The June Manga Movable Feast begins today, with Takehiko Inoue ' one of Japan's most commercially successful manga artists ' as the subject. I don't think I'll have a chance to write a new essay for this month's MMF, but I did want to take a minute to sing the praises of my favorite Inoue manga, Real. As I noted back in 2009, Real is an all-too-rare example of a sports manga with broad appeal:
It's a sports story for those of us who care more about good writing and good artwork than the inner workings of a zone defense. But if you like to wax poetic about the Celtics/Lakers rivalry of yore, Real is your kind of series, too, as it will remind you just how beautiful the game can be when played with passion.
I haven't always done my best to keep current with the series ' the release schedule is painfully slow ' but I'm finally up to date with the English edition, and can say with confidence that it's still one of the best manga being published right now.
Comics | Looking for a good summer read? Gina Gagliardo, Marketing Associate for First Second Books, offers a few suggestions, from A.L.I.E.E.E.N. to Whiteout. [First Second Books]
Comics | Jocelyn Allen reviews Feynman, Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick's bio-comic about the late, great physicist. [Brain vs. Book]
Comics | In honor of the much-discussed Astonishing X-Men #51 ' in which Northstar marries his long-time boyfriend Kyle ' Midtown Comics hosted its very first wedding. [The New York Times]
Japanese Culture | Mark your calendars: the fourth annual J-Pop Summit Festival will be held in San Francisco on August 25th and 26th. This year's event will feature a special tribute to the Evangelion franchise, as well as a variety of concerts and screenings illustrating the theme 'Cyberpop Overload!' [New People]
Manga | The folks at Comics Alliance have a special treat for Moyocco Anno fans: a generous preview of Sakuran, which Vertical, Inc. will be releasing on July 17th. Note that the pages deal with adult subject matter, even though they're not explicit. (Translation: don't read it on the subway!) [Comics Alliance]
Manga | Big news from JManga: customers now have the option of buying points on an as-needed basis, no subscription required. [JManga]
Manga | Speaking of JManga, Deb Aoki posts mini-reviews of six new Houbunsha titles that are making their debut on the manga portal. The titles run the gamut from culinary comedies (Cafe Dream, Wasanbon) to yuri dramas (Himitsu: Secret Love). [About Manga]
Manga | Is Naruto entering the home stretch? Recent comments by Masashi Kishimoto suggest that he plans to end the series soon. [Anime News Network]
Manga | Shunjo Auono's bleak comedy I'll Give It My All' Tomorrow is slated for a big-screen adaptation. No word on casting or a potential release date yet. [Anime News Network]
Manga | Spotted on Amazon: cover art for Drawn & Quarterly's upcoming edition of GeGeGe no Kitaro. [The Manga Critic Con't]
Manga | In case you missed it: David Brothers posts a thoughtful appreciation of Shotaro Ishimonori's Cyborg 009, focusing on the team's black member, 008. 'Even though Ishinomori is using explicitly racist iconography, he isn't bringing the same baggage to it that Eisner or others did,' Brothers notes. '008 isn't a Stepin Fetchit type, and there's not a hint of the 'yassuh boss, we's sick!' garbage that makes Ebony White such a Strong Black Character. He's just a regular dude, and he acts like it. It's like Ishinomori adopted the art style but missed out on the baggage that goes along with it.' [4th Letter!]
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