As the market for manga in America continues to grow, one of the top publishers, Tokyopop, has made a push to distinguish its OEL, or “Original English Language” manga created by non-Japanese writers and artists. The OEL line has been around for several years, developing such standout titles as Dramacon, I Luv Halloween and East Coast Rising. The Rising Stars of Manga contests have developed fresh new series and talent, expanding the line to include a variety of OEL books that push the boundaries of manga.
Multimedia efforts are now underway to promote notable titles, including the development of animated manga clips, or iManga, which will now be available for download through Verizon V Cast, and syndicating strips in Sunday newspapers. Among the titles being promoted: M. Alice LeGrow’s Bizenghast and Jim Pascoe and Jake Myler’s Undertown.
Stylish and rich in costume and character design, the goth-tinged Bizenghast follows Dinah, a teenager who lost her parents in a car accident, as she confronts the ghosts and puzzles that inhabit the town of Bizenghast. Equally detailed, though vastly different, Undertown tells the story of Sama, a young boy on a quest to save his ill father in the magical world of Undertown.
LeGrow, who was named runner-up in the Rising Stars of Manga 2 contest, has seen Bizenghast developed into animated "webisodes," which will be offered for V Cast download. Episodes are already running on Tokyopop's site and various video Web sites. Meanwhile, on January 6, Undertown began its run in more than 50 newspapers uncut from chapter one.
“Undertown in the newspapers is a strong tool to prove to booksellers that this title has strong life outside the normally short new-release sales window,” said Pascoe, a sentiment that series editor Paul Morrissey echoed.
In addition to the buzz created around Undertown, manga printed in newspapers could indicate that it is a mainstream industry, said Morrissey. He pointed out that traditional Japanese manga reads right to left, so the narration could be confusing to first-time readers, making OEL titles—created in the traditional Western left-to-right way—more accessible to those who have yet to dive into manga.
“I think the current wave of OEL is really inspiring. There's nothing quite like it—fantastic writing married with the coolest, kinetic manga-fueled art,” said Morrissey.
To allow already existing interest in Undertown to flourish, Pascoe has developed an Undertown section on the main Tokyopop site. Mini-sites for individual books are known as "clans," and Pascoe is using the existing social networking features to promote Undertown. The Undertown clan is currently the 12th largest on the site, with numbers surpassing even those of clans dedicated to fan-favorite titles Bleach and Naruto.
“I'm working with Tokyopop to do as many cool things with this clan as I can, including giving away original art by series artist Jake Myler," Pascoe said. "On February 2, I announced the names of all the chapters of Undertown Book 2 exclusively on the Undertown Clan page."
Undertownhas also been a hit with Scholastic, which ordered 56,000 copies to sell to their market, which includes book festivals, their in-school catalog, and big-box retailers like Target.Althought they originally planned it for three volumes, Pascoe and Morrissey have “surprising new directions” planned for the series after its initial three-volume installment. According to Morrissey, Toykopop is strongly committed to developing its global manga properties for other media — including film and TV.
LeGrow’s Bizenghast, described as one of Tokyopop's “key franchise titles” by editor Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, has evolved substantially since its conception. Originally planned as a three-volume series, Diaz-Przybyl and LeGrow quickly realized the world of Dinah and her companions would span additional volumes and ultimately branch into other areas.
“The compelling visual style of Bizenghast, as well as its market success, made it a clear choice as a series to push as iManga, and our in-house staff of animators has really done a fantastic job of bringing it to life,” said Diaz-Przybyl of the animated Bizenghast, which plays Thursdays on Tokyopop's Web site.
Though the iManga and its related V Cast downloads are still in the experimental stages, fan response has been positive, and it's hoped the new format will appeal to new readers.
“I think our staff has done an incredible job of taking a static medium and adding a new and different spark to it," said Diaz-Przybyl. "I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little skeptical of how well this was all going to work out," but the execution "really blew me away as to how cool this was going to be.”
Diaz-Przybyl notes the strength of Tokyopop's ability to maintain a diverse catalogue of titles, from manga to OEL books that may not easily fit the conventional mold of “manga.” LeGrow, known as Marty, has a strong interest in fashion design, including the Japanese gothic Lolita and cosplay cultures, but remains hesitant to call her work “manga.” Instead, she would call herself an American artist with “a slight manga influence,” going as far as to reject the label mangaka.
“I’m actually sick to death of the whole American-versus-Japanese comics argument, people complaining someone copies Japanese styles too much or else doesn’t look Japanese enough," said LeGrow. "I think we should all just draw comics, and that’s that. I’m actually trying to actively steer away from an overt manga style.”
The first story arc of Bizenghast is slated to end with the eventual sixth volume, but LeGrow is developing other projects in the meantime. She has additional future story lines planned Even if the manga world is completed, that will not be the end of the Bizenghast world. Plans are in the works to develop the series into an RPG game and a novelization.
“I expect that will just be the beginning. Marty and I have talked about quite a few other ideas, so I’m sure what comes next for her will be pretty exciting, whatever it is,” Diaz-Przybyl said.
