From ICv2 comes an analysis of Diamond Comic Distributors' October sales:

[..] the bottom half of those lists shows surprising strength against year ago numbers. This is true in both comic and graphic novel numbers for October 2007 vs. October 2006.

Also, MangaBlog provides its own look at the data, as well as a list of manga from the Top 100 Graphic Novels chart.

From Heisei Democracy comes a timeline of recent events involving adult manga and doujinshi in Japan:

Whether you're a fan of loli or kyonyuu, futanari or shota, twins or tentacles, figures, anime, manga, or doujinshi, increased public scrutiny in Japan is affecting the nature of your hobby - right now.

Via: Icarus Blog

Publishers Weekly has posted a list of its print magazine's "Best Books of 2007." Three manga appeared in the list's "PW's Best Comics 2007" category:

• MPD-Psycho by Eiji Otsuka and Sho-u Tajima
• MW by Osamu Tezuka
• Tekkonkinkreet by Taiyo Matsumoto

Also, in the latest issue of PWCW, Kai-Ming Cha interviews IDW's editor-in-chief Chris Ryall regarding the publisher's entry into the U.S. manga market, while Ed Chavez reports on the growth of the new online manga translation service MangaNovel.

ANN reports that Frenchy Lunning, a professor from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) who organizes the Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits academic conference on anime and manga, has been awarded a fellowship from the Fulbright Program sponsored by the U.S. government, and will be traveling to Japan to conduct manga-related research:

In the spring of 2008, she will be working in Tokyo and Kyoto, studying the origins and development of manga. She plans to use her research as a basis for a book on the relationship between manga and traditional Japanese art.

From Taipei Times comes an article titled "Animamix: fusion art," which delves into the world of animamix artists, a new breed of artists influenced by Japan's visual culture:

Eddie Kang is obsessed with manga. An avid collector of the Japanese comics since he was a child, his creative world is dramatically influenced by animation and cartoons. But if you think that Kang is an otaku, a devotee of the geeky Japanese subculture of mostly men obsessed with anime, comic books and other forms of escapism, then think again.

From MangaCast comes "What Manga is Like in Indonesia - Part I," the first of a series of articles that looks at the world of manga in Indonesia.

The latest issue of Wired has two articles on manga: "How Manga Conquered the U.S., a Graphic Guide to Japan's Coolest Export" and "Japan, Ink: Inside the Manga Industrial Complex."

Source: AICN

USA Today has published an article titled "Manga comics losing longtime hold on Japan," which looks at how manga sales have been on a gradual decline over recent years:

Sales of manga fell 4% in Japan last year to 481 billion yen ($4.1 billion) ??? the fifth straight annual drop, according to the Tokyo-based Research Institute for Publications. Manga magazine sales have tumbled from a peak of 1.34 billion copies in 1995 to 745 million last year.

Via: ANN

From Newsarama comes an article titled "Y??j??! Doryoku! Sh??ri! The fiery spirit of battle manga" (guest commentary by Jason Thompson), which looks at the similarities between shonen manga and superhero comics:

In both American and Japanese comics, there is one question that never gets old: "Do you think character X could beat character Y?" Despite the relative popularity of Japanese girls' comics and increasingly fluid gender demographics, shonen manga is still the #1 demographic category, and within shonen manga the #1 genre is "battle manga."

Taipei Times is reporting that Taiwanese officials are asking elementary school teachers to watch out for students who are reading Death Note, while the students think the manga is just fine:

Pingtung County Government officials recently issued instructions to elementary school teachers, asking them to heed any negative influence on students who immerse themselves in reading Death Note, a Japanese manga series that has recently grown in popularity on campus.

Source: MangaBlog