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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

off*beat

Off*Beat, Vol. 3

August 29, 2014 by Ash Brown

Off*Beat, Volume 3Creator: Jen Lee Quick
Publisher: Chromatic Press
ISBN: 9780991946648
Released: August 2014
Original run: 2013-2014

Nearly a decade after the series first began it’s finally here–the third and final volume in Jen Lee Quick’s Off*Beat. The first two graphic novels in the series were published by Tokyopop in 2005 and 2006, but the planned third volume never materialized and the first two volumes went out of print. For years fans were left languishing with one heck of a cliffhanger and with little hope of ever seeing the ending of Off*Beat. But then along comes a brand new publisher, Chromatic Press, to save the series, reprinting new editions of the first two volumes in 2013 and serializing the third in its digital multimedia magazine Sparkler Monthly. Off*Beat, Volume 3 made its debut in the first issue of Sparkler Monthly in 2013, reaching its conclusion in the ninth issue in 2014. The collected print edition of Off*Beat, Volume 3, which includes additional material not serialized online, was published later in 2014. As a long time fan of Off*Beat, I am absolutely thrilled to finally have the completed series.

With the next stage of the Gaia Project about to begin, Colin must make a decision. He knows that Tory has been spying on him–he even has one of Tory’s many notebooks recording his activities as proof–and despite Colin being drawn to the other young man, Tory seems to be lacking the attunement that Colin is hoping to find in another person. Though somewhat reluctant, Colin is preparing himself to end his strange relationship with Tory. As for Tory, what started out as a dubious obsession with his neighbor has grown into genuine affection. Although he is still intensely curious about the top-secret Gaia Project, he has begun to care less and less about it and more and more about Colin. He can’t seem to help himself. And so when Colin disappears without a word, Tory momentarily finds himself at a loss before applying all of his investigative skills into searching for him. He has very few clues to work with, but if nothing else Tory is meticulous and determined.

I really love the slow, natural development of Tory and Colin’s awkward relationship over the course of Off*Beat. It takes them all three volumes to recognize and come to terms with their complicated feelings for each other and matters are made even more difficult by Colin’s peculiar circumstances. They both have to figure out what to do about Colin’s devotion to the Gaia Project and how that will impact their budding relationship. One of the things that is never called into question in Off*Beat is the legitimacy of Colin and Tory’s liking each other–something about the series that makes me extraordinarily happy. If the two young men can somehow find a way to make their relationship work despite the strangeness of their situation, they have the ready support of family, friends, and classmates. That they would even be interested in another person romantically is what the drama stems from; a big deal is never made over the fact that they both happen to be guys. Their close relationships with the other characters in the series are another very important part of Off*Beat as well.

Off*Beat reaches a very satisfying conclusion with the third volume and yet at the same time it is open-ended enough that readers are left imagining all of the possibilities presented by the last few pages. Quick’s ending, like real life, is messy and complicated, but most of the plot threads are tied up in some fashion. Which is not to say that all of the questions have been answered–more has been revealed about the Gaia Project, but there is still plenty about it and about Colin himself that remains hidden and unknown even by the series’ end. The needed speculation may frustrate some readers, but I found it to be a believable and engaging aspect of the story. Despite all of the curious mysteries and top-secret projects, the characters’ relationships and feelings are both realistic and authentic. They all have their quirks, flaws, and strengths. It’s this beautifully strong human element in Off*Beat that really makes the series work. With the final volume of Off*Beat I find that I love the series more than ever. I am so incredibly happy to have finally been able to see the completion of such a wonderful story.

Filed Under: REVIEWS Tagged With: Chromatic Press, comics, Jen Lee Quick, off*beat

Off*Beat, Vol. 2

April 25, 2014 by Ash Brown

Off*Beat, Volume 2Creator: Jen Lee Quick
Publisher: Chromatic Press
ISBN: 9780991946617
Released: May 2013
Original release: 2006

The first two volumes of Jen Lee Quick’s graphic novel series Off*Beat were originally published by Tokyopop as part of its line of original English-language manga. A third volume was planned but never released by Tokyopop and Off*Beat sadly went out of print. I enjoyed the series and so was trilled when Chromatic Press brought Off*Beat back in a new edition with additional bonus content that previously hadn’t been released. The long-awaited third volume began serialization in Chromatic Press’ Sparkler Monthly as well. Off*Beat, Volume 2 was first released in 2006 while the Chromatic Press edition was released in 2013. By this point I have read the first two volumes of Off*Beat several times. My fondness for the series seems to only grow with each re-reading. I love the characters in all of their delightful awkwardness and I enjoy Quick’s sense of humor and the series’ drama a great deal. Off*Beat is a series that makes me happy to read and I’m even happier that it’s back in print so that more people can have a chance to enjoy it.

Tory has developed a bit of an obsession with his new next door neighbor Colin who moved in under strange circumstances. Intensely curious about the mysterious young man, Tory even managed to convince his mother to allow him to transfer to Colin’s high school so that he could learn more about him. (Of course, that wasn’t the reason that he gave her.) Colin is fairly introverted and isn’t really out to make friends but Tory did find a way to get closer to him by offering his services as a physics tutor. The extra attention that Colin receives from Tory hasn’t gone unnoticed. Although Colin has started to open up to Tory, he questions the other young man’s motives. Tory tries to pass off his always being around as a mere coincidence and says that he’s simply interested in becoming friends. But he is also interested in uncovering more information about “The Gaia Project,” a top-secret program that Colin has some sort of connection to. Unfortunately, Tory’s prying is about to get him into some trouble, just as he was beginning to figure out his relationship with Colin.

Most of Off*Beat, Volume 2 follows Tory’s perspective of events, but portions are also seen from Colin’s point of view as well as from those of Tory’s mother, their friend and neighbor Paul, and Tory’s classmate Mandy. Although I like all of the characters and enjoy the realism of their connections, one of my favorite parts of Off*Beat is the slow, natural development of Tory and Colin’s relationship. Tory’s interest may have begun out of mere curiosity, but Colin has become very important to him. Tory hasn’t quite realized it himself yet, but his friends and family (and the readers) can tell he has a crush. And it’s absolutely adorable. Quick captures perfectly the teenage awkwardness of a potential romance. Tory is almost constantly flustered and even Colin has begun to wonder confusedly why they seem to be drawn to each other. However, their relationship began under dubious circumstances at best. In addition to navigating the normal challenges of a budding romance, they will also have to deal with the fact that it all started because Tory was spying on Colin.

In part because of that, Tory is understandably under a fair amount of stress, something that exhibits itself through his dreams and his propensity for flights of fantasy. This is just one example of some of the excellent characterization in Off*Beat. Tory and Colin and all of the others have their good points and their bad, making them well-rounded characters with believable relationships. There is a fair amount of humor in their interactions and sarcasm is a common way that they communicate, which amuses me tremendously. Off*Beat also has an air of mystery about it. Both Colin an Tory have secrets that they’re keeping from each other and the enigma of Gaia Project is looming ever larger over the series. Quick has been slowly revealing more and more about the project, and about Colin, but there are still plenty of questions left to be answered. On top of that, Off*Beat, Volume 2 ends on one heck of a cliffhanger. I’m so glad that now, almost a decade after the series first began, that the conclusion will finally be revealed. I can’t wait to see how everything is resolved in the final volume. I truly love Off*Beat.

Filed Under: REVIEWS Tagged With: Chromatic Press, comics, Jen Lee Quick, off*beat

Fannish News & Links

August 6, 2013 by MJ 4 Comments

I’m feeling very fannish these days, with so much going on in the manga blogosphere (and related circles) that pings those particular sensibilities. And when I’m feeling fannish, I want to link. So here’s a little linkblogging with a decidedly fannish hue.

sparklermag-issue02c_saturated-422x543First, I have to make some noise about the recent launch of Sparkler Monthly, a new, online magazine featuring original English-language fiction aimed at “girls and women aged 15-30, or anyone interested in the rough ballpark of Female Gaze.”

There are a number of reasons why this publication should be of interest to manga fans, not the least of which being that its publisher, Chromatic Press, boasts an editorial staff helmed by industry veterans Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, Lianne Sentar, and Rebecca Scoble. It’s no coincidence that one of the magazine’s headlining series is the continuation of Off*Beat, a particularly tragic casualty of TOKYOPOP’s ill-fated OEL manga initiative, originally edited by Diaz-Przybyl (you can read my review of Off*Beat‘s long-awaited 13th chapter here). From format to content, Sparkler Monthly is heavily modeled on Japanese-style popular fiction including manga, light novels, and Drama CDs.

Of even deeper interest to me, however, are these women’s fandom roots, evident everywhere, from their general sensibilities to their submission guidelines, which specifically include fanworks as legitimate elements of an online portfolio. Having come out of fandom myself, I’m keenly aware of both its incredible wealth of talent and its raw passion for fiction, the likes of which I’ve rarely experienced outside fandom circles. On a very basic level, Chromatic Press is My People, and that’s an undeniable draw.

The inaugural issue of Sparkler Monthly is free to read right now. Paid members have access to downloads (in multiple formats) of all new chapters in the magazine and other premium content—including online access to previous chapters of older series like Off*Beat. Though the free online reader is slick and works well, high-quality PDFs have me already feeling grateful that I decided to spring for a paid membership. The newest chapter of Off*Beat looks pretty great on my iPad.

801mmfIn other fannish news, Khursten Santos is currently hosting the BL Manga Moveable Feast at her blog, Otaku Champloo. Khursten is a truly excellent MMF host, and she’s posted a large number of wonderful articles herself in addition to other Feast contributions. Some of my particular favorites include a look at the BL “New Wave” (From the looks of it, “New Wave” means “BL MJlikes.” Who knew?) and this countdown of 40 artists she deems part of “The Fujoshi Bible.” She also addresses the question of “BL” vs. “yaoi,” which I personally found quite enlightening.

I’ve always struggled a bit to reconcile my roots in slash fandom with my current interest in BL manga, as my early experiences with BL were dramatically opposed to the sensibilities I’d developed over the course of my fandom participation. But I’m glad I stuck with the genre, because it’s so much richer than I originally thought. Khursten’s Feast is particularly compelling, not just because she’s so knowledgable (she is), but also because she thoroughly embraces the genre as a whole. She’s a true fan, and that’s what makes the MMF really work, in my opinion.

Whether you’re a BL fan or not, you should be following Otaku Champloo this week. She’ll undoubtedly have something to teach you about the genre.

Michelle and I will be posting our (somewhat unorthodox) contribution later this week, so keep an eye out for that, too!

Silver_spoon_mangaLastly, manga fans everywhere rejoice as Deb Aoki (formerly of About.com) returns to the blogosphere with her own new website Manga Comics Manga. The site launched last month, offering the same deep industry knowledge and journalism chops Deb displayed throughout her years at About.com, but in a much less restrictive format.

Why is this news making me feel fannish? Well, it’s Deb who made me aware of a recent French interview with Hiromu Arakawa, author of Fullmetal Alchemist. And if you’re not aware of my intense love for Fullmetal Alchemist, you’re most likely a newcomer to Manga Bookshelf. Even as I’ve become less and less interested in shounen manga over the years, Fullmetal Alchemist remains an enduring favorite. It made my top ten list just a couple of years ago, and spawned a piece of jewelry that I still wear every day. Fullmetal Alchemist. It’s a thing.

In the interview, Arakawa talks about Fullmetal Alchemist, of course, and also her newest series Silver Spoon, currently running in Shogakukan’s Shonen Sunday, which sits higher on my personal license request list than nearly anything (topped maybe by Yumi Tamura’s 7 SEEDS or Fumi Yoshinaga’s What Did You Eat Yesterday?). Whatever journalistic restraint I may have acquired over the past few years (little though that may be), my feelings for Arakawa’s storytelling are undeniably fannish, as fierce and passionate as anything I ever felt during my active years on LiveJournal and its many successors. I’m a Hiromu Arakawa fangirl, and that’s the simple truth of it.

You can find a link to the full, translated interview at Manga Comics Manga. Thanks, Deb, for the heads up!

One of the things I love most about running Manga Bookshelf, is that it allows me to be both a critic and a fan, without having to draw clear lines between the two. But there’s no denying that, this week, I’ve mostly been a fan.

What’s been making you feel fannish lately?

Filed Under: Link Blogging, UNSHELVED Tagged With: fullmetal alchemist, off*beat, yaoi/boys' love

Off the Shelf: Cats, Rats, & First Love

July 27, 2013 by MJ and Michelle Smith 10 Comments

MICHELLE: I looked for a dumb joke that was not utterly unfunny, but I couldn’t find one, so you are all spared this week.

MJ: … is it weird that I’m kind of disappointed?

MICHELLE: Actually, it’s kind of gratifying!

Anyway, it feels like forever since we’ve done a “normal” column. What’ve you been reading lately?

MJ: Well, this will probably come as a surprise to no one, but the truth is, I’ve spent most of this week eagerly, painfully anticipating the launch of Chromatic Press’ new online magazine Sparker Monthly, due out sometime over the next couple of days. And though I’m looking forward to delving into the publication’s promised mix of female-focused comics, illustrated prose, and audio dramas, I’ll admit that the intensity of my anticipation is fueled largely by the long-awaited revival of Off*Beat, Jen Lee Quick’s manga-influenced comic that has been in publishing limbo ever since the demise of Tokyopop’s OEL manga initiative in 2008.

I read the first two volumes of Off*Beat in 2009, when they were already officially out of print, and immediately fell in love, though as the years flew by, it seemed less and less likely that we’d ever get to see its final volume. I’ll admit to having pretty much danced with glee when Chromatic Press announced its Kickstarter campaign to continue the series. I backed that project, of course, and I’ve been fawning over my new print editions of the first two volumes ever since. But, like every fan of Off*Beat, it’s new material I’ve been dying for, so when I was offered the opportunity to review the first new chapter in advance, I leapt at it in the least dignified manner possible.

MICHELLE: I have yet to read Off*Beat, so I am going to imagine your squeeful ecstasy as akin to what happened to me, a Veronica Mars fan since 2005, when the Kickstarter campaign for the movie first started. And also there are books coming! But, I digress.

MJ: I think that is probably an apt comparison!

offbeatcoverOff*Beat tells the story of Christopher “Tory” Blake, an exceptionally smart teenager who lives with his divorced mom in Queens. Tory’s a capable kid, but the sense of abandonment brought on by his father’s absence has manifested itself in an odd habit—meticulous record-keeping of every single thing that happens to him and those around him. And when a new kid, Colin, moves onto Tory’s block under potentially mysterious circumstances, Tory’s obsessive attention becomes focused on him, and he goes so far as to get himself transferred to Colin’s private school on Long Island, even though it takes him two hours (by subway, rail, and bus) to get there every day. Tory soon discovers that Colin and his guardian are involved in some sort of top-secret scientific project, and he’s able to convince himself that it’s the project he’s obsessed with, but it clearly all comes around to Colin.

Colin is initially cold and resistant to interaction with pretty much anyone, but thanks to Tory’s persistent (stalkerish?) approach and Colin’s failing grades, the two eventually begin to form a friendship. To the reader, it’s long been obvious that Tory’s falling in love, but just as he’s on the brink of maybe coming to terms with his sexuality (and the possibility that his feelings for Colin may even be reciprocated), his secret diaries are discovered and everything falls apart.

When we last saw Tory, he’d just been punched in the face by Colin … and that’s where Tokyopop left us hanging back in 2007. Fortunately, the new chapter picks up just where we left off, and it suddenly feels as if no time has passed at all. There’s always the danger that anticipation of a thing will turn out to be tragically superior to the thing itself, but I’m happy to report that this is not the case at all with the newest chapter of Off*Beat. The transition is seamless and Quick gratefully gets right into the meat of things, including the nature of Colin’s top-secret project, and the boys’ obvious mutual attraction, both in the same grounded, thoughtful manner in which the comic has conducted itself from the beginning.

I was thinking as I prepared for our column today about the contrast between Off*Beat and something like Loveless, which we lovingly discussed last week. Both series fall somewhere on the boys’ love spectrum (at least as far as their fans are concerned) and both succeed largely on their commitment to emotional truth. But where Loveless expresses that truth by way of the supernatural, Off*Beat feels very much like a celebration of the natural, the endless wonder of the everyday people and things that are just right in front of us, and the epic gloriousness of the most naturally human thing of all—honest connection with other human beings. Despite the whole “top-secret project” thing going on in the background of Off*Beat, the series is so deeply grounded in its environment and in Tory’s teenaged existence, its focus is really on the plain wonder of growing up and being a person. And I love it for that.

Also, there are cats, Michelle. Lots and lots of cats.

OffBeat-Cats1

MICHELLE: That really does sound wonderful. And y’know, for all the praise I’ve heard about Off*Beat over the years, no one has ever focused on the secret project as one of the reasons why it’s so compelling.

Do you know whether there are plans for a print edition of the new material?

MJ: Indeed there are! Chromatic Press’ publishing model is based heavily on Japan’s serialization-to-tankoubon process, so once the third volume has been completed in serialization, it will be made available in full, both electronically and in print. The first two volumes are already being sold this way, with print volumes priced at $13.99 apiece (plus some extra options) or downloadable ebooks (epub, mobi, or pdf) for $6.00 each. The ebook deal in particular is pretty unbeatable, I think, when you compare it with other download-to-own manga. I’m tempted to buy them all in both formats, just for the convenience.

So what have you been reading Michelle? And were there any cats involved?

MICHELLE: No cats, but quite a few rats!

number6My solo read this week was the first volume of No. 6, a new shoujo series from Kodansha. Originally a series of novels by Atsuko Asano, the manga adaptation is by Hinoki Kino and ran in Kodansha’s Aria magazine. (I confess that I had to look this up to confirm its shoujo bona fides, because Kino’s art does not have that traditional shoujo look.)

Shion is an elite student in a futuristic city called No. 6, which is lauded for its low crime rate, excellent medical care, etc. In this “ideal” city, everything is managed, from the weather to the people, and testing at the age of two put Shion on his current academic path. He has just been accepted into the advanced ecology program when his world is forever changed when Rat, a prison escapee from the wrong side of the tracks, slips through his open window. Seeing that Rat is wounded (and around his age), Shion stitches him up and shelters him for the night, which costs him his placement in society. But Shion doesn’t seem to mind, because he never held with all the conformist attitudes anyway. He regrets nothing.

Fast forward four years when mysterious insects are draining the life out of human victims. Shion has the bad luck to be nearby a couple of the resulting corpses and the government, attempting to bury the news, attempts to pin it all on him. Rat reappears just in time to repay his debt by rescuing Shion, and urges him to abandon all connection to his former life if he wants to survive.

If this summary seems very plot-driven and light on character, then that’s because No. 6 is the same. Despite attempts to depict a restrictive future society—which succeed about as well as those in Library Wars for a frame of reference—the setting feels generic and the characters flat. I couldn’t connect with any of them at all. There’s a particularly weird scene in which Shion is bidding farewell to his childhood friend Safu as she heads off to study abroad. Out of nowhere, and with barely any interaction between them (that readers have been privy to, at least), she blurts, “I want to have sex with you.”

In the end, I can’t label this “a mess,” because it flows coherently enough, but it’s rather blah. I’ll probably give it another volume to see if it improves, though.

MJ: I feel quite disappointed, not so much because I’d eagerly anticipated this release (though I was interested, for sure) but because all the way through your summary here, I was thinking that it really should be interesting. I mean, the story sounds like something I’d enjoy, but in my head, it magically contained awesome characterization, despite the lack of such in your description. I’m so disappointed. I’d rather it be “a mess,” as long as the characters were compelling. So sad. I hope the second volume is an improvement!

MICHELLE: The first volume ends with Shion on the verge of discovering the world that exists beyond No. 6, so hopefully that should be interesting. We shall see.

Anyhoo, want to take a stab at introducing this week’s mutual read?

kare-first-loveMJ: Sure! So, we’ve been delving into quite a number of Viz’s digital re-releases of older shoujo series—particularly those from their now-defunct “shōjo” imprint. So far, we’ve been focusing on supernatural and schoolgirl-in-another-world series such as From Far Away, Red River, and Angel Sanctuary, but this week we went for regular ol’ high school romance with the first two volumes of Kaho Miyasaka’s Kare First Love, originally released in North America between 2004 and 2006.

Karin is a quiet, bespectacled high school student who has never had a date with a boy, and whose school friendships revolve around Yuka, a vapid, popular girl who mainly uses Karin to get out of doing her own homework. On the bus to school one day, Karin overhears a group of boys making snide comments about her looks, but when one of them sees that she’s reading a particular photography book, he comes over to talk to her. The encounter ends in embarrassment for both of them, as the boy, Kiriya, accidentally lifts up the back of Karin’s skirt while trying to return the book to her. Kiriya turns up later at Karin’s school, again in an attempt to return her book, and the two are swept up in plans for a group date, spearheaded by Yuka.

In true shoujo manga form, Yuka sets her sights on Kiriya (who only has eyes for Karin), and tries to bully Karin into supporting her efforts. Fortunately, another girl from their class, mature, independent-minded Nanri, sticks up for Karin and even lets Kiriya in on what’s going on so that he can step up and become Karin’s knight in shining armor. Which he does. And they’re in love, whee! First love! Next: the group trip to the beach!

If my summary sounds a little jaded, I suppose it is, as there is truly nothing original to be found in Kare First Love. Its premise, its conflicts, even its artwork are so closely painted by the shoujo manga numbers, it’s maddening, truly. Yet, perhaps more maddening is the fact that, as a reader, I still care. These tropes endure because they mostly work, and they work on me here, despite myself. Even though I know what comes next, I still want to watch it play out. And though that may be sad on a number of levels, it’s undeniably the truth.

MICHELLE: I didn’t like Kare First Love as much as I expected to, either, which was disappointing. I do lay some of the blame for this on the back cover copy, though. Consider this excerpt from volume two:

The age-old dilemma of choosing between your friend and the one you love is the lesson for the day for these bubbly high-schoolers.

Okay, number one, none of them is bubbly. But more importantly, and established immediately… Yuka is not really Karin’s friend!

I was lead to expect exquisitely poignant angst, with Karin knowing how much her friend truly loves Kiriya, but still deciding that she’s not willing to sacrifice a chance at love and happiness for her friend’s sake. Something like Yano and Takeuchi in We Were There, for example. But that’s not what we get. Instead, Yuka is a “shallow skank,” to quote one of Kiriya’s friends, and completely unsympathetic. When things don’t go as she plans, she engages in tiresome mean girl shenanigans for a volume and a half, until Karin finally declares “You were never my friend,” at which point Yuka disappears from the story and we move on to more traditional couple drama.

Now, granted, I thought the story improved from this point, as I liked the increased presence of Nanri (my favorite character) and the depiction of Karin’s pressure to succeed in school, but it’s not really what the blurb originally promised.

MJ: Agreed on all points. And honestly, it’s Nanri who will probably keep me going through subsequent volumes, assuming she sticks around. Well, Nanri and the annoying fact that, in spite of everything, I still want to find out what happens. I would bet all my money and meager possessions that they get married. They totally get married in the end. Am I right?

MICHELLE: You’re right. And possibly in a few volumes there’ll be some focus on Nanri and her older (possibly married) boyfriend, and then perhaps she’ll end up forming a couple with Kiriya’s friend, or something.

MJ: And don’t forget the inevitable parental disapproval! Surely that is yet to come. Also, what dark secret lurks in Kiriya’s past??

*Sigh* I’ll probably read it all.

MICHELLE: Hee. Me, too. We are shoujo’s bitches.

MJ: Amen.

Filed Under: OFF THE SHELF Tagged With: kare first love, no. 6, off*beat

3 Things Thursday: Newsworthy

April 4, 2013 by MJ 1 Comment

Several articles and announcements have caught my eye this week in the manga (and comics) blogosphere, but there are three in particular that had me pressing the “retweet” button with the power of my whole heart. So with that in mind, I’d like to devote this week’s column to giving these items a signal boost.


3 must-click links in the comics blogsphere

1. Off*Beat Returns! – Normally I’d try to save the best for last, but I’m so genuinely giddy about this particular bit of news that I can’t help blurting it out right off the bat. Though new publisher Chromatic Press had announced a while back their intention to revive Jen Lee Quick’s unfinished series (originally published by Tokyopop), last night, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the re-release of the series’ first two volumes as well as part of the cost to launch their upcoming Sparkler magazine, in which Off*Beat will continue to be serialized.

If you’re wondering what I’m raving about, check out my review of the first two volumes here at Manga Bookshelf.

2. Ryan Matheson speaks – Earlier this week, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund released a short documentary on the story of Ryan Matheson—a manga fan who was arrested at the Canadian border for having images of manga on his computer that Canadian authorities deemed obscene. I wrote a post in 2011 about why I thought Ryan’s case should be of vital concern to all manga fans, and the CBLDF’s assistance and advocacy was key to his victory. Read more about the documentary (funded by the Gaiman Foundation) here in the CBLDF blog.

3. Gimme these clothes. Just gimme. – Also earlier this week, io9 (and everyone else in the comics world) pointed us to these fantastic (and sadly, theoretical) costume designs for a number of prominent female superheroes by artist Michael Lee Lunsford, in which they are actually dressed like people who could be comfortable and protected in a fight—or even just cold weather.

My personal favorite is Zatanna, on the left below, who just looks freaking awesome. As I said on Facebook when I first saw this, if I had the money, I’d dress like that every day.

awesomeness


That’s it for me this week! Readers, any favorite links to share?

Filed Under: 3 Things Thursday Tagged With: cbldf, Michael Lee Lunsford, off*beat, Ryan Matheson

Off*Beat, Volumes 1 & 2

May 3, 2009 by MJ 19 Comments

Off*Beat, Vols. 1 & 2 | By Jen Lee Quick | Published by Tokyopop

offbeat
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Christopher “Tory” Blake is a genius teenager in Queens, unchallenged in school, damaged by his absent father’s failures, and living with his well-meaning mom who worries that she gives her son too much freedom for his own good. After his parents’ break-up, Tory began keeping meticulous diaries of every detail in his life, minute-to-minute, including everyone and everything around him, which he keeps in file boxes in his closet. …

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Filed Under: MANGA REVIEWS Tagged With: manga, off*beat

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