The full teaser trailer for 20th Century Fox’s Dragonball has made its way online. Directed by James Wong, the movie stars Justin Chatwin as Goku, James Marsters as Piccolo, Emmy Rossum as Bulma, Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi, Jamie Chung as Chi Chi, and Park Joon as Yamcha.

Dragonball, based on the hit manga series by Akira Toriyama and the anime it inspired, is set for release on April 3, 2009.

(via Dragonball – The Movie)

As we skid into October, I find myself having a bit of an off week, at least comics-wise. I just don’t see much that catches my eye.

Chris Mautner, on the other hand, has spied a veritable treasure trove, from a Baby Huey collection to Batman #680 a Complete Peanuts box set.

So, maybe it’s just me.

Wednesday also sees the Dark Tower: The Long Road Home hardcover, the debut of Steve Niles’ future-noir City of Dust, and a one-shot dedicated Bruce Campbell’s My Name Is Bruce movie.

To see what other titles Chris and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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– Iron Man comes out on DVD today, and Paramount sent over a bunch of links to deleted scenes and test footage that’ll appear on the special edition. Check’em out here, here, here, here and here.

– The North Shore News talks to Peter Bagge.

– McClatchy News Service has a nice, short Q&A with Sergio Aragones.

– Just how much manga do the Japanese read anyway? Matt Thorn investigates.

– Charles Hatfield visits the Center for Cartoon Studies.

– Matt Bors sketchblogs the presidential debate.

– “Retired” comics critic Domingos Isabelinho is blogging now.

– The Daily Cross Hatch is asking cartoonists to draw how they’re getting to the Small Press Expo this year. Mei K kicks off the series.

– Damn, I forgot to add this to the TiVo; Cold Hard Flash talks to the creators of the new Adult Swim cartoon Superjail.

– Anyone want to draw a monkey? It’s for charity.

Compiled by JK and Chris.

– Comic Debrief talks to Douglas Wolk.

– Not comics, but really cool: A Babar exhibit in New York.

– Matt Thorn provides a fascinating look at the rise and fall of the phrase “shojo” in Japan.

– Here’s a rather nifty blog devoted to Frank Franzetta.

– Matthew Penney examines the nonfiction manga of Mizuki Shigeru.

– Nick Blodgett talks with Carnal Comics publisher SS Crompton about the ups and downs of publishing x-rated funnybooks.

– Van Jensen examines IDW’s plans for the G.I. Joe franchise.

– The Comics Journal has a quick rundown of what some publishers will be debuting at SPX.

– Kai-Ming Cha looks at the new Afro Samurai manga.

– Our own Tim O’Shea talks with Dean Haspiel about his new graphic novel, The Alcoholic, among other things.

– Johanna Draper Carlson tells you how to make a career writing comics.

– Same Hat! has some nice photos and videos from a recent Lynda Barry talk.

It’s a good week for fans of classic comics as publishers roll out collections ranging from Nemesis Archives, Vol. 1, and Showcase Presents: Metal Men, Vol. 2, to Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: The Barks/Rosa Collection, Vol. 3, and The Complete Terry and the Pirates, Vol. 4.

Looking for something a little more recent? Then try the Absolute edition of Frank Miller’s Ronin, the premiere hardcover of Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones’ Marvel Boy miniseries, or the special edition of Dan Clowes’ Ghost World.

But if single issues are more your thing, there’s a new Solomon Kane series, the end of The Ultimates 3, the introduction of Lady Bullseye in Daredevil, and the finale of the Atlas story arc in Superman.

To see what other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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– Ever wonder what the Fantagraphics offices look like? Apparently they look like this.

– Ever wonder what Josh Cotter’s sketchbook looks like? Apparently it looks like this.

– I’m not sure what Scott McCloud has to do with scurrilous manga pouring into Vietnam’s borders, but whatever.

– The Web site for the upcoming Dear Mr. Watterson documentary has a trailer up.

– Zak Sally shares some rejected Nickelodeon gags. I like the second one best.

– Baltimore’s City Paper is having a comics contest.

Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party has elected self-professed otaku Taro Aso as prime minister, replacing Yasuo Fukuda, who resigned suddenly on Sept 1.

As foreign minister, the 68-year-old Aso established the International Manga Award, often referred to as “the Nobel Prize of manga.” Speculation that the outspoken nationalist could become prime minister sent shares in pop-culture companies — such as publisher Broccoli International and second-hand comic book store chain Mandarake — soaring.

A former Olympic sharpshooter, Aso has created an image as a “cool old dude.” However, he’s also developed a reputation for putting his foot in his mouth with comments that have riled North Korea, South Korea and China, and jokes about Alzheimer’s disease (a particularly sensitive area, given Japan’s aging population).

Matt Thorn shares another stunning example of pre-WWII manga:

The Adventures of Little Shô is a sort of Art Nouveau/Japanesque fantasy about a boy of indeterminate age who rescues and befriends a large talking squirrel (who apparently has no name other than “Squirrel”), with whom he has a stunning range of adventures. Each adventure is quite short, most running between 10 and 16 pages, and range from the mundane (a trip to Osaka) to the bizarre (one adventure has Shô flying an airplane, battling a dinosaur, being rescued by a mammoth, and dancing with fairies who look like flappers with butterfly wings). If these strips had been published in English, they would have seemed perfectly at home on the Sunday supplement of an American newspaper of the day, except for one striking characteristic. Mixed in with characters in modern dress, Kewpies, centaurs, pith helmets, steam locomotives, and Western fairies are characters in kimono and creatures from Japanese folklore and legend. Kabashima manages to pull off this melange in the most natural way, probably because a hodgepodge of Japanese and Western, traditional and modern, was simply everyday reality for Japanese in the Taisho Period (1912-1926) and early Showa Period (1926 – 1989).

Ryan at Same Hat got a copy of Taiyo Matsumoto’s GoGo Monster and shares some sample pages. Damn I want a translated copy of this book. Now please.

– Check out the variant cover for Sandman: The Dream Hunters #1.

– Brian Heater posts the first part of his roundtable discussion with Mo Willems and Kyle Baker, done last week as part of the Brooklyn Book Festival.

– Richard Thompson’s art will grace the cover of the November issue of Nickelodeon Magazine.

– Chris Butcher has started a new weekly review column. He kicks things off with Hideo Azuma’s Dissapearance Diary.

– Looking for manga aimed at gay men (ie. not yaoi)? Start here.

This week, we say good-bye to Morrison and Quitely’s All-Star Superman, give a passing nod to another installment of Secret Invasion, and take a second look at a handful of popular manga, conveniently repackaged for our enjoyment.

Wednesday also sees the return of Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting, the second issue of Millar and Harris’ destined-to-be-a-movie War Heroes, a hefty hardcover collection for Wood and Kelly’s Local, and an outsider’s view of Burma in the form of Guy Delisle’s new graphic novel.

To see what other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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Blogger John Jakala counts down the ways that Yamanaka Akira’s Spider-Man J is better than his friendly neighborhood American counterpart:

9. Telepathic spider-sense! If I remember correctly, the OHOTMU characterized Spider-Man’s spider-sense as a mild form of clairvoyance, so why not add limited telepathy to the mix? Finally, Spidey will be able to tell just how much J. Jonah Jameson J hates him without having to endure endless awkward hostess bar outings with his boss.

Inspired by Shaneon Garrity’s recent post, Matt Thorn takes time to share another Noboru Ôshiro comic, this one about, well, a train journey:

Keep in mind that this manga was published in hardcover format in 1941, a time when virtually all media had been turned into pro-war, ultra-nationalistic propaganda, and yet contains not the slightest hint of propaganda. It is the simple story of a father and son taking a train trip from Tokyo to Kyoto, and learning about the places they pass on the way. It even includes a detailed visual explanation of how animation is made. The book is drop dead gorgeous from beginning to end. But for reasons unknown to me, the book ends abruptly when the train reaches Nagoya. I would dearly love to see the rest of the story, assuming it was ever finished.

If you prefer your comics in hardcover form, this is the week for you.

DC Comics collects Batman #667-669 and 672-675 in The Black Glove, as well as the first three arcs of Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark’s celebrated Gotham Central.

Marvel, meanwhile, celebrates the 10th anniversary of Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada’s Daredevil: Guardian Devil storyline with a premiere hardcover, releases a collected edition of the recent Omega: The Unknown miniseries by Jonathan Lethem, Farel Dalrymple & Co.

Plus there’s another volume of Krazy & Ignatz from Fantagraphics, American Widow from First Second, Good Neighbors, Vol. 1, from Graphix, and Naruto: Collector’s Edition from Viz Media.

And those are just some of the hardcovers.

To see what other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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Shaenon Garrity posts a few sample pages from Voyage to Mars by Noboru Ohshiro, a classic example of Pre-Tezuka manga:

Published in 1940, which was, er, not a good time for the Japanese publishing industry, or indeed the Japanese anything, Ohshiro’s one-volume opus has survived as one of the classics of early manga. If you were wondering what manga looked like before Tezuka, Kasei Tanken will give you an idea (answer: a lot like early American comic strips). It was one of the first manga to tell a complete self-contained story, one of the first manga with science-fiction themes, and one of the best-drawn manga of its time.

Also, have I mentioned that it’s totally sweet and kicks your ass?

Stocks in Japan’s pop culture-related companies soared again Monday based on speculation that avowed otaku Taro Aso could become prime minister after the surprise resignation of Yasuo Fukuda.

If you’ll recall, the same thing happened last September when Aso was considered a contender for the same position.

This time around, shares of manga publisher Broccoli International jumped by 45 percent before lunch, while those of bookstore chain Mandarake climbed 17 percent.

Aso, who’s now chief cabinet secretary, established the International Manga Award — “the Nobel Prize of manga” — while he was foreign minister.

Related: Hong Kong cartoonist Lau Wan Kit wins the second annual International Manga Award

If this week’s shipping list is any indication, we may have reached the Dog Days.

For those with extra cash in your pocket — hey, gas has dropped 15 cents a gallon, right? — Marvel is releasing the hardcover Daredevil By Brian Michael Bendis Omnibus for $100. If you’re looking for something a little less expensive, Wednesday also sees the premiere of the third volume of Runaways, by Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos.

DC says good-bye to Catwoman and hello to two more Final Crisis tie-ins: DC Universe: Last Will and Testament and Superman Beyond.

Elsewhere, Dark Horse collects Chris Onstad’s popular Achewood comic, Abrams spotlights Al Jaffee’s Tall Tales strips, and Image debuts Guerillas.

To see what other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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New Fullmetal Alchemist anime series is in the works

Despite earlier suggestions to the contrary, studio Bones will announce tomorrow that a new Fullmetal Alchemist anime series is in the works.

The official word will come via the wraparound jacket band for the 20th volume of Hiromu Arakawa’s hit manga, due out Friday in Japan.

Rumors began circulating earlier this summer about a sequel to the hit series when a list of Bones’ animation staff members leaked online. The spreadsheet, which the studio said was fake, contained references to sequels for Fullmetal Alchemist and Darker Than Black.

The FMA sequel reportedly will be based more closely on the manga, from which the original anime diverged fairly early on in the series.

The Ticker

• Led by the blockbuster Dark Knight, Hollywood studios are heading for a $4 billion summer domestic box office — just about matching last year’s record haul. That’s despite lower attendance. [Reuters, via The Washington Post]

• Robert Downey Jr. says his starring role in Guy Ritchie’s Holmes – it’s based on a forthcoming comic by producer Lionel Wigram — will be “bad-ass”: “In the real origin stories of Sherlock Holmes, he’s kind of a bad-ass and a bare-knuckle boxer and studies the rare art of baritsu [fictional martial art created by Doyle for the final Holmes story, 1901's The Adventure Of The Empty House]. If you look baritsu up, they can’t even really tell you what it is, so it gives us a lot of leeway.” The movie begins shooting on Oct. 6 in England. [Premiere]

• Rumor mill: Is Ghost Rider 2 back on? [Slice of SciFi]

• What went wrong with the second season of NBC’s Heroes? [Time Out Chicago]

– Wil Moss talks to the Apocalipstix team.

– Good news: IDW is going to alter the format of the Dick Tracy books in order to allow the Sunday pages to be printed at a larger size.

– Brigid Alverson talks to Templar, Arizona creator Charlie Trotman.

– The Daily Cross Hatch chats up Cory Doctorow.

– Frank Santoro on Kyle Baker’s How to Draw Stupid.

– Franklin Harris recounts the history of EC Comics for Reason.

– James Kochalka takes a stab at recreating a classic Fantastic Four page.

– Yen Press is hopping on the four-panel manga bandwagon.