2012 Preview: 25 Hot New Manga

Author: Jim Zub
Artist: Shun Hong Chan
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
Release Date: Summer 2012

2012 is looking to be a year for remakes / reissues and revamps -- and Makeshift Miracle is yet another example of this trend. Originally published as a webcomic from 2002 - 2003, and later as a graphic novel from Udon, Makeshift Miracle with a new artist and a slightly revamped and updated story by the creator of the original story, Jim Zub (a.k.a. Jim Zubkavich). The story is currently being serialized at www.makeshiftmiracle.com, with Udon's release of the graphic novel in "mid-2012."

Colby Reynolds is a disaffected young man who finds himself wondering what to do with his life. Then out of nowhwere, he encounters a young girl who seems to have fallen from the sky. Who is she, and how and why is she able to make even the oddest wishes come true?

Author: Cassandra Clare
Artist: HyeKyung Baek
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: December 2012
Compare prices for The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel

Cassandra Clare's bestselling supernatural adventures are being adapted into graphic novels by HyeKyung Baek, the artist of the Gossip Girl graphic novels.

Tessa Gray is a sixteen-year-old American girl traveling alone to Victorian London, who encounters some frightening people with supernatural powers who exist in the shadows of the city. She's rescued by a mysterious young man -- but has she only gotten herself into just another kind of trouble?

Authors: Gene Luen Yang
Artist: Gurihiru
Publisher: Dark Horse
Release Date: February 7, 2012
Compare prices for Avatar The Last Airbender: The Promise

The author of American Born Chinese joins forces with Japanese comics creator team Gurihiru (Thor and the Warriors Four) for this tale that bridges the events depicted in Avatar: The Last Airbender with the upcoming sequel, The Legend of Korra.

Fans are treated to a new look at their favorite characters, who are now a few years older, but facing a new threat from the Fire Nation that threatens to plunge the world into another war.

Author: Kichiku Neko
Artist: TogaQ (Jo Chen)
Publisher: 801 Media / Digital Manga Publishing
Release Date: 2012

Jo Chen is known for her gorgeous illustrations for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her original manga romance The Other Side of the Mirror (published in 2 volumes by TokyoPop). Now, with author Kuchiku Neko, she offers up some sizzling boys love manga with a dark twist. Originally self-published, Digital Manga will be offering In These Words Collection 1, gathering all five chapters in a single volume.

Asano Katsuya is an U.S.-trained psychiatrist who had been recruited by the Tokyo Police Department to profile a serial killer that's on the loose in the city. Based on Asano's profile, an elaborate and dangerous plan was put in place to lure the serial killer out of hiding.

Author and Artist: Masahiko Matsumoto
Publisher: Top Shelf
Release Date: Sometime in 2012

Cigarette Girl (Tobacco-ya no Musume) is a collection of short stories by Masahiko Matsumoto, one of the fathers of alternative manga in Japan. Originally scheduled for release in 2011, this title will hopefully hit the shelves sometime in 2012.

Top Shelf's edition of Cigarette Girl promises to be an intriguing addition to the small, but growing selection of classic comics by some of manga's most innovative creators. Matsumoto was mentioned frequently in Yoshihiro Tatsumi's memoir A Drifting Life as one of his peers, and a major force in the development of gekiga, or 'manga for grown-ups."