Welcome to Manga Zubon, where I take a look at the manga that have come out each month and pick what I think are the best of the lot. These are the manga that I feel deserve recognition and readership more than the rest, so I’m singling them out. My focus in this column is mostly on first volumes to get you in on the ground floor of new series, but I will include standouts in ongoing series as well. Keep in mind that though I do my best, I can’t read everything that comes out each month, so if you have something you think I missed or just have something to say about the ones I’ve chosen, please chime in in the comments section.

The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution
Author: Frederik L. Schodt
Publisher: Stone Bridge Press

Osamu Tezuka was the pioneering force in both manga and anime in Japan. Tetsuwan Atomu, known as Astro Boy in the West, was his first huge hit in both manga and animation. Schodt is the perfect person to write about both, having had a close relationship with Tezuka for two decades and translating the Astro Boy manga for Dark Horse’s recent re-release. In this enlightening book he looks at the God of Manga via Astro Boy and its themes, referencing stories, interviews, and the manga and anime themselves to make his points. A book on all of Tezuka’s work would be enormous, but by focusing on one early prime example of both print and animation, Schodt does an excellent job of exploring both the creator and the work and doing both justice. A fine read, and recommended for anyone with an interest in the history of either anime or manga.

Avril Lavigne’s Make 5 Wishes V.2
Writers: Joshua Dysart and Camilla d’Errico
Artist: Camilla d’Errico
Publisher: Del Rey

Spoilers Ahoy! Reading this, I was reminded of a quote by Bart Simpson: “Making teenagers depressed is like shooting fish in a barrel.” I looked over the first volume a couple months ago in this column, and liked what I saw. Little did I know what was to lie in store. Turns out Hana’s wishes gone wrong are off the scale. She wishes for her parents to be happy, so her Dad leaves her Mom for a different woman. She wishes for everyone at school to like her, so a boiler explodes and kills a teacher and several friends but miraculously leaves her alive and the subject of newfound admiration and pity. At the end, she kills herself to stop the wishing demon but it gets away. Oh, the newscaster has a line about how she may have survived, but if that actually happened they damn well needed to make that clear.

So, basically, the protagonist is lonely and her life is hard, she has a choice between giving in to her inner demons and taking the easy way (represented by the wishing demon) or believing in herself and fighting to overcome her problems (represented by her invisible Avril friend), and she chooses the easy way out. Because she does, life gets even harder, then she totally loses it. The moral, for all you struggling teens (I assume this is aimed at teens, they are using Avril Lavigne’s name to promote it): overcome your fears, or else. And there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Also, in an interview in Comic Foundry with Avril Lavigne, when asked how being involved in creating manga compared to making music, she answered, “Oh, I mean, it’s just a small little thing on the side, just for the kids.” So, yeah.

Umm, the art is cool?

Gon V.1
Creator: Masashi Tanaka
Publisher: DC Comics/CMX Manga

DC is re-releasing this older manga series, once published through their Paradox imprint, via CMX, and I for one am delighted to see it. The only manga I’ve ever seen that is entirely silent, Gon is about the sole survivor of the dinosaur apocalypse- a cute, tough as nails little guy with a serious attitude and a strong sense of fair play. Whether Gon is fighting huge bears for fish, riding a lion to hunt a gnu, or competing with a beaver to build a dam, Tanaka’s incredible storytelling ability and sense of pacing makes words seem extravagant. His attention to detail and use of shading are awe-inspiring, and even the backgrounds are mesmerizing. For just six bucks, do yourself a favor and see for yourself what I’m talking about.

Hollow Fields V.1
Creator: Madeleine Rosca
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment

What a cool concept. Young Lucy Snow, off to boarding school alone, takes a wrong turn in the forest and finds what she thinks is her destination. Instead, she has discovered the hidden location of the Academy for the Scientifically Gifted and Ethically Unfettered- or Hollow Fields. At Hollow Fields, budding young mad scientists learn to rob graves, sew different animals together, make clockwork assassins, and all sorts of other things every evil genius needs to know. Tuition is free, but with the lowest scoring student each week going to detention at the old windmill- and never coming back- competition is fierce. Lucy needs to get up to speed fast! Great art with a goth influence and very cool steampunk/mad scientist vibes help make this a hit for me. I’m not the only one who dug it, either- it was one of four winners of Japan’s first-ever International Manga Award, and is going in for a reprint cycle.

The Last Uniform V.1
Creator: Mera Hakamada
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment

While yaoi manga has been making a bigger and bigger impact on sales in the West, there hasn’t been much heard from it’s opposite number, yuri (lesbian stories). This is a great example of the genre, focusing on a small group of high school girls at an all-girl’s boarding school and their crushes, desires, and friendships. Those of you seeing the word lesbian and expecting hot girl-on-girl action, constant innuendo, and scantily-clad young babes will be disappointed. The Last Uniform is touching, emotional, and true to life, focused on feelings and dreams. I found it a lovely read, and though it’s obviously aimed at women, it left this guy feeling pretty damn wistful.

Samurai Commando Mission 1549 V.1
Writer: Harutoshi Fukui
Artist: Ark Performance
Publisher: DC Comics/CMX Manga

Here’s an interesting idea- a Japanese SDF unit led by a genius Colonel is accidentally sent back in time to the 1500’s and begins systematically destroying the present by altering the past. Another unit is sent back to stop them, advised by a one-time disciple of the Colonel- but whose side is he really on? It’s samurai vs. soldiers and the real question is, does the present deserve to be preserved? This series is only two volumes long, so the payoff comes quick and the action is fierce. Don’t be turned off by what looks like a tiny book, either- I was annoyed at paying ten bucks for what looked like half a book a first, until I checked the page count. There’s 170 pages of story there, which is pretty average for ten dollar manga volumes- it’s just on thin paper, so it looks like less. Possibly not CMX’s best marketing decision.

Translucent V.1
Creator: Kazuhiro Okamoto
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Eighth grader Shizuko Shiroyama has a lot to deal with. Her shy personality makes her blend into the crowd, she pursues acting at school in addition to her classes, and she has self-esteem issues. Oh, and she also has Translucent Syndrome, which makes her body slowly invisible, to the point that she will completely fade away. The less she believes in herself, the more translucent she gets, and for a teenage girl, that may as well be the end of her. But her boyfriend Tadami and best friend Okouchi care, and they are determined not to let her give up on herself. Funny, heartwarming, and full of little insights that make it feel real, Translucent is a beautiful story for every one of us that has felt like we weren’t worth anything and been supported by someone else. Just lovely.