Christopher Butcher, who is the manager of the Toronto comics shop The Beguiling in addition to marketing director of Udon, talks about manga from a retailer’s point of view, looking both at who is buying manga these days and what manga can do for retailers who are willing to invest a bit of time and money. This should have been part of my big manga story at PW, and it’s definitely a worthy addendum.
At Manga Bookshelf, the team discusses their Pick of the Week, and Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith discuss Library Wars, The Dark-Hunters: Infinity, and Tiger & Bunny in their latest Off the Shelf column.
Rocket News takes a look at Japanese Shonen Jump‘s best-selling manga, the 20 series that have survived years of reader surveys, and at Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson looks at the ones that have not been licensed in North America.
News from Japan: The messaging platform LINE has added a digital manga service that carries over 30,000 titles from top publishers such as Kodansha, Shueisha, and Shogakukan.
Reviews: The Manga Bookshelf bloggers post their latest set of Bookshelf Briefs.
Connie on vol. 1 of 21st Century Boys (Slightly Biased Manga)
TSOTE on Afternoon Dinosaur (Three Steps Over Japan)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 2 of Blood Lad (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Crimson Empire: Circumstances to Serve a Noble (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Connie on Drops of Desire (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on Expecting the Boss’s Baby (Slightly Biased Manga)
Erica Friedman on Gakuen Polizi (Okazu)
Anna N. on vol. 1 of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (Manga Report)
TSOTE on vols. 1 and 2 of Monju (Three Steps Over Japan)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 13 of Nabari no Ou (The Fandom Post)
Connie on Not for a Student (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 53 of One Piece (Slightly Biased Manga)
Michael May on Pokemon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (Good Comics for Kids)
Erica Friedman on Sabegu! (Okazu)
Derek Bown on this week’s issue of Shonen Jump (Manga Bookshelf)
Connie on vol. 9 of Tenjho Tenge (omnibus edition)