For starters, Svetlana Chmakova was born in Russia, and moved to Canada, so I’m really keen on this artist. She’s a fellow Canuck, like myself. She’s also got other works under her belt as well such as CosmoGIRL!’s “Adventures of CG” With the help of TokyoPop, who has graced the entire world with the Dramacon series, I can only bounce in my chair with glee.

Story

I found the first volume completely amusing, so much that when I first cracked open the book I couldn’t put it down. The writing style is great, and has some pretty great one-liners between Matt and Christie, the main characters in the story. For example, this little gem in volume one on page 74 always cracks me up:

Christie: Do me a favor…and at least try not to sound like you want me.

Matt: Why? I’m man enough to admit what I want.

However, in Volume One Christie has a jerk of a boyfriend, an artist for their web comic Wary City. So while the flirtations are high, she at least tries to make the effort to working things out with her scumbag boyfriend. Yet as the story progresses, the tension of a controlling, not very nice boyfriend takes her to her limits and she kisses Matt at the J-Pop dance while her boyfriend is off flirting with other girls who are, in his opinion, better-looking. Do I hear some hisses from the audiance? Well get in line folks. Matt gets the first hit in on him later, when the scumbag boyfriend gets drunk and forces himself on Christie. Let the cheering commence! Yay!

You’d think these two puppy love-struck people would hook up; sadly, due to living arrangements on opposite sides of the country… neither of them even makes a move! They just part ways on the last day of the con, saying they’ll be very good friends. My heart broke right along with these two characters. Such a tragic love. Yet it still ends on a good note. Sandra, Matt’s sister, slips a note into Christie’s belongings… a simple note, with Matt’s phone number, saying that Matt really likes her, and that Christie should call the damn idiot.

Thus ended book one, and I was happy, but saddened that I couldn’t get my hands on Volume Two. Untill now.

Book two opens with a great start, with Christie meeting up with Mangapop’s popular writer, Lida Zeff, who she had the chance to meet in the first volume, as well as some old friends and making some new ones. Thankfully, she ditched her artist boyfriend, and came to the con with a newer better female artist Bethany, who herself has issues.

This story read a bit more strongly, touching on an assortment of issues, including the “It’s Not Real Manga” issue, always a heated debate for most people; it is widely believed that if it’s not from Japan, it isn’t manga. It also touched on Matt and Christie with their feelings. However, Matt has a girlfriend. So Christie played the good friend, and distanced herself. However, when trying to escape Matt after seeing him at the J-Pop dance, she almost gets hit by a car, and he luckily was on hand to keep that from happening. Okay girls, you can swoon, the moody male character plays the part of hero. Who doesn’t love that?

Regardless, tensions are high, and Matt almost tries to kiss Christie. However, our heroine webcomic writer doesn’t let him, saying it wasn’t right. Again they part ways, with these heartfelt inner monolouge lines on page 177 :

“Nothing else to say.”

“Not even a goodbye.”

The story moves back into the issues of what it’s like to be a comic artist, and Christie’s artist Bethany decides not to take an offered job at Mangapop, because it would cause a lot of heartache and problems with her mother, who has worked real hard to support her as she’s grown up. However, she’d still work on Wary City.

It was a fantastic read and I really enjoyed this installment as well. It touched on so much, and there was no awkward reading. Svetlana outdid herself in this issue with the writing. It reads smoothly, and she didn’t forget the one-liners and zany writing style that made me like her work in the first place. With an even ballance of fun, drama, and angst between the main characters, it makes for a wonderful continuation in the series.

Art:

Svetlana’s art is fun to look at. She doesn’t hold back on the Super Deformed art, action scenes, or depictions of inner thoughts. The “flashback” art is soft and pleasing to look at. It’s a good balance of zany and serious, a good combination to go with the already established fantastic writing. So I can only say this: Great work, Svetlana, you’ve found a fan with me, keep up the great work!

Other information:

* Svetlana has an official website: http://www.svetlania.com/

* She also has a LiveJournal. She doesn’t update it much, however she does friend people if you request it. When she does update, it makes for interesting news on her various works, and other such details fans may want to know!

* There’s also a Dramacon LJ community.

* Dramacon Volume Three is slotted for release from Tokyopop on December 10th! It’ll make a great Christmas present for those Dramacon fans!

Extra titbit:
Dramacon Three is said to be the last volume. There may or may not be more after volume three. It is completely up to Svetlana, and her editor. The source comes right out of the comments in the LJ community, so I am unsure if it is true or not. If so, it should prove to be a fun ride.

If you liked that, try...

1. Caldi’s Manga Beat 01: What’s New in the Manga Pile.
2. Manga Beat 03: What’s new in the Manga Pile.
3. Caldi’s Manga Beat 02: What’s not so new in the Manga Pile.
4. Manga Beat 06: Death Note vol 1.
5. Manga Beat 08: Angel Sanctuary Vol 1.

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