Ah, Comic Weblog Updates, it’s good to see you hale and hearty again. It’s also good to see the Second Annual Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Drive linked right up at the top. (My renewal went out in the mail this morning. I also had a tangelo and a multi-grain English muffin for breakfast, since I’m dishing out minutiae.) In celebration of its return, I’ll indulge in some linkblogging.

There’s a four-part interview with Viz’s sales VP Liza Coppola up at ICv2. She covers a lot of ground, including anime, shôjo, launch strategies, rollout schedules, and OEL. There’s lots of spin, obviously, but it’s still interesting reading, and kudos to ICv2 for asking a bunch of thoughtful follow-up questions.

There’s some cautious, numbers-free assessment of the performance of the Shojo Beat anthology:

“And a lot of people came up to us and said, ‘Thank you for putting out a version for the girl market.’ Librarians said, ‘We love Shonen Jump,’ but we had so many people come in from the libraries and say, ‘We need something that’s shojo related.’ We’ve also gotten tremendous response from consumers.”

There’s some cautious, official-stance-free discussion of Viz’s approach to more motivated fans (scanlators and fansubbers, in other words):

“There isn’t an official stance yet, but the unofficial stance is that it’s great that the fans love the property, it’s great that they support it, and we need to figure out a way to work closely with them. There are so many hits for Narutofan.com. We are looking for some sort of great gathering place for this property.”

Coppola mentions Viz’s new general counsel, Tonik Barber, formerly from the Lucasfilm camp. Honestly, I can’t be the only one who heard the Death Star theme music when I read that, can I?

Lastly, there’s the whole Original English Language manga issue. Unsurprisingly, Coppola is unimpressed:

“If you look at Bookscan’s top 10, I don’t think there are that many original English language books in the top ten… I think they should be clustered in with the graphic novels, but not necessarily with manga… It’s just interesting to see that both on the book side and on the animation side you have all these people that are trying to imitate anime or imitate manga.”

I guess Viz is undeterred by Tokyopop’s suggestion that trying to assign a country of origin to manga is racist. Coincidentally, there’s another (admittedly anecdotal) take on the OEL initiative in Steven Grant’s latest Permanent Damage column over at Comic Book Resources:

“Sure, all kinds of companies, not the least of which is TokyoPop, are trying to push Amerimanga, or nissei comi, or whatever you want to call it – in fact, most publishers just want to call it “manga” and hope for the best – but a brief sampling of manga fans at the local high school (not the most representative of poll groups, probably, but still…) indicates they are not fooled. Nor interested. Given the hundreds of officially Japanese (not to mention Korean and Chinese) manga series already available in the USA, I’m not surprised.”

Is it time for the next round of the “Is it manga?” discussion already? Do we have to?

I said the other day that I was looking forward to Brokeback Mountain. Then I read the article in this week’s Entertainment Weekly. Ye gods.

Let me just take a quick look at the calendar. Yes, as I thought, it’s almost 2006. And yet, it’s still apparently “daring” for two B-list actors to play gay.

Not to worry, though, as writer Christine Spines is here to provide all the evidence one could ever need of the devout heterosexuality of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal short of grainy video footage. Ledger waves his new baby around (conceived on location, one surmises, with co-star Michelle Williams). Gyllenhaal talks about how difficult it was to see Ledger and Williams gush and swoon, devastated as he was by his break-up with Kirsten Dunst.

And then there’s all the back-slapping over how risky it is for these two to take these roles. Asinine as it is to suggest that intelligent people can’t separate actors from their roles, neither Ledger nor Gyllenhaal are enjoying particularly meteoric career trajectories. Now they’re working with one of the finest living film directors (Ang Lee) on one of the biggest pieces of Oscar bait of the season. To my way of thinking, the only risk they run is of actually making it to the A list.

Gyllenhaal almost always provides some cringe-inducing quotes in every interview he does, and this is no exception. On the day the sex scene was filmed:

“What made me the most courageous was that I realized I had to try to let go of that stereotype I had in my mind, that bit of homophobia, and try for a second to be vulnerable and sensitive. It was f—-in’ hard, man. I succeeded only for milliseconds.”

Boy, I hope those milliseconds show up in the movie! (Come to think of it, if he can only muster vulnerability and sensitivity for that short a span, it’s no wonder Dunst dumped him.)

But bless Lee’s approach to any actor anxieties:

“I didn’t care…. They know what they’re getting into. They’ll just do it.”

At least Entertainment Weekly is around to give them a big hug for being so darned brave.

Oh, the mysteries of the Diamond Shipping List. To read it, it seems like there’s not much reason for me to rush off to the comic shop. (And to look at the Amazon links on the NCRL site, I’m shocked to discover that the list isn’t work-safe. “Doctor, I’m Too Big”? Mercy.) But checking the handy list of what’s showing up locally sent out via e-mail by the shop I use, I see that it’s actually a heavy-ish week for me.

Those Digital Manga books that were delayed until December? Some of them are here, including the second volume of Antique Bakery and the first of Dost Thou Know, the yaoi title about (snicker) swordsmen. (No, I’ll never stop giggling over that, because I’m eight years old.)

While looking for the press release on the delay, I notice that DMP has licensed its first yuri title, Mikiyo Tsuda’s Day of Revolution.

The strange West Virginia time warp will result in the arrival of The Dreaming a week after it showed up everywhere else. And speaking of delays, the second issue of Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle arrives. I know I read the first one, but I have no memory of it. The second issue also features a second artist, and I was thinking that could have been kind of an interesting idea if it had been planned. Since one of the themes is celebrity (I think), they could have used the changing illustrators to make some comment about image and reinvention. Maybe I’ll just pretend that’s what they’re doing.

Oh, and while it’s not really my thing, Viz releases the 37th issue of Shonen Jump, celebrating the anthology’s third anniversary with the fattest… issue… EVER. There’s also a big sneak peek at a new comedy-science fiction title called Gin Tama, which features “a wacky samurai, his unfortunate sidekick, and an indestructible teenage girl.” Stir thoroughly, then sell.

At Love Manga, David Taylor does a fine run-down of the manga-related material in the latest PW Comics Week. I’m particularly interested in the piece on Powell’s City of Books and their evolving approach to selling manga:

“’We would polybag everything,’ Donaghy says. This helped to prevent damaged books, but it also prevented potential buyers from getting a feel for what those titles were like. A few years ago, a sales rep at Viz promised to replace any Viz title ruined by an overzealous browser if Powell’s would agree to stop the shrinkwrapping. Surprisingly, sales increased dramatically. The arrangement with Viz is no longer in effect, but Powell’s eventually decided make all the manga browsable. ‘The sales this generates more than makes up for any books that we’ve
lost,’ says Donaghy.”

This is fascinating to me for a couple of reasons. It suggests browsing can increase the likelihood of purchase, and it shows a major publisher working directly with an independent store.

It’s a great story, but some dust-covered synapse in my brain fired up to remind me of a social psychology lecture from college about repeatable results, different experimental conditions, and anecdotal evidence. I’m sure there are plenty of contradictory examples out there of stores whose manga sales were either unaffected by or went up after deciding to polybag books. Sometimes my brain is a real killjoy. Still, I’m very much in the pro-browsing camp, if only for purely selfish reasons.

And speaking of Love Manga, the Advent Contest continues to bring holiday joy to all.

… You feel as jolly as Santa Claus. At least that’s what Avenue Q tells me, and it’s never lied before (to my knowledge).

Dave Carter of Yet Another Comics Blog is sponsoring his second annual Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Fund Drive. For the period between now and December 24, if 10 people join as CBLDF members at the $25 level (or higher) Dave will donate $250 to CBLDF.

I participated last year, but it’s a handy reminder to renew my membership.

It seems like I go to fewer and fewer movies each year. Part of that is driven by a growing aversion to other moviegoers who don’t know how to behave in public. Part stems from the fact that I’d rather stay at home and nest than brave the mall, abetted by the convenience of Netflix and the shorter turnaround time between a theatrical release and availability on DVD.

But I almost always go out to see a movie when home visiting relatives. My family lives in a larger market with more choices than I get here in northern West Virginia, and it’s a nice break from the family homestead. But I’m having a hard time lining up movies I’d like to see.

With my well-documented love of musicals, you’d think this would be a peak season, what with Rent and The Producers in theatres. But Rent has always irritated me. It falls into the category of musicals that get immediately and warmly embraced by show choirs, and I always consider that a big flashing sign to avoid said musical like the plague. I’d much rather listen to the parodies of the show contained in Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back than the show itself. (Christine Pedi as a fashion buyer going nuts for grunge is a particular highlight: “The Rent boutique at Bloomingdale’s is loaded with your neighbor’s junk./So if you want to be a hunk,/Think punk!”)

As for The Producers, either Nathan Lane or Will Ferrell would be enough to give me a cinematic migraine. With their combined scenery-chewing powers, I would almost certainly lose my mind. The commercials alone induce mild seizures.

My partner is very taken with the possibility of a live-action Aeon Flux movie. He’s fascinated by Charlize Theron’s career trajectory, and the animated series is one of the few cartoons he’s ever liked. Still, it fairly screams “Netflix rental” to me.

I’ve had a weird reaction to every preview I’ve seen of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The color palette seems all wrong to me, too shiny and sparkly and Disney. This one will depend on what kind of reviews it gets.

As for King Kong, there are already two perfectly good versions of it, and neither of them asks me to pay money to see Jack Black. Wake me up when someone makes a version where the gorilla wins.

That pretty much leaves Brokeback Mountain, which has already gone some ways towards helping the world forget that Ang Lee directed The Hulk. I can’t say I’m excited by the prospect of spending two hours with Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, but it’s Ang Lee and gay cowboys. You see my dilemma, don’t you? (Plus, I harbor a secret hope that Tokyopop will publish a cine-manga for the yaoi crowd.)

If all else fails, at least my parents’ cable provider carries Turner Classic Movies.

One of our dogs managed to break his toe last week. Don’t ask me how. He’s gifted. Anyway, he’s fine, just bored from the limited mobility and loopy from the pain pills. So what could I do but share his couch of pain and keep him company while reading manga?

Fortunately, last week provided quite a surplus, all of it surprising in a variety of pleasant ways.

The first volume of Nana contained chapters I’d already read in Shojo Beat, but I loved the bonus story. Ai Yazawa really has a way with funny, self-deprecating meta elements in her stories. Someone needs to get the license for Neighborhood Story.

I’m clearly guilty of a double standard. When an appealing supporting character gets offed in a DC or Marvel book, I get annoyed and cynical. When it happens in the fourth volume of Fullmetal Alchemist (or the second volume of Death Note, for that matter) I’m shocked but intrigued. Maybe it’s because this kind of twist seems like an actual plot development rather than Subsection 12 of the current marketing plan.

After the events of volume 12 of Fruits Basket, I thought Natsuki Takaya might take a digest off from ripping my heart out of my chest. No such luck, as the Kagura material is absolutely murderously sad. I’m afraid I’m becoming far too invested in this title. Every time I see someone who isn’t usually a shôjo reader testify to its excellence, I just burst with pride. This time around, it’s Brian Cronin at Comics Should Be Good.

I wasn’t quite sure how I’d handle a multi-chapter storyline in Sgt. Frog, but it ended up being a delight, as always. It feels appropriate with things working up to the big finish in the next volume, and it’s still endearingly off the wall.

The undisputed reading highlight of the weekend came courtesy of a delivery from The Beguiling. I ordered Kinderbook and The Walking Man, and the phrase “money well spent” seems like a gross understatement. I’ll probably write about these at more length later. For now, it’s clear that I’m going to have to keep an eye out for more books from Fanfare/Ponent Mon, if these two titles are any indication. I know I’ve pre-ordered Japan (As Viewed By 17 Creators). And when is La Case de Enfrente coming out? It feels like that was solicited ages ago.

On the update front, it looks like there’s some good news about the fate of Kindaichi Case Files. Check Love Manga for more, and why not enter the Advent Contest while you’re there?

Last and least, it’s Monday, so it’s Flipped day. This time out, I look at Eden and Serenity. Separately, obviously.

There’s quite an interesting mix of books in the December 2005 Previews.

I’m not a huge horror fan, but I’m very curious about Kanako Inuki’s School Zone (Dark Horse). Anyone who earns the title “Queen of Manga Horror” is worth a look.

The third issue of Andi Watson and Simon Gane’s very lovely Paris arrives from Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics.

The preview pages for the first issue of David Peterson’s Mouse Guard (Archaia Studios Press) won me over. Plus, it’s got mice with swords wearing capes. What reasonable person could resist?

Del Rey delivers the final volume of Satomi Ikezawa’s Othello. I’m going to miss that one. To ease the pain, they also have the first volume of Jim Kobayashi’s School Rumble, which sounds like a fairly standard shôjo love triangle, but the cover design is delightful. (Since I can’t seem to find the image on-line, I guess you’ll have to take my word for that.)

Okay, I have to give Digital Manga points for the sheer, reckless tackiness of their tag for the second volume of Our Everlasting: “If it swells, ride it!” (Oh, you wacky yaoi marketers!) But I’m more taken by the prospect of How to “Read” Manga: Gloom Party by Yoshio Kawashima: “Learn about Japan’s little dirty secrets in the manga of the early 90s.”

Fans of Hope Larson’s Salamander Dream (Adhouse) should be delighted by the arrival of Gray Horses (Oni). I know I am. Oni also re-lists Bryan Lee O’Malley’s magnificent Lost At Sea, which I may have mentioned before and will probably mention again, because no one can stop me!

The Elk’s Run mini-series concludes at Speakeasy. And Viz delivers the fourth volume of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s creepy, smart Death Note, and the fifth volume of Wataru Yoshizumi’s insidiously cute Ultra Maniac.

Last week, a copy of Cromartie High School Vol. 4 (by Eiji Nonaka, ADV) accidentally wound up in my reserves. It was a slow week, so I let it ride. After giving the first volume a quick browse, I wasn’t really motivated to pick it up, though I’d heard good things about it.

What an odd, odd book. It’s absurd and utterly deadpan, and it very rarely makes much sense, but it doesn’t really seem to need to. Robots? A gorilla? An angry horse? A guy who may or may not be Freddie Mercury? Everything just seems to blend in without much comment, creating an atmosphere that’s discordant and weirdly relaxing at the same time.

It isn’t a consistently great book, in my opinion. At points, it isn’t much better than the fight manga it parodies. But the highs are insanely so, like when two thugs talk about thinking globally and acting locally while mucking out a stall. And it’s almost always likable.

So I’ll chalk this one up as a happy accident and keep Cromartie High School in reserve. A little pointless, rambling absurdity is a good thing every now and then.

*

It’s a good thing I’ve found another regular title, because it looks like one of my favorites, Kindaichi Case Files, has fallen off of Tokyopop’s publishing roster. I got an e-mail pointing out that there was no next volume listed on the Tokyopop site. A subsequent e-mail to Tokyopop got this response:

“Thanks for writing! We will take your suggestion into consideration! However, we currently have no plans to release that title, sorry! But you never know! Please keep your eyes open on www.TOKYOPOP.com for a list of our latest releases!”

So it looks like the extra-thick “Playing the Fool” will be the last installment we’ll see for the foreseeable future. I believe this would qualify as a bummer.

*

So once again it’s up to David Taylor and Immelda Alty to lift the spirits of the manga faithful. Their Love Manga Advent Competition begins today and runs through Dec. 24.

Some Wednesdays seem specifically designed to make me very, very happy. This one has the added bonus of helping the More Money for Manga system give up a bountiful harvest.

Even if I weren’t delighted by the prospect of new volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist and Fruits Basket, there’s the added bonus of wondering which one will come out on top in November graphic novel sales.

The local shopkeeper made a horrible, cruel mistake by insisting that tomorrow’s volume of Sgt. Frog is the last. It isn’t. See the little grey “Volume 11” on Tokyopop’s page? (Come to think of it, I seem to remember the solicitation for the next one saying “Final Volume!” somewhere in the text. I’ll cross that bridge of despair when I come to it.)

I’ve been eagerly anticipating Queenie Chan’s The Dreaming, and now the wait is over. It looks gorgeous, and it got a very positive review at IGN.com. I’m sure Queenie is thrilled that the review page features an advertisement for butt cracks. (Speaking of manga reviews, I’ve really been enjoying Erin Finnegan’s Manga Recon columns over at Buzzscope. It’s a fun format.)

As if a bonus was needed, my copy of the first volume of Nana arrives today, too. And hey, there’s a Nana anime in the works! (Scroll down to the Nov. 28 entries.) I’d love to see Ai Yazawa’s aesthetic in motion.

While trolling around ICv2, I saw this column by Steve Bennett of Dark Star Books in Yellow Springs, OH, suggesting an alternative manga distributor to retailers. It seems like the option to return unsold product would be a big help, given the sheer volume of new titles coming out and the difficulty in predicting what will click with customers.

And on the subject of sheer volume, David Taylor at Love Manga is compiling a list of Tokyopop’s OEL titles. (And yes, David, I did notice. Just casually.)

As if any more reasons were needed to love Love Manga, David Taylor and Immelda Alty have put together an absolutely delightful seasonal give-away, their Manga Advent Calendar. Details are here, so go and find out how you can win one of 24 manga titles starting Dec. 1.

The Friday Contests continue at Comic World News. This week, you have a shot at winning Jennifer Young’s Cold Summer. You can read Michael May’s review to find out more about the book.

Johanna Draper Carlson has been reviewing up a storm over the Thanksgiving weekend. Given the overlap in our manga tastes, I’m really going to have to dive into Sensual Phrase.

And in this week’s Flipped, I demonstrate once again that, if I ran the manga publishing world, I would probably send it screaming into financial ruin faster than you can say “over-saturation.”