MangaBlog

I’m working on paying stuff today (writers never really get a vacation), but here are a few quick links:

David Welsh looks over this week’s new comics.

ChunHyang72 is back on the new Tokyopop site, with a roundup of recent news and reactions to the new site. One thing we both agree on: Bring back the RSS feeds!

Udon is collecting all the Street Fighter backup stories in a single volume; Manga Maniac Cafe has more.

Robots Never Sleep returns from vacation. No reviews yet, just a pretty picture of lots of manga and a note about the translation panel the blogger will be in at SDCC.

OK, the next two links are NSFW and 18+ only! Simon Jones dares the otakusphere to guess seven new Icarus licenses, based on tiny pictures. Several people rise to the challenge, but the mighty Ed figures out six and produces the covers.

Reviews: Johanna checks out vol. 1 of Divalicious at Comics Worth Reading. At the Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie checks out vol. 1 of XS Hybrid. At the MangaCast, Jack does an audio review of vol. 1 of Le Chevalier d’Eon and vol. 1 of My Heavenly Hockey Club. Erica Friedman of Okazu looks at a light novel, vol. 2 of Strawberry Panic. At Active Anime, Scott Cambell reviews vol. 1 of Alive: The Final Evolution and vol. 9 of Claymore, and Holly Ellingwood checks out vol. 5 of Air Gear. John Thomas likes vol. 2 of Tanpenshu at Mecha Mecha Media. At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie checks out vols. 1 and 2 of Boogiepop Dual and vol. 9 of Death Note. Comicsnob Matt Blind gives a rare five-out-of-five to vol. 1 of Hollow Fields. At Prospero’s Manga, Ferdinand gives vol. 1 of Kingdom Hearts II a single star but Miranda has a little more love for vol. 1 of Me and My Brothers. Michael Aronson reviews vol. 1 of Priest for Manga Life. Reading a full review seems like too much work for summer vacation? Check out the latest batch of Small Bodied Manga Reviews at Anime on DVD.

Clockwork Hands creator Madeleine Rosca, a runner-up in the International Manga Awards, blogs about her trip to Japan.

ComiPress reports that the Japanese manga magazine Comic BomBom will cease publication after the December issue. But when Kodansha closes one door, another door opens: Monthly Shonen Rival, aimed at the junior high crowd, will launch in the spring.

At MangaCast, Ed Chavez has info on BL novels from June as well as some previews for you to check out.

Tim Bollinger has an interesting article about The Manga Bible, which is actually a manga version of the New Testament, at the NZ Herald.

The New York Post looks at manga versions of Shakespeare.

The Star of Malaysia has an article about copyright and the Doraemon doujinshi and another on the problems facing foreign would-be manga artists in Japan.

Going to San Diego? Heidi has the Del Rey schedule.

Meanwhile, ANN has info on some new manga debuting in Japan, including one by Honey and Clover manga-ka Chika Umino.

Good grief, it’s manga Charlie Brown! The blogger who posted this didn’t like it, but I think it’s pretty clever.

An art exhibit in Australia takes its inspiration from manga.

Reviews: Hey! Hige’s back! His first manga review in a while is of vol. 11 of Evangelion. David Welsh devotes this week’s Flipped column to Beauty Pop. Hung checks out vol. 1 of Puri Puri, vol. 2 of Galaxy Angel Beta, and the “emo manga,” vol. 1 of To Terra, at the BasuGasuBakuhatsu Anime Blog. Huamulan3 reviews Tenshi Ja Nai at Japanator. At The Star of Malaysia, Kitty Sensei reviews vol. 3 of The Embalmer and Pauline Wong checks out vol. 1 of Canon. Michael Aronson reviews vols. 2-4 of Astro Boy at Manga Life. At the Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie has an early look at vol. 1 of King of Cards. Connie’s on a roll at Slightly Biased Manga, with recent reviews of vol. 3 of Let’s Be Perverts, vols. 14, 15, 16, and 17 of Detective Conan, vol. 8 of Sgt. Frog, vol. 7 of Boy Princess, vol. 1 of Apothecarius Argentum, vol. 4 of Bird Kiss and vol. 13 of Tsubasa.

Otaku Champloo has an interesting post about a recent Oricon survey, in Japan, of the most amazing women in manga.

Ed has the Japanese manga bestseller list for last week and info on new titles from 801 and June.

At PopCultureShock’s Manga Recon, Katherine Dacey-Tsuei has this week’s rather slim release list and looks at a couple of recent arrivals. Matt Blind posts his list at Comicsnob.

Translator Satsuma has some info on Yozakura Quartet at One Potato Two.

At Mecha Mecha Media, John Thomas links to his latest manga and anime column.

Reviews: At Read About Comics, Greg McElhatton reviews vol. 1 of Miki Falls: Spring. Both Dave and Patrick weigh in on vol. 7 of Dragon Head at Comics-and-more. Matthew Alexander reviews vol. 1 of Le Chevalier d’Eon for Anime on DVD. At Manga Life, Michael Aronson checks out vol. 5 of Real/Fake Princess and vol. 6 of Kaze Hikaru. Mangamaniac Julie reviews vol. 6 of VS Versus at MangaCast and vol. 1 of I Hate You More than Anyone at the Manga Maniac Cafe.

ICv2 has the June sales figures and the top 100 graphic novels from Diamond. The news is good for those who like their comics in big chunks:

Graphic novels sales in comic stores grew by 33% in June versus sales in June of 2006 marking the end of the strongest quarter for graphic novel sales since ICv2 began tracking comic book and graphic novel sales in 2001. During the second quarter of 2007 graphic novel sales rose 48%, while sales of periodical comics managed just a 7% gain.

Since these sales numbers are largely drawn from comics stores, manga ranks rather low on the top 100, with trade paperback collections of the capes-and-tights crowd filling the top of the list.

Here are the top selling manga, with the rank on the list in parentheses and the number of copies sold following the title.

1. (9) Death Note, vol. 12, 4,951
2. (15) Bleach, vol. 20, 4,031
3. (33) Blade of the Immortal, vol. 17, 2,851
4. (34) Yotsuba&!, vol. 4, 2,846
5. (36) Tsubasa, vol. 13, 2,662
6. (39) MPD-Psycho, vol. 1, 2,559
7. (49) Ai Yori Aoshi, vo. 16, 2,229
8. (53) Inu Yasha, vol. 30, 2,137
9. (72) One Piece, vol. 15, 1,574
10. (77) GTO: The Early Years, vol. 4, 1,515
11. (80) Ouran High School Host Club, vol. 9 1,472
12. (83) Gunslinger Girl, vol. 4, 1,412
13. (84) Tenjho Tenge, vol. 14, 1,390
14. (86) Negima, vol. 14, 1,326
15. (89) Absolute Boyfriend, vol. 4, 1,298
16. (90) Sgt. Frog, vol. 13, 1,293
17. (92) Witchblade Takeru, vol. 1, 1,282
18. (97) Brave Story, vol. 1, 1,223
19. (98) Love Recipe, vol. 1, 1,223
20. (99) Othello, 1,212

Since this is the direct market, the readership is skewing a little older than the USA Today charts, with titles like Absolute Boyfriend, Blade of the Immortal, and Gunslinger Girl. And while it’s no surprise to see the much-anticipated Yotsuba&! or the much-hyped MPD-Psycho on the chart (although the contrast is kind of fun), I was surprised to see Brave Story, which I hadn’t heard much about.

Manga really is pretty sparse on this chart. The top selling graphic novel for June was vol. 9 of Fables, a DC title, which sold about 12,168 copies, or two and a half times as many as Death Note. Both manga and graphic novels in general seem to be top-heavy, with a few titles selling a lot of copies and the rest having much more modest sales.

The numbers for periodical comics are way higher; the top seller in June was World War Hulk #1, with 178,408 copies sold.

Also present and worth noting on the sales chart is Re-Gifters, the latest entry in DC’s Minx line of graphic novels for teenage girls, which clocked in at number 29 with respectable sales of 3,008 copies, better than most of the manga.

Yeah, Tokyopop is getting into the anime business, in a very small way, putting short animations on MySpace of four of their titles. I was expecting pan-and-scan, but these are actually fully animated and in color. The four books, all of which have a dark cast, are I Luv Halloween, A Midnight Opera, Bizenghast and Riding Shotgun. They’re putting up an episode a day, four days a week. More details after the cut.

MySpace and TOKYOPOP Team Up to Premiere Four New Shows

World’s Leading Manga Entertainment Brand Inks Content Deal
with World’s Leading Lifestyle Portal for Exclusive Premieres

Los Angeles, CA (July 16, 2007)— MySpace and TOKYOPOP today announced a partnership to premiere four exclusive new shows based on TOKYOPOP’s hit manga series I Luv Halloween, A Midnight Opera, Bizenghast and Riding Shotgun. Featuring music from the latest underground acts and cutting edge digital animation from Asian CG powerhouse Menfond Electronic Art, pilot episodes will air the week of July 16, 2007, with subsequent episodes running weekly thereafter. MySpace and TOKYOPOP are strategically launching a TOKYOPOP-branded profile (http://www.myspace.com/tokyopoptv) to host and deliver the shows to create a unique one-on-one relationship with MySpace users.

“We’re always looking for ways to deliver unique and innovative content to our community,” said Shawn Gold, senior vice president of marketing for MySpace. “Based on the demand for Manga content on the web, we expect the TOKYOPOP profile to speak to users who want to discover and share these exclusive videos.”

According to Stu Levy, TOKYOPOP CEO and Chief Creative Officer: “TOKYOPOP is dedicated to revolutionizing the old school image of comic books by combining the fresh East-meets-West aesthetic of manga with cutting edge delivery platforms. MySpace is the perfect partner to premiere innovative entertainment to a global youth audience.”

In a word from Marc Honorof, Managing Director of TOKYOPOP Digital: “The MySpace audience fits TOKYOPOP’s demographic to a T. Our four new shows were made specifically for this medium and are the seeds of today’s tech-savvy generation’s entertainment landscape.”

About the programs:

I Luv Halloween – Based on the original manga by Benjamin Roman and Keith Giffen and featuring an original score by Ben Chan, these are the misadventures of a group of particularly disturbing trick-or-treaters as they go about their macabre business one Halloween night.

Riding Shotgun – Based on the original manga by Nate Bowden and Tracy Yardley with music by Far East Movement and Interceptor, this is a poignant and irreverent comedy depicting an average day for a hit man who’s short on cash.

A Midnight Opera – Based on the original manga by Hans Steinbach and featuring music by Hibria and Carbon 9, here is the tale of Ein DeLaLune. Tragic and beautiful, Ein has exploded onto the Paris music scene with his Goth metal band. But Ein is no overnight sensation—he has a lasting advantage over other Goth music powerhouses—he’s undead, a fact he’s kept hidden for centuries.

Bizenghast – Based on the original manga by M. Alice LeGrow with music by Divine Madness and Kissing Violet, this is the story of a young girl named Dinah who moves to the forgotten town of Bizenghast, where she uncovers a terrifying collection of lost souls that leads her to the brink of insanity.

TOKYOPOP also maintains profiles on MySpace Comics where fans get more detailed information on I Luv Halloween, A Midnight Opera, Bizenghast and Riding Shotgun, as well as TOKYOPOP’s library of popular manga series.

Comic book fans can also learn more by visiting the official MySpace Comic Books profile (www.myspace.com/comicbooks ). This profile is the official community for manga, graphic novels and comic books on MySpace, where fans and friends of MySpace Comic Books can find the latest comic book news, interviews, special features, contests, exclusives and more. MySpace Comic Books spotlights the most exciting projects, creators and events in the industry including user generated comics by MySpace members themselves.

Arina Tanemura is the creator of two of Viz’s most popular series, Full Moon and The Gentlemen’s Alliance +, so she’s a natural to be their guest at SDCC. If, like me, you’re not heading west next week, the August Shojo Beat will have a consolation prize: an interview with Tanemura and a bonus short story by her.

VIZ MEDIA WELCOMES SHOJO MANGA ARTIST ARINA TANEMURA AT 2007 COMIC-CON AND CELEBRATES HER WORK IN SHOJO BEAT™ MAGAZINE

Creator Of FULL MOON To Meet Fans In VIZ Media Booth# 4113 And Participate In SHOJO BEAT Panel Discussion While Magazine Plans Interview And Rare Manga Short Story For August Issue

San Francisco, JULY 13, 2007 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will celebrate the work of famed manga artist Arina Tanemura throughout the month of July with a rare personal appearance at the 2007 Comic-Con International, plus a bonus short story and special cover (both by Tanemura) for the August issue of SHOJO BEAT magazine, which goes on sale nationwide on July 17. Tanemura is the creator of the mega-hit shojo series FULL MOON and the recently debuted THE GENTLEMEN’S ALLIANCE †.

Tanemura will make a personal appearance during the 2007 Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA to meet fans in VIZ Media’s Booth #4113 on Saturday, July 28. She will further discuss her work and experiences as a manga artist during the SHOJO BEAT magazine panel discussion set for Saturday, July 28 at 1:30pm. To further honor her visit at Comic-Con, VIZ Media will give an exclusive shikishi (four-color hard poster) of THE GENTLEMEN’S ALLIANCE † as a bonus to fans who purchase one of the following products at VIZ Media booth: 1) Any Tanemura manga volume, or FULL MOON DVD; 2) SHOJO BEAT’s August Issue; or 3) an annual subscription of SHOJO BEAT.

The August issue of SHOJO BEAT (out July 17) will feature a special cover drawn by Tanemura, as well as the first domestic appearance of her manga short story, “Shojo Eve ☆Eve’s Applework 24 Hours,” and an additional article about the gorgeous worlds portrayed in her stories. For fans not able to attend Comic-Con, exclusive items autographed by Tanemura will be offered as contest prizes in upcoming issues of SHOJO BEAT magazine. In 2008, the magazine will include an exclusive interview with Tanemura conducted during her Comic-Con visit, as well as a Tanemura drawing lesson and a feature of fan art to be judged by the artist.

“We are honored to welcome Arina Tanemura at the 2007 Comic-Con International and to have her participate in the SHOJO BEAT panel discussion during the show,” says Marc Weidenbaum, Editor-in-Chief of SHOJO BEAT magazine and Vice President of VIZ Media’s Magazine Division. “FULL MOON and THE GENTLEMEN’S ALLIANCE † have developed a devoted following and this rare opportunity for fans to meet the artist in person is sure to delight. We also look forward to fans reading the never-before-released manga short story by Tanemura in our special August issue of SHOJO BEAT, which further celebrates the artist with a beautiful cover and feature coverage.”