Edshugeo The GodMoor

Why PSP comics? Because I'd rather read than play games, watch video, or listen to music when I'm on the bowl.

Do comics translate well to the PSP? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. There are some formatting issues, like the more panels per page the smaller the pictures. And small text can be difficult to read. This may give Manga an advantage, but I probably haven't read enough of any one style of comics to say for sure. I suspect that the skill of an artist as storyteller ultimately decides whether comics work in any format. Still, in general, the ideal is when a work is geared to it's intended format. The PSP is still young, so people are just beginning to take advantage of it's screen resolution, and no doubt, more portable widescreen devices are on their way.

I have some comicbook ideas on the backburner, one of which I've resolved to begin this year. It's likely that I'll utilise the PSP format which largely consists of single panels (though, not exclusively). Should a print version ever be necessary, it would be easier to arrange those into a multi-panel page arrangement than it would to create a traditional comicbook page and convert it to (an acceptable) PSP version.

So, what's out there? A crapload of stuff. Manga scanslations (unauthorized). Scans of traditional comics on usenet (unauthorized). Web comics of all sorts. And comics specifically for or adapted to the PSP.

What have you read, and how are they?

Barbarossa and the Lost Corsairs 1A and 1B - (dead links) Moslem pirate action on the high seas in the 1500's with a feminist on board. Obviously drawn for the printed page, the artwork is a little uneven. It's never bad. It just seems like the characters aren't always drawn by the same person. Barbarossa's features are nearly photo-realistic one moment and cartoonish the next. Not in the same way it happens in manga, occasionally.
The story isn't bad either, but I hate the dialog: "Let us make this a battle for the bards to sing of, Hakim! Even if your silent lips ne'er join the song!" There's a better way tell us that Hakim doesn't speak; Don't have him speak.
Also the tough female who goes out of her way to demonstrate that she's as tough as the rest of the guys is an annoying Hollywood cliche that I thought we'd gotten rid of when Americans got hip to Asian film and anime. Oh, well.
So, not too bad, but I won't be getting any more of these. The title hasn't been updated in more than half a year, so perhaps this and the following two titles from PSPCMX.com, were just meant to entice readers to buy the hard copy.

Legacy 1A and 1B - (dead links) Nicely drawn (except for the cover) pseudo-anime fantasy. I get the good versus evil bit, but otherwise, I don't really know what it's about, and I'm not interested in finding out. Drawn for the printed page.

Lions, Tigers and Bears 1A and 1B - (dead links) the title and the modern-Disney-esque artwork tells me that it's a kids story. I might normally pass on something like this, mostly because of the art, which is actually great, but screams out Disney-wanna-be. The Image logo on the cover doesn't help either, but I read it anyway. This is actually quite good and I wouldn't mind reading more of it. Also drawn for the printed page, but a good read. Even on the PSP.

NYC 2123: Dayender 1-4 - The cream of the crop of PSP comics. This is the way to do it! The story flows just like Rakim. Smooth. The art, excellent. Not to say everybody should draw like this artist. Just that this team has shown what can be done on this format (specifically for the PSP), while at the same time, are telling a compelling story that I'm eager to follow.

Querty and Nothing Left To Lose 1-3 (4&5 also available) - (dead links) Not crazy about either of these "indie" comics. Qwerty seems incomplete. I only read the first three chapters of Nothing Left To Lose, so I can't say if the download version of this story is self contained or not. Both were drawn for print.

MPD Psycho - I'm nearing the end of volume 7 of this great manga series about a grand conspiracy involving serial killer types and a fictional 1960s counter culture figure. There are ten available. Whether that completes the series or not, I don't know, yet. Drawn for print, but with a few exceptions, hardly suffers for it.

Not yet read...

Super Spy - formatted for the PSP and supposedly published on a weekly basis. There are four self-contained stories up, as of this writing (more now).

Zipper - not yet published, some rough sketches can be found on their blog. These will be PSP formatted.(?)

Freesia - manga scanslation. A possibly Libertarian fantasy, that takes place in a Japan where retaliatory killings are legal.

Marvel Comics - Marvel offers a handful of digital comics (more now), but it doesn't appear that they're meant to be portable. Fuck 'em. Don't need 'em. People do scan mainstream comics, however, and they can be found in a number of ways. Dunno if they're worth it, though. I buy the trades of whatever I find interesting.

Tons of online comics... - Lots of stuff out there to check out. If I find anything that's good and translates well to the PSP, I'll post it here.

Labels: broken promises, comics, downloads, good deal, japanese, possibilities for creative expression, PSP