• Katherine Dacey wonder what’s happening at DrMaster, and the evidence is not encouraging:
Over at the ANN forums, site user Facesforce speculates that DrMaster is on the verge of shutting down. He notes that several vendors have been unable to reach the company about overdue shipments, and points out that DrMaster has not released any new books or made any announcements since May, when the company ceased posting updates on Twitter. He adds that the company’s customer service number has been disconnected — not a good sign. While I haven’t read much from the DrMaster catalog — just Iron Wok Jan and Metro Survive — I’m always disappointed to learn that a publisher has folded. More publishers means a greater variety of titles, and a greater number of niche audiences served. Let’s hope the rumor is just that: a rumor.
We’d noted that we hadn’t gotten a review package from DrMAster in months and months, and with so much of the manga/anime market in flux, one is right to worry. At least they finished IRON WOK JAN!
• McSweeney’s is planning its own newspaper-style supplement— call it “Sundays” —and it will include comics by the usual geniuses:
Issue 33 of McSweeney’s Quarterly will be a one-time-only, Sunday-edition sized newspaper—the San Francisco Panorama. It’ll have news (actual news, tied to the day it comes out) and sports and arts coverage, and comics (sixteen pages of glorious, full-color comics, from Chris Ware and Dan Clowes and Art Spiegelman and many others besides) and a magazine and a weekend guide, and will basically be an attempt to demonstrate all the great things print journalism can (still) do, with as much first-rate writing and reportage and design (and posters and games and on-location Antarctic travelogues) as we can get in there.
• In all the hoopla, you may have missed the news that Rich Johnston is now Avatar’s Foreign Rights Manager. He reports that FREAK ANGELS is hot property:
As Avatar’s new Foreign Rights Manager (no, seriously), it’s also one of the most in-demand titles at Avatar, and I helped conduct a bidding war over the French rights last week, the winner committing to the first five volumes, even though only the first two have been published (the third any day now). This week, Italy. So what’s all the fuss about?
Thanks for the link. I just want to stress that this is still a rumor. I emailed DrMaster today to see if I could get a comment for the record, and will post their reply if they get in touch with me. Let’s hope we’re all reading the tea leaves incorrectly!
Divine Melody, Volume 6 (9781597961783) is due in November. Volume 5 is due out this month.
Dark Edge, Volume 12 was cancelled.
Nothing else is listed past November 2009 in Books In Print. As publishers plan far in advance (Viz has titles scheduled for May 2010), this is a bit troubling.
Avatar’s hiring of Rich Johnston was genius. Now they can get PR and start rumors all for one check.