The most obvious suggestion for this list is Scott Pilgrim. Not only is it released in the Manga format, it actually bases a lot of its story pacing and convention on shonen manga, meaning that it’ll be packed with references for manga fans and seem immediately familiar. Almost no other comic on the shelves bridges the gap quite so effortlessly and perfectly. The plot concerns the titular Scott Pilgrim, forced to fight the 7 evil exes of his new girlfriend. Along the way, he also has to deal with his life as a young Canadian in a band, and a supporting cast of scenesters and geeks.
If you’re after something a bit more fantastical, you can’t go wrong with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – though please do your best to disassociate yourself from the memory of the awful film version of a few years back. Written by Alan Moore, the League comic takes characters from several centuries’ worth of fiction, and incorporates them all into one alternate world. A place where the Invisible Man and Sherlock Holmes both exist alongside Toad of Toad Hall. A place where Rupert the Bear is a savage, mutant experiment gone horribly wrong.
Fans of manga and anime will no doubt appreciate the steampunk trappings of the story, which is largely set in a futurist Victorian era not entirely dissimilar from shows like Fullmetal Alchemist. Likewise, the epic plot spread over several volumes, sees a group of freaks and adventurers pulled into a battle for the survival of the planet itself, and is certainly familiar fare tone to fans of Japanese storytelling, which is never afraid to put everything at stake.
Of particular interest to manga-readers are issues #2 and #6. The former is titled “Emmy” and showcases Cloonan’s manga artwork at its absolute best, telling the story of a young girl with a voice so dangerous and powerful that she dare not use it. The latter is called “What You Wish For” and features a protagonist with the ability to raise and command his dead hound in a shocking and almost certainly Japanese-inspired horror story. Both are simple, short stories that look and read like some of the best manga despite consisting of a single chapter.
And, with that, we’ve brought this little 2-week experiment to an end. If you’re a manga or comics fan who makes the jump after reading this, I’ll certainly be interested to hear how your experience went. My points, which I’m going to repeat from last week, is to try and make it clear that manga and comics are the same medium. Any difference between the two is purely in the head of the reader, and there’s no need for those on either side to get snobby about it.
James will be back with another Alternate Cover next week; read his recommendations for manga for comics fans here.
