Comic-Con Catch-up: Del Rey Manga Adds Negima Neo, New CLAMP Books

Del Rey Manga added three new manga series, a light novel and a new book about manga to their 2009 publishing line-up at San Diego Comic-Con 2008. Three of the choices played off Del Rey Manga's prior successes with their two bestselling titles, Negima! by Ken Akamatsu and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles by CLAMP.

Negima Neo! by Ken Akamatsu and Takuya Fujima - April 2009
The adventures of the boy wizard / pint-sized high school teacher Negi Springfield continue under the guidance of original creator Ken Akamatsu, but with art by Takuya Fujima. As the Del Rey PR describes it, Negima Neo! is a remix of the original story, featuring the same characters, but putting the focus back on Negi's quest to find his father, the famous Thousand Master.

CLAMP in America by Shaenon Garrity - July 2009
If you were wondering how Del Rey Manga would follow up their publication of Manga: The Complete Guide by Jason Thompson, wonder no more. CLAMP in America is an original book about these superstar manga creators written by an American manga editor for American manga and anime fans. Believe it or not, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of CLAMP's debut, which makes it an opportune time for a retrospective of their work and their influence upon the American manga / anime scene.

CLAMP in America promises to give fans an exhaustive look at the femme foursome's creative output, from Magic Knight Rayearth and Card Captor Sakura to their current hits xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, interviews with the artists and the editors who have worked with them, and perhaps some info about their "mangettes" project with Dark Horse.

Soryuden: The Novel by Yoshiki Tanaka, with illustrations by CLAMP - May 2009
The second CLAMP offering is Soryuden: The Novel, a one-volume light novel featuring illustrations by the superstar manga-ka collective. As the cover illustration would suggest, Soryuden is about four brothers / hunky hotties who have secret superpowers - they can transform into dragons who have control over the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water. The anime version of this story was previously released in the U.S. under the title Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings by Central Park Media.

Orange Planet by Haruka Fukushima - May 2009
From the creator of Cherry Juice and Instant Teen: Just Add Nuts comes a new shojo manga romantic comedy about a teen romantic triangle. As Del Rey's PR explains it, "Rui is in love with her dreamy classmate Kaoru, but Rui's best friend, the boy next door is secretly in love with her." When a good looking teaching assistant moves into Rui's apartment, well the complications just get a little bit juicier.

Yokai Doctor by Yuki Sato - June 2009
"Yokai" are mythical Japanese monsters / ghosts. Yuki Sato's American manga debut Yokai Doctor promises to be a supernatural comedy about an exorcist and a boy who can heal ghosts and monsters, perhaps ala Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro and Del Rey's other yokai manga release, Yokaiden by Nina Matsumoto.

See the rest of the new manga coming soon from Del Rey Manga in the 2008 Preview Gallery and the 2009 Preview Gallery.

Image credit: © Ken Akamatsu, Takuya Fujima, © Yoshiki Tanaka, CLAMP © Haruka Fukushima, Kodansha Comics