Viz signs on with comiXology, making that digital-comics platform the closest thing there is to one-stop shopping for digital manga.
Yen Press announced four new licenses on Friday the 13th: Akame Ga Kill!, Kagerou Daze, Secret, and Sword Art Online: Progressive. Lissa Pattillo has the details.
Lori Henderson discusses Seven Seas’ new license announcements in the latest edition of her Manga Dome Podcast at Manga Xanadu.
Calvin Reid and Heidi MacDonald’s report on Book Expo America includes a chat with Viz senior director of sales and marketing Kevin Hamric, who says the company has had another strong year:
The manga and anime distributor will publish about 300 titles in 2014 in addition to about 30 titles (including non-manga originals and licenses) coming from Perfect Square, Viz’s children’s imprint. The house is also launching 14 new manga series this year (up from its usual 5 or 6). Viz began selling its English language print manga in India this year (distribution is by S&S U.K.) and the fans “are eating them up,” Hamric said. Viz launched the program with 25 series from Shueisha and expect to increase that number after the program is reviewed in June.
Plus they have the Sailor Moon anime, and they are dubbing July Pop Culture Month.
Erica Friedman brings us up to date in her latest Yuri Network News post at Okazu.
Shaenon Garrity writes about the wine-tasting manga Drops of God in this week’s House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.
Over at Mangabrog (hey!), there’s a translation of a conversation between Taiyo Matsumoto, Inio Asano, and Keigo Shinzo.
Zainab Akhtar takes a look at Dark Horse’s plans to publish two Satoshi Kon manga, Opus and Seraphim.
News from Japan: The Diet is about to pass a new child pornography law that bans possession of photos and videos but exempts anime and manga. Sankarea will end with the next volume, on November 7.
Reviews
Ken H on vol. 12 of Attack on Titan (Comics Should Be Good)
Ken H on vol. 29 of Blade of the Immortal (Comics Should Be Good)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 15 of Case Closed (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Ken H on vols. 1-3 of Countdown Seven Days (Comics Should Be Good)
Erica Friedman on Dark Cherry to Shoujo A (Okazu)
Ken H on vols. 4 and 5 of The Flowers of Evil (Comics Should Be Good)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 23 of Higurashi: When They Cry (The Fandom Post)
Sarah on vols. 1 and 2 of Millennium Snow (nagareboshi ★ reviews)
Kevin Church on Nijigahara Holograph (Comics Alliance)
Angela Sylvia on vol. 19 of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (The Fandom Post)
Kory Cerjak on vol. 2 of Ranma 1/2 (omnibus edition) (The Fandom Post)
Ken H on vol. 1 of Say I Love You (Comics Should Be Good)
Anna N. on vol. 1 of Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign (Manga Report)