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Top 10 Manga | 2019
Top 10 Manga | 2019
Dec 10, 2019 | Filed in Reviews
It has been more than 20 years since manga first took off in North America, and publishers are releasing deluxe collectors editions of early classics such as “Sailor Moon” and “Fullmetal Alchemist.” But the new series are still proliferating, and winnowing our list of the best titles published in the United States this year was a challenge. With an opposites-attract friendship story, an out-of-this-world road trip, and tales of outcasts finding community, even newcomers to manga will find something to tempt them.
Higashimura, Akiko. Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey; Vol. 1. illus. by author. Seven Seas. ISBN 9781642750690.
Gr 7 Up –Every artist needs a mentor; for teenage Higashimura, it was a laconic, bamboo sword–wielding, tough-as-nails sensei who put the slacker student on the path to becoming the creator of “Princess Jellyfish” and “Tokyo Tarareba Girls.” The Eisner Award–winning author-illustrator veers between sketch-like art and exaggerated cartoons in this candid memoir that will inspire budding artists.
Itagaki, Paru. Beastars: Vol. 1. illus. by author. Viz. ISBN 9781974707980.
Gr 10 Up –Itagaki raises the stakes by making characters high school students who are literally animals. Though carnivores are prohibited from preying on herbivores, not everyone follows the rules, as readers learn when a member of the drama club is murdered and suspicion falls on Legosi the wolf. Beautifully evocative, textured art conveys a striking, original tale of a teen longing for his peers to look beyond his ferocious exterior.
Izumi, Mitsu. Magus of the Library: Vol. 1. illus. by author. Kodansha Comics. ISBN 9781632368232.
Gr 7 Up –In a society where libraries and reading are all-important, an impoverished half-human half-elf outcast yearns to read but is forbidden from entering his village’s library. Things change when he meets a team of librarians from the famed library of Aftzaak. Richly detailed backgrounds, at times frenzied action, and plenty of adventure will envelop readers from the start.
Kamatani, Yuhki. Our Dreams at Dusk: Vol. 1. illus. by author. Seven Seas. ISBN 9781642750607.
Gr 8 Up –On the verge of suicide after his classmates out him as gay, Tasuku finds refuge at a drop-in center with a quirky but supportive LGBTQ community. Kamatani skillfully depicts a fragile teen’s intense emotions through rich symbolism in this perceptive coming-of-age story.
Miyanaga, Asaya. Nicola Traveling Around the Demons’ World: Vol. 1. illus. by author. Seven Seas. ISBN 9781642753370.
Gr 3 Up–Don’t be fooled by the title; this tale is more adorable than hellish. Young Nicola has always felt like an outsider among other humans, so she decides to travel through a magical world. Miyanaga blends Edward Gorey’s unsettling, Victorian-style illustrations with Maurice Sendak’s whimsy and mischief, and the intricate artwork that results is appealingly surprising and attention-grabbing.
Oda, Tomohito. Komi Can’t Communicate: Vol. 1. illus. by author. Viz. ISBN 9781974707126.
Gr 6 Up –Everyone dismisses beautiful but silent Komi as a stuck-up princess, but Tadano realizes that she’s just overwhelmingly shy. He decides to help her achieve a lofty goal: making 100 friends. Caricature-like illustrations depict Komi’s attempts to shed her wallflower ways in this tender tale of an awkward young teen finding her voice.
Shirahama, Kamome. Witch Hat Atelier: Vol. 1. illus. by author. Kodansha Comics. ISBN 9781632367709.
Gr 7 Up –Enchanting spells, scheming classmates, and teachers who conceal secrets behind benign facades are the core ingredients of this can’t-miss fantasy. The central drama hinges on a student set on becoming a witch, despite being born without the gift of magic. Drawn in a traditional style reminiscent of Andrew Lang’s fairy books, this mesmerizing tale showcases a young heroine discovering how capable she truly is.
Sigsawa, Keiichi. Kino’s Journey: The Beautiful World; Vol. 1. adapt. & illus. by Iruka Shiomiya. Vertical. ISBN 9781947194359.
Gr 10 Up –Kino travels the world on a talking motorcycle, encountering bizarre communities, from a town where universal telepathy has driven all the residents apart to a society where duels are mandatory. Disarmingly sweet art seems to nod at a younger audience, but Shiomiya’s adaptation of Sigsawa’s prose novel turns violent in subsequent volumes, so mature fans are the audience for this grippingly surreal tale.
Takano, Ichigo. Become You: Vol. 1. illus. by author. Seven Seas. ISBN 9781642756852.
Gr 8 Up –Sunny Taiyou and gloomy Hikari have nothing in common, but if the two want to perform at the upcoming cultural festival, they’ll have to work together. Relying on uncluttered art and expressive close-ups of her protagonists, Eisner Award–nominated Takano captures the emotional beats of a burgeoning friendship, from rough beginnings to the first moments of understanding.
Yuma, Midori. Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits; Vol. 1. adapt. & illus. by Waco Ioka. Viz. ISBN 9781974703722.
Gr 8 Up –An independent young woman works in a traditional inn for yokai, or spirits, to pay off the debt her grandfather racked up and to avoid being forced to marry the inn’s owner. Ioka’s dramatic art—in particular, the contrast between the ordinary-looking humans and the grotesque yokai—elevates this immersive fantasy that’s bound to entice Hayao Miyazaki fans looking for their next obsession.
Webcomics
Webcomics
19 Free Webcomics To Keep Kids and Teens Engaged
19 Free Webcomics To Keep Kids and Teens Engaged
by Mahnaz Dar (School Library Journal)
Apr 06, 2020 | Filed in Reviews
Middle Grade
Middle Grade
Written by Michelle Wright and illustrated by Courtney Huddleston, Francesco Gerbino, and Tracy Bailey, this webcomic, now a series of graphic novels published by Farthing Press, centers on a black orphan adopted by a well-meaning but clueless suburban white couple.
House cats Elvis, Puck, and Lupin report on such breaking news stories as “The people are missing!” and “There’s a box with a towel inside it on the kitchen table.” Georgia Dunn’s hilarious webcomic, with its feline’s-eye view of the world, is also being published by Andrews McMeel as a series of graphic novels.
In GiGi D.G.’s video game–esque tale, adorable Cucumber the bunny and his sister Almond go up against a series of baddies. A vibrant palette, nonstop action, and a bizarre cast of friends and foes make for immersive reading. Also available as a series of graphic novels published by First Second.
Andrew Hussie’s wildly popular webcomic follows John Egbert, who on his 13th birthday plays a video game that unleashes the apocalypse. Available in print from Viz Media.
Two anthropomorphic foxes navigate the world in this sweetly snarky webcomic, now a graphic novel published by Andrews McMeel, by Dana Simpson, creator of the best-selling “Phoebe and Her Unicorn” series. Enjoy the archive, or check out reruns on GoComics!
Though being the new kid is never easy, it’s especially hard for Peter, an average kid whose classmates include a mummy, a pumpkinhead, and a skeleton. Creator Dylan Campbell updates this hilariously creepy webcomic every week.
Still reeling from the loss of his mother, Jonas escapes into his vivid daydreams. After making his way through a portal in his grandmother’s strange painting, he finds himself lost in a fantasy world, unable to return. Daniel Lieske’s arresting comic series has also been published in print format by Lion Forge.
Young Adult
Young Adult
Dami Lee’s self-deprecating webcomic details her quest “to be a real lady person,” from dating woes to FOMO in the age of social distancing. The graphic novel Be Everything at Once, available from Chronicle, collects many of the entries in her webcomic.
Two outsiders endure microaggressions on a Christian backpacking trip and find solace in each other. Melanie Gillman’s contemplative, poignant webcomic was published as a graphic novel by Iron Circus Comics and won a Stonewall Honor in 2018.
Bird and Moon—Science and Nature Comics
Whether naturalist and science writer Rosemary Mosco is describing how to distinguish a dolphin from a porpoise, offering improvements on bird species (like hummingbirds that are 10,000% bigger), or urging readers to join the fight against climate change, her abiding passion for the natural world comes through loud and clear in this delightfully quirky webcomic. Available from Andrew McMeels as Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Cartoons About the Natural World from Bird and Moon.
When a happy-go-lucky former figure skater joins his college hockey team, hilarity ensues, but so do lasting friendships and even a burgeoning romance between protagonist Bitty and team captain Jack. Ngozi Ukazu’s webcomic has garnered a loyal fan base, and the graphic novels, published by First Second, are just as popular.
What became of Alice, Wendy Darling, and Dorothy Gale after they returned from Wonderland, Neverland, and Oz? Though few believed their stories, the three girls meet and find kinship in one another. Andy Weir and Sarah Andersen’s enchanting webcomic–turned–graphic novel (published by Ten Speed) will inspire readers to write their own fan fiction.
Hamish Steele’s webcomic, now a print series published by Nobrow, centers on an amusement haunted house with a mysterious portal that entices demons, ghosts, and angels.
Fran Krause creates mordantly funny yet tender comics based on emails submitted by readers detailing the absurd but deeply resonant fears that plague them (What if, while walking over me in bed, my cat steps on both my eyes? What if, when I take off my goggles, the suction yanks out my eyes?). Two graphic novels, Deep Dark Fears and The Creeps, based on the webcomic have been published by Ten Speed.
Now a graphic novel series published by PM Press, this raw, deeply funny, provocative webcomic from Juliana “Jewels” Smith, Ronald Nelson, and Mike Hampton follows a black revolutionary college freshman and her friends dealing with racism, gentrification, and privilege at Ronald Reagan University.
Since 2016, Alice Oseman has been chronicling the burgeoning romance between Nick and Charlie, two secondary characters from her prose novel Solitaire. Her sweet, manga-flavored tale will be published in graphic novel format by Scholastic next month.
Tillie Walden’s mesmerizing, strikingly original space epic seamlessly blends romance and sci-fi. In graphic novel format, published by First Second, On a Sunbeam has racked up accolades, making its way onto numerous best books lists and being named a YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novel.
To make the long trip back home to Earth from a mining colony deep in outer space, Amy and her family must be cryogenically frozen, and when Amy returns, her friends are far older, and she’s not sure where she fits in. With fluid linework and a pitch-perfect palette, this tender webcomic from Stephen McCranie, now published by Dark Horse as a graphic novel series, is ideal for sci-fi readers and newcomers to the genre alike.
Ariel Slamer Ries’s webcomic, now published in graphic novel format by Lion Forge, takes place in the magical world of Hyalin, where witches’ magic depends on the length of their hair. But revealing one’s power can be perilous.
Image Comics has First Issues free on their webpage.
Image Comics has First Issues free on their webpage.
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