My friend Jason Thompson is well known as an expert on all things manga, having worked at Viz as the editor of Shonen Jump and dozens of other titles, as well as having written Manga: The Complete Guide. What is less well known thus far is that Jason is also an amazing storyteller! He’s self-published many comics over the years, but his next project, King of RPGs, is a 200+ page graphic novel published by Del Rey. I’ve had the privilege of reading most of Volume 1 in one form or another and it comes strongly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in RPGs. The main story involves Dungeons and Dragons style role-playing, but Collectible Card Games, MMOs and even LARPing play important parts. The more you know about gaming, the more in-jokes you’ll catch, but the book is also a hilarious parody of the shonen manga conventions and a frequently heartfelt portrait of growing up geek.

Anyway, as Jason reports, the book is available for order in the current issue of Previews, the catalog that most comic shops use to place their orders. Most “American manga” doesn’t get a lot o support from comics shops, so if you prefer to get your graphic novels through comic shops, telling your shop to order it now is your best bet to ensure you get a copy.

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