Anime Expo opens, CPM says goodbye
July 4th, 2009
From glancing at Twitter and my news feeds, it looks like the first day of Anime Expo included some good music and some anime license announcements, but not much of note for manga fans. ANN summarizes the keynote address Austin Osueke, publisher of eigoManga. This was sort of interesting:
according to Osueke, there’s a shared notion among all manga publishers that the big-picture goal is to push past the niche market for manga and introduce the material to the market as a format rather than a genre, which is what manga is currently perceived as among the general buying public.
He then notes that manga sales dropped 17 percent from 2007 to 2008 and that Diamond’s new minimums are hurting independent publishers like eigoManga. The alternatives he cites include webcomics, social media such as Facebook, etc. Apparently eigoManga is working on an iPhone app that would allow users to read a sample and then order the manga straight from their phone.
In a somber (but classy!) reminder of the alternative to such innovation, Central Park Media said goodbye to their fans via an ad in the program.
Other AX events: Ai Kano of Animanga Nation gets a brief interview with Loveless creator Yun Kouga. Gia liveblogged the Anime, Manga, and Hollywood panel at Anime Vice.
Lissa Pattillo lists the new manga we can expect in July.
Attention publishers: David Welsh would like someone to please license Otherworld Barbara.
Lori Henderson goes in search of the elusive Basara Devil Kings manga and gets an answer—but not the one she wanted.
Christopher Butcher posts some more photos from Japan, including the Tezuka World installation at Kyoto Station.
Reviews
Casey Brienza on Clover (omnibus edition) (ANN)
Sadie Mattox on The Color of Earth (Extremely Graphic)
Shannon Fay on Don’t Rush Love (Kuriousity)
Sesho on vol. 2 of Future Diary (Sesho’s Anime and Manga Reviews)
Diana Dang on Gaba Kawa (Stop, Drop, and Read)
Lori Henderson on vol. 4 of The Gentlemen’s Alliance+ (Comics Village)
Connie on vol. 10 of Golgo 13 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Julie on Hard Rock (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 13 of Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs (Comics Worth Reading)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 13 of Love*Com (Comics Worth Reading)
Connie on vol. 3 of Otomen (Slightly Biased Manga)
Carlo Santos on vol. 3 of Pluto (ANN)
Lorena on chapter 10 of Rin-ne (i heart manga)
Erin Jones on vol. 1 of Shinobi Life (Mania.com)
Connie on vol. 1 of Sugarholic (Slightly Biased Manga)
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Posted in Manga Blog