It’s a good, hefty list this week. Bandai shows up with the next volume of their Code Geass: Knights series. DMP has some non-yaoi for people to check out, including the latest Itazura Na Kiss, and Udon has the next volume of Silent Mobius. And then there’s the list of Signature books from Viz and a slue of titles from Yen. It looks like the pocket-book is going to take a beating.
It’s another exciting week in manga, and not always in a god way. Let’s start off with the good stuff though. Drawn and Quarterly finally releases Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, a title they announced at SDCC last year. It’s a semi-autobiographical account of the last days of WWII by Shigeru Mizuki, the creator of Gegege Kintaro. In a more cheerful light, Viz Media releases it’s Shonen Sunday titles, as well as the annual appearance of Excel Saga, a title that’s been coming out since 2003. And on to the sad news. This may be one of the last times that Tokyopop will show up on the list, as they have announced they will be closing their publishing division at the end of May. Some titles will be fortunate enough to end instead of just being cut off by this, including Future Diary, NG Life and Shinobi Life. Get those Tokyopop titles while you still can! The List: DRAWN AND QUARTERLY Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths GN, $24.95 **Weekly PIck** TOKYOPOP Future Diary Volume 10 GN (Of 10), $10.99 Gakuen Alice Volume 16 GN (Of 21), $10.99 Karakuri Odette Volume 6 GN (Of 6), $12.99 **Weekly PIck** Neko Ramen Volume…
As you can see from the list this week (below) there isn’t much to choose from, being a 5th Wednesday in the month. So, instead, we are going to make picks of our favorite manga that makes us laugh. It’s time to smile!
Yen Press takes the week with a list of titles that should please everyone, with some action, comedy, drama, moe, and vampires. For a very different kind of vampires, check out Seven Seas new OEL title Vampire Cheerleaders. Or if you’re more into Goddess for your supernatural ladies, Dark Horse has the next volume of Oh My Goddess.
Very short list again this week, with Dark Horse continuing the crazy horror title Gantz and Viz bringing out the next volume of the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga adaptation of the anime. Persevere NGE manga fans!
It’s nice when publishers start to come back to life. Seven Seas seems to be doing so with their new titles as well as omnibuses of older ones, so readers can catch up. Kodansha continues with their Akira reprint, but I can’t wait for their new titles to start coming out this summer! And it’s time for Viz’s Shonen Sunday and some Signature imprints to round things out.
It’s Viz’s week for their Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat releases. There are a couple of new titles in the mix, including Oresama Teacher, which is by the same creator as the infamously bad Magic Touch. There’s also a new Pokemon series starting, featuring Platinum with help from Diamond and Pearl. DMP has a new novel for fujoshi, and Vertical has a certain cute kitten prowling around with a volume.
Yen Press takes the spotlight this week with the majority of releases, including Yen Plus launch titles Higurashi: When They Cry, Sumomomo Momomo, and Soul Eater. Digital Manga keeps their fujoshi fans happy with more BL releases, while Viz brings out the second of its Death Note omnibuses.
It’s another short list, just like this month is turning out to be. There’s not a lot to choose from for the long weekend, but for the very patient fan there’s a new volume of Neon Genesis Evangelion, a title that been around forever, and may take just as long to finish. Hats off to you NGE fans! If you’re feeling really brave or you’re a fan, you can check out Penguin’s newest title, Ayn Rand’s Anthem. The List: PENGUIN GROUP Ayn Rand Anthem GN, $15.00 VIZ MEDIA Bokurano Ours Volume 3 GN, $12.99 Naoki Urasawas 20th Century Boys Volume 13 TP, $12.99 **Weekly Picks** Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 12 TP, $9.99 Shonen Jump Volume 9 #3 (March 2011), $4.99 **Weekly Picks** YEN PRESS Laon Volume 4 GN, $11.99 The Picks: Alex’s Pick: My pick this week is the thirteenth volume of 20th Century Boys. The series is smart and well paced, and avoids all the pitfalls of bad suspense. Urasawa is good at what he does, and I was a big fan of Monster, so this is one series I am determined to see through to the end. Justin’s Pick: Yep, 20th Century Boys is, for me, the pick…
And the list shrinks down again. Thank goodness for Viz’s spread out release schedule. This week it’s the Shonen Sunday and Signature lines. And Dark Horse keeps itself in the manga publishing game, even with it’s unpreditable schedule. No one’s complaining though. We’re happy to get our manga no matter how long it takes!