At a time when manga in English was hot and new, Epic Comics’ release of AKIRA pulled out all the stops and added unparalleled color. If you’re looking to read it today, well… too bad.
Category: Manga
In Pursuit of the Powered Suit: The Class of ‘83
Parallel to the development of giant robot anime in the 1970s, Studio Nue’s revolutionary renderings of Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers powered suit changed the game, and in turn lead to smaller, more “realistic” powered suits appearing in the pages of manga weeklies and hobby magazines.
Monthly Halloween: How American Horror was Translated for Shoujo Manga
At a glance it may seem like the intermingling of Japanese and American horror movie motifs with manga-literate millennial artists is a relatively new phenomenon. And yet, as is often the case, this is not the first time these flavors have mingled.
Hideaki Anno’s Macross Movie Production Comic
As an up-and-coming young animator, Hideaki Anno worked on big animated films like Nausicaä and Macross: Do You Remember Love? For a brief time in 1984, he had a short comic feature that ran in Comic Box Jr. detailing his production experiences.
The Mobile Suit Machinations of Kazuhisa Kondo, A Translated Interview
Originally published nearly three decades ago in the manual of a PC-98 strategy game, this interview with Kazuhisa Kondo sheds light on his unique approach to portraying mobile suits in his comics.
Dropping In: The Connection Between Appleseed DATABOOK and Who Dares, Wins
While a majority of American comic book creators through the 1990s were content with stacking tubes to create weapons and conjure vehicles with childlike reality, mangaka such as Shirow Masamune, sought out minutia in reference and found authenticity via inspiration in the most random of places.
Hebī Metaru: The Musical References of Mamoru Nagano
Musical in-jokes and allusions run deep in the works of mecha maestro Mamoru Nagano.
The Elusive Judge Dredd Manga
Remembering when British comics collided with Japanese manga to promote an American film starring Sylvester Stallone.
Kazuhisa Kondo’s Gundam: The Revival of Zeon
Yet another feature on proverbial Zimmerit favorite Kazuhisa Kondo. Translations and art from the introduction of his manga “prequel” to Char’s Counterattack, The Revival of Zeon.
The Unappreciated Mechanical Design of Akira Toriyama
Known best for creating Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, Toriyama is also a fantastic mechanical designer.