Manga is a popular style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels. As a term used outside Japan, “Manga” refers to comics originally published in Japan. On July 19, as part of our Get Pop-Cultured festivities, head to your local Barnes & Noble for Manga Mania, where fans of all ages are invited to discover our newly expanded Manga selection and take advantage of special offers and activities.

Giveaways (for a limited time only, in stores only, while supplies last)

Kodansha Manga sampler

Viz Manga sampler

Hatsune Mix posters

Final Fantasy poster

DURARARA!! poster

Akame Ga Kill poster

Sword Art Online poster

Special Offers

Whether you’re just starting your manga collection, or building on an existing library, make sure to pick up the following titles and supplies.

Attack on Titan, by Hajime Isayama

Eren Yeager lives inside a walled city constructed to protect humanity from the people-eating giants who have taken over the outside world, but the walls are not enough. As the story begins, the Titans break in and swarm through the city, and one devours Eren’s mother before his eyes. Determined to kill the Titans, Eren joins the Survey Corps, a military unit that is trying to push the giants back, and, alongside his friends Mikasa and Armin, uncover the shadowy secrets behind the attacks. With fast action, intrigue, cool technology, and plenty of surprises, this is a series that grabs you and doesn’t let go—even after 15 volumes.

Deadman Wonderland, by Jinsei Katoka and Kazuma Kondou

After everyone else in his class is killed in a bloody mass murder, Ganta Igarashi is convicted of the crime and sent to Deadman Wonderland, a prison that doubles as a theme park, where inmates earn privileges, and in some cases stay alive, by taking part in brutal games (such as running a gauntlet of swinging blades) to entertain the public. Ganta’s sole hope for proving his innocence is to find the mysterious Red Man who appeared just before the murders, but there is an even greater mystery lurking behind it all, somehow connected to an enigmatic girl who appears out of nowhere, claiming to be Ganta’s friend.

Sword Art Online: Aincrad, by Reki Kawahara and Tamako Nakamura

It’s the gamer’s dream come true—new hardware called Nervegear connects directly to players’ brains, allowing them to experience a new level of virtual reality: the “full dive.” What could possibly go wrong? Thousands of gamers find out when they join in a new MMPORG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game) and discover that there is no logout button. Their virtual reality gear has locked them into the game, and the only way out is to reach the 100th floor of the in-game Castle of Aincrad. The deadly twist: when a player’s avatar dies, the hardware fries his or her brain, killing them in real life. That puts high stakes on the fantasy fighting action in this single-volume story—and there are plenty of sequels, in case one game is not enough.

Assassination Classroom, by Yusei Matsui

Class 3-E is the bottom of the pecking order at Kunugigaoka Junior High; everyone else in the school looks down on them. But they have a cool secret: they are all would-be assassins, and the target is their teacher. Koro Sensei, who looks like a moon-faced octopus in academic robes, has announced he will destroy the earth—after he spends a year teaching junior high. The only way to stop him is to kill him, but he moves at Mach 20 and is impervious to most weapons. Also, he’s a pretty good teacher, encouraging this students to do better even as they cook up more elaborate plots to do him in. This action comedy starts out with a preposterous premise and gets crazier as it goes along, with more and more would-be assassins piling into the classroom, but it’s all good fun—even after the shooting starts.

Naruto, by Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto is an orphan who is shunned by everyone in his village, so he becomes the class clown, much to the dismay of his teachers. Then one day he learns the secret of his origin: his father saved the village from a nine-tailed fox demon by sealing it up inside his newborn son. That revelation launches a story of competition, friendship, and danger, as Naruto taps into his powers, becomes a ninja, and works his way through the ranks, teaming up with his friends Sasuke and Sakura to go on important missions and taking part in a larger struggle between competing ninjas and clans. Naruto’s mix of comedy, friendship, betrayal, and ninja-fighting action has made it one of the best-selling manga in the world.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, by Hirohiko Araki

Come for the fights, stay for…even more fights. In Phantom Blood, the first arc of this long-running series, rich kid Jonathan Joestar gets the worst sibling ever when his father adopts the recently orphaned Dio Brando. Dio is a schemer who mounts a relentless campaign to demoralize Jonathan and eventually steal his inheritance. When Dio tries to poison his father, Jonathan goes into the slums of London to find an antidote and returns with a powerful ally: the street fighter Robert E.O. Speedwagon. In the meantime, Dio has gotten hold of one of the family’s secret treasures, an ancient Aztec mask that turns the wearer into a vampire. The struggle between the two foster brothers involves their wits as well as their fists, but Araki’s art particularly shines when he is drawing a fight, and this manga gives him plenty of scope to exercise that talent.

Akame Ga Kill, by Takahiro and Tetsuya Tashiro

Hoping to save his overtaxed, impoverished village, Tatsumi sets out to seek his fortune, but soon finds that the capital city is a dark, corrupt place. He joins a team of assassins, the Night Raiders, whose goal is to overthrow the shadowy minister manipulating the young emperor, restoring justice to the land. What sets this series apart are the well defined personalities of the Night Raiders and their weaponry, which ranges from the traditional (swords and armor), to the bizarre (a giant pair of scissors).

Noragami: Stray God, by Adachitoka

Yato is a god, but he’s kind of a loser, too; with no shrine of his own, he has to pick up odd jobs like finding lost pets. Yukine is his shinki, a teenage ghost who becomes a weapon at his command—but like a lot of teenagers, Yukine is not entirely down with the program. Hiyori was an ordinary schoolgirl (except for her inordinate love of professional wrestling) until she was hit by a bus while trying to save Yato from being run over; now she sees spirits and keeps falling out of her body. Together, this unlikely trio fights evil spirits (ayakashi) and enemy gods in this imaginative, witty action story set in the spaces between the real and the ghost worlds.

The Manga Artist’s Workbook: Easy-to-Follow Lessons for Creating Your Own Characters, by Christopher Hart

Now that you’ve read all that manga, it’s time to draw your own! Christopher Hart takes the mystery out of creating comics, walking readers through the fundamentals of character design and providing plenty of examples and exercises. Sketchbook pages allow aspiring artists to apply their newfound skills right in the book.

Brush Markers, Multi-Colored, set of 12

A popular tool for cartoonists, brush markers allow the artist to not only draw a strong line, but also vary its thickness—just like a traditional brush, but without the fuss. This set gives you plenty of options, with 12 colors to choose from.