2008 Readers Poll: Best New Books About Manga

Author & Artist: Tite Kubo
Publisher: Shonen Jump Profiles / VIZ Media
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With so many Soul Reapers, Arrancars and Zanpaku-tos to keep track of, and over 20-plus volumes of action-packed adventures, fans almost need a scorecard to keep up with the world of Bleach. Enter Bleach: SOULs, the essential guide to the first 21 volumes of this epic shonen series. Packed with character profiles, factoids, an interview with creator Tite Kubo, plus short stories that are exclusively featured in this companion volume, SOULs is the essential guide to enjoying this action-packed and complex shonen adventure.

Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: Shonen Jump Profiles / VIZ Media
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After 12 volumes of supernatural suspense, Death Note came to a climatic end -- but fans found themselves asking "Is that it?" Death Note 13: How to Read offers an informative postscript that fills in the blanks, offers more background information about the characters and events that occurred in Death Note, and answers some of the lingering questions about Light, Misa, L and Ryuk, including a sealed envelope containing L's real name.

Authors: Chip Kidd and Saul Ferris
Photographer: Geoff Spear
Artist: Jiro Kuwata
Publisher: Pantheon Graphic Novels
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Before the Teen Titans got chibi-fied and the X-Men got a shojo manga makeover, the editors of Shonen King magazine commissioned manga artist Jiro Kuwata to create his own version of the Caped Crusader. But after the Batman TV show left Japanese airwaves in the last 1960's, these cross-cultural comics faded from memory. That is until collectors Chip Kidd and Saul Ferris collected these rare finds in this coffee-table worthy art book for comics and manga fans alike.

Author & Artist: Takehiko Inoue
Publisher: VIZ Media
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One of two collections of Takehiko Inoue's illustrations from Vagabond, Water presents his full-color, watercolor paintings, while its companion volume Sumi spotlights his black and white, brush and ink drawings. Both art books offer an interesting glimpse into Inoue's creative process, and provides a closer look at his artistry.

Author & Artist: Arina Tanemura
Publisher: Shojo Beat / VIZ Media
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Arina Tanemura's illustrations are a favorite of shojo manga fans, mostly because of her detailed and dreamily romantic style. The Art of Full Moon collects numerous full-color illustrations from Full Moon o Sagashite as well as paintings from Short-Tempered Melancholic and Time Stranger Kyoko, all annotated with comments from Tanemura-sensei, and presented in an oversized art book.

Author & Artist: Kio Shimoku
Publisher: Del Rey Manga
Visit Del Rey Manga's Genshiken Official Book page
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Get a glimpse into the otaku-centric world of Genshiken, or the The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture with the Genshiken Official Book. Featuring profiles of each character, along with quizzes, guides for the aspiring anime, manga, gaming and cosplay super-fan, and an interview with Negima! creator Ken Akamatsu reminiscing about Comiket, this companion volume offers a humorous glimpse into the all-consuming, obsessive world of the Japanese otaku.

Author & Artist: Natsuki Takaya
Publisher: TokyoPop
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When ever-cheerful Tohru Honda moves in with the wealthy Sohma family, she discovers their strange secret: 12 members of the Sohma family are cursed to transform into an animal of the zodiac when they're embraced by a member of the opposite sex. With so many entangled and dysfunctional family ties to sort out in this popular shojo series, the Fruits Basket Cat Fan Book gives fans an intimate look at each of the characters, fun quizzes and commentary from creator Natsuki Takaya.

Author & Artist: Brigitte Koyama-Richard
Publisher: Flammarion
Visit Flammarion's One Thousand Years of Manga page
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Most books about the history of manga focus on the last 100 years, but Japanese art scholar Koyama-Richard takes a much broader view of the artistic evolution of manga by tracing its roots back to narrative scroll paintings and ukiyo-e prints. She also spotlights some of the most interesting and influential creators of contemporary manga, including Leiji Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999), Jiro Taniguchi (The Walking Man) and Shigeru Mizuki (Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro).

Authors: Bruce Grenville, with Tim Johnson, Kiyoshi Kusumi, Seth, Art Spiegelman, Toshiya Ueno and Will Wright
Publisher: University of California Press
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The companion volume to the exhibit that's coming to the Japan Society in New York City in Spring 2009, Krazy spotlights manga, anime, video games and art inspired by all of the above, by creators past and present who have innovated, influenced and created today's dynamic, international visual culture. Manga by creators like Katsuhiro Otomo, Junko Mizuno, Moyoco Anno and Taiyo Matsumoto mingle with video games, cutting edge alternative comics and fine art inspired by comics and anime.

Authors: Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt
Artist:Tatsuya Morino
Publisher: Kodansha International
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If you've ever wondered why the fox in Naruto has nine tails or wondered what makes a kappa much more than a "water sprite", then Yokai Attack! is the book for you. Illustrated by Tatsuya Morino, a former assistant to yokai manga master Shigeru Mizuki, Yokai Attack! gives Western readers a glimpse into the Japanese world of demons, spirits and ghosts that pop up so often in manga and anime.