We are just having fun reviewing and discussing comic books, graphic novels, manga, anime/animation, music and movies that we have recently read, listened to or watched.
Yano Research has finished a report that gives the digital content numbers for the last year in Japan. In the digital book category, approximately 65 Billion Yen or 540 Million Dollars was spent on digital manga. This accounts for 80% of the overall digital book market. If only people in the United States would shed the concept of comic books only for kids, we could have a bigger interest here.
Viz Media has announced that it is joining forces with Animate, Ltd. and Libre Publishing Co., Ltd. to begin publishing a Yaoi (Boys Love) line called SuBLime. The line will have titles in print and in digital format. The print line will launch in the Spring of 2012 with Three Wolves Mountain by Naono Bohra and Hachimitsu Darlin by Norikazu Akira with additional titles launching in the Summer. The digital line will actually start this December with Love Pistols by Tarako Kotobuki and Dannasama To Mitsugetsuchu by Haruka Minami with more titles coming in 2012. Viz is taking the leap to digital because of the observance of their consumer readership downloading more digital content.
According to ICv2, Barnes & Noble are retaliating against DC Comics for giving Amazon exclusive digital content on some of DC’s graphic novel backlist. It is being reported that Barnes & Noble is pulling 100 of DC’s backlist titles from their brick and mortar stores. This is in effort to show DC and other publishers in the future that stores do not appreciate a publisher giving exclusive deals to specific competitors. After the last quarter is report for DC sales, we will see if this hurts their sales numbers or not.
ICv2 is reporting that Image Comics is going digital day and date along with it’s print issues. The digital content will be available via Graphicaly through comiXology. The Graphicly iOS and Android Apps will have access to the content, to include the Nook and Kindle.