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Thoughts on +Tic Nee-san?
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→ in Games and Tabs
Read some of it. Kinda fun but not as hardcore retarded as:
Which, by the way... Azumanga Daioh is more realistic? Than what?
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Azumanga Daioh is said to be realistic in the sense that it reproduces well the Highschool experience of people in Japan. Of course it includes a lot of surrealistic stuff in the dreams of their characters.
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Azumanga Daioh is said to be realistic in the sense that it reproduces well the Highschool experience of people in Japan. Of course it includes a lot of surrealistic stuff in the dreams of their characters.
I'd have suggested Yotsuba&! for realism.
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Nowhere Men: Volume One - Fates Worse Than Death
I was impressed with the artwork because all of the characters looked distinct, objects were detailed, and the composition was tidy. They also used a wide pallet of color and lots of bright saturation that made things feel futuristic. Some backgrounds were just solid colors though.
The dialogue was intelligent, but sometimes a bit wordy, and there was only some variety in the way characters spoke. Some characters had more personality than others. It could have been done better, but it was still more diverse than most.
Between panels of narrative there were things like magazine articles and book excerpts which tied into the story and added depth. They helped me understand more about what was going on, but they were tedious to get through. I had a small head ache when I finished, and I felt like that was part of the reason why. They felt like a boring chore. There was essential information mixed with colorful filler. I was annoyed by the filler but still felt like I had to read it to understand what was going on.
I want to know what happens next, but I don't want to read any more of those annoying articles.
The story was about a super corporation that changes the world through science and technology. It was a better explanation for superheroes than most. Although... I still don't really understand how they got their powers. Basically a scientist creates a formula, and the vial it's in breaks giving two scientists powers, and then a group of other people on a space station get infected with his blood and also get powers...
Overall a decent read with good artwork. I am debating continuing with it.
Last edited by Zotis; 07-07-16 at 11:20 PM.
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I was reading The Matrix comics, really good stuff. 
Although there was a lot of variety inside the comics which made my reaction to the book vary a lot.
Although there was a lot of variety inside the comics which made my reaction to the book vary a lot.
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17) Assassination Classroom (2012-2016)
This manga was quite an experience. Although it had it's share of problems it's overall a powerful manga that resonated with me on a deep personal level. I would even include it as among the best shounen mangas I have ever read. It's indeed not something that's very subtle or artistically sophisticated, it's language is crude and direct, lacking in "elegance" to a great degree. However, despite these issues it's passion and entertainment value made it a fantastic experience.
One thing that I liked about it was the overall craziness of the plot. While at it's core it's a story about the impact of a school teacher over his students, the story on the surface incorporates a lot of fantasy/sci-fi elements that make it a really crazy plot. I also liked it's violation of cliches: the plot begins with a classroom whose objective is to assassinate their teacher which is an octopus monster who claims is going to destroy the Earth in a year. Yet, the relationship between the students and their teacher evolves into something pretty beautiful while being still characterized by this objective. The ending left me almost crying.
One interesting thing also is that this manga was published in the same magazine as Dragonball and Saint Seya where but it's style and execution are much more sophisticated. Maybe reflecting the fact that physical magazines are becoming a more niche product or that the Japanese youth these days is becoming more sophisticated in their pop culture consumption.
I also liked the reference they made to the historical 7-1, that's something that I as a Brazilian really appreciates. An American work of fiction would never do that, because we all know American works of fiction never talk about soccer.
This manga was quite an experience. Although it had it's share of problems it's overall a powerful manga that resonated with me on a deep personal level. I would even include it as among the best shounen mangas I have ever read. It's indeed not something that's very subtle or artistically sophisticated, it's language is crude and direct, lacking in "elegance" to a great degree. However, despite these issues it's passion and entertainment value made it a fantastic experience.
One thing that I liked about it was the overall craziness of the plot. While at it's core it's a story about the impact of a school teacher over his students, the story on the surface incorporates a lot of fantasy/sci-fi elements that make it a really crazy plot. I also liked it's violation of cliches: the plot begins with a classroom whose objective is to assassinate their teacher which is an octopus monster who claims is going to destroy the Earth in a year. Yet, the relationship between the students and their teacher evolves into something pretty beautiful while being still characterized by this objective. The ending left me almost crying.
One interesting thing also is that this manga was published in the same magazine as Dragonball and Saint Seya where but it's style and execution are much more sophisticated. Maybe reflecting the fact that physical magazines are becoming a more niche product or that the Japanese youth these days is becoming more sophisticated in their pop culture consumption.
I also liked the reference they made to the historical 7-1, that's something that I as a Brazilian really appreciates. An American work of fiction would never do that, because we all know American works of fiction never talk about soccer.
Last edited by Guaporense; 11-15-17 at 10:45 PM.
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I bought five graphic novels on Black Friday. Habitat, 2 volumes of Invisible Republic, and 2 volumes of Injection.
Injection, written by Warren Ellis, was extremely disappointing. A third of the way through the second volume I realised I was too bored to keep going and dropped it. It's poorly written, and poorly illustrated. Declan Shalvey is the artist, and I don't like him at all. His work is lazy and uninspired. Warren Ellis is an author who has always given me mixed feelings. Some of his work is really good, and some of it is just bad. I don't think he deserves the reputation that he has. He is not a great author. In this particular work he tries to write characters that are geniuses, but he is not smart enough himself to demonstrate how genius appears. His characters have the incredible ability to conjure up facts out of thin air attributed to deduction, but when he has his characters dialogue how they come to their conclusions to other characters it's unconvincing and unimpressive. On top of that he presents these cultured artistic snobs critiquing gourmet sandwiches and sentencing their subordinates to a week of silence for saying that TV is worth watching, and then has them talking about James Bond and Doctor Who. Pathetic. Don't talk about art when you can't even draw a lamp post or write proper prose fiction. They have their characters spouting off facts left right and center, but then asking stupid questions like, "What's a bullpup?" I think they just wanted to use the "spray-and-pray" explanation, so that's why the character suddenly went stupid. This comic actually pisses me off.
Invisible Republic was a very pleasant surprise. The artwork is interesting, and I like the way they compose their panels. It's set in a space age where faster than light travel has been invented, but the story takes place on a backwater moon where technology is a little behind. It's the year 2843 and Babb is a reporter digging up the controversial past. There was a revolution some 40 years prior, but what really happened? The characters feel authentic in their personalities. Dialogue is minimal at times when it focuses on the atmosphere or a faster pace, but characters also have meaningful conversations in more depth at other times. I think the pacing of the book overall is well done. The world is being built around you as you read and you aren't overwhelmed with details. I felt submersed in the culture of their world, and as it expanded I was also able to be in it, relax, and enjoy it. I haven't read the second volume yet, but I'm looking forward to it.
Habitat is a real treat. I think Simon Roy illustrated and wrote it. He's the only person credited as the comic's creator, and he is a writer and artist, but I've only been able to confirm that he wrote it. Regardless he is someone I'm going to be keeping my eye on from now on. This work is so passionately illustrated and written that it's a delight to simply stare at the pages and reread over and over. I don't think I've ever had so much joy from reading a comic book. I love how squiggly all of the lines are, you can tell it's all completely hand drawn and without any rulers. Even the panel borders, dialogue bubbles, and font are hand drawn without rulers. The coloring looks like paint. Content-wise it's futuristic and violent. The story is set on some kind of colony ship that had a crisis causing the inhabitants to revert to tribe-like culture. The various sections fight among themselves in little proxy-wars and power struggles. Some departments work together, some resort to cannibalism, some have more technology than others. There's robots, power armor, plasma weapons, bows and arrows, swords, and spears. It's a bloody mess as a young warrior from the security force, reduced to a cannibalistic tribe, stumbles across a piece of advanced technology that propels him on a journey to find out exactly what's going on and how to solve their problem. As a reader I was put in this little cannibal's shoes, lost, confused, wondering what was going on, and slowly putting the puzzle pieces together. It feels like a quest to save humanity and a desperate struggle to survive. I feel so helplessly enthralled, and desperately wishing for more. All the characters, even minor background faces, are so distinct and real. Even characters that only have a line or two of dialogue do feel like real people that I care about. There aren't superficial good guys and bad guys. There are just a whole bunch of people trying to survive and fighting with each other. It's all so beautifully constructed and wonderful. I love it, and I highly recommend everyone check it out.
Injection, written by Warren Ellis, was extremely disappointing. A third of the way through the second volume I realised I was too bored to keep going and dropped it. It's poorly written, and poorly illustrated. Declan Shalvey is the artist, and I don't like him at all. His work is lazy and uninspired. Warren Ellis is an author who has always given me mixed feelings. Some of his work is really good, and some of it is just bad. I don't think he deserves the reputation that he has. He is not a great author. In this particular work he tries to write characters that are geniuses, but he is not smart enough himself to demonstrate how genius appears. His characters have the incredible ability to conjure up facts out of thin air attributed to deduction, but when he has his characters dialogue how they come to their conclusions to other characters it's unconvincing and unimpressive. On top of that he presents these cultured artistic snobs critiquing gourmet sandwiches and sentencing their subordinates to a week of silence for saying that TV is worth watching, and then has them talking about James Bond and Doctor Who. Pathetic. Don't talk about art when you can't even draw a lamp post or write proper prose fiction. They have their characters spouting off facts left right and center, but then asking stupid questions like, "What's a bullpup?" I think they just wanted to use the "spray-and-pray" explanation, so that's why the character suddenly went stupid. This comic actually pisses me off.
Invisible Republic was a very pleasant surprise. The artwork is interesting, and I like the way they compose their panels. It's set in a space age where faster than light travel has been invented, but the story takes place on a backwater moon where technology is a little behind. It's the year 2843 and Babb is a reporter digging up the controversial past. There was a revolution some 40 years prior, but what really happened? The characters feel authentic in their personalities. Dialogue is minimal at times when it focuses on the atmosphere or a faster pace, but characters also have meaningful conversations in more depth at other times. I think the pacing of the book overall is well done. The world is being built around you as you read and you aren't overwhelmed with details. I felt submersed in the culture of their world, and as it expanded I was also able to be in it, relax, and enjoy it. I haven't read the second volume yet, but I'm looking forward to it.
Habitat is a real treat. I think Simon Roy illustrated and wrote it. He's the only person credited as the comic's creator, and he is a writer and artist, but I've only been able to confirm that he wrote it. Regardless he is someone I'm going to be keeping my eye on from now on. This work is so passionately illustrated and written that it's a delight to simply stare at the pages and reread over and over. I don't think I've ever had so much joy from reading a comic book. I love how squiggly all of the lines are, you can tell it's all completely hand drawn and without any rulers. Even the panel borders, dialogue bubbles, and font are hand drawn without rulers. The coloring looks like paint. Content-wise it's futuristic and violent. The story is set on some kind of colony ship that had a crisis causing the inhabitants to revert to tribe-like culture. The various sections fight among themselves in little proxy-wars and power struggles. Some departments work together, some resort to cannibalism, some have more technology than others. There's robots, power armor, plasma weapons, bows and arrows, swords, and spears. It's a bloody mess as a young warrior from the security force, reduced to a cannibalistic tribe, stumbles across a piece of advanced technology that propels him on a journey to find out exactly what's going on and how to solve their problem. As a reader I was put in this little cannibal's shoes, lost, confused, wondering what was going on, and slowly putting the puzzle pieces together. It feels like a quest to save humanity and a desperate struggle to survive. I feel so helplessly enthralled, and desperately wishing for more. All the characters, even minor background faces, are so distinct and real. Even characters that only have a line or two of dialogue do feel like real people that I care about. There aren't superficial good guys and bad guys. There are just a whole bunch of people trying to survive and fighting with each other. It's all so beautifully constructed and wonderful. I love it, and I highly recommend everyone check it out.
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1st December 2016
My favorite comics as of this day (I am not making a top 10 because it's hard for me to pick "10 comics" instead I will pick comics that I think are really amazing masterpieces of the comics medium).
In selecting my favorite comics I noticed that all of these are heavily dependent on complex characterization and plot. They are long (the shortest is 1,200 pages long, the longest are 9,000 pages long) and their greatness is mostly a consequence of well executed buildup to an impressive climax. Also, most use very sophisticated art and feature also sophisticated use of the unique sense of pacing that is provided by the comic medium.
Ashita no Joe (1968-1973)
Ashita no Joe is without a doubt among the great works of art. It sets the standard for manga in general and represents perhaps the quintessential manga of all time: the comic book medium used to depict a continuous narrative over thousands of pages. No other comic that I have read compares favorably to Ashita no Joe in terms of it's raw quality and entertainment value. It's truly perfect the comic equivalent of Miyazaki's film Kiki's Delivery Service: perfectly, flawless execution and in this case, tremendous emotional power.
What is it about? It's essentially a reflection of Japanese society rise from third world country status to a developed affluent community. Where the Japanese people are represented in the figure of Yabuki Joe.
If one would try to find one flaw would be it's relatively simple and primitive art if compared to modern comics like the others in this list, but that "flaw" is insignificant next to the comics' qualities. And also, the art actually suits the comic very well, it's simplicity is a bonus because it allows the reader to better digest the contents of the comic.
Lone Wolf and Cub (1970-1976)
Just: THE samurai tale.
Nausicaa (1982-1994)
Again, just: THE Miyazaki work. All his movies pale to this.
Gunnm (1990-1995)
THE cyperpunk work of fiction. Nothing else (including movies like Blade Runner), compares to it.
My favorite comics as of this day (I am not making a top 10 because it's hard for me to pick "10 comics" instead I will pick comics that I think are really amazing masterpieces of the comics medium).
In selecting my favorite comics I noticed that all of these are heavily dependent on complex characterization and plot. They are long (the shortest is 1,200 pages long, the longest are 9,000 pages long) and their greatness is mostly a consequence of well executed buildup to an impressive climax. Also, most use very sophisticated art and feature also sophisticated use of the unique sense of pacing that is provided by the comic medium.
Ashita no Joe (1968-1973)
Ashita no Joe is without a doubt among the great works of art. It sets the standard for manga in general and represents perhaps the quintessential manga of all time: the comic book medium used to depict a continuous narrative over thousands of pages. No other comic that I have read compares favorably to Ashita no Joe in terms of it's raw quality and entertainment value. It's truly perfect the comic equivalent of Miyazaki's film Kiki's Delivery Service: perfectly, flawless execution and in this case, tremendous emotional power.
What is it about? It's essentially a reflection of Japanese society rise from third world country status to a developed affluent community. Where the Japanese people are represented in the figure of Yabuki Joe.
If one would try to find one flaw would be it's relatively simple and primitive art if compared to modern comics like the others in this list, but that "flaw" is insignificant next to the comics' qualities. And also, the art actually suits the comic very well, it's simplicity is a bonus because it allows the reader to better digest the contents of the comic.
Lone Wolf and Cub (1970-1976)
Just: THE samurai tale.
Nausicaa (1982-1994)
Again, just: THE Miyazaki work. All his movies pale to this.
Gunnm (1990-1995)
THE cyperpunk work of fiction. Nothing else (including movies like Blade Runner), compares to it.
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How does the Lone Wolf and Cub comic compare to the movie, and to the comic Vagabond?
Also, please Guap, I hope you will read Habitat. I'm interested to see what you'd have to say about it.
Also, please Guap, I hope you will read Habitat. I'm interested to see what you'd have to say about it.
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20th Century Boys (1999-2006)
THE mystery comic. It's Urasawa's best work and indeed very impressive in the way he manages to tie down dozens of characters together in a single interconnected story.
Yotsuba (2003-)
The best "cuteness" based work of fiction I ever experienced. Truly realistic depiction of the psychology of a child's mind, truly it reminds me of when I was 3 to 7 years old, in that sense it's heads and shoulders above any other "moe" title like K-On! which tends to be more unrealistic and depict characters that do not resemble real world people.
Vinland Saga (2005-)
THE historical comic. A truly amazing depiction of the Vikings although I might think it's a bit too Japanese to be a "realistic" work in portraying the way the vikings though about the world: the main character thinks more like a Samurai than anything else.
Kingdom (2006-)
THE historical battles comic. No other comic that I read has the same feeling of epic scale, this time a depiction of the historical unification of ancient China by the first emperor.
THE mystery comic. It's Urasawa's best work and indeed very impressive in the way he manages to tie down dozens of characters together in a single interconnected story.
Yotsuba (2003-)
The best "cuteness" based work of fiction I ever experienced. Truly realistic depiction of the psychology of a child's mind, truly it reminds me of when I was 3 to 7 years old, in that sense it's heads and shoulders above any other "moe" title like K-On! which tends to be more unrealistic and depict characters that do not resemble real world people.
Vinland Saga (2005-)
THE historical comic. A truly amazing depiction of the Vikings although I might think it's a bit too Japanese to be a "realistic" work in portraying the way the vikings though about the world: the main character thinks more like a Samurai than anything else.
Kingdom (2006-)
THE historical battles comic. No other comic that I read has the same feeling of epic scale, this time a depiction of the historical unification of ancient China by the first emperor.
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How does the Lone Wolf and Cub comic compare to the movie, and to the comic Vagabond?
Also superior to Vagabond (which I read the first 250 chapters and found excellent).
Also, please Guap, I hope you will read Habitat. I'm interested to see what you'd have to say about it.
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I new entry into my favorite comics list:
Saikano (2000-2001)
I really loved this manga, way more than I expected. I also found it interesting that the author based the manga on his own real life story, of meeting his wife. Although the manga also includes a lot of science fiction features that feel very weird, but that weirdness is what made it a truly special work of fiction: the government turning your girlfriend into a platform for weapons of mass destruction. Truly weird but that's what I love about the manga medium.
Saikano (2000-2001)
I really loved this manga, way more than I expected. I also found it interesting that the author based the manga on his own real life story, of meeting his wife. Although the manga also includes a lot of science fiction features that feel very weird, but that weirdness is what made it a truly special work of fiction: the government turning your girlfriend into a platform for weapons of mass destruction. Truly weird but that's what I love about the manga medium.
Last edited by Guaporense; 08-10-17 at 08:32 PM.
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I kind of fell off the comics wagon, but I last thing I (re) read was Evan Dorkin's omnibus of his Eltingville Club strips. I love this comic and Dorkin's style. The characters don't age, so the comics are dated by what pop culture fad they are arguing about (one comic they are trying to collect Congo watches from Taco Bell). The best thing about it is how dark it is, this isn't a flattering portrayal of fandom. Unfortunately, the pilot made for adult swim was ahead of its time, and wasn't picked up (which I linked to below). I'm looking for a new series to get into, preferably something norish or sci-fi, so if anyone has any recommendations, feel free to throw them out.
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That was great Gangland. I loved how unflattering that episode was. It reminds me of how much I used to fight with my siblings and friends when I was younger.
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No, I haven't read many North American comics. Though I am open to reading something after I get by "manga buff" degree (i.e. after I finish reading 100,000 pages of manga).
I've tried manga before. Just could never understand why anyone would want to read such go-nowhere storylines.
But then, I'm spoiled on Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, and Garth Ennis, so basically everything else falls flat anyway.
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When they have a cowboy, they want a poet.
They'll say "I don't care if he's a poet or cowboy, so long as he's a nice guy. But oh, I'm so attracted to that bad guy over there."