My first full length graphic novel: English Edition

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Product Description

In 1941 Poland, silence is a way of life. Eighteen-year-old seminary student Koby Bruk has watched for two years as the people of his home town allowed the Germans to move in, displace homes and families, and impose their rule on the people who remain. When Koby is bullied by his classmate Irvine, he chooses to speak up against him. This doesn't sit well with Irvine's friend, Hitler Youth Oskar Keplar. Oskar corners Koby in an alleyway and makes a sinister promise.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1088223 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 131 pages

Review
... a short, intense study on the powerful lure of the forbidden. And with the multiple layers of wrongness come stronger desire and more serious fallout -- political, religious, and ethnic on top of the usual homosexuality taboo... potent stuff. There's sex, yes, but it's part and parcel of these characters' trajectories. Kudos all around. ---Prospero's Manga

For me, this was a hard-to-take and very personal tale that touched on many global issues with a needful light touch. It could easily have been turned into a massive political statement but it didn't attempt to do so. It remained for me a story of two young men caught up in circumstances they are completely unable to change. It has had the same visceral punch for me as films such as Se7en and I know for a fact that Only Words will stay with me for a long long time. I m very pleased that this was my first foray into this genre. --Speak Its Name

There is so much good in this release that it's hard to find just one thing to point out that s truly exemplary. [...] This to me, is OEL (Original English Language) manga done right. --Boys Next Door

About the Author
Tina Anderson is an accomplished author of gay fiction and comics; her works have been published Class Comics, Yaoi Press, and Dramaqueen. Writing credits include the series Roulette, currently serialized the American yaoi anthology magazine RUSH, and the historical gay drama Only Words, her first full-length graphic novel published in 2007 by Iris Print.

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Customer Reviews

Only Words
This is a simple yet incredibly emotional manga about a Polish seminary student and a Hitler Youth. The subject matter is dark and controversial, yet somehow the story is still sweet and touching. The artwork is hauntingly beautiful, and more of the story takes place in the drawings than in the words on the pages. The little bit of sex in the book is rather explicit. The story does not have a happy ending, however, and the novel takes less than half an hour to finish. Fair or not, those two issues did affect my overall enjoyment.

While I would happily recommend Only Words to manga collectors and fans of poignant and heartfelt artwork, I'm not sure I recommend it for the casual boylove fan looking for a fun manga to read. This is more of a collector/conversation piece than breezy entertainment.

Only Words - BUY IT!
I follow Tina Anderson's work as a fan and I have to say this was a GREAT manga. a bit dark, a bit depressing, but with great writing and awsome art to back it up. I suggest this to any yaoi fan. It's a bit of a short read, but good none the less. ^____^

Superb First Effort
4.5 STARS. This is the first manga I have purchased from the new Irish Print publisher. I really enjoyed the novel, "A Strong and Sudden Thaw" so I decided to gamble on a western yaoi from them. It was well worth the purchase. The artwork is very good. The body proportions are usually correct, and the shading and backgrounds are well done without being crowded. The characters look real and completely male; though not as attractive as in most yaoi - but that is more realistic anyway. My only criticism is that the lines are a little thick (not cartoon/coloring book thick, thank goodness!) so it isn't as clean looking as the work of mangakas such as Yamane or Nitta. But, this is a personal preference and did not deter my enjoyment of the story. The artist is likely to improve in subsequent work in any case.

The story is set in Nazi-occupied Poland, and so the tone and art is understandably dark. There is not nearly as much dialog as in other yaoi I have read, but it fits with this story. Our hero finds himself almost unwillingly attracted to Hitler youth, Oskar. Oskar's feelings are not revealed, at least until the end. Hmmm, the end. What a SHOCKER! I will not spoil it here, but I will say that this is the first yaoi manga to actually surprise me with the conclusion. I will certainly look for more from Anderson & Monaco and may also check out Iris' other yaoi titles. Highly recommended.