MTV Geek has posted my picks for the most anticipated manga of the fall, and to go along with ’em we have some special content:
A preview of a short story from the first volume of Sailor Moon Short Stories
A preview of Satoshi Kon’s Tropic of the Sea, definitely one of the outstanding manga of the year
An interview with Charles Brownstein of the CBLDF about their guide to manga
An interview with Pancha Diaz, the editor of Voice Over: Seiyuu Academy
A interview with Nancy Thistlethwaite, editor of the Christmas-themed manga Sweet Rein
Everything you need to know to jump in to Attack on Titan with volume 6

This is pretty cool: Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama was interviewed on Nihon TV’s Zip! and explained how he got the idea for the Titans (an inebriated customer in the internet cafe where he worked) and how he draws them so well (with the help of a reference book of facial expressions).

Fanfare/Ponent Mon will publish Jiro Taniguchi’s Furari, which sounds like an Edo-era version of The Walking Man.

Planning on going to New York Comic Con? Sean Gaffney has pulled out the manga panels and a few others that may be of interest.

Helen McCarthy gives us the rundown on Daiji Kazumine, who drew manga versions of popular television shows such as Ultraman.

Here’s a look at the Original Algerian Manga scene, where homegrown manga in French, Algerian, and soon, Berber, are selling briskly, but not so well that creators can make a living from comics alone.

News from Japan: Eight years after it was originally announced, Hideo Azuma’s sequel to Disappearance Diary will be published next month; the title is Shissō Nikki 2: Al-Chū Byōtō (Disappearance Diary 2: The Ward for Alcoholics).

Reviews

Sean Gaffney on vol. 7 of Attack on Titan (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Helen on vol. 1 of Eat For Your Life (Narrative Investigations)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 1 of Midnight Secretary (The Fandom Post)
Connie C. on Midori Days, Pretty Face, and Genkaku Picasso (Comics Should Be Good)
TSOTE on vol. 29 of QED (Three Steps Over Japan)
Erica Friedman on Rira to Shion (Okazu)
Ash Brown on vol. 1 of Sherlock Bones (Experiments in Manga)
Manjiorin on vol. 1 of Takasugi-san’s Obento (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)

Good news for fans of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Viz is going to release part 3 digitally, and if that catches on, there may be more…

The Manga Bookshelf bloggers look over this week’s new releases and discuss their Pick of the Week.

Lissa Pattillo looks at three series that were recently announced in Japan that she hopes will make it over here: You Higuri’s Princess Ledalia: The Rose Pirate, Makoto Tateno’s Vampire Romanshiki, and the Attack on Titan spinoff.

Derek Bown catches us up on the past few weeks’ worth of Shonen Jump.

Erica Friedman rounds up the latest yuri news at Okazu.

Justin chats with freelance manga letterer Annaliese Christman, who works on a lot of Viz titles, including Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan and Psyren.

Lori Henderson looks at the BookScan best-seller list, what’s up at Vizmanga.com, and Kodansha Comics’ digital samplers in her latest Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.

Reviews: Ash Brown leads us through a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 7 of 07-Ghost (The Comic Book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 15 of Arata: The Legend (The Comic Book Bin)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 20 of Bakuman (Kuriousity)
Ash Brown on vol. 25 of Blade of the Immortal (Experiments in Manga)
Chris Kirby on vol. 2 of Btooom! (The Fandom Post)
Mark Thomas on vols. 1-3 of Dragonball (omnibus edition) (The Fandom Post)
Erica Friedman on vol. 2 of Eden no Higashitotsuka (Okazu)
Ken H. on vols. 1 and 2 of Happy-Go-Lucky Days (Comics Should Be Good)
Matthew Warner on vol. 1 of Happy Marriage?! (The Fandom Post)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 22 of Hayate the Combat Butler (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Angela Sylvia on vol. 13 of Kamisama Kiss (The Fandom Post)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 21 of Kaze Hikaru (Kuriousity)
Matthew Warner on vol. 1 of Kingdom Hearts II (The Fandom Post)
Dana Lynch on Knights of Sidonia (Culture, whatnot, etc.)
Michael Buntag on K-ON! College (NonSensical Words)
Kate O’Neil on vols. 7-8 of Loveless (omnibus edition)
Dana Lynch on Me and the Devil Blues (Culture, whatnot, etc.)
Kristin on vol. 1 of Midnight Secretary (Comic Attack)
A Library Girl on vol. 1 of Nightschool (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (Blogcritics)
Erica Friedman on vol. 2 of Omoi no Kakera (Okazu)
Erica Friedman on Onna no ko Awase (Okazu)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 68 of One Piece (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lori Henderson on Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Official Casebook, vol. 1: The Phoenix Wright Files (Manga Xanadu)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 11 of Pokemon Black and White (Blogcritics)
Lesley Aeschliman on Pokemon Adventures HeartGold and SoulSilver (Blogcritics)
Matthew Warner on vol. 11 of Psyren (The Fandom Post)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 12 of Psyren (The Comic Book Bin)
Matthew Warner on vol. 1 of Puella Magi Kazuma Magica: The Innocent Malice (The Fandom Post)
Matthew Warner on vol. 12 of Rin-ne (The Fandom Post)
Connie C. on Saikano: The Last Love Song on this Little Planet, X, and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Comics Should Be Good)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 12 of Sailor Moon (Blogcritics)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Sailor Moon Short Stories (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 15 of Soul Eater (The Fandom Post)
Anna N. on vols. 5 and 6 of Strobe Edge (Manga Report)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 6 of Strobe Edge (The Comic Book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 17 of Toriko (The Comic Book Bin)
Justin on Tropic of the Sea (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Nick Smith on Tropic of the Sea (ICv2)
Dave Ferraro on Unico (Comics-and-More)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 4 of Until Death Do Us Part (The Fandom Post)

The Manga Bookshelf bloggers discuss their Pick of the Week, and they also look ahead to this week’s new manga releases. Also at Manga Bookshelf, Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith discuss some josei romances in their latest Off the Shelf column and Erica Friedman takes a peek at Young Gangan magazine.

Erica Friedman has plenty of news, including some about herself, in the latest edition of Yuri Network News.

Paul Gravett looks at the works of Katsuhiro Otomo, with lots of samples of Marvel’s colorized version of Akira.

Lori Henderson discusses Vizmanga.com, the Manga Reborn Kickstarter, and the last two volumes of Alice in the Country of Hearts in her latest Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.

Reviews: It’s time for a new set of Bookshelf Briefs at Manga Bookshelf. Ash Brown takes us through a week’s worth of manga at Experiments in Manga.

Sean Gaffney on vol. 6 of Attack on Titan (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sakura Eries on vol. 20 of Bakuman (The Fandom Post)
Matthew Warner on vol. 57 of Bleach (The Fandom Post)
Anna N. on vol. 1 of Eat For Your Life (Manga Report)
Ken H on vols. 15 and 16 of Erementar Gerade (Comics Should Be Good)
Connie C. on Heart of Thomas, To Terra, and From Eroica With Love (Comics Should Be Good)
Sean Gaffney on Helter Skelter: Fashion Unfriendly (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Ken H. on vol. 5 of Heroman (Comics Should Be Good)
Matthew Warner on vol. 5 of Is This a Zombie? (The Fandom Post)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 1 of Judge (The Fandom Post)
L.B. Bryant on vol. 1 of Judge (ICv2)
Ash Brown on Kitaro (Experiments in Manga)
Ash Brown on Manga: Introduction, Challenges, and Best Practices (Experiments in Manga)
Anna N. on vol. 1 of Midnight Secretary (Manga Report)
Ash Brown on Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Volume 2: Garma (Experiments in Manga)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 1 of Monster Musume (The Fandom Post)
Sean Gaffney on vols. 10-12 of Neon Genesis Evangelion (omnibus edition) (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Manjiorin on vol. 1 of Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Detective Diary (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
TSOTE on vol. 25 of Q.E.D. (Three Steps Over Japan)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 1 of The Sacred Blacksmith (The Fandom Post)
Erica Friedman on Strange Babies (Okazu)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Tiger & Bunny (Blogcritics)
L.B. Bryant on vol. 1 of Tiger & Bunny Comic Anthology (ICv2)
Connie C. on Tiger & Bunny, Heroes Are Extinct, and Ratman (Comics Should Be Good)
Justin on vol. 1 of Wolfsmund (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Sean Gaffney on vols. 5-7 of Young Miss Holmes Casebook (omnibus edition) (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Drew McCabe on vol. 3 of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal (Comic Attack)

This weekend was the first ever Japan Expo in the U.S. and it was a big deal. Several of the major manga publishers were there, and they had announcements to make: Yen Press is licensing two Sword Art Online manga and Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, as well as the Accel World and Sword Art Online light novels. Viz had two new licenses to announce as well: Tomu Ohmi’s Spell of Desire and Arina Tanemura’s Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, which was originally released in North America by CMX; the Viz edition will have a new translation and will use the English title Phantom Thief Jeanne.

Check out ANN’s convention coverage, or if you’re in a hurry, Sean Gaffney’s roundup of the new licenses and what they mean.

Special guest Shaenon Garrity explains what’s so awesome about Cyborg 009 in the latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

Here’s a preview of the French edition of Puella Magi Madoka Magica: A Different Story.

Blogging about blogging: Welcome to Manga Bookshelf, Ash Brown! We’re delighted to have you aboard.

News from Japan: The Matsue City school board has lifted its restrictions on Keiji Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen: Once again, elementary school children can check it out of the school library. Meanwhile, the controversy has spurred sales of the book, and the publisher has gotten messages of support from the public. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya manga series will end next month, as will Code Geass: Renya of the Darkness.

Reviews: Here’s another account of a week’s worth of manga reading from Ash Brown, at Experiments in Manga. Sean, Melinda, and Michelle give their short takes on recent releases in the Bookshelf Briefs column at Manga Bookshelf.

Matthew Warner on vol. 5 of 07-Ghost (The Fandom Post)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 6 of Attack on Titan (The Fandom Post)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 10 of A Devil and Her Love Song (The Comic Book Bin)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 10 of Dorohedoro (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Justin on Helter Skelter: Fashion Unfriendly (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 11 of Kamisama Kiss (Blogcritics)
Erica Friedman on Material Candy (Okazu)
Anna N on vols. 1-7 of Red River (Manga Report)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 4 of Umineko When They Cry (A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Lissa Pattillo takes a look at this week’s new releases for her On the Shelf column at Kuriousity.

The Manga Bookshelf team discusses their Pick of the Week (spoiler: it’s Helter Skelter) and takes a look at next week’s new manga list, which includes a fresh volume of Attack on Titan.

Lori Henderson talks about the end of Dengeki Daisy, Otakon, and more in her latest Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.

How does the presence of a woman change a man? Tony Yao looks at the effect of women on Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s Gendo Ikari.

Happy blogiversary to Ash Brown, who celebrated three years of Experiments in Manga this week.

News from Japan: Josei and yaoi creator Yugi Yamada is back at work after getting the green light from her doctor. Monthly Shonen Ace will publish a one-shot manga that ties in to the video game Killzone.

Reviews: Ash Brown looks back at a week’s worth of manga at Experiments in Manga.

Sean Gaffney on Alice in the Country of Hearts: The Clockmaker’s Story (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Jocelyne Allen on All My Darling Daughters (Brain Vs. Book)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 9 of Bunny Drop (Comics Worth Reading)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 9 of Bunny Drop (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 8 of A Certain Scientific Railgun (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 9 of A Devil and Her Love Song (Blogcritics)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 10 of Dorohedoro (The Comic Book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 26 of Excel Saga (The Comic Book Bin)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 26 of Excel Saga (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
AstroNerdBoy on vols. 26 and 27 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Ash Brown on Forbidden Colors (Experiments in Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Happy Marriage?! (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Connie on Honey and Clover, Helter Skelter, and Object of Desire (Comics Should Be Good)
Michael Buntag on K-ON! College (NonSensical Words)
Erica Friedman on Seitokaichou ga Yuri suki demo Mondai nashi!? (Okazu)
Thomas Zoth on The Strange Tale of Panorama Island (The Fandom Post)
A Library Girl on vol. 4 of Strobe Edge (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 14 of Tegami Bachi (The Comic Book Bin)
Ken H on vol. 1 of Trigun Maximum Omnibus (Comics Should Be Good)
Justin on Your Gentle Hand (Organization Anti Social Geniuses)

Roland Kelts takes a look at 20 years of Otakon. Otaku USA posted their take on Otakon as well as 20 pieces of Otakon trivia. Vicky Kariolic posts her con report at Graphic Novel Reporter, and at Anime Diet, Linda has posted a writeup of the Vertical panel.

News from Japan: Daphne in the Brilliant Blue creator Satoshi Shiki will be the writer of the Attack on Titan spinoff manga, Attack on Titan: Before the Fall, and THORES Shibamoto, the artist for Trinity Blood, will handle the art.Gakuen Alice, which is approaching its finale, has over 7 million copies in print. Mobile Police Patlabor creator Masami Yuki has a new mystery series that will launch in the 39th issue of Weekly Big Comic Spirits. And a Saint Seiya spinoff launched this week.

Reviews: The Manga Bookshelf readers give quick takes on recent releases in their latest Bookshelf Briefs column.

Justin on vol. 20 of Bakuman (Organization Anti Social Geniuses)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Blue Morning (ANN)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 3 of Btooom! (Comics Worth Reading)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Magi (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 4 of Strobe Edge (Blogcritics)
Erica Friedman on Steps (Okazu)
Carlo Santos on vol. 14 of Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee (ANN)
Danica Davidson on vol. 2 of Thermae Romae (Otaku USA)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Wolfsmund (Comics Worth Reading)