Drawing From Life: Manga About Manga

Author/Artist: Sekihiko Inui
Publisher: TokyoPop
Compare prices for Comic Party Vol. 1

Kazuki Sendō is a comics fan who gets turned on to the world of doujinshi (fan-created comics) when he makes his first trip to Comic Party, a big comic convention. He then resolves to go from being a fan to being a comics creator himself, so Kazuki embarks on a mission to create his own comics to sell at the next Comic Party.

Comic Party was originally a dating sim game that got adapted as a manga series by Sekihiko Inui (the creator of Murder Princess and Ratman), who is himself a doujin artist. It was also adapted as an anime series.

Author/Artist: Seimu Yoshizaki
Publisher: VIZ Signature / VIZ Media
Compare prices for Kingyo Used Books Vol. 1

For some readers, comics are more than just entertainment – they inspire dreams, provide a moment of laughter, and inspire even the disillusioned to believe in the power of love. At Kingyo Used Books, manga, old and new, rare and common fill the shelves. As readers find their way to the shop, they rediscover the stories that touched their hearts in their younger days, and readers of Kingyo Used Books learn more about some of the most beloved and influential manga ever created.

Author/Artist: Felipe Smith
Publisher: TokyoPop
Compare prices for MBQ Vol. 1

Omario lives in L.A., where he's struggling to realize his vision as a comics creator without starving first. Trouble is, as Omario puts it, "I don't want to draw superheroes, robots or aliens. No ninjas, no super-villains, no magical quests." So what does Omario want to draw? A story that completely makes fun of all of those things, blows wet farts in its face too.

But seeing as his story is so out there, so raunchy and offensive that no publisher would ever pick it up, Omario's gotta figure out some way to pay the rent. Will it mean swallowing his pride and flipping burgers at MBQ, the local fast food joint?

Author/Artist: Aya Kanno
Publisher: Shojo Beat / VIZ Media
Compare prices for Otomen Vol. 1

High school student Asuka Masamune is handsome. He's athletic. But he's also got a secret: under his manly facade, Asuka is an "otomen," a guy who loves cooking, sewing and cute things. His other problem? Asuka's in love with Ryo, a pretty girl with a black belt in karate, who's hopeless in the kitchen.

What neither Asuka nor Ryo know is that their off-kilter romance is the inspiration for Love Chick, a popular shojo manga series created by their classmate, Juta Tachibana who works under the pen name Jewel Sachihana. As Juta tries to hide his identity as a "female" comics creator, he also gives readers a peek inside the shojo manga biz.

Author/Artist: Naoki Urasawa
Publisher: VIZ Signature / VIZ Media
Compare prices for 20th Century Boys Vol. 1

While making manga isn't the main thrust of 20th Century Boys, it does play a significant role in some of its plot threads, especially in the aftermath of Bloody New Year's Eve. After the disaster, Friend and his minions pretty much rule Japan. To keep the masses under control, manga is heavily censored and artists who deviate from the norm are jailed.

But there's a revolution brewing underground, and a young manga artist and two desperate cartoonists who may remind readers of Fujio Fujiko (creators of Doraemon) just might play a role in the world's salvation.