Dude... Where's my manga?

I've been catching up on my web reading lately and I saw Top Shelf announced that due to a shipping snafu the AX anthology has been available just not showing up in stores. Fortunately the problem has been resolved and hopefully I'll be able to get my grubby mitts on a copy soon enough. I feel like I've been waiting forever for this book to come out and it got me thinking about various little comic gems that seem to have fallen through the cracks.

Remember Eiji Nonaka's Cromartie High School? When AD Vision went belly-up not only did this result in us not getting the last leg of the series but I think it also killed the chances of us getting to enjoy his follow-up series Mirai Chounaikai (Future Neighborhood Association) which follows the adventures of a... well... A neighborhood association in the future. Every chapter had them dealing with various issues affecting the community. Maintenance, littering, alien abductions, psychic warriors.

Tokyo Flow Chart by Eiji Miruno is one of the titles that's a part of Viz's partnership with Ikki and I must say I am loving this comic. TFC takes the standard yonkoma strip and spins it off in a zillion different directions wringing larfs out of every panel. Ok, this one hasn't exactly "fallen through the cracks" but I do feel it's kinda on the bubble seeing as how it's part of the Sigikki "throw it against the wall and see what sticks" initiative and this comic deserves a wider audience.

Hmmmmm... Two brilliant gag manga authors both named Eiji. COINCIDENCE!?

And while poking around on the Ikki website I saw that Taiyou Matsumoto's No.5 will be available on the iPad in Japan, Canada and the US!

Oh and one more very important thing. In the latest entry from Same Hat! they linked to a section of manga previews from AX publishers Seirinkogeisha and I found out that the gentlemen who I've been referring to as Jiro Ishikawa all this time is actually named Toyo Kataoka. Oops. My apologies all around especially to Mr. Kataoka. And boo to Tokion magazine for getting his name wrong in the creator credits.