I want to read manga

[Dom]

I always see it in my LCS, but I'm always to wary of jumping into the fray. I've decided to come to the experts to tell me what I should reading.

I do have some, I guess, guidelines.

- I'm not so much into fantasy as I am into more urban, quasi realistc stories. I don't know how best to describe it other than I'll take a gun and a hooker over a dragon and a sword.

- I'd like something lighter, so I don't dive into the most involved story possible. Kind of how you don't give a first time comic reader Watchmen right off the bat.


Be gentle with me!

[Inkthinker]

Check out MBQ from Tokyopop and see if you like that. Not, strictly speaking, manga, because it's not created in Japan, but the artist is pretty excellent and the story is both set in a modern, realistic urban world and is downright funny as hell at certain points.

You might also dig Old Boy, though it's a little slow to start. Crying Freeman is excellent, but not particularly light reading. Both are realistic crime-drama stories.

You might dig GTO, which isn't particularly laden with guns and hookers but is set in the real world and is a pretty awesome story about an ex-biker gang leader trying to go straight in the world and become a high-school teacher.

Death Note is pretty cool, though heavily supernatural... excellent thriller, though, and not supernatural in a fantasy sense, but more of a horror-movie sense.

There's others, but those are the ones I've read and enjoyed. I think MBQ would be your best bet.

[Buzz Dixon]

AZUMANGA DAIOH is a wonderful, bittersweet series about a group of girls going through high school. It is virtualy plotless (indeed, it more closely resembles a collection of daily comic strips than a graphic novel), but it is rich in character, nuance, and humor.

The same artist has a new series called YATSUBA&! which might best be described as a Tokyo version of Dennis the Menace only with a 5-year old girl. Very, very funny and again filled with wonderful character insights.

LOVE HINA has been around for a while and while it occasionally flies off into wild fantasy, at the core is a funny love story that deals a lot with Japanese culture and traditions. It has a convoluted story line but it basically boils down to whether the two romantic leads will end up together.

A couple of older titles are DANCE 'TIL TOMORROW, which takes the old trope of the guy who has to get married by a certain date in order to inherit a ton of money and turns it on its ear. The story ends up taking some really odd twists and turns (odd in the good sense that they ae logical yet not expected) and doesn't end up where one expects it to. CAUTION: The Viz American release has all the naughty bits edited out of the Japanese version.

Another interesting story is VOYEUR. It's a single volume series with a follow-up called VOYEURS, INC. that has virtually no connection with the original story.

[chojinlocke]

All of the above are on the mark for sure! In addition, I can point you towards soem stuff I've reviewed as well:

Worst:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2116

If Cinemax is your speed, Hard Boiled Angel:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2365

Anne Freaks:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2373

Ray:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2183

Golgo 13
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2405

Wild 7
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2480

If you dig Sci-Fi:
Goku;
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2074

My new fave, EDEN (Scroll down):
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2305

And the Cyberpunk, Blame!:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2234

Oh yeah, the hard boild Sanctuary (published by Viz) might be to your liking as well.

hope that helps. Some of these may be more involved that you were looking for, but I dig them. If you want the lighter side of urban gangs and high school punks.. Cromartie High is awesome! (But really really bizarre)
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2084

[Inkthinker]

Hey Tony... pull some string or something and fight out what the hell is going with the release schedule of Worst, won't you? It's frickin ridiculous.

Long as we're at it, what the hell happened to Yongbi the Invincible? Funny-as-hell wuxia manwha with the best equine sidekick ever.

But back to topic, Worst is a good one. It's basically about a high school of absolute hardcore punks fighting to determine who the biggest bad-ass is for the year. Lotta beat-downs, really cleanly drawn and the book is gorgeously well-printed.

If you're into sports, there's a good football manga now with Eyeshield 21, Slam Dunk and Harlem Beat if you're into basketball, Whistle! for soccer fans, Prince of Tennis for people who like whacking with rackets.

If you like samurai manga that's very grounded but utterly fantastic you might dig Blade of the Immortal. Super gritty, ultraviolent, really cool (and easy to find on the shelf at most bookstores and comics shops).

[The Xenos]

Sanctuary is a good suggestion for hard boiled. Tough to find though. Offered is by the same artist (and author?, Koike) and is pretty crazy and badassed. it's also tough to find and also rather mature.

In addition to Blame! (see icon) Battle Angel Alita is awesome cyberpunk and action. It's also a bit more down to earth than Blame! as Blame! is in the far far future and almost is like fantasy, but still heavy sci fi. Still love it though.

Anne Freaks is pretty down to earth.

Deathnote is an awesome and gripping thriller. I keep saying it's like a mash up of Hitchcock and Rod Serling as a manga.

[chojinlocke]

Hey Tony... pull some string or something and fight out what the hell is going with the release schedule of Worst, won't you? It's frickin ridiculous.

Man, if I could do some Ninja action or corporate intrigue to get that one out regularly, I would totally do it. I really really dig that book. It was one of my first reviews and still one of my faves. At least it's still coming out. My incomplete Fist of the North Star series still sits forlornly on my shelves along with the first part of Ray (although that is not ADVs fault, they only licensed the first ones). Once again, I agree with you wholeheartedly!

-TS

[Inkthinker]

Is Worst still coming out? I can't find one beyond vol. 03, and that's been out for well over a year.

[chojinlocke]

Is Worst still coming out? I can't find one beyond vol. 03, and that's been out for well over a year.

I thought that 4 was on on its way sometime. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking.

[Dom]

Alrighty then, had to order most of this stuff from my LCS, since not much of it was in stock.

I'm starting with GTO, MBQ and Sanctuary.

Should be here in 2 weeks.

Looking forward to it.

[Beacon]

I always see it in my LCS, but I'm always to wary of jumping into the fray. I've decided to come to the experts to tell me what I should reading.

I do have some, I guess, guidelines.

- I'm not so much into fantasy as I am into more urban, quasi realistc stories. I don't know how best to describe it other than I'll take a gun and a hooker over a dragon and a sword.

- I'd like something lighter, so I don't dive into the most involved story possible. Kind of how you don't give a first time comic reader Watchmen right off the bat.


Be gentle with me!

Get Backers – The two main characters have powers but it’s still relatively street level. They’re more mostly-out-of-work repo-men than superheroes.

Battle Royale – It’s “the Most Dangerous Game” meets some really disturbing reality TV. A bunch of school kids get stranded on an island and are told to kill each other until there’s only one left. They’re fitted with exploding collars to ensure their participation in the “game”.

How do you feel about period pieces? Kazuo Koike’s Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Executioner take place in the feudal period but the setting is more “swords and hookers” than “dragon and sword”. Admittedly LW&C might be a bit like “starting you off on Watchmen” but there are enough shorter stories early on that you can gage how you feel about the series in the first volume or so.

[apple pro]

Death Note is very popular because it has a great plot and intelligence to spare.

Also amazing art for only $8.