick work of any badass wannabe. He shares a boarding house with four other first-years, run by a suspected Yakuza (and his cross-dressing brother).

Having already laid waste to a bunch of bullies before the school year starts, Hana starts to make friends in school, but gets caught up in the excitement of the Freshmen's Battle. He enters, vowing that if he wins the contest, no one in the freshman class at Suzuran will be allowed to rule.

Takahashi's art is attractive, and he delineates his characters well, especially their out-of-the-early-eighties hair styles. The larger-than-normal size of the book really gives the art room to breathe.

Presumably Japanese high schools really aren't like this, as situations are obviously manufactured and exagerated for satiric effect. By taking typical social situations of rank and dominance and presenting them as contests of physical conflict, manga such as Worst are able to explore in an exciting and explicit way the unseen battles of male society. Known as 'Yankee' manga, these stories of young men and thugs as battling badasses seem to be rather popular with the young males at which they are aimed.

Taking a satirical piss on badass high school manga though is Cromartie High School from Eiji Nonaka. A funny spoof on 'Yankee' comics, CHS finds Takashi Kamiyama accidentally enrolling at the titular school, a school for deliquents renowned thorughout Tokyo as the home to the biggest badasses around. While not a badass himself, Takashi finds himself the unofficial leader of a group of badass misfits, his quick mind and relative social adjustment being recognized by the other students as leadership material.

Among the students who find themselves in Takashi's group are Freddie, a mute, hairy-chested wrestler-type old(er) guy; Shinichi Mechazawa, a barrel-shaped robot who doesn't seem to understand that he's not a human; and Gorilla, a, well, gorilla. The other characters' quirks may be less outrageous, but still manage to play on stereotypes, such as Yutaka, the large bald Yakuza-wannabe badass who falls easy prey to motion sickness; and Takeshi Hokuto, the child of privilige who finds that his dad's government connection won't be of help at Cromartie, so he invesnts a secret conspiracy in the upper reaches of society which he claims that he is on a secret mission to overthrow.

The typical episode of Cromartie High School finds the students facing a standard high school badass situation (e.g. face off to decide who is the toughest badass), but they either end up getting sidetracked or fall to a piece of logic from Takashi that circumvents the conflict all together. It's made all the more funny by the completely straight way in which all the characters approach their situations, as if every insane thing they do or encounter is perfectly logical. In CHS, the characters play straight men to the absurdity of the plot.

As funny as Nonaka's comic is--and it often is quite humorous--his art is, well, limited. Not to say that it's bad--his figures seem to have walked out of a Ryoichi Ikegami story--but it's a lot of talking heads, usually in 2/3 profile, and there's very little attention paid to background, scene setting, or anything beyond basic storytelling. In that way it has more in common with a comic strip than a full-fledged comic book, but it works given the nature of the material. Still, CHS might work better as a satire if it more closely resembled the material of which it is making fun.

Both Worst and Cromartie High School make good starts in their initial volumes, and their differnt approaches compliment each other as a reading experience.

(A review copy of Worst was provided by the publisher.)

Rating (for both): 3 (of 5)

Spider-Girl Contest, Part Four: The Winners

This is it, part four of our run-down of entires to the Spider-Girl contest, where we will announce the Grand Prize Winner! (See part one, part two & part three for the previous entries.)

There's no particular reason why these were chosen as the winner and runner-up, just that they both seemed right to me as I liked both the actresses chosen and the reasons given.


Our runner-up is David Welsh, whose choice is Joan of Arcadia co-star Becky Wahlstrom. David writes:

She's smart as a box of whips, has a compelling physicality and puckish sense of humor, and shows a mastery of the kind of subtext that would suit a character with a secret identity. Also, I would like for her to become a very big star, snapping wispy starlets in half as she makes her ascent.

For second place, David wins our (previously unannounced) second-place prize, a copy of the first Spider-Girl digest! Congratulations David!




And now the moment you've all been waiting for: our Grand Prize winner!

First place goes to Nik Dirga, whose choice is actress Zooey Deschanel. Nik writes:

Not exactly a household name, she's been in Almost Famous, Elf, All The Real Girls and this summer's Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy adaptation. I think she projects a keen intelligence and slight but not overpowering cynicism, qualities also present in Spider-Girl. She's optimistic but not naive -- check out her performance in the Will Ferrell comedy Elf, as the Christmas-hatin' crank who (of course) develops true holiday cheer by the end, even chiming in on a Christmas carol or two. Now, that whole Grinch-becomes-grinner thing is pretty clichéd, but damn if Zooey didn't sell me on it in that little turn. Or take her performance in Almost Famous as William Miller's jaded sister, another excellent turn that takes a small role and gives it a little more complexity. I think the best comic adaptations are those where the actors/actress give a subtle oomph to their portrayals -- see Maguire's Spider-Man, Jackman's Wolverine, McKellen's Magneto -- not quite winking at the audience, but the reverse -- making the most extraordinary ideas and actions believable through the humanism of their performances.

As our Grand Prize winner, Nik gets copies of the first two Spider-Girl digests, containing the first twelve issues of the comic. Congratulations Nik!



That wraps things up for us. Thanks to everyone who entered, and a special thanks to Johanna Draper Carlson, who provided one of the prizes. This was a lot of fun, and hopefully I'll run another contest in the not-too-distant future.

Spider-Girl Contest, Part Three

Welcome back! We're now in part three of our run-down of entries for our Spider-Girl contest. (See part one and part two.)

I really liked the choices made in this batch, and honestly any one of them could have walked away with the prize. But alas it is not to be.



Isaac's choice is Christina Ricci (who has previous comic book movie experience in Casper). Isaac writes:

Christina Ricci is the best-suited actor to play May Parker. She has the youth, the build, the snarky outlook, and the chops. She will be able to pull-off the self-doubt/optimist combo in a way that a more traditional beauty might not, and at her age she better fits the profile of the character.

Luke opts for The L Word's Mia Kirshner. Luke writes:

Although she's 30 years of age, she'd still make a great Spider-Girl b/c of her young appearance. In addition, she plays a very strong character in The L Word who is conflicted with her sexuality. This could easily allow her to capture the character of Spider-Girl in a movie, strong willed but conflicted with her sense of responsibility and the pressure of living up to her father Spider-Man. She carries with her a lot of personality and acting range, which today's actresses closer to Spider-Girl's age, sorely lack. The picture I sent has her with short hair similar to Mayday's, all she'd have to do is add a little bit of muscle. It took Tobey Maguire 4 months to take his flabby form and shape it into a chilsed Spidey, I think Mia can handle it too!

Bill's choice was Wonderfalls star Caroline Dhavernas. Bill writes:

She's probably too old to be a convincing teenager (not that that's ever stopped TV casting people before), but she can pull of the right mix of strength, charm, wit, vulnerability and a quality I can only really describe as "Raaaar!" needed to make Spider-Girl work. Plus, killer smile and exceptionally pretty eyes. Not that you'd see that behind the mask, but it'd make the Mayday Parker scenes all that much better.

Lee chose actress Claire Danes. Lee writes:

I feel our actress should be recognizable, but not overly achieved. Someone who relates to those of us with mortal failings and trappings yet can display the introspective strength deserved by the character. I believe Claire Danes (Best known for television's My So Called Life and the 90s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet) would make a marvelous May Parker. Identifiable to many in their early twenties, it has been some time since she found a role to fill comfortably, and this would be a great opportunity for her to be introduced to a new audience. As May Parker her awkward charm and grace along with strong feminine traits could really shine. Much like her male counterpart she could make those less sure believe with great acting (as the 'Spider-Man' movies have proven action is truly second to the story and those involved) and rally any gender to support a thoughtful heroine.

A contestant identifying himself as Brainiac Five made the choice of actress Schuyler Fisk. B5 writes:

She's the appealing young actress who played Colin Hanks' girlfriend in the under-rated movie Orange County. She doesn't look like the character as drawn in the series by a longshot, but with her red hair she'd easily pass for MJ's daughter, and looks more like an actual teenager than a young supermodel. Above and beyond her appearance, she can actually act and, just as she was able to take a teen movie love-interest character and make her three-dimensional, would be able to root the character of Mayday Parker in an emotional reality that would make the rest of the film work around her.

Our last choice for this segment is from Martin, whose choice is Christy Carlson Romano. Martin writes:

My choice to play May Parker is Christy Carlson Romano, the voice of TV's Kim Possible. She has experience with the type of character, a young athletic (but brainy) heroine, and enough of a physical resemblance to pull it off as well.

That wraps up this third segment. If you've been keeping track, you know that there are just two more entries left. Who will walk away with the grand prize? Check back in a couple of hours to find out!

Spider-Girl Contest, Part Two

Welcome to part two of our four-part rundown of entries for the Spider-Girl contest. (See part one.)

For this batch we have entries of a humorous bent. At least, I assumed that they were meant to be humorous, as they made me chuckle!


Dave H. nominated Angelina Jolie. Dave writes:

This sexy siren of the silver screen is world-famous for her luscious lips. While many a casting agent (and studio executive) would be wary to cast her in a role covering those beauties, they need not fear. Ms. Jolie's lips can actually appear through the mask! Yes ladies & gentlemen, Spider-Girl not only can walk on walls via her hands & feet, but with her lips as well! Just ask Brad Pitt, the suction on those puppies is strong!

Of course, Ms. Jolie is also quite capable of any physical feats that may be called upon Spidey's little girl. Twirl through the air, jumping from wall to wall, playing with dangerous knives, she can do it all folks! She can even use her spidey-sense to detect when Billy Bob Thorton shows up! Never be surprised again by the king of white trash of Hollywood!

So what about chemistry with a possible love interest? Glad you asked, because Ms. Jolie has burned up movie and television screens across the world with such heartthrobs as the aforementioned Brad Pitt, Edward Burns, Antonio Banderas, Nicholas Cage, Jude Law, and even her own brother! Fans will melt at the very sight of her.

Next up is George, with a rather strange entry:

I'd say if there was a show or movie to be made, make it a cartoon and have the crazy women that throws the cats at people from The Simpsons play the lead. I'd be comedic and most certainly interesting to see what antics and hyginks ensue.

I must admit that even though I sometimes watch and enjoy The Simpsons, I have no idea which character George is refering to...




Perhaps equally odd, but in a completely different way, is Stephen's choice: Tobey Maguire. Stephen writes:

Who should play May Parker? The answer could not be more obvious: Tobey Maguire. Why Tobey? For many reasons:

• Star appeal would bring in many fans otherwise unlikely to attend a Spider-Girl movie


• It worked for "Spider-Man", and Hollywood never looses the chance to repeat a winning formula


• Cross-dressing nature of the role would give Tobey a chance to expand his acting horizons


• Close resemblance to actor who played Peter Parker who support notion that May Parker was Peter's daughter, thus adding an important dash of verisimilitude


• Tobey already has a costume, thus saving on the sure-to-be-costly budget


• Unusual yet (let's face it) perfect casting choice would bring publicity and hence more movie-goers


• Something about Tobey Maguire just says "wall-crawler"

Thanks for the grins guys! Come back in a couple of hours or so for part three, where we'll reveal our next batch of nominees.

Spider-Girl Contest, Part One

It's time now to go through the entries for my Spider-Girl contest. As you may recall, I asked readers to submit their choice for an actress to play May "Spider-Girl" Parker in a film or television version of Spider-Girl, with the winner getting copies of the first two Spider-Girl digests.

Judging on this contest is by me and is completely subjective, based on my reaction to both the suggested actress and the reason given. There were seventeen entries in all, and I find myself wishing I could give out multiple prizes. Alas, despite the many good entries, only one can win.

Throughout the day (assuming that Blogger cooperates...) I'll be posting all of the entries I received, and in my final post today I'll announce the winner (ah, the suspense!)


So without further delay, here are the first batch of entries for Who Should Play Spider-Girl:


Martin's choice is What i Like About You star Amanda Bynes. Martin writes:

I think Amanda Bynes should play May Parker. I haven't seen much of her work (only Big Fat Liar), but I thought she had that Toby thing going for her. She could be very comical, but at the same time really fit the 'teenage' girl persona. She was born in 1986, which makes her age approriate for the role (19).

Two people, Jim & Brandon, both chose Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Natalie Portman. Jim writes:

I say this not knowing anything about Spider-Girl, as I have never read it. My entry is based completely on the fact I think her age is about right from what little I know of the Comic, and she has a big enough name to get people to notice the movie yet is still not superstar enough to make it a star driven movie. I really think with these comic movies, the best ones are the ones that are story based, the worst are the ones that are star based. (DD and Catwoman sucked, X-men and Spider-Man were good, others vary in between them.)

I knew a lot of people that went to see Catwoman just to see Berry jump around in a skimpy outfit, which I think would turn off the number of women that would go see the flick. I don't think they would happen with Portman, as she is not such a sex symbol, hopefully not turning away the female audience.

Also, she has shown she is willing to do a comic movie with V. So, I guess some of how good of an idea this is depends on how good that movie is...

Brandon writes:

Okay, she's in her early twenties, but she can still play young. Give her a hair cut and she looks the part. The Star Wars movies show she can put up with special effects, which is always a plus for a superhero movie. Most importantly, she can act. So, she could handle the action AND the drama and could look the part.

Scott's choice was Jessica Biel, who recently starred in the comic book movie Blade: Trinity. Scott writes simply:

Why? Come on, just look at her. She's like a goddess or something.

Rick's choice is Hilary Duff, who starred as the title witch in the comic book movie Casper and Wendy. Rick makes the observation:

Little girls want to be her, little boys have crushes on her, and middle aged men wish it wasn’t so creepy when they had "those" kind of thoughts about her.

Our last choice for this segment is from Richard, whose choice was Jennifer Love Hewitt (who starred in the comic strip movie Garfield). Richard writes:

Ron has told me that when he draws May he has the actress Jennifer Love Hewitt as the model. So I'd go with her as the choice.

That wraps up our first batch of entries for Spider-Girl actresses. Interesting choices, but alas not everyone can be a winner. Stayed tuned for part two of our four-part run-down in a couple of hours or so...