In today’s ever-changing comics industry, there are two universal truths. the first is dog man is an iconic comic of our time. The second is that more people are reading comics and online comics (also known as vertical comics) than ever before. Therefore, we at Comics Beat chose to embark on a new adventure: Bit’s Bizarre Adventure. Every other week, we ask three authors to recommend some of their favorite books and series from Japan, Korea, and elsewhere. This week we have tough superheroes, a surprisingly refreshing isekai series of villains, and of course, zombies.
red muscle
Story and Art: Rudy Mora
Additional art: Mariel Maranan
Publisher: Tapas.io / itchio
red muscle It tells the story of Scarlett, a 24-year-old fitness enthusiast who aspires to become a superhero. She wears tight clothing that enhances her strength. It has a simple yet eye-catching design inspired by Super Sentai or power rangers. For a character who prides herself on working out, Scully has the right physique for a strength-based superhero. She’s sure to make some readers squirm and scream.
world red muscle Turn to imitation, although not as good as boys or one punch man. One of the villains, the evil fish-girl tycoon Ulla, runs a major export industry underwater through various artifacts she steals. Her goons work in cubicles and include video editors, social media managers and financial advisers. This is just an artist’s way Rudy Mora Love the superhero genre.
The silhouette of the character is very simple and recognizable. Rudy gives each design a range of facial expressions and a smooth sense of movement. My only criticism is that the locations and backgrounds sometimes look too simple. In other cases, line art in the background does not comply with the guidelines of one- or two-point perspective. As a result, items in the background that should have a rectangular or square shape sometimes look wonky or incomplete. This is quite jarring to me personally, but the average reader probably won’t notice. I can only guess this is because the background is de-prioritized compared to the characters inhabiting the space.
Even so, every frame of Rudy’s comics exudes charm. You can see the passion and fun that went into making it. You can read it for free on Tapas, but if you really want to support the artist, I recommend purchasing the PDF of each chapter on itch. They come with additional artwork by other artists such as Mariel Maranan, as well as other comics by Rudy, which can also be found on his website. — Justin Guerrero
Concubine strategy
Writer/Artist: wall
Translator: Catherine Lu
Engraving: Rachel Ordway
platform: Tapas.io
Yona is an ordinary junior high school girl living her own life. Her friends are obsessed with a role-playing game called Concubine Walkthrough, in which you play as Lily and try to become a queen. Yuna commits the grave sin of asking them what’s so great about this game, and ends up being just as fascinated as they are. Five years on, the game has been remastered for virtual reality. Yuna doesn’t miss a beat and tries again, but now she’s stuck in the game – not as Lily, but as the final boss, Imperial Concubine Lanxi. Can she survive, quit the game, and take the college entrance examination?
I’ve been on the hunt for fantasy romance stories lately, and my past experience of discovering new games has been by accident. Concubine strategyHowever, it captured my heart instantly! I know many readers, myself included, don’t want to hear the words “villain” or “otherworld” anymore. But the way this series integrates game systems and time travel into the plot is very interesting and fresh. It’s not just added for convenience. I’d love to tell you all this, but it would ruin your fun.
Concubine strategyThe art style is also very distinct and beautiful. Unlike the bright, sophisticated style typical of the subgenre (reminiscent of fairy tales), the collection’s color palette is limited. Character designs and costumes are incredibly detailed in terms of fabrics, jewelry, and embellishments—the game is, after all, based on China and its historical record of royal concubines. Even though everything seemed bland or simple at first, I loved how well-acted and interesting all the characters were, and the risks the series took by straying from the norm. Although I haven’t finished reading this series yet, I still want to recommend it Concubine strategy this week. — Melvi Guire
Velveteen and mandala
Writer/Artist: There is Matsumoto
translate: Ed Chavez and Yaoxin
Production: Mizuno Yuko and Tsutsuome
Publisher: vertical
Two girls in school uniforms wander around Tokyo’s Suginami district. One of them, Velveteen, lives in an abandoned tank. The other, Mandala, comes and goes as he pleases. They hung out in the ward, played war games, and took drugs. Occasionally, the pair will hunt down reanimated corpses dropped from planes in the sky. It’s possible these two girls have lost their minds.
Welcome to the surreal world Velveteen and mandala go through There is Matsumoto. Trying to describe the plot of this comic is pointless because there really is no plot at all. The action consists of Velveteen and Mandala wandering through the wilderness of Suginami District. They argue. The pair occasionally discover various social detritus, such as pagers or abandoned military vehicles. When zombies aren’t fighting each other, they’re killing them.
The characters mostly talk nonsense. Little is said about their past, except that Mandala occasionally went to school and Vividin ran away from home perhaps months ago. Writer and artist Matsumoto brings a post-apocalyptic feel to the proceedings, even though the characters may still be living in the present day.
Matsumoto filling Velveteen and mandala Strange and unpleasant images presented in a crude expressionist style. The corpse was covered with worms. The fields and sky were enveloped in smoke and flames. Imps running around stealing things. Characters walk around naked, unaware of their nudity. There’s a furious quality to Matsumoto’s lines, as if he’s trying to capture a shape or figure as quickly as possible. The characters in this comic stretch and twist in ways that will be familiar to fans of the artist Egon Scherer.
Velveteen and mandala is one of the strangest books Vertical has ever published. Its violence and strangeness will catch experienced readers off guard. But that’s why it’s worth checking out. No other comic comes close. — D.Morris
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