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DBD to Distribute Gen Manga Titles to Book Trade
Gen Manga, a digital and print publisher specializing in Japanese indie manga, has signed with Diamond Book Distributors for print distribution to the book trade.
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Panel Mania:Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Magic Within
During the Day Sabrina Spellman is your average teenage girl at Greendale High, where she has a crush on Harvey on the basketball team. However, at night Sabrina enters a magic realm where she attends a charm school to learn witchcraft with a handsome and mysterious boy Shinji. Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Magic Within is written and illustrated by Tania del Rio and is published by Archie Comics.
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Upcoming Comics Events: 3/25/2013
3/26 Bill Willingham "Fables" Signing and Stumptown Kickoff Party in Portland, OR; 3/29 Becky Cloonan "Demo Vol. 2" Discussion and Signing in New York, NY; 4/02 Jane Esperson & Brad Bell "Husbands" Signing in Los Angeles, CA
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Frederator Hires David Wilk To Run New E-book Unit
Animation house Frederator is launching Frederator Books, a digital publishing imprint with plans to release 100 digital titles in 2013 and brought in publishing and distribution veteran David Wilk to direct the line of Kids illustrated e-books.
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Chicago Board of Education Defends 'Persepolis' Ban
In a letter sent to free speech advocates yesterday, a lawyer for the Chicago Board of Education defended the restrictions on students' access to Persepolis.
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Protests Continue Over 'Persepolis' Ban
The controversy over the Chicago Public Schools restricting access to Marjane Satrapi’s memoir continues to roil the nation’s third largest school district.
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Upcoming Comics Events: 3/18/2013
3/20 Wertham Discussion and History with Carol Tilley, Danny Fingeroth and More in New York, NY; 3/26 Bill Willingham "Fables" Signing and Stumptown Kickoff Party in Portland, OR; 3/29 Becky Cloonan "Demo Vol. 2" Discussion and Signing in New York, NY
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Digtal Manga Portal JManga.com Abruptly Shuts Down
JManga.com, a digital manga retail site organized by the Japanese Digital Comics Association, comprised of 39 of Japan’s biggest manga publishers, will be shut down for good effective May 30. Manga purchased at the site cannot be downloaded and will be lost completely to the purchaser after that date.
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Chicago Schools Restrict Access to 'Persepolis'
Chicago Public Schools is under fire for pulling from classrooms Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi’s coming-of-age memoir of her youth in Iran.
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Panel Mania: Jerusalem
Jerusalem follows three generations of a family through chaos, war, and nation making from 1940 to 1948. Author film-maker Boaz Yakin's family lived through this time and were caught in the same turmoil as the characters he has written. It is illustrated by Nick Bertozzi. Jerusalem will be released by First Second in April.
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SelfMadeHero Leading the New British Invasion of Graphic Novels
Although it may not quite be the contemporary equivalent of the British Invasion, the UK graphic novel publisher SelfMadeHero is certainly proof that the global comics market is growing in both size and range.
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Crater XV
Crater XV is the follow up to Kevin Cannon's comic Far Arden. The Hero Army Shanks is mixed up in everything from swashbuckling adventure to abandoned moon bases. Along with Shanks on his adventures is the plucky teenager Wendy Byrd who wants nothing more than off the face of the Earth. Crater XV will be published by Top Shelf in April.
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SXSW 2013: Marvel, Comixology and the Growth of Digital Comics
Comics were easy to spot at this years SXSW with high profile appearances by Comixology and Marvel as well as cartoonists Matthew Inman delivering a keynote address and Ted Rall offering a short presentation on models of syndication for political cartoonists.
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Comics Crowdfunding Picks Up In 2012
Crowdfunding was good to comics in 2012. Kickstarter reports 542 projects were funded out of 1,170 launched, for a success rate of 46.3%—the fifth highest category in terms of successful funding on Kickstarter.
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Panel Mania: Maximum Minimum Wage
Maximum Minimum Wage by Bob Fingerman was originally published in the 90s to critical acclaim. It follows cartoonist Rob Hoffman and his girlfriend Sylvia living in New York City. Rob churns out strips for smut rags and MAD knockoffs, while Sylvia is a manager of a hair salon. Their lives are presented with bleak humor. Maximum Minimum Wage will be released on March 20th by Image Comics.
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Viz Launches Kids' Comics App with Pokemon Manga and More
Manga publisher Viz rolled out a new digital comics service last week that takes advantage of the publisher's kid-friendly licensed properties—not all of them Japanese.
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Panel Mania: All-Star Western Vol. 2: The War of Lord and Owls
In this second New 52 collection, Jonah Hex tracks the kidnapper Thurston Moody to New Orleans where Hex infiltrates an anarchist group intent on eliminating the immigrant population of New Orleans. All-Star Western Vol. 2: The War of Lords and Owls is written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and is illustrated by Moritat.
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Make That Thing Offers Kickstarter Fulfillment and Management
A new company, Make That Thing, aims to help creators navigate the crowdfunding scene and fulfill pledge orders on successful Kickstarters, which can be overwhelming.
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Panel Mania: Catwoman Vol. 2: Dollhouse
Catwoman is out to take Gotham city with her new partner Spark, but when a villain named Dollhouse kidnaps children from the street, a rage awakens within her. Catwoman Vol. 2: Dollhouse is written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Guillem March.
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Scholastic Grabs New Graphic Novels from Gownley, Sturm, Widjaja, Maihack
Scholastic's Graphix imprint has acquired 5 new graphic novels from a variety of artists in a series of new deals negotiated with the Judy Hansen Literary Agency. The books are slated to be released beginning in 2014.



