Comments on: Dans Les Griffes reviewed + what I’ve been reading & seeing

By: James A. Owen

James A. Owen — Wed, 03 May 2006 17:58:43 +0000

Hi Justine -

I’ve just started becoming acquainted with your books (and your husband’s), but came across this thread, and wanted to point you to something I think you’d enjoy. On my livejournal, third post down, is a link to a gallery with a sixteen-page comics story. You can read right out of the gallery (no need to download), but I do hope it’s to your liking.

More intelligent discourse coming – after I’ve had a chance to read some of your work, which sounds fascinating!

Best,

James

By: Mely

Mely — Tue, 02 May 2006 11:38:07 +0000

Goodbye Chunky Rice and Blankets are by Craig Thompson. I haven't tried them because of the air of "young man reflects on his life after not enough distance." This is entirely a snap judgment based on the covers.

By: claire

claire — Tue, 02 May 2006 01:55:55 +0000

re: graphic novels, i tried a few “sandman” books and didn’t like ‘em, but that’s just me. i loooved “watchmen”, and if you wanna get old school and haven’t already, “love and rockets”. the “locas” and “palomar” stories have each been collected into one, very expensive, hardbound volume which you might be able to find at the library.

manga: the first two “crying freeman” novels were great. (i thought they got cheesy really fast after that.)

there’s also the lovely and bizarre “goodbye chunky rice” novel, by … um … help me out here. he followed it up with a graphic memoir called “blankets” a year or two ago which was, well, memoir. yuk. greg something?

By: Mely

Mely — Mon, 01 May 2006 19:34:24 +0000

though yes, when back in nyc, you’ll have access to a lot of comics specialty shops. the one closest to you & scott is st. mark’s comics, which i haven’t been to for years; forbidden planet can be pretty comprehensive, although i hate the way it’s set up. it’s probably easier to navigate if you’re willing to talk to the shop clerks. manga’s on a mezzanine, not the main floor.

my “local comics shop” is midtown comics because it’s three blocks from my office. i adore it.

By: Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown — Mon, 01 May 2006 18:55:08 +0000

I agree with mely. start telephoning the major chain bookstores. they often have a great selection. independent bookstores frequently don’t carry manga or comics at all, and if they do (and they’re not comics specialty stores) the selection usually sucks. I buy a lot of my manga at borders, brentano’s, barnes and noble, etc.

By: Mely

Mely — Mon, 01 May 2006 13:10:18 +0000

have you been trying just comics stores or also regular bookstores? at least in us, the chain bookstore selections of manga are often surprisingly comprehensive. for western comics they’ll often have a lot of stuff put out by dc & marvel, not so much the smaller presses like oni — though i did love seeing scott pilgrim and other indie faves hit the chain shelves in time for christmas, good on whatever distribution deal launched that.

By: Justine

Justine — Mon, 01 May 2006 05:33:55 +0000

Nope in Sydney. I know the places to go in both cities. But they all have the same very-few-of-the-early-issues problem. Curse them!

By: Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown — Mon, 01 May 2006 04:48:24 +0000

are you in nyc? email mely and ask her to recommend a comics specialty store.

By: Justine

Justine — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:50:32 +0000

Rachel: But I wanna read them now!!!!!!

Andrew: Oh crap, does that mean I have to take up smoking? Ack!

By: Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:50:13 +0000

I would buy what they have, then collect the others as you find them, then when you have a complete set, read all day.

By: Andrew Macrae

Andrew Macrae — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:48:11 +0000

mais, bien sur! you are now entitled to treat all lesser mortals (anglophones) with haughty indifference and a well-timed flick of cigarette ash.

By: Justine

Justine — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:45:12 +0000

And yet I go into the shops and they have Y: The Last Man vollume 4, 6 and 9. And Saiyuki vols. 7, 9 & 22. Thank you so very much, stupid shops!

By: Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:40:35 +0000

You cannot read Vaughn out of order. (Not that you would.) But those series are all extremely arc-y, and you cannot miss a single volume. also, you need to have them all at once, because they all end on the most wonderful and horrible cliffhangers.

By: Justine

Justine — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:34:22 +0000

Mely: Addictive is a relative term. You have to allow for the laziness of some of us who would never download stuff from the intraweb because it’s a hassle. For lazy me I’m showing definite addictive signs. Like going to the purveyors of comics on Saturday and then on Sunday and now because we’ve almost run out again we’ll have to go back tomorrow . . .

Jennifer: I do indeed have a copy, but am yet to read it. I was working on MorM 3 between 8 and 12 hours a day and was just too tired to read anything. Hence my joy at reading again! Yay!

Funny footnotes are the very best.

Rachel: I will be getting hold of all Vaughn now. Though it’s been frustrating cause at most of the shops we’ve been going to the early volumes of these series are missing. It drives me crazy! And it’s a two-three week wait if you order it in and we’re leaving in three weeks. /grumble

By: Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:33:29 +0000

i plan to buy the sarah waters book in england.

By: Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:33:05 +0000

yay nana! I forgot to mention paradise kiss; i like nana better but paradise kiss has the advantage of being complete in five volumes, all of which are available in english. plus, wacky punk fashions.

By: Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:30:45 +0000

oops, i should have recommended scott pilgrim. I like it a lot. runaways is great fun, but vaughns other series (ex machina and y: the last man) are just as much fun but have more depth.

By: jennifer, aka literaticat

jennifer, aka literaticat — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:16:57 +0000

I know I have said it before, but I am OBSESSED with that cover. It is just fabulous.

Also, speaking of Night Watch, did you get the Sarah Waters book yet? It was just shortlisted for the Orange Prize.

Oh, and also, I loved the first Bartimaeus also. funny footnotes are my secret passion.

By: Mely

Mely — Mon, 01 May 2006 03:13:03 +0000

That's just intrigued. Addicted is when you learn how to use IRC/bittorrent to download scanlations because you can't wait for the official releases. Ai Yazawa, who does Nana, has another series out in English translation, Paradise Kiss; Nana's better (larger cast of characters, deeper characterization, more thematically complex), but Paradise Kiss is still very good--and relatively compact, only 5 volumes.

By: cecil

cecil — Mon, 01 May 2006 02:38:08 +0000

Oh read New Warriors. It’s funny. I read it the other day.

Zeb (the writer) is also doing a Runaways / Young Avengers crossover for the marvel civil war. I haven’t read it yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s awesome.

By: Justine

Justine — Mon, 01 May 2006 02:38:03 +0000

Sophie: Thanks for the rec.

Chris: I have the second book sitting by the bed. Once I run out of comics I’m onto it. I dunno, sometimes I think kid’s books are the most subversive of all.

Tell O’Malley he’s a fracking genius. And where’s book 3, damn it?!

Mely: I just started Nana and I’m really liking it. Scott’s already halfway through book 2 and is completely addicted. Look what you’ve done!

Yup, Scott Pilgrim is of the awesomeness. I too am cranky that book 3 ain’t out yet. Hurry up!

Andrew: Ta! Now that I’m not only translated into French but reviewed in French I must be much more sophisticated than I was, yes?

Cecil: Who publishes New Warriors? Everything here is arranged by publisher. I think I’m addicted to comics . . . Oh oh.

By: Andrew Macrae

Andrew Macrae — Mon, 01 May 2006 02:34:28 +0000

sacre bleu! c’est formidable.

By: Mely

Mely — Mon, 01 May 2006 02:16:11 +0000

I like the Dans les griffes de la sorcière cover: it looks a bit like something Leo & Diane Dillon would do.

Isn’t Scott Pilgrim great? I can’t wait for Book 3 to come out.

By: Chris McLaren

Chris McLaren — Mon, 01 May 2006 01:38:04 +0000

Stroud did a really nice job, didn’t he? It continues through the next two books as well. I think the main thing is the voice of Bartimaeus–the unforgettable character, you know–but the moral ambiguity is also very nice. It’s almost subversive at spots, especially when you consider it’s nominally a children’s book.

Oh, and on the name dropping front, Bryan Lee O’Malley, the author/artist of Scott Pilgrim, lives here and is in my weekly poker game.

By: Sophie

Sophie — Mon, 01 May 2006 01:23:06 +0000

Have you read Sandman, by Neil Gaiman? If you liked Fables, I bet you’ll love it.