SHUT IN THEATER: Weekend Reading 173

Saturday has arrived, and it’s introduced Weekend Reading 173! What will you be studying this weekend? Let The Beat know within the remark part!

AVERY KAPLAN: This weekend I’m trying out the primary 4 volumes of Toilet-bound Hanako-Kun by Aidairo, with an English translation by Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley with lettering by Jesse Moriarty and Tania Biswas. I don’t truly know something about this sequence, however Rebecca Oliver has been studying it and one of many advantages of getting one other reader in the home is pilfering their leftovers. Qapla’!

DEAN SIMONS: I not too long ago procured a replica of the English translation of Edgar P. Jacobs’ The U Ray [Le Rayon U] – translated by Jerome Saincantin and revealed by Cinebook. It is Jacobs’ precursor to his well-known sequence Blake & Mortimer and it has fairly a curious historical past. The U Ray was first serialised in 1943 in a kids’s journal in Nazi-occupied Belgium after the French version of Flash Gordon was abruptly eliminated following a decree that US-originated materials be banned (Note: Belgium was invaded and occupied in 1940, US entered World War 2 in 1942). The elimination of Flash Gordon was so abrupt that Jacobs was first assigned to do a closing web page to tie up the Flash Gordon serial for readers earlier than developing with one thing model new. The finish consequence was The U Ray. The Cinebook version appears to be from a post-1973 republication as Jacobs later added phrase balloons for the reason that authentic 1943 story solely had captions. Fascinating (and lovely) stuff.

ARPAD OKAY: This weekend I plan on trying out Will Tempest’s Harsh Prospect on Webtoon. I’ve seen Tempest’s Kickstarter for the collected sequence floating across the decaying stays of my Twitter feed, and it undoubtedly seems just like the tackle colonialism by a science fiction lens is my bag. I simply backed The Hard Switch by Owen Pomery, and Simon Roy’s Griz Grobus, one other Webtoon crowdfunded into print, has been one among my favourite books this yr. I assumed I used to be burned out on twilight survival sci-fi, residing it daily makes studying about it much less engaging— however I preserve discovering new issues which are constructing upon as an alternative of including to.

TAIMUR DAR: As I discussed final week, I’ve been on a Robert Kirkman comedian kick these days. While I’m nonetheless persevering with my Invincible learn, I believe I’ll lastly take a look at The Walking Dead. Aside from the odd concern right here and there and the primary few seasons of the AMC tv sequence, I’ve by no means actually learn an excessive amount of of TWD regardless of all of the acclaim. I’ve already begun the primary commerce and I’m having fun with it to date so I’ll possible proceed the subsequent few commerce collections over the weekend.

CY BELTRAN: I’m nonetheless bouncing between one million completely different tales without delay, however this weekend I plan on wrapping up 1994’s Phalanx Covenant, a crossover I discover to be very a lot simply okay, however one which’s important to lastly studying Generation X. I’m additionally gonna be trying out Steve Orlando and Sara Pichelli’s new Scarlet Witch sequence, a title I’ve heard a number of reward for (a few of which comes from this very website!). Then, in fact, I’ll be making myself learn a little bit of Cujo, which is much extra of a personality research than a horror novel thus far (although that canine is BRUTAL).

You can peruse the 172 earlier entries in The Beat’s Weekend Reading archive by clicking right here.