The big story this week: edu-manga. Korean company YKids released six new titles on Wednesday, all designed to trick reluctant readers into learning a little more about history and literature. (I’d say that YKids “carpet bombs,” “blitzes,” or “storms” the manga aisle, but two of the twentieth century’s most notable pacifists are profiled in this batch of books, making that martial imagery a little too… vehement.) Three are biographies of major historical figures–Leonardo da Vinci, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela–while three are adaptations of kid-lit classics Daddy Long Legs, The Prince and the Pauper, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. While I’m a proponent of intelligent use of comics in the classroom, I’ve been a little underwhelmed by previous YKids titles which seemed, frankly, too cheesy to pass muster with the under-twelve set. I’d love to hear from parents or teachers who’ve had more experience with these series: do they pique kids’ interest in reading? What age group is best served by them? And how do the adaptations compare with the originals?

For those of us with more grown-up tastes, the pickings are much slimmer. Your best bets are DMP’s deluxe, two-volume Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go box set, which reprints the original series’ entire run, and the eighth volume of Viz’s Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs (Viz). Granted, I’m a little biased–I’d describe myself as a “dog otaku” if that didn’t sound so unsavory. (For the record, my dog does not own any sweaters, t-shirts, costumes, hats, goggles, or other accessories–she’s strictly a leash-and-collar girl.) But I’m not the only one in my household who enjoys this canine-centered soap opera:

I’ll be back next Monday with a super-sized edition of the Weekly Recon that includes reviews of Kaze no Hana and Kieli, as well as several other new and recent arrivals. Stay tuned!

SHIPPING THIS WEEK:
Cipher, Vol. 11 (CMX)
Hana-Kimi, Vol. 23 (Viz)
Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, Vol. 8 (Viz)
Kaze no Hana, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Kieli, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Magical JXR, Vol. 2 (UDON)
Manga Great Figures in History: Leonarda da Vinci (YKids)
Manga Great Figures in History: Mother Teresa (YKids)
Manga Great Figures in History: Nelson Mandela (YKids)
Manga Literary Classics: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (YKids)
Manga Literary Classics: Daddy Long Legs (YKids)
Manga Literary Classics: The Prince and the Pauper (YKids)
Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go Box Set, Vols. 1-2 (DMP)
Spiral: Bonds of Reasoning, Vol. 3 (Yen Press)
Street Fighter III Ryu Final, Vol. 2 (UDON)
Variante, Vol. 3 (CMX)
The Wallflower, Vol. 15 (Del Rey)