Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 9-12. Japanese-style comics, characterized by big-eyed, dynamically posed characters, are in vogue among today's American teens. Hart's colorful book goes beyond drawing suggestions and model sketches to provide a rich interpretation of what the stylistic elements--from gestures to costuming--actually mean and how they differ from what's usually seen in U.S. comics. In a sense, this book is about understanding cultural attitudes. The writing is chatty and casual; sexism is a part of the mix, with chapters on drawing "bad boys" and "babes" as well as ones about poses and genres. Despite an interview with a publisher that reads like advertising copy, the bulk of this book is a success: manga enthusiasts will have a field day recognizing the symbolism they've begun to intuit from their reading, and the artistically inclined will find solid guidance. --Francisca Goldsmith
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Hart, a successful contributor to MAD magazine, the Blondie cartoon strip, and film and TV, adds another volume to his prolific output of books, which includes his recent Cartooning for the Beginner (LJ 11/15/00). Here he presents the only book on how to draw the wildly popular manga style of comic book art. In Japan, manga comics are devoured by children and adults. The style has been imported in the form of Digimon, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Pokmon. Hart is a master at teaching cartooning methods, and this book, with chapters like "The Bad Boys of Manga" and "Manga's Fantasy Realm," doesn't disappoint. Recommended for public libraries. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-Hart takes a small but measurable step beyond the basics in this guide to the distinctive Japanese art form. Sandwiched between an introduction to the several genres of manga and a searching interview with Bill Flanagan, editor in chief for one of the largest U.S. manga publishers, is a discussion of techniques for drawing, dressing, and posing all of the standard character types effectively ("-you want a short upper lip, which is a trademark of a youthful character. Long upper lips are reserved for older and sinister characters"). Hart covers creating animals, from dragons to sidekicks, and composing panels that are properly cinematic. For the art, which mixes dozens of step drawings with flurries of finished, usually colored, sample figures, he supplements his own work with generic examples from nine domestic artists, then uses examples of popular published manga to illustrate the interview. Though writing, storyboarding, and computer-assisted design are not covered here, and chapters that introduce a few phrases of tourist Japanese and provide brief, standard generalities about careers in the comics industry are off topic, this book dishes up such generous helpings of specific advice and general encouragement that it makes an appealing alternative to Mikio Kawanishi's How to Draw Manga: Expert Edition (Graphic-Sha, 1998; o.p.) and the many narrowly focused instructional manuals.-John Peters, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
