Anime

Western comics have been drawing inspiration from manga and anime for a generation now, both artistically and narratively, and a whole bunch of today's bestselling comics creators owe a debt to their lifelong love of Japanese pop culture. If you know a fan of anime and manga who wants to make the jump to North American comics, we've put together this gift guide full of great suggestions.

From its days as unfamiliar black-and-white single comics discovered as if by chance in Western comics shops, manga has become the biggest-selling sector of the comics industry, and an influence on dozens of creators in the North American industry. Much like Western comics, manga is for everyone, so if you know someone who loves comics but has never got into manga, we've put together a gift guide with great ideas for books and movies that you can buy them this holiday season.

On this day in 1982, the first issue of Akira was published. Written and illustrated by Katsuhiro Otomo, this post-apocalyptic tale was crucial in the popularization of manga outside of Japan.

In honor of the caped crusaders of the convention scene, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), an ongoing collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we’ve discovered and assembled into a super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent. This week's selection of the best cosplay ever includes Wolverine, Star Wars' Mara Jade, Batwoman, RWBY's Ruby Rose, and more!

Friedrich Nietzsche once had a famous quote about gazing into the abyss and the abyss gazing unto you in return. I don't know Nietzsche, but I can only assume he actually meant that if you gaze into the abyss (space), the gays will gaze back at you — because space is filled with gays and they don't appreciate your rude staring. If you know someone who is all about gays in space (cue the Saturday Night Live theme song, though maybe not the rest of the skit) or cosmic queer folk, from #Stormpilot to Mass Effect, consider these holiday gifts. Retrograde Earthen ideas of love and gender most certainly not included.

Magical girls are special. They defend love and justice with a squad of their best friends, and they look cute while they're doing it. Their transformation sequences into their alter-egos are filled with sparkles. They remind us that the girly aesthetic is not a bad thing, and can actually be very powerful. You've probably got a few magical girls in your life, so we've put together this gift guide to inspire you to find the perfect presents for them.

In honor of the caped crusaders of the convention scene, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), an ongoing collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we’ve discovered and assembled into a super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent. This week's selection of the best cosplay ever includes the Ghostbusters, San from Princess Mononoke, Maya Fey from Ace Attorney, Winter Soldier, and Elektra.

In honor of the caped crusaders of the convention scene, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), an ongoing collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we’ve discovered and assembled into a super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent. This week's selection of the best cosplay ever includes Princess Allura, Overwatch's Hanzo, Black Widow, Pokemon Go's Blanche, and more!

I am woefully behind on my attempt to catch up with all 81 volumes of Eichiro Oda's One Piece, but I always understood this to be a series about, you know, pirates. Like, people who sail around on boats doing boat stuff and occasionally docking to have ridiculously weird super-powered pirate fights, many of which would also involve boats. But I guess you eventually have to stop being on a boat sometime, at least for a little while, and in One Piece Film: Gold, they're heading to the city-sized casino that is Gran Tesoro for an all-new anime adventure --- and it's coming to theaters in America from January 10 to 17.

If you've been looking for something nice to look forward to in 2017, I have some good news. Viz has announced that it's not only releasing Sailor Moon R: The Movie on DVD and Blu-Ray, but that for the first time ever, the full-length feature will get a theatrical release in the United States.