This blog, in recent months, has become something of a one-trick pony. Granted, the manga charts are a pretty good trick, but there is much more to comics than obsessing over a top 10 list. Due to the time I invest in the online charts, though — time I had to borrow from […]

Before we get into today’s topic, an extended aside: Why no column for 3 months?
Those who have been following the site (I think there are three of you now) know that I used to do a weekly column, titled “5by8,” and while in the beginning it was mostly filler — an easy one-off (usually […]

[My apologies for the delay. A friendly neighborhood flu bug decided that I really needed to sleep 18 hours, on both Friday and Saturday — since it managed to convice my immune system to go along, I didn’t have much choice in the matter.]
While the previous column fragment (part one) was just a re-hash of […]

In a recent interview which everyone and their kid brother have blogged about by now, ADV’s John Ledford (Co-founder and CEO) spoke with Anime News Network’s Christoper Macdonald about how they wouldn’t publish any manga in 2006 even if by doing so it would have saved the lives of a box full of cute puppies […]

So– much like an anime breaking down and doing a clipshow for ep 11 because the series got picked up for another 13 episodes two months ago and now we have to stretch a couple of scripts to bridge the plot into the second season, rather than wrap it up in the initially planned two-part […]

The Ages of Fan:
– first — previous — next –
The on-going series where we look at just how American anime & manga fandom developed — to the point where today we use the phrase otaku, we know what it means, we know it’s not complimentary, and we call ourselves otaku anyway.
Hey, you guys remember when […]

The Ages of Fan:
– first — previous — next –
The on-going series where we look at just how American anime & manga fandom developed — to the point where today we use the phrase otaku, we know what it means, we know it’s not complimentary, and we still describe ourselves as otaku anyway.
It’s not ironic, […]

Dum dum de dum. I suppose I can take a break from my reading and let you folks know what looks palatable this week. Let’s take a look, shall we?
The usual suspects abound: DMZ, Ex Machina. But what else is out there? Frankly, I may be a little embarrassed by my list […]

The Ages of Fan:
– first — previous — next –
The on-going series where we look at just how American anime & manga fandom developed — to the point where today we use the phrase otaku, we know what it means, we know it’s not complimentary, and we still describe ourselves as otaku anyway.
I was thinking […]

Like any comic book-related character worth his salt, I’ve returned from the dead. What have I been doing? Read on for my poor excuses for well… excuses.
Essentially, I’ve been doing review-worthy things. I’ll save the best for actual reviews, but a short recap follows.

Well, first of all, I’ve been watching more […]

Well, it looks like I missed Wednesday — or Tuesday for that matter, since we like to post the Diamond Shipping List breakdown a day early — but in my defence of course I have to point out that this isn’t my column. Bob (noble founder and helmsman for this here blog) is the one […]

The Ages of Fan:
– first — previous — next –
The on-going series where we look at just how American anime & manga fandom developed — to the point where today we use the phrase otaku, we know what it means, we know it’s not complimentary, and we still describe ourselves as otaku anyway.
As anyone who […]

It’s a special treat for our readers again, as the manga (and bookstore) guy takes another crack at the Direct Market shipping list.
The surprising thing about the Diamond shipping list is how many of the titles seem familiar, even to a guy who gave up on comics 12 years ago–at least until these odd little […]

The Ages of Fan:
– first — previous — next –
The on-going series where we look at just how American anime & manga fandom developed — to the point where today we use the phrase otaku, we know what it means, we know it’s not complimentary, and we still describe ourselves as otaku anyway.
(You know, in […]

Another week where I squeak in at the last minute and let you know what’s on my shopping list.
There’s not much out there today. I’m picking up DMZ and Fables in trades… Image has a couple of perennial favorites:

Elephantmen #8 - I like the stories, and I like the art. This is building to something […]