Weekend update

I have the latest picks from this week's new manga releases at MTV Geek; new Saturn Apartments makes me so happy! Lissa Pattillo gives her take in her latest On the Shelf column at Otaku USA. Sean Gaffney has the scoop on next week's new manga.

At The Comics Journal, Ryan Holmberg has a fascinating essay about Osamu Tezuka, Mickey Mouse, and kakihan, a method of reproduction used by low-quality publishers in the 1940s, and how that played into issues of appropriation and authenticity.

In digital news, ANN has the scoop on the nine new volumes going up on JManga next week.

Laur Uy has an interview up with Cassandra Jean, the artist of the Yen Press adaptation Beautiful Creatures.

Tony Yao discusses the importance of good storytelling in manga at Manga Therapy.

Derek Bown considers the entire run of Bleach in his latest Combat Commentary at Manga Bookshelf.

The Japanese publisher Enterbrain has put out a trailer promoting the upcoming volume of A Bride's Story; it's in Japanese, but the art looks good in any language.

News from Japan: The social-media project 'Social Kingdom' invites the public to redraw a panel of the manga Kingdom; anyone with a Twitter or Facebook account can participate, and the organizers hope to set the world record for the largest number of collaborators on a single manga. Add Black God to the list of manga series that are winding up in the next few weeks. The 4-koma manga The Comic Artist and His Assistants, by Doujin Work creator Hiroyuki, is also coming to an end. Salaryman Kintaro manga-ka Hiroshi Motomiya is launching a new series in the same spirit, featuring the son of Kintaro. The organizers of Comitia are planning a foreign comics festival to be held jointly with Comitia in November. Gato Asou, the character designer for the upcoming film 009 Re:Cyborg, will draw a three-volume manga adaptation as well. The film is loosely based on the classic Cyborg 009 manga. And ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings.

Reviews: Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith discuss some old and new releases in their latest Off the Shelf column at Manga Bookshelf.

Ash Brown on vol. 9 of Blade of the Immortal (Experiments in Manga)
LCMoran on vols. 1-6 of Can't Lose You (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Connie on vol. 1 of A Devil and Her Love Song (Slightly Biased Manga)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of Durarara!! (Manga Xanadu)
Chris Beveridge on Honey Darling (The Fandom Post)
TSOTE on vol. 11 of Moyashimon (Three Steps Over Japan)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 62 of One Piece (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Anna on vol. 9 of Oresama Teacher (Manga Report)
Bill Sherman on Rohan at the Louvre (Blogcritics)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 5 of Saturn Apartments (The Comic Book Bin)
Connie on vol. 18 of Slam Dunk (Slightly Biased Manga)
Sakura Eries on vol. 6 of Spice & Wolf (The Fandom Post)
Patricia Beard on vol. 1 of Tenka Ichi!! (The Fandom Post)