Call it "global manga," call it "original English language manga" or just call it comics -- creators all over the world have been reading manga and now they're creating stories that have some of the artistic influences of Japanese manga. Some of the most intriguing creations in this genre offer readers a hybrid of both Eastern and Western storytelling sensibilities and art styles -- and one of the leading creators in this genre is Svetlana Chmakova, the creator of Dramacon and now Nightschool.
Currently serialized monthly in Yen Press' Yen Plus magazine, Nightschool is already up to its second volume of its graphic novel releases, with the third volume due out in April 2010. Nightschool was my pick for the Best New International Manga release of 2009, and it's one of the leading nominees in the Best New International / OEL manga readers' poll.
But I wondered how another comics creator would see this story, so I asked manga editor, author and comics creator Shaenon Garrity to give the first two volumes of Nightschool a look, and she kindly obliged. Check out Shaenon's review of Nightschool Volume 1 and 2 and see if you agree with her take on this supernatural shojo series.
Besides being a comics creator in her own right (Narbonic and Skinhorse to name just two of her stories), Shaenon is also the author of the upcoming book CLAMP in America from Del Rey Manga (due out in May 2010). She regularly writes a column on comics for Comixology and reviews for Otaku USA magazine, The Comics Journal and Sequential Tart.
So have you been reading Nightschool? What do you think? Add your comments below! Also, check out my interview with Svetlana Chmakova and read her comments about her inspirations for Nightschool.
Image credit: © Svetlana Chmakova
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