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Seven Seas To Produce Original Manga

Date: 2004 October 04 17:58

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I've just got hold of the press release from Seven Seas, a new LA based publishers dedicated to producing manga for the international market.

Although it isn't exactly clear, it seems that the company won't be licensing and translating manga, but actually getting artists outside of Japan to produce work in a manga style. This has been successful before with artists such as Adam Warren (Dirty Pair and Starwars manga to name a few), and Fred "Piro" Gallagher of MegaTokyo fame, it will be interesting to see if a company can work with such a specialist policy, personally I'm curious as to which artist they'll be using and if any of them are already well known in anime/manga fandom.

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Offical Press Release Below:

SEVEN SEAS TO PRODUCE ORIGINAL MANGA

(Los Angeles, September 30, 2004) - Dallas Middaugh and Jason DeAngelis today announced the formation of Seven Seas Entertainment, a new Los Angeles-based publishing house dedicated to producing original manga for the international market. Manga remains at the forefront of an explosive rise in graphic novel sales in American bookstores, and Seven Seas is the first U.S. company solely dedicated to publishing authentic original manga in the Japanese style.

In February 2005, Seven Seas will launch four ongoing graphic novel series. The company will debut these titles to the industry at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 5. A sneak peek of the publisher's work is available at the company's web site, www.gomanga.com, and full details about the four flagship titles will be made available to the public on October 25.

"This is the beginning of a fun ride," remarked CEO Dallas Middaugh. "Working with Jason has opened my eyes to some incredible artists who I honestly believe are destined to take manga to the next level in America, and to expand the market for original manga throughout the world." No stranger to manga publishing, Middaugh has worked as the director of sales and marketing for Viz and currently consults with Del Rey Books as their Director of Manga, a relationship that will continue for the foreseeable future.

"It's thrilling to work with such talented artists and writers," said Seven Seas' President, Jason DeAngelis. "Creating original manga is a dream come true, and I'm confident that our work is on par with content coming out of Japan." DeAngelis is also experienced in the manga field, having translated such prominent manga titles as Berserk and Gundam Seed for Dark Horse and Del Rey, respectively. He is an expert on Japanese culture, having lived in Japan for six years, and has attended the UCLA Professional Screenwriting Program.

Seven Seas is dedicated to producing high quality original manga with strong stories and dynamic artwork. While Japan is rightfully acknowledged as the birthplace of manga, the company believes it is an art form that can span all cultures. Seven Seas seeks to promote the concept of "world manga" by collaborating with talented international writers and artists to develop stories with a universal appeal for a worldwide audience.

Source: Seven Seas
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