NY Comic-Con '09: CMX Manga Offers A Mixed Bag of New Manga

For reasons unbeknownst to most, CMX Manga tends to get the not-so-very-busy early evening slot whenever they host an industry panel at comic and anime conventions. The same was true at New York Comic-Con 2009, and as a result, CMX's early evening panel was a sparsely-attended affair.

Nevertheless, CMX Manga Editor Jim Chadwick soldiered on to showcase a diverse mix of new manga releases for Spring and Summer 2009. Several titles had been announced at prior shows, but they're still worth another look.

MAGICAL GIRLS AND HEART-TUGGING SHOJO MANGA DRAMA
At last year's San Diego Comic-Con, a fan asked the CMX Manga crew if they had a thing for manga about girls who endure tragic circumstances. They seemed surprised at this question, but check out these upcoming releases and see if you notice a recurring theme here.

• The Name of the Flower by Ken Saito - January 2009
  IThis one's already out and available, so it's not exactly a new license announcement. Still, this four-volume series that leans more on the josei than shojo side of the drama continuum is one that they're quite proud of.

  Chouko is a high school girl who loses both of her parents to a car accident. Left in a near-catatonic state after her loss, Chouko is sent to live with her uncle, a young man who is a talented author, but also a somewhat stern and emotionally unavailable caretaker. But over time, the pair find themselves developing a caring relationship that teeters on the edge of romance.

  Want to see more? CMX also has an online preview of the first chapter of The Name of the Flower.

• March on Earth by Mikase Hayashi - March 2009
  Two sisters are left orphaned by the sudden death of their parents. Tsubaki, the older sister acts as a surrogate mother to her younger sister Yuzu. Eventually, Tsubaki has a child of her own that she raises as a single mother. Then tragedy strikes again when Tsubaki dies and leaves her teenaged younger sister to care for her preschool-age nephew.

  "It's very sweet," said Chadwick. "There's a very cute relationship between these two." You can also check out a few sample pages from March On Earth.

• Venus Capriccio by Mai Nishikata - April 2009
  On a lighter note, Takami, the tomboy heroine of Venus Capriccio is best friends with her childhood friend Akira, a guy who's sensitive, cute and acts a lot more feminine than Takami. Both Takami and Akira are piano prodigies, so they have lots in common. However, when Takami's latest attempt at romance hits a sour note, she turns to Akira for comfort and maybe something deeper than just friendship.

  "There's some humor here, in their switch in gender roles," said Chadwick.

• The Lapis Lazuli Crown by Natsuna Kawase - May 2009 The Lapis Lazuli Crown is a debut work from a former assistant to shojo manga superstar Arina Tanemura (Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, Gentlemen's Alliance Cross). From the preview illustration, one can certainly see the influence of Tanemura-sensei's style in the heroine's flowing hair, ribbons and sparkles. But will this magical girl story also appeal to Tanemura's fans?

  The Lapis Lazuli Crown is set in world where weaving magical spells is talent to be nurtured, like learning how to dance, sing or play the piano. Teenaged Miel has magical powers, but this easy-going teen has little interest in improving her conjuring skills. Then Miel meets a hunky guy who just happens to be the prince of the realm, and this chance meeting inspires her to finally take her magical studies seriously.

• Ballad of a Shinigami by K-she Hasegawa and Asuka Izumi - June 2009
  Seven Seas Manga has already published the light novels, now CMX is publishing the manga based on K-she Hasegawa's stories about a shinigami (death god) -- a very cute girl shinigami named Momo. Yes, she carries a scythe -- but as grim reapers go, Momo has a soft heart that gives her a strong desire to help the people that she must send off to the afterlife.

  "She's kind of a sad figure," said Chadwick. Momo wants to help her 'clients,' so she bends the rules by delivering messages from the great beyond to the people left behind by the recently deceased.

CMX'S MANGA MIX: FIREFIGHTERS, MONGOLS, CLONES AND GIANT ROBOTS
The rest of CMX's manga line-up is a real mixed bag -- or at least a group that would make for an interesting cocktail party.

• Fire Investigator Nanase by Izo Hashimoto and Tomoshige Ichikawa - January 2009
  Described as a mix between CSI, Backdraft and Silence of the Lambs, Fire Investigator Nanase is features an unusual heroine. Nanase loses both of her parents in a fire, but she's rescued from the same fate by a mysterious stranger. Fueled by this past tragedy, Nanase becomes a fire fighter who investigates arson cases.

  The Silence of the Lambs twist comes in when Nanase captures the attention of "Firebug," an arsonist who offers Nanase clues that help her crack some of her toughest cases. The extra twisted twist here is that Firebug is also the arsonist who was responsible for the death of Nanase's parents.

• Jihai by Toshimi Nigoshi - February 2009
  A new series by the creator of The Flat Earth Exchange (another sci-fi series recently released by CMX), Jihai is set in world where clones are common -- but the catch to their existence is that they 'expire' after their 18th year. Aoi is a 17-year old clone whose childhood friend was killed under mysterious circumstances. With only a year left to live, Aoi is determined to find his friend's killer and get revenge before the clock runs out on him.

  This three-volume series is "about what makes someone a war hero and another person a war criminal," said Chadwick.

• Ghenghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea by Seiichi Morimura and Nakaba Higurashi - April 2009
  The life story of the world's mightiest Mongul is told in one volume, from his boyhood beginnings to his epic struggle to eventually become "one of the most powerful leaders on earth."

  This manga from CMX content partner Flex Comix was previously announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2008, and as would be expected from a story about a legendary warrior king, this one-shot promises "lots of drama and action, epic battle scenes." Also, look for the feature-length movie of this story to be released by FUNimation soon.

• The King of Debris by Yusuke Aso - May 2009
  Another release originally from Flex Comix, The King of Debris is a modern day Pinocchio story about an android boy named Citro who lives a quiet and simple life with his human 'sister.' But when a girl on a broomstick comes zooming into their life, something called "The God of Destruction's Heart' gets accidentally implanted into Citro, and this unintended 'upgrade' makes him go berserk, and sets off a chain of wacky and chaotic events.

• Broken Blade by Yunosuke Yoshinaga - July 2009
  Finally, the most recent addition to the CMX Spring / Summer release calendar is another series from Flex Comix, Broken Blade. If you've thought to yourself, 'you know what the problem is with manga today? Not enough giant robots,' then CMX is here to give you a mecha fix to tide you over for a while.

  The lead character in Broken Blade lives in a world where everyone can power up giant robot suits with a quartz crystal -- everyone except him. Then one day, scientists unearth an ancient battle suit that doesn't run on quartz power. It's left dormant until they figure out that our quartz-challenged hero is the only one who can awaken and wield this massive mecha's power.

QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND HINTS OF CMX'S DIGITAL MANGA PLANS?
After unveiling the last of the new releases, Chadwick opened it up to the floor for questions.

• Q: Will Flex and CMX Develop Mobile Phone Manga?
  Three of the titles showcased at Saturday's panel came from CMX's ongoing relationship with Flex Comix, a Japanese publisher of mobile phone comics. When this partnership was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2007, CMX showcased a demo of cell phone comics at their booth. Since then, we haven't heard a peep from them or their parent companies Wildstorm or DC Comics about any plans to publish these stories in digital format in the U.S.

  When I asked Chadwick about CMX's plans to leverage their relationship with Flex Comix to offer manga on cell phones, the question got punted over to Hank Kanalz, Vice President and General Manager of Wildstorm, who was sitting in the front row.

  "We're looking at a variety of options for a variety of handheld devices," said Kanalz. "Some phones are more condusive to the format than others, so we're taking a look at that. We're not just limiting ourselves to phones, but also to actual handheld devices." Like those eBook readers that everyone is talking about nowadays? Mmmaybe.

  Chadwick also commented, "Obviously, we partnered with (Flex Comix), and (cell phone comics) is part of their expertise. We'll just have to see what will come of that. But there's nothing we can discuss right now."

• Q: Is CMX Planning to Publish More Classic Manga?
  A fan of CMX's classic manga offerings like From Eroica With Love and Swan asked if CMX was planning on releasing more titles from manga's earlier days. Chadwick acknowledged that these series have "very dedicated fans who love this stuff," but he added, "our experiences is that we can't find a big enough audience to support putting them out, even if some of these titles are very, very revered." So if you're holding your breath waiting for CMX to pick up another classic manga series like Rose of Versailles, Ashita no Jo, Galaxy Express 999, Devilman or Glass Mask… well, you might as call it a day and place your hopes elsewhere, because these kind of titles are probably not going come from CMX anytime soon.

• Q: Will CMX Publish Omnibus Editions of Their Older Titles?
  However, a fan got a more positive response when she asked about the possibility of omnibus 3-in-1 editions of some older CMX Manga releases like Tenjho Tenge . "We're looking into doing one of our first titles in this format," said Chadwick. "We haven't finalized the deal yet, so I can't tell you which title it is, but we're definitely looking into the three-volumes per book format." He also threw it out there for fans to send their wishlists for CMX titles that they'd like to see published in the omnibus format by sending a message to CMX via Twitter.

• Q: Are There Any New CMX Manga / DC Superhero Crossover Projects In the Works?
  Another question came up about any plans for more DC Comics / manga cross-over projects, like their recent Batman: Death Mask series (created by Yoshinori Natsume, the creator of Togari), and like Del Rey Manga's X-Men manga projects with Marvel Comics. Chadwick responded, "We're talking about it. I really enjoyed working on Batman: Death Mask, so I'd love to do more."

  One question I didn't think to ask was about CMX's absence from the Javits Center exhibit floor. CMX Manga is a division of Wildstorm and DC Comics, but you'd never guess it from its lack of presence at the humungous DC Comics booth on the Javits Center exhibit floor. If CMX had a table there, I'm sorry I missed it -- but I swear, I looked. Admittedly, New York Comic-Con is a more superhero-centric event and Watchmen were the stars of the show, but come on, DC -- where's the love for CMX?