More Moto Hagio!

The news that Fantagraphics & Matt Thorne are teaming up for a new line of translated manga makes me happy. What makes me giddy is that their first release will be A Drunken Dream and Other Stories, a collection of some of Hagio's most important short stories. I've loved Hagio's work ever since reading A A' and They Were 11 way back in the day (when we bought our translated manga flipped, in floppies, and we liked it!) The fact that Hagio's oevre has been basically unavailable in English for years in nigh criminal, and I'm glad to see that Fantagraphics is taking steps to rectify this.

Be a Doll

Bizarro is brought to you today by Ventriloquism.

We finally have what passes for warm weather in New York City at this time of year and it has buoyed my spirits considerably. It's been in the low fifties for the past couple of days and it feels like Mexico. I rode my bike around Prospect Park yesterday dressed in something lighter than an Eskimo suit. It was glorious. Today I may go riding again, perhaps to the local dollar store to see if they have rubber sheets*, or across the Brooklyn Bridge to see how many tourists are mindlessly walking in the bike lane. Every year they repaint the signs and walkway markers and still somebody gets creamed.

For anyone who is not familiar enough with the mystical techniques of ventriloquism to understand this joke, just try to say a "B" without moving your lips. Ah, now you've discovered the magic of ventriloquism. Somehow, doll-wielding entertainment icons like Beverly Massegee can make the sound of a "B" inside their mouth and not with their lips! If you try it, it will sound like a "G." That's why all over the globe people flock to pay big bucks to see this rare art form.

*For use in making it easier to clean up after some of our foster animals.

Sunday Punnies #5

(Click the image to engorge with size)

Bizarro is brought to you today by 24 Hour Party People.

Look, boys and girls, just above the lettering, it's another edition of Bizarro's Sunday Punnies! I think this is the fifth or sixth one I've done in the ongoing series. (If only there were some way to keep track.)

I didn't get a chance to post a Sunday cartoon over the weekend, so here's one now. As I've mentioned before, the majority of the puns from this series are from readers. People send me lots of puns but I rarely think they are worthy of a stand-alone cartoon. My Sunday Punnies series is a fun way to include them in a bonus pack of punnery. So send your puns now! They must be original (you didn't get it from another cartoon somewhere) and you must acknowledge that you will get nothing in return for your donation, other than a wink and a hearty thank you from yours, truly. But isn't that the true spirit of giving?

You can't imagine the fun of opening the Sunday Comics (or the Internets) and seeing your idea illustrated in full color by a legendary comics icon such as myself until it actually happens! Even then, you'll have to pinch yourself to be sure you're not dreaming!*

*The author of this blog does not accept responsibility for any injury or disfigurement resulting from the pinching of readers. If you feel you may be at risk of somnambulistic self-mutilation, experts recommend wearing mittens to bed.

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!

Flying monkeys attack on Scottie Young's cover to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #6 (2009).


Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Syllables

Here is a video, the memory of which you will take to your grave.

Up All Night

Bizarro is brought to your attention today by Two Feet of Snow.

I've recently finished a personal project in which I have carefully reviewed that last 35 years of my life and created a chart of the number of times I have stayed up all night and the reason why. I hope you will find it entertaining and informative.

Partying 2
Working on a deadline 27
Worrying 11
Sick 14
Talking 4
Having sex 0
Arguing 23
Tripping on recreational drugs 0
Tripping on prescription drugs 3
Reading a good book 1
Squatting with binoculars in the
bushes of a celebrity's home 0
Being brainwashed by the enemy 0
Driving to Las Vegas to bail out a
family member 4

I suspect I will lose some sleep over this list.

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.


1 (-). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 *
2 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
3 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
4 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
5 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
6 (-). Kick-Ass
7 (+2). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
8 (+8). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 6: Retreat *
9 (-2). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
10 (-). Fables Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover
11 (+6). Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth
12 (-1). Dark Tower: The Fall of Gilead
13 (-5). The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade: The 11 1/2 Anniversary Edition
14 (+11). Halo: Helljumper *
15 (N). Classic G.I. Joe Volume 7
16 (+11). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
17 (+16). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
18 (+27). All Star Superman, Vol. 2
19 (N). Invincible Iron Man Omnibus, Vol. 1 *
20 (+22). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
21 (-9). Watchmen
22 (-). Batman: The Killing Joke
23 (-10). Star Wars: Legacy Volume 8 - Tatooine *
24 (R). Batman: Year One
25 (N). The Dark-Hunters, Vol. 2
26 (N). The Story of O
27 (+3). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
28 (+22). New Avengers Vol. 12: Powerloss *
29 (+7). Naruto, Vol. 47
30 (+2). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5)
31 (-5). V for Vendetta
32 (N). Planetary Vol. 4: Spacetime Archaeology *
33 (+15). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
34 (+9). Twelve Kingdoms, The - Hardcover Edition Volume 4: Skies of Dawn *
35 (-16). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
36 (-13). Asterios Polyp
37 (-1). Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume
38 (-14). The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks
39 (-8). Tales from the Crypt #8: Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid
40 (R). Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 2
41 (R). Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 1
42 (R). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
43 (R). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
44 (-16). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
45 (N). Hellboy Volume 9: The Wild Hunt *
46 (-11). Bleach, Vol. 30
47 (-7). Stitches: A Memoir
48 (+1). Marvel Encyclopedia
49 (-28). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
50 (-13). The Complete Persepolis



Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* A good deal of relative stability at the top of the chart gives way to a great deal of volatility in the middle and bottom, with several books jumping either way up or way down.

* The highest debut belongs to Classic G.I. Joe Volume 7. Volume 4 percolates just under the list at #51. I have no clue as to the sudden interest in classic GI Joe this week.

* Watchmen hits its lowest point yet since I starting tracking these charts. I suspect that it has no gone back to just being another good-selling catalog item.