Major Japanese manga publisher Shuesha has introduced that they’re coming into the webtoon market with their own devoted providing – Jump Toon – in 2024. In addition Shuesha has opened a contest to scout new expertise.
「ジャンプTOON」では一緒に縦読みマンガにチャレンジしていく作家さん、制作会社をはじめとしたパートナーを募集中です！
ご興味をお持ちの方は是非お問合せをよろしくお願いします！https://t.co/hKMFA7tYpz#ジャンプTOON— ジャンプTOON (@jumptoon_offl) May 30, 2023
While manga could also be promoting greater than it ever has earlier than worldwide, there have been issues at house in Japan about the specter of webtoons – comics learn vertically on smartphones. Already some publishers have been wanting into methods to capitalise on the vertical scroll format – such because the in-development Bandana Comic service, a three way partnership between Bandai, Bandai Namco Filmworks, and vertical manga manufacturing studio Echoes, anticipated to launch late 2023. But that’s small potatoes when in comparison with Shuesha – the massive daddy of Japan’s manga trade selecting to get entangled.
Shuesha is Japan’s largest publishing firm – it publishes magazines, books and, most famously, manga. It is the proprietor of Shonen Jump and the plethora of IP that has sprung forth from it, from Naruto to Chainsaw Man. For Shuesha to decide to creating its own vertical comics service in Japan might be a sign that the manga trade is taking the rise of South Korean webtoons as a critical risk.
On high of the announcement of the Jump Toon app, Shuesha has additionally launched the Jump Toon Award, a expertise scouting prize the place the grand winner receives ¥1million (simply over $7000) and is assured to be serialised on Jump Toon, in addition to the prize successful work revealed on Shuesha’s conventional manga digital unique service Shonen Jump+. Runners up will even obtain prize cash with the highest two finalists getting revealed on Jump Toon – with no assure of collection order. The utility interval ends August 31, 2023 with the outcomes to be declared in October. Such awards have generally been used prior to now to scout for new creators in Shonen Jump and different conventional manga anthology magazines in Japan.
On the competitors web page (through Google Translate)
“Vertically-reading manga is now producing hits of individually-produced vertically-reading manga. Make it easy to read by scrolling down on your smartphone. That is the only element necessary for vertical reading manga. 4-panel manga is also a vertical reading manga. [We] think that a series of panels that are just cut horizontally is also a vertical reading manga. We look forward to your submissions that want to challenge new manga expressions.”
The inaugural Jump Toon prize will likely be judged by Jump Toon’s new editor in chief Takanori Asada – who has beforehand labored on hit manga One Piece and Bleach, in addition to webtoon producer and distributor Red Seven Co’s consultant director Lee Hyun Suk.
In the US there was restricted purchase in on the webtoon format by conventional publishers. Marvel has integrated the webtoon type into its Marvel Unlimited subscription platform below the Infinite Comics imprint. DC in the meantime has partnered with main platform Webtoon to supply various collection – most profitable of which has been the weekly collection Batman: Wayne Family Adventures. Archie Comics have completed much like DC, partnering with Webtoon to supply Big Ethel Energy.
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