Anime Expo '08: CMX Manga Showcases Bat-Manga, More Emma

With an early evening timeslot pitting them against other Anime Expo attractions, Saturday's CMX Manga panel didn't attract much of a crowd. But there were still a few notable announcements, including the return of Emma by Kaoru Mori, and a new shojo title announced for 2009.

First off, the new shojo manga news:

• The Name of the Flower (Hana no Namae) by Ken Seito - January 2009
  "This is a sad, sweet story about a girl whose parents have died in a car accident," said CMX Manga Editor Jim Chadwick. "She's bounced around from relative to relative until she's sent to live with her uncle, who's a writer and a bit of a recluse. As the story progresses, the uncle "comes out of his shell, and the girl finds her place in the world again."
• Emma by Kaoru Mori - 2009
  While Emma is not a new title to CMX Manga's roster, what is new is the upcoming release of three more volumes in Mori-sensei's historical romance series about a young maid and a man of the gentry, and the social pressures of Victorian England that try to keep them apart. Chadwick also promised that these volumes of short stories will also provide a conclusion to Emma and William's storyline. Also available now is Shirley, a collection of short stories by Mori-sensei about a young maid that's set in the same era as Emma.

And here's the rest of the 2008 - 2009 releases, which were previously announced at New York Comic Con in April:

• Batman: Death Mask by Yoshinori Natsume - October 2008
  Currently serialized as a four-issue mini-series, Batman: Death Mask will be collected as a single tankobon volume with extra features this fall. Natsume-sensei is also known for his seinen manga series Togari. In his interpretation of the Batman mythos, this Japanese manga-ka was given the basic premise of the Caped Crusader's story, and allowed considerable liberties to create his own version.
• The Flat Earth Exchange by Toshimi Niogoshi - August 2008
  In this 4-volume sci-fi series, a man who was left in suspended animation wakes up a hundred years later to discover that the human race is dying out and androids are now running Earth. The androids' limited memory span has led them to believe that they created humans, not the other way around. "This one has lots of action and political intrigue," promised Chadwick.
• The Girl who Runs Through Time by Gaku Tsugano, from an original story by Yasutaka Tsutsui - September 2008
  With Bandai's recent release of the anime, the manga version of The Girl Who Runs Through Time will be out in September, with a second volume to follow in November. Essentially, it's about a high school girl who discovers that she can jump back and forth in time. Although she means well, her meddling with time creates unintended consequences.
• Classical Medley by Sanae Kana - October 2008
  The latest addition from Flex Comics is "a very cute, charming story," said CMX Director of Manga Asako Suzuki. While this story about a young prince who must save his kingdom looks kid-friendly, there's some slightly off-color humor in the second volume that earns it a T - Teen rating.
• Suihelibe! by Naomi Azuma - October 2008
  Yet another offering from Flex Comics, Suihelibe!'s odd title is an mnemonic device used by Japanese students to remember the periodic table of elements. "This one stands out for the art alone," said Suzuki. "It's very playful and it flows nicely." The general plot revolves around a cute alien girl who accidentally unleashes a bunch of alien critters on earth. She enlists the help of a failing school biology club to help round up the escaped beasties.
• Astral Project by marginal and Syuji Takeya - October 2008
  At first, this one doesn't seem like much -- until you find out that "marginal" is a nom de plume for Garon Tsuchiya, the author of the Old Boy manga series. And much like Old Boy, Astral Project is a thriller with some 'leave 'em guessing' twists. The main character's sister has died, and has left behind a CD with some strange jazz music on it. When he listens to the CD, he has an out-of-body experience, and he starts to suspect that his sister left her body and wasn't able to get back. "I'm really excited about this one," said Chadwick.
• Go West by Yu Yagami - November 2008
  A new series from the creator of Those Who Hunt Elves and the artist of Dokkoida?, Go West is a kind of kooky western story about Naomi, a girl from England who gets separated from her parents on their way to America. Her quest to find her parents takes her to the wild west. "If you've read Yagami titles, you know that it has lots of action and humor," said Go West's editor, Ed Chavez. "It's crazy." Larry Berry, CMX's art director also raved about Yagami-sensei's visual storytelling: "The fluidity of the art is just fantastic."
• Fire Investigator Nanase by Ichikawa Tonoshige and Hashimoto Izo - January 2009
  As the title implies, Nanase works on arson investigations. A serial arsonist takes an interest in her, and starts sending her tips that helps her to solve some of her toughest cases. She develops a connection with this criminal, so Nanase is torn: Is this Hannibal Lechter-type arsonist a friend and ally, or is he a criminal that she must bring to justice? Think of this one kind of like CSI meets Silence of the Lambs at the fire department.
• Jihai by Toshimi Nigoshi - February 2009
  Another series by the creator of Flat Earth Exchange, Jihai is a sci-fi thriller about a not-so-far off future where clones are common, but they only live to age 18. The main character is a clone who works as a courier, specializing in delivering very dangerous cargo. When a fellow clone is killed under mysterious circumstances, the 17-year old hero is in a race against time to find his friend's killer before his own expiration date.
• Venus Capriccio by Mai Nishikata - Spring 2009
  Another shojo manga title originally published in Hana to Yume, Venus Capriccio is about Habara, a die-hard tomboy and her childhood friend Sasaki. The pair originally met when they both took piano lessons as kids. Now that both are grown teens who re-encounter each other, will their friendship be rekindled, or will it become something more?
• Ballad of a Shinigami by K-Ske Hasegawa and Asuka Izumi - Spring 2009
  Originally serialized in Lala and LalaDX magazines in Japan, Ballad of a Shinigami is also a light novel series that was imported to the U.S. by Seven Seas Manga. Momo is a shinigami or grim reaper in training. She wears white instead of traditional black, and as a newbie to the death game, she's unusually compassionate to the living and dying alike.

Finally, the last bit of news that came out of the CMX Panel was the debut of the new CMX Manga monthly newsletter, CMXtra. Written and edited by Ed Chavez (MangaCast and Otaku USA contributor and freelancer for Publishers Weekly), the first issue of CMXtra was sent out this week, with new issues to arrive in inboxes on the first of each month. Sign up today at CMXmanga.com.

Image credit: © CMX Manga / DC Comics, © Ken Seito / Hakusensha, © Yoshinori Natsume / DC Comics