Shojo Beat Ending

Posted in Manga News on May 19, 2009 by Johanna

According to this magazine distributor, Viz’s girl-targeted manga anthology Shojo Beat is “ceasing publication with the July 2009 issue.” Subscribers will be switched to the male-focused Shonen Jump, which will probably not be satisfactory, since the only thing the two have in common are format and publisher; the content is very different.

Currently, subscription links at the Shojo Beat site return “Page not found”. Viz has not yet confirmed.

Update: David Welsh at the Comics Reporter has a statement from Viz confirming that the July 2009 issue (on newsstands June 16) will be the last.

… unfortunately in today’s difficult economic climate we felt the need to place our resources elsewhere at this time. Of course all of our great shojo manga titles previously serialized in Shojo Beat magazine will still be published and available as graphic novels under the Shojo Beat imprint from VIZ Media.

Shojo Beat subscribers will get a copy of the August issue of Shonen Jump with information on “subscription/refund options”.

Similar Posts: Viz Standardizes Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat Prices at $9.99 § Shojo Beat 2nd Anniversary Sweepstakes § Viz Anthologies Cover Video Games, Include Girls § Yu-Gi-Oh! Concludes Today § Viz’s Latest Shojo Releases

12 Comments

  1. [...] Oh man, this rumor sucks –   Shojo Beat Ending » Comics Worth Reading. [...]

  2. Oh, first was Anime Insider and now Shojo Beat. What’s comin’ next? The end of Tokyopop, VIZ or Dark Horse?

  3. Out of those three, I would guess Tokyopop, but it’s apples and oranges. Magazine publishing is in much worse shape than book or graphic novel publishing. (Note that Tokyopop’s Manga magazine appears to have disappeared without notice, although it was nothing but ads.) With Shojo Beat, perhaps Viz thinks they don’t lose much going straight to book collections?

  4. These things make that manga and alternative graphic novel offer decreases. Bad times are coming soon?

  5. Tokyopop kinda dug their own grave, in my opinion. I’ve never seen a company make so many glaringly obvious to everybody but them business decisions.

    And I supported books like Beck and Kindaichi to the bitter, bitter end, even when I knew they weren’t putting out any more volumes.

    I can’t imagine anybody buying magazine issues over tankabon, myself, so I guess I don’t see the doom ‘n gloom in magazines folding.

    I mean, why would I buy something with several stories of which I might like a couple when I can get a thick volume for slightly more that has a pile of material from a favorite series?

  6. I got the first three issues of Shojo Beat but stopped due to economic factors. Plus, as Mark said, it’s much easier to read as a trade, which is what I’m doing with almost all my comics now.

    Still, it’s always sad news when something like this happens.

  7. Seems to me that the series found in Shojo Beat are nowhere near as popular (male and female readers alike) as Viz’s Shonen Jump. A tough but needed decision on Viz’s part…

  8. What? that sucks. I was wondering what was up when they didn’t have a *continued in the next volume* thing. Well at least the series aren’t stopping…..

  9. sign petition at gopetition.com ‘bring back shojo beat’

  10. Why do you have to do that? You have some much I love that I don’t get to do in the world. Like you tell about Japan and stuff like that. I love it that you send it up here in Canada.

  11. It sucks that Beat has stopped. Unfortunatly though I’m still trying to find the new volumes forms of all the storys cept for vampire knight and honey hunt (on haiatus).

  12. Hey it sucks. But we will find a way to.

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