Lizzie McGuire

    (Tokyopop, 2003-2005)
™ and © 2003, 2004 Disny Enterprises, Inc.

The newest TokyoPop Cine-Manga is the second installment in adaptations of the popular television series starring Hilary Duff.

The episodes are great fun to read, even for those lacking familiarity with the TV show. They are clean, wholesome, and innocent fun.

The Cine-Manga format is, for the most part, delightful. It is bright, easy to read, and youth-friendly, with colorful backgrounds and creatively shaped panels. The compact size is convenient and easy to stick in a back pocket but does have its limitations. Pictures that are appropriately sized for animated art are a little small for photographs. Not only can one not appreciate the detail, the word balloons crowd the photos. A larger format would allow for better placement of the word balloons but would take away part of the youth appeal.

More annoying is that the cast, whose pictures appear throughout, are uncredited.

Despite these quibbles, Lizzie McGuire is a perfect entry point for fans of the series or its star, most of whom are presumably (a) kids and (b) girls. From Lizzie, they can discover other Cine-Mangas that may appeal to their current interests and enter the vast world of comics from there.

— Jack Abramowitz
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