New York, New York -- DC Comics, the world's largest English language comic book publisher announced today an investment in Flex Comix, a newly established manga production and publishing company in Japan. Flex Comix is comprised of a diverse consortium of investors including DC Comics, SOFTBANK TECHNOLOGY, Archetype Technologies, MOVIDA ENTERTAINMENT and T&M. Flex Comix will create original manga titles that will be distributed digitally across the web and on mobile phones with subsequent print editions available through traditional book trade outlets throughout Japan.

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On June 7th, the Kyoto Prefecture local government identified 13 loli manga titles as "harmful books" for featuring excessive sexual content involving girls under the age of 13.

On June 15th, the prefecture's Commission on the Health and Growth of Youths announced the 13 titles that were investigated. The website Doujinshi Life and Culture General Research Center (via Icarus Blog) has a list the titles from Kyoto Shimbun and their respective publishers:

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According to Lucky Star's official anime website, a light novel adaptation of Kagami Yoshimizu's 4-panel manga Lucky Star will be released on September 1st under Kadokawa's Sneaker Bunko label. The light novel will be titled Lucky☆Star Lucky☆Star Satsujin Jiken and will be authored by Touka Takei.

Source: LightNovel.org

ANN reports that a 4-panel manga of Momoko Sakura's Chibi Maruko-chan will appear on Chunichi Shimbun:

Chibi Maruko-chan was originally a regular-style manga work, serialized in the Ribon shojo manga magazine from 1986 to 1996 and compiled into 15 volumes which have collectively sold 30 million copies.

According to Mag Garden's official website, the bi-monthly shounen/seinen manga magazine Comic Blade Masamune will receive a makeover after the release of its combined early-mid summer issue on June 15th. On September 15th, the magazine will be relaunched as Comic Blade Avarus.

Some titles will continue their serialization on Avarus, and some will be moved to other magazines. More information will become available on the September issue of Comic Blade, on sale July 30th.

The 7th International Manga Conference held by the Japan Society for Cartoon and Comics Studies will take place in Kyoto on June 16th and 17th at Kyoto Seika University and the Kyoto International Manga Museum respectively.

Guests from the U.S. include Matt Thorn, Viz Media Executive Vice President Hyoe Narita and Tokyopop General Manager Masashi Matsuhashi.

Source: Anime! Anime!

A new manga titled Gentoushi Series by Ayami Kazama has debuted in Yahoo! Comic's free web magazine Flex Comix Blood.

New installments of Official Another Story Clannad: Hikari Mimamoru Sakamichi de will appear in Broccoli's Comi-Digi Plus (Comi-Digi+) Vol.8 (6/21)

A new manga titled Zo no Senaka by Kujiraiikuko, based on the novel of the same name (which will also be adapted into a movie), will begin serialization in Coamix's Comic Bunch No. 30 (6/22).

Moe + Military mook (magazine + book) MC☆Axis has announced that as of volume 5, it will become an independent magazine.

A few new manga series will debut in Akita Shoten's Champion Red:

Champion Red August issue (6/19)
- Franken Fran by Katsuhisa Kigitsu
- Princess wa mimodaeru by Yuuji Sumino

Champion Red September issue (7/19)
- Seifuku Shoujo Semikami! by Seisoku Yamanishi
- Doki Doki Majo Saiban by Ken Yagami

Source: Ultimatum Chat

Motonori Kishi, the president of Shobunkan, was dismissed by the Supreme Court First Petty Bench in his final appeal. As a result Motonori Kishi will keep his penalty of 1.50 million yen for distribution of obscene manga.

In 2002, Motonori Kishi and the adult mangaka Beauty Hair were arrested for distributing 20,000 copies of the overly obscene Misshitsu (Honey Room) to 16 stores. In January 2004, Motonori Kishi was found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison. However, the sentence was reduced to a 1.5 million yen fine in June 2005.

Source: Asahi Shimbun

On June 22nd, Gentosha Comics will launch a new manga bunko called... Manga Bunko.

Manga published under this bunko include Masatsu Note Taimashin by Kikuchi Hideyuki (story) / Saito Misaki (art), Seimaden by You Higuri, Kodoku Experiment by Yukinobu Hoshino, Koibito Purei by Benkyo Tamaoki, and more.

PWCW reports that DC Comics has announced its plan to invest in Flex Comics, a "manga production company that will create original manga for the web, mobile phones and print collections for worldwide distribution":

Translated editions of Japanese manga dominate U.S. graphic novel sales and the Flex Comics venture makes DC Comics one of the first English-language publishers with a significant investment in a Japanese manga producer.

Source: Publishers Weekly