Comic/Manga Recs, as of 7/27/12
In Comics:
Adventure Time Presents Marceline and the Scream Queens, Issue 1 (of 6): Although this first issue is largely in place to set up the rest of the story, Meredith Gran's writing and art work very well together, and the 4-page, wordless spread of the rock concert in progress is pretty fantastic. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story, and the side narrative that accompanies this story, with art and story by the always-amazing Jen Wang, is excellent, too--very imaginative, with just a hint of menace.
Locke & Key: Clockworks, Volume 5: At the risk of fangirling too much, I have to say that this is how you tell a serialized story. Volume 5 contains answers to questions raised volumes ago and raises new questions of its own, while never leaving the reader to wonder just who the hell everyone is and what's going on. It also neatly sets up the final showdown of volume six, the end of the series. Without going into too many spoiler-ific details, Volume 5 clearly explains the origin and nature of the keys, and shows how our current villain became who he was previously--and what he's capable of now. There are fairly horrific plot points in this one, too, ranging from atrocities in the past (institutionalized murder, told twice from two differing perspectives) to shock in the present. This volume also lives up to the Lovecraft name. When Volume 6 appears, I plan to sit down and read all of these through all the way from beginning to end to get a fuller sense of the plot and how it unfolded. In the meantime, I'll be worrying for my favorite characters and wondering just how they're going to fix all the problems that they've stumbled into and created.
In Manga:
Wandering Son, Volume 3: Shimura really ups the drama in this installment, and in some ways, it's a great improvement. For both of the protagonists, coming to terms with their gender identities isn't going to be easy, and seeing them both face the challenges associated with that makes them stronger characters. Takatsuki's bitter and angry words to her mother after a confrontation with a bullying classmate ring especially poignantly, "Why did you make me a girl?" (They're also followed by a very interesting statement about gender identity and its construction in Japan, as Takatsuki complains further, quoting the advice others have given her: "'Wear cute clothes.' 'Join the Takarazuka Revue.' I'm... I'm sick of it!") Meanwhile, Nitori is tricked by his sister into becoming a model (his sister's reasons for this are still murky to me after several readings) and faces discrimination there from one of the models, a sharp-faced girl who complains that he's just wasting his time. (I suspect this behavior is going to be stopped in short order in the next volume, when idol Maiko-chan stops by the modeling agency in mid-fight between Nitori's sister and the mean model.) So, a lot of conflict and action is excellent, but it does come at the expense of dialogue between Nitori and Takatsuki, which was my favorite part of the first two volumes. For any child, coming of age and growing fully into an identity is difficult, but for the two main characters in this series, it's much more complicated than a simple coming of age story. I liked the stretches in the first two volumes, though, where they would just talk about their lives, drawing strength from one another, and I hope that the drama and conflict don't supersede this aspect of the story. As usual, Shimura's spare and beautiful artwork provides a gorgeous background for the whole narrative.
Adventure Time Presents Marceline and the Scream Queens, Issue 1 (of 6): Although this first issue is largely in place to set up the rest of the story, Meredith Gran's writing and art work very well together, and the 4-page, wordless spread of the rock concert in progress is pretty fantastic. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story, and the side narrative that accompanies this story, with art and story by the always-amazing Jen Wang, is excellent, too--very imaginative, with just a hint of menace.
Locke & Key: Clockworks, Volume 5: At the risk of fangirling too much, I have to say that this is how you tell a serialized story. Volume 5 contains answers to questions raised volumes ago and raises new questions of its own, while never leaving the reader to wonder just who the hell everyone is and what's going on. It also neatly sets up the final showdown of volume six, the end of the series. Without going into too many spoiler-ific details, Volume 5 clearly explains the origin and nature of the keys, and shows how our current villain became who he was previously--and what he's capable of now. There are fairly horrific plot points in this one, too, ranging from atrocities in the past (institutionalized murder, told twice from two differing perspectives) to shock in the present. This volume also lives up to the Lovecraft name. When Volume 6 appears, I plan to sit down and read all of these through all the way from beginning to end to get a fuller sense of the plot and how it unfolded. In the meantime, I'll be worrying for my favorite characters and wondering just how they're going to fix all the problems that they've stumbled into and created.
In Manga:
Wandering Son, Volume 3: Shimura really ups the drama in this installment, and in some ways, it's a great improvement. For both of the protagonists, coming to terms with their gender identities isn't going to be easy, and seeing them both face the challenges associated with that makes them stronger characters. Takatsuki's bitter and angry words to her mother after a confrontation with a bullying classmate ring especially poignantly, "Why did you make me a girl?" (They're also followed by a very interesting statement about gender identity and its construction in Japan, as Takatsuki complains further, quoting the advice others have given her: "'Wear cute clothes.' 'Join the Takarazuka Revue.' I'm... I'm sick of it!") Meanwhile, Nitori is tricked by his sister into becoming a model (his sister's reasons for this are still murky to me after several readings) and faces discrimination there from one of the models, a sharp-faced girl who complains that he's just wasting his time. (I suspect this behavior is going to be stopped in short order in the next volume, when idol Maiko-chan stops by the modeling agency in mid-fight between Nitori's sister and the mean model.) So, a lot of conflict and action is excellent, but it does come at the expense of dialogue between Nitori and Takatsuki, which was my favorite part of the first two volumes. For any child, coming of age and growing fully into an identity is difficult, but for the two main characters in this series, it's much more complicated than a simple coming of age story. I liked the stretches in the first two volumes, though, where they would just talk about their lives, drawing strength from one another, and I hope that the drama and conflict don't supersede this aspect of the story. As usual, Shimura's spare and beautiful artwork provides a gorgeous background for the whole narrative.