2008 has been a big year at PopCultureShock. We’ve expanded our staff from three to nine, redesigned the site from top to bottom, introduced several new columns, and reviewed twice as many books as we did in 2007. It is with a mixture of excitement and sadness that I announce one more big change: effective January 1, 2009, I will be stepping down as Senior Manga Editor. It was a very tough decision for me, but recent changes in my personal and professional lives have made it too difficult to hold down such a responsible position while I work a demanding day job and finish my PhD.

It’s been my privilege to oversee Manga Recon’s transformation from a weekly blog to a website that’s updated on a daily (well, almost daily) basis. None of this would have been possible without a great supporting cast: Erin Finnegan, the grand dame of PCS; Ken Haley, the manly-man manga expert; Isaac Hale, the agent provocateur; Chloe Ferguson, the girl wonder (is it legal to write that well at her age?!); Phil Guie, the movie-buff-cum-manga-expert; Sam Kusek, the die-hard shonen sports fanatic; and Melinda Beasi, the new kid on the block.

Two other staff members deserve special recognition. Michelle Smith, our new Manga Editor, has proven an indispensable asset to the site, bringing the perfect combination of editorial acumen, organizational skill, and good humor to the sometimes grungy task of running a website. As of January 1st, Michelle will assume editorial responsibility for PopCultureShock. From the brief time we’ve worked together, I can say with confidence that Michelle will do a terrific job in her expanded role.

The other person who deserves a standing ovation is Jon Haehnle, our webmaster. I’m grateful to Jon for his superb design skill, for his friendship, and for his willingness to take on a chance on me back in 2006 when I was just one more person blogging about manga. I am always impressed by Jon’s MacGuyver-esque talent for creating cool websites out of the barest materials, and for handling stressful situations with good grace and good humor.

Though I’m hanging up my editorial hat, I’m going to continue writing about and reviewing manga. I plan to remain active with Brigid Alverson’s Good Comics for Kids, a great website for parents, teachers, and librarians in search of kid-friendly comics. And David Welsh has graciously agreed to let me contribute to Precocious Curmudgeon until I find more permanent digs. I’m not sure what else the future holds for me comics-wise, though I know this: I’m too much of a manga maniac to be away for long.

Thank you for supporting us, and may 2009 be an even bigger and better year for PopCultureShock!

–Kate

Going forward, press releases should be sent to Melinda Beasi’s attention at manga@popcultureshock.com. Review copies should be sent to Jon Haehnle at the following address:

Jon Haehnle, Webmaster
PopCultureShock
c/o Midtown Comics
200 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018