DARK HORSE TO PUBLISH HARLEQUIN MANGA

[MattBrady]

Press Release

HARLEQUIN ENTERPRISES LIMITED announced today a content licensing agreement with DARK HORSE COMICS, which will see the comics publisher release HARLEQUIN books in manga format in the United States, Canada, U.K. and Australia.

Under the agreement, DARK HORSE will publish manga adaptations of six topselling HARLEQUIN titles under the Harlequin Ginger Blossom banner. Harlequin Ginger Blossom will be divided into two color-coded lines -- a "pink" line, which is aimed at younger readers, and a "violet" line, intended for more sophisticated readers. The agreement is a six-book deal -- three books for each line -- with a title from each line arriving approximately every three months.

"We are delighted to be working with a company of DARK HORSE's creativity on this new venture," stated Donna Hayes, Publisher and CEO of HARLEQUIN. "HARLEQUIN romances are timeless, and this partnership allows us to bring our compelling editorial to a younger readership in a format that they find relevant."

HARLEQUIN has considerable experience with the manga format. Since 1998, under a licensing arrangement with HARLEQUIN, Ohzora Publishing Company, a leading creator of manga titles for women, has successfully published manga versions of over 250 HARLEQUIN titles in Japan.

DARK HORSE will publish the first two North American HARLEQUIN manga titles -- Harlequin Ginger Blossom: A Girl in a Million written by Betty Neels with art by Kako Itoh, and Harlequin Ginger Blossom: Response written by Penny Jordan with art by Takako Hashimoto -- in December 2005.

"HARLEQUIN's strength is creating stories that women of all ages find engaging," said Pam Laycock, Executive Vice President, New Business Development and Strategy. "DARK HORSE recognizes that there is vast potential for the growth of manga in North America. At the same time, there is currently no manga for young women that captures the richness of the HARLEQUIN experience. We believe this partnership leverages both these opportunities."

"We're thrilled to be partnered with HARLEQUIN -- a publisher long renowned for bringing enriching reading experiences to millions of people," commented Anita Nelson, Vice President Sales and Marketing, DARK HORSE COMICS. "Harlequin Ginger Blossom is a romantic step above much of the cookie-cutter manga hitting the shelves today. As a pioneer in introducing manga to North America, DARK HORSE is committed to bringing truly unique editorial such as this to a new audience."

[Jason Seaver]

You know, this could be huge for Dark Horse. Romance novels are what pay the bills in a lot of book stores, and they take up a lot of space on bookshelves in places like grocery stores, airports, newsstands, etc. It's a big, untapped market for them.

I just wonder if this deal is a little small, honestly - if these six books do well, why wouldn't Harlequin just take the US distribution of their manga in-house? Also, given how much time a $10 manga takes to read, is two every three months going to come close to meeting demand?

[Rivkah]

Speaking as a girl looking at some sample pages of Harlequin manga titles, I'd like to say I will not be purchasing these books. Darkhorse just shot WAY over our heads this time.

I'm still not entirely sure how Harlequin expects their housewife readers to read comics. They'd be the *last* audience I'd expect to pick these up. I told my mom and older sister about these, but in spite of them being avid readers or romance fiction, neither were interested.

Comics and manga companies should be focusing on growing with their female audience rather than leaping over them--ie. starting with the younger generation and then maturing their titles as they age. As it is, the primary readers of manga right now are 25-under females, the majority of which will most likely not be interested in these titles when there are already better manga on the shelves with better story and better art.

-Rivkah