Here’s the full PR on Tokyopop’s move to put some of their global manga properties online. I’m really happy to see Earthlight, Undertown, and Kat and Mouse, in particular, coming back to finish the stories, but I’m curious as to how new readers will get the earlier volumes.
I visited the first of the online manga, vol. 3 of Psy-Comm, and I’m happy to say that Tokyopop has cleaned up their act on their website quite a bit. It runs pretty quickly, and they actually have links to other volumes on the same page, along with a synopsis, character information, areas for feedback, etc. It’s still a bit busy but way better than it was.
Also, to check out how well this works, I’m embedding the comic itself below the press release. It’s wider than my page, so it looks a bit clumsy, but it seems to work OK on the preview. (Note: It automatically scrolls through the pages for you, but you can set the control at the bottom to “manual” to stop that.) Let me know what you think!
TOKYOPOP PRESENTS:
New Online Manga Programming Exclusive to TOKYOKPOP.com
PSY-COMM Debuts as the First of a Number of Series in 2009
Los Angeles, CA (August 12, 2009) ― TOKYOPOP is pleased to announce the release of a number of its original series exclusively on TOKYOPOP.com. Modernizing the magazine serialization made famous by Charles Dickens, today TOKYOPOP will debut PSY*COMM volume 3, with a new chapter serialized weekly for free until the series concludes its story arc. The launch of this new volume of PSY*COMM marks the debut of TOKYOPOP’s online manga program that will include continuing volumes of BOYS OF SUMMER, EARTHLIGHT, KAT & MOUSE, PANTHEON HIGH, UNDERTOWN, GYAKUSHU, and others.
In PSY-COMM volume 3, Jason Henderson, Tony Salvaggio and Ramanda Kamarga conclude their thriller about the ultimate reality show: War. Set in a future where warfare is entertainment — scheduled, televised and rated — this critically acclaimed series (“[A] great story …a commentary on corporations, the media, war, and relationships, all wrapped in an interesting action manga with a driving plot and compelling characters.” —Ain’t It Cool News) concludes with a truly awesome finale.
“The Kindle, iPhone, web comics, and the like have dramatically changed the marketplace for online comics,” says TOKYOPOP’s Associate Publisher Marco Pavia. “With the launch of this online initiative, our goal is to increase visibility and demand for such critically acclaimed series as PSY-COMM, BOYS OF SUMMER and others that have, up until now, struggled to find their audience in a challenging retail environment. We are also exploring an on-demand model to satisfy print-edition demand for the online manga series. We’ll have more news in the not-too-distant future, so stay tuned.”
“We’re very grateful for the patience of our manga-ka friends,” adds TOKYOPOP Senior Editor Lillian Diaz-Przybyl. “Last year we discussed running a number of these original manga series online, so that they would be exposed to the widest possible audience. Now, with TOKYOPOP.com’s nearly one million unique visitors per month and the ability for anyone to embed the TOKYOPOP reader anywhere, we are definitely excited about the vast audience to which these and other series will be exposed.”
Following the time-honored tradition of New Comics Day, the first chapter of PSY*COMM volume 3 will debut Wednesday, August 12, with subsequent chapters releasing each following Wednesday. BOYS OF SUMMER will debut Wednesday, September 23, followed by EARTHLIGHT and KAT & MOUSE. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com/MangaOnline for the complete schedule, exclusively on TOKYOPOP.com
