Sorry, everyone, the news post will be late this morning. I have a review almost ready to go, too, but I had to stop and learn some new software so I can post here.

(Click for extremely cute chibis as well as profound content)

Yes, it’s official: After months of high-level negotiations, Good Comics For Kids has moved onto the website of School Library Journal. We’re not changing the focus—it will still be ten bloggers writing and arguing about any comic designed for readers under 18—but we think this will bring comics to a wider audience. Plus the SLJ folks are super-nice and we’re in company with a host of interesting bloggers. So reset your RSS feeds and hold on to your hats!

Well, as predicted, NYAF got along just fine without me. Here are the highlights from the bloggers who were there:

First of all, mad props to Deb Aoki of About.com, who got up early on Sunday to cover the State of the Manga Industry panel. And her extensive writeup is only part I—there’s more to come.

Bandai Entertainment: This company mostly publishes anime, but they noted at NYAF that they had picked up the license for the manga version of Gurren Lagann, which seems to be a big hit with the folks who like their pictures to move. (ANN, Gia, Japanator)

Del Rey: Moyasimon was the big news, and as noted below, you can also look forward to Amefurashi, Maid War Chronicles, a Tsubasa character guide, and some Cartoon Networ tie-ins. Deb Aoki has more info on all these titles. (ANN, Gia, ICv2, Japanator) (Amefurashi cover swiped from Deb’s blog.)

Kitty Media: This 18+ publisher had no new licenses to announce but Gia’s account of their panel includes an interesting discussion of marketing mature manga. It looks like BL is still doing well for Kitty.

Vertical: They had no new announcements, but the Vertical folks made everyone’s mouth water by waving around copies of their deluxe hardback edition of Black Jack. Unfortunately, it sounds like the classic manga they have been publishing, like To Terra, isn’t selling that well; in fact, according to ANN,

Vertical’s Ioannis Mentzis, one of the two presenters, noted that even if a manga like Tezuka’s 1947 New Treasure Island were available in English, sales would be extremely small. Fans who want to read this would be better and faster served by finding scanlations, he noted.

Meanwhile, their previously announced line of more mainstream manga has been held up because they are having trouble getting licenses, having been aced out of Square Enix by Yen Press. But watch for some interesting books on Japanese culture, including more Aranzi Aranzo craft books and a new line of cookbooks, coming soon. (ANN, Gia, Japanator) (Image is the cover of vol. 1 of Black Jack; click on it to go see a preview.)

Yen Press: The headline license is Hero Tales, by Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromo Arakawa; it will be serialized in Yen+ magazine before being collected. Other new licenses: Welcome to Wakaba-soh, by sola creator Chako Abeno; two manhwa, 13th Boy and Sugarholic; and the Spice and Wolf (Ōkami to Koshinryo) novels. (ANN, Deb Aoki, Gia)

Deb Aoki has quick impressions of the first two days, noting that many publishers stayed away and that the special “Top Secret” panel scheduled for Saturday was canceled. Kai-Ming Cha has some notes from the floor as well. Erica Friedman filed her con report, even though she was only there for a few hours, and Kethylia tweeted her impressions via Twitter. Active Anime and The Haisho teamed up on a very nice blog with lots of pictures and news. Lissa Pattillo recaps the news with a list of new licenses at Kuriousity.

Back in May, when Moyashimon won a Kodansha Manga Award, I opined that it sounded pretty interesting and that Del Rey should publish it. Ahem. Apparently great minds think alike, because they have indeed licensed it (dropping the h to make it Moyasimon in English). Because a manga about bacteria is a guaranteed winner. There’s an anime too. (Warning: Extreme cuteness.)

Oh, Del Rey announced three other books as well: Tsubasa Character Guide 2, Amefurashi, and Maid War Chronicle. Details after the cut.

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We have heard about the “Cartoon Network effect,” the tendency for a manga to sell better once the associated anime starts running on Cartoon Network. Now the synergy may run the other way as well: Del Rey is going to begin publishing manga-format comics based on the CN properties Bakugan Battle Brawlers and Ben 10 Alien Force The initial releases will consist of color stills from the cartoons, a format that we have never done well, but the black-and-white graphic novels that follow sound more promising.

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We first heard about the publisher Yaoi Generation when their name appeared on the Yaoi-Con dealers’ list. They made their official debut at Yaoi-Con this weekend and announced their first manga series, breath. The first volume is due out in December. Read on for more.

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OK, I’m a bit late with this—the panel they mention was this morning—but Go!Comi is obviously going to be a significant presence at Yaoi-Con and the unveiling of the print edition of Wendy Pini’s Masque of the Red Death is an important event. And Pini will be having an autograph session tomorrow. So check it out. If you can’t make it to Yaoi-Con, check out the webcomic version of Masque on the Go!Comi site. The print version will be available in October.

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