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[Link] Rules Of Make Believe [Date] 8/14/03 [Comments] 
Magna as realized by it's inventors is a surprisingly rigid and rigorous traditional form. There's a range of certain "looks" for the art and another range of stock settings and story lines. This makes the latest round of indignation over "bad magna" by non-japanese seem all the more absurd to me. However, I generally find that on the Net the magna-inspired comics that filter their way up to my attention are very American, generally only referring to one or two traditional elements as interests the artist. What's cool about RoMB is that even if the artist is one of those dreaded non-japanese, this is a full-up exercise in making a realistic magna, nothing is left out and the attention to detail is exquisite. The first key to the reader is that the pages must be read right to left! Then there is the Shoujo style art, with glossy brushwork and pretty boys and girls. The story is set in an industrial-driven cyberpunk near-future, with virtual reality battles in bad-neigborhood arcades, and a story arc that looks like it could stretch out for years. This has me a little worried, as a matter of fact, as this level of production value tends to be very draining, so let's hope that RoMB can continue for many more issues. Update 1/8/04 "Paused". These fail to restart more often than not, but this one is worth holding your breath for. Update 4/1/04ROMB has been back for several weeks now, congratulations on a successful return from the abyss!! Also, the author has advised me of a new URL, although the old one is also still working for now.
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