In my look at last week’s ComicList, I pointed to some of those “release not confirmed by Diamond” items that induce salivation, running the risk of being premature. Examples include the fourth volume of Fumi Yoshinaga’s Flower of Life (DMP) and the Ramen and Gyoza volume of Oishinbo (Viz – Signature). I didn’t make it to the comic shop last week, being in the unexpectedly moist American Southwest, but it seems that both of those books are actually arriving this week (confirmed by both this week’s ComicList and the new arrivals email from my local comic shop). So, apologies for being premature, but I encourage you to commence squeezing.
I’m a bit confused that the list includes the second volume of Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys (Viz – Signature), as I swear I bought it over a month ago in a bookstore. The third volume isn’t scheduled for release until June 18, but at least you can all mark your calendars, because the series is brilliant.
In terms of other new volumes of exciting series, there’s the seventh volume of Yuki Urushibara’s Mushishi (Del Rey). Mushishi is one of those series from Kodansha’s mine of great translated manga, Afternoon, and the series has earned her the Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival and the Kodansha Manga Award.