Comic Market, or Comiket, is the world's largest comic convention where fans gather to buy and sell doujinshi comics, games, etc.

The event takes place twice a year. The latest one, Comiket 75, is taking place from 12/28 - 12/31. Below is a round up of some of the English coverages from around the internet:

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IGN has published an extensive article on Tokyo's Akihabara district titled "Next Stop: Tokyo's Akihabara District."

From otaku blog Akibanana comes an interview with Okura Atsuhisa:

Okura Atsuhisa, 39, a Kodansha Award laureate known for his work in the November 2007 edition of Wired. With the second volume of Moe USA in stores now, we decided to sit down with Okura to get to the bottom of the global move to educate otaku and experience Akihabara.

Following the launch of the English version of AkibaBlog, another English otaku news/community website, Akibanana.com, has been launched on Valentine's Day. The full press release can be found here.

Introducing Otaku culture in Akihabara to the world

HimeyaSoft USA has started the English version of AkibaBlog, which introduces "Otaku" culture in Akihabara, since February 14, 2008. Site URL: http://en.akibablog.net/

This is a translated version of AkibaBlog, originally written in Japanese by Mr. Geek.. He talks about "hot" news in Akihabara, one of the most popular subculture cities in Japan. The Japanese version of AkibaBlog, which has 20 million page views a month, is one of the most famous blogs in Japan that talk about Otaku information. AkibaBlog and HimeyaSoft USA get together this time and try to become world's leading information source of Otaku culture.

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AN reports that the winners of the 7th Annual Japanese Otaku Awards have been announced:

• Grand Prix: Video-sharing sites (like Nico Nico Douga)
• Hidekuni Shida Award: The Idolm@ster
• Dorii Osaki Award: Blade Runner 25th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition
• Naoki Ishiguro Award: Seto no Hanayome
• Hisashi Maeda Award: School Days
• Harayasa Toukaimura Award: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone
• Masumi Kurata Award: Kamen Rider Den-O
• Shunichi Karasawa Award: The UFO debate in the Japanese Parliament
• Housai Tsuruoka Award: Regular Kyaku no Kobayashi-kun
• Animedia Award: Yasai no Yousei - N.Y. Salad

Also otaku-related, Danny Choo has a report of police hunting otaku in Akihabara.

A trial issue of the manga magazine Comic Akibana! No.0 is being distributed for free in Akihabara on the 20th and 21th of October. The trial issue contains 8 manga serials, and one novel. Akibaos and Akiba Blog has posted some previews of the magazine.

Comic Akibana! is Dijima's second seinen manga magazine that's being distributed for free (the first one being Comic Gumbo).

ANN reports that staffs from Tokyopop and Viz Media will be leading manga-related seminars during the "Manga Festival" taking place at the Akihabara Enta Festival:

For the international market symposium, Tokyopop CEO Stuart Levy is scheduled to lead a seminar on the manga market in the United States, while members from the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will present on other foreign markets.

On the 17th of this month, a maid cafe in Thailand called "Akiba" closed permanently after being investigated by Thai officials a few months ago. Thai officials arrested the shop owner and another man for offering pornographic manga books in the shop, and also confiscated 200 volumes of manga. After the incident, the cafe's business experienced a rapid decline.

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Anime! Anime! reports that a four-day manga festival will take place at the Akihabara Enta Festival between October 25 - October 28. According to ANN, the manga festival will "focus on the international popularity of manga, digital content, copyright issues, and other topics."

Source: ANN