My Journey into Manga

My Journey into Manga

Okay I have a new addiction, it's not booze or drugs it's for batshit crazy Japanese Manga comics.  I first got intrigued during a visit to my local Forbidden Planet in Cambridge, I knew a little about Manga but thought it was just all about garish colours, big round eyed characters and heroines that were dressed as schoolgirls.  But, while killing time in FP, I wondered over to the Manga section and, liking horror, my eye was caught by the shelf full of books with the Tokyo Ghoul title.

If you know your Manga you'll know that unlike Western books you start from, what we'd consider, the back page and read the dialogue from left to right.  Well I didn't know this and it really threw me at first, however I was pleasantly surprised by the striking black and white artwork and characters that looked normal. So, this quick look in the shop piqued my interest enough to look a little deeper into Manga and perhaps give it a chance.

I put a shout out on some of the comic groups I'm a member of on Facebook and messaged  friends, asking for some recommendations of good reading. It surprised me how many responses I got and how fervent these guys were about their recommendations.  I thought it might be a bit more niche, especially amongst my peers.

Armed with this new knowledge I looked at the books online and I found a great resource, the Shonen Jump app.  The app gives the reader access to a massive amount of Manga titles with unlimited amounts of streamed reading and 7 downloads for less than two quid a month.

Straight away I found that the rest of Tokyo Ghoul was on there along with some others I'd been recommended to read.  As I mentioned, reading Manga means reading the physical books differently and this is the same with the digital medium too. Instead of swiping the page right to left, you swipe left to right and again you read the speech bubbles from right to left.  If, like me, you're someone that's only read British/Western comics this can initially mess with your head at first but I found that my brain adapted quickly, especially when reading a lot of it.  

I've only scratched the surface but, what I have read I've found quite addictive.  It's easy to find that you've flown through many chapters (individual comics) in one sitting, especially on the app.  So, here are a couple of recommendations from what I've read so far. Dip your toes in the waters of Manga, you might just like it.

Tokyo Ghoul: Is set in an alternate reality Tokyo where ghouls, creatures that live as humans, survive on human flesh. They have preternatural powers of strength and regeneration they can
generate a weapon called a kagune to fight and kill their prey. The hero of the piece Ken Kanaki survives an attack by a ghoul but becomes half ghoul himself.  He has to befriend ghouls and learn to live with his new desire and need to devour human flesh.

As you might guess from the synopsis, it's pretty dark stuff with plenty of action scenes.  I really enjoy the black and whilte art, especially the depiction of fights and kills. The frenetic energy of an attacking ghoul is portrayed so well. The story of Ken Kanaki and how he deals with  the new life thrust upon him while also trying to cope with the usual teenage angst is well handled.

One Punch Man: Started life as a 2009 webcomic, a parody of Western superhero comics, before becoming a Manga title in 2012.  It revolves around the life of a young hero called

Saitama, the titular One Punch Man. One Punch Man because that's all it takes for him to win his fights with the monsters and general bad guys who inhabit this world.  Needless to say, he becomes bored with the lack of challenge he faces and the lack of recognition for his acts. In an effort to change this he joins the National Superhero Registry, and aims to climb the rankings.

One thing I love in Manga is the use of a splash page and there's a lot of them in OPM.  As I read digitally, I'm constantly having to flip the tablet to get the best of the artwork. The premise of OPM is pretty simple I'll grant you, he and sometimes other heroes battling a monster of the week (or each other) and dealing with the consequences.  But, it moves at a good pace and keeps the reader entertained. At this time with everything that's going on in the world I'll take some easy entertainment any day.

Atomic Hercules

Atomic Hercules

Okay, first up if you like your comics politically correct and full of clean cut heroes for gods sake don't read Atomic Hercules!  When the opening page of the story sees our titular hero getting noshed off at the bar while waiting for a pint, you know what you are in for. 

Atomic Hercules, written by Tony Esmond with art by Adam Falp, is set in the very near future where laziness has seen the near destruction of mankind, leaving behind mutants and robot armies fighting for control.  Herc is a demi God who walks among this madness giving no fucks for anyone or anything.  When the Mutant Rebel Front come to press gang Herc into service, for their war against the robots, a fight ensues with a fellow drinkers, shall we say, engorged body part being used as a weapon of gruesome death. This ain't Marvel folks!

But what we do get is a comic that will make you laugh, while giving some great action and fight scenes.  There is one page in particular, when Hercules has had it up to here with the whole situation. 'Fuck this for a game of soldiers!' is his battle cry as he dismembers robots.  That for me really encapsulates the feeling of this comicreality.

You know that the writer has been in the shoes of Hercules at some point, maybe not fighting robots, but screaming at life or some dickhead that has frustrated him. As a 50 year old man, who's often frustrated by the digital world, I felt a particular affinity with Hercules.

Adam Falps art was a real joy, the man draws action scenes so well, I enjoyed the raw feeling of the art and the vibrant colours that gave so much life to all of the brilliantly conceived characters. From crowded bar room brawls to splash pages. I loved the little touches throughout the comic like adverts and even a map of the world Hercules inhabits including an area called Twatsville (I feel like I often visit that place).

In short if you want to read something that will give you laughs, a distraction from the reality of life right now, that is original and giving no fucks well this is the comic for you.

You can buy your copy here: https://neverironanything.bigcartel.com/products

Action 2020 Special

Action 2020 Special

I'd have liked to have written another blog sooner than this but the birth of our daughter a week ago has thrown the normal routines out of the window, but for the best reasons possible.  In fact as I write, it's currently 3.30am and my daughter is on my shoulder asleep…for now. 

This time I'll try and do a review, rather than recommendation, my problem is I find it difficult to be overly critical as I always feel for the creator who has put themselves out there and created a piece of work.  I'm no expert, with years of experience in the industry, just a returned comic reader who enjoys a variety of styles, but here goes.

Needless to say my comic reading of late has been sporadic to say the least, grabbing a moment here or there to read a few pages or the odd story. One comic I'd been looking forward to was the Action 2020 special, brought to us by Rebellion.  An anthology is perfect for me right now. Not only that I was excited to read the story, Hellman, written by Garth Ennis. As you'll know, from a previous blog, Ennis is a favourite creator of mine and his war stories are always a treat.

I chose the digital option, which got me the Action 2020 Special and a reprint of an original

Action from 1977 all for £4.99. To be honest I'm fine with digital anyway, due to restrictions on space and money.  It does allow the reader to zoom in on the artwork or the speech if your eyes are middle aged and worn out like mine. 

Straight out of the gate, Staz Johnsons cover with colours by John Charles really hit the spot for me.  Great use of Kill Bill red and yellow in the logo really popped, the segmented cover design reminded me of the 1983 2000AD annual.  The headings of mayhem, anarchy, danger gave a pulp style.

The first story was Kids Rule Ok, story by Ram V, art Henrik Sahlstrom. Set in 1986 after a virus has wiped out the adult population, only the young survive in this post

apocalyptic world. The story is dialogue light but action heavy, I've not seen Sahlstroms work before but I really enjoyed it here, dark and gritty with a flair for gore.. The mayhem quickly ensues with gruesome deaths provided by teens protecting their settlement with gun, sword and axe while seeing off a Mad Max style biker gang. A good one shot story, with a feeling of hope during dark times, to kick things off 

Next up was the one I'd been looking forward to, Hellman at the Twilight of the Reich,

written by Garth Ennis, with art by Mike Dorey and lettering by Rob Steen.  Okay so I might be biased, but this was excellent, a master class in writing. In just ten pages Ennis crammed in so much story, character development and action.  I cared for the characters and was left wanting more. I really enjoyed the black and white art from Mike Dory, another artist whose work I wasn't overly familiar with. I'd love a series of this!

Hell Machine was a strip that had piqued my interest as it was not only drawn by the excellent artist Henry Flint, but scripted by

him too. Straight away I was reminded of  Flints most recent strip in the prog, Proteus Vex, no bad thing as that artwork was awesome too. It should be noted that the second half of the story was pencilled by the equally great Jake lynch, an artist I'm growing to enjoy more and more when he appears in 2000AD.  Colours for Jake were by Jim Boswell and lettering duties throughout by Simon Bowland. Much to my chagrin I didn't read Action in the 70s so I don't know if this is a new story or an original new one. Either way I loved it from start to finish. Excellent art and storytelling, with interesting characters in an original situation. I would love to see more of this story!

Next story up was a tale about Hook Jaw, the shark obviously not inspired by Jaws, written by

Quint Amity (see what they did there) with art by Dan Lish, no lettering credit as there is no

dialogue uttered. Dan Lishs brilliant, atmospheric artwork does all the talking in this one and for someone who doesn't enjoy drawing gory scenes (as he explains on a recent 2000AD thrillcast) he draws great gory panels. I'm not going to spoil any of those scenes but there is a very nice splash page to end the story - which could lead to something epic.

To round off this Action Special was a story called Dredger, again I believe this was a story from the original comic. For me this was the one average story in the special with script by Zina Hutton and art by 2000AD regular Staz

Johnson with colours by the always excellent John Charles, letters by the intriguingly named Agent PC.  Perhaps I'd have enjoyed this more if I knew a bit more of Dredgers backstory. The character appears to be a rough arsed James Bond who, in best 70s tradition, is a loose cannon sent on a mission to retrieve a memory stick. In its favour there is an awesome panel that doesn't hold back on the blood and gore of a headshot. I also enjoyed a panel where Dredger imagines choking his boss, we've all been there. It could be a grower, especially if it was allowed to be balls out and un PC.

I'm really glad I bought this special, I'd have been happy just with Garth Ennis' contribution but what I got was a great anthology comic that felt fresh.  Good to see some new (to me) writers and artists making a great impact. I really enjoyed the art of Dan Lish and Mike Dory and loved the writing of Henry Flint. I hope this has been successful enough for us to get more Action specials in the future. 

Lockdown Recommendations

Lockdown Recommendations

I am lucky enough to work to work in a frontline role in the NHS at the worlds leading Heart and Lung Specialist Hospital, Royal Papworth.  As you can imagine it is crazy times at the moment and plenty more ahead of us. Needless to say time has been short this past week as, when not at work, I've been scouring the wastelands for food and supplies.  As a result I've not really had time to put something together for the blog, however I have tried to make time to read comics and books as a respite and diversion from the madness.

As much as I like to re-read old classics, I'm a sucker for something shiny and new to read.  I love the thrill of finding a new favourite or something jaw dropping by accident, this is even better when that thrill is cheap or free.  So I thought that I might quickly recommend some comics that I've really enjoyed recently and some that very generous creators and publishers have put out for free at this time to help those self isolating and social distancing.  Hopefully there will be something there that hits the mark for you too.

My first recommendation would be to get the Comichaus app, to use the tagline from the Awesome Comics Podcast guys "it's the Netflix of comics".  There is such a variety of small press and indie comics on there you cannot go wrong. I have found so many real gems during the time I've been using it.  

Most recently I've particularly enjoyed these three comics from Gustaffo Vargas: Lima, Manu and Trujillo. Cyberpunk comics set where pre Columbian culture meets hi and lo technology in a dystopian future (just around the corner).  I'd love to see this guy in 20000AD, he draws some great characters and cityscapes that would suit Megacity One.

You can try Comichaus for free for two weeks by following the link below after the trial it's only £3.99 a month.  https://www.comichaus.com/app

Talking of the Awesome Comics Podcast you should listen to their podcast for top class

banter, creator interviews, honest reviews and recommendations (https://awesomecomics.podbean.com/) I have a wish list longer than my arm after listening to this show each week.  From the Podcasts Tony Esmond, you can read The Whore Chronicles. I particularly enjoyed the story of Peggy with art by Sarah Harris read it here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/8m8djmtnqam5zsf/TWC_PressReady.pdf?dl=0

There are some superb comics to be found on Kickstarter that can be real bargains, especially if you go for digital options.  One I've backed is the latest from one of my favourite creators James McCulloch, called Camp VA70. Here's a quick description:

All animal life has been wiped out by a disease know as 'THE RED'. The agricultural industry crumbles under the weight of demand for food. The world needs help. Our saviours come in the form of an alien race, but their help comes at a price. They need our blood. Food in exchange for our blood. It seemed so simple...

You can back it here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grandmasterwook/camp-va07-1/description

Thanks to Morgan Spiceman for the heads up about this link which gives information on how to gain access to 100 free comics: https://nerdist.com/article/100-free-comics/

Finally a very generous freebie from publishers of 2000AD, Rebellion a whole volume of Dredd with Case Files 05 The Law ar War which you can download

here: https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/GRN281?utm_source=The+2000+AD+Weekly+Thrill-Mail%21&utm_campaign=a3f189a7b1-2000+AD+NEWSLETTER+19-12-18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f96459e4a2-a3f189a7b1-82803961

So there you go, plenty to get stuck into for free or not very much, hope you enjoy them.  

Thanks to all the NHS staff, postal and delivery drivers and retail sector workers who are keeping us all safe, informed and fed during this difficult time.  Keep the faith guys and stay safe.

Bloodshot

Bloodshot

This week I was going to recommend another piece of work by Grant Morrison for you and look at the background to it.  But, time has run away from me and I've not had an opportunity to re-read the collected volume as I'd hoped.  However, I think that I've got a great alternative lined up. This isn't by a 2000AD creator but I think it has a lot of touchstones with some of the galaxys greatest comics characters and others from pop culture that we can all relate to.  

A couple of weeks ago, scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw a trailer for a new film starring Vin Diesel called Bloodshot.  Now this name rang a bell from a freebie comic that I received at a local comicon. I dug around in my collection and found the single issue I'd gotten from the con, I gave it a read and decided to search out some more. I'm not adverse to a digital edition so, when I saw a deal to buy 8 volumes of Bloodshot trades for a great price via Humble Bundle I jumped at the chance.

Bloodshot is from Valiant Comics, a company that wasn't really on my radar after my time in the comics wilderness. Valiant was formed in 1989 by an ex editor-in-chief of Marvel comics, Jim Shooter and his business partners, after a failed attempt to buy Marvel. Bloodshot made his first appearance in 1992, but things really took off when Valiant was bought out and re-launched in 2012. You can read more about Valiant and their other characters here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valiant_Comics

The character of Bloodshot has many influences in his DNA such as Robocop, as he struggles to find out who he was before scientists implanted the nanites. He has the Deadpool/Wolverine ability to heal and regenerate. However, he has less of the humor of Deadpool, Bloodshot  definitely comes from the Punisher mould of hard faced no nonsense killer. Other characters are left to provide the wit and light to his shade. So far, thankfully, I've not come across any caped superheroes, just characters enhanced by technology or mutated in some way to become weapons for good or evil.

But for all these influences Bloodshot manages to stand out as his own character, he is a badass killing machine and no quarter is given as to how the violence is depicted.  The art, that compliments the script from writer Duane Swierczynsk, is by Manuel Garcia & Arturo Lozzi with lettering by Rob Steen. Something you will find here, that seems sadly lacking in 2000AD of late, is some stunning visceral splash pages, like this .

For me, the Bloodshot comics are like a Jack Reacher novel, you know exactly what you are getting from them the minute you've read the first page.  I'm not too far into the series (vol 5 of the collected trades) but I have really enjoyed the ride so far. I'll be interested to read more and see how they sustain the character and the story. I hope the film isn't a disappointment, sadly tie-ins so often are. But no doubt I'll pay my money and hope for the best as usual.  

If you are a hardcore 2000AD fan and you want to dip your toes in some different waters, then Bloodshot could be right in your wheelhouse.

You can find a trailer for the movie here: https://youtu.be/vOUVVDWdXbo

Grant Morrison

Grant Morrison 

Okay, full disclosure I haven't read a massive amount of Grant Morrisons work.  Of course I know the name, not only from 2000AD but from his work for DC and Marvel too. I remember reading Zenith in 1987 but it wasn't much later on that my hiatus from comics began.  So, as much for my sake as anything else, here's a little synopsis of his career (God bless Wikipedia).

Much like Garth Ennis, Morrison started young his first work being published when he was about 17 years old in a British alternative comic called Near Myths.  1986 saw his debut in the galaxys greatest comic, with two Future Shocks soon followed by the well loved Zenith. Then, DC took him into their fold where he got the gig for writing Batman and Doom Patrol amongst others. From then on his star was in the ascendancy check out more here:  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Morrison

Happily, as I'm trying to write this blog to highlight some of the work of these creators, I have read a couple of very different books by Grant Morrison on my return to comics.  The first one was given to me as a gift from a friend. She went into Mega City Comics in Camden and told the guys there that "he likes 2000AD and he likes horror". The chap working there suggested the following graphic novel, which she promptly bought.

The book was the trade of 2015s Nameless, from Image, what an introduction to Morrisons work that was. I've read it a couple of times and I'm still not 100% sure of what it's all about. In a nutshell, it's a space based horror story, the hero of the tale has no name, he is the titular Nameless.  

Nameless is an occult expert called upon by an eccentric billionaire (think a more batshit Branson) to go into space and be part of a mission to save the earth from destruction by a 14 x 6 mile asteroid hurtling in its general direction. Sounds straightforward?  This story goes off on so many tangents and themes, space horror, body horror, ancient cultures, iconography you name it it's all there with a generous side order of blood and gore.  

The art by Chris Burnham is amazing throughout, his own imagination must have been

stretched by the imagery demanded of him by
Morrisons script.  His work, with excellent colouring by Nathan Faibairn, lets us revel in the madness, blood and gore of the story. Lettering is by another 2000AD alum Simon Bowland, who has worked on Kingdom, Jaegir and Survival Geeks to name just a few. 

So, if you like your sci-fi horror to make you think and even question what you are reading then this is for you.  Trust me you'll never be bored with this story, you may wonder what the fuck it's all about, but you wont be bored. 

Next time I'll look at a more mainstream, but no less thought provoking piece of work from Grant Morrison.

Garth Ennis

Garth Ennis

Garth Ennis seems to be quite a divisive writer among comic fans, I have enjoyed pretty much everything that I've read by him, on my return to comics. However, a knowledgeable comics fan friend of mine, once described some of his strips as puerile and childish.  To be honest I have to agree that there can be an element of that to his work but equally I think that is sometimes what attracts me.

The full on, in your face, behaviour of the cast of say The Boys, is so politically incorrect you just have to laugh at the brazenness of the characters and the writer. It appeals to that 70s child in me that grew up in a time when you weren't looked on as a maniac for not wearing a helmet when you rode your Grifter.  We were brought up on bawdy Carry On films and shows like the Sweeney and The Professionals, where men were men and birds were crumpet. 

But where Ennis really hits his stride is with war stories, like his Battlefields collection, the attention to detail and research for this work is always evident. He has an obvious passion for these stories but they don't always garner the audience recognition of titles like The Boys or Preacher.  Perhaps he works like Gary Oldman, who famously takes on the big Hollywood commercial roles so that he can afford to work on his own smaller passion projects. 

For me the best of both worlds has been reading Ennis' run on The Punisher Max for Marvel.  My introduction to this was buying Volume one of the Complete Punisher Max Collection which brings together Born #1-4, Punisher (2004) #1-12.  Born sees Ennis team up with his art collaborator from The Boys, Darick Robertson - always a favorite of mine.

Born gives a great insight into Frank Castles time spent fighting in the Vietnam war and how that shaped him into becoming the Punisher (as ever I’ll try to avoid spoilers).  The story ‘In the Beginning’ sees the narrative taken into New York, after Franks return from Vietnam and introduces the event which befalls his family, that you may be familiar with if you’ve watched the Netflix/Marvel series starring John Beranthal.  The art duties here falling to Lewis LaRosa who gives us a hulking grizzled image of Frank.   

Much of Ennis’ work is a love letter to New York, a place that he admits he fell in love with from the moment he set foot there. However, there isn't much love to be found in the final story in this collection 'Kitchen Irish' when Frank becomes caught up in a turf war between gangs in Hells Kitchen.  This strip featuring the pencilling of Leandro Fernandez who, like the previous artists, gives us some great images of a hench, battle scarred Punisher.

Much to my chagrin, my first exposure to The Punisher was via the TV series and that whet my appetite to read some Punisher comics.  When I found out that Ennis had done a run, then my mind was made up. I get the feeling that this run was a big influence on the TV series and Beranthals portrayal.  Both are very brutal and very bloody, not for the squeamish reader or viewer. Needless to say, I've loved it and I'm hoping to get the fourth and final book in the collected series soon.

So, if you only know Garth Ennis from his time writing for 2000AD or from the TV adaptations of his work I would definitely recommend jumping on with this Punisher Max run.  Then, the Ennisverse is your oyster and there is a lot out there to choose from, I'll no doubt look at more in the future. 

As a postscript, Garth returns to British comics on Wednesday 25th March when the Action 2020 special is released by Rebellion and the Treasury of British Comics.  More details here:

https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/RCS2062