I love hearing from readers. I recently received an email asking a very specific manga question: "I know there's ‘symbolism' in Japanese manga regarding various artistic elements or words or word balloons, etc.... As I read Domo the Manga, I wondered why all the characters were constantly ‘sweating.' What's THAT all about?"

This spurred an idea that I am now working on: a quick guide to some of the visual cues found in manga (and graphic novels, too) that might not be obvious to new readers. Can you think of others besides sweating? If you have ever questioned why something is drawn or styled a particular way in a graphic work, please let me know and I'll include it. (By the way, the answer to our reader's question is that sweat is often shown flying off characters' faces to show stress, worry, or embarrassment.)

While we're on the subject of reader feedback, when we updated our Core List with new manga titles a couple of weeks ago, we got the following comment:

"I'm looking forward to the revision of the children's graphic novel core list. At our library, manga for younger kids (elementary school, Gr. 6 and under) doesn't check out much (I would guess it might partially be due to parents checking out books for their kids, and parents generally aren't into, or don't ‘understand,' manga)....I look forward to any reviews I can find, anywhere, and yours (GN reviews for kids) tend to fit my needs more than others. Thanks again for providing this needed service!"

I'm glad that our reviews and our Core Lists are hitting their marks. Speaking of our Core Lists, our update of the Core Lists of Graphic Novels for Adults, Teens, and Children will be published in two weeks, with our next update.

Speaking of libraries and graphic novel/manga collections....the Texas Library Association Annual Conference will be held in Austin, Texas from April 12-15. At the conference there will be significant graphic novel programing and events. The biggest event, literally, co-sponsored by GraphicNovelReporter, Diamond Book Distributors and Brodart will the the Great Graphic Novel Library Giveway where one lucky library will win a $20,000 prize that includes over 700 hand-selected graphic novels from Diamond Book Distributors as well as fixtures and furniture provided by Brodart. The entire collection will be displayed in a library setting with shelving, spinner racks, seating and carpeting all provided by Brodart’s partner companies as well as products crafted by the furniture division of the library wholesaler.

Many of the books come directly from TLA's own Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List and the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list compiled by the American Library Association. The drawing for the contest will take place at 9:30AM on Friday, April 15th. Carol will be at the conference and at the drawing, so if you are there be sure to stop by and say hi. If you are a public or school librarian who is attending, don't miss the chance to enter to win...and good luck!

You can read more about the other graphic novel programming happening at that conference, including special panels put together by the Young Adult Round Table and Texas Maverick’s Committee and the discussion of the graphic novel chosen for One Book, One Conference (Audrey Niffenegger's The Night Bookmobile), here. I hope everyone going to TLA this year will enjoy the conference!

Read on for our latest update including our interviews with memoirist MariNaomi, business-book mogul Corey Michael Blake, a recap of what went on last weekend at C2E2, new reviews of titles from Daniel Clowes, Grant Morrison, and many others --- and much more great comics content. Enjoy!

Happy reading,

John Hogan (John@bookreporter.com)

San Francisco-based artist MariNaomi shares the romantic ups and downs of an American teenager and young adult in her new book Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Résumé, Ages 0 to 22. The engaging memoir details MariNaomi's outlook growing up and discovering who she really is in this world, all of which she discusses in this interview. By John Hogan

Corey Michael Blake is the CEO and founder of Round Table Companies, a venture that is now taking some well-known business books and repositioning them as graphic works. First up: A selection of six popular books that have graced the bestseller lists. Those books include The Long Tail by Chris Anderson; The Art of War by Sun Tzu; Overachievement by Dr. John Eliot; How to Master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins; Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get a Life by Larry Winget; and Mi Barrio by Robert Renteria. We talked to Blake about what he was looking for in this new comic book-based business program. By John Hogan

Last weekend's C2E2 conference was a huge success. Our intrepid reporter brings you the highlights, especially as they relate to libraries, and shares the news of what you can look forward to coming out of the show. By Brigid Alverson

We share news, updates, tips, personal observations, and more. Keep up-to-date by checking our blog entries.

2011 MoCCA Fest News

R. Crumb Exhibit Opening

Comic Books, Libraries, and Innovation Report from C2E2

Interesting Comics Report from Germany

The Story of Lee by Sean Michael Wilson and Chie Kutsuwada
Lee's Korean suitor, Wang, is handsome and nice, but he represents a culture Lee is eager to reject. She's much more interested in the handsome Scottish guy she sees in her father's shop...but her father is none too happy with that. Reviewed by John Hogan

Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face by David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky, and Carmine di Giandomenico
Spider-Man Noir imagines a world in which Spider-Man was a hero in 1934, encumbered by all of the social, political, and economic situations that 1930s New York City endured. This is a theme that Marvel has been experimenting with recently, using their most popular heroes as test subjects, and if there's ever been a strange hero to pair with a dark, film-noir setting, it's the webhead, resulting in a compelling but strange story. Reviewed by Collin David

Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1-10 by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
Writer Warren Ellis takes readers on a whirlwind tour through the future in a city beset by blight, overpopulation, and media saturation in Transmetropolitan. Raging against it all is Spider Jerusalem, a newspaper columnist fueled by drugs and wrath. After a friend is brutally killed, he finds himself embroiled in a political scandal, surrounded by nasty webs of murder, sex, and conspiracy that lead all the way to the White House. Reviewed by Michael Hicks

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne by Grant Morrison and various artists
As Batman, Bruce Wayne has survived Gotham City's greatest threats and fought and won against the world's most dangerous evils. Now, stranded far in the past after the events of Final Crisis, Batman must survive history itself. Fighting cavemen and pirates, matching wits with witch-hunters and cultists, he must endure some of Gotham's darkest moments as he leaps through time in an effort to make it back home. In The Return of Bruce Wayne, Grant Morrison has quite literally created a Batman for the ages. Reviewed by Michael Hicks

I Am Legion, Vol. 2 by Kaori Yuki
Vampires wage their own war while World War II rages on in this long-awaited collection. Reviewed by Nathan Wilson

Thor: Siege Aftermath by Kieron Gillen, Richard Elson, and Doug Braithwaite
The Marvel Universe has crumbled and is reborn again from the ashes. Thor, once a part-time resident of Earth, has seen his entire kingdom crumble and witnessed the death of many of his people, and now, every Norse god is in danger of being eaten alive during the aftershocks of Siege. That is, of course, if Thor can't venture to Hell and back to save them. Reviewed by Collin David

Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi & Sashimi by Tetsu Kariya and Hanasaki Akira
Fables and fairy tales always have a moral. Oishinbo a la Carte is like a book of food fables that teaches us not only cooking tips, but important life lessons. This time, it is fish, sushi, and sashimi that will serve as the platter for Oishinbo's teachings. Reviewed by Courtney Kraft

Neko Ramen, Vol. 2: Curry Is Also Delicious by Kenji Sonishi
Taisho is a cat who works at a ramen shop. He does whatever he can to build up business, no matter how far out there it may seem. Reviewed by Danica Davidson

Super-Powered Word Study by Dr. James Bucky Carter and Erik A. Evensen
A practitioner-friendly classroom resource, Dr. James Bucky Carter and Erik Evensen's Super-Powered Word Study is a breath of fresh air for middle-level teachers who want to not only engage their young-adult students, but also empower them to love word study. Reviewed by Katie Monnin

We're getting closer and closer to Thor's May 6 release date. A new trailer just released shows Thor in battle with The Destroyer, and you can see it here. Plus, a look at the costume Wonder Woman will be wearing in the upcoming television series.