Plus: 247 Anthology to Include Stories by Larry Hama, Rob Liefeld, Brian Buccellato
TOKYOPOP and 247 Comics have inked a deal for production, distribution, and marketing of 247 Comics’ manga-inspired original graphic novels that will include direct market exclusives and single-issue comics, as well as licensed merchandise based on 247 properties. TOKYOPOP will also distribute 247 titles via its direct market distributor, Penguin Random House.
The new partnership was announced at the ComicsPRO Sneak Peek event on February 5, where 247 also revealed details of its upcoming 247 Comics Presents & Spotlight anthology, which is edited by former Marvel Comics Presents editor Terry Kavanagh (see “ICv2 Interview: Terry Kavanagh on ‘247 Presents’”). The anthology will include original stories by Larry Hama, Howard Mackie, and Anderson Carman and remastered versions of Rob Liefeld’s New Men and Brian Buccellato’s Sons of the Devil. The anthology will have a variant wraparound cover by Daniel Warren Johnson.
The TOKYOPOP/247 partnership will launch with direct market exclusive editions of Evermind, by Sean Chen and Daniel Wu; Heroes Be Damned, by Vince Sunico and Nicholas Lukic; Bladesmyth, by Lingie Park, Justin Calen-Chenn, and Creees Lee; and Zero Ghost, by Justin Jordan and Brian Ching. All four titles were crowdfunded on Kickstarter and have been published in print as single issues that up to now have been sold direct to consumer from the 247 Comics website. The direct market exclusives will have new covers by well-known manga artists, starting with Evermind, which will have three connecting covers by the Japanese artist Godtail.
“This partnership is about honoring manga traditions while reintroducing this audience to the single-issue comic book format,” 247 Comics Publisher and Co-Founder Carl Choi said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Through 247 Comics powered by TOKYOPOP, we’re bringing world-class manga talent into comic shops while presenting our original stories in compact manga reader formats. It’s a creator-first approach designed to serve retailers, readers, and the long-term future of the medium.”
Click Gallery below for covers!
Source: ICv2
