The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This shoujo manga issue is devoted to exploring and explaining the "Girls don't like comics" phenomenon. Includes an interview with pioneering shoujo cartoonist Moto Hagio, often called "the Osamu Tezuka of women's manga," who is renowned both for her psychologically challenging stories and as the originator of the "shonen-ai" (boy love) subgenre. Includes the first-ever English translation of Hagio's short story "Hanshin." Also: journalist Kai-Ming Cha traces the rise of shoujo as a market force in Asia and the United States; cartoonist Lea Hernandez explains how shoujo shaped her view of comics as an art form; and cartoonist and historian Trina Robbins examines all-ages manga for girls.

Editorial
Dirk Deppey, "She's Got Her Own Thing Now" (p. 9)
News
Michael Dean, "Lee/Marvel Settlement Triggers Marvel Movie Line" (p. 22)
Michael Dean, "A Tale of Two Manga Shops" (p. 27)
Ian Brill, "The Rise of Comics Piracy" (p. 30)
Dirk Deppey, "Scanlation Nation" (p. 33)
Michael Dean, "The Short Life and Times of Reed Graphica" (p. 36)
Michael Dean, "Online Comics Journalism Part 6" (p. 39)
Kristy L. Valenti, "Sakura-Con 2005" (p. 44)
Greg Stump and staff, Journal Datebook (p. 45)
Interviews
Matt Thorn, "The Moto Hagio Interview" (p. 138)
Reviews
Johanna Draper Carlson, "What's Love Got to Do With It?" (p. 54)
Trina Robbins, "Universes in Their Eyes" (p. 60)
John Carnahan, "Monster of a Woman" (p. 64)
Shaenon K. Garrity, "Swan's Way" (p. 70)
Steven and Jillian Grant, "New Romantics" (p. 74)
Bill Sherman, "‘It's Amazing How I Keep Running into Members of the Sohma Family!'" (p. 77)
Sean T. Collins, "Velvet Clothesline" (p. 80)
Adam Stephanides, "Happy in the Dark" (p. 82)
Joe McCulloch, "The Boys' Club (revised)" (p. 84)
Rob Vollmar, "Sex in Shallow Waters" (p. 86)
Dirk Deppey, "Young Gentlemen, and How They Get That Way" (p. 88)
Robin Fisher, "Epic Playgrounds" (p. 102)
Bullets, "Tramps Like Us", "W Juliet", "Princess Ai", "Othello" (p. 105)
Essays
Ema Nakao, "My Manga Childhood" (p. 108)
Kai-Ming Cha "Filling the Void" (p. 110)
Lea Hernandez, "Draw Like a Girl!" (p. 118)
Kristy L. Valenti, "The Yaoi Invasion" (p. 121)
Zuniga "Kind of Blue" (p. 126)
Matt Thorn, "The Magnificent Forty-Niners" (p. 130)
Rob Vollmar, "X+X" (p. 134)
Columns
Kenneth Smith, Time Out of Joint: "The Crypto Revolution Part VI" (p. 201)
Illustrations
Moto Hagio "Hanshin," (p. 185)