Once again, compiling all the business news that piled up in my inbox (and beyond) this week and the secret word is MANGA.
§ If you are over 40 and read ONE STORY this week it should be Anime is huge — and we finally have numbers to prove it in which Polygon surveyed more than 4000 people on their attitudes about Anime. And it turns out the younger you are the more anime you watch!
The results show significant increases by generation. Just 3% of boomers watch anime weekly, whereas 42% of Gen Z participants do. That Gen Z number stands out not only because it shows anime’s ubiquity, but because of how it outpaces established juggernauts. For example, only 25% of Gen Z follows the NFL, according to YPulse. A few teams are even chasing the audience. See: the LA Chargers cutting One Piece-referencing promo videos and then-Detroit Lions running back Jamaal Williams showing off his Naruto love with absolute pride.
The nostalgia gap is a real thing – if you’re a certain age, watching Speed Racer means everything to you. If you’re another age, it’s watching My Hero Academia. And thus, the river flows, and generations complain that they are not understood. This survey does give an idea of just how HUGE the influence of anime is on Gen Zers however – and if you were born after 1996 you already knew that. If you scroll down to the end of this post you’ll see that more and more media entities know this, too.
§ January was for pacting, and yet more new companies and ventures have been announced over the last few weeks. Perhaps the most interesting this week is Mutant, a limited edition high end art/collectibles company that is run by many of the folks who used to work with Mondo, all under the banner of Daniel Noah/Elijah Wood’s SpectreVision company. (SpectreVision also has a pact with Oni Press, you may recall.)
The principals include former Mondo creative directors Spencer Hickman, Eric Garza, Mitch Putnam, and Mo Shafeek along with CEO Jenny Jacobi. The company already has art work planned with Aaron Horkey, Nicolas Delort, Matt Taylor, Deb Lee, Phantom City Creative, Rory Kurtz, Matthew Woodson, Greg Ruth, Francesco Francavilla, Teagan White, Daniel Danger, Murugiah, We Buy Your Kids, Ken Taylor and more. Also, music projects with scores by Michael Giacchino, Hans Zimmer, Carter Burwell, Isabella Summers, Goblin, Laura Karpman, Le Matos, Simon Waskow, and more.
If you go to the website, you’ll see their earliest efforts – including a special edition Wonka soundtrack – and they all look very nice.
There’s a pretty interesting interview with most of the main players at Variety, in which they talk about leaving (aka being laid off from) Mondo, which is now owned by Funko and was mostly folded into that company, and the joys and perils of starting a new venture. And they know what Gen Z likes: they hope to put out some manga/anime based projects.
One medium Garza hopes to explore in more depth at Mutant is anime/ manga. After spending years helping facilitate what has become a thriving ecosystem for collectors, they recognize that the biggest challenge they face will be differentiating themselves from their competition. “Whether it’s collectors or clients, our main goal is providing them with the best artwork and the best artist match that we can,” Putnam adds.
§ In our business wrap up last week, we mentioned two semi-newish comics companies, Gungnir, and Magma Comix. Both have announced they will be distributed by Diamond Books.
§ Our travels around the web stumbled upon another new publishing venture, VastVision Publishing, a publishing company concocted by past and present comics type folks Hilary Jenkins, Joseph Keatinge, Kurtis Wiebe and Shannon Woodhouse. Their aim, as posted on their very nice looking website:
Where we place people first, as the highest value, to encourage and create a welcoming home at our fire, to earn the trust as caretakers of their creativity. We are here to publish stories, through whatever medium tells yours best, and find the means to make it possible. If you believe we can help, we are here to listen.
And they will be having campfire chats, which sounds cozy.
§ This is not recent, but here’s another newish comics publisher: Silverline, a company that has been around for a while but is reëmerging on the scene. They ramped up late last year by announcing that comics industry veteran James Pruett was joining them as CCO. Pruett was last seen at Scout Comics. They’ll be putting out some comics starting this month, first release Trumps by Roland Mann, Anthony Pereira, Thomas Florimonte and Sid Venblu.
§ ICv2 reports that Robert Kirkman and William Crabtree have settled the lawsuit that Crabtree filed two years ago. Crabtree was the colorist on Invincible and claimed co-creator credit.
While the judge in the federal case had ruled against two of Crabtree’s claims, the claims that the Certificate of Authorship that Crabtree had signed was invalid, and that Kirkman had breached an oral contract, were to be resolved at trial (see “Kirkman and Crabtree Cleared To Go to Trial“).
§ In a strange anti-news item, The Beat has learned that Katie Kubert is NOT the new Batman Group Editor. Chip Zdarsky mentioned she was editing his Batman book in his newsletetr and everyone just RAN with the assumption she was taking over the line, but apparently that’s a fill-in role for the very busy Kubert who is already Group Editor of a whole other line of books. The Batman editorial throne was vacated when Ben Abernathy left the company, and Kubert is just filling in. It’s a shame when folks just assume things.
§ Alex Rae has been promoted to Comic Publishing Talent Manager at ReedPop. Don’t everyone email him at once!
§ ReedPop is actually hiring a bunch of folks in various positions. Chris Arrant has the details on his LinkedIn page.
§ Penguin Random House is hiring a Manga Editor.
Random House Graphic, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, seeks an Editor focusing on manga and manhwa (and other comics in translation), to join our team. Reporting to and working closely with an Executive Editor, the Editor will be immersed in a creative and hands-on department, while expanding our exciting list of graphic novels for children.
[snip]
As the newest Editor, you will focus on growing our list of global comics; a knowledge of and passion for Japanese and Korean comics, and excellent English-Language editing and writing skills are essential. Our ideal candidate is a team player, creative and collaborative, well organized, able to juggle multiple projects with ease, has proven working relationships with publishing partners, and a solid knowledge of the manga market. They will be excited for the challenge of editing manga and manhua translations for kids and teens in a variety of genres. If you are an energetic self-starter who loves graphic novels and are eager to be part of a creative and collaborative team, come join us—let’s make books together!
The Salary range for the job is $70,000-$72,000.
§ Abrams Books is also hiring….. A MANGA EDITOR!
The Editor for Manga is part of the Abrams ComicArts team, acquiring and editing titles for the ACA imprint focusing on manga titles. This position collaborates with the ACA publisher and associate publisher to identify suitable titles and opportunities for the manga program. The position plays an integral part in the publishing process, working closely with authors/creators and Abrams professionals to shape and bring forth interesting content to readers worldwide.
Salary for this job is $65,000.
