Sorcerers & Secretaries, Volume 1 (v. 1) [Paperback]

Amy Kim Ganter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2006

Nicole Hayes sure likes to daydreamâ€"and who can blame her? She studies a subject she has no interest in so she can satisfy her mother, and she works part time as a receptionist to satisfy her growing debt. But when she's alone with her notebook, she crafts a fantastic story and lets her imagination go-go-go! Meanwhile, her old neighbor Josh pines after Nicole's every step but just can't seem to snap her out of her daydreams and get her to notice him. If only he could see what it was she was dreaming about, maybe he could finally win her over!From the creator of the online comic site, felaxx.com, comes a romantic comedy for anyone who has dared to dream about a crazy little thing called love!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This sweet if not particularly deep shojo-style story cast in American manga is by the author of the popular Web comic Reman Mythology. Nicole, a university student and part-time secretary, leads a life of loneliness. Josh, a wanna-be professional heartbreaker who already has a jar full of love-notes from his conquests, falls for her. It's an all-too-common plot—bad boy falls for the mousy girl—and it drags a bit in the middle. The twist is that Nicole's life is consumed by fairy tales and her dream journal, in which she writes the story of the sorcerer Ellon. The art borrows heavily from shojo and manhwa, but has a strong American flavor, slightly reminiscent of such indie comics artists as Dean Haspiel, only gentle and lonely rather than sharp and angry, with a smooth storytelling flow that is so good readers will hardly notice it. Readers will keep expecting Ellon to erupt into the mundane half of Nicole's life; when the sorcerer finally appears, it's not clear whether it's mystical, or if Nicole is simply losing grasp of reality. With this and her complex, involved Web comic, Ganter shows much range, and while still perilously young, she's clearly a talent to watch. (Mar.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: TokyoPop (February 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598164090
• ISBN-13: 978-1598164091
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer, February 20, 2006

By 

icekweem "Joseph" (Los Angeles/Manila/Seoul) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sorcerers & Secretaries, Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

As soon as I heard about Sorcerers and Secretaries, I was eager to pick it up. Any original manga-influenced work written and drawn in America that is of high enough quality to find its way onto the Japanese manga shelves in between Love Hina and Trigun (and alongside the likes of other "American manga" like Megatokyo) certainly deserves a look.

I for one loved it. Contrary to what the Publishers Weekly reviewer would have you believe, there is a lot of originality and depth to be found in Sorcerers & Secretaries, and if one looks closely, there is much more at work here than just the 'bad boy falls for mousy girl' foundation that it's built upon.

Nicole is a NY college girl both lost in and in love with her original fantasy world. She's creative, but her ideas come at a price: bad grades for a course she has no interest in, a boring job that gives her no satisfaction, and even some trouble with an employee at the local bookstore - Josh, her former neighbor, is desperate to win her heart, claim his prize, and drop her number into his quickly-filling jar. She's both a challenge and a conundrum to him, that's for sure. But how sincere is he? And perhaps more importantly, how sincere is she? Can a girl accustomed to living affably in her head ever open herself up to the harsh realities of *gasp* real romance?

The premise sounds simple, but don't be deceived. There is some tender insight to be found here, and a universal story to be told. And don't worry, friends, it's told well. The ins-and-outs of our heroine and hero's lives are never forgotten or neglected, and New York City feels solid and authentic (while the fantasy world stands out - like it should - and is defnitely worth flipping through again to revisit), all oh-so-important traits in a good graphic novel.

But perhaps most importantly, Amy Kim Ganter's characters are delicate and sensitive without forgetting to be lovable and funny, something that even Megatokyo's Fred Gallagher (bless the man) struggles with.

It doesn't hurt that Sorcerers & Secretaries is so easy on the eyes. The artwork is bright and vibrant, and the occasionally weird or uninspired artistic choices are more than redeemed by the funny and clever ones. The solid inking adds a signature of western influence to the graphic novel that is more than welcome given its content and setting.

For a first major work (though Ms. Ganter is a veteran webcomic artist with the award-winning "Reman Mythology" and has contributed to the highly acclaimed "Flight" anthology), Sorcerers & Secretaries is a clearly personal story that's charming, captivating, and surprisingly honest in its telling. It's even a little cinematic; Nicole's loneliness is explored more through images than words, and in an artform where pages are often overflowing with pointless, meaningless dialogue, that makes all the difference in the world.

It's both interesting and inspiring to see artists from inside the USA having their work featured proudly in the manga section of local bookstores. And because of its western influences and setting, it's easy to recommend Sorcerers & Secretaries, even to non-manga fans, older teens and twenty-somethings. This charming novel warmed me up on a chilly day, and now I honestly cannot wait until Volume Two.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully magical, August 11, 2006

By 

Sarah - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sorcerers & Secretaries, Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

I discovered Sorcerers & Secretaries through a friend of mine, and I'm so glad I did. The story is overwhelmingly heartwarming, engaging, and well-paced. And while the overall plot may seem simple at first, the way in which it is told is charming and unique. We don't start at the beginning of Nicole and Josh's relationship; we start in the middle and gradually piece together the beginning through flashbacks. It's an interesting and compelling puzzle, one that adds an unexpected layer of poignancy to the story.

Another delightful aspect was how instantly likeable (even lovable) the characters of Nicole and Josh were. Nicole's dilemma of being torn between her fantasy/dream world and her typical, mundane reality is easy to relate to. Amy Kim Ganter has such a talent for capturing emotions and making her characters all the more expressive, comical, and genuine. Also worth mentioning is how beautifully depicted Nicole's dream world is. The second volume can't come quickly enough.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars refreshing, fun, quirky, February 13, 2006

By 

Mariann L. Grantham - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sorcerers & Secretaries, Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

This comic has a number of unique touches to it. Watching Nicole's difficulty extracting herself from the "real" world and immerse herself into a fantasy world woven of dreams is exciting and genuine. The artwork does a great job of conveying the tensions between these two worlds--I especially liked all the happy lines that cover the page when Nicole opens a fantasy book. Enjoyable and original. Ganter has written a nicely paced, enjoyable little book.