Graphic novel odds and ends

NPR has an article up about American interest in foreign comics—everything from Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis to manga. The article is generic and under-researched, particularly by NPR's standards ("The trend began with Manga, illustrated comic serials from Japan, which feature big-eyed, heavily stylized characters."), but still worth checking out.

The beta version of Tokyopop's new website is out, offering some relief to those of us who found the old site eye twitch-inducing.

Shoujo mangaka Mayu Shinjo (creator of Viz's Sensual Phrase and the scanlation favorite Love Celeb) is going to write a one-shot for the October issue of Jump Square magazine—her first work for a shōnen magazine. It's a little tough for me to imagine Mayu Shinjo producing something outside of her smut-tastic comfort zone, but who knows? Maybe she'll be great.