I was totally fascinated that the upstart publisher Kansai Club (which is basically two people) was able to license an Osamu Tezuka manga, The Crater, for their first publication, so I was happy that KC’s Andrew Nevo was able to talk to me about it for my Kickstand column at CBR.

Paul Gravett interviews Junko Mizuno and posts a new two-page comic as well.

The Manga Bookshelf team discusses their Pick of the Week, and Lissa Pattillo picks the best of this week’s new releases in her On the Shelf column at Otaku USA.

Jeffrey Gustafson has been writing a series of essays about different themes in Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto at his blog, The Comic Pusher.

Tony Yao shares some of his favorite quotes from Paradise Kiss at Manga Therapy.

News from Japan: Ryoko Ikeda is bringing back the classic shoujo manga Rose of Versailles for a one-shot story in Margaret next October.

Reviews: Justin did one final roundup of JManga series, just before their servers shut down, at Organization ASG. Ash Brown takes us through a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga. The Manga Bookshelf team has a new set of Bookshelf Briefs.

Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Are You Alice? (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sakura Eries on vol. 19 of Bakuman (The Fandom Post)
Justin on vol. 19 of Bakuman (Organization ASG)
Erica Friedman on the May issue of Comic Yuri Hime (Okazu)
Alex Hoffman on Doubt (Manga Widget)
Ken H on vols. 10 and 11 of Erementar Gerade (Comics Should Be Good)
Lori Henderson on Hanagatari Tenshion Atsuhime (Manga Xanadu)
Shannon Fay on vol. 2 of Higurashi When They Cry: Massacre Arc (Kuriousity)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of Koetama (Manga Xanadu)
Chris Beveridge on vols. 3, 4, and 5 of Limit (The Fandom Post)
Victoria K. Martin on Punishment (Kuriousity)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of The Sacred Blacksmith (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 1 of Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration (I Reads You)
Naru on Silent Voice (Organization ASG)
Anna N. on vol. 1 of Sunny (Manga Report)
Kristin on vol. 10 of Tenjho Tenge: Full Contact Edition (Comic Attack)

Lissa Pattillo looks over the past week’s new releases in her latest On the Shelf column at Otaku USA.

The Manga Bookshelf team discuss their Pick of the Week.

Here’s a bit of news I missed last week: Seven Seas has announced three new licenses, Devils and Realist, by Madoka Takadono and Utako Yukihiro; Dragonar Academy, by Shiki Mizuchi and Ran; and Strike Witches: Maidens in the Sky, by Yuuki Tanaka. As Lissa notes in the linked article, Seven Seas plans to publish more of the Strike Witches manga after this.

Lori Henderson rounds up the latest convention news and says farewell to JManga in her latest Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.

Erica Friedman brings us up to date in the latest edition of Yuri Network News at Okazu. Erica also has a nice interview with yuri artist Takemiya Jin.

Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith discuss Sunny and Lone Wolf and Cub in their latest Off the Shelf column at Manga Bookshelf.

Meanwhile, Mely (coffeeandink) and Oyceter are discussing Heart of Thomas on Story Talk.

Jocelyne Allen explains why Maison Ikkoku is so wonderful at Brain Vs. Book.

Yaoi-Con is coming back!

Manga Bookshelf is doing a reader survey. Drop in and tell ’em what you think!

News from Japan: The Asahi Shimbun profiles newcomer Hiroaki Komura, who quit his job as a truck mechanic and holed up for an entire year to pursue his dream of becoming a manga-ka. Yet another Kuroko’s Basketball doujinshi event has been canceled. Although the organizers did not say they had received any threats, they did refer to the string of threatening letters that has plagued venues who planned to hold Kuroko’s Basketball themed events.

Reviews

Lissa Pattillo on vol. 1 of Btooom! (Kuriousity)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 8 of Cross Game (The Comic Book Bin)
Matthew Warner on vol. 8 of Dawn of the Arcana (The Fandom Post)
Anna N. on vol. 3 of Demon Love Spell (Manga Report)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 7 of A Devil and Her Love Song (Blogcritics)
Matthew Warner on vol. 7 of A Devil and Her Love Song (The Fandom Post)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 4 of The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Erica Friedman on Kira Kira no Natsu (Okazu)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Lone Wolf and Cub (omnibus edition) (Blogcritics)
Helen on Olympos (Narrative Investigations)
Victoria Erica on vol. 11 of Sailor Moon (Inside AX)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 11 of Sailor Moon (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Sankarea: Undying Love (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Derek Bown on this week’s issue of Shonen Jump (Manga Bookshelf)
Erica Friedman on Space Pirates of the Minusuka (Okazu)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 13 of Tegami Bachi (The Comic Book Bin)
Matthew Cycyk on vol. 2 of Thermae Romae (Matt Talks About Manga)
Josh Begley on vol. 1 of Tokyo Babylon (omnibus edition) (The Fandom Post)
Lori Henderson on Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms (Manga Xanadu)
Alex Hoffman on Unico (Manga Widget)

Here’s my con report on last week’s Anime Boston.

Digital Manga announced three new BL titles in its Fanime panel this past weekend: Apple and Honey (Ringo ni Hachimitsu) and Apple and Honey: His Rose Colored Life (Kare no Barairo no Jinsei) manga, by Hideyoshico, and Natsuki Zippo’s Wolf Magic (Ōkami wa Mahō o). All three titles will be released in print; Digital has resumed print publication, and in fact some of their books are ahead of schedule.

Connie C. looks at the Viz Spectrum editions, an early manga format from the early 90s.

News from Japan: Nobuhiro Watsuki is bringing Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration to a close on Tuesday. The Jump Square series Binbō-gami ga! will be winding up in July.

Reviews: Ash Brown posts another episode of My Week in Manga at Experiments in Manga.

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 4 of 07-Ghost (The Comic Book Bin)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Are You Alice? (Comics Worth Reading)
Anna N. on vols. 13-16 of Basara (Manga Report)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 8 of Bunny Drop (Comics Worth Reading)
Ash Brown on Chicago, vol. 2: The Book of Justice (Experiments in Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 11 of Jormungand (The Comic Book Bin)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 4 and 5 of Limit (Comics Worth Reading)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 7 of Saturn Apartments (The Comic Book Bin)
Johanna Draper Carlson on The Strange Tale of Panorama Island (Comics Worth Reading)
Matthew Cycyk on vol. 1 of Sunny (Matt Talks About Manga)
Kristin on vol. 1 of Sunny (Comic Attack)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 2 of Thermae Romae (Comics Worth Reading)

The Manga Bookshelf team discusses their Pick of the Week.

Lissa Pattillo files her con report on TCAF:

The event had two manga guests – Taiyo Matsumoto and Gengoroh Tagame. I didn’t have much personal interest in Taiyo Matsumoto’s work, but I was thrilled that Tagame Gengoroh – a pioneer in the bara genre – was being flown in to help promote his new book, The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame. I attended his panel and signings and enjoyed what a friendly and out-going individual he was, and how much fun he seemed to have talking about his work.

On the floor, it was exciting to see Chromatic Press‘s booth set-up with lots of goodies promoting their current and upcoming projects. Plus the staff are all completely charming and hard-working individuals who I have nothing less than well wishes for! I was sad that both rem and Jen Lee Quick – who work with the new publisher, and happen to be two artists whose work I adore – were unable to attend the event despite initial plans. Maybe next year?

And Scott Green takes a look at a new book I first saw in the wild at TCAF: Suehiro Maruo’s The Strange Tale of Panorama Island, which was announced four years ago and is finally being published by Last Gasp.

With the Yumi Tamura Manga Moveable Feast in the offing, Anna N. rounds up her reviews of Tamura’s work, Chicago and Basara.

Reviews: Ash Brown looks back on a week in manga at Experiments in Manga.

Sakura Eries on vol. 12 of Dengeki Daisy (The Fandom Post)
Lori Henderson on King’s Moon: The Life of Akechi Mitsuhide (Manga Xanadu)
Erin on vols. 4-6 of Otomen (Gagging on Sexism)
Erica Friedman on vol. 10 of Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari (Okazu)

Over at MTV Geek I took a look at the past week’s new manga and other happenings, and I wrote a short review of Mario, the one-shot gangster manga by Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto that ran in last week’s Shonen Jump.

The Manga Bookshelf team takes an advance look at this week’s new manga.

Guest blogger Shaenon Garrity writes about Moto Hagio’s A,A’ for this week’s House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

Erica Friedman has the latest yuri update in this week’s edition of Yuri Network News at Okazu.

At Manga Therapy, Tony Yao explains why he is thankful for fujoshi.

Lori Henderson discusses the digital-only title Japan Sinks in her latest Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu, and she brings in some related books as well.

Lissa Pattillo catches up with last month’s announcement from PictureBox of two new manga: Seiichi Hayashi’s Gold Pollen and Other Stories and Yuichi Yokoyama’s World Map Room.

Melinda Beasi is thrilled at the news that manga-ka Kayuza Minekura is back at work on Wild Adapter after a three-year hiatus due to health reasond.

After many delays, the English edition of Suehiro Maru’s The Strange Tale of Panorama Island is now available from Last Gasp. It’s true—I saw a copy on Ryan Sands’ table at TCAF. And so did Deb Aoki, who had the presence of mind to take pictures.

Viz’s yaoi imprint SuBLime has launched a new series, Blue Morning, “an intriguing new series about aristocratic drama and the intricate relationship between the loyal butler of a noble family and a young heir he is duty-bound to look after.”

News from Japan: Galaxy Express 999 manga-ka Leiji Matsumoto has revealed nine pages of Osamu Tezuka’s unpublished work, drafts for Metropolis and other manga. The pages will go on display at Tokyo’s Museum of Contemporary Art this summer. Kami Minai’s “bishojo x violence” manga Needless is coming to an end. Black Bird creator Kanoko Sakurakoji has a new series in the works.

Reviews

Mark Thomas on vols. 13 and 14 of Arata: The Legend (The Fandom Post)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 19 of Bakuman (Comics Worth Reading)
Mark Thomas on vol. 17 of Battle Angel Alita: The Last Order (The Fandom Post)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 4 of Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love (I Reads You)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 7 of A Certain Scientific Railgun (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Erica Friedman on Cirque Arachne (Okazu)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 6 of Fullmetal Alchemist (Blogcritics)
Jocelyne Allen on Kami no Kodomo (Brain Vs. Book)
Anna N. on vols. 1-6 of Kare First Love (Manga Report)
Sakura Eries on vol. 17 of La Corda d’Oro (The Fandom Post)
Connie C. on Lone Wolf and Cub, Gunslinger Girl, and Golgo 13 (Comics Should Be Good)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 3 of Missions of Love (Comics Worth Reading)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 61 of Naruto (The Comic Book Bin)
Sean Gaffney on vols. 7-9 of Neon Genesis Evangelion (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sweetpea on Nobody Can Hear Me But You (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Helen on vol. 1 of Off*Beat (Narrative Investigations)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 15 of Otomen (The Comic Book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 10 of Psyren (The Comic Book Bin)
L.B. Bryant on vol. 1 of Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration (ICv2)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 4 of Strobe Edge (Comics Worth Reading)

Lissa Pattillo looks over last week’s new manga in her latest On the Shelf column at Otaku USA.

Lori Henderson talks about Kodansha’s publication of some older Del Rey titles and reviews the manhwa 13th Boy in her latest Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.

Erica Friedman, who was my roommate at TCAF, files her con report, which is filled with manga encounters of various kinds, including going to the Chromatic Press event on Friday night. Erica also has a fresh edition of Yuri Network News for us.

Also at TCAF, PictureBox announced plans to publish an anthology titled Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It. The book is scheduled for a spring 2014 release.

How do we manage to laugh even in the worst of times? Tony Yao looks at humor in darkness in Attack on Titan at Manga Therapy.

The Digital Manga folks announce their plans for Fanime.

News from Japan: Lots of manga are winding up: The yuri series Aoi Hana is coming to an end in July.

Reviews

Connie on vol. 12 of 13th Boy (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 1 of Alice in the Country of Hearts (Slightly Biased Manga)
Justin on Alive (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Ken H on Atomcat (Comics Should Be Good)
Justin and Manjiorin on vol. 4 of Attack on Titan (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Ash Brown on vol. 21 of Blade of the Immortal (Experiments in Manga)
Connie on vol. 22 of Blade of the Immortal (Slightly Biased Manga)
John Rose on vol. 9 of Cage of Eden (The Fandom Post)
Justin on chapter 31 of Cross Manage (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 6 of A Devil and Her Love Song (Blogcritics)
John Rose on vol. 3 of The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan (The Fandom Post)
Connie on vol. 2 of Excel Saga (Slightly Biased Manga)
Erica Friedman on Fu~Fu (Okazu)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 1 and 2 of Happy-Go-Lucky Days (Comics Worth Reading)
Erica Friedman on Heart of Thomas (Okazu)
Erica Friedman on vol. 3 of Hoshikawa Ginza 4-Chome (Okazu)
Erica Friedman on vol. 7 of Ichigo Mashimaro (Okazu)
Kate O’Neil on vols. 3 and 4 of Loveless (omnibus edition) (The Fandom Post)
Sweetpea on Memories of Emanon (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 11 of One Piece (Blogcritics)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 8 of Sailor Moon (ANN)
Kristin on vols. 26-28 of Slam Dunk (Comic Attack)
Connie on vol. 6 of The Story of Saiunkoku (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on Tokyo Zombie, Grand Guignol Orchestra, and Reiko the Zombie Shop (Comics Should Be Good)
Justin on chapter 12 of World Trigger (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)