The manga won’t cost as little as name suggests, but that does little to dampen the fun of sharing word of a new manga imprint revealed earlier this month. According to AnimeNewsNetwork and The Comics Reporter, the publishing company PictureBox Inc. is launching a new manga imprint called Ten Cent Manga.

Currently there are two books scheduled to kick off this new imprint which will be  “focusing on manga straddling Japanese and American cultural influences”:

Last of the Mohicans – Shigeru Sugiura
April 30, 2013 – $19.99/US, $19.82/CAN (Hardcover)
“A 1973-74 classic from a manga master. This (very) free adaptation of the novel employs a range surrealist, collage-like techniuques that engag with contemporary Pop Art and psychedlia, as well as Japan’s modern history of cultural appropriation, to bring to life the great American story. It features combines Sugiura’s signature brand of absurd action and exquisite drawing, veering constantly from lowbrow cartoon spoof to nuanced meditation on American cultural influence.”

The Mysterious Underground Men – Osamu Tezuka
October 2013 (Hardcover)

“Originally published in Osaka in 1948, The Mysterious Underground Men tells the story of Mimio the talking rabbit, as he struggles to prove his humanity while helping his friends save earth from an invasion of angry humanoid ants. Inspired by Bernhard Kellermann’s Der Tunnel (1913) and drawing widely on European and American science fiction, as well as Milt Gross’ own pioneering “graphic novel,” He Done Her Wrong (1930), this full-color edition of The Mysterious Underground Men will not only introduce to English-language readers a founding monument in modern Japanese comics. It will also offer a rare glimpse at the wide-ranging Western cultural sources that made up young Tezuka’s world.”

 According the TCR report, we can expect to see more lesser known titles from well known creators. Already having some Tezuka under their belt is a good way to get started I’d say, and I’m curious to see what else comes of Ten Cent Manga. At the very least, their selection of titles so far and the company’s explained intent means we’ll be getting some history lessons with their releases as we read stories from creators that may not have otherwise been considered for license.

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