This month is a little light on interesting manga releases, but there are still a few gems to be found in the new and fairly trim version of previews.

CMX'sVenus in Love -- a sweet and gentle romance featuring the college set -- returns with volume 7.

Del Rey's only offering to lure me this month is Sayonara, Zetsubu-Sensei vol 3.  I still need to read volume 2, but I enjoyed volume 1 quite a bit (and I don't care what anyone says, I *like* the art).

DMP offers the second volume of the surprisingly delightful yaoi romance Brilliant Blue from its Doki Doki imprint, while the more explicit 801 Media has Ze volume 3 (i.e. the gay Fruits Basket).

Fanfare / Ponent Mon offers the second volume of Jiro Taniguchi's A Distanct Neighborhood and the preview copies of the first volume (which have been floating around) have been very warmly received by manga reviewers.  I can't wait to get a chance to check it out.

First Second concludes its trilogy about a young woman's sexual awakening with The Color of Heaven.

Vertical is already releasing volume 7 of Tezuka's Black Jack.  I'm so behind on this title -- I'm in luck, though, since the stories are self-contained it is easy to pick up any volume of this entertaining series.

Once again, Viz will be making off with a significant portion of my paycheck this month.  Bleach 28 and Gin Tama 14 are my must shonen picks.  We Were There 6, Honey & Clover 7, Nana 18, Sand Chronicles 6, High School Debut 11 and Rasetsu 2 are practically an entire shojo manga library unto themselves.  However, that still leaves the wonderful Pluto 5, Oishinbo: Vegetables and Detroit Metal City 2.  Manga.  It's a sickness.  Really.  (I need this on a bumper sticker, I swear).

Finally, Yen Press offers another volume of the creepy Higurashi vol 4 and engaging (and also fairly creepy) Cirque due Freak vol 2.