According to his latest LiveJournal post, Jason Thompson is currently looking for "a manga-influenced artist who would be interested in drawing a graphic novel (or series of graphic novels) with [him] as the writer."

Also, from The Star talks to Keiko Tobe about her manga With the Light and autism.

Via: MangaBlog

Takehiko Inoue, creator of Slam Dunk, Vagabond and REAL, visited the newly opened Kinokuniya bookstore in New York City on November 19, 2007 to draw a special wall art.

An interview with Takehiko Inoue was recently published in Shueisha's Jump Square magazine.

Below is a brief translation of the interview:

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Manga Jouhou lists some of Tokyopop's contests that are taking place in early 2008:

• Sumo-Star Manga Drawing Contest
• Rising Star of Prose Competition
• What's Your Alice Contest

From Tokyopop comes an interview with Tachibana Higuchi, mangaka of Gakuen Alice:

When did you start drawing manga? Was your progress fast? Tell us about your career as a manga artist.

I first submitted a manga story a while after I graduated from high school. Up until then I was studying for the entrance examinations for the Art University, and as part of that, I sometimes drew manga and four-panel strip comics for fun.

[...]

Romantic High School Comedy Inspired By Award Winning Shojo Manga

San Francisco, CA, February 1, 2008 ??? VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced the DVD release of the romantic live-action comedy, LOVE*COM THE MOVIE, on February 19, 2008. The release features English subtitles and will be distributed by VIZ Media with an anticipated retail price of $24.98. A dedicated web site, with a trailer, plot summary and other information is viewable at www.lovecomthemovie.com.

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New Volumes Of Popular Animated Series Kick Off the New Year!

San Francisco, CA, January 31, 2008 ??? VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced an exciting array of new DVD releases for the First Quarter of 2008 that expand some of the most popular animated series in North America.

The new releases include DVD box bets, special editions containing collectible figurines, and the latest single disc editions for series including BLEACH, NARUTO, DEATH NOTE and PRINCE OF TENNIS, as well as much-loved classics like RANMA ?? and POK??MON.

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The following manga appeared on the USA Today Booklist Top 150 (PDF) for the week ending January 27th:

• #135 - Naruto, Volume 27 - Viz - (Last week: #152)

From MangaCast comes the Diamond Previews for February 2008, which provides information on new U.S. releases for April/May 2008.

A round up of the new comic release list and views for the week of January 30th 2008:

• ComicList: ComicList for 01/30/2008
• MangaCast: New Manga Release List ~ Jan 30, 2008
• Manga Recon: Weekly Recon, 1/30/08

When something has come to an end, it becomes an excellent time to take a moment and look back on where it started and where it's been. With the February release of the March 2008 issue marking the final English publication of Newtype, it seems worth doing just that.

The original Newtype was launched in Japan by publishing company, Kadokawa Shoten, and named after a term in the Gundam universe for the next stage of human evolution. The first issue was for April 1985, released in early March of that year. A collection of images, columns and news made Newtype a hit, one that even to this day remains much the same magazine that attracted anime fans of the 80s. Since its debut, there have been a variety of Newtype spin-offs including one dedicated to older audiences and another for live-action Japanese media. A version of Newtype was also published in Korea in 1998 and continues to this day alongside its original Japanese predecessor.

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