Hey everyone, sorry about the radio silence. I’ve been away at the International Comics Festival in Angouleme, France, where manga is still a big deal and the guests included Suehiro Maruo. I’m still recovering from jet lag (not to mention re-entry into normal life after six days in an 18th-century chateau), so this is just a quick roundup, but I will have a lot to say in the next few days, so stay tuned.
There has been a rumor making the rounds, based on an interview that Inio Asano did with a Japanese magazine, that the manga-ka wants to have a sex-change. Matt Thorn looks into it but doesn’t get much clarification from Asano’s publisher; he then turns to the original interview, which sheds a bit more light on Asano’s feelings.
Over on the other side of the channel, The Guardian has discovered manga and has a beginner’s guide with a good slate of recommended titles. Even if you’re not a beginner, it’s always interesting to see what sort of take the mass media has on the topic.
At Good Comics for Kids, we have a preview of the fourth volume of Tania del Rio’s manga-style Sabrina: The Magic Within graphic novels.
The Manga Bookshelf team looks at this week’s new manga and discusses the Pick of the Week.
News from Japan: Shin Kibayashi, creator of The Drops of God and Kindaichi Case Files, has started a new manga, Shinjuku DxD, which will be carried by the Manga Box app.
Reviews: The Manga Bookshelf team looks at this week’s new releases in their Bookshelf Briefs feature. Ash Brown looks back at a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.
Kristin on vols. 3 and 4 of The Earl and the Fairy (Comic Attack)
Anna N. on vol. 12 of Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden (Manga Report)
Kristin on Helter Skelter (Comic Attack)
Drew McCabe on Pokemon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened (Comic Attack)
Chris Kirby on vol. 17 of Toriko (The Fandom Post)
Anna N. on The Tycoon’s Pregnant Mistress and Her Sheikh Boss (Manga Report)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 5 of Umineko: When They Cry (A Case Suitable for Treatment)