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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

June 20, 2011 by Katherine Dacey, Michelle Smith, MJ and David Welsh 11 Comments

Pick of the Week: Diversity

Another week, another batch of new (and not so new) releases at Midtown Comics. Check out our picks below!


KATE: This week’s new arrival list looks a little wonky. It includes a large batch of Vertical titles that have already been released (e.g. both volumes of Apollo’s Song) as well as a smattering of Tokyopop manga that most of us never expected to see the light of day (e.g. the final volume of Hanako and the Terror of Allegory). Buried among the reprints and orphans, I spotted the third volume of Afterschool Charisma, one of my new guilty pleasure titles. The story focuses on an academy for gifted teens. But the students at St. Kleio’s are no ordinary high schoolers; each has been cloned from a famous historical figure (e.g. Marie Curie, Joan of Arc, Napoleon) and is being groomed for a life of public service. Though the first two volumes were a bit of a mess, see-sawing between suspense and wacky hijinks, the story finds its legs in volume three, offering a nifty, third-act plot twist that casts the entire cloning project in a new and sinister light. And really, what’s not to like about a manga that depicts Sigmund Freud as a petulant bishonen who likes to tease his classmates about their daddy issues?

MICHELLE: I’ve already spoken of my love for the seventh volume of 13th Boy in a recent Off the Shelf column, so while I definitely still recommend checking out that series, the item that most intrigues me this week is the first volume of another Yen Press series, The Betrayal Knows My Name. I don’t know much about it, other than it ran in Asuka and seems to be a supernatural story with BL flavor. Although this is the first shoujo release for Hotaru Odagiri in English, she has had some BL titles released here, like Time Lag and Invisible Boy. As an added bonus, Yen is releasing the series in 2-in-1 omnibus editions!

MJ: I too must praise 13th Boy, but of the items on this week’s list that are actually new, my attention is most drawn by the second volume of Jason Thompson and Victor Hao’s King of RPGs. It’s been a year and a half since Del Rey released the first volume of this OEL series and I’d actually begun to fear that it was all we’d ever see, so I was pretty thrilled to spot it on the list. I reviewed the first volume as a guest at About.com, and while I have to acknowledge its nerd-specific appeal, as the spouse of a serious gamer, it could not have delighted me more. To quote my bottom line, “With its endless stream of geeky jokes and wildly exaggerated gaming scenes that easily rival the most outrageous shounen sports manga, King of RPGs barely comes up for air as it races to the end of its intense first volume. Crafted with deep and obvious affection, this comic is a love letter to gamers and manga fans everywhere.” Volume two, bring it on!

DAVID: I feel ambivalent about my pick, but I feel ambivalent about all things Tokyopop. It’s wistful and strange to see their last few new arrivals. And it’s downright unnerving to realize I didn’t dodge the bullet fired by readers of my blog in a previous dubious manga poll. So my pick is Nanki Satou’s Maid Shokun which is about maids and is not Emma,, so I think my anxiety can be forgiven. On the other hand, Lillian Diaz-Przybyl did compare it favorably to Honey and Clover, so maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised. By the one volume of the series that may ever be published in English. Ambivalence! Like, cubed!


So, readers, what looks good to you this week?

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Filed Under: PICK OF THE WEEK Tagged With: afterschool charisma, king of rpgs, maid shokun, the betrayal knows my name

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aaron says

    June 20, 2011 at 9:27 am

    I have to go with the Tenjo Tenge, Volume 1: Full Contact Edition 2-in-1 omnibus I have been waiting for this since it was announced to be released back in November of 010.

    Reply
  2. Emilio (blogofthenorthstar.com) says

    June 20, 2011 at 11:31 am

    So Midtown Comics won’t have “A Zoo In Winter” in stock this week? That’s a real shame. It’s the comic I’m most excited for, by far.

    Reply
    • Katherine Dacey says

      June 20, 2011 at 10:59 pm

      There’s been a slight delay with the printing. I’m not sure what the new street date will be, but the folks at Fanfare promise that the book will be shipping soon. It’s worth the wait — trust me!

      Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      June 22, 2011 at 10:03 am

      I’m looking forward to finally seeing this too!

      Reply
  3. Noura says

    June 20, 2011 at 12:22 pm

    My pick of the week is volume 15 of Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys. One of the few series that I read as soon as I get. Definitely one of the best.

    I am also quite interested in The Betrayal Knows My Name. I don’t know anything about it but I am a sucker for shoujo with BL hints. Gonna give it a shot.

    Reply
    • Katherine Dacey says

      June 20, 2011 at 10:59 pm

      If I hadn’t run out of ways to say, “20th Century Boys is awesome!,” it would have been my pick of the week, too!

      Reply
  4. osunale says

    June 20, 2011 at 10:18 pm

    My pick is also The Betrayal Knows My Name. I recently watched the anime and, while it was often fairly typical and predictable, I found it incredibly addictive, with some very likable characters. I’m kinda hoping that the manga will tie up some of the loose ends that were left hanging in the anime.

    Reply
    • Michelle Smith says

      June 22, 2011 at 12:55 pm

      Oh, that’s good to know! Like I said, I really don’t know much about it.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Upcoming 6/22/2011 says:
    June 21, 2011 at 10:29 am

    […] a look at what’s due at a non-Diamond-dependent comic shop, check out the latest Pick of the Week over at Manga Bookshelf. For the battle robot’s verdicts on some recent releases, click on over […]

    Reply
  2. New manga, secret comics, bathtub reading « MangaBlog says:
    June 21, 2011 at 12:53 pm

    […] Bookshelf bloggers—Melinda Beasi, Kate Dacey, Michelle Smith, and David Welsh—discuss their pick of the week, and readers chime in with theirs in comments. Also at Manga Bookshelf: David Welsh lists some manga […]

    Reply
  3. The Short Stack - New Manga For June 21 » MTV Geek says:
    June 21, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    […] are all clones of famous people. (You can read some sample chapters at the SigIKKI website.) Kate Dacey says that the story "finds its legs" in this third volume with a plot twist that puts everything […]

    Reply


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