At the San Diego Comic-Con Del Rey Manga announced the publication of Clamp in America, a softcover, full color book that traces the rise of female manga-ka supergroup in Japan and documents their influence both in Japan and in the rest of the world. The book includes 300 pieces of art and features an original cover.  Manga maven and cartoonist Shaenon K. Garrity is writing and editing the volume which includes both interviews with the members of Clamp and with artists from around the world who have been influenced by Clamp.  Interestingly Del Rey Manga Associate Editor Dallas Middaugh told ICv2 that Del Rey had negotiated the deal for Clamp in America directly with the members of Clamp.

Del Rey is also publishing Yoshiki Tanaka’s Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon King novels with illustrations by Clamp.  Tanaka’s ongoing series of novels (there are some 13 so far) was inspired by Chinese mythology and provided the source material for a manga by Megumi Koji and a series of 12 anime OVAs that were produced in the early 1990s and have been released in the U.S. by Media Blasters.

In addition to the Clamp titles Del Rey announced the acquisition of Negima!? neo, a shonen manga series with a narrative that takes up the Negima story as it stands at the end of the Negima!? anime series, which largely eschews the gratuitous fan service of the original Negima anime and concentrates on the saga’s comedic and magical battle elements.  The Negima!? neo manga is based on a story ideas by Negima creator Ken Akamatsu, but features art by Takuya Fujima, creator of the Free Collars Kingdom manga (also published here by Del Rey).

Other titles announced by Del Rey include Orange Planet, a five-volume shojo series by Haruka Fukushima, the creator of Cherry Juice (published here by Tokyopop) and Yokai Doctor.