MAY BEAT GIVEAWAY FRENZY #1: Museum of Terror by Junji Ito
As we mentioned a few days ago, Publishers Weekly (where I still edit part time) is moving offices at the end of the month,...
Endangered otaku in Queens
By the time the New York Times gets around to spotting a trend, that usually means it's something your grandma loves. IN this case, the recent manga implosion gives this New York Times spotlight on manga something of a more urgent undertone. The story focuses on budget cuts in the Queens library system, where the kids -- of widely diverse ethnicities -- have embraced the manga:
More on Viz and the future of manga
Ever since the cutbacks at Viz on Monday, the online chatter has been surprisingly quiet. People close to the situation have mainly been in...
Viz layoff reactions
As word of the layoffs at Viz spread yesterday -- 60 people laid off and the entire New York branch closed -- the reaction around the industry, at least as expressed by Twitter and Facebook status updates -- was complete and utter shell shock. Viz personnel we contacted for confirmation were devastated. While the exact cause of the downsizing and the effects it will have on Viz's publishing plans are just emerging, a few manga reporters were commenting:
RIP: Carl Macek (1951-2010) | Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation
Carl Macek, a pioneer of bringing anime to America, died of a heart attack on Saturday, April 17th. He was 58. Jerry Beck, ...
A cat that cooks ramen, and a boy and his gorilla
A couple of publishing announcements that caught our eye the other day.
• Tokyopop will publish Kenji Sonishi's NekoRamen. a manga about a cat...
Simmons responds: Plagiarism or creativity in the age of borrowing?
Cartoonist/reality star Nick Simmons issued a statement yesterday regarding being caught redhanded lifting images from Bleach and other very well known manga:
“Like most...
Simmons swiping raises larger issues
Among mamy comments on the Nick Simmons plagiarism case, Chris Butcher has the strongest words for the connection between those who swipe art...
Christopher Handley sentenced to 6 months
Christopher Handley, the manga collector from Iowa who pled guilty to possessing child pornography, has been sentenced to six months in jail, followed by...
RIP: Keiko Tobe
Manga-ka Keiko Tobe has passed away at age 52. Tobe is known for her award-winning WITH THE LIGHT (published in the US by Yen...
Business news round-up: Borders, WCP, etc., etc.
§ National bookstore chain Borders is getting shakier and shakier, and yesterday's news that CEO Ron Marshall was ankling the joint did nothing...
The Big One:Twilight GN gets 350,000 first printing
Well gang, here is the game changer. Here is the bestseller. This is the book that's going to drive all-new readers into comics shops,...
