Uncategorized

https://nerdist.com/article/rings-of-powers-benjamin-walker-interview/

Darkness has its Lord in Sauron, but the elves have a High King of their own. He will lead them in the fight for Middle-earth’s soul. How will Gil-galad do that in season two on The Rings of Power after barely averting disaster in season one? Nerdist spoke to star Benjamin Walker ahead of the show’s second season at Prime Video about just that. We also asked about his wide-ranging career, how it prepared him to play one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s most famous leaders, the High King’s reaction to peace giving way to war, and more. 

Nerdist: Before we get to The Rings of Power season two, I want to go back because I have been fascinated by your career for a long time. It’s not even that you’ve worked with some really famous and talented actors and directors. It’s that you’ve played an incredibly wide range of parts across very different genres. Do you actively seek out such different parts? Or is that just sort of how things have fallen for you?

Benjamin Walker: There’s an element to every actor’s career that’s just dumb luck. But I am pretty picky. I kind of live by…I like to collect directors, just in my mind. I want to know how they do what they do and have the opportunity to. Because every time you work with a different director, it’s like a different vocabulary. It’s a different workflow. I really like jumping in between different ways of working. I kind of live by, “What am I going to learn? Is this going to make me better?”

For example, I just did a show in the West End with the director Ivo van Hove. He’s this Dutch avant-garde theater director where you make a film of play you’re doing. While you do the play that video is live projected behind you. And the narrative is often disjointed and confusing on purpose, but it illuminates something unique about the story you’re trying to tell because the audience kind of has to play catch up the entire time. That to me, doing something different every time, is important. It keeps the job fresh. It keeps your tools sharp. And it’s one of the biggest joys I find doing the job, being a collaborator with people you haven’t collaborated with.

The things I’m about to bring up, I bring up specifically because I like them and I especially like you in them. Just want you to know-

Walker: :laughs: Disclaimer, alert.

Well I just want to make sure, because I imagine a lot of people first remember you from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Walker: Sure.

But then you followed that up with an HBO movie about the Supreme Court (Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight) and a Ron Howard film about a famous shipwreck (In the Heart of the Sea). Now you’re a famous Elf King on a Lord of the Ring series. How does playing Gil-galad compare to the many other types of roles you’ve had?

Walker: Oooh. I mean, certainly in terms of the scale, you talk about collaboration, the army of artists and craftspeople that are there to work with you and also support you, that’s been profound on this. That the size and scale of the show, by necessity, if you’re going to do Tolkien, that’s kind of the bare minimum of what it takes.

But, in some ways, now that I’m saying it, it feels a bit…for example, in the Ron Howard film, there were a few days where you’re exhausted, emaciated, and you’re just kind of stuck in a dinghy out in the ocean while (cinematographer) Anthony Dod Mantle has this handheld camera. And it’s like you’re doing almost a Guerrilla independent college film. Or it’s just some guys that have gotten together and they’re going to try and make this little story on this. That was an epic film, but in those moments, it feels very Guerrilla in that way.

We still have those moments on The Rings of Power. You walk into this massive sound stage where they’ve built the forest of Lindon, and you’ve got your ears glued on and you’re wearing a crown, and every leaf has been painted gold. But then you find yourself standing under a tree going, “Alright, but how do we milk every bit of magic out of this scene?” So in some ways the scale is different, the level of production is different, but if it’s good at its core, that’s what you try and do.

In addition to being wise and noble, the elves of Middle-earth are also smug. (Walker agrees) I believe that description definitely applies to Gil-galad. What’s the key to finding the balance between likable yet arrogant with the High King?

Walker: Oh that’s a great question. I think it comes from experience. His perceived smugness, especially in the second season, you’re going to start to see unravel a little bit because it’s one thing to have the experience to know the right move to make because you’ve done it before. But then inversely, when you have had that much experience, what’s the thing that makes you go, “I’ve never seen this before?”

So it’s important to lay in the foundation of the King that he has his hands on the wheel of peace time. But what does he become when peace time starts to slip away? In some ways, the first season is just laying the foundation for where we’re going throughout the course of the remaining seasons.

It’s like you anticipated my next question because in season one, he’s problem solving a desperate situation. But in season two, he’s confronted with the possibility that the cure could be worse than the disease. How does he deal with that and what’s the real driving factor behind his response to Sauron’s potential manipulation?

Walker: For the elves, it’s about the relationships among themselves and among the peoples and species of Middle-earth. You talk about smugness unraveling, with Elrond, for example, they have this great relationship, this kind of mentorship they have fostered. But you look at his relationship with Elrond and what does it mean for him to know that the person you’re mentoring is going to make a mistake. Is going to defy you. It’s almost like a parent-child relationship. A loving parent has to, at some point, let their child make a mistake. “Alright, you climbed up that tree. Now how are you going to get down?”

If every time they need to get out of the tree, you go pull ’em out, they don’t know how to climb trees. You’ve deprived them of that. And I think that’s something that Gil-galad does well, actually, but is also frustrating and costly.

I was going to ask you about your relationship with the other Elf leaders. There’s also Galadriel, Celebrimbor, Círdan. All of them look up to the High King, but they also answer to him. You talked about Elrond, but how would you define your relationship with the rest of them?

Walker: Galadriel and I have a fraught relationship to be sure. On paper, other than the hierarchy that the elves really respect, on paper we are equals. And for those that really know the book, technically she’s older than I am. So that is a recipe for disaster. But they also admire each other in that she often pushes the King and he often needs to pull her back. They need each other in order to be a successful people.

And Celebrimbor, he does something that no other creature has ever done, which is to harness the power of his smithing artistry. He, in some ways, is the pivotal character in all of Tolkien. If he were terrible at making rings, you wouldn’t have much of a story. And there’s a level of respect there that they share, but also they’re playing with technology that nobody fully understands. It’s a bit “Oppenheimer” of Tolkien. That moment of, “I think we can do this. Should we?” And they don’t fully understand what they’re doing.

What’s great about all the High Elves is that they’re in, some ways, the most capable characters in Middle-earth, but also the most fallible. That’s a testament to Tolkien, and, I hope, to what we’re doing with the show.

We know the High King’s fate in this story. Does any part of you keep that in mind so you can sort of reverse engineer how he gets to that point? Or do you simply try to stay centered on exactly where he is at this in the story right now,

Walker: It’s helpful for you as the actor to know. A production of Macbeth where Macbeth knows he’s going to die is not a good production. He has to have hope. But that’s also unique about the Elves in general. How do they live this long? Survive such death and destruction and boredom and misery, but still have hope? That’s unique and part of the fun to know the end of the story and then forget it. And in the pursuit of that hope you help the audience forget it.

What have you learned about Gil-galad after two seasons that has surprised you?

Walker: About how him losing his cool manifests itself. The elves don’t really lose their cool, but if there’s ever a time to lose your cool, it’s when evil has resurfaced and you’ve told all of your lieutenants the right thing to do and they didn’t do it. Part of the fun of Gil-galad is, like we said earlier, this kind of smug peace time consigliere. But what does it look like when he casts off his robes and goes, “Okay, all you guys to your rooms, I’m pulling this car over.” That’s part of the fun. What happens when they’re ready to kick some ass.

What are you most excited for fans to see this season?

Walker: If you know the books, you know it’s about to get really messy.

Also…how do I word this without getting in trouble…

In the books, the elves and music have such a deep relationship. About every two seconds they’re staring into a pool of water and singing to the Valar. It is nice that our show is accepting that and using that. And that we have such great musical team like Bear (McCreary).

.youtube-embed{padding-bottom:56.25%!important;position:relative;overflow:hidden}.youtube-embed a,.youtube-embed iframe{display:block;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute}.youtube-embed iframe{border:0}.youtube-embed img.youtube-cover{-o-object-fit:cover;object-fit:cover;height:100%;width:100%;cursor:pointer}.youtube-embed img.play-button{width:66px;position:absolute;left:46%;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto;cursor:pointer}@media only screen and (max-width:499px){.youtube-embed img.play-button{left:45%;width:60px}}@media only screen and (max-width:425px){.youtube-embed img.play-button{left:44%;width:60px}}@media only screen and (max-width:375px){.youtube-embed img.play-button{left:43%;width:56px}}@media only screen and (max-width:345px){.youtube-embed img.play-button{left:42%;width:50px}}.youtube-embed .progressive-img{-webkit-filter:blur(10px);filter:blur(10px)}.youtube-embed .progressive-img.loaded{-webkit-filter:none;filter:none;-webkit-transition:-webkit-filter 1s ease-out;transition:-webkit-filter 1s ease-out;-o-transition:filter 1s ease-out;-moz-transition:filter 1s ease-out;transition:filter 1s ease-out;transition:filter 1s ease-out,-webkit-filter 1s ease-out}.youtube-embed .kskdDiv{display:none!important}

The post THE RINGS OF POWER’s Benjamin Walker On High King Gil-galad’s Response to Coming War in Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

https://nerdist.com/article/10-greatest-teen-titans-comic-book-runs-ranked/

Since the 1960s, the Teen Titans, often just referred to these days as the Titans, have been a staple of DC Comics. In fact, they were once DC’s best-selling monthly title, even outselling Batman and Justice League. They’ve gone on to star in three animated series, a live-action show, and soon, a movie in James Gunn’s DCU. But with 17 different series featuring these iconic young heroes, which ones are the best of the best? We’ve narrowed down their greatest and most influential comic book series over the past six decades.

10. Teen Titans by Bob Rozakis

with Irv Novick, Don Heck, José Delbo

The original Teen Titans series, which began in the ‘60s, ran out of steam and ended up cancelled in 1973;’s issue #43. But DC decided to try again in 1976, with a relaunched title by writer Bob Rozakis, picking up at issue #44. Now, these comics are definitely of their time. It had the Titans running a disco called “Gabriel’s Horn,” and Speedy in a rock band called The Great Frog. They also fought ridiculous villains like the Rocket Rollers, that cashed-in on popular trends at the time like skateboarding. But to writer Bob Rozakis’ credit, this run on Teen Titans elevated the female heroes more than the previous run did. That counts for something.

Also on the plus side, this run introduced new characters like the Joker’s Daughter and Bumblebee, DC’s first African-American superheroine. Both characters are still around in new and improved forms today. The concept of a Titans West spin-off team was born in this run too, years before Marvel did their own West Coast Avengers. Yes, the dialogue is kind of cringe throughout this run, and the artwork is not always that great. But this very brief era of Teen Titans is fun and charming regardless. For the Teen Titans, however, it was the third time that proved to be the charm. But we’ll get to that.

9. New Titans by Marv Wolfman

with George Pérez, Tom Grummett

In many ways, this is an extension of Marv Wolfman’s earlier New Teen Titans run. But since the series got a title change, we’re counting it as its own distinct era. In 1988, New Teen Titans needed a bit of a kick in the pants. So DC decided to let the now-adult heroes drop the “Teen” from their name, and rebranded as The New Titans. After an absence of several years, New Teen Titans co-creator George Pérez returned, to reimagine the origin of Wonder Girl for a post-Crisis era. They followed that epic up with a Batman crossover which introduced the third Robin, Tim Drake, into the DC mythos, called “A Lonely Place of Dying.”

When Pérez left after a year, Wolfman teamed up with an up-and-coming artist named Tom Grummett. Their year-long saga “Titans Hunt” saw all of the team captured by the Wildebeest Society. Only Nightwing manages to escape. So Dick Grayson has to put together a new group of misfits to find his missing comrades. This run is very soapy, with twists and shocks and character deaths in each issue. And it was fun as hell to read month-to-month. After “Titans Hunt,” things got very sloppy, leading to New Titans‘ eventual cancellation in 1995. But from ’88-’92, Marv Wolfman proved that after a decade on Titans, he could still do some darn good, meant n’ potatoes comic book yarn spinning.

Issues in Marv Wolfman’s New Titans Run:

New Titans #50-130 (1988-1995)

8. Titans by Tom Taylor

with Nicola Scott, Lucas Meyer

It’s hard to know what the final ranking for this series is, if only because it’s still running. But we’re pretty confident in placing writer Tom Taylor’s current Titans run in this spot, even though it’s not finished yet. After the events of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Justice League disbanded. As a result, Superman left the Earth in charge of the Titans for protection, believing it was finally their time to shine. Tom Taylor first proved he understood Dick Grayson as a character in his Nightwing run. Now, he proves he understands his best friends as well with this current series.

Among the great stories so far in this run include Beast World. Last year’s crossover event saw Beast Boy weaponized against the Earth, and the resulting public turn against the Titans. Also, Raven’s current turn to the dark side is providing for some fun reading. (Even if this storyline has kind of been done to death already). The initial art by Nicola Scott is gorgeous, as are the pencils from follow-up regular artist Lucas Meyer. With Taylor wrapping up his writing duties on Titans this fall, it’s ultimately a far too brief run. But one worth mentioning.

Issues in Tom Taylor’s Titans Run:

Titans (vol. 4) #1-15 (2023-2024)

7. The Titans by Devin Grayson, James M. Faerber, Tom Peyer

with Mark Buckingham, Paul Pelletier, Barry Kitson, Adam DeKraker, Peter Grau

After a chilly reception to a rebooted Teen Titans series by Dan Jurgens in 1996 with all new characters, DC decided to go back to basics. After Grant Morrison’s massively successful JLA relaunch, the company reunited the original five Titans, now all adults with new codenames. Writer Devin Grayson took the original five members and brought back Starfire and Cyborg from New Teen Titans, Jesse Quick from Mark Waid’s Flash comics, the teen hero Damage, and Argent, from Dan Jurgens’ previous and little-loved Teen Titans run. Somehow, this hodgepodge team mostly worked.

Devin Grayson got the family dynamic right off the bat, writing the core five heroes as people who literally grew up together. They also integrated well with the newer generation of heroes, even if stalwarts like Raven and Beast Boy were very missed. Some of the villains introduced in this series, like the group Tartarus, should still be around (others, like the Marilyn Manson lookalike named Goth, can stay in 1999). The artwork from pencilers like Mark Buckingham were not often flashy, but always solid. After Grayson left, writers Jay Faerber and Tom Peyer continued her storylines. Overall, this was a fun run that really cemented the Titans as adult heroes in their own right, something that continues to this day.

Issues in Devin Grayson, Jay Faerber, and Tom Peyer’s The Titans Run:

JLA/Titans: The Technic Imperative #1-3 (1998) The Titans #1-50 (1999-2003)

6. Teen Titans by Benjamin Percy

with Jonboy Meyers, Khoi Pham, Scott Eaton

The New 52 era rebooted the Teen Titans as kind of extreme, ‘90s-style versions of the characters, making them almost unrecognizable to fans. When the classic DC continuity returned in 2016’s DC Rebirth era, DC relaunched the team yet again, only with a Robin who had never been a Titan before—-Batman’s son, Damian Wayne. Robin recruits a team that, at least superficially, resembled that animated Teen Titans TV series roster. Only difference, Kid Flash Wallace West replaced Cyborg, who was in the Justice League.

Damian Wayne needed a new Titans roster to fight his grandfather, Ra’s al Ghul, and his lethal League of Assassins. Benjamin Percy writes an appropriately cocky Damian, who despite being much younger than his teammates, always thinks he knows better than they do. His learning to truly appreciate working and relying on others is a highlight of this version of the Titans. The artwork from pencilers Jonboy Meyers, and later, Khoi Pham and Scott Eaton, was modern and dynamic. The book eventually ran out of steam, but it’s one of the better modern Teen Titans series.

Issues in Benjamin Percy’s Teen Titans Run:

Teen Titans: Rebirth #1, Teen Titans (vol. 5) #1-19 (2016-2018)

5. Teen Titans Academy by Tim Sheridan

with Rafa Sandoval, Steve Lieber, and Tom Derenick

This was a very brief and fairly recent run, one that went under the radar, written by Alan Scott: Green Lantern writer Tim Sheridan. And it certainly wasn’t celebrated nearly enough. In Teen Titans Academy, the now-adult ’80s Titans members decided to train the next generation of younger heroes, and turn Titan’s Tower into a school, the Roy Harper Academy, named for the then-dead founding Titan Arsenal. (He’s much better now). Yes, it’s very X-Men as a concept. But at the time, the school aspect of X-Men had been dropped, so this filled a niche. The book focused on teen heroes with names like Megabrat and Gorilla Greg, with the adult faculty taking more of a backseat.

The ongoing mystery of the series, just what was the true identity of the mysterious student Red X, never really sticks the landing. Still, it was so fun to see these younger student characters refer to their teachers as “Mr. Nightwing” and “Ms. Starfire,” etc. The series ended prematurely with the school burned to the ground, and all of the students leaving. But someone needs to revisit this concept at some point. (It’s also odd the adult Titans have seemingly forgotten they ever tried to run a school in their new series). We hope more fans discover this hidden gem of a Titans series in the future.

Issues in Tim Sheridan’s Teen Titans Academy Run:

Teen Titans Academy #1-15, Teen Titans Academy 2012 Yearbook (2021-2022)

4. Young Justice by Peter David

with Todd Nauck

Ok, this is technically not a Teen Titans book. But only technically. In the late ’90s, Incredible Hulk writer Peter David and artist Todd Nauck were tasked with giving the new generation of teen sidekicks like Robin (Tim Drake), Superboy (Conner Kent), Impulse (Bart Allen), and Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark) their own series. DC considered the name “Teen Titans” toxic at the time, thanks to the previous few years of failed attempts at launching a new series, so they received a new name—Young Justice. But different name or not this was essentially the Teen Titans in everything but name. The core four eventually added new members, like The Secret, and Arrowette.

Young Justice operated out of the Justice League’s old mountain base. There, they found a mentor in the android JLA member, the Red Tornado. This series had the traditional mix of humor, soapy drama, and adventure that Peter David was known for in series like X-Factor for Marvel. Todd Nauck’s art was wonderfully whimsical, and actually made the kids look like, well, kids. And fans ate it up. The series ran a respectable 53 issues with this creative team, and it remains beloved to this day. Another reason we feel comfortable regarding this as a Teen Titans series? All the members went on to become the core of the Teen Titans in the 2003 revival just a few years later.

Issues in Peter David’s Young Justice Run:

Young Justice #1-53 (1998-2003)

3. Teen Titans by Bob Haney

with Nick Cardy, Sheldon Moldoff, Irv Novick, George Tuska, Neal Adams

One of comics’ longest-running teams started off as not much more than a gimmick. “What if the Justice League’s kid sidekicks formed their own group?” DC teamed up Robin, Kid Flash. and Aqualad for an adventure in a 1964’s The Brave and the Bold #54, and its sales justified a spin-off team. In 1965, Teen Titans launched, written by their creator Bob Haney. The three boys teamed up with Wonder Girl, and eventually, Green Arrow’s partner Speedy, as DC’s “Fab Five.” This was smack in the middle of the Batman ’66 era, and Teen Titans piggybacked off that success. They even got a short-lived cartoon a mere few years after their first issue hit stands.

The original Teen Titans stories are very silly, generally revolving around the Titans just hanging out in their HQ, hassling each other in a typical teenage way, and having one-off adventures. The middle-aged writers trying to write the youth lingo of the era comes across as painful, probably even at the time. There are a lot of “Daddy-O’s” and such. They were so ’60s, they even fought a villain called “Mad Mod.” The artwork, usually by Nick Cardy, pales in comparison to what Marvel was doing at the time. But it gets the job done. The Titans never called each other by their real names, had any real problems, and “character development” was non-existent. But it had a fun energy to it that was undeniable, and its light tone later informed the very successful Teen Titans animated series.

Issues in Bob Haney’s Teen Titans Run:

Teen Titans (vol. 1) #1-43 (1965-1973)

2. Teen Titans by Geoff Johns

with Mike McKone, Tony Daniel, Tom Grummett

After their triumphant ‘80s run, the Titans as a concept fell on hard times. A 1996 reboot didn’t find any traction, and the adult 1999 The Titans series run didn’t exactly set sales records either. But with an animated series on the horizon in 2003, DC decided to reboot the concept for comics with writer Geoff Johns and artist Mike McKone. In what would become a Geoff Johns trademark as a writer, especially on Green Lantern, he celebrated DC’s rich history and forged a new future for the franchise at the same time. Teen Titans vol. 3 was a very big success, reviving the franchise in a big way.

The members of Young Justice graduated at last to Teen Titans status. Meanwhile, several members of Wolfman and Pérez’s team were now the older mentors. This fusing of two eras worked like gangbusters. Johns added new layers to characters like Superboy Conner Kent, and he grew up the immature speedster Impulse into Kid Flash. He also re-established Deathstroke as the Titans’ greatest enemy, and created a link between the Titan’s nemesis Brother Blood and team member Raven. While the first couple of years remain the book’s peak, when penciler Mike McKone was mostly drawing it, Johns’ entire fifty-issue run gets what makes the Teen Titans tick more than almost any other.

Issues in Geoff Johns’ Teen Titans Run:

Teen Titans (vol. 3) #1-50, (2003-2007)

1. The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman

with George Pérez, Eduardo Baretto, José Luis García-López, Chuck Patton

The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, not only rescued the franchise, it helped rescue DC Comics overall. After a middling attempt at a revival in the late ‘70s, DC hired Marvel creators Marv Wolfman and George Pérez to relaunch the title a third time. They took the X-Men approach to this reboot—keep a few key characters from the previous run (Robin, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash) and introduce vibrant new heroes like Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire. They even took a forgotten hero named Beast Boy and made him the comic relief of the team as Changeling. Thanks to more serious storytelling, real pathos for the characters, and stunning art for Pérez, The series was a runaway hit, infusing DC with a Marvel-esque storytelling that outsold every other comic at DC at the time, five-to-one.

During this era, Wolfman and Pérez introduced iconic villains Deathstroke, and Trigon, and they transformed Robin from a joke “kid sidekick in peril” character into Nightwing, an adult hero in his own right, not just Batman’s junior partner. Their two-year storyline “The Judas Contract” saw the introduction of Terra, a young female hero who ultimately betrayed the team and broke their hearts. It remains one of superhero storytelling’s fines arcs. Perez’s art was detailed and incredible, doing career-best work here, elevating the artform. Because of this success, DC launched a second monthly book, Tales of the Teen Titans. DC eventually gave Wolfman and Pérez allowed them to reboot the DC universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths. And the rest, as they say, is history. But it wouldn’t have happened without the success of The New Teen Titans. Still, and probably always, the gold standard of Teen Titans series.

Issues in Marv Wolfman’s New Teen Titans Run:

New Teen Titans (vol. 1) #1-40, Tales of the Teen Titans #41-59, Tales of the New Teen Titans #1-4, New Teen Titans (vol. 2) #1-49 (1980-1988) New Teen Titans: Games OGN (2005)

The post The 10 Greatest TEEN TITANS Comic Book Runs, Ranked appeared first on Nerdist.

https://www.themarysue.com/best-supernatural-romance-books/

I am fully aware it is not October yet, but it’s never too early for books featuring ghosts, monsters, and bumps in the night. Add in some kissing, and it’s a graveyard smash! Check out this list of books for romance lovers who remain on standby for Code Orange.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

It’s a lonely existence, keeping your magic a secret. To stay safe from a world that isn’t kind to witches, Mika Moon never stays in one place long enough to make connections or be truly known. When she is contacted to help care for three young girls who are learning to control their own magic, she takes the opportunity and moves into the Nowhere House. The magic feels whimsical and gives the book a cozy vibe. The romance is a slow burn with a Mr. Darcy-esque librarian. You’ll love this if you’re into the cottage-core aesthetic.

The post 10 supernatural romance books to keep Halloween in your heart appeared first on The Mary Sue.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/azuki-publish-two-series-add-four-new-manga-series/

My favorite digital manga subscription service Azuki, home of my faves My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files and newer fave Our Aimless Nights, has revealed that two series released as digital exclusives on Azuki — Hikaru in the Light! and Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms — will receive full-color print editions from Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, under the Graphix imprint– at their industry panel at anime convention Anime NYC . Additionally, Azuki is adding four new manga series to its subscription: Kotonoha, Ryoji Renjo: Gourmet Detective, Sweeter Than Cake, and Dreamnautes, all distributed by MediBang.

---

Hikaru in the Light! by Mai Matsuda

Middle-school student Hikaru Ogino is known as the “songbird” of her family’s bath house in Tokyo. But when her best friend Ran — a former girl group idol — invites her to try out for a pop star “survival camp” together, it’ll put her talents to the test. Can Hikaru outshine the competition and make her stage debut, or will she fall flat? Read the first chapter for free here!

Hikaru in the Light! will appeal to fans of: Shorter manga series (this series has completed with Chapter 27!), idol manga stories, coming of age tales

---

Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms by Yoshino Koyoka and TriF

Kita-Kagami City is a pretty normal town… except that some people have gotten their hands on Mecha-Ude: powerful, sentient, mechanical beings that attach themselves to their human hosts and have awesome capabilities. When middle-school kid Hikaru accidentally activates Alma, a robotic arm Mecha-Ude that has no memory of its past, they must team up to uncover the mystery of Alma’s identity and prevent the powerful Mecha-Ude from ending up in the wrong hands. Read the first chapter for free here!

Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms will appeal to fans of: Lots of action, sci-fi and of course, MECHA

What exciting news for making manga for more accessible in pint and digitally!!! The first volume of Hikaru in the Light! by Mai Matsuda will be published by Graphix in March 2025, and the first volume of Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms by Yoshino Koyoka and TriF will follow in April 2025. The Mecha-Ude TV anime series is produced by TriF and will be released in October 2024.

---

Kotonoha by Kisugae, distributed by MediBang

When Fujita was in high school, she had but one romantic encounter — and it was with another girl. It happened one day when they ended up kissing. However, somewhere inside her, she knew a girl kissing another girl was wrong, so she chose to remain as just friends. Even when graduation came, she could not confess her feelings, and so the two girls split ways. Five years later, Fujita still thinks back to that romantic encounter. Meanwhile at work, due to one of her colleagues going on maternity leave, a new designer is brought into the company… and who does that designer turn out to be? None other than her high school crush! Read the first chapter for free here!

Kotonoha will appeal to fans of: Adult GL stories, slice of life, office romances!

Ryoji Renjo: Gourmet Detective by Tadashi Kato, distributed by MediBang

Ryoji is just supposed to be that private detective everyone hires to solve their trivial personal cases. But why does he have this outstanding cooking skill that mesmerizes every cook he meets in the investigation? What is his connection with the famous head from Togawa restaurant? Together with Aoi, the outgoing woman who’s also a foodie, Ryoji spreads his cooking skill that will bring more taste to Japan’s urban culinary scene! Read the first chapter for free here!

Ryoji Renjo: Gourmet Detective will appeal to fans of: Lots of Drama, slice of life, mystery, and even the Seinen genre

---

Sweeter Than Cake by Yuga Kuromiya, distributed by MediBang

For Takuya Otsuki, his everyday routine after school is to pick up his brother Yuta at daycare, then go home and make dinner for the two of them, while their parents both work. He doesn’t stop by the game center, go out for karaoke, or visit cafes like the rest of his classmates. He is responsible for Yuta… who’s just disappeared into thin air!? As big bro Takuya chases after his small but swift baby brother, he finally catches him at the park, ogling at some cakes held by a suspicious looking red-haired man! Uh oh… What will Takuya have to do to pay him back for the trouble Yuta has caused….? Be his cake taster…? Is that… some sort of euphemism…?

Sweeter Than Cake will appeal to fans of: Mature romances, sweets, comedy, and variety when it comes to BL

Dreamnautes by Yasuyuki Oshima, distributed by MediBang: Every time Nattsu shuts his eyes, his world changes into a cloudy dimension with bizarre creatures and strange humans. What exactly is Nattsu’s purpose in that world? Why does he keep getting more and more tired? Dreamnautes is an instant Shonen classic with unique art and a charming concept. Not to be missed. Read the first chapter for free here!

Dreamnautes will appeal to fans of: Shounen and fantasy lovers, really fun looking artwork, and a charming concept

---

Azuki is available on the web at www.azuki.co and in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. The app features 300 manga series, including international hits like Attack on Titan, Fire Force, and A Silent Voice. Azuki also publishes acclaimed new series like Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms, Natsume & Natsume, and My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files, with weekly new chapters available exclusively via the Azuki app.

Manga fans can start reading for free with advertisements today, or upgrade to Premium and access the full Premium catalog featuring thousands of chapters for just $4.99 a month. A 14-day free trial and discounted annual plan are also available, and additional volumes outside the subscription can be purchased via direct volume sales. Premium members get 20% off all volumes. Most titles are available worldwide (except Japan). Stay up to date on the latest announcements by following Azuki at x.com/ReadAzuki, facebook.com/ReadAzuki, and instagram.com/readazuki.

---

About Graphix

Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, is committed to publishing creator-driven graphic novels for early, middle grade, and young adult readers. Graphix launched in 2005 with the publication of Jeff Smith’s acclaimed epic series, BONE. Graphix titles have become bestsellers around the globe and continue to receive awards and critical acclaim including multiple Eisner Award wins and nominations, a National Book Award Longlist selection (Hey, Kiddo), a Stonewall Book Award Honor (Drama), a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor (Smile), an Edgar Allan Poe nomination (The Lost Boy), and more than twenty-five New York Times bestsellers to date.

The list now features the Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier’s books, the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi, the Sunny books by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, Twins by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright, Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter, the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman, and the graphic novel adaptations of The Baby-sitters Club and Wings of Fire series.

---

Love reading manga? See more on our site!

Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you?
Sign up here! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and Instagram!

The post Azuki to Publish Two Series with Scholastic Graphix and Add Four New Manga Series appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.