At PWCW, Ada Price takes a look Diamond’s new minimums and the effect they are having on the comics market, while Erin Finnegan reports on the Manga Taisho Awards.
Gia, like me, has never read Witchblade, so she asks her readers if they have, and if it’s Harvey-worthy.
Shojo Flash notes this week’s new release (just one?) and asks whether readers like to see a list of new releases on publishers’ websites.
AstroNerdBoy interviews Alethea and Athena Nibley, who have taken over translation and adaptation duties on Negima as of vol. 22.
Off topic, but what the heck: I talk to Archie Comics editor Steve Oswald about Archie Comics on iPhones.
News from Japan: ANN has more info on the news that Youka Nitta is returning to Embracing Love.
Reviews
Jeff Lester on vol. 3 of 20th Century Boys (The Savage Critic(s))
Casey Brienza on vol. 1 of Black Bird (ANN)
Michelle Smith on vol. 24 of Boys Over Flowers (Soliloquy in Blue)
Danielle Leigh on vol. 1 of Children of the Sea (Comics Should Be Good)
Carlo Santos on vol. 1 of Children of the Sea (ANN)
Johanna Draper Carson on vol. 1 of Choco Mimi (Comics Worth Reading)
Michelle Smith on vol. 5 of Click (Soliloquy in Blue)
Katherine Farmar on L’Etoile Solitaire (Comics Village)
Casey Brienza on vol. 2 of Fushigi Yûgi (VizBig edition) (ANN)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 13-15 of Hikaru No Go (Comics Worth Reading)
Lori Henderson on An Ideal World (Good Comics for Kids)
Oyceter on Japan Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan (Sakura of DOOM)
Connie on vol. 3 of Kingdom of the Winds (Slightly Biased Manga)
Snow Wildsmith on Living for Tomorrow (Fujoshi Librarian)
Julie on vol. 13 of Love*Com (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Phil Guie on vol. 1 of Maximum Ride (Manga Recon)
Lorena on vol. 1 of My Heavenly Hockey Club (i heart manga)
Connie on vol. 8 of Nightmare Inspector (Slightly Biased Manga)
Laura on vol. 1 of Pig Bride (Heart of Manga)
Lori Henderson on the last issue of Shojo Beat (Manga Xanadu)
Gia on vol. 1 of Sumomomo, Momomo (Anime Vice)
Anna on vol. 1 of Venus Capriccio (2 screenshot limit)
From the Comic Buyer’s Guide: In the March Previews there were 5111 items. After Daimond’s decree, the April edition only contained 1764.
I hope that Sain Oniisan is NOT translated and put out in the US. I think it would bring unwanted attention and negative publicity to the manga genre by the Christian right. Look what they did to The Golden Compass. It also might bring more exposure in a good way. But I think the negatives far outweigh the positives. The manga market is as big as it can get. Let the kids pick it up and throw it away as a fad, leaving the few that will continue to really care and love the medium as they grow up. Don’t try to expand readership simply by publishing a controversial title. I picture some small independent trying to cash in on a title like this. I wouldn’t have a problem with it. I think it would be funny. But some people take their religion very seriously. Just ask Bin Laden. He kills for it.
i have also not read witchblade the manga, but i’m pretty sure it’s better than the orignal comic… which i did read at one time… not recently.
I think Laura’s (Shojo Flash) preview of this week’s titles has only one shojo title, but there’s a couple of other books out, too — my local manga shop has only posted Broken Blade #1 and the newest volume of Ah! My Goddess to their site so far. For the most part, I believe Laura scans Previews and the like for shojo/josei titles.
It’s a lean week, with only six new titles arriving in many stores: http://mangacritic.com/?p=1066. A few shops are listing some additional Del Rey titles (e.g. volume two of Samurai 7 and volume twenty of The Wallflower: http://www.comicopia.com/arrivals.html.
The whole Witchblade thing is funky. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover…but it’s hard not to when THAT’s the cover. Never read it, but for all I know it COULD be as good as Solanin, however doubtful that may be. In it’s defense, the anime did manage to have a surprisingly touching story despite being fanservice-laden.
@sesho: I don’t know if Saint Young Men would attract a significant amount of negative attention. From what I’ve heard, and from the little bit I’ve read, it seems mostly in good taste. Then again, what constitutes “in good taste” could vary from person to person. But I do think a fear of it attracting negative attention might make a licensor think twice before licensing it. I do hope we get it eventually. Right now there’s only like 3 volumes, so even if we do get it, I’m sure it’ll be a while.
Sesho, there is no such thing as negative attention and unwanted publicity. The vast majority of manga is not directed to the Christian right, so Saint Oniisan is not likely going to turn anyone away from manga. Like D.M.C. this is a title I have been looking forward to seeing being brought to English, and if D.M.C. can’t knock the Earth of it’s orbital axis, I think Saint Oniisan will be a great publication in English.
That’s exactly it, Bahamut: I have never been able to get beyond those hideous covers. It’s hard to believe anything with a cover like that could possibly be good.
There is such a thing as negative attention and unwanted publicity. I’m saying that manga has flown pretty much under the radar even though it has a lot of material and themes that the general public might find objectionable if brought to their attention. (well, under the radar except for that gutless guy that pleaded guilty case. what a coward). I never said Saint Oniisan was targeted to fundamentalist Christians. I simply said it would offend them and probably launch some TV special about how the Devil writes manga in his spare time. And they would probably go on a crusade against all manga. Just imagine where they could go with a title like Negima. It would be easy. I didnt say the title would turn off manga readers. I meant that it would bring unwanted attention from people that dont read manga. Obviously there is already some worry there. Witness Viz’s censorship of the cross scene in Fullmetal Alchemist. if they had to edit that scene there is absolutely no chance of them publishing Oniisan.
Sesho, I know you didn’t say Saint Oniisan is targeted to Christians. My point that no manga is targeted to Christians as less than 1% of Japan is Christian.
Do you know what would happen if the fundamentalist Christian right started targeting manga as a cesspool of offensive material? If they had protests and launched a TV special? It would be awesome! Look what happened when they tried to bring down The Passion of the Christ. It did over 370 million dollars in the US alone, and that was in no small part because of protests telling you NOT to go see it.
If the Christian right began a public protest of Saint Oniisan like you describe I would bet all my street cred that it would be the best selling manga title of the year, and increase sales in the market all around.