Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Full-Color Manga Edition (Family Comic Friday)

Let's finish out my Halloween readings for 2025 with a Manga adaptation of a film that has become a classic of not just Halloween, but Christmas as well! 

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas has become a holiday classic that people enjoy from October all the way through to the New Year! I didn't see the movie when it first appeared in theaters in 1993. Probably because I went to a Christian school and was too afraid of expressing any interest in a film that was clearly 'pagan'. It wasn't until I was in college working at a shopping mall video store that I became introduced to the film. But even through our showing the film on the myriad of television screens, I didn't really appreciate it until years later. Now I absolutely adore it.

My local library had this book in their new release section and I thought it would be the perfect transition between Halloween and Christmas comic book reading; though I won't be diving into holiday time comics until Thanksgiving week. This is a 2025 release from TokyoPop. Now you might be thinking 'Didn't TokyoPop release an adaption of this movie in 2016?' Well, you would be right. But that was a black and white edition and the artwork was not very faithful to the vision of Tim Burton. It was more sketchy in look and for those not familiar with the Manga style, it was very much maligned.

With this deluxe color hardcover edition, the artwork looks more polished. The format is still traditionally Manga, meaning you read from the right going leftward. Same with interpreting the panels. The sound effects are in Japanese with English subtitles. But compared to that black and white edition, this volume is 10 times better. 

The classic story is still the same. The King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington, has become bored with the same old Halloween traditions year after year. A chance encounter into the realm of Christmas Town inspires Jack to celebrate the season of giving. But it's done with Halloween flare. So when Jack has Santa kidnapped in order to take his place as 'Sandy Claws', things go horribly wrong. 

My favorite scene from the movie is when Jack as Sandy gives a human boy a wrapped present. The parents ask the lad about what Santa gave him for Christmas. The boy pulls out a shrunken head and his parents faint. Classic scene. Unfortunately, TokyoPop changed it. Instead of a shrunken head, the kid pulls out a bat. It's not even a scary looking bat. The parents still freak out. But the magic of that scene is no more. 

As with any adaptation, scenes get cut or edited. (But why did they have to change my favorite one?) Another thing  that underwent what I thought was an unnecessary alteration was the antagonist, Oogie Boogie. He just kinda shows up out of nowhere, putting Santa Claus and the rag-doll character Sally in mortal peril for no seeming reason. He's much more developed in the film and there was no prior eference to his one-armed bandits that plays a critical role in the climax of the story. (Russian playwright Chekov would be mortified at this!)

TokyoPop has an origin story about how Jack and Oogie Boogie started out as friends and then had a falling out. Perhaps, they are heavily editing the villain's impact in this volume in hopes of enticing readers to go out and buy it. Thanks to the ad for that volume at the end of this book, I want to read it. But I also feel like cutting out a lot of Oogie Boogie's backstory, of for the sake of additional sales is a little underhanded, if that's what TokyoPop did in fact do.

If you love Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and you can get past the alternate direction of reading that comes with Manga, you'll love this book. In fact, if you are a collector, you might even say that you need this book. The adaptation is decent. They do a fairly good job of trying to portray some of the musical numbers from the film. The coloring was beautiful and I was absolutely enamored by the art until the very last page. Why did artists Jun Asuka and Manuel Puppo decide all of a sudden to make Jack's ghost pup Zero look like he was CGI instead of illustrated pencil and inks as he (and the rest of the Manga) appears in the book? It was an error that ruined a perfect holiday feel-good feel!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

I Luv Halloween, Vol 1

A Halloween themed manga written by Keith Giffen. I couldn't pass it up. And yet like a driver who picks up the hitchhiker from Hell, I kinda wish that I had kept on driving. 

I Luv Halloween has got to be the must inappropriate, goriest romp starring kids that I have ever read. Imagine the movie Gummo, if it was set during Halloween. (I really want to compare this with the film Kids. However, there's nowhere as much animal murder and cruelty in that controversial film compared to Gummo.)

The book is about a group of 4 boys as they go trick-or-treating. After getting apples at their first couple of houses, the boys decide to break the curse by putting razor blades in one of the fruits and unleash the unmitigated fury of the law on one of their stingy neighbors. Meanwhile, one of the boy's sisters has broken free from the group and has begun a reign of unintentional terror, killing the neighborhood bully, bludgeoning a cheerleader and her boyfriend and much, much more unspeakable acts. 

If I thought Giffen was trying to do a straight out horror story on par with Children of the Corn, I'd probably not feel like I need to take a shower just for writing this review. But the kids in the book do most of their gruesome acts with a sense of innocence. It's almost like the worst Murphy's law bad luck of all time following these kids and they just go through life not understanding just how destructive they are. Remember how Steve Urkel would ask 'did I do that?', whenever something went wrong? Well, these kids, for the most part, don't even know that they are doing terrible things. Well, the sister might. There's definitely something not quite right about her...

The artwork is by Benjamin Roman. At the time this book was published, in 2005, he was a relative newcomer with this being his very first professionally published work. His art style is extremely exaggerated. Roman would fit in quite well at MAD Magazine. I wonder what became of him...

This one isn't a keeper for me. I wasn't a huge fan of it. There's a lot going on that I'm not even sure happened or not as several of kids are not very reliable narrators. And yet, there's 2 more volumes and I just need to find out what is true and what is the fever dreams of a group of horny preteens. Plus I just need to know what is wrong with the sister. She just not quite right in the head.

Not the coming of age tale you'd feel comfortable sharing with your kids or grand kids. I fact, if you didn't feel uncomfortable after reading this book I'd think something might be wrong with you...

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: The Manga Ultimate Edition (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

From 2006-2008, Manga publisher TokyoPop produced a trilogy of books based on the classic Star Trek TV series. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the crew of the original Enterprise were given the Manga treatment in an assortment of stories written by classic Star Trek screenwriters and modern comic book authors. In 2009, TokyoPop was ready to release a 4th edition. Only instead of all-new material, the international publisher held an online poll in which fans voted for what already published tales they wanted to see in a giant treasury of 'Best Of' material.

Star Trek: The Manga Ultimate Edition was over 300 pages of already published material. Incentives to purchase the treasury edition was having the first 2 dozen pages of the opening story 'Side Effects' printed in full color, along with a color insert poster comprise of artwork by cover artist Michael Kelleher.

The first story gives a possible origin story to the definitive foe of the Next Generation era of Star Trek: The Borg. Given that these Manga stories are not canon, it's not an essential story that Trek fans must read. But with that chilling ending that sets up a massive reveal, 'Side Effects' was a spectacular choice to open this fan's selection of Japanese inspired Star Trek reads.

David Gerrold, the writer of the original series classic 'The Trouble With Tribbles' pens the closer. Gerrold's 'Bandi' is a sequel to 'Tribbles' in spirit when the Enterprise picks up a stowaway. During a recent survey mission, a crew-member brings with him a Bandi-Bear; a seemingly adorable creature that looks like a cross between a gummi bear and those bruins found on Grateful Dead t-shirts. A creature that thrives on emotions, when Kirk becomes adamant that no foreign animals be allowed on the Enterprise after the Tribbles incident, the Bandi begins to exhibit hostile intentions towards the crew.

Another story of note was 'Art of War'. That tale was scripted by Wesley Crusher himself- Wil Wheaton! Told from the joint perspective of the court-martials of both Captain Kirk and his Klingon counterpart, this story hints at the eventual peace between the Federation and Klingon Empire. 

Aside from a 2009 volume of material based on Star Trek: The Next Generation (of which a 28-page preview is included in this book), no further Manga works based on the CBS franchise have ever been released by TokyoPop. IDW Publishing has definitely taken over the reins of Star Trek related comics. Meanwhile, TokyoPop has focused on works owned by Disney along with traditional Japanese titles and American inspired Manga works.

Note: If you buy this book on Amazon- BEWARE! Amazon claims that the Ultimate Edition 'Collects the original Star Trek manga trilogy'. That's just not true. This volume is a collection of fan favorites. If you were to buy all 3 volumes, they would equal almost 700 pages. This treasury is 342 pages (28 of which is TNG previews). So you miss out on over half of the available material out there devoted to the classic Star Trek TV series if you decide to purchase this work instead of the 'trilogy'. I made such a mistake and now I am having buyers remorse despite being such a fan of these stories.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars because I really want to read those missing stories!

Completing this review completes Task #14 (A Manga Work) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Ghostbusters: Ghost Busted (2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Challenge)

Manga.

Comics and graphic novels that originate from Japan. Often printed in black & white for either economic reasons, aesthetic purposes; or both! Based on Japanese scrolls from the 19th Century, most manga is read from right to left. The artwork is highly stylized and sometimes a characters emotions or a scenes overall theme might result in the characters looking totally different for a panel or two. While a majority of manga is based on popular Japanese franchises or an all-new idea, a manga set to a licensed property from the West has become a growing trend in the past 50 years. Batman, Star Wars, Star Trek (Original Series and Next Gen.) and the Marvel Universe have all received the manga treatment. 

Ghostbusters.

A doomed labor of love from Dan Aykroyd to create a project to help keep best friend John Belushi out of trouble, resulted in the birth of a comedy horror franchise. In 1984, the world was introduced to the Ghostbusters. Ray, Peter, Winston and Egon. These four heroes work to free New York City from the threat of the demonic Gozer and it's army of ghosts and demons. After a not-as-good sequel, an amazing ABC Saturday cartoon series and toy line and a handful of video games ranging from god-awful (Sega) to epic, the Ghostbusters were turned into a manga in 2008.

Ghost Busted is set a couple of years after the events of Ghostbusters II. Reinstated by the mayor of New York, the guys set about ridding the world of spectral threats. But instead of just blasting every ghost they run across, the Ghostbusters have also gotten into the medium business. 

Realizing that many spirits are just the deceased trying to right some wrongs before heading over to the other side, the fellas now try to solve the Big Apple's ghost problem peacefully. However, should things get out of hand, the Ghostbusters are not afraid to use their nuclear powered proton packs. 

While the Ghostbusters continue to investigate the paranormal to great success, a character from the team's past hasn't had it so good. A plan of revenge is brewing. Allies are being recruited. Soon, a new team of busters will wall the city streets. A team of the undead. Meet the Ghostbuster-busters!

This Manga might not be all that traditional. The publisher, Tokyopop isn't Japanese. It's an L.A. based company whose Manga division was based in Germany. Up until 2011, Tokyo pop published German translations of Japanese comics as well as original English language Manga for American markets. The company now focuses strictly on Japanese properties. 

Also, this book reads left to right like a traditional English language text. The panels also rotate clock-wise instead of counter. But the artwork is definitely traditional manga. When a character gets emotional, they become angelic chibis or hyper-sensitive emojis. 

So Ghostbusters: Ghost Busted wasn't very true to the manga genre. However, I'm not your average manga reader. The number of manga I've read compared to traditional comics and graphic novels looks like the electoral college numbers between Reagan and Mondale. With exception of the cat-centric What's Michael?, I don't think I've read anything manga that wasn't based on an American property. 

Plus, I love Ghostbusters. I didn't realize how much I needed them until COVID. With being lockdown and then bogged down, I counted down the days to the true sequel of the franchise Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Even after being pleasantly surprised with that 2021 film, my hunger for Ghostbusters continues to gnaw. Consider my appetite sated. But I'll be hungry for another round of my favorite ghost hunters soon! Because CRUD! No Slimer!!!

Though I might have cheated reading an Americanized manga published in Germany, I enjoyed this read. The 2022 reading challenge is supposed to take me out of my comfort zone. I argue that I did venture out a bit. I just didn't swim out into the deep end of the manga pool

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #41 (Manga Work) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero's Journey, Book One

It seems that Jack Skellington didn't truly learn his lesson on that Christmas Eve when he became Sandy Claws. He's so obsessed with creating an automatic portal to all of the other holiday lands. In fact,  Jack has been ignoring his duties as the King of Halloween Town. 

He's also been ignoring his loyal ghost pooch, Zero. Feeling guilty, Jack decides to play a quick round of catch with Zero during a break. But Zero gets a little too excited for the sudden attention. So thrilled, that when he bumps into Jack's not-quite-finished portal, the ghost doggie disappears!

Zero finds himself transported to Christmas Town. It's a very exciting place for Zero- full of snow, lights and tasty treats. There's also some new friends, who help Zero feel quite welcome. But Christmas Town is just not home for Zero. Will the puppy find his way back to his master, Jack?

It's a personal rule of mine that I do not read any Christmas-time themed holiday comics until December 1st. But since this book was a fusion of Christmas and Halloween, I thought reading it smack dab in the middle of November was a fair compromise!

I loved this story. Like the original, this book has some songs in it. Usually, I have trouble enjoying comics with songs that don't have music added. But I didn't have trouble here. I really could sense a soundtrack in this.

What I did not like was how the book ended- with a 'TO BE CONTINUED!'

But really, this is my fault. I should have realized that with this volume being titled as a 'Volume One', that the story would carry over into multiple volumes. Yet, readers have been burned with this sort of thing before; being told that something is a volume one but a further edition never materializes.

I'm kinda worried about that here. There's only 3 volumes out thus far from TokyoPop. From what I can tell, there's been a total of 16 issues of Zero's Journey released. But I can't figure out if the series is over or not. I also cannot tell if or when a fourth volume is on the horizon.

Sadly, I also don't think that my local library has the second and third book on hand... So I have no idea how I'm going to finish up this series. Or when!

So I enjoyed the book. It's a great segue-way between All Hallow's Eve and the Yule Tide Season. It's only the first chapter of this epic. But, it certainly gets you in the spirit of the holidays.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.