I grew up on the 2000s Guillermo Del Toro Hellboy movies, but hadn’t yet had a chance to get into the comics until I picked this up at a 2nd hand comiI grew up on the 2000s Guillermo Del Toro Hellboy movies, but hadn’t yet had a chance to get into the comics until I picked this up at a 2nd hand comics shop - really accessible intro to the Hellboy universe, with a pix of characters I’m already invested in (hi Liz, hi Abe) plus some new faces! Really interested in tracking down more Hellboy comics, especially mainline ones with Mignola’s own art!...more
I’ve been on a kick for gentle post-apocalyptic robot media as of late, and this manga has been really stand-out in that category! Just a quiet slice-I’ve been on a kick for gentle post-apocalyptic robot media as of late, and this manga has been really stand-out in that category! Just a quiet slice-of-life book about how the android Alpha spends her days in a rural coastal town, as the world’s sea levels slowly rise. The world is going out with a gentle sigh, rather than a bang, and the people in and around the mostly-sunken Yokohama City and the rural Miura Peninsula have peacefully built their lives around the ever-changing coast.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is classified as “iyashikei”, a slice-of-life subgenre specific to Japanese works, “portraying characters living peaceful lives in calming environments, and is intended to have a healing effect on the audience”. It’s not super plot-focused, and that’s intentional, as each chapter is just a vignette into the work’s immersive world-building, and a small glimpse into the lives of the main characters! The writing and art made me feel every gust of crisp sea air and every cup of coffee shared! It has that sense of romanticisation of little things in every day life, which most people look for in Ghibli works, though I’m not sure how reductive it would be to call this ‘Ghibli-esque’; it’s possibly fitting, but I feel like every Japanese work gets a ‘Ghibli-esque’ label slapped on it by foreign audiences at some point, so I’m avoiding that.
Hitoshi Ashinano’s beautiful artwork cannot be understated - I adore this type of 90s era manga art style (especially the way he draws women! they always feel like uhh actual fleshed out human people. There is a vaguely supernatural sea monster girl in the recurring cast who is just casually always nude and it’s pleasantly non-sexual. There’s one scene where the vibes were a teensy bit weird? but I’m not sure what to read into that) and the way he renders scenery in this post apocalyptic world is incredibly immersive. The Seven Seas translated deluxe edition is also so beautifully printed and designed, with the cover’s foil-finish text and the interior colour inserts.
Overall, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou has been a wonderful addition to my personal manga library that I know I’ll be coming back to, even just for the art! Such a calming and pleasant read ...more
So glad to jump back into this series! I’d read a little past these issues in my initial read as a teenager, but now that I own this in print it was aSo glad to jump back into this series! I’d read a little past these issues in my initial read as a teenager, but now that I own this in print it was a really good recap.
John Allison is such a master of dialogue - every character feels lived-in and earns their funny-ness beyond just snappy quips, and Max Sarin’s clean art and expressive character drawing is always a treat - the “250 000 penny chews” bit is still one of my favourite comics sequences ever made, it’s SO funny!!
Props to this volume for also containing one of my favourite gay kiss scenes ever committed to a comic page - the dynamic panelling and expressions are INSANE. Always love to come back to this world and these characters ...more
GORGEOUS art and intruiging narrative! It's so refreshing to see a modern (non-manga) comic get published in black and white, since greyscale gets reaGORGEOUS art and intruiging narrative! It's so refreshing to see a modern (non-manga) comic get published in black and white, since greyscale gets really underutilised as a visual storytelling style in a lot of modern English language works! Nordland renders scenes of the sea so beautifully, with so much drama and dynamism, and their style of drawing expressions is simply lovely! As a transmasc person, I often find it hard to gel with some of the beats that end up in "girl crossdresses as a boy for adventure" stories, but thus far Tiger Tiger offers a really unique take and vibe on this kind of narrative that realy really keeps me engaged!
I'm a huge fan of webcomics as a medium - particularly independent ones with their own site that are just one artist with a stylus and a dream - but I also generally try to get away from screens when I can during my reading time! I'd been following Petra Nordlund and their art for years, but had yet to get into their webcomics (either Tigers or their previous, now-defunct, webcomic Prague Race) so I jumped on the opportunity to grab this in print! I'll be sure to catch up on the rest now that I've had this hefty taste of it in print...more
Gorgeous gorgeous GORGEOUS book!! So glad I got a print edition! Abrego’s organic lines, coloured linework, and delightful pastel tones really bring tGorgeous gorgeous GORGEOUS book!! So glad I got a print edition! Abrego’s organic lines, coloured linework, and delightful pastel tones really bring this story to life and make for an excellent artwork to appreciate on page! I’ve loved this concept since Rii Abrego’s first self-contained one-page comic got popular on Twitter, and I love the simple and sweet story she’s crafted with Joe Whitt!
Also, perfect book to read with Temp Love’s instrumental album ‘The Magnificent Independent Film Society’ as accompaniment - at the pace I read, it synched perfectly!...more
Look, you’re already gonna hook me with the pitch “queer teenage diver girl in a coastal town learns to open up to others by developing a telepathic cLook, you’re already gonna hook me with the pitch “queer teenage diver girl in a coastal town learns to open up to others by developing a telepathic connection to a huge fucking sea monster” (one of my favourite films is ‘Aquamarine’ for goodness’ sake). But seeing this comic set in *South Africa* - and developed by artists from South Africa’s superstar animation studio Triggerfish, no less - is truly special. Reading a comic where characters’ English dialect matches the people around me, with the town houses matching building styles I grew up seeing, is putting this graphic novel in a special place in my heart.
It’s fast-paced and full of heart, with the dynamism of action manga, and the adventurous spirit of TinTin, full of a love for the sea and a love of local rural coastal villages. Friendship, and the idea of personal agency and letting go of last hurts, are at its core. Pearl is such a fun character too, full of more affection for the people around her than she realises, and I love her blossoming friendship with Naomi, as well as her friendship with the Huge Bigass Sea Monster. The art style is so cute, lively, and expressive as well, very much in the vein of comics by animation professionals, and I’m really fond of the lively, loose, storyboard-like line-work...more
STELLAR art!! Been meaning to continue reading the webcomic, but since reading the first few chapters I’ve *always* wanted it in print due to Taylor RSTELLAR art!! Been meaning to continue reading the webcomic, but since reading the first few chapters I’ve *always* wanted it in print due to Taylor Robin’s stunning colours, beautiful panel layouts, and creative lettering!
I will say that the first 5 chapters (as collected in this book) don’t really have the kind of tight streamlined structure that’d necessarily satisfy a reader of the individual book who’s unfamiliar with webcomic structures, but they set up future stakes really well, and chapter 5 really was a perfect stopping-point to keep readers waiting for the next one. ...more
this comic’s artstyle is kinda like if Gabriel Bà showed more anime influence - and it works! I think the dialogue is a little bit stilted but the stothis comic’s artstyle is kinda like if Gabriel Bà showed more anime influence - and it works! I think the dialogue is a little bit stilted but the story has potential, and the sample I got from the Halloween Comics Fest print made me curious about it!...more
Cute artstyle! suitable for any really young readers who you might want to introduce to comics - it has a really accessible artstyle, writing syle, anCute artstyle! suitable for any really young readers who you might want to introduce to comics - it has a really accessible artstyle, writing syle, and panel layout style with large text and panels.
I really love Kockalka’s use of colour and I’d love to incorporate this kinda colour style into some of my own work!...more
Picked up a packet of old Halloween Comics Fest comics the other day at my LCS - this is from 2016, which is when I first got really into syndicated cPicked up a packet of old Halloween Comics Fest comics the other day at my LCS - this is from 2016, which is when I first got really into syndicated comics after branching out from queer webcomics, and it was a lovely opportunity to revisit samples of some of my favourite titles! i’m forever a huge fan of The Backstagers, Lumberjanes, Giant Days, and Goldie Vance!...more
So wonderful and full of heart!! Kamome Shirahama combines beautiful, elegant inkwork and flowing Art Nouveau-esque lines, with a solid philosophy aboSo wonderful and full of heart!! Kamome Shirahama combines beautiful, elegant inkwork and flowing Art Nouveau-esque lines, with a solid philosophy about the nature of personal talent and skill. This story is so sweet and charming and full of characters I know I’m going to love even more as I catch up on each volume! I NEED to look like Quifrey
I would just as quickly recommend this book to someone who wants a whimsical, sincere, and downright cute fantasy story, as I would recommend it to someone who thinks they can’t draw because they believe it’s the domain of those with “innate talent” - everyone can draw amd create, and everyone can learn! And as Coco finds out, that truly is its own kind of magic. ...more
