Deep thoughts for Monday morning

CaseClosed1At Good Comics for Kids, Robin Brenner looks at circulation statistics for the graphic novels in her library’s collection and draws some surprising conclusions—including the fact that Case Closed circulates more than Twilight. Also, Lori Henderson checks out this week’s kid-friendly comics and manga.

Also at Good Comics for Kids, we are giving away five sets of Kim Dong Hwa’s lovely manhwa trilogy, The Color of Earth, The Color of Water, and The Color of Heaven. Go, click, enter!

Once again, Lori Henderson rounds up the week’s manga news in handy digest form at Manga Xanadu.

Japan Focus has an interesting essay about two manga creators, Kōno Fumiyo (Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms) and Nishio Yuka (A Summer’s Afterimage: Nagasaki – August 9), both of whom take the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their aftermath as their subject matter. Among other things, the essay deals with the problem of writing about atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha) when the writers themselves did not live through the bombings.

The Mainichi Daily News interviews translator Simona Stanzani—in a butler cafe.

pic_dhc_01Gina Biggs originally developed Red String as an entry in Tokyopop’s Rising Stars of Manga contest; now it’s a long-running webcomic with four volumes in print. She tells Wolfen Moondaughter all about it at Sequential Tart.

The latest New York Times graphic books best-seller list is up, and Vampire Knight tops the list.

David Welsh’s latest license request is a good one: the yokai series GeGeGe no Kitaro.

Jake Forbes posts the cover art for the fourth volume of Return to Labyrinth, which will wrap up the series, at Gobblin.net.

Tokopop’s next webinar, scheduled for November 30, will feature Stu Levy talking about the past, present, and future of the company.

Manga Jouhou is looking for reviewers.

News from Japan: Evan Miller reports in from Comitia, and he has photos. Ristorante Paradiso creator Natsume Ono has a new series in the works, while Hisachi Ichii is taking a break from Nono-chan while he recovers from an unspecified illness.

Reviews: The Manga Recon team starts the week with a fresh set of Manga Minis. Other reviews of note:

Lori Henderson on vol. 2 of 07-Ghost (Manga Xanadu)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 5 of 20th Century Boys (Comics Worth Reading)
Diana Dang on vol. 1 of Akira (Stop, Drop, and Read!)
Connie on vol. 4 of Arm of Kannon (Slightly Biased Manga)
Jason Yadao on Bat-Manga and vol. 1 of X-Men: Misfits (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Connie on vol. 8 of Black Jack (Slightly Biased Manga)
Gia on Brave Story (light novel) (Anime Vice)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 1 of Butterflies, Flowers (Kuriousity)
CATPARADISE_2David Welsh on vol. 2 of Cat Paradise and vol. 4 of V.B. Rose (Precocious Curmudgeon)
Theron Martin on vol. 15 of Claymore (ANN)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Dragon Sister (Okazu)
Danielle Leigh on Exotic and Delicious Fate (Comics Should Be Good!)
Emily on Himegimi to Sanbiki no Kemono (Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 17 of Hikaru no Go (Comics Worth Reading)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 1-3 of Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit (Comics Worth Reading)
Tangognat on Liberty Liberty! (Tangognat)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 1 of Love*Com (Kuriousity)
Julie on vol. 1 of Nabari no Ou (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Melinda Beasi on vol. 1 of Oh! My Brother (Manga Bookshelf)
Zaki Zakaria on Oishinbo: Fish and Sushi (The Star of Malaysia)
Erin Finnegan and Sam Kusek on vols. 5 and 6 of Oishinbo (Manga Recon)
Julie on vol. 7 of Parasyte (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 6 of Pluto (Comics Worth Reading)
Connie on vol. 13 of Reborn (Slightly Biased Manga)
Tiamat’s Disciple on vol. 1 of Spice & Wolf (light novel) (Tiamat’s Manga Reviews)
Bill Sherman on This Ugly Yet Beautiful World (Blogcritics)
Melinda Beasi on The Way to Heaven (Manga Bookshelf)
Connie on vol. 7 of Wild Ones (Slightly Biased Manga)

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