Book Expo '08: ICV2's "What's Hot, What's Next in Manga"

Saturday's "Graphic Novels Day" at Book Expo America 2008 in Los Angeles presented several panels devoted to graphic novels, comics and manga. ICV2 presented the "What's Hot, What's Good and What's Next in Graphic Novels" panel, which put together (R-L in photo): an industry insider (Tom Flinn from ICV2), a comics shop owner (Atom! Freeman from Brave New World Comics in Newhall, Southern California and a judge for the 2008 Eisner Awards), an independent bookseller (Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, from McNally Robinson Booksellers in Soho, NYC) and a librarian (Nick Smith, from the Pasadena Public Library) to react to ICV2's hot lists for Fall 2008, share their impressions of new and perennial customer favorites worth reading.

First, ICV2's pick hits for Fall 2008:

1. Bat Manga! The Secret History of Batman in Japan by Chip Kidd and Saul Ferris (Pantheon, October 2008)
2. Black Jack by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical, September 2008)
3. Princess Ai: Prism of Midnight Dawn by Christine Boylan, D.J. Milky with art by Misaho Kujiradou (TokyoPop, November 2008)
4. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya story by Nagaru Tanigawa, art by Gaku Tsugano, character design by Noizi Ito (Yen Press, October 2008)
5. NORA: The Last Chronicle of Devildom (Shonen Jump Advanced / VIZ Media, October 2008)
6. Burst Angel by GONZO, Minoru Murao (TokyoPop, September 2008)
7. Captive Hearts by Matsuri Hino, (Shojo Beat / VIZ Media, November 2008)
8. Castlevania Curse of Darkness by Kou Sasakura, (TokyoPop, September 2008)
9. Legend of Zelda: the Ocarina of Time by Akira Himekawa (VIZ Kids / VIZ Media, October 2008)
10. Fate/Stay Night by Dat Nishiwaki (TokyoPop, October 2008)

Notable trends in this top ten list:

• Three series with video game tie-ins (Legend of Zelda, Castlevania and Fate/Stay Night)
• Three with anime tie-ins (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Burst Angel, Fate/Stay Night
• Two by creators who have a history of strong sales with their other titles (Osamu Tezuka - Astro Boy, Dororo, Buddha, MW and Matsuri Hino - Vampire Knight, Meru Puri).

Moderator (and ICV2 CEO) Milton Griepp also asked the panelists for their picks for "what's hot" in manga. Here's a smattering of their comments (Keep in mind that they're sharing tips for an audience of retailers and librarians who aren't heavy manga readers):

Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)

• "Naruto is in a class by itself. Nothing comes close," - Flinn

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya (TokyoPop)

• "Fruits Basket has a very loyal following. Whenever a new one comes out, it's a bestseller," - Flinn

Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (Shonen Jump Advanced / VIZ Media)

• "Death Note is stronger in the direct market (a.k.a. comic book stores). It's very high concept with a strong narrative" - Flinn
• "When the live action movie was showing in a theater near us, we worked really closely with them to promote the comics." - Freeman

Bleach by Tite Kubo (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)

• "Bleach benefits greatly from the anime series airing on Cartoon Network." - Flinn

Pokemon by various artists (VIZ Kids)

• "Pokemon is bigger in the mass market than the direct market (e.g. Wal-Mart vs. comics shops) thanks to the card and video games. - Flinn
• "There's not enough material that's all ages that's suitable for younger kids. We have a tremendous demand for this. Pokemon doesn't sit on our shelves for more than a few minutes." - Smith

Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino (Shojo Beat / VIZ Media)

• "Vampire Knight was a leading new manga of 2007 and is one to watch." - Flinn

Monster by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Signature)

• "Monster is a really beautifully done work. It's really masterfully done." - Freeman
• "Monster sells in trickles, but it's one we find to be worthwhile to sell in our marketplace" - Bagnulo
• "Monster is one of those titles that appeals to a wide audience. It grabs you by the throat and won't let you go." - Flinn

The Ice Wanderer by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare / Ponent Mon)

• "The Ice Wanderer is incredibly well-rendered." - Freeman
• "Jiro Taniguchi is an inspired storyteller who specialized in gekiga -- very realistic, literary comics." - Flinn

Tekkon Kinkreet by Taiyo Matsumoto (VIZ Signature)

• "This is a really big seller for us." - Freeman

Other titles mentioned as perennial customer favorites included:

Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima (Dark Horse Manga)

• "I'll show customers (comics by) Frank Miller, then I'll show them Lone Wolf and Cub, a manga he was reading at the time he created stories like The Dark Knight Returns, and they can see where the influences come from. It's one of those "a-ha" moments when we realize that we're all working from the same visual culture." - Freeman

Buddha by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)

• "Anyone has to have the Buddha series. It's the one that will appeal to book buyers. We can sell any Tezuka, period. In fact, Dororo is the first left to right reading manga that has sold well (in my store)." - Bagnulo

Iron Wok Jan by Shinji Saijyo (Dr Master Books)

• "Iron Wok Jan works at our library. It's about competitive cooking as a 27-volume manga. I was handed a copy and I was hooked! It's a sleeper hit, for readers who are into food." - Smith

Hikaru no Go by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)

• "This series has created an influx of interest in the game Go internationally and the US Go Association has seen a record influx of new members; a example of a real world effect created by a graphic novel." - Smith

Another trend worth noting is that while Freeman (a comic shop owner) and Smith (a librarian) have enjoyed strong customer response to having manga on their shelves, Bagnulo, who represents an independent bookseller in downtown Manhattan, had less than stellar experiences. Looking at the top selling manga titles list Griepp flashed on the screen, Bagnulo commented, "Our store doesn't stock a single one of these titles."

"That's the challenge of graphic novels. We carried manga and it didn't sell," she said. "We're in Soho, so that's a place that doesn't have a lot of families. We do well with literary graphic novels."

Still, there are signs of hope for manga to get a second chance at McNally Robinson Booksellers. "As we get more recognized as a place for graphic novels, we might revisit the manga category."

The rest of the panel was about other types of graphic novels, which I'll leave for some other blogger to report on and dissect.

So what do you think? Do you agree with the panelists' picks and ICV2's pick hits for Fall 2008? Or do you think they missed your favorite "must-buy" manga? Add your comments below, or add your two cents in the forums!