New comic from Chris Carlier

There’s a new comic available called Spaboon by the writer of Little in Japan:

I have just released a new comic called Spaboon, about the misadventures of a failed pharmaceutical company mascot. Spaboon is a half-spoon, half-baboon hybrid, so when he is laid off by Epoch Pharma Corporation, his prospects are extremely limited, and he finds himself unemployed. In issue one, he dabbles in activism and a spot of recreational drug use.

You can get issue #1 of Spaboon here: Spaboon Issue 1

Mondo Mascots

Mondo Mascots is a new site for those obsessed with Japanese yuru chara, the giant mascots that trot around at street festivals and store openings. Worth checking out if you’re looking to name an unidentified yuruchara seen in your neighbourhood, or find out what yuruchara-themed events are like.

 

Little in Japan: A Night in Roppongi

In the latest Little in Japan Dave visits Roppongi. Roppongi used to be party central for ex-pats and tourists (and those who want to meet them) in the 80s and 90s, but now it’s a bit of a decaying dump.

Little in Japan Book

The Little in Japan book is now on sale!
The book collects all the Little In Japan comic strips so far, with a few new pages thrown in. It’s available as a 100-page paperback, or as a Kindle book.

“Big in Japan” – Despite the cliche, not every westerner who arrives in Japan is greeted with immediate and massive success. For every overnight star who hits the big time in Tokyo, there are countless ordinary slobs floundering in the suburbs, teaching English. This comic is about one such person. Dave Barker is a bumbling ex-pat who loves Japan, and in order to stay must reluctantly teach people how to communicate in English, despite having inept conversational skills himself. Follow Dave as he tries to get by but fails at every turn, inadvertently offends Japanese sensibilities, and just generally makes a fool of himself.

Little in Japan is available on all the Amazon sites internationally.

Little in Japan Book

Little in Japan: The End of the Line

The first Little in Japan of the new year is about the perils of falling asleep on Japanese trains (which I have done a number of times). It’s a bit of a weird one. Here’s an excerpt:

You can read the full strip here.

Little in Japan Returns

Dave is back in another Little in Japan story over at http://littleinjapan.com

This time, Dave contemplates his options.

Little in Japan: Trying to Be Something Other Than a Teacher

In the latest Little in Japan comic strip, Dave tries his luck at various non-teaching jobs in Japan, without much luck. It was a nice chance to commiserate with (and poke fun at) my fellow Tokyo creatives, who say they are in bands or writing novels, but are all secretly teachers.
Read the whole story here:
http://littleinjapan.com/?comic=anything-but-teaching

Dark Horizon

I recently read a copy of Brian Reyes’ outrageous book, Dark Horizon, which he describes as “a vulgar yet playful book of insults”. It’s a spoof of the popular English textbook series, New Horizon, which has been read in Japanese public school since 1965. Here’s how Brian describes it:

I thought about the characters from New Horizon, and what they would be like 10 years later if they fell on hard times. In my version of the book, the character Mike is homeless, Emi is a prostitute and good ol’ Ann Green sensei is a suicidal hostess. They have rude conversations and Japanese can learn some very rude English insults. I included Romaji in the book, so it works well for English speakers to learn naughty Japanese phrases too!

It’s a hilarious, irreverent read. You can get it in Amazon and lots of Japanese shops.

Little in Japan: Onwards and Downwards

Dave’s downward spiral continues as the comic strip returns for the first time this year. This time he is exploring his unappealing career options.
Check out the strip here:
http://littleinjapan.com/?comic=onwards-and-downwards

Little In Japan: Networking

I’ve just completed the first “Little In Japan” strip in ages.

Stranded in a cyber-cafe, Dave experiments with social media, and gets into more trouble.
See the story in full here:
http://littleinjapan.com/?comic=networking-2