For anyone who missed it in other venues, ICv2 repeats the wit and wisdom of Al “Kids today don’t read” Kahn, CEO of 4Kids Entertainment. It was funny enough the first time, but there’s extra comic value given that the item runs two up from the one announcing that “The first volume of the Nancy Drew graphic novel is on its third printing, and has sold 25,000 copies to date.”
It’s really smart that these books are “being racked with the prose series based on the same properties.” Degrassi High and Baby-Sitters Club, take note. I wonder if Dark Horse is trying to get its Harlequin manga shelved with the rest of the romance? And I keep meaning to see if the novelizations of manga properties are shelved in the appropriate prose genre sections, or if they’re just with the manga. Has anyone noticed one way or the other?
I don’t know if its getting into the hands of younger readers, but I’m thrilled to see that the first issue of Mouse Guard has sold out. It’s nice to see a book from a smaller publisher essentially come out of nowhere and do well, especially when it’s really good. (Kevin Melrose praises the book over at Supernaturally.)
David Taylor pulls out the week’s manga goodies at Love Manga, and there’s a lot of very likable material arriving on Wednesday. The fourth volume of the addictive Death Note (Viz – Shonen Jump Advanced) finally reaches comic shops. (David also notes that the book came in second on the 2/26/06 BookScan graphic novel list. I don’t really need to tell you which book was in first place, do I?)
The third and final volume of Chikyu Misaki (CMX) shows up. This charming title really snuck up on me, and I’m looking forward to reading the conclusion.
If you’re considering picking up the first volume of Godchild (Viz – Shojo Beat), you might check out what Mely has to say first. (Based on the few chapters I’ve read in the magazine, I think she’s dead-on in her assessment.)
Pantheon’s collection of Jessica Abel’s La Perdida hits the comic shop shelves. I bought this in singles and thought it was terrific.