How Not to Draw Manga

    (Antarctic, 2004)
™ and © 2004 John Kantz and Chris Reid

This volume takes a spin off of the “How to Draw Manga” books with its own lighthearted take on clichés in the industry. The basic premise is that one can’t go wrong if one does what everybody else is doing. To that end, the hosts of the book, Inkmo, Meeko, and Jackno, introduce and humiliate a cast of iconic manga characters. Among these are such recognizable archetypes (or, perhaps, stereotypes) as Chip Amiable, Katie Saccharine, Vix Essenem, Trey Despondent, and others.

Tongue is planted firmly in cheek throughout, with the result that you can’t take it all that seriously. The book is slightly oversexed and too much space is dedicated to mere pin-ups, but all in all, it skewers the industry pretty well. It’s nowhere near as thorough, nor as incisive, as Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga, but it essentially accomplishes what it sets out to do.

A warning: following clichés for 190 pages, then saying, “We were being sarcastic! Clichés are bad!” doesn’t actually erase the fact that the book is full of them.

— Jack Abramowitz
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Cover Price: $19.95
1 copy available for $17.00 		John Kantz, Sherard Jackson, Chris Reid, Wes Lewis, Paul Kilpatrick, Doug Dlin, Robert Acosta, Robby BevardJohn Kantz, Sherard Jackson