Arrietty books on the way

At MTV Geek, I check in with Viz and learn that they are not only publishing a two-volume film comic based on Studio Ghibli’s Arrietty the Borrower, they also have a picture book and an art book in the works.

David Welsh makes his pick of this week’s new releases, and it’s an easy choice. Sean Gaffney looks over next week’s new releases, which are a more bountiful offering.

Kate Dacey explains why you should read Rica ‘tte Kanji!?

Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith will host the next Manga Moveable Feast at Manga Bookshelf; the main course this month is Wild Adapter.

Blog news: Soliloquy in Blue has a new address, as Michelle Smith makes it official and joins the Manga Bookshelf family.

Events: If you are going to be in San Francisco this Saturday, check out the launch party for the second volume of Jason Thompson’s King of RPGs.

News from Japan: Say Hello to Black Jack creator Shuho Sato, who spends a lot of time thinking about what manga-ka earn, tweeted some statistics about compensation at various levels of sales. The top 100 manga-ka made an average of 70 million yen per year (about $860,000, according to ANN), but that is probably skewed by a few top earners like One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda. The June 25 issue of Hana to Yume will include a new chapter of Descendants of Darkness. And ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings.

Reviews: Melinda Beasi, Kate Dacey, Michelle Smith, and David Welsh have a four-way conversation on manga in the Off the Shelf column at Manga Bookshelf.

Michelle Smith on vols. 3-6 of 13th Boy (Soliloquy in Blue)
Connie on vol. 15 of 20th Century Boys (Slightly Biased Manga)
Kristin on 7 Billion Needles (Comic Attack)
Julie Opipari on vol. 16 of Claymore (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Greg McElhatton on vol. 3 of Cross Game (Read About Comics)
Michelle Smith on vol. 2 of Kamisama Kiss (Soliloquy in Blue)
Anna on vols. 15-18 of Kaze Hikaru (Manga Report)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 5 of Library Wars: Love and War (The Comic Book Bin)
Connie on Lychee Light Club (Slightly Biased Manga)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 3 of My Girlfriend’s A Geek (Kuriousity)
Rob McMonigal on vols. 10 and 11 of Nana (Panel Patter)
Ai Kano on vol. 3 of Seiho Boys’ High School (Animanga Nation)
Bruce P on Tetsudou Shoujo Manga (Okazu)