The first time I heard about MangaNEXT was when I attended AnimeNEXT 2006. It was a fresh new con that focused strictly on manga and manga creators; fan and professional. I wanted to attend but it unfortunately fell on a date for which I have already made plans. The following year, MangaNEXT did not return most likely due to the low attendance and I have given up on it ever returning.
But boy, am I glad to be proven wrong!
MangaNEXT is alive and well and it seems like this time around, they will have lots of interesting panels, visitors, and events happening. Guests include all kinds from published artists, web comic artists, OEL (original English language) manga creators, and illustrators. To be more specific, this years guests are Akino Kondoh, Nina Paley, M. Alice LeGrow, Lea Hernandez, Dirk I. Tiede, and Juri Hayasaka. Maybe you’ve heard of a few of them.
The Artist Alley is expected to be packed full of manga-creators touting their original works, tons of swap meets, cosplays, game shows, karaoke, dealers, contests, book club, and of course, panels galore. One “contest” actually drew my eye and that is that you can have your manga published in the MangaNEXT program guide! Of course, there are restrictions like it must be in b&w, must be 2-8 pages long, and so on. Give it a whirl if you’re interested but the deadline is September 15th so get crackin’!
MangaNEXT is being held at East Brunswick, NJ from October 29-31, 2010. Registration is currently at $35 USD if you pre-register before October 15 and will jump to $40 if you register at the event. If you come, maybe you’ll see me there!
