Rocket Bomber - general fandom

Found:

Actually, I’d mentioned one of these before, but now we have covers and descriptions:

The Rough Guide to Manga

by Jason S. Yadao, Rough Guides, isbn 9781858285610, coming September 21, 2009.

From the publisher,

“The Rough Guide to Manga” is the ultimate handbook offering a comprehensive overview of one of the most fashionable genre’s in today’s popular culture. The guide features the manga story: from manga’s twelfth-century roots to the rise of English-language manga with profiles of influential creators like Leiji Matsumoto and CLAMP as well as publishers to look out for. You’ll find an overview of manga’s unique styles, techniques and genres decoded as well as a canon of fifty must-read manga, including the iconic “Astro Boy”, global hits “Fruits Basket” and “Battle Royale”, plus less well-known works like “Please Save My Earth”. “The Rough Guide to Manga” demystifies unfamiliar terms and genres for newcomers whilst offering manga fans plenty of new recommendations including listings for manga magazines and websites along with a glossary of terms. Crammed with illustrations, and including a section on the anime connection, this is must-have Manga for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

…can’t wait till September? This just came out:
[like, today even]

The Rough Guide to Anime

by Simon Richmond , Rough Guides, isbn 9781858282053

ibid.:

The Rough Guide to Anime provides a comprehensive overview of the diverse and amazing world of animation from Japan. Combining a critical approach with all the essential background information – from history and short biographies of the key people in the industry to the different genres, themes and cultural references of anime – this is the ultimate guide to Japanese animation. The book introduces the creative talents behind the major anime movies, TV series and OVA (original video animation) – from the Oscar-winning Spirited Away to classic works like Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, and the iconic shows Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Speed Racer and Robotech. Written by anime expert Simon Richmond, features include the Top 50 must-sees, with details on the most influential directors and creative artists. There’‘s an exploration of the art form’‘s history, plus information on the anime conventions and manga-related attractions in Japan. Newcomers will love the glossary of all the anime slang and jargon, while devoted fans will relish the fresh exploration of themes, genres and obsessions in the colourful anime universe.

The Rough Guide to Anime explores the best of the prolific genre of anime in today’s popular culture.

Go forth and educate thyself.

More: www.rocketbomber.com/category/found/

I just gave $100 to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

It’s what I can do. I’ve been saving for a new laptop; I had the cash. The laptop can wait another month.

The CBLDF has a store. You can buy über-cool stuff, and it goes to support a good cause. Me, I gave them the money straight up — no strings, no incentives — but that’s how I roll. I won’t fault you for buying a signed copy of Bone or The Joker or Mouse Guard or Planetary or Sandman or the Walking Dead. Because the creators who signed & donated those works (Jeff Smith, Brain Azzarello & Lee Bermejo, David Petersen, Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman, and all three creators of the Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn) along with notables like Terry Moore, Brian Bendis, Brian K. Vaughn, J.G. Jones, Frank Miller, and Brian Azzarello — and many others — support the CBLDF and see the obvious merit in giving fans the swag they want while also raising money for the cause.

When the time comes, when a zealous and/or misguided local prosecutor comes gunning for your stash, or leans on your local retailer-of-choice looking for a quick “crusader of family values” headline right before an election, it might be too late — I’m sure they’ll be happy to take your money then, but there is work to do now.

Please Give.

As to the specifics of the Handley Case: My Thoughts on Porn Comics are a matter of public record, and have been for four months. None of the specifics (or I should say ‘generalities’ as no specifics have actually been publicized) of the case as revealed to date have changed my opinion since that post.

There’s also this, from my post of 16 Dec 2008, Responses to Tom & Dave

Why Is It That People Still Don’t Seem To Get The CBLDF?

This is related, I fear, to the public hatred of the ACLU.

The American Civil Liberties Union is dedicated to one-and-a-half things: The Defense of Your Rights, that is to say (there’s the one and here’s the half) the individual rights guaranteed to you by the constitution.

Occasionally, they have adopted an unpopular position because the need to defend some idiot for being an idiot is also necessary to protect your rights. For this they are branded Evil, a boil upon the ass of the earth, a pestilence not to be endured.

These same idiots that condemn the ACLU are in fact those best served by its efforts. The irony of this is not lost on the brave activists who ceaselessly work for your individual rights; ACLU employees are saints. If you’re a dittohead I beg of you to turn off the radio for three weeks and seriously look at your values. I mean, think. It’s tough, I know, and so much easier to condemn others and echo the thoughts of those who speak loudly about stuff they either don’t understand or are purposely misleading you about. But the ACLU is a right-wing, libertarian, extremist organization — about as far from liberal as one can get: their focus is on individual rights over that of the government. If you hate the government, what’s the hassle? I can’t imagine why other “right”-thinking persons and organizations don’t support the ACLU. (I can only suppose it’s due to alien mind control)

“The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community.”

That is to say: Your. Constitutionally Guaranteed. Rights. Yours, you own them, folks are trying to take them away but the CBLDF is jumping on grenades right and left to keep you reading comics without state interference you ungrateful chav.

To answer Tom’s question, people don’t know what their rights are to begin with, and are willing to give them away for tuppence because they’re idjits. That, and the CBLDF needs to add a “what we do” tab to their homepage.

I don’t know if I missed it the first time, but you guys could still make it more obvious on your home page.

Meet the Scout:

The Scout would like to sell you the Slap Chop:

Edit: No, I’m not the first to notice this… harmonic convergence:

Edit 24 May 16:05: I could post stuff like this all day. FF7:

Youtubers seem to love the ‘bonk’ — there’s a whole genre like this:

Met John Grisham today. Shook his hand. Talked about the biz; how my store was doing, how his book is doing.

for the record:

He asked, “Hi, are you the manager?”

and of course I replied, “Yes, I’m one of the managers; but I’m with another customer at the moment, I’ll be back with you in just a minute.”

We’re busy. This is how it goes. Most thankfully, John wasn’t in a hurry and was able to properly introduce himself after said minute.

Here’s the point of the post, past my bragging about meeting John Grisham:

He was in town to speak at a fundraiser to support both a local school and The Innocence Project — Grisham got involved with the Innocence Project as part of the research for his non-fiction book, “The Innocent Man”

It was just a drive-by; John signed the stock we had on-hand of his new hardcover The Associate and then spoke politely and patiently with the booksellers who were actually there (I stopped short of announcing it on the PA, but I did call back to receiving, and the managers’ office, and the break room) and I have to say, I like the guy.

The same can’t be said of all authors. [Stuart Woods, we’re looking at you…]

OK, so someone stumbled upon RB, apparently because I mentioned DJ Milky and suddenly they thought this poor source had something to contribute to the greater DJ/Mixing professional music community.

Yeah. About that. “DJ Milky” is a affectation of Stu Levy when he changes hats from publisher to ‘author’ [*cough*] and it has nothing to do with music, and when I reference him as Milky I’m not crediting him as an actual DJ or supporting his efforts, but rather making fun of both Stu and his Whelming and Overwhelming Pretension. Using the tools available to me I can’t reconstruct the original link but dudes: sorry. This isn’t the blog you’re looking for.

I appreciate the traffic, and maybe one of you will stick around to read what’s next, but I didn’t ask for the additional traffic and it’s not my fault:

Hi. My name is Matt. I’m a big nerd/Otaku/geek/fanboy/insert-derogative-label-here and I don’t have the fly/flash original content you’re looking for, I just link to what I can find — and My Original Content begins and ends with drunken-rambling-opinion-columns and the damn charts.

[jedi hand wave] *this isn't the blog you're looking for* [/jedi hand wave]

So I think I will.

The second-best joke I could come up with (the best joke is in the post title) is

yeah I heard that Sony Imageworks motion capture methods couldn’t capture all the ‘motion’ if you know what I mean — wink wink nudge nudge — so some poor programmer had to spend three weeks coming up with proper “Rag Dong Physics”

I’m kidding… I think. link

This press release was recently slipped over the transom; since Glenn did me the very kind favor of linking to my blog from his site, the least I can do is return the favor.

YALSA is also doing everyone a favor in this instance; Their recommendation is the occasion for the MU press release. I’d pick 11-12 as the ideal age for the Manga Cookbook — I’m more of a Japanese Pub Favorites kind of guy, but that is a bit much for the younger fan who just wants to make their own bento.

Speaking of: Manga Cookbook Bento Box Gift Sets are available in 3 colors. (link goes to an index page, click on ‘store’ to get to the goodies)

JANUARY 29, 2009

“THE MANGA COOKBOOK” IS YALSA “QUICK PICK” FOR 2009

Manga University’s “The Manga Cookbook” (ISBN 979-4-921205-07-2) has been named to the prestigious Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) “Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers” list for 2009.

“This list is a true reflection of the teens we serve,” said YALSA librarian Joy Millam. “Our goal was to put out a list that gives every reluctant reader a book to connect with personally.”

“The Manga Cookbook,” written by The Manga University Culinary Institute and illustrated by award-winning manga artist Chihiro Hattori, features step-by-step instructions for preparing simple Japanese dishes using ingredients found in every Western kitchen. The book’s unique approach offers readers a quick and easy way to learn how to identify and make the kinds of food they see in all their favorite manga: authentic onigiri (rice balls), yakitori (skewered chicken), oshinko (pickled vegetables), udon (Japanese noodles), okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pizza) and many others. The book also Includes sections on how to assemble bento boxed lunches and properly use chopsticks.

“We spent three years planning, writing, illustrating and testing the recipes in ‘The Manga Cookbook’,” said Manga University president Glenn Kardy. “Having our work recognized by YALSA is a tremendous honor.”

Of the hundreds of books that are nominated for inclusion on the influential YALSA list, only a few dozen are selected. This year’s list was announced during the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting on Jan. 26, and will be distributed to libraries throughout the United States.

Manga University is the education imprint of Japanime Co. Ltd., a Tokyo-based publiishing company and creative agency with a 10-year history in the manga and anime industry. For more information about “The Manga Cookbook” and other Manga University publications, please contact Japanime Co. Ltd. at sales@japanime.com or visit www.mangauniversity.com.

Selections from the 2008 manga charts, namely, most of the stuff on there that isn’t manga.

How To —
Art, language, and cultural instructional titles:

97. Making Comics – McCloud – HarperCollins, Sep 2006 [8479.6] ::
149. Japanese in Mangaland 1 – Japan Publications Trading Co., Dec 2003 [5515.6] ::
162. Manga Cookbook – Japanime’s Manga University, Aug 2007 [5067] ::
174. Drawing Words and Writing Pictures — Abel, Madden – First Second, Jun 2008 [4831.1] ::
222. Monster Book of Manga 1 – Collins Design, Jan 2006 [4005.2] ::
272. Japanese in Mangaland Workbook 1 – Japan Publications Trading Co., Nov 2006 [3311.7] ::
300. Manga Matrix: Create Unique Characters Using the Japanese Matrix System – Collins Design, Aug 2006 [3020.3] ::
318. Kanji de Manga 1 – Japanime’s Manga University, Jan 2005 [2758.1] ::
365. How to Draw Manga Bodies & Anatomy – Graphic Sha, Aug 2002 [2392.8] ::
444. Manga Studio for Dummies – Wiley, John & Sons, Jan 2008 [1981.6] ::
545. Manga Mania Chibi & Furry – Watson-Guptill, Sep 2005 [1544.8] ::
600. Kanji de Manga vols 1-3 box set – Japanime’s Manga University, Nov 2006 [1340.7] ::
729. How to Draw Manga Sketching Manga Style 1 – Graphic Sha, May 2007 [996.7] ::
757. Japanese the Manga Way – Stone Bridge Press, Nov 2004 [939.9] ::
905. Erotic Manga: Draw Like the Experts – Collins Design, Aug 2006 [666.8] ::
978. Manga Mania Magical Girls & Friends – Watson-Guptill, Nov 2006 [595.6] ::
1066. Aranzi Aronzo The Cute Book – Vertical, Feb 2007 [503.8] ::
1083. Manga Cookbook Bento Box Gift Set – Japanime’s Manga University, Feb 2009 [483.5] ::
1093. Manga Mania Shoujo – Watson-Guptill, Jun 2004 [466.8] ::
1110. Manga for Dummies – Wiley, John & Sons, Feb 2007 [439.8] ::
1137. How to Draw Manga Male Characters – Graphic Sha, Aug 2002 [417.5] ::
1176. Manga Mania Romance – Sixth & Spring, Jul 2008 [392.2] ::
1212. Aranzi Aronzo Cute Stuff – Vertical, Mar 2008 [367.8] ::
1275. How to Draw Manga Sketching Manga Style 3 – Graphic Sha, Oct 2007 [324] ::
1398. Cosmode USA 1 – Broccoli Books, Aug 2008 [255.5] ::
1411. Manga Mania Occult & Horror – Watson-Guptill, Nov 2007 [250.8] ::
1427. Aranzi Aronzo Cute Dolls – Vertical, Nov 2007 [243.6] ::
1430. Kanji de Manga Kana de Manga – Japanime’s Manga University, Jan 2005 [241.7] ::
1434. Draw Your Own Manga All the Basics – Kodansha, Feb 2004 [239.3] ::
1541. Comickers Art Create Amazing Manga Characters – Collins Design, Jun 2008 [197] ::
1575. How to Draw Manga Ultimate Manga Lessons 4 – Graphic Sha, Jan 2006 [185.7] ::
1592. How to Draw Manga Female Characters – Graphic Sha, Aug 2002 [177.4] ::
1614. 50 Manga Babes to Draw and Paint – Barron’s Educational, Mar 2008 [169.5] ::
1626. How to Draw Manga Animals – Graphic Sha, May 2005 [165.7] ::
1632. How to Draw Manga Drawing Yaoi – Graphic Sha, Aug 2007 [163.3] ::
1667. Monster Book of Manga 4 – Collins Design, Sep 2008 [152] ::
1672. Monster Book of Manga 3 – Collins Design, Jul 2007 [150.1] ::
1675. Girl to Grrrl Manga: How to Draw the Hottest Shoujo Manga – Writers Digest Books, Oct 2006 [149.7] ::
1682. Manga for the Beginner – Hart – Watson-Guptill, Aug 2008 [147.6] ::
1687. How to Draw Manga Maids & Miko – Graphic Sha, Nov 2002 [146.3] ::
1765. Japanese Comickers 1 – Collins Design, May 2003 [123.4] ::
1766. How to Draw Manga Costume Encyclopedia 2 – Graphic Sha, Sep 2004 [123.1] ::
1771. Everybody Cosplay 1 – ADV, Nov 2007 [121.1] ::
1793. Kanji de Manga 4 – Japanime’s Manga University, May 2006 [117.2] ::
1797. Aranzi Aronzo Fun Dolls – Vertical, Nov 2007 [116.6] ::
1807. How to Draw Manga Compiling Characters – Graphic Sha, Jul 1999 [114.7] ::
1809. 500 Manga Creatures – Collins Design, Jul 2008 [114.2] ::
1813. How to Draw Manga Samurai & Ninja Action Scene Collection – Graphic Sha, Apr 2007 [113.8] ::
1817. Art of Drawing Manga — Camara – Sterling, Aug 2007 [112.7] ::
1839. Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing Manga – Alpha, Jun 2005 [110.4] ::
1848. Manga Mania Bishoujo – Watson-Guptill, Jul 2008 [109.8] ::
1858. Anime Mania: How to Draw Characters for Japanese Animation – Watson-Guptill, Jul 2002 [108.4] ::
1873. How to Draw Manga Ultimate Manga Lessons 6 – Graphic Sha, Mar 2006 [105.5] ::
1879. How to Draw Manga Special: Colored Original Drawings – Graphic Sha, Jun 2001 [104.1] ::
1884. How to Draw Manga Couples – Graphic Sha, Oct 2002 [103.4] ::
1888. How to Draw Manga Ultimate Manga Lessons 1 – Graphic Sha, May 2005 [102.4] ::
1914. How to Draw Manga Techniques for Drawing Female Manga Characters – Graphic Sha, Aug 2002 [98.9] ::
1926. How to Draw Manga Making Anime – Graphic Sha, Nov 2002 [95.9] ::
1946. How to Draw Manga Sketching Manga Style 2 – Graphic Sha, May 2007 [92.1] ::
1964. How to Draw Manga Costume Encyclopedia 4 – Graphic Sha, Mar 2007 [88.7] ::
1968. How to Draw Manga More How to Draw Manga 1 – Graphic Sha, May 2004 [88.3] ::
1993. How to Draw Manga Ultimate Manga Lessons 5 – Graphic Sha, Feb 2006 [84] ::
2010. Let’s Draw Manga All About Fighting – DMP, Sep 2004 [81.2] ::
2029. Manga Mania How to Draw Japanese Comics – Watson-Guptill, Apr 2001 [77.6] ::
2035. How to Draw Manga Costume Encyclopedia 3 – Graphic Sha, Aug 2004 [77.1] ::
2037. How to Draw Manga Mech Drawing – Graphic Sha, May 2003 [76.7] ::
2040. AP’s How to Draw Manga 1 – Antarctic Press, Feb 2007 [76.3] ::
2056. Manga Clip Art – Andrews McMeel, Apr 2006 [74.7] ::
2065. How to Draw Manga Computones 5 – Graphic Sha, Jun 2006 [73.5] ::
2078. How to Draw Manga Sketching Manga Style 4 – Graphic Sha, Oct 2008 [71.6] ::
2135. How to Draw Manga Dressing Your Characters in Casual Wear – Graphic Sha, Jun 2001 [65.1] ::
2159. How to Draw Manga Colorful Costumes – Graphic Sha, Mar 2003 [61.7] ::
2163. Japanese in Mangaland 3 – Japan Publications Trading Co., Apr 2006 [61.3] ::
2173. AP’s How to Draw Manga 4 – Antarctic Press, Jun 2008 [60.3] ::
2196. Manga Mania Shonen – Sixth & Spring, Sep 2008 [57.4] ::
2219. Kanji de Manga 3 – Japanime’s Manga University, Nov 2006 [55.4] ::
2262. Let’s Draw Manga Tokyo Urban Hip Hop Culture – DMP, Jan 2005 [51.9] ::
2272. Japanese Comickers 2 – Collins Design, Feb 2006 [50.9] ::
2283. How to Draw Manga Guns & Military 2 – Graphic Sha, Aug 2003 [49.7] ::
2285. How to Draw Manga Computones 2 – Graphic Sha, Sep 2005 [49.6] ::
2288. Let’s Draw Manga Yaoi – DMP, Jun 2007 [49.5] ::
2305. Kanji de Manga 2 – Japanime’s Manga University, May 2005 [48.4] ::
2316. Let’s Draw Manga Astro Boy – DMP, Jan 2004 [47.9] ::
2321. Kanji de Manga Kana de Manga Special Edition: Japanese Sound FX – Japanime’s Manga University, Apr 2007 [47.7] ::
2344. Let’s Draw Manga Bodies & Emotions – DMP, Sep 2005 [45.1] ::
2355. How to Draw Manga Compiling Application & Practice – Graphic Sha, Sep 2000 [44] ::
2360. How to Draw Manga Bishoujo – Graphic Sha, Feb 2001 [43.3] ::
2370. How to Draw Manga Pen & Tone Techniques – Graphic Sha, Dec 2002 [42.5] ::
2417. Manga Mania Complete Techniques – Watson-Guptill, Sep 2003 [39.6] ::
2449. How to Draw Manga Illustrating Battles – Graphic Sha, Oct 2000 [37.3] ::
2452. Manga Mania Fantasy Worlds – Watson-Guptill, Sep 2003 [37] ::
2492. How to Draw Manga Guns & Military 1 – Graphic Sha, Aug 2003 [34.5] ::
2521. 500 Manga Characters – Collins Design, Jul 2007 [33] ::
2524. Creating CG Manga with Manga Studio – Cocoro Books, Apr 2008 [32.8] ::
2540. Kanji de Manga 5 – Japanime’s Manga University, Aug 2007 [32] ::
2549. How to Draw Manga Super Deformed Characters 2 – Graphic Sha, May 2005 [31.4] ::
2556. Draw Manga — Sweatdrop Studios – New Holland, Sep 2006 [31] ::
2558. Style School 2 – Dark Horse, Jul 2008 [31] ::
2570. Manga Mania Shoujo Sketchbook – Sixth & Spring, Oct 2007 [30.6] ::
2576. Manga Mania Chibi Sketchbook – Sixth & Spring, Oct 2007 [30.4] ::
2599. Everything Guide to Writing Graphic Novels: From Superheroes to Manga – Adams Media, Feb 2008 [29.2] ::
2627. AP’s How to Draw Manga Next Generation 1 – Antarctic Press, Feb 2007 [28] ::
2640. AP’s How to Draw Manga 3 – Antarctic Press, Feb 2008 [27.6] ::
2644. How to Draw Manga Dressing Your Characters in Suits & Sailor Suits – Graphic Sha, Aug 2006 [27.5] ::
2647. Draw Your Own Manga Beyond the Basics – Kodansha, Jun 2005 [27.4] ::
2648. How to Draw Manga More How to Draw Manga 3 – Graphic Sha, Sep 2004 [27.4] ::
2663. How to Draw Manga Bishoujo Around the World – Graphic Sha, Aug 2002 [27] ::
2677. New Generation of Manga Artists 6 – Graphic Sha, Nov 2004 [26.4] ::
2718. How to Draw Manga Super Tone Techniques – Graphic Sha, Aug 2002 [24.9] ::
2778. How to Draw Manga Macromedia Flash Techniques Illustrating Bishoujo Characters – Graphic Sha, Mar 2004 [23.2] ::
2779. How to Draw Manga Creating Stories – Graphic Sha, Apr 2007 [23.2] ::
2785. How to Draw Manga Martial Arts & Combat Sports – Graphic Sha, Jul 2002 [23] ::
2791. How to Draw Manga Occult & Horror – Graphic Sha, Aug 2002 [22.9] ::
2797. How to Draw Manga Giant Robots – Graphic Sha, Feb 2002 [22.6] ::
2798. Kanji de Manga 6 – Japanime’s Manga University, Oct 2008 [22.6] ::
2827. How to Draw Manga Putting Things in Perspective – Graphic Sha, Sep 2002 [21.8] ::
2834. AP’s How to Draw Manga Shoujo – Antarctic Press, Jan 2009 [21.5] ::
2845. How to Draw Manga Developing Shoujo Manga Techniques – Graphic Sha, Jul 2002 [21.2] ::
2864. How to Draw Manga Sketching Manga Style 5 – Graphic Sha, Nov 2008 [20.8] ::
2882. How to Draw Manga Costume Encyclopedia 1 – Graphic Sha, Feb 2003 [20.4] ::
2888. AP’s How to Draw Manga You Can Draw Manga Master Course – Antarctic Press, Dec 2004 [20.2] ::
2917. How to Draw Manga Ultimate Manga Lessons 2 – Graphic Sha, Oct 2005 [19.5] ::
2955. AP’s How to Draw Manga How Not to Draw Manga – Antarctic Press, Mar 2007 [18.8] ::
2980. Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga 1 – Viz Pulp, Nov 2002 [18.4] ::
2997. Monster Book of Manga 2 – Collins Design, Apr 2007 [18] ::
3022. How to Draw Manga Computones 4 – Graphic Sha, Jun 2000 [17.5] ::
3075. Comickers Art Tools and Techniques for Drawing Amazing Manga – Collins Design, May 2008 [16.6] ::
3158. Shoujo Manga Techniques Drawing Basics – DMP, Apr 2005 [15.4] ::
3200. AP’s How to Draw Manga How to Draw Chibi – Antarctic Press, Nov 2008 [14.6] ::
3204. Let’s Draw Manga Fantasy – DMP, Nov 2005 [14.6] ::
3206. New Generation of Manga Artists 3 – Graphic Sha, Apr 2003 [14.6] ::
3218. New Generation of Manga Artists 7 – Graphic Sha, Jun 2005 [14.4] ::
3259. Manga Mania Video Games – Watson-Guptill, Oct 2004 [13.9] ::
3357. Manga School with Selena Lin 1 – Tokyopop, Jun 2008 [12.6] ::
3391. Manga Pose Resource Book 3 – Graphic Sha, Aug 2004 [12.2] ::
3443. AP’s How to Draw Manga 2 – Antarctic Press, Dec 2007 [11.4] ::
3461. Comickers Art Write Amazing Manga Stories – Collins Design, Aug 2008 [11.2] ::
3480. How to Draw Manga Ultimate Manga Lessons 3 – Graphic Sha, Aug 2005 [11] ::
3528. Draw Your Own Manga Honing Your Style – Kodansha, Aug 2007 [10.4] ::
3549. New Generation of Manga Artists 4 – Graphic Sha, Oct 2003 [10.1] ::
3566. AP’s How to Draw Manga 5 – Antarctic Press, Oct 2008 [9.8] ::
3607. How to Draw Manga Ninja & Samurai – Graphic Sha, Nov 2005 [9.4] ::
3644. Shoujo Manga Techniques Writing Stories – DMP, Apr 2005 [9.1] ::
3690. Manga Secrets – Hernandez – F+W Media, Feb 2005 [8.4] ::
3699. How to Draw Manga Girls’ Life Illustration File – Graphic Sha, Apr 2003 [8.3] ::
3706. How to Draw Manga Super Deformed Characters 1 – Graphic Sha, May 2004 [8.2] ::
3830. Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing Manga Fantasy Creatures – Alpha, May 2007 [6.8] ::
3845. Manga Mania Fantasy Sketchbook – Sixth & Spring, Oct 2007 [6.7] ::
3847. AP’s How to Draw Manga Next Generation 2 – Antarctic Press, Apr 2009 [6.6] ::
3860. Let’s Draw Manga Sexy Gals – DMP, Feb 2003 [6.5] ::
3866. How to Draw Manga Super Basics – Graphic Sha, Jul 2003 [6.4] ::
3890. Manga University Background Collection Workbook 3 – Japanime’s Manga University, Sep 2003 [6.2] ::
3916. How to Draw Manga Penning Characters – Graphic Sha, May 2004 [5.8] ::
3964. Manga University Background Collection Workbook 1 – Japanime’s Manga University, Jun 2003 [5.3] ::
3997. How to Draw Manga Getting Started – Graphic Sha, Sep 2004 [4.8] ::
4035. How to Draw Manga More How to Draw Manga 4 – Graphic Sha, Jul 2004 [4.4] ::
4051. How to Draw Manga Computones 1 – Graphic Sha, May 2005 [4.2] ::
4082. How to Draw Manga Toning Techniques Revealed – Graphic Sha, Feb 2005 [3.8] ::
4091. Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing Manga Shoujo – Alpha, Jun 2008 [3.7] ::
4251. Manga Techniques 5 – Graphic Sha, Sep 2003 [1.6] ::
4314. Manga Techniques 4 – Graphic Sha, Feb 2003 [1.2] ::
4359. How to Draw Manga Compiling Techniques – Graphic Sha, Sep 2000 [0.9] ::
4377. Aranzi Aronzo Machine Gun 2 – Vertical, Jul 2007 [0.8] ::
4430. Manga Mania Occult and Horror – Watson-Guptill, Nov 2007 [0.7] ::
4461. Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion: American Comics with a Manga Influence – Watson-Guptill, Oct 2005 [0.6] ::
4518. 500 Manga Heroes and Villains – Barron’s Educational, Jan 2006 [0.5] ::
4544. Manga Mania Villains – Watson-Guptill, Jul 2003 [0.5] ::
4546. New Generation of Manga Artists 1 – Graphic Sha, Nov 2002 [0.5] ::
4698. New Generation of Manga Artists 3 – Graphic Sha, Apr 2003 [0.3] ::
4711. Style School 3 – Dark Horse, Aug 2008 [0.3] ::
4729. AP’s How to Draw Manga Toning Techniques Revealed – Antarctic Press, Apr 2005 [0.2] ::
4769. Digital Manga Workshop – Collins Design, Jul 2005 [0.2] ::
4816. How to Draw Manga Amazing Effects – Graphic Sha, Aug 2003 [0.2] ::
4839. Kanji de Manga Special Edition: Yoji-Jukugo – Japanime’s Manga University, Apr 2008 [0.2] ::
4847. Let’s Draw Manga Ninja & Samurai – DMP, Feb 2003 [0.2] ::
4856. Manga Pose Resource Book 1 – Graphic Sha, May 2002 [0.2] ::
4873. New Generation of Manga Artists 2 – Graphic Sha, Dec 2002 [0.2] ::
4978. How to Draw Manga Computones 3 – Graphic Sha, Oct 2005 [0.1] ::
4991. Manga Mania Mecha Mania – Watson-Guptill, Nov 2002 [0.1] ::

Art Books, Source Books, References, Essays and ‘manga-style’ non-fiction books:

193. Gothic & Lolita Bible 2 – Tokyopop, Jun 2008 [4452.9] ::
224. Gothic & Lolita Bible 1 – Tokyopop, Feb 2008 [3988.5] ::
246. Naruto Anime Profiles 2 – Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2007 [3643.8] ::
350. Manga Messiah – Tyndale, Sep 2007 [2465.7] ::
427. Bat-Manga! The Secret History of Batman in Japan – Random House Pantheon, Oct 2008 [2075] ::
428. Gothic & Lolita Bible 3 – Tokyopop, Sep 2008 [2064.2] ::
435. Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. – Palgrave Macmillan, Nov 2007 [2038.6] ::
524. Naruto Anime Profiles 1 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2006 [1617.3] ::
546. Manga Moods – Japanime’s Manga University, Mar 2006 [1543.3] ::
549. Gothic & Lolita Bible 4 – Tokyopop, Dec 2008 [1531.1] ::
570. Naruto Anime Profiles 3 – Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2008 [1450.3] ::
696. The Art of Howl’s Moving Castle – Viz Ghibli Library, Jul 2005 [1075.4] ::
707. Anime: From Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle — Napier – Palgrave Macmillan, Nov 2005 [1050.9] ::
736. Naruto Forever: The Unofficial Guide – Cocoro Books, Feb 2008 [978.5] ::
755. The Art of Spirited Away – Viz Ghibli Library, Nov 2002 [945.6] ::
903. The Manga Guide to Statistics – No Starch Press, Nov 2008 [669.2] ::
950. The Anime Encyclopedia — Clements, McCarthy – Stone Bridge Press, Nov 2006 [627.1] ::
1226. Chobits Art Book: Your Eyes Only – Tokyopop, Jan 2008 [358.5] ::
1238. The Art of My Neighbor Totoro – Viz Ghibli Library, Nov 2005 [351.5] ::
1269. Manga Bible – Tyndale, Nov 2007 [329] ::
1310. Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics – Collins Design, Aug 2004 [309.2] ::
1362. With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child 2 – Yen Press, Mar 2008 [284.4] ::
1366. Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination – U of California Press, Jun 2006 [279.4] ::
1451. Death Note Lethally Fun Facts, Mysteries, and Secrets Revealed – Cocoro Books, Sep 2007 [233.7] ::
1744. With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child 3 – Yen Press, Sep 2008 [129.9] ::
1746. The Astro Boy Essays — Schodt – Stone Bridge Press, Sep 2007 [129] ::
1846. Manga Metamorphosis – Tyndale, Sep 2008 [110.1] ::
1847. Japan Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan – Go! Comi, Nov 2007 [109.8] ::
2038. Amano: The Complete Prints of Yoshitaka Amano – Collins Design, Nov 2003 [76.6] ::
2191. Mangaka America: Manga by America’s Hottest Artists – Collins Design, Oct 2006 [58] ::
2300. Hokusai: First Manga Master – HNA Abrams, Jun 2007 [48.6] ::
2354. Fruits Basket Uncovered: The Secrets of the Sohmas – Cocoro Books, Mar 2007 [44] ::
2367. The Mechanics of Anime and Manga – Wordware Publishing, Jun 2006 [42.7] ::
2393. Gloom Party (How to Read Manga Edition) – DMP, Feb 2006 [41] ::
2440. One Piece Color Walk vol 1 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2005 [38.2] ::
2500. Watching Anime, Reading Manga — Patten – Stone Bridge Press, Sep 2004 [34.2] ::
2504. Naruto Saga: The Unofficial Guide – Cocoro Books, Nov 2004 [33.9] ::
2532. Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide – Kodansha, Oct 2008 [32.4] ::
2608. The Art of Yasushi Suzuki – DrMaster, Jul 2007 [29] ::
2703. The Manga Guide to Calculus – No Starch Press, Mar 2009 [25.5] ::
2736. One Thousand Years of Manga – Rizzoli, Feb 2008 [24.3] ::
2763. Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics — Schodt (reprint) – Kodansha, Apr 2008 [23.6] ::
2792. Manga: The Complete Guide — Thompson – Del Rey, Oct 2007 [22.9] ::
2893. 500 Essential Anime Movies — McCarthy – Collins Design, Aug 2008 [20] ::
3094. Eureka Seven Unlimited Answers: A Roadmap of Gekkostate and Beyond – Cocoro Books, Sep 2008 [16.3] ::
3119. The Manga Guide to Databases – No Starch Press, Dec 2008 [16] ::
3175. Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation – Stone Bridge Press, Sep 1999 [15] ::
3238. With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child 1 – Yen Press, Sep 2007 [14.2] ::
3280. The Five Disfunctions of a Team Manga Edition – Wiley, John & Sons, Oct 2008 [13.8] ::
3311. Cosplay Girls 2 – Cocoro Books, May 2007 [13.2] ::
3372. Ghost in the Shell User’s Manual: A Wired Guide – Cocoro Books, Oct 2008 [12.4] ::
3414. Genshiken Official Book – Del Rey, Jul 2008 [11.8] ::
3459. Pita-Ten Art Book – Tokyopop, May 2006 [11.4] ::
3475. Mobile Suit Gundam – Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation – Stone Bridge Press, Apr 2004 [11.1] ::
3530. Kingdom Hearts Art Book – Tokyopop, Jan 2009 [10.4] ::
3659. Manga: Masters of the Art – Collins Design, Nov 2005 [8.8] ::
3701. Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade – Titan Books, Feb 2009 [8.3] ::
3775. Blood+ Chevalier’s Handbook – Cocoro Books, Sep 2008 [7.4] ::
3819. Manga Bible 1 Names, Games, and the Long Road Trip – Zondervan, Aug 2007 [7] ::
3885. Japanese Visual Culture: Explorations in the World of Manga and Anime – ME Sharpe Inc., Jan 2008 [6.2] ::
3921. Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives – Continuum, Jan 2009 [5.8] ::
3944. Negima! Reader: Secrets Behind the Magic – Cocoro Books, Oct 2007 [5.6] ::
3953. Comic Artists Asia: Manga Manhwa Manhua – Collins Design, Apr 2007 [5.5] ::
4068. Understanding Manga and Anime — Brenner – Libraries Unlimted, Jun 2007 [4] ::
4100. Fullmetal Alchemist Anime Profiles – Viz, Nov 2006 [3.6] ::
4106. The Anime Companion: What’s Japanese in Japanese Animation – Stone Bridge Press, Nov 1998 [3.6] ::
4117. Mechademia 1 Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga – U of Minnesota Press, Dec 2006 [3.4] ::
4176. The Art of Porco Rosso – Viz Ghibli Library, Mar 2005 [2.6] ::
4296. Manga Sisters – Japanime’s Manga University, Oct 2007 [1.3] ::
4400. Pure Trance – Last Gasp, Aug 2005 [0.8] ::
4554. Project X Nissin Cup Noodle – DMP, Jul 2006 [0.5] ::
4648. The Akiba: A Manga Guide to Akihabara – Kodansha, Nov 2008 [0.4] ::
4694. Mechademia 3 Limits of the Human – U. of Minnesota Press, Nov 2008 [0.3] ::
4722. Adult Manga: Culture & Power in Contemporary Japan – Taylor & Francis, Dec 2004 [0.2] ::
4790. Edu-Manga Mother Teresa – DMP, Apr 2007 [0.2] ::
4797. Four Immigrants Manga – Stone Bridge Press, Oct 1998 [0.2] ::
4811. Harvey And Etsuko’s Manga Guide To Japan – Japanime’s Manga University, Jul 2007 [0.2] ::
4857. Manga Without Borders: Japanese Comic Art From All Four Corners Of The World – Japanime’s Manga University, Jul 2006 [0.2] ::
4881. Peach Girl Art Book – Tokyopop, Jul 2002 [0.2] ::
4934. Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle Character Guide – Del Rey, Nov 2006 [0.2] ::

My yearly recaps usually post in April (or May) (or September) because I kinda like to read the corporate annual reports of various publishers and retailers before driving stakes into the year just past, but that leaves a four month gap between me and everyone else, so maybe I could manage some kind of me-too post about the recent calendar milestone as a stopgap.

Best of 2008:

1. Aqua/Aria. Both the Tokyopop (née ADV) Manga and season one of the Aria anime from Nozomi (aka Right Stuf). speaking of…
2. Nozomi Entertainment: straight up, full slate — Aria, Emma, MariMite (oh, wait… that’s “Maria Watches Over Us” for you poor souls who had never heard of the Oyuki Konno/Satoru Nagasawa manga serialized in Margaret and adapted into an anime by Studio Deen) …hell, I even bought Lost Universe and To Heart this year. The “Toward the Terra” movie looks great too, even if I haven’t been compelled to watch it yet.
3. Crunchyroll.
4. Strawberry Panic — both the Seven Seas manga and light novels and the anime DVDs from MediaBlasters
5. Blood+ manga and novels from Dark Horse
6. The Socrates in Love novel from Viz
7. The Twelve Kingdoms novels from Tokyopop
8. Dororo manga (by Tezuka) from Vertical
9. Lucky Star DVDs from Bandai
10. RocketBomber. Oh sure, you don’t care, but this was a really big deal to me in ’08.

What I’d Love from 2009:

1. Yotsuba&! 6. And 7 and 8, dammit.
2. Yotsuba&! 7. And 6 and 8 while we’re at it. speaking of…
3. Yotsuba&! 8. You knew that was coming. While we’re on the topic of excellent-but-abandoned manga
4. Viz Pulp. 2009 is the year to re-launch. Really.
5. I Mean It: Viz Pulp. If you can’t revive the line, at least finish Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga; we’ve been waiting a while for that.
6. Enough of stupid Warriors cat manga, let’s see Warriors Manga — I think Dabel Bros. is already working on a Warriors comic but it’s going to suck balls; screw that mess and get Umezu or Ito on this.
7. Genuine cross-pacific manga/comics releases. No, not Stan Lee’s Ultimo, or OEL Tokyopop, or Megatokyo; I’d love to see a real east-west fusion, even if it’s just a one-off or an anthology project. —actually, the new Harlequin Magazine looks promising in this department.
8. A Genuine OEL Publisher: “Manga” is just the Japanese word for comics, but more and more it has come to define a genre and a format — Antarctic Press may already be all over this, but it seems like most of their ‘manga’ output is just reprints in the ‘manga’ trim size (I’m open to correction if someone from AP cares to comment.) I’d love to see someone else with a half million dollars (for a printing press) send out a call to all webcomickers and wannabees for submissions to a new American Manga imprint. (If I win the lottery this weekend, I’m on this)
9. Here’s your next event, DC: Batman Punches Everything. A Genuine crossover event in that in any comic, regardless of context or continuity, Batman shows up and Punches Somebody. This is all we really want from a Major Event that Spans The Entire Line: Batman, Punches, Everything. You can even have him punch Continuity into a new Universe a la Superboy. We (I) don’t care so long as Bats hits things. With car batteries. And maybe kicks people. In the face. I don’t even care if it makes sense; keep your plots and stories, just have Bruce show up on the final page and punch somebody (hero, villian, sidekick, innocent bystander) and then walk off. Because He’s the Goddamn Batman, That’s Why. You can waste your time and editorial brainsweat on the next Countdown-to-sorta-Infinite-Final-but-not-really-final-or-material-Crisis-or-minor-inconvenience-in-Kirby’s-Fourth-World-or-New-Gods-but-not-really-because-it-isn’t-in-quote-continuity-unquote-so-screw-Kirby-let’s-just-kill-people-and-maybe-Change-the-Universe-Forever-but-not-really-because-we-have-80-other-titles-that-won’t-tie-into-the-so-called-Universe-Changing-event-which-used-to-be-special-when-there-was-only-one-but-now-that-we-do-it-every-year-why-not-make-it-just-another-title-oh-wait-we-can’t-do-that-no-one-would-buy-*that*-I-guess-we-have-to-keep-up-the-pretense-that-these-are-quote-special-unquote-even-though-they’re-as-routine-as-census-questionaires-at-this-point… OR You Can Have Batman Show Up in Every Comic Book of 2009 and Cold-Cock Somebody. Dude, I’d pay money for that — multiple times over. Just get your PR people to name the series (Batman Punches Everything works for me, tho) and we’re good.
[9-and-a-half: The parallel Marvel event would be “Wolverine Stabs Everything” but with the movie coming out I think they’re working on this right now.]
10. Something New. Not a re-launch, or a re-imagining, or a ret-con or version 2.0 or let’s-kill-the-hero-and-put-the-sidekick-in-the-costume, but something new with the same tropes. Empowered almost made it in 2008, and of course most of the stuff out of Japan is New To Me… but I’d love it if DC or Marvel (or Vertigo or Image) (or IDW or SLG) (or Viz, Vertical, Tokyopop, Seven Seas, Go!Comi, DMP, Dark Horse, CPM, or Aurora — Particularly Aurora, now that I think about it) could surprise me with something in 2009 that would Rock My World.