DC ANNOUNCES CMX

**MattBrady** · 06-23-2004, 11:07 AM

DC Comics has officially confirmed its forthcoming manga line, CMX, which will launch in October. Launch titles for the imprint will include the initial volumes of Madara, art by Tajima Sho-u (who created the character designs for the anime sequences in Kill Bill: Volume 1) and written by Otsuka Eiji from Kadokawa; Mekakushi no Kuni, illustrated and written by Tsukuba Sakura from Hakusensha; and Eroika Yori Ai Wo, illustrated and written by Aoike Yasuko from Akita Shoten.

"There's tremendous enthusiasm for manga in the States," said DC Publisher and President Paul Levitz in a press release. "New readers, particularly girls and women, have rushed to embrace new talent from abroad, which we're excited to bring to American audiences as part of DC Comics' commitment to publishing diverse and exciting works from around the world. "

Upcoming CMX titles will include Fujii Mihona' s Gals (the inspiration for the anime series SuperGals! from Shueisha), Tenjo Tange, by Oh! Great from Shueisha; 9 Banme no Musashi, by Takahashi Miyuki from Akita Shoten; Swan, by Ariyoshi Kyoko from Akita Shoten; Monster Collection by Sei Ito from Kadokawa Shoten; Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, by Tanemura Arina from Shueisha; and Akuma De Soro by Takanashi Mitsuba from Shueisha.

According to DC, each of the CMX titles are Japanese manga, which are being released for the first time in the United States, and will be published in the traditional manga format - sized at 5 x 7 3/8 ", with black and white interiors. Subsequent volumes of each series will be released on a quarterly schedule.

"We believe that manga readership is going to continue its rapid growth and also evolve in the US," said John Nee, Vice President of Business Development at DC Comics in the same release. "CMX is committed to publishing all genre of manga including horror, fantasy, science fiction and adventure titles and the line will be as diverse, and as author friendly, as that of DC Comics, Vertigo, and WildStorm."

Nee also announced today that DC Comics has hired Jake Tarbox as the Group Editor of the CMX imprint. Tarbox has spent the last 14 years living in Tokyo, Japan where he worked at Coamix, Inc. as the International Affairs Manager and Vice-Editor-Chief of Raijin Comics, administered the creation of the American subsidiary company Gutsoon! Entertainment, and edited the manga magazine, RAIJIN COMICS. Tarbox will handle the editorial responsibilities for the CMX imprint including overseeing the translation and printing of manga titles into English.

From DC’s release:

ABOUT THE LEAD TITLES AND TALENT:

MADARA Volume 1 (originally serialized in MARUKATSU FAMICOM magazine) represents the first work done together by the creators of the hit series MPD Psycho, artist Tajima Sho-u (who created the character designs for the anime sequences in the movie " Kill Bill " ) and writer Otsuka Eiji. When his village is attacked by demons, Madara, a blacksmith ' s apprentice, discovers that he possesses fantastic powers.

Artist Tajima Sho-u debuted as a manga artist in 1987 with the publication of Madara. He has worked on illustration and character design for computer games (including Galerians) and animation. He has illustrated MPD Psycho, Brothers Baby Baby, Madara Colors, and his current hit series Gorilla Kick.

In addition to his work with manga, writer Otsuka Eiji is a critic, essayist, and author of several successful non-fiction books on Japanese popular and " otaku " sub-cultures. In the 80s, Otsuka was editor-in-chief of MANGA BURIKKO, a leading women ' s manga magazine where he pioneered research on the " otaku " sub-culture in modern Japan.

Mekakushi no Kuni Volume 1 was originally serialized in LaLa DX magazine from 1998 to 2004. In this nine volume series, creator Tsukuba Sakura tells the story of Otsuka Kanade, a high school girl who can see visions of the future. Should she act to change their fate, or sit back and wait for events to unfold?

A rising young author in the shojo manga world, Tsukuba Sakura decided to become a manga artist in high school. As she was about to graduate college, she furiously distributed her work to publishers. Her first published work was A Bright Spring Day, in LaLa magazine. She has also written and drawn Invisible World: a Dog ' s Story (published in LaLa magazine) and Past Day Present (published in LaLa magazine).

Eroika yori Ai wo Komete Volume 1 was originally serialized in PRINCESS magazine from 1977 to the present. Eroika yori Ai wo Komete follows the adventures of a British aristocrat and international art thief who taunts his nemesis, Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach, by leaving notes behind at the scene of his crimes, signed " From Eroica with Love. "

Aoike Yasuko ' s first manga, Sayonara Nanette, was published in RIBBON magazine when she was fifteen years old. Afterwards, she garnered attention by publishing several hit stories in rapid succession, including Shojo Blend, When Roses Cry, Oh Carol, " I love you, Tetsu-sensei, " and " Hey, Young Guy. " In 1976 her sci-fi comedy Sons of Eve in PRINCESS magazine, represented a switch from pure shojo stories to a new kind of storytelling.

Debuting in 1977, Eroika yori Ai wo Komete became a huge best seller, and its sequel series is still being serialized today. The series is built on a great deal of research about European art history, and has helped to popularize many European painters in Japan as well as Japanese tours of European art museums.

Aoike Yasuko has continued a long and productive career in the pages of PRINCESS, a highly popular girl ' s manga anthology magazine. But her work is so popular that she is at present concurrently publishing stories in several magazines. She is the creator of Miriam Blue's Lake, Sons of Eve, Seven Seas, Seven Skies, The Castle, Ivy Navy, Trafalgar, Z, Der Freischutz, Alcasar, The Tale of a Priest and a Doctor, The Day of Saladin, Richard, the Lion-Hearted, Brother Falco, The Temptation of Scarlet, The Carthaginian Fantasy, The Melancholy of Her Majesty, The Knight of Drachen, and Plus Ultra.

Pariah · 06-23-2004, 11:30 AM

Why is it called CMX?

Greg T · 06-23-2004, 11:32 AM

Very interesting. DC has some nice stuff in their arsenal and will hopefully be able to make a dent in the huge amount of manga currently being produced.

sythspawn · 06-23-2004, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pariah
Why is it called CMX?

Because DMX is a rapper/actor?

Tinnitus Tim · 06-23-2004, 11:44 AM

Comics Manga eXtreme!
...

Can't Muster eXcitement?

....

Mick Fury · 06-23-2004, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pariah
Why is it called CMX?

CoMiX..they just got rid of the vowels.

Mike

from the gutter · 06-23-2004, 11:54 AM

Wow this sounds great. Im glad they are not just turning their own stuff into Manga because I was not particularly impressed with Marvels manga line. So far the best to me seem to be coming out of Viz., and Dark Horse. Specifically my favorites are Maison Ikkoku (and really everything by Rumiko Takahashi, but this Ranma and Lum are great, Maison being my favorite out of the three, but its not easy to come to that conclusion) which is put out by Viz., Short Program which is put out by a Viz subsidary-Animerica Extra, and Club 9 which is put out by Dark Horse. There is also Oh! My Goddess! and Blade of the Immortal. There are a lot of Korean comics that are very good also. But we do not seem to get them here. The most high profile Korean book I have seen were published here by Image. But there were many more that were published by lesser known companies during the 80's and 90's, but I do not see anything like them on the shelves. The storytelling is different in someways, and it is interesting to see the way different Asian cultures do comic books, other than Japan. I have a feeling since DC is such a big company that the manga will be really good with high quality art and paperstock. Which is always a plus to me, since a lot is put out on lesser stock. It doesnt bother me when it is, but I like it when comics are put out on a higher grade so they last longer. Even though I do miss the smell comics had before the industry changed the type of paper it was printed on. Now many of those comics have a golden color too them, but that just adds to it to me. But at least the new paperstock will not turn brittle in the amount of time the paper from the 80's(and early 90's) and back, did.

AlexLothos · 06-23-2004, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mick Fury
CoMiX..they just got rid of the vowels.

Mike

Ahhh... i c

Libby · 06-23-2004, 11:59 AM

I'm so excited about Eroica being translated into English. Eroica got me into manga, but I never thought it would *ever* be liscensed. And by DC!!!! This is very happy news.

Although it's kind of odd that they don't mention the big hook for most women readers -- Eroica is flamboyantly gay, and he and the major have a great love/hate relationship going on. It's never ever resolved, but that's what makes it fun.

If you want to learn more about From Eroica with Love, eroicafans.org has tons of information!

Frank Castle · 06-23-2004, 12:22 PM

Personally, I'm worried about how faithful DC will keep it to the original. Of the series mentioned, I've only read Tenjo Tenge, which contains a lot of gratuitous nudity and violence that's usually beyond the normal levels for american comics... And DC is the company that axed the Authority (presumably) due to similar content.

My fear is that the dialogue and art will be covered up, edited and basically destroyed, or that some of the series will be axed shortly because of the content.

Here's hoping that CMX presents itself as a more mature imprint, so problems like this will be avoided.

Other than that, congratulations to DC for this expansion in market and content.

Shawn Fumo · 06-23-2004, 01:00 PM

Gutter, with all due respect, what are you talking about? Check out the licensing list for Korean comics in the US. I count 17 Korean series that Tokyopop are releasing and 8 from ADV. I think Curtis doesn't exist anymore and some of the ComicsOne titles are out of print, but 25 series from two major publishers is still pretty good.

Most of the series that you see released these days in a left-to-right format will be Korean, as they are in that direction in their native form. A lot of these have also been getting pretty good buzz and coverage (some of these were part of Tokyopop's TV ad campaign). I don't own any manhwa as of yet, but I've been meaning to pick up Priest for a while now...

As far as DC gos, I'm glad that they seem to be serious about jumping into the market and have some really strong titles. Also variety with shonen, shoujo, shonen ai, etc.. My main worry is what the others have voiced, if they censor or try to americanize to much. However, having someone from Raijin does make me feel less nervous, as well as some of the adult content in the Vertigo line... I'll be very interested to see how this pans out..

Shawn

Tivome · 06-23-2004, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Frank Castle
Personally, I'm worried about how faithful DC will keep it to the original. Of the series mentioned, I've only read Tenjo Tenge, which contains a lot of gratuitous nudity and violence that's usually beyond the normal levels for american comics... And DC is the company that axed the Authority (presumably) due to similar content.

My fear is that the dialogue and art will be covered up, edited and basically destroyed, or that some of the series will be axed shortly because of the content.

I have the same fear. I doubt DC is going after mature audience though; teens' where the money's at. I think they will edit the it, frankly. I'd be pleasantly surprised if they shrink-wrap it and put warning label on it ala Negima. I wonder how they'll handle even the first volume, where the fighting took a break so Oh Great! can show us Bob having sex with his gf?

Come to think of it, Tenjo Tenge is really a team superhero book, only with better fighting, more sex, and a great storyline. DC is actually a fitting publisher, in a sense.

I'd never thought I'd like any fanservice-fighting titles, but the Tenjo Tenge anime's got me hooked! I can excuse a few popping boobies, sometimes...

Elithraldor · 06-23-2004, 01:15 PM

This is great news. I wonder how much they will gut out though.

Shawn Fumo · 06-23-2004, 01:18 PM

Actually, though, the more I think about Tenjo Tenge, the less I think it'll really be edited too much (in terms of artwork at least). The thing about Negima was that it was mostly just a little fanservice with people who were already somewhat covered up, or at most undetailed nudity. Character designs are on the cutesy side and really the age group it is targetting isn't all that different from a lot of the Harry Potter fans, though you couldn't get away with so much here...

But for TenTen, the character designs are much more mature, there's tons of violence, and as was mentioned, a sex scene right in the first volume. I don't see how they could hope to censor it enough to get it aimed at a young audience without totally hacking it up. And while you can do a jump-cut in animation, manga has series of panels that it is a lot harder to just rearrange or edit out.

Also, one of Tokyopop's most popular titles in the direct market has been Battle Royale, which is always shrinkwrapped. I believe Berserk has been doing decently for Dark Horse as well...

When it comes to censorship, I think I'll be more worried about borderline cases, where they can just change a couple of things to get in a different age rating. I think TenTen may be a bit too extreme for something to be done to it without destroying all credibility to the CMX line. There's so much stuff coming out from the various companies that frankly it is easy to ignore a company if they don't do a good job and buy something else.

Shawn

jasinmartin · 06-23-2004, 01:25 PM

Man I wish there were some sample pages, or at least some promo art. I find these releases for manga pretty pointless without some visuals. I don't even see a link to a spot on the web. (I know it's early...)

Any way, look forward to seeing what the line has to offer, and how it's received. Sounds like it's built to last.

Other than that, I too am curious how they handle the content. I know Dark Horse cleaned up a bit of Ghost in the Shell, but don't recall hearing about this with any other manga or publishers. For instance, does anyone know if Tpop edited any content from titles like Battle Royale or Battle Vixens?

coreybean · 06-23-2004, 02:06 PM

It's interesting that DC would rather do this than try to position it's own product to compete with the imported material. I imagine there's less risk in reproducing japanese comics. It would be great if DC made a real daring move. Why not get an anthology- Shonen Jump style- onto newstands? Why not do the Focus comics and other material in the digest trade format and market them to "manga" buyers? I think most of the comic publisher are playing thing TOO safe.

The whole "manga" boom proves that people are not opposed to reading comic books. It's a matter of having variety in the material and letting people know the stuff is out there. The smaller companies need to find a way to show people the variety of non-superhero comics available- maybe a coordinate effort amongst some of the smaller publishers is needed. Marvel and DC should look beyond their superpowered borders. Indeed, DC already has a ton of great material with Vertigo, so a new way to market their products is important as well.

Marvel and DC's efforts so far to cash in on the "manga revolution" prove that they are missing the whole point. People will read comics that are varied in style and content, are visible and available outside of the small world of comic shops, and have resonable value (ie, ten dollars for a book vs three dollars for a "pamphlet" with ads.)

Libby · 06-23-2004, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jasinmartin
Man I wish there were some sample pages, or at least some promo art. I find these releases for manga pretty pointless without some visuals. I don't even see a link to a spot on the web. (I know it's early...)

Here you go! Using my crazy Google skills I've found:

Some scans from Eroica -- I love this art style. It's just so 70's it's hilarious.

Akuma de Sourou has very beautiful (and fashionable!) artwork, as you can see on the mangaka's wallpaper page.

GALS is a VERY shoujo comic about girls who love boys and shopping.

Kaito Kamikaze Jeanne is a very popular magical girl manga.

Couldn't much on Mekakushi no Kuni, but here's a scan of a pencil board. (Yeah, not very helpful...)

Madara

Tenjo Tenge

I couldn't find any art for Banme no Musashi, for some reason.

Swan (Italian page, the art is towards the bottom)

Monster Collection

gren99 · 06-23-2004, 02:26 PM

i have to admit, description and concept-wise, 'eroica' really caught my attention right away. might have to add that to my pull list -- though i'm a bit curious as to the issue of authenticity and whatnot.

i really don't want to read a series that's been edited into crapulence to conform to american sensibilities. re-doing the art to cover stuff up just seems so naff as well.

PhillipVargas · 06-23-2004, 02:34 PM

This is a natural course for any major cpublisher. Tokyopop has shown that there’s a very healthy demand for manga and they have carved up a large slice of market share.

Shawn Fumo · 06-23-2004, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jasinmartin
Other than that, I too am curious how they handle the content. I know Dark Horse cleaned up a bit of Ghost in the Shell, but don't recall hearing about this with any other manga or publishers. For instance, does anyone know if Tpop edited any content from titles like Battle Royale or Battle Vixens?

I forget exactly what was up with Ghost in the Shell (if it was self-censorship in latter printings in Japan that transferred to the US or it it was done just for the US), but I do know it was all done with the understanding of Shirow...

Unfortunately, Battle Royale and "Battle Vixens" both have a lot of issues, mostly related to Giffen messing with the text translations. Already on the manga boards people are talking about how Giffen better not come anywhere near these CMX titles...

In Battle Royale, he added into the plot that supposedly this a reality tv show, which was not in the manga originally. He also added "witty" catch-phrases like "Red's not your color!" instead of "I had to kill you..." I hear it is mostly tolerable, but still shouldn't have been done. Battle Vixens (which was not its original name btw) fared even worse, where aparantly most of the plot was thrown out the window and lots of sexual language added to the dialogue. I'm sure this was somewhat trashy to begin with, but not as bad as Giffen made it... Of course it is really Tokyopop's fault for hiring him and letting him mess with whatever he wanted...

Shawn

Shawn Fumo · 06-23-2004, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by coreybean
Marvel and DC's efforts so far to cash in on the "manga revolution" prove that they are missing the whole point. People will read comics that are varied in style and content, are visible and available outside of the small world of comic shops, and have resonable value (ie, ten dollars for a book vs three dollars for a "pamphlet" with ads.)

While I can agree up to a point, I don't think it is bad for DC to start off this way. A lot of these titles are already well-known in the manga/anime world and will get a lot of people reading DC's books. If they decide to add their own works to the imprint down the road, the audience will already be looking at their titles and be more willing to give them a shot.

I mean what would have happened if Tokyopop started off by releasing the Rising Stars of Manga anthology and series like Shutterbox? Now they have more original material coming like Peach Fuzz, but there wouldn't be the same buzz for these titles if Tokyopop wasn't already popular..

If DC can prove that they are serious about these manga titles and do a good job with them, it'll quickly give them a good reputation. Don't forget that while DC is a big publisher, it is still a novice manga publisher that fans will treat as such (Gon and the Batman GN only go so far). Let them prove themselves a bit before they go off trying to make their own titles stick..

Shawn

genetic freak · 06-23-2004, 02:51 PM

Whoah! I've heard the rumors and knew in my gut that it would definitely happen but it's the titles acquired that surprised me. Hope DC doesn't censor anything because it would definitely be great that way. One important question, is the license limited to North America? It would suck if so.

Nat Gertler · 06-23-2004, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by coreybean
Marvel and DC's efforts so far to cash in on the "manga revolution" prove that they are missing the whole point. People will read comics that are varied in style and content, are visible and available outside of the small world of comic shops, and have resonable value (ie, ten dollars for a book vs three dollars for a "pamphlet" with ads.)

I'm not sure how that shows they're missing the point (even if that point is of questionable accuracy, as many of the readers seem to be taken by the manganess of manga). DC produces a variety of projects in small, squarebound, affordable formats. Take a look at ElfQuest: Wolfrider, A Gregory Treasury, the Scooby Doo TPBs, Road to Perdition.

gren99 · 06-23-2004, 03:04 PM

don't forget the death (of the endless) book that vertigo did last year. i think all the batman/superman TAS reprints they are doing are digest size, no?

actually, it's interesting that you mention the 'gregory' collections -- both of which are pub'd by the DC imprint itself, not vertigo, piranha press or wildstorm. it makes me think that if DC can pub something that's a little bit edgy (like gregory was/is), then maybe they won't get carried away with trying to clean up their manga properties.

Tivome · 06-23-2004, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Actually, though, the more I think about Tenjo Tenge, the less I think it'll really be edited too much (in terms of artwork at least).

I'd agree with you on Negima here. I'm still not sure about TenTen... Will DC resort to editing in order to sell more books to Teens? I mean TenTen is custom-made for boys 13 and above: it has great fights and techniques; it's got 2 babes with giant knockers (and one pair can change sizes); it's got a black dude who kicks butt; it's got sex at near hentai level; and it's got a great story line where the heroes got their asses kicked thoroughly in the first volume (of course they eventually came to dominate). This all scream Teenage boys.

The only way they can get away with not editing it is with shrink-wrap; don't think the bookstore has an "adult manga" section just yet. The target audience for TenTen in SHOLUD be boys 13-25 of course, but Americans are too uptight about what kids can read. This is the same deal with "Adult Swim"; none of the anime shown in Adult Swim is considered "Adult"; the only reason it's in the "adult" block here is that Americans think kids can't handle mature themes or some animated blood.

Quote:

When it comes to censorship, I think I'll be more worried about borderline cases, where they can just change a couple of things to get in a different age rating. I think TenTen may be a bit too extreme for something to be done to it without destroying all credibility to the CMX line. There's so much stuff coming out from the various companies that frankly it is easy to ignore a company if they don't do a good job and buy something else.

I won't worry too much about "Americanization". If they do anything as dumb as changing character names or over-Americanize the dialog they will bashed to no end. Witness how Del Ray changed their policy reguarding Negima due to pressure from the fans. I'm pretty sure they don't want the vocal fans who hated Initial D with a passion due to the name/story changes pointing their guns at CMX all over the internet. Not good for a new manga startup.

But I do think they have some one who DO know something about the real manga market; I mean they're bringing over Eroica, the grandaddy of all shonen-ai/Yaoi (gay) manga. I give them kudos just for doing that.

DC if you want respect from real hard-core adult manga fans, bring over Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou please... heck if you do I'll even start buying Superman again, just to thank ya.