YaoiCon 6 - I have been RUSHed
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From the keyboard of PersonalTaylor
... recording over the DQ panel? you are so dead, you know that right!!
Anyway.. come on man.. stop witholding information.. you've got a copy of RUSH, tell us all, we needs to know.!

Well DT, in Japanese form I am preparing my manga suicide as I type. The shame of blowing two panels in one day is overwhelming....

But before I go, I had give my PersonalTaylor a last wish (wait is that how it works...)

Now bear with me, I am going to do a whole Maki Side Dish on this but here are some thoughts on RUSH (go get one cause there are only 2000 of this 00 issue!!)...

I bought two copies of RUSH and both signed by the creator of Master!, who also happens to be the cover artist, Lara Yokoshima! WEST SIDE, ML, Represent!!

Any whoshizle, let me just state the obvious... RUSH is BEAUTIFUL! A5 sized, presented left to right. Very playful cover image by Yokoshima. Seriously who can pass on a dog boy. Inside there is a stunning color plate by Akira Atsushi. Adder has to be the only proof known to exist that favors the effects of smoking. I want to start lighting up now. And if that wasn't enough, along with the four chapters included there are a couple omake - alternative cover image sketches, a character bio on Adder (Night and Day), and a page of Roulette Factiods (for the culture retards like me). And just for good measure more Adder on the back (how can smoking look good in B/W). The rest of the book is printed in nice paper. Easy to see that this is quality since it is able to hold inking and tone very well.

So, looking good outside. But my mom always says its what's inside that counts. This anthology has a lot of range in regard to designs and style. Yokoshima's art is very clean, very influenced by yaoi artists. Light on tone and her lines tend to be on the thinner side. They give her characters length, but it also makes the transition to deformed humor work well. On the other side you have Laura Carboni's art that has a more western feel to it. Lines are thick, tone is heavy and the art, especially in this B/W book just pops off the page. Have to say the use of tone made me wonder what this would look like in color, but it really works in B/W. One thing I noticed was how much emotion is expressed in those eyes she draws. And the way scenes are framed readers can really get a close look at the range of emotions in this first chapter.

Got to love the variety of story as well. Dog-boy fantasy set in London. Little bit of posturing and a little big of magic! "Business" man (mafia) story set in 1982 Atlantic City. The shirts are showing lots of chest, the guns are big, and the attitude is big enough to cover the tri-state area. MetroSurvival is the name of the game for Taxi. Just got kicked out of his home by his mother. Moved in with a... gay man!! And then goes godzilla on some street soldiers. Any excuse for machete action! Finally, Adder is given an assignment from HELL. He is given $2million to take an otaku out of the darkness and into the sociable light. This story is straight out of fantasy; just impossible to believe on every element (including the art).

Currently it is rare to see anthologies at all in this market; to see an original anthology is even rarer. So I love Rush but I am an anthology fan. A little humor, a little cheese, mix of action and a lot of love. Love from the four comikers and one author worked on these four titles. Love from DQ not only for putting on a great presentation but for giving western ML artists an outlet to shine. All you need is love right? Well, this is good looking and smart to love, as well.