Call Me

    (Sound and Vision, 2002)
™ and © Sound and Vision International

Call Me is a for-adults-only manga title that revolves around the life of Sarah, an aspiring actress who finds employment and fulfillment as an erotic phone-service operator. (This may be the first comic book set in a phone-sex business.)

Despite its “mature readers” label, it’s really full of what one would call “adult situations.” There is no actual nudity and only one instance of moderate profanity. There is, however, one extended underwear scene, one grope, and the fact that Sarah works in the phone-sex industry, so it’s still not for kids.

This manga was written and drawn by “Shudo Poko as Marco Albiero” and was printed in Italy. Is this Italian manga? Whether it’s Asian or European, it reads like the poorly written instructions that came with an off-brand TV. The characters speak in an awkward, stilted, unnatural language. “Lately I am not having rows with my neighbor, too,” Sarah exclaims. Yeah. Great.

There are interesting characters, but they are overshadowed by Sarah’s relationship with her mundane neighbor, Brian, who also calls her at work. It would seem that she knows it’s him and is toying with him, but it becomes apparent that she is as clueless as he is. It’s tough to accept that Sarah could be that oblivious, but she is.

Maybe Call Me reads better in Italian or Japanese or Swahili, but in English it is lacking.

— Jack Abramowitz
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