Unshelved

I hate doing these for only one title, but the other one that’s on Amazon already hasn’t quite been announced, so it will have to be content with a tweet or two. In the meantime, we have another Shonen Jump series, though this one is not going to be featured in the weekly online magazine.

Shokugeki no Soma, which is getting the prefix Food Wars added to it for North America, is a Weekly Shonen Jump series that’s about 4 or 5 volumes so far. It is another manga about food creation but, like another Jump series, Toriko, I suspect this is not so much for the foodie manga reader as it is for the typical Jump manga fan. A young man is challenged by his chef father to go to an elite chef high school where it’s all battles all the time. It has very few graduates. Oh, and the head of the school’s granddaughter hates him. Can he survive just by being the hero of a Shonen Jump manga?

This sort of series has been called Food Porn, and apparently this particular series takes that wording a bit literally. Like many manga artists before they hit it big, Saeki Shun got his start in hentai doujinshi, and it shows in the abundant amounts of fanservice that this title has. Indeed, I was rather surprised at the announcement, not because it’s a battle manga – indeed, that’s likely the lure. It’s because ecchi harem series had been on the decline in North American recently. Strawberry 100%, an earlier Viz Jump title, is on permanent hiatus. Nisekoi is a romantic comedy, but its main thrust is not so much “panties!” the way the classic shonen harem title is. Food Wars (and I haven’t read it, so please correct me if I’m wrong) is combining a cooking manga with harem fanservice in much the same way Toriko combines it with One Piece-esque shonen ludicrousness.

As for whether it succeeds, well, I admit I’m intrigued at what the future will bring if it does. We shall see.

For those wondering what I mean, here’s Crunchyroll’s presser.

Kodansha not having a weekly digital equivalent to Viz’s Shonen Jump was always a major stumbling block, and this should fix that right up.

So… what are we getting? Attack on Titan and Fairy Tail you already know. UQ Holder! and The Seven Deadly Sins were announced at NYCC by Kodansha for next year.

That leaves 8. Let’s take a look.

The biggie here is definitely Space Brothers, which has an anime to its name, and which Kodansha Comics has already admitted they’d love to put out if it wasn’t 20+ volumes and seinen. If it does well digitally, perhaps we can see it in print. I once heard this described as “Twin Spica for MANLY MEN”, and that’s not far off. It’s called Uchuu Kyoudai in Japan, and runs in Weekly Morning.

Mysterious Girlfriend X (Nazo no Kanojo X) runs in Monthly Afternoon, and also has a tie-in anime. It’s 10+ volumes, and is sort of a weird romantic comedy. It also has an obsession with drool that I recall made me avoid it, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

A Town Where You Live (Kimi no Iru Machi) has everything a modern manga publisher doesn’t want: it’s 20+ volumes (and weekly – it runs in Shonen Magazine), a harem comedy, and its author had a prior series get cancelled for low sales over here (Suzuka). That said, it has a very active online fanbase, and let’s hope they pay to see it coming out over here.

Back a long time ago, I license requested Yankee-kun to Megane-chan, aka Flunk Punk Rumble. Sadly, it was one of my license requests that did not get fulfilled. But now we have the author’s new work, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo)! It has bodyswaps, it’s funny, and it has a female creator. Can’t wait.

As the Gods Will (2nd Series) (Kami-sama no Iutoori Ni 2) is, as you might imagine, the sequel to As the Gods Will 1, which is (oh dear) a survival game horror manga that runs in Shonen Magazine. Despite picking up with the sequel, and my utter boredom with this genre, I hope it does well.

My Wife Is Wagatsuma-san (Wagatsuma-san wa Ore no Yome) is one of the more interesting romantic comedies Kodansha’s putting out these days. A loser guy (no, wait, come back) who really wants the cute girl he likes to (no, really come back!) like him wakes up one day, 10 years in the future, married to his dream girl! But he has no memories of the last 10 years. He has to figure out how they got this way. The author also writes a prison horror comic, so this must be the light relief.

…oh wait, here is the comic in question! Fort of Apocalypse (Apocalypse no Toride) is by the author of Wagatsuma-san but with a different artist. It runs in Shonen Rival, and has prisons AND zombies. I suspect it may be the darkhorse hit of this whole deal.

Coppelion, a Young Magazine title, is one of those series everyone expects to be the announcement at every single con but it never is. Genetically modified cute girls plus post-apocalyptic Japan, who can possibly resist? It’s 19+ volumes, which explains why Kodansha resisted. But now… digital!

Which of these has you most excited? For me, it’s Space Brothers and Yamada-kun.

The final day of New York Comic Con, I had only one planned panel. I took some time to walk around the show floor some more, now that the crush of Saturday was gone. Picked up a 2000AD book after their excellent panel the night before (though it ended up being none of the titles they had recommended). Got Summer Wars from Vertical, which I had missed the first time around. Discussed the one-week delay on Random House manga with Diamond Distributors – they’ll look into it. Quite productive.

Then, after lunch, I decided to go to Main Events. My panel wasn’t for 2 1/2 hours, but hey. Luckily, I was able to walk right in. No lines at all. Hooray for huge rooms! What I ended up seeing was the network FXX advertising its wares. They had a fantasy football sitcom called The League, which is in one of my least favorite genres (group of horrible people are all friends and are horrible every week – see It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as well), but I will admit made me laugh a few times. The cast were all quite personable, and it’s clear they love making the show.

I then saw the world premiere of a new animated cartoon called Chozen, which stars the odd combination of Bobby Moyhihan from Saturday Night Live and Method Man from the Wu-Tang Clan. It’s about rappers, and I liked the episode far less – it read like a rap version of Family Guy, which I despise. The Q&A was more interesting, particularly when folks were asking Method Man about a Wu-Tang reunion (their 20th anniversary was this week) rather than about the actual show. Again, not for me, but everyone involved looked really hyped about it – this doesn’t have the feel of bringing in folks to cash a paycheck.

Then came what I had been waiting for – the Big Finish Doctor Who panel, with Nicholas Briggs, Jason Haigh-Ellery, and Colin Baker. Honestly, a lot of people in the room (now filled to capacity – my choice to camp there early was a good one) weren’t really all that familiar with Big Finish, being New Who fan types, but this may change their minds. The panel started with a costume parade – there were a huge number of Who costumes at the con, and not just Smith/Tennant stuff either. Lots of kids, who looked adorable. They all walked around to the KLF hit “Doctorin’ The TARDIS”.

Then came the panel proper, livened up greatly by Colin Baker, who knows how to work a crowd. We heard a preview of Big Finish’s 50th anniversary story, which stars Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann, along with various companions. Called The Light At The End, it was written and directed by Nicholas Briggs, and will be in standard CD, deluxe CD, and super deluxe LP editions. Colin notes that on audio, he can look the same as he did in 1984 – the power of imagination!

Big Finish was discussed as a “proving ground” for many young writers, and of course two Big Finish dramas were rewritten into the TV series – the Sixth Doctor story “Jubilee” became “Dalek” from Christopher Eccleston’s season, and “Spare Parts” was made into the Cybermen 2-parter in Tennant’s first season. Indeed, pre-Doctor Who, David Tennant did loads of Big Finish audio dramas, particularly in the miniseries Dalek Empire.

The company only has the rights to the “Classic” series, so can’t use the Silence or the Weeping Angels – which aren’t really fitting for audio in any case. Colin, discussing the episode Blink, wondered why winking wasn’t an option! He also noted that we never saw him regenerate (due to the nasty way the BBC let him go), therefore all the Doctors after him are imposters!

Colin dislikes using the word “favourite”, as it implies a ranking system, which he avoids. That said, the audio drama Arrangements for War was noted as being a highlight of his series with Big Finish. He did feel the new series had a leg up on the classic one as it can avoid the bad special effects that plagued the series – Colin describes being unable to walk off as he was holding up the wall at one point. And he wanted to not only be able to do the “Everybody lives!” scene from The Doctor Dances, but wanted Eccleston’s costume – his original idea had been for the 6th Doctor to wear a leather jacket.

There was some amusing bashing of other Doctors – Colin quickly noted this is a tradition amongst them, and not to read too much into it. He hasn’t seen Sylvester’s episodes (everyone tends to avoid the one that comes after them), but feels that if you are a good actor, anyone can be the Doctor. Nicholas Briggs also discussed how his Big Finish work got him the role of “Dalek voice” in the TV series, and how he was once cast as the Cyber voice without actually being booked – he was simply asked “Why aren’t you on set?”.

There was an amusing anecdote about an actress who shall not be named (though it’s obvious in context) who had trouble being scared by the Dalek in its titular episode, as she thought it looked ridiculous. The director sighed and shouted at her “It’s been killing people!” They all discussed their great love of Patrick Troughton’s Doctor, and are excited to see what Peter Capaldi brings to the role – Capaldi is a Doctor Who fanatic, with toys and everything. Colin was also quick to note Nicola Bryant was his favorite companion in her role as Peri.

Lastly, as a reader of the BBC Doctor Who novels, my favorite anecdote of the night was when they were casting Fitz, one of the 8th Doctors book companions, for an audio project, they almost cast Matt Smith! He was thought to be too young for the role. Little did they know…

And then I tapped out for the last time and left Comic Con to go stand in an even longer line at the hotel to collect my suitcase. But it was a lot of fun. Yes, the lines were abysmal, and I think some of the room choices showed an astonishing lack of foresight, but this is one of the dangers of having a con with over 100,000 people. Overall, it’s a great unifying experience of fandom.

I did not get into Doctor Who. Arriving early, I found myself at the end of a long line in a concrete bunker, and by the time I got to the panels it was very full. Sigh.

So I did end up seeing Yen Press after all, and they had some interesting announcements. Void’s Enigmatic Mansion is a new Korean manwha title that thy’re doing online near simultaneous with the release in Korea. By Ji Eun Ha and Hee Eun Kim (author of A Kiss To The Prince, which Infinity put out back in the day), it runs in Haksan’s Party magazine. It’s about a butler at a magical mansion, and will have color! Print will come later.

They were pleased to announce a new relationship with Kodansha, and three new Kodansha titles to go with it. Ani ga Imouto de Imouto ga Ani de (Ane-Imo) which has body switching, incestual subtext, and other things you’d expect from a skeezy otaku-oriented title… except it runs in shoujo magazine Aria. The author, Haruko Kurumatani, is better known for smutty Shogakukan shoujo. Also from Aria is He’s My Only Vampire paranormal romance with, as noted by Yen several times, pureblood vampires. Aya Shouoto, the author, has done some BL in the past as well. Meanwhile, gothic thriller shoujo writer Kaori Yuki gives us Demon from a Foreign Land. It’s a third Aria title, and is a wacky reverse harem com–no, no, ths is Kaori Yuki. It’s a dark period fantasy.

In non-Kodansha news, they have picked up the artbook/guidebook to Alice in the Country of Diamonds, which is filled with stuff – art, key visuals, interviews, a short manga, and all the game endings. It should be great fun for overanalytic Alice nerds like me. Lastly, High School D&D comes from Fujimi Shobo’s Dragon Age (don’t let the name fool you – it’s Kadokawa in disguise!) Based on a light novel (which was not licensed, disappointing to some), it’s a supernatural demon comedy with a lecherous protagonist. Which is admittedly better than a waffling good guy.

Question time. I asked about Square Enix titles on digital, and if there’s any progress. They said we should expect those soon! They noted the license of the light novel series recently, and said they like to take risks on titles they like, even if they’re “too many volumes”. I also asked about digital sales. He says they’re doing p;retty well, but notes digital is only about 10% of their market – they still do business mostly via print. Also, some companies and creators are reluctant to go the digital route right now. They discussed release schedules, and why releasing a book too fast can damage sales. Lastly, I asked about the Book Girl short story collections after the main series. Thery love Book Girl, but no news yet.

After this, I sort of realized Archie wasn’t going to happen – it was in 1A15, the tiny room of death. So I went to Wikia’s Animanga panel, with Kazuo Koike, Takashi Okazaki, Masao Maruyama, and Shin-Ichi Hiromoto, who not only had rock star hair, but whose photo showed one of the oddest looking persian cats I’d ever seen. The bulk of the panel was about their collaborative project with Western fan writers, who took the illustrations provided by these creators and made worlds from them. I admit I have not seen these works – they were given rules, a world, and characters, so it wasn’t just free form, but this really just sounded like an old-school round robin fanfic to me.

I was more interested in the Japanese creators, to be honest. Koike discussed his love of samurai manga, with heroes who are always prepared to die. Maruyama noted that vast imagination is welcome – he called the storyteller’s art “lying”, which I really liked. Hiromoto was asked about a “rat bomb” that apparently featured in his concept – getting ideas from real life, he had been dealing with a rat in his room. Okazaki talked about the two types of vampires he designed, one a cool, traditional vampire and one based more on street culture. He notes the fans had his idea of the hero and villain switched, which intrigued him.

Regarding collaboration, Koike is not a fan. He notes that for creative and legal reasons, he prefers single creator work, though he was quick to specify manga rather than anime. The big laugh of the panel came when Hiromoto was asked about the girl he drew – cute, not his usual thing – and he said Maruyama assigned it to him. When asked why, Maruyama said “I’m a pedophile.” (Actually, he said lolicon – the translator quickly amended.)

Koike did discuss a collaboration he did have with Yoshitaka Anamo on Deva Sun. Amano did all the art first, then Koike did the story based on that. Maruyama was asked about Dream Machine – things were complicated by the director passing away, but he definitely intends to finish it! And Koike told a wonderful story about taking his katana through customs in California – they all refused to let him through, till he mentioned he wrote Lone Wolf And Cub. He also discussed hormones releasing various chemicals in the body to govern emotions – something the rest of the panelists found very educational!

That did it. A good panel, and interested parties should go to the Animanga wikia site as well.

After this I ate lunch, then went to camp in 1A15, where Archie was ending. This turned out to be a good moe, as what was happening there was a panel by Perfect Square (formerly VizKids) on writing for children. These are titles like Ben 10, Monsuno, and Max Steel, as well as Hello Kitty and Mameshiba – licensed properties PS creates stories for.

The first thing mentioned about writing for kids was not to talk down to them – kids are clever enough to see that. Concentrate on engaging themes, such as (to paraphrase another company) friendship, hard work and victory. Stories for kids are more about black and white – less moral ambiguity and grey areas. Most importantly, as a writer YOU need to be excited by it and want to read your own work. By the way, just because it’s less ambiguous doesn’t make it simple or fluffy – the villains can be terrifying. One panelist mentioned The Secret of Nimh as a movie that scared him as a kid, but he loved it.

It was said straight out – the mainstream superhero titles aren’t for kids anymore. Instead, the panel discussed other things that may draw in kids. Humor – kids find humor in different things. The way kids’ books have evolved over the years and across countries – what’s for k,ids in Europe or Japan may not be for America, and vice versa. The Oz books were noted as being quite “intense.” Mad Magazine was also brought up as being alluring to kids – partly as when we were kids, it tended to be forbidden.

Working with the pre-existing projects that Perfect Square has can be a bit straitjacketing, but if you keep going you’ll been you share a common goal – inclusion and entertainment. Hello Kitty was noted as being particularly universal – the comic is wordless, as she has no mouth (but must scream). All Ages titles can also reinvigorate the imagination, as it does mean ALL ages – these should appeal to adults, to grandmothers, to kids. Kids have a boundless imagination, which needs to be lpayed with. Calvin and Hobbes was mentioned as terrific example.

I asked how they handle moral lessons in works, now that we aren’t in the age of Sailor Moon Says or One to Grow On. The lack of moral ambiguity helps here – they can afford to be more subtle. They agreed that they hated the whole “He-Man helps old women across the street” lessons of the 80s, which were tacked on and fake. Heroes and villains having a broader pallate was also discussed, noting that people can fight, be wrong, be arrogant. You are allowed age-appropriate dark themes. This was a surprise panel for me – I really got a kick out of it.

My last panel of the day was 2000AD. This was easily the funniest panel of the entire con – I was in hysterics several times, mostly thanks to the savvy of the PR person, Mike, who knows hnow to work a room. 2000AD is still a weekly in the UK, and IDW is doing a monthly release as well. It’s a popular proving ground for new writers – the cream of the Marvel and DC crop cut their teeth with Judge Dredd and the like. Andy Diggle, Al Ewing and Ian Edgington were the creators present. 2000AD has a very strong voice – it’s weird, it has black humor, it’s very anti-authority. This despite its poster boy being Judge Dredd, the ultimate authority figure. (It was noted many fans like Dredd TOO much, given it’s a satire.)

2000AD is a fun place as you can pitch original concepts and ideas, vs. “Here are the superheroes you will be writing” at the big Two. Their submission guidelines are clear and concise, as indeed are their comics – many fans find it disquieting how small a story in a particular issue can be – most run 4-6 pages. They mentioned several titles new readers might look into. Brass Sun is about a universe that’s actually a clockwork orrery, and what happens once the sun starts winding down. (Please, 200AD, don’t let the sun go down on me.) Stickleback sounded great to me, particularly a description of Adam Adamant walking down the street with Adam Ant. It also has a Pope of crime, with two ribcages.

They were asked about animating some of their properties – there have been projects, but they tend to fall through. They’re very careful with their properties – for the Dredd movie, it was written into the legal contract that he could not remove his helmet. I asked about budgets – they get a yearly budget, which they then have to divide among the various issues, and then among the artists/writers/letterers/cover artists, etc. There are Excel spreadsheets involved. It wqas also noted very firmly that unlike certain superhero companies, 2000AD lets people stay dead.

2000AD has an iPad app, and their wensite has CBR files to buy. Check it out – Dredd is a lot more complex than you think, and there’s far more to the magazine than just Dredd. Also, the creators are hilarious.

Tomorrow I only have one panel, in Main Events. Getting in will be tricky. Till then, as a fun exercise, count the number of times I said ‘noted’ in this post. Not including that one.