In today’s rapidly changing comic industry, two universal truths remain. The first is that Dog Man is the defining comic of our time. The second is that more people than ever are reading manga and webtoons (also known as vertical scrolling comics). That’s why we at The Comics Beat have decided to embark on a new adventure: Beat’s Bizarre Adventures. Every week, three writers will recommend their favorite books and series from Japan, Korea, and other countries. This week’s special Vampire Edition features a Vampire Girlfriend, a Vampire Student, and of course, Dracula.
Vampires
Writer/Artist: Akili
Translated by Molly Rabbit
Proofreading: Patrick Sutton
Produced by: Glenn Isip, Nicole Dochik, Moe Harrison
Original jacket design: SALIDAS
Digital: Taneli Vatanen
Publisher: DENPA
I’ve read a lot of vampire manga over the years, including Hellsing, Seraph of the End, Rosario + Vampire, Blood Blade, Blood+, and Call of the Night. But there’s one that I’ve reread many times and that has been a comfort to me: Akiri’s VAMPEERZ. It’s a vampire yuri series that ran from 2019 to 2023, and it follows a 14-year-old girl named Ichika. She falls in love with Aria, an old friend of Ichika’s late grandmother and a vampire lord from overseas. Aria also becomes interested in Ichika and comes to live with her. But Aria wants Ichika to kill her with the holy blade. So Aria’s vampire rivals come into the picture, either to kill her or to stop her from committing suicide. Meanwhile, Ichika showers his love on Aria, convincing her that life (at least immortality) is worth living.
What I love about Vampires is that Aria has lived a long life and has an impact on everyone else’s lives. She is the catalyst for the fates of other vampires all over the world. The series also has some cute comedic moments thanks to Akari’s adorable art style. The characters have big eyes, as is common in manga, but they are not very detailed in terms of linework. This allows Akari to draw lively expressions: wide eyes, big mouths, and even tumbles that look like they’ve been taken out of a Condorito manga.
Many panels have no background, but it’s barely noticeable since the focus is entirely on the characters and speech bubbles. Backgrounds are only used to create a change of scenery or to show a different angle on the same setting. I also noticed that certain Clip Studio Paint brushes and assets were used. As a working artist, it gives me confidence when I see other artists using and reusing available assets in creative ways; it makes me feel less embarrassed about doing so myself.
The relationship between Aria and Ichika is super cute. They spend their time chatting, going to school together, kissing, and blushing and wide-eyed. I also love the characters of Aria and Kara. They run around the school in tiny horse masks and get into all sorts of pranks. Aria also kicks a giant crow in the face! — Justin Guerrero
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My Pathetic Life as a Vampire
Writer/Artist: Rose Ishikawa
Translated by Amber Tamosaitis
Lettering: Lina Mapa
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Koide is a typical neurotic 16-year-old, except he’s a vampire. This year marks his 134th year as a high school freshman. The same boring cliques between students, the same boring classes. While it’s all new to his classmates, for Koide it’s just boring repetition. To make matters worse, he has to endure all of this when the sun is out and his energy is at its lowest. Will this cycle help Koide finally fit in?
My Pathetic Vampire Life by Rose Ishikawa was the perfect Sunday read for me. The premise is simple but imaginative, and it’s peppered with superstitions and pop culture references to vampires. Ishikawa playfully bends and subverts common vampire tropes. Vampires don’t turn to ash when exposed to sunlight, but they get sick if they spend time outdoors. Vampires avoid contact with water and have a passionate hatred for dogs, as they are the descendants of wolves. “Young” vampires must attend high school or be hunted by the government. Koide was made a vampire at age 16 in 1880, so he’s forever a freshman.
The series has its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments of darkness. Koide’s vampire friend Miura casually explains that the scars on his back are from a torture he received in the Middle Ages. Death and dying are commonplace for vampires, and they must learn to let go of family, friends, and acquaintances. But Ishikawa keeps the drama light with his whimsical art style and meme-worthy facial expressions, without letting the reader get depressed.
I like repetitive jokes in gag manga because they are funny when repeated just enough, but some people might dislike them. This series is only two volumes long, and while some of the gags may feel redundant, they are not so long that they become annoying. I recommend this series to anyone looking for a (mostly) light-hearted, short, and funny series to read between longer or more difficult manga. — Merve Girey
Gegege no Kitaro
Lyrics and composition: Shigeru Mizuki
Translated by: Zach Davison
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Mizuki Shigeru is one of the most influential manga artists in history, yet for many years his work was unavailable in English. That’s beginning to change with the success of the translation of his anti-war novel, Towards Our Noble Death, and especially his four-volume history-memoir, Showa. But it’s not his gruesome history that Mizuki is best known for in Japan, but his eerie and humorous tales of supernatural monsters. These are at the heart of GeGeGe no Kitaro, the series that made him famous.
Kitaro is a one-eyed boy born in a graveyard. His father is a walking eyeball that lives in his head. Kitaro is fast, strong, and able to defend himself with his prehensile hair. But he’s not a traditional hero. He helps those in need, but only when he feels like it. Similarly, many of the troublesome yokai he meets are also his friends (in other circumstances). Kitaro’s supernatural world is a mess of annoying neighbors and con artists, not the endless tournaments of Shonen Jump manga. Yokai don’t fight to get stronger, they just take things when they’re bored or hungry.
Kitaro, of course, is one of the series’ many memorable characters. His sometime ally, Ratman, is constantly tricking other spirits and humans alike, but gets himself into terrible trouble. (Showa readers might be surprised at how different he is here.) His greatest enemy, Catgirl, has a big, toothy grin and loves fish. Other guest stars include the fierce Hiderigami, the cunning Nurarihyon, and even a descendant of Dracula (there’s the vampire connection there).
These manga were drawn decades ago and can have an old-fashioned feel; the pacing is much more compressed than is typical of manga today, and stories sometimes end abruptly, as if Mizuki had run out of ideas or space. But Mizuki’s observations of human nature are as sharp as his historical works. These are not tales of “good vs. evil” so much as stories that explore the gap between the forces of nature and human (or inhuman) desires; Kitaro himself is as susceptible to these forces as anyone else.
As an American, I don’t know all of the folk tales Mizuki covers in Kitaro, but I enjoy what I do. I never would have imagined a kappa would use a plate on its forehead as a lens. Zach Davison, a huge Mizuki fan, has provided helpful “Yokai Files” for every Kitaro release to date. He is the lead translator for the seven Kitaro releases released by Drawn & Quarterly. Another option is Drawn & Quarterly’s thick 400-page Kitaro collection, translated by Jocelyn Allen. Whatever type of Kitaro you prefer, I hope you have a good time. — Adam Wescott
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