Fantasy Book Critic: Tor Books forms a new Manga imprint with Seven Seas + Del Rey Manga forms an alliance with Marvel Comics!!!

Just a couple of tidbits that I overlooked recently, both having to do with the continuing trend of publishers getting involved in the comic book/manga game. The first is Tor Books partnering with Seven Seas in a new Manga imprint. The first title to be published under the new venture in August 2008 is “Afro Samurai”, which was the basis for the Spike TV anime series that featured the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman, and Kelly Hu, and was a personal favorite of mine :) For more information on the partnership and the “Afro Samurai” manga, read the full press release HERE.

The other big news concerns Del Rey and Marvel who have entered into a relationship to produce an Original English language manga starring Wolverine and the X-Men. I came across this via Newsarama who just posted an interview with Marvel’s Vice President of Development Ruwan Jayatilleke about the deal HERE, while also providing some artwork. The full press release can be found HERE.

To be honest, I’m not really that excited about either announcement. I’ve never been a fan of the manga style, and I’m not that big on Wolverine or X-Men, but I do think it’s an exciting step forward, especially for Tor. Who knows, maybe they’ll get into graphic novels next…