Comments on: Update: Tokyopop

By: Tony Salvaggio

Tony Salvaggio — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:32:43 +0000

I’m really bummed out about this. One person missing that I had to add:
was Mandy Willingham Author and Artist Relations Associate. She had the thankless task of corralling us all over the country and making sure that the artists were getting what they needed and hooked up at conventions and such. She took over and made things super rock. I will miss working with her.

As far as the other editors, I always wanted to do a book with Luis (in addition to my way cool editor Bryce), and I really liked Paul and Tim. My heart goes out to them. I’ve been through many layoffs in the games industry, many of them handled like this one. It is crap. I hope that they land on their feet. There is a lot of talent in the list of 39, I hope they find somewhere that appreciates their talent.

By: Joypog

Joypog — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:01:26 +0000

Just shows, treating your talent (both new and old) like crap often is horrible business in the long run.

By: Al

Al — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:11:37 +0000

Rivkah, I just checked out the pencils you posted on your journal. Very nice work!

By: MaximoLorenzo

MaximoLorenzo — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:34:56 +0000

I am just shocked that talented hardworking, and charismatic people were let go just like that. It’s not like they were even “cutting the fat” , these people seemed like really important pieces of Tokyopop…if anything I think they should stop trying to make a movie buisness, and produce product ( OEL, Korean, Manga Ect, ect ) at a steady pace with high quality standards without so much glitz and glamour.

But hey I’m just a comic artist, what the hell do I know, right?

By: Bill Aguiar

Bill Aguiar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:04:24 +0000

If you look at the people who were invited to the Facebook group but haven’t replied yet, two names jump out, Tim Beedle and Paul Morrissey. They are editors, not sure what lines Tim runs but Paul was one of the Manga Pilot editors, according to TP’s response to last week’s blowup…

By: Rivkah

Rivkah — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:44:34 +0000

No matter where this goes, I will be standing by my books and finishing Steady Beat: http://lilrivkah.livejournal.com/249489.html

By: Lea Hernandez

Lea Hernandez — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:43:29 +0000

I am reminded of the waning days of Disney comics, when production staff was cut to two people and everyone in marketing kept their jobs. Production then had to do everything, and they were miserable. Disney Comics was shuttered within the year.

David Welsh summed up Tom Spurgeon’s post well: “In fact, you could look at Tokyopop as another specialty publisher having to make changes or risk dying off altogether, and not much of a unique news story at all.”

Ayup, been, done, t-shirt.

By: Lea Hernandez

Lea Hernandez — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:56:40 +0000

A good friend and former comics pro calls TP “clown shoes.”

By: Holy crap « Precocious Curmudgeon

Holy crap « Precocious Curmudgeon — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:52:41 +0000

[...] Holy crap Filed under: Linkblogging, Tokyopop — davidpwelsh @ 4:50 pm You go offline for a freaking day because you don’t feel like giving a downer hotel one more red cent than you have to, and this happens. In addition to Brigid’s excellent coverage and link-tracking, I’d point with particular admiration at Chris Butcher’s analysis, and note that Heidi MacDonald succinctly underlines Tokyopop’s hyperactive unveiling of initiatives. And then there’s Tom Spurgeon: “In fact, you could look at Tokyopop as another specialty publisher having to make changes or risk dying off altogether, and not much of a unique news story at all.” [...]

By: Mark Kardwell

Mark Kardwell — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:19:49 +0000

Tokyopop are what we, in the legal profession, call “a French comicbook publisher”. And by French, we mean they go around on push bikes with a chain of onions around their necks, wearing berets.

By: Mark Kardwell

Mark Kardwell — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:17:06 +0000

Tokyopop is what we in the legal profession call a “French comic book publisher”.

By: Ed Sizemore

Ed Sizemore — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:45:43 +0000

I just checked the websites for San Diego and Anime Expo and neither list Tokyopop as an exhibitor. The NY Anime Fest still lists them as a sponsor.