Historically, New York Comic Con was the event for big licensing announcements, but in recent years manga publishers have focused more on promoting their best-selling series than on unveiling new acquisitions. While this year’s event yielded some licensing news–VIZ, for example, revealed that it would be publishing a new Spiderman manga–the bigger story is that many companies are casting their nets widely for new content. “One notable trend,” Deb Aoki observes, “is the growth of webtoons, including comics content originally from Korea and China, and original comics created by a wave of international creators featured on such mobile comics platforms such as Webtoon, Tapas Media, Manta, Lezhin, and Tappytoon.” Yen Press, in particular, was enthusiastically promoting its new Korean comics imprint Ize Press, which will release its first titles this fall. Will readers embrace Korean comics this time around? Hard to say, but given the current wave of teen interest in Korean music, television, and movies, it’s not a stretch to imagine that Yen Press will find a more receptive audience for manhwa than it did ten or fifteen years ago. Stay tuned…
NEWS AND VIEWS
For the second year in a row, Chainsaw Man won the Harvey Award for Best Manga, beating out Blood on the Tracks, Blue Lock, Cat + Gamer, Red Flowers, and Spy x Family. [The Beat]
Seven Seas announced three new additions to its spring 2023 schedule: Last Game, The Great Snake’s Bride, and A Story of Seven Lives. [Seven Seas]
Erica Friedman files a report from New York Comic Con. [Okazu]
Whether you’re new to manga or just want to refresh your library’s collection, Sara Smith has you covered. Join her for Manga 101 at this year’s SLJ Summit. [SLJ Summit 2022]
If you listen to only one podcast this week, make it the latest episode of Mangasplaining, which focuses on Jun Mayuzuki’s Kowloon Generic Romance. Come for the thoughtful commentary, stay for the fascinating history lesson on the neighborhood that inspired the story. [Mangasplaining]
Ashley and Asher jump in the WABAC machine for a look at Yuu Watase’s Absolute Boyfriend. [Shojo & Tell]
The latest Taiiku Podcast focuses on When a Cat Faces West and Reincarnated as a Sword. [Manga in Your Ears]
Ryosuke Arakane interviews Kazuo Umezu about his creative process as both as a painter and a manga artist. “Having a childlike spirit is a profound thing,” he notes. “It’s a great thing I picked up. My stories feature children, so there’s a connection… The difference between adults and children is that adults might think something is childish, but children might think the opposite.” [Tokion]
REVIEWS
Krystallina reviews Risky Business, a digital-only offering from Media Do. “Risky Business sounds like a gambling manga, but the only gamble is the one you take on this series,” she notes. “On one hand, the manga is very intriguing with all the manipulation and underhanded tricks going on. On the other hand, man, this manga has a high amount of unlikable characters.” Over at Okazu, Erica Friedman explains why she’s looking forward to more installments of She Loves to Eat, She Loves to Cook.
New and Noteworthy
- 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
- Blood on the Tracks, Vol. 1 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Librarian)
- Chainsaw Man, Vol. 1 (Ashley Hawkins, Manga Librarian)
- Dandadan, Vol. 1 (Arpad Okay, The Beat)
- Dandadan, Vol. 1 (Andrew Firestone, Screen Rant)
- Drip Drip (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- The Geek Ex-Hitman, Vol. 1 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- The Fianceé Chosen by the Ring, Vol. 1 (Krystallina, The OASG)
- A Girl & Her Guard Dog, Vol. 1 (Ashley Hawkins, Manga Librarian)
- Hella Chill Monsters, Vol. 1 (Justin, The OASG)
- Hella Chill Monsters, Vol. 1 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- Look Back (Kate Sánchex, But Why Tho?)
- Mars Red, Vol. 1 (SKJAM, SKJAM! Reviews)
- Nights with a Cat, Vol. 1 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- Romantic Killer, Vol. 1 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- Rooster Fighter, Vol. 1 (Adam, No Flying No Tights)
- Rooster Fighter, Vol. 1 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- See You Tomorrow at the Food Court (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- Shuna’s Journey (Ashley Hawkins, Manga Librarian)
- Sue & Tai-Chan, Vol. 1 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)
- The Summer You Were There, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
- Usotoki Rhetoric, Vol. 1 (Joh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 1 (Ashley Hawkins, Manga Librarian)
Ongoing and Complete Series
- Cat + Gamer, Vol. 2 (Justin, The OASG)
- Cat Massage Therapy, Vol. 3 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)
- Chibi Vampire (Megan D., The Manga Test Drive)
- How Do We Relationship?, Vol. 7 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Island in a Puddle, Vol. 2 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Librarian)
- Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 4 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- Lost Lad London, Vol. 2 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over, Vol. 4 (Luce, Okazu)
- My Love Mix-Up, Vol. 5 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- Rosen Blood, Vol. 4 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- Run on Your New Legs, Vol. 2 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- Solo Leveling, Vol. 5 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 8 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)