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sparkler monthly

Giveaway: Sparkler Monthly Year 4 Giveaway Winner

August 3, 2016 by Ash Brown

Sparkler Monthly: Year 4And the winner of the Sparkler Monthly Year 4 giveaway is… Isaac!

As the winner, Isaac will get to choose two Sparkler paperbacks, ebooks, or audio dramas. Last week, I was honestly afraid that Sparkler Monthly wouldn’t be able to raise the funds to continue the online magazine for another year. However, over the last few days there was an amazing surge of support, and the Kickstarter campaign not only met, but surpassed its initial goal. I am so incredibly happy (and relieved) that Sparkler Monthly will continue to thrive for another year. I decided to coordinate a giveaway to go along with the Kickstarter campaign and asked that participants tell me a little about their favorite Sparkler Monthly title. As can be seen from the giveaway comments, Jennifer Doyle’s comic Knights-Errant is very well-loved, but here’s a list of all the great content currently freely available from Sparkler Monthly:

Awake by Tory Woollcott, Barabara, and Angela Sham
Bad Chemistry by Barabara
Before You Go by Denise Schroeder
The Cat Lover’s Circumstances by LAMP and Aiwa
Dead Endings by Jessica Chavez and Irene Flores
Dinner Ditz by Alexis Cooke
Dire Hearts by Christy Lijewski
DNA-RW by Sarah Elkins and Ru Xu
Dusk in Kalevia by Emily Compton and Onorobo
For Peace by Alexis Cooke
Gatesmith by Jen Lee Quick
Guantlet by Ellery Prime and T2A
Inhabitant of Another Planet by KaiJu
Knights-Errant by Jennifer Doyle
Lettera by Studio Kosen
Magical How? by Eurika Yusin Gho
Mahou Josei Chimaka by KaiJu
The Maiden and the Fish by Lydia Mackenzie and Phong Anh
Nine Circles by Jen Lee Quick
Off*Beat by Jen Lee Quick
Orange Junk by Heldrad
The Ring of Saturn by KaiJu
Shut In Shut Out by dee Juusan and Lianne Sentar
Skyglass by Jenn Grunigen and Mookie
Sparkler Podcast by the Sparkler Team
Sparkler RPG: ESPU by the Sparkler Team
Tokyo Demons by Lianne Sentar
Windrose by Studio Kosen
Witch’s Quarry by Jen Lee Quick

That’s quite a list, isn’t it! And because the Sparkler Monthly campaign was a success, even more comics, prose, audio, and games will be able to be added over the coming year. A huge thank you to everyone supported Sparkler Monthly, and a thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway. I hope to see you again for the next one!

Filed Under: Giveaways, UNSHELVED Tagged With: comics, Novels, sparkler monthly

Giveaway: Sparkler Monthly Year 4 Giveaway

July 27, 2016 by Ash Brown

The end of the month is fast approaching, which means it’s time for another giveaway at Experiments in Manga. It also means that the Kickstarter campaign for Year Four of Sparkler Monthly is drawing to a close. I actually held a Sparkler Monthly giveaway last year to coordinate with the campaign to raise funds for the magazine’s third year. Normally, I try not to repeat myself too much when it comes to giveaways, but this year’s campaign still needs some boosting if it’s going to succeed. Also, I love what Sparkler Monthly is doing and I want to share that love! And so for this year’s Sparkler Monthly giveaway, the winner will have the opportunity to choose not one, but two Sparkler paperbacks, ebooks, or audio dramas. (Don’t worry, I’m more than happy to make specific recommendations if needed or desired.) And of course as always the giveaway is open worldwide!

Sparkler Monthly: Year 4

I adore Sparkler Monthly and have been an avid supporter of both it and its publisher Chromatic Press for years. Although I am a little behind in my reviewing, I do make a point to feature the novels and comics released in print here at Experiments in Manga, but there is even more content available digitally, either as ebooks or freely serialized online. And it’s all marvelous; I have honestly loved everything that I’ve read or listened to from Sparkler Monthly. The magazine, which is currently a mix of prose, comics, illustrations, and audio, provides a wonderful variety of stories in a number of different genres. There’s romance, fantasy, horror, mystery, science fiction, historical fiction, comedy, satire, drama, adventure, and so much more.

As Sparkler Monthly continues to grow, so does its catalog. A fourth year will mean even more fantastic content including (but certainly not limited to) the Paper Star Studio’s visual novel Out of Sync, the light novel The Decoy and Retrofit by Hazel + Bell, a continuation of Denise Schroeder’s lovely comic Before You Go, and even a Skyglass novella that I personally commissioned from Jenn Grunigen. The work that the staff and creators of Sparkler Monthly and Chromatic Press is doing is phenomenal and important, too. I sincerely hope that the Kickstarter campaign succeeds because they all deserve another year and then some! If you can, please consider directly supporting the campaign if you haven’t already.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win some Sparkler Monthly goodness?

1) In the comments below, write a little about a Sparkler Monthly series that you’ve enjoyed. (Haven’t read or listened to any before? That’s okay! Simply mention that, or take the time to try one out!)
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me). You can tag @SparklerMonthly, too, while you’re at it if you’d like!

That’s all there is to it. As usual, giveaway participants will have one week to submit comments and can earn up to two entries. If needed or preferred, comments can be sent to phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com and I will then post them here in your name. The winner of the giveaway will be randomly selected and announced on August 3, 2016. Good luck and sparkles to you all!

VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address in the comment form, a link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.

Contest Winner Announced–Giveaway: Sparkler Monthly Year 4 Giveaway Winner

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Filed Under: FEATURES, Giveaways Tagged With: comics, Novels, sparkler monthly

Giveaway: Sparkler Monthly Giveaway Winner

August 5, 2015 by Ash Brown

Tokyo Demons, Book 2: Add a Little ChaosAnd the winner of the Sparkler Monthly Giveaway is… AshLynx!

As the winner, AshLynx will get to choose one item from the Sparkler Online Shop in addition to receiving a copy of Tokyo Demons, Book 2: Add a Little Chaos written by Lianne Sentar and illustrated by Rem. I coordinated the giveaway to draw more attention to the Sparkler Monthly Year 3 Kickstarter campaign which I’m very happy to say was successful! I absolutely love the work being done at Chromatic Press and Sparkler Monthly, so I’m glad those efforts will be able to continue for at least another year. For the giveaway, I asked participants to tell me about some of their favorite Sparkler stories. Be sure to check out the Sparkler Monthly Giveaway comments for the detailed responses!

Finally, here’s the list of current ongoing series at Sparkler Monthly that will be able to continue thanks to the campaign’s success:

The Cat Lover’s Circumstances by LAMP and Aiwa
(Geeky Modern Comedy Audio Drama)

Gatesmith by Jen Lee Quick
(Dark Fantasy Western Comic)

Knights-Errant by Jennifer Doyle
(LGBT Historical Drama Comic)

Lettera by Studio Kosen
(Comedy Fantasy Adventure Comic)

Orange Junk by Heldrad
(Shoujo Romantic Comedy Comic)

Skyglass by Jenn Grunigen and Mookie
(Sci-Fi Musician Drama Prose)

Tokyo Demons by Lianne Sentar, Rebecca Scoble, Rem, and Romy-chan
(Urban Fantasy Adventure Drama Prose)

Windrose by Studio Kosen
(Historical Adventure Comic)

Witch’s Quarry by Jen Lee Quick
(LGBT Fantasy Adventure Comic)

The above list is only a selection of Sparkler Monthly‘s total output. It doesn’t include any of the stories that have already been completed or any of the new stories that will be added throughout the coming year. Thank you to everyone who shared their favorite Sparkler stories with me. (Sparkler fans are the best fans!) And if you don’t have a favorite yet, start exploring! With the range of formats, genres, characters, and stories, there’s bound to be something that you’ll find appealing. (And most of it’s free!) Personally, I haven’t been disappointed with anything from Sparkler Monthly and am thrilled that there will be even more content in the future.

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Filed Under: Giveaways, UNSHELVED Tagged With: Lianne Sentar, Rem, sparkler monthly, Tokyo Demons

Giveaway: Sparkler Monthly Giveaway

July 29, 2015 by Ash Brown

The end of July quickly approaches, as does the end of the Sparkler Monthly: Year 3 Kickstarter. The campaign hasn’t quite reached its goal yet, but I desperately want it to succeed. With that in mind, hoping to draw more attention to the project, this month’s giveaway will be a little different than usual. I happen to have an extra copy of Tokyo Demons, Book 2 to give away, but that’s not all I’m offering. The winner of the contest will also be able to choose one item (physical/print or digital) from the Sparkler Online Shop! (Yes, a Year+ gift subscription to the magazine, which also includes a free ebook, is a completely valid option.) As always, the giveaway is open worldwide!

Tokyo Demons, Book 2: Add a Little Chaos

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Sparkler Monthly and Chromatic Press. I’m fairly obsessed with Tokyo Demons and I adore Off*Beat, and so when those two series became the flagship titles for the newly established publisher in 2013, I knew it was time to pay attention. It was the right decision. I honestly haven’t been disappointed by a single thing that I’ve read (or listened to) that has been released in Sparkler Monthly. (Just take a look at the Chromatic Press tag for my in-depth reviews and features of a small selection of the content.) Sparkler Monthly is a multimedia magazine that includes prose, comics, and audio, and I devour it all. I love the range of formats and genres, the diverse stories and characters; the variety found in Sparkler Monthly is one of its greatest strengths, and more is constantly being added.

The work the creators and staff are doing through Sparkler Monthly is phenomenal. It would be tragic if they can’t garner the support to continue. So please, if you haven’t already, give the fantastic stories of Sparkler Monthly a try. Almost everything is available online for free, so there’s no excuse! And if you like what you see and/or hear, please consider donating to the Kickstarter campaign, too.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win a copy of Tokyo Demons, Book 2 AND one other Sparkler goody of your choice?

1) In the comments below, name one of your favorite Sparkler Monthly stories and write a little about why you like it. (Never experienced Sparkler? Now’s the time to check it out!)
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

That’s all there is to it! Each person can earn up to two entries for this giveaway and has one week to submit comments. Entries can also be sent to me via email at phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com if you have trouble with the comment form or if you would prefer. I will then post the comments here in your name. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected and announced on August 5, 2015. Good luck and happy reading!

VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address in the comment form, a link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.

Contest winner announced–Giveaway: Sparkler Monthly Giveaway Winner

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Filed Under: FEATURES, Giveaways Tagged With: Lianne Sentar, Rem, sparkler monthly, Tokyo Demons

Sparkler Monthly picks up Orange Junk

March 10, 2015 by MJ 2 Comments

Orange-Junk-cover2-571x800We’ve got some exciting digital comics news to break today! As of, well, right now, Manga Bookshelf favorite Chromatic Press (Sparkler Monthly) is the official publisher of shoujo-style comedy series Orange Junk, formerly one of the most popular comics at the (mostly) fan-funded Inkblazers.com, which officially shut down earlier this year.

From Mexican comic artist Heldrad, Orange Junk is billed as an affectionate parody of shoujo comedy tropes, and though it certainly delivers on that front, early signs indicate that it stands to offer quite a bit more. Like most truly successful parody, Orange Junk mocks its influences by becoming them, in all the best ways possible.

For the uninitiated, here’s the premise:

“When Louise’s wealthy family loses everything, she has to pull herself up by her bootstraps and start over in a new high school – where the smartest boy is the meanest, and the hottest boy is the weirdest. But Louise needs tutoring, so the three become a team… It’s a riches to rags school story with a whole lot of screaming. In the vein of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun and Ouran High School Host Club, Orange Junk is a comedic love letter to shojo’s ridiculous, beloved traditions. “

In short, Orange Junk is warm-hearted, hilarious, smartly drawn, and skillfully constructed to both entertain and satisfy fans of shoujo manga. And they’re not kidding about the screaming.

The series’ revised back chapters are available in full today, along with a downloadable ebook of the first four chapters (a second ebook will be available later this month), and new chapters of the series will begin running in Sparkler‘s April issue (Issue 21). Ebooks retail for $6.00. For those who yearn for print, the first volume or so is expected out this summer. In the meantime, treat yourself to some delicious shoujo goodness, free of charge, right now at Sparkler Monthly.

Filed Under: NEWS, UNSHELVED Tagged With: Chromatic Press, heldrad, orange junk, sparkler monthly

The Ring of Saturn

January 31, 2015 by MJ 1 Comment

IMG_0947The Ring of Saturn | by Kaiju | Chromatic Press – “Sometimes it is not about forcing something to work… it is about simply learning to absorb what is beautiful.” These words come from the mouth of English composer Gustav Holst—not the actual historical man, perhaps, but a compelling portrait indeed as envisioned by cartoonist Kate Rhodes and animator Jennifer Xu, credited here collectively as “Kaiju.”

Set during Holst’s tenure as director of music at West London’s St. Paul’s Girls’ School during the First World War, Kaiju’s short comic “The Ring of Saturn” tells the story of Miriam Frayne, a promising young pianist studying with Holst at St. Paul’s. After performing a solo piano arrangement of Holst’s “Saturn: The Bringer of Old Age” (part of his famous orchestral suite, The Planets, which Holst is in the process of orchestrating over the course of the comic), Miriam is approached by a young astronomer, Rasim Rahal, who expresses his appreciation of her performance. Visibly distraught, Miriam forces a polite response and flees as quickly as possible.

Unhappy with her own playing, and doubtful of her ability to do justice to “Saturn,” Miriam begs Holst to be allowed to play something more “appropriate,” and it soon becomes clear what that means to her. Young and filled with the verve of nationalist pride, Miriam is vastly more comfortable with the decidedly uplifting character of Holst’s “Jupiter” (“The Bringer of Jollity”) than she is with the haunting ambiguity of “Saturn.” It is only when wartime tragedy hits close to home that Miriam finds herself beginning to understand what is beautiful and even necessary about “Saturn’s” relentless uncertainty.

It is admittedly difficult to discuss a short comic like The Ring of Saturn without giving away its entire plot, but rest assured that any developments revealed here are not remotely the point. Yes, you may assume that Miriam’s wartime tragedy involves the death of someone close to her (and you’ll know who that is likely to be within the comic’s first twenty pages), but these specifics are important only on the surface. Even Rahal, who seems perfectly poised to be Miriam’s love interest, is ultimately significant only for the ways in which his greater life experience helps to shatter Miriam’s patriotic innocence.

Kaiju’s visual storytelling is stunning—expressive and visceral, particularly towards the end of the comic, where the crux of Miriam’s emotional journey plays out over the course of eleven dialogue-free pages. This sequence, enhanced only by a few crucial sound-effects, is as beautifully envisioned as the best classic shoujo manga, and similarly well-executed. If these were the only eleven pages in the entire comic, they could stand alone as an eloquent expression of one young musician’s moment of truth. That’s how powerful they are.

Enamoring artwork aside, it would be remiss to minimize this comic’s most brilliant element, which is its grounding in the real-life history of Gustav Holst and his music. Though some historical details may be altered for the sake of the story (Holst’s original arrangements were for two pianos, not one, for instance), Holst’s essence remains intact. That he valued himself more as a teacher than as a composer is felt keenly here, and to my mind, deepens the reading of his musical output as much as it does the story at hand. Like many children of musical households in the 20th century, I was brought up on The Planets, and though I rather thoughtlessly abandoned them in later years in favor of the more overtly complex works of composers like Prokofiev and Stravinsky, my appreciation of them in context of Holst’s commitment to teaching and the beginning of World War I has been decidedly enhanced by this comic. Holst notably approached each planet not from an astronomical viewpoint, but an astrological one—specifically in terms of its emotional and psychological associations rather than its mythological namesake—an approach that works exceptionally well as the premise for a character-driven comic.

But perhaps most significantly, what Kaiju has proven here is that it really is possible to craft a wholly satisfying, emotionally resonant comic in under 100 pages—and to do it without resorting to wordy exposition, over-crowded panels, or excessive dialogue. The Ring of Saturn is an elegantly crafted comic that should draw attention not only to its talented, artistically mature creative team, but also to Sparkler Monthly and Chromatic Press’ output as a whole. This is exactly the kind of comic we need more of.

Filed Under: REVIEWS Tagged With: Chromatic Press, gustav holst, kaiju, sparkler monthly, the ring of saturn

Checking out Sparkler Monthly

September 6, 2014 by Anna N

Sparkler Monthly has a membership drive currently happening, and I was given access as a reviewer to poke around and check out what this unique magazine has to offer. I browsed around the site a bit, and while I realize the flagship title is Jen Lee Quick’s Off*Beat, my attention was first captured by the currently running series Dire Hearts and the selection of short stories.

Dire Hearts

Dire Hearts is by Christy Lijewski, and currently has 2 chapters available. Rose attends a special school for Casters, girls with magical abilities who are paired up with Knights. Rose has a severe case of amnesia, a slightly obnoxious roommate, and angsty problems because Sir Shur has chosen her as his caster, even though her abilities aren’t up to speed. Rose is an entertaining, somewhat caustic heroine, who is struggling to regain her memories and not fitting in well to the overly mannered society at her school. Something about all the school uniforms and undercurrents of psychological trauma reminded me a tiny bit of Revolutionary Girl Utena. The standout aspect of this title is Lijewski’s art, which combines the pretty and the grotesque in stylized lines and good panel composition. This was my favorite of the titles that I sampled, but unfortunately this series is now on hiatus.

Windrose

Windrose is by Studio Konsen, it has a more conventional pretty shoujo art style, and I found myself intrigued by the first two chapters, which launch heroine Daniela into an adventure filled with pirates, as she searches for the truth about her father. She falls in with with brother and sister mercenaries Angeline and Leon. Angeline is predatory and sneaky and Leon seems to be silently sympathetic but without much personality yet, so it will be interesting to see if this somewhat random group is able to fulfill Daniela’s quest. I enjoyed the art and the story for this comic, but it is a bit tricky to judge a comic based on only two chapters.

Gatesmith

Gatesmith is by Jen Lee Quick, who is I suppose the flagship creator for Chromatic Press, since her title Off*Beat is available in all three volumes, including the first two previously published by Tokyopop, and the final third volume published by Chromatic Press. This series is a western with supernatural and horror elements. The first chapter shows a wagon journey gone awry, as the travelers are robbed and killed, and the only surviving robber ends up dying in the desert, only to have his corpse be reanimated by a skinwalker. The following chapter shows a mysterious stranger sharing a meal with some ranchers, only to head out alone to track down a supernatural manifestation. I think I’ll be able to get a better feel for the series after reading a couple more chapters, but so far this title does seem very intriguing. Quick’s art is expressive, clear, and easy to follow.

There are short stories available too. Of the three short story series available, Ring of Saturn was the standout for me. I enjoyed the story about a struggling pianist. The historical setting and aspects of the art reminded me a bit of the manga Emma. Before You Go was a meet cute story about two girls who strike up a relationship after sharing the same commute for several weeks.

Sparkler Monthly has put together an impressive amount of content for such a new venture. I was just checking out the comics and didn’t even start reading the prose or audio dramas. I wish that there had been a few more chapters available for the non-Off*Beat series, but I appreciate that it takes a lot of work to issue a chapter of a comic, and many of these comics have just been recently launched.

If you’re interested in Sparkler Monthly, you can download a Sampler Issue and contribute to their membership drive!

Filed Under: REVIEWS Tagged With: Chromatic Press, sparkler monthly

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