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Well,it seems that our friends over at Classical Comics are planning to take a big stride into the Japanese comic market!  Don’t believe me… 

Classical Comics reverses the flow! Graphic novels of literary classics to be published in Japanese!  

Coals to Newcastle!

Against the tide of Japanese inspired graphic novels hitting western shores,Classical Comics have signed a deal with Ittosha Incorporated of

The in­fluence of Manga on western media art is unquestionable, and the style is hugely popular amongst British teenagers in particular. This trend is not new -even Monet was in­uenced by Japanese artwork that he saw exhibited in the late nineteenth century. With the popluarity of series like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! that have helped form multi-media standards amongst today’s youth, it’s easy to see how the Manga phenomenon has taken hold in the UK. 

Although the word “Manga” is merely the Japanese word for comic book art, it has come to represent a style of drawing, typi‑ed by abstract features of large eyes and small mouths, so often seen across the globe in today’s media-rich society; which makes this particular deal all-the-more interesting as it goes against the established east-to-west culture ­flow. 

Chairman of Classical Comics, Clive Bryant said,  

“Our multiple text versions of well-loved classic literature have already proven to be a huge success around the globe, particularly with students and teachers who welcome this vibrant, colourful way of introducing these wonderful books.

Language translations are a natural extension to this. Not only are we exporting Great British literature, but we’re also delivering part of our deep culture at the same time. Just as westerners ­nd the Japanese culture intriguing, we think that there are many people in Japan who will be equally fascinated by our heritage.”

Terumasa Hirano, Chairman and Executive Editor of Ittosha Inc. added,  

“When we fi­rst came across the Classical Comics range, we immediately saw the potential for a Japanese translation. While the artwork is very different to what we see over here, that is part of their appeal and helps to deliver these famous stories.”

Ittosha Inc will launch the winter 2008 season with the ‑first two Shakespeare books in the series: Henry V and Macbeth. Jane Eyre (Brontë), Frankenstein (Shelley), Great Expectations (Dickens), and A Christmas Carol (Dickens) will follow, as will all of the titles published by Classical Comics in the UK and the US.  

-Ends  

Classical Comics are UK publishers who are creating engaging versions of literary classics, by converting the timeless stories into stunning, full colour graphic novels.

Spearheaded by Clive Bryant, Chairman, following his successful exit from a business start-up, he was joined by Karen Wenborn as Managing Director in May 2007. The core team was cemented when Jo Wheeler became Creative Director soon afterwards.

As well as meeting the criteria of being strong in colour, dynamic in action, vibrant, engaging and exciting, the books have a myriad of applications in education across all ages and skill levels. Their pioneering multiple text levels not only allows the teaching of classical literature to children as young as ten, but also facilitate inclusive teaching for differentiation in classes of mixed abilities. Their approach has been embraced by teachers across the globe -their free downloads for the Year 9 SATS English test received over 150,000 downloads !

The team of scriptwriters include teachers, playwrights and novelists, while the artists range from newspaper stalwarts to Spiderman creators and Eagle award winners.