The digital magazine is only available in the U.S. and Canada for now, and it requires a Flash-enabled browser or a Viz Manga app to access its approximately 120 pages. Print subscribers have to convert their accounts, but they’ll get three free online volumes of manga for doing so. The biggest bonus is that publishing online allows the company to stay more current with the original Japanese run. The digital manga chapters are scheduled to be only two weeks behind the Japanese print versions (in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine).

For the launch, the magazine contains Bakuman, Bleach, Naruto, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, One Piece, and Toriko. Since some of them had to jump ahead in order to match the Japanese serialization, Viz has also put together a synopsis page to bring readers up-to-date. (If you’re reading the series in book form, spoilers!) John Jakala has posted a chart showing where the series are in terms of serialization.

Issue #1 also included an interview with the creator of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto — however, since I’m late talking about it, and since Viz doesn’t sell digital back issues, you’ve missed it. As they say in their FAQ, “If fans of the manga series want to maintain a permanent collection, both the digital and print options are available to them in the graphic novel format.”

One of the big draws for print subscribers were exclusive Yu-Gi-Oh! cards included in the magazine. To keep those fans interested, subscribers will be sent those cards free four times a year. It’s $25.99 for a year’s subscription (48 issues, considering some weeks will have double issues). If you only want a particular issue (although considering the serialization, I’m not sure why), it’s 99 cents to get that issue available to you for four weeks.

As I write this, there are two preview issues available for free: one contains the first chapters of all of the magazine’s series, while the other is an issue #0, containing the most recent chapters before launch.

In the latest Manga Out Loud podcast,

* Ed and I talk about Bakuman

* Erica briefly discusses the MangaNEXT convention

* and then Erica Friedman, Ed, and I discuss the questions of fan entitlement, education, and the future of companies in the industry.

We’re hoping for plenty of feedback, here, at MangaOutLoud.com, or on Twitter.

Genshiken Book 2

ANN is reporting that Kodansha will release the first book of Genshiken: Second Season in the U.S. on September 4. (There have been two volumes out so far in Japan.)

It took me a couple of tries to appreciate the fan-favorite series, about an anime/manga/cosplay/videogame club, before I got the appeal, but once you know the characters, it’s a lot of fun. The first series ran nine volumes (published by Del Rey), ending with graduation. To prepare for the sequel, Kodansha will also release an omnibus volume of the first three books on May 22.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 11

Kodansha sends out the past month’s worth of books in their mailings, so in the January batch, I’m looking forward to catching up with the twin mystery in Arisa 6; sampling @ Full Moon 2 (it’s the final volume, but since it’s a gender-mixed vampire/werewolf romance, I’m guessing I can get up to speed quickly); escaping with the sugary 4-koma strip Shugo Chara Chan 2; and trying Sailor Moon for the first time with Book 3. Also out are the adventure sagas Fairy Tail 17 and Deltora Quest 4, as well as the magical harem action fantasy Negima! 33: Magister Negi Magi.

I’m honored to be added to the Yen Press list, giving me a sneak peek at their February releases. Soul Eater 8 doesn’t sound like my kind of thing, but I’m curious to try The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 11, the supernatural alien secret organization comedy. I’m not sure a demon-slaying story rated Mature, such as Omamori Himari 6, is for me — I thought the rating was for violence, but after a flip-through, I’m guessing it’s due to the nude shower scene — and the other two books, Nabari No Ou 9 and Sumomomo, Momomo 11, look like fight manga, although the latter has a romance twist that might be intriguing.

The biggest problem for a new reader is that Yen’s series are long-running. That’s a huge benefit for fans, who may be concerned about the stability of titles after some of last year’s industry upheavals, but it makes it a little more difficult to be sure you’ve got a good jumping on point. Readers, what Yen series and volumes do you recommend starting with?

Hana-Kimi (3-in-1 Edition)

Then there’s Viz. They do several mailings a month due to their different categories of titles, so I’ve already received and mentioned some of the shojo titles coming out in early February, but there’s lots more. (I do wish Viz had a list at their website of all their titles during a particular month. It’s one of my very few complaints about their site, since otherwise, they do a lot of things right online.)

Viz also has the longest lead time in review copies. They’re ready for March now, with a selection that included new series The Earl and The Fairy 1 (Lydia, a fairy doctor, gets involved in a quest with a mysterious heir to the fairy kingdom), One Piece 61 (can you believe it? over 60 volumes of pirate adventure?!?), La Corda d’Oro 15, and the new Hana-Kimi omnibus re-release. I was a fan of this series when it started in 2004, and I’m curious to see how I approach it now that I’ve read a lot more shojo manga. (We know that revisitation didn’t work out so well for Love Hina, but I’m guessing Hana-Kimi might be a little less problematic.)

Two of the series, Husband, Honeymoon by Haruka Minami (previously announced as Dannasama to Mitsugetsuchu) and Love Pistols by Tarako Kotobuki, have second volumes coming in February (along with another, unrelated title, making for three releases that month). The other two titles, Oku-san’s Daily Fantasies by Noboru Takatsuki and The Bed of My Dear King by Sakae Kusama, are single books.

All are digital-only releases and cost $5.99. For that price, you get “digital access to two versions of each manga volume … a downloadable PDF that is viewable on any enabled eReader device and computer, and via the online manga viewer found on the web site.” Most of the books also have free previews available. Readers have already begun leaving comments and reviews on the book pages, a very helpful feature to those of us (like me) unfamiliar with specific yaoi titles and authors.

Kingyo Used Books 1

I enjoyed listening to Ed Sizemore and Phillip Anthony talk about reviewing in this episode of the Eeeper’s Choice podcast. They discuss the issues with keeping up with a tide of material, whether it’s work you’re interested in or not, and the question of review copies, especially for an international site. (Phillip is Irish.) If you’d like to consider struggling with the problem yourself, here’s my advice on how to get review copies.

That’s just a short prologue, though, before the main subject of the podcast. The two praise Kingyo Used Books, the Viz SigIKKI series about a used manga bookstore, and talk about the feelings of nostalgia the series evokes.

I love Ed’s idea of a similar series for the American comic market, where people are given advice inspired by old superhero comics.

Ed and I were joined by Lissa Pattillo and Alex Hoffman to discuss the DMP Kickstarter to publish Osamu Tezuka’s Barbara in a bonus episode of the Manga Out Loud podcast.

We put this together quickly, while the topic was fresh in everyone’s mind. Our special guest is Ben Applegate, who organizes the DMP Kickstarters, and I very much appreciated his willingness to tell us more about the company’s vision for these projects, as well as providing some print run numbers. His approach addressed several of my concerns about what this strategy might mean for the industry in the long term.

Manga Out Loud has returned with a look back at 2011 with guests Jason Thompson and Matt Blind. We talk over the biggest manga-related stories of the past year, our reading recommendations, and some predictions for 2012.

First, though, Ed and I spend about 18 minutes discussing Wandering Son Book 2, the upcoming (and much anticipated) Friends With Boys by manga fan Faith Erin Hicks, and other upcoming releases that excite us.

We’re looking for feedback on our new format, including titles and/or topics you’d like us to cover, so feel free to comment below or at the Manga Out Loud page!

This one again breaks new ground: It will bring a previously untranslated manga by Osamu Tezuka into print in English for the first time. Barbara is about an author who brings home a drunk homeless woman. “But just as Mikura is no saint, Barbara is no benevolent guardian angel, and Mikura grows obsessed with discovering her secrets, tangling with thugs, sadists, magical curses, and mythical beings — all the while wondering whether he himself is still sane.”

I don’t think I’m interested in signing up for an exploration of madness described as a “baffling book”, since I find myself discouraged by Tezuka’s adult works and their problematic treatment of women anyway. Doesn’t matter — after two days, the project is already funded. So DMP will “translate and produce this 430+ page book in paperback in a large size: 5 7/8″ x 8 1/4″, the same size as [their] previous Tezuka release, Swallowing the Earth.” (No word on how much of the funds will go to paying a translator, or if they’re going to get fans to do it.)

Digital Manga is really taking customer participation to a new level. Certain backers bought themselves, in addition to a copy of the book when it’s printed in July,

Membership in the Barbara Producers Committee, with updates on the translation and production process and the chance to weigh in on decisions including logos and the final design of the book.

DMP also uses these campaigns as a way to clean out the closets, giving backers at certain levels the ability to choose volumes of manga from their backlist at the approximate cost of $5 a book.

Open questions do remain. How large will the print run be? Will DMP distribute this manga through bookstores and other outlets, or sell it exclusively themselves (thus limiting the audience)? Because of the unusual printing funding, will the book stay in print for any length of time, or will this wind up being first run and done? Then again, given the specialized adult content — “sadomasochistic clubs, black masses, mother goddess cults, voodoo murderers” — perhaps this is a better work to aim at a more limited, dedicated audience.

Update: Lissa Pattillo reports that “Digital Manga’s Ben Applegate has stated that copies will also be printed and distributed to bookstores as well…. There’s no word on what size this print run will be, though, and it’s questionable how available this title will be when they need to seek outside funding from consumers just to finance it initially.”

Lissa goes on to express some very valid concerns stemming from seeing a publishing company use a tool originally geared for individual creators, summed up as, “There’s a difference between empowering a consumer and passing off the responsibility to them.” She goes on:

I feel like our love for manga is being taken for granted. Taken for granted we’ll do not only do the fund-raising but the marketing now as well…. This is different from community hyping — this is crowd-sourcing that lets a company sit safely on the sidelines while we shoulder the burden.

As reported at Anime News Network, Bandai Entertainment will stop releasing new manga and anime titles as of February, although “it will continue to distribute in its existing catalog lineup [until licenses expire]. … Most of its contractors and three of its five fulltime staff members will be laid off.” (I’m sorry to hear that — it’s a rotten start to the new year to lose work.)

ANN lists these manga titles as cancelled:

• Code Geass: Renya
• Gurren Lagann Volume 7
• Kannagi Volumes 4-6 (Note: Volume 4 was offered in the latest Previews catalog, cover-dated January, so that solicitation will be cancelled.)
• Lucky Star Boo Boo Kagaboo
• Mobile Suit Gundam 00I
• Tales of the Abyss: Jade’s Secret Memories Volumes 1 and 2

I didn’t read any Bandai titles, so I don’t have a good feeling as to how popular they were. The reactions online so far focus on their anime business, which was better known. Some hint that the company’s business model was going to be changing came at the end of November, with the announcement that their online store would close at the end of 2011.

Looking back over 2011, there were some great manga published. In particular, three significant books were translated into English: Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, Tank Tankuro, and Wandering Son. Only Tank Tankuro by Gajo Sakamoto didn’t make my top ten list. It’s an important children’s manga from pre-World War II. However, it doesn’t age very well. Sakamoto’s unquestioning patriotism and use of stereotypes makes it hard to enjoy.

Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths

There were two Tezuka manga published this year, and I desperately wanted to include them in my top ten. However, honesty forbids me. Book of Human Insects is well-written, but I still struggle with a Tezuka story where the villain or villainess wins in the end. Princess Knight is a fun book, but it’s also deeply flawed in its storytelling.

Here are my top ten favorite manga for 2011.

1. Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths by Shigeru Mizuki. Finally, we get a manga by Mizuki in English. A powerful, semi-autobiographic tale of the hardships faced by Japanese troops during World War II, this book is also a needed reminder that not everyone wearing a Japanese uniform supported the Imperial regime. I hope this does well enough to spark interest in his other works, especially GeGeGe no Kitaro.

2. Wandering Son by Shimura Takako. Words fail me when trying to describe the beauty and artistry of this manga. The genius of this series is that Takako doesn’t focus on how ‘strange and unusual’ transgender people are, but rather how ordinary. I want to say this should be required reading for junior high students as a way to help promote understanding. However, I don’t really know if that approach works.

3. A Bride’s Story by Kaoru Mori. My review of the first volume focused too much on my own hang-ups instead of the breathtaking art, wonderful storytelling, and meticulous research. My eyes almost die from ecstasy with each new volume.

4. A Zoo in Winter by Jiro Taniguichi. I feel like Taniguichi is writing his stories for me. His sense of nostalgia, history, and character are almost identical to my own. I immediately identify with his lead characters and sympathize with what they’re going through. Maybe it’s a middle-aged man thing.

A Zoo in Winter

5. Stargazing Dog by Takashi Murakami. Everybody and their brother has praised this book and rightly so. It’s as moving as everyone says. It’s a sad story, so best to save it for when you’re ready for a good cry.

6. 7 Billion Needles by Nobuaki Tadano. This series seems to have been overlooked by most people. It deserves a much wider audience. It’s a solid sci-fi story that gets better with each volume and has a terrific ending.

7. 20th Century Boys Volumes 13-18 by Naoki Urasawa. This series has been an amazing roller coaster ride. I’m impressed that Urasawa is able to maintain real suspense over so many volumes. I can’t wait to see how it all wraps up.

8. Twin Spica Volumes 5-10 by Kou Yaginuma. Another great sci-fi series by Vertical that is getting criminally neglected. This is more of a soft sci-fi, where the focus is on the characters and their development over technology and world-building. A very moving story with lead characters you’re constantly rooting for.

9. Yotsuba Volume 10 by Kiyohiko Azuma. This series is pure joy. Yotsuba is the cure for any bad mood. Unfortunately, we have caught up with the Japanese releases, so that means only one or two volumes a year. Azuma needs to write faster.

10. Chi’s Sweet Home Volumes 5-7 by Kanata Konami. Look, it’s a cat manga, so it’s already 90% there for me. It’s well-written and adorable, so I’m totally sold. This is another manga where we’ve caught up to the Japanese release and will have long waits between volumes.

Sailor Moon Book 1

Sean Gaffney has announced today the next Manga Moveable Feast, covering Sailor Moon, with a post that discusses his love for the series and his hope to see coverage of both the manga and anime this week.

Ed previously reviewed the first Sailor Moon book along with volume 1 of Codename Sailor V in September, and he also discussed the book in a podcast. Given the timing of the MMF over the holidays, and my general lack of interest in the series, we’re not planning any new coverage, but I’m sure there will be other great reading as part of the MMF. Follow Sean’s updates for more.

Viz puts many of its titles online near print dates. Sometimes, the digital even comes first, most recently in the cases of Naruto and Bleach (more on that below). That’s a quick and effective way to bring the U.S. release schedule closer to the Japanese one.

Viz regularly has discount sales, especially on starting points, and their regular price is still half of the print cost ($4.99 US vs. $9.99 US), so they recognize that readers expect to pay less for digital. Although they launched as iOS-only, they have since established a web version open to everyone (although they’re selling access, not downloads).

Their best-known anthology, Shonen Jump, is moving to digital as of January 30, 2012. From the press release:

The first cover for the new brand features the main characters from all six series featured in Weekly SJ Alpha, including Naruto from NARUTO, Ichigo from BLEACH, Luffy of ONE PIECE, Rikuo of NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN, Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi of BAKUMAN, and gourmet hunter Toriko of TORIKO. Each new digital issue of Weekly SJ Alpha will bring manga fans in North America the latest chapters of their favorite series only two weeks after they debut in Japan’s massively popular Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. … To prepare fans for the debut of WEEKLY SJ ALPHA, VIZ Media is also offering the SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL WARP, a limited collection of digital graphic novel speed-ups that will bring North American readers up-to-date with Japanese releases, in some cases jumping ahead of the print releases in North America.

One Piece has also been included in the “Warp” speed-up. This weekly magazine will cost 99 cents an issue (for four weeks of access only), or a yearly subscription (48 issues) is $25.99. In that case, you’re buying a year’s access to each issue. It’s not great for collectors that the issues expire, but they want you to read your favorite series but still buy the graphic novels.

Viz has also launched the SuBLime yaoi manga line, which features digital-only publication, an avenue to get fans a wider variety of books than what could be selected to be published and distributed in print. That experiment will also feature “download-to-own” PDFs instead of simply title access. If successful, hopefully they will consider that model for other manga genres.

Most recently, Viz has announced all of their titles, now at more than 500 volumes, are 20% off for the holidays. Sale ends January 8, 2012, so if you wanted to sample, now’s the time.

Best New Manga

A Bride’s Story Book 2

1. A Bride’s Story (Yen Press, 2 volumes so far) — Simply gorgeous historical work about the life of a woman newly married into another tribe in central Asia centuries ago. Kaoru Mori previously created Emma, about a Victorian maid, so she clearly loves her research.
2. Wandering Son (Fantagraphics, 2 volumes so far) — Shimura Takako sensitively portrays the lives of transgender teens in a quietly ground-breaking series.
3. The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko (Tokyopop, 2 volumes) — This manga isn’t as significant or important as the two above, and there were only two books released before it prematurely ended (with the demise of its publisher), but boy, it was a good read. Ririko Tsujita captures the politics of school life through the eyes of an outsider who isn’t nearly as remote as she likes to think she is, which is part of the fun.
4. The Drops of God (Vertical, 1 volume so far) — In a more fruitful year, I wouldn’t have included this series by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto, because it’s got some significant flaws, but it’s definitely the kind of manga many people want to read. The subject, wine, is fascinating, and the book educates the reader about qualities of the grape and fancy labels to know. I have hopes that the second book, out this week, will improve on some of the stiff art and stodgy plotting.

Best Continuing Manga

Ooku: The Inner Chambers Book 6

1. Ooku: The Inner Chambers (Viz, Book 6 out this year) — I rediscovered this stunning historical fantasy by Fumi Yoshinaga this year, and once again I found myself swept away by its lyrical re-imagining of a female-ruled Japan and the resulting male harem. Titillating premise aside, the real meat of the story is politics and how it forces a separation among love, sex, feelings, and purpose. That’s timely at any time.
2. Bakuman (Viz, Books 3-8 out this year) — Its gender politics are hopelessly retrograde, but I can’t help it, this story of an aspiring team of manga creators is both gripping and informative. I eager devour each new chapter of their (sometimes exaggerated) career ups and downs, especially since creators Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata know whereof they speak.
3. Yotsuba&! (Yen Press, Book 10 out this year) — Always charming, even if there was only one volume this year of the wide-eyed discoveries of a little girl. Kiyohiko Azuma has surrounded his character with amusing family and neighbors; like them, I’m inspired by Yotsuba’s imagination.
4. Bunny Drop (Yen Press, Books 3-4 out this year) — Another family series, but this one by Yumi Unita is a tad more realistic and sentimental. An excellent gift for anyone who’s ever thought, “They grow up so fast.”

Best Completed Manga

Stargazing Dog

1. Stargazing Dog (NBM) — There was a noticeable lack of single-volume manga this year — perhaps publishers feel that a series gets them more return on their marketing — but this one stood out for its melancholy look at a normal man’s life and the love of a pet.
2. Sand Chronicles (Viz) — This everyday love story concluded with Book 8, out in 2010, but the epilogue tenth volume released this year reassured us the kids we watched grow up had satisfying adulthoods.
3. Hikaru no Go (Viz) — It could have gone on with more tournaments (and I wondered if maybe it should have), but Books 22 and 23 bid farewell to Hikaru and all the many other go players we’d met across the world.

Noble Failures

Every year, I struggle with what to call this last category, of books I want to talk about but not recommend. This year, I settled on “noble failures” because all of them had qualities I wanted to support while not quite executing on them as I’d hoped.

1. Sailor Moon and Princess Knight — Having historically significant manga available, especially those that were instrumental in developing shojo, is terrific and a wonderful way to educate yourself. Actually reading them? Not so much, not for entertainment for today’s reader, anyway.
2. Butterflies, Flowers — Yay for more manga for adult female readers. But next time, could we leave the culturally specific outrageous exaggeration back in Japan? This was supposed to be a comedy, but it was too often unfunny and distasteful in what we were supposed to accept as humorous premises, layered with explicit sex scenes as some kind of distraction. The series ended with Book 8 this year, and I was glad to see it go, because then I could stop masochistically going back to see if it had gotten any better.
3. Mangaman — I was hoping to see more manga readers comment on this book, but it doesn’t seem to have been talked about much. It’s a dynamite concept, blending manga and American comic conventions, that tries to do too much at once.
4. The Stellar Six of Gingacho — Listed mainly so I can once again berate Tokyopop for throwing in the towel just when they were publishing some of the best titles of their company’s life. Now, these books we were just getting to know are even less likely to be licensed again over here, since few companies want to deal with cleaning up after someone else.

Wandering Son Book 2

The highlight, in terms of book I’m most looking forward to reading, is the second volume of Wandering Son. The two gender-swapped children are now in sixth grade, a time when their feelings of being in the wrong bodies become more painful. At least they’ve now found a mentor. I thought the first volume was a little slow to get started, so I expect the second book to be just what I hoped for.

I am also grateful to have gotten another batch of manga from Viz, where the highlights are the newest 20th Century Boys — I hope Kenji finally returns! — and book 41 in the Case Closed series. Can you believe that? 41 books? Also included was Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You Book 12, which makes me wish I got what others saw in the series. I just can’t seem to click with it, and I feel like I’m missing out.

The revamped edition of Louis: Red Letter Day gives me the chance to rectify a similar oversight. When I read the first edition a decade ago, I didn’t quite get it. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the Metaphrog team and better understanding what they want to achieve. I expect I’ll better appreciate the re-reading — it’s not just a comic that determines a reaction, but who we are when we encounter it. Plus, this new edition features every page “entirely redrawn and repainted” with a bonus “making of” section. Behind-the-scenes info is cool!

I’ve been anticipating African-American Classics ever since I heard that this anthology of “great stories and poems by America’s earliest black authors, illustrated by contemporary black artists” would include work by Kyle Baker, Alex Simmons, Trevor Von Eeden, and the long-lost (in mainstream comics, anyway) Christopher Priest. It should be educational as well as eye-opening.

The Rocketeer

Disney was kind enough to send The Rocketeer on Blu-ray. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the movie, and now that I know more about the work of Dave Stevens, I think I’ll find new ways to enjoy it. I’ll be telling you more about this movie next week.

I think I went a little overboard when it came to online shopping for myself, with the holiday deals. I don’t know when I’m going to get the time to watch all the TV seasons on DVDs I ordered, but I knew I’d want to see again these favorite shows:

• The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fourth Season
• Castle: The Complete Third Season
• Cougar Town: The Complete Second Season
• Mad Men: Season Four

And at under $20 a pop last weekend, how could I resist? Plus, I upgraded my copy of Ratatouille to Blu-ray, which gave me a bunch more extras, including one about being a female animator in a man’s world. Great film, and I find more in it every time I watch it. I’ve gained a new appreciation for Patton Oswalt, too.

We debut a new format with this episode, where Ed and I discuss a few manga titles in one segment before inviting in our guests for a second. This episode, we’re talking with Alex Hoffman about the Natsume Ono Manga Moveable Feast he hosted, with additional guest Kristin from Comic Attack. After reading Ono’s book Tesoro, I was happy to get a chance to talk about her work with fans.

Prior to that, though, Ed and I briefly talk about reading Princess Knight, the second volume of A Bride’s Story, and 20th Century Boys 17. Complete with index listings, so you can jump to the segments you’re interested in!

The next episode will be available in January — we’re taking a break for the holidays — and even though Ed retired from reviewing recently, the podcast will continue. Which thrills me to death, since it’s great fun, and I hope our readers are enjoying listening to it as much as we enjoy making it.

Off*Beat Volume 2

Off*Beat was one of the Tokyopop OEL manga titles, a quirky series by Jen Lee Quick about a boy genius and the friend he obsesses over. Book 1 was released in 2005, with Book 2 out late 2006. In 2008 came news that the series was on indefinite hiatus. That was after Tokyopop ended a lot of those original graphic novel series, or their creators were told they wouldn’t have additional volumes published.

Now, Lissa has spotted an update post by Quick in which she says, regarding the series:

It will be finished and the last book will be more easily accessible then previous installments.
This is slated to happen in 2012 regardless if my publishing plan follows through.
I will of course keep people updated regularly on deviantart as soon as i am certain of anything.

Since Tokoypop is gone, she says she’s “working with a new publisher”. In the meantime, she promises to post related “doodles” at her divantart page.

It’s been a while since the heyday of the OEL books, but there were some enjoyable reads put out that way, and I’m glad to see more. I’m also impressed that Quick is planning to finish this off, because she clearly still has fans.

Swallowing the Earth

Digital Manga published Osamu Tezuka’s Swallowing the Earth back in 2009, and once the initial run was sold, the book went out of print. Now, they’ve set up a Kickstarter drive asking for money to reprint the book. If they raise $3,950 or more (they’re well on their way after just a day of posting), then contributors will get copies, as well as bonuses of other manga, either print or digital. Their reasoning, as posted on the site, is this:

… we’re a small company, this is an expensive book, and we can’t afford to put up the cash to reprint it. Because we love this book so much and we want Tezuka to be around in English for everyone to enjoy, we are hoping to raise funds for another printing of this important book through Kickstarter instead. All of the licensing and production work is already done, and printing and delivery should take just 30-60 days.

Congratulations to them on finding creative ways to get projects done, but my old-fashioned side says, “If you can’t raise just $4000 for a book reprint with guaranteed sales, how do you call yourself a publisher?” How close to the bone are they running things over there? Fans don’t seem to mind, though, since the highest reward level (promising, among other things, “VIP treatment at ALL future convention events we run”) has already sold out.