Reprints and translations of comics you've been longing for

The same author also co-wrote (under an obvious pseudonym) a companion volume called Ero-Manga Maniax about all the wacked-out 70s smut.

That sounds great. Who were the other authors in the full version of Manga Zombie?

Usagi Yojimbo Saga 2 finally showed up new on Amazon at retail price. The two times I tried to order from them in the past it was back-ordered and eventually cancelled. I think my sister ordered from one of the 2 ‘new’ sellers that popped up but ordering straight from amazon might be the way to go because there was some slight damage from the vacuum sealed cardboard box that it came in.

That being said, 2 chapters in and this is some of the best work yet. There is a really nice forward from Lynn Johnston.

When I think about the greatest graphic novels/series that I ever read, Stan Sakai’s books really are exceptional. Usagi is a contender for the top spot for sure.

Still good every issue!

The printing, color and paper used on the recent House of Mystery #92 (first Swamp Thing) modern reprint is really nice. They should go to that paper for regular comics.

I’m in the middle of Usagi Saga 6. The art gets better and better with each installment. I like that at the end of Saga 5 there’s a side by side comparison of the original artwork in “Tomoe’s Story” and what was drawn for this collection (original artwork had been lost). Three chapters in total were put into Saga 5 that were some of Stan Sakai’s earliest material but just so happened to fit into this book chronologically. The two that weren’t redrawn definitely show some of the rougher edges in Stan’s earlier work, particularly in the faces of main characters. But even those comics are a glimpse into what a master artist Stan Sakai is. In one of the earlier Saga’s, a forward was written that suggested Stan’s art is like a combination of Will Eisner and Bill Waterson. Bravo.

i think i say this like clockwork every four months or so but stan sakai and sergio aragones are secretly the two greatest cartoonist of their generation.

Every so often I check to see if anything else by Kyoko Okazaki has been translated - Vertical did Helter Skelter in 2013 and Pink the same year, so not really optimistic. It’s annoying cos I absolutely love her humour and her brutality and so many of her other books have been translated into French - I can read French well enough but it’s not going to be the same as a translation where they’ve attempted to bring the meaning of the language up to date without losing its essence. Alas.

i think i say this like clockwork every four months or so but stan sakai and sergio aragones are secretly the two greatest cartoonist of their generation.

I like their work too, but since artists born between 1937 (Aragones' birth year) and 1953 (Sakai's) also include folks like José Muñoz, Claire Bretécher, Jacques Tardi, and Moebius, I have to disagree.

OTM - don't really get the fuss abt Sakai at all tbh.

Crumb might be cancelled by several current generations, but he was born in that range too, and likely to be ranked higher by peers than Sakai.

Actually further to my post about Kyoko Okazaki upthread, I found it really weird how there was a Netflix adaptation of Rivers Edge with English subs when you can only get the actual book scanlated afaik.

I do find it interesting to compare scanlations to official versions of things, but would much rather ensure the author gets paid.

I wouldn't want to pit Moebius/Crumb against Sakai/Aragones as artists or writers but I think both stand their own as cartoonists in that company
obvs a question of how and where you draw the line

I probably said it on another thread, but I really would like someone to reprint the complete Airtight Garage in English again. Read parts of it as a teenager out of old Heavy Metals and missed that Marvel print, but would like to read the entire thing compiled.

I wouldn't want to pit Moebius/Crumb against Sakai/Aragones as artists or writers but I think both stand their own as cartoonists in that company

What's the difference between "artist" and "cartoonist" when it comes to comics?

I would make the distinction between artists, who illustrate the work of others - and cartoonists, who do it all themselves.

BTW, just read this from the NYRB comics imprint, and it's superb - tackling French colonialism in an abstract poetic way that I've never seen before in comics:

https://www.nyrb.com/products/yellow-negroes-and-other-imaginary-creatures?variant=41951212167

I would love airtight garage as I find it impossible to read text-heavy comics on the iPad without getting a huge headache

i think the artist versus cartoonist dichotomy in my mind is about form, format, seriousness and complexity of the material, intended reader and intention of story. it's not about quality of story or art but maybe more about depth of complexity within either. marrying both might be what signals artistry as opposed to cartooning in my mind.
Here's a few in different categories as i would break them down to an extent, all writer/artists:
cartoonists: sergio aragones, stan sakai, carl barks, peter bagge, floyd gottfredson, herge, geoff darrow
in-between: eisner, hernandez bros, trondheim, don rosa, andrew mclean, mccay
artists: moebius, crumb, spiegelman, jim woodring, herriman
NB: this is spectacularly personal, possibly elitist, definitely an american means of perception and i wouldn't suggest anyone else toe this line but for me. And both are equally valuable and laudable!
okay sic and tuomas, have at me.

just get rid of 'artists' all together. it's easier to classify them all as cartoonists.

I’m a “cartoonists are sole authors” partisan. As with “comic books,” it’s stupid and unfortunate that all the terms in this field sound like babytalk to civilians, but here we are.

I know nihilistic non-sequitur internet cartoonists are a dime a dozen these days, but I like this one

https://instagram.com/yoyorobot

Oops wrong thread