Kirkus Reviews Give MANGAMAN STARRED Review Kudos

The Holy Grail of book review sources is Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus is the book review top, Tower of Pisa, Louvre Museum. Authors fear and desire Kirkus attention. You are far more likely to get a bad review than a good one. And how.

Kirkus Reviews just gave Mangaman, my new graphic novel written by Barry Lyga a starred review, it’s highest recommendation.

A daring piece of graphic-novel meta-fiction explores the tropes of manga versus Western comics.

Marissa is a stereotypical popular high-school girl: pretty, well-liked and girlfriend of Chaz, the hottest guy in school. But when she first lays eyes on Ryoko, a manga character who travels through “the Rip” into her world, she abandons the formulaic constraints that defined her. Ryoko helps Marissa see that her world, though very different than his, is still boxed in by panels, and that, like him, she is a character in another universe. Even as he plays with
literary inventiveness, Lyga keeps the story accessible with the doomed and forbidden love between Marissa and Ryoko.
Those familiar with both Western and Japanese comics will delight at the little nods to the respective conceits in those formats. For example, when Ryoko slams a volleyball in gym class, a fellow classmate exclaims, “Watch your speed lines!” In complement to Lyga’s clever meta tone is Doran’s highly stylized black-and-white art, seamlessly melding both the Western and Japanese comics aesthetics. While the innovation runs high in this tale, the story itself and the nuances of the character’s relationships is less agile, though the energetic creativity behind it easily keeps the lesser aspects afloat.

An inventive offering, sure to please fans of both American and Japanese comics. (Graphic fiction. 13 & up)

MANGAMAN [STARRED REVIEW!]
Author: Lyga, Barry
Illustrator: Doran, Colleen

Review Issue Date: October 1, 2011
Online Publish Date: September 14, 2011
Publisher:Houghton Mifflin
Pages: 144
Price ( Hardcover ): $18.99
Publication Date: November 14, 2011
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-0-547-42315-9
Category: Fiction

Well, this pretty much wraps it up for me as far as this book goes. Because that review is the IT THANG.

I await sales figures and fan reaction. Both Barry and I are absolutely delighted Kirkus liked our book. We had so much fun creating it for you, and like any project, we fret what the public will think. But we also fret what well-placed critics will think. Getting a good review from Kirkus is all I require in that department.

Ask for Mangaman at your local comic shop or bookstore. Of course, if you don’t have a bookstore near you, all major online book sales sources will carry it.

Mangaman will be out in a less than 60 days, and I am so very happy to have such great advance word on the project. More than anything, though, I look forward to entertaining our many readers!