In recent weeks, you might have noticed that we’ve been posting more news and reviews about manga, anime and webtoons on The Beat. One reason for that is because I stepped up from being a contributing writer to being “acting manga/anime/webtoons” editor for the site.
I’m still writing and editing articles and manga for the Mangasplaining podcast and Mangasplaining Extra newsletter, as well as writing occasional articles for Publishers Weekly (including my recent write-up about the HYBE K-Pop graphic novels from Ize Press and Webtoon). However on top of that, I’m here to help The Beat boost its coverage of manga, anime and webtoons because they’re an important and rapidly growing segment of global comics culture.
One challenge about writing about comics and comics culture from Japan, S. Korea, China and beyond is that there’s so darn much of it — too much for any one person to cover. So I thought, why not see if there’s more people out there who might want to write for the Beat?
I put out a call for new writers, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people raised their hands to say that they wanted to give it a shot. For some, it’s their first time getting published in an established news site like The Beat. For others, they’re veteran comics bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, or social media influencers who have a passion for all kinds of manga, manhwa, manhua, webtoons, anime and more.
Here they are, and some of the articles they’ve written for The Beat in the past month. Please give them a warm welcome by adding a comment or two on their articles, following them on their social media outlets!
MARION PEÑA
Michael “Marion” Peña is an NYC-based writer and healthcare professional. They’ve contributed for Comics Beat, Toonami Faithful, Weekly Shougakukan Edition, and guested/hosted on numerous anime and manga podcasts. Their social media be found on Twitter and BlueSky. For a more comprehensive list of projects you can visit their carrd.
RYLEY MOORE
Ryley is a voracious and omnivorous reader of graphic literature who has been collecting comics and manga for most of his life. Online he’s been known for years now as “The Omnibus Collector” where he strives to create content that is helpful for fellow readers and collectors alike. He’s also on Twitter/X as @omnicollector and posts regularly on his YouTube channel.
JOEL SAVILL
Hello everyone! My name is Joel, but I also go by Gray Matter Manga. I’m a father, growing content creator, and along with my kid, a manga collector that has been building our home collection for over 5 years now. I have personally been reading manga since the late 90s though, but thanks to my kid, in the last few years I rekindled this hobby. As far as writing experience goes, I used to run a small local hockey blog with a couple friends and would mainly write more analytical and targeted reports on players and teams. I’m now using that same analytical style to aid in my manga reviews. I’m hoping you enjoy that kind of approach!
ZACH GODIN
Hey there, I’m Zach! I review manga on YouTube and TikTok as ‘Uchuu Shelf’. Before that, I’ve written about anime and manga for Crunchyroll and J-List. I’m hoping to become one of many manga reviewers / critics here on Comics Beat, introducing everyone to some new and interesting manga you might have missed or not heard of before. My top 3 manga: Tekkonkinkreet (by Taiyo Matsumoto, published by VIZ Media), Children of Mu-Town (by Masumura Jushichi), and Land of the Lustrous (by Haruko Ichikawa).
ADAM WESCOTT
Adam Wescott is a bookseller and freelance writer in Washington DC. He has written for sites like Crunchyroll News, Anime Herald and Into the Spine. He also writes the newsletter ANIWIRE at aniwire.ghost.io. He likes cats, comics and spooky stories.
DERRICK CROW
I’ve written reviews for anime, manga, comics, and other media for 10+ years. I got my start with reviewing comics at IndieComiX.net, and then began discussing anime and manga at TrashMutant.com and Bagandbored.net. I’ve also written many online comics as well, including a few that have gotten physical releases such as Fletcher Cross and Lightning Only Strikes Once. Currently I write for Comics Beat reporting on news but I plan to break out into reviewing manga, anime, and webtoons. I love all manners of media, film especially, and you can find me on X/Twitter @KazekunForever, as well as on Blue Sky @dcrow.bsky.social.
MATIAS DE LA PIEDRA
Matias De la Piedra is a manga reviewer for the Comics Beat and an Instagram content creator (@mangaxrepublic) that blends writing and graphic design into his posts. His interests vary from the mainstream to the underground, from Shonen Jump to alternative manga. Matias can also be found in Amsterdam, where he studies Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam.
MERVE GIRAY
Merve Giray is an avid manga and webtoon reader, reviewer, and loves all things BL. Sharing her passion through writing is what she does best, and is happy to connect with like-minded people. You can find her personal animanga blog at allthefujoshiunite.com, and on Twitter/X at @fujoshi_unite and Instagram at @kitapolmakvarken, she won’t bite (probably).
JUSTIN GUERRERO
Moo! My name is Justin and I’m currently a contributing writer for Comics Beat, a cinephile with an experience in the TV and FIlm Industry, an Illustrator mostly for my webtoon The Ravenblack Court, and an avid modder of video games for fun. I love Manga, webtoons, and enjoy reading webcomics too! You can find me on X/Twitter (at) Adorabirb, on Blue Sky at adorabirb.bsky.social, and Instagram at adorabirb.
KRISTINA ELYSE BUTKE
Kristina Elyse Butke is a fantasy novelist who loves all things speculative when it comes to manga and anime. If it’s horror, science fiction, or particularly fantasy, she’s on board. She is also an avid BL reader and proudly considers herself a fujoshi. She blogs regularly at www.kristinaelysebutke.com and also has articles up at Speculative Chic. She’s excited to join the Comics Beat team and looks forward to reviewing anime and manga for you!
YAZMIN GARCIA
I’m excited to be a contributing writer for the Comics Beat team. I am most interested in writing reviews, articles, recommendation lists, and interviews. I’m a manga collector and some of my favorite genres are romance, action, slice-of-life, sports, fantasy, and boy’s love. I’m on X/Twitter at mangadivina11. I will also be posting manga content on YouTube and would appreciate your support!
ILGIN SIDE SOYSAL
Ilgın Side Soysal, is a master of fine arts graduate and has been working in the education sector as a teacher/media supervisor/project manager for the last 6 years along with freelance academic conductions (proofreading, literature review etc). Her MFA thesis investigated Japanese cute aesthetics in popular culture, contemporary art and daily life.
What kind of stories about manga, anime and webtoons do you want to see on The Beat? Let us know in the comments! Subscribe to The Beat newsletter to get our daily updates with our latest stories. Also, support us on Patreon.
