According to ActiveAnime.com, VIZ is teaming up with Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, Ltd. (CPLG), an English company, to form VIZ Media B.V., which will, and I quote
generate new business opportunities and revenue streams by coordinating all aspects of brand development through a property’s lifecycle
A careful parsing of the press release reveals that they are planning to sell manga and anime in Europe—and, from the sound of that last bit, milk it for all it’s worth.
Now that’s self-referential: On Manga Life, news of How To Break Into Comics, a comic book about how to make comic books. It’s about a kid who gets a high school assignment on… breaking into comics. I can only wonder whether she chooses to write and illustrate a comic book about a kid who gets a high school assignment on breaking into comics, who chooses to …. Aaargh!
One thing I find appealing is that the would-be artist is a girl, and that fact seems to be unworthy of comment. I remember when Trina Robbins started drawing Wonder Woman and got lots of articles written about her because she was a female comic artist. Now it’s no big deal, and I think the profusion of female manga artists has a lot to do with that. When I pick up a manga, I just assume the artist is a woman unless there is strong evidence to the contrary.
At Anime on DVD, Audrey Zarr serves up a witty review of From Far Away, providing the helpful information that it’s middle school safe. This looks a bit too fantasy-ish for my tastes, but I’m guessing my 12-year-old, who is currently plowing through all the Warrior books, will eat it up. Zarr’s (almost) final word:
From Far Away is a title you should be picking up if you’ve read Red River, Fushgi Yuugi and Basara and are looking for a fix right along those lines
David Welsh, who could write about last year’s phone book and make it hilarious, devotes his Flipped column to Diamond’s Previews catalog, giving a rundown on the new manga series we’ll be seeing in November.
At Anime on DVD, Eduardo Chavez gets his hands on a photocopied preview of Ghost Hunt, vol. 1, which is due out from Del Rey this month. Chavez gives mediocre grades to the story of ghost-hunters at a haunted high school.
Because I never have enough to do, I’ve started doing reviews for Manga Life. My first two reviews, of Fruits Basket and InuYasha, are up on the home page now. Check it out if you have a minute.
The manga Barefoot Gen will be included in an exhibit marking the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, according to asahi.com.
Organizers said officials in Paris decided to include the manga display because the artform is hugely popular in France among young people.
Barefoot Gen is the story of a young boy caught up in the bombing and its aftermath, and is based on author Keiji Nakazawa’s own experiences. More on the book, including sample pages, is here, and an Asahi article about the author is here.
