Thanks to the folks at MangaCast and the indefatigable blogger/cartoonist Andre Richards, the mangasphere has been given a tantalizing glimpse of next year’s hottest new series. I confess that these lists make my heart sing, as I’m the kinda gal who embraces the tasks of list-making, planning, and sorting with the same zeal as Herbert Putnam did (back in the day). Among the series on my must-read list are:

• Coyote Ragtime Show, E’S, Murder Princess (Broccoli Books)
• Canon, Go Go Heaven (CMX)
• Tanpenshu (Dark Horse)
• Kitchen Princess, Le Chevalier D’Eon, Mushihi, Princess
  Resurrection (Del Ray)

• Flowers of Life (DMP)
• Croquis Pop (ICE Kunion)
• Train + Train (Go! Comi)
• Venus vs. Virus (Seven Seas)
• Gyakushu!, My Dead Girlfriend, Wild Adapter (Tokyopop)
• Apollo’s Song, To Terra (Vertical)
• Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, Vampire Knight (Viz)

Hmmm… reviewing my list, I think Jarred and the MangaCast crew may be on to something when they opine that “Princess has become the new Vampire!!”

Licensing Wish List
Since the mangasphere has contracted an incurable case of Tezuka fever, now seems like an excellent time to reissue more of the master’s best-loved works. I’d love to see Viz renew the license for Black Jack. Even if the beautiful and thought-provoking Phoenix didn’t find a mass audience, Black Jack’s infectious (sorry… couldn’t help myself) mixture of action, medical mystery, and social commentary may well connect with House fans looking for an extra dose of macabre humor. And heck, while we’re at it, why not introduce American readers to Tezuka’s Crime and Punishment? Think of all the tenth graders clamoring for a manga version of Dostoevsky’s frequently assigned classic!

Two other titles I’d love to see reissued in 2007 are CLAMP’s Clover and Shirahime-Syo (Snow Goddess Tales). Both showcase the collective at their most experimental. In Clover‘s stark, black-and-white images and innovative use of space, xxxHolic fans can see CLAMP’s first efforts to move beyond the elaborate, fill-every-inch-of-the-page-with-detail approach characteristic of series like RG Veda and X/1999. Tokyopop shelved plans to reissue the four Clover volumes as a boxed set, perhaps owing to poor sales of CLAMP no Kiseki. That’s a pity, as the current English language edition is difficult to obtain, and is marred by ugly font choices and flipped artwork.

At the other end of the spectrum is CLAMP’s one-shot Shirahime-Syo, a collection of three ghost stories illustrated in the shijo style. Back in 2003, Tokyopop issued Shirahime-Syo in both paperback and hardcover form. I’d love to see them re-issue the hardcover version, perhaps with a snazzy new dustjacket or–heaven forbid–slightly larger trim size to showcase its spectacular artwork.

My final licensing wish for 2007 is for DC Comics to greenlight Tintin Pantoja’s Princess of Paradise manga. Thanks to the eagle-eyed John Jakala (of Sporadic Sequential fame), Pantoja’s rejected proposal for a shojo take on Wonder Woman found an enthusiastic reception among manga lovers. In her LiveJournal, Pantoja explained her rationale for giving Wonder Wonder the manga treatment:

I’ve always loved Wonder Woman- specially the early George Perez version-and thought she had all the characteristics of a great shoujo manga heroine. I wanted to have a Wonder Woman who was more innocent, less sexualized, and just coming into her own powers.

Not all Wonder Woman fans were thrilled by the prospect of a CLAMP-style comic. I respect their position—after all, I’m not salivating at the prospect of shonen Superman. But I think Pantoja’s project has the potential to appeal to young female readers who embrace Fruits Basket but eschew superheroes in spandex. Think of how much Wonder Woman merchandise is pitched to young girls: Halloween costumes, stickers, posters, mugs, t-shirts, doll, bathing suits. (Do they still manufacture Wonder Woman Underoos? Have I justed dated myself?) Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a book and a storyline to go with the iconography?

MangaCast Wants You!
And for those of you who share my enthusiasm for list-making, visit the MangaCast site. Our very own senior ninja consultant Erin F. and her manga-phile friends are calling on bloggers to share their best-of lists for 2006, as well as their wish lists for 2007.