Tom Speelman
‘One-Punch Man’ Anime Is A Knockout Adaptation
Pretty much ever since the original webcomic by ONE premiered in 2009, fans of the superhero spoof One-Punch Man have been aching for an anime adaptation. Last fall, Madhouse --- the geniuses behind Summer Wars and Death Note, among other things --- granted their wish with a 12-episode anime based on the manga by ONE & Yuusuke Murata, which the record will show we at ComicsAlliance are big fans of.
Now, thanks to Viz Media and Adult Swim's Toonami block, an English dub of that anime is finally available Stateside. So how is it? Pretty damn good.
Screen & Page: Make A Contract With ‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica’
Most anime is adapted from manga, often produced by the manga publisher to raise awareness and sell 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 talking about an anime that set the internet on fire because of all the ways that it does --- and doesn't --- break the magical girl genre: Puella Magi Madoka Magica!
‘Haikyu!!’ Is The Sports Manga That May Make You Love Volleyball
Sports are at once great and hard to depict in comics. On the one hand, an artist skilled at drawing both athleticism and action (which are not always the same thing) can take a football match and turn it into something really exciting and fun to read. This applies whether you're doing a sports-centered story like Roy of the Rovers or a story with sport-as-backdrop, like the Paul Jenkins/Al Davison Hellblazer story "Football: It's A Funny Old Game." But on the other hand, an artist who's not good with those qualities can create something really stilted or just weird.
So it's understandable then that sports manga --- while hugely popular in Japan --- hasn't cracked it over here. Not for lack of trying; stalwarts like The Prince of Tennis and Eyeshield 21 have been translated without any real impact. But with the success of the competitive swimming/male eye-candy anime Free, sports manga and anime are in vogue at last. And that's lucky for us, because it means Viz Media has grabbed the rights to Haruichi Furudate's volleyball manga Haikyu.
To Boldly Go: A Comics History of Star Trek
It's Star Trek's 50th anniversary and between the well-received Star Trek Beyond, the fact that all of Trek is available streaming basically everywhere, a new TV show coming next year, and the continued release of new novels and comics, it's a good time to be a fan of the USS Enterprise and its brethren.
Comics have been a part of Trek lore from almost the very start. Beginning in 1967, when the original Trek was wrapping up its first season on NBC, Gold Key published a series that only had two consistent features: an irregular publishing schedule, and an almost total disregard for how the characters actually looked.
Screen & Page: Pokemon Go God Level In ‘Arceus & The Jewel of Life’
In case you've been off the grid lately, Pokemon Go came out in the US and some other countries exactly one week ago today! And what a week it's been. Nintendo's stocks have shot sky-high, millions of gamers are discovering the concept of physical exercise, and CA's own Chris Sims was last seen roaming the Great Smoky Mountains armed only with a portable generator and wifi signal booster in pursuit of the legendary Ho-Oh.
In honor of our new national pastime, this week we're recounting the time eternal ten-year old Ash Ketchum and his best buddy Pikachu fought God in Pokemon: Arceus & The Jewel of Life!
The History Of Tarzan In Comics
Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and premiering in the October 1912 issue of pulp magazine The All-Story, Tarzan of the Apes has become one of the most well-known heroes in fiction. He's been in hundreds of films, novels and video games, with the latest film, The Legend of Tarzan, hitting theatres this past weekend.
But Tarzan has perhaps cast his biggest shadow in comics. Spanning newspaper strips, comic books and webcomics under a rainbow of comics greats, Tarzan has been a steady presence in the medium for almost 90 years.
Lord Of The Jungle: The Best Tarzan Comics Art Ever
Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, has been around for over a century, with the latest of his 200+ movies, The Legend of Tarzan, hitting theatres this past weekend. Tarzan's swung through just about every storytelling medium you can think of from TV to radio to animation and, of course, comics.
His status as one of the defining heroes of the pulp genre means he's the subject of some extraordinary comics art. We've compiled some of the best Tarzan art we could find, to give you a sense of the long comic book history of the jungle king.
Screen & Page: Don’t Lose Your Way With ‘Kill la Kill’
Most anime is adapted from manga, often produced by the manga publisher to raise awareness and sell 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 talking about the weird action-comedy with even weirder sexual politics: Kill la Kill! Please note that this piece digs into issues of sexual harassment and assault.
Viz Media Launches Free Daily Digital Manga Section With New Titles Like ‘Dragon Ball Super’
Since 2012, Viz Media has fought the omnipresence of poorly translated bootleg manga by offering weekly manga chapters published simultaneously with Japan in the digital Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. Now Viz has gone one step further in that cause by unveiling a new section of Weekly Shonen Jump's website with free official translations of popular and new series posted daily.
Bluefin and Bandai Reveal New Dragon Ball Z and Gundam Figures For Anime Expo
This upcoming July 4 weekend, there'll be fireworks and hot dogs galore across America. And if you're in Los Angeles, you'll be seeing those amidst a sea of Hatsune Miku wigs and people blaring J-pop from their phones at Anime Expo.
The largest anime con in America --- and easily one of the largest American cons period --- Anime Expo takes place from July 1-4 at the LA Convention Center. Like any good convention, there's a wealth of exclusives. Bluefin has announced its exclusives are Gundam model kits and products --- or "Gunpla" as some call it --- as well as two brand-new figurines of Super Saiyan Goku and Final Form Frieza.