The Comics Journal has some content from is shojo issue online now, which tells me it’s possibly out in stores (so far, I haven’t been able to find it).
Dirk Deppery brings up some excellent points in his essay “She’s Got Her Own Thing Now” which goes beyond the “Look! Girls read manga!” thing and actually explains why girls read manga and not comics. I know I often lament the manga thing (and I more than likely will again) but I also understand it. Comics make women fight to like them. Manga doesn’t. Both those statements are generalizations, sure, but as much as I love comic books, I rarely feel like they’re aimed at readers like me. While it doesn’t stand for all manga, I feel like someone is actually acknowledging that this may be something I want to read.
