Links: Manga Mondays

VIZ Media has teamed up with Barnes & Noble for a new promotion: Manga Mondays. Beginning March 19th, BN will run a weekly sale in which the first volumes of select VIZ manga will be discounted by 50%. The first featured titles are Gin Tama, Honey & Clover, and Yakitate!! Japan.

Speaking of VIZ, the company announced earlier this week that it had rescued 07-Ghost from licensing purgatory. This sci-fi/fantasy was originally published by Go!Comi, which went out of business before it could complete publication of the entire series.

The Hourly Planet interviews Roger Langridge about his involvement in two kid-friendly projects, The Muppets and Snarked.

Page by Paige creator Laura Lee Gulledge announced on her blog that she is working on a new graphic novel, Will and Whit. She posted several versions of a single page and would love to hear what readers think of them.

Faith Erin Hicks talked to Alex Dueben of Comic Book Resources about her newest book, Friends With Boys, her upcoming children’s book, Bigfoot Boy (written by J. Torres and published by Kids Can Press), and her thoughts on art and stereotypes of girls.

Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Oeming created the all-ages graphic novel Takio, and now they are going to make it an ongoing series. In this comic-format public service announcement, the characters explain just what the creators are up to.

At Wondercon this weekend, BOOM! Studios CEO Ross Richie talked about his plans for the all-ages imprint KaBoom, including more Peanuts and Adventure Time comics.

Little Lotta artist Sid Couchey passed away last week at the age of 92. Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter posts a brief but thoughtful appreciation of the Harvey Comics illustrator.

Johanna Draper Carlson notes that the second Ninjago graphic novel, Mask of the Sensei, topped the New York Times graphic novel best-seller list, which is quite an accomplishment for a children’s book.

MakeBeliefsComix, a website that allows kids to create their own comic strips, has demonstrated its commitment to diversity by adding characters with disabilities to their site.

Wondering what comics you can expect to see on store shelves in the coming months? Graphic Novel Reporter posts its annual Spring Graphic Novel Preview, with separate lists for kids, tweens, and teens. To judge from the list, sharks are big this spring; look for Corey Lewis’ Sharknife (Oni Press) in March and R. Kikuo Johnson’s The Shark King (Toon Books) in April.

Reviews: In her latest All Access column, Sequential Tart reviewer Sheena McNeil sings the praises of Dragonbreath, a hybrid reader/graphic novel for the elementary school crowd. Drew McCabe posts mini-reviews of several new kid-friendly titles at Comic Attack!

Young Readers (Ages 4-8)
Nick Smith on Chick and Chickie Play All Day (ICv2)
Snow Wildsmith on Kitty & Dino (Good Comics for Kids)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 6 of Pokemon Black and White (Sequential Tart)
Nick Smith on Zig and Wikki in The Cow (ICv2)

Pre-Teens (Ages 9-12)
Andrew on Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1 (No Flying No Tights)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Betty & Veronica Double Digest #198 (Comics Worth Reading)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 2 of Codename: Sailor V (Sequential Tart)
Aquafortis on Hereville (Finding Wonderland)
Kevin Hodgson on Jay Z: Hip-Hop Icon (The Graphic Classroom)
Lori Henderson on Kiichi and the Magic Books (Manga Xanadu)

Teens (13+)
Sterg Botzakis on The Borden Tragedy (Graphic Novel Resources)
David Gromer on vol. 1 of Durarara!! (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of The Earl and the Fairy (Comics Worth Reading)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of The Earl and the Fairy (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of The Earl and the Fairy (Manga Village)
Catherina Evans on vol. 1 of Fables: Legends in Exile (The Graphic Classroom)
Michael on vol. 1 of Negima! Magister Negi Magi Omnibus (No Flying No Tights)

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