The Yaoi Press blog reports that Yaoi Press' manga has finally appeared on NETCOMICS' online website. The first chapter of the manga, Winter Demon by Studio Kosaru (art) and Yamila Abraham (story) can be viewed for free, while the remaining chapters are available for $0.25 per chapter.

Via: Manga Maniac Cafe

Comics Worth Reading reports that a manga musical called "Astra: The Super Heroine Manga Musical", a joint effort between Jerry Robinson and the Washington Women in Theatre, will take place at the Warehouse Theatre in Washington, D.C. from July 7th to July 14th.

The original Astra manga was written and drawn by Kenichi Oishi and Shojin Tanaka and, and was published by Central Park Media in 1999.

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

A few new manga listings have appeared on Amazon.com that could mean new Tokyopop titles in January 2008:

- V. B. Rose by Banri Hidaka
- Gakuen Alice by Tachibana Higuchi

Source: AoD

From Seven Seas' Adventures of a Manga Publisher blog comes an article titled "The Art Of Licensing, Part 1." In the article Jason DeAngelis talks about the manga licensing scene in the U.S., and how a small publisher like Seven Seas has managed to survive and compete in the presence of bigger publishers:

You'd be surprised-or maybe you wouldn't-but now that the manga market is Big Business, it's become as ruthless as Hollywood or Wall Street, with its share of two-faced posers, egomaniacs, and dark sith lords with world domination on their minds.

Series About A Nerdy Boy Transformed Into A Hero Also A Popular Manga And A Staple Of Toonami Jetstream

San Francisco, CA, June 13, 2007 ??? VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the launch of the anime series M??R??? on DVD. The first volume, Gateway To M??R, contains four episodes, is rated "T" for Teens and debuts this week for $19.98. Special foil packaging and a limited edition double-sided poster are also featured as special premiums.

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MangaCast and Same Hat! Same Hat! report a few new manga titles and releases announced during this year's BookExpo America:

Drawn & Quarterly:
A collection from 1971 by Tatsumi Yoshihiro
- Akairo Elegy by Hayashi Seiichi

Last Gasp:
- Art of Hideshi Hino by Hino Hideshi

Vertical:
- Guin Saga by Yanagisawa Kazuaki

The new comic release list for June 13th 2007 from ComicList, compiled by MangaCast.

From PWCW's Billy Aguiar comes an interview with Jason Thompson, author of Del Rey's Manga: The Complete Guide. The interview focuses on Manga: The Complete Guide, which will be released in August.

Anime news and review website Active Anime announced today that it is now compatible with wireless devices:

Active Anime is now PDA / Mobile Phone friendly. Now you can now read our news, reviews and articles with your wireless device while you???re on the go! Image below is what you will see from your wireless device. Image is from a Windows Mobile?? Smartphone.