Guest Author - Monica Flink
The fourth and final article in a series about how a manga lover can find plenty to adore at an anime convention finishes with a review of the manga Flipside by Brion Foulke. This author had the pleasure of meeting Brion Foulke in the Artist’s Alley of AnimeIowa, and he is an excellent example of one of the gems of manga that can be found at an anime convention. Flipside, a charming web comic that is being published in book form slowly by the author, is a fantasy series that combines sword fights, sorcery, and a charming and talented jester named Maytag as the love interest for the male character of Crest. While this is a more mature title, having sexual imagery, nudity, and profanity, older audiences will enjoy this manga-style web comic as much as this author did.
The story of Flipside revolves around two women, Maytag, who is a jester with dual personalities, a nymphomaniac, and a pretty good fighter on her own, and Bernadette, a respectable swordswoman who has an attachment to her. There are many other colorful and charming characters, but the story is mostly about these two and how they live and survive in a world where knights fight without sorcery, and the criminals always have the best sorcery available. The characters of Flipside range from the dual nature of Maytag, to the evil, misogynistic appeal of Voulger and the determined, lovable Crest. The characters make these stories come to life, and at times, the magic of the city and the world this manga takes place in is almost unnecessary. Not to say that it shouldn’t be there. Flipside is infinitely more fun with magic involved.
Flipside is an American comic that uses manga style art to portray the story. Foulke does this well, presenting a beautiful landscape with equally beautiful characters. The lines are clean, as is the shading, and the manga style art was true to form, complete with beautiful women, beautiful men, and the infamous disappearing nose syndrome. Foulke is a master of his craft and it is easy to see in Flipside, as his characters move with fluidity and work on paper as if they were ready to leap off the page. Unique costumes remind us all that the world is a fantasy one, even if the distinctive swords and magic use could escape attention.
The most important part of this review is the fact that reading book one left me wanting more. The quality was certainly superb, but of the many manga and graphic novels, I judge the most worthy by those which leave this author wanting to read more of it. Flipside is certainly one of those books. The story is intriguing on many levels, and the characters are well crafted, and make the reader want to know what is going to happen next. Throw in a little tantalizing nudity or humor for the more mature audience that should read these books, and you get a great idea of what Brion Foulke’s Flipside is all about.
