If you have been curious about Attack on Titan and want to check out the first volume, Amazon has it on sale as of this writing for $2.99. Their prices change frequently, so I don’t know how long this will last.

This week’s issue of Shonen Jump (which is being released early, on Saturday) will be dedicated to Takeshi Obata’s adaptation of the novel All You Need Is Kill; the issue will include the first chapter of the manga, the first chapter of the novel, and some other Obata previews.

Crunchyroll has added three new titles to its digital manga service: Inside Mari, Silver Nina, and Love Theory. All three are from Futabasha.

The Manga Bookshelf team looks over this week’s new releases and discusses their Pick of the Week.

Shaenon Garrity takes a look at the long-running series Case Closed (she’s the English-language editor) in her latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

Dave Ferraro lists his picks for the best manga of 2013 at Comics-and-More.

Alex Hoffman looks back on the manga news of 2013 at Manga Widget. Lori Henderson looks back on the past year as well in her latest Manga Dome podcast, and she devotes another podcast to a retrospective on Yen Plus, the digital manga magazine that recently ceased publication.

Lori also looks at some older manga that are getting a new life in digital format.

This was announced last month but it sort of got washed away with all the other news: Manga-ka est em, creator of Seduce Me After the Show and Red Blinds the Foolish, will be a guest at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) this spring.

News from Japan: Shueisha’s Margaret magazine will publish a new Rose of Versailles one-shot story by Riyoko Ikeda in May. The new Rurouni Kenshin spinoff manga will focus on the enemies in the original, according to the wife of manga-ka Nobuhiro Watsuki. Satoru Hiura will launch a new Hotaru no Hikari series in Kiss magazine. Miwa Ueda (Peach Girl) is bringing her Ariute Ikō manga to an end.

Reviews: Ash Brown looks at the past week’s manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 5 of A Bride’s Story (Comics Worth Reading)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 4 of Btooom! (Comics Worth Reading)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 5 of Love Hina (omnibus edition) (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 4 of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Matthew Warner on vol. 69 of One Piece (The Fandom Post)
Erica Friedman on Yuri☆Koi Girls Love Story (Okazu)

Fantagraphics has picked up the gay manga anthology Massive, which was originally slated to be published by PictureBox. I talked to the translators, Anne Ishii and Graham Kolbeins, about the book and its predecessor, The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame, as well as the genre of gay manga in Japan.

Shonen Jump will run Takeshi Obata’s adaptation of All You Need Is Kill on the same day it appears in Young Jump magazine in Japan.

David Brothers writes, in depth, about two manga he really enjoyed in 2013: Slam Dunk and Bleach.

The Manga Bookshelf bloggers take the long view and discuss their Pick of the Year, and they also take a look at this week’s new manga.

Freelance manga editor Daniella Orihuela-Gruber writes about her struggles with depression and how that has been interwoven with her work life.

Hirofumi Watanabe, the suspect in the Kuroko’s Basketball threat letters case, has given an interview to the magazine Tsukuru; the first item released is his message to users of the bulletin board 2chan, denying that he is a zainichi (foreigner).

News from Japan: Say Hello to Black Jack creator Shuho Sato is adapting Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game into manga form; it will be published on his website, Manga on Web. Dan Brown, author of The DaVinci Code, is the latest literary character to show up with superpowers in Bungō Stray Dogs. Suehiro Maruo is working on a new series, Tomino no Jigoku (Tomino’s Hell), which will debut in the March issue of Monthly Comic Beam. Toriko will go on hiatus for one month at the end of the current story arc. Keisuke Itagaki’s martial arts series Baki is returning to Weekly Shōnen Champion. Sora no Otoshimino/Heaven’s Lost Property will come to an end next month.

Reviews: Ash Brown looks back on a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga. The Manga Bookshelf team finish out 2013 with the year’s last set of Bookshelf Briefs.

Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Alice in the Country of Hearts: The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (ANN)
Katherine Hanson on vol. 8 of Aoi Hana (Yuri no Boke)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 16 of Arata: The Legend (The Comic Book Bin)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Battle Angel Alita (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Bloody Cross (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 11 of Dorohedoro (The Comic Book Bin)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 11 of Dorohedoro (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 33 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 3 of Happy Marriage?! (The Comic Book Bin)
Matt Cycyk on Helter Skelter: Fashion Unfriendly (Matt Talks About Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 3 of Magi (The Comic Book Bin)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 5 of Missions of Love (Comics Worth Reading)
Ash Brown on vol. 4 of No. 6 (Experiments in Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 69 of One Piece (The Comic Book Bin)
Sakura Eries on vol. 15 of Oresama Teacher (The Fandom Post)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 3 of Sankarea: Undying Love (Comics Worth Reading)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 2 of Summer Wars (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 2 of Tiger & Bunny 2-in-1 Anthology (I Reads You)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Vinland Saga (Comics Worth Reading)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 6 of Wandering Son (A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Life is getting back to normal now that the police have arrested a suspect in the Kuroko’s Basketball case; the Shadow Trickster doujinshi events are back on, and the doujinshi event Comic City Osaka announced that it is scrapping its ban on Kuroko’s Basketball-themed doujinshi and merchandise. ANN also has more details on the suspect, Hirofumi Watanabe, including the apparent motive for the attacks: Jealousy.

Erica Friedman brings us the latest Yuri Network News at Okazu.

The Manga Bookshelf team looks forward to this week’s new releases.

Lori Henderson devotes her latest Manga Dome podcast to the Christmas-themed (sort of) manga Sweet Rein.

Akemi looks at the mythology and setting of Attack on Titan at Myth and Manga.

Viz’s shonen rom-com Nisekoi, which has been out in digital for a while, is making the leap to print.

Shaenon Garrity discusses Chihayafuru, a card-game manga that goes beyond the usual manga stereotypes, in the latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

News from Japan: Battle Angel Alita: Last Order is coming to an end. Dan Brown, the author of The DaVinci Code, will become a superpowered character in Bungō Stray Dogs.

Reviews: Carlo Santos checks out the latest new releases in his Right Turn Only!! column at ANN.

Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Absolute Boyfriend (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Mark Thomas on vol. 16 of Arata: The Legend (The Fandom Post)
Erica Friedman on vol. 10 of Attack on Titan (Okazu)
Ash Brown on vol. 3 of Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love (Experiments in Manga)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of I’ll Give It My All… Tomorrow (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Andrew Lee on Tropic of the Sea (The Japan Times)
Erica Friedman on Yurimekuru Hibi (Okazu)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 3 of Soulless (Comics Worth Reading)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 7 of Sunshine Sketch (A Case Suitable for Treatment)

After a year of threatening letters and cancelled events, police arrested a suspect in the Kuroko’s Basketball case this week. The suspect, 36-year-old Hirofumi Watanabe, was nabbed while mailing some letters, and according to police, he has already confessed.

Yen Press has more Sword Art Online manga on the way.

The Manga Bookshelf bloggers discuss their Pick of the Week.

Lori Henderson discusses Inu x Boku SS along with her regular features on the Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.

News from Japan: The 20th anniversary edition of Bessatsu Margaret comes with a dust jacket featuring characters from popular shonen manga; RocketNews24 gives us a peek. The top-selling manga on Amazon Japan this holiday season is vol. 12 of Yotsuba&!, and the top-selling vol. 1 of a manga is Attack on Titan, according to the folks at Japanator.

Reviews: The Manga Bookshelf team files this week’s Bookshelf Briefs. Ash Brown brings us through a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Ash Brown on 12 Days (Experiments in Manga)
Harry Edmundson-Cornell on vol. 2 of 20th Century Boys (Sequart)
Ken H on vols. 8 and 9 of Attack on Titan (Comics Should Be Good)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 10 of Attack on Titan (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 32 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Reviews)
Sarah on vols. 1-4 of Cardcaptor Sakura (nagareboshi reviews)
Sean Gaffney on vols. 4 and 5 of Hetalia: Axis Powers (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 10 of Itsuwaribito (The Comic Book Bin)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 2 of Judge (Comics Worth Reading)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Limit (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Alex Hoffman on Pink (Manga Widget)
Andrew T on Pink (The Beguiling)
Kristin on vol. 1 of Sweet Rein (Comic Attack)
Ken H on vols. 1 and 2 of Triton of the Sea (Comics Should Be Good)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 2 of Voice Over: Seiyu Academy (The Comic Book Bin)

Roland Kelts looks at the international popularity of One Piece in an article that includes an interview with manga-ka Eiichiro Oda and the Viz editors who localize his work for American readers.

The Manga Bookshelf team discusses next week’s new manga releases and this week’s Pick of the Week.

Justin presents parts 2 and 3 of his interview with Seven Seas social media maven Conner Crooks at Organization Anti-Social Geniuses.

Sean Gaffney checks out the new digital manga service Manga Box.

Motion comics haven’t been as much of a thing in the manga world as elsewhere, but Manga 2.5 is offering five titles in Japanese and English; Jason Thompson checks it out in this week’s House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

Ash Brown writes about finding manga in the library.

News from Japan: The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries announced its first round of Japan Food Culture Contents Awards this week, and Hiromu Arakawa’s Silver Spoon took top honors. Moyashimon got the Gold Award in the manga category, and Oishinbo received a Special Jury Award. Demand was so strong for the January 2014 issue of Aria magazine, which contained the first chapter of the Attack on Titan spinoff Attack on Titan: No Regrets, that Kodansha had to go back to press for a second printing. Three new manga series will launch in the February issue of Dragon Age magazine, which ships January 9. Young Ace also has some new series in various stages of development, including one by The World of Narue artist Tomohiro Marukawa.

Reviews: The Manga Bookshelf team keeps it short and sweet in this week’s edition of Bookshelf Briefs. Ash Brown looks at a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Lissa Pattillo on Alice in the Country of Hearts: The Clockmaker’s Story (Kuriousity)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 5 of A Bride’s Story (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 11 of A Devil and Her Love Song (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 12 of A Devil and Her Love Song (The Comic Book Bin)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 31 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Jocelyne Allen on Helter Skelter (Brain Vs. Book)
Alice Vernon on vol. 1 of Magi (Girls Like Comics)
Erica Friedman on Marriage Battle! (Okazu)
Rebecca Silverman on vols. 1-3 of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (ANN)
Anna N on Ordinary Girl in a Tiara and The Greek Tycoon’s Defiant Bride (Manga Report)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 2 of Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Shugo Chara! (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Zombie-Loan (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)

Seven Seas has Tweeted news of yet another new license; this time it’s D-Frag, a high school story about a guy who is sort of a delinquent who joins a gamer’s club that’s mostly girls. In case you missed it, Sean Gaffney rounds up all the recent Seven Seas announcements, with commentary.

Erica Friedman brings a fresh edition of Yuri News Network at Okazu. And she also presents a yuri-themed gift guide.

Suehiro Maruo’s horror manga Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show and The Strange Tale of Panorama Island are the topic of Shaenon Garrity’s latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

Khursten Santos reviews the Crunchyroll manga service at Otaku Champloo.

Lori Henderson checks out the new digital manga service Manga Box in her latest Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.

Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama once thought of killing off all the characters at the series’ end, but he has backed off of that; he still wants to “betray his fans,” though.

Reviews: Carlo Santos has some quick takes on recent volumes of Btooom!, Wolfsmund, and more in his Right Turn Only!! column at ANN.

A Library Girl on vol. 1 of Captive Hearts (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 5 of Demon Love Spell (The Comic Book Bin)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Fuurai Shimai (Okazu)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 3 of Genshiken Second Season (The Fandom Post)
Erica Friedman on Koi ha Hisokani Minorumono (Okazu)
Ash Brown on vol. 3 of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (Experiments in Manga)
A Library Girl on vols. 1 and 2 of Nabari No Ou (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 69 of One Piece (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Rebecca Silverman on vols. 1 and 2 of Puella Magi Oriko Magica (ANN)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Sakura Trick (Okazu)
Matthew Warner on Tiger and Bunny: The Beginning, Side A and Side B (The Fandom Post)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 9 of Toriko (The Comic Book Bin)
Mark Thomas on vol. 7 of Vampire Hunter D (The Fandom Post)