NYCC Day Two

The big news at NYCC is that Yen Press has picked up the license for the charming all ages manga Yotsuba&!, starting with volume 6. ADV Manga had been publishing the series but hasn’t put out a new volume in a year, to the dismay of many fans. Yotsuba&!, which actually ran in a men’s magazine in Japan (go figure!) is that rare comic that really does appeal to all ages, so its return to the frontlist is welcome news to many.

Folks at the con generally struck me as both nervous and optimistic. Tickets were sold out for Saturday and Sunday, and the floor was packed yesterday. People were buying, although maybe not as much as in previous years. The general consensus among those in the know was that the comic market will concentrate a bit, with best-sellers doing better and books at the bottom of the list dropping off, as people save their money for the safer, more familiar choices.

Still, the mood was good. At the First Second booth, Gina Gagliano shared a copy of their new manhwa, The Color of Earth, part one of a coming-of-age trilogy. The art is unusual for manhwa and quite lovely in places; click the link for a preview.

The Disney editors announced quite a few books at their panel; their publishing program includes licensed properties, original works, a set of comics based on Pixar movies, done by Boom Studios, and a deal with Kingdom Comics to develop comics properties based on their older live-action movies. The Disney folks seemed to be quite bullish and said they were actively seeking artists to work on new properties, so it sounds like the recession won’t be slowing them down too much.

I dropped into the DC booth briefly to talk to Jann Jones, the developer of DC’s kids’ line; the creators of the Supergirl in the 8th Grade comic were doing a booming business signing posters—and this was on Friday. DC’s CMX Manga team highilghted a number of teen and all-ages series in their panel, including the all-ages title The Lapis Lazuli Crown, and two promising teen titles released last month, The Name of the Flower and Fire Investigator Nanase.

I also chatted briefly with Korgi creator Christian Slade at the Top Shelf booth, which was bustling.

At another booth Jay Piscopo was presiding over a selection of his Captain Eli graphic novels, which come complete with online lesson plans.

At the Stone Arch Press booth, editors were busy doing portfolio reviews.

Today is Kids Day, so it should be busy. Unfortunately, four of the panels I want to see are scheduled for the same time, but I’ll make the best of it. To wind things up, here’s a con report on the panel Are You There God? It’s Me, Manga, presented by Lisa Goldstein and Molly Phelan, YA librarians at the Brooklyn Public Library.

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