Home > Flipped - David Welsh on Manga

Flipped!: David Welsh On Events He'd Try To Attend At This Week's CCI 2009
posted July 20, 2009
 



By David P. Welsh

It's come to this. People (like me) who aren't even going to this year's San Diego Comic-Con feel compelled to offer a rundown of highlights. There's lots of appealing-sounding, manga-focused programming, though, so I feel justified as well as obligated.

My primary area of interest would be panels, more of the general-interest variety than the property- or publisher-specific kind. The weekend should start off well with "The Best and Worst Manga of 2008-2009" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 3. The first half of 2009 has produced a bumper crop of great books across the demographic spectrum, from new volumes of strong, ongoing series to exciting debuts. The assembled panelists should be a lively bunch: Deb Aoki (About.Com), Kai-Ming Cha (Publishers Weekly Comics Week), Ed Chavez (Vertical), Gia Manry (AnimeVice), Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide), and Eva Volin (Good Comics for Kids) have all demonstrated eclectic, expansive taste in comics, so attendees should be able to get some great recommendations (and warnings).

I wouldn't even have to move from Room 3 for the next panel on my agenda, "Manga: Lost in Translation" at 5:30 p.m. Publishers are getting better about including translation and cultural notes in their titles, and some (like Dark Horse and Del Rey) have been great about it all along, but it's a fascinating subject, and this would be a great opportunity to hear stories from the translational trenches.

Saturday starts well with the "Women in Manga" at 11 a.m. in Room 24A. The panel promises to look at the varied roles women play in the manga industry, from influential professional to dedicated fan. Panelists will be moderator Volin joined by Leyla Aker (Viz Media), Aoki, Robin Brenner (No Flying, No Tights), Becky Cloonan (East Coast Rising), Lillian Diaz-Przybyl (Tokyopop), and JuYoun Lee (Yen Press).

I'm a bit disappointed that the Yen Press panel (5:30 p.m. Friday, Room 4) will likely be packed to the rafters in light of the recent announcement of its planned comic adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. I have nothing against Twilight, but I'm not big on crowds, so I'd take a pass, though I'd be interested to hear what else is coming to its eclectic catalog.

I'd probably crowbar my way through throngs for Viz Media's IKKI panel at 12 p.m. Saturday in Room 3. For those of you who haven't heard, Viz has created a sub-imprint of its Signature line, SIGIKKI, composed of titles from the Shogakukan magazine, IKKI. It will have an intriguing online delivery system of series that look like they have a lot of potential. Included among the panelists will be the editor of IKKI, Hideki Akami.

I'm intrigued by the title "Del Rey Manga... and Del Rey Comics!" so I'd swing back by Room 3 at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Comics publishers have branched into manga, but it's rarer for manga publishers to branch into comics. One of the former conventional trajectories resulted in DC's CMX manga line, and I like their eclectic mix of books, so I'd hit their panel at 11 a.m. Sunday in Room 4.

My interests are fairly specific to comics. I don't think I could muster enough energy to resent the movie mayhem that has inserted itself into the convention over the years. That said I adore the animated films of Hayayo Miyazaki, so I might try to crowbar myself into Hall H at 12:45 p.m. on Friday for the "Disney Animation Panel." Disney will be distributing Miyazaki's latest, Ponyo, starting Aug. 14.

It's a comics convention, and I'd feel rather stupid if I didn't spend at least part of it buying manga in the vast field of exhibitors. I'd probably focus mostly on publishers whose titles don't have quite the bookstore penetration of Viz, Del Rey, Tokyopop, and Yen. Those would certainly include Dark Horse (2615) and Fanfare/Ponent Mon (2102).

And I'd certainly try to attend the 2009 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards on Friday at the Hilton Bayfront. I'd go to root for Osamu Tezuka's Dororo (Vertical), to see if my prediction was accurate, and to be pleased for the book named Best U.S. Edition of International Material -- Japan, because it's a fine slate of nominees.