Bloggers responded with moans and rolling of the eyes to the news last week that Avril Lavigne is getting her own manga, but the nice thing about the blogosphere is that the creators have gotten out there and defended the book, and now it sounds pretty interesting. I already mentioned Joshua Dysart’s comments, and Camilla D’errico responded very nicely to Katherine Dacey-Tsuei’s post at Pop Culture Shock. Also: Del Rey’s Ali T. Kokmen answers some of my questions. Katherine has a nice wrapup of the backlash-to-the-backlash at the end of the latest Tokyopop Round-Up.
Del Rey also announced last week that how-to-draw-manga maven Christopher Hart is working on a global manga for them. But leave it to Andre Richard to turn up this interesting nugget from an old interview: Hart is the writer, not the artist; he will be working with an artist named Anzu.
John Jakala rediscovers a classic: Green Lantern: Chobits. Also: an appreciation of Bleach and the cover (warning: possible spoiler!) of the final volume of Love Roma.
Seduction of the Innocent—wouldn’t that make a great title for a manga? Someone writes in to the Deseret News to complain about a recent article that mentioned manga:
Many of these addictive volumes contain drug use, fantasy violence, homosexual relationships, unmarried physical relationships, ridicule of parents and authority. And any of the drawings can be described as nothing less than pornographic.
OK, but where’s the downside? (Via Tangognat.) Simon Jones has a similar reaction to a similar complaint from a Filipino lawmaker. To prove his point, he adds a (NSFW!) preview of the latest Comic AG.
An Australian newspaper reviews a manga-styled stage version of Yukio Mishima’s The Lady Aoi and mentions an odd fact: Mishima’s family gave manga artist Riyoko Ikeda (Rose of Versailles) permission to do a manga about the writer. (Hat tip: JennyN, who wonders if anyone has seen the manga in question.)
Audry Taylor reveals Go!Comi’s schedule for NYCC.
Translator/blogger Satsuma has some notes on Shugo Chara and a peek at a new project, to be titled Lovers in the Night.
A blogger called The Xenos realizes why you never see Stu Levy and DJ Milky in the same place at the same time.
How do they come up with English titles for manga? The June blog reveals all.
From the Broccoli blog: The World of Disgaea illustration book has arrived, and the cover looks nice. Also: Broccoli fans on LJ.
At Japanator, Bard reviews High School of the Dead. Prospero’s Manga checks out Council of Carnality Unlimited. At AoD, Ed Chavez picks it up as well. Active Anime’s Holly Ellingwood reviews vol. 2 of Princess Princess and Blake Waymire looks at vol. 1 of Satsuma Gishiden. At Mangamaniaccafe, Julie reads vol. 5 of Kamui.
Re: Ikeda and Mishima, Ikeda actually got the permission to adapt a novel of Mishima, ‘Haru no yuki’ into a manga series. As far as I know only one volume has been published, back in 2006. Here it is on Amazon.jp – the review is rather interesting.