It’s a smaller week, Week #2, but it tries harder! What’s coming out right before New York Comic Con?

Kodansha has two titles that, as usual, came out yesterday via Amazon and bookstore-oriented places. (pats Diamond on the head) Arisa is in the homestretch with Vol. 9, and Cage of Eden is starting to gear up with Vol. 7. Cage of Eden’s cover is also only mildly socially unacceptable this time! (I make no guarantees about the inside, though. Expect boobs.)

Seven Seas has a troika of releases, many of which hit Diamond *and* bookstores this week. For some reason, the Northeast Corridor (including me) is getting these in next week. Dance in the Vampire Bund hits its penultimate volume (don’t panic: a sequel has already started in Japan), and still has Vampire in the title, in case you missed that. Venus Versus Virus has a 3rd omnibus out, which I think may be the last (total apathy about the series prevents me from verifying this). And Girl Friends, Morinaga Milk’s popular yuri manga, gets a print release with the first of two omnibuses. Girl Friends is sweet, likeable, funny, and does not end with dead lesbians (sorry for the spoilers).

Sublime, Viz’s BL imprint, has Vol. 2 of Punch Up. Which has a kitty on a hot guy’s head. I don’t think I need to say anything else, really. KITTY!

Speaking of kitties, or at least catboys, Viz is starting to re-release the fantasy manga Loveless, which runs in Comic Zero Sum and is… not *quite* BL, even though most of the fandom would disagree with you. It is extremely popular, though, and it’s nice to see Viz rescue it. They also have a new Case Closed and the penultimate volume (did I really use penultimate twice in one post?) of Kekkaishi, which is beloved by bloggers (and hence has mediocre sales, the usual fate of titles beloved by bloggers).

So what appeals to you guys? Also, would you buy a manga that has as a tag line ‘Beloved by bloggers!’?

It’s a first week of the month, folks. You know what that means. But let’s start with not-Viz stuff.

Kodansha has a new volume of Fairy Tail, continuing its alternate world journey. And they’ve got the oddly numbered Ghost in the Shell Volume 1.5, which is still 176 pages, in case folks were worried.

Vertical has the debut of its new re-release of Paradise Kiss, this one in larger trim, 3 omnibus volumes and a new translation. The manga is fantastic, anyone who hasn’t read it yet should go get it. And Arashi no longer speaks like a Brit. There’s also the new Drops of God, leaping ahead to discuss wines from ‘the new world’, and also possibly the last volume unless sales get really really good. And GTO is up to his 5th volume of 14 Days in Shonan, the halfway point.

Viz, of course, has its Viz blitz. On the Shonen Jump side we have Bakuman 15, Bleach 48 and 49 (which, hallelujah hallelujah, moves onto a new arc), Nura 11, Slam Dunk 24, Toriko 12, and Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds 3, which sounds like a RPG dice roll. Meanwhile, on the shoujo side, there’s Dawn of the Arcana 6, Devil and Her Love Song 5, Jiu Jiu 2, Skip Beat! 29, Stepping on Roses 8 (any shogi, let me know), and Story of Saiunkoku 8. There’s something for everyone, in other words. Well, unless you’re a hardcore ‘indie manga only’ person. In which case, look up for Vertical stuff.

So what are you getting? And can you finish it before New York Comic Con?

The last week of the month this year has always been rather sad and winsome, but that doesn’t mean all is lost! See what we have for you next week!

For those of you who were unable to kick in for DMP’s Kickstarter Project, Barbara is now here in comic shops to beguile you! This Osamu Tezuka manga is part of his ‘brilliant yet screwed up’ period, and is well worth a read. DMP is also releasing The Tyrant Falls in Love Vol. 7, which apparently does not need a Kickstarter in any way.

Kodansha Comcis has a trio of releases. Deltora Quest hits Volume 8 (are they still questing for Deltora, I wonder?), the 2nd Genshiken omnibus is out (with Vols. 4-6, and introducing Ogiue), and Miles Edgeworth shows us that he can investigate just as much as Phoenix Wright, even if his cast of silly characters continues to be just Gumshoe.

That’s it. What’s on your wallet’s mind?