MangaBlog

We have heard about the “Cartoon Network effect,” the tendency for a manga to sell better once the associated anime starts running on Cartoon Network. Now the synergy may run the other way as well: Del Rey is going to begin publishing manga-format comics based on the CN properties Bakugan Battle Brawlers and Ben 10 Alien Force The initial releases will consist of color stills from the cartoons, a format that we have never done well, but the black-and-white graphic novels that follow sound more promising.

CARTOON NETWORK ENTERPRISES AND DEL REY MANGA

ANNOUNCE MANGA PUBLISHING PARTNERSHIP

First Book in Newly Formed Partnership, Bakugan Battle Brawlers: The Battle Begins, Will Launch in December 2008

NEW YORK, NY – September 27, 2008 – Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, in collaboration with Cartoon Network Enterprises, today announced a new manga publishing partnership that will launch with original manga based on two of Cartoon Network’s most successful series: Bakugan Battle Brawlers and Ben 10 Alien Force. This announcement marks the first partnership between Cartoon Network and the Random House Publishing Group’s manga imprint.

Christina Miller, vice president, Cartoon Network Enterprises says, “Cartoon Network is the home to many of the leading brands, and manga and film-comics are natural extensions of our rich and immersive content. As one of the category’s best publishers, Del Rey Manga will bring these stories to life, starting with the incredibly successful Bakugan later this year.”

The first book published under the new partnership will be released in December 2008. Bakugan Battle Brawlers: The Battle Begins, incorporates full-color stills from the animated show in a manga-style graphic novel format. A second volume will follow in March 2009. As one of the hottest boys properties currently in the market, Bakugan, has been a hit in the US since it first aired on Cartoon Network in February of this year. A character-rich animated series aimed at boys 6-11, Bakugan follows the adventures of Dan and his fellow Battle Brawlers as they use strategy and skill to unleash their Bakugan power and save Vestroia and Earth from destruction.

Ben 10 Alien Force: Ben 10 Returns, the first title for the hit Cartoon Network franchise, will be published in April 2009 and follows the same format, drawing art directly from the cartoon itself. The top-rated Ben 10 Alien Force show chronicles the adventures of everyone’s favorite hero, Ben Tennyson. Armed with the Omnitrix, which gives him the ability to transform into different alien superheroes, Ben , his cousin Gwen and former foe-now-friend Kevin Levin are on a mission to defeat the evil DNALIENS and save the Earth.

Original black-and-white, manga-style graphic novels based on Bakugan and Ben 10 Alien Force will release in Summer 2009 and Fall 2009, respectively.

“We’re thrilled to join forces with Cartoon Network. Fan favorites Bakugan and Ben 10 Alien Force are beautifully crafted animated series that lend themselves well to this unique artistic form of manga,” says Mutsumi Miyazaki, director of licensing and acquisitions for Del Rey Manga. “Our partnership with Cartoon Network will provide a new and exciting opportunity for Del Rey Manga as we further expand our publishing program.”

We first heard about the publisher Yaoi Generation when their name appeared on the Yaoi-Con dealers’ list. They made their official debut at Yaoi-Con this weekend and announced their first manga series, breath. The first volume is due out in December. Read on for more.

YAOI GENERATION DEBUTS WITH A 5-VOLUME TITLE

Fremont, CA – (September 27, 2008) YAOI GENERATION, a new publisher joining the
boys’ love community, debuts this weekend at Yaoi-con by announcing the licensing of
its first title, breath, from Kaiohsha Publishing Co., Ltd.

breath, by Chifumi Ochi, is a five-volume love story between a socially awkward
businessman and a confident, attractive college student. Brought together by too much
alcohol and a series of misunderstandings, these two opposites face difficult trials while
learning just how much they need each other.

“I am really excited to be able to bring this Japanese series to English readers. Personally,
it’s one of my favorites. It’s so well written and just the right length to allow readers to
truly understand the characters and to fall in love with them just as they fall in love with
each other,” said Thuy Duong, president of Yaoi Generation.

The Fremont, CA-based company is planning to release the first volume this December
and plans to make pre-orders available on its Web site in November. More details are
available at Yaoi Generation’s Web site, www.yaoigeneration.com .

OK, I’m a bit late with this—the panel they mention was this morning—but Go!Comi is obviously going to be a significant presence at Yaoi-Con and the unveiling of the print edition of Wendy Pini’s Masque of the Red Death is an important event. And Pini will be having an autograph session tomorrow. So check it out. If you can’t make it to Yaoi-Con, check out the webcomic version of Masque on the Go!Comi site. The print version will be available in October.

Go! Comi to Premiere Wendy Pini’s “Masque of the Red Death” at Yaoi-con 2008

Latest Project from the Creator of “ElfQuest”

LOS ANGELES September 23, 2008: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Go! Comi and Wendy Pini will present the world premiere of the first volume of Pini’s highly-anticipated graphic novel “Masque of the Red Death” this weekend at Yaoi-con in San Francisco.
In re-imagining the classic Edgar Allan Poe short story, Pini has infused “Masque of the Red Death” with elements of science fiction, horror, and yaoi-inspired erotica. “Masque” began as an innovative, highly cinematic Flash-based webcomic on Go Comi’s website (www.gocomi.com), where it continues to be hugely popular. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the print edition, which will be unveiled on Friday, September 26th at 11:00 a.m., at a panel in Main Events Room B of the Marriott San Mateo-San Francisco Airport Hotel. The panel will be hosted by Go! Comi’s Creative Director, Audry Taylor. Pini will give a presentation on the story and answer questions from the audience on all topics.

Immediately after the panel, Pini will have an autograph session in the Lobby. In addition, Go! Comi will have an industry panel immediately preceding the “Masque” panel at 10:00 a.m., and fans are encouraged to attend for new announcements and manga previews, including a presentation on Go’s first yaoi title, “Days of Cool Idols.” Fans are also encouraged to come by the Go! Comi booth for freebies and the latest Go! Comi releases.

ABOUT GO! COMI
Go! Comi is known for its exciting manga series and top-notch production values. Among its publications are the Bookscan best-sellers The Devil Within and Her Majesty’s Dog, and the Eisner Award-nominated After School Nightmare, which was named one of the Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens of 2008 by the Young Adult Library Services Association. Two other Go! Series, Train + Train and Cantarella, have also been cited by the YALSA Great Graphic Novels list.

First of all, some bad news: I won’t be at NYAF after all. I was really looking forward to it, but with everything that has gone on over the past two weeks, I need to spend a weekend at home with the family. I’ll miss being with you all, but I’m sure that Gia, Deb, Heidi, Kai-Ming, and the PWCW crew will do a great job of covering it without me. Casey, Erin, Ed, Erica, and Melinda will be there too.

Of course, I will be missing Yaoi-Con as well, but Kanara Ty, of the UCLA Asia Institute, gives some background on yaoi and why Yaoi-Con will be awesome.

This week’s big story is the demise of Minx, and in her latest Manga Before Flowers column, Danielle Leigh asks the logical question: Is CMX next?

Lori Henderson is not impressed with Digital Manga’s new online manga service, eManga.

Carolyn Ryder explores the world of yuri at Advocate.com.

There seems to be a lot of talk about moe lately. The Star of Malaysia weighs in, and I think this one sentence captures the whole thing:

It’s a “one-way” word used only to describe emotional attachment to something, not to describe how the object itself is.

The Star also helpfully provides a catalog of moe stereotypes. Over at Manga Widget, Alex Hoffman thinks it is a form of escapism, but admits that can be a mixed bag. (No, that’s not me, it’s a random pic of a moe girl swiped from The End of the World—which, interestingly, posted it as a random pic of a moe girl. Great minds, etc.)

If the commenters are to be believed, the Manga Recon YaoiCast may be more entertaining than the manga themselves.

Jason Yadao analyzes the ICv2 top 25 manga properties list and questions whether Batman belongs on it.

Dave White is struck by the beauty of a page from Honey and Clover, and he can explain why, too.

Chris Mautner has a nice article on Takehiko Inoue, creator of Slam Dunk and Real, at PennLive.com.

Brenda Gregson writes about writing shoujo manga and Hiro Takashi discusses storytelling at Animanga Nation.

Ypulse writer Alli has brief summaries of some recent Tokyopop titles and is looking for suggestions for graphic novels for the middle grades.

Creator Misako Rocks! will be holding a panel and book signing at NYAF. Josh Elder, creator of Mail Order Ninja, will be at the Poughkeepsie Public Library on Oct. 3.

Reviews: Sweetness or moe? Manga Recon’s Erin Finnegan smells more of the latter than the former in vol. 1 of Sunshine Sketch. Jason Thompson reads vol. 1 of Faust at comiXology. Ai Kano reviews the illustration book Flamboyant and Kiki Van De Camp enjoys vol. 1 of Knights at Animanga Nation. Dave White analyzes vols. 1-3 of Dororo at 741.5 Comics. At Comics Village, Dan Polley finds the last story in vol. 3 of Hell Girl a welcome change but not enough to lift the series above formulaic mediocrity. Erica Friedman reads vol. 1 of Tokimeki Mononoke Gakuen at Okazu. Lissa Pattillo whittles down the stack at Kuriousity with posts on Solfege, vol. 6 of Black Sun, Silver Moon, The Aluria Chronicles, vol. 24 of Bleach, World’s End, vol. 1 of Tenshi Ja Nai!!, and vol. 2 of Tea For Two. New reviews at Manga Jouhou: Snow Wildsmith on Caged Slave and The Color of Love, D.M. Evans on vol. 1 of Psycho Busters and vol. 2 of Dorothea, Lissa Pattillo on vol. 3 of Can’t Win With You!, Connie reads vol. 14 of Saint Seiya, vols. 2 and 3 of Honey and Clover, and vol. 13 of The Law of Ueki at Slightly Biased Manga. Julie checks out vol. 5 of Dragon Eye, The Devil’s Secret, vol. 1 of Kyo Kara MAOH!, and vol. 1 of Blank Slate at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Christina Koh reads the unspeakably sweet vol. 1 of Koi Cupid and P-Chan checks out vol. 1 of Monkey High at The Star of Malaysia. Katie Trattner reveiws vol. 7 of Tarot Cafe at Blogcritics. At The Comic Book Bin, Leroy Douresseaux looks at The Arina Tanemura Collection: The Art of Full Moon. Alex Hoffman reviews vol. 19 of Negima and vol. 1 of Eden: It’s an Endless World! at Manga Widget. Oyceter hearts vols. 1-4 of Azumanga Daioh and so do her readers at Sakura of DOOM. Sesho has podcasts on vol. 1 of xxxHoLiC, vol. 1 of Rave Master, and Goth, and text reviews of vol. 10 of The Law of Ueki, vol. 2 of Rave Master, and vol. 2 of Zombie Powder. At the Boys Next Door blog, they’re talking about vol. 2 of The Crimson Spell, Ruff Love, and vol. 4 of Totally Captivated. Michelle Smith reviews vols. 17 and 18 of Boys Over Flowers at Soliloquy in Blue. New at Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page: Iinchou no Himegoto, Junai Sensation, LoveHo no Ojousama, Dakara Ore ni Shina yo, and Kiken na Honey. Ferdinand checks out vol. 1 of Fate/Stay Night, Ghostbusters: Ghost Busted, vol. 1 of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, and vol. 1 of Black Lagoon at Prospero’s Manga. Tangognat reviews Time Stranger Kyoko. Tiamat’s Disciple shares his thoughts and impressions on issue 3 of Yen+, vols. 1-5 of Revolutionary Girl Utena, and vol. 5 of Heavenly Executioner Chiwoo.

Vintage manga continues to awe and amaze the blogosphere. The latest entry: Shaenon Garrity posts some pages from Noburo Ohshiro’s Yukaina Tekkôsho and pulls out the most important story elements for your delectation. (Image from Shaenon’s post.)

In a very different vein, Ryan of Same Hat shows off the copy of Taiyo Matsumoto’s GoGo Monster that he picked up for a song recently.

At The Anime Almanac, Scott VonSchilling compares Yen+ to Raijin and hopes the former is more successful than the latter.

Matt Blind thinks that the popularity of Naruto is beginning to erode, but at a glacial pace; he lays out his geological/retail argument at Rocket Bomber. One of the translators of Naruto, blogging as Gottsu-Iiyan, mulls over the implications of that, and they sound pretty grim for the industry as a whole.

Matt also posts his online sales charts for new releases and preorders and an emerging trends report.

Ed Chavez is in Japan right now, and he’s posting about some of his favorite offbeat manga at MangaCast. Check out his writeups on Sailor Fuku to Juusensha (sailor suits and heavy tanks, apparently) and EkiBen Hitori Tabi (train manga!).

Fruits Basket translators Athena and Alethea Nibley discuss the challenge of translating dialects at Manga Life.

Manga Recon has a URL of its own now, so you don’t have to wade through all the superhero and gaming stuff on the PopCultureShock site to get to it.

This is too pretty not to post: Sho Murase’s drawing from the latest Nancy Drew manga.

Erica Friedman rounds up the yuri news of the week at Okazu,

John Thomas wonders if subscribers to Newtype USA and PiQ are ever going to be compensated for the remainder of their subscriptions.

Viz will be publishing two more of Akira Himekawa’s Zelda manga.

News from Germany: Jonathan posts Tokyopop’s spring and summer 2009 releases and posts his annotated August and September shopping list at Manly Manga and More.

Reviews: Let’s start at Okazu, where Erica Friedman reviews Girl x Girl x Boy, vol. 6 of Battle Club, and vol. 3 of Stray Little Devil. Elizabeth Schweizer reads vol. 3 of Mushishi at PLAYBACK:stl. EvilOmar has another round of Midweek Manga Reviews at About Heroes. New at the revamped Manga Recon site: Phil Guie on vol. 1 of Guardian Hearts, Isaac Hale on vol. 5 of Gon, and Ken Haley on vol. 1 of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, plus a bouquet of Manga Minis. Oyceter has short, insightful reviews of vol. 1 of Pumpkin Scissors, vols. 1-7 of Moon Child, vol. 1 of Chronicles of the Grim Peddler, vols. 12-13 of Skip Beat (spoilers!), and vols. 1-2 of Your and My Secret at Sakura of DOOM. Note: Always read the comments to Oyceter’s posts; she has smart friends. Jonathan reviews vol. 21 of Blade of the Immortal at Manly Manga and More. Lori Henderson looks at vol. 3 of Eagle: The Making of an Asian-American President at Manga Xanadu. Michelle Smith checks out vol. 1 of Akira, vols. 1 and 2 of Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, vols. 1 and 2 of Short Program, vol. 24 of Bleach, and vol. 18 of Tsubasa (warning: spoilers!) at Soliloquy in Blue. At Manga Life, Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane reviews vol. 2 of Time Stranger Kyoko and Park Cooper reads vol. 14 of Kekkaishi, vol. 23 of Hunter x Hunter, and vol. 6 of Strawberry 100%. Chris Arrant takes a look at vol. 1 of Black Lagoon at Newsarama. Kat reviews Cardcaptor Sakura for the Cornell Japanese Animation Society. Up at Comics Village: John Thomas on The Art of Hideshi Hino and vol. 1 of Black Jack, Charles Tan on vol. 1 of One Piece, Sabrina on vol. 1 of Iron Wok Jan, and Katherine Farmar on Hybrid Child. At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie reads Pretty Poison, vol. 2 of Sand Chronicles, vol. 21 of Eyeshield 21, vol. 6 of Oyayubihime Infinity, vol. 23 of Bleach, vol. 10 of Sorcerer Hunters, vol. 24 of GetBackers, vol. 7 of Hoshin Engi, Bizzarian, and vol. 6 of Apothecarius Argentum.

They opened it up for test drives a few months ago, and now DMP has opened up shop for real at emanga.com. The site is a combination of rental and purchase models; you buy points and use them to get access to an online title for 72 hours. If you want to read it again, you pay a discounted price and you get unlimited access. That means you can re-read the manga forever, as long as the site is up—there doesn’t seem to be a download option.

Digital has beefed up the yaoi content with a total of 13 titles, one of which, L’Etoile Solitaire, is free for a limited time. They offer free previews of some of the others. The current offering of non-yaoi titles is somewhat disappointing—just four how-to-draw books. Digital does some interesting but hard-to-find titles, and it would be nice to see some of them offered online. Click for the full press release.

Digital Manga Inc.’s Online Manga Site eManga Open For Business

(Los Angeles, September 23, 2008) – Digital Manga Inc., one of the industry’s most unconventional and innovative companies, is pleased to announce that its online content service eManga has completed its beta stage and is now open for business. Launched last month, eManga is the industry’s first publisher-sponsored manga rental site. The site offers many titles published by Digital Manga, Inc., making them available for rent at a low price. Users can also access free samples of all the titles.

On eManga, content is not downloaded, but is streamed through the Adobe Flash player, which means that users can access their library wherever they have an internet connection. The customized reader also supports extra features, such as a panel-by-panel mode that helps users easily follow the flow of a story. Additional features and performance improvements are constantly being added, and users are encouraged to shape the development process by providing feedback and suggestions.

For a limited time, the standard rental price has been lowered to 300 points for 72-hour access. Users can also “keep” their favorite titles by re-renting them at a discounted price, which means that they have unlimited access to that content. Currently, eManga offers points in four different packages. The standard package costs $10 for 1000 points, but higher packages come with free bonus points.

New titles are being added on a regular basis, and the site will feature not only manga and novels, but also will introduce original creator content. For a limited time, L’Etoile Solitaire by Yuno Ogami is being offered for free in its entirety.

The eManga website can be found at www.emanga.com .