What the hell is Manhua?

 

Back in 1988 I was at Magnolia Jr High. And my best friend was excitedly telling me about this "Japanese" comic he had found the previous weekend at Waldens Books in the  nearby mall. The  way he was describing  it  I just figured he was making stuff up. Out of his book bag he pulled a copy of the above pictured comic. Jademan Kung Fu Special #1 a full color 64 page comic. Once I was home from  school I started bugging  my  mom to drive me  to the mall to get a copy.  Now at the time I like my buddy just assumed this was more Japanese comics. And unlike say Mai the Psychic Girl this was in color. 

Few days later I went  got  my own  copy. Wasn't happy with the high cover price. But the next day at school a kid  paid me 2  bucks for the poster that  was  inside the comic. A poster of  The Stan Lee  of Hong Kong Comics Tony Wong standing in front of a red Ferrarri. I must have read that Special 20 times  that month. Eagerly awaiting the 4 monthly titles from Jademan. And then they never appeared. Never saw them  at Waldens.  Never saw them  at Gulf Coast Comix in Biloxi and never saw them at Sincere Comics in Mobile Al. For years I just assumed that Kung Fu Special is all that came out.

Skip ahead decades. I had forgotten about Jademan  and the Kung  Fu Special. Right around the  time  I got back in touch with the friend  that  showed me his copy ,the Cartoonist Kayfabe Youtube channel  did an episode on Kung Fu Special  #1. And I learned that  it was Chinese comics aka Manhua. And  there was a pile of these  issues.  

Off I went to the  online branch of Lone Star Comics.  Bought the Kung  Fu Special. Loved  it and since  then  when I find them  cheap I buy any comic Jademan put out.

Cause even now there isn't another company that has the combo of great art plus extra long books with some of  the best coloring  I have seen. 

Also learned that while  that Kung Fu Special was nothing but action  comics  Jademan  branched  out. I now have a few issues of their  horror anthology series. Plus all three issues of Jademan Comics,a anthology series that has 6 to 10 page stories  of all genres.

Doing  some research seems  I am not  the only  person  that got that Kung Fu Special and was hooked. A quick Google search  led  me to  a blog with  scans of all 55 issues of Oriental  Heroes. Plus the various online comic shops have  issues for cover price or cheaper if you  dont require Minty Mint copies.

Parenthood

 

TITLE-Parenthood

SOURCE-DVD

Now  I am sure I had heard of this film when it was hitting theaters. Just never saw  it till for what felt  like 2 years it aired at least once a week on Showtime. I watched it and loved it so much I ended up watching it  each time  it aired.

Steve Martin  has 3  kids,an almost teen boy who has anxiety issues,a younger girl,then a new baby boy  who  is  maybe 3. And while Steve and his family are the  leads in the film the film also focuses on his  siblings and parents.

Got his one  sister who is a single mom trying to raise  2 kids. The older kid is Martha Plimpton and she is  dating Keanu Reeves,in one of his earliest roles  I  saw. Then there is  the younger kid,a son played by Jouquin,listed as Leaf,Phoenix. All the kid wants to do is stay in his room,and when  we find out why it leads to a great speech from Keanu.

Then there  is Steve's youngest brother,the kid  that never did  well. He shows back up after  years with a young child now,named Cool,and is trying to turn  his life around.

Now when  I  first saw this film I was 15 or 16  and it made me laugh. Now I'm in  my  early 50s and not only  do I laugh  but also get all the anguish and pain Steve  is going through.

Covering  about a year in  the life of this family Parenthood is just a great film. Not many films can have me laughing  hard  at one scene then by the next scene has  me  wondering where the tissues are.

Directed by Ron Howard it feels to me like Parenthood is forgotten. I never see anyone mention the  film. And just learned there  is now 2 tv shows  based on the film.

Funny,heart warming and  a film that makes you realize everyone's family is a bit nuts.

Parenthood gets a A+.

Hi folks

 Sorry for the long gap between posts. I had a day planned out to work on a few and then the night before tornados hit near my area. We had no damage,just went almost 5 days without power.

I hope to have something up on here by the middle of the month.