U.S. Papers Adding Japanese-Style Comics

[gkanai]

[Charles]

...Founded in 1996, TOKYOPOP has operations in the United States, Japan, Germany and Great Britain, has an annual revenue of about $40 million and sells as many as 10 million books a year, according to Levy, the CEO..

For comparison, the religious book series "Left Behind" does an initial print run of 3 million books for each new volume, and rapidly sells out. There are something like 12 volumes. And that's the sole product of a small "boutique" publisher. TokyoPop isn't even big enough to be considered small, they're microscopic.

[Mulboyne]

TokyoPop isn't even big enough to be considered small, they're microscopic.

Agreed. Their growth rate, however, has been fairly good and their demographic is one that a number of publishers are failing to reach. They have some fairly interesting backers too. JETRO just gave them an award for promoting Japanese culture and brands abroad (Japanese PDF here)

[gkanai]

toracos, Son-san and Mitsui VC?!?!? daaaaaammmmmm

[Kuang_Grade]

While I could quibble with Charles' view that $40 million in annual sales is apparently not large enough to lean over and pick up if found in the street (although US and UK sales of manga are very small compared to Japanese sales levels), I couldn't resist this set up.

JETRO just gave them an award for promoting Japanese culture and brands abroad

From Tokyopop's Street Fury DVD line

"Get up close and personal with top import model Aiko Tanaka, and red-hot series host, Candi Kita. "



As for US newspapers, I suspect they are rapidly approaching total desperation...the latest US Audit Bureau of Circulation numbers came out on Monday and they were pretty bad ( http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2005/11/07/ap2322738.html ) and the decline was greater for Sunday readers than the daily readers (a sign that readers are rejecting the entire idea of reading a newspaper at all...people who drop from 7 day subscriptions usually shift to Sunday only subscriptions due to the value of Sunday preprint/circulars advertising and weekly TV guides). Somehow 8 to 10 panels of doe eyed girls in super bland and safe stories aren't going to attract the demo that can just get 120 pages of the real deal in Shojo Beat on a monthly basis for $6.

[torasan]

good article but sloppy reporting by AP. The article does not mention what the two manga are. What are their titles?

1..............

2...............

?

[Mulboyne]

good article but sloppy reporting by AP. The article does not mention what the two manga are. What are their titles?

Torasan, I think they are mentioned as "Van Von Hunter" and "Peach Fuzz".

[Mulboyne]

Good to see this from Kyodo a couple of months later...

Via Crisscross: LA Times, other U.S. newspapers to carry manga from Sunday

[Mulboyne]

Reuters: Branson backing Asian-targeted comics venture
Entrepreneur Richard Branson is getting into the comic book and animation businesses. He has signed up as a partner in Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation, which will create original titles and characters that blend Eastern and Western mythologies. The companies, based in the Indian city of Bangalore, India, will be steered by Gotham Chopra, son of author Deepak Chopra, and business partner Sharad Devarajan...more...