I've recently learned that Patricia Nell Warren's 1974 novel "The
Front Runner" has been serialized as a comic in Japan, and I'm trying
to find out more about it. I know it ran sometime in the past few
years in a magazine called Imaju-club and the artist is Akisato
Wakuni, whom I understand is well-known in yaoi manga circles.
However, that's where my info trail runs cold. I can find nothing out
there about the magazine itself, and what I'm able to find on Akisato
Wakuni makes no reference to her work on this story. I'm trying to
find out a) what the title of the adaptation was--was it something
other than "The Front Runner"? and b) is there any way to obtain the
comic(s) here in the US? Any information about it would be
appreciated.

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Request for Question Clarification by rico-ga on 14 Aug 2002 08:23 PDT

Hi artgroupie,

Interesting question.  No joy yet, although I did find out that "The
Front Runner" has apparently been serialized as a managa at least
twice before the Imaju-club version. I've sent an email off to Ms.
Warren as well as her publishing company, Wildcat International,
asking if they had further information.  I'll let you know if/when I
get a response.

regards,

rico

Good news artgroupie! Ms. Warren sent me a very fast and kind
response, which I quote in part...

"...Yes, it's true that Imaju-club ran The Front Runner as a serial
several years ago.  I gave permission for this to be done.  The
translation was that done by Yuji Kitamaru, which had originally been
published as a Japanese trade edition by Daisan Shokan in the 1980s.
Akisato Wakuni is said to be one of the top manga illustrators in
Japan.   If you will send me your a fax number, I can fax you the
title page, so you can see what the Japanese title was, since the
magazine used both the English title and the Japanese title.   I have
a number of complete sets of the serial, in case you're interested.

Best regards,
Patricia Nell Warren"

Ms. Warren's web site is http://www.wildcatintl.com and she can be
contacted by email at patriciawarren@aol.com. I've replied to her that
I will be passing on her very kind offer(s) to you, and I hope you
take her up them.

artgroupie, on a personal note I also wanted to say that sometimes I
research for the gold, and sometimes just for the love of the hunt. I
became completely fascinated by yaoi manga, a subject I knew nothing
about before your question, and now plan to learn more about it. I
also knew nothing about eith Ms. Warren, but will be reading "The
Front Runner." (I'm picking up a copy this afternoon.

It's questions like yours that made me want to become a Researcher. 
Thanks!

rico

Search Strategy (after all else proved fruitless): "Patricia Nell
Warren" "The Front Runner."

Bravo, Rico! I am truly impressed. Thanks for your diligence, you've
saved me from having to go through any further fruitless hours of
searching. "The Front Runner" is probably one of my all-time favorite
books and I've had a long-standing interest in Japanese comics, so to
learn that the two of them had collided at one point fascinated me,
and it was very frustrating not to be able to find much information.
I'm glad you got something personally out of answering my question as
well. Enjoy the book!

ArtGroupie

yaoi manga? hmm, another fans get trapped. be careful, it can consume you :)

Ephi :)