Manga

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:

Carl Macek, a pioneer of bringing anime to America, died of a heart attack on Saturday, April 17th. He was 58. Jerry Beck, who founded Streamline Pictures with Macek in 1988, has his...

A couple of publishing announcements that caught our eye the other day. • Tokyopop will publish Kenji Sonishi's NekoRamen. a manga about a cat who cooks ramen. SOLD. Via Johanna, who has a rundown...

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 artists I am inspired by work I admire. There are...

Among mamy comments on the Nick Simmons plagiarism case, Chris Butcher has the strongest words for the connection between those who swipe art panels and those criticizing him who illegally scan and distribute...

Christopher Handley, the manga collector from Iowa who pled guilty to possessing child pornography, has been sentenced to six months in jail, followed by three years of supervised release and five years of probation....

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 Press), the sensitive story of a couple raising an autistic...

§ National bookstore chain Borders is getting shakier and shakier, and yesterday's news that CEO Ron Marshall was ankling the joint did nothing to cheer anyone up. Borders, which has been under a...

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, with full support of the publisher. Unfortunately it's Twilight...

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...

We reported recently on the upcoming Yen Press manga-daptation of GOSSIP GIRL, the immensely popular TV show and book series. Well, Splash Page has a preview of the comic, written and illustrated by HyeKyung...

Little Brown's manga imprint, Yen Press, has announced they will be publishing manga adaptations of Cecily von Ziegesar's immensely popular Gossip Girl series of YA novels -- the basis for the very popular TV...