Kai-Ming Cha interviews Yoshihiro Tatsumi about the history of manga, at Publishers Weekly Comics Week. Go, read, enjoy!
ICv2 reports that April comics sales were up overall, but graphic novels dipped slightly. They also post Diamond’s top 300 graphic novels, which means the titles that sold best in comics stores.
The demise of Shojo Beat is attracting eulogies across the blogosphere; maybe it didn’t sell well, but it sure was popular in some circles. The news drew reactions from Lori Henderson, Kate Dacey, Tom Spurgeon, Alex Hoffman, and posters at the ANN forums.
At Comics Worth Reading, Johanna is puzzled by some inconsistencies in Tokyopop’s prices.
Here’s a quick peek at the manga that has been running in the magazine Monocle for a little while now. Looks nice!
Fruits Basket translators Alethea and Athena Nibley continue their discussion of retaining Japanese terms in manga at Manga Life.
Deb Aoki takes a look at this weekend’s anime and manga cons at About.com. I will not be attending Anime Boston this year, but the ladies from Boys Next Door will be there, and they’ll be hosting an 18+ panel, too.
News from Japan: Canned Dogs reports that Kodansha’s online magazine MiChao is folding. It sounds like their requirement that readers register before reading anything was a turn-off. On the other hand, ANN reports that Square Enix has posted the first issue of their new magazine Gangan Joker online for free. And two manga that launched in the first issue of the quarterly Comic Blade Brownie magazine have moved to Monthly Comic Blade Avarus, as the second issue of CBB has been delayed.
Reviews
Andy Shaw on The Color of Earth (Grovel)
Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane on vol. 9 of High School Debut (Manga Life)
Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane on vol. 13 of Kaze Hikaru (Manga Life)
Billy Aguiar on vol. 1 of The Lapis Lazuli Crown (Prospero’s Manga)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of The Lapis Lazuli Crown (Comics Worth Reading)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Oishinbo a la Carte 3: Ramen & Gyoza (Comics Worth Reading)
Michelle Smith on vol. 7 of One Piece (Soliloquy in Blue)
Tiamat’s Disciple on vols. 1-5 of Strain (Tiamat’s Manga Reviews)
David Rasmussen on vols. 13 and 14 of Yakitate!! Japan (Manga Life)