Clone Manga
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Clone Manga is the homepage of webcomic artist Daniel Kim. During the course of this page, Kim has thus far completed two of his webcomics, "Nana's Everyday Life" and "Paper Eleven." (The future of "April & May & June" is currently unknown because of its current "ending".) He has recently began two webcomics as well, "Penny Tribute" and "Kanami." Kim is believed to begin a new webcomic in the future called "Maria's Sea," for which he has set expectations to be, at the very least, "bloody".
Clone Manga has released several published graphic novels, including one that comprises "Paper Eleven," which is possibly his most prestigious completed webcomic to date. Fred Gallagher specifically praised "Paper Eleven," calling it "remarkable" as well as lauding Dan Kim's story plotting skills as he prepared to write "Kanami"[1].
Kim's comics are commonly featured on 4chan, the largest English imageboard in existence, and were responsible for at least one current meme: the "desu" associated with the character Suiseiseki from the anime/manga Rozen Maiden (see 4chan's page for details).[2]
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[edit] Daniel Kim
Daniel Kim (born 1983 , in Toronto) is the artist and writer behind the Clone Manga collection of webcomics, which include April & May & June, Kanami, Nana's Everyday Life, Paper Eleven, Penny Tribute and Tomoyo42's Room. Much of the content of these comics is geared towards a mature audience and, as the website's name suggests, are influenced by and sometimes directly refer to (even featuring characters from) manga and anime. A few examples of these include Elfen Lied, Cardcaptor Sakura and Gunslinger Girl.
Some of these webcomics are ongoing projects; others run for a period of time and are then concluded.
Because of his success and notability online, Dan was invited as a special guest to Connecticon 2006.[3] Fred Gallagher has also praised Dan Kim, referring to his work (especially Paper Eleven), as "remarkable" as well as lauding his story plotting skills.[4]
[edit] Visual style
Daniel Kim has a distinctive visual style and technique. He begins painting with black, and switches back and forth between black and white layering his image. Typically he "flattens" the shadows into a matte black and avoids painting cast shadows, giving his images a stark and unsettling quality. Curiously the terminators, the darkest region of shadow on normally-lit forms, retain their sharpness through Kim's bold use of white-on-black; this is, he has said, one of the reasons why he paints digitally -- it would be difficult to produce similar effects quickly and easily using traditional media (that is not to say it cannot be done -- the Tracer Bullet subseries in Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson is very similar to Kim's work artistically, and Watterson made do with ink and paper).
[edit] Characteristics
- Dan Kim's method of drawing webcomics is regularly done in shadow. That is, he will take a white piece of paper, and draw around what he wishes to draw, defining details with lighter and darker shades. Using this technique the eye can be fooled into seeing varying depths and levels of detail in the artwork simply by using the same color over again: black. The majority of panels are monochromatic, though there can be some variation (such as the addition of red to a scene, or the scene itself being done in red and black).
- The list of webcomics done in shadow so far are Penny Tribute, Kanami, and Paper Eleven. Likewise, Tomoyo42's Room is done in a black and white method, but utilizes occasional color, and up until this current iteration did not consistently have the level of detail as the aforementioned.
[edit] Webcomics
[edit] April & May & June
| April & May & June | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Dan Kim |
| Website | http://manga.clone-army.org/anm.php |
| Current status | Concluded |
| Launch date | 2003 |
| End Date | 06/29/2006 |
A webcomic by Dan Kim, April & May & June is a constituent of Clone Manga. Originally titled April & May, it was about two students at the University of Waterloo. However, the comic has gone through frequent plot diversions and resets, some of them not featuring the main characters at all. In the third series, which began January 2006, April and May became a couple with a foster child named June.
The webcomic has developed from super deformed drawings to drawings that portray the characters in a realistic persona. At one point, April and May became separated by a strange wolf, and thus began a quest for April to recover May. Over time, the battle was done and May was returned, thus resuming the typical format of strangeness. The author then decided to go in a different direction, continuing a new story where April flunks out of university and May comes with her to help with the confrontation of April's parents.
The webcomic was about to develop in a new light, with a possibility of April and May's relationship no longer being questionable, except that Dan had decided that this format was overly drawn out. So instead, he reset the universe, and changed the variables with April and May's relationship being quite obviously defined, and with new daughter June. In the end, all three characters appeared to die while at the World Trade Center on 9/11, along with the cast of Tomoyo42's Room.
[edit] H.H.
| H.H. | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Dan Kim |
| Website | http://www.jastusa.com/webcomic/index.php |
| Current status | Active |
| Launch date | 2006 |
H.H. is a webcomic by Dan Kim, produced in co-operation with JAST USA. It parodies the conventions of bishōjo games in general, and (as of September 2006) has featured characters from Hitomi My Stepsister, Tokimeki Check-In! and Kana Little Sister.
[edit] Kanami
| Kanami | |
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 Kanami |
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| Author(s) | Dan Kim |
| Website | http://manga.clone-army.org/kanami.php |
| Current status | Active |
| Launch date | July 24, 2005 |
Kanami is currently the most difficult of the Clone Manga projects, following the story of a Japanese girl by the name of Kanami. She lives her life in the hospital, because she is too weak to live without being cared for day and night. Because her brother and her mother don't have the ability or the energy to care for her at all times, she is committed to the hospital to recover.
However, Kanami loves her brother so much that she acts before thinking sometimes, even running (despite her poor health) to go meet him on visitation day, in which case, she exhausted herself and became confined to a chair for the rest of the day.
Kanami feels resentment toward her mother, and does not believe she even cares that she exists. This is best shown in the first several webcomics, where she calls her brother a liar because he told her that their mother was asking about her. Kanami has strange dreams and memories of people dying, or herself being left alone where she is left to possibly die on her own.
[edit] Format
Kanami is done in shadow, which is the use of a heavy amount of black on white. To date, there has been no use of color. The detail involved with Kanami is great, with even the slightest of shading allowing the comic to increase in several levels of detail.
While Paper Eleven had well-defined characters with overly simple backdrops, every panel of Kanami has a varying degree of overhead, which makes the comic difficult to update, especially on a regular basis. Research, both for the comic's culture and Kanami's illness, further prolong updates. Originally Dan had a plan to release Kanami in chapters, possibly doing once-a-month updates. However, he seems to have come to terms with the fact that, simply put, Kanami is incredibly complex and difficult to update. As such, he does not usually set expectations of chapters of Kanami, and instead releases several pages at a time, or sometimes merely one page at a time.
The comic is highly influenced by Kana Imōto, a shoujo game.
On January 15th, Dan Kim announced in his home page that further updates of Kanami will be in the Kinetic novel format. From his blog:
"Three arcs, three episodes each, with full professional Japanese voice overs. English and Japanese language versions will be released, with marketing and distribution support from overseas. Rough release schedule: one episode a month. First release slated for Spring 2007. Preview site and demo available Jan 30th."
[edit] Nana's Everyday Life
| Nana's Everyday Life | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Daniel Kim |
| Website | http://manga.clone-army.org/nana.php |
| Current status | Concluded |
| End Date | 08/27/05 |
Nana's Everyday Life is a webcomic by Daniel Kim based on Elfen Lied and, to a lesser degree, Gunslinger Girl. It combines tragedy with Kim's obscene sense of humor to produce a unique mix, which might be why it is one of his more popular comics.
Disclaimer on website: Weirdness; cuteness. 13+ suggested. Note: The 13+ age rating is that suggested by Dan Kim. Given the frequent depictions of bloody violence, nudity, rape and child abuse, and a general depressing tone, it would almost certainly warrant a more restrictive rating if published.
[edit] Synopsis
Nana is a diclonius, a special being with catgirl-like horns who lives at a laboratory. After her arms and legs are blown off in a twisted turn of events, her Papa tosses her into the garbage. (The laboratory and loss of limbs are the only similarities to the plot of Elfen Lied.) Nana finds a box to sleep in for several days, after being raped by 4chan meme Pedobear. Eventually, she is found by Mayu, a young girl who ran away from her sexually abusive father. They then move in with the girls from Gunslinger Girl. However, after a few days, the girls steal Nana's sole possessions, tell her that her father is never going to come back to get her, and kick her down a flight of stairs. This crushes Nana's spirit, and she jumps off a bridge.
Thirteen months later, Nana is naked on the auction block. After not being sold, she is taken to the docks to be "disposed of" by Marcelo, but after an attack of conscience he takes her home. At his home, she is taken care of by the maid and lives a relatively happy life at first, but after a while Nana begins to be treated more like a pet than a daughter. Marcelo's maid-cum-mother-figure, Minami, begins to realize that Nana needs more love, but before long, Nana's "real father" is found, and he takes Nana back, apparently killing Marcelo and Minami.
Back at the lab, Nana's Papa has her organs harvested and various painful experiments done on her. After her body finally becomes too weak to be of use to "Papa," she is thrown into a "biohazard waste disposal unit". She somehow manages to escape to the ocean, where she finally loses her misguided faith in her Papa. Nana pulls herself up to an alley and discovers a tiny kitten—the first being since Minami and Marcelo that has been willing to show her affection. The kitten is dead the next morning, and after making a grave for the kitten, Nana dies as well. At her grave, many flowers grow. The kitten is resurrected and found by her owner who is amazed by the garden that grew.
[edit] Paper Eleven
| Paper Eleven | |
|---|---|
 Maya |
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| Author(s) | Dan Kim |
| Website | http://manga.clone-army.org/pxi.php |
| Current status | Concluded |
| Launch date | ?? |
| End Date | July 4th 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Suspense |
Paper Eleven is a manga-styled webcomic created by Dan Kim. It tells the story of a 14-year-old girl called Maya as she traverses a dark and surreal world. The narrative is divided into chapters, each representing a single day, starting with day 0 and continuing to day 11. The comic ended on July 4, 2005.
The comic is the first Clone Manga title to be published in book form. It has also been praised by fellow webcomic artists such as Fred Gallagher for its style and artistry.[4]
[edit] Penny Tribute
| Penny Tribute | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Dan Kim |
| Website | http://manga.clone-army.org/penny.php |
| Current status | Active |
| Launch date | November 12, 2005 |
Penny Tribute is one of the more upbeat webcomics of Clone Manga, featuring a young Gothic Lolita by the name of Penny in an apparently science-fantasy setting.
[edit] Summary
When young Penny is given as a tribute to the local lady of the land, the young woman repeals a tax and has Penny put to work as a maid. It's up to Penny to cope with her new duties and her newfound prison without locks. The castle is populated by interesting and bizarre creatures, some of whom are more friendly than others. Penny has befriended one of these, who she hides from her masters.
[edit] Characters
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Though the protagonist is generally referred to as 'Penny' by the author and other commentary, she has as yet not been named in the comic itself. Penny's life was changed when she came to live with her new masters. | |
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A servant of the lady of the castle, who has directed Penny since she arrived. Yvv's left eye has a strange appearance. | |
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The mistress is in charge of the castle to which Penny has been brought. She repealed a tax upon receiving Penny as a tribute, and put Penny to work as a maid. | |
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Numunu is a strange multi-limbed creature with six arms and no legs. Penny has befriended it and hidden it from her masters. It is possible that Numunu is the progenitor, who the house is currently searching for. |
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Sv appears as a bird with a human face - an appearance reminiscent of a Harpy or Siren. Sv is subservient to the attendant. | |
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A near-identical pair of defenders with ornate bird-themed helms and robes, these sentinels intercept and neutralise an intruder to the castle. Their speech exhibits a pattern commonly associated with twins, of one repeating or finishing the other's sentences. Half of each twin's face appears to be cracked, as if coated; one on the right side and the other on the left. It is probable that the guardians are the characters referred to as 'Nn' and 'R'. |
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The intruder gives the series' first hints of high technology or magic, with a concealing cloak reminiscent of the thermoptic camouflage seen in Ghost in the Shell. She also touts a powerful pistol, but is quickly disabled by the castle's guardians. She was last seen accompanying the Mistress dressed in a manner similar to the rest of the residents of the castle. She now appears to be unaware of her surroundings and bears a scar similar to the one on Numunu's forehead at the place where the Guardians' beams pierced her skull. |
[edit] Factoids
- Penny Tribute is rendered in Dan Kim's characteristic high-contrast black and white style, similar to that seen in Kanami and Paper Eleven.
- Penny Tribute has been translated into several languages by volunteers.
[edit] Tomoyo42's Room
| Tomoyo42's Room | |
|---|---|
 Tomoyo42's Room |
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| Author(s) | Dan Kim |
| Website | http://manga.clone-army.org/t42r.php |
| Current status | Active |
| Launch date | March 17, 2001 |
| Genre(s) | Parody |
Centered on Sakura and her best friend Tomoyo from the manga/anime Cardcaptor Sakura, Tomoyo42's Room follows the duo in a world where they have the relationship only hinted at in the series. However, being an alternate universe, this does nothing to curb the craziness of the pair of lolitas who are involved with regular maiming and debauchery. Tomoyo is a lesbian whereas Sakura is a bisexual. Their roles are reversed from the series in that Tomoyo is very dominant and Sakura is submissive.
The webcomic touches on many different subjects in humorous parody and mockery, even touching on the subject of homosexuality being considered a disease, with the cure being torture and brainwashing until one no longer feels such desires. At one point, there is even a baby involved with Tomoyo and Sakura.
Often, the comic depicts several taboo subjects in a graphic manner. BDSM, rape, incest, and mutilation are unflinchingly depicted in ways that are humorous to some people, and offensive to many others. The author often seems to poke fun at his own fixation on the admittedly creepy subject matter, using lines like "Maybe I should kill myself."[2]
The webcomic has no true direction, nor even a plot, simply being crazier and crazier from one update to the next. To comic began with Tomoyo finding an object of evil either floating in the air or sticking to the ceiling (it is unclear), with which she would 'take people's pictures' though Tomoyo has since given up said object (which is none other than a bloody crowbar, and taking someone's picture equates to a hefty dismembering strike). However, she comments, she feels much the same.
New readers of this webcomic or people who are thinking of reading it are strongly advised to read the original manga/anime first. It has been known to ruin the series with its innappropriate nature, although this is just a parody of Cardcaptor Sakura.
[edit] Trivia
- Touches on Rika and Terada's student-teacher relationship in a few strips as well.
- Also touches humorously on incest through Sakura and her brother, Tōya (not a canon relationship).
- Because of its randomness, the comic also cameos Dan Kim's other characters on occasion, mostly Nana, as well as Dan himself.
- Sakura and Tomoyo, despite their alleged Japanese heritage, occasionally wish out loud for a questionable utopia of all-white communities.
- Unlike the outraged reaction recieved by most 9/11 jokes the two parter in tomoyo's room was seen largely as par for course.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=731 - MegaTokyo strip
- ^ a b http://manga.clone-army.org/t42r.php?page=169 - Tomoyo42's Room, strip 169
- ^ ConnectiCon 2006 - list of guests
- ^ a b http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=731 - Fred Gallagher's praise of Dan Kim.
[edit] External links
- Clone Manga - The main site
- MegaTokyo Guest Strip - A guest strip Dan Kim did for MegaTokyo
- Akiba Angels interview with Dan Kim
