Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment

Mangaman Stays On The Issaquah High School Library Shelves – But Could Others Fall Through A Crack?

Published Fri, 03 Feb 2017 17:39:05 -0600

Last updated Thu, 09 Feb 2017 10:48:31 -0600

In November last year, a Washington mother objected to the inclusion of the graphic novel Mangaman by Barry Lyga and Colleen Doran in the Issaquah High School Library.

The comic about a manga character who has to deal with life in the real world, included a scene where the teenage male lead discovers that his genitalia are pixellated.

At the time, Shirley Lopez told local news station KIRO7, "It's just erotica. These are sexual images, they are not naked images." , "They are naked and sexual. I don't need this to be on the menu at school."

She filed a formal challenge against the book.

Well, now the Comic Book Legal Defense Fun have let us know that North Carolina school librarian April Dawkins has reported that Mangaman was saved because the Issaquah School District followed every step in its challenge policy.

However she expresses concern that the policy allows for off-the-book deals between librarian staff and concerned parents about content, so that books could be removed before, or without any official complaint being made, saying "The complainant shall communicate the concern to the staff member(s) primarily responsible for the use of the materials. The two parties shall make every effort to resolve the concern."

So, success of Mangaman, but a loophole that might be worth filling…

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