Comicsby Maurice HarterMan, it's hot out! I'm heading to the nearest beach. Let's see, what do I need? Swimsuit, towel, munchies, #49 sun block . . . oh yes, something to read. A novel . . . no, a comic book graphic novel. Something like . . .
An idyllic summer day. The Finkels -- Arthur, Edith and their son Jonas -- are having a picnic in the woods. Little do they know that the storm clouds of war and political revolution are soon to disrupt their family life, testing each of them in ways they never could have imagined. For the Finkels are an influential, middle-class Jewish family living in Czechoslovakia. The year is 1950, just prior to the Russian Revolution, and the putrid winds of anti-Semitism are blowing across Europe. One fateful evening in the dead of night, Dr. Finkel is arrested for no apparent reason and taken to an undisclosed location. Though haunted by fear and worry regarding her husband's well-being, Edith does her best to hold things together. But money soon becomes tight, and work is scarce. Worse yet, her many attempts to learn the fate of her husband targets her as a bourgeois troublemaker, and she finds herself entangled in bureaucratic red tape. Young Jonas has an inquiring mind and a gift for invention, but he's refused entrance into college. So he takes a job as delivery boy for a local seamstress until a misunderstanding with a customer gets him fired. Gradually, the once-strong bonds of family become strained. Giardino is one of Italy's leading comics artists. His realistic fine-line art style is well-suited for illustrating this absorbing real-life drama. Upcoming volumes will present critical stages in Jonas' life as a Jew despised by the Communist bureaucrats. This book is an outstanding release from NBM's ComicsLit imprint, which has become a stellar showcase for intelligent comics storytelling. Recommended.
Meet 10-year-old Timothy Rackham, an only child whose wealthy mom is always traveling. The lonely lad lives in New York City and is often picked on by bullies. So he withdraws into daydreams, not knowing the destiny that awaits him. He's unaware that he's being watched over by friendly and not-so-friendly residents of the mysterious Magician's Village, whose gateway is a culvert in Central Park. One day an astonished Tim spots a six foot, walking-erect, dressed-as-a-mime rat. When a pair of malicious grinning goblins attempt to abduct Tim, the rat intervenes and the two make their way to the phantasmagorical Village. In 1992, Mad Monkey Press out of Canada made an impressive splash onto the comics scene with this book and several others. Magician's Village was an incredible first effort, fully professional in every way, printed on glossy white paper with stylish calligraphic lettering and richly detailed, bewitching art. The book and company received critical acclaim. Two issues of Magician's Village were released, and then something happened. Mad Monkey went on an extended hiatus from publishing. Though periodic press releases were issued, no comics were forthcoming. Well I'm finally pleased to announce that the Mad Monkey is out of hibernation, and publishing a variety of fantasy-themed comics. This book collects into one volume the previously released issues, and a regular Magician's Village series is supposedly forthcoming. I hope it's true, but I'm not holding my breath. All of Mad Monkey's comics are worth searching out.
This is the series that introduced American manga comics fans to the incredible artistry and storytelling ability of Rumiko Takahashi, one of Japan's most prolific and popular comics creators. (Takahashi's other creations include Ramna 1/2, Maison Ikkoku, and The Mermaid Saga). Takahashi has the ability to blend humor and pathos, drama and slapstick, and with Lum she hit a peak. Lum is a gorgeous, sexy space nymph who can fly, has super-powers and a hot temper, and who's obsessed with young Ataru, who lusts after any attractive female who crosses his line of sight. Ataru is a major league disaster magnet who inadvertently creates catastrophe with every choice he makes. ("You're his parents. Can you think why this would be?" "Well, wasn't Ataru born on Friday the 13th, dear? That's right, under a full moon, too. A black cat startled me on the way to the hospital, so you ducked under that stepladder, where I bumped into the food cart and spilled the salt, and the cart rolled into a mirror...". Other continuing characters include Shinobu, Ataru's long-suffering girlfriend; Cherry, the stoic monk whose karma is to watch over Ataru; and various wizards, demons, aliens, princesses and priestesses who drop in on our planet at the most unfortunate times. The translators do an outstanding job of rewriting Japanese humor and punniness for American sensibilities. Lum is laff-aloud funny, and I suspect it has a special appeal to women.
And the answer is -- Michael's a cat, a Japanese manga cat. Like America, Japan likes cartoon kitties, and millions of copies of Michael's antics are in print. But Michael is not just any cat. Michael is Everycat, the archetypal orange tabby that in this country is incarnated as Garfield or Heathcliffe, or even Morris the finicky eater. But whereas American comic strip kitties are anthropomorphic -- people in cat suits -- Japan's Michael is simply . . . a cat. We aren't privy to his thoughts, and can only speculate on his motivations. The comic presents naturalistic vignettes of Michael at work and play, chasing birds and bugs, but mostly putting up with humans. As to be expected, this manga is shaded with Japanese culture and mythology. But cats are basically the same all over, and the light-hearted stories in this book have a universal appeal, displaying insight into both human and feline psychology. You don't have to be Japanese to understand and appreciate Michael. You just have to like cats.
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