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The strong showings by Fruits Basket, Kitchen Princess, and Vampire Knight are no mean feat, as none of these series have an anime adaptation airing on Cartoon Network—which, according to industry wisdom, is an essential pre-condition for turning a manga into a mega-hit.* Girls’ voracious, omnivorous reading habits have made hits of shojo and shonen titles alike, suggesting that the industry can survive the end of Naruto without a Black Friday crash—girls will always find a new series to champion, even if it doesn't air on Cartoon Network.

OEL creators are constrained by this same limitation, and have accordingly adapted their creative offerings to appeal to a big, young chunk of the market. Which brings us to the big, omnipresent thing that OEL titles simply don’t have at this point, and one of the domains that manga must concede to US creations: the ability to tell a distinctly American story in a manga format and have it be written by an American author.

The issue isn’t that it can’t be done, but rather, that our current market won’t allow it to be. Even if a visionary, thoughtful creator emerged and produced a visionary, groundbreaking piece of work, who would publish it? OEL is on shaky legs as it is. Ask a company to take a risk on an adult oriented, culturally serious title?

IBBY UK/NCRCL MA CONFERENCE, 14 NOVEMBER 2009 Roehampton University, London - Call for Papers The theme this year is Comics and Graphic Novels. Graphic novels are becoming increasingly popular and diverse in the UK and have been highly valued in many countries, notably France, Belgium and Japan, for many years. The 2009 IBBY UK/NCRCL MA conference will explore the developing interest in this medium from a variety of perspectives, in addition to considering developments in the range and content of comics available to children and young people. The conference will include keynote presentations by well-known writers, publishers and academics. Proposals are welcomed for workshop sessions (lasting about 20 minutes) on the following or other relevant issues: International perspectives – comics and graphic novels in a particular culture and/or across cultures Comics from a contemporary or historical perspective. Has the number and range of comics declined and, if so, why? Manga - its origins in Japan and developments and adaptations in other cultures New literacies – the changing interface between visual images and text Links between media – computer games, films, internet comics, character toys Animations and cartoons The work of individual and collective creators of comics and graphic novels. What collaborations are involved in the production of a graphic novel? Is the author a major or minor player in the design of a graphic novel? Use of artistic styles – colour/black and white artwork/photography/fonts and typography. What are the technical complexities of producing comics and graphic novels? Engagement of children and young people with/through this medium. Is there a particular appeal to the `reluctant' reader? Gendered reading. Do comics and graphic novels have more appeal to male readers? Controversial issues/taboo subjects – the notion of `appropriate' material for What is the appeal of a graphic novel as against an illustrated book? How do picture books compare in popularity with graphic novels for a younger age group? We welcome contributions from interested academics and others. of these areas. Brief accounts of the papers that are presented at the conference will be published in the Spring 2010 issue of IBBYLink, the journal of British IBBY. Also we hope that the proceedings of the conference will be published later that year in full in book form. The deadline for proposals is 20 July 2009. Please email a 200-word abstract (for a 20-minute paper) as an attached Word document to Pat Pinsent and also contact her if your require any further information on this call for papers. Please also include a short biography and affiliation. Pat Pinsent, 23 Burcott Road, Purley, CR8 4AD. Tel: (020) 8668 4093. Email: patpinsent@aol.com The IBBY has just opened the CFP for its September 2010 conference in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The theme is "The Strength of Minorities". Details here: http://www.ibbycompostela2010.org/ Topics Children's and young people's literature: a minority area within the literature arena Despite the high quality and notable presence of children's book editions and the general growth of literature, they still hold a minority status in the eyes of editors, writers and the media, generally. Why are we writing or illustrating for children in these conditions? Children's and young people's literature in minority languages: from difference to survival Literature written in minority languages invariably face a wide set of challenges. Its survival is dependent on factors such as socio-political context, the extent of the official status bestowed on them and the general public response to cultural and linguistic diversity. Children's books can contribute towards the standardization of the edition in minority languages. However, publishers targeting a reduced market undoubtedly encounter many difficulties. Readers in a minority situation Children and young people with disabilities or special needs usually encounter many obstacles with regards to access to books or the pleasure of reading. We must find solutions to help combat these difficulties. A readership bereft of childhood Books and reading matter are generally considered staples for intellectual and cultural development and the growth of the youngest members of society. However, not all children have easy access to books. How do we broach the subject of books and reading material with those readers who missed out on their childhood: exploited children and those without even enough to eat? I am a reading girl, you are a reading boy... Do we still need children's literature which takes into account the gender issue? How do we tackle questions relating to sexual orientation and the rights of sexual minorities within children's books? Globalizing diversity and tolerance through children's books The 21st century must ensure the survival of minorities on the road to a better future. Diversity and tolerance - which are vital for a fairer world - must respectively make inroads in relation to minority groups.

  Call for Contributions         The Blackwell Companion to the Historical Film   Editors: Robert A Rosenstone, California Institute of Technology      Constantin Parvulescu, Washington University in St Louis The editors invite contributions to The Blackwell Companion to Historical Film, a volume of 25 to 30 essays devoted to the latest scholarship on the origins, contributions, history, range, codes, strategies, poetics, politics, tropes, production, packaging, and cultural impact of this important genre, the dramatic historical feature film. The Companion will be a major work which will survey the field as it exists today and also be suitable as a textbook for history-on-film and film-studies classes. The collection focuses only on feature films, and will include essays by both leading and emerging scholars in the fields of history, cinema studies, cultural studies, and other fields that have something to offer this inherently interdisciplinary topic.  Scholars such as Robert Burgoyne, Marcia Landy, and Catherine Portugues, Paula Rabinowitz, Alison Landsberg, Denise Youngblood, and Guy Westwell have already committed themselves to essays for the volume. We are currently seeking essays on particular topics, but scholars interested in contributing to the collection need not limit themselves to these themes but should feel free to suggest anything related to the genre of the historical film: •       American history (especially 18 and 19th centuries) on film •       African-American and American-Indian history on film •       Exile and diaspora historical films •       Cinematic adaptations of historical novels •       Minor histories and minor heroes on film •       The historical film and the national mythology (outside Europe) •       History on film and history on other media, including animation •       Production and marketing of historical films Those who wish to contribute should send a working title, a brief description of the proposed essay and a short bio to both editors: rr@hss.caltech.edu and ctparvulescu@gmail.com. Essays are to be between 8,000 and 10,000 words long; they will be due on March 1, 2011. Abstracts submission deadline: May 1, 2010.