Thursday update

At Comicsnob, Matt Blind posts this week’s new manga list and highlights some new titles from Seven Seas as well as Tezuka’s MW, the book that seems to be on top of everyone’s stack this week.

Where is Iris Print? Yaoi Suki (no permalink) notes that their planned yaoi magazine BL Twist has been cancelled, and they are trying to run down reports of a cancelled book. Also: Jen Parker posts a wrap-up of Yaoi-Con.

At the MangaCast, Ed Chavez has a podcast about a title in which he has a special interest: I, Otaku, a book he worked on for Seven Seas. You can check out a preview here.

Carlo Santos critiques Fruits Basket, Hikkatsu, and the oddball Super Cruel and Terrible Tales of Mangaka with his usual verve in his latest Right Turn Only!! column.

The Muppet Newsflash interviews Tokyopop’s Tim Beedle, the editor of The Dark Crystal and Return to Labyrinth, both based on Jim Henson films.

Because there’s not enough writing about manga in the world, go check out the Otaku USA website, which currently features Joseph Luster’s reviews of six horror manga and Jason Thompson’s take on Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms. (Via the blog of editor Patrick Macias, who has a new and different blog at the Otaku USA site.)

Hazel looks over more new scanlations, and it’s worth a click just to see some interesting art.

Another way to get free manga is to go to your local library, Erica Friedman reminds us, and if yours doesn’t carry much manga, she has some suggestions for gentle persuasion.

Congratulations to blogger Julie on the second anniversary the Manga Maniac Cafe. Julie reads manga in Jason Thompson-like quantities, and I really enjoy her reviews. To celebrate, she’s having a contest, so drop in and say hi.

Naruto has a snappy new website.

If you’re going to be in NY on November 3, check out the Del Rey-sponsored panel on Your Career in Manga at Kinokuniya.

Reviews: Dave Ferraro is impressed with vol. 1 of Gyo at Comics-and-more. At Coffeeandink, Mely has a long and spoilery review of vol. 7 of Godchild. Rob Vollmar reviews vol. 1 of Bride of the Water God, a manhwa that has been getting some good buzz, at Comics Worth Reading. Evil Omar posts some short reviews at About Heroes. At Anime on DVD, Danielle Van Gorder reviews vol. 1 of Words of Devotion and the standalone Not Enough Time, and Greg Hackmann looks at the one-shot horror title Portus. Nick gives vol. 1 of St. Lunatic High School a D+ at Hobotaku. At Active Anime, Holly Ellingwood reviews vol. 3 of Mamotte! Lollipop, Scott Campbell reads vol. 13 of Eyeshield 21, and Christopher Seamann checks out vol. 6 of ES: Eternal Sabbath and vol. 19 of Firefighter Daigo of Fire Company M. Leroy Douresseaux reviews vol. 8 of Yakitate!! Japan at the Comic Book Bin.