Links

Comic, Graphic Novel and Manga Resources

Inevitably, this is just a very small selection of what is available. I've included sites that tie in with the questions I most often get asked.

Reviews - covering all comics

• No Flying, No Tights is a graphic novel review site. The site is divided into three sections, firstly the original one, and also Sidekicks, devoted to graphic novels for younger readers and The Lair, featuring graphic novels for older teens and adults. Reviews include guidance on suitability levels for different age groups and are split into genres. Regularly reviews manga.
• Comics Worth Reading
• Artbomb offers reviews and articles predominantly about independent comics. Quirky, offbeat and intelligent.
• Line of Fire Reviews
• Sequential Tart is a comic webzine made by women. Looks at a wide range of issues and publications within comics in general and, of course, also good on women creators. Has a good manga review and article section.
• Grovel: News, reviews and articles on graphic novels, featuring classic titles and film tie-ins.
• Paul Gravett: His book on manga is highly recommended as an introduction to the medium.
• Collective: The Interactive Culture Magazine from the BBC; the site is still available, but is no longer being updated.
• The Bookseller also has an annual round-up of the best in the medium in the autumn.
• Forbidden Planet blog: This blog allows people to search for reviews, although it also covers events and offers many useful links, including to some of the UK creators.
• Read about Comics offers reviews and articles about independent comics and manga.
• The Comics Bureau

Reviews and news - dedicated to manga and anime

• Anime News Network is a very large site for anime and manga information. It is updated frequently.
• Mania primarily reviews and discusses anime.
• Otaku News.
• Neo Magazine: Very informative online site related to the hard copy magazine that reviews Japanese popular culture.
• Homemademech previously Animeboredom: has become more games-focused recently

Specialist Shops in the UK

The Comic Book Alliance offers a list of retailers. In addition, the sites mentioned below - some of which offer review information via newsletter etc - have been recommended by various librarians.

• Page 45 is a Nottingham based comic shop that also offers an online service and a very good review newsletter. It is, simply, one of the best UK comic shops. Please visit.
• Travelling Man. A good chain of comic shops, which hold an extensive range of stock across all ages and genres.
• Gosh! Comics: Another very good comic shop, which, like those above, have staff with a great deal of enthusiasm and expertise. The web site is currently (March '09) inactive during renovation, and more up-to-date content appears on the blog.
• Forbidden Planet
• Mega City Comics
• Dave's Comics, Brighton: This shop comes highly recommended by library staff in the area for range and understanding of library services. No website.
• Scottish Cartoons Studio
• Forbidden Planet Edinburgh 0131 555 4564
• Forbidden Planet Glasgow 0141 331 1215
• A1 Comics 0141 552 6692
• Red Hot Comics 0141 630 0049; linked with:
  
  • Ace Comics Southend: 325, Chartwell North, Victoria Plaza, Southend On Sea - 01702 613021
    open Monday to Saturday 9.30 to 5.30
  • Ace Comics Exeter: 1-5 McCoys Arcade, Fore Street, Exeter, Devon - 01392 425248
    open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5.30pm
  • Ace Comics Sudbury: 3, North Street Parade, Sudbury Suffolk - 01787 312774
    open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm
  • Ace Comics Colchester: 63A High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1DN - 01206 561912
    open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5.30pm
• Future Shock Glasgow 0141 353 3975
• Dead Head comics Edinburgh 0131 226 2774

Publishers and Suppliers in the UK

• The Comic Book Alliance offers a list of publishers
• Dalen - Graphic Novels and Comic Strips in Welsh
• Jonathan Cape
• The DFC has ended its run after 43 issues. The final episodes of some of the stories can be found at The DFC; in addition, some of the characters and creators live on at Super Comics Adventure Squad.
• Walker Graphic Novels, the graphic novels list of Walker Books.
• Tokyopop: The major publisher of manga in English. They offer workshops with artists (booked up until 2010) and are moving into offering mini-conventions in libraries (libraries contact).
• Classical Comics are publishing a number of Shakespeare's plays. There are three different versions, ranging from full text to quick text. In addition they offer a growing number of adaptations of classic literature.
• Titan Books
• Viz: Major manga publisher in English. Very informative site.
• 2000AD: Covers the graphic novel publisher Rebellion, who are currently reprinting the comic's back-catalogue.
• Diamond Comics (US site): Also has lesson plans.
  UK contact:
• Can of Worms Press: Reprinting the Graphic Novel Shakespeare series (Full Text).
• SelfMadeHero: Manga Shakespeare (Adaptations)
• Insomnia Publications

Resources Specifically for Librarians

• Teen Librarian covers manga, bookgroups and much more.
• Topica hosts a discussion list for librarians on graphic novels. If you would like more information about this list, you can find it on the list's information page.
• Graphic Novels in Libraries UK e-mail discussion list, UK discussion list recently begun by Angela Robinson of Blackburn with Darwen Libraries, modeled on the above but with UK focus.
  Angela has also set up a related blog
• Steve Raiteri's Recommended Graphic Novels for Public Libraries (US site): Old link and not recently updated, but still a useful resource.
• Manga and Graphic Novels - Resources for Librarians

Free Comic Book Day

This American originated event offers a good opportunity to link up with local comic shops. There is a website at www.freecomicbookday.com that lists some of the shops involved. There is still a small cost per comic to the library service.

Angela Robinson (above) suggests approaching local specialist stores and offering to promote them in libraries in turn for their participation. She also suggests that directing queries to the UK discussion list above about how to run a related event.

Workshops, Comic Maker Tools and Book Groups

• Pixton has options for schools.
• BitStrips comics software, including BitStrips for Schools.
• The Tarquin Engine
• Manga Studio from Smith Micro - Very flexible, but perhaps not suited to beginners.
• Comic Life software
• Dalen - work with schools
• Drink and Draw
• Jim Medway - look at the Education section for details of workshops
• World Comics provides models, tools and opportunities for partnerships in using comics for social change
• World Comics India, partner site to the above
• Cartoon County offers workshops in the South East.
• Sweatdrop Studios: UK manga creators (Wikipedia page)
• Selfmadehero: publishers of the Manga Shakespeare series, can work with schools on a multi-layered workshop using smartboards, working with different versions of the text, and with artists. They have a new related site and Ning in development.
• See also Tokyopop, above.
• Suzy Varty runs workshops and develops comic projects for both adults and younger readers. Sample of work at Lambiek.net
  Email: .
• Carl Cross runs a successful manga reading group and would like to hear about other people's work, as well as sharing his own experience:
  .
• Paul Duffield runs manga workshops and tutorials: his website offers an introduction to his work.
  E-mail .
• The following comics creators welcome approaches about running workshops:
  
  • Gary Erskine
  • Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers (Metaphrog)
  • Cam Kennedy
• Readers of the Lost Art: adult graphic novels reading group in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
• Laydeez do Comics - a London-based graphic novel reading group or forum with a focus on comic works based on life narrative, the drama of the domestic and the everyday.
• Tools for designing comics (Scroll to the foot of the page below for links).
• Make your own Dr Who comic
• Cartoon Classroom: now launched as a site acting as a link between creators and schools, libraries and other organisations.

UK Creator Websites

• The Comic Book Alliance offers a list of UK comics creators' web sites

Events and Exhibitions

• Paul Gravett offers a good UK events listing

Teaching and Championing Comics

• Learning and Teaching Scotland Graphic Novels Resource: I created this resource in conjunction with the Learning and Teaching Scotland team. The focus is on working with comics and graphic novels in schools.
  
  The case studies, in particular, (see the file at the foot of the introductory page) give details of a range of possible ways of working with, and thinking about, graphic novels, often focusing on specific titles.
  
  I've also included a piece on British views on comics which may help convince the reluctant or unwilling that comics are more than just 'simple' entertainment.
• The MEDAL site contains a range of ideas and materials for use with students of Childhood Studies, Youth Studies, and Children's Literature. There are some resources about comics included. Whilst designed for HE, the materials are adaptable and can be downloaded for free.
• www.teachingcomics.org/ - web site of the The National Association of Comic Art Educators.
• The Center for Cartoon Studies.
• Comics in the Classroom: A Canadian site aimed at using comics with primary schools.
• Secondary English Network: Based in West Lothian, this site offers a range of materials, reviews and ideas for a range of media from manga and graphic novels to storytelling and games.
• Cartoon Classroom: a link between creators and schools, libraries and other organisations.

Japanese Culture. Anime and more

• The Japan Foundation
• The Japan Society
• Helen McCarthy on Japanese animation and comics.
• Tezuka in English: described as 'a site to help Western readers access the works of the greatest manga artist of all time'
• Koyagi.com: US based, but gives lots of relevant links and information.
• Cosplay Island
• Anime Pulse
• Neo Magazine: Very informative online site related to the hard copy magazine that reviews Japanese popular culture.
• Anime Web Turnpike: Guide to the medium.
• MVM run a similar scheme.
• Discussion forum
• Studio Ghibli (In Japanese)
• Nausicaa.Net: A fan-run site considered a key source of English-language information on the works of animator Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.
• Film Club: Aimed at schools. Some anime, some animation.

BD: Bandes Dessinées

• The links section of the IBDS (International Bande Dessinée Society) site organised by the Glasgow University based IBDS contains an introductory bibliography to researching BD. It also contains a guide to the BD archive held at the University of Sheffield.
• CNBDI, the site of the comics museum in Angouleme, with many linbks and suggestions for further reading (in French)
• Bédéthèque: French language database dedicated to bande dessinée offering information on series, albums and authors (not to be confused with (BD-Theque).


• Sites suggested by Agnès Guyon:
  
  • BD Paradisio - le forum de la bande dessinée: Longstanding discussion forum and archive containing a huge amount of information.
  • Actua BD: Reviews and discussions.
  • Bande Dessinée Info: News and Reviews
  • Bande-Dessinée.org: Database of creators, albums and links.
  • du9 - L'autre bande dessinée: Reviews and discussions.
  • BD-Theque: Reviews and discussions (not to be confused with Bédéthèque).

Small Press Comics

• Bugpowder, as the introduction to the site says, is "a resource for small press comics in the UK, but being the internet, there's other stuff here as well..." Good links to artist sites and those of larger non-mainstream publishers, as well as a shop. An invaluable guide to small press comics.

Webcomics

• The Web Comic List: Huge directory site with thousands of comics to view for free.
• Manga Quake: Many high quality manga fanzines available for free download.
• Scott McCloud's online comics.

Art sites

Many manga fans and professionals put their very varied work up for comment on the following sites. These sites often cover work across a range of media, including poetry and animation, as well as illustration. They also include work by and for adults as well as that made by and aimed at younger people.

• Deviant Art
• SheezyArt

Fan Fiction

• www.fanfiction.net/ is a general site with both comics and manga areas
• www.lunaescence.com is a specifically manga focused site.

Art lessons - Manga

• The Manga University is free.

General Sites

• Comic Book Resources: Links, a previews catalogue online, and news items make this site (which represents a large range of small press and more mainstream producers in America and elsewhere) worth searching through.
• The Comics Journal
• Lambiek Comiclopedia: This is an illustrated compendium of over 9600 comic artists from around the world. Whilst the information in individual entries is not always fully up to date, cross referred with Wikipedia it makes a very useful resource.
• Wikipedia is also a very good source of information regarding terms, age ratings, titles that are considered classics and tracking authors and illustrators etc. This applies to all comics, but may be especially useful for manga.
• The Association of Illustrators: Illustration resources for practitioners and commissioners.
• EGON: A very useful site that offers links to a huge number of publishers, creators, publications etc. around the world.
• The Comics Bureau

Women and Comics

• Friends of Lulu
• Sequential Tart (see above

Academic Sites

See the annotated bibliography of comics scholarship on the net elsewhere on this site.