I was doing my usual website check-ins and Amazon spelunking and I came across a few interesting things. Along with a scam and a mystery, I also found some listings for books that, while not new licenses (I leave those to publishers these days) are still some exciting re-releases to look forward to.
First and most time-sensitive today is GoComi.com. I posted that the site had been resurrected with the bare framework of a WordPress layout a couple weeks back. Now the site’s updated with the following message:
“Go! Comi is coming back! We take great efforts to rebuilt Go! Comi as a publisher for Manga & Comics! Help us rebuilding Go! Comi.”
It then asks for donations sent via PayPal directly to them. This screamed scam to me at first, second and third glance. The messy layout, the abundance of ads, the low-res images taken from Amazon and a link asking for random money? The power of the internet spread the word quick to GoComi’s Creative Director (when the company was up and about), Audry Taylor, who has confirmed on her Twitter that this site is a SCAM. So it’s confirmed 100% that this site is just trying to trick manga fans into giving them money. If you know anyone who’s been there and considered donating, please tell them absolutely not to do it. Audry Taylor is sending her lawyers after them so hopefully the offending site will be taken down soon.
Speaking of long-gone manga publishers, a listing for Manzai Comics (Vol. 02) from Aurora Publishing has popped up on Amazon.ca. It has a release date of July 12, 2011. While I’m used to seeing book listings ‘recycled’ on Chapters‘ website (meaning cancelled books given a future date to bump them off recent listings instead of actually deleting them), it’s odd seeing it on Amazon. It’s the same ISBN as the book’s original listing from 2009 so it’s most likely it’s a case of recycled listing but still, a manga mystery!
On a less mysterious but more ‘yay!’ factor comes a listing on Amazon.ca for a box set of Full Metal Alchemist due out from Viz Media in November 2011. The set will include “volumes 1-27, plus extras such as Fullmetal Alchemist Novel: The Ties That Bind and a full-color, two-sided poster.” The price is listed at $219.99/CAN but right now you can pre-order the set on Amazon at 30% off the price – meaning 27+ volumes of FMA for only $137.93. Hard to argue that bargain!
Speaking of a bargain, there’s an omnibus edition of Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo series listed for a February 2012 release. The series is licensed by Vertical Inc and has previously been released in single volume formats. The book is listed at a whopping 880 pages with a price of $29.95/CAN. Awesome bargain for one of my favourite series from Osamu Tezuka even if I’d still say not his strongest.
And lastly for today, if you’re like me and love seeing how manga covers are designed, here are some newly revealed manga covers to oogle!
Tenjo Tenge Omnibus (Vol. 01) (Vol. 02) (Vol. 03) (Vol. 04)
X 3-in-1 (Vol. 01)
Princess Knight (Vol. 01)
No Longer Human (Vol. 01)
Drops of God (Vol. 01)
Pokemon Black & White (Vol. 01) (Vol. 02)
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Ok, so does that mean VIZ will actually finish releasing Fullmetal Alchemist this year? That would be nice… And damn, that's a pretty good deal, that Fullmetal Alchemist boxset!
Also, thanks for the links to those new manga cover designs! *ogles Pokemon Black and White*
[…] Pattillo spotted that site too, along with some tantalizing new manga listings on […]
Those aren't the new manga cover designs for Black and White technically. The volumes still aren't out in Japan so Viz just got a colored magazine cover of Special for volume 1 and a random chapter title page for volume 2 and colored it in.
[…] blogger Lissa Pattillo has spotted a few more finds on Amazon.ca (Lissa is Canadian, so all prices are in Canadian […]