Dark Horse Comics’ upcoming book reprints list, which is sent to retailers every Friday and which I referenced in my last post on the subject, featured a change worth noting last week. On it, the upcoming reprint of Katsuhiro Otomo’s AKIRA (which is a Kodansha-licensed title) has disappeared… for North America. Instead, the “Titan” edition for the U.K. is in its place (Akira is co-published in the U.K. by DH and Titan Books). I have independently confirmed that there is no reprint of AKIRA currently scheduled for North America, though there was one announced a month or two back.
While this doesn’t confirm that something is happening, it certainly confirms that something isn’t. For any further comment on the matter someone who isn’t me is going to have to contact Dark Horse.
– Christopher
That reprint of AKIRA, is the same old b/w edition or the new colorized version that Kodansha has put out in Japan, and subsequently reprinted in some European countries?
My understanding is that Dark Horse was going to reprint its existing edition. I haven’t heard anything about a new edition in English.
Damn. As pissed as I was that they were making my overpriced, much crappier, copies obsolete, I was looking forward to better ones.
That would have been a big one, with the movie on the way and such.
Leo starring as Kaneda is a rumour…don’t worry,
apparently he’s producing. Either way, it’ll be ruined by Hollywood. Thanks again, gigantic crap factory!
I suspect that this one may be an indication that something is happening, as the Titan edition’s, at least up till now, have been stickered copies of the DH editions (and horribly expensive too, £24.99). If the only way they can sell them is under the UK licence, that may well mean they don’t have the US licence any more…