Chatterbox- Comic Books

Thank you for correcting me. Should have been more specific about American comics. I’ve read a good amount of old European comics aimed at children and they contain subject matter that wouldn’t be acceptable during the reign of the Comics Code Authority.

Edited by ChicoTheParakeet on Dec 5th 2023 at 4:18:35 AM

Hey, I've kinda been on a Usagi Yojimbo kick lately and I've been reading from the beginning with the Fantagraphics run via perfectly legitimate means (looks like I'm almost done with this initial run).

I've been brainstorming about what a AAA Usagi Yojimbo game would look like. Maybe Ghost of Tsushima meets Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and/or Ni-Oh with obligatory story DLC featuring a certain group of reptilian practitioners of ninjitsu?

And what studio would be the best fit for an Usagi Yojimbo movie? I've been leaning towards DreamWorks since they have that sense of edge that you wouldn't see from, say, Disney. But feel free to suggest someone else.

Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Dec 5th 2023 at 4:25:30 AM

The people who made TMNT Mutant Mayhem.

For obvious reasons.

Oh man, yes!

I actually envisioned that they can go all Black Panther and Usagi could be one of the subject matters of a future Mutant Mayhem installment (not necessarily the inevitable sequel, maybe the part 3?) and that can segue into an official Usagi Yojimbo movie! (Like how Captain America: Civil War established Black Panther to set him up for his solo movie.)

Today, I found out about Fionn of the Fianna - Past's Prologue by Rob Curley, Turlough Delaney, and Kevin Keane when I looked up the words "Irish comics" on Twitter / X.

This graphic novel is based on the Irish myth of Fionn mac Cumhaill and the art style struck me as closer to my taste than most other comics I've ever seen from outside Japan.

I would like to order it after the Japanese translation of Making Comics by Scott McCloud arrives.

Out of curiosity, why did you buy Making Comics in Japanese when it was originally written in English? You appear to be fluent so why this decision?

On that note, have you ever bought a book in its original language because you're fluent in it?

Edited by ChicoTheParakeet on Dec 22nd 2023 at 5:20:25 AM

As for myself when I have to pick between English language books and their French translation, I always pick the French langage option. The most obvious reasons are:

• It is easier to read, so it will take less of my time; I am also more likely to read them again (something I consider when I pay for something)
• It will be easier to share with friends. To have them read them and discuss them.

(I do have a few English language prints of comics, mostly webcomics. Most of the friends I have who do read comics won't read them).

Also I like the idea of supporting the industry that imports foreign comics, and the people who do the work of translating and editing, and my local book store, more than giving my money to Amazon. And fairly often the end product has a nice design and fits well on my shelves.

Edit: I forgot mentionning that I want to support my local book store as well.

Edited by gropcbf on Dec 24th 2023 at 1:48:25 PM

French comics (and European comics in general) do seem to have a high standard of design.

I've seen anglophone creators tweet or post images of translated collections and many look far more elegant than the original. Proper bookshelf editions.

Edited by Mrph1 on Dec 22nd 2023 at 12:06:23 PM

I have Hound by Paul J. Bolger and Barry Devlin and Volume 1 of Magical Boy by The Kao on my shelf. I used to have The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag beforehand.

I read Making Comics by Scott McCloud today. I would like to read this one again to have a better understanding but I have to see my psychiatrist tomorrow.

Anyway, I find it impressive of McCloud to read some untranslated Japanese manga and find at least eight storytelling techniques common to Japanese manga but absent in mainstream superhero comics at the time.

TIL about the Guard Dog Story that ran recently in Mutts, where Guard Dog was finally freed of his chain and given a new, happy life. <3

Mc Donnell apparently had wanted to free Guard Dog for years, but he felt that Guard Dog's plight illustrated an important point.

I found a neat list of usenet newsgroups about comics from back in the day. Some creators, like Alan Moore and Peter David, had their own headings, while DC and Marvel had their own sections but also subsections for particularly popular comics/characters, like Catwoman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men.

There were also quite a lot of newspaper comic strip groups!

You know what I'd like? A sequel comic based on Turning Red, where Mei and her friends and Tyler go on various adventures.

Just for awareness sake, a 5th volume of The Disney Afternoon Adventures is due December: https://www.amazon.com/Darkwing-Duck-Marinated-Afternoon-Adventures/dp/1683969898/

The new Jamie McKelvie creator-owned series has been announced (and McKelvie's newsletter is back, at long last).

One For Sorrow, a Victorian crime/horror thing, as announced here.

I've been making a list of comics translated into Japanese since there are so few opportunities in Japan to find comics outside the country.

I hope the list will help people and I welcome feedback on improving the list.

Is there a thread to talk about the new Space Ghost comic by Dynamite?

Not that I noticed, but you could start it if you want more discussion on it.

Oh and another interesting crossover mini which I think is tied to a toyline:

https://toyhabits.com/turtles-of-grayskull-dark-horse-comic-mini-series-coming-soon/

TMNT/He-Man crossover.