Introduction
About
Manganese (Mn) was an anthology of stories that I published in the mid- to late-1990s. As well as manga, the fanzine also contained articles and reviews. Issues 1 to 3 are out-of-print, but one day I'll scan and post them online.
Issue 4 is still available, for FREE. The lines on the interior pages were printed slightly thicker than they should've been, so I'm giving them away, while stocks last. If you'd like a copy, just supply £1 for postage & packaging, or alternatively send me a comic that you've produced. Please e-mail if you're interested.
"When is issue five of Manganese coming out?" ...is the question my friends occasionally ask to get on my nerves ;) And the answer is probably never, because the one-man anthology format makes it really difficult to meet deadlines.
Dojinshi
My first comic, Babes & Blades (B&B), is about a family of swordmasters who possess a ring that opens portals to other places. After her estranged brother kidnaps her father and tries to steal the ring, Lea Takashima escapes to our world, where she makes new friends.
My other manga was Dragonball T (DBT), a story set in the Future Trunks timeline. In DBT, the new leader of Freeza's army wants to collect the Namek Dragon balls, with the help of a super Saiyan.
The plots of both manga were terrible, but I make no apologies, as I came up with them when I was 15.
Copyright 01.02.07 JVC
Manga Mania review
Steve Kyte's infamous review of Mn #3 from Manga Mania #44.
Overall, it was quite favourable. I always get a chuckle out of the first three sentences, which comments on my then-belief that my artwork was God's gift to the UK fanscene. I also used to write embarrassingly conceited editorial rants. The moral of this story is... don't let arrogant teenagers publish anything ;)
Copyright 1998 Titan Books Ltd | Top of page
Issues
Issue 1, autumn 1996
The first issue of Mn also featured Palimony by Anthony Price, a missing-persons detective story, much like City Hunter by Hojo Tsukasa, but without the humour.
This issue was an inking disaster. I did the second half of Palimony, tried to screentone B&B by hand, and used traditional pen and ink for DBT. In the latter, I found the nib hard to control, so I ended-up with overly thick lines and smudges everywhere.
Manga: Babes & Blades, Dragonball T, Palimony. Articles: Anime & Manga in France, Dragonball GT. Reviews: Gunsmith Cats (anime), Rumble in the Bronx (Hong Kong movie), The Manga Playground (manga fanzine).
Issue 2, winter 1996-1997
In this issue, I found that cross-hatching doesn't complement the B&B style at all. I originally wanted to inkwash the whole of DBT, but digital printing costs were too expensive, so I did one for fun.
Manga: Babes & Blades, Dragonball T. Articles: Jackie Chan. Reviews: Anime Babes (fanzine), Nocturnal Demon (Hong Kong movie).
Issue 3, winter 1997-1998
This is the issue that Manga Mania reviewed, in which DBT finishes and B&B turns into a parody. In later volumes, Akira Toriyama developed an angular, almost sketchy style that I really wanted to emulate. By this issue, however, I'd realised that I was never going to attain that goal, so I settled for a 'rounder' style instead.
Manga: Babes & Blades, Dragonball T. Reviews: Neon Genesis Evangelion (anime), Shadow Skill (anime), Urusei Yatsura (music).
Issue 4, summer 2000
After a 2-year hiatus, I finally managed to wrap-up B&B. As my writing ability was equivalent to that of a dyslexic four-year-old, I added a sketchbook rather than articles and reviews. I like the digital printing for the cover, so it's a shame that the interior was so inferior.
Manga: Babes & Blades.
Copyright 1996-2000 JVC | Top of page
Variant covers
Star Wars 20th anniversary, issue 3
The American comic book industry went down the toilet in the 1990s. One of the main reasons was style over substance. Comics were generally poorly written, artists were considered the only superstars and gimmicks such as polybagged collector's edition embossed metallic holographic variant covers proliferated. Like many fanboys at the time, however, I lapped it up. I produced a variant cover for Mn #3, distributed 1 for every 5 regular 'crop circle' covers. Nowadays I tend to avoid variants (with the odd exception).
Birthday present for Toby Lin, issue 4
Only a single copy of this variant exists! My friend Toby loves Mercedes-Benz cars. I didn't need to do many preparatory sketches for this picture because Toby was also the subject of my final A-level Art exam. The lingerie design is based on the swords in B&B. Both girls must practise kendo, because their wrists are like tree-trunks. Using my signature as a tattoo is probably the best thing about this cover.