The Best New Manga of July 2019

The Poe Clan, Vol. 1, by Moto Hagio
The standout book this month is a classic tale of tortured vampires that stretches across two centuries. Moto Hagio is one of the grande dames of manga, and The Poe Clan was a sensation when it was first published: The first printing of the first volume sold out in a day. Now Fantagraphics is bringing it to English-language readers in deluxe hardcover volumes. The Poe Clan was groundbreaking in its time, but don’t let its status as a classic scare you off: Hagio is as popular as she is because she’s such a great storyteller, and the combination of vampires and angst always makes for a good yarn. [Editor’s note: Following publication of this post, we noted the release date for this book was moved to August 20.]

Magus of the Library, Vol. 1, by Mitsu Izumi
This one has a slow build, but the richly detailed art makes it worth the wait. It’s set in a vaguely Central Asian land, where every village has a library—but the young boy at the center of the story isn’t allowed to use his, because he lives in the slums and looks different from everyone else. Everything changes when a group of badass librarians (is there any other kind?) arrive in the village in search of a grimoire (a spell book with magical powers). As they go about their business, one of them befriends the young boy, and before they leave town, lives have been saved and injustices rectified. And that’s just the beginning: this volume ends with our hero departing for the big city to take the test to be a librarian. This manga is a treat for the eyes, filled with exotic costumes, buildings, and books, and some of the background narration is done in a style that evokes Indonesian shadow puppets.

Beastars, Vol. 1, by Paru Itagaki
High school is always awkward, but you know what makes it even more awkward? When half the class is predators and the other half is prey. Literally. Carnivores and herbivores live in separate dorms but mingle in classes and other activities, including drama club. The story starts with a shadowy creature murdering and devouring the star of the club’s upcoming production, an alpaca named Tem. This leaves the students dealing with not just the loss of their friend but the suspicion that he was eaten by one of their classmates, the fear that they could be next, and the question of who will take Tem’s place in the big show. This may sound like a goofy premise for a manga, but Itagaki pulls it off nicely, with animals that are just human enough to be convincing, smart dialogue, and plenty of intrigue. The Beastars anime is scheduled to start on Netflix in October.

Ryuko, Vol. 1, by Eldo Yoshimizu
A real treat for lovers of hard-boiled seinen manga in the vein of Lady Snowblood and Golgo 13, starts with a daring train heist and a double-cross, with three bikini-clad women duking it out as the train is ferried away by a helicopter. That leads us straight in to the story of Ryuko, the motorcycle-riding leader of a crime family who is out to avenge her family and rescue her kidnapped mother. Yoshimuzu’s supple art makes this manga surprisingly easy to follow, as he finds just the right balance between explosions, fights, and quiet moments of exposition. This story is complete in two volumes.

Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 1, by Mika Yamamori
Settle in for a good old-fashioned shoujo school romance with a couple of updated twists. Suzume enjoyed her life in a sleepy country town until her parents abruptly announced that they were going abroad and sending her to live with her uncle in Tokyo, whom she doesn’t even remember. Things are awkward at her new school, especially when she blackmails the cute-but-distant guy into being her friend, thus attracting the ire of the chief Mean Girl, but fortunately her super-cute homeroom teacher is there to help her sort things out. It’s going to be interesting to see where this one goes. With nice art and quirky characters, this series is off to a good start.

Mythical Beast Investigator, Vol. 1, by Koichiro Hoshino and Keishi Ayasato
Supernatural creatures roam the world of this delightful fantasy story, but there’s also a bureaucracy that registers them and keeps them in check. When a wyvern starts attacking a village, a junior investigator, Ferry, is dispatched to deal with it. She records the data and, with a few sharp questions, gets to the heart of the matter and the reason for the attacks. Accompanied by a pet bat and a supernatural protector who looks like something from a Tim Burton film, Ferry travels the land, solving problems with as much empathy for the beasts as for the humans who fear them. This charming story is a good read for fans of fantasies like The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún!

Cardcaptor Sakura Collector’s Edition, Vol. 1, by CLAMP
This actually came out at the tail end of June, but it’s too good not to mention. Cardcaptor Sakura was part of the first wave shoujo manga to gain popularity in North America, and it’s a classic of the magical girl genre: Sakura Kinomoto, opens a mysterious book and releases a set of magical cards as well as their guardian, who gives her magical powers so she can battle each of the cards and seal it away. Every CLAMP story is a feast for the eye, and this larger-format hardcover presents Sakura in a prestige format.

Skeleton Knight in Another World, Vol. 1, by Ennki Hakari and Akira Sawano
Just in time for summer vacation, here’s a new isekai manga. The lead character, Arc, simply wakes up inside his favorite video game and finds that he is wearing the super armor he was playing in when he fell asleep—but he also had a skin that made him look like a skeleton, so he’s a skeleton in this world as well. He deals with that by keeping his helmet on as he roams the land, fighting terrible beasts and rescuing scantily clad maidens. There doesn’t seem to be an overarching plot in this story, as Arc is in no hurry to get out of the new world or ascend to a particular level, but it does deliver plenty of fantasy action.

Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-San, Vol. 1, by *Honda
More skeletons! The title says it all in this workplace gag manga about a skeleton who is a clerk in a bookstore. Anyone who has worked retail knows that life is filled with ridiculous situations anyway, and in fact, manga-ka Honda based the manga on his own experience working in a bookstore. Honda-san’s co-workers all sport odd headgear, from a pumpkin to a paper bag, which just ramps up the absurdity. This series, which runs to four volumes, started on the website pixiv, and has been made into a quirky anime series.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes, Vol. 5, by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court
Koichi, Pop Step, and Knuckleduster may B-Team superheroes, but they sure are fun to watch. Unlike the superheroes-in-training of the main series, they use their quirks and talents to avert disasters and solve crimes from outside the system. Having foiled a plot to cause chaos at the grand opening of a local supermarket, the vigilantes are ready to move on—but Knuckleduster may be done with the vigilante life. This series continues to be a more than satisfying extension of the ridiculously popular My Hero franchise.

My Hero Academia School Briefs, Vol. 2, by Anri Yoshi and Kohei Horikoshi
Speaking of which: the second volume of prose stories about the cast of My Hero Academia takes the students of U.A. to a training camp, where they are supposed to focus on improving their quirks. There’s a little of that, but being out in the woods gives them more freedom than usual, providing plenty of opportunities for new friendships and rivalries.