Viz

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:

PW is reporting that there has been massive layoffs at Viz Media -- up to 60 people or 40% of the workforce have been laid off. ... We are of course saddened by these departures and sincerely appreciate the hard work, passion and dedication of those that have moved on, but we feel confident that with these changes, VIZ Media will be more streamlined and able to withstand the climate of the economy at this time. With the American manga market already in flux, this has to be seen as a body blow to the category as Viz was consistently the best selling American comics publisher, dominating the best seller charts with such mega-hits as Naruto and One Piece. ... Sources tell PW that as many as 55 people were laid off at Viz’s San Francisco headquarters and it appears its small New York office, which had about 5 staffers, has been closed.

Another intriguing looking Viz Signature manga is coming via their partnership with IKKI Magazine, Hisae Iwaoka's SATURN APARTMENTS. According to the blurb: Far in the future, humankind has evacuated Earth in order to preserve...

Viz is talking up another one of their intriguing, indie-style manga, this time not simple by Natsume On. It's a done-in-one manga that will be previewed at SigIKKI.com starting in January. not simple follows...

As usual when we take a day off from blogging, All Hell Broke Loose®, including a flash flood in San Francisco that closed the Viz offices for a day. One staffer <a href=", Tweeted...

Last week, Viz made a low key announcement that they were now accepting submissions for original comics. The OG program has long been in place, but slowed down when the editor who was spearheading...

ULTIMO's Stan Lee and Hiroyuki Takei, and IKKI editor Hideki Egami topline manga giant Viz's presence. VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies,...

FREE cool things! FREE! VIZ Media is offering the popular anime HONEY AND CLOVER on iTunes and until August 31, 2009 it's a free download. Plus, every purchase of the complete first season of HONEY...

Leading manga publisher Viz has announced a new imprint -- Shonen Sunday, named after and running content from the Japanese magazine of the same name. The line kicks off with Rumiko Takahishi's RIN-NE; further...

Hm, what were we just saying about the print/online shift? Even as they cancelled SHOJO BEAT, Viz has announced the launch of a new online seinen (young men's) manga anthology, Ikki, which you can...

Predictably, the demise of SHOJO BEAT, Viz's girl-focused magazine of serialized manga, is being discussed far and wide: Alexander Hoffman: The strange thing is though, that manga as a whole, is a comic sold to women...

Evelyn Dubocq at Viz is sending out the following statement regarding SHOJO BEAT, confirming that it is ending with the July 2009 issue. Yes, the final issue of Shojo Beat magazine will be the July...