Heidi reported yesterday that Iris Print, apparently not having paid attention to the whole Coimc Foundry thing, is launching a magazine devoted to the boys love/yaoi genre. The title is BL Twist, it will debut in January of next year and will focus solely on OEL creations:
The bimonthly print magazine will feature articles, reviews, and news related to the boys’ love genre (stories of male/male romance, also known as yaoi or slash), but the magazine’s main feature is 100+ pages of serialized comics (manga) and fiction in each issue, with each comic appearing in the form of a 20-25 page “episode” per issue. All stories will contain a strong element of male/male romance in every episode, but the magazine’s content will remain appropriate for a 16 and up readership.
The magazine is the first of its kind, not only for its subject matter, but also for its focus on Original English-Language (OEL) manga. “This is an exciting time for boys’ love,” said Kellie Lynch, publisher of BL Twist. “Yaoi manga’s explosive popularity in the U.S. has given rise to a wide range of talented Western creators. We’re pleased to be able to showcase some of that talent.”
Miriam Boon, meanwhile, wonders if gay men are being shut out of all the boy-on-boy fun in a preview article about Anime North in Toronto:
But Kat Williams, a Toronto-based anime artist and author who organized queer panels at the convention for several years beginning in 2000, says she’s dismayed by the lack of queer content created specifically for queers at recent Anime North gatherings.
“[Last year's Yaoi North] was pretty much straight girls squealing about their favourite [gay anime] couples,” says Williams.
May 25th, 2007 at 10:33 am
I don’t get the CF reference here. BL Twist is a niche publication, not unlike TwoMorrows’ magazines and UVC, which was recently accepted by Diamond for distribution. CF’s general interest angle and vague editorial focus make it a very different animal.
May 25th, 2007 at 11:11 am
I was being facetious.
May 29th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
“[Last year’s Yaoi North] was pretty much straight girls squealing about their favourite [gay anime] couples,”
In a related story, lesbians told gay men, “Welcome to our world.”
January 11th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Lynch Publishing, LLC, at the BLTwist.com site has announced the cancellation of this periodical. They’re in the process of refunding subscriptions.