Dramacon
Encyclopedia
Dramacon is an original English-language (OEL) manga
written and illustrated by Svetlana Chmakova
. It was published in three volumes by Tokyopop
from October 11, 2005 to December 11, 2007. Dramacon is considered one of Tokyopop's best OEL manga.
. Christie endures Derek ignoring her along with the culture shock
of men in schoolgirl uniforms. During the three-day convention, Christie meets Lida Zeff, famous manga artist and writer, who gives her advice on improving her manga, and Matt Green, a mysterious sun-glass wearing cosplayer, whom she develops feelings for. Matt always wears sunglasses to conceal the fact that his eye is missing. Derek witnesses Matt and Christie kissing, and confronts her while drunk. During the argument, he attacks and attempts to rape her; however, she escapes to Matt's room, which leads Derek and Matt to fight. Christie spends her last day with Matt, his sister Sandra, and Greta, a friend of theirs. They have to wait another whole year before they see each other again since Christie is still in high school and lives on the east coast
while Matt lives on the west coast
and attends college.
A year later, Christie returns to the convention with Bethany, a new artist. Christie discovers that Matt now has a girlfriend named Emily. While Christie deals with her feelings for Matt, Bethany faces off with a disgruntled manga purist and is offered a job at Mangapop. Lida Zeff helps the two girls with advice for Bethany about living in a manga publishing world. Emily pulls off Matt's sunglasses in a crowded fast food restaurant after a feud with a bystander, and he is then horrified at the people staring at him, so he runs off. When Christie chases after him, Matt tells her to "piss off". The next day, Christie runs away from him when he tries to apologize, and refuses his kiss. They part without a good-bye. Bethany and Christie leave the convention with a promise to cosplay the next year and to continue to work hard on their manga.
At the next convention, Christie meets up with Matt, but her friends follow her, and she constantly argues with Matt. She runs into Derek, which brings back the memories of him attacking her, but sees that he now has a pregnant fiancée. Matt and Christie try to control their tempers, Matt in particularly trying to hold his biting retorts, and they seem to have made up, even with Emily still around and finding ways to break into their dates as a form of payback for last year. Meanwhile, Bethany refuses to cosplay after learning that her mother is coming to the convention. She argues with her mother about her career choice; after her mom is in a car accident, Beth leaves the convention to be by her side in the hospital and they reconcile. Bethany has her blessing to pursue a job with Mangapop. Christie and company all leave the convention considerably happier than last year.
Tokyopop discovered Chmakova through her web comic Chasing Rainbows, rather than through its annual Rising Stars of Manga
competition, where many of its OEL manga authors were found. She wrote the first volume as "a piece of fluff" and "just wanted to have fun with it." She left the ending of the first volume open since she was unsure if other volumes would be published. While writing the series, she tried to make the story as realistic as possible. Chmakova also liked the idea of Dramacon being an anime, but did not think that it was likely to happen. Although Chmakova is currently working on her other series, Nightschool
, she hopes to continue Dramacon afterwards, commenting that "there is definitely a lot of story left to tell for the Dramacon characters."
, Dramacon is published by Tokyopop
in three volumes from October 11, 2005 to December 11, 2007. Tokyopop later re-released in the series in one volume, Dramacon Ultimate Edition (ISBN 978-1-4278-1340-4), on October 7, 2008. Madman Entertainment
distributes the series in New Zealand and Australia. Dramacon is also licensed in France by Albin Michel, in Germany by Tokyopop Germany, in Portugal by Edições Asa, in Hungary by Mangattack, in Finland by Pauna Media Group, and in Japan by Soft Bank Creative.
Mike Toole of Anime Jump stated: "It's a comic that's sly and indulgent to anime fans, but still accessible, attractive, and wickedly funny." PopCultureShock's Erin Finnegan commented that the second Dramacon volume "is a compelling read, but at times it comes off more like an internet forum discussion than an actual volume of manga." Johanna Draper Carlson, a longtime reviewer for Publishers Weekly
, recommended the first volume and described it as "an instant classic". Carlson listed the second volume as one of the best of 2006, but criticized the final volume for focusing mostly on Bethany's struggle as an aspiring artist instead of Matt and Christie's relationship.
for About.com
's Best Continuing OEL Manga of 2007. Dramacon was nominated for a 2006 Harvey Award
, and a 2007 Will Eisner Award. It was also on the 2005 Publishers Weekly
list of best comics, and YALSA picked it as one of the top graphic novels in 2007 for teens.
Original English-language manga
Original English-language manga or OEL manga is the term commonly used to describe comic books or graphic novels in the "international manga" genre of comics whose language of original publication is English...
written and illustrated by Svetlana Chmakova
Svetlana Chmakova
Svetlana Chmakova is a comic creator. She is best known for Dramacon, an original English-language manga spanning three volumes and published in North America by Tokyopop. Her other work includes the 2-page The Adventures of CG for CosmoGIRL! magazine and the webcomic Chasing Rainbows for...
. It was published in three volumes by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
from October 11, 2005 to December 11, 2007. Dramacon is considered one of Tokyopop's best OEL manga.
Plot
Dramacon focuses on Christie Leroux, a fledgling teenage writer who is debuting her manga with her artist boyfriend, Derek Hollman, at her first anime conventionAnime convention
An anime convention is an event or gathering with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Commonly, anime conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels...
. Christie endures Derek ignoring her along with the culture shock
Culture shock
Culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...
of men in schoolgirl uniforms. During the three-day convention, Christie meets Lida Zeff, famous manga artist and writer, who gives her advice on improving her manga, and Matt Green, a mysterious sun-glass wearing cosplayer, whom she develops feelings for. Matt always wears sunglasses to conceal the fact that his eye is missing. Derek witnesses Matt and Christie kissing, and confronts her while drunk. During the argument, he attacks and attempts to rape her; however, she escapes to Matt's room, which leads Derek and Matt to fight. Christie spends her last day with Matt, his sister Sandra, and Greta, a friend of theirs. They have to wait another whole year before they see each other again since Christie is still in high school and lives on the east coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
while Matt lives on the west coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
and attends college.
A year later, Christie returns to the convention with Bethany, a new artist. Christie discovers that Matt now has a girlfriend named Emily. While Christie deals with her feelings for Matt, Bethany faces off with a disgruntled manga purist and is offered a job at Mangapop. Lida Zeff helps the two girls with advice for Bethany about living in a manga publishing world. Emily pulls off Matt's sunglasses in a crowded fast food restaurant after a feud with a bystander, and he is then horrified at the people staring at him, so he runs off. When Christie chases after him, Matt tells her to "piss off". The next day, Christie runs away from him when he tries to apologize, and refuses his kiss. They part without a good-bye. Bethany and Christie leave the convention with a promise to cosplay the next year and to continue to work hard on their manga.
At the next convention, Christie meets up with Matt, but her friends follow her, and she constantly argues with Matt. She runs into Derek, which brings back the memories of him attacking her, but sees that he now has a pregnant fiancée. Matt and Christie try to control their tempers, Matt in particularly trying to hold his biting retorts, and they seem to have made up, even with Emily still around and finding ways to break into their dates as a form of payback for last year. Meanwhile, Bethany refuses to cosplay after learning that her mother is coming to the convention. She argues with her mother about her career choice; after her mom is in a car accident, Beth leaves the convention to be by her side in the hospital and they reconcile. Bethany has her blessing to pursue a job with Mangapop. Christie and company all leave the convention considerably happier than last year.
Development
The initial concept of Dramacon was about "a girl who meets a cosplayer, and there would be all kinds of obstacles and drama that they'd have to overcome." Svetlana Chmakova attended anime conventions regularly and came up with the concept of the series when she encountered the same cosplayer at the same convention for two years. She explained:Tokyopop discovered Chmakova through her web comic Chasing Rainbows, rather than through its annual Rising Stars of Manga
Rising Stars of Manga
Rising Stars of Manga was an English-language comic anthology published by TOKYOPOP from 2002 to 2008, and a contest held by the same company. It was originally semi-annual, but switched to annual beginning with the 6th volume....
competition, where many of its OEL manga authors were found. She wrote the first volume as "a piece of fluff" and "just wanted to have fun with it." She left the ending of the first volume open since she was unsure if other volumes would be published. While writing the series, she tried to make the story as realistic as possible. Chmakova also liked the idea of Dramacon being an anime, but did not think that it was likely to happen. Although Chmakova is currently working on her other series, Nightschool
Nightschool
Nightschool is an ongoing supernatural original English-language manga written and illustrated by Svetlana Chmakova. The chapters appear as a serial in the monthly manga magazine Yen Plus. Yen Press collects the chapters in bound volumes...
, she hopes to continue Dramacon afterwards, commenting that "there is definitely a lot of story left to tell for the Dramacon characters."
Release
Written and illustrated by Svetlana ChmakovaSvetlana Chmakova
Svetlana Chmakova is a comic creator. She is best known for Dramacon, an original English-language manga spanning three volumes and published in North America by Tokyopop. Her other work includes the 2-page The Adventures of CG for CosmoGIRL! magazine and the webcomic Chasing Rainbows for...
, Dramacon is published by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
in three volumes from October 11, 2005 to December 11, 2007. Tokyopop later re-released in the series in one volume, Dramacon Ultimate Edition (ISBN 978-1-4278-1340-4), on October 7, 2008. Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
distributes the series in New Zealand and Australia. Dramacon is also licensed in France by Albin Michel, in Germany by Tokyopop Germany, in Portugal by Edições Asa, in Hungary by Mangattack, in Finland by Pauna Media Group, and in Japan by Soft Bank Creative.
Volume list
Reception
Dramacon was positively received by English-language readers. The second volume reached the 8th spot in Bookscan's Top 10 and reached the 89th spot on the list of the top 100 best-selling graphic novels with 1,155 copies sold. The third volume debuted at the 82nd spot with 1,246 copies sold.Mike Toole of Anime Jump stated: "It's a comic that's sly and indulgent to anime fans, but still accessible, attractive, and wickedly funny." PopCultureShock's Erin Finnegan commented that the second Dramacon volume "is a compelling read, but at times it comes off more like an internet forum discussion than an actual volume of manga." Johanna Draper Carlson, a longtime reviewer for Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, recommended the first volume and described it as "an instant classic". Carlson listed the second volume as one of the best of 2006, but criticized the final volume for focusing mostly on Bethany's struggle as an aspiring artist instead of Matt and Christie's relationship.
Recognitions
Dramacon tied with Fred Gallagher's MegatokyoMegatokyo
is an English-language webcomic created by Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston, debuting on August 14, 2000, and then written and illustrated solely by Gallagher since July 17, 2002. Gallagher's style of writing and illustration is heavily influenced by Japanese manga. Megatokyo is freely available on...
for About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
's Best Continuing OEL Manga of 2007. Dramacon was nominated for a 2006 Harvey Award
Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
, and a 2007 Will Eisner Award. It was also on the 2005 Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
list of best comics, and YALSA picked it as one of the top graphic novels in 2007 for teens.
External links
- Dramacon at Tokyopop's website
- Svetlana Chmakova's official website