According to an article from the Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle, the Hamilton-Wenham Library’s young adult section has been getting a major overhaul thanks to a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The overhaul is supposed to eventually include a mural:

The teens…also brainstormed and voted on a theme for the mural, which ended in a tie. This means the chosen painter will decide which to do; the choices are Dungeons and Dragons or Manga. Each side of the post will have a different character from either comic that represents Earth, air, fire and water…Or the artist could choose to combine the two ideas and create an abstract design that embraces Earth, air, fire and water.

Well, I know what I’D vote for. Although it wouldn’t be too hard to combine the two: have a mage, a dwarf, an elf, and a warrior drawn all manga-style, etc…

By the way, true to Japanese tradition, I think we should give the Hamilton-Wenham Library a nickname that uses one syllable from each word. Who wouldn’t go to a library called “HamHam”? ♥

A fellow named Kirk Bangstad wrote up this article about how the growing interest in anime and manga has led to a ton of kids joining art schools to learn to draw so that they can make anime and manga.

Frankly, it’s an incredibly poorly-written article full of no new information, but I thought I’d use it as a stepping stone: any of you guys art students? My best friend went to the San Francisco Academy of Art University; her style isn’t very manga-like anymore, but I think it’s still part of where she started drawing. Anyone else inspired into art by manga and anime?

Imprint Talk reports that Google Japan users now have more themes they can use on iGoogle, Google’s portal/widget site. Many of the themes feature work by popular artists, such as Nagi Noda (of HanPanda fame) and…Osamu Tezuka!

Yeah, there’s an AstroBoy theme. It’s pretty groovy. (WHERE’S MY BLACKJACK, GOOGLE? Also, Noizi Ito or Takeshi Obata would be nice…)