Today's Links of Interest

Atari Force Comics Online

Sadly not the really cool 1980s DC series, that featured the lush art of Jose Garcia-Lopez. These are the 5 issue minicomics that appeared in various Atari games out at the time. These stories setup the basis for many of the stories of the later series, though they don't have the character Dart in them, so its not a big thing for me.

May 19 International Manga Meetup Day

New York Daily News does a report on the popularity of manga, and how people around the world are planning to meet up with fellow readers to discuss their passion on May 19. Some comic fans still seem to see manga as a fad, if the excitement displayed in this article by a woman who identifies herself as "Luna P" is any indication:

I live, breathe, love, manga," she writes on the manga-crazed Web site AnimeonDVD.com. "I'd marry it, but there's so many choices."

Fans for manga are just as passionate for them, as many American comic fans are for their comics.

India's First Graphic Novel

I find it fascinating to see the growth of the graphic novel format in different countries, and its ready acceptance by those cultures. This one sound promising too, and I hope it someday reaches our shores.

Graphic novels more than double library membership

An interesting report from Fayetteville, North Carolina about how the inclusion of graphic novels in their library has more than doubled the number of patrons. Something especially pleasing to see was that a number of the new patrons are kids, who seem to have a real passion for the stuff.