• What is manga?

Manga is a Japanese word used for comics. While the term encompasses all forms of comics in Japan, globally the word manga is predominantly used to refer to comics that originate from Japan.

The term anime is used much the same – used as the word for animation in Japan, but used outside the country as a term to refer to animation that specifically originates from there.

• What companies publish manga in English?

Bandai (INACTIVE)
Bandai Entertainment published both anime and manga, with the majority of its manga being connected to their animated properties. Well known titles included Code Geass and Gundam.
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CMX (INACTIVE)
CMX was an imprint of DC Comics that was focused on publishing manga. It published a variety of older shojo series as well as several action-oriented titles. Well known titles included From Eroica with Love and Tenjo Tenge.
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Dark Horse (website)
Dark Horse publishes a variety of comics from creators around the world. It’s line-up of manga creators include popular creators, CLAMP and Yasuhiro Nightow. Well known titles include Blade of the Immortal, Gantz and Oh My Goddess!
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Del Rey (INACTIVE)
Del Rey is a company that has been publishing fantasy and science fiction novels for years. It began publishing manga consistently in 2004, before Kodansha Comics took over its remaining licenses in 2011. Well known titles include Negima, XXXHolic and Genshiken.
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Deux Press (INACTIVE)
Deux Press, along with its parent company Aurora Publishing, were independant publishers of translated manga. Deux Press was an imprint dedicated to boys’ love titles. Well known titles included Future Lovers and Seduce Me After The Show.
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Digital Manga Publishing (website)
Digital Manga is a multi-imprint company that has been best known for its large library of boys’ love titles. This company has also worked with Dark Horse to release titles such as Berserk and Trigun, while in recent years has branched out to some classic titles such as Speed Racer and the works of Osamu Tezuka. Imprints under this company include 801 Media, DMP Platinum, Doki Doki, June, Project-H and Digital Manga Guild. The company has a large online archive of digital manga for purchase called eManga.com. Well known titles by Digital Manga include Tyrant Who Falls in Love, Ai no Kusabi, Kizuna and Itazura na Kiss.
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Dramaqueen (INACTIVE)
Dramaqueen was best known for its publication of boys’ love titles, but also published a number of Korean drama titles as well. For a short time, the company also published an anthology magazine called RUSH. Well known titles included Challengers and Virtuoso di Amore.
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Drawn & Quarterly (website)
Drawn & Quarterly is a Canadian company that publishes a variety of comics, art books and novels. They’ve released a number of manga titles, the majority of which dating between the 50s-80s. Well known manga titles by Drawn & Quarterly include Kitaro, Black Blizzard and A Drifting Life.
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Fantagraphics (website)
Fantagraphics is a comics publishing company with a large collection of creator-owned comics from artists around the world. In recent years they’ve begun licensing select manga titles. Well known manga titles include Wandering Son and Heart of Thomas.
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GEN Manga (website)
GEN Manga is a small press company that releases independent works from Japan. They serialize a number of short series in their digital and print-copy magazine, GEN, before collecting them into purchasable books. Well known manga titles from GEN Manga include Wolf and VS Aliens.
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GoComi (INACTIVE)
GoComi was a small independent publisher that put out a number of manga series before shutting down in the Spring of 2010. The company also published an original travel journal book of illustrations called Japan Ai, which followed the artist’s trip to Japan. Well known GoComititles included Black Sun Silver Moon, Cantarella and Night of the Beasts.
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Kodansha Comics (website)
Kodansha Comics is the North American manga imprint of Japan’s largest manga publisher. This company took over the remaining licenses from Del Rey and has since licensed a number of series new to English publication as well as several older ones with updated editions. Well known titles from Kodansha Comics include Sailor Moon, Fairy Tail and Phoenix Wright.
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Media Blasters (INACTIVE)
Media Blasters publishes both anime and manga, but has ceased publishing manga sine mid-2011. The company has an imprint for its mature titles called Kitty Media. Well known titles from Media Blasters included Crimson Spell and Yokai’s Hunger.
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Netcomics (website)
Netcomics publishes predominantly manhwa (Korean) titles and has had a strong online platform for purchasing and reading their titles digitally for years. Only some of their licenses go to print. Well known titles include Let Dai, Boy Princess and Totally Captivated.
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Seven Seas (website)
Seven Seas publishes an assortment of manga, manhwa and manga-inspired comics. They are known for being the only publisher to publish multiple yuri titles and many other popular niche titles. Well known titles include Gunslinger Girl, Strawberry Panic and Dance in the Vampire Bund.
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Tokyopop (INACTIVE)
Tokyopop was one of the largest publishers of manga in North America until its shutdown in 2012. The company was a pioneer of the current size and format recognized in English today and was responsible for a large wave of titles in the market during the medium’s boom. Tokyopop had an imprint under which they published their boys’ love series, BLU. Well known titles include Fruits Basket, Love Hina and Battle Royale.
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UDON Entertainment (website)
UDON Entertainment is best known for its publication of original comics based on video game properties. They have published several manga and manhwa series including several artbooks. Well known titles include Sengoku Basara, Megaman and The Big Adventures of Majoko.
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Vertical Inc. (website)
Vertical Inc. is a small but focused company best known for its publication of Osamu Tezuka titles. It has also published a variety of manga titles from a number of different genres and eras, and is known too for the unique graphic presentation of their titles. Well known titles include Black Jack, Chi’s Sweet Home and 5 Centimeters per Second.
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Viz Media (website)
Viz Media is the largest publisher of manga in North America. They are owned by several of Japan’s largest manga publishers and have the English rights to the popular brand Shonen Jump. Viz Media publishes boys’ love under an imprint called SuBLime. Well known Viz Media titles include Dragonball, One Piece, Naruto and Vampire Knight.
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Yaoi Generation (INACTIVE)
Yaoi Generation was a small independently company that published boys’ love titles. Though the company license a number of different titles, it only released a few volumes before updates from the company ceased. Yaoi Generation published five volumes of the boys’ love, breath.
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Yen Press (website)
Yen Press is a manga, manhwa and light novel publishing imprint of Hachette. They are next to Viz Media as today’s largest publisher of titles. Along with licensed properties, Yen Press also commissions a number of manga-style comic series based on popular Hachette book properties such as Twilight and Maximum Ride. Well known Yen Press titles include Yotsuba&!, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Black Butler.
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