The crack PWCW team was all over NYAF, and Kai-Ming Cha, Erin Finnegan, and Calvin Reid hit all the high points in their overview of the con, while Laura Hudson covers the appearance of Vampire Hunter D creators Hideyuki Kikuchi and Yoshitaka Amano. Check their Panel Mania section for photos of guests (including Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto) and cosplayers.
At About.com, Deb Aoki concludes her two-part report on the State of the Manga Industry (part one is here). It’s a pretty stellar panel, with Mike Gombos of Dark Horse, Kurt Hassler of Yen Press (and formerly of Borders), and Ali Kokmen of Del Rey, moderated by ANN’s Christopher McDonald. Having covered similar panels myself, I really admire the way Deb boils down an hour of back-and-forth into a handful of pithy quotes. It’s very readable, and you do get the feeling of being there. Deb has a photo gallery up as well.
Casey Brienza (a.k.a. Kethylia) seems to have had a good time, and she has a perceptive report on the goings-on. She has this interesting comment about the Del Rey panel and Kodansha’s previously announced move into the American market:
Although they were for the most part mum on a subject that is undoubtedly terrifying to them, Ali Kokmen revealed perhaps more than he intended when he noted that there is a steep learning curve that comes with entry into the American market. This is a valid point to be making; the Japanese media industries from Sony to Coamix have a long history of costly missteps in American markets due to their failure to fully understand the field. Does Kodansha understand the US manga field? I’m not yet convinced that they do, but pay very close attention to whom they hire to spearhead efforts here.
Indeed, Kodansha was supposed to set up shop in September. Well, there are still a few hours left…
Melinda Beasi was at the Javits as well.
Japanator’s Dick McVengeance posts a report on the Yen Press panel and a final wrapup, and promises an interview with the Vampire Hunter D creators sometime soon.
Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane files a con report at Manga Life.
ANN reports that the attendance at NYAF was 18,399, up considerably from last year’s total of 14,000 or so.
Did I miss anything? ComiPress has an exhaustive roundup of NYAF posts from all over.