As a person who just discovered “Saturday AM”, I am actually quite interested in reading more wonderful stories and checking out the cool artwork from people all over the globe. “Saturday AM Annual 2023: A Celebration of Original Diverse Manga-Inspired Short Stories from Around the World” is recommended!
TITLE: Saturday AM Annual 2023: A Celebration of Original Diverse Manga-Inspired Short Stories from Around the World
YEAR: October 4, 2022
COMPANY: Rockport
Presenting exclusive stories and art from some of the world’s most exciting young comics creators in an epic collection, Saturday AM Annual presents even more diverse manga.
The new short story for Orisha, one of Saturday AM’s hottest series, features one of the first all-African shonen by a Nigerian artist. He’s joined by artists from Ghana, Greece, the United States, and more who were all discovered by Saturday AM via their annual March Art Madness art contest or their #SummerofManga short story competition.
Contents:
- Orisha by Zayf, a new, original short story from the world of Orisha, exclusive to Saturday AM Annual
- MMWOG: Judge Joker by Marinos Basiadakis, an exciting spinoff from Saturday AM’s
Massively Multiplayer World of Ghosts - Animale by Philippa Borman
- Interview with the artists of March Art Madness 2022
- Benedict Nick the Phenomenal Brick by @nathq_art
- The Enemy of Crime by Lord Kotodwe
- False Hoods by @effessart
- Interview with Summer of Manga alumni creators
- The road to Saturday Wars—discover what’s to come from the biggest crossover in manga with the multiverse of Saturday AM
Saturday AM Annual 2023 is your ticket to witness some incredible new talents!
Having reviewed manga for a decades, when I think about the non-Japanese manga I have reviewed, I can easily say that it’s only been few.
Back in the ’90s, there was Ben Dunn’s “Ninja High School” and a few from Dark Horse featuring well-known anime-style artists based in the US getting opportunities to do US comic book adaptations. And we have seen manhwa from Korea, manga style books from the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan, but I recently discovered “Saturday AM Annual 2023: A Celebration of Original Diverse Manga-Inspired Short Stories from Around the World” and how they showcase artists/writers from different countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Greece, United Kingdom, the United States and more.
As mentioned, I have been reviewing Japanese manga for a very long time and I do know that with anime and manga having an impact worldwide, there are many people who have been inspired and I think it’s great to have a company that showcases these artists and storytellers and read it with great anticipation.
The first story titled “Orisha” by @Zayf_Illustrations from Nigeria and is a story about African deities who possess the power of Orishas and Aboki, who has the celestial seed Orisha comes upon a mad scientist who experiments usings orisha seeds and wants to take Aboki’s celestial seed by force.
The second story is “MMWOG: Judge Joker” by @Stompin_ from Greece and a story about Thebes, the biggest city in Greece, plagued by the mafia and who use the power of ghosts for evil deeds. But a young vigilante named Judge Joker aims to stop them.
The third story is “Animale” by Philippa Borman from the United Kingdom. The story begins with the death of the last lion who was the king and now with no ruler, there will need to be someone strong enough to be the new ruler. A giraffe is determined to be the next king, but Hyenas and other evil animals want to be ruler as well.
The fourth story is “Benedict Nick the Phenomenal Brick” by @Nathq_Art from Canada who is employed at a supermarket and aims to be the best at customer service.
The fifth story is “Enemy of Crime” by @Lord_Kotodwe of Ghana. The story is about people who were raised in an utopia and a force is being gathered to go to the Outland. Two young women volunteer to be part of the special force to bring order, but what they were taught all their lives about the Outland, appears to be anything but.
The sixth story is “False Hoods” by @Effessart from the United States, but brings on the what if virtual games controlled reality?
I have to say that I was impressed by all stories in the book but I have to say that the artwork of “Enemy of Crime” and “False Hoods” were quite impressive.
Loved the fact that the book included interviews and their upcoming “Saturday Wars” event.
As a person who just discovered “Saturday AM”, I am actually quite interested in reading more wonderful stories and checking out the cool artwork from people all over the globe.
“Saturday AM Annual 2023: A Celebration of Original Diverse Manga-Inspired Short Stories from Around the World” is recommended!