Erwin Rafael
Jun 3, 2003, 02:48 pm
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/wolvsnikt1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/wolvsnikt1t.jpg" align=left alt="Wolverine: Snikt! #1"></a>Reviewer: Erwin Rafael, 3rdsummers@edsamail.com.ph
Quick Rating: Good
East meets West as Tsutomu Nihei brings his special twist to Wolverine.
Story and Art by: Tsutomu Nihei
Translated into English by: Mutsumi Masuda
Colored by: Guru EFX
Lettered by: Cory Petit
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Moore
Editor: C.B. Cebulski
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
Marvel continues to experiment on how they can capture the Japanese "secret' in creating comic books that appeal to the mass market. This time, they enlist the services of popular manga creator, Tsutomu Nihei (BLAME!), to work his unique vision on Marvel's poster child, Wolverine. The result is quite fun, with loads of cool art as would be expected from Nihei's work. There's something not working though, and I don't think it's Nihei's fault. I'll get back to that later.
The story thus far: As Wolverine was walking somewhere in New York, he met a girl named Fusa. Fusa came to Earth to seek the aid of Wolverine to save her people from annihilation. However, Fusa lost Wolverine during the teleportation process. Wolverine ended up facing a strange robotic creature, which could prove to be a bigger challenge than he originally thought.
A lot of people stereotype the manga art style. Manga is often associated with big eyes, smooth lines, bright colors and a cartoony tone. I can understand how that stereotype came about, but truthfully, manga art is just as diverse (if not more so!) as Western comic book art. Nihei's style in Snikt! is an example of a "deviation" from the stereotype. Rough and sketchy, his art exudes a dark mood which perfectly fits the story. Guru EFX's colors reinforce Nihei's art, bringing to life the lush alien setting.
Aside from the differences in appearance, Japanese and Western comic book art also differ in their visual storytelling techniques. Western artists tend to be fast-paced and straightforward, while Japanese artists tend to take their time and wander around. Scott Mccloud, in his book Understanding Comics, explains this difference as a cultural thing. The Western art tradition tends to be goal-oriented, thus, it moves forward quickly. The Japanese art tradition, on the other hand, tends to emphasize "being there" over "getting there". The journey itself is much more important than reaching the goal.
This particular East/West difference is evident in Snikt! #1. Just like other Japanese artists, Nihei's art in Snikt! emphasizes a lot on slow cinematic movement and setting moods. It is beautiful to look at, but, alas, the slow pace drew public criticism that nothing much happens in this issue. "The read is so short. I read it in one minute. It's not worth spending $2.99 on."
While the criticism has valid points, I think it's an unfair assessment of Nihei's work in Snikt!. First of all, the demarcation between story and art in Japanese comics is blurred compared to Western comics. So much so that we can say that the story is the art, and the art is the story. Truthfully, there are lots of things that the artwork brought to the story in this issue. Sadly, though, I think it would just pass by unnoticed by readers who are mostly accustomed with the more straightforward style of American comic books.
Secondly, like most Japanese creators, Nihei's objective is not much on telling us what would happen next. His emphasis is on what is happening now. By way of analogy, let's compare Western cartoons to a popular anime like Dragonball Z. In Western cartoons, episodes tend to be self-contained. The objective is to tell a complete story within every episode. In Dragonball Z, a single fight may be chronicled in four to five episodes. The emphasis is not much on showing us the outcome of the fight, but what happens during the fight itself. In the case of Snikt!, Nihei takes his sweet time in showing us Wolverine's adventure in an alien landscape.
I applaud Marvel's continuing experiment to fuse Japanese elements with their properties. However, Marvel often overlooks one particular factor which prevents their experiment from being as successful as it can be. Japanese comics are often published in thick anthologies, where there is no pressure to tell "a lot" in one installment. The Japanese creators' tendency to take their time in telling stories is effective but it does not fit Marvel's standard 22-page format. Snikt! #1 suffers from this format. In a collected form, I'm sure that this first chapter would read a lot better, but for a single issue, it is a bit weak. Marvel should have experimented a lot more with the format so that it can fit Nihei's style. Perhaps Snikt! could have been released with an extended page count. Or maybe it could have been released as a single-issue graphic novel. Or maybe it could have been released as a part of an anthology of Japanese creators working their magic on Marvel characters. If Marvel wants to capitalize on the Japanese style, it should release a series like Snikt! in a format where the Japanese storytelling elements work best.
Well, that criticism aside, Wolverine: Snikt is shaping up to be one of the better manga-fication experiments that Marvel has tried. I think it's because 1) Snikt!, does not emphasize the over-the-top attitude of manga culture which often does not translate well to a Western audience, 2) it is not a strange (and often unsuccessful) fusion of American and Japanese ideas because a lone Japanese creator is handling both writer and artist chores, and 3) Nihei's artwork is just a thing of beauty. Snikt! #1 is literally a visual feast, and I hope we would be treated to more of the same in the issues to come.
Reviewer's note: Much of my comparison between American comic books and manga was guided by Scott McCloud's discussion in Understanding Comics. I highly recommend reading that book to gain a better appreciation of manga.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolhalf.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=55&cat=WOLVERINE) and save!
Quick Rating: Good
East meets West as Tsutomu Nihei brings his special twist to Wolverine.
Story and Art by: Tsutomu Nihei
Translated into English by: Mutsumi Masuda
Colored by: Guru EFX
Lettered by: Cory Petit
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Moore
Editor: C.B. Cebulski
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
Marvel continues to experiment on how they can capture the Japanese "secret' in creating comic books that appeal to the mass market. This time, they enlist the services of popular manga creator, Tsutomu Nihei (BLAME!), to work his unique vision on Marvel's poster child, Wolverine. The result is quite fun, with loads of cool art as would be expected from Nihei's work. There's something not working though, and I don't think it's Nihei's fault. I'll get back to that later.
The story thus far: As Wolverine was walking somewhere in New York, he met a girl named Fusa. Fusa came to Earth to seek the aid of Wolverine to save her people from annihilation. However, Fusa lost Wolverine during the teleportation process. Wolverine ended up facing a strange robotic creature, which could prove to be a bigger challenge than he originally thought.
A lot of people stereotype the manga art style. Manga is often associated with big eyes, smooth lines, bright colors and a cartoony tone. I can understand how that stereotype came about, but truthfully, manga art is just as diverse (if not more so!) as Western comic book art. Nihei's style in Snikt! is an example of a "deviation" from the stereotype. Rough and sketchy, his art exudes a dark mood which perfectly fits the story. Guru EFX's colors reinforce Nihei's art, bringing to life the lush alien setting.
Aside from the differences in appearance, Japanese and Western comic book art also differ in their visual storytelling techniques. Western artists tend to be fast-paced and straightforward, while Japanese artists tend to take their time and wander around. Scott Mccloud, in his book Understanding Comics, explains this difference as a cultural thing. The Western art tradition tends to be goal-oriented, thus, it moves forward quickly. The Japanese art tradition, on the other hand, tends to emphasize "being there" over "getting there". The journey itself is much more important than reaching the goal.
This particular East/West difference is evident in Snikt! #1. Just like other Japanese artists, Nihei's art in Snikt! emphasizes a lot on slow cinematic movement and setting moods. It is beautiful to look at, but, alas, the slow pace drew public criticism that nothing much happens in this issue. "The read is so short. I read it in one minute. It's not worth spending $2.99 on."
While the criticism has valid points, I think it's an unfair assessment of Nihei's work in Snikt!. First of all, the demarcation between story and art in Japanese comics is blurred compared to Western comics. So much so that we can say that the story is the art, and the art is the story. Truthfully, there are lots of things that the artwork brought to the story in this issue. Sadly, though, I think it would just pass by unnoticed by readers who are mostly accustomed with the more straightforward style of American comic books.
Secondly, like most Japanese creators, Nihei's objective is not much on telling us what would happen next. His emphasis is on what is happening now. By way of analogy, let's compare Western cartoons to a popular anime like Dragonball Z. In Western cartoons, episodes tend to be self-contained. The objective is to tell a complete story within every episode. In Dragonball Z, a single fight may be chronicled in four to five episodes. The emphasis is not much on showing us the outcome of the fight, but what happens during the fight itself. In the case of Snikt!, Nihei takes his sweet time in showing us Wolverine's adventure in an alien landscape.
I applaud Marvel's continuing experiment to fuse Japanese elements with their properties. However, Marvel often overlooks one particular factor which prevents their experiment from being as successful as it can be. Japanese comics are often published in thick anthologies, where there is no pressure to tell "a lot" in one installment. The Japanese creators' tendency to take their time in telling stories is effective but it does not fit Marvel's standard 22-page format. Snikt! #1 suffers from this format. In a collected form, I'm sure that this first chapter would read a lot better, but for a single issue, it is a bit weak. Marvel should have experimented a lot more with the format so that it can fit Nihei's style. Perhaps Snikt! could have been released with an extended page count. Or maybe it could have been released as a single-issue graphic novel. Or maybe it could have been released as a part of an anthology of Japanese creators working their magic on Marvel characters. If Marvel wants to capitalize on the Japanese style, it should release a series like Snikt! in a format where the Japanese storytelling elements work best.
Well, that criticism aside, Wolverine: Snikt is shaping up to be one of the better manga-fication experiments that Marvel has tried. I think it's because 1) Snikt!, does not emphasize the over-the-top attitude of manga culture which often does not translate well to a Western audience, 2) it is not a strange (and often unsuccessful) fusion of American and Japanese ideas because a lone Japanese creator is handling both writer and artist chores, and 3) Nihei's artwork is just a thing of beauty. Snikt! #1 is literally a visual feast, and I hope we would be treated to more of the same in the issues to come.
Reviewer's note: Much of my comparison between American comic books and manga was guided by Scott McCloud's discussion in Understanding Comics. I highly recommend reading that book to gain a better appreciation of manga.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolhalf.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=55&cat=WOLVERINE) and save!