Aya.Takeo vol.2, UK£8.99
Details: 10x7" 64pgs full colour, free online, age rating PG
Aya Takeo is a story of space, time, civilisation and star-crossed love. Takeo gains a new companion and Ji-gumo the spider mecha gets a revolutionary makeover! Discover the true enemy as Lord Hisoka proves how far he is willing to go to attain power... and Aya. Volume 2 collects together the second year of the online comic. Artwork by Sonia Leong, story by Lloyd Prentice. Jump to Volume 1 here.
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~ [Free Online at www.ayatakeo.com] ~

Aya.Takeo has some funky merchandise associated with it, ranging from t-shirts and postcards thru to amazing custom print keyboards. For more info, go to ayatakeo.com and visit the online store. Related images:

Telling Tales, UK£6.99
Details: 9x6" digest 224 pgs, colour cover, age rating PG
Sweatdrop Studios presents a collection of tales adapted from stories well-loved and time-tested. You'll find fables from near and far; some will shock, some will surprise and some will make you smile. Sweatdrop's artists have scoured the globe for stories that have inspired and touched them in some way. Magic, greed, love, friendship, loss and punishment – fairytales have always encompassed a haunting mix of the fantastical and macabre. This anthology, perfect for bed-time reading, will capture all of that and more in Sweatdrop’s expected variety of styles and approaches; and the group are thrilled to be joined in this special book by guest creator Svetlana Chmakova (NightSchool/Dramacon).
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Talking to Strangers, UK£6.99
Details: 9x6" digest 224 pgs, colour cover, age rating teen
A girl trapped in a box, a boy chained to a rock and a friendship between a child and a flower. These are just a few of the themes that storyteller Fehed Said explores in this collection. Joining Fehed Said, the acclaimed writer behind SLG's Clarence Principle, and Sonia Leong, the award winning artist behind SMH's Romeo & Juliet is a sterling lineup of the UK's best new talent. Featuring artwork from Nana Li, Wing Yun Man, Chloe Citrine and Faye Yong.
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Domo: The Manga, UK£6.99
Details: 9x6" digest 96 pgs, full colour, age rating PG
International celebrity Domo makes his English language manga debut in this full-color collection of stories. First popularised in Japan as the mascot for the national television station, Domo has won the hearts of people the world over with his hilarious and unpredictable antics. In these stories Domo wreaks havoc on his friend Tashanna's Wii (my chapter!), wins a box car race by being the car and decides to be whatever he sees on TV including Tarzan, a samurai and finally a chef.
~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Love Stuffing vol.1, UK£5.99
Details: 9x6" digest 192 pgs, colour cover, age rating teen
Wishing she could get Steve to love her the way she loves her soft toys, Jenny wonders if the secret to being loved is in the stuffing itself. Comparing herself to the more popular girls in class, she realises her problem - she lacks the stuffing! Borrowing "love" from her fluffy friends, she "stuffs" herself and goes to school... Story and art by Sonia Leong, Concept by Stereoblind
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Many thanks to John and Christy of Stereoblind for entrusting me with the endearing concept behind Love Sutffing! Related images:

Aya.Takeo vol.1, UK£8.99
Details: 10x7" 64pgs full colour, free online, age rating PG
Aya Takeo is a story of space, time, civilisation and star-crossed love. The love and perseverance between a noblewoman separated from her lowly warrior, amidst a backdrop of a neo-classical Japan under invasion from spider mecha. Volume 1 collects together the first year of the online comic. Artwork by Sonia Leong, story by Lloyd Prentice.
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~ [Free Online at www.ayatakeo.com] ~

Once Upon a time..., UK£5.99
Details: 9x6" digest 160 pgs, colour cover, age rating teen
Once Upon a Time... stories of our time, the here and now. What challenges do we face when we have to grow up? Look through the eyes of different people as they deal with their personal battles, face the truth and determine their futures. Life's lessons can only be learnt from living it.
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

This is the collected volume of my first comic series with Sweatdrop. Related images:

Drop Dead Monstrous, UK£5.00
Details: 9x6" comic digest 128 pgs, colour cover, age rating teen
Prepare for a scare - Sweatdrop's new anthology 'Drop Dead Monstrous' is here! Features seven new comics about all sorts of monsters - from the close-to-home monsters you might find in your back yard, to exotic monsters from fairy tales, from the other side of the world, and from the far reaches of time and space. Even your nextdoor neighbour could be a monster! It's a bite sized chunk of comic flesh and braaaains. With Drop Dead Monstrous, every day is Hallowe'en! (I did chapter 7: Model Behaviour)
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Comic Book Tattoo, UK£19.99
Details: 12x12" digest 480 pgs, full colour, age rating teen
Over 80 creators from every style and genre have contributed 51 stories to this anthology featuring tales inspired by the songs of multi-platinum recording artist, Tori Amos. Featuring an introduction by Neil Gaiman, Comic Book Tattoo encapsulates the breadth, depth, and beauty of modern comics in this coffee table format book.

(Stephanie Leong and I contributed "Siren")
~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Manga Life: Be Creative, UK£6.00
Details: A5 digest 112 pgs, colour cover, age rating PG
Be creative marries manga images with tried and tested expert ideas in a stunning mixture of art and advice and is packed with ideas to help readers unleash their creative genius. Containing 52 little chapters with an accompanying comic, use the adventures (and misadventures) of Hayley, Jemima, Pete and Ken as a starting point for unleashing your own creativity at work and at play.
~ [Buy from Infinite Ideas] ~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Manga Life: Find True Love, UK£6.00
Details: A5 digest 112 pgs, colour cover, age rating PG
Find true love is a blend of manga and practical expert advice that will help you find, and keep, your true love. It contains 52 small but perfectly formed stand-alone chapters, each with one-page manga shorts that enhance and illustrate the ideas featured. Join Hayley, Jemima, Pete and Ken as they negotiate love, romance and relationships twenty-first centry style, and learn from their adventures (and mistakes!) as they each search for true love.
~ [Buy from Infinite Ideas] ~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Satan's Amazon, UK£2.00
Details: A5 wirebound 20 pgs, colour cover, age rating 16+
Oksana is an Amazonian warrior who finally falls in battle - and is brought face to face with Satan. He tells her that in order to reach Heaven she must re-live her life... without ever fighting back. Artwork by Sonia Leong, Story by John Bamber
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~

Japan 21 / Devon Curriculum Service - Education resource pack
Details: TBC
This page was commissioned by the educational charity Japan 21 for a resource pack soon to be published by the Devon Curriculum Services. The page will be featured as part of a translation exercise for KS3 users, in the section "Japan - Changing Place, Changing People".
~ [Purchase details TBC] ~

Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, UK£6.99
Details: A5 digest 208 pgs, colour cover, age rating teen
"MY ONLY LOVE SPRUNG FROM MY ONLY HATE," laments Juliet, the heroine of Romeo and Juliet, the world's most famous love story. A fusion of classic Shakespeare with manga visuals, this is a cutting edge adaptation that will impassion and grip its readers. Set in modern-day Japan, two young lovers are caught up in a bitter vendetta between their rival Yakuza families - the Montagues and the Capulets. Can their forbidden love survive as violence, betrayal and tragedy explode on the streets of Tokyo?
~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Visit www.selfmadehero.com for more info. Text abridged by Richard Appignanesi, edited by Emma Hayley, published by SelfMadeHero of Metromedia UK. Related images:

Pink is for Girls, UK£5.00
Details: 9x6" comic digest 132 pgs, colour cover, age rating teen
This is one of a pair of books, where the stories are closely intertwined and explore the differences between shojo and shonen manga. Every story has a corresponding tale in Blue is for Boys. My contribution was "Return to Chenezzar", and the back cover image!
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Cyborg Butterfly, UK£2.00
Details: A5 wirebound 20 pgs, colour cover, age rating teen
Cyborg operative, Cho Tanaka is assigned to a dangerous mission. Will her feelings for day-dreaming doctor, Ben Mayhew, ever be returned?
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~

Tokyopop Rising Stars of Manga UK & Ireland vol.1, UK£6.99
Details: 127x189mm digest, 181 pgs, colour cover, age rating teen
My 20 page entry, "Fatal Connection" was the 2nd place winner. A tale of two sisters linked in a sinister way...
~ [Buy from Amazon] ~

Visit www.tokyopop.com for more info. Check out this and later volumes because several Sweatdroppers and friends feature! Related images:

Power Trip, NEO magazine #8 UK£5.00 backorder
Details: A5 cover mount comic, 5 pgs, age rating PG
Someone goes on a Power Trip as two Egyptian gods battle it out in a videogame!
~ [Buy from NEO website!] ~

Tea Time, featured in Aniway #20 EU €3.95
Details: A4 magazine feature 6 pgs, full colour, age rating PG
Two Lolitas meet for Tea, with some scary results...
~ [Buy from Aniway!] ~

Sugardrops, UK£6.00
Details: 9x6" comic digest 156 pgs, colour cover, age rating PG
Sweatdrop Studios presents Sugardrops, a whimsical journey through the cute, the sweet and the adorable. Fifteen artists, each with their own personal take on the cute theme, with a delectable variety of manga-style artwork. Each short is a standalone story, so you can snack happily without spoiling your dinner. My Chapter was "Murder on the Dancefloor", a 10 pg short about a Catgirl Dance Competition!
~ [Buy from Sweatdrop] ~ [Buy from Amazon] ~