Manga Xanadu

The 44th issue of Shuiesha’s Weekly Shonen Jump announced that the manga creator duo Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata will launch a new title, Platinum End, in the December issue of Jump SQ due out November 4th. The October 5th issue of Viz Media’s digital Weekly Shonen Jump then announced that it would be simulpubing the story,  not in the magazine itself, but as individual chapters.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was a series I could never get into. It was just too bizarre. But it seems to have found new life in this new century, as it is not only selling in digital and in print, but the print volumes are deluxe hardbacks, that even the staunchest of collectors can appreciate. Even though Viz has lost one of its flagship titles with Naruto, it is doing a stellar job at finding new (and old) titles to fill that void.

If you’re taking your favorite ghost or ghoul out trick or treating this weekend, be sure to check your local comic shop and see if they are participating in Halloween ComicFest. Viz Media has two samplers you can partake of; Fragments of Horror from the master of horror manga Junji Ito, and Yokai Watch, the new all ages series out next week. It’s the perfect selection so everyone can leave happy and spooky.

It was announced in the 12th volume of the manga adaptation of the light novel series Spice and Wolf would be starting its final arc in the next volume.

I haven’t read a lot of Tanemura’s work that’s available in English, and of the titles I have, it’s been hit and miss. But this new series, featuring a mature woman has definitely caught my interest. The fact that she turns into a teenage idol doesn’t lessen my interest. If anything, it increases it as a sort of mirror image of the magical girl anime of the 80s, where young girls got older to be idols. I’m intrigued to see how Tanemura handles this one.

New York Comic Con saw its largest number of manga publishers not only attending the show, but in having panels and making announcements! And manga publishers really made this last major con of the season count.

Back in September, Digital Manga Publishing began hinting that a new Osamu Tezuka Kickstarter was coming. In October, that Kickstarter began. Digital Manga  wants help to publish the three-volume series Wonder 3 as standard size hardcover editions. The project started on October 2, and will end on October 29. DMP is looking for $46,500.

At the last big convention of the season, New York Comic Con, manga publishers appeared to make their last big announcements for the next year.

This last week was New  York Comic Con, the last big con of the season. All of the major publishers were here, as well as some online newcomers. Everyone had something to announce, from new licenses to something a little more home-grown.

Viz Media had quite a few titles to announce at New York Comic Con. I’ll be looking at these titles in a separate post due out later this week. Until then, here are the official summaries. There are definitely some interesting titles in here as well as a little something for everyone. I have to admit, I’m finding the sport titles the most exciting.

Assassination Classroom, the manga by Yusei Matsui and published by Viz Media now has a spinoff manga in Shueisha’s Saikyo Jump bimonthly magazine. It started in the November issue out at the beginning of October.

It looks like Viz really is going to reprint the Tokyopop catalog in digital. This month adds two new titles, Hibiki’s Magic, and a favorite of mine, Hanako and the Terror of Allegory, a series that posits, what if urban legends were real? It’s a short, fun series that I should finish reading sometime. There’s also something about an orange-suited ninja…