"It's gone well beyond a passing fad": USA Today looks at the rapidly growing popularity of manga among tweens and teens, and particularly among girls:

"'Before (manga), it was a constant struggle to appeal to women,' says Bill Liebowitz, owner of Golden Apple, a Los Angeles comics store. 'They get introduced to manga through mainstream bookstores, then when they're shopping for shoes on Melrose (Avenue), they have some reason to come into our store.'

"... It's like rap music, first dismissed as a trend. It's gone well beyond a passing fad."

In a sidebar, the newspaper provides a bit of a manga primer, complete with a rundown of popular titles.