Bust out that Sailor Moon costume–New York Comic Con is in full swing! If you’re looking for a good manga panel, I highly recommend This Manga Is Awesome! Manga Must-Reads and Underrated Gems, which is happening today at 3:30 pm. Deb Aoki leads an all-star crew of librarians, industry professionals, podcasters, and critics in a lively discussion about their favorite series. Also of note is Comics in the Post Pandemic World, which is scheduled for Saturday at 12:30 pm. Publishers Weekly is the sponsor; the conversation will focus on the explosive growth of the comics industry during lockdown, and will consider some of the challenges facing publishers as supply chain issues increase and inflation rises.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Jamila Rowser, founder of Black Josei Press, posted an update on the forthcoming Gladiolus Magazine, which “will feature comics, essays, short stories, and more created by people of color from marginalized genders and sexualities.” Rowser shared a list of contributors whose work will appear in the inaugural issue, as well as the magazine’s expected publication date: spring 2023. [Black Josei Press]
Bill Curtis compiles a list of October’s new manga and light novel releases. [Yatta-Tachi]
To kick off LGBTQ History Month, the librarians at No Flying No Tights recommend nine queer-friendly comics for teen readers, including The Bride Was a Boy and Be Gay, Do Comics. [No Flying No Tights]
Yuu Watase is resuming work on Fushigi Yugi Byakko Senki. [Otaku USA]
It’s a hit: Chainsaw Man now has 16 million volumes in print. [Otaku USA]
Dog lovers rejoice: Seven Seas has licensed Shibanban: Super Cute Doggies which is pretty much what it sounds like: a parade of adorable Shiba Inus doing adorable things. Volume one is slated for a May 2023 release. [Seven Seas]
If you’ve been on the fence about Taiyo Matsumoto‘s work, let Jocelyne Allen’s generously illustrated review of Tokyo Higoro persuade you to give him a second chance. “Pretty much every page is filled with such thoughtful detail to make even minor characters seem fully fleshed out,” she notes. “It’s one of those books that I kept flipping back and forth in, just to drink in the details, the art, and the many, many perfect pages.” [Brain vs. Book]
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
I’m not a big MangaTuber, but I make an exception for BakaBoysClub, a new-ish YouTube channel featuring lively, thoughtful reviews of manga, old and new. In particular, I thought that host GrunWho did an exceptional job of explaining why The Girl from the Other Side: Siúl, A Rún is such an engrossing story, making great use of the video format to highlight Nagabe’s beautiful artwork:
Check out the BakaBoys’ other videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnmtMpN3E2LGnz_Mef4zCCw.
REVIEWS
Thinking about starting your own manga blog or podcast? One great way to build an audience for your work is to contribute to an established site like The Fandom Post, which is currently looking for reviewers. Site founder Chris Beveridge notes that “we get a good range of books from publishers and have a bit of a backlog we’re looking to clear out… There’s a good mix of one-offs and ongoing series that we’re looking for people to take on and new series starting up all the time.” For information on how to apply, click here.
New and Noteworthy
- Blue Box, Vol. 1 (Renee Scott, Good Comics for Kids)
- Blue Box, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
- Blue Lock, Vols. 1-2 (Helen, The OASG)
- Catch These Hands!, Vols. 1-2 (Alenka Figa, Women Write About Comics)
- Grey: Hello Winter, Vol. 1 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Ladies on Top, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
- Leia, Princess of Alderaan, Vols. 1-2 (Emily Maack, The Cosmic Circus)
- Mermaid Town (Brian Nicholson, The Comics Journal)
- Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You, Vol. 1 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files, Vol. 1 (Kate, Reverse Thieves)
- My Happy Marriage, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
- My Master Has No Tail, Vols. 1-2 (Helen, The OASG)
- The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, Vol. 1 (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
- The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, Vols. 1-2 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
- Pitch-Black Ten, Vol. 1 (Krystallina, Daiyamanga)
- Shadows House, Vol. 1 (Antonio Mireles, The Fandom Post)
- The Shonen Jump Guide to Making Manga (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
- Tales of the Kingdom, Vol. 1 (Kate O’Neil, The Fandom Post)
- Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe, Vol. 1 (Christopher Farris, ANN)
- Usotoki Rhetoric, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
- Wolf and Red (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
Complete and Ongoing Series
- The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 6 (Justin and Helen, The OASG)
- Black Clover, Vol. 30 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Blue Period, Vol. 8 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
- Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Ot My Defense, Vol. 4 (Justin, The OASG)
- Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagataro, Vol. 12 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- Fly Me to the Moon, Vols. 12-13 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- Hi Score Girl, Vol. 9 (Justin, The OASG)
- The Holy Grail of Eris, Vol. 2 (Krystallina, The OASG)
- Mashle: Magic & Muscles, Vols. 7-8 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- My Dress-Up Darling, Vols. 5-6 (Helen, The OASG)
- Oresama Teacher (Megan D., The Manga Test Drive)
- Queen’s Quality, Vol. 15 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Reign of the Seven Spellblades, Vol. 4 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- The Royal Tutor, Vol. 17 (Krystallina, The OASG)
- The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 17 (Sakura Eries, The Fandom Post)
- Sasaki & Miyano, Vol. 6 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 18 (Justin, The OASG)
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Ways of the Monster Nation, Vol. 8 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)