SDCC 2015 – Best (and Worst) Manga of 2015!
From Saturday night’s Best and Worst Manga panel at San Diego Comic-Con International 2015, here’s the presentation of the best new and continuing manga titles, as picked by our all-star roster of panelists.
Between five panelists, we picked 26 current releases, 7 upcoming new manga series, diss’ed 4 horrible manga as our worst, and wished for 5 as-of-yet unlicensed manga series. Here they are!
Eva Volin, Brigid Alverson, Christopher Butcher, Deb Aoki, and David Brothers
- Brigid Alverson – Good Comics for Kids/School Library Journal, Robot 6/Comic Book Resources, and Barnes and Noble Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog, and of course, MangaBlog
- Christopher Butcher – Director, Toronto Comic Arts Festival and manager, The Beguiling in Toronto. Chris also has a blog that’s worth checking out, Comics212.net
- David Brothers – 4th Letter! and Branding Manager, Image Comics
- Eva Volin – Supervising Children’s Librarian at Alameda Free Library, CA, and reviewer/contributor at Good Comics for Kids / School Library Journal, BookList, and No Flying, No Tights
Here’s the complete list for your shopping convenience!
BEST NEW MANGA FOR KIDS/TEENS
My Hero Academia 1 by Kouhei Horikoshi (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
- My Hero Academia
Kohei Horikoshi
Shonen Jump / Viz Media
Also available from ComiXology and VIZManga.com - The Legend Of Zelda: Link To The Past
Shotaro Ishinomori
Perfect Square / Viz Media - A Silent Voice
Yoshitoki Oima
Kodansha Comics
www.Kodanshacomics.Com – Also Available On Kindle, Nook And Crunchyroll Manga - Your Lie In April
Naoshi Arakawa
Kodansha Comics
www.Kodanshacomics.Com – Also Available On Kindle And Nook - My Neighbor Seki
Takuma Morishige
Vertical Comics - Assassination Classroom
Yusei Matsui
Shonen Jump / Viz Media
Also Available On Vizmanga.Com, Kindle, And Comixology.Com - The Demon Prince Of Momochi House
Aya Shouto
Shojo Beat / Viz Media
Also available on VIZManga.com and ComiXology
BEST NEW MANGA FOR GROWN-UPS
Ajin: Demi-human Vol. 1 by Tsuina Miura & Gamon Sakurai | Vertical Comics
- Ajin: Demi-human
Tsuina Miura & Gamon Sakurai
Vertical Comics
SDCC Booth #1631
Also available on Kindle and Crunchyroll Manga - Prophecy
Tetsuya Tsutsui
Vertical Comics
SDCC Booth #1631
Also available on Kindle - The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Kore Yamazaki
Seven Seas Manga - Tokyo Ghoul
Sui Ishida
Viz Signature / Viz Media
Also available on VIZManga.com and ComiXology - Massive: Gay Japanese Manga And The Men Who Make It
Various Artists
Fantagraphics - Henshin
Ken Niimura
Image Comics
Also available on Image.com and Comixology.com
BEST CONTINUING MANGA SERIES FOR KIDS / TEENS
Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma Vol. 6 by Yuto Tsukuda & Shun Saeki | Shonen Jump / VIZ Media
- My Love Story!!
Kazune Kawahara & Aruko
Shojo Beat / Viz Media
Also available on Vizmanga.Com Nook, Kindle and Comixology.com - Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
Yuto Tsukuda & Shun Saeki
Shonen Jump / Viz Media
Also available on Vizmanga.Com, Kindle, Nook, Comixology.com - Nisekoi: False Love
Naoshi Komi
Shonen Jump / Viz Media
Also Available On Vizmanga.Com, Kindle, Nook, Comixology.com - Barakamon
Satsuki Yoshino
Yen Press
Also available on Kindle
BEST CONTINUING MANGA SERIES FOR GROWN-UPS
SHOWA: A History of Japan 1953-1989 by Shigeru Mizuki | Drawn & Quarterly
- What Did You Eat Yesterday?
Fumi Yoshinaga
Vertical Comics - Vinland Saga
Makoto Yukimura
Kodansha Comics
www.Kodanshacomics.com and Kindle - Vagabond
Takehiko Inoue
Viz Signature / Viz Media - Master Keaton
Naoki Urasawa & Takashi Nagasaki
Viz Signature / Viz Media - Showa: A History Of Japan
Shigeru Mizuki
Drawn & Quarterly
WORST MANGA FOR ANYONE, ANY AGE
Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn by Shirow Masamune & Rikudou Koushi | Seven Seas Manga
- Attack On Avengers
Hajime Isayama, C.B. Cebulski, Gerardo Sandoval
Marvel Comics / Kodansha Comics
Will be includeded in Attack On Titan Colossal Edition Vol. 2 - Gou-Dere Sora Nagihara
Suu Minazuki
Yen Press - Pandora In The Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn
Shirow Masamune & Rikudou Koushi
Seven Seas Manga - Karneval
Touya Mikanagi
Yen Press
UNDER-RATED BUT GREAT MANGA – UNDER THE RADAR COMICS WORTH READING
- Yamada-Kun And The Seven Witches
Miki Yoshikawa
Kodansha Comics, Also available on Kindle - Soredemo Machi Wa Mawatteiru / And The Town Yet Moves
Masakazu Ishiguro
Crunchyroll Manga - Maria The Virgin Witch
Masayuki Ishikawa
Kodansha Comics
Also Available On Kindle - Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service
Eiji Otsuka & Housui Yamazaki
Dark Horse Comics
Also available on Dark Horse Digital and comixology, new omnibus editions Available August 2015
ΜΟST ANTICIPATED NEW MANGA – LICENSED FOR RELEASE IN N. AMERICA, 2015-2016
One Punch Man Vol.1 by ONE and Yusuke Murata | Shonen Jump / VIZ Media
- One-Punch Man
ONE & Yusuke Murata
Shonen Jump / Viz Media
Print Edition In September 2015
Now Available On Vizmanga.Com, Kindle, Nook, Comixology
Pre-order on Amazon.com - Planetes
Makoto Yukimura
Dark Horse
December 2015
Pre-order on Amazon.com - Princess Jellyfish
Akiko Higashimura
Kodansha Comics
February 2016
On Crunchyroll Manga: July 15
Pre-order on Amazon.com - I Am A Hero
Kengo Hanazawa
Dark Horse
April 2016
Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon and Mu by Junji Ito | Kodansha Comics
- Ninja Slayer: Machine Of Vengeance
Bradley Bond, Philip Morez, Yuki Yogo
Vertical Comics
October 2015
Pre-order on Amazon.com - Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu
Junji Ito
Kodansha Comics
October 2015
Pre-order on Amazon.com - Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun
Izumi Tsubaki
Yen Press
November 2015
Pre-order on Amazon.com
Anime on Crunchyroll.com now
MOST WANTED MANGA NOT YET PUBLISHED / LICENSED IN ENGLISH (BUT SHOULD BE)
My Brother’s Husband (Ototo no Otto) Vol. 1 by Gengoroh Tagame (Action Comics)
- My Brother’s Husband (Otouto No Otto)
Gengoroh Tagame
Futabasha (Serialized In Gekkan Action) - Hajime No Ippo
George Morikawa
Kodansha
Anime On Crunchyroll.Com - Neighborhood Story (Gokinjo Monogatari)
Ai Yazawa
Shueisha - Tokusatsu Ga-Ga-Ga
Niwa Tanba
Shogakukan - Oyasumi Punpun
Asano Inio
Shogakukan
5 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- My Week in Manga: July 6-July 12, 2015 — Experiments in Manga - […] interesting SDCC/manga-related posts: myths from the Manga Publisher Roundtable and a summary of 2015’s Best and Worst Manga panel.…
- Comics A.M. | Matt Bors quits The Nib, Beaton talks new book - Robot 6 @ Comic Book ResourcesRobot 6 @ Comic Book Resources - […] Manga | Deb Aoki rounds up the recommendations from the Best and Worst Manga panel at Comic-Con (in which…
- Podcasts is a wierd word. Is it specifically tied to the iPod? Anyway. | Comics212 - […] You can see all of our pics, slides, etc., at Deb Aoki’s Manga Comics Manga: https://mangacomics.wpengine.com/sdcc-2015-best-and-worst-manga-of-2015/ […]
- The weekly web ramble (7/24) - […] – From Comic-con, the best and worst manga of 2015 […]
How curious. I wouldn’t have thought of Assassination Classroom as a “manga for kids/teens”. After all, in vol. 2, Korosensei gives Ms Jelavic “the adult treatment” with his tentacles, and in vol.2/3, schoolchildren abduct other schoolchildren and threaten to rape them.
Kids’re the only age-range interested in reading a manga about an immortal Sesame Street character, Martin.
Yes, I though the same. The plot gets kind of violent (the good thing is it never goes gore, which is something I hate on mangas) for kids/teens to read.
We put Assassination Classroom on our list of worst manga for kids at ALA (American Library Association) confererence (List here: http://blogs.slj.com/goodcomicsforkids/2015/07/16/notes-from-the-best-and-worst-graphic-novels-for-kids-panel-at-ala/) for the reasons you mention.
But what was interesting was a librarian from Oakland came up to us afterwards to tell us that Assassination Classroom was on her summer reading list for teens, because her kids “get it. They get the joke.” She mentioned that Oakland kids are surrounded by gun violence, but they could see the humor and heart in the series. While she conceded it might be a hard sell in more conservative communities, she also told us, “you just have to know your readers.”
Saint Young Men is my favorite for manga that aren’t translated into English but should be. This is the one about Jesus and Buddha taking vacation together on Earth – lightly humorous, clever, and quite respectful of these sacred figures. (The title of the French version is “Les Vacances de Jesus et Bouddha.”) Apparently, there’s been concern in Japan that it would raise controversy in North America. Maybe it would, somewhat, but that would be a great way to get fascinating conversations going.