Because it’s impossible to keep a secret thanks to Amazon – despite the good intentions of all parties – the cat’s out of the bag: Fantagraphics is launching its very own line of manga!

The press release is hot off the ether:

MARCH 8, 2010 – SEATTLE, WA — After years of development, Fantagraphics is unveiling a new line of manga. Kicking things off in September 2010 is a collection of short stories from the mother of shōjo (young girl) manga, Moto Hagio. Next, is a multi-volume series from the GLBT manga-ka Shimura Takako. Each book will be released in hardcover form, keeping the original “right to left” manga style for a deluxe, yet authentic reading experience.

I’ll have the full story for PW later, but the other big news is that Moto Hagio – OG shojo mangaka and pioneering member of the Fabulous 49’ers – will be coming to San Diego Comicon this summer.  THIS SUMMER, PEOPLE!

Which begs the next question: Who wants to meet an icon?

Further reading:

Dirk Deppey’s entry on Journalista announcing the news.

Fantagraphics’ press release.

Matt Thorn’s take on his Moto Hagio baby and Takako Shimura. (And here I thought PW had the exclusive…? :p)

More on Moto Hagio and the movement (which we currently refer to as “shojo manga”) that she helped start.

If you’re a Comics Journal reader, you could have smelled this coming a mile off. The July 2005/issue 269 concentrated on manga and featured cover art as well as an interview of Hagio by  Thorn.

I, uh, also have an article in there.  All about shojo.  It was my first feature and I have fond memories of being tortured by it.

In a later issue Deppey also landed an interview with the lovely-psychedelic mangaka Junko Mizuno.  Does that mean….?

For the most part, I do my best to do the best job I can with the opportunities I’m given.  Verify sources, keep things cordial, keep my inner fangirl in check, make the deadline.  No bashing books, no love-ins; insightful critique and clean copy (steer clear of terms like “spanked” and “panties” – or at least try to); resort to writing about the punk stylish clothing in Shugo Chara and sweeping upsy-downsy hair styles in Parakiss only when necessary.  Be professional, take nothing personally, it’s just business.

But as far as this blog is concerned, business can’t wait to get personal.  I can’t always keep the inner fangirl in check – nor do I always want to.  I love comics and I love manga.  Or rather, for the sake of professionalism, I have developed certain….feelings for comics and manga.  But not everyone shares the love – er, feelings that I have towards both – manga is still a niche within graphic novels, a niche within publishing.  So it doesn’t take much for me to feel like the manga crasher at the comics party.

But every once in a while, a creator comes along that has me putting on my good shoes and my nice dress and throwing a little party of my own – one that typically includes me.  And Ed.  IM-ing me.  From Japan.  And that’s okay.

But this month, that changes.  Viz Media has launched a gigantic Takehiko Inoue campaign – Slam Dunk, his quintessential work, REAL, a series that, in my opinion, challenged him the most while allowing him to fuse two aesthetics in a storyline that further combines his two loves of basketball and drawing; Vagabond omnibus editions, and two books that I’ve been waiting for, gritting my teeth with anticipation, Sumi and Water.

It’s no secret that I harbor certain…feelings about Inoue-sensei’s work.  He is one of  my favorite creators for so many reasons.  Manga can be mass-produced and formulaic – either for the sake of the genre or the story (although often for both) – to the extent that both artwork and narrative start to feel old, stale, with characters looking the same, stories sounding the same.

But everything about Inoue-sensei’s work stands out in a fresh, lively way.  Not all that many creators have the range that he has – visually or narratively.  It’s common to see creators in Japan do series after series that are basically variations of the same thing.  Tsutomu Nihei is another creator whose work I feel strongly about, but BLAME!, ABARA, his Woverine: SNKT! comic for Marvel – were all in the same vein.  He does it incredibly well, but he pretty much does only one thing.  Inoue-sensei, on the other hand, does basketball and samurai.  And he does them both very, very well.

(from Water)

Sumi and Water are both artbooks that collect Inoue‘s lush Vagabond illustrations.  If you’ve only read Slam Dunk, you wouldn’t necessarily guess that he’d progress to this.  One of the many things that I love about his work is the inherent movement and life that spreads over the page.  Each picture tells a story.  Each picture conveys a certain emotion.  The energy of his lines is balanced by the stillness of his characters.  Inoue’s story of Miyamoto “I-don’t-bathe-but-I’m-still-damn-fine” Musashi isn’t just one of bushido, but one of becoming a man.

(from Sumi)

But the best part is that anyone who loves art or comics will want to get their mitts on these books.  Knowledge of Vagabond or manga isn’t a requisite.  Sumi and Water stand alone as the gateways to the rest of Inoue’s work.  And gateways ain’t a bad thing.

So this month, I’m having the party.  Everyone is invited, as always, I’ll be wearing my good shoes and my party dress.  But here’s the big bonus: people may actually show up.

(from Water)

Chris Butcher has an excellent interview with Taiyo Matsumoto up which he did the rewrite on.

The interview is lovely and a rare entry into the minds of one of Japan’s most innovative manga creators.

But Butcher outdoes himself in footnoting and compiling a comprehensive bibliography of Matsumoto’s work.  Seeing the coverart on his books is enough to make this comics lover weep with frustration.  (Look at all the Matsumoto that the rest of us can’t read!)  It’s enough to make me rally the troops and have everyone I know buy a copy of Tekkon Kinkreet.

Audry Taylor at Go! Comi once expressed this in an interview, that every time someone buys a volume of manga, they’re voting for that creator, for that type of material.  I’m sure this isn’t new, but in manga it takes on a whole new life.

Sometimes I wonder how manga publishers survive with the amount of content online in scans, or otherwise shared.  Taylor told me of how a couple of girls were at the booth, swooning over something Yuu Higuri or Mik Takeuchi.  So natch, she was like “Well you should buy it.”  To which one of the girls responded “Nah, I’ll just read her copy.”

Now I love sharing – I’d be nowhere without it.  But for companies, it really comes down to the bottom line.  It’s great that we can borrow and swap books and find out what’s out there, but in terms of telling people and publishers what we like, there’s nothing like the feedback a few Andrew Jackson’s can supply.

Brigid at Mangablog links to Canned Dogs for an interesting collection of complaints from manga creators in Japan about the abusive treatment they get from their editors.

One creator, Raiku Makoto, is even suing his publisher, Shogakukan – for roughly US$ 33k – for losing his artwork.  Apparently, misplacing artwork is common habit for editors (according to the list of complaints) as is feeding creators energy/sports drinks and parsing out their sleep.

I had been asking Ed at MangaCast about the relationship between publishers and creators – whether creator owned content made for a healthier industry – but it looks like it’s all just the business of tears, blood and Pocari sweat.

Only Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2) gets to do whatever she wants – as long as it’s Inuyasha.

It’s all over the Viz website.  “Kubo is coming….”

The only thing that this can mean, is that Tite Kubo, creator of Bleach, is coming to the U.S. for San Diego Comicon.

This has not been verified.  Repeat: this has not been verified.

The only thing that is certain is that “Kubo is coming….” has been plastered all over the Viz Media website.  However, Bleach, the manga about a high-schooler turned death god and his soul-reaper sidekick, did make a special appearance in Shonen Jump over the winter (or was it summer?  Have to check my notes…) when it was already quite popular, and the “Kubo” that is mentioned can only be Tite Kubo, and San Diego Comicon is where the big guns always show up, and we are getting around to that time where publishers announce who their special guests will be…..

So it has not been confirmed, but if you ask me, Tite Kubo is coming to San Diego this summer.  Hopefully you all have you tickets already.  Hopefully, I am not merely spreading rumors.  Better yet, hopefully I am spreading rumors that are worthwhile.

Kubo is coming!

Officially announced in last week’s Morning magazine (double-issue 21-22) is Felipe Smith’s debut!  He’ll be the cover artist – COVER ARTIST – on the June 21st issue of Morning 2 magazine.

This is what you can expect:

6 COLOR PAGES!

ABT. 40 PAGES OF THE OPENING CHAPTER!

Wow…

I know I say that a lot, but most of the time, it’s because there are no other words that are quite as expressive (and well-rounded!) of awe, disbelief, and mental paralysis.

Felipe made his debut via publisher TokyoPop with his series MBQ, an over the top recollection of an aspiring artist struggling to make it in LA.  Dirt poor struggling artist with a huge room mate and all sorts of colorful characters.

Word on the street is that the monthly deadline is an ass-kicking good time.

Wow….

More reportage once I get the gears in place and start churning.

Until then, check out the visual announcement!