Eisner Award Nominees

Since today is the day that the Eisner Awards will be announced at San Diego Comic-Con International, I thought this would be a great opportunity to share links to my reviews of the nominated manga. While there were fewer manga nominated this year than last, the Eisner Award nominees show the diversity of the genre here in the U.S.

Without further ado, here are my reviews of Eisner Award-nominated manga:

• Dororo, vol. 1, 2 and 3, by Osamu Tezuka, published by Vertical
• Monster, vol. 1 and 2, by Naoki Urasawa, published by Viz
• Good-bye, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi, published by Drawn & Quarterly

Of course, other titles were nominated, including Solanin, Cat-Eyed Boy, Quest for the Missing Girl and Cowa! Of course, I hope to read and review some of these titles in the near future. Here's to hoping that manga wins big this year and that more titles are nominated next year!

Edit: Looks like Dororo was the lone manga title to receive an Eisner Award this year. Congratulations to Vertical on their achievement! Additionally, Nina Matsumoto, creator of Yokaiden, received an Eisner for her Death Note-style take on Bart Simpson for Bongo Comics' Treehouse of Horror.

Monster, vol. 2

The story: Dr. Tenma's search for Johan, the serial killer and "monster," continues in this second volume. As Tenma searches throughout Germany, Johan continues his path of destruction, killing whomever and whenever he pleases. Tenma's search finally turns up Johan's sister, now known as Nina, who had gone catatonic and suffered from amnesia when she and her brother were first admitted to the hospital years ago. At present, she has zero recollection of her life before that fateful day. And just as Tenma thinks he's gotten closer to Johan, his prey proves himself the monster and, again, escapes out of Tenma's reach. The mystery continues to deepen in the second installment of this thriller of a manga.

Reaction: I think it would be so easy to plow through this plot, much like a movie. But, Naoki Urasawa takes care in telling the story at a perfect pace -- not too fast, so that details are missed, but not too slow, either. As I'm sure the mangaka has intended, I'm getting reeled into this story, bit by bit. There are so many questions that arise and I found myself reading through this as quickly as possible, simply so I could get started on the third volume that much sooner. Of course, only more questions arise this time around and none are answered.

Deep thoughts: I found the newspaper archive interesting, as I've had to search newspaper archives myself. For the Heidelberg Post, they have no microfiche and, instead, possess reduced copies of the newspaper and even copies of stories that never saw print. It strikes me as particularly odd that the paper didn't use microfiche -- before everything went digital, it was the accepted standard. It also doesn't really do anything for the story in terms of adding another layer of depth, either. Regardless, I can't imagine what a treasure trove of information a place like that would have been. On the other hand, it seems it would be near impossible to find the specific story Tenma searches for, although he does find it in the end.

Artwork: Much like the story itself, Urasawa's artwork seems to tease the reader -- the deaths in this volume are never shown in an explicit or graphic manner. You know there's something horrible around that corner, but, much like a parent protecting a child, Urasawa never reveals the true horror of the gruesome deaths he hints at. Outside of that, Urasawa also has a deft hand at expressing emotion, whether it's fear, shock or frustration; he captures it all with seeming ease.

The verdict: Highly recommended. This story has intrigue, romantic betrayal and, even, small happy moments where you least expect them. I simply can't wait to get to the third volume and beyond. Monster is available in the U.S. from Viz.

Monster, vol. 1

I'm finally digging into this series after David Welsh's column mentioned Monster and its numerous Eisner Award nominations. The Eisner Awards are given at San Diego Comic-Con International each year.

The story: Dr. Kenzo Tenma is a brilliant neurosurgeon working at a German hospital. After a regular patient dies after being "skipped" over in favor of surgery on a famous opera singer, Tenma has a crisis of conscience and vows to save lives.

Since his action in saving a boy dying from a bullet wound ran counter to the hospital director's beliefs, Tenma loses his surgical department chairmanship and is treated as a resident. However, this all changes when Tenma's boss dies. Eventually, Tenma crosses paths with young boy he saved, who seems to have grown into a "monster."

Reaction: Honestly, I felt at home with this manga -- all of my immediate family members work in hospitals, so the politics and science were all very normal to me. So much of this manga explores our humanity, from crying relatives mourning their lost family member to the simple joy inherent in saving lives. But, the fantastic nature of the crimes committed in this first volume, along with the killer's connection to Tenma brought suspense to the forefront. I couldn't have put this down if I wanted to; it was that tense.

Deep thoughts: Neurosurgery is one of the hardest specializations to work in. Even though so many of Dr. Tenma's patients' brains are nearly destroyed before seeing him, it's the miracle of the brain's ability to heal itself that allows people to lead somewhat normal lives following major head trauma. Recent research has shown that while one portion of the brain is damaged, other parts will compensate for that loss.

Artwork: After reading quite a bit of shojo lately, with its "beautiful people," it was a breath of fresh air to see realistically proportioned characters, even if it seemed that too many people possessed bulbous noses. I also loved the nearly photorealistic images, especially in the scenes taking place outside of the hospital and the surgical close-ups.

The verdict: Highly recommended. Really, this is on the cusp of "Required reading." The first few pages of this manga set up who Dr. Tenma is and who he has been up until the moment he makes his decision to help anyone, regardless of their elite connections. Of course, I want to see exactly how this murder mystery turns out and how it changes Dr. Tenma -- for better or worse. Monster is available in the U.S. from Viz.