With the recent news of  layoffs at Tokyopop, I started thinking again of Sam Costello’s reaction to a Tokyopo OEL title, The Dreaming:

The Dreaming was very good indeed and much better than I’d expected… It’s atmospheric, tense (a comic! a comic that’s actually tense - wow), good looking, and mysterious. And - bonus - it’s a horror mystery, rather than a gorefest. If you like Picnic at Hanging Rock or other atmospheric horror movies or books, you should really check it out.

The problem came, though, when I was done with the book, psyched about it, and wanting to find out when I could buy the next volume.

I went to the website of the book’s creator, Queenie Chan, to see what I could learn there. And what I learned bummed me out quite a bit: the next volume of The Dreaming isn’t due until 2006 (no specific month given), with the third and final volume not due until 2007.

And this is where the problem comes in. Other manga series have new volumes much more often - at least a couple of times a year, if not more - and that works to their advantage. They can come out at that clip because the biggest part of the work on them - the writing and the drawing - has been completed; it’s touch ups and translations and rewrites that have to be done before publishing here. Asia-native manga can also come out faster because TokyoPop is working from a backlog of material, possibly years’ worth, when they start publishing a series.

This seems not to be the case with the OEL. It looks like they’re being created roughly in synch with the publication schedule. I know there’s a lot of work that goes into these books, and I want the creators to take the time they need to make the books great, but potentially having to wait 2 years to finish the story is going to be kind of a bummer, and might kill some of the momentum, both storywise and saleswise, that these books generate.

To some degree, I think this is an issue of packaging setting the wrong expectations — they look like a product that comes out at a high frequency (namely the rest of Tokyopop’s output). The OEL titles are a very different product for Tokyopop, not just because they don’t come from Japan or Korea but also in terms of the products’ strengths and needs.

Tokyopop’s past history has seen many series launched with minimal marketing. Plenty of titles are released every month, reducing the share of attention each title gets from the marketing department and making each title more reliant on having a strong fanbase before the title makes a commerical English language debut. Tokyopop’s opertaional philosophy is often described as "quantity over quality" on internet discussion forums.

(And, speaking of minimal marketing, has anyone noticed any signs of Tokyopop’s "Manga After Hours" marketing initiative?)

The OEL titles are a new beast for Tokyopo with some unique challenges. For one thing, the "quantity" factor isn’t there, there isn’t enough material (or the funds to produce enough material before selling it) to quickly give a series the kind of shelf space it can easily get with moderate popularity and a large number of volumes in print. Buzz is also more challenging to maintain as readers have a whole year to forget about a series before the next chapter arrives — additionally, some readers may choose to defer sampling Tokyopop’s OEL titles, since there’s a long window until the next release. There’s less danger of falling behind on an OEL title than, say, Great Teacher Onizuka.

Personally, while I picked up Steady Beat soon after release (I think it took two weeks from when the series appeared on Diamond’s shipping list, until I found it in a bookstore) I’m feeling little urgency in picking up The Dreaming or Dramacon (two other OEL titles I want to check out). My purchasing lethargy isn’t borne out of any disinterest in those series — it’s just that the longer it takes for me to sample these titles, the shorter my wait will be for the next segment. This is how I approach graphic novels from American publishers and that seems an apt view for Tokyopop’s OEL offerings.

The problem, however, is that this kind of product requires a very different treatment compared to Tokyopop’s other offerings. A long-term marketing campaign is necessary, since discussion about the title isn’t being renewed by virtue of new volumes (with new story details to discuss) arriving every other month. Accounting must also judge success differently, understanding how more marketing dollars spent over a longer period can turn a greater profit over the long run (an idea that seems at odds with Tokyopop’s current operations).

Before foretelling the doom of Tokyopop, I think it’s important to remember that Tokyopop has successfully mutated once before, When the Mixx and Smile magazines struggled to grow in the Direct Market, they turned towards more mainstream markets, cut production costs by leaving manga unflipped and calling it a feature, and dramatically dropped their price points.

It seems to me, with licensing opportunities becoming more competitive, Tokyopop is at another point in its history where it has to adapt to a changing market. I’m hoping that will mean that Tokyopop will look back and revisit some of their missed opportunities. It’s likely that Tokyopop has some creatively strong series in their backlist that haven’t fully met their sales potential, it would be satisfying to see some of these titles getting a renewed push. A similar, sustained marketing effort is needed by Tokyopop’s OEL titles, but by including their backstock in the effort raises the potential financial rewards (by virtue of having titles with plenty of volumes to sell).

Such a move would be president-setting since most manga marketing efforts (aside from Viz’s anthology magazines) rely on the title’s pre-existing fanbase to generate buzz… but setting industry precedents isn’t unfamiliar territory to Tokyopop. It’s time to innovate again.

A group of Firefly fans are trying an innovative route towards reviving the series:

We are looking to push the envelope of episodic television by offering Season Two of Firefly in a groundbreaking new format. Each episode (or the entire season) would be made available for purchase in Standard or Hi-Definition.

It’s possible that subscribers may choose one of three playback options; monthly DVD deliveries, TV On-Demand using your cable or satellite provider, or computer viewing via Streaming Download.

It’s also possible that a box set of DVD’s would be available at the end of the season.

In order for our plan to be successful, we need to take stock of the browncoat recruits that support our cause. It will only take a minute, is strictly confidential, and each profile will take us one step closer to victory!

Considering the way the medium is changing through technology, this seems like an interesting proposal. The odds are against the series’ revival, since there’s a tremendous amount of co-ordination required. However, the first step is to build some solid assumptions for proposal and the site’s survey asks questions that definitely induce confidence. (Though I think it might have been also a good idea to ask about one’s usual purchasing habits.)

I encourage fans of the Joss Whedon-creation to pass the site address along to show how much financial support they would be willing to pass the series’ way. However, I hope that no zealous fans try to skew the survey by submitting multiple surveys to create an illusion of there being more Browncoats than there really are. Good, honest data will help this group understand what is needed to revive the series; it would be a shame if this attempt failed due to wrong presumptions borne out of bad data.

It should be noted that Joss Whedon hasn’t heard of this effort. Regardless, a solid estimation of the franchise’s potential revenues can be very helpful way to establishing the dedication of the series’ fans.

(Found via Lost Remote)

I’ve been curious about  the hit telenovella Betty La Fea ever since I saw ads on my bus ride from one end of the Geary Express to the other. The ads were hard to overlook, prominently featuring the titular, ugly heroine — a major contrast to the pretty faces usually found in advertising. Seeing Betty’s face, it was hard to see those ads and not wonder what kind of show this ad was highlighting.

Since then I’ve read about the series and have become more intrigued. The story focuses on an unattractive but intelligent (and underemployed) secretary who nurses a crush on her handsome boss and initially won praise for exploring the way appearances are valued over talent… praise that quickly turned to disgust when the series ended with Betty getting a makeover and suddenly finding herself pretty enough to notice her as a potential romantic match.

Of course, that summary is based on what others have written about Betty La Fea. As far as I know, there isn’t a way to see this series without understanding Spanish… which is why I’ve been eagerly watching the development of an American adaptation that is being produced by Salma Hayek.

Happily, the project (which has been slowly moving along for years) has hit a major step forward with America Ferrera announced to play Betty. I remember Ferrera best for Real Women have Curves; she’s an actor who inspires confidence in the project. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed on this one… though it should be noted that Ferrera’s not the slightest bit ugly. I’m curious to see how the ugly makeover goes, especially in contrast to the original Betty La Fea, who’s ugliness always looked a bit to comical. (My first theory about those ads was that Betty La Fea was the host of some sort of practical joke show.)

(I find it interesting that this would be the second time Betty La Fea has been adapted at ABC, as another ABC comedy Less than Perfect is considered to be heavily influenced by Betty.)

With the Comics Blogger Award results announced, organizer Chris Temari anayzes the results.

Laura Gjovaag reminds us that Friends of Lulu’s "How to Get Girls (into Your Store)" pamphlet remains pertinent to the industry.

Greg McElhatton reviews Death Note: "…all of those praising it (before the series was even officially released) were wrong… because it was actually better than they’d claimed."

Ernie Hsung asks that you not vote for him in the Bloggies.

Ah, the secrets of Riverdale are revealed by Metrokitty.

Thought it needed to be said…

The Boston Herald’s Mark Perigard writes about something that’s been on my mind recently, but has a different take than I do:

They’re queer, they’re not so proud and they may just convert that closet into a one-bedroom condo.

The commercial networks’ midseason shows feature an odd assortment of homosexual characters. What sets them apart from other series is how self-loathing these characters are.

Call ’em “Brokeback” throwbacks.

The gay characters of ABC’s “Crumbs,” CBS’ “Love Monkey” and NBC’s “The Book of Daniel” all have something in common with the current award-winning film about two ranch hands who fall in love in the ’60s and manage a difficult, tragic affair over two decades. These new gays tread an old path - they struggle with shame.

It’s a marked contrast to portrayals of gays in recent years. While “Will & Grace,” alas, sets the standard for minstrel comedy, “Spin City” (1996-2002) included Carter (Michael Boatman) as an example of a gay man who was intelligent, stable, witty and wouldn’t take crap from anyone.

Hurm. I’m not sure if I’d call it shame, but I am seeing a disruption of the binary thinking that sees "closeted" and "out" as either/or options in favor of more nuanced characterization that ties these gay characters’ "out-ness" to the levels of trust in their varying relationships.

Take Crumbs, while Fred Savage’s character, Mitch, seems fine talking about the boyfriend he left in L.A. with his high school pal Andrea, he dodges the topic with his family. He is characterized, overall, as feeling distant to his parents and his brother and his refusal to discuss his orientation is one of many ways where the show’s lead family avoids intimacy.

Similarly, the closeted aspect of  The Book of Daniel’s Peter Webster is handled in a way to reveal the characters’ layers. Peter expresses hesitancy to associate himself with the political associations of gay culture and seems less troubled by his sexual orientation than the expectations that have become attached to being gay. (The caption accompanying the article, saying that Peter has sex with a woman "to please his family" fails to note how displeased his parents were to learn of the development or that this was the one time when Peter seemed ashamed about his sexual activity.)

In both cases, it’s not shame that drives these characters into the closet but deeper internal conflicts.

In some ways I see this as a reflection of progress because these characters aren’t closeted because of societal intolerance, but because of issues in their own relationships.

Along those lines, I’m looking forward to seeing how the character of Oscar develops on The Office and learn his reasons for being closeted. Considering the number of insensitive comments he’s had to endure from Michael, it’s very plausible that Oscar has decided to hold back that part of himself because it will inspire a second set of insensitivities.

Don’t read further if you haven’t watched "Inspiration" yet and you want to be surprised…

(more…)

The Onion A.V. Club has a very engaging talk with Stephen Colbert this week:

Truthiness is tearing apart our country, and I don’t mean the argument over who came up with the word. I don’t know whether it’s a new thing, but it’s certainly a current thing, in that it doesn’t seem to matter what facts are. It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that’s not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything…

What the right-wing in the United States tries to do is undermine the
press. They call the press "liberal," they call the press "biased," not necessarily because it is or because they have problems with the facts of the left—or even because of the bias for the left, because it’s hard not to be biased in some way, everyone is always going to enter their editorial opinion—but because a press that has validity is a press that has authority. And as soon as there’s any authority to what the press says, you question the authority of the government—it’s like the existence of another authority. So that’s another part of truthiness.

I think Colbert explains here why I’m finding The Colbert Report a stronger commentary on current events than The Daily Show, as it’s got a solid focus for its satirical sword.

Also, check out Tim Goodman’s four-part interview with Stephen at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre.

The Newark Star-Ledger turns its eye to the supporting cast of The Office:

When Greg Daniels set about adapting the acclaimed British "Office," there were five main actors, led by Steve Carell as socially-challenged boss Michael. But to maintain the fake documentary style of the original, Daniels wanted to fill the periphery of his office with familiar American business types. So he sat in a Starbucks across the street from an office building and took notes.

"I heard this one woman say, ‘I don’t like to say something bad about anyone else, but…’ And I thought that would be a great type, and that became Angela."

To fill these tiny but crucial roles, Daniels cast trained improv comics and actors: Kate Flannery as Meredith, Angela Kinsey as Angela, Oscar Nunez as frustrated accountant Oscar, Leslie David Baker as disinterested salesman Stanley, Brian Baumgartner as simple accountant Kevin, Melora Hardin as icy corporate boss Jan, and David Denman as obnoxious warehouse guy Roy.

Several of the show’s writers got in on the act. Mindy Kaling and Paul Lieberstein were recruited for one-joke appearances as customer rep Kelly and human resources chief Toby that, to their surprise (and, in Lieberstein’s case, nervous chagrin), evolved into ongoing roles.

In the most unlikely twist, the role of Phyllis was given to Phyllis Smith, the show’s casting associate. During early auditions, director Ken Kwapis kept asking Smith to read lines with the actors, and he kept laughing at her delivery. Smith didn’t think much of it until, as they were heading to a casting meeting with NBC, she overheard Kwapis telling someone, "I want Phyllis on the show."

I thought the first season of The Office was a solid one, but the series really hit its stride this season when we got to know the other Dunder-Mifflin employees. The show has an immensely talented cast that puts so much characterization into the little everyday moments. Aside from Battlestar Galactica, these are the most complex characters on television, with motivations that are often layered, nuanced and sometimes conflicting. The Office is quickly building into a series that rivals Arrested Development in quality.

To be honest, I didn’t become a full Hellblazer fan until Mike Carey took over the title. Sure, I liked the concept and I tried out some of Garth Ennis’ well-regarded run… as well as Brian Azarello’s turn on the franchise, but neither managed to be what I was seeking in a Vertigo horror comic. Having previously enjoyed Carey’s work on Lucifer, I was thrilled to see a western comic that visited the horror genre as effectively as Japanese horror master Junji Ito.

I tried to approach Denise Mina’s first issue of Hellblazer with an open mind, but the truth was I expected disappointment. If it took so long for a Mike Carey to come along and make Hellblazer the kind of comic I had been seeking in a horror title, the odds seemed good that the next writer wouldn’t be able to match up.

Happily, I turned out to be very wrong on that expectation because Mina’s opening story "Empathy is the Enemy" is as effective as the Mike Carey issues that preceded her. The story, focusing on a man cursed with an empathic power, has the kind of flinch-inducing psychology that make up good horror comics.

Hopefully, this issue is a good omen for Mina’s run on the series.