– You can read the official Tokyopop press release about the change here.
– Calvin Reid is also following the story:
The move comes just as Borders, the top retailer of manga in the U.S., announced a restructuring of its business resulting in over 270 layoffs. During BEA, many comics publishers were concerned about the impact of changes at Borders on the sales of graphic novels and manga in particular. But Tokyopop’s restructuring is also meant to highlight its efforts in getting its original manga content turned into film projects as well as to focus on the growth of its digital and mobile phone comics initiatives.
– Brigid has a nice round-up of reactions and offers this nugget:
Despite the complaints about “OEL crap,” some of Tokyopop’s best (and best selling) titles have been global manga: Dramacon, The Dreaming, Fool’s Gold, and the Warriors manga spring to mind. Is their output uneven? Yes. So is their output of translated titles, however. Perhaps what Tokyopop needs to do is drop some of their weaker titles from both groups and focus on nurturing their global manga creators as well as getting the cream of the crop from overseas.
