So what the heck is "manga," anyway? Big eyes, speed lines, giant robots? Why should it matter — it’s all the same, anyway, right? WRONG, baby! Manga is, simply, comics from Japan. And chances are, you’ll find some Japanese comics that you’d like pretty darn fast — after all, these comics come from a place where 40% of everything published is comics! Nowhere else in the world will you find a more diverse selection of words ’n’ pictures. There is, quite literally, something for everyone in manga.
For many years now, Dark Horse (which made its rep on publishing the best, most diverse line of comics in the U.S.) has teamed with manga production house Studio Proteus to bring English-speaking readers the best of the best comics from Japan. As any regular reader would tell you, manga series like Blade of the Immortal, Gunsmith Cats, and Oh My Goddess! are as different as night and day. But they do have one thing in common: theyÂ’re great comics!
And beginning last March, Dark Horse and Studio Proteus took it to the next level by publishing Super Manga Blast!, a new monthly 128-page magazine bringing readers five comic-book length features for under five bucks — and these days, with regular comics routinely selling for almost three dollars, that’s like getting most of each issue for free. It’s the best entertainment value in comics — period.
And SMB! has something for everyone: previously unavailable early episodes of Kosuke Fujishima’s Oh My Goddess!; the long-awaited continuations of Makoto Kobayashi’s What’s Michael? and Yuzo Takada’s 3x3 Eyes; and two new features, Hiroyuki Utatane’s Seraphic Feather and Mohiro Kitoh’s Shadow Star. There’s screwball fantasy, bizarre humor, twisted horror, mind-blowing science fiction, and breathtaking wonder — all between two covers. No matter where you turn, you’re bound to trip over something you like.
And the best part about SMB!? A new reader can pick up any issue and know what’s going on — because every continuing story in every issue has an illustrated "story so far" and cast of characters. You won’t be punished for missing the first issue, or even several issues — you can jump on any time. If you haven’t already, right now would be a good time!
So, letÂ’s review: Super Manga Blast! has something for everyone, most of the book is free, and every issue is "new-reader-friendly." In other words, you canÂ’t lose. What other publisher can promise you that?
Super Manga Blast!: It’s big. It’s bold. It’s a bargain! It’s — dare I say it? — a blast!
— Mike Hansen
Manga Editor