There are two universal truths in today’s rapidly changing comics industry. The first is that Dog Man remains the defining comic of our era. The second is that more people are reading manga and Webtoons (aka vertical scroll comics) than ever before. Therefore we at Comics Beat are continuing our Beat’s Bizarre Adventure. Every week we’ll have three writers recommend some of their favorite books and series from Japan, Korea and elsewhere. This week we have costumed heroes, mysterious libraries, and, of course, Claudine!
Go! Go! Loser Ranger
Writer/Artist: Negi Haruba
Translator: Ko Ransom
Lettering: Phil Christie
Editing: Cayley Last
Publisher: Kodansha
The heroic Divine Dragon Rangers defeated the Monster Army in a titanic battle. Yet stragglers remain. These remnants and their Duster foot soldiers still threaten humanity.. Thankfully the heroes will always find a way to beat them and save the day!
At least that’s what the Dragon Rangers want the public to think. You see, they really did defeat the Monster Army and its ultra powerful leaders long ago. The forces they fight on a weekly basis are imprisoned Dusters made to come up with a new “monster” every week. If they don’t, the Dragon Rangers will annihilate them for good. It’s all a charade. That’s the brilliant twist in Go! Go! Loser Ranger by Negi Haruba. The heroes are actually the bad guys and one of the bad guys named D wants revenge on his tormentors.
What’s exciting about this series isn’t just the fun reversal but the implications of that reversal. The heroes, clearly inspired by the ones from the long running Super Sentai series, have kept the public in the dark regarding not just the state of the world but also their true nature as people. They may be paragons of heroism in costume. But they’re flawed individuals, whether physically or psychologically, when the masks are off.
If a bright world creates bright heroes then a dark world breeds anti-heroes like D. Centering the series on a henchman tired of defeat and wanting revenge is an even cleverer choice than inventing darker superheroes. D’s frustration and humiliation is palpable given years of performative losses. He’s not really a good guy; watching him sneak through the ranks of the Rangers to get his revenge is part of the fun. But it’s easy to sympathize with his cause because it feels so righteous in the face of hypocrisy.
Haruba’s love for the genre comes through in his designs for the Keeper’s costumes as well as the various monsters that the Dusters come up with. He has an expressive line that comes through in both the action scenes and the interactions between characters. Go! Go! Loser Ranger! might not be a deconstruction of this superhero subgenre but it certainly is a clever rethinking of it. — D. Morris
The Ether Veil
Writer/Artist: millym00n
Platform: WEBTOON
WEBTOON CANVAS will forever be my go-to for reading new webtoons due to its algorithms, discoverability features, and platform spotlights. Today’s recommendation, The Ether Veil, is a fantasy series created by millym00n. It centers on a girl named Estelle and her grandfather who manage a large town library. Estella fights against the shut-in life forced upon her by her circumstances. But the discovery of a magical door changes the trajectory of her life forever.
This series has a cozy and soft art style with simple details as well as a focus on character designs and silhouettes. The characters in this webtoon all have very unique looks with subtle changes in features to tell them apart. A simple color palette and tone distinguishes day and night scenes. Teased magical elements could mean another color palette will be introduced soon.
The Ether Veil has only seven episodes as of writing. It’s one of the newest series I’ve written about for Beat’s Bizarre Adventure. But it has charm and potential. The story has me hooked; I want to see how Estelle will break free from her current circumstances and find the magical world beyond. — Justin Guerrero
Claudine
Writer/Artist: Riyoko Ikeda
Translator: Jocelyne Allen
Lettering: CK Russell
Publisher: Seven Seas
Claudine by the legendary Riyoko Ikeda is a tragic period drama set against a scenic France in the early 1900s. The titular character, Claudine, was assigned female at birth, but knew he was a man even at a young age. Since the story is told from the perspective of Claudine’s psychiatrist, as well as various characters that do not fully accept Claudine’s identity, he is referred to as “she” for the entirety of the book. Only one character recognizes Claudine for who he is. But again, this is a tragedy. For everyone.
There’s not really much else I can say about this book except to gush. Sure, some of the language is dated—this was originally published in 1978—but even then Ikeda navigates the landscape of trans identity quite deftly. Claudine is in all but name and pronoun treated as a man. Several women fall in love with him knowing what is under his clothes because they’re in love with a person, not societal gender norms.
Unfortunately, heartbreak follows Claudine wherever he goes. Thanks to Ikeda’s incredible art, you feel every thought and feeling coursing through Claudine. Every page is beautiful and ephemeral like Claudine himself. The harshness of winter permeates the story. Ikeda also has an impeccable sense of style; every outfit is just incredible.
This is an easy recommendation, but not an easy read. It’s worth the journey, though. Do read it when you can. — Derrick Crow
Follow Beat’s Bizarre Adventure to get weekly manga and webtoon recommendations!
Read more great reviews from The Beat!
Source link
