ADV titles on hiatus continue to spur visions of doom and gloom

Comic AG issue 74 is in stores TODAY.  Go buy it.

Seriously, we need the money.  Don’t hold out on us, man…

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It may be a slow news week as far as manga is concerned, but then we can’t have a new manga publisher pop up each month.  However, the anime deathwatch brigade that began with Geneon’s departure has marched well into 2008.  There’s a metric ton of news and discussion on ADV’s fortunes swirling around the net, including a bizarre incident involving an unpublished ICv2 news article somehow made available to the public via Google, which prompted a quick retraction from Milton Griepp and tepid rumor control from ADV.  Frankly, I can’t make heads or tails of any of it, since I’m not a big anime viewer… although even I know that losing Gurren Lagann would be a huge, huge blow to the company, and anime fandom in general.  My main concern is whether the current financial turbulence (if it is indeed that) ADV is experiencing in its anime business may spill over to its other divisions, particularly ADV Manga, as it has in the past.  Can manga readers bear losing Yotsuba& for a second time?  I think not.

Japanator has a good recap of the events leading up to the various anime-is-imploding forum meltdowns.  Also of note is this op ed at AnimeOnDVD which speculates on what may happen to the anime industry if ADV does call it quits, and examines the health of other North American anime publishers.

The well-being of manga is still somewhat tied to the anime industry, whose television presence has made hits out of books like Naruto and FMA.  But perhaps a more compelling reason for everyone to keep an eye on the current turmoil is that these problems may be expressions of deeper-rooted issues that could affect manga as well; specifically, the diminishing value of the dollar that is erasing licensing profits for Japanese companies, and increasing costs for licensees in an unstable market.  The complete collapse of the North American anime market is too pessimistic a prediction, yet a tightening of the belt seems unavoidable should the dollar’s dismal devaluation continue.  A steadily growing manga market overall may seem immune, but break it down individually, and it becomes easier to imagine how some mid-sized pubs may feel that same sting.

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Slightly related: the conclusion of the North American version of Newtype magazine has prompted ComiPress to look at the history of the venerable Japanese original.

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Missed it… Del Rey’s Dallas Middaugh relates his experiences biting and clawing his way into the comics industry.

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The Comics Reporter spots clues to the current status of Cold Cut, the comics distributor that placed itself up for sale late last year, then seemed to have all but closed up shop in December.  Apparently a buyer has been found, and the company will relocate to Illinois.  Whether Cold Cut will continue to operate as a direct market competitor to Diamond, or if its remaining assets and stock had simply been purchased, is still anyone’s guess at this point.