I intended to come back and blog immediately on finishing the panel… It’s 2-1/2 hours later now. So it goes.
My lethargy was fairly well dispersed by the crowd at the panel this afternoon. It was loads of fun, and I’m still riding the wave of energy I got from our little talk. It was a lively crowd, interested and willing to laugh at my unintended gaffs, and I’m truly grateful for that. Having the rest of the Del Rey staff to fill in my awkward pauses was also much appreciated.
I’d expected that the biggest reaction to our new announcements would have been to Fairy Tail, given the success of the mangaka’s previous work, Rave Master. And people were excited, to be sure. But the strongest reactions came for two other announcements - Hell Girl and Phoenix Wright. In fact, there was a really strong cheer to Phoenix Wright, which bodes well for its release next spring. Great news for the first manga we purchased from a company - videogame giant Capcom - other than Kodansha.
I really, really enjoy doing panels. So much so that were there an opportunity for me to somehow teach a manga class, I’d love to do it someday. When you get a good group, the energy is fantastic. I walked in there completely exhausted - fifth day in San Diego, fourth day of the con, second day with a head cold - and walked out completely jazzed and upbeat. Like I said, a great crowd.
If I keep at this blogging thing, someday I will tell you stories about my own con experiences that started back in 1985, and how cool it is to be on this side of the microphone.
Ed Chavez: April told me you have a pin with my face on it. I want one. Or at least a picture - you better stop by the booth tomorrow.
Spider-Man searches for comics at Comic-Con!
Just what dastardly villain will he come across in his search for the first edition of his favorite comic? Exorbitant prices? A jostling Comic-Con crowd? A fellow Venom on the prowl for comics? Stay tuned to find out!
As you can probably tell, we’ve been super busy today, the most crowded and busy day of the Con. But the day wouldn’t be complete without a certain feature, so without further ado, here’s the highly-anticipated Tie of the Day!
Much like yesterday, this tie features the classic POW, BAM sound effects that our beloved comics are known for. Purchased from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
Comics, art and neckware meet in one appealing package!
Oh, and let’s not forget that Ali’s sporting a spectacularly purple suit today. It’s really an Ali exclusive in Con fashionwear.
The Dark Knight returns in an all new Lego adventure!
If only he was the real Johnny Depp…
The Saturday stampede…
This Vader can give the Chiquita Banana Girl a run for her money…
Heroes!
And on one last note (for now) I’m totally reliving my childhood with these toys. Superhero My Little Pony from Mattel! Genius!
This is the awesome deviantART image that helped launch Nina Matsumoto (aka SpaceCoyote) into e-superstardom. It’s more than just an excellent homage to one of the most-loved cartoons of all time. This image led to an offer from Bongo Comics (the home of The Simpsons!) and another offer to do character designs for Futurama figures!
We at Del Rey Manga are ecstatic to welcome Nina into the Del Rey Manga family–her first OEL manga, YOKAIDEN, will be published by Del Rey in Summer 2008! You can find her deviantART page here: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/46036660/
And for those of you into the webcomics scene, Nina is also the talented creator of the webcomic Saturnalia.
SAN DIEGO, CA – July 28, 2007 – Del Rey, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, today announced an exciting new manga lineup for Spring 2008, with acquisitions of bestselling manga and manga novels from Japanese publishing powerhouse Kodansha, a manga video game tie-in with video game leader Capcom, and brand new original English-language manga.
Del Rey Manga associate publisher Dallas Middaugh says, “As we move into our fourth year of publishing manga, we’re excited to announce titles of the caliber of Fairy Tail and Hell Girl. I’m as excited to read these books as anyone, and they look amazing.” (Read Full Blog Entry …)
For the record, the title of my post is a quote - it’s what Tintin’s dog Snowy says whenever… well, whenever anything happens, really, because he’s, you know. a dog.
Okay. Comic-con day 4, and this is my first opportunity to post. Hi, I’m Dallas. I’m the associate publisher for Del Rey Manga. And boy, am I tired.
My first Comic-con was about 15 years ago. I came to the show with friends, and we all bunked together at the San Diego Hotel. (At least, I think that’s what the name was. It was demolished a year or two ago.) Suddenly, fifteen years later, there have been a lot of changes, for the con, and for me as well. There are a lot of people here. A LOT of people. I walk through Times Square on the weekends occasionally, and I get myself packed into a commuter train in Tokyo once or twice a year, and this ranks right up there with them. We hold a lot of meetings in the booth, and I often find it difficult to maintain my focus because of the sheer number of people passing by. (Don’t tell anyone though - I’ve mastered the art of the interested stare, even when my brain is off in lala land.)
It’s been a good show so far. The booth is set up well, and it’s brought a lot of traffic in. As I’m sure Tricia and April have told you, we set up a couple of displays with toys from our manga series this. As expected (and hoped for), people have been really interested (they’re great toys - I’m hoping we don’t have to send them back when we’re done with them). And perhaps it’s also to be expected that people want to know where they can buy them. We’re a big tease, unfortunately; they’re only available in Japan. sorry, guys!
Next meeting starts in about five minutes. I’d tell you who it’s with, but since it’s a company we’re just starting to work with, I can’t. I can mention it later, though, since we’re announcing out first license from them at the manga panel today.
Gotta run. Back soon.
I just had my most extreme geek-out this week so far. Just a few minutes ago, a trio of cosplayers came by as characters from a very exciting manga that Del Rey will be publishing next year. I was literally jumping for joy. We’ll be announcing just which manga it is later today, after we make the first public announcement at our panel. Stay tuned for that and more new license announcements.
I’ve noticed a small but amusing local custom at the show. Every attendee is required to prominently display her ticket on a lanyard. And like Del Rey Manga, a very large number of companies are giving out promotional buttons. It is very common for attendees to pin these buttons to their lanyard, with the goal of lining the entire strap with pins. I’ve hardly left the booth, but I think I’m familiar with every pin that’s being given away on the floor. I now have empirical evidence to support my claim that our pins are the most attractive to be had.
These people all walked by the booth this morning: a Mad-Eye Moody so persuasive I half expected him to cast a curse on me as he walked by; a fleet of zombies, running a bit more quickly in the direction of the free giveaways than their bleeding wounds should have allowed; a couple of mud-spattered and battle-worn Storm Troopers; a Bumblebee made of yellow cardboard; more Captain Jack Sparrows than I care to count; a few Spartans who ought to consider, for the sake of everyone around them, putting on trousers; and a large assortment of ambiguous types who may be in costume, or who may very well just look like that every single day.
