Manga seemed to be a more robust presence at this year’s NYCC than in the past few years. Viz was back, with a major announcement; Kodansha was there, with a special guest, a new digital app, and stacks of Sailor Moon volumes to sell; Yen Press and Vertical were there with a few surprises as well. The indy manga magazine Gen was there, along with indy manga publisher One Peace Books. Rumors (and snark) were flying about Tokyopop’s lurch out of the coffin. The Anime Artists Alley was packed. And best of all, the manga bloggers were out in force. I was exclusive to MTV Geek for the weekend, and here are my news posts so far:
Kodansha Comics panel: iPad app, Attack on Titan and Miles Edgeworth licenses, new omnibuses
Kodansha Comics panel 2: Q&A with Fairy Tail manga-ka Hiro Mashima
Yen Press panel: Alice in the Country of Hearts rescued, Puella Magi Madoka Magica licensed, and Yen goes simultaneous with Japan with Soul Eater One in Yen Plus
Viz panel: Loveless rescued, Jiu Jiu licensed
The big Viz news of the con: Shonen Jump goes digital and nearly simultaneous with Japan
And, while it’s not quite manga, I caught the Hatsune Miku panel.
Here’s a roundup of reactions and news from other bloggers:
Deb Aoki interviews the Viz brass about Shonen Jump Alpha, the new digital version of Shonen Jump.
Melinda Beasi gets visual with a gallery of photos from the show floor and rounds up the news and announcements at Manga Bookshelf.
Christopher Butcher is dismayed that the paper version of Shonen Jump will no longer be available cheaply on newsstands.
Pedro Cortes interviews Hiro Mashima.
Kate Dacey comments on the news that Shonen Jump is going digital at The Manga Critic, and she has a roundup of all the NYCC news at Good Comics for Kids.
Erica Friedman reported on two panels she participated in, XX: The Women of Queer Comics and CBLDF: Defending Manga.
Sean Gaffney has a very thorough and entertaining writeup of his experiences at NYCC: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.
Lori Henderson views all the announcements with cautious optimism.
Lissa Pattillo reports on the Viz Media, Vertical, Inc., and Yen Press panels at Kuriousity.
Lianne Sentar applauds the digital initiatives at Sleep Is For the Weak.
David Welsh is pleased with Vertical’s new license announcements.