Shonen Jump!

A few months ago, I pre-subscribed to the American launch of <a href="http://www.shonenjump.com>Shonen Jump</a>, the worlds most widely read monthly Manga publication. This is the magazine where such notable series such as Dragonball, Dragonball Z, and Yu Gi Oh got their start, and since I was on a big Yu Gi Oh kick at the time, I figured that $20 for 12 issues was a pretty good investment, especially since the first issue came bagged with a free Ultra-rare Blue Eyes White Dragon card! WOOT! The magazine is *huge*, like Manga should be. Contains 5 different serialized adventures, each one the length of a regual American comic book. Yu Gi Oh, Dragon Ball Z, SandLand, One Piece, Shaman King, YuYu Hashuko, and Naruto are the Manga features, then you also get all sorts of interviews, reviews, contests, etcetera. It's incredible! But there are two things about it that just kind of get to me... (1) The tow Manga that American audiences are most familiar with in this magazine (Yu Gi Oh and Dragonball Z) are its two weakest points. Yugi came off as somewhat childish, and Dragonball Z they decided to start off in the middle of a storyline so I'm completely lost. One Piece and YuYU Hashuko are pretty darned incredible, though, and SandLand is very amusing! (2) This sucker is thicker than any trade paperback I've ever bought, with the exception of Cerebus. Printed in black & white with just a few color and glossy pages here and there, the cover price for a single issue is jus $5.95! An American comic book that is 1/8th the size of this would easilly cost you $2.95 and up! The comic book companies have been telling us consumers for years that the reason comics cost so much is because the cost of paper is so high. So how is Shonen Jump doing it? Anyway, if you happen to see a copy of this magazine at your local grocery store (I saw one at QFC last night!), definately pick it up. Great value, great stories!