Manga world gets weirder

The world of global manga just got a little more, shall we say, "Complicated," courtesy of Del Rey.

That the manga publisher is expanding into this arena isn't surprising. The number of creators working on "global manga" -- generally recognized as everything that's not from Japan or Korea, influenced by the works that are -- with Tokyopop and Seven Seas have steadily grown over the past few years. A few other publishers have also dabbled in the genre.

What got manga commentators buzzing on the Internet, though, was one of the consultants and characters in an upcoming two-volume title called "Make 5 Wishes": Avril Lavigne.

Wait ... Avril Lavigne? Canadian pop-rocker, known for "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi" and spitting on the paparazzi? The singer who oh-so-conveniently will be releasing her new album a week after "Make 5 Wishes" hits bookstores in April?

Not to say that this project is destined for disaster, of course. That would be undermining the talents of artist Camilla D'Errico and writer Joshua Dysart. And one of the last global manga projects to have a musician associated with it, Courtney Love's "Princess Ai," wasn't that bad. (Really.)

I'm willing to take a "wait and see" approach, but whether the rest of fandom can look at it without laughing and/or gagging remains to be seen ...

Meeting roll call

» Oahu Anime Explorer: 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at HMC Academy, 555 N. King St. Visit www.oahuanimeexplorer.com for more details and this month's trivia question ...

In Sunday's 'D&Q'

The enigmatic "Vampire Hunter D" has teased U.S. audiences for two decades with two scant anime. Will the English releases of the "Vampire Hunter D" novels shed more light on the mysterious half-human hunter? Join Wilma J. in the Sunday Today section as she explores the franchise further ...

Cel Shaded, a look at the world of Japanese anime and manga, appears every Monday. Reach Jason S. Yadao at jyadao@starbulletin.com