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Author Archive for Lissa Pattillo

Swag Bag Special: L’édition Française

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, May 25, 2011

It’s a special edition of Swag Bag today that may very well be the first of many. Just after I got back from TCAF, I received my first shipment of French-translated manga which I ordered through Amazon.ca. While my French is a little rusty, I was blown away by the selection the French manga market offered and had to try ordering some, especially when they have a number of the series that Tokyopop’s demise left hanging. Now with the books in hand, I’m equally impressed by the quality of the books themselves.

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Categories: Features, Swag Bag
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, Hinako Takanaga, Makoto Tateno, Manga, Shoujo

PR: Digital Manga Publishing launches on to Google Books!

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, May 25, 2011

1 Comment »

Gardena, CA (May 25, 2010) – Digital Manga, one of the manga industry’s most unique and creative publishers, is proud to announce its digital distribution expansion on to Google Books! http://books.google.com/ebooks

Digital Manga has so far launched over 90 titles from their DMP, Juné, and 801 Media imprints into the Google ebookstore, with more to follow in the coming weeks and months, including popular manga titles like Vampire Hunter D and Maiden Rose. Kindle blocked titles like The Color of Love, Weekend Lovers and The Selfish Demon King, are also available in the Google ebookstore.

Digital Manga believes in the “More the better…” concept where digital distribution to every available online storefront, platform, device or digital distributor can provide easier accessibility and availability to readers who own alternative e-reading devices.

Average pricing for most DMP titles is between $5.95 to $7.95 downloaded to your device. You can find a direct listing of current available Digital Manga titles in the Google ebook store here: http://www.junemanga.com/digitaledition/

Google eBooks is compatible with just about any dedicated ebook reader as it stores your library in their digital cloud. Access, your ebooks using your favorite e-reading device like the Barnes & Noble Nook™ and Reader™ from Sony. Follow the link for an overview of Google’s wide array to read your favorite ebook on your favorite device or platform: http://books.google.com/help/ebooks/overview.html

Google Books also provides FREE online eReading applications to help you browse, purchase and download directly off their sites to your preferred device. Apps for PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, and Android smartphones and tablets are available now.

http://books.google.com/help/ebooks/devices.html

Sample some of the DMP’s titles below now or go to Google eBooks http://books.google.com/ebooks (best keyword search: digital manga, yaoi, manga)

Sample links:

Vampire Hunter D vol.1: http://books.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&id=uLb7M1yvHNoC#v=onepage&q&f=false

Love Water: http://books.google.com/ebooks?id=Q2uwSRq_IxgC&dq=digital+manga&as_brr=5

Same Cell Organism: http://books.google.com/books?id=MlP8mzc9OWwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=same+cell+organism&hl=en&ei=GxXXTeXOHY-WsgO1zfCwBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Digital Manga currently also publishes manga through other storefronts like the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo books and their very own eManga.com. Check back for new manga title releases which will be up on sale over the next few weeks and months through our newsletter, blog, and our other social networking links below.

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About Digital Manga Publishing

Located in Gardena, CA, Digital Manga Publishing is one of the industry’s most unconventional and innovative companies, specializing in building corporate and cultural bridges from Japan to the Western Hemisphere – specifically through the licensing, importation and preparation of anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comic books) and related merchandise for the North American mainstream and subculture markets. In this capacity, DMI serves as a catalyst for the expansion of Japanese pop culture institutions into global arenas. The company’s imprint line includes DMP: its mainstream imprint, DMP PLATINUM: its classic manga imprint, JUNE´: its boys love imprint, 801 MEDIA: its adult boys love imprint, and DokiDoki: its exclusive co-publishing imprint with Shinshokan Publishing.

For more information about Digital Manga Publishing, visit www.digitalmanga.com as well as:

www.emanga.com

http://twitter.com/digitalmanga

http://www.youtube.com/user/junemanga

http://www.youtube.com/user/801media

http://www.youtube.com/user/digitalmanga

http://www.facebook.com/DigitalMangaInc

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, DMP

Kuriousity 3.2 Launches!

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, May 24, 2011

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As promised (warned?) when Kuriousity officially moved to kuriousity.ca, our new layout launched late this past weekend! Why 3.2? It’s Kuriousity’s third complete layout and it went through a couple different incarnations before launching as you see it.

It’s similar to the prior one in terms of the set-up (no sense fixing what isn’t broken, right?) but I designed it to rely much less on images to speed up loading and added some more customized sections to make navigation easier. You’ll also see mini author bios on all our posts and some easier to use social media icons as well.

Of course there’s also the Kuriousity banner which I always have fun filling with a college of my favourite series. Can you name all the characters/series/artists up there now?

If you have any issues viewing the site with the new layout or have a suggestion, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I hope you like our new layout and continue to stop back often for Kuriousity’s new content!

Edit (May 25th): … new commenting system implemented! Now introducing a comment structure that actually makes conversational sense – enjoy :)

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Categories: Site Updates

Review: Bakuman (Vol. 04)

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, May 22, 2011

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Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Manga-ka: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: April 2011

Synopsis: “When Akito is unable to come up with a storyboard within the time frame he promised, Moritaka decides to break up their partnership! As they go their separate ways to create manga, it may turn out that they’re actually headed in the same direction…”

Is it too much to ask for more manga in a manga series about making manga? In this fourth volume we’ve given a little reprieve from this frustration when a single page from each artist’s work is shown. Still, it feels more like a mouthful in a work that should offer a feast. The glimpses of storyboards are neat, particularly the chapter covers which are Bakuman in-progress stages. But, when you read page after page of people writing, drawing, revising and then talking about doing all those things (rinse and repeat), you start to resent seeing next to nothing of it.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Bakuman, Manga, Viz Media

PR: Digital Manga Publishing launches on to KOBO books!

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, May 19, 2011

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Gardena, CA (May 18, 2010) – Digital Manga, one of the manga industry’s most unique and creative publishers, is proud to announce its digital distribution expansion on to Kobo books— http://www.kobobooks.com/ —a global eReading service, providing readers with a global alternative to the Amazon Kindle. Kobo have distributing partners with Canada’s Chapters Indigo, Borders US & AU, Australia’s Angus & Robertson, and New Zealand’s Whitcoulls ebookstore storefronts which are powered by Kobo.

Digital Manga has so far launched over 90 titles from their DMP, Juné, and 801 Media imprints into the Kobo ebookstore and their partners, with more to follow in the coming weeks and months, including popular manga titles like Vampire Hunter D and IL Gatto Sul G, along with other such titles as The Color of Love and The Selfish Demon King, which were blocked out of the Amazon Kindle store recently.

Digital Manga believes this new digital distribution channel can provide a new alternative for non-Kindle e-reading device owners. Kobo not only has their own dedicated eReading device, but you can also access their storefront and its partners, through any smart phone, tablet, e-readers, PC or Mac via downloadable app. This opens the market up to a whole new customer base with a broader range of devices.

Average pricing for most DMP titles is at $7.95 downloaded to your device. You can find a direct listing of current available Digital Manga titles in the Kobo ebook store here: http://www.junemanga.com/digitaledition/

Or visit these other favorite e-book storefronts powered by Kobo.

(best keyword search: DMP, June, 801 Media, manga, Yaoi manga, Digital Manga Publishing)

Kobo
http://www.kobobooks.com/

Partners:

Chapters Indigo
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/home/

Borders
http://www.borders.com/online/store/Home

Angus & Robertson
http://www.angusrobertson.com.au/

Whitcoulls
http://www.whitcoulls.co.nz/

Note: Kobo and their partners have FREE eReading applications to help you browse, purchase and download directly off their sites to your preferred device. Apps for PCs, Macs, Sony Readers, iPads, iPhones, Android and Blackberry smartphones are available now.

If reading your book via smart device like ipad/iphone or android device through the Kobo or its partners’ App, set the Kobo Styling to OFF, under the display setting of your book.

You can also purchase eBooks via the websites and download direct from your eLibrary to any device supporting the ePub standard using Adobe Digital Editions, http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/ , or side-load the epub file to your device. KOBO will have updates for processing manga epub content later this summer.

Digital Manga currently also publishes manga through other storefronts like the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook. Check back for new manga title releases which will be up on sale over the next few weeks and months through our newsletter, blog, and our other social networking links below.

—————————————————————

About Digital Manga Publishing

For more information about Digital Manga Publishing, visit www.digitalmanga.com as well as:

www.emanga.com

http://twitter.com/digitalmanga
http://www.youtube.com/user/junemanga
http://www.youtube.com/user/801media
http://www.youtube.com/user/digitalmanga
http://www.facebook.com/DigitalMangaInc

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: DMP

PR: Viz Media Presents Takehiko Inoue’s Smile: Pray for Japan

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, May 19, 2011

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VIZ MEDIA AIDS FUNDRAISING FOR JAPANESE DISASTER RECOVERY WITH TAKEHIKO INOUE’S SMILE: PRAY FOR JAPAN ILLUSTRATIONS

Lifelike Portraits Drawn By Legendary Manga Creator In The Days Following The Earthquake And Tsunami To Be Available On iPhone, iPod Touch And iPad In North America

San Francisco, CA, May 19, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, continues to assist international fundraising efforts for Japanese disaster relief. The company has announced that it will make legendary manga (graphic novel) creator Takehiko Inoue’s newest Smile series of illustrations available to North American iPhone™, iPod™ Touch and iPad™ users via the VIZ Manga App. All VIZ Media proceeds from these purchases will be donated directly to the Japanese Red Cross Society to aid victims in the areas ravaged by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Beginning today, fans can enjoy these breathtaking and touching illustrations on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. SMILE: PRAY FOR JAPAN Volume 1, contains Inoue’s illustrations numbered 34 through 100 and will be available for $9.99. SMILE: PRAY FOR JAPAN Volume 2 will contain illustrations 101 to 120 for $1.99. As Inoue creates additional pieces, VIZ Media will continue to make them available in sets of 20 for $1.99.

Takehiko Inoue (creator of VAGABOND, REAL, and SLAM DUNK, all published by VIZ Media) created these pieces as a gesture of support for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck on March 11th. Using his finger and an iOS iPad app developed by Psoft Mobile called Zen Brush, he initially began drawing images of people smiling and posting them online as an experiment. But circumstances would have the Smile series take a different turn. On March 12th, the day after the massive earthquake, Inoue posted Smile illustration number 34, entitled “Pray,” with the victims of the devastating disaster in mind. Since then he has continued to draw piece after piece, with over 125 illustrations currently in the series. In Japan, the Smile series is also used to help with disaster recovery fundraising efforts.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Viz Media

Swag Bag: Muscling In On Toronto’s Manga Supply

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, May 17, 2011

6 Comments »

Welcome to what is definitely the longest Swag Bag to date! Mostly because I completely failed to compile my Swag Bag from last year’s Anime North… None the less! – my recent trip to Toronto was chock full of fun finds, and painful but no doubt hilarious attempts at cramming it all into my suitcases. This post here consists of the manga I bought while traversing the packed streets of Toronto while my TCAF purchases will come in a later post once I’ve finished oogling them enough to write something coherent.

The books listed here were all purchased from either my local Strange Adventures (pre-con buying is important, like eating before going to the grocery store – it helps… I think). The rest with exception of I think 1 or 2 came from what I’m dubbing the manga treasure trove of Toronto – The Beguiling. My thanks to their very accomodating staff! If curious about my other comic shop adventures in Toronto, you can check out the Ontario section of Kuriousity’s Canadian Comic Shop listings.

Now onto the swag!

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Categories: Features, Swag Bag
Tags: 7 Billion Needles, ALC Publishing, Bakuman, BLU, Boys' Love/Yaoi, Bunny Drop, CLAMP, Deux Press, DMP, Hinako Takanaga, Makoto Tateno, Manga, Manhwa, Netcomics, Seven Seas, Shoujo Beat, TCAF 2011, Tokyopop, Vertical Inc, Viz Media, Yen Press, Yuri

Kuri-ousity.com is Now Officially Kuriousity.ca!

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, May 14, 2011

1 Comment »

kuriousity.ca

Quick update today to announce that after having an easy-to-do forwarder set up to make our .ca work as a domain, as of today Kuriousity is officially fully hosted at kuriousity.ca!

There’s still a forwarder in place to automatically send all old kuri-ousity.com to their corresponding page here on kuriousity.ca so there shouldn’t be any problem with broken links. That said, if you come across any link issues (be they on the site or from elsewhere) let me know!

Shifting the site over to our new .ca address is step one of a little revamp Kuriousity is getting. There’re some changes to the layout coming (nothing too huge but it’s about time for a fresh coat of paint!) so I’d like to take this opportunity to put out the question for visitors – is there a particular feature you’d like to see? A change to the layout that would make things easier for you? Leave me a comment or send an e-mail my way.

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Categories: Site Updates
Tags: Canada

PR: Animaritime Holds Charity Auction for IWK

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, May 13, 2011

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ANIMARITIME HOLDS CHARITY AUCTION FOR IWK

All proceeds of annual auction to be donated to IWK Health Centre Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Moncton, NB, May 13, 2011 – Animaritime, the Maritime provinces’ premiere anime and gaming convention , is proud to announce that all proceeds of their annual Animaritime auction will be donated to the IWK Health Centre Foundation.

Animaritime’s auction is one of the conventions most well attended events. With lively volunteer hosts and an enthusiastic audience, the event sees anime and gaming related items auctioned off in a live bidding environment. Material bid on in the auction are donated by sponsors, vendors and attendees and include books, DVDs and signed merchandise from beloved creators and industry members. The auction is open to all attendees of Animaritime.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Animaritime, Canada, Conventions

May Manga Mysteries, Scams and Buy-It-Now Bargains

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, May 11, 2011

4 Comments »

I was doing my usual website check-ins and Amazon spelunking and I came across a few interesting things. Along with a scam and a mystery, I also found some listings for books that, while not new licenses (I leave those to publishers these days) are still some exciting re-releases to look forward to.

First and most time-sensitive today is GoComi.com. I posted that the site had been resurrected with the bare framework of a WordPress layout a couple weeks back. Now the site’s updated with the following message:

“Go! Comi is coming back! We take great efforts to rebuilt Go! Comi as a publisher for Manga & Comics! Help us rebuilding Go! Comi.”

It then asks for donations sent via PayPal directly to them. This screamed scam to me at first, second and third glance. The messy layout, the abundance of ads, the low-res images taken from Amazon and a link asking for random money? The power of the internet spread the word quick to GoComi’s Creative Director (when the company was up and about), Audry Taylor, who has confirmed on her Twitter that this site is a SCAM. So it’s confirmed 100% that this site is just trying to trick manga fans into giving them money. If you know anyone who’s been there and considered donating, please tell them absolutely not to do it. Audry Taylor is sending her lawyers after them so hopefully the offending site will be taken down soon.

Speaking of long-gone manga publishers, a listing for Manzai Comics (Vol. 02) from Aurora Publishing has popped up on Amazon.ca. It has a release date of July 12, 2011. While I’m used to seeing book listings ‘recycled’ on Chapters‘ website (meaning cancelled books given a future date to bump them off recent listings instead of actually deleting them), it’s odd seeing it on Amazon. It’s the same ISBN as the book’s original listing from 2009 so it’s most likely it’s a case of recycled listing but still, a manga mystery!

On a less mysterious but more ‘yay!’ factor comes a listing on Amazon.ca for a box set of Full Metal Alchemist due out from Viz Media in November 2011. The set will include “volumes 1-27, plus extras such as Fullmetal Alchemist Novel: The Ties That Bind and a full-color, two-sided poster.” The price is listed at $219.99/CAN but right now you can pre-order the set on Amazon at 30% off the price – meaning 27+ volumes of FMA for only $137.93. Hard to argue that bargain!

Speaking of a bargain, there’s an omnibus edition of Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo series listed for a February 2012 release. The series is licensed by Vertical Inc and has previously been released in single volume formats. The book is listed at a whopping 880 pages with a price of $29.95/CAN. Awesome bargain for one of my favourite series from Osamu Tezuka even if I’d still say not his strongest.

And lastly for today, if you’re like me and love seeing how manga covers are designed, here are some newly revealed manga covers to oogle!

Tenjo Tenge Omnibus (Vol. 01) (Vol. 02) (Vol. 03) (Vol. 04)
X 3-in-1 (Vol. 01)
Princess Knight (Vol. 01)
No Longer Human (Vol. 01)
Drops of God (Vol. 01)
Pokemon Black & White (Vol. 01) (Vol. 02)