Because I don’t have enough to do as it is (hah!), I’m now writing a monthly column on web manga at Comixpedia, which is a beautifully produced site about all things webcomic. My first one will be old news to most MangaBlog readers, as it’s a field guide to manga on the web, but drop by and check it out anyway.
And since I’m not totally omniscient, I welcome your suggestions on web manga that I could cover for Comixpedia and the other webcomics site I blog for, Digital Strips.
Go!Comi has posted a preview of their newest title, Black Sun, Silver Moon. Click on “Manga Viewer” to check it out.
The latest MangaBlogCast is up, and it’s worth ten minutes of your life just to hear Jack’s dramatic reading of the plot of Make 5 Wishes. Here are the links:
Avril Lavigne enters the mangasphere
Roundup of PR and reactions
Joshua Dysart’s defense
Manga takes top honor at Angouleme
MangaBlog post with link to preview of Non Non Ba
NY Arts interview with Mizuki
More on Mizuki
In defense of manga
Jakala: No, it doesn’t all look alike
Mely: Even shoujo manga doesn’t all look alike
Simon Jones: Anyway, Fantagraphics publishes manga. Ero manga.
Abandoning Tokyopop?
Campbell comments that he is taking The Abandoned elsewhere, without Rylie
Johanna Draper Carlson has more; read the comments thread
Ross Campbell’s blog
New titles watch
New yaoi from DMP: Don’t Say Anymore Darling and Not Enough Time.
New comedy from DMP: Heroes are Extinct
Christopher Hart will write, not draw, The Reformed
Andre finds Mw (some other interesting stuff there as well)
More on Mw from MangaCast; confirmation in comments
Unless you’re 13, this may not be what you think it is. Warriors is a series of fantasy adventure novels featuring cats in the leading roles. Back when Tokyopop and HarperCollins first announced their joint agreement, Tania del Rio mentioned this as one project in the works, and that garnered quite a bit of enthusiasm in my house. My daughter, who just turned 14, has been reading the series for at least two years and actually spends her own money to buy it in hardback. Tokyopop sent me a bound galley last week and she and her friends were very enthusiastic; I’m hoping to get some more specific critiques, but there was a big project on Australia due yesterday….
Anyway, the official press release is after the jump. By the way “Erin Hunter” is actually two people.
TOKYOPOP and HarperCollins Set to Bring Erin Hunter’s Bestselling Children’s Series to Manga Format
WARRIORS: The Lost Warrior!
-Manga Trilogy Marks First Release in Companies’ Co-Publishing Deal-
-Chronicles Never-Before-Told Tale of Beloved Character ‘Graystripe’-
-Series Launch Features Erin Hunter’s Special Note to Readers-
Los Angeles, CA (Feb 5, 2007)- TOKYOPOP, the leader of the Global Manga Revolution and HarperCollins Publishers, one of the top English-language publishers in the world, are pleased to announce the May 2007 release of Warriors: The Lost Warrior, the first graphic novel series to be launched under the two companies’ recently announced innovative co-publishing deal.
Drawn from Erin Hunter’s #1 nationally best-selling Warriors books, The Lost Warrior features a very special note from the author to Warriors fans. Warriors: The Lost Warrior manga series, created by Dan Jolley and James Barry, tells the untold tale of the feline hero Graystripe: his life with humans and his ultimate quest to be reunited with his clan. Graystripe’s story in the manga series bridges the gap between Hunter’s “The New Prophecy” and the next installment of the Warriors novel series “Power of Three.”
As Erin Hunter writes to Warriors fans: “Manga brings out the best in Graystripe. The drawings are so powerful and so direct. Alongside the punchy dialogue, they speak volumes. I love them, and I am so proud of the all-new action Graystripe. Well done, Graystripe! Well done, manga!”
In a word from TOKYOPOP Publisher Mike Kiley, “It is truly an honor to bring such a wonderful children’s series to manga form. Dan Jolley and James Barry have reveled in the Warriors universe I think the end result does this very special story proud.”
The Lost Warrior is the first of a trilogy. The second book will release in December 2007.
It seems like there’s more on the internet lately about manga that hasn’t been translated yet.
Robots Never Sleep is a new manga blog by a professional translator. The first few entries are promising, including the most recent one, about Kaiki Hanga Otoko, a manga done entirely in woodcuts.
Meanwhile, Manga Junkie reviews vol. 10 of Kisekae Yuka-chan and gives a synopsis of vol. 5 of Cat Street.
Also: Eastern Standard isn’t a blog, it’s a wiki run by Boogiepop translator Andrew Cunningham and “co-conspirator” Joe Iglesias that covers Japanese manga, novels, and videos. It’s a fun place to poke around and find something new. They have some nice year-end articles up at the moment and a special bonus, the top five myths about Japanese, which should be required reading for any manga snob.
Bloggers responded with moans and rolling of the eyes to the news last week that Avril Lavigne is getting her own manga, but the nice thing about the blogosphere is that the creators have gotten out there and defended the book, and now it sounds pretty interesting. I already mentioned Joshua Dysart’s comments, and Camilla D’errico responded very nicely to Katherine Dacey-Tsuei’s post at Pop Culture Shock. Also: Del Rey’s Ali T. Kokmen answers some of my questions. Katherine has a nice wrapup of the backlash-to-the-backlash at the end of the latest Tokyopop Round-Up.
Del Rey also announced last week that how-to-draw-manga maven Christopher Hart is working on a global manga for them. But leave it to Andre Richard to turn up this interesting nugget from an old interview: Hart is the writer, not the artist; he will be working with an artist named Anzu.
John Jakala rediscovers a classic: Green Lantern: Chobits. Also: an appreciation of Bleach and the cover (warning: possible spoiler!) of the final volume of Love Roma.
Seduction of the Innocent—wouldn’t that make a great title for a manga? Someone writes in to the Deseret News to complain about a recent article that mentioned manga:
Many of these addictive volumes contain drug use, fantasy violence, homosexual relationships, unmarried physical relationships, ridicule of parents and authority. And any of the drawings can be described as nothing less than pornographic.
OK, but where’s the downside? (Via Tangognat.) Simon Jones has a similar reaction to a similar complaint from a Filipino lawmaker. To prove his point, he adds a (NSFW!) preview of the latest Comic AG.
An Australian newspaper reviews a manga-styled stage version of Yukio Mishima’s The Lady Aoi and mentions an odd fact: Mishima’s family gave manga artist Riyoko Ikeda (Rose of Versailles) permission to do a manga about the writer. (Hat tip: JennyN, who wonders if anyone has seen the manga in question.)
Audry Taylor reveals Go!Comi’s schedule for NYCC.
Translator/blogger Satsuma has some notes on Shugo Chara and a peek at a new project, to be titled Lovers in the Night.
A blogger called The Xenos realizes why you never see Stu Levy and DJ Milky in the same place at the same time.
How do they come up with English titles for manga? The June blog reveals all.
From the Broccoli blog: The World of Disgaea illustration book has arrived, and the cover looks nice. Also: Broccoli fans on LJ.
At Japanator, Bard reviews High School of the Dead. Prospero’s Manga checks out Council of Carnality Unlimited. At AoD, Ed Chavez picks it up as well. Active Anime’s Holly Ellingwood reviews vol. 2 of Princess Princess and Blake Waymire looks at vol. 1 of Satsuma Gishiden. At Mangamaniaccafe, Julie reads vol. 5 of Kamui.
