Comic Books Archives | Otaku No Culture

If You Love Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form is an Exhibit You Must See!

Throughout most of Asia, the love for comic books is all over, and just what’s presented at Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form is certainly worth studying!

Runs until January 4, 2026

One week following the opening of Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, the excitement is in the air. This showcase of over 400 works from all over Asia even has me wanting to pick up the pencil again and try drawing! While I’m nowhere as talented as the artists on display, just what’s shown traces how this style from this world developed.

It’s not just about manga, but also manhua (the Chinese version) and whatever name it goes by in other countries like Malaysia too. Here, visitors will find works from creators like Osamu Tezuka, Zao Dao, Hur Young Man, and Lat. The gallery also features under-represented artists such as Abhishek Singh and Miki Yamamoto.

This travelling exhibit is making a lengthy stop at Emerald City and there’s no official word yet if it’ll hit Canada too. Some people may not want to cross the border to check out this show, but I say it’s worth the expense. While some of the earliest representations were wall scroll paintings, much has since changed.

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Mad Cave Studios’ The Dark Pyramid Promises To Be Action-Packed! An Interview with Paul Tobin and PJ Holden.

The perfect combination of pulse-pounding adventure, chilling horror, and high-stakes mystery, The Dark Pyramid will take readers deep beneath Alaska’s Mt. Denali, where secrets as old as time threaten to change the world forever!

Mad Cave Studios
Release Date: March 12

Not to be confused with The Black Pyramid of King Amenemhat III of Egypt, Mad Cave Studios has their own ideas regarding The Dark Pyramid that’s in Alaska. Writer Paul Tobin said his boss, editor Mike Marts, came up with the idea and he filled in all the blanks. Unlike other takes, instead of exploring the conspiracy, he had better ideas. And when he partnered up with P.J. Holden, their second collaborative work together, what they fashioned will surprise readers.

This comic book miniseries will hit shelves March 2, and I spoke to them to learn more about this series. I’ve been keeping track of nearly every bit of lore regarding this mystery, and the fact other authors want to take a stab at the strange goings-on got my attention. But first, I asked about why they love writing/drawing for comics.

The Dark Pyramid - Paul Tobin — Paul Tobin (writer)

PT: Because my grandmother bought piles she got from garage sales and random buys. I’d always be digging through them to read whatever’s there. The stuff which stood out was old westerns, Tweety & Sylvester and some superhero stuff.

PJ: I remember the first time I saw a comic, it was a sort of love at first sight. I was a very reluctant reader, and it all changed one night, when the weather was bad outside, and there was this bunch in front of me. They were UK comics–Warlord, some Marvels and the like. I also remember finding a stash in a bin–I remember one had a picture of Thanos.

Continue reading “Mad Cave Studios’ The Dark Pyramid Promises To Be Action-Packed! An Interview with Paul Tobin and PJ Holden.”

Gatchaman at Mad Cave Studios. The Story So Far…

Fans of Gatchaman (not Battle of the Planets) will love everything that’s being developed to bring this original sentai team to the modern audiences! And what I offer is summary of what has transpired since the comic book’s launch mid last year!

Gatchaman Volume One Trade Paperback Cover — **Available to purchase on Amazon USA**

Ever since Gatchaman returned to the anime fandom’s radar, I’ve been paying attention. Not only did I want to remind myself of what went on in the animated front before touching the comic book continuation, but also my love for this Space Ninja Team got reignited. Who knows, maybe I can find a model of the God Phoenix at a reasonable price.

The first trade paperback collecting the first six issues is out (Amazon link), and although that did not include the one-shots, that’s okay. I flipped to the back and found out that it will be released later this year. This publisher has been steadily releasing individual issues every month, and what I offer is a quick recap, information about upcoming releases, and/or a review. Spoilers are ahead.

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Top 13 Spooky Comic Books for the Halloween Reading Season

There’s much more titles to find in Diamond Press’ Previews showing what other scary reads are available for this spooky reading season coming up! What we offer is our top picks.

Elvira Ready to Slash for the 2024 Halloween Reading Season This year, comic book publishers have a nice collection of series being released from now unti November, marking the All Hallows Eve reading season. And there are a lot more in the trade paperback front, which includes reprints like a manga style take on Nightmare Before Christmas to salivate over!

I could list them all, but it would be tough to say which works I want to read over others as that pile of shame just keeps growing, as I should at least must read the first issues, or that collection when that trade paperback comes out. This list considers two titles released not for this season, as I feel they make up what trick or treating is about.

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Sometimes There’s No Need to Hunt for Dr. Squatch’s Soaps. Some of their Products Are Best Left Alone.

It’s tough to imagine Bigfoot taking an interest in personal care, but after a decade, Dr. Squatch is a company selling products to men who want to smell like “Nature.”

Wolverine Soap Dr. Squatch I rarely take an interest in licensed branded products that include grooming, but for Dr. Squatch making millions of dollars and in-roads into other territories (I didn’t see them in Canada until about two years ago, while at Walmart), I was curious. Their wide range of scented soaps based on IPs like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones didn’t really convince me. And don’t get me started after the release of Minecraft the Movie trailer (this is an idea that’s best left buried, like Pixels).

But after seeing their latest marketing campaign including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I have to speak out–no; I don’t want to smell like pizza or the sewer while walking the streets of my city! Whether they’re saying something often unspoken of (yes, some geeks don’t cleanse often enough), the idea to get certain people to use their soaps is a great idea.

And for fans of X-Men, if anyone wants to smell like beer and cigarettes, then they too can be Wolverine! Technically, that’s not how our favourite hunter smells like, and although I’m curious about what Hugh Jackman uses, to base their latest on this mutant, thankfully the woodsy smell of cypress, juniper, and moss works. To be specific, the ingredients include saponified oils of (palm, coconut, olive), naturally derived fragrance, shea butter, resurrection plant (selaginella lepidophylla) extract, alumina, pumice, iron oxides, kaolin clay, and sea salt. Continue reading “Sometimes There’s No Need to Hunt for Dr. Squatch’s Soaps. Some of their Products Are Best Left Alone.”

With Archie Comic’s Release of The Cult of that Wilkin Boy: Initiation O.S. Beware What You Reap!

There’s more chapters to be told regarding where The Cult of that Wilkin Boy is headed in its Faustian Journey to the afterlife, and what’s being slowly revealed will have many anxiously waiting for more one-shot releases.

The Cult of that Wilkin Boy Archie Comics
Now available in comic book stores near you.

The Cult of that Wilkin Boy has made more than a simple a pact with the daemonic, and just how many sultans he’s sold his soul to may well get answered in future instalments. Unlike the comics of yore, where he’s just a musician from Midville and simply sees him in slice of life narratives like Archie Andrews (of Archie Comics fame), “The Cult of that Wilkin Boy: Initiation O.S.” is imbued with Southern USA folklore and perhaps some other hoodoo that I’m not aware of.

Whether it concerns blues music and Voodoo, or it’s regarding some other aspect of cheating to get fame, what’s presented is perfect. Cullen Bunn expands the narrative from last year’s release to reveal what’s happened to Bingo Wilkin since. He was a musician who hung up the microphone and became a record producer. He’ll search for new talents to help mould to become the next superstar, and as for whether they’re safe from the devil in the blue suede shoes, that’s a detail I’m still uncertain about.

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