Ah, the age-old problem of translating comic books to the big screen. The writers risk offending some of the hardcore fans with their dumbing-down of plots, other fans dream of big box-office numbers to finally legitimize comics as an art form, and usually Hollywood ends up with a bloated, empty loser (Think Daredevil). Will comic books and graphic novels ever get the respect they deserve in this country?



In Japan, you won’t find a businessman who doesn’t read a little manga on his morning commute from time to time, and let me tell you, some of that shit is really weird! You’ve seen the pictures: superhero cats with no ears and magic pockets, sentient teddy bears, tentacle sex!



Daniel Pink, author of the New York Times and Business Week bestseller A Whole New Mind, takes the Japanese manga comic genre and twists it even more into a business book for western audience — The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need. Bunko, a kid in a dead-end job with the weight of the business world crushing him, finds solace from an office sprite who shows him the six core rules of maneuvering the job market without compromising his skills. It’s basically What Color Is You Parachute in a whack form for a Generation Y audience.



Discover Pink’s manga mania mantra Monday at Mandolin Café.



[The Mandolin Café, Monday, April 14, 7 p.m., free, 3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma, 253.761.3482]