It begins…

Viz’s Shonen Sunday and IKKI sites have gone live, with plenty of free manga for your reading pleasure Thanks to Lorena and Ryan for noticing.

During our roundtable on girls’ fandom, we got into a bit of a rhubarb with Noah Berlatsky and Tom Crippen on the topic of shoujo manga, and Noah posts a thoughtful response at The Hooded Utilitarian, and Tangognat has a different take at her blog.

Also! You should totally order one of these Women Make Comics T-shirts from CafePress. These T-shirts were conceived, discussed, and designed over Twitter one day when a bunch of us got irritated with some horribly misogynistic article—I think it was the pre-SDCC coverage, actually. Anyway, Deb Aoki and Erica Friedman spearheaded the project, and the T-shirts were designed in jig time and are now available for your sartorial pleasure. Profits go to Friends of Lulu, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and the Cartoon Art Museum.

SDCC got under way last night, and Tim Sheehy reports on Preview Night at Japanator. Lissa Pattillo checks in as well, and she has photos. Deb Aoki has a manga-lover’s guide to the exhibit hall at About.com. Heidi visits the huddled masses at Camp Twilight.

At The Book Bark!, L. (no, not that one) rejects the theory that Twilight is cannibalizing manga sales and contemplates the value differential between manga and graphic novels.

Kate Dacey’s readers at The Manga Critic have picked the Best Continuing Series of 2009, and it’s Black Jack. Now Kate is celebrating with a little essay contest; the winner gets the first six volumes.

Reviews

Edward Zacharias on vol. 27 of Bleach (Animanga Nation)
Melinda Beasi on vol. 1 of Broken Blade (There it is, Plain as Daylight)
Scott Campbell on vol. 1 of Children of the Sea (Active Anime)
Tiamat’s Disciple on vol. 5 of Croquis Pop (Tiamat’s Manga Reviews)
Lorena Nava Ruggero on vol. 3 of Emma (i heart manga)
Rachel Bentham on vol. 2 of Hot Gimmick (VIZBIG edition) (Active Anime)
Oyceter on vols. 7-10 of Love*Com (Sakura of DOOM)
Emily on Reimei no Arcana (Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Blog)
Holly Ellingwood on A Strange and Mystifying Story (Active Anime)
Tiamat’s Disciple on Toxic Planet (Tiamat’s Manga Reviews)
Julie on vol. 1 of Very! Very! Sweet (Manga Maniac Cafe)