Madeleine Rosca
I was pretty surprised at how few people turned up to see Madeleine Rosca at the Manga library today. She was speaking to an audience of 8-10 people. Still, there seemed to be a reasonably good variety in the questions asked (including those after the lecture was officially over). Madeleine was witty and charming, and it was all too soon before it was over and we had to sneak off.

I was surprised to learn how Hollow Fields developed. Original versions were less steampunk and not even manga. This is something I'd never have guessed. Hollow Fields just feels so much like its published incarnation was its intended form from its earliest inception. It's tribute to Madeleine's incredible skill that the manga feels so natural an expression of its story. I was also astonished to see just how quickly she developed the style she uses in the manga. She showed an earlier comic version that was only a few years old. To move from from the simplier, geometric style to the more complex and detailed style she employs is such a short time and in such an assured fashion really floored me. The art in the manga seems polished as to come from decades of struggle.

I had my copy of volume 1 signed, which was awesome. I found out that there are actually two printings of the manga, so I can snobbily say that I have a first printing and that I loved it before it was cool.