Otakon 2010: Vertical Publishing Panel

By AnimeEv 1 year, 6 months ago

One of the nice things about Otakon are the number of panels from all kinds of presenters. I was pretty stoked to catch Vertical, the publishers of Buddha and a ton of other cool and creepy books, at the con. For those of you not aware of them, Vertical focuses on “non-standard” manga and Japanese pop culture properties, including several really classy Tezuka comic collections and novels by the likes of Beat Takeshi. Now-living-in-Japan comic artist Felipe Smith was in attendance, along with intern-of-the-Gods Mr. Kou Ranson.

Vertical experienced growth of 18% going into 2010, and they have 34 books scheduled to be released at the moment. In 2010, the company is currently growing at about 22 percent, which is obviously a great accomplishment in this economy. Vertical’s marketing manager was enthused about their fans’ loyalty and let it be known that the company plans to stay focused on quality over quantity, while looking to continue on with their eclectic bent at the same time.

Anyway, check out what we learned from the Q and A, then read below for the voluminous schedule announcements. We’re not kidding… you’ll be here for awhile. New Tezuka, Beat Takeshi, Japanese crime, sci-fi, and horror fiction as well as Soduku await you below, ladies and gents!

Q/A

Digital publishing plans: Vertical is currently not engaged in a lot of direct experiments with digital distribution, but books are available on ipad and iphone. Tezuka Productions is into the concept on the whole. Vertical does want to pursue digital distribution, starting with their prose, and they are now working with authors with regard to rights. Some authors, such as Kenzo, do not want digital distribution. The marketing manager stated that he’d love to have the Guin saga available digitally, and that we should stay tuned for more announcements. Tez maintains the translation rights to his works, which will run in Astro Boy magazine.

Underground manga-ka Usamaru Furuya does have more works coming to Vertical, in addition to Lychee Light Club, which was announced at the panel.

Vertical is expecting to announce a new novel, but there are some rights issues to be worked out because of publisher restrictions and rights managements coeval with publishing partnership restrictions.

Vertical would perhaps license some of the more youth-oriented Tezuka works, but the 16-and-up Tezuka books skew better for them in terms of sales. They get a lot of orders for Buddha as well as the early Black Jack books.

In terms of international distribution, lots of Vertical books go out to England, noting that a respectable percentage of sales comes from overseas for some books. They are possibly looking into publishing more 1970s-era shoujo manga as well.

Vertical is still working on publishing Go Nagai. This announcement brought a heavily-enthused audience reaction from those hoping to get their hands on some of his old-school works. Apparently there’s a preference of publishing order that Nagai wants to be preserved, which is an issue for Vertical. According to some legend, Demon Lord Dante has to be the first thing released by the company, which the staff admitted was just hearsay.

Vertical is hoping to publish a Shigeru Mizuki title in English so he can see it come out in his old age. They are also thinking about a manga critique by an author named Izumino, as well as possibly putting some academic books into a straight digital format, although that is a highly speculative notion at this point.

Announcements

Tezuka’s Apollo’s Song will be coming out 8.17.2010 in a “true volume” edition which is priced at $10.99 for 288 pages. There will be a new cover design by Mizuno Hiroko. Volume 2 will be available at the same time, and is 264 pages. Described as “like Phoenix, but more sexual.”

Chi’s Sweet Home Volume 2 will be available on 8.24.10, priced at $13.95. Chi’s Sweet Home is the story of a lost kitten picked up by a nuclear family who can’t keep pets in their apartment. The book is full-color, was co-produced by Kodansha, and was printed used their printers. Vertical wanted to let us know that they stayed close in terms of collaboration with Kodansha. Crunchyroll (who else?) is running the series online, and a bunch of goods for the show are available, and a plush may be coming soon. DVDs are a possibility if the show goes well, but they’re trying to figure out how to best adapt the 5 minute episode format to the market. A kid’s line will be coming at some point, based on the success of Chi, etc.

Twin Spica by Kou Yaginuma v.3 will be available 9.7.10, 200 pages. This volume moves further into the rigors of the space academy and introduces a tone shift.

Black Jack volume 13 will be available 9.21.10 @ $16.95. 320 pages. The anime is now online, and posters as well as “syringe pins” are available. The book is very close to the editor-in-chief’s heart, in fact he still does the translation and whatnot. They are hoping for it to become a household name, partially thanks to the upcoming Blackjack/House collabo.

Peepo Choo vol. 2 by Felipe Smith. 9.14.10, $12.95 240 pages. Masks and posters are available and videos are on youtube. This volume is more about the main themes of cultural misconception between different societies. Felipe wanted to explore the side of Japan and contrast western and Japanese fandom. He noted that Peepo Choo is unique to him in that it covers both sides of the fence.

7 Billion Needles volume 1. Available 9.21.10. 192 pages. $10.95. A manga by Nobuaki Tadano, inspired by Hal Clement (old school sci-fi God) and featured in Sci-fi magazine. This version is focused on a bishoujo girl in Japan as opposed to a 12 year-old boy, and it turns out that she is possibly the key to mankind’s evolution.

Number Place: Red Pocket. Sudoku series written by Tetsuo Nishio and available 9.28.10 @ $7.95. 101 sudoku puzzles and another dozen. Sample puzzles on the Vertical website.

City of Reguge by Kenzo Kitakata will be out in trade paperback on 9.28.10. It’s 240 pages of hard-boiled Japanese crime fiction. The title had been pushed back a few times, but it’s coming!

The Cuter Book. A craft book by Aranzi Aranzo, a pair of sisters from Osaka, will come out 10.12.10. It’s 80 pages and retailing at $14.95. These craft books are some of Vertical’s best sellers, and this one is based more on western themes.

Ayako by Osamu Tezuka will be available in trade paperback by 10.19.2010 and will be priced at $24.95. It will be 704 pages and will compile all three volumes in an omnibus hardcover. It was described as a poignant historical title about post-WW2 Japan during the American occupation.

Pro Bono, a novel by Seicho Matsumoto will come out on 10.26.10. The book is 192 pages. Samples are online, and the book has been adapted into a movie 9 times(!) in Japan. The book was written in the 1950s, and features translation by Andrew Clarke. Pro Bono is a crime story in which a southern belle comes to Tokyo and and attempts to her brother who’s been framed for murder. She seeks help from Tokyo’s best lawyer, who doesn’t want to go down to Kyushu. Her brother is executed, but she wants to get even. Queue the hi-jinks! This has been described as a Japanese classic.

Fallout Tetsuo Takashima drops 6.21.11, and is 288 pages. It’s a novel written by a Japanese author who lived in the States. Set during the Bush v2 administration, Fallout is a story about the murder of a transgressive journalist.

A Guru Is Born comes out 1.18.11, priced at $13.95. This book is by the infamous Beat Takeshi, and weighs in at 208 pages. It’s a story about cults and the growth of religion in Japan. Sometimes religion is more like business than you think, or so we’ve heard. It was adapted into a movie in the early 90s.

Lychee Light Club, Vertical’s newest acquisition, comes out on 4.19.2011. It’s 320 pages of hard-to-describe-but-easy-to-lurve manga by Usamaru Furuya. The story is an homage to Furuya’s underground theater troop in college where he designed props and costumes. It involves bishounen boys struggling with romance and building a robot to solve their problems.

Gee, I wonder where this is going? :)

Black Jack V 17 will come out on 5.17.22. It’s 320 pages and will have a die-cut in the heart of the book. The last volume will be treated “in a very special way.” It was been announced that there may be a BlackJack 18.

MORE, MORE, MORE!

Chi’s Sweet Home v3. comes out 10.26.10. $13.95.

Twin Spica v4 comes out 11.02.10

BlackJack volume 15 comes out 11.16.2010. $16.95. 320 pages.

7 Billion Needles Volume 2 comes out 11.23.10. 194 pages.

Number Place Blue comes out 1.30.10. $7.95. 120 pages.

Peepo Choo v3 comes out 12.14.2010. 272 pages. This wraps up series. Came out in Japan in April.

Chi’s Sweet Home v4 comes out 12.21.10. $13.95.

Twin Spica v5 comes out 1.4.11.

Black Jack v.15 comes out 1.17.11.

Chi’s Sweet Home v5 comes out 2.22.10.

7 Billion Needles comes out 2.22.2011.

Twin Spica Volume 6

Black Jack 16. Comes out 3.15.2010.

Worry Free Kitchen: Everyday Dishes Without Oil and Butter, written by an registered nurse. Drops 3.22.2011, priced $14.95. 80 pages. There will be a book signing tour in NY/NJ during Spring 2011.

Number Place Yellow comes out 4.26.11.

Twin Spica v7

7 Billion Needles V4 Conclusion of the series, comes out 5.24.11. $10.95. 194 pages.

Twin Spica v8

Into The Unknown!

On 7.19.11, there’ a title listed as “T”, which is an omnibus of 2 volumes. It will be released at 436 pages, available at SDCC. Can’t announce anything else right now. Fascinating!

An Unnamed Tezuka series to be announced on or around 9.20.11.

Another unnamed series by the same publisher of T will be coming as well.

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