Manga

The weekend is here, so take a look back and just what’s been going on over the past seven days. New comics, new stories, new podcasts, new art being made — it’s all part of the ComicsAlliance Weekender!

That long-developing live-action remake of Ghost in the Shell has drawn plenty of ire for its primarily white cast, and reports that Paramount commissioned VFX tests to make Scarlett Johansson appear asian only made things worse. Sure, the film does have some asian cast members, but they’ve been largely relegated to supporting roles so far. Perhaps that will change with the addition of The Wolverine star Rila Fukushima — though it would be far more interesting if she were cast in the lead.

Despite having an extensive catalog of acclaimed works to his credit, from the manga adaptation of famous novel-turned-Tom Cruise movie All You Need Is Kill with Ryosuke Takeuchi (adapted as Edge of Tomorrow), to the manga about making manga, Bakuman, Takeshi Obata will perhaps always be best known for his hit manga series Death Note, with writer Tsugumi Ohba. The operatic supernatural detective story about teen would-be god Light Yagami and his reclusive nemesis L is the kind of breakout hit that most comic creators can only dream of. The art book Blanc et Noir: The Art of Takeshi Obata makes great use of Obata's work on Death Note --- but it also showcases the artist's considerable range and skill beyond his best known work.

If you ever go to an anime and manga convention, you might notice a lot of people in formalwear. Specifically, you might notice somebody dressed up in Victorian finery with an eyepatch and someone else in black tails, black hair and red eyes. No, you didn't accidentally wander into some sort of bizarre etiquette school. You're seeing people dressed as the main characters of Black Butler, one of the most popular shonen franchises of the 21st century. It's a mix between mystery, comedy, and even horror that has some disquieting undertones but is still captivating to read.

Most anime is adapted from manga, often produced by the manga publisher to raise awareness and selling it overseas. But what about the anime shows or film that go the other way, adapted from the screen to the page? How do those works hold up, and what changes or stays the same? That’s what Screen & Page aims to explore. This week, we're looking at Mamoru Hosoda's 2012 film Wolf Children, and its manga adaptation by the artist Yu.

Everyone loves comic book trivia, but with 75 years of superhero comics behind us right now, there’s always some new obscure fact to learn. That’s why ComicsAlliance is going deep into the minutiae of your favorite names in comics in our continuing video series. You think you know comics? Well, here’s a few things you might not know! This week we're taking a look at the long-running, ground-breaking series by Osamu Tezuka, god of manga and father of anime: Astro Boy! As both a manga and an anime, Astro Boy is one of the earliest and most successful examples of Japanese comics and animation to be introduced to American audiences. In this video, we look at the history of Astro Boy, from his earliest appearances as a secondary character in another comic to various tributes to this classic of a genre to his modern day role as a Japanese ambassador.

Most anime is adapted from manga, often produced by the manga publisher to raise awareness and selling it overseas. But what about the anime shows or film that go the other way, adapted from the screen to the page? How do those works hold up, and what changes or stays the same? That’s what Screen & Page aims to explore. This week, we're looking at an immortal tale of girls on Vespas, vintage bass guitars, and robots coming out of a kid's head. It's FLCL!

In a ruling announced on Monday, the Tokyo District Court found the Japanese artist Rokudenashiko not guilty of obscenity for displaying artwork resembling a vagina in a Tokyo sex shop in July 2014. According to a report from NBC, the court ruled that the artwork, made with colored materials, fake fur and glitter, could be considered pop art. However, the artist was convicted of distributing indecent material and fined 400,000 yen ($3,691 USD) for circulating 3D printer data that allows users to create precise replicas of her genitals.

What a week! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to sit back and read some comics. The weekend is finally here, and the world can relax and rest once more — but the comics industry has been busy too, you know, and the last seven days have seen a flurry of comics-based news and announcements fly past at high speed. ComicsAlliance has got your back, though: when it comes to comics, we never slow down, so here’s a look back and just what’s been going on. New comics, new stories, new podcasts, new art being made — it’s all part of the ComicsAlliance Weekender!

Kodansha Comics has been around for less than a decade, but in that time it has managed to put out some remarkable titles. Now, in the latest Humble Comics Bundle, you can get a bunch of those good books for under $20 to benefit the CBLDF, Worldreader and the Mental Health Foundation. The marquee title here is Attack On Titan --- one volume unlocks with each tier. The first tier can cost you absolutely nothing, and besides Titan volume 1, you also get the first volume of horror manga Parasyte and the drama Space Brothers.