Kodansha sets up shop—for real this time

October 5, 2009 by

Calvin Reid has the scoop at Publishers Weekly: Kodansha, the largest publisher in Japan, is setting up a New York office to publish and sell manga in the U.S. under the name Kodansha Comics. Apparently they plan to start slow, and yes, those reissues of Akira and Ghost in the Shell that popped up on Amazon a while ago are going to be their first two series. More titles are on the way. But don’t despair, Del Rey (and Vertical) fans—Kodansha U.S.A. honcho Yoshio Irie says “Kodansha Comics doesn’t aim to be the exclusive label for titles from Kodansha.” With a backlist the size of theirs, they probably have plenty of manga to go around.

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Comments

  1. Kat Hall says
    October 5, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    *GASP*

    SAILOR MOON?!

  2. Oliver says
    October 5, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    So they will be publishing older titles while Del Rey publishes newer stuff? Is there a website yet?

  3. Michelle says
    October 5, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    Uwahh! Hopefully we’ll see Love Attack back soon XD

  4. Nia says
    October 5, 2009 at 10:36 pm

    @Michelle I hope so too! XD

  5. Steve says
    October 6, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    I’ve been wondering what they’d be up to. Considering their extensive back catalog I figure the expense is low, the profit is high – and the multimedia opportunities are pretty good. It’s monetizing old, but popular, assets.