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Manga Nominated for "Great Graphic Novels for Teens"

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has announced the first set of graphic novels nominated for inclusion in the 2008 edition of Great Graphic Novels for Teens list. Graphic novels published between September 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007 are eligible for nomination. The final list, which was prepared for the first time earlier this year, will be made public at YALSA's mid-winter meeting, which will be held in Philadelphia in January. At the same time, YALSA will select the year's top ten graphic novels for teens from among the nominees. The only manga chosen to appear on the 2007 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens list was Death Note.

Of the 58 titles that have been nominated so far, twenty-four originated from Japan, and several others were released by companies that primarily publish manga. Four of Tokyopop's eight nominations are Japanese - the first volumes of The Good Witch of the West, Mugen Spiral, and King of Thorn as well as the one-volume Me2. Three Tokyopop original graphic novels — Avalon High Coronation Volume 1, Dramacon Volume 2, and My Dead Girlfriend Volume 1 — were also named to the list. Their final nominated title, Gothic Sports Volume 1, was originally released in Germany.

Viz Media is represented on the list by six separate volumes of three titles. The first and second volumes of Vampire Knight, volumes 7, 8, and 9 of Kekkaishi, and the first volume of Love*Com were all nominated. Another manga company with six nominations is Go! Comi. The nominating committee selected the first four volumes of After School Nightmare and the first two volumes of TRAIN+TRAIN for final consideration.

The first four volumes of CMX Manga's Emma were picked as well. The only other CMX title on the list is volume 1 of Canon. Finally, the three Del Rey Manga titles YALSA picked were Mushi-shi Volume 1, Princess Resurrection Volume 1, and the initial volume of Avril Lavigne's Make Five Wishes.

In addition TO Books released by North America's larger manga publishers, the nominations also include volume 1 of the manhwa Goong (originally published by the now-defunct ICE Kunion, although Yen Press has recently acquired the rights to ICE Kunion's entire catalog), and a manga-style adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which is released by SelfMadeHero in the Great Britain and by Abrams Books for Young Readers in the United States. Digital Manga Publishing's boys love imprint June is also represented, with one nomination going to the first volume of The Moon and Sandals.

The full list of nominees can be seen on the YALSA website. Additional titles will be added to it monthly until November. The 2007 final list, which selected 67 individual titles from among a total of 141 nominations, is also available.