SLG Publishing Drops Huge Faux-Manga BABYSITTER Book Into Comic Shops
The new collection of The Babysitter, a comic about Japan by a guy who's never been there, is SLG's biggest graphic novel ever.
Andy Ristaino (Life of a Fetus) had never visited Japan when he created The Babysitter, a parody/deconstruction of established manga conventions which chronicles the daily adventures of a high school frosh in the land of the rising sun.
"It seemed like a good idea to make the comic about living in Japan based solely on my pop culture knowledge that I've gathered from a lifetime of studying far too much manga and anime," Ristaino explained.
His unique perspective of Japan hits bookstores August 17th in San Jose-based SLG (Slave Labor Graphics) Publishing's special oversized (9.5 x by 15 inches), 112-page collection of The Babysitter issues #1-3. It's packed with special features including concept art and a brand-new, full-length color story.
The Babysitter follows the days and nights of "ordinary" teen Setsuko Kagaku, who attends class, studies (half-heartedly) for exams, eats lunch, socializes and does her homework. She also battles giant killer robots and alien invaders, heads off global conspiracies and annihilates restless spirits. After all that, she tries to squeeze in the occasional $10/hour babysitting job, for which she apparently needs a rocket pack.
This mass of activity is depicted in a bold, unique style of colossally-sized, dizzying art panels--the exact opposite of traditional, easily-read manga, with its clean art lines.
"I wanted to create a book that you couldn't just skip ahead and read the last panel to find out what happens," said Ristaino, "something you had to translate, concentrate on...like one of those magic eye puzzles."
The new Babysitter volume also will be available at SLG's website.