Pick of the Week
(once again, not manga. No, I’m not running a fever.)

The Arrival
by Shaun Tan
128p, isbn 0439895294, Scholastic. $19.99 hardcover.

Wordless. Timeless. Classic. Not since the works of Lynd Ward has someone done so much with just the art. From the publisher:

On a heartbreaking parting, a man gives his wife and daughter a last kiss and boards a steamship to cross the ocean. He’s embarking on the most painful yet important journey of his life - he’s leaving home to build a better future for his family. Shaun Tan evokes universal aspects of an immigrant’s experience through a singular work of the imagination. He does so using brilliantly clear and mesmerizing images. Because the main character can’t communicate in words, the book forgoes them too. But while the reader experiences the main character’s isolation, he also shares his ultimate joy.

Back Cover Blurbs:
“A shockingly imaginative graphic novel that captures the sense of adventure and wonder that surrounds a new arrival on the shores of a shining new city. Wordless, but with perfect narrative flow, Tan gives us a story filled with cityscapes worthy of Winsor McCay.” — Jeff Smith, author of Bone
“A magical river of strangers and their stories!” — Craig Thompson, author of Blankets
“Magnificent.” — David Small, Caldecott Medalist

With comments from such august personnel, anything *I* have to say is only going to seem pretentious. And yeah, not manga, but when the kids’ market stops turning up such rare gems on–dare I say–a weekly basis, maybe then I can recommend a manga as my pico da week. Between this week and last, tho– no complaints.

It’s that odd alignment of manga planets; usually the last week of the month is when both Viz and Tokyopop unload on us. Though with lag or the vagaries of the calendar or whatever it’s now the first week of the upcoming month; whichever whatever. Doesn’t matter how or why, what it means is I’ve got a lot of typing to do.

Full list after the break

##

Hey, there were Viz titles beating their release dates! At this point, I even own a few — but with my own slackatude compounded by an, hm, interesting situation at work this is the first (OK, second) opportunity for me to mention them. But hell, I get to tell you about new Viz during the same week that they officially release. (It’s an odd coincidence; we’ll try not to repeat it.)

Manga (& Manga-ish) Releases for 30 September to 6 October 2007

• Adventures of Duan Surk, vol 3: Black Knights of the Silver Castle (novel) — Tokyopop — $10.99
• Angel Cup, vol 5 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Arcana, vol 6 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Arm of Kannon, vol 9 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Beet the Vandal Buster, vol 12 — Viz — $7.99

• Bird Kiss, vol 5 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Bleach, vol 21 — Viz — $7.95
• Blood Sucker, vol 5 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Buso Renkin, vol 8 — Viz — $7.99
• Cheeky Angel — Viz — $9.99

• Claymore, vol 10 — Viz — $7.99
• Click, vol 4 — Netcomics — $9.99
• Dark Hunger — Berkley — $10
• Dragon Drive, vol 4 — Viz — $7.99
• Dragon Head, vol 8 — Tokyopop — $9.99

• Dragon Sword and Wind Child — Viz — $16.99
• Dragon Voice, vol 9 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Drifting Classroom, vol 8 — Viz — $9.99
• Eyeshield 21, vol 16 — Viz — $7.99
• Fall In Love Like a Comic, vol 1 — Viz — $8.99

• Fullmetal Alchemist (novel) vol 4 — Viz — $9.99
• Hana-Kimi, vol 20 — Viz — $9.99
• Hoshin Engi, vol 3 — Viz — $7.99
• Hyper Police, vol 10 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• iD_eNTITY, vol 10 — Tokyopop — $9.99

• Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, vol 5 — Viz — $9.99
• Inuyasha, vol 31 — Viz — $8.95
• Judas, vol 4 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Junjo Romantica, vol 4 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Kingdom of the Windoms, vol 1 — Netcomics — $9.99

• Knights of the Zodiac, vol 21 — Viz — $7.95
• Kung Fu Jungle Boy, vol 1 — CPM — $9.99
• La Corda d’Oro, vol 5 — Viz — $8.99
• Law of Ueki, vol 8 — Viz — $9.99
• Liling-Pi, vol 7 — Tokyopop — $9.99

• Magical x Miracle, vol 6 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Spernatural Investigation, vol 1 — Viz — $7.99
• My-HiME, vol 4 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Nana, vol 7 — Viz — $8.99
• Naoki Urusawa’s Monster, vol 11 — Viz — $9.99

• Naruto, vols 19-21 — Viz — $7.95 each
• Naruto The Movie Ani-Manga[sic]: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow — Viz — $14.99
• Naruto: Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village — Viz — $9.99
• Neck and Neck, vol 7 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• O-parts Hunter, vol 6 — Viz — $9.99

• Pixie Pop: Gokkun Pucho, vol 3 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Platinum Garden, vol 5 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Portus, vol 1 — Viz — $9.99
• Presents, vol 1 — CMX — $12.99
• Pretty Face, vol 2 — Viz — $7.99

• Reborn! vol 5 — Viz — $7.99
• Red River, vol 19 — x — $9.99
• Redwall: the Graphic Novel — Philomel (Penguin) — $12.99
• Scrapped Princess (novel) vol 5 — Tokyopop — $7.99
• Script Downers, vol 1 — CPM — $9.99

• Shakugan no Shana: Fight Day (novel) — Viz — $9.99
• Strawberry 100%, vol 2 — Viz — $7.99
• Tail of the Moon, vol 7 — Viz — $8.99
• Tramps Like Us, vol 13 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Ultra Cute, vol 8 — Tokyopop — $9.99

• Uzumaki (2nd ed.) vol 1 — Viz — $9.99
• Vampire Doll, vol 4 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Vampire Knight, vol 3 — Viz — $8.99
• Variante, vol 1 — CMX — $12.99
• White & Black — DramaQueen — $12.99

• Wild Adapter, vol 3 — Tokyopop — $9.99
• Yu Yu Hakusho, vol 13 — Viz — $7.95
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium World, vol 6 — Viz — $7.95
• Yu-Gi-Oh! the Duelist, vol 23 — Viz — $7.95
• Yu Yu Hakusho, vol 13 — Viz — $7.95

• Zatch Bell, vol 15 — Viz — $9.99

Not Manga, but Noted

• Army @ Love, vol 1: the Hot Zone Club — DC Comics — $9.99
• Artemis Fowl: the Graphic Novel — Hyperion — $9.99
• Captain Underpants boxset: vols 1-4 — Scholastic — $19.96
• Jack of Fables, vol 2: Jack of Hearts — DC Comics — $14.99
• Nightwing: Love and War — DC Comics — $14.99

• The Question, vol 1 — DC Comics — $19.99
• Shortcomings (Tomine) — Drawn & Quarterly — $19.95
• Showcase Presents: Metal Men vol 1 — DC Comics — $16.99
• Wetworks, vol 1 — DC Comics — $9.99

Technique/How To

• How to Draw Dynamic Comic Books (Buckler, with an intro. by Stan Lee) — Vanguard — $19.95
• Manga Mania: Chibi Sketchbook — Sixth & Spring — $12.95
• Manga Mania: Fantasy Sketchbook — Sixth & Spring — $12.95
• Manga Mania: Shoujo Sketchbook — Sixth & Spring — $12.95

Tangetially Related

• Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking: Simple, Elegant Recipies for Contemporary Tastes (Harumi Kurihara) — Penguin — $27.95 hardcover

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picks and snark.

Just in time for Holloween, CMX enters the horror segment with Variante and Presents. (apparently, given either the occasion or the content, Halloween is also code for “jack the price up $3.” I’m thinking it’s due to the content.)

I’m not reading Nana, but the word on the street is that’s some good smack right there.

In case you missed it: Dragon Sword and Wind Child, a different sort of manga offering from Viz.

Other Picks: Army @ Love, Angel Cup, Inubaka, Vampire Knight… but once again, no time to talk: It’s a Saturday night so the Consolidated Online Sales report is waiting for me; it’s not like someone else is going to run the numbers.