Reception
Bat-Manga! got generally positive reviews from critics. About.com's Deb Aoki lists Bat-Manga! as the best "new edition of classic manga" of 2008. The manga got a 4 out of 5 star review from Deb Aoki of About.com. "At a time when superhero comics are dark and grim, reading Bat-Manga is a blast from a simpler past, when comics were largely created for and read by kids" said Deb, "These stories from the '60s lack complex character development, detailed artwork and snappy dialogue that contemporary fans expect from comics, but they do feature dynamic action scenes, crisp art and unusual interpretations of the Batman mythos that are infectiously fun to read". Deb went one, "On the upside, it's delightful to see Kuwata's artwork presented with such class and style, and to read an interview with the now 70-something year old manga master". Reviever Ted Anthony of Associated Press said, "That blending is what infuses such fascination into "Bat-Manga!" — designer Kidd's gorgeous examination of the odd collision between American comic-book superheroes and Japanese manga that took place in Japan in 1966 and 1967, the heyday of the Batman-as-high-camp period in the United States" Ted descired the series as if someone threw some DC Comics issues, a few Godzilla sequels and some "Speed Racer" episodes into a blender. "Granted, $60 is a high price for a glorified comic book, particularly in the current economy," said Ted however he stated that it's more than a simple comic book, it's more of a cultural document. Frank Santoro of Publishers Weekly also gave Bat-Manga! a positive review. Frank Santoro admired the yellow paper and purple ink, restoring the pages of how a Japanese kid would read it long ago. "Drawn in this golden sunshine (okay, purple) of mid-'60s classic Japanese manga, these stories capture the feeling of being a kid on Saturday morning." Bat-Manga! had an estimated rank of 180 on ComiPress's "Top 300 Series of 2008", with Naruto at #1.
Meltdown Comics, a comic book store which promoted the book itself, gave Bat-Manga! a positive review.
It has also been raised as an issue that Chip Kidd got all the credit for Bat-Manga! instead of Jiro Kuwata. Chip Kidd responded to these claims, "First, Bat-Manga is not just about the work of Mr. Kuwata, although that of course makes up the bulk of the book. Rather, it is about chronicling the phenomenon, however short-lived, of Batman in Japan in 1966" Nisha Gopalan of Los Angeles Times, considered this debatable, "it should also be noted that "Bat-Manga!" feels like a radical packaging of Kuwata's work and that the creator is interviewed and given multiple credits within its pages"
Read more about this topic: Bat-Manga!: The Secret History Of Batman In Japan
Famous quotes containing the word reception:
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