Hello everyone! I am still alive. My brain just happened to take a trip across the multiverse of writer’s and artist’s block. It’s been years since I’ve had it this bad, and let me just say that I did not miss it. At all. I’m fighting it and fighting hard!
Onto today’s Seriously Geeky Sundays topic: comic books:
I was an avid fan of all things manga, so most of my answers are going to be about manga or graphic novels rather than your traditional comic book series.
2nd – Comic Books
Normally the 1st of May is Free Comic Book Day, however, due to the pandemic, the organisers have chosen to move it to August with the hope of being able to celebrate it when stores are open again. I considered changing this week’s theme and then chose not to; it might not be Free Comic Book Day but we can still celebrate our love of comics
Let’s start at the beginning; what was your first comic book?
Sailor Moon – I can’t remember the exact one, but when I was a junior in high school, one of my friends would bring her backpack full of manga and let us borrow them. I remember many a time slipping one inside a textbook during a particularly boring class and reading it.
The first manga that I actually owned was also Sailor Moon related. Again, I can’t remember which one (it was so long ago). I remember buying every graphic novel I could. I sketched so many sailor concepts. So.Many.Of.Them.
Which comic did you read recently?
George Takei’s They Called us Enemy
Which comic series would you recommend to someone just starting to read comics?
George Takei’s They Called us Enemy because it has historical significance. It’s written and illustrated in a gripping way that is easy to follow. (I suggest this graphic novel to everyone. It is a must read about a not so great part of history). It’s a good graphic novel for someone just starting out. There aren’t a million characters or complicated quests (those are best saved for later).
What comic series do you have on your TBR (to be read) list?
I’ve been out of the comic book world for so long that I don’t know anymore. I enjoy a good manga or graphic novel, but I hate the ones that have a million issues and never end, which is the main reason why I haven’t kept up with them. I like stories you can start and finish without needing to read a 50 volume precursor.
With that being said, I’d like to read The Boys. Everyone who follows me knows how much I love Amazon’s adaptation of it. Another one I’d like to check out is Attack on Titan. I saw the first season of the anime on Netflix and was obsessed with it for a while (I have the jacket and cape, just to give an example).
What are some of your favourite comic book series/titles?
My favorites tend to be stand alone comics or graphic novels (or ones with no more than 5 in a series for the reasons I mentioned in the last question).
Babylon 5 – The Psi Corps and You
Things to Come – written by Walter Koenig
Who are your favourite comic book artists?
Naoko Takeuchi – creator of Sailor Moon
Hidekaz Himaruya – creator of Hetalia: Axis Powers (I love his style of eyes!)
Yuu Watase – creator of Fushigi Yûgi. If you want to see beautiful art, check her stuff out!
Ooh, I’ve added They Called us Enemy to my TBR, thank you for bringing it to my attention! You might enjoy Superman Smashes the Klan which is based on a radio drama and been redesigned into a comic book with additional information and family stories by the writer Gene Luen Yang. It’s a really good read.
It’s so good! You’ll have to tell me what you think. And “Superman smashes the klan” lol! May have to check that out at one point!