The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga edited by Ilya

Everyone loves Manga, but the style is no longer confined to Japan. Manga and its sister term from comics of the Far East, manwha, is a style that is being copied around the globe to tell stories, and here are some of the best from around the globe, from Japan to Bulgaria, the US to Italy, showing the best of rising artist/creators from around the globe. Many of them are award winners, and they show off the wide range of manga, from Chibi to Yaoi, SF to Fantasy, to Horror.

With so many stories, instead of trying to include each one, I'll just list my favorites, the ones that made me laugh, cry or which affected me. First is the Comedy Chibis of "The Great Adventures of Gilbert and Sullivan". Watch them deal with Giant Mecha, the Ruler of Japan, upset about "The Mikado", and 'The Wandering Minstrel's Eye"! "Beat Me", which literalizes someone beating themselves up over something in a humorous and realistic way.

"The Forgotten Incident of San Sabian", in which the ghost of a man who erred greatly must deal with the results of his mistake, and the people who died from it, for all time. "Language" by Cubbie, where a boy finally gets up his courage to introduce himself to the girl he likes, only to have her ignore him. But is she really ignoring him? "King of a Miniature Garden" in which a very damaged young man is forced to give up his caretaker, who he loves, for a woman, his fianceé.

"Another Summer Day"- Six young children enjoy another summer day, which all too soon will be ended by the father of one of the pairs. "Samurai Commander Keiko Panda in Reach for the Sky"- an Anthromorphic Panda Woman must shut down a plot to take out the female leaders of the business world. "Never Forget"- Three young people who grew up together are now on opposite sides. But they were once friends, and remember their time together when they were young. And, finally, Strum, about the intersecting lives of four members of the same family, and how each affects the others in unforseen ways.

All the stories in the book are good, but those I enjoyed the best. Featuring different art and storytelling styles, and people from all different parts of the world, I can only Say that you should run, not walk, to your local bookstore and read this book (yeah, buy it, too!). It's filled with great stories, with links to the artist/creators and their websites so you can read more of their work and support it, which qiven the quality in here, is something everyone should do. So get to it!