Manga Mavericks EP. 91: David Brothers Interview

06/23/19 • 210 min

We've got another awesome interview to share with you! We're delighted to be joined by David Brothers to discuss his awesome career journey from comics blogger to manga editor at Viz Media! David details his early blogging days at 4thletter, his duties as Brand Manager at Image, and what it's like to edit series like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and We Never Learn! We also talk to David about his thoughts on representation in comics, the future of digital comics, and his philosophy on comics criticism. Plus we answer a ton of listener Q&As, discussing the best moments of Vagabond, why So I'm a Spider, So What? is so good, how to use the word "affected" correctly, and a whole lot more! PODCAST BREAKDOWN: 00:00 - Intro David Brothers Interview: 02:33 - Introducing David Brothers 03:17 - David’s Blogging Days 11:15 - David’s Comic Book Origin Story 14:23 - David and Akira 22:58 - The Interiority of Characters 29:11 - David’s Approach to Comics Criticism 33:15 - David’s Stint in Games Journalism 35:41 - David’s Essays for Comics Alliance & Defending Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman & Robin 42:21 - David’s Experiences as an Editor on Image Books 52:49 - David’s Tips on How to Run a Successful Panel 1:04:49 - David’s Transition from Image to Viz 1:10:26 - What It’s Like Being the Editor of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 1:19:04 - Preserving the Author’s Original Intent in Adaptation 1:31:01 - What Makes We Never Learn Stand Out As a Rom-com? 1:36:56 - Why Shonen Jump Manga Resonates with Readers Young and Old 1:55:05 - Critically Engaging with Art and Negative Reviews 2:01:41 - Searching For Diversity and Representation in Manga 2:13:10 - The Future of Digital Comics 2:19:42 - David’s Favorite Manga Q&As: 2:27:37 - “What Are the Most Memorable Vagabond Moments?” 2:30:33 - “Do You Still Read Manga For Fun Now That It’s Become Your Career?” 2:32:21 - “Has the Transition From Journalism to Editing Affected How You Engage with Comics?” 2:39:45 - “Did Dafne Use “Affected” Correctly in Her Previous Question?” 2:40:43 - “How Do You Stay Motivated and Overcome Obstacles?” 2:44:30 - “Why is So I’m a Spider, So What? So Good?” 2:46:18 - “Could We Possibly See More Fonts Used in JoJo’s in the Future?” 2:51:02 - “Can You Tell Us More About the Viz Originals Line?” 2:55:37 - “What Aspects of the Business Side of Comics Are Overlooked?” 2:56:54 - “What Piece of Advice Has Helped You Through Your Comics Career Journey?” 3:02:46 - “What Resources Do You Recommend to Those Starting Out Being Critics?” 3:05:30 - “What’s Your Favorite Verse?” 3:10:26 - “Has Your Experience With Different Art Forms Enhanced Your Appreciation for Different Mediums?” 3:14:45 - David’s Upcoming Work & Where You Can Find Him Community Shout-Outs: 3:17:45 - Wensleydale Cheddar’s Weekly Manga Recap Intro Animation & ne0;lation review 3:19:45 - Anime Feminist’s Feminist-Friendly Anime Recommendations 3:21:23 - “Get In The Robot, Shinji” by Zac Bertschy 3:25:16 - Wrap-Up Enjoy the show, and follow us on twitter at @manga_mavericks, on tumblr at mangamavericks.tumblr.com, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts on Twitter at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon and receive some awesome rewards like our Patreon-exclusive Bonus pods! If one-time donations are more your speed you can donate to Colton’s Ko-fi here and LumRanmaYasha’s Ko-fi here, and if you want to support LumRanmaYasha’s art and other projects you can donate to their personal Patreon. Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and iTunes and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content!

Previous Episode

Manga Mavericks EP. 90: Samurai 8 and Others

On this episode of Manga Mavericks, Colton and Lum catch up on the four newest series to debut in Shonen Jump, including the long awaited return of Masashi Kishimoto and his newest series 2 years in the making, Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru! The other batch of series discussed on the show include shogi manga Double Taisei by Kentaro Fukuda, rugby manga Beast Children by Kento Terasaka, and controversial dystopian manga Tokyo Shinobi Squad by Yuki Tanaka and Kento Matsuura! Which of these new series will the Mavericks take a liking to the most (and why is it Samurai 8)!? Listen to the episode and find out! Join us next week as we interview longtime member of the comics industry, David Brothers, as well as manga translator, Caleb Cook the week after that! Or you can listen to both interviews in full ahead of time by becoming a patron! PODCAST BREAKDOWN: 0:00:00 - Intro News: 0:01:19 - Boruto Moves to V Jump 0:03:24 - Mewtwo Returns gets manga adaptation 0:05:01 - Cross Infinite World licenses Labyrinth Angel 0:07:59 - Elliot Advisors buys Barnes and Noble 0:10:11 - JMPA reveals magazine circulation numbers for January to March 2019 0:17:28 - Anime Expo Hosts Katsuhiro Otomo, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, and Range Murata 0:19:25 - Anime Expo Hosts 4DX Screenings of Detective Conan and Gundam Movies Jump Start Reviews: 0:29:40 - Samurai 8 0:53:44 - Double Taisei 1:10:00 - Beast Children 1:25:11 - Tokyo Shinobi Squad Community Shout Outs!: 1:45:58 - All Systems Goku 1:49:46 - Is Yuri Queer? By Erica for AniFem 1:51:56 - Wrap-up! Enjoy the show, and follow us on twitter at @manga_mavericks, on tumblr at mangamavericks.tumblr.com, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts on Twitter at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon and receive some awesome rewards like our Patreon-exclusive Bonus pods! If one-time donations are more your speed you can donate to Colton’s Ko-fi here and LumRanmaYasha’s Ko-fi here, and if you want to support LumRanmaYasha’s art and other projects you can donate to their personal Patreon. Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and iTunes and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content!

Next Episode

Manga Mavericks EP. 92: Caleb Cook Interview

Caleb Cook calls in to the show to share the story of how he became the translator of the most popular manga in North America! Caleb covers his career journey from the beginning, sharing his experiences living in Japan during his time in the JET program, his early translation work for Yen Press and UDON, and finally, the circumstances that led him to become the translator of big Shonen Jump hits like My Hero Academia and Dr. Stone! Plus, we discuss Caleb’s awesome Twitter Threads and Sculptures, and answer a ton of fun Q&As like what Quirk we’d name after a Dr. Stone chapter title and more! PODCAST BREAKDOWN: 00:22 - Intro & Updates News: 07:56 - May Bookscan List 12:33 - Gintama has FINALLY ended 20:29 - Food Wars manga moves to Jump Giga, anime gets 4th season 25:55 - New additions to the Shonen Jump Vault: Red Sprite, Hi-Fi Cluster, Love Rush, Stealth Symphony 32:54 - Yen Press licenses Shadow Student Council Vice President Gives Her All & more 35:25 - Comixology adds Mars and You’re a Pet 36:55 - Nisioisin is the 2nd most published translated author in the U.S. in the past decade 40:03 - Awesome Events at Anime Expo 55:40 - The First 12 minutes of Dr. Stone will stream on YT on July 1st 57:50 - Astra Lost premieres July 3rd with 1-hour special Caleb Cook Interview: 1:02:42 - Introducing Caleb 1:07:37 - Why Caleb Learned Japanese 1:13:43 - Caleb’s Experiences Living in Japan 1:27:29 - How Caleb Started Translating Professionally 1:37:12 - Trivia Threads and Interacting with Fans 1:41:48 - Dr. Stone’s Scientific Accuracy 1:46:04 - Nuances in Translation 2:00:23 - The Challenges of Working on Pre-Existing Properties 2:07:03 - Caleb’s Sculpture Art 2:12:53 - Other Stuff Caleb Would Like to Work On Q&As: 2:16:00 - “What’s Your Favorite Invention/Science Level-Up That Senku’s Introduced?” 2:19:58 - “Is There a Specific Invention You’re Looking Forward to Seeing?” 2:22:40 - “Have You Read Any Manga by Inagaki Before?” 2:23:42 - “What’s It Like to Speak Casually with Science Consultant Kurare on Twitter?” 2:25:38 - “What’s a Scene That Got You Invested Into Your Favorite Characters?” 2:27:27 - “Create a Quirk Based on a Dr. Stone Chapter Title” 2:30:20 - “How Much Do You Cook?” 2:32:10 - Where You Can Find Caleb on Social Media 2:33:45 - Community Shout-Out: “Why Piccolo is the Black Guy of Dragon Ball” by Quaman 2:37:31 - Wrap-Up Enjoy the show, and follow us on twitter at @manga_mavericks, on tumblr at mangamavericks.tumblr.com, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts on Twitter at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon and receive some awesome rewards like our Patreon-exclusive Bonus pods! If one-time donations are more your speed you can donate to Colton’s Ko-fi here and LumRanmaYasha’s Ko-fi here, and if you want to support LumRanmaYasha’s art and other projects you can donate to their personal Patreon. Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and iTunes and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content!