Welcome back to another installment of Last Week in Geekdom where I comb the internet for all the news you need to know so you don’t have to. It looks like this season doesn’t have all that many romance animes that interest me, so there will be no first impressions post this time. Instead I’m going to try and focus on my manga and comics review backlog and hopefully catch up on a lot of the currently publishing series. As for news for this week: More digging has been done on the allegations against Vic Mignogna; the founder and CEO of Funimation has stepped down; and someone’s giving away a comic store in Chicago. As always, check out the videos and articles below. There’s some good ones this time. Have a great Sunday (especially to those of you trying to avoid all the Superbowl craziness like me)!
Top Anime and Manga News
Funimation founder Gen Fukunaga has stepped down as GM of the company and has moved into a chairman role. Fukunaga has said that the change was on the horizon since Sony took a major interest in the company, and he is working on facilitating a seamless transition for the next GM.
Anime News Network has done more digging into the allegations of sexual assault and harassment of minors by Funimation voice actor Vic Mignogna. More stories of inappropriate behavior with fans and con attendees are outlined in this article as well as conversations within his personal fan club.
Seventeen manga titles make it onto the American Library Association’s Young Adult Library Services Association’s top graphic novels for teens list. Included in the list is Silver Spoon, Flying Witch, and My Brother’s Husband.
Youtube and digital content creation management group, Machinima lays off 81 of its 100 person staff. The decision was made after the company was bought by AT&T and folded into Otter Media who also controls Crunchyroll. All affiliated Youtube channels were set to private without advance notice.
Anime Announcements
- Signal MD makes new 2020 film Words Bubbling Up Like Cider
- Macross Delta film coming 2020
Manga Announcements
- Ultraman manga goes on Hiatus for author’s health
- Mob Psycho 100 manga getting Reigan spin-off
Top Comics News
A comic shop owner in Chicago is giving away his store, Chimera’s Comics, to the first person who can prove to him that they are worthy of it. Those looking to enter the contest have to submit a 500 word essay on what they think makes a great comic book store. However with so many independent stores closing, I’m not sure how good of an idea this is.
James Gunn has been hired as the director to Warner Brothers’ Suicide Squad relaunch. Originally thought to be a sequel to the previous movie, it has been revealed that Gunn is planning to take the movie in a new direction with an all new cast.
A memorial for the comics icon Stan Lee was held last week in Hollywood to remember the man who influenced so many people. Actors and artists alike turned up to show their respect, including Mark Hammill and Kevin Smith.
Featured Articles
- The New York Times profiles the French comic book festival Angouleme where the atmosphere feels more like a film festival rather than a comic book one. The article points to the difference between the American and French industries, where French comics are treated as their own ninth art form.
- ICv2 sits down with Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman to discuss the state of the comic book industry and the reception of his new comic Oblivion Song.
Featured Videos
- Mother’s Basement takes a look at why the anime medium falls short in the horror genre in instilling the sense of fear that is necessary for horror stories to be successful.
- That Music Nerd gives us his run-down of the top anime scores and OSTs of 2018 with an in-depth look at what makes his top choices so good musically.
- Archipel sits down with mangaka Shinichi Sakamoto (Innocent) and follows his daily life as a manga creator and process he uses to bring his manga to life.
Featured WordPress Post
- Afictionado takes a personal look at Bloom into You and why the series became so important to them, delving into queer representation and the nature of the anime’s story about love.
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