SDCC: Tokyopop

Ed has his Tokyopop report up at MangaCast, including audio of the panel as well as his own inimitable commentary. First things first: The new titles announced yesterday are

Kamiyadori, by Kei Sanbei
Hibiki’s Magic, by Jun Maeda and Rei Izumi
Rure, by Dami Seomoon

As always, Ed has descriptions and cover scans. Kamiyadori is by the manga-ka who did Testarotho.

Much of the panel seems to have been taken up with discussion of books that have already been announced. Look for Kilala Princess, which sounds like it will be similar to Kingdom Hearts and will have the same low $5.99 cover price. And there was an interview with artist Kim JaeHwan. Ed has more on this at the AoD blog:

The guy is really laid back. Living in Thailand can do that but so can the special news mentioned at the end of the panel…. He is currently working on an original title for TOKYOPOP and has been trying to get a film made. Very cool. If you haven’t seen his art. Kim-sensei drew King of Hell and WarCraft. Both feature highly detailed art deep in the realms fantasy. I can only imagine what his new project will look like (a few sketches were not enough).

And this:

A question was asked about picking up the release frequency. Lillian repeated what I have heard from other publishers when she said – bookstores don’t want that!

Ed’s not buying it. We need more floor space if the manga revolution is to go forward.